The fun of living in southern Germany

Thank you readers for your kind comments on yesterday's post, and thank you to all those who have emailed me separately.  Having kind people in your life really helps to ease the pain in difficult times.  Your kind words and thoughts will most certainly not be forgotten!

I am feeling better today, my cramping is pretty much gone.  So, Joern and I headed out to an electronics store to purchase a new refrigerator for our  apartment.  Ours has been on its way out for a few months, and we felt like today was just the time to buy a new one. 

What made me smile the most today, was the tractor that pulled alongside of us:

Yup, that's a tractor filled with cabbage!  And no, we're not in the middle of a farm, this is across the street from the Stuttgart airport!  I love Germany!

Some words about the German healthcare system

I know healthcare is a controversial topic, especially in the States.  Joern and I often end up in long discussions when we are home with people about universal healthcare, and how it works here in Germany.  Many arguments against universal healthcare are long waiting times, lower technology, lower quality medical care.  I have also heard quite a few people mention that Europeans have sub-standard medical care.  Having dealt with arthritis while living here, I would not agree that I am receiving substandard care.  I see my rheumatologist every six weeks, take Enbrel, and have monthly blood work for monitoring.   I pay out of pocket 10 Euro per quarter as a co-pay, not to each doctor, 10 Euro per quarter period.  I also pay 5 Euro per perscription, this means that my ultra-expensive medicine that I take for arthritis, I pay 5 Euro every 12 weeks.  If my prescription co-pays come to more than 10% of my income annually, I am no longer required to pay these co-pays.  If I lose my job, I am still insured the same way I am now.

This week I have dealt with another problem.  I lost a baby.  No, I'm not writing this to garner sympathy for what happened.  Really, I'm okay with it. I just feel strongly that people understand my German medical experience. 
I had bleeding on Tuesday at work, so I got scared, and called my OB-GYN.  I have not gone to this doctor before, and had my first appointment scheduled for October 13th.  She took me in right away when we told her about the bleeding.  She scheduled me in for 11:30, and at 11:40, she took me in.  She immediately did an internal ultrasound, and found nothing. The doctor responded to this very kindly, which was what I needed at that moment.  So, she sent me for blood work, and warned me that it might be an ectopic pregnancy, but she couldn't see anything certainly.  She called us the next day with the results of the blood work, and made another appointment for me on Friday.  Before leaving the office, she gave me a stern warning that if I should feel any pain in my lower abdomen, I should go to the hospital.
Last night, I started getting bad cramps and felt very dizzy.  Joern took me to the hospital.  They sent me immediately to the gynological ward, and I saw a doctor straight-away.  After he listened to the story, he gave me a urine test, which came out positive.  He then did an internal ultrasound, found nothing, and then did a blood test.  He told us to come back in 2 hours for the results.  2 hours later, another doctor had taken over the shift, and shared my blood test results with me.  He wanted to do another internal ultrasound, because he wanted to look at the situation for himself.  Again, nothing.  So, he gave me the paperwork for my OB-GYN, and sent me home, with the same warning that if I felt more pain, I should come in again.
10 Euro for the co-pay (there is a 10 Euro per quarter hospital co-pay as well,) and I was out the door.
This morning, it was back to the doctor, for another blood test and a visit.  She did another internal ultrasound, to see what things looked like today.  Again, nothing is there. It seems now to be a miscarriage and not an ectopic pregnancy. I will receive the blood test results this afternoon.
I have another blood test scheduled for Monday.  The doctor will continue to monitor the hormone levels in my blood until they reach zero again.
I am so pleased with the level of care I have received here in Germany.  The doctors have all squeezed me in, and have treated me kindly.  After speaking with my aunt, I learned that the doctors here treated me medically the same way that they would have done at home.
I feel comfortable here, and believe that I am receiving good medical care.  I am not saying that medical care is sub-standard at home, just saying that Germans too can trust in their healthcare system.

9 years

Today is September 11.  It seems hard to believe that 9 years ago today, the unthinkable happened.  Our world was rocked.  I think this day sparked a deep change in thinking of every person. Some positive changes have been made as a result, like more awareness and more security measures.  Sadly, most changes in activity and thought have been marred by hate and misunderstanding.  Sad on so many levels.  This year seems sparked with especially hateful and especially controversial activities. 

But, my question for the day is, what do you do to honor those who lost their lives 9 years ago today?  How do you remember?

Our last full day at the Cape

The greatest surprise on Wednesday morning definately had to come when Joern called me down to the water.  Here's who we found hanging out at the water's edge happily enjoying the view and the yummy grass:

After watching the bunny for a while, we jumped into the car and made our way back to Nauset Beach.

We quickly found out that when you arrive at the ocean, and this is the extent of the swimming, it is a sign.  The bad weather the previous evening did a really good job of bringing in lots of very fresh, very cold water to the beach.  Brrrr!

We stayed at the beach until around 1:00, enjoying the beautiful weather, and Joern, brave enough to go for a swim. 
Afterwards, we headed out to north, into the arm of the Cape, to Truro Vineyards.

Unfortunately, we missed the last tour by about 30 minutes, but we were able to do  a wine tasting. 

The tasting was very informative, and we got to try every wine they offer.  Truro Vineyards had some delicious wine, but we decided we couldn't purchase very much, so we purchased two wines that were very unique.  We purchased a Sauvignon Blanc, because it seemed to be the perfect summer wine.  We also purchased a Cranberry Red, which was a delicious red, with a hint of cranberry.  For this New England Thanksgiving lover, the Cranberry Red will definately make its way into our Thanksgiving enjoyment this upcoming year!

