Einkauf Zentrum

"Shopping center" it means. And there is only one word for shopping here. Horrible. In fact it was so bad that i felt depressed after walking a round at the Olympiad Einkauf zentrum. No wonder i have never ever heard about people shopping in Germany. Ok so why is it so bad? Firstly , their shopping center is nothing like a shopping center in Singapore, it was too small. Shopping in Causeway point was more fufiling. Secondly, the shopping market is dominated by a few large conglomerates, like Karstadt and Galleria, very much like the metro and robinsons back in Singapore. So selection is really limited. Espirit is for certain reason, quite popular here, they are everywhere like at every level of the Galleria. Thirdly, the items are priced ridiculously. I am not exaggerating. Everytime i pick up the price tag, there will be this repulsive churn in my stomach, very much like the expression "puke!". The numbers MAY, i say MAY make sense. But the currency would mean the amount is doubled. Its pretty simple to do calculation here, just multiply the number by 2. Ok to be fair they are earning in Eurs. So if you are on SGD payroll, you may not have enough buying power here , worse if you are not even on a payroll. Simple illustration, here are some examples, a hardly attractive T-shirt at Espirit, 30 eurs. At that amount i could get an Armani T shirt back in Singapore. A small keychain size soft toy, 10 eurs. But they are really cute. Its NICI, so you can actually find it at Suntec City. An outdated pair of "lock cock" Adidas shoes at the super discount rack cost 60 eurs O_O. Forthly, the shops do not open on Sundays. I really wonder why they are closed on Sundays. Perhaps most people prefer to lie naked in the park than going to the shopping centers on Sundays. i must apologise for all the ranting, but pardon me for i am going through what they call culture shock period. That is the period after the honeymoon period(initial euphoria), when you start complaining about the system. but thats part and parcel of adapting to the new environment. On a lighter note, i found KFC!!! not the most popular Fast Food chain here, but i am not complaining!! The numbers displayed on the menu is the same as that of singapore, but the currency is not. Arghh. But i have concluded that i will be better off eating here, than spending on clothes. So KFC here i come!! Okay this Bratwurst french fries meal was my dinner. Not bad eh?!