Moving: Part One

Since receiving our moving papers our life has been totally hectic and all over the place. Every day there is something new that must be done and opportunities to relax are few and far between.

Once the papers were in hand we had to make a bunch of copies (because apparently everywhere we go multiple copies are needed). I think so far we've went through about 15 and we're still needing more. We got our flights booked with the travel office and came home to reserve Ditto's spot on our flights (we have to pay for that on our own so the travel people couldn't make the reservation for us).

Once our itinerary was delivered we had to go talk to the movers about setting up shipments so all of our stuff can be sent to our new home. We have three decent sized shipments that we are doing. The first shipment consisted of all of our furniture, books, decorations, electronics, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Within the next few weeks our second shipment will be done. We basically made that one clothes we aren't taking in our luggage, pots and pans, bedding, curtains, and other necessities we felt like we just can't live without. Our last shipment will be all the stuff we left with our families and were unable to bring with us to Germany.

Having movers come into our home, pack up all our stuff for us, and take it away is both a relief that we aren't the ones that have to do it and nerve wracking because we aren't doing it so we have to trust that they will pack our stuff properly, get it all to our next home, and in one piece.

Preparing for our movers took a lot of work. We took pictures of everything that we own and moved it into the living room so they wouldn't have to walk through our house searching for it. We sat the breakables and high valued items to the side so that they would know those things needed extra care.

Our movers arrived at our house at around 9am and were there until almost 2pm getting everything packed, inventoried, and loaded onto the truck. We provided them drinks (mountain dew, dr pepper, and water) because we live on the third floor and that's a lot of stairs to be going up and down for 5 hours. It didn't take them as long to pack up our stuff as it does for others because we didn't shipping a bed or dining set.

 

 

 

 

After the movers drove away another truck pulled up to deliver the furniture that we are borrowing until we leave. It's not the most fabulous furniture but it'll get the job done until we move out.

 

 

 

We're still struggling to grasp the concept that we have less than a month left here. It's been our home for the past three years. and even though we've complained quite a bit about it we're still going to miss it here. The days that we have left here are busy and filled with even more things to do. Some of the many things that are coming up for us are the inspection on our house, the shipping of our car, and our second housing shipment. Stay tuned to hear more about our big move!

Salzburg, Austria

Last month we took a trip to Salzburg, Austria. It was a chilly trip, our sightseeing was interrupted by a large demonstration, but overall we had a pleasant time. The first thing we saw when we got to Salzburg was mountains in the background every direction that we looked as well as the large fortress.

 

 

We spent the morning and a small part of the afternoon on a hop on hop off bus tour. We discovered in recent trips that hop on hop off buses are pretty fun to do because they stop at all the major attractions in the city and most buses hand out maps as well as headphones that you can plug in on the bus and listen to information about the city. This bus had two channels available to us in English. The first channel had the basic information about the city and the second channel gave information about the many locations that The Sound of Music was filmed in throughout the city as well as sounds from the movie.

 

There were so many highlights of this trip for us. I’m a huge Sound of Music fan so I enjoyed seeing where certain parts were filmed. We got to see the back of the Von Trapp house and the front of the Von Trapp house (3 different houses were used in the movie), the outside of the abbey, and the place where Maria and the children first sang Do, re, me. We also got a small glimpse of the famous gazebo (but it was closed to the public and we went by too fast to get a picture).

 

 

 

Oh! I almost forgot. We also got to see Mozart’s birthplace. If you ever go to Salzburg you’ll notice that they are very proud of Mozart. You will see a lot of tourist items, chocolates, and other things that have Mozart’s name or picture all over them. He is everywhere.

After we finished our hop on hop off tour we stopped at a bakery. We both got a very yummy pastry. When we took a bite we discovered that there was a solid piece of chocolate in the middle.

 

Our favorite place that we went to in Salzburg was hands down the Mirabell Gardens. There were beautiful flowers everywhere, statues, and a fountain in the middle with ducks swimming. We spent a couple hours there enjoying the area (there was even a small wedding going on). Standing on the steps to the entrance of the gardens was a man who was painted silver like a statue (we’ve actually seen these people all over Europe). However, this guy was particularly interesting because every so often he would reach out and lightly touch people on the shoulder. We got a kick out of watching those people jump, scream, and a couple even took off running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we left the Gardens it was time to get on the bus and head back home. As hectic as it was I’m so glad we went to Salzburg, Austria. It’s a beautiful city with history around every corner.  

2015!

