Jerry - that's a very evocative song and reminded me so much of the year I spent as a student in Freiburg, Germany. Like you, my main entertainment had to be people-watching and view-watching. At that time, the difference in the cost of living between England and most of Europe was enormous. Everything in Germany cost twice as much as back home. The German students were comparatively wealthy and had far more money to live on. I lived on bread, plain pasta and something called "Fleischkaese" (literally "meat-cheese", but which bore little resemblance to either !) which I could buy by the slice for a few Pfennigs. I had to ration myself to living off 5 Deutschmarks a week and I will never forget the snooty and incredulous looks I was given by bank customers and bank clerks when I queued up and drew out my cash each week.

To make ends meet, I got a job as a "Putzfrau" (a cleaner), working every Friday for a wealthy couple - a doctor and a physiotherapist. I think I was paid 3 Deutschmarks for that - riches ! The very worst day of my time in Germany was when the lady said "I haven't any change - I will have to pay you next week" - To her, it was nothing. To me, it was my food for the coming week.

BUT, as you say in your song: "You had your troubles, God knows I had mine / But we still had us one Hell of a time".
I wouldn't swap having had those experiences for anything.

- jeanie