All over (again)

We're home. We're done. We made it.

We are no longer American expats living in Germany. Our adventure is complete.

And what an adventure it was!

It's hard to summarize my thoughts about our time there, especially since we've only been home for a little over two months, but I think I can give some key takeaways:

1) It was TOTALLY amazing. I already miss the history in Europe. I miss going into Wiesbaden on my 12 minute train ride and seeing the Marktkirche, or taking a very easy, 45-minute train ride into Frankfurt followed by a pleasant walk to Romer plaza.  I knew I would miss those.  As of today, I am not pining for them. I don't long to return to them, yet. But I suspect that someday I will be reviewing my ~7,500 pictures, and I will want to return.

2) Life happened. I guess that's the thing about being an expat that you really can't avoid. Sure, when we found out we were going there, I couldn't wait to visit so many different countries and cities that I never thought I would visit in my life. I did that! But I also didn't visit QUITE as many countries and cities as I thought I would have, because of work, sickness, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, travel for work, and just being tired in general without having our support network. In retrospect, it is not disappointing at all. It's just kind of silly that I didn't see it that way to begin with before we left.

3) I'd do it all over again! And in fact, David even mentioned that perhaps in the distant future I could start looking for a job in Japan. Japan! Some alien stole my husband from me and I'm living with a doppelganger, I think. But seriously, Japan could be a real opportunity, many years down the road, that is. I will have to start learning Japanese. And how does one do that so far from a big city? On-line Japanese learning sounds like a disaster to me!

4) Our support network is AWESOME! I will tell you for sure that being without our support network has made me even more appreciative of it. My people are incredible. Life is so much easier back here where people can help me out and I can vent (or spew!) to my girlfriends in person. Thank God for my friends and family!

5) The U.S. is so, extremely blessed. It is a place where life is convenient. Space is abundant. Fresh air, too. Even stars! And friendly people, with real smiles. Dentists are gentle and understanding! Is everything better here? Maybe not. We don't recycle as well, and healthy food is much more expensive. But overall, life here is really, really good.

Ahhhh, yes. The good old U.S. of A.

SO happy to be back.

Tips on coming to Germany

I've learned a lot about Germany since I've been here. Knowing some of it ahead of time would have made the beginning easier. Here are some of the things I've learned:

1) Restrooms at the autohofs and at some tourist locations can cost up to one Euro. They are always clean, always. The sooner you get over the cost, the better your time will be. There are roadside pit stops that don't charge, but after the first couple of times, we only used them in serious child emergencies. Usually there is pee on the floors and no soap or paper towels. The €1 is worth it, believe me.

2) Gas is expensive. If you're driving anywhere, I would figure ~2 times what one would pay in the U.S. to fill up your tank.

3) The best months to visit would be July and August if you like it hot, or September and October if you like it cooler. Most of the other months can be pretty rainy.

4) McDonald's is very expensive. But their fries and nuggets are delicious! And they have different sandwiches than we're used to, so it might be worth a visit if you're already a McDonald's fan to begin with.

5) If you're using the trains and the buses, there's a good chance you might mess up. Even if you don't mess up, the train or the bus schedule might be diverted, and you will have to go with it. I recommend that you have realistic expectations about how long it takes to travel from one place to another. It isn't always easy, but be patient with yourself and the transportation, and you'll get there eventually.

6) If you go anywhere near a festival, visit it. The festivals are fun and culturally interesting. Try a bratwurst mit brotchen, because that's what the Germans do. Also, the fries (called pommes, sounds like pom-es) are great.

An ideal vacation in Hesse (your itinerary)

There is so much to do in Germany, and even in the state of Hesse alone. A family could make a very enjoyable vacation out of a fair-weather trip to Hesse, and even without a car. The first thing you will want to do is download two crucial apps for your visit without a car: the DB Navigator app and the RMV app. (Search the Play Store for "RMV Hesse". It is the RMV Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund app that pops up.) Although it is not necessary, I recommend tying a credit card to both of these apps as soon as you can to facilitate ticket purchases. The next thing you will want to do is to buy a portable cell phone charger so that when you purchase e-tickets on RMV, your battery doesn't die on you and cost you a 60 Euro fine for not having a ticket for the train or bus. (That never happened to me, but over the course of two years, I saw several people get ticketed or get kicked off the train or bus.)

I got to know Hesse a good bit, so here are my recommendations for a family vacation there without a car:

1) Day 1: Travel. Red-eye flight from the U.S. to Frankfurt. Immediately upon arrival, withdraw at least 200 Euros in cash, because Hesse (and Germany in general) is very much a cash economy.

