SOLD!

This was our home for 2 years and 8 months. After today we cannot call it ours. (It ceased being home 3 months ago.)

It was on the market for 4 months and the closing was today.

It is a relief to have it sold, but at the same time I’m a little sad. It was a good place to call home and we’ve got many memories there. We had the most wonderful neighbors.

But this is our life: Live some place for a while, make the most of it, and then when it is time, move on.

Good bye, House. Sure was nice to know you!

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House Tour: The Ground Floor

Dear Readers: Kindly direct your attention to the architectural features of our home, not on the lack of furniture or decorating skill. Thank you.

After a brief hiatus, here is another segment of HOUSE TOUR, the Blog Post where I make an effort to show our house through mediocre photography and (hopefully) witty descriptions! Today’s feature is the Ground Floor (minus the kitchen, which has already been featured, and the bathroom, which I’m saving for later.) I heard that floors are numbered differently here but I can’t exactly remember how so I’ll just call this the Ground Floor.

This is the view when you walk in the front door. (Let me also say that I have a new appreciation for the photos in real estate listings. It is awfully difficult for an amateur like me to get a shot that shows a whole room.) Turn to the right and you’ll head up the stairs. There is a little balcony at the top overlooking the entry so whenever we’re expecting guests the boys like to position themselves there with their Nerf guns to welcome the invaders visitors. Go straight and a slight right (as the GPS would say) and you’ve got the half-bathroom, the garage door, and the stairs to the basement. Straight ahead is the kitchen. Take a left at the sunflower welcome sign and you’ll head into the living room.

The first thing you’ll notice is this fireplace. Pretty funky, eh? We will likely use it as a heat source in the winter since the living room has no radiator, but for now it is just a bunch of horizontal surfaces on which miscellany gets stacked. Flylady would call it a “hot spot” and that would be true in more ways than one!

The computer is in the living room because that is where the DSL line is and before we had the wi-fi set up we had limited options. We definitely need to put something above that desk. I’ll be thinking on that.

If this looks familiar you must be a faithful blog reader. I wrote about these curtains before.  That thing dangling from the ceiling has been replaced by a more useful thing dangling from the ceiling – a fan. It was nearly 90 yesterday so without A/C a little circulating air is greatly appreciated.

Continuing clockwise around the room, here is our Amish custom-made TV cabinet with our dual voltage TV.  You might wonder why the TV is not inside the cabinet. That’s a good story…We didn’t bring our TV from the states because it is not dual-voltage and I feared running it with a transformer would not be wholly successful. (It is not that I don’t trust my children to make proper electrical connections – well, then again, maybe it is.) Anyhow, one Sunday we decided to rush out to the base Exchange before church to buy a TV. (I now wonder why were in such a rush.) I measured the interior of the cabinet and even wrote the measurement down. We got to the store and bought the smallest TV that they had. I didn’t bother to measure the TV because compared to the others it looked so teeny so I figured it had to fit, right? Wrong. When we got it home we quickly realized that it is about 2 inches too wide. Oops.

The entire downstairs has this ceramic tile for flooring. The large tiles (nearly 18 inches) are an orangey/terra cotta color, but I really like the detail of the little tiles at the corner. There are 4 different designs, all in this lovely blue and yellow color combination. We may buy some area rugs in the winter, but for now the floor is just plain tile. It seems like it always needs sweeping. I guess with a rug the dirt would just sink into the carpet and we wouldn’t notice.

The dining room makes an L shape with the living room and it is the perfect spot for our big table. There are two big door/windows that lead to a patio outside. I originally planned to put curtains up on both windows but we go in and out of that door regularly so they would just get in the way. Maybe in the winter.

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Out and About: Luxembourg and Trier

It was another four day weekend here (Thursday was a German holiday – Fronleichnam – the feast of Corpus Christi) so we decided to take a little trip. We’ve been exploring the local area a little bit, but this time we got serious and made a hotel reservation to stay over night.

The first stop was Clervaux, Luxembourg. This was the first time we’d been in Luxembourg, but we didn’t get a passport stamp since they don’t really do that any more. (Crossing into a new country in Europe is like crossing into a new state in the US – a nice sign by the side of the road but little fanfare.) This was a spontaneous stop on the way to our intended destination and it was a great find! This castle was heavily damaged during WWII but has since been reconstructed and now contains several museums inside.

The first museum contained detailed models of every castle in Luxembourg. For a small country there sure are a lot of castles!

The WWII museum at the castle had a huge collection of items from the war, including dozens of mannequins wearing military uniforms for the Allies and the Axis. It was an incredible collection – weapons, posters, propaganda, rations, tools, cigarettes, bombs –  and photographs don’t do it justice!

