The Lou is leaving Essen!

Wow, I can't believe the program is already over! Today is the last full day in Essen, and everyone is packing to leave tomorrow. It is quite sad! There are so many (strange) customs about Germany that I've gotten used to seeing!:
1. Lack of public bathrooms. And when there is one you have to pay to use it.
2. Wedding rings are worn on the right hand. I don't wear one, but still, strange.
3. There is music everywhere! You walk down the street and you will pass street performers playing violins, saxophones, accordians, guitars, all sorts of music and it just adds to the atmosphere.
4. All the change! There are 1 cent peices, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro, and 2 euro. So many coins to keep track of!
5. You don't tip. This is considered offensive if you give them money for the sake of giving them money. Instead you have to sneak it in, like if the total is 9.80, you give them a 10 and say to keep the change, like it is an inconvinience for you to get change back.
6. Ice cream and chocolate are a seperate food group that must be consumed daily.
7. Beer is cheaper than water here.
8. I have inhaled more secondhand smoke here in my 5 and a half weeks than my entire lifetime. Everyone smokes, even 12 year old boys.
9. Dogs can go anywhere people do, and everyone has a dog!
10. Stores close at 6, there is nothing to do but to go to bars and pubs after that time.
11. No running in the cemeteries. People really respect the dead here. Oh, but biking is okay.
12. Lots more people bike than the US. Like, 30 percent of the people at least!
13. You have to bring your own bag to the grocery store, if you forget, you can purchase a plastic bag. I will never get used to this!
14. There is an H&M on nearly every block (No exaggeration- I counted 4 in a 5 block radius) And everyone shops there! From Goth's to babies to old people. Everyone.
15. PDA is quite common here, even for 80 year olds making out under a tree... Gross.
Despite everything, I will miss living in Essen, but I'm also ready to move on. Here are a few photos of things around Essen-Steele that I used/went to daily.

The Rewe! The local grocery store we did all of our shopping at.


Ah the grend, such a beautiful building. We lived on the top floor and ate at the Spanish restaurant at the bottom.


The street view from my ledge during a rainstorm.


The street view from my ledge in the other direction, including the cathedral that rang it's bells every hour. Everywhere you walked in Steele you could see it, so pretty!


My favorite ledge, how I will miss it!