You may have one or more of these expressions on your face during and after a long day of travel to Germany.

2) Day 2: Romer Plaza. Use the RMV app to direct you to the right train from the airport to your AirBnB near Romer Plaza. Don't go to sleep! Leave your luggage at the AirBnB and go visit Romer plaza. Grab a cup of coffee at ConditCouture, and if you're up for it, enjoy a piece of cake. Sit outside if the weather is nice and enjoy the view.

After you've rested a bit at the cafe, visit the cathedral, its museum (including the second location), and the architecture of the "New Old Town". It is absolutely lovely. There are dozens of restaurants near the area. I recommend finding a place for schnitzel, which is German comfort food at its best. After lunch, I recommend either a stroll across the bridge to the Design museum, or a visit to the Goethe House for a good picture of life in the 1800s for the wealthy in Germany. I suggest that you do NOT visit the Schirn Museum on your most tired day! Get to bed early, but try to stay awake until at least 8:00 p.m. so that the rest of your trip is enjoyable.

Inside the cathedral is a photo that shows the destruction surrounding it following the bombings of WWII.
It is worth the visit just to see that photo.

3) Day 3: City change and Wiesbaden visit. On your first full day in Germany, leave Frankfurt and get a place to stay in Mainz for the next 4 nights. Check the RMV app to find the most efficient route. The train is easy enough, but will probably require a transfer. This short trip is a good way to learn how to navigate the public transportation system. If you mess up, it should not be a giant mistake.

After you check in to your "new home" for the next 4 nights, get back to the bus or train station and take a trip to Wiesbaden. The things to visit there include: Kochbrunnen, a well from the hot springs the town is named after, the Protestant Church, the Landeshauptmuseum, and a good place to eat, such as Hans im Gluck or Lovt & Liebe. If you did not get schnitzel in Frankfurt, or if you desire another evening of German cuisine, I recommend Paulaner's in Wiesbaden. It is a small chain and they are very family friendly. If you are there in the summer, visit Ciao Ciao for some of the best ice cream (ever!). There is also the Casino (kurhaus), if that is of interest to you. It did not fit my family, so we never visited it. These activities should easily fill up the rest of your afternoon.

A beautiful July day in Wiesbaden

4) Day 4: Rhein River Cruise. You can take a Rhein River Cruise from Mainz, and I highly recommend it. Overall, this will be a nice relaxing day, which will probably be welcome after those first 3 days full of aggressive travel and little rest. Bring water! It is possible to do a round-trip cruise, but I don't recommend it because you will be on a boat for about 8 (or more!) hours, and the afternoon will be just about the exact same as the morning. Instead, I recommend that you get tickets departing from Mainz, and get off at St. Goar (not to be confused with St. Goarshausen). Have a radler (beer with lemonade) on the cruise. At St. Goar, you will take a short walk to visit Burg Rheinfels, which is a nice castle to visit while in Germany. They are friendly, the upkeep is good, and the kitchen is downright fascinating (because it is a a medieval kitchen--imagine having to cook in it!). After your boat ride and your castle visit, take the train back to Mainz. It is an easy, beautiful train ride that doesn't require a transfer. If you want a convenient, low maintenance dinner, try Mosch Mosch. It's sort of like the Noodles & Co. in the U.S.

* Cultural note: If you go into Mosch Mosch, and many other restaurants in Germany, you will sit close to people you don't know. When you sit, greet them with "Hallo" or "Guten Tag" or "Guten Abend". When you leave, depart with a "Tschuss" or "Schon Tag" or "Auf Wiedersehen". That is what is polite.

Really. The Rhein River Cruise is fabulous.

FABULOUS.

5) Day 5: Mainz. Mainz has become one of my favorite cities. The things to visit there include: The Dom (cathedral), The Gutenberg Museum, The Schiff Museum (Museum of Ancient Seafaring), the Roman amphitheater, the incredibly blue Chagall windows at St. Stephen's Church, and the Isis and Magna Mater museum, which is underneath a small shopping mall, but really is a must-see because of its uniqueness. There are also other Roman ruins all around Mainz that could be of interest, depending on your time and energy levels.

Three of my favorite windows ever.