Next we drove to the town of Diekirch, which was  like a ghost town except for a big crowd gathered at the town square. It just so happens that it was the birthday of the country of Luxembourg, so most businesses were closed. But, the National Museum of Military History was open, and that was just where we wanted to go. Diekirch was right in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge and this museum commerates the Battle.

This museum was also quite impressive. It also had lots of mannequins (What is it with mannequins around here? More on that in a later post.) which were set up in dioramas. There were about a dozen military vehicles and again, plenty of memoribilia. This bomb is pretty interesting – especially since it was just found in 1993! Apparently old bombs are frequently found in this area. Yikes.

On the way to our next destination traffic was stopped for this cycling event. The time trials were happening so we got to see cyclists zipping by on some really cool bicycles. It rekindled Jeremy’s desire for a new bike (it doesn’t take much.)

Our hotel was in the town of Welschbillag-Trag, which was definitely off the beaten path. It wasn’t in any guide book or even on a GPS, but it was a cute little town. It was founded in 1219! We couldn’t find any information about the history, but it had a very intesting Roman-style gate. I’m not sure if it was really old or just made to look really old.

This was our hotel, tucked away in the rolling hills of the Eifel region. The boys were quite excited to stay in a hotel – they were less excited to see that there was no TV and they didn’t serve Fruit Loops for breakfast. The breakfast was lovely though – brotchen, jam, meat, cheese, eggs with ham, coffee, orange juice and hot chocolate.

After breakfast we headed to Trier, Germany, which was founded in 16 BC and was a major Roman settlement. This is the Porta Nigra which was the entry point to the city. Unfortunately for photography, they were having a big festival so it was impossible to get a photo without trucks in the way.

Porta Nigra is open for touring, and it is about 4 stories tall. It was converted into a church in the 11th century. Andrew wasn’t so sure about being in such an old building – he thought it didn’t look so sturdy. Yes, I am wearing a sweater and long pants and it is June 24th.

This is the Kaiserthermen, or Imperial Baths. This was an amazing engineering feat, considering it was built in the 4th century and housed hot and cold water baths. Apparently it was a social hang-out, where people would come to bathe and then play games on the sports field.

The Amphitheater could hold up to 20,000 spectators in its prime (built in AD 100) but I’d guess there were about 150 people wandering around when we were there. The boys’ favorite part was climbing down into the cellars where the animals were once held before battling gladiators. After hiking around we were happy to get on a bus and head back to the Porta Nigra area to grab some lunch, and then to the car.

One last stop, just for the kids (at least that is what we told them): the alpine slide in Saarburg. For 2 Euro we zipped up and down and around the hillside. Top speed was 31 kilometers per hour.

The slide is pulled up by a cable, and then it zips downhill. Don’t worry: There is a brake to control the speed and there weren’t any crashes. After a couple of slides each we piled back in the car and headed home.

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Where are we running?

One of the first things we do when we move is to find some good running routes. Here we are quite blessed – there are farm paths everywhere that are perfect for running! They are safe paths with just a little bit of texture and they go on for miles.

Traffic here is restricted to tractors, bikes and pedestrians. Occasionally a car will drive on the farm roads, but for an early morning run I’ve got the path pretty much to myself.

This path is part of a system of bike routes. On the weekend there are dozens of people out cycling. I’m guessing that the paths belonged to the farmers first, and asphalt and 2-wheelers came later.

 

The scenery ranges from the modern (wind power) to the historic (beautiful old churches), all surrounded by wide open spaces. Every town has a Catholic church and I’m beginning to recognize the towns by their church steeples.

There are a variety of crops along the way – strawberries, cauliflower, cabbage, corn, beets – but my favorite is the wheat. It reminds me of my Dad and my Nebraska heritage. (I know Nebraska is the Cornhusker state, but wheat was the top crop in the Ogallala area.)

I rarely have seen anyone else out running. There are a few spectators. They do stare but they are pretty polite and don’t say much. Next task: find a Fall half-marathon and get training!

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Bus Stop, Bus Go!

This kid LOVES to ride his bike. A day without a bike ride is just a terrible day. Usually we go for a ride after lunch on the farm roads. Sometimes we head to the playground; other times we just check out the local critters (cows, donkeys, chickens, ostriches, horses, all of your usual old MacDonald barnyard friends.) He especially likes to ride to the bus stop to pick up his brother. The usual bus stop is about a half mile away but it is temporarily relocated due to construction and it is presently a mile and a quarter away. (That would be 2 kilometers for you metric fans.)

