Friday morning, I was eager to see the pool and sauna areas of the hotel. I had a specific reason for this, and I apologize in advance, as many people will consider it TMI. I am 50 years old, but I’m not yet menopausal… and I knew that there was a good chance I would be visited by everybody’s favorite “Aunt Flow”. So I wanted to try the pool before that particular chore would make swimming more problematic. As it turned out, Aunt Flow decided to spare me, but on Friday, I wasn’t sure. So, that was where we spent our Friday morning, after breakfast, of course. I got a few more photos of the lavish offerings, which I will share below.
Check out the breads!Kids’ table!Prepare for a sugar rush!A little prank I played on some friends who enjoyed the “assloaf” photo of the breakfast roll from Thursday. Nutella and sour cherry jam are delicious together.
Bill and I went to the pool area before we got our bathing suits. We wanted to know what to expect. I took some photos for the blog, as no one was there at all during our initial visit. That alone makes the Bareiss Hotel kind of special. It has facilities that rival some of the awesome public spas we’ve visited in Germany, but I’ve never seen them empty like this… Imagine all of this all to yourself! It’s pretty great. Of course, in the summer, I’m sure it’s not like this at all. That’s why I suggest booking during the less popular times to travel, if you can manage it. Below are some photos from the pool area.
Normal pool– not heated.Food station for those eating breakfast.Huge bed loungers by the pool.Solarium.This was shallow and had a little fountain in the middle. Some people seemed to be using it as a kiddie pool.Awesome hot tub.Warm saltwater pool with jets.Probably my favorite…A slight view of the outdoor pool.The grounds.Another view of the pool.
I didn’t get a good shot of the heated outdoor pool. That one can be entered from inside and accessed by a sliding door with an “eye”. It had bubbling rack where people can sit and get a massage, a flow channel, and a couple of massaging jets. I liked that pool, too, but it was too chilly and inconvenient to get a photo. The sun eventually came out, and I got a nice view of the area from the solarium.
Another pool view.A close up of the fake waterfall.
Bill and I did not use the saunas or steam rooms. That was mainly because neither of us really care too much about them, and here in Germany, you have to be nude. I don’t mind being nude in the saunas or steam rooms, especially since everybody does it here. But the Bareiss doesn’t really have a lot of room for changing. I found only one dressing room, and I didn’t feel comfortable getting naked in the locker room, which was for everybody. They do have “spa kilts”, which really just looked like big towels. I didn’t want to mess with it. They also provide robes and slippers. We used the ones in our room, but I would have been more comfortable if I’d remembered to bring my own robe, which I know fits me properly. We did use the whirlpools in the sauna area, which were very nice. I think those were clothing optional, as we did see a naked lady in one of them. We just kept our suits on. Below are some photos from the sauna area and the shopping area.
Our favorite whirlpool… hot water, near a “waterfall”, and very private. In the sauna area.Another view.I hated to leave.A larger whirlpool with cooler water and a massager.Sauna and steamroom area.Indoor whirlpool.Exercise room.Wine cellar.Tours are available.Tasting room.Library…Could have used another couch or two.Bareiss even has its own whiskey.Shopping!
There’s a swimming pond and an outdoor pool that we didn’t check out, due to the cool temperatures. In hot weather, they offer another option for swimming and sun worship.
I could have spent all day in the pool area. The one thing that seemed to be missing was waiter service. They did have the breakfast area set up, and I’m sure we could have ordered room service from the pool area. I still think it would have been good to have someone there full time to provide drinks or snacks to those who wanted them. I know it was technically available, since I saw one family getting service, but it’s not like anyone was obviously there for that purpose. I can’t complain, though, as the pool area is very relaxing and offers something for everyone. Especially the grownups! I did see that on Saturday night, which was the gala night, the kids’ program had a “pool party” after 7:00pm, which is when the pool area closes.
