What I Buy Wednesday

I've been buying Christmas gifts and a few new things for the house. Hoping the renovation work will be finished this week. Once I get everything back to normal, I'll take some pictures.

Soooo, I'm going to share a few things I learned on our river cruise.

1. I always thought porridge was oatmeal. But when I encountered both on the menu, I asked about the difference. Oatmeal is made with hot milk and porridge is made with water. So, all my life when I thought I was eating oatmeal, I was actually eating porridge. I tried the oatmeal. Of course it was better---made with milk---definitely richer! I was better off not knowing.

2. I learned the difference between a "burg" and a "berg." When a city ends in either of these spellings, it means that it's based on what's there. For example, "burg" like Hamburg or Salzburg---were based near a defensive castle which was a fortification. Other cities like Nuremberg and Heidelberg were built at the base of mountains. Both provided some defense in medieval times. Interesting.

3. I learned that "Shit" is a readily accepted and used word in Germany. The first time I heard a tour guide use it, I was surprised. Then I realized that it wasn't shocking after all---just common usage. Apparently, my German family (Zimmermann) has been using in properly all along!

4. Speaking of Zimmermann---I saw a couple buses with our name on the side. I wasn't quick enough in traffic to get a picture. I'll bet if I'd found a phone book (if such a thing even exists anymore in Germany), Zimmermanns would have been like Smith or Jones here. One of these days, I'd like to track down some distant relatives. Heck, who am I kidding. I have plenty of relatives right here who are distant!

5. Another thing I learned. These cruises have a lot of OLD people. I thought it might bother Stephanie and Nicky since they were the youngest by about 25 years!! What bothered me the most was most people's lack of technological skills. We downloaded an app to our phone that we used for all the tours. Every time, the first 15 minutes were spent trying to get people up and running! I learned that we're not that old after all!