Choo Choo!!

Today was our much anticipated train trip to Heidelberg! I booked our trip through the USO, and it was titled "Learn to Ride the Trains!", which was just what we needed to do! When I have looked up tickets online, I found it very hard to negotiate the site, and also VERY expensive, so I thought maybe having an expert show us what to do would be helpful. We were part of a tour of about 25 people, and we all met up at the Kaiserslautern main train station at 7 this morning. By the way, if you are reading this, and the USO in your area offers tours, I would advise you take them! This was my second tour, and I've really enjoyed both of them. They have been well worth the rather small fee. Anyway- back to the tour! As I said, I was really looking forward to getting comfortable with how the trains work here. There are fast and slow trains, trains that you take just within your state and trains you can take to Paris or Berlin, first class tickets and regular tickets- all things that are rather unfamiliar to us as Americans! We were on a slow train to Heidelberg, and slow really just means that it stops at every small station between here and there. It took us about 1:45 from station to station, and the trains are very punctual about their departure times. Truth be told, it would have taken us less time to drive there, but we would have had to park when we arrived. So, I'll do a quick break down of my thoughts on the trains before posting pictures of our tour around Heidelberg. Upsides-  no driving in an unfamiliar city, no traffic jams or "staus" as they are called here, no mileage on our car or having to buy fuel on the economy, and no trying to find a parking garage when we arrived. It is also easier for large groups to travel instead of taking multiple cars. Downsides- having to wait to come back until there is a train, the people on the train that you might be sharing a bay of 4 seats with (deodorant, anyway? No?), lack of any personal space, HEAT, and I cannot stress this last part enough- cleanliness, or lack there of. I don't just mean some trash here or there. We had to step around a puddle of vomit when we went to buy tickets in the train station. Then, we had to find a new car on the train to sit in because there was vomit on the floor and it stunk SO bad (again, it was very hot). There is a restroom on board the train, but when I opened the door to use it, again- vomit! Also, poop, but at that point I had already decided I could really hold it for... well, until I had to. I wasn't going in there, no way no how. On return train, more vomit! I was so grossed out and hot, it really was obscene. Our tour guide tried to tell us how unusual this was, and if it was one or two occurrences I MIGHT be able to believe that. But 4.... no. Nope.
Break down of cost for our train trip: Round trip tickets for 2 people: 22 Euro. Parking at Kaiserslautern main station: 6 Euro. All in all, that's 28 Euro for a day trip to Heidelberg.
What it would cost us to drive: $40 in gas (about 35 E) and then probably 9 E parking, so around 45 E for a day trip to Heidelberg.
So, you can see it definitely saved us some cash! However, in the end, was it worth it for how hot- and I do mean hot- it was on the train? Was it worth it for the lack of personal space there is on the train? Was it worth it to not be able to have a cooler in the car packed with snacks and instead stop and eat at several restaurants as we waited to return? Was it worth it for having to wait on a train schedule instead of being free to leave when we wanted, stop when we wanted on the way home, and go straight home instead of into K-town first? I'm not really sure. But, now we can at least make the decision and ride the train if we choose!

33 Weeks!

How far along? 33 weeks.... 4 left until this baby is full term!

Total weight gain: Didn't check this week, because I made Fat Lady Brownies and I'm certain they worked their magic on my scale. 
Maternity clothes? Yes- and B's tee shirts have become a new staple wardrobe item
Sleep: Yes, and usually a quick 30 min cat nap in the afternoon
Best moment this week: Hmmm. It was kind of a slow week. I think it might have honestly been eating warm brownies out of the pan with a spoon and not caring one bit about how many days worth of calories I was consuming.
Miss Anything? America. I am so homesick for the entire country. 
Movement:  Yeah, she's running out of room now
Food cravings:  No.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No .
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: I had some weird pain while I was out walking the dog early in the week, and it was a good reminder that I need to start making sure that I always have my cell with me and mil ID just in case something were to happen.
Symptoms: No.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: I get a visit with CeCe this week, and then next weekend we are taking a day trip to Heidelberg! 

Why we aren't traveling Europe...yet.

