Sommer, Strand und Sonne - life in Germany and Austria

[LinzerTorte]

A thread for all those living in Germany or Austria, and for anyone else who would like to chat.

linzer - so glad you all had a good time. It is such a fun place especially when the weather is good. I'm sure your dc were in their Badehose a lot if it was that hot. How was the hotel?

silken - had a look at the website of that place you went to - it looks good. How long did it take to get there from yours? Drove past your motorway junction on the way to my ILs and thought of you - we need to meet up at some point. Life is definitely easier when dc can talk. You'll be amazed how quickly her speech develops over the next few months - its astounding really. What does your dh have to say about EHEC? Are there any cases in his hospital? I went way out and bought some cucumbers today since they now think it was beansprouts. Would like a definite answer tho.

hupa - glad you had a good weekend in Muenchen (except for the very long service!). But you must be looking forward to some weekends not having to drive all that way.

Thanks for the congratulations - I do feel very relieved. So celebrated with some nice sekt at my ILs and a whole weekend of speaking nothing but german!! But we all had a fab time - our relationship used to be troublesome but since we've moved here and my German is better then the relationship is so much better.
Only downside was getting eaten by mozzies while we had a picnic - and yet again i've had an allergic reaction. I've got a 15cm in diameter swelling on my lower thigh. This happens too often so I've made an appt at the GP today to find out if he can prescribe me anything or if I should go to the dermatologist for some allergy testing. Wish i could upload a photo (but dh has the camera in America!!) - its so inflamed and sore. grrrr.

I have broken our coffee machine again. Not by forgetting to put water in it before switching it on this time, but by knocking the coffee receptacle bit with my elbow when I was trying to get chocolate out of the cupboard last night, which snapped the stick bit (to give it its technical name) off. DH said, "That's why I didn't give you more wine" (he had somehow managed to pour a large glass for himself and just half a glass for me). It's still usable, but only just.

silken It gets much easier once they can start telling you what's wrong, doesn't it? Not that DD2 told me she was too hot last night; I just went in to her room this morning to find her lying in bed completely naked!
mini-a-thür looks great and very similar to Minimundus here in Austria, which we went to last year - the DC loved it.
I would say that children aged about 4 and over would get the most out of Playmobil land. I'm sure younger children would enjoy it too, but I don't think I would take a child much younger than 3 (not if he/she was the oldest or only child, at any rate) as there wouldn't be as much Playmobil for them to play with inside and they wouldn't be able to do as much outside (climbing on ropes/up steps, etc.) as an older child would.

hupa I think I would have been tempted to get a book out if a service ran on for that long! The 45 minute Kindermesse is about DS's limit and luckily the first communion service didn't go on for much longer last year, although it was only DD1's class; the other two classes had their first communion together and it went on for quite a bit longer.

x posts Canella - that mosquito bite sounds nasty; def. worth seeing if the doctor can give you anything for it. When will your DH be back? Mine is flying to Turkey in a couple of hours but will only be away overnight.
The hotel was good, and only a five-minute drive from Playmobil land. The room could have done with a bit of updating but it was clean, which the main thing, and there was plenty of room for all of us.

dh flying back overnight on tues/weds but is then spending a night with his brother in Munich before he drives home first thing thurs morning. But then i go away on weds so we're a bit like ships passing at the moment.

is the coffee machine only new? nightmare! think maybe your dh was right to not give you more wine!

hupa DD has just turned 2. I don't particularly think her language is exceptional for her age, but she seems more verbal than friends' bilingual children were at ths age. It's just funny to realise that what's bothering her is often completely different to what I would assume.

Canella It took us just under an hour (at a guess) to get to Mini-a-Thür. I don't know how exciting the minatures themselves woud be for kids, but the Rodelbahn looked great fun. We drove past a Waldbad on the way into Ruhla, so I guess you could make a day of it.

There are no cases of EHEC in DH's hospital, but plenty of people who think they have it, so good for him and a relief for me. I think the low number of cases in Thüringen must have something to do with the pickled salads they tend to serve here . Or is that common elsewhere as well?

It would be great to meet up. We went to the Wasserkuppe recently on a day out and drove back on the Hochrhönstrasse. I kept wondering if we were passing anywhere close to where you live!

Linzer good job the coffee machine is still working. I can't imagine life without coffee!

