Celebrating Hanukkah

Our family is a blend of religions that works for us pretty well.  My husband, Dan, is Catholic, and I was raised in the Jewish faith.  We celebrate selected holidays of both religions, trying to teach our children the elements of religion and how to be good people.  Our goal is to raise our kids to be adults who are open to experiencing the world, and not only tolerant, but supportive of people who are different from them. 

I was raised in suburban New York, in an area with a large Jewish community.  It was a cultural shock when I moved to the South for college, and ever since I have not met another Jewish person that I know of.  Even though my knowledge of Judaism is not what it should be, I am accustomed to sharing what little bit I know with friends and family, because so many people I know have never had a Jewish friend before. 

Despite not meeting many other people who share my faith, the Hanukkah celebration is still familiar  to most people.  I could always find candles for the menorah, dreidels, and Hanukkah decorations at stores like Target, Harris-Teeter, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond. 

When we moved we did not bring our gazillion boxes of various holiday decorations, because we weren't sure how much space we would have for storage in our new place.  But I did bring the kids' menorah, one dreidel, some wrapping paper, and a teddy bear that sings the dreidel song. 

Unfortunately, I was not able to find menorah candles anywhere, or a single item relating to the celebration of Hanukkah in any store I searched.  Absolutely nothing.  Needless to say that I am extremely disappointed by this and it has left me wondering about the current presence of Jews in German society. 

 

So, we made an alternative menorah using tea lights and I felt a deeper sense of importance that the children need to learn the words to the prayers we recited each night.  We made latkes, found some Hanukkah songs on ITunes Radio, and I printed some themed holiday coloring pages.  I also visited Ryan's class and we taught the kids how to play dreidel. 

There is much more that could be said on this topic, but for now, Hannukah is done, and it is time to move on to the traditions and festivities of my husband's faith. 

 

I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season, and that all of your celebrations are merry and bright. 

Ulm WeihnachtMarkt

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

 

Today is December 11, and Christmas festivities are in full swing all around the globe.  It has been very interesting watching the Christmas traditions unfold in Germany, many of which are the same, and many which are new to us. 

Christmas Markets are a big deal all over Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland.  Many markets try to differentiate themselves in some way, and the Ulm market's claim to fame is being in the shadow of the tallest church in the world. 

There are stalls set up selling jewelry, hats, trinkets, candles, toys, ornaments, food, and gluhwein.  The food mostly is sausage served in a rolls, but there is also soup, baguette pizza, cheesy spaetzle, roasted chestnuts, and candied nuts.  When we have gone we have had sausages, but I am hoping to try some soup next time we go.  Gluhwein (hot spiced wine) has captured my heart and tastes like Christmas in a cup.  There is also 'kinderpunsch' which is mulled fruit punch for the kids to warm up with.  The gluhwein and kinderpunsch is served in special Christmas Market mugs that you pay a deposit for, and then get your money back when you return the mug.  Of course, we had to bring our mugs home as a souvenir! 


Mugs full of warm Christmas cheer!

kid heaven

 

There are a couple of carousel-types rides for the kids, a small train ride, and a nativity scene with live sheep and a donkey that they could pet. 

 

Ryan's favorite thing at the Christmas market is the glass blowing demonstration, and I think he could stand there and watch the men make ornaments and glass flowers for an hour if we let him. 

I think these star displays are so pretty!

 

 

Visiting the Christmas market is a nice way to participate in the holiday festivities, but I must admit that instead of feeling 'holly-jolly,' we find it a bit stressful!  There are so many people milling about that it is difficult to do much shopping without having to elbow your way into the fray.  Keeping the kids from darting off is a job itself, and we are in constant fear of the kids having steaming hot gluhwein spilled on them accidentally.  Add those factors to not being able to find a parking spot and freezing your jingle bells off, and after about 30 minutes we are ready to head home.  Luckily, we can have our cups of Christmas cheer at home in our cute Ulm Weihnachtsmarkt mugs!

