Fahren - Driving

Because Sean is heading back to Philly next week to take the next round of all-day tests we are not traveling for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would take this time to just write about some of the other aspects of living here …

Fall colors of my walking/running trail

As I listen to the news reports about the snow socking in the east coast, I am thoroughly enjoying our little “Indian summer” as it were.  The days have been climbing into the low 60’s, the trees are ablaze with red, yellow and gold; and the days are definitely shorter now.  We fell back this past weekend (Oct. 30) so the sun is coming up around 7:15 and setting 5:15ish.  I know that by the time Dec. 21 rolls around it will be dark more than I really like, but that is ok – just need to remember that the summer days will be long, really long! 

So onto driving!  There are some aspects to driving that are harder to get used to than others: 1^st 4-way intersections.  You don’t pay attention to who got there first, but rather is there someone on your right?  The person to your right has the right-of-way, ah, yes, it can be confusing if there is a car at every entryway, then it is the person who is turning right, but only if they are to your right. Right? Right!  You can also wait for many cars to go until every car to your right has gone.  So, I have pulled up to an intersection, been there first and noticed another car entering who is to my right and yes, I do sit and wait for them to go first, mainly, because they don’t slow down until they are in the intersection checking to see if there is someone to their right. 

Autobahns or highway – no yield signs.  Speed up and get in.  The first time I tried to slow down a bit I was almost hit by the guy behind me who was speeding up to 120-130kmH for the merge.  That was a bit of a shocker and the last time I put my foot on the brake when entering the Autobahn.  Now, everyone hears that there is no speed limit on the Autobahn.  True!  There is a suggested speed when traffic is moving over 130kmH (81mph).  In construction areas they will post lower speed limits and when a lower one is posted 99.9% of all the drives adhere to that speed.  The real incentive to not speed, if you are in an accident and found to be going over 130kmH you are automatically at fault, no discussions.  Because a lot of accidents do happen at these speeds the insurance you carry here is HUGE!!  Bodily injury = 7.5 mil. Euros per accident and property = 1 mil. Euros per accident.  That equals $10.3 mil and $1.4 mil.  Pretty good coverage if you ask me.  The best part about driving here is that using your horn is considered rude, actually, making any loud noises is considered rude, so honestly unless there is a serious situation that needs immediate attention you don’t hear horns.  The people who tailgate are generally other Americans.  I can be in very heavy traffic and everyone is giving a nice cushion of room unless you are going under 50kmH which is about 31 mph.  So, it is really a very pleasant driving experience. 

Entrance to walking trails

I don’t know what it is going to be like driving in the winter weather.  We have ordered snow tires, because it is illegal here to drive in the winter with all-weather tires unless they have a snowflake on them.  Yes, we do have the snowflake on our tires, but we have heard that once the snow starts to fall we will have it on the ground up here until March, while at the bottom of the hill it will melt and the streets will be clear.  So, we figure get the real deal and better be safe than sorry. 

The area for driving reminds me of Pennsylvania.  We live on the side of mountain, an Appalachian size mountain.  So, I understand why German immigrants would have felt very comfortable settling in PA, it would have reminded them of home.   Major differences - the hillsides here are covered in windmills, and the houses (more than 50%) have solar panels on their rooftops.  Germany is transitioning from fossil fuels and nuclear to all renewable resources. 

Bingen

Gate to Burg Klopp

We are fast running out of warm weekends to go and explore the towns around us.  I had remember Bingen as a town that I passed on my way to Mainz from Koblenz and decided I wanted to know a little more about it.  The first thing I relearned is that traveling with 2 kids and only 1 adult, not really advisable. Although Clark and MJ are older now, they still will get into mischief and make a lot of noise.  Noise in the US is not nearly as much of a problem as it is here in Europe.  It is not that children should be seen and not heard, it is more of everyone should be seen and not heard.  There is something about everyone living in small, close towns (I mean the houses are really close together here) that inculcates whispering.  Something that really requires 2 parents reminding 2 kids to keep their voices down. 

