EuroLife: Day 150

Anytime you move somewhere new, sooner or later you stop noticing some of the things that would have stopped you in your tracks had you only just arrived. In our mall, the Goethe Gallery, there is always something going on. I don't mean sales and shopping extravaganzas; there is almost always some exhibit or other by the main entrance to the mall. Currently, they are doing something on the history of the cell phone. (That said, there is also a big old fashioned car in the midst of this exhibit--I have not yet figured out why.) Recently, they had something on the history of light featuring cool optical illusions, lasers and--I swear--talks by experts. In the mall. I'm not sure how any of this would fly in a mall on Long Island, but here the turn-out is incredible.

In the lower level of the mall, outside of our grocery store, there is also always something on display. Over Christmas time, they set up a stage on which we saw tiny cheerleaders, choirs of old men, choirs of old women, and other entertainers. It made it very difficult to get in and out of the grocery store, to be perfectly honest, but it was funny to see how many performers Jena has to offer--in the shopping mall. More often, the display outside of Tegut (our store) is an animated scene of sorts. That is what I have to share with you today: the little gnome-world that currently occupies the lower level of the Goethe gallery.


I brought my camera with me this afternoon when I went to do some errands because I have been such a negligent blogger, and I had no idea what to write about today. I thought that I might get lucky and see something cool along the way. It was only as I passed the gnome-world for the second time, on my way home, that it occurred to me--hey, you'd almost never see that in a mall at home.





The gnomes move. They are a bit frightening, really, but kids seem to love them. (Really, though: If you click on the photo you will see a bigger version. Do this, and tell me they're not frightening.) When my parents were here, there was a similar display on the first floor featuring large animated teddy bears. I think they were bagging grain, or something like that, though I can't remember exactly.



In this final picture, either the gnome is supposed to be lying down, or he fell over and has not been righted. I thought the latter, but now he's been like that for over a week so perhaps he is supposed to be resting.

So there you have it. A typical scene from the mall, just outside of our grocery store.