Leaving on a jet plane.....

Well, I realized that I have not written anything in awhile and I wanted to catch everyone up on everything that has been going on. Quite a bit of traveling to begin with! 

May seems to be THE month for bank holidays here (Matt had 3) so the first weekend of May we went to Paris and Normandy with a few friends of ours. It was a whirlwind trip but very fun to do. We saw the major sites of Paris and then drove down to Caen, France and from there took a day trip to Utah and Omaha beach. They were quite amazing to see and definitely something I would recommend to anyone that is traveling in France. We were able to go to the Memorial and down onto the beaches. Really quite a moving a experience. 

We then had my Dad come and visit us on his great German tour and we were able to go Kloster Eberbach (Monastery) near Rudesheim, Germany that was really quite interesting to see. It was founded in the late 12th century and really very interesting to see. We then tried to drive into Rudesheim and were caught in the "Magic Bike Show" parade. So we were able to see quite an array of Harley Davidson bikes! Needless to say this "quaint" town lost much of its charm due to the thousands of bikes and bikers there. It really was beautiful to see the old castles and fortresses along the Rhein river. We were so happy to have Dad come visit and glad he made it before we left!

The following weekend my best friend from college (go green, go white) Theresa came to visit me. She arrived on Wednesday and that night we flew to Dublin! It was a great (again, very quick) trip. She had studied there during college and was excited to go back and I have always wanted to go to Ireland. We were able to hang out over the weekend and go to do a tour of Weisbaden which is the capital of Hesse. Our friend Emilie was a great tour guide and it was very fun!

So on to the biggest news....we are on our way home! It has been very back and forth and up in the air for quite awhile. I am not sure how many of you know this (would only really know if you are A) in the auto industry or B) care about this stuff) but, ArvinMeritor, Matt's company, split into two different companies. This is part of the reason Matt came over here. So, it wasn't necessarily a shock but we were surprised in how quickly it happened. Matt will now be working for Arvin Innovations (I can't seem to help but laugh and think of the quote "Synergy" from the movie In Good Company.) and due to this they were eager to get him back to help with the transitions. This has helped answer quite a few questions we have had as to where he will be working (Detroit) and how long we will be there (indefinitely). We are very sad to be leaving but very excited to get back to family and friends and being able to start our married life! I am also excited to start working again, but given the current state of the economy in MI I am not expecting that to start right away. 

So, I am leaving on Friday June 6th (yes, tomorrow) and Matt will be finishing things up and following me home on June 11th. 

I am hoping to keep this going and will keep everyone updated on our future plans!

We hope to see everyone soon!

Cars, Interlaken and Cheese

Well, today I had my first -run into someone I know on the street- experience. I was running (ok jogging) through this huge park (Gruneberg) park and ran into a lady I know through my babysitting ad. She was there walking with her son! Thanks to my sisters superb math skills, that it was a 1 in a billion chance of that happening. The factors included in that were the following: I live in a new country, I only know maybe 8 people here well enough to stop them on the road, this is a large city. So, needless to say it was a big moment for me (and apparently her as well, because she made the same comment). 

Above is a picture of our current car, I think I talked about it before but thought I would send pictures! This beast of a car is diesel. It is amazing. The gas mileage is unbelievable for a car of this size. It is filled up roughly every 1.5 weeks! Because of this car I am looking at a "clean diesel" car when I get home. There is a VW on the roads here called a Tiguan, some of you may have seen Heidi Klum/Seal commercials for it, it is labeled as the 'little sister' of the larger Tourag. I am in love with it. So I have caught word from the good people at Howard Cooper that a diesel version will be released in the states next year. I will wait patiently until then!

