The download has begun

German language class has taken over our daily activities. If we are not sleeping or eating, we are studying. It is challenging and exhausting, but we're pushing through and we're learning a lot! Our first language module ends mid-March, and until then, our blog posts may be less frequent. We do have much we still want to share about our experiences here in Europe, however, so keep checking in with us! (Or sign up to be alerted when we post a new blog entry.)

The Gazebo located directly over the center of the Earth

Here is our quaint little town. It is surrounded by hills and other smaller villages. The hill to the north is fun to climb. It is a steep 30-minute walk from our front door. We made this hike this week with colleagues Jim, Thadd, and Laura. On the hill directly south of us is a World War I memorial. Both views are nice. In the second picture you can see the locations of the Gazebo, our apartment, and our future office space, the Barn.

Germany's national past time is not soccer

People have asked us what has been the biggest cultural adjustment for us so far. Each time we're asked, we look at each other and then reply most emphatically, "The recycling!" Now, we know there are parts of the U.S. that put a big priority on recycling and the environment, but it would seem that this particular area of the world takes a peculiar interest in what happens with our garbage. Every time we turn to throw something away, we have to go through a mental process to determine which one or more of the six possible bins it could go in. It takes some extra effort, but in the end, we throw away maybe a tenth of the trash that we used to in the States. And we probably sleep better at night knowing we're helping make the planet "greener."

Click on the above picture to see our interpretation of the system.

Look! Up in the sky!

There are things we encounter in life that we are not meant to understand. We have the privilege of observing them, learning from them, and accepting them. This is not one of those things.

One Sunday morning, we woke up to find men's and women's undergarments hanging neatly over the streets of our quiet little town. This amusing display was baffling to us and seemed at odds with the reputed German reserve.

We have since discovered that these undergarments are decorations heralding the mirth and revelry associated with fasnacht, the German version of Mardi Gras, which is held in February. More on fasnacht later...

Good Design, Bad Design

Being graphic artists, we're always looking around for examples of good design, whether it's a billboard, a book, or a bicycle. When we came across this storefront in a nearby village, we did a double-take. It is not often you see someone actually promoting "bad design." But we had to quickly jump out of our English-speaking expectations. We soon remembered that bad in German, at least in this case, means bath. Sure enough, upon closer observation, this business does in fact design baths and bathrooms, and we guess that, despite what they say about themselves, their designs aren't that bad at all!

The little engine that could

In 1998 when we were living in Belgium, John saw a Smart for the first time. They've occupied a place in his heart ever since. These tiny and unique vehicles are seen all over Europe and now, after 10 years, they are heading to the US. Folks in big cities will love them for their excellent fuel economy and they are very practical: you can park two in one spot. Although they remain one of the least reliable cars on the road, they are relatively safe and roomy for you and one friend. You can even tote something small like a deck of cards or cell phone around in the trunk.

Prepare for Battle

We had a wonderful New Year’s Eve celebration with three other American couples, playing games, eating a ton of food (that must be tradition everywhere!), talking, and watching the entire town explode with fireworks. The rule here on New Year’s Eve is that there are no rules with regards to fireworks, and fireworks on New Year’s Eve in Germany are a BIG DEAL. It was actually really fun, and we only feared for our lives a couple of times. There were bottle rockets all over the place; people were lighting them every where you looked. We were mainly in the town square, but they were also launching them in small streets and alley ways... So unless you were indoors, you were pretty much taking your life in your hands and hoping that you would actually see the rest of 2008. The entire town square was so filled with smoke at one point that we thought we’d have to get out the gas masks to breathe. And of course, it was FREEZING outside!! One special treat was that we got to play with sparklers, something neither of us have done for years.

Bricks of milk and juice

Maybe its a subtle nod to the creators of Tetris, but Europeans like to package, sell, and then store milk and juice in lined cardboard boxes, or bricks as we like to call them. Each brick holds a liter of liquid. Our fridge is very small like most fridges here, so optimizing space is a priority. During these cold months, we store our extra beverage bricks out on our balcony in a cooler. It's like having a fridge–and sometimes freezer–the size of the great outdoors.

Our holiday in England

Our visit to England over Christmas included a late flight, a hair-raising subway, bus, and train ride, a day in Canterbury and Dover, the Queen's television address, much Earl Grey tea, and loads of family fun. Here is Amy posing in front of Canterbury cathedral with my brother, Rick and family. Before opening gifts, we were treated to traditional Christmas pudding: a delicious fruitcake which has Brandy poured over the top and then lit for all of two seconds to give it a slight crisp. It is then served with warm cream sauce. Here is the unsuspecting pudding just before ignition.

Christmas in town by night

Every Thursday in December, the streets of town come alive with crowds of merrymakers sipping hot drinks. To take the edge off the cold, they set up logs that have been split down the middle and lit. The chimney effect is quite powerful and the logs burn for hours. In the main square in town, called the Blumenplatz, or Flower Plaza, they light additional fires. And for one Euro, they hand you a long wooden staff wrapped with bread dough at one end. Like roasting hot dogs back home, you bake the bread over the hot coals, nibbling the golden brown portions while sipping your cider. Quite the festive evening!