I also got some photos of the solarium and the gym area. No, I didn’t use either of them. 😀 And I got a few pictures of the shopping passage, where there are little boutiques selling jewelry, clothes, and gifts. If you want to, you can also get your hair done. I haven’t had mine professionally done since 2010. My dentist thought I colored my hair, but that, too, is natural as of 2017! The hard water in Germany makes coloring my hair too risky.
By the time we were finished with the pool, it was getting close to lunch time. We decided to have cake and coffee instead. Again, drinks aren’t included in the price of board, except at breakfast. But the cakes are included, and boy were they beautiful!
A new fall foliage display.Cakes!Bill had coffee…I had Black Forest cake and a cappuccino.Bill had the Bareiss version of a “Sacher Torte”. At the Bareiss they use cherry jam instead of apricot.
After we had cake, we decided to take a walk into town and visit the Apotheke. Bill was troubled by fullness in his ear and hoped the pharmacist could help. He bought some ear drops and, as it turned out, they were helpful after a short wait. I had a chance to take a few more photos.
More parking.Bareiss has plenty of places to charge electric vehicles, too.Pretty protestant church.Interesting ad.Helpful druggist.
And finally, as the evening approached, we decided to visit the goats again… and I got more pictures! On the way there, we ran into an elderly German gentleman with an adorable dog named Maya. Upon discovering that we are Americans, he told us in perfect English that he used to live in Baltimore, Maryland and went to Harvard Business School. No wonder he was vacationing at Hotel Bareiss. He’s probably loaded! We hung out with the goats until the ponies were brought in, and little kids were allowed to go into the pen and pet everybody.
Goat kisses!I loved the goats. They were a highlight!
Every once in awhile, I try to write blog posts that are genuinely helpful. Today’s post is meant as a service to Americans in Germany, or possibly elsewhere in Europe, who are confounded by the new COVPass app and COVID-19 vaccine certificates. I know a lot of us are in helpful Facebook groups where this information is already available, but for those who aren’t… here’s my story about getting pandemic “legit”.
Edited to add on June 26th: The Corona Warn app is also acceptable for uploading the certificates. I just downloaded that app using my new German iTunes account, and I think I actually like it better than COVPass. It offers more functionality, such as warning of high infection rates, creating QR codes for events, and uploading tests. But for the purpose of uploading certificates, both apps work fine.
Edited to add October 7, 2021: I understand that the COVPass app is now available in the US Apple Store. I haven’t tried to download it, since I already have the app from the German store. This development should make things much easier for Americans, though.
A couple of weeks ago, I read an interesting article on The Local: Germany about 50 year old John Camp, an American guy in Cologne who had gotten a COVID vaccine in the United States. When he got back to Germany with his white CDC vaccine card, he found that 8 out of 10 of German officials didn’t want to recognize it. Camp was significantly inconvenienced, because when he’d show the white CDC card– say when he wanted to eat at a restaurant or visit a gym– the locals would balk at accepting it because the CDC card is in English and lacks official stamps.
A screenshot of a trusty German Impfbuch (vaccination book). You can get one of these at a doctor’s office, pharmacy, or Amazon.de, among other places.
If you were to get your vaccine locally, you would get a yellow booklet (Impfbuch) that can be stamped. I got a very similar yellow booklet years ago, when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. I probably still have it somewhere in storage. It’s an internationally recognized document put out by the World Health Organization. Why the US isn’t also using the yellow booklet, I don’t know. In any case, if you’re American and you get your shot(s) on a military installation or at home in the States, you’ll get a white card instead of a yellow booklet. That can be problematic in some areas of Germany or other parts of Europe, especially where there aren’t a lot of Americans.
German officials at the Robert Koch Institut have introduced the COVPass app, which allows users to upload their vaccine info into smartphones. That makes it easier to prove vaccination status without having to carry a paper around everywhere. The problem is, the German app is only available in the German iTunes store or on Google Play (for Android users). Additionally, it can be accessed from the HUAWEI app gallery.
As an American, I have a US iTunes account. I don’t have an Android phone, and the HUAWEI app gallery proved to be utterly useless. Nevertheless, I managed to get the app loaded and functional last night. So here’s the step by step process on how I went about getting COVID-19 legit. This could work for you, too.