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Interlaken, Switzerland. We were going to go to Nacht der Museen here in Frankfurt and then decided that we would much rather go on a trip than visit a bunch of museums in which most things are written in German! So Saturday we hopped in the previously mentioned car and headed out! It is about a 4.5 hour drive down and we had a wonderful day for seeing the Alps! It was 70 F and sunny with just a few clouds in the sky. We had a fun time taking pictures of all the Dutch families with their campers driving. There was an inordinate amount of them. So we took a lot of pictures of license plates! We arrived in Interlaken and walked around to see the sites. We didn't get there until roughly 3 (due to constant bathroom breaks by yours truly) and we were able to walk around and get some food. We did a little more walking around and decided to go out and get some dinner. We decided to get the local fare ie. Fondue! Dinner consisted of cheese and salmon fondue with bread and then chocolate fondue for dessert! It was amazing. Except for the disgusting amount of cheese and white bread. Afterwards our waiter said "I have lived here 15 years, I had the cheese fondue once and never again". Thanks, could of told us that before! He offered us some shots of a home made liquor to "settle our stomachs" and then we went home to bed! The next morning we got up to go and did a longer drive home getting some amazing views of the lakes and mountains. Really a great weekend trip. Here are some pictures.

We are getting ready for a trip to Paris tomorrow! We will be driving (ugh) and there are three other expats tagging along with us. Should be fun, although I have been there before I am looking forward to revisiting. We are also going to go to Normandy and the D-Day beaches on Saturday. I am very much looking forward to that. 

Here is an interesting thing. It has been pretty nice here lately, high 60's to mid 70's sunny and warm. Well, I have taken the opportunity to immediately pull out my flip flops and 3/4 sleeve shirts. I was so happy to go out and see everyone in good moods doing the same. Wrong. On the first day it was very warm. People were walking in winter coats with scarves and boots? I thought... ok well maybe this morning it was cool and warmed up. Not so. It has continued that way for the past few days. I have finally seen a few other people venturing out in "warm weather clothes". I have seen a few people in flip flops but I am assuming they are expats as well. I further confirmed my "the don't like flip flops theory" by going sandal shopping today. There were very slim pickings despite the fact that I went to 3-4 large shoe stores! Ah well, yet another way to stand out!

I am attaching the following picture because it is the hostel that Laura Fleming and I stayed at almost 6 years ago!

Edinburgh, Snow and not working

I was reading a Marie Claire that I get delivered and I read this quote from a woman who moved to Paris and she was asked what she missed most. I thought this pretty much summed up my feelings. 

"What I miss most about home: Wearing workout clothes in public; Aeda conditioner; corn torillas, smiling at strangers without having them think I'm insane."

I read that and thought. Wow. Someone else feels that way too! You wouldn't catch anyone here doing errands in there sweats. Not even "good sweats". It is exhausting to watch! I have not given it up and we get weird looks just walking to the gym in sweats!

Last week my Mom came for a visit! We were so excited to have our first visitor! She was brave enough to stay with us (our pull out is VERY comfortable) and we were so happy to have her. We went to Edinburgh for a few days and had a great town. Edinburgh is a great town and we were able to take a day trip to see Lock and Ben Lomond (lake and mountain Lomond) we also saw Stirling Castle which was beautiful. I would highly recommend Scotland and Edinburgh for anyone who is traveling. A special thanks to my Mom for bringing out so many of my purchases as well as a wonderful and restorative visit.

Matt's coworker is in town and wanted to go out tonight so we ended up going to a delicious steak restaurant (Dad, I am sorry. I got it well done or according to the waiter "burnt"). After that we went to a club in Frankfurt called XXL Living. It was packed. It was a rainy Wednesday and it was so busy it was shocking. Now, we aren't what you call crazy bar rats but we don't usually go out during the week. We also do go to clubs on the weekend but I was shocked at how busy it was! We only stayed for a little bit but we were able to hear a few choice songs "I will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, the polka version of "I will Survive" (not quite sure does this) and when we left we left to "La Bamba". We saw some typical German dancing (stiff bodied and head bobbing) and lots of tight jeans (men and woman). So needless to say we were happy to be home by 10:30!