Christmas in town by day

The streets are decorated with wreaths and Christmas trees and lights like many towns during the month of December. The 15-foot tree in front of our building, laden with red bows and ribbons, falls down in the wind every few days. Though it is chilly, there is a fervor in the air as people rush from shop to shop gathering gifts. Business booms, especially at the Post Office. There are times listed on every storefront window when business doesn't boom, and the fervor dies down to a low hum. Everything closes for 2 hours for lunch! At least the ATM is open 24 hours.

Where two streams meet

Our apartment is situated at the convergence of two streams. One flows in from the north and the other from the northeast, joining forces as one river on its way to the Rhein. One morning around 3 we were up sipping Sleepytime tea in hopes of getting back to sleep. From our kitchen we could see the north stream bubbling along at a pretty good clip. Recent rains had swollen it. We were reminded of the fact that the waters flow even at night. Maybe that fact should be obvious to most, but it made us think, "Wow that's a lot of water." It also shows us how God is at work all the time, even when we are normally sleeping.

O Tannenbaum

What a perfect season to arrive in a new place. We get to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, in a land that is rich in Christian history. The last two boxes we opened from our move across the sea were our Christmas decorations. This time of year, lights and ornaments awaken those warm fuzzies we all feel–a sense of belonging and home. Since we are just temporary sojourners here on Earth, we have a tree that travels with us. Yes it is fake, but we still get the satisfaction of vacuuming up its fake needles.

All's well that ends well

We love Europeans and how they, from time to time, creatively use English. Here is our finalist for "Best European Product Name." Yes, it is toilet paper.

10 Years and Counting!

Can't believe it's been 10 years since we said "I do!" We didn't have much time to plan for the big day (it's not like we've been busy doing other things!), so we decided to take the day and go castle-hunting. We made our way to Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle which overlooks a small French village. Castle exploring in December is a chilly endeavor. So we stopped for a yummy hot chocolate on the way back to Germany.

A quick walk to work

Just to give you an idea of what our commute will be like once the barn/office has been completed, Amy is up in our apartment (middle balcony) and the barn is just below the yellow arrow (There's blue tarp on the roof). It's about a block away! We're thankful that our gas consumption will be lower because the price for gas right now the equivalent of $7.52/gallon (Yikes!).

By the way, you can click on these pictures and they'll get bigger.

STUFF!

Our container arrived, and with it, all our stuff! Everything went very smoothly – no rain, no injuries, no badly damaged furniture – thanks be to God!! Once we got it all in, the next question was, "Wow! What are we going to do with all this stuff?!" Our favorite part of the entire day was getting to sleep in our very own LARGE bed that night... blissful!

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving evening with some of our new missions family. We had all the trimmings, including sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie! It was fun to get to know more of the folks with whom we will be working.

We did discover that you can't find pecans or marshmallows in Germany. And Amy was in charge of making the sweet potatoes. We found a sweet potato casserole on the web that didn't call for marshmallows and replaced the pecans with almonds. Turned out pretty good!

Setting up house

As we wait for our shipping container to come, we have spent time finding appliances that we need that are 220 volt (washer/dryer, microwave, CD player, telephone, etc.) as well as purchasing and assembling wardrobes (they call them shranks here -- pronounced 'shrahnks'). It is unusual for European housing to have closets and so it is normal to buy something to hang your clothes in.

The barn

Just across the street from our new place is a massive barn built in 1884. It is currently being renovated into office space. Our office is on the third level, where the roof line intersects with the floor. Large dormers are being built up and out from the slanted tiles so we can stand and not crawl around in our new cubicle. Out the future windows will be an impressive view of the surrounding hills. The barn should be completed by next fall.

Too cold for ice cream!

Sara took us to Riquewier with her son, Josh, and his friend, Parker. Josh and Parker decided they wanted ice cream as a snack... As you can tell, it might have been a little too cold for ice cream that day!

We've been getting used to what feels like colder temperatures here (when you compare them to Denver's dry cold!). Since we've been here, it's been in the high 30s to high 40s during the day with clouds and rain – Chilly!

Riquewier

We visited a little town called Riquewier on All Saints Day, a holiday celebrated on November 1. Everything is closed down in Germany and France except for touristy things, so we spent the day exploring a little. Riquewier is on the Wine Route just west of the German border in France. It was good to go to a place where we could understand the language!

Schlingen in the rain

Schlingen is several km west of us toward France. You get there on a road that winds through patches of the Black Forest. Most days the journey is overcast and dreary, and some days it is wet and drizzly. You have to be careful of the giant semis weaving their way through the tiny streets. It's a glorious feeling.

A new chapter begins

Welcome to EuroBatts! We are setting up shop at the crossroads of 3 European countries. This is our place above the flower shop. We look forward to learning the language and getting to know our neighbors. Everything is close. Post office, grocery store, bank, Chinese restaurant, and of course the florist, are all within walking distance.