Burg Klopp

Any rate, the trip, we decided to take the train even though it was 2 hours on the slow moving train, it was beautiful.  I love looking at the towns along the way and seeing the modern houses mixed with the old sometimes in the same building.  Our arrival in Bingen was a little more confusing than I had expected … forgot the paper that gave me our itinerary (tour) and came into the wrong train station – on the opposite side of town.  So, the restaurant I had picked out was no longer 2 blocks away.  Needless to say we found a different spot to eat and did a more spotty tour.

Saw – Burg Klopp, the Roman ruins, Basilica, Mäuseturm,ruins of Ehrenfels castle and the convergence of the Rhine with the Nahe river (linked to photo album with larger photos).

Missed  -  Drususbrücke – one of oldest stone bridges in Germany ( wooden in Roman times, stone 11^th C. (middle ages) rebuilt 1955) in the right bridge pile there is the bridge chapel, in which travelers for centuries prayed for a safe journey. Der Alte Kran, the old crane which was used for loading boats in the 15^th century.  We also didn’t make it to the museums with exhibitions on instruments of a Roman physician and Hildegard von Bingen. She was one of the most important women in the Middle Ages. 

Basilica St. Martin's

The items we missed were actually more historical than those we saw, with the exception of the Basilica.  It was first mentioned in 793 as an abbey.  In 883 the Roman construction was destroyed and newly dedicated in 1220. When fire broke out on 14 August 1403, the church was almost completely destroyed. Three decades later a new Gothic-style St Martin’s church was finished.  It was expanded in 1505.   After the bombing in 1944 the vaulted roof of the main nave and a part of the high altar collapsed.  Today you can see some of the art and treasure from over the years and the original crypt.  It is really amazing to witness these things.  From everything I can figure out it is not possible to tour the Mäuseturm, or ruins of Ehrenfels castle.  Fortunately, it was a wonderful day to play in the park and tour the town. 

 ruins of Ehrenfels castle

Mäuseturm

I have to give kudos to Clark for picking the best meal on the menu today.  We are always trying new dishes.  While many of the restaurants have the same or similar menus, today we came upon a restaurant that had a very creative and diverse menu.  In other words, we had NO idea what we were ordering.  I did figure out that MJ had order a sandwich with smoked salmon (lach); she took the salmon off the bread and ate it on her salad – the dressing on the bread was not a 7 year olds favorite flavors.  I had an amazing fresh baby spinach salad that had a smoked ham on it (most likely from the Black Forest).  But Clark, he had this awesome pork dish with fall vegetables in au jus with a side of, to die for, roasted potatoes.  Oh, I was so glad when he couldn’t finish that meal and passed it my way!!!  Thank you Clark!

We wrapped up our day spending the evening with Dad in Ramstein village at their Oktober fest.  Festivals are outdoor shopping and eating.  We bought MJ a hat that has built in earmuffs and then we got some organic soap that smelled wonderful (MJ went for the lily of the valley).  Instead of fudge it was almond nugget and I think we might go back tomorrow to buy a sheepskin.

MJ‘s mini-blog

I live in Germany. I go to a German school.  It is hard to make friends because I don’t know German.  Whenever I go out, I can’t speak the language unless I’m on base, where everyone speaks English.  Because that is where all of the Army people work who come from America.  But some people do speak English that are German, mostly grown-ups.  My teacher, Frau Heubner, is a very nice teacher, in my opinion.  She tries to help me to learn German a lot.  And I have another teacher he tries to teach me German too, I want to learn German as fast as I can just like all the other German people do.  I am glad to be in Germany, I really like my home.  When I go to school I feel really excited, but at first I felt a little scared.  After the first day I wasn't scared to go back tomorrow.  I realized that children were really nice and so were all the teachers and my principal.  I walk to my school and I walk home from school too.  My Mom takes me to school everyday, but I normally walk ½ or all the way back by myself.  I like both walking with Mom and walking by myself, but I feel more grown-up when I walk by myself.  Most of the kids have Mom’s pick them up but other kids walk home like the older kids.  Oh, and I teach English on Tuesdays, and my teacher doesn't always know the words in English so I have to teach her how to say them.  And I really like being a teacher of English in my class.  

as dictated by MJ

Trier, Germany

I don’t want to sound like a tour guide here, but it is totally worth the trip.  Unbelievable amounts of history in this city.  I am assuming that most people don’t know much if anything about the city of Trier.  So, let me tantalize you with the fact that it was the 4^th largest city in the Roman Empire.  It actually existed as a trade city 1300 years before Rome came to conquer it.  When you walk on these streets, you are walking albeit many layers above, on the same route as men have traversed for thousands of years.  Okay, as an American that really gets me, because in some places in the US there are moments when I realize that I could be standing in a place where only a handful of people have once stood.  As a lover of history that just sends chills through me. 