Step 1. I found a pharmacist to issue the official certificates with the QR code by searching the My Pharmacy Manager database for participating pharmacies.
According to the article in The Local: Germany, not all pharmacies are participating in issuing the COV-Pass QR codes at this time. Some pharmacies don’t have the system working yet, and others are apparently opting out (per the article dated June 14th– that may have since changed). So I used the pharmacy manager database to locate a participating pharmacy near me.
Step 2. Bill sent an email in German to a local pharmacist.
This is probably an unnecessary step for anyone living in an area where there are a lot of Americans. We only did it because in the article about John Camp, the American in Cologne, it mentioned that he went to six different pharmacies before he found one that could help him get certified with his American credentials. Now, this was a few weeks ago, and he’s in Cologne, which isn’t loaded with American residents. Things might have changed significantly since that article was written. But we didn’t have the time or inclination to go hunting for a pharmacy that could help us, so we pre-emptively asked the pharmacist if our American CDC cards would be a problem before we visited.
Bill only asked the pharmacist if she would recognize the CDC card because of the article I read. John Camp had explained that one of the SIX pharmacists he visited could make certificates, but would not recognize his Pfizer vaccine. This was because the US vaccine name “Pfizer” wasn’t listed in the drop down menu of available vaccines on the program the pharmacists are using. Even when Camp tried to tell the German pharmacist that the Pfizer shot is the same product as the locally named BioNTech vaccine, it was still a “no go”. So our pre-emptive email to the local pharmacist was simply to save us time and aggravation. This probably wouldn’t be an issue with the Moderna shots, which are named the same in Europe as they are in the States.
We went to Heidelberg last weekend, and knew we’d need our certificates for our trip. So, after we found a participating pharmacist in nearby Wallau, Bill sent her an email in German, which also wasn’t necessary since she was fluent in English. Bill explained that we’re U.S. citizens who live in Wiesbaden and we got our Moderna vaccines on post. He asked the pharmacist if she would recognize the CDC card. The pharmacist responded that it was no problem.
Step 3. Bill dropped off our paperwork at the participating pharmacy.
In our case, it took a couple of days to get the certificates made. That’s because on the day we requested them, the system crashed, as a whole lot of people were trying to access it at the same time. You probably won’t have to drop off your paperwork like we did. You’ll likely get same day service. However, I recommend bringing copies of the CDC card, in case you do get snagged by a system crash or some other unforeseen issue.
Don’t leave the actual card with the pharmacist; treat it like you would treat any other important document. The pharmacist we had was willing to make copies for us, but your mileage may vary. It’s probably best to be prepared with your own copies.
I didn’t have to be present when Bill dropped off the copies of our CDC cards. We also didn’t need our passports, although some people have said they’ve needed them. I suggest making a copy of the front page, just in case you run into a more anal retentive pharmacist than we did. You also might want to arrange to get the certificates a few days before a scheduled trip to allow for any extra time needed due to system crashes, logistical hassles, uptight officials, or other SNAFUs.
Step 4. Bill picked up our certificates with the QR codes.
Again, I didn’t have to be present. You may want to plan for a wait. When we got our certificates, there was a line of people standing outside of the pharmacy, either to get the certificates or pick up medications.
The pharmacist gave us each two certificates— one for each vaccine. If you don’t manage to get the app, you can also show the paper certificates.
Step 5. I made a new Apple ID basing my location in Germany.
Right now, the German COVPass app isn’t available in the US iTunes store. I couldn’t easily switch my account to Germany, because I have unfinished subscriptions on Apple TV. If you don’t have unfinished Apple TV subscriptions, you can just change your account to Germany without making a new ID.
I couldn’t use Google Play because that only works for Android phones. So, what I did was make a new Apple ID. There are lots of articles on how to accomplish this technological feat. Here’s a link to instructions directly from Apple Support, although these aren’t the instructions I used.