6) Day 6: Rudesheim Romantik Tour. This is a great day-long tour that gives you a different view of the Rhein River. Take the train from Mainz to Rudesheim, and follow the crowd to the ticket office for the Rudesheim Romantik Tour. It involves hiking, so bring sunscreen and water. It also involves 2 gondola rides, so I don't recommend it for small children, since the rides are open. But it is a nice day that will show you some beautiful views, some interesting architecture, and some really nice vineyards. Return to Mainz for your last night there. I hope you will be sad to be leaving.

A small part of the hike on the Rudesheim Romantik Tour. Beautiful. This was taken in August.

7) Day 7: Return trip to Frankfurt. Take the train back to Frankfurt, and deposit your luggage at your next sleeping place, once again near Romer Plaza. Visit the Schirn Museum and the Design Museum or Goethe House (whichever you didn't on Day 2). The Schirn Museum is world-renown and deserves your wakeful attention. I recommend checking the exhibitions on their website before taking your children, as some exhibitions may not be appropriate for children or youth. Also note that the Schirn Museum has a great play area for your young kids.

Did I ever mention in this blog how much I love the Schirn Museum? Nothing I could say about it would do its exhibitions justice. Go visit it.

8) Day 8: Return trip to the U.S. Take a morning flight home. Leave in the morning to get there in the afternoon.

Home again, home again

We are home at last.

It feels so good to be home.

I have been saying that like it's my new mantra. My goodness, it feels so good to be home!

We got home on Friday, July 19th, and have now been home for 9 days. In that short time, we put about 1400 miles on my father-in-law's car, which he so graciously let us borrow until we can buy a new vehicle. I am SO grateful for that!

We have done a lot, too. Isn't it great to be a tourist in your own home-town?

We've been swimming at the hotel pool, went to a baseball game, visited the Arboretum at Penn State (lovely place and I very much recommend it if you're in the area), visited Del Grosso's Amusement Park, watched a fireman's parade and attended a local festival, enjoyed my nephew's new VR station, and of course spent some quality time with our families and friends. We have been so busy, and I am so tired!

At the hotel breakfast the first morning, I went down before the kids woke up, and I found myself sitting and listening to people's conversations and just enjoying the fact that THEY WERE SPEAKING ENGLISH! It felt like a surprise to me. It is so nice to walk into a gas station and get a diet pepsi and be greeted in English. And the FRIENDLINESS! Oh my goodness, people are so friendly here. I can't tell you how many strangers have commented about my good kids or my patience, which they appreciate. A dozen, already, perhaps?! It is absolutely lovely. It is SO GOOD to be home!

You know you're happy to be home when a raccoon carcass makes you smile. I wasn't happy that he was dead, but it was so nice to see a RACCOON! And we saw a fawn outside our house that first morning. And the Milky Way! PA is absolutely a beautiful state. I am so glad to live here.

Tomorrow I get to go back to work, and I am looking forward to it. I'm not certain that I'll LOVE my job, but I know I still love the people there. I am looking forward to being with them again. It is a great team to be coming back to.

I have a lot of work left to do to get us back into "normal" again. I realize (now that I'm home) that the German home never felt like home to me, and that because of that, we've kind of been in limbo for about 2.5 years. They were beautiful years, of course, but still limbo. I am looking forward to being in a routine again (at least for a little while!), and getting the kids into the school down the street and living in the Land of Convenience for a while. I am looking forward to pressing the EASY button.

And I'm also looking forward to Christmas! (Lol. That's my craziness, though. I'll mostly keep it to myself for at least a couple more months.)

I took this picture the last morning, about 20 minutes before the taxi driver came. These kids were SO good sleeping like this in the Wiesbaden Army Lodge for 23 nights. The room was a little crowded, but they (and David!) did it. I'm so proud of them.

We had so many people and so many suitcases, people at the airport stopped to watch us like we were a parade. It was weird.

A diva at the ball game.

Me and one of my sweeties.

Three of my sweeties. (Wasn't familiar with the selective focus feature on my new phone. Sorry, David!)

These four kids at the hotel breakfast. The littlest things make them so happy!

An interesting flower kaleidoscope at the Penn State Arboretum. GREAT place for the kids to let off some steam.

Music making at the Arboretum.

This little guy posed as long as I wanted him to.

Riding with cousin Steven at Del Grosso's. What a fun day!

Somebody had a good game day. Pulled the number 2 from the Fishy Fishy and hit the golden cup on the ball toss.

Even I played the VR, and it was fun!

I wonder why I am getting this look?!

Luxembourg

I'm sitting in the train this morning feeling, once again, grateful. This time to David, who graciously gave me the day to take a trip to Luxembourg alone. I miss the family when I do this, but the sightseeing is so much better!

