Truffels

Sometimes I just take things-life things-for granted.  Yesterday was no different.  At least not until I saw something I have only seen in real life twice before...

Yesterday I drove into Loerrach to the "drug store" (not Apoteke) to pick up some hygiene items which we cannot find in our town.  The store in question sits in the middle of the pedestrian zone, so it makes for a good little walk.  The Saturday farmers' market occupies one corridor of the pedestrian zone, so I walked through to see the seasonal fruits and veggies.  That's when I saw it.  The Trueffelhobel hanging from the awning caught my eye.  And I realized, the man in the booth with the awning was selling truffle slicers because-YES! he had some in jars.  He was selling truffles.  Being a fan of both Rick Steves' videos of France and A Year in Provence, (Peter Mayle) I know about truffles, but I have never seen one up close and personal until just a few months ago.  And, now, here was a man selling them from his mushroom stand.  Wow.  Pure gold for some chefs!

That's when it hit me.  Am I taking living in Germany for granted?   What happened yesterday which wouldn't happen had I been living in Southern California?

I would never have walked to the farmers' market in town, nor gone to two farmers' markets in one day.

I would not have driven 20 minutes on windy country roads to buy some thing from a store.

I would not have enjoyed the lovely nut pastry for breakfast, purchased from our town bakery.

I would not have seen the Alps, shining in the sun as I drove home.

I would not have driven behind a tractor for 2 kilometers-nor would I have measured distance in kilometers.

And there would be no horse-drawn carts driving past my apartment.

Most definitely, I would never see truffles.

I find myself in an interesting situation.  Familiarity with my present home is a good thing.  Taking being here for granted is not a good thing.  So I will take a deep breath and look more closely at the amazing way life is different here.