June 16th, 2016

You know how a song brings you back to a specific memory or becomes a theme song for a season of life? I’ve had an old song running through my head for days now. It was released back in 1995 by the group, Jars of Clay. The song is taking on new meaning for me. Its called “Flood.” Here are the opening lyrics…

Rain, rain on my face

Hasn’t stopped raining for days

My world is a flood

Slowly I become one with the mud

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, captures the current weather pattern in our neck of the German woods. Flood is an exaggeration since we do get breaks where the sun fights its way through for a bit here and there. Then I sing…

Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo)

here comes the sun, and I say

It’s all right

After a rainy afternoon on Sunday, I checked the weather report on my phone. The forecast for the next nine days: clouds, thunderclouds, and rain clouds. I never knew it rained so much in Germany! I guess that explains all the green. Sigh…

I’m trying to look for the bright side of all this rain. Here are a few of my attempts and observations…

On Monday, S and I watched a rainstorm from our front porch. At one point, he moved our watering pail to catch the rainfall. Its a new game of ours…harnessing this abundant, natural resource.

E brought home an itty bitty seedling a few weeks ago that he planted in school. We left it out on our picnic table and its taken off in this weather!

The farm fields are growing, wild flowers line the trails and ivy is taking over sides of buildings and walls.

 

 

Though there are times that we choose to stay inside, that gets old pretty fast. The boys begin to bounce off the walls after a while. I’m convinced that having good clothing is essential. We continue to get excellent wear out of our rain jackets we bought before coming here. They have been the BEST articles of clothing we own. We have also learned rain boots and/or water proof shoes are a must. The Germans dress their kids in water proof pants. I haven’t bought any for the boys yet but I can see their practicality. It reminds me of the saying, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” Here are the boys waiting for E’s bus in the morning and then S and I waiting for E’s bus in the afternoon…still raining.

Following the old adage of making lemonade out of lemons, we do try to make the best of our damp days. When one of our soccer practices got rained out a couple of weeks ago, we decided to go out for ice cream with some dear friends (and fellow soccer players). The clouds eventually parted and we had a bonfire, ate pizza together outside and roasted marshmallows for S’mores. It turned out to be a sweet evening in more ways than one!

 

So, I checked the weather forecast again and saw a picture of a little sun next Monday. Yay!!!!!!!!!! Tuesday shows a picture of a rain cloud. No!!!!!!!!!! You know what comes to mind? “Here Comes the Rain Again” by Eurythmics (British pop duo, released 1984).  =)

 

June 11th, 2016

This move has given us a lot of time to think. We often have conversations about…

what we value

what we are learning about ourselves

how we are challenged living cross culturally

who we want to be

what we are learning about our boys

what we hope to get out of this experience

how we relax and what stresses us out

and sooo much more!

I don’t think you need to leave your home country to ponder these topics. However, I also don’t think you can move to a different country and culture without spurring some serious introspection. It seems to come with the territory. Some of our perspectives are changing while others are solidifying.

Our time in Bavaria confirmed for us what refuels our batteries…NATURE! We have always enjoyed nature but the combination of travel and the outdoors seems to be the sweet spot for us. We enjoy going on hikes, seeing natural wonders, taking family bike rides or lingering at a park with the boys. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, we unexpectedly came across the Michael-Ende-Kurpark (spa-gardens.) It was behind the restaurant we were eating dinner at after going to the Zugspitze. Walking into this oasis in the middle of the downtown area was like slipping through the rabbit hole into another world. Though a flower clock kept the time, we lost sight of it as we wandered around the gardens. S loved the giant, earthen turtle that rose out of the ground for children to climb on.

 

The boys and I walked the bare-foot path and then soaked our feet in the nearby wading pool to improve our circulation the German way! I had seen some grandparents encouraging their grandson to walk the path. The grandfather had bare feet himself giving me the impression that he had already completed the course.

 

 

 

A gentlemen rode up on his bike as we were approaching the water. He took off his shoes and walked right in. We followed suit, trying not to squeal too loud at the shocking temperature of the Alpine water. Oh baby!

Our second full day, we took a hike through the Parnachklamm Gorge and up into the mountains. The scenery was breath-taking! Mein Mann (Hubby) said he felt like we had just walked into the movie Heidi. Along the way, the boys picked alpine flowers for their Mama (LOVE). We stopped after the Gorge for them to throw rocks in the river while dipping their feet in the shallow end. Then, S kicked a rock down a trail like a soccer ball for the longest time once we had ascended into the mountains. I am learning how these little things help them enjoy the experience too and gives them the opportunity to simply be themselves.

 

 

Cue the mountain goats with their bells ringing! Can you see them in the tall grass alongside the river in the photo below? When E saw them, he said, “I drink your milk!”