We took the trip as a USO tour.  Turns out doctors at Landstuhl have a high burnout rate; therefore, a support group/unit has been created to ensure that these medical professionals don’t live at the hospital, but get out and enjoy Europe.  A couple of weeks ago a gift certificate for a substantial discount on a tour showed up on Sean’s desk and voila he used it!  The USO feels it is important for American to learn how to use the German train system.  I’m really glad we went because I discovered that I have been a strong supporter of the Germany economy instead of getting some rockin’ good deals.  Once the lesson on using the ticket machines is ended everyone then takes the train to a local city with a fabulous tour guide.  After taking a 2 hour tour and seeing the 5 UNESCO Heritage sites.  We returned to the city center to do a little shopping, have a great lunch at the Kartoffel Restaurant (Potato Restaurant) and then back to the city gate to listen to some traditional music before getting on the train to head home. 

The tour with a very little history to put it into context.

Amphitheater

Trier, which lies on the Moselle river, is Germany’s oldest city.  The Gauls had settled in the area of what would become Trier after Gaius Julius Caesar conquered the area and established the city we visited on Sept. 23 17BC (vernal equinox).  By the 2^nd century the Romans had built walls with 4 gates, a bridge, the Barbara Baths, amphitheatre and circus.  The city was so impressive that the Gallic emperors selected it as their residence, well; we all know that if the Gallic emperors settle there then it must be good, so Constantius Chlorus (Roman) would come in and take it over as his residence in 286 AD.  (all of this taking over stuff translates into wars)  The Imperial Baths (never finished) were being built by Constantine (the son) when he decided he wanted a city named for him in 316; thus Constantinople in Turkey now known as Istanbul.  During the time that Constantine was there his wife – Helena was a strong believer in Christ and she had brought some treasure to the city including “The Holy Tunic” – an under dress worn by Christ, the remains of St. Matthew the Apostle and Dreikönigsschrein Remains of the “Three Kings” which then traveled to Constantinople, Milan and their final resting place of Cologne.  The house with the sign of the three kings is in dedication to the fact that the relics were once in Trier.  

Euroshop (dollar store) is the
boyhood home of
Karl Marx

The middle ages would see Trier fall into disrepair.  Many of the buildings that were heated would have the inside walls and floors removed so they could build new buildings because the people didn't know how to heat the original buildings anymore.  The black plague killed almost 1/3 of the population and the Jews were to blame because they didn't die due to good hygiene.  Non-Jews didn't wash their hands before cooking /eating and they didn't bathe - at all.  

In modern times, the city is most famous for being the birth place and childhood home to Karl Marx.  On any given day there are a lot of Chinese tourists there to see the museum that has been erected in his honor.  We do plan to return for the museums at some point as they are full of Roman treasure and modern information on the economic theory proposed by Marx.  

Enjoy the photos, I have tried to label as many as possible so they tell the story and give you an idea of what there is to be seen. Photo Album for Trier

To read more about ancient Trier in a concise way the UNESCO heritage sites website is a great resource: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/.  

Ein Monat in der Schule

If you are wondering what the title says, then you are in the same boat as Clark and MJ were on Aug. 8.  But now that they are one month into school, they would have no problems telling you that it is the underlined clause that I just wrote.  As previously noted, the kid’s schools are within walking distance of the house.  Well, in Germany they are in walking distance.  In the US they would definitely be on a bus, especially Clark at 3km.  However, we have found that they both do much better with their studies if they get some good exercise in before the day starts.  No better way, in my book, than to hoof it.  This is also great for Mom, as I walk MJ to school and on days that Dad doesn't need to be to the hospital until 8, well, he walks with Clark.  

