Deutschland

What better time to start up the blog again than the beginning of a new adventure!  On June 5 we flew to Stuttgart, Germany, our home for the next 3 years.  Our first week was orientation, getting everything set up and me frantically searching the internet for a car and house.  After living out of a suitcase for the previous 2 months, I was determined to be settled as soon as possible.  We have been extremely blessed at how well everything has fallen into place for us, especially in comparison to the many horror stories that I had heard and read.  One month after we arrived in country we moved into our new home in a tiny village and we absolutely love it!

Even after living in Europe for 6 years previously, there are a lot of things about Germany that I have to get used to, or I'm noticing for the first time, so here's a little glimpse into our life here...

*The houses are very secure, although I don't think there is much crime here.  Our front door is large and heavy and when you lock it there are 5 deadbolts that lock it (all turned from one key hole).  Our house also has rolladins, which are large metal blinds that are on the outside of all the windows and doors.  I think their main purpose is to keep out the sunlight to help regulate temperatures (since we have no air conditioning), but they are also great since of security at night time!

*Each town in Germany has certain quiet hours, times when you are not supposed to do things loud like mow the lawn, play loud music, etc.  The kids can play outside during these times, though.  Our town's quiet hours are from 10:00pm-8:00am and 1:00pm-3:00pm.  Sunday is also a "quiet day" where you aren't supposed to do those things.  In addition most stores are closed on Sunday.

*After my experience with our washer/dryer combo in England, I was a little hesitant when I learned that we were going to have to have a German washer and dryer, but I have actually been pleasantly surprised.  They are both smaller and take longer to do a load, so I feel like I'm constantly doing laundry.  The washer only has cold water hook ups, so if you do a load where you want hot water it can take up to 4 hours since the washer has to actually heat up the water first (my typical load takes 2 1/2 hrs.).  American dryers have a vent that takes all of the steam out of your house, but German washers condense the steam and collect it in a basin in the dryer.  So after every load I have to empty the bucket of water.

*Driving here is fun, but takes a lot more concentration!  For one thing, the speed limits change a lot!  On our recent trip to Austria I saw three different speed limit signs all within a couple hundred meters on the autobahn.  And speed cameras are prevalent, so you don't want to get caught speeding.  But on some sections of the autobahn there aren't any speed limits at all, and it's a very surreal feeling to be driving 90 mph and have cars fly by you!  The "right of way" rules are a lot different here.  You must yield to cars coming in from roads on your right, unless you are on a "priority road" which is marked by a sign at most intersections.  So there is a constant looking at all the signs to see what I need to do.

I promise there will be pictures next post: our trip to Salzburg, Austria!