It’s Wednesday and the 4 th of July. Not only will America be celebrating today. We’re celebrating our 21st anniversary. I don’t know if it’s been the jet lag but the past mornings we were up at 5am. It was nice to see the sunrise but our patio is towards the west, so we only see the light coming up. Being so much further south it seems more like someone flipped a switch compared to the slow rise we have back home.

We are trying to find out what wild inhabitants greet the sun. There is one bird that has such a wide range of sounds. But we haven’t found out who he is. Our burrowing owls are just around the corner. Thankfully they haven’t been relocated. Which is a pleasant surprise. There are more construction sites in the area where new houses are being built.

Monday was spent at the pool, just a normal vacation day. Enjoying doing nothing. But that is what vacation is all about.

Yesterday morning we indulged Eric and played miniature golf or as it known here: Putt Putt Golf. Just around the corner we’ve got one with the World’s Longest Mini Golf Hole. I started out strong with the will to win, but the heat just got to me. Once again I came in third.

Eric was responsible for lunch/dinner. We had a late lunch and he made tacos. We then decided to go on our first shopping spree. Heading south towards Estero and the Miromar Outlets we saw the thunder clouds building. It cools off when it rains, but it still is warm enough that you don’t need a jacket. So while it was pouring down we hopped from store to store only to return back to the house knowing we haven’t finished yet. But then we didn’t drive home directly. Karsten bought a Simcard here and so while on the road we have internet.

Tip: It’s easy to buy unlocked cards here and have internet access for a low price. Especially if you plan on being on the road. But if you’re not, there is free WiFi everywhere. In the outlet centers, shops and even in the grocery stores.

Back to my story. Last year we drove by a building that had “Bier” written on the outside. This time I checked it out. It’s called Scotty’s Bierwerk and they offer craft beers. Much to Eric’s dismay we stopped to check it out. Karsten drank an American I.P.A and I had an Irish Red Ale. There was free popcorn too. One thing is: in Germany the locations are more comfortable and not so sterile. In Germany they have to learn to offer free salty snacks. 🤔What can I do with this information?

What else have we been up to? Karsten is trying to bake bread. We sort of figured out why bread here is so mushy and not so crusty. It probably has to do with the high humidity. Check out the pics of Karsten’s first bread. We found out from two German bakerys here that it isn’t easy to get the flour here. The first one imports the raw loafs and the other the flour.

Tonight we’re heading for Red, White and Boom.