Driving...to go grocery shopping!

Well, I did it!  I drove the boys and I to Real (the large grocery store). It is about 15 minutes away.  The boys were VERY quiet in the van so that I could concentrate on driving and listening to the GPS:)  It's amazing how quiet they can be!  It was very cute - when Carter said something, Alex told him quietly that they needed to not talk to me so I could drive.  So sweet.

We got there and Alex asked right away if I had the money so he could get the grocery cart.  You have to put a coin in to unlock a cart from the cart corral.  You get the coin back when you return the cart.  The boys love doing it.  The carts actually can move forward, back, and side-to-side.  This is ingenious when you want to move around in the store...until the cart gets heavy and little boys are trying to help push it but can't quite do it without running into other things.  It's really easier to pull the cart than push it.

This is our third time to Real - every time gets easier as we learn the system and where everything is located in the store.  It's a really large store, especially for over here.  I guess it used to be a Wal-Mart, but they went bankrupt if you can believe it.  It now looks like a Wal-Mart but isn't.  It even has self check-out lanes like in the States...you can even opt for English!

A few things I've learned about Real:

• When buying fresh produce, you need to weigh and print the UPC code sticker at the produce section...before you get to the check-out lane.
• There is much more Nutella (chocolate and hazelnut spread) consumed here than peanut butter!
• You can find just about everything in the store...electronics, toaster, food, authentic food aisle (with "USA food"), Tabasco sauce, lots of salami and sausage, sports equipment, diapers, clothes, etc...although not always easy to find it.
• You can buy fresh milk ("frische milch") (pasteurized and homogenized) that is refrigerated in 1 liter containers.  Or, you can have milk that is in the same type of packaging but can last for a very long time unrefrigerated (not pasteurized or homogenized).
• Liam can still get yogurt so he's happy!
• It's amazing how helpful pictures are when you can't read words!  A pocket German-English dictionary helps, too:)
• They don't always have all the check-out lanes open so you often have to wait.
• Then, as soon as it's your turn work quickly, no time to spare...unload your cart, move it forward so that you can put everything back in your cart so that you don't hold everyone up.  The cashiers work very quickly when they don't have to bag anything!  They just scan it, slide it down and you have to pick it all back up.  We don't bother to bag it in the store - not enough time.  Just take it out in the cart and load up the van.  
• Bags are only free in the self check-out lane.  Of course if you're just refilling your cart you don't really need a bag until you get to your car or house.  Many people leave boxes or baskets in their car that they can fill and then unload when they get home.  Put them back in the car and you're ready for the next trip.
• I haven't found absolutely everything I'm looking for, but I'm sure it's there somewhere.  I just have to know where to look!

The boys thankfully did very well this trip to the grocery store.  I was actually surprised as when I saw the long line waiting to check-out I wondered how much pestering was going to go on between them.  You know how they can't keep their hands to themselves...too tempting:)  But, they did okay.  It's amazing! 

After we were all loaded back in the van I got to drive home.  I only stalled at one stop light:)  But we made it and we're headed to the boys' school tomorrow to get the train pass application stamped by the school to get the discounted rate.  What I thought would be very difficult (driving) is challenging and still not second-nature but I imagine it will become easier to drive a manual transmission with time.  And I can get us there!:)