I've been asked by a few different people why we aren't spending weekends zipping around Europe, so I thought I'd take a blog post to explain. I would probably want to know the same thing if I was state side, because I was certainly under the impression that traveling around here is just what you do, which means it must be cheap and easy! Eventually, I hope we do get a lot of traveling under our belt, but there are 3 pretty big reasons right now that we're just enjoying the local areas.
1. If I sit for more than 2 hours, it is bad for business! My hips just cannot take it at this point. I spend most of the day up walking around because if I am in one place for more than an hour, my hips and lower back ache. It makes B crazy because even watching a movie right now is tough for me to do, but it's just the later part of this pregnancy thing taking it's toll I think. It doesn't matter if I shift around, am sitting on a pillow, have the seat warmers on in the truck... I have to move! So, right now, it is a consideration when we look at places to go visit.
2. We've been here a little less than 3 months, and still haven't figured out the train system, how to book hotels in a language we don't speak, how to even figure out what hotels are acceptable to stay at.... I know we will get there, and in fact we are taking a class on how to ride the trains here next weekend. Right now, it is much easier for us to take one of our cars and just drive to the sights we want to see! The language barrier makes booking things much trickier, and despite what you hear, not "just about everybody speaks English".
3. And this is the biggest thing- Ok, so in the United States, do you go on a weekend get away every weekend, spend the night in a hotel, visit the attractions and taste the local cuisine, spend another night and then travel home? No? Why not? Because it's CRAZY EXPENSIVE you say? Well, Europe is more expensive than the States! Gas prices for cars when you aren't filling up on base are very high, train tickets are pricey (like I said, we are taking a class next weekend and part of this class will be finding train "deals"), and the closest airport is Frankfurt which is about a 2 hour drive away where we would then have to pay to park on top of our plane tickets, baggage fees, transportation on the other end... you get the idea. You may have heard, we have a couple of big events coming up for this family that are probably going to be hard hitting to the check book. We have most of what we will need for Baby Girl, but I know that there are things I won't know I need until she is here, combined with the price of diapers, that we are trying to prepare our bank account for now so it's not such a shock when she's born. The other big thing is my sister Ellen's wedding at the end of September in Colorado. We are really hoping to be able to travel home for that (US Passport Agency willing) and at best estimate it will be one entire month's paycheck for us to be able to do that. So, while I really would love to be sitting on the beach in Italy, eating a croissant under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or checking out the final preparations for the Olympics in London, right now our biggest goal is build back up our savings that took a hit in the very expensive move just a couple of months ago. The military does pay for a large part of it, but they pay via reimbursement after we pay out of pocket and it can take a few months for things to filter down. There are also several things they don't pay for (our extra night in the hotel when we got bumped for housing, pet travel, new 220V appliances, etc) which are just out of pocket expenses.

All of this is to say, please be patient with us as we figure out how to travel here, and what we want to see. We will get there! Next weekend we'll be in Heidelberg, and I hope to get to Belgium soon to taste some Belgian waffles- which I hear you can pick up from vendors just about everywhere in Brussels! So, we do plan to see what we can around the area within an hour or 2 drive from us, as well as go to a few more volksmarches and festivals. I'm looking forward to getting the hang of the trains, as I get the feeling it will be our best way to travel. Hope that clears up some of the questions about why our passports aren't fully stamped up yet!

32 weeks- Father's Day!

I decided a picture from the front was in order this week as well, since this last week I really got so much bigger! Funny enough, my clothes from when I was a bigger girl a couple of years ago fit me now, so I decided to break out one of my favorite dresses today.

How far along? 32 weeks- after my next visit to the doctor at 36 I'll start the weekly visits!

Total weight gain: Hello 25 lbs, didn't quite expect to see you so soon. 
Maternity clothes? For the most part, but like I said , this little dress is not and I'm excited to wear it
Sleep: With the help of the boppy wedge, I'm sleeping very well. I love that little pillow!
Best moment this week: B took off Thursday since he already had Friday off, and we spent a 4 day weekend shopping, decorating, sightseeing, and cooking together. It's been so wonderful.
Miss Anything? The Sun. I know it's still out there, but I really miss seeing it on a regular basis. 
Movement: Ha ha yes
Food cravings:  Not so much.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No .
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: No.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: Game night at our house this week! Should be fun to have a few people over.

Day Trip to Trier!

Last weekend, B and I spent a few hours in Ansbach, Bavaria, Germany. This weekend, we decided to drive the hour over to the city of Trier! It is the oldest city in Germany (established by Romans in 15 BC) and has many sites within a walkable distance of each other. We were fortunate enough catch the only English speaking walking tour offered all week! It was a pretty rainy day, so we didn't get too many great photos, and we didn't visit everywhere we really wanted to see, but we will go back again soon. The link to the city is http://www.trier-info.de/english/sights-in-trier  and it offers great information on the places we visited. I'll mention each place by name, but couldn't begin to cover why each place is so special without making this blog too long to read, so just visit the website if you are interested in knowing more!

