Its funny how you can have something as universal as laundry be such a different experience from one country, or continent, to the next. You would think that clothes washing machines, like cars, would be basically the same. They are not.
I began my laundry experience in Germany cautiously. Twelve years ago, when visiting Norway, I had done a load of laundry at our friend's house and remember being appalled when my daughter's security blanket came out permanently warped. So, when I was ready to do our first load in Germany, I chose clothing I knew to be sturdy and easily replaced, if needed.
In our first rental home, the washing machine was located in the bathroom. I know that in some places it is located in the kitchen. The machine itself reminded me of my bread machine at home: a compact "box" about a quarter of the size of my American machine, with control panel on the side and a top that popped open with the push of a button. Looking down from the top, the drum opened from the rounded side, rather than from the flat, circular side. I had to push down on two spring-loaded doors, which released the latch and then opened outward.
I could only fit about 1/4 of what I would normally put in a load of laundry. For a family of 5, that's a lot of loads! The detergent is, fortunately, the same, although I later found that I couldn't find any bleach products and it was difficult to find anything unscented. The next conundrum was the operation of the machine. All the labels, of course, were in German and I had to decide the exact temperature of the water. In all the loads of laundry I have done in my life, I have never had to think of the water temperature in terms of degrees. Cold, warm, or hot: those are the choices. In fact, I really have little idea of what temperature would define "warm". Now I had to decide, in Celsius. Thankfully, various temperature levels were labeled with types of clothing/fabrics, so a little time with the dictionary helped me determine a safe range for most of my laundry.
When I finally pushed the start button, the digital read-out said 110. 110 what? Minutes! Yes, nearly two hours to do a single, one-quarter-of-what-I-normally-do-at-a-time load of laundry. This would be a laundry week, rather than a laundry day. I have no idea what, exactly was going on during those 110 long minutes, nor how that could be considered "energy efficient" to be running for that long, but the machine went through a series of noises from "chug-pause-chug-pause" to something like a jet plane taking off down the run-way, making me surprised that I didn't come to the bathroom to find the washing machine had made its way down the hall. Interestingly, in a conversation with a friend of ours living in France about the difference in washing machines (they have the same types as Germany in France) and washing times, she claimed, when she first came to live in America, that she had a hard time believing that American machines could really do a good job cleaning clothes in such a short time. She was never really convinced that they were truly clean.
The clothes appeared to be clean and, thankfully, nothing warped or damaged. Now for the next long step in the laundry: air-drying! We had a fold-out rack which held all of the load, plus a small rack built into the wall in the "Florida room" for things that needed more clearance from the floor. Since it was late winter during the time we lived in the first house, we hung everything in the Florida room. We soon learned, however, that, no matter the weather (as long as it was placed under an overhang) everything dries much more quickly outside. We had a couple of loads hung indoors that dried so slowly, they began to smell musty.
Perhaps having such a long process of cleaning clothes does, in fact, work out to be more energy efficient. After all, if you are faced with at least one day to complete a single "small" load of laundry from hamper to folded in the drawer, you are going to be more thoughtful about what you consider "dirty". I know of plenty of Americans, with the luxury of a two hour turn-around for a load of laundry, who throw in their jeans after one day of wear. They may not look or smell dirty, but have simply been worn.
When we moved to our second rental in early April, we bought a used washing machine. Our landlord was very helpful and went through the manual with me, translating. This machine was actually a combination washer and dryer. However, by now I was very used to hanging things to dry, we had two drying racks, and, if I used the drying feature, that meant the machine was not available for washing. I ended up using the dryer only a couple times when I needed a quick turn-around on a piece of clothing, but even then, it only got things "mostly dry".
Another feature of this machine was that it had a one-track mind. Once you started on a cycle, there was no going back. It was also very sensitive to the amount of clothes you could wash. Several times I would come down to the basement where it was set up to find that it had stopped during the wash cycle. I would have to take out a piece of clothing or two and then turn it back on (it had a door locking mechanism where you had to wait exactly 2 minutes after you pushed the pause button before the door would open). Since I wasn't sure if it had stopped before or after the wash cycle, I could never be sure if it had finished washing and it wouldn't let me restart until the whole cycle had ended. Ironically, this machine ended up dying, stuck on a never-ending rinse cycle on our very final load of laundry before we left - a bedsheet which we had to ring by hand before hanging to dry.