It did take awhile to set up the new ID, and it was a bit of a pain in the ass to do it, mainly because the new ID wanted my billing information. Since I am an American in Germany, I have US credit cards and a US billing address, even though I have a German physical address. Not all Americans have this problem, because some have wisely set up German bank accounts. Alas, Bill didn’t listen to me when I suggested that he do that in 2014, so I frequently run into the address discrepancy issue.
Usually, using PayPal solves the address discrepancy problem, but that wasn’t the case last night. Apple recognized my APO address through PayPal, and would not let me input my German phone number with the American address. Eventually, I just made the account without the payment info and used an old US phone number. It still let me keep my German location. Since this app doesn’t cost anything, it doesn’t matter. I probably wouldn’t want to buy anything from German iTunes anyway.
You may want to be near your other computer devices as you’re making a German iTunes account. I had to use my iPad to get codes and confirm my identity on the phone. That’s another reason it took time. Yes, it was a pain in the ass– all in the name of security.
Step 6. Once I had the German iTunes account, I downloaded the COVPass app.
This was super easy.
It’s finally on my phone!
Step 7. I aimed the QR reader through the COVPass app at the QR code on each of the certificates made by the local pharmacist.
Again… super easy! My phone immediately recognized the codes and I was gratified to see all of my info loaded into the phone. This will make traveling a whole lot easier! Hopefully, as Americans start coming back to Europe, the white CDC cards will be less of an issue. But, until then, the official app is a huge help.
Success!On the next page is the special QR code generated just for me.
Now that I have this app on my phone, I won’t need to carry the certificates with me, although I probably will. I have a tendency to dump stuff in my purse where it stays until I buy a new one. Since my current handbag is an expensive Harris Tweed number I bought in Scotland, I probably won’t be cleaning out my purse anytime soon. But this app will certainly make things easier for those who prefer to travel light.
One other note— once I got the app and uploaded my certificates through the QR reader, I didn’t need to keep my iTunes account set to Germany. I switched back to my US account and the app is still accessible and works as expected. How convenient!
Hopefully, this process will become even more streamlined in the weeks to come and you won’t need to follow as many steps as I did. In the meantime, I hope this guide is helpful! Wishing you happy, plentiful, and safe COVID-19 travels!
Today’s featured photo was taken at our neighborhood Rewe, which appears to be very gay friendly… The Rewe could use an Apoteke.
A week from now, barring any disasters, Bill will be home from his latest TDY. For some reason, this one has been harder for me than the previous ones have been. I think it’s a combination of the many months we’ve been locked down, bored, and the many weeks he’s had to travel on business. This time, he’s half vaccinated. At the end of the month, he’ll get his second injection. I’ll get mine on June 9th. Then, maybe we can start doing some normal stuff again. As Tom Petty used to sing, “the waiting is the hardest part”…
One of many great singers from my youth who have died since I’ve lived in Germany. I always seem to be in Europe when icons die. I was even in Europe when Princess Diana was killed, back in 1997. It seems to be my destiny to spend time here.
I had a bit of unexpected drama last night. On Friday, we got some new toys for the dogs. Arran had recently destroyed a little blue gorilla that he loved. It was a Kong toy, so it had lasted awhile, though not as long as some of the others we’ve had. I try to cycle the really damaged toys out, even if they are much beloved. I don’t want the boys chewing on toys that are raggedy because they can end up swallowing things they shouldn’t. That seems to be especially true in Noyzi’s case. A few months ago, he swallowed part of an old toy that had been three pieces. Arran had long ago shredded the other parts of the monkey– the toy part had come from– but there was still a leg with squeakers in it. Arran would play with it.
At the time that happened, Bill was at home. He took Noyzi to our vet; they gave him a shot to make him vomit; and he puked up the part of the toy he’d swallowed. It was an old toy, though, so I have been careful to get rid of the ones that get too torn up. Friday, I gave the boys four brand new Kong toys. Kong toys are known for being very tough. But the raccoon toy I got the other day was not as sturdy as the other rope toys I’ve been giving them.