It was, without the kids, a 25-minute walk to the train station. I had time to get my piping-hot coffee and pain au chocolat, and will enjoy those on the 2.5-hour ride to Koblenz. Then I will have a 1-hour layover, which means I will get to see a little bit of Koblenz. And then there will be another 1.5-hour train ride to Luxembourg, where I'll spend about 5.5 hours. What a great day it will be!

Meanwhile, David, who worked very hard all week getting groceries on foot, keeping up with laundry, and entertaining the kids with trips to multiple playgrounds and multiple play dates, will take the kids bowling (always a painful experience, lol) and to the PX for the food court and some browsing. Thank you, Husband!!

... And now my walk is done! The train was quite an ordeal getting here. There was a technical malfunction on one of the trains which resulted in everyone planning to go further than Trier riding a bus to the final destination. For me, it was about 30 minutes later than planned, which wasn't bad. It would have been difficult with the whole family, though, because the bus was packed and I barely got a seat. I definitely wouldn't have been able to get in that bus if I'd had the family along. Thus far, it looks like my return trip will be as scheduled, but I'm not very confident because it seems like DB is updating the schedule when it's too late for passengers to adjust. We'll see.

Koblenz was very pretty! I didn't have much time, but I used it to walk 50 minutes round-trip to a church, which was beautiful. I did go in, but it was Saturday morning mass, so I didn't walk around or take pictures inside. The outside is so pretty too, though!

I had gorgeous weather for my half-day in Luxembourg. I basically walked around on foot for about 3.5 hours. Then I had a delicious lunch at a French restaurant. It was the best cordon bleu I've ever had. That gravy!!

I'm so happy I had a chance to visit Luxembourg, but in case you're wondering, it didn't change my favorites list. Luxembourg was interesting because it is somewhat small (120,000 compared with Wiesbaden at about 300,000), but walking around today made it seem very diverse! I think most people I saw today were tourists, but I didn't notice any Americans other than me. People were pretty friendly. I sat down at one restaurant and the guy said something to me and I said, "Merci." Then another guy came out and gently told me that they were closing. Wups! I thought he had said sit wherever you like. But then I realized I did indeed hear the word "ferme" and maybe could have recognized it if I'd been paying attention and expecting it.

That's okay. They were friendly.

I wonder if this is my very last trip in Europe? I wonder how David would feel if I brought up Frankfurt and the Schirn museum one last time?! I might yet!

Church in Koblenz

View during train ride. Absolutely gorgeous

Church in Luxembourg

State building in Luxembourg.

Pretty alleyways like this were all over the place

Ruins in Luxembourg

The delicious "biscuit cake" I had at a French restaurant

More beautiful scenery on the train ride home, near Kaub, Germany

Feeling grateful

I'm sitting in the hotel room today, and I'm feeling so grateful.

As a reward for their extremely hard work the other day when we moved out, we got the kids toys at the PX today. They are playing together with them very nicely. It is fun to watch, and I'm happy to be sitting in this nicely air-conditioned room while it's 91 degrees outside, and heading for 101 degrees tomorrow.

David is going out tonight with our friend Ken. They will go to the Schlachthof and listen to some heavy metal. That is great because the Schlachthof (and Ken) will be very missed by David after we leave.

... It's Monday, now, and I just finished the van inspection and it passed. That was the last high-stress activity we had until the day we fly away. Yay for that! Now what to do with the upcoming weekend? It's hard to decide because of all the choices. Should we take the train to Luxembourg? Should we go to the schwimmbad that is within walking distance from the post? Should I take Lilly on her special day to get her the Steiff? I haven't decided, but I'm going into town on Wednesday, and I think I'll stop by the train station to ask about tickets to Luxembourg. I'm on the fence because we've been working so hard lately, and honestly, travel is kind of hard work!

... It's the Fourth of July now and we're all settled in for the night. The Army post put together a really great celebration, which I'm particularly grateful for because the Friendship Fest had been canceled because of the Berlin Airlift celebration, which I didn't get to attend because we were working on moving. (If that makes any sense.)

Anyhow, we had quite a nice day today. We got to play some games and eat some German festival food. The kids spent some time in a bounce house, and Alex was inside a ball for a while. We also got to see some Star Wars people, and they gave out pirate flags and ping pong paddles to the kids. They're putting off fireworks tonight, but not until 11:15, so I'll probably be sleeping through them.

Tomorrow marks two weeks! I'm so excited to put my arms around the necks of the people I love!