The obvious logistical challenge is this: If he and I ride bikes to the bus stop and meet his brother, then how will his brother get home? Running behind two bicycles is not terribly fun. Here is the solution:

Riding a bicycle with a bicycle strapped on the back is not as difficult as you might think. The biggest challenge is the fact that it is a rather wide load, so riding on sidewalks past cars is a little tough. If we get to the bus stop early we play at a little playground nearby.

Soon enough the bus arrives! Yes, this is the school bus. A luxury motorcoach, complete with TV (although they don’t watch them) and a Dutch driver. It is about a 40 minute ride home. Summer is just around the corner though, so we’ll say “tot ziens!” until the Fall! Then I will have two kids to meet at the bus stop. Hopefully the construction will be complete and the stop will be back in our village. I do not think I can transport two bikes on the back of mine.

P.S. I stole the title from a great read-aloud picture book by Daniel Kirk. You can check it out here.

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Pfingstmontag

Monday was the day after Pentecost (thanks, Kristi, for the tutorial there) and so there was no work, no school, no mail, and of course no shopping. There was a bike ride to Aachen and back for the most ambitious member of the family, and a viewing of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe for those of us left at home.  In the afternoon we did make a quick trip to a local park.

First stop was the playground (of course.) This was unintentional but worked out just fine. Local playgrounds never cease to fascinate us.

This is where we spent most of our time. I guess you’d call it a jungle gym – it has ladders and you climb up to a platform on top. On each side there was a bucket that could be filled with sand and pulled up with a chain, and then the sand could be sent down the big tube to make a pile at the bottom. Then the bucket could be filled and pulled up again. It reminded me of Sisyphus but I didn’t notice any children complaining.

This was actually their goal: to make a pile of sand so high that it touched the bottom of the tube. It was more challenging than you might think. First, the length of the chain attached to the bucket limited its reach. Also, as the pile got higher its weight caused it to collapse slightly. Just when they thought they were almost finished there would be a mini-avalanche and they’d have to keep going. I’m sure this is a demonstration of some physics principle but my memory of my undergraduate studies fails me at the moment.

It wasn’t all work though. Look how relaxed Jeremy looks!

Our real destination was the Wildlife Park, which we learned is not near the regular park. It was basically a zoo (animals in cages) but all of the animals were indigenous to this area. I’m sure that saves them a ton of money in veterinarian bills and exotic plants and food.

So no elephants, giraffes or zebras. We saw deer. Lots of deer. (Lots of wild boars too, but I didn’t take too many pictures because they just aren’t that photogenic.)

Feeding the animals is completely okay so when we walked by the cages the critters would come running. Too bad we’re cheapskates and wouldn’t give our kids a Euro for some futter. This guy came running up to us with hay on his head. What a clown!

My favorite was the bears. There were some little guys and WOW could they scoot up a tree quickly! However, I was shocked to learn that Curious George Rides A Bike got it wrong because those little bears were able to scoot down the tree without any help from a monkey lowering them in a newspaper bag. Next I’ll probably find out that it would be impossible for a monkey to ride a bike bronco style. Oh, I am learning so much in Germany!

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It’s a Wrap!

Anyone who knows me can attest to this: I’m not into decor. Whether it is interior design or fashion accessories, my practical side usually wins over the aesthetic. Gift wrapping is no exception. It is lovely to receive a beautifully wrapped gift – I know, for some it’s all about the presentation – but most of the time I don’t get excited about spending lots of time, supplies, and money on something that will only last a few minutes before it is ripped off to get at the gift inside.

Yesterday I was faced with just that task: to wrap a couple of gifts before sending them back over the Atlantic. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any wrapping paper and German stores were closed for a holiday (Pfingstmontag.) Then I remembered my earlier idea of using an unneeded U.S. atlas and I got to work! (I must note that it was my older sister who pioneered the reuse of maps into wrapping paper.) Maps work so well as gift wrap. They are big, unisex, good for any occasion, and we’ve got a ton of them that we rarely use.

Gift tags are in the same category as fancy wrapping (cute, but I’m looking for the cheap/simple alternative) so I just cut some construction paper into stars and VOILA! The star part was actually quite easy – no pattern or stencil needed. I learned this from my 7th grade Art teacher, Mr. Moore, at Dake Junior High School. All you need is a piece of paper (any size as long as it is rectangular) and a scissors. I took the photos on white paper hoping the directions would be a little more clear.

First, hold the paper in landscape orientation and fold in half, keeping the fold on the left side. (Some of my students used to call this a “hamburger” fold, as opposed to a long, skinny “hot dog” fold. I’m not sure if this is universal paper-folding lingo.)

Now, take the bottom left corner and place it in the middle of the top of the sheet and make a crease along the bottom edge.

Take that bottom edge and fold that up to meet the middle, making a new crease on the bottom. (are you still with me??)