Last night, I came downstairs at about 6:00pm to find that Noyzi had “skinned” the toy raccoon, leaving the head and tail, and the rope innards. I was glad he hadn’t destroyed the head, since that was where the squeaker was. But he had apparently swallowed the “fur”. Fortunately, this particular toy, by design, didn’t have a lot of polyester batting in it.
Immediately, I started thinking I’d need to get him to the emergency vet– Tierklinik Hofheim, specifically, since our vet wasn’t open. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get him into Bill’s Volvo. He’s too big and cumbersome for me to get him into the car by myself. I don’t think he’s too heavy… he’s about 63 pounds, and I can lift that. But he’s long and tall and not very cooperative. After a few minutes of trying to wrestle with him, I gave up.
Then I went looking for hydrogen peroxide, which can be used as an emetic in dogs. I thought we had some on hand, but it turned out we didn’t have any. And Germany, unlike the United States, doesn’t dispense things like hydrogen peroxide at the grocery store. You have to get it at the Apotheke. It also costs a lot more there than it does at US stores. So I went looking to see if any nearby drug stores were open. The one at the nearby Globus was open, but when I tried to get there, I got turned around and wound up in a strange neighborhood. I’m not used to driving Bill’s car… I would have driven mine, but it’s in the garage, and the Volvo was in the driveway. Then, when I got back, I couldn’t get the car parked in the driveway again. I know I should have been able. The Volvo has cameras and park assist, and of course, GPS… I can’t get used to using those things. I don’t trust them.
So I worried all night, although Noyzi was pretty much normal. I came down in the middle of the night to check on him, and he greeted me sweetly each time. I obsessively read a bunch of articles on the signs of a blockage, and finally got ahold of Bill, who said if I needed help with Noyzi, someone from the office could come over. This morning, I found Noyzi lying on his back with his legs in the air. When he saw me, he rolled onto his side and wagged his tail. I kept hoping he’d poop… because again, “the waiting is the hardest part.” A good poop is a good start on the way to recovery from something like this.
I just took the boys for a short walk. It was a short walk because it’s raining. Just afterwards, I let Noyzi in the backyard. For some reason, he doesn’t like to go potty when he’s taking a walk. Arran is just the opposite. Anyway, after a few minutes, he came out, took a whiz, then took a fairly normal looking poop with bits of toy in it. I suspect there might be more bits in his next constitutional, but at this point, I’m not too worried about him needing emergency vet care. He seems to feel better, too, even though he wasn’t that distressed in the first place.
I guess I’ve learned a few things from this experience. The first thing is that we need to train Noyzi to get in the car by himself. If it had been Arran (or the late Zane), it wouldn’t have been a problem getting the dog loaded. Both Zane and Arran fit in the Mini, too. But Noyzi needs the Volvo and has to ride in the cargo area. He needs to learn to get in by himself, because I’m not getting any younger or stronger.
Next– I need to buy some hydrogen peroxide to keep around for these kinds of emergencies. Noyzi has proven that he likes to eat toys. All of the new ones are out of reach, for now.
Next– I need to stop being such a luddite. I have yet to embrace GPS technology because I find the voice prompts distracting and annoying. But the GPS could have gotten me to Globus last night. And the park assist could have gotten the Volvo into the driveway. I have been able to park in the driveway before, by the way, but I was not in the right frame of mind for it last night.
I need to drive more, too… I just don’t enjoy driving if I have nowhere specific to be. Hopefully, with the availability of the vaccines, that won’t be so much of a problem for too much longer.
I was feeling pretty frustrated, though. I’ve been in Germany for years and I know how most things work here. But I’m still getting to know this area where we live, mainly due to the COVID-19 nightmare. I don’t know a lot of people up here, so being here alone is pretty stressful. I have fewer people to call in case of emergency. And I’m really tired of Bill’s constant business trips. The good news is, he thinks they’ll be done after this one… at least for the time being. I hope he’s right.
He’s perfectly happy. This was what he looked like last night, as I was fretting.
