The most beautiful supermarket in Germany can be found right in 70794 Filderstadt Bonlanden, located only eight miles from Kelley Barracks, 12 miles from the Patch Barracks or 14 miles from Panzer in Böblingen. Now this is not just my personal opinion. The Gebauer EDEKA market in Bonlanden was voted No. 1 under more than 11,000 Edeka stores Germany-wide in 2016. Free parking is plentiful in their own parking garage.
One of the great things about living in Europe is that you can travel from country to country in a matter of hours. Borders are open to the most parts, and while there are sporadic border checks, you are pretty free to transport bought goods for personal consumption.
Since the Kaiserslautern/ Ramstein area is located right along the border of France, it's super easy to just jump in the car and drive to one of the many stores near the border. The only thing you need to worry about is having an international driver’s license and your official passport and you are ready to go. One of the bigger store chains in France is Cora and well comparable to a Walmart back in the states.
If you are used to the smaller German grocery stores, it can be quite overwhelming at first, but the true American shopper in you will reemerge in no time and let you tackle the isles. The Cora in Forbach offers everything from clothes, jewelry, groceries, pet supplies and even gardening stuff.
The only issue I regularly encounter is that the staff at the store speaks neither English nor German, but they are willing to do broken sign and point language. Cora offers amazing baked goods sections, fresh seafood and the fruits and veggie tables are loaded with any kind of exotic fruit you can think of.
A cold cut and fresh cheese counter is also overloaded with fresh quiches and other savory specialties, whose names I can't pronounce.
You will notice many of the familiar German items, but also many of the goodies that you may have been missing from back home and then on top of that all the French items. Cora also holds wine markets in the spring and fall with a huge tent in the parking lot and bottles upon bottles of yummy French wine.
After an exhausting shopping marathon inside of the store, be sure to check out the small shops located across from the cash registers and stop for a snack at the bistro or restaurant inside. I had no issue using my debit cars or German giro card there, but if in doubt bring Euros.
They do have an ATM in there, but there will be withdrawal fees.
In the vicinity of the Cora store, you can find several fast food places like McDonald’s and KFC, and lots of other stores and shops.
Be prepared for a fun day of shopping and bring your own shopping bags; Cora only has the reusable bags for sale.
The address for Cora is: Avenue de l'Europe, 57602 Forbach, France
Happy hunting
is the perfect shopping destination for you, your family and your friends. Just one mile east of Stuttgart´s Patch Barracks, the Schwabengalerie is centrally located, easy to find, and has everything you could possibly need for a fun day of shopping. With over fifty shops and businesses, there´s plenty to do and see! From a delicious ice cream bar and cafe, to the original and delicious Tex-Mex restaurant, Chilli´s-Enjoy your coffee, ice cream, drink, or meal out in the sun at the Schwabengalerie´s second floor roof top patio.
On these last few warm summer days, you can bring your little ones to play in the rooftop´s floor water fountain (or simply sit and enjoy the sun with the relaxing sound of flowing water in the background). There´s also a fresh supply of delicious fruit at the downstairs market, a DM, Bijou Brigitte, a flower shop, Ernstings family (the perfect place to get your familyR17;s back-toschool attire), a Kaufland and an Aldi (for your grocery shopping needs), a fitness studio and much more. You can either park directly in the Schwabengalerie´s park house (and walk straight inside), or you can take the bus. Great deals, amazing products, the brands you love, all conveniently located-and with excellent customer service, what more could you ask for?