 



Looking at a bronze model of the city of Ulm

I hope to be able to see some of the Christmas markets in other cities, but I am not sure that we will make it to very many this year.  Luckily, we will still be here next Christmas!

Das Auto... and Weasel Insurance

Germany is a car lovers paradise.  People take great pride in the German car manufacturers-and for good reason!  Mercedes, Porsches, BMWs, and Audis zip past us on the Autobahn as if we are standing still.

 

 

When we first arrived in Germany, we had an Audi A3 rental car for one month.  Since Dan works 30 minutes away, and Ryan had to start school, the kids and I had to drive Dan to work before dropping Ryan off at school.  This ended up being over an hour in the car for me and the kids, plus another hour to pick him up in the evening.  Needless to say, this got old fast, and getting cars leased was a priority.  We assumed this would be a relatively painless process once we found an English-speaking car salesman.  It wasn't. 

We were able to find an English-speaking salesman at the Audi/VW/Skoda dealership.  In our experiences buying cars in the US, you simply go to a car dealer, where they have hundreds of shiny new cars, negotiate hard for the entire day, and drive away breathing in that new car smell.  We were completely exasperated that it took us three weeks of going into the dealership 4x/week, and having to spend hours there each time, all with kids in tow.  German car dealers may have some inventory of used cars, but if you want a new car or to lease a car, you must first place an order, then wait 3-4 months for the order to be fulfilled.  We obviously needed cars quicker than that, which is what made the process so difficult.   

Our very kind, but garrulous car salesman, Jens, finally found us good deals on a VW Passat (for me), and a VW Jetta (for Dan).  Both cars are sedans, and we were able to get good leasing prices on them because apparently Germans do not want to drive sedans.  Wagon/hatchback styles are much more common here than in the US, since they provide a bit more capacity without the fuel requirements of a SUV. 

Many cars in Germany do not have the model identified on the back of the car (it doesn't say Passat).

 Manual transmissions are more common here, as are engines using diesel instead of gas.  Germans are very environmentally conscious, and diesel provides better fuel-efficiency.  Hybrid cars are less popular here than in the US.  With only driving around town, my tank of diesel lasts up to three weeks before I have to fill up again.  The cost of a liter of diesel right now is about 1.43 Euro, which would be equivalent to 5.46 Euro per gallon.  Not cheap.

My favorite features: remote starter and heated seats!

Insurance is also a bit different here, as it is purchased directly from the car dealer, and not a third-party company.  Because of the different makes of our cars, my car required more thorough insurance than Dan's car.  Through out the weeks-long leasing process, we were a bit concerned that maybe we were getting shafted used-car-salesman-style due to our lack of German language skill.  This feeling culminated when Dan went to sign the insurance papers, and Jens was translating all the different types of disasters that my car in insured against. 

Jens:  'You have flood, hail, accident, and blatt insurance.'

Dan: 'Blatt insurance?'

Jens: 'You know, it comes with thunder.'

Dan: 'Lightning?'

Jens: 'Yes! I mean lightning!'

Dan: 'OK' (thinking Jens is a *bit* nuts)

Jens: 'You also have weasel insurance.'

Dan: 'Hold on...weasel insurance?' (thinking we are definitely being scammed)

Jens: 'Weasels are a very big problem here with cars because they chew up the car wires.'

 

Jens then pulls up Google and shows Dan pictures of these adorable but highly destructive animals that are called marders (martens in English), and love to chew through warm wires and hoses, especially in the Spring mating season.

So cute!



Not so cute!

As it turns out, it is a good thing we have this insurance, because almost everyone we ask has had trouble with these critters, and we are pretty sure we have some living in our roof (they also seem to like to use our upstairs balcony as an outhouse. Yuck.)  Our children have become terrified of the idea that there might be marders living in our roof, and are scared to go upstairs if the lights are off, for fear that one might be lurking in their bedrooms!

