9/6/13: I decided to walk to the neighboring town of Echterdingen since there is a dedicated bike path leading to it from our village. The chance of getting lost would be minimal; I simply have to get to the main road and then walk along the bike path next to the main road. As long as I don’t veer down too many side streets once in Echterdingen, I should be able to find my way home. Easy! I set out armed with my grocery bag to pick up a few items; the key would be not to purchase more than I can carry! It was 2km to Echterdingen and the Rewe (grocery store) was farther into the town, not on the edge. I browsed the grocery store and bought produce, then walked home. The entire trip was about 2 hours in length; it is really cool that things are relatively close and walking is a possible mode of transportation.
Later I learned that I likely made a faux pas in purchasing my produce. Some grocery stores have a scale in the produce section. The customer is to weigh the produce and slap a sticker that the scale prints out with the weight and price onto the produce. This speeds up checkout because the cashier doesn’t need to weigh each item. Well, this Rewe had a scale but I wasn’t aware enough to pay attention to other patrons using it. When I was checking out, the cashier asked me something, but I didn’t understand what she said and I didn’t have the mental energy to try to translate. So I made a noncommittal grunt. In retrospect, that probably told her everything she needed to know: I am a clueless foreigner. In the dictionary, a foreigner is also called an alien! I am not going there…
Experiences of an Expat 