I am going to talk about the next thing in a way that will not get me in trouble. I have been "watching" a little girl a few days a week. It has been a great **non-paying** (because I of course I would not take a paying job here) way to pass the time. So as I said this is not a job just a great way to pass the time while we are here!

As well, over the weekend we were talking to Matt's co-worker about how we haven't seen any snow in Frankfurt and have only had a few weeks that were really really cold. Well, all that bragging came back to bite us because we had snow on the rooftops on Monday! It continued to snow all day but luckily nothing stuck. That was the first time I have seen snow for more than 5 minutes in Frankfurt! The weird part is that the previous Sunday we had 70 degree weather with sun! It was the first day my Mom got here so we were able to show her a wonderful time around the city!

Our first visitor

We are getting ready to leave for the airport to pick up our first official visitor. My Mom! We are so excited to have her here and to be able to show her around and spend time together. Luckily the weather is good (supposedly 60 today) and we should be able to have a nice tour around Frankfurt.
We had our first sighting of snow last weekend (just in time for Spring) and it even stuck to the palm trees out back! We are glad that is over and hoping it was a one time thing.
Well, I will write more but we have to head to airport now!

Easter

Frankfurter Blog: March 22, 2008

We have been taking it pretty easy over the past few weeks, Matt has been working on a project at work that has started to equal some very late hours at work, so I continue to hold down the fort over here! I had my first paying babysitting job the other day, which was exciting! I suddenly felt 14 all over again. The Mom was there (working from home) and the kid was sick so he proceeded to cry for 1 hour straight. Now, to elaborate a little more, he is a Gaelic, English, German speaking child who was crying hysterically and I couldn’t understand most of what he said! But, everything ended well and when the Dad came home we went for a walk to the park. That is when I realized that even the Irish think the Germans are a little crazy! They have been here 9 years and still get frustrated with the “German way”. That makes me feel a little better, although, it seems to be a recurring trend that I hear. My big bonus is that I am getting paid in Euros…which I think we all know is the way to go right now!
It is Easter weekend and we don’t have much going on. It is a 4 day state holiday here so everyone has Friday to Monday off. I find it interesting in a country where people don’t join churches because they are state run and have to pay taxes, that they give everyone a four day weekend BUT that is the “German Way” and who am I to argue? We are hoping to make it to Darmstadt this weekend to see the town and go to Frankenstein Castle. But, the weather is not cooperating. It has been rainy and cold, so hopefully at least the rain will stop and we can get out! So, we will be celebrating Easter by sleeping in after watching the MSU game at 2 a.m. here!
We are getting very excited for our first official visitor here! My Mom will be coming to visit next weekend and we will be taking a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland! So today is off to IKEA to get some necessary things for a visitor! She is being brave and staying with us in our apartment! We are making the necessary changes to provide a comfortable and enjoyable trip! Hopefully, if she enjoys herself, she will recommend us to others and we will have more visitors! As well, she will be bringing over my new computer which will be instrumental in me posting more blogs (sorry, web logs) for everyone to enjoy.
For my parting thought/comment/idea I would like to explain the “German Way” of saying IKEA so that when you go there you can sound authentic. It is pronounced Ick-ee-ah. Lovely huh?

p.s. Happy Easter and thanks for the comments!! (yes I just found them!)

Wind, Strikes and Babysitting

I am not sure if anyone heard about the winds here this past weekend but they were crazy. We woke up early on Saturday and it sounded like a hurricane was on top of us. We later read that parts of Germany and Europe where hit with winds up to 150 m.p.h. There was even a plane that had to do an emergency landing in Munich I believe and couldn’t land straight. I am really not sure why they let the plane take off in the first place but who knows.