Anyway, I think Noyzi is going to be just fine. I guess I need to watch him more closely when there are toys around. At least until he learns that toys are for playing with, not eating. Sometimes, though, I do miss how things are in the United States… not that I’m hankering to move yet. I just want Bill to come home and fix me a martini and tell me it’s all gonna be okay. Just a few more days to go.
Edited to add: Two more dumps littered with toy debris have appeared… and they were both perfect. After each one, Noyzi seemed even happier and more energetic.
Saturday was our last full day in Leipzig. To be honest, I was feeling kind of ready to go home. I always look forward to vacations, especially long ones that involve different cities and countries other than the ones that immediately border Germany. But usually, after about a week, I start to feel tired of being away from home. I miss my dogs. I miss having access to my desktop computer, which is a lot easier to write on. I miss making music. I also miss having plenty of clean underwear, even though I usually pack enough to take care of me even if I were to hypothetically shit in them every day.
I have a bad habit of packing too much stuff I won’t wear. For instance, this last trip, I packed two dresses in case we decided to go somewhere nice for dinner. I packed jewelry, which I never bothered to wear. I packed an extra bathing suit, which I might have used if I had gone to the pool at our Copenhagen hotel. But I almost never go to the pool unless it means visiting an awesome spa, like at the Upper House. Meanwhile, I should have packed more pants and a couple more long sleeved shirts. I should have brought a sweater or a jacket, although I did bring a wrap.
Making matters worse was the fact that the gin and tonics I had the night before were reminding me I’m a long way from being 21. And… somehow during the night, I got bitten by something. I had three red, swollen blotches on my right leg. They didn’t itch, but they were kind of painful. Nevertheless, Bill and I took a walk and visited St. Peter’s Church, whose steeple I had seen in the distance. It looked like a beautiful church. We walked in the direction of the old building, which took us through a decidedly poorer neighborhood that was heavily littered with trash and large piles of feces that, I hope, came from dogs and not people.
The church was beautiful, but looked like it could use some work. The interior looked a bit careworn, like maybe not enough tourists had come out to donate money. It was a bit of a walk from the center of town. But the windows were pretty, and I could see the skeleton of the building was very graceful and strong. It looked like it had a good foundation. When we arrived, it appeared that they were setting up for a concert.
Linoleum floor. Had seen better days.
Interesting clouds. Looks almost like a Monet painting.
Indeed, there was a concert going on. Benjamin Britten is graduate level music.
I was impressed by this BARF market for dogs. BARF is basically raw food that some dog owners swear by. If my dogs didn’t have mast cell tumor issues, I might try it myself.
My leg was starting to hurt, as was my lower back. We sat down on a bench near the St. Thomas Church, where Bach used to play his organ. I took a picture of my bites and shared it with friends. My German friend, Susanne, recommended that I go to an Apotheke (druggist) to see if they could give me something for the swelling and itching. That was a very good recommendation.
Ow…
This place was near the main drag and it was obviously open. When we went in, it was empty. The young guy behind the counter took one look at my leg and said, “What happened to you?” in perfect English. I explained that something bit me. He fixed me up in a jiffy.
I left with antihistamine drops and cortizone cream. I didn’t know the drops were antihistamines until after I took them… and then started drinking wine with lunch. Still, I was impressed, because he got me some water and measured the dose for me in the pharmacy, like I was a kid. And while we were in there, the place filled up.
We decided to have lunch at Cafe Madrid, since someone in the Facebook wine group recommended it. Spanish food sounded good to us. I thought maybe we’d have tapas, but I was a bit overwhelmed by all the choices. I ended up having a pork filet and Bill had a shrimp salad.
So colorful. My only complaint was that the vegetables included mushrooms. I wish I had known… The potatoes were very good. They were heavily salted and served Canarian style, which seemed to mean they came with a very flavorful, garlicky green sauce. The pork was Iberico and not bad. It came with a port wine sauce.
Bill enjoyed his huge shrimp and avocado salad… and he was happy to eat the mushrooms that came with my dish.
