Back in the States & My Favorite Photos

We've been back in the U.S. since Saturday night, but it's already felt like more than a week or two. After spending the night in Detroit for a cancelled flight, we arrived to Evansville, Indiana on Sunday morning; Simba was an angel the entire trip. We spent Sunday afternoon with family and Monday packing up the moving truck. On Tuesday, we arrived to our new apartment complex in northeast Indy, and moved into our new home. On Wednesday (yesterday) we purchased a couch and bed, and today our new furniture will be delivered. I'm currently working on lightning speed Internet and loving every minute of it!

To say the least, we've accomplished a lot in a few days, and our apartment is starting to feel like home. Simba enjoys exploring the new area and sleeping on his favorite desk chair that he used as a kitten. I'm working on organizing my Europe photos for albums, prints, etc, and wanted to share my favorites with you. I'll update again soon with photos of our new place! 

Living in Germany: Some of Our Favorite Things

Recently, I posted a blog about many things Derek and I are looking forward to upon our return to the United States like Mexican food and English TV. Although we are looking forward to our return home and seeing family and friends, there are many, many parts about Germany and our life in Germany that we are going to miss. Here's what comes to mind first:

Derek enjoying the tranquility in Switzerland

Weekend trips to other countries. We've heard from many of our German friends that Derek and I have explored many more parts of Germany let alone Europe than they have, living in Germany for their whole lives. I suppose when you give an American a limited about of time, car, paycheck, and wife at home, trips get planned. Derek and I have been so fortunate to travel not only to most major (and small, quaint) cities in Germany but also several other countries; this lifestyle is something I will truly miss. However, through my experience abroad, I have gained a greater appreciation for the United States and look forward to discovering our home country. It's easy to take something for granted when it's been out your backdoor your entire life; so a resolution for not only 2013 but beyond, is to seek out the special places not only in Indiana, but across the country as well.

Pastries: Happiness in every bite.

Bakeries. Berliners, apfel strudel, shoko croissants, kaffee und kuchen. I do not doubt that these delicacies have aided to my five pounds in weight gain, but bakeries are everywhere. Our little town has four within walking distance of my house. And not only do they sell delicious pastries and numerous fresh-baked breads, but many have pre-made, fresh sandwiches for a cheap, on-the-go lunch. Yum!

Public transport. Since I don't drive, I take the bus and train while Derek is working. Although it can be frustrating if the bus is late or if the train is delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, I can still get almost anywhere with public transportation. We've taken the train to Munich, Amsterdam, Prague and Paris. Europe is connected and it would be nice if the U.S. would get on board as well!

 A Festival in Salzburg

Festivals.  With wine festivals celebrating the opening of the season and then the harvest and church festivals in every German town, Germans always have a reason to celebrate. Christmas time equals Christmas markets in every town, and October not only means Oktoberfest in Munich, but mimicked festivals throughout the rest of Germany. In the main festival season, from about May to October, you'll find wine festivals all along the Bergstrasse and Weinstrasse and kerwes add another reason for the town to come together and prost with a beer. Before festival season, there are still other festivals called Fashing, or Carnival. Carnival officially starts in Cologne at 11:11 on November, 11 and goes until Ash Wednesday.

Nature. Yes, of course we have an uncountable number of beautiful places in the United States. However, the area that Derek and I live in is set among small, rolling mountains dotted with vineyards and entrances to the Odenwald National Park. I will miss the view as I walk home from the grocery store.

Our Zwingenberger vineyards and small mountains

Bergstrasse in Fall

Derek's Thoughts:


Work Colleagues, Friends and Family:
Over the past year I have had the privilege to work with many great people in Germany. One of the things that I love about my office is that it really does have a “family” feel to it. The office is an “open office” concept where only small dividers separate each desk. We eat lunch together in the Kantine (lunchroom), talk together outside after lunch (I mostly listen and try to understand as much of the conversation as possible), celebrate birthdays and weddings, and many other elements that make even a foreigner feel at home.

