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**German Chat**everyone welcome* - macht es euch gemütlich

979 replies

ZZZen · 23/04/2009 09:19

reden wir weiter...

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Maninadirndl · 22/05/2009 23:46

ZZZ wasnt it Colditz?

Well I sat thru a German Fathers Day afternoon today and found it shit. There was one bloke I wanted to meet but he was sat next to an English speaking git I know.

Feck me this sounds like dating for drinking buddies without the fancying bit.

ZZZen · 24/05/2009 10:21

of course COlditz!

I thought German father's day is about riding around on a bicycle preferably wearing a sombrero and drinking beer at every possible opportunity, including whilst riding the bike. The aim seems to be to fall over drunk at the side of the road. Well that's Berlin-Brandenburg anyway! They seem to enjoy it.

Did you get to meet the bloke you didn't fancy in the end?

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canella · 25/05/2009 09:35

Morning!!
congratulations frosch!! hope baby frosch timed it well with the F1!!! ds1 needed that light therapy too- they look so funny lying with their sunglasses on!!

had a great weekend - weather so hot!!

no time this morning for posting - just been out for a run/walk and need to do my hair before i get the boys from KG! my weight was just creeping up so i've decided to tackle it! i'm only 10lbs heavier than my lightest since having children and only 1st 2lbs heavier than my lightest ever but i feel like a heffer so back on the running! need to build up to it though - so unfit at the mo!

hope you all had fab weekends! ernest - hope you had a good time away with the kids!

DebInAustria · 25/05/2009 10:34

hello, can I sneak in and ask if the Munich schools are off on next Tuesday June 2nd, as well as the 1st?Thinking of coming to Therme Erding - anyone been?

canella · 25/05/2009 11:05

we're in bayern and the schools are closed the next 2 weeks for half term - presume its the same for all of bayern. not any use with the Therme though! sorry

canella · 25/05/2009 11:06

meant they're closed for the next 2 weeks after this one - dd finishes on friday and goes back on 15th June - think thats clearer!!

DebInAustria · 25/05/2009 19:27

thanks canella

canella · 26/05/2009 08:44

off to sport tonight at the community centre in the village - the daughter of the previous owners of the house just phoned to invite me along - no idea what kind of sport but i'll just go along - couldnt explain to her that my legs are aching from the running yesterday!! hope i manage to understand the instructor!!!

excited though cause its at 7 so i'll escape from the bath/bed wars!!!

i've sent the dc out this morning in summer clothes and sandals and its now thundering and raining!!! hope it stops by the time they come home!!

ZZZen · 26/05/2009 11:14

Hi Deb are you going to a spa then? I've never done that in Germany.

have a good time at the sport canella. I'd just hide away a bit at the back and try to follow what the others do. That's usually my strategy unless the others are so hopeless that they just confuse me, in which case I creep forward row by row till I can see the instructor! Unless it's something like aerobic then I always go to the front because it throws me completely to have other arms and legs completely out of tact with the music. Is it Frauensport? I've seen that advertised but never knew what exactly Frauensport or Frauengymnastik is as opposed to sport for all sexes.

Report back please. Good for you doing some running, I keep hoping one day I can proudly join the running thread on MN but to my shame I have to admit that I never do more than one or maybe two runs before dropping again.

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ZZZen · 26/05/2009 11:17

How's Westvan I wonder? Haven't heard from her since she went to Denmark have we?

WESTVANNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How's things? As a long-term survivor of the German school system, she's our "graue" Eminenz really. Bet she could give you some good advice Ernest if you're till feeling a bit wobbly about the whole sheboodle.

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ErnestTheBavarian · 26/05/2009 11:17

hi Deb, I've been to Therme Erding. I must say, I didn't like it, but then that's me.

it was ££££££££
It was so loud. F me, loud.
And busy (1st time we went, we queued for half an hour then aborted mission, 2nd time we went but was still v. busy)
V. few assistants, so imo dangerous.
v. little for little ones.
Lots of injury potential - lots of slides are free-for-all, ie several people tumbling down at once rather than one at a time. Even lots of teens in tears.

As you have older kids, they should be ok, not much for baby ....
Mybe it's something you'd want to do once, but it was a birthday treat for ds2, and my verdict - had to do it once, but never again. And def. not value for money.

Had a great long weekend away with the boys. oops no, with 2 boys and 1 dd. Now this place is good value for money. 47 euros per night (cheaper than 2 hours at Therme Erding) and there's an indoor pool, outdoor pool, indoor playbit with betreuung Mon - Fri, and they can still play, ohne betreuung other times, also big indoor playbit, bit outdoor playground, mini golf, pony riding 4 euro half hour) round the corner, kids club activites, huge forest, etc etc. Only negative (and for me not really) is that the accomodation is.. well, I'll describe it as 1960s russia meets student union. But I thought it was fine and we had a really good time. for that £, I'll def do it more - one night it about the same as a couple of hours in an indoor playbit or expensive pool, yet the whole adventure, meeting other kids, facilites etc so good and the village itself v. nice. Big thumbs up from me.

MIAD, how you doing. Was father's day a good experience for you? Cup of tea in bed? Hope everyone else had good weekend

ErnestTheBavarian · 26/05/2009 11:27

oh, soory, meant to say, huge congrats frosch.

Yes, peppermint tea bad for milk - it dries it up, so best to avaoid. hope baby ok - did I miss it? What did you have?

