Wir leben in einer Wohnung!

Well it has been a busy week for me! I was able to find a nanny job here in Stuttgart starting Monday. I will be watching a four month old baby for an American family here in the military. The schedule is perfect as they are leaving mid June and are going to be flexible with my travel plans. The only unfortunate part is that I have to be at their house by 7:00 am four days a week. It is a good thing that I am a morning person because I have to be out the door by 5:30 to walk to the train station and catch the 6 am train. Either way I am excited to have something to do and a bit of extra spending money. I am still planning to learn German and apply for jobs in the States while the baby sleeps. I am also putting up a posting at the local library and adult school advertising my availability for English tutoring.

I have not had any other major adventures this week so I figure I would share some pictures of our apartment. For those that do not know, we live on Sperberweg in Boeblingen in the basement apartment of a single family home. This neighborhood up the hill from the city and near the woods is mostly single family homes. There are tons of large apartments near the train station. I am about a 20 minute walk from Aldi and Lidl for groceries, 10 minutes from the woods with tons of walking paths, and 30 minutes from the city center and train station.

*The left is the master bedroom, center is the hallway between the bedrooms, and right is the spare bedroom which currently houses a small couch and my bike.

 *The picture to the right here is the wonderful framed art in our bedroom. "Philosophie eines Strichmännchens" translates to "The Philosophy of a stick figure". If you look closely at the small drawings you can see that the stick figures are naked females with very round bosoms and naked males with erect members. I have not translated all of the quotes under the pictures yet but I can only imagine what they mean.

 *To the left is the living room, below and center is the hallway/entryway, and below and right is the kitchen. The bathroom is off the hallway/entryway and looks pretty much like an American bathroom so I did not consider it picture worthy. The only difference would be that our clothes washing machine is in the bathroom.

 We have a pretty sweet patio in the backyard with a woodburning grill and patio set. I am excited for summer so that I can drink a beer and read outside in the yard. The apartment has full wall windows in nearly every room to maximize natural light. Fortunately the border of the yard is lined with trees for privacy and all of the windows have the wonderful European blinds that create complete darkness in a room. Anyway, this is where we live and where I have spent quite a bit of time the last two weeks.

Ritter Sport macht leckere Schokolade und es ist ein Fluss in Tübingen.

On Saturday I organized a day trip for 15 people to the Ritter Sport Factory and Museum in Waldenbuch and to Tubingen, the college town nearby. We took 4 cars and had people traveling from all over the suburbs of Stuttgart. I had an itinerary typed up with directions, addresses, times, and activity options. You know me...

We started in the late morning and headed about 15 minutes West to Waldenbuch. The chocolate museum was somewhat interesting and luckily at least half of the displays were in English. The most popular exhibit was one that gave you free chocolate, kind of like a vending machine. The line was long to wait near a glass box filled with a miniature factory. When you pressed the green button, the factory shook violently, the lights illuminated, and a small truck traveled down the road around the box to dump out your sample size piece of candy. You don't have to speak German to appreciate free chocolate!

Then we headed to the chocolate store downstairs where we searched the aisles for our favorite delicious squares. They were slightly cheaper than at the local grocery stores and they even had a discount section of trial and test flavors and chocolates packaged with imperfections. Ryan and I picked out a decent selection. Then we all headed 30 minutes South to Tubingen.

Unfortunately it was a cold and snowy day, but that has not stopped us yet from enjoying our time traveling around Germany. We had a very American lunch at a restaurant called Saints and Scholars on the Tubingen University campus. The menu included club sandwiches, burgers, barbeque sauce, and chips. We also walked around the city center, the church, the historical Rathaus (town hall) and down the Neckar River. I was excited that the city had a Schloss (castle) but the museum inside was actually ancient cultures. It was not quite what we were expecting but interesting to see such old things in a museum. You think museums in the States have old artifacts...

The picture below is of the Rathaus in the city center. Like most things in Germany, I'm sure it would be prettier in the summer with the sun shining, the construction cleared, the fountain running, and the square filled with tents and booths of delicious smelling food. We will also have to come back here in the summer. There is an annual boat rowing race down the river that turns into a community festival.

At the castle, I took a picture of all of the Bosch interns here in Germany at the same time as us. Two of the women pictured are spouses here with their intern husbands. The group is American except for one intern from Bosch in Liverpool. We had an enjoyable day traveling together and I plan on making the arrangements for future day trips.