After returning to the US, and back to my jumbo pair of washer and dryer (oh, those t-shirts had never felt so soft!), I am finding it hard to readjust to such a large capacity machine. Numerous times I have taken down a basketful of laundry, only to find I had only a half-load. I would like to be able to hang laundry again, but, unfortunately, our backyard is dominated by a messy walnut tree and I am sure there are city ordinances against hanging your unsightly laundry in the view of neighbors. I was telling a friend about our German laundry adventures and enjoying her sympathetic responses to how long it took to wash a load of laundry and then hang it dry. But I responded that I had gotten quite used to it and that it wasn't such a big deal. When you think about it, even though a wash cycle here might take only about 30 minutes, how long is it before you finally get down to switch it over to the dryer? Two hours wouldn't be unusual if I get involved in a project or run an errand or two. And then there have been plenty of times when I have left things in the dryer overnight before I got around to unloading and folding! The only time I had really wished for the shorter wash cycle and high-heat dryer is doing bedsheets. One of my kids has dust-mite allergy and we have to wash the sheets and all bed coverings every week. With the German machine, I could only wash one sheet and pillow case in a load and worried if the day would be warm/dry enough for them to dry by bedtime. Fresh air and sunshine are good for dust-mite control, but a cloudy day was not so effective. Needless to say, we were not so diligent about washing all of the bedding on a weekly basis. If we had been there longer, I would have invested in an entire second set of bedding.
Side note: most of Europe does not use the two bedsheet system we have in the US. There is a fitted sheet for the matress and then a comforter with a duvet cover that is changed/washed regularly. German pillows are also different - about the width of American pillow, but squared!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Time Warp
Those who read my last blog entry may have noticed that I am writing of events that happened over a month ago. We are now, indeed, back home in Ohio and I am taking advantage of my body still being on Germany time, which means I am waking very early in the morning and have a few hours to catch up on my blog before the demands of unpacking, settling in, and children begin. The rest of the family has settled back into their sleep schedules nicely, but I am going to bed and waking up earlier. I am getting enough sleep, so I don't mind the wee hours of the morning all to myself.
We arrived in Columbus about 2:30 am on Tuesday, 2 August after a long day of travel and near-misses on two of our three flights. Our first flight was from Hamburg to London, Heathrow. The airport taxi we ordered to pick us up in Luneburg arrived 45 minutes late (with no apologies or explanations) and we managed to run to our departing gate with just 5 minutes before boarding. We flew from London to New York JFK with no problems. In New York, however, thunderstorms created many delays and cancellations. We spent 4 hours in JFK unsure of whether or not our flight would be cancelled and wondering if we would have to spend the night in the airport (the airline reps, of course, were overburdened with rebooking flights and noone would tell us anything of what was going on). It turned out that the plane was delayed in Chicago, due to storms, but did manage to arrive in NY and continue on with us to Columbus. We were greeted in Columbus by our dear friend Rick and our very own van to escort us home. We were finally all in our own beds by 4:30am!
Three days later, the 20 pieces of luggage (including carry-ons) are unpacked, though the contents are still awaiting redistribution and assimilation. The lawn has been mowed and a branch of the walnut tree hanging over the power lines trimmed (and another significant branch fell, on its own, just minutes afterward), the play structured washed down, and the season of walnut pick-up begun. Friends have been called and playdates scheduled. Every single one of O's toys has been rediscovered and strew upon the floor. Groceries are beginning to fill the cabinets and refrigerator - and ice, glorious ice, is once again automatically filling the freezer and my glasses. O and R visited the library and returned with a pile of new books. A mountain of laundry is slowly making its way through the "system". And, last night, I gloried in a margarita, chips, salsa and guacamole before our yummy dinner of fish tacos!
Tonight, its delivery pizza, sodas, and Netflix!! Back to Friday pizza-movie night at the Koontz's!
We arrived in Columbus about 2:30 am on Tuesday, 2 August after a long day of travel and near-misses on two of our three flights. Our first flight was from Hamburg to London, Heathrow. The airport taxi we ordered to pick us up in Luneburg arrived 45 minutes late (with no apologies or explanations) and we managed to run to our departing gate with just 5 minutes before boarding. We flew from London to New York JFK with no problems. In New York, however, thunderstorms created many delays and cancellations. We spent 4 hours in JFK unsure of whether or not our flight would be cancelled and wondering if we would have to spend the night in the airport (the airline reps, of course, were overburdened with rebooking flights and noone would tell us anything of what was going on). It turned out that the plane was delayed in Chicago, due to storms, but did manage to arrive in NY and continue on with us to Columbus. We were greeted in Columbus by our dear friend Rick and our very own van to escort us home. We were finally all in our own beds by 4:30am!
Three days later, the 20 pieces of luggage (including carry-ons) are unpacked, though the contents are still awaiting redistribution and assimilation. The lawn has been mowed and a branch of the walnut tree hanging over the power lines trimmed (and another significant branch fell, on its own, just minutes afterward), the play structured washed down, and the season of walnut pick-up begun. Friends have been called and playdates scheduled. Every single one of O's toys has been rediscovered and strew upon the floor. Groceries are beginning to fill the cabinets and refrigerator - and ice, glorious ice, is once again automatically filling the freezer and my glasses. O and R visited the library and returned with a pile of new books. A mountain of laundry is slowly making its way through the "system". And, last night, I gloried in a margarita, chips, salsa and guacamole before our yummy dinner of fish tacos!