 Nothing really scenic about this photo, we were just waiting for the tour to start and grabbing some snacks and drinks so we were ready for the long walk!

 Porta Nigra- This is what initially drew me to Trier as a sightseeing location. This structure was built by the Romans in 15 BC, and is still standing! There are some parts that have been altered or removed, but the basic gateway is the same. I was a little disappointed that our tour did not include going up into the structure, but the next time we visit, I may go on a German speaking tour just for the opportunity to go to the top.

 Nothing historical that I know of about this particular building, but there were many like it in the downtown Trier area. It was beautifully maintained with flowers in every window, and the downstairs is an ice cream shop!

 One Saturday a month is sort of an international fest, where people from countries around the world meet in the city center to sell food, play music, and just in general have a good time! It was a bit noisy for us to hear the tour guide, so we passed through quickly, but I loved the buildings you could see in this photo.

 The Church of Our Lady is the more "humble" Catholic church in the city center. It's where the common folk went to church, and in my opinion, is much more beautiful than the Cathedral. In fact, I didn't take any pictures of the Cathedral! Oops! The picture below is inside of the same church.

 The Four Seasons depicted on the front of the Electoral Palace are the little guys you can see at the top of the columns. It's easier to see the details up close like this, but the picture below shows just how impressive this palace was!

 The brick building you can see to the left of the picture is actually attached to the back of the palace. It was the Emperor Constantin's throne room, and much of the structure is original. The inside no longer has the opulence that once was there to celebrate Constantin, and instead it was turned into the first Protestant church in Trier. There was actually a wedding going on the first time we went to poke our heads inside, and we ran into the newly married couple having pictures done at several other sites after the tour.

 One of the parks on the walk from the throne room to the Imperial baths. There is a playful fountain right in the middle of the screen, but water just doesn't photograph too well.

 Most of the structures on the ground level of the bath have been altered or weren't really picture worthy. This is one of the underground tunnels which really are still intact. The long hallways are built in a grid like fashion, which our tour guide pointed out was the way Romans laid out cities, and the way they are laid out in the United States. He mentioned that European villages don't follow the same rule, making them much harder to navigate- this wasn't news to me! The tunnels were used by the servants to stoke the fires under the pools, making them either warm or really hot. During World War II bombings, locals also took shelter in the passageways. It was very cold and damp, and you could almost smell the history in the air!

 The Amphitheater. Now, this was not part of our tour, but we walked the extra 15 minutes up the hill at the encouragement of our tour guide. When we reached the gate, we found out it was an extra 6E to go in, which our guide had failed to mention. I was a little hot about this, as a 7 month pregnant lady who had just finished a 2.5 hour walking tour, hiked up a sizeable hill in the rain, wanted only to down a bottle of water and sit down, and knowing that I had a good long walk back to the car yet, but B talked me into going in since we were already there anyway. I'm glad he did, as it turned out to be his favorite stop of the tour! The amphitheater was built in the 2nd century, and remains largely in tact. It's quiet, quieter than the churches we walked through, and had a very somber feel. That might have been because of the wet weather, but it also could have been because the cells that used to contain people ready to fight to their death still open into the arena you are standing in. The darkened doorways you see lead into small rooms, large enough to stand in, but with no place to sit. If you've seen the movie Gladiator, you can imagine the moments that happened inside of these cells.

 We managed to sneak in a picture together!

The theater from above. We were given a small English brochure on our way in to the amphitheater but it didn't really contain much. So, we found the information stand at the top of the theater that would tell you specifically about each area. It cost 1E per fact, though, so we skipped it and I looked everything up online when we got home instead! Apparently, the arena also does re-enactment style Gladiator performances, but I don't think we'll be visiting one of those.

And so ends our first tour of Trier! It was a great first tourist spot for us, and at our next destination, we'll try to take more pictures with us actually in them!

31 weeks big!

How far along? 31 weeks- Just 60 days to go til my due date as of this morning!

Total weight gain: Back to 23
Maternity clothes? Yep! Again, sporting another shirt from Lauren in this picture!
Sleep: Good, just not enough of it. We've had a busy few days with some late nights and early mornings
Best moment this week: Driving to Spangdahlem to hang out with CeCe and spending the day in Ansbach with my cousins
Miss Anything? Target. We got most of the nursery set up with what we have so far (which is a LOT thanks to my wonderful family and friends), but there are a few key things I'm missing. Back home, I would just run to Target to finish it off, but here....
Movement: Practicing flip turns.
Food cravings:  Chipotle and Dairy Queen. I think I've said this before, and it's still true.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No .
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: No.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: Not sure, there isn't as much on the calendar this week, but I'm sure I'll find something to get in to!