Lots of choices. If we ever go back to Leipzig and eat here, we’ll be sure to get the tapas.
I got a kick out of the “peeing bull” in the restaurant.
As we were finishing lunch, I told Bill that I needed to lie down. Wine and antihistamines equals nap time. Sure enough, that’s what I did for three hours. When I woke up, my leg looked like this.
Much better. It’s not quite totally healed yet. There’s still a little pain, but there’s no itching and the redness and swelling are gone. I just hope that wasn’t caused by bedbugs and I especially hope we didn’t bring them into our house.
But the next morning, Bill found this under his pillow. It was crushed and dead, but clearly some kind of insect. He never got bitten and those were my only bites. Still, it kind of gives one the willies. I was very impressed by the help I got at the Apotheke, though. That guy took great care of me.
We went to Morrison’s Traditional Irish Pub, where we were served by hardworking Germans who were busy, but willing to take care of us. The food was good, and the service was better. They brought out the wrong order, but were quick to correct the mistake with a smile and a good attitude.
Bill had fish & chips… The chips were especially good. I stole several of them.
I had a duck salad. I don’t usually go for salad, and this was probably a better choice than what I was hoping to have at another restaurant. It was very good, and reasonably priced. We were happy to reward the much better staff with a good tip.
Gay pride! Leipzig is full of it. We saw lots of gay pride flags during our visit.
We were about to go back into the hotel when I heard what sounded like a man on trumpet playing David Soul’s “Don’t Give Up On Us, Baby.” It turned out he was playing a flugelhorn and the song was “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” by Elton John. The guy playing piano was excellent. I could tell he was influenced by Elton John. After that number, he did a solo rendition of ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All”.
Cool looking show. Toilet paper always gets my attention.
After we listened to a couple of songs, we went back to the hotel and had a nightcap, then went to bed. The next morning, after breakfast, we decided to check out and head home. Bill discreetly spoke to the reception about the critter we found under his pillow that might have been the culprit for my welts. We didn’t ask for anything, just wanted to alert them to a potential problem and give them a chance to check the room before someone else gets bitten and raises hell. I’m still praying that wasn’t a bedbug and none of its friends stowed away in the luggage.
The guy who handled our bags was very funny. He spoke fluent English and said he’d lived in Chicago fifteen years ago. He wondered why we’d choose to live in Germany. Is he kidding? As we were dishing about Mark Knopfler, he confidentially mentioned that his hotel was where the rock stars like to stay. I’ll keep that in mind.
The drive home was uneventful and pleasant. It took maybe four hours or so, not counting breaks. Bill dropped me off and went to the commissary to buy food while I did laundry and started this blog series. Then he went to get Zane and Arran, who were definitely glad to be home. I’m always so glad and relieved to see my dogs, but they always need a good brushing. They don’t get petted as much when they get boarded and need to shed.
Next month, we’ll take another big trip… another whisky cruise in Scotland. This time, we’re starting in Invergordon and sailing over the top of Scotland to Oban. I am praying I don’t get norovirus. Stay tuned.
All in all, this was a very fun trip. It lived up to our expectations and, in some ways, really exceeded them. I’m so glad we were able to combine our trip to get our new car with our trip to see Mark Knopfler. A lot of really cool things happened during our week of travel… it was almost surreal how much cool stuff happened. And yeah, I got bitten and we ran into an asshole at a bar, but we saw a rock star and traveled in style. And nobody died… I’d say it was a big success overall. Thanks for joining me on my odyssey.
Leipzig is a really lovely city with an unusual vibe.
No, not THOSE kind of drugs. I have limited my personal recreational drug use to the few days I spent in Haarlem for my birthday last year. That’s where I tried space cakes/marijuana for the first time. Unless you count all the beer and wine I drink, I live a fairly drug free lifestyle.
Today’s post is about my experience taking German prescription drugs. I think this is a notable occasion because, prior to this week, I hadn’t taken prescription drugs of any kind since 2004. I have been very healthy over the last twelve years. Also, I never visit doctors unless I’m about to die. Last time I saw a regular doctor was in 2010 and Bill had to drag me there, more or less, by my hair.