We brought the New Year in, in style! All last night we played board games and hung out with some friends. Then after we finished counting down till midnight we ran over to the window and watched all the fireworks that the Germans put in the sky. While we don't really make resolutions each year we do like to take some time and think about all the memories we made in 2014 and send out a prayer that 2015 will be a good year for us.

 

This whole year is going to be bittersweet. There are many things that will be happening in 2015. We will be leaving Germany this year and while we do love Germany and all the traveling we've been doing I think we're both ready for our move. Luckily we still have quite a bit of traveling left to do and we are going to continue up until we leave.

I start school again in a couple weeks and if all goes well then I will finish my associates degree this year and start on my bachelors.

 

Other than school, traveling, and moving we don't know what the year holds for us but I have a really good feeling that this is going to be a good year.  

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

I have to say that of all the places we've been to in Germany so far this just might be my favorite! We left here at about 7:30am which wasn't too bad compared to how early we had to leave for some of our previous trips. We took a bus again. Taking a bus and going with a group of people is our favorite way to travel over here because we don't have to drive so we can nap on the way there and back. Anyways, from our home to Rothenburg is about a 2.5 hour ride.

Rothenburg has two parts. There is Rothenburg od der Tauber and then there's the main city. The difference between the two is that Rothenburg od der Tauber is the older part of the city and the rest of the city is what has been added over time. Rothenburg od der Tauber is surrounded by the huge wall and they don't allow any new building within the wall. They don't want it to lose it's charm! You can walk inside the wall though all over the town and in some places there are even still cannons in there.

Once we arrived we were given the day to do whatever we wanted and there are so many options! Our main reason for wanting to go to Rothenburg was for the Christmas market. It's absolutely amazing and there is so much there. Usually when we go to a Christmas market it's like 2 hours tops and we are just ready to get out of the cold. Lucky for us it wasn't even that cold when we went. It took us a lot longer than usual to get through the market because there was just so much to look at and of course we had to stop for some hot apple cider!

 

 

After the Christmas market we did some shopping around town. The town had a very medieval feel to it and there were so many stores that reflected that along with many Christmas stores. We also saw a toy museum and a teddy bear store!

 

 

 

There are just so many things about this town that make me want to go back! We both hope that we'll be able to before we leave Germany. One of the many reasons that I love being able to travel all over is the history that a lot of these towns have.

Update!

It's been so hectic at our house since my last post so I figured now would be a good time to give an update about school, travel, and other activities.

 

School has been going well so far. I'm really just ready for Christmas break. I'm currently taking the much dreaded science lab class and there are just a few more weeks left. Unfortunately that means the professors are cramming in as much new material as possible and my final exam is just around the corner. The bright side to all this is that my associates degree is within site!

 

We didn't do too much traveling in October or November. There were quite a few things going on work and school wise that neither one of us had much time. But never fear because now that Thanksgiving is over it's Christmas Market time!!

 

Speaking of Thanksgiving we had a wonderful time with all of our friends that we had over. We've learned that the best way to handle the holidays away from family is to spend it with friends. 

 

During December we have plans to do some holiday activities as well as go to many Christmas Markets.   

Oktoberfest

Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor) Dieter Reiter will mark the official beginning of München’s most renowned annual event as he taps the first keg of Oktoberfest Bier in the Schottenhamel Bier tent, follows this with an “O’zapft’ is” and a good swig of his Maß (liter of beer). For the next two weeks to follow, the sights and smells of the Oktoberfest will be ever-present throughout the city; throngs of tourists crowd the main train stations and the city centre, Tracht will be worn from dawn to dusk and the streets will buzz with groups of extra jolly, sometimes sweaty and most often tipsy, red-cheeked revellers.

The first Oktoberfest in Munich took place on Oct. 12, 1812 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig (who became King Ludwig I later) and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Munich's citizens were invited to join the festivity which was held on a field on the city's outskirts. In honor of the new-wed princess it was named Theresienwiese (Theresia's meadow). The festivities ended with a horse race, and it was decided to repeat the race in the following year. An agricultural show, beers stalls, merry-go-rounds and other amusements were added to the festival over the years. The horse race is no longer held, but the Oktoberfest is still celebrated on the Theresienwiese in Munich.

Throughout the years, the festival expanded more and more, and held horse races and an Agricultural Show, intended to improve the Bavarian agriculture. Today, the Agricultural Show only happens every 3 years. In 1818 carousel and swings were set up for the first time during the festival – later becoming a themed park – and it was only in 1896 that beer stands were included in the event, later becoming tents, famously called Zelte or Bierzelte – Beer Tents. This year of 2014, the Wies’n will happen for the 181th time in its history!

