Meet Henry

One of the guys that my husband works with PCS'd a couple months ago and when he left he very generously gave us an air conditioner for free. Now left me explain why we are so grateful for this gift. Most places here do not have air conditioning. None. Zero. Zilch. Usually it's not too terribly but this summer it has been unbearable for the past few days. So the lack of air conditioning, plus the hot weather, plus the fact that we live on the third floor (heat rises people), means that we are very proud to introduce Henry. 

Henry is unlike any air conditioner we've ever seen! He has a hose in the back that has to vent out the window and he drains water from a small spot on the bottom back. 

When we leave here if Henry is still working we plan on passing him along to another family. Air conditioners are pretty pricey and we are thankful to have received one for free. Therefore we feel that the right thing to do is to pass on Henry to another family.

I'm a College Student Now

Last year when I got here it was literally just days after my high school graduation (which I didn't attend due to not being in the state). Once arriving in Germany I decided to take some time off in order to adjust to this new adventure that I'd jumped into with my husband. 

Now, a year after graduating, I have applied for and been accepted to a college. Starting in a few shorts weeks I'll be attending college completely online, which is really my only option here. I'm excited about doing college online because it'll give me flexible hours so that I can enjoy Germany while being a full time student.

Vilseck Fasching Parade

From what I've gathered fasching is king of like a carnival celebration. There are so many different costumes and it's so much fun to see what everyone comes up with. The people in the parade throw candy to those in the crowd. 

The one I went to in Vilseck lasted about 45 minutes to and hour. We showed up 30 minutes early and got a decent standing spot but somehow about halfway through the parade we had a bunch of people standing in front of us (and I swear I didn't move my feet). The whole street was closed of for the parade and there were countless people standing on both sides. Many of the people brought beer, dressed up, and sat on the side of the road and watched. 

Since it's only February it was still quite a bit chilly out (usually it snows till April/May). I couldn't believe some of the costumes. Those people had to be cold!

.10 Signs That I Know We're Not In Kansas Anymore

Here are 10 signs that remind us every day that we definitely aren't in Kansas anymore.

1. Toilets. The toilets here don't have a tank and they have two buttons on the wall to flush; a big flush and a little flush. Pretty sure the purpose of that is self explanatory. Here's what our toilet looks like.

2. Light Switches. I actually like the switches here, they're kind of cool. They're huge squares and sometimes are in inconvenient places. Our bathroom switch is located outside the bathroom. That took some getting used to.

3. Outlets. Remember my frustration when I first got here and my on post motel didn't have a 110v outlet? Well luckily for us our home has both 110v and 220v, which has so far come in handy for the 220v appliances we've bought.

4. Heaters. Our heaters are on the walls and I was kind of skeptical of them at first because they don't blow out warm air like the central air and heating we had in  the U.S. So far though these heaters have worked amazingly. If we're not careful our house feels like a furnace.

5. Fast food chains. So far the only two fast food chains that we've been to here (that we've also been to in the U.S.) are KFC and McDonald's. One difference we've noticed between U.S. and German ones are that some of the items that are available in the U.S. aren't available here. One of the major things that we like about the McDonald's here is the McCafe and the fact that their vegetables are actually fresh!

6. Windows. Our windows here don't just slide up and down like the windows we are used too. Our windows have handles. A 90 degree turn of the handle tilts the window and a turn of 180 degrees opens the window up like a door.

7. Germany is very dog friendly! I had my first experience here of just how excepting Germans are of dogs. We went to a restaurant and laying right next to the table was a big yellow lab. He was so friendly and the waiters regularly brought him water and even a small meal!

8. Greetings. Where I'm from in Kansas I wave at people who drive by and say hi to people that I walk passed. It doesn't matter if I know who they are or not because chances are at least someone in my family does know them. Here is Germany you start waving or saying hi to random people you get looked at like do I know you? Haha.

9. Sundays. I don't know if this is a Germany wide thing or just in the area we live in but there are quiet hours. Meaning: Between 10pm and 6am daily and all day Sunday you have to be quiet. Did it rain all day Saturday so that you couldn't mow? Well you're out of luck, gotta wait till Monday.

10. Drinks. Oh there are sooooo many differences in drinks here. First off, don't expect to get ice in your drink... I have no idea why. Next, there are quite a few places we've been to that beer costs less than water. Yupp you read that right. Water does not come with your food. Lastly, be careful when you ask for water. You could possibly end up with carbonated water.

Garmisch

The best way to spend a few days around Christmas time? At a place called Edelweiss in Garmisch, Germany. It's clear down in the southern part of Germany by the Austrian boarder. We went there on an all expense paid marriage retreat and are very grateful for the opportunity we were given.

The lodge was gorgeous and the view was absolutely breathtaking. I love mountains! I think one day we'll have to live somewhere, where I can see mountains from my front porch.

The inside of the resort was just as beautiful as the outside and it was decorated for Christmas. We enjoyed spending three days relaxing. Hopefully before we leave we'll be able to go back when the weather is better. We wanted to ride the ski lift to the top of the mountain but it was so foggy that we didn't think we'd be able to see much of the bottom. 

Nuremberg Christmas Market

Christmas markets are easily one of my favorite things about Germany. This year we went to the one in Nuremberg. Most Christmas markets are held in the city center (also known as a town square). It's one of the larger ones in our area and each year it's packed full of people, from opening day after Thanksgiving to closing day Christmas Eve. At Christmas markets you can buy all kinds of food, cider, gluehwein, ornaments, jewelry, and many other Christmas goodies and trinkets.

We spent all day at the Christmas market trying all the new things. Ben bought me a giant gingerbread cookie that said "I love you" and a necklace. I bought him a hat because it was freezing! Neither one of us found gluehwein to be that good but others swear it's delicious. Personally my favorite is the cider and I love the glass mugs that the venders put the hot drinks in. 

I hope that by the time we leave here we're able to go to many more Christmas markets. They are definitely a wonderful experience and are guaranteed to put you in the Christmas spirit.

We got our license!

The street signs can seem a little intimidating at first. When I first started studying for the test I was so worried that I wasn't going to remember any of the signs. But really they aren't too different from the U.S.

The speed limit sign is hands down the easiest to deal with. It's just a round sign, with a red circle, and a number. The only thing you really need to remember is that it's not mph. 

While I was traveling to my new home, I spent most of the five hour bus ride looking out the window. One thing that really caught my attention was that we continuously passed these large blue signs on the right side of the road that said Ausfahrt.

 

 

  I thought this must big a really big city for us to have been passing it for hours now! But guess what it's not a city. This sign means EXIT. 

Even the Autobahn has a special sign. Once you've been on the Autobahn you'll see that the sign depicts the Autobahn really well. 

My favorite sign here (I think because I just like saying it) is this one:

It means one way street!