... newer stories
Mittwoch, 8. Juli 2015
Heat and Flohmarkts
durhamfamily, 16:16h
Hi all!
Yeah, that heat was no joke. We had about four days there where I took naps in the bathtub to cool off. Kyle, on the other hand, was a champ. His continuous pushing of his physical and mental boundaries never cease to amaze/scare me. On the hottest day, during the hottest hours, he ran for an hour, doing 500 push-ups along the way. Despite taking a shower, he was drenched in sweat for at least an hour after he finished. I can't wait to cheer him on once again in his upcoming marathons--he hasn't made any announcements yet, but we all know Kyle: he never stays away from a race for too long.
As Kyle mentioned before, things have settled down a bit as we discover our routines. I'm getting really good at making dinner in the microwave and washing dishes in the bathroom. Kyle bikes to work and we find activities on the weekend. The flea markets here (or Flohmarkts) are pretty cool. Imagine your normal American yard sale, but with historic German artifacts: Deutsche Marks, military medals, old steins and glassware. Everything feels like it has so much history behind it. In one of my favorite German lessons so far, Susanne (our teacher) talked about Berlin in the late 1980's/early 90's and the discrepancies between the east and west of the city. It was so fascinating to hear it in German from someone who experienced it first hand. Susanne has been so kind to us in our time here: between making us cake and taking our packing materials to the recycling center voluntarily, she has been a Godsend. I simply adore her.
So! Finally, we have a bit of a respite from the extreme heat. Kyle got a little rain this morning as he rode his bike to work, but other than that, it turned out to be a beautiful day. As long as it stays under 90°F (32°C), our apartment is very pleasant without A/C.
This weekend will be dedicated to dear friends at Paulaner and a new Biergarten. BUT! We NEED to take advantage of where we are and travel at least once a month. Thanks to Carrie, we have our first idea for a weekend getaway to Paris! If you have any travel ideas, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send them our way. We also have an upcoming vacation from September 21 to October 2 that I need help with planning. We're thinking the Black Forest, Munich for Oktoberfest, and The Seebühne in Bregenz, Austria (seriously, this opera stage is amazepoops, Google it!). But I'm open to be persuaded to go somewhere else in Europe for our first vacation. So seriously, think about really cool places you want to go and send them to me!
I keep realizing how fortunate Kyle and I are to have an experience like this. We want to share this with as many people as possible, so seriously, if you (or your auntie or your bff from elementary school) want to visit us, please do! I cannot wait to see your face when we show you Taubentalwald or the little Turkish/Greek grocery down the street or the weekly outdoor market or the festivals that happen EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND (it's kind of ridiculous). Despite the weird heatwave, Germany is a beautiful place and the sights and smells of our little town alone will make you want to stay forever. Mind you, we WON'T stay here forever!
Of course, we miss all of you tremendously. It seems our roots keep popping up from time to time to remind us where we come from:
Have an extra American beer for me.
Much love,
Liz
Yeah, that heat was no joke. We had about four days there where I took naps in the bathtub to cool off. Kyle, on the other hand, was a champ. His continuous pushing of his physical and mental boundaries never cease to amaze/scare me. On the hottest day, during the hottest hours, he ran for an hour, doing 500 push-ups along the way. Despite taking a shower, he was drenched in sweat for at least an hour after he finished. I can't wait to cheer him on once again in his upcoming marathons--he hasn't made any announcements yet, but we all know Kyle: he never stays away from a race for too long.
As Kyle mentioned before, things have settled down a bit as we discover our routines. I'm getting really good at making dinner in the microwave and washing dishes in the bathroom. Kyle bikes to work and we find activities on the weekend. The flea markets here (or Flohmarkts) are pretty cool. Imagine your normal American yard sale, but with historic German artifacts: Deutsche Marks, military medals, old steins and glassware. Everything feels like it has so much history behind it. In one of my favorite German lessons so far, Susanne (our teacher) talked about Berlin in the late 1980's/early 90's and the discrepancies between the east and west of the city. It was so fascinating to hear it in German from someone who experienced it first hand. Susanne has been so kind to us in our time here: between making us cake and taking our packing materials to the recycling center voluntarily, she has been a Godsend. I simply adore her.