At Oktoberfest in Munich, there are seven enormous beer tents that line the “Wirtsbudenstraße.” The beer is brewed by Munich’s six largest breweries and is much stronger than American beer. The price of a Maß (a liter of beer) averages 9 euros. In addition to the seven enormous beer tents that line the “Wirtsbudenstraße, ” there are also smaller tents which local Munich pub owners run and manage, but are under license to one of the larger breweries. The price of a Maß in the smaller tents is usually 20 to 50 cents cheaper than in the larger tents.

Some of the traditional foods that you will find at Oktoberfest are: Hendl (chicken), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Haxn (knuckle of pork), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstl (sausages) along with Brezn (Pretzel), Knödeln (potato or bread dumplings), Kaasspotzn (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Rotkraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian traditional food as Obatzda (a fatty, spiced cheese-butter concoction) and Weisswurst (a white sausage).

Last weekend the hubby and I headed to Munich to experience all that is Oktoberfest and let me tell you it was just, wow! We hopped on the bus at 7am and arrived about two and a half hours later. So many roads were blocked off and so many people were there that the closest place that the bus was able to park and drop us off at was about a mile away. No worries though the festival was easy to find! All you have to do is follow the music, people in Tracht, and the smell of food and beer. We spent the day going in tents and beer gardens, eating food, riding the Ferris wheel, and shopping for souvenirs. Throughout the day we saw countless emergency vehicles, people being carried away on stretchers, and police breaking up fights. That is on top of the large amount of people we saw passed out from drinking so much and the people who were leaving Oktoberfest that were hunched over the side of the road vomiting.

Despite all of the craziness we saw we found Oktoberfest to be a blast. It was a bittersweet moment going knowing that it would be our first and most likely last Oktoberfest. We did decide though that if we are ever back in Germany during Oktoberfest for whatever reason that we will go back for sure. Here are some dos and don’ts of Oktoberfest.

 

DO

1. If you have a Dirndl or Lederhosen you should wear it! We saw so many people wearing Tracht and we kept wishing that we had them to wear. If you have a Dirndl or Lederhosen you should wear it! We saw so many people tracht and we kept wishing that we had them to wear. If you have a Dirndl or Lederhosen you should wear it! We saw so many people tracht and we kept wishing that we had them to wear.Ladies: tie the bow on your schutz (apron worn on the Dirndl) according to tradition. Tied to the left shows you’re single, tied to the right shows you’re married and tied in the middle lets everyone know you’re open (or “its complicated" if you speak Facebook). Warning: whichever way you tie may not prevent any unwanted forms of affection from strangers throughout the night. 

2. Know and accept that by the end of the day you are going to look every bit as embarrassing as everyone else.

3. Expect to have at least one beer dumped on you during the day. It's inevitable. But don't worry it doesn't stain. You'll just smell like beer the rest of the day.

 

4. Understand that you are going to have people push, shove, and bump into you. The place is so packed (especially the tents) and everyone is trying to squeeze their way in so that they can be served. Also watch out for the waitresses. Some of those extraordinary ladies can carry up to 15 beers at once and kudos to them because just one liter of beer alone doesn't feel very light.

 

5. Accept that there will be public displays of affection all over the place. People get real friendly with each other after they get a few beers in them.

6. Grab some roasted nuts on your way out of the fest! The smell will have been teasing you all day. We got roasted cashews and they were delicious.

DON'T

1. If you see an open table just take it. Don't look around and ask if it's open. Think like a cat: if you fits, you sits.

 

2. Don't wear high heels. We saw so many ladies wearing high heels into the fest and let me tell you, they were not very graceful on their way out. It's hard enough to walk after you've had a few. No need to make it harder on yourself.

3. Don't forget that the beer at Oktoberfest has a higher alcohol content. Therefore don't expect to feel okay after playing a few rounds of "who can drink a liter of beer the fastest".

4. Don't try stealing one of the mugs. Seriously, if you want one that bad just buy it at one of the many souvenir shops. 