The Gorge was AMAZING!!!!  We paid a minimal fee to walk through this designated, natural monument that is 702 meters (2,303 ft) long and, in places, over 80 meters (260 ft) deep. Foot traffic can move both ways on the narrow path but we were fortunate to go through when the crowds were very manageable.

 

 

 

The trail on the backside of the Gorge forked and we chose to ascend into the mountains with another family in front of us. S slipped at one point and bumped his shin on one of the wooden steps. A kind foreigner who was descending on the trail, knelt down beside him and spoke words of encouragement to him. She told him of the ice cream and lemonade that was awaiting him at the top and he quickly bounced back. Oh, the kindness of strangers!

Before we knew it, we had reached the top of the trail and found ourselves walking through a little village. We stopped for drinks and ice cream and did a little more exploring. Now I know what Maria meant when she sang out, “The hills are alive…” in the Sound of Music!

 

 

 

When we were ready to leave, we rode a cable car back down to the entrance area of the Gorge.

 

On our way back to our car, we walked through the Olympic Stadium that hosted the Winter Olympic Games back in 1936.

 

That evening, we walked around Garmisch-Partenkirchen in search of a traditional Bavarian restaurant I had read about. We arrived too early for the music but still enjoyed the food. The meat portions could have filled us for a WEEK!

 

While we waited for our food, I took the boys into a nearby church. It was the second one we walked through in the town. I enjoy taking the boys into churches; these lovely reminders of the sacred in our midst. As most churches we visit are Catholic, the boys are learning to sign themselves with holy water, genuflect in front of the altar, light candles, and look for the pipe organs they know their PoPo enjoys! Here are pictures from both of the churches we visited over the weekend.

 

 

On our way back home Monday morning, we visited King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle. The Disney castle is a replica of this castle dating back to 1869. We booked our tickets online which allowed us to bypass the long line and go directly to the Reserve Window to pick them up. I TOTALLY recommend this!! Our oldest did an amazing job listening to the guide, looking at everything and using his “quiet” voice during the 30 minute tour. I was proud of him. We walked up to the castle and took the horse drawn carriage ride back down…complete with the all necessary pooping session.

 

Castles and museums can be fun. However, we would rather coax our boys to explore the outdoors than hush them to be constantly quiet or wait in lines. There is value in the balance but the scales definitely lean further towards the outdoors for us. We still enjoy seeing the “sites” but have been surprised how much nature simultaneously thrills and calms our senses. The boys’ are impressing us with their stamina to put miles on their feet and rise to new heights in the most literal sense.

 

 

June 8th, 2016

More memories from our Bavaria trip…

At an elevation of 2,962 meters (9,718 ft) above sea level, the Zugspitze is Germany’s highest mountain. It is home to three glaciers. On a clear day, you can see over 400 peaks in Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Amazing, right?!

Friends told us that a trip to the top of the Zugspitze was only worth it if the weather was clear. Though it’s a bit of a gamble with changing weather patterns, you can check the weather cams on the Zugspitze website to try to make the best prediction possible. When we awoke to blue skies on Saturday morning and saw that thunderstorms weren’t expected until later in the afternoon, we decided to go for it. We ate breakfast at the hotel, grabbed our winter gear and piled in the car. With our windows down, we drove to the base of the Zugspitze. The mountain air was crisp and fresh. I loved the sights and sounds of the cows wearing their large bells around their necks. Morgen!

 

We parked near Lake Eibsee and bought our tickets. You can choose how to ascend and descend the mountain…either by foot, cable car or train. With the weather so nice, we quickly got in line for the cable car. We only waited a short time before we boarded and found ourselves suspended thousands of feet in the sky. It was unnerving and breath-taking all at the same time!

 

 

The views from the top surpassed all the hype! We could see for MILES! E wore a pair of Mama’s glasses to protect those beautiful, baby blue’s of his.

 

A gold cross marks the mountain summit. The original cross was carried up there in 1851. Though you can hike to the summit, we didn’t even attempt it. Was that a collective sigh of relief I just heard from the boys’ Grandmas? =)

The border between Germany and Austria goes right over the mountain. Since both countries are a part of the Schengen Area, 26 European countries that have abolished passports and any other type of border control at their mutual borders, there is no longer a manned border crossing. You simply walk across the borders at the top! Though border formalities are gone, you still see these signs of regional pride. “Freistaat Bayern” is the free state of Bavaria and “Land Tirol” is the third largest state in Austria.

 

We crossed into Austria by walking through a short tunnel. The boys enjoyed climbing a massive snow mound there and throwing snow balls at their Mama down below! Hubby joined them in their winter wonderland.

 

The blue flag you see with the twelve gold stars is the Flag of Europe. Interestingly, the stars represent the people of Europe as a collective whole, not the actual number of member states which is currently twenty-eight. Here’s our lil’ guy at the top of the snow mound with the flag waving in the background.