Dinner was served at the Neckarmuelller, the best restaurant in town and local brewery. We were joined by an American intern and her German fiance that both work for Bosch. Having at least one native speaker around helps a little when dining out on the town. We ended the night with drinks near Schonbuch in Boeblingen, where we are becoming regulars.

Ich möchte nach München im Sommer gehen!

This is the second post with information on my adventures with Sam in Munich. The city was absolutely gorgeous in the winter but I would also like to travel there in the summer.

Our afternoon on Tuesday was emotionally challenging since we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. We spent time there exploring the museum in the main building, the grounds with memorial statues and quotes, and one of the remaining barracks. Although it is an emotional experience as you reflect on pain and suffering, it is a conversation provoking experience. We were overwhelmed with the information and then discussed humanity and the world today. My favorite quote is as follows, "Each of us today is shaping the background history of tomorrow".
Germany seems to have an interesting relationship with it's history. The Memorial Site is visited by all nationalities of people including Germans and the Memorial has been preserved well and is continuing to be explored. One large wall says "Never Again" in 5 different languages to signify the mistake that was made and the efforts to prevent it from being made again.

The rest of our trip was more uplifting. We walked to the Universitat Wednesday morning just North of the city center for breakfast and then headed over to the Englischer Garten. This huge park was absolutely beautiful after the fresh snow from the night before. We walked for a while taking pictures and talking. Dog owners let their dogs run around the park playing with other dogs and romping in the snow. It was fun to people watch. In the summer the park is even more active and people can sit in a large beer garden between the Englischer Park and the Chinesich Park. The following pictures are from the park:

Since our trip was coming to a close we reflected on our adventures and determined that something was missing. We had shopped in the Marienplatz, done a tour of history and architecture, taken the train, drank beer, tried fun and interesting food at a variety of restaurants, and stayed in a fun hostel. We needed Gluhwein (warm mulled red wine) from the Viktualienmarkt, the largest daily fresh food market in Germany. So we headed that way to walk around and warm our souls with deliciousness from a mug. It was a fantastic way to conclude our winter wonderland experience in Munchen!

 *Here is a fun fact about the tradition behind Maypoles in Bavaria. This is a picture of the Maypole in the Viktualienmarkt plaza. It is very large, stands up year round and has pictures that signify the importance of beer to the city and region. According to our tour guide, there is a Bavarian tradition involving Maypoles for marriage proposal. If a man wants to marry a woman he erects his Maypole in the woman's front yard. If she  likes the Maypole she accepts his proposal and the wedding planning begins. The pole is supposed to remain erect until the birth of their first child. On the other hand, if she does not like his pole, she gives the man a case of beer and slams the door in his face. He must then take down his pole while drinking beer. So.....I guess a man has nothing to lose when he proposes. He either gets beer or a wife.

Das Bier ist lecker in Munchen!

On Monday I traveled to Munchen to visit a friend from my childhood. It was a fantastic trip! We did not make any major tourist mistakes, get in trouble with the law, or end up in a disgusting hostel. We made a great team with her knowledge of Europe and my basic understanding of the German language. 

I took a two and a half hour bus ride from Stuttgart to arrive at the ZOB bus station in Munich. As soon as I walked to our Smart Stay Hostel, I was reunited with Sam and our adventures began. At the hostel we were in an all-girl room with 6 beds and the place was pretty clean. We locked our belongings and headed to Munich City Center or Marienplatz. Since the weather was decent and the skies somewhat clear we headed up to the viewing tower of St. Peter's Church. The view was worth the 1 Euro and a half charge and the climbing of hundreds of stairs. The stairway was super narrow and the stairs were made of crumbling brick and wood. Only one person at a time could fit in the stairway so you had to work as a team with everyone else trying to go up and down the stairs. Since language was a barrier (we heard German, English, Chinese, and French) you communicated with the people on the landings with a combination of smiles, grunts, and hand gestures to determine when it was your turn.

After walking around the Marienplatz for awhile we headed to the famous Hofbrauhaus for some dinner and beer. Unfortunately we did not see the main entrance to the hall since it was covered with scaffolding so we ended up eating in the nice dining room. Same food and beer but definitely a different atmosphere (we were the youngest in the room by about 30 years and everyone was eating quietly). We found the main hall after we finished our dinner. They should really put signs in English or put the separate entrances together. I guess we did make one tourist mistake...