Where are you off to on Wed, Canella - is it your trip back to the UK? And how's your DH and the suspected DVT? We've had the coffee machine a couple of months; it was only a cheap one (a more expensive one may have been more sturdy, but I don't want to risk breaking an expensive one!).

silken DD1 was quite late talking (she was about 2.5 before she started speaking in proper sentences IIRC and more like 3 before she realised who she needed to talk English to and who German, although she spoke mainly English then anyway). Everyone kept telling us that bilingual children are later learning to speak, but I'm not sure whether her bilingualism had anything to do with it; DD2 and DS were both speaking in proper sentences and not mixing up their languages by 2. In fact, they mix their languages - or rather, use more German words in English sentences - more now than they did when they were little, esp. when they're talking about school- or KiGa-related things as they just don't have the English vocab. I'm not always much help either; I'm never sure what I should call Mitteilungsheft (message book?), Sachunterricht, etc etc etc either.

Congratulations on passing your test canella. Hope teh mossie bite isn't too bad. I'm also alergic and always take an anti-histamine tablet as soon as I notice I've bene bitten and then cortisone cream (ebenol is over the counter cortisone here but doc should prescribe some too).

Linzer, I'm just waiting for my coffee machine to break - then I want to try a senseo maybe. Hope you can still get your coffee fix for the day though! Playmobil land trip sounded good. My 2 loved playmobil but they are out of it now.

Silken, it's so nice when they start to talk isn't it. Lovely cute age!

Our Stadtteil fest was good but abit too hot for my liking. Dd had a good time as her friend came over and they went on a few ofthe games together. I was shocked to see a bouncy castle with no safety net or anything (not even mats around) to protect from falling off onto concrete. No way would it have been allowed in UK.

Well, have to rush off to dentist with ds and then haircut - the justin bieber style is no good in this heat!

Hello again. Glad you're all making the most of the summer weather! We got back from San Diego last night and I'm still catching up on the mountain of washing. It was a lovely place to visit and we really enjoyed the zoo, safari park, sea world, the beach and legoland! It was lovely and sunny there too, which it isn't here. We also made a detour to Santa Barbara and met up with PenguinArmy (Linzer knows her from another thread) which was lovely.

Congratulations on the German exam and I hope everyone's job applications and trips go well (sorry, ds2 is feeding again and I have forgotten who said exactly what). Boo to crappy, inconsistent bosses and yay to moving babies and speaking toddlers! I think a Mitteilungsheft is similar to a planner in secondary schools but I couldn't tell you what they use in primaries. Sachunterricht I've never heard of. I hope you all avoid the e-coli outbreak - it's even made it it on the news here!

Glad you enjoyed the trip Jenny and that you got to meet Penguin - it all sounded fantastic.

I wouldn't know what a planner is (shows how long it is since I was at secondary school!), but a Mitteilungsheft is the exercise book that the teacher uses to communicate with parents and vice versa (so if school finishes an hour early because there's no RE on that day, say, there would be a note in the Mitteilungsheft). And Sachunterricht is learning about "things" rather than writing/maths - it's like a primary school version of biology/geography/history. Maybe something like "general studies" would cover it.

Have just been updating my CV as I've decided to apply to a couple of agencies; they approached me, in fact, so seeing as work has been very quiet recently, I thought I might as well send them my CV. Now back to searching for my house keys, which have mysteriously vanished - why does this always happen when DH is away?

Good luck with the CV and the new jobs! A planner is a cross between that and a homework diary with space for merits/credits, home-school agreement etc. Think we did integrated studies which was basically projects of one sort or another at middle school. Tis quite some time ago now!

Just had a car accident, I was so scared and now have huge headache and we'll have to get a new car. The lorry driver could have killed me - thank goodness for my guardian angel.

Oh no, admylin - are you OK?

Oh Admylin that's awful! Are you ok? What happened? Do you have someone with you?

oh no admylin - hope your ok. sending un-MN hugs. Its so scary when it happens and then all that adrenaline can give you a stonking headache.
wiill the insurance sort everything out?

I'm OK now thanks for asking. Head is killing though.

I'd just dropped dh off at the hospital and then as I drove out of the hospital grounds the lorry hit me full on the 2 passenger side doors, air bags went up and the car was heading straight onto a tree but I managed to spin round. I was all trembling and then I phoned dh and he came running out, he was just putting the operating gear on to go into the theatre.