Tonight, its delivery pizza, sodas, and Netflix!! Back to Friday pizza-movie night at the Koontz's!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Norway Comes to Us
June 27-29
The second set of visitors to our home in Luneburg arrived on the same day that the Bennett Family left to continue their family trip in Wales. Fortunately, we had the entire day to attempt a quick turn-around of our guest sheets (laundry takes 2 hours just to wash) and the day was fine for quickly drying the sheets in the sun.
Jan Oge and Randi are Norwegian friends we met in Bloomington, Indiana when Tom was a graduate student in 1996. Back then, we were still "newly weds" without children and they had arrived with their three children for a semester at Indiana University where Jan was a visiting scholar in the same department with Tom (sound familiar?). There have been many times these past months when I have reflected on their family's experiences in Indiana and have a new sense of what they went through! We stayed in touch over the years as their children grew up and our own family grew into five. When A was just 14 months old, we visited them in Narvik, just North of the Arctic circle.
Jan and Randi were only able to stay two nights, squeezed in-between our other sets of visitors. This was their first visit to Luneburg, but certainly not their first European vacation, so we didn't feel the need to help them see everything. It was enough to take a walk up the hill, Kalkburg, overlooking Luneburg and the surrounding area and then stroll through town where we met the girls arriving from school on the bus and enjoyed a treat at the "Eis Cafe".
Perhaps I already described this, but the Eis (German for icecream) Cafe is a unique German experience. I had been told by my German language instructor in Ohio that we would have to try one while we were in Germany. As she descibed it, it sounded much like an icecream parlor, which have largely faded from the American scene, but seemed not such big deal. However, they are a big deal in Germany and we have yet to find anything like them in any of our travels to other countries. I can think of three large cafes and two smaller cafes just here in town. Two of them are located across the street from each other on the main thoroughfare of the town center and are always busy. They always have tables set up outside with large umbrellas - at least a dozen at the larger ones- but you can also sit inside.
It was a month into our visit, for A's birthday in March, before we ventured into the Eise Cafe. It was too cold for us to think about eating icecream. Not so for the Germans. Many a chilly March aftrenoon I would see people sitting OUTSIDE at the tables, wrapped in the blankets provided, delighting in tall and colorful icecream concoctions!
The menus at the Eise Cafe are extensive. At one cafe, their are 3 menus - one "regular", one seasonal, and one featuring frozen yogurt. They have a variety of what, in America, we would call sundaes. The "sundaes" are adorned with a variety of syrups, liquors, fresh fruit, wafer cookies, and whipped cream. They come in fancy glass bowls or tall glasses. One of R's favorites is the "spagetti eis", made of icecream which has been squeezed through something like a ricer, to make it look like spagetti and topped with strawberry (or other flavored) syrup, sprinkles, and whipped cream. Some of the fruit-topped creations look like bouquets.
The icecream is Italian Eis, which is not like the gelato I think of as Italian Ice, but more like a premium soft-serve or custard-refreshing and satisfying, but not overly rich and sweet. Most of the sundaes are made with chocolate or vailla icecream, but the cafes have a case where you can choose from several flavors such as hazelnut, amaretto, Waldmeister, melon, banana, and berry flavors, eaten from a "waffle" (cone) or cup, either eat-in or take-out. One generous scoop in a waffle can cost only 60-80 cents - a deal hard to pass up when strolling through town! The other thing to note is that the whipped cream is unsweetened.
Besides the fact that the Germans are willing to sit outside in all weather and eat icecream, what strikes me as interesting is that here are grown people, sitting with a generous and fanciful tower of icecream, sometimes even before noon, with no shame in what we Americans would see as an indulgence. In the US, icecream sundaes are seen as a special, just-this-once, kind of treat, usually reserved for children's parties or special occasions, and certainly not something to eat sitting out where people are walking by, witness to your extravegance. Our health-consciousness society views icecream as something to be eaten sparingly, just a scoop or two please. Ironically, however, we have a craving for either super-rich premium icecream filled with nuts,chunks, and ripples of goo or fluffy towers of frozen dairy product dipped in chocolate flavored wax or swimming in caramel/fudge flavored syrup. Which is a healthier attitude towards food? Something to think about, certainly.
So, the Eis Cafe is something that we have agreed is a must-do experience for all our German visitors. We ate our fanciful icecream in good company on a sunny afternoon, watching the busy coming and going of Luneburg citizens.
The weather continued to be fine the rest of the day and the next. Our Norwegian friends, who were on a true vacation from an intense last few months of work and graduate studies - Randi had just finished her final doctoral dissertation defense- took advantage of the opportunity to soak up the sun in the garden and we enjoyed catching up on family news and remembering the days together in Bloomington.
