Die Kaffeestube Teil 2 - virtual Kaffeeklatsch in Germany and Austria

[cheaspicks]

Chat for those living in a German-speaking country, or anyone else who is interested.

linzer great that books are free in school. In some areas of Germany the text books are free too. Shame it's not free in Niedersachsen yet!

cake - havent seen any nursery type provision for really little babies here - think a Tagesmutter would be your only option but it seems like there are quite a few about. Really hope it doesnt come to that for both of you when the baby is 8 weeks [fingers tightly crossed].

linzer - we obviously did have a wee bit of a gossip but more about how quickly the thread is moving along!! But cheaspicks - I really didnt mean to look irritated - I just think she's cute with her chattering! I was more amused at the amount of food she can put away (and the constant grazing from my lot too!)

The neighbour has just given me a huge bag full of Zwetschgen . I like them but not that much so think I'm going to have to make one of those Blechkuchen (?sp ?word) that my MIL always makes. Really will feel integrated if I do that .

Thanks everybody.

I hope it doesn't come to a Tagesmutter too (they also sound expensive!) but at least we have a fall back option if my Elterngeld payment gets cut.

Ideally my Elterngeld will be calculated on my income discounting the time during my pregnancy which I haven't been paid for. 67% of that would mean no work for 12 months

Love this thread :)

admylin The Karenzgeld is pretty good here for the first 2.5-3 years so most mothers here can afford to stay at home for the first two years (employers only have to keep your job open for two years), but obviously that's not ideal if you're self-employed as you'd probably lose all your customers in the meantime. I started working again when the DC were 8 weeks, but only as much as I could fit into their naptimes and evenings/weekends when DH was around.

I've just asked DH where all the money comes from to pay for school children to have new text books every year. From our taxes, apparently... so not really quite as free as they look. If I didn't have children, I'd definitely prefer a lower tax rate!

Ploom Go on, make that Blechkuchen and prove how integrated you are! I so rarely bake cakes that I'm surprised they haven't thrown me out of the country by now. I didn't realise that Zwetschgen was used in Germany too - I would have spelt it Zwetschken, but have just looked it up and Zwetschken is the Austrian spelling and Zwetschgen the south German one.

Cake I was surprised to find out how cheap Tagesmutter are here; I'm sure I remember someone telling me they paid about ?2 an hour. Even considering that they're looking after several children, it still seems to be ridiculously cheap; I wonder whether they're subsidised by the state.

Linzer I'm sure it's the taxes here that pay for the books in certain Bundesländer.

I was told by a colleague of dh's that infact the state decided to offer either free books or free bus tickets for dc who live further than 2km from school. They decided on the bus tickets. This is not great for the families who live just under 2km away and really need to go by bus but have to pay both books and bus tickets.

DS needs to nap a bit more if I'm ever going to keep up with this thread!

Cake I think the options where I live are either a Tagesmutter or a private nursery, but I think I'm in a different state to you (I'm in Hessen). If you don't have an income while pregnant you're still entitled to Elterngeld - it's not the same as the 67% but it's still about ?300 a month for the first 12 months. On top of that the Kindergeld is about ?150 a month (or thereabouts, I can't remember exactly). I can't remember if I had any information about it in English, but I think I saved a few links in German if you'd like me to send them to you?

Linzer It sounds good that the books are free - until you realise it's taken from the high taxes you pay! I hope you get your tree situation sorted and that it doesn't cost too much.

Ploom You know once you make your Zwetschgen cake there will be no going back? You will offiicially be fully integrated :)

admylin Good news on the book situation - that will be one less worry at the end of the school year.

Antique what are you getting your ds? 1 is such a cute age! Hope you have a great time with your family.

we got ds a bobby car on his 1st birthday!

admylin I was tempted by a Bobby Car, but might get him one for Christmas instead. We've got him a Lauflernwagen (I think that's what they're called, it's a wooden trolley thing to put his toys in and push around from Ikea), a wooden truck with magnetic wooden blocks on the back, a musical plastic tractor and some crayons. He'll probably just try and eat the crayons, admittedly, but they were on offer when I went to buy his tractor this morning so I thought why not, it's not like they'll go off anytime soon.
Bit over the top I realise but it's his first birthday!