Then, this week we are facing strikes throughout Germany. Different public sectors walked out the other day demanding an 8% pay increase (wow, that would be nice) and were upset because the government came back with 5% and a longer workweek! So today the transit workers went on strike. But, not ALL of the transit workers. Only half. So the buses were affected and half of the underground/train system. There is the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn (not 100% sure the difference but I will leave that) and only the U-Bahn workers went on strike. Now, as a non-German speaker try to find this on the internet and you are out of luck! A day out with a friend was cancelled only to realize later that walking two train stops would have allowed me to take the right train! Ah well. Luckily the strike will only last today and everything should be up and working on Friday. Of course, there is talk of another strike on Monday so we will see.

I have started a new “business” here. I have decided that since I am unable to legally get work here I had to find something under the table. So I put an ad on an English speakers forum that I was available to baby-sit for those that spoke English in the area. I have already met with one family (Irish) and I am meeting with another family (American) next week! I have had a few requests for full-blown nanny positions but I don’t think that would be fair given the trips planned. So for now I am a free-lance babysitter!

Other than that things are pretty quiet around here. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the snow!

English movie theater

Last night we went to the english movie there and saw the movie No Country for Old Men. Great movie and I can see why it won so many awards! The movie theater is not the nicest theater you have been too, imagine the $1.50 theater after 50 years.
After you get your ticket you have the chance to get snacks, they are warm bottled soft drinks, beers and cold popcorn. Last night we were in the big theater which is a big step up from the rest of the theaters which hold about 100 people. After we sat down we realized that the seats are not stadium seating but flat all the way down, I am not sure if you have heard about the excessively tall Germans here but you will realize as soon as you sit down at the theater! We had to move down a few times to make sure we could all see the screen. For those that have seen the movie know that they use "texan dialogue" which can be hard to understand at times. I noticed that some of the German couples who were sitting around us would laugh at times or lines that weren't really funny, they were generally when it was some line that even native English speakers had to think about. So Matt and I talked about this after we and we decided that they A) thought it meant something else or B) they had no idea what they were mumbling and laughed because they thought it was appropriate. Either way it made for some interesting background reaction to the movies!
A few things about the movie theater, Matt and I had both seen a movie here before (Rambo and Kite Runner respectively) and have noticed the following: the movies rarely start on time, the lights might not go out until 10 minutes into the movie, the movie will stop and restart a few minutes in to the movie, after the previews the lights will come back on and then go back down for the movie and the last would be that I thought it would be a lot more english speaking people at the theater but it seems like a lot of German people watching the original version of the movie.
We are so excited that we have this theater within walking distance and that they seem to get the big movies very quickly so we are not to far behind!

London and the gym

Last weekend we were able to take a weekend trip to London. It was great to get out and see a new city as well as be amongst other English speakers (and yes, I know they speak “real” English). We saw a lot of landmarks and buildings from the Hop on/off bus tour and we were able to take a Jack the Ripper tour the first night. It was interesting to see a slightly different side of London. We were amazed that it took us a few hours to actually find someone who was from the UK. The first 5 people we encountered could barely converse with us. We thought that maybe we had never left Frankfurt! I think the highlight for both Matt and I was that we were able to read the menu’s at restaurants and to talk to the staff without asking if they spoke English first. It was a great weekend away and we can’t wait to go back and read more menu’s!


Fish and Chips!


Matt and Tower Bridge


London from the bus


He thought it was cheaper than his cell!

There are a few things that I still can’t get used to here. The one I will discuss now is the gym. We belong to one of the larger chains here in Germany/Europe called The Fitness Company (think Gold’s Gym). A few of the more interesting things about the place are the following:
1) Matt and I are usually there at night and have noticed that everyone when they are done, shower, blow dry hair and get dressed in their work clothes. This happens even at 10:30 at night. We feel quite scuzzy showing up in our workout clothes and leaving in them as well!
2) This next one makes the previous one even more confusing. The locker rooms seemed to be kept at a steady 90 degrees during the coldest months. So imagine getting done working out and blow drying your hair in 90 degree humidity.
3) The showers. There are apparently “communal” showers here. The showers open to both the men’s and women’s locker room. I generally hear men’s voices and then see women walk in. I really don’t understand that one.
4) The attire that is worn at the gym. Men prefer tight short shorts and shirts that are not particularly long. A matching outfit is very popular as well.
5) The last thing are some of the exercises that we see people do. The best way to describe them would be exercise videos from the 1960’s or so. A lot of legs shoulder width apart arms out to the side and quick bending at the waist.
6) The most German things would be: The coffee bar, the designated tables to set your water on, newspapers available to read while you exercise and the lack of personal space in the gym in general!

