Our New Place (In Germany, That Is...)

Finally, a moment to breathe (and to write). Thanks to German legislature, preventing any shops from being open on Sunday, and making noise-making equally illegal on the Sabath, we were forced to relax today. There would be no home-improvement projects, nor could we purchase our much needed washer, dryer, automobile, etc.

Since it was Sunday, we (finally) resumed our traditional family hike. Along with Tobi's parents and cousins, we hiked for a couple hours with the baby in tow, up to a neat little restaurant in the forest called "Streitbaum". This is the spot where the people from the nearby town of Hetzles would come to resolve things (or fight - "streiten"). Not only was the food good, but the server could have just as easily been an old friend. I love it when I don't feel intimidated by the person serving me (which I find is often the case here in Germany). The weather was great... just overcast enough for a perfect hike. And best of all, there was a slide at the restaurant. (Lukas loves slide. Big, small, fast, slow... it doesn't matter. Just let him slide! )

After returning to Tobi's parents place to allow Lukas to nap for an hour, we headed out to the neighboring town of Grossenbuch, for a "Kirchweih", or German summer festival. Steeped in traditional music and dances, these small-town events are always lots of fun.

But getting back to our house, it really could have been built for us. It's got three bedrooms and two bathrooms spread out over three floors, a huge back yard looking out onto a big, open field, and there are lots of kids in the neighborhood, not to mention horses just down the street.

For now, it needs new floors, and we've decided to put wood flooring into most of the house. Future projects will also include adding a wintergarden to the side of the house, and completely revamping both the kitchen and master bath. We're not in any hurry, though. The house isn't going anywhere!

That's the greatest feeling. Just knowing that the house is ours, and that it's big enough to accommodate us and it's in a child-friendly neighborhood (which would be fun to grow up in), is just wonderful.

I'm so excited about it, that I actually found myself scrubbing the toilets with a smile on my face the other day. If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is! :-)

As for our travels, it looks like we'll be in one place for the better part of the month. Tobi has to leave to begin his job in The Netherlands next week, but we'll wait at least a week before following him up, allowing us to unpack before transitioning to our "home away from home".

I'll post pictures soon!