Butterfahrt

It sounds like a sticky business. Literally in English, "Butterfahrten" are "butter trips" and evoke images of smoothly sailing across the Caribbean Sea into the sunset, but they're actually a lot less romantic. Originally, the "Butterfahrten" of the 1970's were organized boat trips into the duty-free waters of the North and Baltic Sea, where Germans could buy products like butter, but also tobacco, spirits and perfume, more cheaply than at home. They were later often combined with leisure activities to make them more fun. European Union laws have meanwhile restricted such maritime shopping sprees. But the butter trip's cousin, the Kaffeefahrt, or "coffee trip," is still quite popular. Pensioners with time on their hands, like those pictured, are often lured into these little journeys with offers of free coffee and cake. Organizers then pressure them into buying everything under the sun.