We took in the sites from the Austrian side as well…soooo Beautiful! You can also ascend the Zugspitze by cable car from Austria.

 

After taking a long snack break back in Germany, we rode another cable car down to the Zugspitze Glacier at 2,600 meters (8,530 ft).

 

We ALL went sledding on the complimentary sleds. They were fast and super fun! Sadly, I didn’t get a good picture of Hubby. Trust me, he went down too!

 

 

 

The boys went down and up so many times, we lost count. It was quite the workout and they LOVED it (well, at least the going down part)! While they played, Hubby and I took turns hiking up to a lookout spot and also to the Chapel of Maria Heimsuchung. It was consecrated in 1981 by the emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. It’s also the highest chapel in Germany…makes sense!

 

The rain clouds moved in and gave us warnings of sprinkles that we heeded to the boys’ dismay. They probably could have sledded for another hour! Thankfully, we managed to catch the next train a few minutes before it departed the glacier. The first section of the ride was through mountain tunnels and not too exciting. When we finally came out of the rock, the sun was out again and the scenery was beautiful. Yippee!!

We definitely recommend the Zugspitze! It’s a bit pricey for a family of four but we felt like it was worth every Euro since we scored with the weather. Another memory in the books…go to the highest mountain peak in Germany. Check!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 7th, 2016

At the end of May, we took a four-day holiday in Bavaria. I researched this area of Germany for a few weeks reading travel blogs and books I checked out from the library. “Germany Day by Day” became one of my go-to resources. I quickly became a fan of its travel itineraries, so much so that I bought myself my own copy. We reserved tickets for a castle tour, learned all the ins and outs of traveling up to Germany’s highest mountain top and found a couple of other sites to see depending on our mood and the weather. We were excited to travel in-country.

 

As our trip approached, the weather report started dampening our spirits. Thunderstorms were predicted for the entire weekend. Ugh… We had already experienced so many days of rain here that S asked me when Spring was coming back. Since our hotel reservation was locked in, we decided to still go and make the best of it. I’m SO GLAD WE DID!

We drove down on Friday, in and out of rainstorms, dipping into Austria on the way. When we spotted the Alps we couldn’t help but ohhhh and ahhh repeatedly as we all pointed out different snow-covered peaks. What BEAUTY! Oh my goodness…pictures can never capture how breathtaking the mountains are in Southern Bavaria but we still tried (of course). The scenery helped distract the boy, breaking up the monotony of…”Are we there yet?”

When we crossed in Austria, we immediately stopped at a gas station to purchase a 10-day Vignette sticker for 8.80 Euros. The sticker shows you have paid the road tax allowing you to drive on the Austrian motorways. If you are caught without this sticker affixed to your windshield, you may leave the country with a hefty fine! Our stop also gave us the chance to use the water closet (which we paid for as well).

Onward we went through Austria and back into Germany until we reached Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We immediately caught the outdoorsy vibe of this FABULOUS mountain town as we saw people riding bikes, walking around in shorts and carrying backpacks. We felt at home. =)

When we checked in at Hotel Alpengruß, an English-speaking housekeeper was recruited to translate for us since the regular manager wasn’t in. To my bewilderment, I was handed two room keys. When I asked why, I learned the family room I had reserved was overbooked and there was nothing else they could do. So, for the first two nights, we split up (one adult/one child). I never know what gets lost in translation here but I do know international travel is definitely teaching me about flexibility! Mein geliebter Mann (my beloved man) reminded me that our intention was not to stay in our room(s) but to be out and about. At least we had rooms! On Sunday we were given the large family room we booked and enjoyed our family slumber party. The hotel manager DID adjust our bill and I would still recommend the place. There is a great restaurant attached that makes the most delicious apple strudel we’ve ever eaten! Seriously, think DIVINE!

 

We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant our first evening while a rainstorm moved through the town. We struck up a lovely conversation with a young German lady, Evonne, who was dining alone at the table next to us. Afterwards, we went out on foot to explore the area and work out some of the boys’ never ending energy.

I know the above picture of my loves is blurry but it still makes me smile and reminds me of how fun our walk was that evening. Here’s a couple more…

 

I barely remember laying in bed that night after I turned out the lights. E was with me while S had some bonding time with his Daddy-O. Though our sleeping arrangement wasn’t ideal for us, it did have a benefit of calming down the boys quicker.  Exhaustion quickly took over and we were OUT!

More to come…

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2nd, 2016

Our youngest is a fan of second breakfast. I have heard this term associated with hobbits which might explain some things about our little guy! However, I just read this evening that second breakfast is actually a traditional meal in Bavaria, Poland and Hungary. Oh the things I am learning here!