So, yes, getting cars was extremely challenging.  We are happy with what we ended up with, but I must admit that I miss my minivan!  Our next mission is to get our German drivers licenses, which we will need to take a written test, but luckily not the driving test.   Then come spring we will be on the lookout for pheromone crazed rodents! 

Winter is Coming...

I grew up in New York State, and my husband grew up in Wisconsin, so we have a bit of background with harsh winters.  However, we both moved to South Carolina to attend Clemson University, and have lived in southern states for our entire adult lives.  This has left us unprepared and anxious about the impending long winter here in Germany.  We both did lots of snow shoveling as kids, but we have never had the responsibility of winter home maintenance. 

Cold and foggy morning

There are signs of Winter preparations all around us.  I have been seeing snow plows everyday this week, but have yet to see a snowflake.  People are preparing their yards, and trimming bushes like it is their full-time job (and making me feel a bit guilty for my lack of bush-trimming).  We have gone to the home improvement store and gotten snow shovels, scrapers for our cars, and salt for the porch steps.  There are very specific laws regarding the removal of snow, ice, and icicles from your property, and if you are found to be neglectful of your winter responsibilities, you can be fined 500 Euros, or be on the losing end of a lawsuit should someone have a slip on your portion of sidewalk or porch steps.   

Ready for snow!

We still need to get winter tires for my car, which you are required to have by law.  Your winter tires are supposed to be on your car from October to Easter, and you will be fined 40 Euro, and one point added to your driving record if found to not have your winter tires on at the appropriate time.  If you are involved in an accident in wintery conditions and found to not be in compliance, the fee is doubled.  

Winter clothes and accessories have become a big issue in our house.  There is a saying that 'There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.'  This is a great notion, but unfortunately we don't have all the appropriate clothing we need for a long winter.  Mornings are frantic with 'where are your gloves?!?!' or 'Meredith, sparkly mary-janes aren't appropriate for playing in the cold mud!  Put on your snow boots!'  The gloves that we used three times per winter in coastal North Carolina are already deemed to be not warm enough for November in Germany.  My feet are freezing in my leather boots, even with two pairs of socks!  What is a girl to do, except go boot shopping?

My morning walk route

I know that I am whining about how cold it is...I hope that all of my friends and family who live in cold climates will please forgive me and stop rolling their eyes.  Luckily, it is only Dan and I who are nervous about winter.  The kids are thrilled at the prospect of playing in the snow and going sledding.  The temperature is cold enough, we are just waiting for the snow...

PARIS!

When we first told the kids that we would be moving to Germany, there was, as expected, a bit of disappointment and angst.  Ryan, was worried about leaving his school and friends.  We quickly tried to think of all the selling-points we could offer to a 6-year-old.  Luckily, we hit upon two things that quickly turned the situation around, and the kids were on-board with an overseas move: LEGOLAND, and the Eiffel Tower.  We made it to LEGOLAND within the first few weeks of arriving, since it is only about 20 minutes away.  Our trip to Paris needed a bit more planning, and we also decided that we wanted to wait until my Mom came to visit, so she could go with us, too.  I liked that idea that since my Mom took me to Paris the first time when I was 18, I could take my Mom to Paris the second time.

Day 1  Palace of Versailles

We are getting pretty savvy about getting around on the Metro in different cities, and we took the train out to Versailles.  We weren't sure if the kids would be interested in the visit, but my Mom said she had always wanted to go to Versailles, so that made it a priority for me.  It was a cold, rainy day, and apparently we weren't the only ones who thought touring the palace was a good idea for a rainy day.  We had to wait in a long line to get in! 

Hall of Mirrors

Ryan, who is 7, seemed to enjoy looking around, and we did our best to pique his interest.  Meredith, who is 4, was not so content, and took a significant amount of cajoling, and our repeated attempts to interest her by saying 'This is where princesses really lived!' didn't help to keep her interested.  It was extremely crowded, and after about an hour we all lost interest and headed to a creperie for coffee, hot chocolate, and crepes. 