The second set of visitors to our home in Luneburg arrived on the same day that the Bennett Family left to continue their family trip in Wales. Fortunately, we had the entire day to attempt a quick turn-around of our guest sheets (laundry takes 2 hours just to wash) and the day was fine for quickly drying the sheets in the sun.
Jan Oge and Randi are Norwegian friends we met in Bloomington, Indiana when Tom was a graduate student in 1996. Back then, we were still "newly weds" without children and they had arrived with their three children for a semester at Indiana University where Jan was a visiting scholar in the same department with Tom (sound familiar?). There have been many times these past months when I have reflected on their family's experiences in Indiana and have a new sense of what they went through! We stayed in touch over the years as their children grew up and our own family grew into five. When A was just 14 months old, we visited them in Narvik, just North of the Arctic circle.
Jan and Randi were only able to stay two nights, squeezed in-between our other sets of visitors. This was their first visit to Luneburg, but certainly not their first European vacation, so we didn't feel the need to help them see everything. It was enough to take a walk up the hill, Kalkburg, overlooking Luneburg and the surrounding area and then stroll through town where we met the girls arriving from school on the bus and enjoyed a treat at the "Eis Cafe".
Perhaps I already described this, but the Eis (German for icecream) Cafe is a unique German experience. I had been told by my German language instructor in Ohio that we would have to try one while we were in Germany. As she descibed it, it sounded much like an icecream parlor, which have largely faded from the American scene, but seemed not such big deal. However, they are a big deal in Germany and we have yet to find anything like them in any of our travels to other countries. I can think of three large cafes and two smaller cafes just here in town. Two of them are located across the street from each other on the main thoroughfare of the town center and are always busy. They always have tables set up outside with large umbrellas - at least a dozen at the larger ones- but you can also sit inside.
It was a month into our visit, for A's birthday in March, before we ventured into the Eise Cafe. It was too cold for us to think about eating icecream. Not so for the Germans. Many a chilly March aftrenoon I would see people sitting OUTSIDE at the tables, wrapped in the blankets provided, delighting in tall and colorful icecream concoctions!
The menus at the Eise Cafe are extensive. At one cafe, their are 3 menus - one "regular", one seasonal, and one featuring frozen yogurt. They have a variety of what, in America, we would call sundaes. The "sundaes" are adorned with a variety of syrups, liquors, fresh fruit, wafer cookies, and whipped cream. They come in fancy glass bowls or tall glasses. One of R's favorites is the "spagetti eis", made of icecream which has been squeezed through something like a ricer, to make it look like spagetti and topped with strawberry (or other flavored) syrup, sprinkles, and whipped cream. Some of the fruit-topped creations look like bouquets.
The icecream is Italian Eis, which is not like the gelato I think of as Italian Ice, but more like a premium soft-serve or custard-refreshing and satisfying, but not overly rich and sweet. Most of the sundaes are made with chocolate or vailla icecream, but the cafes have a case where you can choose from several flavors such as hazelnut, amaretto, Waldmeister, melon, banana, and berry flavors, eaten from a "waffle" (cone) or cup, either eat-in or take-out. One generous scoop in a waffle can cost only 60-80 cents - a deal hard to pass up when strolling through town! The other thing to note is that the whipped cream is unsweetened.
Besides the fact that the Germans are willing to sit outside in all weather and eat icecream, what strikes me as interesting is that here are grown people, sitting with a generous and fanciful tower of icecream, sometimes even before noon, with no shame in what we Americans would see as an indulgence. In the US, icecream sundaes are seen as a special, just-this-once, kind of treat, usually reserved for children's parties or special occasions, and certainly not something to eat sitting out where people are walking by, witness to your extravegance. Our health-consciousness society views icecream as something to be eaten sparingly, just a scoop or two please. Ironically, however, we have a craving for either super-rich premium icecream filled with nuts,chunks, and ripples of goo or fluffy towers of frozen dairy product dipped in chocolate flavored wax or swimming in caramel/fudge flavored syrup. Which is a healthier attitude towards food? Something to think about, certainly.
So, the Eis Cafe is something that we have agreed is a must-do experience for all our German visitors. We ate our fanciful icecream in good company on a sunny afternoon, watching the busy coming and going of Luneburg citizens.