Marius, Caroline and Derek at Beilstein's wine fest

We've made some great friends during our time here as well and would not have had the same experience without them. We are hoping to have a lot of German visitors in America, beginning with Eva and Philip who will join us to celebrate one of America’s greatest events, the Indy 500.  

We have also had an incredible time getting to know our German relatives better. We had the opportunity to spend Easter, Christmas, and a few birthdays with them, along with numerous other times where we were invited or visited for one reason or another. It was our home away from home, and we were very fortunate to have that kind of support here in Germany.  I know our families will continue to strengthen the bonds that we have and look forward to what the future may bring. We will miss them very much.

Bier

Nothing beats a Hefeweizen

You cannot mention favorite things about Germany without mentioning the beer as well, just like I learned from Django that you can’t have a real German story without a mountain in it. I have fallen in love with the German Hefeweizen, as well as the Keller bier. Not only are these beers delicious and full-flavored, but most of them cost the same or even less than our Bud/Miller type beers and you can mix and match whatever beers you want when buying a case.  The Getränkemarkts will be sorely missed.


Autobahn
I will admit, when I first arrived to Germany after traveling for 20 hours and got into our standard transmission rental car (I hadn't driven stick for years), the Autobahn seemed like a daunting task.  That feeling quickly went away after a couple days and I discovered the joy of being able to basically travel as fast as you want towards your destination. It will be a sad day when I get onto the 465 loop around Indy with a 55 mph speed limit.




And the rest goes without saying. We've made wonderful friends here, and I don't want to say goodbye. I will miss being able to walk to the store, or ride my bike to through the vineyards, past the carrot plants and to the store most similar to a CVS. I'll miss having fresh bread, salami and local brie cheese as an acceptable meal three out of three days on a trip. (actually, that's pretty acceptable.)  I'll miss drinking wine made from the grapes in my town and admiring the red tiled roof tops of the half-timbered houses. I'll miss meeting the girls for drinks in the Heppenheim marketplatz and the way it feels to board a train or plane with only a backpack, ready for adventure and an inhale of culture. I'll miss many, many things about this place. And I'm sure I will discover what I truly miss once we are settled into our new apartment in Indy.

Where else will I find a giant sausage table/trash can!?

Or giant Ritter Sport?

Wrapping up Autumn

Vibrant colors dotting the hillsides, a chill in the air and the excitement of approaching Christmas markets is how I would describe the Herbst of Germany. Views of the Bergstrasse never cease to amaze me; with a blue sky and the quietness of nature, my time walking through the hills of our region will always stay with me. Here are a few photos I've captured in the past few weeks. If you came to Zwingenberg today, you wouldn't see these vibrant colors because winter has arrived, but the bare trees of winter only give new perspective and excitement for the coming weihnachtsmarkt season.

Vineyard view with Auerbach Castle in the distance

Rolling hills of the Bergstrasse

Fall Foliage

Wine walk through the hills

Leftovers from the harvest

Looking over Zwingenberg

Last Thursday, as many people celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends stateside, Derek and I enjoyed too many episodes of Prison Break accompanied by not-so-good frozen pizzas and delicious German wine. But, on Saturday we welcomed our German friends to an American Thanksgiving feast at our apartment. We managed to gather three tables, our dining table, patio table, and random marble table, and created enough room for everyone to sit comfortably. Since I have ample free time, I spent all of Friday preparing the vegetables, chopping onions, carrots, apples, celery, and drying out too much bread for my grandmas' recipes of dressing. I even spent the evening making a homemade apple pie complete with a butter flaked crust. With no rolling pin, I learned that all things can be accomplished with a little faith. On Saturday, Derek and I basted the turkey and let it roast for three hours. While seeking help from Google, Derek "carved" the turkey and Simba had a hayday. Once everything finished baking, our table was complete with a 5.4 kilo turkey (13 pounds), two large dishes of dressing, corn pudding for 20, mashed potatoes for 15, and plenty of bread to last the next four days. Derek and I seriously overestimated the eating power of our German friends. But one of the best parts about Thanksgiving is the leftovers, so I guess I planned accordingly. Not to mention the entire extra cheese ball that is still in the fridge. I should probably throw that out.