Dancing in the ballroom



Ryan enjoyed the audio tour

 

Day 2 The Eiffel Tower

 

Today was the day that Ryan had been excited about for the last six months.  We were advised by friends that we should buy our tickets in advance online, which we tried to do, but failed.  Apparently, they have to be bought further in advance than the night before.  Again we found a VERY long line, but we were determined, and luckily, we had all 'packed our patience'.  It was a special adventure to share as a family, and we promised Ryan that we would bring him back in the Spring and attempt to go all the way to the top. 

 

Seine River

 

Happiest boy in Paris!

 

Sacre-Coeur



 

Les Invalides

 

Riding the carousel near the Eiffel

Gotta have crepes at the Eiffel Tower!

After our Eiffel Tower visit, we let Ryan and Meredith go on some of the nearby children's rides, and stopped at a crepe stand for a snack.  We then let the kids pick out souvenirs, and walked to the Arc de Triomphe, and down a bit of the Champs Elysees.

 

             

 

 Ryan loved the Louis Vuitton store front, which featured golden dinosaur skeletons.  He decided that it must be a girl T-Rex, because it was carrying a purse!  I don't think that it is quite fair than an extinct reptile gets to have a Louis Vuitton purse, but I don't!!

Happiest Grandma in Paris!

 We had a wonderful time in Paris, and it was so special to have my Mom there with us to share the adventure.  Even a cold, rainy day in Paris (waiting on long lines with whining kids) is STILL PARIS!  We had some really delicious meals, one at an Italian restaurant, and one at a French restaurant.  The loved the small French bistro, and having the small courses served over a longer period of time held the kids interest.  They both decided that they like goat cheese, and Ryan discovered that crème brulee is now his favorite dessert.

I can't wait to go back! 

Setting Up and Settling In

Hello Everyone!

Our new house!

We have been hard at work since moving into our new house, and I feel like we are finally starting to get our head above the water, so to speak.  Moving into a new house is overwhelming in any situation, but setting up a house in Germany is proving to be quite exhausting. 

See my new VW Passat?!?! Gotta love German cars!

 

 Meredith waiting for the movers on move-in day.

 

Future spot for the kitchen table

We were very grateful that we were able to find a house that is comparable in size to our previous home in North Carolina.  We had been expecting to downsize, and had prepared the kids to expect that they might have had to share a bedroom.  To our great surprise, we found a 4 bed/3 bath house on a cul-de-sac, located in our desired area of Ulm.  Dan has convenient access to the Autobahn to get to work, and it takes about ten minutes to get the kids to school.  We aren't quite as close to the city center as we would have liked, and I am not able to walk to any shopping, but overall, we are very happy with the location.  We have a one-car garage, a nice backyard for the kids to play, and really great neighbors (who speak English, and have daughters who babysit!)

One of the biggest hurdles in getting all the boxes unpacked has been that, despite having ample space in the house, I still didn't have anywhere to put anything!  Houses here don't have closets, shelving, or even kitchens!  When we moved in, our kitchen was an empty room without even a light bulb hanging from the ceiling.  So, off to Ikea we went...again...and again...and again...

the 'kitchen'

Our kitchen is about 75% finished at this point.  Dan really had to step outside his DIY-comfort zone installing plumbing, cabinetry, and the oven.  Even now that all the appliances are installed, I am not completely competent in using them.  The dials are all in German, and the oven is in centigrade!  I think I will have to do a post about all the different features on my European appliances. 

 Here is a photo of the 'master bedroom' closet.  Notice the lack of shelves and cross bars for hanging clothes:





I have made some progress in the closet by adding two bookcases for shelving, and a few cheap hanging racks. 

 

Here is a photo of the hall bath, and the guest bath.  Please note the 80's-style tiling, and the metallic accents in the ceiling panels.  Very stylish.  Bathrooms are typically tiled from floor to ceiling here, which is kind of strange to me.  How much of a mess is expected, that we would need to hose down the walls? 

