I got shoes!

I bought some Keen’s today.  They are really nice and look fantastic!  I’m going to need some other pairs but I’ll wait for my orthopedic foot thingie to get here.  Although this pair will allow for mine I want to actually have it to try with other shoes before I get another pair.  These are the ones I went with
MY NEW SHOES!

They aren’t something I would have bought back home but they are perfect for all the walking that we do here.   I need something that I can wear with jeans or a skirt and run the kids to school.  These definitely fit the bill.  As I was shelling out 69 Clams for them today I was thought that it’s nice to know that my lovely father passed on not only his horrible metabolism but also his flat feet.  Thanks Dad!

Lions and Tiger and Wooden Bears.

Ever seen a donkey with dread locks.  No really, have you.  I have.  We went to the Heidelberg Zoo yesterday and the weirdest looking donkey of all times was there.  I’m not sure how to describe him so here’s a pic (even though I know just by typing that the pic will take forever to load and I’ll be forced to do some housework while I’m waiting but I’m a giver)

And for all of you who had nasty comments in your head about me and my dreadlocks, shame on you!

Wolfie is coming so I need to go clean up my damn basement before he gets here!

Every day can be an adventure…

The first week of school is finished and the kids are exhausted.  Nothing wears a kid out like having to get up in the morning and think.  Both kids enjoyed their respective classrooms and both kids will have an interesting year to say the least.   Nadia’s class has 5 students until October when the 6th one joins.  There are 3 girls and 2 boys so far and the other student coming is a boy (his dad plays hockey and they don’t land until October for the season) .  Of all the places in the world her teacher is from Victoria British Columbia.  How hilarious is that!  Elijah is completely in love with his Australian teacher and quite thrilled that there are GIRLS in grade 1.  Kindergarten was all boys so these creatures are quite interesting to him.  If given the choice he’ll partner with a girl every time!  The German teacher told us that he picked up the numbers pretty darn quick (not a shock) but lost interest when they moved on from the number stuff…

Today is Saturday and we HAVE to go shopping.  I cannot grocery shop for anything super heavy during the week because it’s a 2 km walk home and the shops are closed on Sunday so today is the day.  I needed my own person Sherpa so that I could buy a toaster and  a kettle.  We decided to take the kids to the farmers market in Mannheim first thing this morning then while they had quiet time we would head to the Real.  All I can say about the Farmers Market is Wow.  The marketplatz is a whole square closed to traffic (except the tram) .  There are merchants every where selling everything.Olives and mushrooms like I’ve never seen them and so many types of cheese we just bought some by pointing and hope to go back again soon.  In fact I could catch the tram after dropping the kids off at school on Tuesday or Thursday and take it straight to the Market, hmmmm sounds like a plan!

On the way to the market we met a nice German lady on the bus.  On the way home the same lady was on the same bus in Seckenheim (weird)  THEN as we were walking to the grocery store she passed us on her bike!  I think she’s a witch.

Oh and I made an amazing discovery in Mannheim!  I found a yarn store!  The lady was quite curt when I said I didn’t speak German but then when she started speaking English and I explained that I’d been in Germany 3 weeks and this was my first Yarn store, she opened right up!  We laughed and giggled.  I tell you there is a camaraderie amongst knitters like no others.  I even saw a lady on the tram yesterday making socks on 5 needles and had quite a point and giggle fest with her over the perils of knitting.

We had the BEST lunch at this Turkish restaurant.  We’ll definately be back there again.  Loved it!  The menu is so huge it took us forever to pick.  We ended up with lamb.   YUMMO!

Off to make supper but there will be more pictures once we have internet at the house, uploaded with this internet stick is a pain in the ass.  I lose my wit when I have to wait for 10 minutes for one picture.  Trust me this post was going to be hilarious.

Well Mr. Cullen if you looked like this….I may have gone to social…

Yummmooooo

School starts tomorrow.

Okay you people who know me, know that I love my kids, would step in front of train for any one of them (even elijah!) but i’m soooo glad summer vacation is over.  Our kids go back to school tomorrow, weeks ahead of the German school and before they would have had we been back in Edmonton.

This year camps were limited because of our crazy move across the pond so I did get to spend a ridiculous amount of time with them.  I’m grateful for them, really.  Nadia usually goes to at least 4 weeks of day camps and an overnight camp and this was Elijah’s first year with no Nonna at all for the entire summer.  This year Nadia did a 3 week camp with an at risk group from her elementary school and Elijah did a week at the Y.  It was not enough.  Granted we had more together time and the kids have done amazingly well considering that we spent two weeks living at my friend Aimee’s and packed up everything they love and shipped it to a foreign country without even giving them a vote as to whether or not they wanted to come…but I’m done bonding.  I ready for them to come home from the first few weeks of school so tired that they can barely keep their collective heads from dropping in their dinner plates.  I’m ready for someone else to listen to their oh so amusing stories about stuff I don’t care about. (shut up, as if YOU care about the CARS movie so much that you’ve memorized every last detail of every last character and think it’s fun to ‘test’ you parents or the intricacies of Hannah Montana’s outfit that she wore on a show where no one knows she famous cause she wears a wig, sure you do)

Anyway, all the love to the parents out there who are getting weepy at the thought of little Johnny Underpants going back to school but I’m not like you.  I can’t wait for the door to hit their asses on the way out!

