Get your fresh local...

Get your fresh local fruit, veggies, cheese, meat, bread, flowers and amazing baked goods!

The Saturday (or whichever weekday) markets are great to peruse and purchase fresh groceries. As you walk through aisles of vendors the color of the produce and products are mesmerizing. Did you know carrots come in so many colors!

Mushrooms also come in a myriad of shapes and sizes.

To build a beautiful salad be sure to shop the rainbow on display.

The cheese, olive, wine corner is also fun to see and sample. Cheers! 

 And what German market would be complete without a few tantilizing wurst and sausage stands :)

Rain, shine, sleet or snow, the open Saturday market is always there with fresh, locally made/grown products.  

 Some of the bakery vendors even bake onsite in a wooden oven.

I'd like to pick up some of those and a few of those and some of that and ....... :)

Don't you love your local market? 

First Pharmacy Highlights

To prepare for the German pharmacy board exam I began volunteering at a local pharmacy. The experience has been fascinating and I look forward to learning more and seeing new ways of accomplishing similar goals. Some fun factoids that I think may be of particular interest to my US colleagues are listed below. 

German pharmacies are easy to recognize with this standardized symbol 

Fun Pharmacy Factoids and Observations

• No refills on all Rx's
• No electronic, telephone or faxed prescriptions accepted, just hardcopies
• I haven't seen a pharmacy with a drive thru 
• Herbal remedies are prescribed and used more commonly
• Pharmacies are closed on Sundays. If you need a medication you can look online to see which pharmacy close to you has been assigned the Sunday shift. Sundays and nights shifts are rotated among the pharmacies in the region.
• There are no large chain pharmacies
• Changes to Rx in regards to dose, quantities, adding/removing DAW1, medication form i.e. tablets to liquid, require a date and additional signature from the prescriber documented on original Rx hardcopy
• The average store hours for a community pharmacy are from 8/9 AM to 6:30/7:30PM

Opioids and Stimulant Scripts 

• Rx's valid for 8 days (this includes the date written)
• Rx's are printed on a required standardized yellow triplicate form with a serial number

This pharmacy established in 1620 found its permanent residence here in 1767 

Privately insured patients (11.3 % of population in 2011)

• Patients pay the entire cost of the Rx upfront and then submit the Rx to the insurance company for reimbursement
• Prescriptions are printed on a standardized blue form
• Blue Rx's are valid for 3 months (excluding opioids and stimulants)

State Funded Health Insurance Covered Patients

• Rx's are valid for 1 month. The Rx must be dispensed within the timeframe. Most copays are 5-10 Euros (approx. $5.40- $10.80) or less per Rx for up to 100 days (exceptions apply i.e. patient brand/ manufacture preference...).
• Rx's are printed on a standardized red form

Rx with Braille visible and sticker with dosing directions

Medication Packaging

• Medications are sold in original packaging in blister packs. No counting trays are needed. 
• Doctors prescribe in the boxed quantities available on the market (some exceptions apply)
• Medication packages also have the medication name printed in braille 

Fascinating isn't it?