The weather continued to be fine the rest of the day and the next. Our Norwegian friends, who were on a true vacation from an intense last few months of work and graduate studies - Randi had just finished her final doctoral dissertation defense- took advantage of the opportunity to soak up the sun in the garden and we enjoyed catching up on family news and remembering the days together in Bloomington.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
O's Bucket List
Some of the things that O has been able to check off his bucket list in the past four months:
ride a plane
ride a train
ride a bus
ride a ferry
ride a subway
ride a taxi
(also sleep on the previously mentioned vehicles)
climb around and spend the night in a castle
take the elevator up and down the Eiffel Tower
Eat, sleep, and play in Germany
Eat crepes in France
Throw rocks in a canal in Amsterdam
Eat lefse in Norway
Climb a real windmill
Wade in the Baltic Sea
Put soap in and run dishwasher
withdraw money from a bank machine
make a call on a cell phone without assistance
push the red button in an elevator
feed a goat
pet a chick
watch building construction from bare ground to block walls
ride a plane
ride a train
ride a bus
ride a ferry
ride a subway
ride a taxi
(also sleep on the previously mentioned vehicles)
climb around and spend the night in a castle
take the elevator up and down the Eiffel Tower
Eat, sleep, and play in Germany
Eat crepes in France
Throw rocks in a canal in Amsterdam
Eat lefse in Norway
Climb a real windmill
Wade in the Baltic Sea
Put soap in and run dishwasher
withdraw money from a bank machine
make a call on a cell phone without assistance
push the red button in an elevator
feed a goat
pet a chick
watch building construction from bare ground to block walls
Monday, July 4, 2011
Random notes
I bought a small notebook soon after moving to Germany which I keep in my purse for making observations (as well as lists and German words I need to translate). I had hoped to use these in my blogs, but as time is running out and they are rather random, I thought I would share some of them here:
*Germans tend not to greet or acknowledge strangers in the streets or on public transport. I am rather an introvert, but even so, in the US, if I were approaching someone walking towards me on the sidewalk, or sitting across from them on the bus, I would likely give a nod or smile in greeting. In Germany, most strangers look straight past you. Elderly ladies seem to be the exception.
*It is not uncommon to never have a train attendant check your ticket. Germans expect honesty.
*Children seem to be "over dressed" by American standards. On warm days when I have dressed O without a jacket, I have seen children bundled in layers and a hat. I have seen many adults also wearing scarves and jackets on warm days.
*German stores are closed on Sunday. No groceries or other shopping. Imagine that!
*I have seen owners bring their leashed dogs in stores, on buses and trains, and even restaurant.
*I've never seen anyone take a doggie bag from a restaurant.
*Most people board the bus as single passengers. Imagine how many cars are kept off the road!
*Most transactions are made with cash or debit cards. Wonder why the German economy is doing so well?
*Refrigerators are half as big as a small US model. Washing machines take twice as long to do a load.
*There are no such thing as baggers at the grocery store. You are on your own and sometimes there is little more than 12 inches between the scanner and the edge of the check-out. Forget about organizing your groceries! Toss them back in the cart and then move aside for the next customer. There are often counters to the side for you to reorganize your purchases.
*Germans almost exclusively use glass-top stoves.
*Most windows lack screens to keep the bugs out. Windows also swing in from the side and/or tilt in at the top rather than sliding.
*Butter comes in squares rather than rectangular blocks and never have measurement markings.
*Nutritional labels always include fat/carbs/fiber per 100 grams, in addition to per portion.
*Germans tend not to greet or acknowledge strangers in the streets or on public transport. I am rather an introvert, but even so, in the US, if I were approaching someone walking towards me on the sidewalk, or sitting across from them on the bus, I would likely give a nod or smile in greeting. In Germany, most strangers look straight past you. Elderly ladies seem to be the exception.
*It is not uncommon to never have a train attendant check your ticket. Germans expect honesty.
*Children seem to be "over dressed" by American standards. On warm days when I have dressed O without a jacket, I have seen children bundled in layers and a hat. I have seen many adults also wearing scarves and jackets on warm days.
*German stores are closed on Sunday. No groceries or other shopping. Imagine that!
*I have seen owners bring their leashed dogs in stores, on buses and trains, and even restaurant.
*I've never seen anyone take a doggie bag from a restaurant.
*Most people board the bus as single passengers. Imagine how many cars are kept off the road!
*Most transactions are made with cash or debit cards. Wonder why the German economy is doing so well?
*Refrigerators are half as big as a small US model. Washing machines take twice as long to do a load.
*There are no such thing as baggers at the grocery store. You are on your own and sometimes there is little more than 12 inches between the scanner and the edge of the check-out. Forget about organizing your groceries! Toss them back in the cart and then move aside for the next customer. There are often counters to the side for you to reorganize your purchases.
*Germans almost exclusively use glass-top stoves.
*Most windows lack screens to keep the bugs out. Windows also swing in from the side and/or tilt in at the top rather than sliding.
*Butter comes in squares rather than rectangular blocks and never have measurement markings.
*Nutritional labels always include fat/carbs/fiber per 100 grams, in addition to per portion.
Returning
Last Saturday morning I was making a shopping list for the farmers market and planning meals for the following few days. With all of our guests lately, we are going through food even more quickly! I was thinking about which items from the grocery store I might be able to "stock up" on, when my calculations revealed that we will be here in our house for only a total of two more weeks. Oh my! It suddenly makes everything seem so final.
