Garmisch

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Watching the scenery go by as I sat on a bus with 21 Americans, 2 Germans, and 2 Russians, I thought about all the things I love about Germany. Everything outside my window looked so green, and it reminded me of the sensible laws Germans have to do their share in protecting the environment.

First of all, everyone recycles. You have to, it’s the law. If you try to dispose of a huge bag of recyclable trash, you’ll get a fine, and the trash men will leave your trash behind. That’s right, if you don’t recycle all of your waste is going to pile up in your yard, and you’ll have to look at it everyday, so you better start recycling. And they recycle everything, including milk cartons and juice boxes. If it’s packaging, they recycle it. The only trash I have that they don’t recycle is soiled diapers and used feminine hygiene products. They also don’t recycle food scraps, but you can recycle that yourself in a compost bin. The only item that really puzzles me is wax paper, but I don’t encounter that on a regular basis.

If you’re businessman, and you decide to package your goods excessively, you will also be fined, because no one wants your excess packaging clogging up their recycling facilities. You have to pay to help cover the recycling expenses. It costs money to turn all that excess packaging into new packaging, so down-size or pay the price!

I asked a German friend how long Germany has been into recycling, she said since the 1980’s. Wow, twenty years, and still going strong! Good job, Germany!

The thing I noticed the most as we were rolling along, besides the green-ness, was the abundant number of windmills and solar energy panels. At least 1 out of every 10 homes had solar panels on the roof.

Germans love driving, but thy don’t do it everyday. Sure, if you feel the need for speed, you can get on the autobahn and drive as fast as you want, but it’s gonna cost you over $100 per tank of gas. It’s hard for me to compare the price of gas in America to the price in Germany, because Americans buy their gas by the gallon and Germans buy it by the liter, but when we‘ve gone long distances we’ve spent about $100 per tank.

However, I actually spend less on gas in Germany than in America, because I don’t drive much here. Everything is within walking distance, and if we want to go to the next village or town, we take the bus. I fill my tank about every 3 months. I actually walk downtown to pay my car insurance bill each month. Walking is easier than driving. German towns revolve around pedestrians, not cars. Driving means zigging and zagging down skinny lanes, searching for parking. Walking means 20 minutes of pleasant exercise. It takes 20 minutes to get June Bug in and out, and in and out of her car seat again. Besides, I hate driving.

Okay, about our trip... This was my first trip to Bavaria and the Alps. I was afraid that the drive would be dangerous, full of steep windy roads, like driving to Uncle Charle's house, but it was easy. We went under three tunnels (one really long one), and we were there. The hotel was not in the mountains, it was on a fat piece of land in the valley.

It was rainy and cold so we spent most of our time in the hotel room. Katherine liked the balcony, which drove me crazy, because she cried when she coudn't open the door, but I didn't want her going out there without me.

We enjoyed the pool and the jaccuzzi very much. I ate some really delicious German chocolate cherry cake, and that's about all I can remember other than the 17 hours we spent on the bus to get there and back.

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Photos

Katherine's Interpretation of Mommy's Car Sickness
I was nauseous, but I didn't vomit.

Comments

[pam]

when will the promised text arrive?
please writ an actual blog entry fo this one. please.