So far it looks as if the whole thing will be sorted by the insurance of the lorry owner and ADAC took the car away. It was 100% his fault but we'll havethe hassle of getting a new car now. Garage gave us one for a few days so hopefully it'll all be sorted quickly.

I was on my way to do the big shop so no decent food in house either. Dc will have to have pizza from freezer for now.

Thank goodness you're OK, admylin; it all sounded very scary. What a hassle having to find a new car too, even if you don't have to pay for it. Hope your head is better soon.

DD1 got the results of her Sachunterrichtstest back this morning and got a 2. She got 30 out of (she says) 60 - she did leave a lot out - so 2 seems a very generous mark if so. Her best friend only got 10 marks and got a 5.

We're off back to the orthodontist's this afternoon to see if we can get DD1's twisted tooth sorted out. The attachment (it looked like an extra tooth) that the orthodontist put onto the tooth below came off after a couple of days, but she wasn't too optimistic about it working in any case, so it's back to square one.

I'm coming round to the thought that I was too much in shock to think properly when the accident happened but I'm really mad at the lorry driver now. He just sat in his truck and looked on while a tractor driver (yes, in the middle of Hannover!) came to see if I was OK. Wonder if Ishould get in touch with a lawyer - the Verkehrspolizist said the lorry driver would be angeklagt by him.

Hope you got the tooth sorted linzer, ds just had one pulled yesterday to make room for the new one growing. The new dentist said he had had 2 top teeth pulled far too early (back in Berlin) and now has one space for 3 teeth.

Sounds like 20/30 would be more like a 3 doesn't it? Is your dd1 sometimes upset when she gets her results? Dd is quite fed up when she gets a 3 or below but she's very happy with a 2. Also difficult when the older brother only brings 2 and 1 home with no effort. Anyway, dd is in abad mood right now as she is revising for a history test, there are Roman kaisers I never knew existed ....and she doesn't get the political side of the Roman empire that she has to learn. I've just woken up so off to help and have a strong coffee.

Sorry linzer, 30 out of 60 not 20/30, still a 3 though. That was a long test for that age wasn't it? Looks as if Austrian schooling is as hard going as the German system.

So sorry about your accident admylin. Hope you get everything sorted really quickly and you don't get any more headaches.

Good luck with the orthodontist Linzer. Hope your ds isn't suffering any pain from his trip yesterday admylin. I think the dcs will be fine with frozen pizza and your dh can treat you to a lovely takeaway!

Hello to everyone else.

Admylin
Just noticed your accident - sounds terrifying. Glad you are ok.

I was actually wondering if any of you are in Munich area at the moment? Still up in the air at the moment, but it is possible that we will be moving to Munich later this year. Thinking about schools and housing, and wondering where to start.

We have also thought about putting the DC into French school as they will otherwise lose their French language skills. Anyone know about the French/German school in Munich?

Have just dropped the DDs off at school, who were very excited about their class trips this morning; DD1 is going on a Wanderung to some castle ruins and DD2 to Schönbrunn zoo.

DD now has brekkits on five of her teeth (are they actually called brackets in English? those metal braces, anyway), but I noticed a couple of hours after we'd got back that the wire had come out of one of them (the tooth that's supposed to be being turned) so it's back to the orthodontist's. I'm very glad that we don't pay for each visit, just for the treatment (and she didn't charge us anything for the initial sticking-an-extra-bit-onto-the-bottom-tooth that didn't work).

MmeLindor There are a few on the thread in and around Munich; I know bebe is in Munich, but she hasn't been there very long. 5moreminutes is in/near Munich too, I think, and I'm sure there's someone else in the area but can't think who atm.
Btw thanks again for your help with BBH; I wouldn't be without it now!

admylin Hope your head is better this morning. Will you be given a car while you're looking for a new one? It's awful that the lorry driver didn't check on you; maybe he was in shock (not really an excuse, though).

morning!

admylin - hope your feeling ok this morning. That sounded like a really scary accident - so lucky that no-one was sitting on the passenger side.

linzer - your dd is young to be having a fixed brace. How does she feel about it? I'm think DD will also need them once all her teeth are thro but think most dc have them at some point so its not quite as embarrassing as it was when I was little.

