I now know how to say "Witch Hazel" in German

Here's the Swiss sunrise from the top floor of our house this morning. Those are the beginnings of the Alps you may be able to discern at the horizon:

In unrelated matters, I now know how to say "Witch Hazel" in German: Hamameliswasser.

And also what happens when you ask if your local Apotheke (pharmacy) has it: 

They say, "Wie viel möchten Sie?" (pronounced VEE FEEL MEUCHHHHTEN ZEE?, and meaning, "How much do ya want?"). This is most excellent, because the benefits of witch hazel are numerous and assorted, if you believe this site. We used to use it on insect bites when I was a child. I remember we kept it in the fridge so it was doubly soothing, with the addition of the chill.

The bottle I brought home from the local Apotheke (pronounced Ah-po-TAY-kuh) theoretically had four languages on it, describing the contents. They were all pretty similar, with an amusing twist in the English version:

Latin(?): hamamelidis aqua witch hazel

German: Hamameliswasser witch hazel

French: Hamamelis eau witch hazel

and...

English: Hamamelis water WITH hazel

Ha ha. (Capitals mine; I found it funny that only the "English" line misspelled the English words that they included correctly in all the other "languages.")

Posted via email from K's Café