Upon reflection

I'm in a better mood already.

I knew my bad mood wouldn't last long.

I'm sitting in the house, for the last full day that I'll be in it. Across the yard, I see a cherry tree that I had never noticed before. How did I miss that last year?! They're not quite ripe enough for me to pick, which means I won't get to try any, but their little bursts of red amidst the bright green leaves are pleasant enough to look at.

I'm not at work today because I'm waiting for the second movers. It's a small shipment, and I'm a little bit worried that I am over my weight limit. I hope they'll be able to be a good judge of that for me. Tomorrow I return the loaner furniture. Thursday we drop off the van to be detailed and then shipped on Monday, and we also do the walkthrough to move out of the house. This is our last night in the house, which is kind of great because last night I hardly slept at all for how hot it was. The Wiesbaden Army Lodge is air conditioned. That will be lovely.

I have a list of top things since I've been here. I will share it with you.

Here we go, in no particular order, based on our events and the places that we visited:

1) City with the most character: Bratislava, Slovakia 

2) Most beautiful city: Vienna, Austria

3) Best place to go for Roman ruins: Trier, Germany

4) City with the most diverse types of things to do and see: Mainz, Germany

5) City most worth visiting in your lifetime: Paris, France

6) Friendliest area, especially for families: Tuscany, Italy

7) City with the most impact on my life: Jerusalem, Israel

8) City with the highest concentration of rude people: Wiesbaden, Germany (I realize I might have that impression since I live here, but I don't think so. Even Berlin had a lot of rude people, but it was pretty nicely balanced with kind people who went out of their way to be kind. Also, I've heard from other Germans that Wiesbadeners have a reputation of being rude. I wonder why that is?)

9) City with the best cathedral: Cologne, Germany

10) City with the best museum: Frankfurt, Germany

11) David's favorite place we visited: Tuscany, Italy

12) Most stunning natural area: Bavarian Alps (specifically Garmisch-Partenkirchen--we will miss that place and the thought that I may never go there again in my life makes me a little bit sad. Thank God for the Rockies!)

And here are some numbers:

1) Number of strep infections from September 2018 to June 2019: 26

2) Number of miles driven from mid-August 2017 to end of June 2019: (I'll have to update this on Monday when the van gets shipped.) UPDATED: I have no idea! I thought some documentation would tell me how many miles we started at, but I never found any. So it's a mystery!

3) Number of countries visited by the entire family: 9 (Germany, Poland, Netherlands, France, Spain, Austria, Slovakia, Italy, Belgium)

4) Number of additional countries I visited without the family: 2 (Israel, Czech Republic) UPDATED: 3, including my 1-day trip via train / bus to Luxembourg.

5) Number of surgeries / hospital stays: 3

6) Number of Germany's border countries we missed entirely: 3 (Denmark, Switzerland, Luxembourg)

The thing about it, that the numbers show, is that while we were living a beautiful life here in Germany, the ugly parts of life showed up, too, mainly in the form of sickness for us. I don't know why that kind of took me by surprise. I guess usually when you're on vacation, you're healthy, and I was really focused on all the great travel we would do while we were here, and not the facts of everyday life. (Although I was very excited about the job, too! And rightfully so!)

It is Thursday, now, and we are in the air-conditioned Lodge on the Army post in Wiesbaden. Thank God! It is supposed to be 99 degrees on Sunday! That is pretty rough with no air conditioning. We know because we did it last year!

We had a very difficult two days! We didn't finish moving out of the house until about 0100 today. I could have taken more time, except that the van was scheduled for drop-off today, so we didn't have use of it this morning, which had been my intent in scheduling an afternoon walkthrough. David and the kids were AMAZING. Seriously. I'm so proud of and impressed by all five of them. I caught a glimpse of how this family will be when the kids are older and we all work together on something as a team. I secretly daydream about buying a project house in Waynesboro someday, and using it to learn and to teach the kids about things in life that you can do with your hands. Maybe someday!

In the meantime, I'm glad we're out of the German house! I'm really excited to be going home, especially since we just had the toddler grime painted over with a color of my choice (hopsack), and a new fan installed in our bedroom. It's going to be so nice to see our house again!

God is good and I am so grateful!

An empty house!

A photo of the house for the sake of nostalgia. I wonder if I will miss it?

It had a pool, but we never filled it.

Lilly sleeping with her face on the hard floor!  She was so tired yesterday that she slept like this for about 2 hours! How is that even possible?

Griffin entertaining himself in the empty house by drawing. What a good boy!