Heidlberg

**This has been sitting in my drafts folder since my grandma came for a visit in September.  Time to get my act together.

View of the city from the castle above.

Large church

Looking up at the castle

Maybe a little bit windy. 

Poor ladies just found them at the airport and hauled them up a castle.  Here they are doing "energy shots" to get through the day.

 

 

Inside of the big church.  Definately the brightest church that we've seen.  Most are really dark on the inside.

 

 

Resting.  The couple behind them sat and kissed for then entire time we were looking and hanging out...maybe 15 minutes.  I don't think that grandma and Jan noticed.

Time for gelato!

Final Update on the Question

In case there is anyone other than me that was wondering what I had agreed to at the Kindergarten for Friday, it was simply to pick up Noah before 12.  I guess that the school was closing early and they wanted to make sure that everyone knew.  I am sure that the Sub gave me the reason as to why it was closing, but the important part is that I didn't have to ask another question and confess my stupidity to anyone at the school.  They did what every teacher/caregiver would do if they wanted the parents to pick the kids up on time...they posted a large sign on the door.  I always take a camera with me to take pictures of any notes so that I can google translate at home.  Ta Duh!  Easy.

I also took a picture of a note this week that explained that they were going to be having a "potato fire."  After a lot of google research I learned that it is a farewell to summer and a welcoming of autumn tradition.  They start a fire, then toss potatoes and apples into it.  When the potatoes are done, they eat them with "white ketchup" (according to Noah).  I am thinking that just like all Europeans & fries, they also eat their potatoes with mayo.  Noah said it was tons of fun.

Deutsch Dienstag-still stupid

Went to the school and was met by the Sub.  Oh when will the regular teacher that knows I don't speak German come back?  She once again started talking at warp speed.  This time, however, she held a hand-out so I felt much better.  With a hand-out I can Google Translate until I am smart.  I understood several words...bring, potatoes, apples, apples, potatoes.  Totally got that she wanted me to bring stuff to school, so I thought I'd try and figure out what else she'd told me last week.  So I said, "OK, when?  Friday? "  Insert an 'I'm really smart smile' here.  She said no.  Tomorrow or the next day.   Shucks!  Now I'm still looking for what is up for Friday.  I'd hoped it would be easier to figure out. 

*The note said that I'm supposed to bring apples and potatoes and colorful leaves for the kids to do autumn projects with.

Alles Klar?

Many times as I walk into Noah's kindergarten I am approached by a little teacher who hesitantly approaches me.  Then in really broken English, she tells me about something that is happening or needed.  I often come home and complain that they, "Don't even try to speak German with me."  I mean, I am trying.  I knew the words and I would have understood...I think. 

Today I did it.  I walked in the school and a substitute was given the sad task of "letting me know" what was up.  Only difference?  She doesn't speak English.  She just starts rattling off way too many words for my brain to figure out.  When she stops, I say, "slower, please."  Again she starts slow and revvs up quickly.  I then give her the "I have no idea what you just told me" look.  Again. 

Finally, to save my self esteem and at least look like I have a clue, I did what I do with my neighbors.  I said, "OK." 

"Oh, gut  alles klar."   Then off she walks.  She informs the other teacher I just said Ok.  That was it.  (FYI, sound it out.  That German sounds just like what it is.)

All is not klar!!  What have I done?  "Ok" is such a small word to convey such a big message.  All I know is that I need to know something about next Friday afternoon.  I am hoping that my faking skills will be able to figure it out by looking around at the context clues between now and then.  Then again, I think I am going to have to pretend that I can't remember (that I totally agreed to teach the kindergarteners to dance or to bring 500 bars of strudel- just fill in the blank on this one and your guess is as good as mine) and have someone repeat themselves again...Oh, why had I wished that someone would speak German to me? 

Next Friday's lunch menu will be Humble pie served with a side of alles klar.  Who knows?  Maybe I agreed to make lunch for everyone on Friday.

Alles klar?

Good-bye September!

Where have I been?  What have we been doing?  Where did September go?  I think that I have been running for the past month.  I haven't had any time to blog about the crazy month called September.  I think that I am the only person that hasn't posted pictures of the First Day of School...it came, it went. 

Let's see, last I remember it was August.  School and soccer and grandma's visit all came at the same time.  Davis is now in 8th grade and Christian is in 6th.  They are both in the middle school, and it is nice to have them in the same school.  Jag is being homeschooled another year, 3rd grade.  I had thought about sending him, but whenever I thought about it, it just didn't feel right.  Yet.  Noah is being homeschooled, kindergarten, and also continuing to attend the local German school.  Anya is 2 and likes to throw tantrums. 

Yes, they are part vampire and can't stand the sun.
Enjoy the sun boys it won't be back for 9 months.