So! Finally, we have a bit of a respite from the extreme heat. Kyle got a little rain this morning as he rode his bike to work, but other than that, it turned out to be a beautiful day. As long as it stays under 90°F (32°C), our apartment is very pleasant without A/C.
This weekend will be dedicated to dear friends at Paulaner and a new Biergarten. BUT! We NEED to take advantage of where we are and travel at least once a month. Thanks to Carrie, we have our first idea for a weekend getaway to Paris! If you have any travel ideas, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send them our way. We also have an upcoming vacation from September 21 to October 2 that I need help with planning. We're thinking the Black Forest, Munich for Oktoberfest, and The Seebühne in Bregenz, Austria (seriously, this opera stage is amazepoops, Google it!). But I'm open to be persuaded to go somewhere else in Europe for our first vacation. So seriously, think about really cool places you want to go and send them to me!
I keep realizing how fortunate Kyle and I are to have an experience like this. We want to share this with as many people as possible, so seriously, if you (or your auntie or your bff from elementary school) want to visit us, please do! I cannot wait to see your face when we show you Taubentalwald or the little Turkish/Greek grocery down the street or the weekly outdoor market or the festivals that happen EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND (it's kind of ridiculous). Despite the weird heatwave, Germany is a beautiful place and the sights and smells of our little town alone will make you want to stay forever. Mind you, we WON'T stay here forever!
Of course, we miss all of you tremendously. It seems our roots keep popping up from time to time to remind us where we come from:
Have an extra American beer for me.
Much love,
Liz
... link (0 Kommentare) ... comment
Sonntag, 5. Juli 2015
Hot and Sweaty
durhamfamily, 15:19h
This week Elizabeth and I got our first taste of German summer. Our top-floor apartment is no place to be during 90+ degree heat. Now it makes perfect sense why all available apartments were top-floor apartments! Elizabeth and I are still working on a good strategy. The apartment is bearable until around noon or 1:00, but then staying inside is absolutely miserable. It's not until 6:00 or so that going back inside is an option. Even then it's not great. You can hide in a grocery store if you are desperate during the week (they have air conditioning, otherwise their chocolate would be dripping onto the floor). Unfortunately, on Sundays EVERYTHING is closed.
Long story short, life just sucks on days like today. My puddle of sweat on the floor is steadily growing, but I have an unspoken agreement that I will update this blog each week.
Not very much happened this week. Last Sunday, Elizabeth and I walked to a nearby town, Mutlangen. They were having a festival, filled with games, beer, and other goodies. We bought a few homemade muffins and enjoyed the excellent weather.
Work for me is becoming much more routine. I really like my coworkers. Everything is great except for the fact that my office is just as hot as the apartment. It is very difficult to concentrate when your pants are soaked.
Anyway, Elizabeth and I didn't take any trips this week. We didn't receive any new furniture or have any other firsts. All I can say is that we are happy, healthy, and still slowly learning the German language. I really want to be fluent. Not comfortably communicating with everyone around you can make you feel like an serious outsider. There are days when being out in public just makes you feel so stupid. It's much easier to stay inside, watching television shows that you can understand. But we'll keep at it, day after day. If we're lucky, maybe we'll speak 2nd grade German by the time we leave.
I hope everyone back home had an excellent 4th of July! We are waving our American flag high and proud from Germany.
Until next week.
Long story short, life just sucks on days like today. My puddle of sweat on the floor is steadily growing, but I have an unspoken agreement that I will update this blog each week.
Not very much happened this week. Last Sunday, Elizabeth and I walked to a nearby town, Mutlangen. They were having a festival, filled with games, beer, and other goodies. We bought a few homemade muffins and enjoyed the excellent weather.
Work for me is becoming much more routine. I really like my coworkers. Everything is great except for the fact that my office is just as hot as the apartment. It is very difficult to concentrate when your pants are soaked.
Anyway, Elizabeth and I didn't take any trips this week. We didn't receive any new furniture or have any other firsts. All I can say is that we are happy, healthy, and still slowly learning the German language. I really want to be fluent. Not comfortably communicating with everyone around you can make you feel like an serious outsider. There are days when being out in public just makes you feel so stupid. It's much easier to stay inside, watching television shows that you can understand. But we'll keep at it, day after day. If we're lucky, maybe we'll speak 2nd grade German by the time we leave.