 

Here are some fun facts about OktoberfThis year, the Oktoberfest Lost and Found has been taking care of 1395 items. 320 pieces of clothing, 270 passports, 210 wallets and purses, 180 bags, 110 mobile phones, 100 keys, 90 glasses, 55 umbrellas, 40 pieces of jewelry, 20 cameras, one set of ball and chain, a bugle, one statue, one handwritten affidavit and the annual, unavoidable set of dentures. Security in the tents have so far recovered 28,300 stolen mugs and the biggest group of visitors from other countries have been from the USA, Italy, and Australia.1.Wear your Dirndl or Lederhosen with pride.2.For the ladies: tie the bow on your schutz (apron worn on the Dirndl) according to tradition. Tied to the left shows you’re single, tied to the right shows you’re married and tied in the middle lets everyone know you’re open (or “its complicated if you speak Facebook). Warning: whichever way you tie may not prevent any unwanted forms of affection from strangers throughout the night.

Paris, France

This weekend was a busy and exciting one for us. We got on the bus Friday night to head to Paris on an Express trip, meaning no hotels you just sleep on the bus. It took about eleven hours for us to get to Paris. Our bus parked right in front of the Eiffel Tower and we were free to do what we wanted for the day.

Getting off the bus was hectic. As soon as our bus parked people trying to sell stuff came running over to the doors trying to get us to buy stuff before our feet even hit the ground. In the end we did end up buying from them because the product they were selling was also sold at all the tourist shops but theirs was cheaper.

We spent probably a good 45 minutes just walking around the Eiffel Tower taking pictures. We have decided that it's pretty much impossible to take a bad picture of the Eiffel Tower, it's just so photogenic!

 

 

After we got what we thought was enough pictures (we actually ended up taking MANY more before leaving) we started looking for the pick up stop for the hop on, hop off bus.

About a week before we left for Paris I started looking online for the best way for us to get around Paris. Since we were only there for a day we needed something easy to navigate, not to pricey, and quick to get us to all the places we wanted to see. We opted for the Big Bus Paris.

The Big Bus Paris is a hop on, hop off tourist bus. It cost us 29 euros a piece and was a double decker bus with an open top. For those of you who don't know a hop on, hop off bus is basically where the bus goes to all of the main attractions and you can get off to see whichever attractions you're interested in. Then you can hop on the next bus that comes by. This company had a lot of buses. A new one was coming by each attraction about every 10-15 minutes!

 

 

The first place we decided to hop off the bus at was the Louvre. I have been wanting to see the Louvre since I was little. Unfortunately, we were unable to go inside because the line was already crazy long! But no worries there is another Paris trip in April and we are considering going on it. The architecture was amazing to look at and the glass pyramids were just WOW!

 

 

After we finished admiring the Louvre we walked across the way to the love lock bridge. Recently Paris has asked people to stop putting the locks on the bridges because the weight of the locks are causing the sides of the bridge to collapse. It was still really cool to go look at though.

 

 

Once we were done looking at the bridge we hopped back on the Big Bus Paris and headed to our next destination. Can you guess where that was? I'll give you a hint, there is a Disney movie about it.

Notre Dame was hands down the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. It was packed full of people trying to get inside to go up top. We opted not to go up top. There are well over 300 stairs going up to the top and absolutely no elevators. Yikes! However, we were able to see the gargoyles from the ground and the bells went off during our stop there. I never knew bells could sound so awesome.

 

 

Our next and last stop that we made on the hop on, hop off bus was the Arc de Triomphe. Beautifully built and crazy busy with people it stood on the Champs Elysees avenue, which is known as the most beautiful avenue in the world.

 

 

After we got done at the Arc de Triomphe we headed to the Eiffel and grabbed lunch across the street at one of the many carts that were set up. I had a hot dog, but not just any hot dog. This hot dog had a homemade bun, two hot dogs crammed into the bun, and the guy put ketchup and mayonnaise on it! My husband had a banana and nutella crepe, plus some of my hot dog.

After lunch (which we didn't end up eating till almost 2:30) we did a little souvenir shopping. We picked up our usual shot glass, bell, and postcards. Plus this time we also got a miniature Eiffel Tower, a Paris purse, and a snow globe.

Once we were done with all of our shopping we decided to get back on the hop on, hop off bus and ride it all the way through. The cool thing about the Big Bus Paris is that they provide you with headphones so you can get interesting facts and information. We didn't use the headphones earlier in the day because we got off and on so much that we were missing too much of the information. It took about 2.5 hours to ride the bus all the way through but it was definitely worth it.

The weather in Paris this weekend was in the low 60's. Jackets were needed the whole time, especially considering we were riding on the open top of the Big Bus. Towards the end of our ride on the bus it even started raining a little bit!

After the Big Bus dropped us off at the Eiffel Tower we made our way back to our bus as it was about time to head home. We left Paris at almost 7pm and finally arrived back home at 5am Sunday morning.