Happy Birthday to your ds antique when it comes!! Its such a milestone but blatantly he has no idea of its importance .

Sadly I've ran out of time today to make the Blechkuchen . There were no non-barking dogs at the Tierheim for us to walk but we spent a while stroking cats before we came home & I need to go back in 45 mins to pick dd up. But I did buy some Federweißer so still feel integrated for today !

That sounds so exciting Antique, what a lovely time you've got to look forward to :)

I'm just being a misery guts re: the Elterngeld thing. I know we'll get ?300 at least plus the Kindergeld but I don't think we would be able to manage on it, hence going back to work. DH isn't earning at the moment hence the angst...

I'm sure it will be better than I am expecting, our restaurant accountant is working on getting my tax and insurance contributions lowered whilst I'm on maternity, which will help a lot....

Ploom that's so great that you can go and spend time with the animals at the Tierheim. I bet everyone, including the animals, feels better afterwards! What a good idea.

I've been baking today, but not very integrated I'm afraid - a chocolate cake from Australian Women's Weekly recipe book. Its a great baking book as the recipes are very non-fussy. I make the cakes to sell in the restaurant, and people are always asking me if they are old Welsh recipes from my Granny. I just smile and stay quiet!!

Mmmmm, just fancy a glass of that now ploom!

Great idea to walk Tierheim dogs though, must see if they do that here in Hannover. dd wants to do the next work experience day at he vet's place where we took the gerbil but the Tierheim would be an idea too.

antique on his birthday, even if your ds thinks you've all gone mad it's your celebration too, he won't have a clue why you're all suddenly giving him lots of pressies but he'll love it! We used to have big parties when the dc were small mostly with our friends!

Cake Mmm, chocolate cake... I almost feel inspired to start baking now! I find Austrian cakes either too rich or too dry, and miss things like fruit cake (do you make bara brith? haven't had that for years!).

Ploom Have just googled Federweißer and I quite fancy some of that now too! Well, maybe not just at the moment (a tad early for me), but a glass of wine before the parents' evening might make me feel a bit less nervous about introducing myself to a room full of people!

Antique I loved first birthdays - a good excuse to celebrate but none of the stress of organising a children's party! DD1 had her first ever taste of cake (or anything sweet, I think) on her first birthday, but wasn't overly impressed. She's still got less of a sweet tooth than the other two and I wonder whether that's because she didn't move to Austria until she was 18 months!

admylin It does seem quite unfair offering free bus tickets when only some of the children would benefit. We could get some kind of Schülerticket for DD1 for about ?60, but I don't think we travel on the train enough for it to be worth it (or ?20 if she just used it to travel to school, but I think the bus would take all of about one minute and it's probably just as quick for her to walk).

I've never even eaten Bara Brith Linzer! I'm a rubbish Welsh person.... :)

Its the easiest recipe in the world and is made with half a litre of water in so its always really moist... mmmm might have to have a piece later!

I can pass on the recipe if you want.

If you have a good bara brith recipe, I wouldn't say no, Cake. I really fancy a slice with my cup of tea now! And I bet you're a more authentic Welsh person than I am (am actually only half-Welsh, although my mum grew up in Wales too, and have an English accent).

cake you may well get more Elterngeld than you think. A friend of mine only worked part of the year before her dd was born (as a teacher at an international school on a weird contract) and was really surprised at how much she got. Her dd was born on Jan 1st, if she'd come a few hours earlier my friend would have got the old Erziehungsgeld of 300? /month for 3 yrs and she was actually hoping for that, since she thought it would work out better for her.

Another friend actually continued to work with small children, despite not having CMV immunity because she was self-employed. She washed her hands a lot and it completely cured her habit of nail-biting! I don't suppose you have that option, do you?

