Globus

All over the place I've been hearing about Globus. I saw an add for it in the Find-It Guide and was intrigued, but wasn't in a big hurry to go see it (I unfortunately have the attitude of "Well, I've got 3 years. What's the rush?"). At any rate, I started up the GPS and drove on over to K-town to check it out. For those who are unfamiliar with the area or, are planning on moving here, K-town means Kaiserslautern. We are in the village of Landstuhl. Ramstein, Landstuhl, and Kaiserslautern are all very close to one another. In fact there are many people who may work at Ramstein but send their children to and live within Kaiserslautern. Where a person's children go to school is determined by what district they live in, not what district they work in. Kaiserslautern, or K-town, is about a 10 minute drive on the autobahn from Landstuhl. K-town is where a lot of the shopping is. There is a fair amount of shopping in Landstuhl Village. One can find the necessities and a little more there. Landstuhl has some really adorable small boutiques for clothing and a couple of chain apparel, houseware and grocery stores. However, K-town tends to have all the big chains (like Toys R Us). Globus, from what I understand, is one of those big chains. I went on a weekday and found out that they open at 8:00 which is pretty awesome. There is a restaurant, bakery and deli in the front. Also surrounding the main shopping area, there are several specialty shops, an eye glass shop, an Esprit clothing shop and S. Oliver clothing as well. Once in the main shopping area, there is produce, dairy, frozen goods, meats, packaged breads, office supplies, small appliances, toiletries, and toys. The closest thing I could equate it to in the States is a Wal-mart Super Center. I didn't eat at the restaurant. There are mixed reviews on the quality of the place. Some folks say it's good others say "no way!" I've got no idea. I'm assuming that it's kinda fast food German style. I did buy a lot of baked goods. I just love the pretzels here and the little chocolate chip bread.

Once we aren't so broke, I could really have a field day in this place. I REALLY want to get a vacuum. I have an American one but it's a pain-in-the-patooty to plug in the transformer and then plug in the vacuum. If it were just a one level house it would be OK but I have 4 floors to vacuum! Luckily it hasn't been huge on the priority list, since I've got tile and laminate, and I can just sweep the floors. That being said, the purchase of a 220V vacuum would really make my day.

Another place I was fortunate enough to be shown was a little bakery up the road. My neighbor took me to Franz Westrich and I am so thankful she did. What a beautiful assortment of goodies. I can drive and park easily in front of the place. It is also close enough to walk to. Most likely I can find the way by foot. There is a woman there that speaks English and is very kind and helpful. This was just one more reason I'm thankful for helpful neighbors and friends. Since the sun has come out folks are getting outside and saying "hello". Being able to meet and become friends with the other women in the neighborhood has enabled me to learn a lot about the area quickly. It's helped me become more outgoing again. Just how I like it!