It is strange, thinking about this "other life" we have been leading here and the new normal we have established. We have our routines and ways of doing things that we don't give much thought to anymore. Having visitors has reminded us of things that we have taken for granted. I wonder which things we will notice when we return to the US that we had "forgotten" about or on which we will have new perspectives. For example, when A and I returned to the US on Memorial Day weekend for the last week of school and activities celebrating her graduation from Middle School, I was struck by how wide the roads were, especially when coupled with the wide front yards and parking lots on either side. And, how empty the sidewalks of pedestrians and bicyclists!
I have mixed feelings about our return to the US. I am definitely looking forward to being back with friends and neighbors, having much easier communications, and just being surrounded with the comfortable and familiar aspects of home. On the other hand, it also means a step back into the reality of my life, which is busy, busy, busy. We have commitments, activities, and a social life which we have completely dropped from our daily schedule here. All of these fill up our calendar and sometimes require intricate coordination of everyone's plans. While A and I were in Columbus, I was immediately plunged into this busy-ness as I drove to and from school, activities, and visits with friends. It was a fun and special time, but I drove more in that five days than I had been driven (I haven't been behind the wheel a single time) in the past five months here in Germany.
The mom-as-taxi-driver is one part of my life that I do not miss at all! When we return and settle back into our every-day lives I hope to make some changes: using the public transport, bad as it is, a little more often, investing in bikes for the whole family, and making more choices to walk rather than drive. Maybe we can also make some choices about how we spend our time, now that we have the perspective of having more free time and having lived without such a full schedule.
It is strange, thinking about this "other life" we have been leading here and the new normal we have established. We have our routines and ways of doing things that we don't give much thought to anymore. Having visitors has reminded us of things that we have taken for granted. I wonder which things we will notice when we return to the US that we had "forgotten" about or on which we will have new perspectives. For example, when A and I returned to the US on Memorial Day weekend for the last week of school and activities celebrating her graduation from Middle School, I was struck by how wide the roads were, especially when coupled with the wide front yards and parking lots on either side. And, how empty the sidewalks of pedestrians and bicyclists!
I have mixed feelings about our return to the US. I am definitely looking forward to being back with friends and neighbors, having much easier communications, and just being surrounded with the comfortable and familiar aspects of home. On the other hand, it also means a step back into the reality of my life, which is busy, busy, busy. We have commitments, activities, and a social life which we have completely dropped from our daily schedule here. All of these fill up our calendar and sometimes require intricate coordination of everyone's plans. While A and I were in Columbus, I was immediately plunged into this busy-ness as I drove to and from school, activities, and visits with friends. It was a fun and special time, but I drove more in that five days than I had been driven (I haven't been behind the wheel a single time) in the past five months here in Germany.
The mom-as-taxi-driver is one part of my life that I do not miss at all! When we return and settle back into our every-day lives I hope to make some changes: using the public transport, bad as it is, a little more often, investing in bikes for the whole family, and making more choices to walk rather than drive. Maybe we can also make some choices about how we spend our time, now that we have the perspective of having more free time and having lived without such a full schedule.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A loong day and a short trip
Our friends the Bennetts arrived at our house (AKA the "pond house" as named by O) on Wednesday evening. They had been on tour in Scotland and London for the previous week and planned this 5 day stop-over before they returned to the UK to travel in Wales. We are all, especially A and R, glad to see our good friends and have a chance for lengthy conversations in our native tongue and to show them a part of our life here.
The big question, whenever you have visitors, where ever you are, is where to take them. There are things you take for granted or are unsure if visitors new to the area would like to see. Do they just want to relax or should you make the most of every moment since they have come this far. Luneburg is a very nice town and has several historic sights that survived the WWII bombings. The town feels very German and makes a nice walking tour. That covers about a day. Hamburg covers another day (which is where they are today) but is rather limited in things to do with kids in tow. We also want to see something new to us - or worth seeing a second time.
We decided to take them to a small town, Celle, where we had been before but had missed the Folk Museum and all the shops had been closed on Sunday on that first trip. It seemed a good place to take kids and was a short enough train ride (30+ minutes) to make a quick day trip. We even allowed the girls to skip school to spend time with their friends!
Since it was a short trip, we decided we had enough time to finish up some laundry at the laundromat in the morning. I had also had O scheduled for childcare in the morning and wanted to keep that routine. So, it was after 12:00 when we were finally ready to head out the door. Soon, what started out to be an easy day and simple trip to Celle became much, much more complicated.
First, I realized too late that the Bennetts had purchased the wrong tickets. Without getting too complicated (although it is) they had purchased tickets which allowed them unlimited travel within the "Greater Hamburg Area" of which Luneburg is a part, but Celle is not. In finding this out at the train station after much frantic button-pushing at the self-serve kiosk and a wait at the Travel Center, we missed the train we had intended to take. We had to wait another hour and purchase new tickets for the Bennetts. The train we missed was a direct 33 minutes to Celle, the next train would take over an hour plus a transfer!