 

We then drove around for a while, taking the back roads up towards Provincetown. 

After we got to P-town, we went to the Whydah Pirate Museum.  Yeah, Pirate Museum.  It doesn't seem very me, but I went there last time I was in the Cape, with my pirate-loving cousin, Elizabeth.  It turns out that the museum isn't as much a pirate museum, as it is a museum devoted to the Whydah, a ship that had been captured in 1717, by "Black Sam" Bellamy and a host of other pirates.  The ship became the flagship of Bellamy and his men.  It wrecked off the coast of Cape Cod.  The museum focuses on the history of the ship, as well as pirate-life in the 1700s.  One visit, and you have an entirely new understanding of pirates of the time. 
After our visit to the museum, it was dinner-time. It was so enjoyable to sit on the deck overlooking Provincetown Harbor. 

After an enjoyable dinner of lobster and steak, we headed out towards Race Point Beach for our final Cape Cod sunset.  Race Point Beach itself is gorgeous and wild, located at the tip of the Cape.  The sunset was incredible!

I guess not only humans enjoy the sunset off Race Point.  Quite a few seals actually passed by while we were there.

After a mesmerizing sunset, we stopped back in P-town for some ice cream and just to enjoy the town.

Tuesday in the Cape

We headed out to Nauset Beach on Tuesday morning. Another cool thing about Orleans is that because it is so centrally located, it also has ocean-side beaches and bay-side beaches. Joern and I both loved spending time at the ocean in Rockport, so we decided to spend the morning at the ocean-side beach.
We had a great time, but left when the fog rolled in.



After buying some lotion and aloe gel, we decided to check out Skaket Beach, which is the beach on Cape Cod Bay. I was so happy too that we got there at low tide. I really wanted to see a Cape Cod Bay beach low tide.




We spent the entire day between two beaches. It was lots of fun. For dinner, we headed out on Route 6A, the street that runs the entire length of the Cape. Joern saw a barbeque restaurant in Wellfleet.. Joern loves barbeque, so we couldn't turn away.
Joern loved his dinner, a ribeye steak with garlic smashed potatoes.

I still regret my choice, a terryaki glazed wood-plank grilled salmon. Way too sweet-bleh! Fortunately, my Maine wild blueberry ale more than made up for the meal.
After dinner, it was another ride. This time, we found ourselves at Nauset Light Beach, in Eastham. It had been a cloudy and rainy evening, but we were not disappointed by the sunset that evening either.

Afterwards, we headed over to Coast  Guard Beach, also in Eastham.

A full day at the beach was tiring, and we were a little sunburned.  So, after our little ride, we headed back to the hotel.  Of course, we decided to stop off for an ice cream first at the Ice Cream Cafe!

Cape Cod Part I

During the last week of our trip home, Joern and I headed up to Cape Cod for four days. The great thing about the Cape is that it is so unique in terms of its location and beauty, and it is so close to home.
We headed out on Monday morning, and after a stop at Wal-Mart and the outlet center in Westbrook,CT, we officially hit the road around 2 pm. Traffic was great, and by 4:30, we were crossing over the Sagamore Bridge and officially entering the Cape.
Unfortunately, it isn't too easy to take a picture on a bridge from a moving car, but this is the Cape Cod Canal underneath us as we cross the bridge:

We headed towards Orleans, which is located approximately in the center of the Cape. Lots of people advised that this would be a good place to stay for Joern's first trip, because of its central location, you ´can reach all areas of the Cape in well under an hour.
Finding good deals on hotels in the Cape in the summer is like finding a needle in a haystack, but we got relatively lucky. We stayed at the Cove Motel in Orleans. Not bad. The view from the hotel was particularly beautiful.



Once we got checked in and freshened up, we decided to do a little exploring before dinner.




Dinner was at the Lobster Claw, a pretty popular family style restaurant in Orleans.
I have to admit, my dinner was a bit indulgent, but a very welcome taste of home. I had a lobster boil dinner, which included lobster, corn on the cob, and 12 steamed clams. I haven't had steamers in years, and boy, were they just as delicious as I remembered!

Joern decided that he wanted to go for a ride after dinner. We headed up towards Provincetown, which lies on the tip of the Cape. We found ourselves at Herring Cove Beach near P-town, just as the sun was setting. Turns out going to the beach and watching the sunset is a hobby at the Cape! Of course, I quickly learned why watching sunsets is so popular there!



We drove through Provincetown before heading home. It was a beautiful night!

My cooking desire

I guess we ate out too much when we were home, and then spent the past few weeks eating Vesper (the German answer to dinner, veggies and bread and deli meats.) Or maybe I can feel fall coming. Whatever it is, I find myself longing for good, homecooked food.
Besides spending my last week of freedom visiting friends and more house plans, I want to cook!
I want to make pasta sauce and hummus. I would also like to make more foods that can be frozen, like the pasta sauce. When I made pasta sauce last year, it lasted us a good 4 months, and so yummy!
So, I am scouring the internet while I watch the Gilmore Girls, looking for yummy, summer-produce recipes. I am hoping to talk Joern into going to the market tomorrow, for some yummy fruits and veggies.
I'll post with my market finds and of course, I'll post my creations!