Anyway, because I just had dental surgery, I did end up being prescribed some medications by Dr. Blair, the wonder dentist. And because of my ordeal on Tuesday and the fact that I needed to sleep off the meds that I took in his office, Bill ended up having to visit the apotheke for me. Last night over dinner, he finally told me about his first experience buying prescription drugs on the economy.
We have just one apotheke in Jettingen and at the time Bill wanted to fill the prescription, they were closed for their three hour lunch break (12:30-3:30). That seems like an extreme lunch break, but they also stay open until the relatively late hour of 8:00. Because our local druggist was closed, Bill ended up going to Nagold, which is only a few miles from where we live.
Bill walked into what looked like a cosmetics store. Someone immediately figured he was looking for drugs and pointed him in the right direction. He handed over the prescriptions and waited. Then he saw the drugs come down some kind of chute, where they were picked up by one of the clerks who waited on Bill. I guess the pharmacist was in a back room dispensing the medications instead of hanging out in front.
The two ladies behind the counter then started speaking rapid fire German to Bill, who asked them in German if they could speak English. One of the ladies said, “I speak a little.” with a bashful smile. Naturally, her English turned out to be excellent.
She held up the two boxes, both of which looked pretty similar. One was amoxicillin and the other was high powered ibuprofen. There was also a bottle of prescription mouthwash called chlorhexamed. That’s supposed to help clean the area where I had surgery, since I can’t really brush or floss vigorously there.
The clerk verbally explained to Bill how and when I should take my meds and then put little stickers on the boxes that showed when and how many pills I should take. This is different from what I’ve experienced in the United States. There, you get a well labeled pill bottle that has a lot more information on it. It usually tells you who prescribed the meds and includes warning labels. Not so in Germany, at least not this time. I also noticed that my pills look very similar to one another. In the United States, when you get amoxicillin, it’s usually a bright pink “horse pill”. American prescription strength ibuprofen looks more or less like the white horse pill pictured below.
Very simple labels on my drugs. It just tells me when to take them. I’m expected to figure the rest out by myself!
Sorry about the blurriness of this picture. I was using my iPad instead of a camera. I took this photo to show something I find interesting about drugs in Germany. These two pills look almost identical, but they are two different drugs. One is amoxicillin and the other is ibuprofen. The only difference in how they look is that one is very slightly fatter than the other.
After she explained the medications and how to take them, she packed them into the bag pictured below. And then she threw in a little something extra…
Two packages of facial tissues and samples of cough drops! Total cost for all of this, 35 euros. And that was before insurance. I’m not sure Bill will even bother to make a claim for the drugs, since our limit for dental is only $2000 and my implant will cost way more than that.
The goodies from the pharmacy were unexpected. I have never had an American pharmacy give me free samples. However, when I see American dentists, they usually give out “goodie bags” with floss, toothpaste, and a new toothbrush. Dr. Blair doesn’t do that.
I’m excited about the extra facial tissues. They really come in handy, especially when you find yourself in a public restroom that has no toilet paper. And thanks to the much larger purse I bought myself for Christmas, I have plenty of room to carry them!
As for my recovery from Tuesday’s sinus lift surgery, I am happy to report that I’m feeling mostly fine. It’s a little annoying to have stitches in my mouth, but I haven’t had a lot of pain, swelling, or bleeding and haven’t even really needed the ibuprofen that much. I’m mostly eating what I want, too. I can’t say the surgery was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t nearly as painful or traumatic as I expected it would be. I get the stitches out on Tuesday. I don’t even really notice them unless I happen to touch them with my tongue.
Maybe this doesn’t seem like something most people would blog about, but given my educational background, healthcare stuff interests me. I also like how in Europe, people expect you to have common sense.
A year ago, we spent MLK weekend in Hamburg. Maybe I would have liked to have traveled today, except that it’s snowing pretty hard… I plan to stay in my nightgown all day and only venture out to shovel part of my driveway so no one sues me.
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