The following morning we had breakfast on our way to Marienplatz again and explored the Rathaus, the New Town Hall, even though the building looks as old as ever. We waited with our free tour group to listen to the second most over-rated tourist attraction in the world...the Glockenspiel. For 15 minutes, bells that are out of tune chime as figurines slowly move in a circle around the clock. The stories and history behind the display were very interesting but I was very cold. We then walked for three hours learning about the history of Munich from a great guide with Sandmans NewEurope Tours. I definitely recommend the free walking tours of cities in Europe. We saw and learned a lot!

I have tons of pictures and facts on the architecture of Munchen so if you are interested let me know, but it is an overwhelming amount of info to share in my blog and I want to keep this fun and interesting.

It began snowing Tuesday afternoon pretty heavily so we headed back to our hostel with the intention of resting and then heading out for a night in the bar scene at Kultfabrik. We actually ended up going to a nice relaxing dinner with two other American girls from our room and then calling it a night. The city accumulated about five inches of snow that night so it was probably a good call. 

Der Himmel ist blau und die Sonne ist warm!

Finally, not a cloud in the sky today. It is long overdue.

Today I went for a walk in Boeblingen and took a few pictures. I will also share some history on the city from people I have talked to and the Wiki page...

Supposedly Boeblingen has been a city since 1253 but there was not much growth until mid 1800's. Then during WWII bombs destroyed 70% of the area. There was a burst of growth in the 1970's and Boeblingen is often criticized for being an ugly city because it was build quickly and sloppily. The locals in neighboring cities do not think highly of the downtown area. Today the population is about 47,500. Boeblingen is the home for the US base Panzer Kaserne and the center for computer and automobile industries. I've been told that this area contains the highest percentage of PHD's in Germany. Nerds!

I've been spending lots of time on the city's website to find things to do and I am signing up to volunteer next week. Hopefully they have a city project going on that I can get involved in.

In the city's park by the lake I found this awesome playground. I would have climbed up to go down the slide but it was cold and there were 15 or so senior citizens out for a walk in the park that probably would have given me the stink eye.

There are just a few stairs up the hill to our apartment...















I have also been meaning to post the following picture because I find it hilarious. This was taken on a Saturday at the Real store that I have mentioned before. Like most German stores, the carts are managed in an Aldi fashion and you are responsible for attaching and releasing your cart from the chain with the insertion of a Euro coin.

I consider this proof that PHD's are not all that smart and maybe it is worth the cost for the store to hire a cart collector. I mean I know the cars are small but still...

Ich feire Karneval in Deutschland!

Today is Ash Wednesday, a very quiet day to end the many days of parades, drinking, and celebrating here in Deutschland. I have experienced two surprisingly different ways to celebrate Karneval: Fasching and Fasnacht. Fasching, the more modern and younger way to celebrate Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) in Boeblingen and Fasnacht, the more traditional festivities for Shrove Tuesday in Rottweil (about 1 hour South of Boeblingen). I am excited to share the differences through pictures and description! 

*Unfortunately Ryan was at work during these festivities so he was not able to participate. 

Fasching

First off let me say that I had no idea about these celebrations until we went to the Real store (like Walmart) and saw all of these costumes for sale, much like Halloween. People have been dressing in costumes since last Thursday and many restaurants and stores have been decorated since then as well. 

For the parade which was supposed to start at 1 pm I walked down to the city near the lakes and found a not-so-crowded place on the street to stand. The schools have been closed for these celebrations so the streets were packed with kinder in costumes and people of all other ages. Like most American parades, there were bands but please note the differences in costumes.

Then things got interesting... Here is a list of things at this parade: people and cars pulling flaming wooden carts and baskets (yep, real fire), fireworks and various things that smoke and make loud cracking noises, candy for children and shots of alcohol for adults (yep the people in the parade poured shots into the mouths of the people on the street). The most unusual part is that the parade is comprised of various "monsters" in masks that go around and tease people. They tickle your face with feathers, take your hat and mess up your hair, throw confetti in your face, draw and write on your face with face paint, and tackle young women (mostly teenagers) and tie their feet together.