Positive Thinking- Day 7

Part of the reason I am trying the daily positive posts is because I am married to someone who is a fantastic optimist. I love this quality about him, and it's something I need in my life daily. He truly sees the good in just about any situation, including being in Germany. That being said, I have always been the one in our relationship that is more inclined to get out and try to new things, go places, and visit with people. I have seen a completely new side of him since arriving here!
There have been many days that I just haven't wanted to leave our house (or hotel or apartment) because I didn't want to interact with Germany. He has done such a great job of researching either a fun store to go check out, a restaurant to try, or a place to walk for those times. Before we arrived, he made sure he knew the basic German phrases he would need to get us around and that has been SO important! I didn't realize quite how much we really had gotten adjusted until I was chatting with some people who had been here longer than I had. I was able to tell them to check out Globus for an easy to use grocery store on the economy, Saturn for electronics, and where to get a nice Cuban cigar on base (ok, not necessary for survival but it's sort of a cool thing to be able to get here!). I don't think that I would have checked out the local area quite as quickly if B hadn't peeled me from the house, driven me there, and held my hand through the whole thing. As soon as I mentioned driving to Ansbach yesterday, he mapped the trip and said, "Let's do it!". I am a lucky girl, and I'm so thankful that he hasn't let my grumbling wet his enthusiasm for this experience. So my positive thought for today is that I love the side of my husband that being in Germany has allowed me to see!

Positive Thoughts- Day 6- and a trip to Bavaria!

Today's post came very easily to me, because it is the thing I have looked forward to since the moment we found out we were coming to Germany- TRAVEL! So far, our opportunities have been a bit limited because of our very strained living situation when we first arrived, and then my unwillingness to go anywhere until I got the house situated. I know that sounds fussy and weird, but I couldn't leave my house knowing I was going to come back to a mess. Now that all of the boxes have been unpacked and hauled away, I am ready to plan some outings!
My cousin and his wife have been stationed in Germany for the last 3 years. They move back to the States in a month, but they have really made the most of their time here. I hope that when we are preparing to leave, we have made as many memories as they have. Visiting them was a great opportunity for getting our feet wet with a German road trip. It was a relatively short 2.5 hour drive over to the village of Ansbach, which is in the German state of Bavaria. They don't live there, but were there for their older daughter's softball tournament. After watching her game, we drove down to the downtown area where a fest was going on. Downtown Ansbach was very pretty- just what I had always envisioned for a German festival. There were a variety of vendors to choose from for lunch, many more than we had seen so far. One of my favorite things was a drink tent. There were about  15 big fishbowls full of fresh fruit infusions, most of which also had some sort of alcohol mixed in. The ladies running the tent were busily chopping up more fruit to add, as it was a very popular stand!

Lucky for me, some of them were also just fruit, and it was so refreshing! The liquid wasn't really a juice, it wasn't that sweet at all, and it was much more enjoyable than a really sugary beverage.

Unfortunately, the cups without alcohol didn't look any different from the ones with it, and I was given a good talking to and finger wag by an older German gentleman who thought I was drinking while pregnant!
The most surreal part of the day was sitting under an umbrella with B, Seth, Audra and their girls, enjoying a bratwurst, and listening to a German band perform Rascal Flatts "God Bless the Broken Road". It was pretty funny!
So, I hope this is the beginning of many fun trips around Europe!

Positive Thoughts- Day 5

I am a bit behind on these posts because things have been SO busy here! I love having a lot to do, but it is nice to have a chance to sit down for more than thirty minutes this Sunday morning.

My positive thought for Friday- because of our proximity to Italy, we are lucky to have some fantastic Italian food. My favorite place to eat so far is a little pizza place that's in the next village over called Montana. They have some other pasta dishes, and a few German dishes as well (the owners are a German woman and her Italian husband), but the pizza is what is simply delicious! This isn't the only Italian restaurant we've come across like this, and they haven't failed us yet.