So, what is school like here?  To hear the older German generation tell it they have gone to much lower standards and made it easier for the kids to feel like geniuses when they are just bright, capable kids.  To us, they are a breath of fresh air.  The schedule alone is a stay-at-home Mom’s dream.  MJ starts at 7:45 and ends at 11:45, while Clark begins at 8:00 and wraps-up at 13:00 (1pm).  MJ’s has German and math on a daily basis.  Three times a week she has sport (PE), twice a week she has religion, and then once per week is art, music, social responsibility and English (which she helps to teach as her English vocabulary and pronunciation is better than the teacher’s).  So, what is her favorite subject, teaching English – she thinks it is just marvelous to help her classmates pronounce the English words just as they are helping her to learn the German.  The friend making process is slow due to the language barrier; however, in just one month she has gone from knowing only “hallo” to actually expressing herself in simple sentences.  The school is fabulous at helping her, a teacher comes in daily and spends about an hour a day helping her with vocabulary.  We are also doing Rosetta Stone (this is a great program for learning a language), and have hired a private tutor to work with each of us, except Sean due to his schedule, on the areas that are giving us trouble. 

Clark is in the Gymnasium. The school system here is very different from the US as the elementary ends in 4^th grade and high school begins in 5^th.  After elementary students select which school they wish to attend upon entering 5^th grade based upon interests and academic achievement.  The Gymnasium is for students with high academic achievement and aspirations to attend college and get advanced degrees.  The curriculum here is not accelerated like in the US, it is taught in a very practical manner.  Every subject is tied back to real world usage.  Example, math is taught from the perspective and why, when and how it is used.  So, while he is reviewing concepts and techniques he has already learned, he is now learning why it was taught.  We are grateful that the material is all “old” because it means that he can concentrate on learning the language instead of trying to understand the actual material being presented.  We also know that mistakes he makes are more due to the language than a lack of understanding.  So, he will experience his first year with less than perfect scores and we are sort of glad he is being humbled at this stage rather than in college.  The courses include: Deutsch, Math, Geography, Science (natural), Religion, French, Music, Choir (he plays the recorder), Art and Sport (PE).  They have 2 - 45minute classes and then take a 15 minute break where they socialize, eat, and relax.  It is a great schedule.  Art is always a double period one time per week and science has a double period once per week, as does sport.  This is great for really getting into projects, experiments and playing games.  I still can’t believe how much they cover in such a short amount of time.  He is learning the language very quickly, but of course it is not fast enough for him. 

Now, Sean and I, we are a totally different story.  Sean has learned a few phrases so he can be polite and pay the check at the end of a great meal.  I am taking German lessons and realizing just how little I really learned in high school 25 years ago.  Of course the fact that I rarely had the opportunity to practice it doesn’t help either.  I do have to say that everyone here is incredibly gracious and compliments me on my efforts.  Reality is that by June the kids will be able to talk circles around me. 

So, what are the truly unique aspects to the school?  Well, they go on field trips for one.  They happen a lot!  The kids just go.  After three days of school MJ comes home to tell me she has gone on her first field trip to the local church.  Two weeks later they spent the day outside on the playing fields getting exercise.  Just recently they visited the local bank to learn about money.  Parents aren’t asked to chaperone, the kids are expected to behave themselves, and we aren’t asked for money or permission slips.  If you send your kid to school then the school takes care of them.  We are asked to buy all of their books, notebooks, paper, and pencils.  So, when they lose a book or write in it – that is fine, it belongs to them and the parents are responsible.  This works well for us as we are writing in books all the time to translate words.  Clark has also gone on field trips that included a track and field day, and a visit to the local castle.  We did get notice about Clark’s activities because he is not expected to bring his books on those days.  Unfortunately, Clark did not get to visit the castle with his class as he was suffering from pneumonia at the time.  We have been truly blessed by these remarkable schools, great teachers and a unique opportunity to immerse our children in this very warm and caring society.