Fold the top flap over the rest and crease that. (The bottom edges should all line up…more or less.)

Get out a protractor and measure an angle of…oh, just kidding. Cut at an angle approximately like the one shown by the dotted line. (A shout-out to my brother: Thanks for the scissors. I know they were yours in Kindergarten and I have no idea how they ended up in Germany with me. I think they are adorable. Let me know if you want them back.)

Open it up and VOILA! Are you amazed?

If it is too big just fold it up and trim a little more off. If it is too fat make a pointy-er angle. You are the boss of your star – adjust as needed. (Notice I am wearing a long-sleeved sweatshirt. Yes, it might be June but we’re not experiencing the June temperatures we are used to.)

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Monschau, Germany

Last weekend’s adventure was a quick trip to the city of Monschau, Germany. This historic city is a little over an hour’s drive from our home. It is located on the edge of the Ardennes, on the northern shoulder of the site of the Battle of the Bulge. On the way there we saw Dragon’s Teeth, the concrete anti-tank barriers installed by the Germans in WWII. Monschau was spared from complete destruction from artillery because Fieldmarshall Model gave a direct order to preserve the city. (Lucky for us, someone in the family was reading several books on the Battle of the Bulge so it was like having an expert tour guide with us!)

The town is quite picturesque – that is probably the reason it was filled with hoardes of tourists (including us.) These houses are called half-timbered – we’d call them Tudor style but maybe that is a cultural reference not appreciated in Germany.

Of course we had to check out the river for fish – and indeed, there were plenty of huge trout. But no one was fishing! What is wrong with this picture? (Not literally wrong. But how could people let these fish get away?)

High above the city were these castle ruins. We hiked up to the top, and then kept on hiking, thinking there was more to see. After a nice long walk we had to admit that it was just a long path (sorry kids!) and we should just turn around and walk back.

At least the view was impressive.

We had lunch and meandered around town. We stopped by the Senfmuhle (mustard factory) but sadly missed the tour and didn’t want to wait around for 2 hours the next one. We did make some purchases in the gift shop, including some wild boar sausage. 

Those who had the energy visited the other castle in Monschau which was in a little bit better shape. After a quick snack of gelato and gummi candy we headed back home.

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Happy Birthday To Me!

I had a birthday this week (hey, everyone has one at least once a year) and was so happy to be the recipient of a bicycle! I hadn’t owned a bicycle in probably 10 years, but what they say is true – riding a bike again is just like, well, riding a bike! This late-model Gazelle was a decent price. (The new models at the bike shop started at 599 Euros!!!!)Check out all of the features! This baby is geared up!

A headlight! Just flip a switch and it is on generator power – powered by me, that is. Since the sun doesn’t set until after 10pm right now I have no use for this feature – but I suppose in the winter when we have about 4 hours of daylight it will come in quite handy. (I’m kidding. Maybe. I haven’t been here in the winter yet.)

Here are a few more safety features: Fenders so I don’t have a giant mud stripe on my back when I go through puddles. A handy water bottle holder to avoid dehydration. A bike pump holder in the case of a flat. And a chain guard so I don’t catch my pants in the chain.

I’ve already used this luggage rack (with built in bungee straps) to transport my camera bag, a salad, a pan of brownies, and a child’s bicycle. (I can only imagine how silly I looked on that last one.)

I know this is a pretty sweet ride, but don’t even think about stealing it. With this built-in lock potential thieves will go nowhere fast.

This is definitely a piece of equipment that is taken for granted. Without kickstands, all of our bikes end up on a heap in the garage. But not mine!

This little guy measures it all – mileage (or is it kilometerage?), speed, time, and probably some other things I have not figured out and have no use for.

Now I’ve got a vehicle just like the locals. The next step is the proper attire. With a short skirt and a pair of heels, I’ll fit right in!

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The Sweet Life

Looking back at my travel journal from my previous trip to Germany (while in college!) I noticed that I ate plenty of ice cream. I am doing my best to continue to support the local ice cream shops. Fortunately, there is a great shop, La Dolce Vita, just a mile or so from our house.

This Italian Beauty is always there to greet us. It is amazing to me that she can hang out at an ice cream shop all day long and stay so thin! Must be her Italian genes. She even changes her outfits and accessories. What a cool Vespa scooter, too!

One of the best things is that they have a half-dozen flavors without milk so even our dairy-allergic kiddo can partake. Zitrone is his favorite – a delicious Lemon Ice. There is a full menu of desserts including Spaghetti Eis, crepes, and waffles but so far we’ve only ordered basic cones. I love the Amaretto.

I hope they have a customer loyalty program. If I have anything to say about it, this will be a frequent stop this summer.

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