The other complication (that we had to deal with in their coming from the airport last Wednesday) was that the regional train company, Metronom, has been on strike this week. This has happened a few times since we have lived here and only once had it caused any problems. It is a rather odd form of "strike" because SOME of the trains are running, and some are not. And it seems that you cannot know until that very day (or even hour) which ones are running and which ones are not. AND you have to be in the trainstation where that particular train is departing to know if it is cancelled. So, even though we had acquired the round trip tickets to Celle, we had to wait until we arrived in Celle to know which train to take back.
I felt extremely bad that I had not A.) planned the day a little better so we would have known about the train schedule before we showed up at the station and B.) had a better understanding of the train system so that the Bennetts wouldn't have wasted money on a ticket they couldn't use (other than in Luneburg). Up until today, all of our family travel planning had been delegated such that Tom made the transportation arrangements and scoped out the destination, while I took care of the packing and provisions. The day turned out to be full of learning "opportunities" and brought me up to speed (almost) with what Tom had been learning over the last few months.
Still, we felt the day was not lost and had hopes that the rest would go smoothly. As soon as we arrived in Celle, we headed to the Travel Center to find out which train we needed to take for our return trip. It turned out we had two choices, neither of which the agent at the Luneburg station offered - those were both cancelled. The first option was to turn around and take the train that left in the next 17 minutes and the second was to take the one that left at 9:06pm - a one hour train with transfer. Did I mention we had all the kids with us and that the last bus leaving the Luneburg station for our house was at 8:37?
Well, we had come that far and were determined to press on. So, we headed into the fickle weather and the town of Celle. We arrived at the Folk Museum first, even though we had only 45 minutes left by this time before closing, and were delighted to find that our luck had changed since the museum was offering free admission that day. Lucky also because it was somewhat a disappointment. The description of the museum had said that docents in period costume would be there to demonstrate, but there were none that we could see and absolutely none of the displays or guides were in English. There were some interesting interiors of historic households and barns, but we had to make our own interpretations. Interestingly, on our family's previous visit to Celle, we found the same to be true for the Castle across the road. Did they not think that people outside Germany might like to learn something of their history (there was not French, Spanish, or Italian either).
It was fun to see the town lively this time around, however. The shops were still open for another hour, the pedestrian market area was busy, we saw/heard the town carrillon, and the kids delighted in water fountains at nearly every block. We had a quick but hearty dinner of fish and chips and a fun conversation with one of the servers there. We strolled to a French Park with lovely allees and a fun playground for the kids to be themselves before we headed back to the train station. The rain even managed to hold off until the end, and even then was very light
The first train was on time for the 30 minute ride to the transfer point, Ueltzen. In the town of Ueltzen, the train platforms were mostly empty and the station (and the rest of the town) closed for the night. This was the turn-around point for the train we were taking so, the train that was arriving 10 minutes before our departure would reverse directions back towards Hamburg (and Luneburg). The time for the train's arrival passed with no train and then the marquee posted the time for our train's departure. Then we noticed that the marquee also had a flashing message. Between Anne and R, we determined it either said the train was leaving from this point or had "fallen out". Seeking out one of the few people standing around, it was confirmed that the train was cancelled, due to the strike. He assured us, however, that the next train, an Intercity (not on strike) rather than regional, was coming at 11:20pm! He also said that they were honoring the tickets for the regional trains. At least we weren't stranded for the night, but there we were, outside the train station on a cold and rainy night with five children well beyond their bedtimes.
The kids (and adults) behaved remarkably well considering the late hour after a long and trying day. We hung out under the train station in the tunnel leading to the various platforms where it was a bit warmer out of the elements. We were not the only ones waiting, but seemed to have the only children. A very kind man, concerned that we were having to spend the night with the children under the station, offered us water and food. In the end, the train was on time, took only 30 minutes to arrive in Luneburg, and we easily hired two taxi's to drive us all home about 12 hours after we started our "short trip".
I hope all goes much better with the members of our crew who headed to Hamburg today. Last report is that all went smoothly with the morning plans!
The big question, whenever you have visitors, where ever you are, is where to take them. There are things you take for granted or are unsure if visitors new to the area would like to see. Do they just want to relax or should you make the most of every moment since they have come this far. Luneburg is a very nice town and has several historic sights that survived the WWII bombings. The town feels very German and makes a nice walking tour. That covers about a day. Hamburg covers another day (which is where they are today) but is rather limited in things to do with kids in tow. We also want to see something new to us - or worth seeing a second time.
We decided to take them to a small town, Celle, where we had been before but had missed the Folk Museum and all the shops had been closed on Sunday on that first trip. It seemed a good place to take kids and was a short enough train ride (30+ minutes) to make a quick day trip. We even allowed the girls to skip school to spend time with their friends!