Positive Thoughts- Day 4

Many people have heard of the famous "autobahn" and how you can speed as fast as you want down it. What I never fully appreciated until I had driven on it, is what a well constructed and safe high way system it really is! In most areas of the autobahn that cut through villages or cities, the speed limit is actually restricted to 130 kph, which is about 85 mph. or 100 kph. If you life in Colorado, you know that this is probably the average speed people fly through the Denver/Colorado Springs corridor anyway, even with a speed limit of 75. There are areas that are unrestricted, but even in those areas most travelers stick to the 130 kph range.
With that being said, there are two things that are really the biggest difference makers with the autobahn highway system. First, and I've mentioned this in a previous post, is the strict car registration system. Since they are so strenuous with the requirements, and you must get reinspected every 2 years, you will very seldom pass a car on the autobahn that looks 'sketchy'- you know that car I'm talking about. It's that one you get around as quickly as possible on the interstate, because it's back bumper is tied back on with wire and it's back window is fashioned from duct tape and a plastic bag. You just wont see that car here.
The other thing I appreciate here is that the "left lane is for passing ONLY" rule is strictly observed and enforced. As a result, travel here is faster because you don't get trapped behind 2 cars going the same speed of a whopping 60 mph in a 75 zone. People get into exit lanes quickly so there is no question what they're doing, and so that they don't block the right lane going at a slow speed. It really is a nicer way to drive!

Positive Thinking- Day 3

I decided to include a few pictures of the area around our village, Oberstaufenbach, for today's post. They illustrate the last couple of day's positive thoughts!
These were taken from the walking trail that Thumper and I are on every morning. We're usually trekking along from 8-9 as it has been the most reliably dry part of the day. Well, that, and by 8 we have been up for 2 hours and T has become very impatient! Unfortunately the weather wasn't quite as dry as I had hoped for this morning, and we were plodding along through a light drizzle for most of the walk. In other parts it was a real downpour, so in the pictures where it looks like there is a haze over the background, it is just the rain!


Our village traffic circle! This was my positive thought for yesterday, so I thought it deserved a picture. We have only one in our village, but there it is! From this picture to the next, it a 3km walk up the hill to the next village, Reichenbach-Steegan.

 Here we are looking back down the road! Ok, well you can't really see the trail, and the village that you can make out through the rain in this picture is actually not ours. We are down in the valley behind a few hills. I don't really understand the name of our village, because "Ober" means "over" and we are pretty much at the bottom of everything...

 I had hoped that the cows would be out today, but it was too wet for them. In the picture below, the field right in the middle is usually filled with really lovely cows. I know it sounds funny to say that cows are lovely, but the ones that graze here are! They are pretty tan and white, and have a few sweet calves among them. I have fun watching them, and Thumper has even more fun barking when they wander close to the fence. It doesn't seem to bother them in the least, they barely even look at her while she's bouncing around and doing her very best hound dog yelps!

 Here we are, entering back into our village. The homes you can see here at the edge of town are all pretty recently built, and several are actually still under construction. From what I can tell, it is primarily Americans living in them. The construction sites here are very different from the US. There aren't several crews working at the same time, with a constant flurry of actions and symphony of sounds. I rarely see more than 3 or 4 people out there, and because of that, progress is prettttty darn slow. As someone who has worked in the new home sales market in the States, I can't imagine how our buyers would have handled this construction process, but here it is the norm!

 Finally, this is one of my favorite houses to walk buy. I think the owners run some sort of dairy business, as I've seen the huge milk tanker pulling up a couple of times and hear cows mooing in the barn. I didn't want to take a picture from straight on the front because I thought I might seem like a weirdo, but both the stone barn with the ivy on it and the wooden building you can see further back are connected (the building connecting them is more recent and less picturesque so it's just as well that it's not in the photo). The red and purple flowers you see dotted along the wall are the border of the courtyard. It's just such a quaint little place, and the owners clearly love it and take good care of it. They also have 2 big dogs that come running out of the barn barking every time we walk by, but they stop very dutifully at the end of the drive way or standing on the courtyard wall and bark at us from there- NEVER leaving the property.

Ok, well that's a few snap shots of our village. On to the positive thought for today...