On Sunday, we went to the Felsenmeer in the Odenwald, a large rock-bed flowing down a mountain. Dating from the ice age, the Felsenmeer is now part of the Odenwald National Park. There is more history and geological importance, but we were too tired to really dive into the facts. That evening we went to the Formula 1 Racing Championship public viewing party in Heppenheim Vettelheim. Sebastian Vettel, the world champion of Formula 1 is from Heppenheim, and the city goes crazy for the sport. Here's a few photos of last weekend.

Homemade apple pie

Turkey time!

Eva, me, Nadine

Derek and I enjoying our first Thanksgiving 

A full feast

Group photo minus Derek

Derek and I at the Felsenmeer

Taking a tour of Zwingenberg with Marius and Doro

Doro and Eva at the Vettelheim public viewing

A Walk in the Vineyard

I hurried home from Heppenheim tonight to try to catch the sun before it faded below the horizon. The vibrant colors of fall, especially in the vineyards, have captivated me. You be the judge, but here's some fall inspiration to brighten your day!

Living in Germany: A Tour of Zwingenberg

Our little town of Zwingenberg along the Bergstrasse in Hesse, Germany always surprise me. Every time we go exploring, we find new nook and crannies and intriguing pathways to explore. In addition to being the oldest town on the Bergstrasse, Zwingenberg is known for its vineyards and wine making. So, Derek and I went exploring this past weekend, and here's a peek at our little German home:

The photo below shows signs with a green wine glass. This sign is seen many times throughout the Bergstrasse region. The wine glass directs the way to the famous wine trail that connects Zwingenberg to Heppenheim. 

This tower is on the higher level of Zwingenberg, and dates back to the 1500s. This tower provides an historic and beautiful addition to the city.

Here is a view of Zwingenberg from the church on the hill. 

Cobbled stone streets fill many German towns. This one leads into the vineyards.

Below is our favorite Eis Cafe in Zwingenberg. There are two Eis Cafes in Zwingenberg, but we have actually only tried this one. We walk right up to the window on the left side of the building and order ein kugel!

Here is a road very close to our house, but leads away from Zwingenberg and into another small town. I enjoy taking walks and runs in this area.

In Germany, bike paths can take you anywhere. This sign says that the Zwingenberg train station is .2km away and Darmstadt is 19. Bike paths are readily available, and if there is no path, it is common to just ride on the road.

We shop a Netto- similar to Aldi- almost every other day. 

Here is a local pub with a biergarten in the back. We first tried Schnitzel mit Kochkäse here! It is a short walk from our house.

We visit this Kaffeehaus often - it has high-speed Internet! I'm actually sitting in here with a coffee and pastry as I type this sentence.

Zwingenberg has a nice park in the middle of town that hosts small festivals throughout the year. 

This is the main road of Zwingenberg's old town - it's filled with cute cafes and cobbled streets.

This is the marktplatz (main center) in Zwingenberg. It is home to several restaurants, perfectly shaped trees and a lovely fountain!

In Zwingenberg's old town, half-timbered houses are scattered everywhere. I thought this house was particularly charming!

Same with this house! Flower boxes adorn many of the half-timbered homes in Germany.

This cute garden is perched on the side of the hill near the church. What a view!

Derek is standing outside of the Bürgerbüro and town hall. We go here to pick up yellow garbage sacks for recycling. It is across the street from the Eis Cafe.

Here are some other random photos with captions:

A bike path under the train tracks

There is a tiny market in Zwingenberg Marktplatz every Friday morning. 

Beautiful vineyards close to our house.

"Don't poop here."

Water hole and bird sign near entrance to the Odenwald National Park