I need some walking shoes.

I have to invest in some really good walking shoes.  I NEED them to be stylish but more importantly I need them to protect my feet if I’m going to be trapsing up and down the street of Salzburg. ( really it’s taken me this long to use that line and I’ve been in Germany for almost TWO weeks and technically that’s not Austria but I can practically SEE it from here)

I remember when E. Ho used to work at this store in southgate they sold amazing walking shoes but my old agers won’t allow me to remember what the hell it was called.  So all you people in blog land, name your favorite walking shoe!  Good quality, price is no object (kidding, price is always a factor but I’m willing to shell out to protect the flat feet god gave me).  Yesterday we spent a half day at the Heidelberg Castle which dates back to 1255 (is that the 11th century or the 13th?  damn you Mr. CULLEN!!!!)  It was a great day and the kids came back exhausted which is always a sign of a good day out.  We were very cultured (except for the dash into Burger King when we realised it was 6:30 and we hadn’t fed the kids)

The view from the top of the castle is breathtaking.

I’m too lazy to reimport so turn your head sideways for this one, it’s worth it.

When I was little and my mother brought snacks on our days out, I used to be mortified.  Now I’m the mom and I’m not paying 5 Euro for a sandwich for a 6 year old so this is where we ate our string cheese (yippee to the American PX ) and juice boxes…

Seriously imagine how much more charming I’d be if I spent my school field trips going here instead of the Forestry Farm and the Western Development museum!

This is outside the main Heidelberg station.  Every bike imaginable is there.  And there are little kids to Granny’s riding everywhere.  I can’t wait for my bike to get here!

It’s getting better every day.

Well we are finally getting settled after a week in the new house.  Scott has started work and the kids go back to school in a week.  I thought I’d give a little bit of a pictorial of the area for all the folks back home (and you out in internet land!)

First the kitchen is done.  I’m cooking supper right now.

It’s hard to take good pictures as the space is quite small but it’s perfect! And supper smells delicious.

This is a shot of the front of our new home.  We are on the end of the block of units but noise is NOT an issue in this very solidly build German home.  No wood frames here!

The previous tenant left these little fellows, Im going to put some nice flowers in there at some point.

These shots are of the back yard area.  The arch leads into our backyard.

The arch is to the=right in this shot to give some perspective.

Down the side of the house… arch on the right.  I was told by the agent to be sure to keep it up….the neighbours don’t like when you let it get unkept!

Another point of view on the side of the house.

My path to the grocery store starts out here…

Nadia met some American military kids and from our front door this is where they live…there has been many squeals of joy over this!

My path to the “back” and the route we take to catch the train from school!  Those large cans came today, very serious about recycling over here and even compost can be picked up (for 6 euros).

We may be sleeping on the floor with not a pot to piss in, but we have computers, internet and that means we have happy kids!

Almost done..

What started out this morning as a pile of boxes is making it’s way to a gorgeous red German kitchen!

Wolfgang will be back in the morning to finish the kitchen, cut the grass and put up some lights for us!  (normally we’d cut the grass but it’s ‘new’ and apparently wolfgang wants to be sure it’s alright).

Funny all the dishwashers have stainless steel on the inside whether they are 200 Euros or 1200 Euros.

The oven and stove top are two separate pieces!  And Wolfgang will cut out the counter tomorrow to place the sink.

I’m debating what to do to cover the gas and water lines.  Can’t put a table there otherwise I’d have to move it to load the dishwasher.  I don’t want to take up the entire other wall with a table as the kitchen is narrow.  I think I’ll just leave it as is until inspiration hits me.

I can’t believe the few boxes that were delivered yesterday made an entire kitchen!

Kuchen

I’m sitting here watching the kitchen as it’s being installed.  So far the cabinets are almost in and the dishwasher is in place.  Wolfie (as I call him only in my blog) is busy building away.  He did have to go for a part but he’s back and back to work.  Wolfie looks like Jean Reno.  The actor.  I desperately want to take his picture but with his broken English and my German/English dictionary I’m not 100% sure he wouldn’t get confused and think I was asking him to pose nude.  But he really really looks like this…

But with overalls and work boots.

So now the kitchen will have this order (from left to right)  instead of the picture I showed before….

dishwasher with sink above

oven with ceramic top above

under counter (that’s how it translates i think)

pantry and then fridge/freezer

I’m REALLY trying to avoid walking into the kitchen every 5 minutes to take a look but dammit it’s pretty cool.  Oh and Jean Reno isn’t half bad to look at either.

Our kitchen is here!

Well we have a kitchen.  We have a kitchen in boxes all over our main floor.

Scott put together the table and chairs and tomorrow Wolfgang (our handyman) is coming at 9 am to put together the kitchen and hopefully hang some lights!