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.