August 6, 2009

Ahhhh! Life in Germany...

These are pictures of our wohung, that's apartment in German.

It's really not so bad. The couch is excellent for making pillow forts. Although that works out great here, it confirms that I will never own a couch with a bunch of loose cushions. Sitting on this couch you often have that same feeling as you sit back as when someone leaves the toilet seat up and you go to sit down!

Our clothes dryer, which is in the kitchen, has to be manually drained of water. Not very state of the art! The fridge is the size of a beer fridge but then so is the freezer, although we can't figure out how to work the freezer. I'm not entirely convinced it actually is a freezer. It's probably some kind of weird crisper!

In the bathroom the towel rack can be set so that the rungs heat your towels!!! Now that IS state of the art! Once again we haven't figured out how to do that. I'm sure if it was February it would be a done deal!

Last night, after much convincing and against my better judgement I ordered pork knuckles, a German delicacy! I shudder just thinking about it! It's not that it wasn't good just the name pork knuckles! Yikes!
It'a big bone with the meat on it and then layer of fat (the layer that us Canadians would remove and throw out) The layer of fat is crispy and the meat literally falls off the bone. This is all sitting in a pool of gravy and served with bread! After that for dinner sleeping ain't so easy!

I'm suprized anyone here is still alive! This is a cardiologists dreamland!

The girls and I joined Bruce and his collegues for dinner last night. They are here from all over the world (the U.S., Japan, France, other parts of Germany) so English was being spoken. It's like angels are singing in the background when I hear English spoken.
The dinner was at the local beer garten, it's just down the street from our place. We've been to this beer garten several times already. It has a playground for the girls. It's all good.
Bruce makes a point of not asking for an English menu, much to my shagrin I might add! He feels he should take every oppurtunity to practice German. Well with everyone there they had English menus available. I've ordered wiener schnitzel every other time we've been here because I have no idea what anything else is. You can't just order blindly in Germany, there are too many terrifying options.
I think I may have mentioned (once or twice)that Olivia has not appreciated the cuisine, have I? Well the one thing she wanted beyond anything was chicken fingers. Everywhere we went that is what she asked for, never with any luck! It's all good now though, she likes bratwurst, wiener schnitzel, no problem right? Guess what's available at the local beer garten?! This whole time chicken fingers were within our grasp! I don't think she has figured out that they were there the whole time. Man, when she does, there's going to be hell to pay!

Have I mentioned that nothing is ever truly hot or truly cold here? When I say here, I mean Europe. Ice is never served either! I can't wait to have a cold beer and a hot cup of coffee.

We found fresh milk for the first time since we arrived this past Saturday. It's rarely available in grocery stores, just the stuff in tetra packs that leaves that weird after taste in your mouth. Eggs aren't stored in the refrigerated area either. Not sure what that is about!
Bruce discovered this pesto! OMG! It comes in a vaccum packed pouch. I've been living off that. Last night I discovered that green beans, not a personal favorite, are fantastic when fried in bacon fat! I'm going to try that on all veggies that I don't really like!

I think I'm reverting back to being a nine year old! It's all the time with just the girls and no one else. I'm finding bathroom humor hilarious! Exits off the highway are called 'ausfarts', I laugh everytime I see the sign! I'm sick of walking around old towns, I used to find them fasinating! Cathedrals and castles. Been there, done that! Another museum?!?! I wanna do something fun! See, I'm nine again! I'm sure it won't stick but I feel kinda bad for Bruce, he's got three kids now as we head off on holidays! Sucker! See, I'm nine!
I'm off to the playground. See ya' wouldn't want to be ya'

Oh yea, one last thing! When Bruce was trying to order a piece of cake with a candle on itlast night. It was actually chocolate mousse with a candle in it. Anyways he tried to order in German, good for him right? He ordered chocolate mousse with a cat on it!!!! He's never going to live that one down!
Auf wiedersehen!