Black Forest (Schwarzwald)

Mia had Fall Break the other week, and she and I went with some friends to the Black Forest for the week. The Black Forest is famous for its Black Forest Cake and Cuckoo Clocks and sits right on the border of France, Switzerland, and Austria. In fact it was funny because my phone would switch to roaming because we were too close to the Swiss Border. The weather was Gorgeous (atleast for Germany in November) and we had a great time outside in the forest each day. We went over to France one day too (before our friends arrived) and had a fun day with the Barbarian Apes. It was definitely a great break from school and everyday life!!!

The Fall colors were so pretty! It is very funny too - this lake is a big tourist destination. I would probably call "the lake" a pond because it is so small. It is extra funny because the German word for Lake is "See". Which makes me think of "Sea". When you don't have huge bodies of water around, I guess every square inch of any body of water is precious. They even had  double decker boat tours and stuff :-)

The tourists were bustling all around "the pond" It was so quaint and cute though!!! It gave me the feeling of Christmas even without any Christmas decorations...

We went over to the Alsace region of France for the day (only about a 1 hour drive) and visited the Barbarian Ape park there. We have been to a few of these and it is really cool. The Apes were brought over from Morrocco and survive in mountain regions. They give you a handful of popcorn when you buy your tickets and the Apes are free to roam around and you can feed them. 

It is very interesting though how tame they seem to have become. When we were in Gibraltor, the Apes were much more aggressive.

We had a really fun time! *Notice the fog - we were actually in a cloud - it definitely looke like a mysterious forest!!!

There were about 2500 apes there and many babies. The only popcorn rule though was that you could not feed the babies.

So this was really neat... did you  notice the fog in the photos below. We were actually in the clouds on a mountain in the Ape photos. After we left the Ape Park, we drove even further up the mountain to a Chateau called Hat Koenigsbourg. We drove so high up that we were above the clouds.

Notice the white in the photo - those are the clouds below the Chateau. Mia was so funny - she said on the way home - "Yeah  - I can finally cross that off my bucket list. I stood on the the clouds! *I didn't even know that she had a bucket list or that she knew what one was for that matter:-)

This was the cute village at the bottom of the Mountain. So adorable with the vineyards and Fall colors!!!

Back in Germany and more Fall colors - this arch was for the train tracks. It was neat because when you paid the tourist tax at the Hotel (which was very cheap), you also got free public transportation for the Region. It included busses and trains! Definitely a nice benefit for those staying in the area. 

Here was another cute town. I love the traditions of the Kerwah pole (and we weren't even in Bavaria!)

This was our hotel/apartment for the week (Not the entire thing, just a an apartment within it) 

They even had chickens running around next door

And cows near the playground too!!!

One day we went to Germany's Highest Waterfall

It has been very dry here so it was not as impressive as it can be - but still very pretty! (This is just a tiny piece of it - it goes on forever!)

The Black Forest!!

It was so nice just to be out in the woods!

We stopped at this old Mill for lunch one day. It was called the Hexenloch (the Witch's Hole)

And this is the famous Flack Forest Cake!

And the famous Cuckoo Clocks. The kids were all so intrigued by these!!

 

Introducing our newest addition... Frank Dobbie Rhodes

Our kids (especially the 2 youngest) have wanted a pet forever (preferably a dog). We got a guinea pig over a year ago and I posted about it, but sadly he passed away within 2 days :-( - and of course I didn't post about that! We were all quite heartbroken and I didn't really want to try to replace him anytime soon. The idea of a dog is just too much with our traveling and so after a year and a half, we have adopted a bunny from an American that was going back to the U.S. and couldn't keep him. We are all very much in love, and being that he is still alive and with us, I felt that it was safe to post a picture. He has the cutest little floppy ears and is a little over 2 years old. He is like a little dog trapped in a bunny body. When we let him out of his cage in the morning, he runs laps around our feet until he is fed. He even stretches out his hind legs and sleeps on the floor  (which I think means he is very comfortable and feels safe). He was definitely loved by his previous owners and is now spoiled by 5 new family members that adore him. Definitely a welcome addition and so glad that our kids have the experience of having and loving a pet once again!!!

