Moving to Germany Post

Moving to Germany has been my first real shot at living abroad. We set up post in Germany 6 months ago and plan on spending at least the next three years here (I could spend more time here if it were up to me).  I never imagined I would love it as much as I do...and,  I have learned a thing or two...

 LEARN DEUTSCH

Learning German makes your life much easier.  The basics can help with getting around, ordering in restaurants and simply telling someone you don't understand what they're saying.  Germans love when Americans try to make an effort to speak a little Deutsch, and across the country there are Volkshochschules (like a YMCA) where you can take a beginner German class. I have been studying Pimsleur CDs and Rosetta Stone and know a few basics–it's not too difficult to pick up the essential words. Most every German knows English so if you're stuck in a bind–sprechen sie English always works.

EVERYTHING TASTES BETTER CARBONATED

Germans love carbonated drinks.  Water is always carbonated, unless you ask for it otherwise. There are a variety of bubble sizes you to choose from.  When you want to order water without bubbles, ask for–stilles wasser, and be careful, unlike in the states water is likely the most expensive beverage on a menu. The cheaper carbonated drinks that Germans enjoy are mainly their local brewed beers, fruit spritzers (juice with bubble water) or a cola.

IT'S TIME TO OWN A BIKE

Germans love to bike, and so do we!  City and town infrastructures are built with cyclers in mind–there are bike lanes found almost everywhere, and the streets are so nice and flat it is great for biking in. When the weather is nice, Jordan even bikes to work!

CASH IS KING 

Don't presuppose that a credit card will work in any shop, restaurant or carpark.  In most scenarios plastic isn't of much value. Keep extra bills in your pocket and your coins close–they're of strong value! 

EVERYTHING CAN BE RECYCLED

Germans are some of the most environmentally friendly people I have met.  Every piece of trash has a specific place.  Glass bottles are separated by color, organic waste goes in its own bin, and paper and plastics are separated into their own bins too.  Our kitchen has FOUR different trash cans based off which type of waste is being thrown away. All the grocery stores have recycle centers and in some cities people leave their bottles out for the homeless to collect for extra change. 

SMILES DON'T GO VERY FAR

It's totally normal for Germans to have a serious face, they still like you.  Don't mistake their disciplined and hardworking nature as a sign of hostility–they aren't known for being silly and clowning around but they do appreciate ironic and cynical humor.  They do smile, and if you make one laugh you must be genuinely funny.

ONLY DRIVE IF YOU REALLY KNOW HOW

Need I say more...?

We are having a great time here, visitors always welcome, and we would love to see you. 

Kutná Hora, Czech Republic

About 40 miles outside of Prague is a town that sits on top of what used to be Europes largest silvermine, this town is Kutná Hora.  It's quite a cute Bohemian town, not mobbed with people, and it's a great place to wander through cobble stone streets and see some cool attractions too!

We wandered along the grounds of St. Barbara's Church (Chrám svaté Barbory).  I love the buttresses and gargoyles along the outside.  

It was really great weather and a fun group!

We visited the famous Bone Church in the city, which is the final resting place of 40,000 people who died in severe plagues.  It is a UNESCO-listed site and has one of the oldest monasteries in Bohemia founded in 1142.  The church looks pretty normal from the outside, but once inside you're in for a bone-chilling surprise...

Bones everywhere!

How did these bones get here!? Well, a long long time ago a monk went to visit the burial site of Jesus in Palestine.  He returned to the church and brought back dirt from Jesus's burial site and scattered it along the church grounds; the burial site became very popular after (hence 40,000 people were buried there).  As the site because the resting grounds for more and more people, the bones were exhumed to make room for more people and stored in the chapel. 

A half blind monk entrusted with the care of the chapel began piling the bones into geometric shapes. The chapel became decorated with bones to create a reminder of the impermanence of human life and inescapable death. 

There is candelabra, chalices and a coat of arms, all made out of bones.

 

So many skulls. Some you had dramatic blows and others were irregular in shape.

There were bones everywhere, and even teeth too!