I am now feeling positive about start to German system. In fact, have decided to move boys soon, ie before summer holidays. I wanted to move them at end of Pfinstferien, but they really want to end school year to IS, so compromise is, they end school year at IS but go straight into german school, so get a month in before summer hols.

Cannot believe Hort man phoned to say we got places. Uhooo! but now unsure if I should take the place (after my shameless attempts to get a place. if they go to Hort, they have to go till 5 every day. That for me is a + and -, get Hausaufgaben hilfe, lunch and contact with local kids. but it's every day and till 5.... They could go to Mittagsbetreuung 2x pw, that's lunch and play only, till 3.30. I think as HW so important in german system, I'm thinking I'd want to check it. So to hort or not to hort? good they'll get contact w. other kids... can't decide. what's the verdict on people in the system?

DebInAustria · 26/05/2009 13:15

Ernest - sounds a great place, I need a link please

MmeLindt · 26/05/2009 13:40

Frosch
Congratulation, I must have missed your birth announcement. Hope you and baby are both doing well.

MIAD
We don't do the German Father's Day thing, we have a family day. My way of looking at it is if the fathers get a day of boozing on Father's Day what do the mums get? The whole point of having Father and Mother Days is to spend time with the children.

Ernest
sounds fab. lol at the accomodation description.

I would speak to some of the other parents about the hort. The one in the village where we lived had a bad reputation, especially concerning hausaufgaben. If a child did not want to do homework, they just shrugged and let her do play. Then the mum would pick them up after work and discover that they had to do homework in the evening when everyone was tired and narky. Nightmare.

I am sure that every hort is different though, so ask around the village.

ErnestTheBavarian · 26/05/2009 13:48

good tip ml, will try to find hort parent, ta

I went here www.ferienpark-bischofsmais.de/

only an hour & half ish from us.

only hour half from prague.

and going by accommodation, truly east meets west.

DebInAustria · 26/05/2009 16:08

Thanks Ernest, will have a look

ZZZen · 26/05/2009 16:54

does sound good that place.

Ernest no idea about Hort sorry, no experience of it. Ask about that again on the Gernman school thread. I think NN must use the school hort system but she doesn't post on here.

Why do they have to stay at Hort till 5pm? Are you sure about that? I'm thinking you may have to PAY for the most expensive place (-5pm) but whether you pick them up at 3.30, 4 or 5 surely doesn't matter. Would check that one.

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canella · 27/05/2009 09:20

glad you had a good weekend ernest - had a look at that link - noticed it didnt show the acommodation only the activites! but i'm a bit like you - if everything else is good (and the price is!) then you'll not be in the accomodation for much of the time!
I'm no help about the schools - i dont even know what Hort is!!! sorry!

reporting back for you zzen about my Frauengymnastik! well dont think it would be like this in bigger towns but there was just 3 of us and the instructor doing step aerobics! no-one asked me for money - need to bring it up next week! so it was fairly easy to follow even with my pigeon german! they asked at the beginning had i done any aerobics before - freaked them out a bit when i said i used to take classes as part of my job in the UK!!!! ( i was a physio doing cardiac rehab) Might find a niche for myself taking some classes in months to come but it was more about getting to know the villagers and making friends!

been running again this morning - need to change my days if i'm going to step on a tues night now - legs a bit sore this morn!
but feel more alive this week - was getting a bit bored being a SAHM - needed to do something for myself so exercise it is! wont be posting that anywhere else on MN - might be shot down!

ZZZen · 27/05/2009 12:22

Well done getting through the step aerobic in German! Wish I could kick-start myself into doing a bit more sport, I know I feel heaps better if I am regular about it but just getting started is such a grind, isn't it?

Any news on the house in the UK Canella?

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canella · 27/05/2009 12:44

the same woman is having a third viewing on saturday - its not that big a house so i dont know why she needs to view it 3 times but if it results in a sale i'll be the happiest woman in germany! i'll have everything crossed on saturday! i think its really reasonably priced but its the getting a mortgage that people find difficult.
what do you think?
old house

canella · 27/05/2009 12:44

dont think that worked! sorry - i'm a proper technophobe!

ErnestTheBavarian · 27/05/2009 13:02

i tried to have a nosey, but it takes you to estate agents site, but not to your house.

anyway, fingers crossed for sautrday.
was reading bun fight discussion about fr chickens/meat etc. I think in UK there are big sections of fr meat and it's also sort of trendy/big business. But here I've never seen any meat specifically labelled fr. so, does it exist or do you have to go to special shop (don't think there's a one near me) or can I feel ok that vinzenmur (sp?) is generally ok? WOuld like to improve my family's diet.

But ds3 losing weight, so needs to be high calorie. Spoke to the doc on Tues & her advice is as much fat as poss, so if he want fruit give his strawberries with loads of crea, if he want s bread - only with loads of butter or spready cheese on, recommends crips as highcarb/fat. Basically, take healthy eating guidelines & turn them on head.

Oh boy, I'm going to be like the back end of a bus

DebInAustria · 27/05/2009 14:22

ernest - wish I could follow advice like that

ErnestTheBavarian · 27/05/2009 15:24

what's the bet that at his next check, he's lost yet more weight, and I'll have gained 3 kilos

canella · 27/05/2009 19:16

let me try again - hope this works!! i've tried it a few times but i'm a disaster with computers!
old house

Must be nice for a while to not go down the healthy eating road - hope your ds puts on some weight ernest - must be a constant worry! what about mashed potato with cream rather than milk? i had a friend in a similar position - will ask her for some recipe ideas if i speak to her!