I drove the kids to school on the first day because the school had this stupid fabulous idea that parents should take their kid to Every Single Class!  How is that for a great open house idea?  I was debating which parent to be.  The one that didn't care enough to show up with the kid OR the one that has the 2yr old that throws a tantrum in every class while the 2 other brothers play with dinosaurs all over the floor.  I was really, really close to being the one that tossed a brick in the direction of the Principals office, but alas, grandma was here and watched the kids and Christian really wanted me to go.  Davis being an 8th grader has his reputation to keep, so excused me from attending any of his classes with him.

Homeschooling has taken some time to get used to again.  I've been trying to do Noah's school work both before and after his German school and then Jag's is taking most of the day.  I always have to find the balance that will work for our family and still keep me sane.  It is slowly coming along and the boys are resisting it less and less.  As for Noah's German school, it is great.  He was still young enough to attend 1 more year. He is making great progress with the language.  In fact I wish I could keep him there until we leave.  He really enjoys it and I LOVE to hear him speak.  German is actually cute when he speaks it.

Soccer started and has taken over our lives.  I have all 4 boys playing on different teams.  I have 4 practices on Monday.  2 practices on Wednesday. Noah's game Thursday.  Jag's game Friday.  Davis and Christian both have games on Saturday.  My 2 free days, Tuesday and Sunday, I get to spend sitting at the church for meetings, scouts, or mutual.  That is it.  I make dinner at 3:00 daily and pack our basket and we eat at the fields in between ball kicking.  The older boys walk to the library after school so that they can get a jump on homework, then I pick them up and they run play, eat.  Then home to shower and finish homework by 10 and do it all again the next day!  November can't come fast enough.  I actually love watching them play.  I don't mind sitting through practices.  I dislike making and transporting food.  I get tired of being gone and running in the door right before bedtimes.  [On another note, it has rained non-stop this week and we have had all practices cancelled!  I needed a little breather to get me through the next week.]

My grandma and her sister came and visited/toured Europe via train for 2 weeks.  We went to the Black Forest together.  Seperate post coming. 

There.  Good-bye September.  I hardly knew you were here!  I am back to blogging now that I have caught my breath.

Deutsch Dienstag-Muhlbacher fest

 

Our little village had its fest this past weekend.  It was little. 

 

Each village puts up one of these big, colorful "sticks" for their fest.  I think that they are made with somekind of tissue paper stuff.  They don't rip in the wind, because they leave them up all year, but they turn grey-ish with the rain.  After talking to the landlord about them and their purpose, I am still in the dark as to the "why" of the stick.  Apparently a bunch of youth, late teens and early 20s, get together at nights and drink and make these to hang on the fest weekend.   There has got to be an explanation that is being lost in translation.  They are kind of fun to look at.  When we first moved here, the boys and I were thinking that they were advertising for Chimney Sweeps.  Kind of looks like a large bottle brush.

Darin in front of the fest. 

 

It consisted of a trailer selling food and a little 'throw the darts at the balloons' booth, music and the local Gasthaus.  We walked near, but it wasn't really necessary to go to the fest.  Nobody was really around making merry.  We must have gotten there in between festivities.  Maybe.

 

One of the funny things about the week after the fest is that a group of youth go door to door collecting for the fest or future fest...I don't really know, lost in translation again.  They want either euros or wine.  Last year they also collected eggs, which I gave.  (Landlord said that they sit around and eat all the eggs one night.  I am thinking that the German sense of FUN is a bit different when mixed with the wine.)  This year they only wanted euros or wine.  I gave wine.  I remembered this stash that we had gotten from our neighbors at Christmas time and ran and grabbed a bottle. Darin said that I shouldn't have given wine to youth.   I told him that they were already carrying bottles (drinking is legal at 16)  and they were just putting it all in the trunk of an old car.  I know, sounds really legit, but hey, they didn't ask for eggs this year.  I started to tell Darin that I didn't want to give euros because....then he interupted me and said, in his I'm a funny guy voice, "because, what?  They may buy alcohol with it?!"   I have no response.   Eggs.  Next year I'll give the drunk kids eggs whether they ask for them or not.

Deutsch Dienstag-Narrow

German roads are a bit narrow. 

 

 It isn't uncommon to "take turns" driving and waiting.  The Autobahn is a different story.  I am talking about the roads in the villages.  The ones that I drive the most often.  Sometimes it is really hard not to flinch when a car is driving towards you.  It is like one crazy game of Chicken every day.  If a car wants, it can just stop in the middle of this narrow road and be parked.  Yep, right in my lane.  So then I wait for any oncoming traffic and go around it.  Swerve. Drive. Swerve.  Straight.  Add narrow to twisty and you have a real driving adventure. 

This is the street that we live on.

I drive these S-curve streets daily.