Life in Germany

(Of course, I mean, life at this one particular location in Germany, with this one particular family, and extended family and friends.)

I feel completely “at home” here.  I don’t feel any differently being in this area of Germany than if I were in Kansas (except it’s not as hot here).  Sitting around with extended family and friends is just like when I was growing up and we were visiting our relatives in Ohio every summer (except it’s not as hot here).  Visiting Jenny’s family in Weissensee seems just as normal as visiting my daughter, Nadine’s family in Colorado. 

Like I found with the two families I visited in Spain, the family, extended family, and friends are very close.  The relationships go back generations and generations.  We passed by Jenny’s kindergarten, Jenny’s primary school, Jenny’s secondary school, Rene’s (Jenny’s dad’s) kindergarten, Rene’s primary school, Rene’s secondary school, the house where Rene was born, the house where Rene’s dad was born, etc., etc., etc.

Talk about “eating local”.  Both sets of Jenny’s grandparents have their own gardens, and her mom’s parents have their own livestock.  They grow their own fruit and vegetables, make their own sausage (from their own pigs), as well as the duck we had for lunch (tasted like roast beef to me).

Mario, Danny, Werner (grandpa), Julia, Jenny.
Duck, potatoes, and "Rottkraut" (sweet, red cabbage, delicious!!)

Rene explained to me the construction that I always associate with "typical German".  It's wood beams, and bricks covered with plaster.  The deal is that the wood beams are built first, and they are the structural support.  Then the bricks and plaster are added to fill in the exterior walls.  The idea is that wood has flex and therefore won't crack as the ground settles, whereas if they built just out of bricks, the bricks can separate and crack.

Danny (Jenny's boyfriend), Jenny,
grandpa's (mom's dad) barn / workshop / pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits.

Grill-Meister Danny.

Anja, Laci, Nico, Hannes, Anette, Claudia (mom's sister), Meline, Uwe. 

German dinner.  Meat and potatoes.

Breakfast in Jenny's back yard.

German Mehrkornbroetchen.  Yummmmmmm!!!

Jenny’s dad, Rene owns a warehouse which is filled with tons and tons of road salt (this is just one small corner).  On this roof he has solar panels and he sells his generation back to the electric grid.  We took Rene’s 4-wheel drive vehicle to one of the wind farms located on his family’s wheat fields.

In Guenstedt, we stopped by the church-yard where several relatives are interred.  All of the graves are covered with live flower gardens which are tended by the descendents.  This is the grave site of Susanne's (Jenny's mom's) grandparents.

Weissensee:

Same Issues Everywhere: "No Dog-Toilet!"

Beautiful Erfurt (about 20 km from Weissensee):

I think I would call this a “peace rally”.  It's called the "Monday Demonstration".  This right to do this was just granted 16 weeks ago.  Several different speakers got up and spoke, and frequently the audience applauded, although people also felt free to occasionally make dissenting comments.  The gist of the message, as best I could understand it, is that the German media is presenting one-sided reporting on the situation in Ukraine and Russia, and that NATO and the American government are posturing anti-Russia.  

Many streets (Ring = Circle) are named after famous people and heroes.
This is a reminder that we are in the former Soviet block of Germany.

Jenny's grandparents' (dad's parents) "cottage" where I am staying.  When she told me it was a cottage on their property, I was expecting a one-room house.  Instead it was a magnificent home on a large property with beautiful gardens and trees.  Her grandpa planted the trees 35 years ago, and he has built two houses and landscaped the entire property himself, as his "hobby".  Wow!