After the parade the streets were very crowded so I followed the crowd to the lake where I enjoyed a few beers, Schoenbuch makes a special Fasching beer that was quite good. I met some American girls and English speaking Germans that I spent the afternoon and evening barhopping with. It was educational and I was able to practice some German.

Fasnacht 

Early Tuesday afternoon our landlords, a very nice older couple that speaks English very well, asked me if I would like to accompany them to Rottweil to see the more traditional Fasnacht parade. I joined them of course for the drive, the parade, and dessert at a cafe. We talked about life, Germany, and traditions so that I could understand the differences between the celebrations. Rottweil is a very old city on the river near the Black Forest. It was not damaged during WWII since it is out in the middle of nowhere. The old brick streets were still very crowded but the music, the costumes, and the festivities were different. The entire parade was comprised of people in masks and costumes, hundreds that walk down the street. They entertain and tease the crowd but in a much milder form.

When we couldn't take any more of the children near us chanting a song in German that means "Give me candy" much like "Trick-or-Treat", we walked down by the street to hear the live band and then left to go a town over for cake, coffee, and Berliners.

I am happy that I had the opportunity to experience both of these traditions and also happy for a day of peace and quiet.

Das Wetter ist kalt!

Boeblingen and Stuttgart! Das Wetter ist kalt!

So a little bit of a catch-up here...

Thursday evening I gladly enjoyed some German Bier at Schonbuch Brauhaus (feel free to add the umlauts in your head, you know the dot symbols above some German letters, because I can't remember how to put them in right now). They brew a great Pilsner and their Hefeweizen smells and tastes exactly like a wheat beer should. I swear I could smell the banana esters from across the room. We had a great dinner and even got to sit with some of the Flasching participants in costumes. The festival here continues for the next few days in most German cities.
We enjoyed the beer so much that we found a case of 20 bottles at the local Real for under 15 Euro. Their bottled Dunkelweizen is also fantastic.


Saturday was filled with shopping explorations in the morning and Stuttgart adventures in the afternoon and evening. The downtown is absolutely gorgeous and I cannot wait until summer to walk around and sit in Schlossplatz on the main shopping street. The main street is Koenigstrasse and it was packed today even in the freezing cold. We walked for over an hour and didn't stop to shop in any of the 100 stores that line the brick road. I found my favorite clothing store in Germany already, although I have yet to own anything from there (S. Oliver).

It was my turn to pick dinner so I chose a Brauhaus! Shocker! We dined at Sophies Brauhaus and enjoyed Swabian food and delicious beer. Drinks tonight included their Hefeweizen and Schwarzbier. The later was not all that great. I wanted to be adventurous and try their Bannanen-Weizen, Hefeweizen with banana juice added, but when I asked the server if it was good she made a face and said "Nein." I will have to be adventurous another day!

Willkommen in Deutschland

Well...the third times the charm right? So far, I am officially a Blog failure and I should really change the welcoming paragraph of my Blog because although I have been biking and drinking beer around the U.S. for the past year and a half, I have definitely not been typing about it. Let me tell you, now that I am in Germany and really don't have many responsibilities or people that I can talk to in English, you can be sure to read about my cycling experiences and beer tasting.

I am currently in the small town of Stuttgart Plieningen (good luck pronouncing that) at a hotel until Thursday. My bike is stuck in German Customs until arrangements for delivery can be made. Although it is cool, wet, and extremely grey outside, there are a ton of people on bikes commuting, making deliveries, or riding for sport. I can't wait to get on mine once the roads start to dry.

It's Monday and I already had a great beer experience! I went to a store down the street after eyeing some great looking bottles in the window. After trying to PULL the door open five times I remembered that German doors usually PUSH open so I pushed hard, tripped on the ledge, and fell down the step to the store's main level. There was probably a warning sign on the door to "Watch your step" but I sure couldn't read it.

I went to the counter with my selected beer bottles and the man at the register started speaking to me in German and pointing to the label on the bottle. I shrugged, smiled, and asked in German if he spoke English. He said that the beer was very strong and asked if I liked that kind of beer. I smiled and said "of course." He was shocked and asked about the weak light beer in the U.S. We then got into a discussion about craft beer in the States. I am very excited to try my fun "strong" beers later tonight (he has never had a russian imperial stout).

Admiral's Ale, St Austell Brewery, bottle-conditioned, Cornwall 5,%vol.
Scottish Stout, Belhaven Brewery, Scotland, 6,%vol.