Clark's 5th grade (5 klasse) schedule - added 10/17/2011

Here’s a chart of my subjects and times/ Studenplan

Time/Zeit	Mon. / Montag	Tues./ Dienstag	Wed. / Mittwoch	Thurs./ Donnerstag	Fri./ Freitag
8:00-8:45	Math	German	Class meeting	Music	French
8:45-9:30	PE	Math	German	Science	French
15 minute break 1
9:45-10:30	German	Science	Science	German	Math
10:30-11:15	Music	Science	Religion or Eth.	Geography	Religion or Eth.
15 minute break 2
11:30-12:15	French	French	Art	Math	PE
12:15-1:00	Choir optional	Geography	Art	French	PE
1:00-1:45	none	none	Instrument opt.	Ethics (or Rel.)	none
1:45-2:30	none	none	none	Ethics (or Rel.)	none

A house and a car

August 22, 2011

Wow, a big gap here.  So, during the time that we were in the temporary lodging Sean in-processed to the hospital, we found a house that is 500 yards from the hospital, and bought a 2010 Volvo XC60.  We spent a lot of time looking at fast little BMW’s but as soon as we found the house and realized that Sean was able to walk to work we quickly switched to the family car for Mayland and the kids. 

So, to enumerate the blessings of finding this house … We were able to move in before the end of July and not start paying rent until 1 August.  Turns out that the 2^nd floor is actually a furnished apartment for the owners to use in winter when they come over to go skiing.  They were kind enough to let us stay there until we received our temporary furniture from the Army (think dorm stuff), that was 10 days.  It also turns out that one of the best restaurants is 1 block from our house, a bakery, small grocery store and MJ’s elementary school are all 1km from the house (that is .6 miles).  Clark’s school, the gymnasium, better known to us as a high school, is down the hill from the hospital and a 3 km walk.  

Tuesday, 30 August we will be getting our own furniture.  It is very exciting to get furniture after 60 days of not seeing it - almost like Christmas.  The other great blessing is that Sean is getting an extra week off to help set-up the house, so instead of going into work on Thursday to take care of patients, he will only need to go in for a couple of days to do administrative work, the rest of the time we can put things away.  A real treat!

We arrived - July 15, 2011

I am posting what I had written on the first we week arrived in Germany.  So here it is:

Please realize that this move has been in the making for a few months, we received the official word in March that we were definitely being assigned to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center – the largest American hospital outside of the US.  This is where all of the injured soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are sent before they can return to the states.  Sean will be taking care of them in the ICU when all is said and done. 

A military move outside of the US is known as an OCONUS move and involves a lot more preparation than the regular move.  We had 3 packs – one for the household goods that went to Germany by boat (10,000 pounds); 300 pounds that headed over by air and then the final 4,000 pounds that went into storage.  Originally, we had planned on taking a car over with us.  After much debate it was decided to sell the Mazda and bring the Volvo (met European specifications).  However, that plan never came to fruition as the Volvo did not return with Mayland and the kids from Colorado.  So, despite the best laid plans we will be buying a new, to us, car when we arrive. 

We arrived on Thursday at 7:30AM.  The kids each slept about 3 hours on the plane while Mayland got an hour and Sean none.  After collecting our bags we found the USO, met with an Army representative and then did a little shopping at the local bakery and grocery store in the airport.  For our American friends who are nervous about coming to visit, every sign in the airport is labeled in both German and English and if you are a Bank of America customer, you can take out money from a Deutsche Bank ATM without any fees, and they have one in the airport.  I can now, honestly, say that Clark has fallen asleep in a vehicle with wheels on it 9 times since his birth, he did fall asleep in the bus on the way to the first installation, Kaiserslautern.  After a quick stop for paperwork there, we went onto Landstuhl where Sean found his sponsor Dr. Silvey who graciously drove us to the temporary house we had contracted for before leaving the states.  Once we got to the house the owner took one look at our two kids and decided that he had a better house for us.  He was so right.  We went from a 3 bedroom, small kitchen house to a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, attic that is a playroom/bedroom, full kitchen with a refrigerator and freezer!  The best part is that when we pulled up there were 4 girls, MJ’s age, outside playing in the street.  She is already identifying the next “best” friend in the group.  