We had a good time here in Kutná Hora, and this is one place many people are "dying" to go to (no pun intended ;)

Bucharest, Romania

We went on a fun four-day trip to Romania.  I had never thought of visiting Romania, even with having a few Romania friends. It always seemed so far away...until now.  We hitched a Wizzair flight from Nuremberg to București.  Here's what we did on our adventure:

–WHERE WE STAYED–

We checked into the Bucharest DoubleTree, which was a little over a mile away from the city center. It's a nice walk, and good exercise. Our room was nice, our bed was comfortable, and they had warm chocolate chip cookies waiting for us; what more could you ask for? If you're planning to visit Bucharest, and you want to be closer to the center of town...Check out the Intercontinental Hotel.

The walk from the hotel to the center of town is a true testament of communist architecture–bring on the concrete!  

When communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu came to power he was impressed by North Korean architecture and wanted to emulate their style.  He tore down the cities beautiful brick and stone buildings and hired an amateur 27-year old architect (who had never build anything in her life) to redesign the city. They left 20% of the old town alone, and the rest is now made up of massive buildings to house lots of people.  The people had no idea what was being planned until the police showed up and gave them a few hours to pack their belongings before being evicted.

They went from this...

 To this...

Big mistake I think.

–WHAT WE DID–

There is lots to do in București, and we packed it all into four days.

We took a great free tour around the city with a wonderful tour guide Livia. 

The tour covered historical sites and we learned the history of the city.  Luckily, the tours happen rain or shine, and the rain didn't stop us!  Our tour lasted a few hours; we visited local attractions, learned about Romanian culture, history, politics, communism, modern life, and freedom.  It was really interesting, holistic, and a great way to see the city with a local.

One of the great things about traveling to Romania is everything is very cheap compared to Germany. The largest bill we came across is 50 Lei which is about 12 dollars.  There were a couple places we visited that wouldn't sell us anything since they didn't want to break a 50 Lei because it was "too big".

We visited Palace of the Parliament–which is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon.  It is 12 stories (8 are underground) and is made entirely of Romanian materials.  Major parts of the historic Bucharest had to be demolished for this 3,700,000 square foot building. 

We took a tour inside, and if you plan on visiting make sure you bring your passport or they won't let you inside.

The hallways are massive.  If you look closely you'll notice that every other chandler is turned off, that's because if they lit up the entire building it would use more electricity than it does to keep 100,000 homes lit. The building is so massive we were only able to see less than 10% of it on our 90 minute tour.

We really liked the story behind this piece of art.  The artist was supposed to paint the communist leaders wife, but apparently she was too "ugly" to be painted, so they painted her backside instead.

 There are so many grand halls in the Palace of the Parliament, they can't possibly use them all!

We paid a tribute to Vlad the Impaler, he freed Transylvania from Ottoman rule and helped prevent them from conquering Europe. The King of Hungary as a show of thanks inducted him into the Order of the Dragon as a defender of Christianity...Dragon in Romanian is Drac and from then on he was known as Vlad Drac who Bran Stoker later used as the basis for his famous character Count Dracula. 

One of the old buildings in Bucharest is the Eastern Orthodox monastery–Stavropoleous Church built in 1724.   During the communist regime, when they were rebuilding the city, artifacts were brought here to be preserved.  The courtyard is a stunning journey back in time-and quite peaceful!

The inside of the monastery was really intricate, check out a virtual tour of the inside here.

We visited the Jewish Quarter of Bucharest too. Jewish history in Romania isn't a pleasant one. Pogroms, the Holocaust and emigration has brought down the Jewish population, but there is a great deal of history and heritage to be discovered. Bucharest was once home to the biggest and most prosperous Jewish community in Romania and we got to admire what is left of the former Jewish Quarter. 

We visited The Great Polish Synagogue, which was BEAUTIFUL inside!

Close up of the chandler

 

The synagogue is no longer used for religious services, but it is a showcase for a Holocaust memorial.

We continued to explore the old town where we found a really cool bookstore–Cărturești Carusel.  

I love visiting bookstores, especially since most bookstores are going out of business with online purchasing.  The architecture has an artistic nuance of its own.  It might very well be one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, and it's worth a visit, even if you aren't planning on buying one of their 10,000 books. 

They had an impressive selection of English books, and an art exhibit.  Jordans' favorite piece of art he titled–Camping Gone Wrong.

