We checked out the small exhibit they had which explains the entire process of the company, from harvesting the cacao beans by the equator, to grinding the beans to a fine powder, to adding in the cacao butter, milk, and sugar to finally packaging the bars. I learned that the cacao pod is actually a fruit that grows about 15-25 cm. The cacao pod contains a collection of cacao beans that encompass 7-10 cm. Another cool thing was they showed the development of advertising by having a Ritter Sport commercial from every decade from the 1950s to today. The store had a cafe section where Ricky and I ordered a chocolate crepe with warm apples and vanilla ice cream. It was very delicious!
Then we proceeded to buy 5 pounds of chocolate, buying mostly the special bars that would not be available to buy in the U.S. Additionally, we bought Carroll a Ritter Sport polo shirt. The 20 chocolate bars and polo still only cost €32. At €0.89 a bar, we knew it was much cheaper than buying one in the U.S.
Then we went back to Laura's house. Laura took us to an amazing doner kebab restaurant (though it was more of a kebab stand) that was a 20 minute walk from her apartment. I was so excited to finally sink my teeth into a real doner kebab from Germany since I had not had a German doner kebab after going to Germany my senior year in high school. I devoured the entire thing with satisfaction, knowing that this would be my first and last German kebab on this trip. I could probably find a doner kebab in the Netherlands, but I want to continue to eat new foods throughout my journey and I know Amsterdam will have even more exotic foods than I will have time to try.
We hopped on the S Bahn and took it to the Solar (lounge/restaurant) which is located on the top of a 20-story building. The view was great since the walls were all glass. They even had projectors showing visual graphics on the bar and it cycled through tons of animations, including some famous buildings in Berlin. Ricky ordered a drink called the Watermelon Man, Laura ordered a mango and club soda drink, and I ordered a Honolulu Cooler. They were all very tasty. On our walk back to Laura's house, she gave us each a beer to drink since it is legal to drink in the streets and on public transportation in Berlin. We talked the entire way home and carried the conservation until we got ready for bed. We thanked Laura and told her to come visit us in the U.S. in the future. She said she would love to and that she wanted to go to Las Vegas. We agreed that once she and Ricky turned 21, we should go to Vegas. Also, she told us that she has skied in Austria and could pick us up from an airport if we ever wanted to arrange a trip. How fun that would be! Austria is one of the best places to ski in the world.
We all feel asleep with ease as we were fatigued.
In the morning, Ricky and I left for our train that departed at 6:38. Once we found our seats, Ricky fell back asleep almost immediately, where I was too excited about arriving in Amsterdam to sleep. Instead, I read and finished "Around the World in 80 Days." It was such a greatly entertaining adventure book that perfectly prepared me mentally for my own adventures. It kept me intrigued until the last page and I could not have loved the ending more. It was all about a girl at the conclusion of the story. I can't wait til Barbara finishes the book as it was our first book of our book club. We want to continue and read lots of great books together.
Now, it is about noon and I will arrive in Amsterdam in an hour.
Adventure awaits me.
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