MmeLindor - I dont know how you cope with all the uncertainty of not knowing where you'll be living. Was there not also some possibility that you would be moving to Texas? I'm no help about Munich altho my BIL lives there - it seems like an expensive place to be. Ernest is in Munich and 5moreminutes lives a bit outside it. I'm sure someone will be able to give you advice.

can i have a moan about my dh - he's been away now since thurs and he is beyond rubbish at keeping in touch. If I text him, then he'll reply but he never asks is everything ok here, how am I, how are the dc - nothing. I think he knows (quite rightly) that I am more than capable of being on my own with the dc for a week but that doesnt mean I dont want him to ask. And I really strongly feel that he should have some interest in his family. I have spoken to him twice but both times he was full of all the things he'd seen and done in Chicago. Just fed up this morning.
So yesterday was his last day there - I sent him a text asking if he was free to chat - it was early morning there. Reply was he couldnt chat - he had to go out to his conference. So I didnt reply (was busy) - and he didnt send another message the whole day. I dont know if he got on his flight, what time he lands this morning, nothing! Just peed off with his selfishness and lack of interest in his family. This happens everytime he goes away but feels worse this time as he's been away longer.

I go away next weds to the UK and cant imagine not checking how DS1 is doing while we're away (only taking dc1 & 3 with - 3 dc and me on holiday is too much stress!!). But think mothers are different!!

admylin - really sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you´re feeling ok today. My car was written off a few years ago and the insurance company were really quick at sorting it out, so here´s hoping that your firm is just as efficient. Be prepared to feel a bit jumpy when you get back in the car. My accident was also the other drivers fault and now I´m always on the look out for potential dangers and drive dh mad when he´s driving.

Linzer - the constant visits to the dentist sound like a nightmare. We´ve been told ds will eventually need braces, but as he´s only 6 at the moment we´ve got a while before he gets them.

MmeLindor - sorry I can´t help about schools in Munich. My brother lives there, but his chance of knowing anything about French/German schools is zero, however, my niece is at a Gymnasium in Munich, so she might be able to help if you eventually decide to go for a German school.

One of the teachers at dd´s school has been ill for a few weeks and I agreed to cover 4 of his 6 English lessons, but the teacher covering the other 2 has no idea of English. She had taught them to spell mother "mather" to rhyme with father. She´d also written something on the board about "little joodys familey" which I think was meant to be "little Judy`s family" In the other class she´d taught them the question "Can you playing football?" Luckily there´s only 2 weeks to the end of term or I´d have to say something to the head. They would be better off learning no English rather than this.

Sorry Canella posted before I saw your message. I´d feel the same in your position - just because you can cope doesn´t mean that you wouldn´t like some appreciation. When he gets back I think you have to let him know how you feel and ask that he makes more effort in future. To be honest he probably hasn´t given it any thought, but will be mortified when he realises how he´s made you feel (hopefully).

Feeling better this morning although I couldn't sleep last night until after 2am as my neck was sore. It's OK now and I've just been out in the hire car - rather like it, much better loading the boot than the old one!

Hupa, as you said, I was very nervous but thought it best to go straight away. I did drive just under the limit and checked every side street extra carefully. Could any of you give me an idea if I need a lawyer? Will the lorry insurance have to pay if I do get one do you think?

Have you had to try and re-teach the correct English hupa? Poor dc, that's so confusing for them too. Dd has a book to read in English and they will be doing a project about it later. One sentance is 'Oh I forgot the bloody towels in the car' - dd came running to show me and I was quite shocke dthat 6th year are being taught that in English with the translation as verdammte Handtücher! I told her to tell the teacher that some dc would be grounded for saying that outloud infront of parents in UK!

Canella, don't worry I think it's a male quality (opposite of quality actually) that they don't ask how things are and you're right to moan. You know that he is probably thinking of you all every day. Anyway, I hope for his sake that he comes up with some cool pressies when he gets back!

Linzer, hope the braces get sorted, it is a pain to spend so much time going back and forth isn't it. I was quite happy to find a good dentist just down the road and I can evensend mine on their own for check ups now!

Hi mmelindt, definately try and find ErnestTheBavarian, she's in Munich but she hasn't been on here for a while although I've seen her around. What do you think about moving? Would you rather have gone to the US? When will you know for sure? Atleast Munich starts back at the end of August or September sometime for schools (not like early August in Hanover) so plenty of time.