Funny Photo...

side of the road near the border of Austria and Italy (kind of reminds me of the Sound of Music :-)

If I remember correctly, a tunnel stopped up traffic because only one lane was open (you can see the castle on the hill in the distance)

Gorgeous Castle/ Fortress (there are so many in that area, I don't even know the name or significance of this one)

Same castle, different view  :-) (just like all of the photos above, this photo was taken from our traffic jam on the Autobahn - kind of funny)

I found these pictures from last year, and they made me laugh. I guess if you have to be in a Stau (traffic Jam), the setting could be worse :-)

History reminder....

Photo from Luftbilddatenbank, Bamberg Airport April, 1945

Last week, here in Bamberg, they found a leftover bomb from World War II  that never exploded. Since we have lived here,  we have actually heard of several of these findings. It is quite interesting to me. This particular one, was an American bomb that was one of several dropped near the airport. I always think of my friend, who was here back in the early 1940's as a boy, and how he may have even heard a few of the other bombs exploding.  It is crazy to think how the world has changed since then. This weekend, the surrounding area has to be evacuated for a few hours in order to get rid of the bomb safely - definitely not your everyday situation being so close to home, although certainly, in other parts of the world, it is another story. Definitely a history reminder!    

funny photo...

We stopped at McDonalds last weekend with Mia and Camden. As they were playing in the basketball court room, Bryan and I were talking. It struck me quite funny to see real candles lit on the tables. Here you have a place with lots of people, kids running around, and yet for some reason there are no problems with lit candles. Not the battery powered candles, but real ones - with real fire.  You see candles often lit in windows, at restaurants, and even on Christmas Trees - yet it was funny for me to see it at McDonalds. The little touches are nice :-)

I'm really boring you now....

Yes, more on Mia's school - sorry to bore you to death :-).....

On Friday, Mia came home all excited for her first true "note." A note is basically a formal grade on a paper. 1 is the best, and 6 is not so good. Up until now, the sheets coming home would only state how many she got correct out of how many problems. Homework does not count at all for your grades in Germany, so it is mostly based on tests (many of which are pop quizzes). She was very proud to have her first note, which was a 1. She knew that the test was coming, she just didn't know which day. The test was a dicatation where you have to write a paragraph using all of the correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, cursive etc. The next day, she told me that they had another test that was a complete surprise. This one was a math test. She came home today with the results, which were great. There were 50 problems on the test, and it was timed, but what I was so surprised to see was what the test included... It was multiplication and division, but even further, they had several problems that looked like this: 3 x 5 + 8 x 1  (answer 23) or 45 : 5 - 5 (answer 4). They also had a 3 part multiplication word problem to solve (I would write it, but it is in German). It is amazing to me that they not only learn the multiplication and division, but at the same time how to add and subtract from it as well (again, all in 3 - 4 hours of school each day, and no academics in kindergarten). The only reason, I even mention this is, is because Camden lagged behind, not learning multiplication or division until 3rd grade (and then not even mastering it), and Bailey was bored to death in 2nd grade because they only briefly touched on division - even though they both went to school all day. As a parent, I have really found my happiness for school in this system. They cut out all of the fluff, teach the real stuff, and then let the kids go home to just be kids- I love it! Some people love the fluff, and some people love all day school, but for me, having both the 3-4 hours a day and the true learning is super! Thanks again for listening.... each time I write about this kind of thing, I tell myself - OK, no more, but then something else pops up, and I can't help myself, I have to share :-). Sorry!

P.S. another interesting fact, is that my friends' son who is in a completely different school, in a different town, but in the same grade as Mia, has very similar scheduling (for ex. he too came home last week with his first note, they learned to write with the calligraphy pens around the same time etc). There seems to be tons of consistency, which I find fantastic.

More school crafts...

A little yarn doll - complete with felt outfit and hair

A hand sewn felt bag with draw string

As I always say - probably a bit too much :-) - I love Mia's school :-). To get out between 11 and 12:00 each day, and accomplish as much as they do, amazes me. These are a couple of her latest art projects. A handmade doll, and a pull string bag, hand sewn with felt.  We will so miss these little things when we have to leave.

Not so bad...

My German class began again after a month long pause. There are some new people in there (this time from Montenegro, Maynamar, Poland, France, Russia etc). Our instructor was trying to get a gauge on all of our  language skills, and she began the discussion of what we all perceive to be the German Stereo types (especially since living here). It was very interesting to hear what people from other countries thought. Here were some of the things that came up on the list:

1.Clean - everything is very well cared for (streets, window sills, cars, yards etc)
2.Fiscally responsible - people are careful with their money - purchases are not so spontaneous
3.Order - Everything is in order. There are laws and people follow them (etc. don't cross a red pedestrian light - ESPECIALLY if children are around, or stay to the right on the Autobahn unless you are passing a car.
4. Hard working - Any type of work is a profession to be taken seriously
5. Educated - The German school system is thorough and  competitive, and college is free
6.Active - Germans love the outdoors (it is not uncommon to see an 80 year old riding a bike)
7.Care for the earth - renewable resources are a priority (windmills, solar panels, recycling etc)
8. Like Beer - goes without saying
9. Wear Lederhosen - Some older men wear this daily, but certainly only a small percent. 
10. Health care - very good public health system
11. Serious - not so much of a sense of humor (I find this only sometimes) 

As I was sitting with all of these people from all of these other countries, I looked at the list, and thought - if these are the stereotypes that everyone sees - it is pretty amazing that a place like this still exists in the world!  Now for my homework...I need to write in German what the stereo types from my country are: hmmmm........

Digestive

This little basket of schnapps was sitting outside one windows of the "restaurant huts" on the mountain

It is well known that beer and wine are a huge part of the culture over here. As an example, it is very common to see an older lady have a krug of beer for lunch at a restaurant - no one would even blink an eye. In addition to this (what you don't hear about so often) is the aperitif and digestif. The aperitif, is the pre-dinner drink (aperol or something similar), and the digestif, is the after dinner drink (a shot of schnapps). The reasoning behind the schnapps, is that it supposed to help settle your stomach. I had taken the above photo when we went skiing. Even on the ski slopes, they have the digestive (shot) to help settle your stomach after lunch and keep you warm - so funny! It is something that people have done for hundreds of years, and the tradition carries on....  No judgement, no bar fights, no DUI's - just a cultural tradition. Having grown up in a totally different culture, it always makes me chuckle to see this "other way."