Pet ownership here is a duty that is taken very seriously. It seems so many people in the States think "Oh I want that puppy it's just so cute and snugly..." without really ever taking into consideration what it means to be a dog owner. It can result in some really sad situations for the animal, whether it's not properly being fed and watered, or being forced to use the bathroom in it's living quarters, left for days without attention.... There are very specific rules about all of this in Germany, and neighbors report neighbors to the authorities if they feel there is a mistreatment going on. There are no vicious breeds allowed in the country at all, and while I know people have mixed feelings about what dogs should and should not be included in that category, because of that rule there isn't much of a chance for someone to mess up a dog that could become very dangerous. Dogs also must be trained, and I'm sorry to say that as much as I love my dog, her behavior isn't within guidelines for a "well behaved dog"..... at all. Along with these strict rules comes much more freedom for pets. Dogs are welcomed into most German stores and restaurants and even on public transit, provided that they are adequately trained(again, Thumper won't be joining us at our next dinner out). At the volksmarches we have attended, there are always other dogs and food and water stations are set up anywhere there are stops for the humans. All in all, it just makes for a much more pleasant pet experience, even for people who do not particularly enjoy animals. The pets here are so well trained, most of the time you don't even know one is sitting under the table next to you until they leave! Maybe Thumper will learn some manners before we leave here, if we could just get an older dog to learn some new tricks!

Postive Thinking- Day 2

Well, two days into this little experiment and it's already become a challenge! I should have saved my Monday thought for a day that I had to actually leave my house, because those are the days that I tend to have the hardest time staying positive. Today is especially hard because instead of finding a tick on my dog, I found a tick ON MY WRIST!! Ewww! I had walked the dog, showered, put lotion on- no tick. Then, I blow dried my hair, and poof, there it was! I'm particularly creeped out because this means the bugger was hiding in my hair, and only came out when the heat of the blow dryer scared if off. Guess who will be putting a dryer to her hair every day from here our, regardless of if I washed my hair or not? Yep, this girl! B tried to put things in perspective by reminding me that ticks exist in the US, too, and in fact his sister has pulled 3 off of her dog. Vanessa lives in Georgia though, where it's warm. I live in Germany where it is a toasty 57 on this day in early June. Backfire ;)

Anyway, my positive thought for today is that I really like the use of traffic circles here! The roads here are well traveled, but not necessarily busy enough to constitute a traffic light. So, at intersections in the US which would have one of those pressure triggered lights that would totally stop traffic for 3 minutes at a busy road so 2 cars could turn right , there is a traffic circle! Nobody has to stop, just slow a little, and 5 or 6 different streets can meet up at once. And, for those thinking of the traffic circle nightmare at First and Main Towne Centre in Colorado Springs, people actually use them CORRECTLY here, which makes all the difference in the world! So two thumbs up from this girl for traffic circles, Germany!

Positive Thinking- Day 1

Since B and I landed in Germany in early April, I have been surprised at how green it is here! Dayton was a very lush place as well, but I guess I just didn't expect it here. As I've mentioned, it does rain a lot, but it is also not very warm, so I think in my mind I imagined it to be bleaker. In reality, it is much like the climate of Seattle right now (something that makes me smile since my sister lives there and I can imagine what her days are like). The ivy covering our back fence and front terrace is thick and bright, and I think grows about an inch a day! The hills our home is nestled in to are covered by a mixture of fields and canopies of trees that provide a perfect home for the many birds that soar through the clouds. Being a Colorado raised girl, I won't take this gorgeous greenery for granted!

Quirks of living in a German village

I've mentioned in a few previous posts that there are some things about living in a home in a German village that are taking some time to adjust to. Among those things have been that there are no closets (coat/linen/bedroom) at all, and that cabinets in bathrooms(or medicine cabinets) are pretty much unheard of. Closets do not count toward square meters of living space in a home, so builders/landlords just leave them out, and most people take all of their bathroom fixtures including cabinets when they move. Those were things that I knew about and expected when we moved here. I don't love it, but it was expected. There have been some other things that have been a surprise!

Germany is a very green country- green as in environmentally friendly! While recycling in the US is optional, and for the most part actually costs money to participate in, it is mandatory here. I really like the idea... for the most part. Keeping track of what goes into which recycling bag has been tricky so far, mainly because we just aren't used to it. I'm sure we'll get better with time, and won't be running to the website at least once a day to double check that we're doing the right thing. We have 3 separate kinds of recycling besides our regular trash, and most other counties actually have 4 different containers. They mandate participation in two ways. First, you only get 20L per person every two weeks of real trash. Let me tell you, it is not much!

See where that tissue is? Yep, that's the bottom of our can for 2 weeks! I can fit about 4 grocery store sized bags into it. YIKES! The other way they enforce recycling is by auditing your recycling. The government actually goes through your recycling bags and make sure that you are putting things into the right spot. If not, you face pretty darn hefty fines!