 

Bucharest's nickname in the decades before World War II, when the art nouveau palaces and architecture was very French, was "Paris of the East".  I love the Parisian architecture.

We walked up Victory Boulevard and admired the little alleyways that hinted to the style of the past. Our favorite alley that we discovered was the Macca-Villacroose passageway, which was a glass covered arcaded street.

This is where you enter

...And this is what you'll find-little shops and cafes!

We walked up Victory Boulevard until we made it to the Peasant Museum.

This was one of my favorite pieces of art in front of the museum–bodies against glass.

The museum exhibited the arts and crafts of the people living in rural Romania.  The fabrics, material, and intricate craftsmanship was displayed, and they really have pride in their cultural heritage. 

We did so much in the city, and we rented a car to visit Dracula's Castle.  Read more about it HERE.

–WHAT WE ATE– 

Oh boy, did we eat! We did some research on all of the Romanian Delicacies and tried lots of different dishes.  I am amazed that Romanians stay so skinny based on their traditional foods, and if you're watching your weight, you can stop reading now...

Covrigelul cu Ciocolată/Chocolate Pastery

Our favorite breakfast came right off the street.  There are local pastry shops all over the city selling delicious pastries.  For a mere 25 cents you can get a pastry ring generously filled with real Nuetella chocolate.  It was so good, and I looked forward to it everyday. 

I'll take another please

  Another great authentic pastry we tried was: 

Plăcintă cu brânză dulce si stafide/ Fried dough with sweet cheese & raisins

Basically a dough pie filled with sweet cheese and raisins.  Sprinkled with some sugar and served warm.  Pretty good.

If you like more of a savory pastry theres always:

Luca Haiducesc

A pastry filled with onions, ham and branza cheese.

At Caru' cu Bere we experienced a real traditional Romanian meal.  The atmosphere was charming- beautifully painted ceilings and ornate woodwork- plus the restaurant was full of Romanians, which is always a good sign.  

Our menu included:

Salata Boeuf/Beef Salad

 If we never eat beef salad again we would not miss it.  Potato salad with beef, not our favorite...

Sarmale/Cabbage Rolls

Sarmale is probably one of the most traditional Romanian dishes. It's made of miced meat mixed with rice and spices, and rolled in a sour cabbage leaf; once it's all put together its boiled for a few hours in a special sauce of sauerkraut and tomatoes juice.  It was simply delicious and served with polenta and sour cream. 

Tochitură/Moldavian Stew

A very yummy beef stew in a tomato sauce served with polenta and a salty sheep cheese called temelea.

Papanași/Donut Amazingness

This is a delicious dessert usually made of cottage cheese (or any type of sweet cow cheese), that is rolled into a donut like shape, filled with sweet cream and topped with berries. Apparently they're pretty difficult to make, and not every restaurant serves them...so if you find it on a menu, try it!

The Doner Kebaps were not a disappointment. Dristor Kebap was packed even in the early morning hours.  Jordan called it the "Subway" of Kebaps because you get to choose from a buffet of toppings. 

One of our last stops on our food tour was at Hanu' Lui Manuc in the old town. We got to enjoy live music while dining on:

Zacuscă/ Vegetable Paste

There is definitely some middle eastern influence on this dish.  It was a puree of eggplant, peppers, onions, and green tomatoes.  The ingredients are baked, then boiled and then served chilled.  It doesn't look like much, but it was delicious. 

Mici/ Grilled Miced Meat Rolls

Mici means "small ones" and it is because of their size, normally no longer than an adult's finger.  Created from a mizture of minced pork and beef it is mixed with spices and garlic and grilled.  It's for a meat lover to enjoy that's for sure. 

Cârnați de Pleșcoi/ Plescoi Sausages

It's a sausage made of mutton (older lamb) with chili peppers and garlic.  They are dehydrated and then baked, served with mustard.  It was like a fancy SlimJim.

We had our share of rain, and after a cold day, there's nothing better than a good cup of hot chocolate...or two!  We loved the Hazelnut and White Hot Chocolate.

Well we had an awesome time, and clearly saw and ate our way through Bucharest.  It was great, and on to the next adventure.  Oh were will we go next?! Any suggestions, let us know!