German Corner

[finknottle]

Deutsch or English
Native speakers, expats, anyone
From Brezeln to Bier

Please don't ask if you join in, everyone is welcome

For discussion of schools see separate thread

[finknottle]

I still haven't lost the glow of buying our house tbh. Hated flats. Hated the landlord stress. The house we rented before had: mould in the Kinderzimmer, freezing cold as no insulation, rotten heating system and sky-high heating bills. Garden was woodland so lovely but untended for 15 yrs so every backbreaking hour of bramble clearing was overshadowed by the knowledge that it wasn't ours. Took me 5 yrs to get the garden going - pg and toddler time.
Big block to house-buying was that I couldn't face the thought of staying long-term and then we saw this house and garden and I sternly told myself I have been here for blimmin' ages already and have 3 children
Oh, I'd love a day at a botanical garden See, the grass is greener

[berolina]

kindersurprise, that sounds lovely. I have a great affinity to not-overly-huge university towns.

finknottle, it is a lovely botanical garden - huge, enormous arboretum, ponds, a stream that criss-crosses the paths so you can splash through, even a Liegewiese. And never really really full, because people obviously don't fancy paying to get in - or when it is full it's all old dears who smile indulgently on dses. I would go loopy without it.

[finknottle]

Realised I haven't been to the big city for aaaages. I think I need a day shopping and mooching, Botanical gardens and cafes and a museum and theatre
Am such a country bumpkin these days

[berolina]

still am a little of your house though...

[berolina]

Do come! Seriously. Bist eingeladen

[finknottle]

Am heading to the schools thread - someone come over and advise me how to help my tearful ds2 please.

[berolina]

oh shall see what I can do (not much probably)

[admylin]

I also half envy those with a house of their own but at the same time fear having that big sum of money to pay back! Still do think it's an investment as our rent is money thrown away really, trying to convince dh that it would be better to buy but he can't understand that when you buy you don't have to stay in that place for the rest of your life (he must have namadic blood in him or itchy feet!) - how to explain the property ladder to a gypsy at heart, not easy!

I'm sitting here writing a shopping list, I can't believe I need shopping again. I only just dragged a load of shopping up these 3 floors on Monday. Have you got a car berolina? How do you get all your shopping done for the week? We used to live ina village and had 2 cars and I could pull up to the back door and unload my shopping boxes - was so nice. Now I have one of those granny trolleys on 2 wheels!

[berolina]

We went green and got rid of the car when ds1 was tiny. I'm very very lucky in that dh does most of the shopping - Mondays and Tues mornings he usually works from home and picks up some shopping on the way home from taking ds1 to kiga, and other days he'll pop to the shops on the way home. He likes shopping, though, and I don't, although e do have a wonderful Basic Biomarkt near us which makes it an almost pleasant experience. In Schwaben we had a veg box.

[Kindersurpise]

We rent our house, and have been lucky to find a house with a really decent landlord. We reckon he could ask for at least 300euros more for the house, but they are very family friendly and want young families in their houses.

As long as we are not settled, there is no point buying. It is very different here though, in UK we would have bought even if just for a few years.

I would love one of the Reisenthel shopping trolleys, they are lovely. Since I do most of my shopping with the car or on bike, not really worth it though.

I saw a guy once with an electic trolley, with extra wheels specially for lots of stairs.

[Kindersurpise]

See, Berlina, something for me to be envious of you for. I would love to have a decent bio supermarket nearby. I would have to go into town for that. And I would love to live in an Altbau.

[admylin]

I wish we had a bio supermarket near us - our nearest decent supermarket is Extra. I've read about the biggest bio supermarket being in Prenzlauerberg direction but haven't found it yet. Should be on our tram line.

Apart from shoping you really don't need a car in Berlin especially in Mitte.

I know there are some really groovy looking trolleys about! Even nearly got a tartan one but then decided the more incognito the better and got a plain black one. I hate dragging the thing around with me but I can't carry much otherwise.

By the way in that sandwich chain (subway) they have small packets of walkers salt n' vinager crisps (and other flavours) if any of you are having withdrawl symptoms but for 99 cent a packet. Just thought I'd mention ..

[finknottle]

That is the problem with the lack of a property ladder - selling is not as easy. And tenants are pretty protected here.
I loathe supermarkets - am v green too on my bike. Much prefer picking up small supplies in the village shops (still have a proper greengrocer's) and leave the big supermarket shopping to dh. Sadly the village shops are closing one by one and people are more attracted to the discounters.
The ones who moan about the lack of village facilities the loudest are very often the affluent new housing estate lot with their 2 cars who might occasionally use the pharmacy but shop elsewhere for everything else.

[finknottle]

Re contact lenses, I go every 2 yrs (ish) to the Augenarzt for a check-up and prescription check (hasn't changed for years) then I get my lenses from Lenscare.de.
Much cheaper.
Just need to know your Kruemmung etc.

[berolina]

admylin, the biggest Biomarkt is the LPG at Senefelder Platz - sadly it's nothing really special - although they do have a couple of nice Spielecken. I'm a Steglitz convert - have fallen rather out of love with Prenzlberg. Do quite like Mitte though.

[admylin]

I was surprised when we first moved here and I checked out all the info for where to live - every where said Prenzlauerberg is best, greta for families etc but talk about entaeusched. Dd was invited to a girls birthday from school and she lived in Prenzlauerberg so I was looking forward to seeing this wonderfull place atlast and it eneded up being a plattenbau and there were loads of them. A few of dh's students live there and it did seem more of a student style area.

I've found out that in Mitte only 11% of the Bewohner are under 18 years of age. I couldn't believe it, not a wonder they are closing yet another Grundschule in Mitte this year.

[berolina]

Oh, the area around Kollwitzplatz is lovely for PFB mothers (all those horribly hip and expensive baby shops) and the kind of families who love strolling across the Ökomarkt and then going for a latte. Give me a decent, clean, safe, big green space any day.

[berolina]

(Actually, we sometimes go to Prenzlberg for an Ausflug - in eine andere Welt )

[Scootergrrrl]

Guten morgan! Pleased to meet all the other fellow Germany dwellers here.
We're near Dusseldorf and are moving to Bielefeld in the summer - can't wait to be living in the German community instead of a gated army camp!

[admylin]

I should really start to explore Berlin abit more. Did you know there is a real windmill where you can buy the flour from the miller? Dd went with school and I was thinking that would be a nice Ausflug. She said it was like being in a small town! In Marzahn I think it was. I bet there are loadsof nice places but it's finding out about them and how to get there.

[Kindersurpise]

Hi Scootergirl,

When are you movign to Bielefeld? That will be a big change, living outwith the BF quarteres.

[Scootergrrrl]

We'll be there sometime in the summer - and that's as much as we know. I'm looking forward to being off camp though and being able to walk to proper German shops instead of the Naafi!

[Kindersurpise]

Oh, don't mention the Naafi. I would love to be able to wander around the Naafi. I have to go to Cologne to get PG tips and Bisto.

[Scootergrrrl]

Whereabouts are you? I can do you a Deutsche Post parcel of over-priced UK food if there's anything you're missing terribly.

[thequietone]

Hi there,
How did I miss this thread yesterday? I'm down in the Munich outskirts and enjoying the beautiful sunshine.
Hope all are well.
x