Another "green" initiative is the effort to use less water in everything you do. I would understand this if it didn't rain here allllmost every day( and I don't mean a light drizzle, I mean RAIN), but as it is, it doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Part of the enforcement of this is small kitchen sinks.

I put my Starbucks water cup in to give it some perspective. If I make a big dinner, it usually takes me two separate sink-fulls of water to complete clean up, and it's really tricky to rinse the dishes after washing them. You can also see the drain in this photo- they don't have garbage disposals here and the drains are teensy so they get stopped up really easily. We have to be extra vigilant about cleaning the drain, and what we put down the sink. Even something like egg yolk will slow it down. Draino is also forbidden here (as is Round-Up for your yard, hello 50,000 E fine!), so that route is out, too!

Sticking with the low water usage theme, I now take you to the toilets. I warn you now, I'm going to be a bit gross here, so skip this paragraph and move on if it's going to bother you. Have you ever thought, "Wow, ya know, I'd really love to be able to get a good look at my poo after it leaves my body- I mean give it a real, up close inspection." No? Haven't thought that? Me neither!!!! Who likes cleaning the toilet every time someone does some dirty business?? Not this girl! Seriously, even the public toilets have their own toilet bowl brush with every toilet! Again, I would like to point out that they really don't seem to be low on water here, but even if they were, the toilets are not really low water usage! The amount of water that gushes out when they are flushed could not possibly be any less than a regular ol' American low flow latrine. So, here I will show you the poop shelf toilet

Unlike the last few photos, I didn't put in anything to give it perspective (you're welcome) but you can see where the only water sits in the very front of the toilet. The rest of the bowl is bone dry, and too close for comfort in my opinion. I'll leave it at that.

The last thing I'll gripe about (today, ha) will be the roads here. More specifically, driving through villages, and you have to do that to go really anywhere. Everything is a one lane in either direction road unless it's the autobahn, and sometimes it's not really even wide enough for 2 cars to easily pass in opposite directions. The speed limit is still 100 kph in these areas, so knock yourself out if you really want to! However, driving through the actual villages is something I dread. My car isn't really large by any standard, and I'm pretty confident behind the wheel (if you were at my wedding you were lucky enough to hear my sister Ellen poke fun at my superiority in driving complex in her toast). But as I drive through the villages, my mind constantly runs flashes of having a head on crash. This isn't because people just drive down the middle. It's because the roads are very windy with lots of blind corners, and people can park wherever they want! Apparently the idea here is that it's even better if it's super inconvenient for everyone else! For example:

 Now, I know it's hard to see, but the red car is parked here alllllll the time. It's at the entrance to the village down the road from us that we have to go through any time we go anywhere. You can see the car behind it waiting with its headlights on, because it cannot go until I have passed. On a Sunday afternoon, it's not a huge deal, but during the weekdays, this road is SUPER busy and it's really hard to get around! You can also see that the red car could possibly park up on the curb next to it, allowing room for people to pass, but it doesn't. The curb on the opposite side of the street is raised higher up (I know you can't tell that in this picture) so you can't drive on it. You can also sort of see how the road approaching the red car has a big curve, so it's a blind stop from that direction. Anyway, the roads here have been the thing that most gets under my skin. I can't tell you how many times (every time?) I have left base for the 15 minute drive to our house and have ended up behind a tractor or gravel truck that can't go very quickly and you cannot pass. It ends up taking me the better part of 30 minutes to get home, going what equals 25 miles an hour. Annnnnoying. As far as the driving here goes in general, it's not just that it takes more time, or grosses me out like the things above do. It's that it is flat out unsafe and I don't like feeling like I'm taking a gamble every time we go somewhere.

On a somewhat related note, tomorrow I am kicking off a week of positivity! I know, I know, ick. Hear me out, though, and feel free to just skip the next week of stuff if it bugs you. So far, I've tried the mindset of,  "I'm going to start liking it here, I just know it. Something is going to happen and I'm going to see why people don't want to leave here." It hasn't happened. I still hate it, in fact my animosity has grown if anything, and it has made me question someone's sanity if they enjoy living here (my husband for example). So, tomorrow, I'm going with the "fake it 'til you make it" approach. Every day for a week (and perhaps longer if I feel like it's making an impact) I'm going to try to post something I really liked about Germany that day. It won't be anything like "I like that I know I'm leaving in 34 months" or "I like my dog and she's in Germany right now". I promise they will actually be things about the area that I am choosing to like. So, now that I've gotten my whining out of the way in this blog post, on we go with the "glass half full" approach for awhile!