Linzer I've even seen Zwetschen (on the label in the supermarket).

ploom you didn't look irritated, there's just a way everyone looks when they realise halfway through a sentence that the other person has stopped listening and it brought back memories for me of being on the receiving end. I prefer dd in her chattering, interrupting mode rather than her thumb-sucking, sticking her free hand in my cleavage mode, so I tend to respond to her interruptions. I honestly don't know whether people generally perceive that as rude or par for the course.

I may have to buy salt free rice cakes next time .

antique dd got a penguin cuddly toy for her first birthday which I wrapped in a red and white spotty box, just like in the Polly Dunbar book. I can still replay her reaction to opening it in my head. First birthdays are so special .

Sorry Linzer I was meaning the chocolate cake recipe! I have less than no idea regarding bara brith

cheas that sounds exactly like me! Where was the school? My midwife gave me some really good advice yesterday and said no-one can stop you working if you want to work. So next time (if there's a next time) I think I will stay very quiet about it and work through. After all, the advice in the UK is simply to be careful and wash your hands.

Also, I made DH ring the Elterngeld people just now and they said we just need to bring a copy of the baby's birth certificate and my last tax return when we apply. My last tax return has the full year of fully paid work on it (was submitted shortly before I got signed off) so hooray!!!! we should be ok :) :)

That will teach me to go into panic-depressed mode...

Linzer I'm not really authentically Welsh either... my parents are English, but I was brought up in Wales.

That sounds like a big relief cake and mmmmm chocolate cake

Although yesterday I made a victoria sponge; and since (IMHO) the whipping cream here is rubbish and I couldn't find double cream (any hints??? - otherwise I will at some point have a fridge full of cream to find out what works ) I used mascarpone with a squeeze of lemon juice in to bring out the raspberry jam.... it was delicious... and DP is off in Berlin overnight... and I'm alone with the cake.... it's going to be a great night!

I also don't like the sweet cream they use in German cakes, some of them seem to be about 50% cream and not really cakey... Ahhh cake :)

yes Nutella I hate all that fake cream and jelly stuff on German cakes too.

And good tip on the mascarpone, I'll try that next time. Usually now I just put jam in the middle, but have more or less stopped doing them anyway as they don't seem to sell. I think German people think they're boring which is so wrong!

Mascarpone is divine! I've tried it flavoured with lemon, honey, cocoa (I think) and raspberries as accompaniment to various cakes. But this was the first time I substituted it as a filling and I'm quite pleased with it

Nutella We had someone come on the thread before asking about double cream... I can't remember now what the consensus was, although I have the vague feeling that you can get it (or a good substitute) somewhere.

Cake I did wonder how you had a recipe for bara brith when you'd never eaten it! Ah well, I can always google. And, provided it's simple, I wouldn't say no to a chocolate cake recipe either.

ok here's my chocolate cake recipe...

Throw a 250g block of butter in a saucepan with 660g feinster sugar, 35g cocoa powder, a tsp of natron (bicarb) and 500ml water.

Heat until the butter and sugar are dissolved.

Decant into a large bowl (I put it in the KitchenAid) and go and do something for an hour whilst it cools.

Once cool add 450g flour and 4 eggs and whisk.

Pour mixture into a greased tin and bake on moderate for 50 mins. The mixture is very liquidy because of the water so I usually stand it in a large deep baking tray in case in leaks (if you're using a springform pan)

Make the icing by heating 90g butter, 100g feinster sugar and 80ml water in a small pan. Once butter and sugar are dissolved dribble it into a bowl of 240g icing sugar and 35g cocoa powder whilst whisking.

Spread the icing over the cooled cake.

I find that I make this a lot because it is always moist and it only needs kitchen cupboard ingredients, ie stuff I usually have in.

Enjoy!

Thanks, Cake - that sounds good.

Off to get ready for the parents' evening now. No wine will be involved.