German Living Tip of the Day Part 2

I mentioned in part 1 that Germans can be backwards sometimes. First off, they don't have air conditioning, and it DOES get hot in the summer. Second, since they don't have air conditioning, residents are keen on opening their windows to help cool off. For me, as an American, this causes a problem because they don't put screens on the windows! So, if I want to be cool, I get to live with a house of bugs! Yes, the windows are ultra cool and open in two different directions, sideways and from the top, but I guess they don't make a screen for that! Or, if they do, I just haven't seen any in the neighborhoods around here. Oh, and if I wanted to buy one somewhere, I'd have to take cash because many German stores do not accept credit cards. But, it'd be cheaper for me because Americans can get VAT forms to exempt them from that hefty 19% German tax. FYI, you can get a VAT form for any European country, you just have to find out how to do it, and the lack of tax will be just like an instant discount! In fact, in some Italian stores, just showing your passport gets you the discount.