Dobbie was his name that he came with (his previous owner said he was named after Dobbie in  Harry Potter) and we came up with Frank - from Franconia (where we used to live ;-))

Look at those floppy ears!!! The kids are in love!!!

We love the fact that he gets so comfy that he sticks out his hind legs and wants to be loved - look at those little legs :-)

Happy Bithday Bailey and Bryan!!!!

We celebrated both Bailey and Bryan's birthdays this weekend. Bailey turned 17 last week - so hard to believe! We watched old home videos of when she was young and it seems like a lifetime ago. Definitely lots of change for her coming up in the near future, but so glad to cherish it all right now! Happy Birthday Bay and Bry!!! We love you both so much!!!!

The little differences...

I will continue to bore you to death all year with posts about the little differences of Mia's school. I am not sure how many years she will be able to stay in the school and I just want her to remember all of the little things that are so different...

*We had a parent welcome evening for the entire 5th grade - it was very layed back and the structure was, that the parents of each class sat together and had dinner at a table, and the teachers came around to each of the tables and chatted with the parents. I loved the idea that it was so informal. The funniest thing too is that, as always in Bavaria, they had beer for sale at the school function. Not many people had any - but it is still so funny to see!

*5th grade is the big "step up" year in Germany. I think we would compare it to going into High School (9th grade). The responsibility increases and they are, at this point, considered young adults. I really like the fact that they are treated with such respect, but in return they must really step up as well. So Mia came home yesterday and  announced that she and some of her classmates are planning a trip to the Movies. With public transportation here, everyone can get there by themselves, so they can actually make plans to do stuff on their own. I love that she is in this little group that is so capable in 5th grade!

*Mia told me that they have the usage of a copy maschine at her school. You just put in 10 cents (just like you would at a public library or something) and you can copy whatever you want. Again, at least in the American school here in Germany - the kids would never be trusted not to break the mashine - so they would not be able to access it alone - especially in 5th grade!

*After 1 month of school, she finally broke down (just this week) and told her English teacher that she speaks fluent English (I think her teacher had probably assumed that she spoke fluent Chinese). She had been sitting in the class this entire time and the teacher had no idea. When Mia speaks in English Class, she speaks like a German trying to speak English with a British Accent (so the teacher had no idea) - it is really quite comical.  She has already learned a few rules of English though (stuff that we for the most part don't learn anymore in school, because we already know it just from speaking fluent English) For ex. when to say "these" opposed to "those" or "that" opposed to "this". Simple stuff - but important when learning a language. We always joke that our German friends seem to know the English grammar rules better than we do.

*We are one month in to school now and Mia just had her first pop quiz in Math (the only grade on the books for any of her classes so far). They only have a couple of tests each Semester and a few pop quizzes. Homework does not count as a grade, It definitely adds a bit of stress - the seriousness of a 5th grade test!

*Her class has a group "Whats ap" chat. It doesn't involve the teachers at all - but just the kids. It was funny too, when they realized that they had extended an invitation to the group to some stranger in Hamburg (5 hours North West of here) -  as they should, they were smart and created a new group and dropped the old one with the stranger. It is hilarious because her phone goes off all of the time (it is just a cheap little pay as you go thing). She will come home to 95 messages - all from her little classmates - so funny!

*Even though the German schools typically have very little to do with the latest technology (ex. no smart boards, no computers in each classroom etc), they have a cool online lunch order form. Mia logs on from home each day and can order what she wants for lunch. She then swipes her card and it is delivered to her. Lunch isn't part of the school (kids usually leave before lunch), but if they stay after school or have a day with late classes, they can either go to the cafeteria (hence the pre-ordering online) or they can go to a take out restaurant. So different!

Miscellaneous stuff!