THIRTY WEEEEEKS!!!

 First things first, we have a crib! B put it together this week, and it's pretty crazy to see it in the room when I poke my head in.

How far along? The big 3-0

Total weight gain: I put on a pound, up to 24... shoot.
Maternity clothes? Thanks to my good friend, Lauren, who sent me some of her great maternity clothes, I have a freshened up wardrobe! For example, the shirt in this picture :)
Sleep: Pretty good, except we both had colds this week so that cut back on the shut eye for sure
Best moment this week: Watching B put together all of our baby gear! He was having a good time figuring out everything
Miss Anything? My family. My sister's bridal shower was last night and I missed it. Still pretty upset about it.
Movement: Yep
Food cravings: Veggies. I don't even want sweets, just a really nice salad(the ones here are NASTAY)
Anything making you queasy or sick: No .
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: No.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.
Looking forward to: Seeing my cousin next weekend for a visit!

Hospital Tour!

With only about 2 months left until Baby Girl is scheduled to arrive, it was time for B and I to check out where we would be welcoming her into the world. We are so lucky that Ramstein has a full military hospital associated with it. Because of that, we are able to have American care by an English speaking staff which is very important to me. It's not that I think Germans have substandard health care, it is just that during a time that I know is going to be very stressful (not to mention physically demanding) I will be more comfortable in familiar surroundings and communicating with people in my own language. So, off we went on our 30 minute drive through 8 little villages, down the autobahn, and up the mountain to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, or LRMC.
The tour didn't get off to the smoothest start; there were about 9 other couples sitting with us in the announced meeting room, still waiting to get going 25 minutes after we were supposed to start. After some checking around, it was discovered that the start of the tour was now in the Labor and Delivery ward, so off we went. Some people had clearly gotten the memo, as there was already a large group in the room, so we waited with the rest of our group in the hallway. All of the other couples in both groups looked to be around where we were with the exception of maybe 2 ladies, which is not necessarily good news as I will explain later.
The L&D rooms are rather nice, and the nurse giving us the tour was fantastic! She had laid out all of the tools they might need for delivery and explained each of them so we wouldn't maybe be as freaked out if the doctor did end up needing them. The hospital doesn't have a nursery, so the baby will stay in the same room as me right from the start. This has upsides and downsides. Some studies have shown that keeping the baby in the same room as mother can help regulate breathing, lowering the risk of SIDS later on. It can also help with postpartum depression, milk production, jaundice... the list goes on. The downside of this is that baby care is on the mother right from the start, and when we move into the mother/baby rooms 1-4 hours after delivery, we will likely be sharing a room with another family. This means not only will I be up when my baby is crying, I will also be up when her baby is crying. Anyway, back to the tour.
After leaving the L&D room, we swung by the NICU so we could see how close it is, then peeked into an operating room in case we end up needing a C-section. It's nice to know where everything is, and also that I'll be well taken care of no matter what happens.
I chatted with the nurse giving the tour as we walked, and commented on what a large group we had. She let me know that June-August is their "busy season" and that L&D is the happening place to be for those months. 
Our tour ended with a walk through the mommy/baby suites. The rooms there were less nice, which is unfortunate since I will be spending 48 hours there. There is wifi, though it's pretty spotty from what the nurse told me, so hopefully I will be able to send out at least an update or 2 while we are staying there. As I said the rooms are, for the most part, two person rooms. There are a couple of single occupancy rooms, but they try to keep them available for C-sections or women with other complications. They are also the recovery rooms for women who have hysterectomies or other "female operations" so if there are a lot of procedures going on at the time, those rooms will also be unavailable. So, we'll see if I end up with a roommate!
As we were walking out the door, one of the other women in the group asked if we should call when we're in labor and headed to the hospital. I thought, "Why? To put in your epidural order in advance?" Oh, wait! Yes, we should call in route because they only have 7 beds in L&D, and we may have to be diverted to a GERMAN HOSPITAL! Oh heck no! And I'm having a baby during the busy season....hmm.. I said (half) jokingly to the nurse, "So, it sounds like I'm better off not calling and just showing up so then I can't be sent somewhere else!" She replied, no, they still wouldn't have room for us and I probably didn't want to end up in a hallway. I assured her I could live with a hallway in the American hospital FAR better than a room in German one. She laughed her head off... apparently she thought I was full on kidding. I was not. At all. But, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there!
The next class will be significantly more intimidating: Childbirth 101.