When I mentioned the idea of taking a walk to the bakery this morning after dropping E at school, S was IN! Our stroll through our streets and down a wonderful little pathway near our village grade school turned into a nature walk and a snail spotting expedition. If you were with us, here’s what you would have seen…

walking down the street

S spotted this little snail in a hole in a wall on our way to the bakery. On our way back, we passed it again and he told the snail, “Guten Morgen!”

 

Taking the pathway

 

So…many…snails!

 

 

walking through the neighborhood

 

Around this time, our noses caught whiffs of sweet smells in the air. We didn’t know if they were coming from the bakery or not but we got excited that we were almost there!

the bakery

 

S with our bakery treats in hand!

Walking past our village Grundschule (grade school), along the walking path again and towards home

 

 

Stopping to count the snails on the garden wall

 

Home!

My FAVORITE bakery bread…the flavor is AMAZING! This is one roll, cut in half to show the top and bottom.

Time for second breakfast!

Guten Appetit~

 

 

 

 

June 1st, 2016

Happy June Everyone! The days are longer now with the sun rising around 5:30am and setting close to 21:30 (9:30 p.m.). I still think in the 12-hour-clock using a.m.’s and p.m.’s which causes me to do a little mental math at times to calculate time using the 24-hour-clock. It’s getting harder to keep an earlier bedtime when it is so bright outside. We are trying though since school is still in session through June 16th.

Here are some snapshots of faces I’m enjoying, places we have been recently and a new experience to add to the sum total we are accumulating…

My handsome guy when he got home from work the other day. He calls this his Bavarian outfit (minus the lederhosen)!

E had his first field trip a couple of Fridays ago to the Das Praehistorium, a museum that takes you through the history of life on Earth. The entire first grade joined together to ride the cool, double-decker bus which may have been E’s favorite part of the day.

 

S and I joined everyone at the museum. It was quite the EXPERIENCE! The place was surprisingly large with robotic, life-like animals that give you an authentic feeling for what it may have been like to encounter a dinosaur, a woolly mammoth or even a prehistoric alligator. Unfortunately, this got a bit intense at times for our oldest. S was more fascinated than anything.

 

 

The boys and I walked through the exhibits with another Mom and two girls. The Mom started pointing out the differences in the museum that we would not see or experience back home. For example, the water exhibits didn’t have any railings or structures to keep a child from taking a swim. If the thought crossed the boys’ minds, they thankfully did not act on it! There was also more real-to-life depictions of historical events. When we walked through the middle ages exhibit, one mannequin was slumped over a wall with a bloody arrow in their back while another was about to be hit by a hatchet. No sugar-coating here!

Another big difference we noticed was the openness with the human body. Germans do not hide what they feel is simply natural. Thus, the cavemen didn’t have the loincloths you might imagine them being covered with in a museum back home. Medieval women were openly breastfeeding and even the monkeys were well endowed. This aspect did not go unnoticed as the little girls started calling out the “private parts” in each exhibit. Though it’s different, I’m coming to appreciate a piece of this. The human body seems to be demystified and perceived more naturally. We have heard comments of how our culture back home seems to be overly worried about modesty yet accepts and exposes our youth to incredible amounts of violence in games, tv and movies. I’m still formulating my thoughts on this but I do see truth in it. Hmm…

E got quite excited when he saw a picture of a snail in another exhibit. He continues searching for snails in our yard with his brother and collecting empty shells. His first field trip was quite memorable!

 

A new coffee shop/bakery opened up downtown. It has a WONDERFUL children’s room and provides the most delicious scones! One of the ladies from our church invited me to join her there last week. We met up with two other women from our church that were also meeting that morning. I’m enjoying getting to know this diverse group of ladies…a German, a Malaysian and an American. I’m grateful we all speak English!

 

 

May 26th was the festival of Fronleichnam, also known as Corpus Christi. It’s a regional, Catholic holiday here in Germany celebrating the Holy Communion, Last Supper or Lord’s Supper. The night before, green branches were attached to poles around our village and a couple of altars built by congregants were set up. On Thursday morning, S and I walked over to our village square and participated in the outdoor service.

 

Afterwards, we walked in the procession when they invited the families with children (at least I think that’s what they said in German). As we walked, I noticed individual homes and driveways decorated with banners, greenery and flowers. Some villagers were dressed in beautiful garments from their home regions. The Polizei (German police) blockaded the streets, creating a parade route through the village.

 

A band played music and people visited with each other while we all walked down the streets. We met a woman in the procession who spoke English. She explained to me that the government decorates the streets with the green branches as a sign of respect and recognition of the holiday. She also pointed out the open door of the Protestant church as we walked by, another sign of respect within the body of Christ. I find beauty in this simple display of unity versus pointing out all the differences or holding “rank” over each other.

The procession had its first stop near the intersection by our house. Prayers were spoken. At this point, my little walking buddy was done with this cultural experience. We quietly stepped out and waved to the others as they continued to walk.

We are grateful for all we are learning on this journey!