-
OKTOBERFEST 2019
Spoiler Alert…..the Munich Oktoberfest takes place primarily in September. So if you are planning to do Oktoberfest in Munich, keep that nugget in mind. The day before we went to Oktoberfest it was beautiful. It was sunny and 75 degrees. One of my friends messaged to say how ‘hot’ it was in the bier tents. The day we attended Oktoberfest it was not sunny and 75. It was Blenheim New Zealand weather…rainy and miserable. Ahh, to put on those smiles after we had removed our jackets and got out from underneath the umbrella in order to take the classic Oktoberfest photograph. We had purchased tickets to the ‘Lowenbrau’ hall and…
-
U.S.A.! U.S.A! U.S.A!
Americans stationed in Deutschland for decades or the ones who were posted here previously tell stories of how until recently you weren’t expected to hide your ‘Americanism’. For our own protection we are expected to keep a low profile and not draw attention to ourselves. Understandable in today’s geo-political environment. So within this context I find it funny that our temporary license plate had ‘USA’ written in the corner. Don’t let anyone know your American! Now drive down the street with a license plate that says USA on it. I’m still chuckling thinking about that temporary tag, even as I type this. Of course we don’t need a USA tag…
-
TRASH-LESS SOCIETY….
Prior to arriving in DE I had a system for rubbish in my car. Upon arrival at my destination, I would remove any garbage that had accumulated during the errand and deposit at a receptacle where I exited my vehicle (I eschew trash bags in vehicles unless the road trip is longer than three hours in which case the offspring can generate enough rubbish to make the Indian from the 70s commercial cry again). The system does not work in Germany. Running into the Netto or Rewe grocery store and want to throw some trash away? Good luck, no trash cans. On a military installation? Sure, there’s a dumpster right…
-
WHEN IN ROME, DON’T DO AS THE…
Ahh…the weekly girl scout and cub scout meeting…probably the moment on post where I most feel like I’m back living in the United States. I have no idea how I don’t see any of the 10,000 American minivans I see on post, when I’m driving through the surrounding Deutsche villages off post.
-
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Towards the end of my college days I spent a summer working the Alpine Slide at the Stowe Mountain Resort. It had all the makings of a cheesy 1980s movie. Outdoors, summer job, young people, drinking, parties, new people coming and going each week or day (the tourists). The Stowe track was concrete and the carriers were on wheels that could, could, leave the track if you took a curve fast enough. And what a great way to end your workday (if you were working the top). You’d hop on a ‘sled’ and ride the track down to your car! Well over Labor Day weekend we stayed at the Edelweiss…
-
WHEN IN ROME
The Autobahn whispers to you, ‘drive me’. The Toyota Sienna whispers back, ‘okay, but not too fast’. So one of the perks of being a United States military family who has a permanent change of station from the United States to Deutschland is they pay to ship one vehicle to your new duty station. One of the disadvantages of being a United States military family who has a permanent change of station from the United States to Deutschland is they do not pay to ship your second vehicle to your new duty station. #FirstWorldProblems Side note. I heard someone complaining the other day they weren’t made of money. So much…
Don't stop here....keep reading!
EN ROUTE TO ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER
ENGLISHIZATION OF DEUTSCHLAND
Etterzhausen On The Naab
-
WHERE GOOD BAKING STARTS
28 OCTOBER 2019 Okay. A lot going on in this photograph. The original purpose was to capture my method for softening butter for baking. I place it in a bowl and then lay the bowl on the one floor in our home with radiant heat. Actually works pretty well. But the photograph also does a good job of capturing our inner courtyard. The courtyard is great when it’s warm because it’s one of the few outdoor places in Deutschland where the bees don’t bother you. Finally, you’ll notice the flags hanging from the rafters. Hunter’s disappointed that we do not have the Vermont, North Carolina, and Bayern flags but that’s…
Don't stop here....keep reading!
STANDARD GOVT ISSUED STAIRWELL
EN ROUTE TO ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER
WHEN IN ROME, DON’T DO AS THE…
-
CHILDREN’S TOYS
Until the end of my days our Pinehurst home will haunt me. It was everything. It was new, it had custom detail like crown molding, it had space for everyone, it had luxury well beyond what one needs or expects from a home. And one of those things was the new LG front loading washer and dryer I purchased when we moved into the home as the first owners. When compiling my due diligence on washers and dryers, size was a factor. As a family of five I do not enjoy doing 28 loads of laundry a week. The chances of giving one of our children up for adoption remains…
Don't stop here....keep reading!
Etterzhausen On The Naab
TRASH-LESS SOCIETY….
WHEN IN ROME, DON’T DO AS THE…
-
MUNICH FLUGHAFEN – Flying in Style
Talk about history repeating itself. I am grateful for the childhood my mother and father provided. It is that childhood of cartrips, trans-Pacific flights, planned and spontaneous trip taking that fostered a curiosity I have never been able to cure. I love new cities, new states, new countries, new lakes, new oceans, new cultures, new people, new restaurants, new beaches, new adventures, new sunsets, new waterfalls, new hiking, new vistas, new things to learn! And as part of that childhood traveling I was exposed to a world of luxury well above what my middle class upbringing could afford–courtesy of travel perks. As an expediter for General Electric my father traveled…
-
HALLOWEEN DEUTSCHE STYLE
Talk to one German neighbor and they tell you, ‘of course we celebrate Halloween’. Talk to the next German neighbor and they tell you they do not celebrate the ‘American’ holiday. Who knows. What I do know is our Deutsche neighbors enjoyed the spider and web we placed on the side of our house, the skeleton holding his head on our front door, and of course the jack-o-lanterns in the window next to our wood pile. We ended up trick or treating with friends on an American street in a nearby village to ensure the kids were able to celebrate Halloween American style but the next day a few of…