It's been awhile...

I apologize to all of the adoring fans that have been left in suspense waiting for the next posting. The real reason for this is that I haven't had much going on... But, I have decided to write about some of the random things here.
A few weeks ago we took a trip to Heidelberg for a few hours on a Sunday. It was a very easy drive just about an hour south of Frankfurt. It was a beautiful day as well so we took advantage of that by taking a tour of the HeidelbergSchloss (the old castle) that requires quite a hike up the side of a mountain (look back a few posts and you will notice this is a recurring trend...something about safety from attacks etc). The best part about the town is that it was largely spared during WWII and so it really is an old German town.
Earlier this week we received our "permanent" car. We have had an Opel Astra (look at the new Saturn Astra, it is the exact same car) for the past few months. It is a good city car being very small and somewhat quick. If you are looking to take a trip of more than 20 minutes you will see why it is a good city car. So a leased vehicle became available and we are the proud users of a Volvo XC90. This is not really a great city car as it is an SUV that at times barely fits down our street but for longer journey's it is great. One small downfall that we still don't get is that it is a manual transmission! I think most of you will agree that there aren't too many manual SUV's out there now. But this is a diesel manual. So my new mission is to learn how to drive a stick! Watch out driver's of Frankfurt.
After checking the weather and talking to people back in Michigan we are really starting to appreciate the weather here more and more. Today for example was 55 and sunny. We were able to take a walk through the large Gruneberg Park and see people playing soccer, walking their dogs, running and the first flower buds sprouting up. We are very used to it being 5 degrees with snow, snow, and more snow so this is great. I haven't taken a picture yet but we have palm trees in our back yard!
We are planning a trip to London for next weekend which we are both looking forward to. One of the best parts of the trip is the strength of the British Pound (or better yet, the weakness of the American dollar). When looking up hotels you think 100 a night? That's a great deal, until you see that GBP symbol in front of it and you realize it is actually $200. We are very excited though and can't wait to speak English to people!

I am not sure if most of you have significant drop in the usage of exclamation points in this entry but I was informed that I used them excessively before. So, to my editor, this ones for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some highlights of Heidelberg






Our Palm Trees

Updates and the Holidays

We just got back from a very nice trip home for the Holidays! We were able to see alot of family and friends (although not as much as we would have liked!) and had some nice relaxation and good old American food! This won't be long and I will write more later but we just wanted to say how great it was to see everyone and that we can't wait to see you again soon!
Also, I thougth I would include a quick update on my last post about the chocolate chip cookies and peppermint bark. It all seemed to be going so well at first. Then I baked some of the cookies....they smelled great and looked great but just didn't taste right. I think it had something to do with the dry brown sugar that I used! But if accomplished two of my objectives 1) a great smell to cover the deep fried curry smell and 2) cured some of my boredom! The only thing it didn't fix is my craving for a really good chocolate chip cookie! Next I started on the peppermint bark. I melted all of the chocolate (was even able to concoct a double boiler!!) and smashed all of the candy canes. It was only then that I realized that the candy canes were not peppermint! They tasted like the 'fruity' candy canes you can buy that are all different colors. So I was quite confused but at that point couldn't turn back! I made the not-really-pepperminty-peppermint-bark and let it cool. It ended up looking pretty good and tasted not too bad! I gave it to our friends at our "American Christmas" party we had before leaving and it seems like everyone liked it! But leave it to Germany to make a candy cane that looks like the original but isn't! Oh well... maybe next year!
I have included some pictures of my masterpiece!