It is already the middle of October - it is getting colder here - and time just seems to be flying by. I have been working quite a bit and then the kids of course, have all of their activities and school stuff going on as well. Yesterday was an American Holiday for us. We had a ton of appointments and errands (and naturally Mia had school still), but I relished in the idea that; we were all in the same town, we didn't have to get in the car to run any of the errands or to use it to go to any of the gazillion appointments that we had, and life just seemed so simple and easy (even though it was a very busy day). I love it when you can walk or ride bikes everywhere! Here are some random photos from the last few weeks!

Camden's mad cash - He has started working one day a week and oh  my - has he discovered how much he enjoys working (more so the making money part of it). Per hour, he makes more than I do as a substitute teacher.  He bags groceries at the store on the base and in exchange he gets tips. I just worry that he will be so used to making lots of money that he will scoff at the idea of making minimum wage. Someone gave him a 10 Euro tip just for bagging their groceries!!! The only problem, is that we told the kids that we would match whatever money that they save towards a car. Now, I have to keep working just to hold up our end up of the deal :-) *When he gets home, he empties his pockets and the counting begins - so funny!!!

Mia has been playing Tennis now for over a year. She really seems to enjoy it and together with the 2 other girls in her group - they have  alot of fun. 

Just a random photo of a cool building here in Amberg. I think it was once a Brauerei (Brewery).

We had a cute little festival in our town. They had a bunch of  local bands with traditional Bavarian Music around the City Wall. People could walk around the Wall and just enjoy the music all around. Lots of older people went and it was nice to see the crowds. 

We have a new quarterly tradition with some friends here - we all meet at this restaurant for a special Lebanese Dinner. Our friend reserves the room and the owner makes TONS of miscellaneous food and brings it all out to the table at diffeent times throughout the evening. It is so much fun to see what comes out next - Definitely a yummy and fun tradition!

...And Mia is back from her school trip. She had so much fun and made lots of memories. She told me last night (2 weeks after she got back) that lots of the kids asked her about being adopted when she was away. They just had questions out of natural curiosity (not anything negative) , but just lots of  inquiries (even simple things like, what was the food like in China when you were a baby and such). It is unbelievable what a difference a year makes. Last year, she was quite sad by the all of the questions and this year at her new school, I think she even feels a little bit special in the fact that she is different. Not sure if it is the fact that she is getting older, the fact that she now knows what China is like, or the fact that she has her "China Sisters" to not feel so alone in being different. I knew the questions would come sometime from her new friends, and so I am so grateful that she now feels happy to share :-).    She told me that her teacher even commented that she thought it was "cool" to have been born in another country and not just boring old Germany :-). It made her feel special!
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Altendorf Kurbisfest (pumpkin Festival)

Mia and I had a fun time this weekend going to a Pumpkin festival in Altendorf. It is definitely Fall here - the leaves are changing color and it is getting a bit cooler. It was a perfect fall day and definitely a perfectly festive "pumpkinfest"to visit.

The little village of Altendorf - notice the tree from their church festival (most towns do this in Bavaria)

Herzlich Wilkommen!

So cute!

And so many pumpkins!

Cute pumpkins on displays everywhere...

all different types...

and silly displays too...

gourds and lots of gourds...

painted pumpkins

more pumkins on display

a few more little gourds

definitely makes it feel like Fall!!!

The Marriage House, Eh Haus, AKA "The smallest Hotel in the World"

Our little town has a funny claim to fame. It is arguably home to the "smallest Hotel in the World", It is an adorable little place with a very interesting history. Back in the day (over 300 hundred years ago), in order to get married, one needed to own property. Many people didn't have property and so they were told that it would not be possible to get married. A creative townsman decided to build a 2 1/2 meter house in the alleyway between two existing houses. A couple could buy the house until they got married, and then they would sell it to the next couple waiting to married and so on. Such a simple fix to what could be a horrendous problem. Today the house has turned into what is called "the smallest hotel in the world". It is a luxury hotel (notice the little "red carpet") that is booked months out, with only room for one couple and no staff. It is a fixture in our little town with a funny history for sure!