Monday February 14th, 2011 Valentine’s Day

     Let me begin this with a statement, I am not a fan of Valentine’s Day in the US and am interested to see how it is celebrated in Germany.  Today’s objectives, a hot spot internet stick, a month of prepaid internet, a sim card for the iPad, postage for too postcards and a hot pot.  My first stop is a Vondafone, I enter the store survey the situation; there is a couple at a computer, a man looking at phones and a gentleman behind a counter.  I decided he is my man I approach the counter with my best bitte English with a smile, the clerk says yes: I pull my electronics from my satchel and launch into my needs.  The look on his face would peel paint from the wall.  He then walks from behind the counter toward the couple by the computer and begins helping them with their needs.  I now realize I have jumped the line…which is very bad ….so I re-satchel my electronic and wait my turn.  Twenty minutes later I am the only person left in the store so I re-approach the clerk.  He then tells me he has no prepaid options and no sim cards for the iPad.  Thanks dude, I loved standing in your store for twenty plus minutes for no reason! 

Oh well, down the street I go. I walk past two floral shops, no lines, no crazed people buzzing around; just some lovely tulip and daffodil bundles.    

I think I have found the main Dresden Post Office; it has the bugle symbol on the side so how can I be wrong.  No worries right, but over the front door it reads something, something bank.  I have faith in the bugle!       Upon entering the building I realize it is a bank AND a Post Office!  Score one for me….I go to the counter and get postage for my two post cards…..one is off to VT and one is off to TX….I wonder how long it will take them to reach their destination. 

 Across the street from the Post Office is another Vondafone; fingers crossed the second time is the charm, I enter the store and it is empty…..I approach the clerk and ask bitte prepaid? And I get a yes….then bitte English?  A second yes…then I ask bitte surfstick?  Another yes! 

I pay my 40 euros for my surfstick with my 5 day trial period and head to the Hot Spoon for lunch.  Here is a link to this fun lunch spot….http://www.hotspoon.de/.  I treat myself to a large bowl of cheese soup; because I have already done an hour on the elliptical like machine at the gym and walked two miles and the day is young.  I enjoy my soup and try to get my surfstick to work….I realize I need to take the stick apart and flip the sim card, which turns the blinking light from red to green, but it keeps asking for voucher numbers.  I am not sure where the voucher numbers are located.  Time to go back to the Vondafone shop.....and between the clerk and I we read the English and German instructions.  Note to others: click the picture of the sim card, scratch off the silver lottery like ticket; this is your voucher number.  Then click mange bundles, click 2, 2 and then 1 and wait for the sms.  You are then online….not sure how it works but it does.  At this point I have decided the sim card for the iPad can wait.

 I now turn my sights on a hot pot; I head to the German grocery store that I have decided is the Whole Food of Germany to get oatmeal and tea.  The whole reason for the hot pot quest…….living in a hotel can be fun but sometime you just want to make a cup of tea and some light breakfast for yourself.  As I walk through the Neustat I see more floral shops with tulip bundles…..I am liking Valentine’s day in Germany nobody seems too crazy!  

Hot pots range in price from 5 euro to over 30 euro and they are not like the hot pots I had in college.  I settle on a mid range pot and head back to the hotel to fix a cup of tea.  Wow, it is the best cup of tea i have had in a while!  

Dinner is with the boys.  They chose a beerhouse in Old Town……their orders are soup, beef and beer, then the waiter looks at me and I say white wine and spaghetti pesto.  As the talk around the table turns to work issues, I look around the restaurant and see many couples enjoying Valentine dinners.  My impression of Valentine’s Day is Germany is it is a much lower key event than in the US.  

All my best,

Jill