Mosel River

August 25, 2011

We have returned from our first weekend “adventure” to the Mosel Valley.  This region is famous for its wine, especially Riesling a sweeter white wine.  The vineyards were loaded with grapes and the weekend was spectacular.  We have actually been to the Mosel Valley before, in 2005.  So, let me back-up. 

In the fall of 2005 we made a trip to Europe with the kids so that Sean could do a month long rotation in the ICU at Landstuhl hospital during residency.  Mayland had decided that this would be a relaxing week to spend with the kids then aged 5 ½ and 2 ½.  At that time we stayed in Cochem and toured the local castle, nick-named the “Pumpkin Castle”, which left a major impression on MJ.  Since we have returned to Germany we heard weekly a plea to return to the “Pumpkin castle”.  Fortunately, the return visit did not disappoint.  

The Mosel Valley was having a wine festival this past weekend, so we were only able to find a place to stay for Friday night.  We had originally booked 2 double rooms, but the family was able to change us to a 2 bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the town of Ellenz, opposite the very charming village of Beilstein.  A ferry connects the two towns and Bielstein is famous for its castle ruin and Jewish cemetery.  Unfortunately, the ferry closes at 6pm and we were heading over at 4:30 to take a walk up to the ruins and cemetery, followed by a dinner at the local restaurant.      

One of the interesting parts of these towns is how high the Mosel River has risen over the years.  In each town there is a building with hochwasser (high water) marks on the walls, all of which are well over Sean’s head.  So, the “castle” in Beilstein is Burg Metternich.  It was one of the most powerful towns/castles along the river during the 1268-1687’s.  It was destroyed by the French in 1688 and never rebuilt.  The ruins are rather sad, but the view of the river and vineyards is fabulous.  Along the walk up the hill are some pieces of marble that are carved with depictions from the life of Christ.  They look like they could date back to Roman times, but there is no information to confirm or deny.

We continued up the hill to the  Jüdische Friedhof.  The town was once occupied by a large Jewish settlement, that emigrated to the US during the late 1800’s.  Fortunately, only 1 family was in residence at the time of WWII.  The town no longer has any Jewish inhabitants, but it still has a synagogue and the cemetery that is cared for by a small community of Jews in the town of Mainz. 

Thanks to our walk we had worked up a nice appetite that allowed us to eat at the local restaurant that has grapes growing over the patio and a beautiful view of the river where we watched the swans and ducks floating by.  We also met a couple from Washington State, so we had a lovely conversation about our old home state. 

Saturday Morning we headed up to Cochem to visit MJ’s “Pumpkin Castle” which was pretty much exactly as she remembered it.  There are two rooms that the kids really enjoy; the first is the entertainment room.  It is in this room that dinner and dances would have happened.  They have equipped the room to play music and it really does evoke the image of being a “ballroom”.  

The second room is the armor room; there is actually armor there that was worn by a man who stood about 7 feet tall. 

 The real treasure in the room is a panel door that opens to reveal a treasure chest full of gold coins that are really chocolates wrapped in gold foil.  Both Clark and MJ were so excited when we got into the room anticipating that chocolate.  That made their day!

After we finished our tour we had a small lunch and then headed to the train station to go up to the next castle, Burg Eltz.  This castle is not on the Mosel river, but rather an 8km walk from the river through a very small, sleepy little town past some very beautiful gardens.  Both of these castles are fully intact and furnished.  Burg Eltz is unique in that it is still occupied by the family who has been living there for the last 800 years.  So, during the tour you see tapestries from the 1200’s to family photos from 5 years ago.  Absolutely fascinating!  You can easily go on the web to learn more about this amazing castle.

Just to clarify, I refer to things as castles and generally American’s think of a royal residence.  In Europe a Burg is a castle that was a fortification for a powerful family.  A palace is a residence for a royal family.  So, along the Mosel and Rheine rivers there aren’t any palaces as these were two rivers with a lot of burgs because there was a lot of money to be collected as the barges and boats carried goods that were taxed in order to pass to the next bend (burg).  So, when you see burg think local IRS J.