Since it was a short trip, we decided we had enough time to finish up some laundry at the laundromat in the morning. I had also had O scheduled for childcare in the morning and wanted to keep that routine. So, it was after 12:00 when we were finally ready to head out the door. Soon, what started out to be an easy day and simple trip to Celle became much, much more complicated.
First, I realized too late that the Bennetts had purchased the wrong tickets. Without getting too complicated (although it is) they had purchased tickets which allowed them unlimited travel within the "Greater Hamburg Area" of which Luneburg is a part, but Celle is not. In finding this out at the train station after much frantic button-pushing at the self-serve kiosk and a wait at the Travel Center, we missed the train we had intended to take. We had to wait another hour and purchase new tickets for the Bennetts. The train we missed was a direct 33 minutes to Celle, the next train would take over an hour plus a transfer!
The other complication (that we had to deal with in their coming from the airport last Wednesday) was that the regional train company, Metronom, has been on strike this week. This has happened a few times since we have lived here and only once had it caused any problems. It is a rather odd form of "strike" because SOME of the trains are running, and some are not. And it seems that you cannot know until that very day (or even hour) which ones are running and which ones are not. AND you have to be in the trainstation where that particular train is departing to know if it is cancelled. So, even though we had acquired the round trip tickets to Celle, we had to wait until we arrived in Celle to know which train to take back.
I felt extremely bad that I had not A.) planned the day a little better so we would have known about the train schedule before we showed up at the station and B.) had a better understanding of the train system so that the Bennetts wouldn't have wasted money on a ticket they couldn't use (other than in Luneburg). Up until today, all of our family travel planning had been delegated such that Tom made the transportation arrangements and scoped out the destination, while I took care of the packing and provisions. The day turned out to be full of learning "opportunities" and brought me up to speed (almost) with what Tom had been learning over the last few months.
Still, we felt the day was not lost and had hopes that the rest would go smoothly. As soon as we arrived in Celle, we headed to the Travel Center to find out which train we needed to take for our return trip. It turned out we had two choices, neither of which the agent at the Luneburg station offered - those were both cancelled. The first option was to turn around and take the train that left in the next 17 minutes and the second was to take the one that left at 9:06pm - a one hour train with transfer. Did I mention we had all the kids with us and that the last bus leaving the Luneburg station for our house was at 8:37?
Well, we had come that far and were determined to press on. So, we headed into the fickle weather and the town of Celle. We arrived at the Folk Museum first, even though we had only 45 minutes left by this time before closing, and were delighted to find that our luck had changed since the museum was offering free admission that day. Lucky also because it was somewhat a disappointment. The description of the museum had said that docents in period costume would be there to demonstrate, but there were none that we could see and absolutely none of the displays or guides were in English. There were some interesting interiors of historic households and barns, but we had to make our own interpretations. Interestingly, on our family's previous visit to Celle, we found the same to be true for the Castle across the road. Did they not think that people outside Germany might like to learn something of their history (there was not French, Spanish, or Italian either).
It was fun to see the town lively this time around, however. The shops were still open for another hour, the pedestrian market area was busy, we saw/heard the town carrillon, and the kids delighted in water fountains at nearly every block. We had a quick but hearty dinner of fish and chips and a fun conversation with one of the servers there. We strolled to a French Park with lovely allees and a fun playground for the kids to be themselves before we headed back to the train station. The rain even managed to hold off until the end, and even then was very light
The first train was on time for the 30 minute ride to the transfer point, Ueltzen. In the town of Ueltzen, the train platforms were mostly empty and the station (and the rest of the town) closed for the night. This was the turn-around point for the train we were taking so, the train that was arriving 10 minutes before our departure would reverse directions back towards Hamburg (and Luneburg). The time for the train's arrival passed with no train and then the marquee posted the time for our train's departure. Then we noticed that the marquee also had a flashing message. Between Anne and R, we determined it either said the train was leaving from this point or had "fallen out". Seeking out one of the few people standing around, it was confirmed that the train was cancelled, due to the strike. He assured us, however, that the next train, an Intercity (not on strike) rather than regional, was coming at 11:20pm! He also said that they were honoring the tickets for the regional trains. At least we weren't stranded for the night, but there we were, outside the train station on a cold and rainy night with five children well beyond their bedtimes.
The kids (and adults) behaved remarkably well considering the late hour after a long and trying day. We hung out under the train station in the tunnel leading to the various platforms where it was a bit warmer out of the elements. We were not the only ones waiting, but seemed to have the only children. A very kind man, concerned that we were having to spend the night with the children under the station, offered us water and food. In the end, the train was on time, took only 30 minutes to arrive in Luneburg, and we easily hired two taxi's to drive us all home about 12 hours after we started our "short trip".
I hope all goes much better with the members of our crew who headed to Hamburg today. Last report is that all went smoothly with the morning plans!
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