I hope everyone back home had an excellent 4th of July! We are waving our American flag high and proud from Germany.
Until next week.
... link (1 Kommentar) ... comment
Samstag, 27. Juni 2015
Short and Sweet
durhamfamily, 19:09h
Today I found my first German tick. He looked very young. He probably wasn't any bigger than the head of a needle. He was locked into my leg, but he was dead and completely empty. I have narrowed it down to 2 possible scenarios: either (1) he was so small that he couldn't reach my blood, causing him to die of starvation, or (2) my body contains potent tick poison, killing the intruder immediately on contact. In either case, I don't think I need to worry about diseases... but I'll keep an eye on it just in case.
Of course, finding one tick meant that our household experienced a full-body tick check to make sure we were clean. I'm happy to report that neither Elizabeth nor I had any other ticks sucking on us.
As you might have seen on Facebook, yesterday Elizabeth and I tried our first Pizza Opa - which is pizza with cheesburger helper on top. Despite the fact that noodles kept rolling away, it was spectacular. Assuming my body can handle more, I'm certain I'll order it again in the future.
We went to a real soccer game on Wednesday! I'm using the word "real" somewhat loosely, but it was a lot of fun. At work. there is a yearly scrimmage between the Corporate Controlling employees and the Business Field Controlling employees. Apparently I only narrowly missed being coerced into participating. Next year, they say, it will be unavoidable. It looks like I'll need to buy a soccer ball and cleats, and study the rules of the game. On the plus side, they apparently don't ever have any practices, so the performance expertations are low.
We also received our dining room chairs on Wednesday! We missed the original delivery, so we had to pick them up from a key shop a half mile down the road. Believe me, Elizabeth and I were a sight to be seen that day... literally dragging two big boxes all of the way back to our apartment. People crossed the road to stay out of our way. It was loads of fun.
Anyway, today is a slow day. We are taking care of some chores (scrubbing the floor that is sticky for reasons unknown, laundry, etc). There's a refreshing rain drizzling down, keeping out apartment the most wonderful temperature. And I think we're going to walk over to the grocery soon (a new one!) just for kicks.
After long weeks at work, I greatly appreciate laid-back weekends. However, I know that's not why we're here. We'll have plenty of time for relaxation in 2018 when we get back to Kentucky. We'll work on integrating spontaneous travel into every spare second we have!
Wish us luck! And, if you haven't heard me say it before: tell us about your lives! I'm dying to hear about everything you think is too broing to talk about.
Of course, finding one tick meant that our household experienced a full-body tick check to make sure we were clean. I'm happy to report that neither Elizabeth nor I had any other ticks sucking on us.
As you might have seen on Facebook, yesterday Elizabeth and I tried our first Pizza Opa - which is pizza with cheesburger helper on top. Despite the fact that noodles kept rolling away, it was spectacular. Assuming my body can handle more, I'm certain I'll order it again in the future.
We went to a real soccer game on Wednesday! I'm using the word "real" somewhat loosely, but it was a lot of fun. At work. there is a yearly scrimmage between the Corporate Controlling employees and the Business Field Controlling employees. Apparently I only narrowly missed being coerced into participating. Next year, they say, it will be unavoidable. It looks like I'll need to buy a soccer ball and cleats, and study the rules of the game. On the plus side, they apparently don't ever have any practices, so the performance expertations are low.
We also received our dining room chairs on Wednesday! We missed the original delivery, so we had to pick them up from a key shop a half mile down the road. Believe me, Elizabeth and I were a sight to be seen that day... literally dragging two big boxes all of the way back to our apartment. People crossed the road to stay out of our way. It was loads of fun.
Anyway, today is a slow day. We are taking care of some chores (scrubbing the floor that is sticky for reasons unknown, laundry, etc). There's a refreshing rain drizzling down, keeping out apartment the most wonderful temperature. And I think we're going to walk over to the grocery soon (a new one!) just for kicks.
After long weeks at work, I greatly appreciate laid-back weekends. However, I know that's not why we're here. We'll have plenty of time for relaxation in 2018 when we get back to Kentucky. We'll work on integrating spontaneous travel into every spare second we have!
Wish us luck! And, if you haven't heard me say it before: tell us about your lives! I'm dying to hear about everything you think is too broing to talk about.
... link (0 Kommentare) ... comment
... older stories