 

 

As everyone knows, it takes some time to make a house into a home.  We are working really hard at making a space that is comfortable and familiar for the kids, when everything else around us is unfamiliar and overwhelming.  Despite all of the effort over the last few months, we are really happy that we are here in Germany, and extremely grateful that we have this opportunity to explore the world from a different angle.  I expect that by the time we leave this house, we will have made many wonderful memories here.

 

Lake Como

After visiting Innsbruck for one night, we headed down to Lake Como, and stayed in the town of Menaggio for two nights.  The first part of the drive was beautiful, and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of fall foliage and little waterfalls flowing down the sides of the mountains.  We were so excited when we passed the border, but the kids were oblivious, with their noses in their IPads.  I kept saying things like 'Look kids, Italian cows!  Wow, the Italian Alps are so beautiful'.  Then about 30 minutes later I was looking at the GPS, and said 'Oops, we are in Switzerland!'  Duh.
By the time we got to St. Moritz, we drove into dense fog, and didn't come out of it until we reached Lake Como.  It was a very stressful second half of the drive, and ended up making the drive 2 hours longer. 

By the time we found the hotel it was pretty late for the kids, so we ended up eating gelato for Dan's birthday dinner.  The kids thought this was great.  Thankfully, we had a great room at the Hotel Du Lac that had a balcony, and a separate bedroom for the kids. 



 View from our room

The next day we took a ferry to the town of Lenno, to visit Villa del Balbianello.  The villa was built in 1787 on the site of a Franciscan monastery, and was later turned into a home.  There have been many movies filmed here, most notably Star Wars (episode 2), and Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig.  The most recent owner was Count Guido Monzino, a mountain climber and explorer, who filled his home with artifacts and souvenirs from his expeditions. 

 

 

I was really nervous to take the kids on the house tour, because I thought that they would be bored and have subsequent bad behavior, but as soon as Ryan heard that Count Monzino had climbed Mount Everest and gone to the North Pole, he was enthralled.  The kids also were very impressed by the secret passageways in the house.  I was very impressed by the amazing views and garden. 

 'Padme's' garden on 'Naboo'

(Star Wars, 2)

 

We took the ferry boat back to Menaggio, and wandered around until we found a place to eat.  I can imagine that Lake Como is bustling in the summer months, but it was pretty sleepy while we were there.  We barely saw any other children, which puts a lot of pressure on us to keep the kids quiet when they are the only children in a restaurant.  We felt a little guilty every time we sat down at a café, where the other patrons are all couples sipping their cappuccino or wine, gazing out over the lake, then we sit down with the kids and completely destroy the romance.  Lake Como is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have been, but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of welcome I felt everywhere we went.  I had also been hoping for some amazing Italian food, but almost everywhere we went, the menu was limited to pizza and sandwiches.

 

The drive home was as terrifying as the previous two.  I have no desire to ever drive through the Alps again!  After coming around one of the hair-pin turns on top of a mountain, Dan had to slam on the brakes because there was a her of sheep running down the side of the road, as if they were just going with the flow of traffic!

 

About 4 minutes after seeing the sheep, Ryan grabbed the emergency car-sick bucket, and we had to pull over for a few minutes until his stomach settled. 

By the time we got home, we had driven into 4 countries: Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Lichtenstein.  The day after we got home, Dan had to fly to China for the week, and then he has to go to Spain in a few weeks.  He has already been to Spain, but this is his first trip to China.  I am hoping that he can start writing a few of his own blog posts, because I know he has a few stories to share with everyone. 

Being able to travel through Europe was one of the big reasons we moved to Germany.  I can't say that this weekend was a huge success, because we felt kind of stressed-out the whole time.  I like to think that we 'got our feet wet' for traveling in Europe with kids, and hopefully our next trip (PARIS!) will be smoother with a bit more planning.  Well, at least a mom can dream...