Some Things I Like About Germany

 After all my venting and complaining during my adjustment process there are some things I do like about Germany.  I guess the longer one lives here some things you get used to and enjoy!

Nature:  I love the beautiful forests in Germany.  I heard and read that Bavaria is very green and has tons of forests everywhere.  It is easy to get to a wooded area in 10 to 15 minutes by car or sometimes quite close to the cities.  We now live in Kraftshof, a small farming village, and the forest is literally 10 minute walk from my house.  I love exploring and wandering around and literally getting lost in the amazing forests.  Momo absolutely loves her long walks in them.  She is always super excited to be in the forest especially when she can meet some wild pigs and other critters!  

Public Transportation:  I love the different types of public transportation around here, especially in Nuremberg.  There are subways, street cars, buses and trains and all quite well connected.  It is accessible and easy to use, so my teenagers were able to get around quite easily going from Erlangen to Nuremberg.  I particularly enjoyed the high speed ICE trains when my parents and I took the train to visit Italy in October of 2020.  How memorable it was!  It is usually less stressful to take the trains than to drive on the highways here, especially when there is so much car traffic and accidents.  But once in a while, there will be some delays or problems with the trains, so we just have to give ourselves extra time.

Coffee and Cake Time:  This was something that I enjoyed when I visited Germany to meet Marc's family and our friends even before we moved here.  It was always relaxing and comforting to have a nice hot drink with some homemade or bakery made cakes and pastries.  It is a lovely tradition and Germans, like many Europeans, like to spend time talking, catching up and relaxing with friends and family in the afternoons or on the weekends.

The Turkish Influence on German Gastronomy!  

I am so glad there is a huge Turkish influence on German food culture.  Marc introduced me to the Turkish-German Sandwich, the Doner and it is thankfully everywhere in German cities and streets.  It is Germany's delicious fast food sold at many imbiss stands and it is yummy! I had some amazing good Turkish food in Cologne, Berlin and Hamburg.  We still have not found the perfect Turkish restaurant in our area but the Doners are pretty good!

The Outdoor Markets

My favorite thing to do on a weekend morning especially when we lived in Erlangen was walking around the outdoor markets.  So many shoppers were out and it was so lively.  The beautiful and fresh veggies, colorful flowers, cheese and olive stands, butchers, food trucks and so much more are just delightful.  You know how much I love food and am a crazy foodie, so wherever I go I have to explore the food markets. One of my favorite ones which is a bit touristy is the market in Munich, the Viktualien Market.  Just so big, fun, with delicious food and more! 

Germany's geographic location:  I love how easy and close it is to travel from Germany to other cities in Europe.  Coming from the States I think this is fantastic.  I traveled to Prague with my parents in November of 2020 and just had a fabulous stay.  We took the bus to Prague from here and it was around 3 hours driving time.  Wow and just amazing!  As a family, we also traveled to Austria for Winter and Fasching break to ski.  The teens loved it and so did Momo, especially when we saw so much snow in the mountains!  It was beautiful to be in the Alps and surrounded by a beautiful landscape!  After corona times are better, we cannot wait to visit some more Europeans destinations!  I still need to visit Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Croatia, Hungary and so many more places!  














Comments

  1. MCMarch 12, 2021 at 8:29 AM

    So true! The cakes are dangerous though 😃😃

    ReplyDelete

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