On Day 2, arrangements were made to take us ladies shopping while the guys discussed ideas for improving the combines, etc. So our poor bus driver, Wolfgang, had a herd of ladies chasing him down some streets in the city to get to a department store. We walked by a bank and one lady wanted to get some cash but she used the wrong machine and it ate her card...well, not really but Wolfgang had to rescue her by talking to management and getting her card back to her. And then we were off again. As soon as we hit the store we decided on a meeting time and place and off we went.
My first priority was to find something for the boys - they were both hoping for toys and I knew cute little t-shirts, etc wouldn't cut it as far as they were concerned. As I was trying to decide on what to get, I realized I needed to find a washroom....and quickly. But we had been forewarned. In Germany, a lady would be sitting outside the washroom with a dish and it was expected that we would give her a tip to use the washroom. My smallest bill was 20 Euros and so I had a little pressure to figure out what to buy so I could make some change. And I did but everything in the store comes out to even dollars (taxes are always included in the price) so even with the change I had no coins at all. By then, I was feeling a little desperate and the cashier had no idea what my problem was when I asked for change for a bill. Finally, a cashier came over who could speak enough English to understand what I needed and everything turned out well! I had an acceptable amount of money for the tip and I was able to enjoy the rest of the shopping experience after that!
BTW, I did find a toy for each of the boys. They've been wanting remote controlled vehicles but I've been holding off on that as most of them are big and fast - not a good combination in our small home. But I found a remote controlled forklift and tractor. Speed isn't an issue and the boys love them.
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