Fill in the blank:

Christmas _______________.

Did “shopping” spring to mind? If so, you are probably a shopper at heart! And as such, you may be interested in keeping track of those rare Sundays when German shops will actually be open. What better excuse for a jaunt into the countryside or the neighboring town!

You can find out when “Open Sundays” are by visiting the Web site http://www.verkaufsoffenesonntage.com/. Even if your German is nicht gut, all you need to do is click on the left hand menu containing the names of the states, or Bundesländer, at which point a calendar with names of towns and dates appears, along with the name of the event that is prompting the open Sunday. If you have concerns about the accuracy of the listing, or wish to learn more, remember that most German towns have their own Web sites, generally following the formula of the town’s name followed by .de.