driving and grocery shopping

Matt and Isaiah headed to the treatment center with Ryan this morning while Elle's and I went grocery shopping.
There has been so much that Matt and I appreciate about Germany.  From less than a week here, we already notice the sense of orderliness everywhere (at least from Frankfurt down to Stuttgart).  People are not warm and friendly but they are helpful- there is something authentic about the helpfulness they extend.  It's rare you will get a smile but it's common that same person that did not return your smile will stop and ask where it is your trying to go (so they can help navigate you there).  Over all, they seem uninterested in American's or what our life is like back home, but not showing it through any sort of disrespect.  Their actions say that they are content with their life and their culture and not looking to make American's a novelty.  We appreciate their straight forward approach to life along with the sense of history this country wears beautifully.
Driving has been completely fascinating.  You've got people passing you on the Autobahn going over 150 miles per hour but not driving crazy (it's so hard to explain- you must just experience it).  Matt keeps commenting that you don't see all banged up guard rails on the freeways (from wrecks) nor do you see police patrolling everywhere.  Germans are aggressive drivers but not road rage orientated (they just glare and shake their heads- tssking at you the entire time- Like a school teacher that caught you doing something you were not supposed to do).
All that being said, to get to the grocery store, I needed to drive myself this morning- it was the first time I have driven since we landed.
It was so much fun :)
Praise the Lord for the navigation system the car has (we rented some sort of VW brand car that looks equivalent to a a short version of an American Hearst- The back end of the car is really long)
 People drive fast and the roads are pretty narrow so you have to be on your game.  The grocery store I was going to was 6 miles away- getting there was the easy part...
Grocery shopping is still a guessing game- you have to go mostly off of site and hope you get it right- I googled the name for different sorts of nuts before I went so I would know what not to buy (I'm allergic to nuts) and totally winged it for the rest of what we needed.  There is a larger grocery store within walking distance to us but the size and amount of groceries they have gives me sensory overload- The store I went to is smaller with less variety.  I'll work up to variety- just not yet.

You put 1 Euro in the slot and then can pull out the chain holding the shopping cart attached to the other shopping carts in front of it.  When you return the cart, you reinsert the the key (on the end of the chain) and get your Euro back

This bread is SO GOOD!  Ellie and I eat it, as toast, at 3:00 a.m. when we are both sitting awake with our jet lag

You don't see a lot of plastic- food is mostly stored in either glass or cans.  Total side note, this applesauce is delicious!

I needed balsamic vinegar- I hope this is it....I tried to ask others at the store but could not find anyone who spoke English

Thecoconut is finely ground- looking forward to trying it

This was the only coffee creamer I could find- 12% feet means 12% fat

Flour

you bring your own bags or buy your own bags- the 2 on the left are bags I brought over from Oregon.  The 2 on the right are bought from the store (.10 euro each)