Slices of Life: The Little Things That Are Distinctly German

Not much travel going on these days. Baby Luke is now here and we've all been a little under the weather. As we slowly get back into our top travel form, I figured now would be a good time to reflect on those aspect of life here in Germany that make this place unique. After all, I am guessing most people would think of two things when they think of Germany: WWII and Oktoberfest. Ah, but there is so much more below the surface. Here is a quick list off the top of my head:

-Balconies with oversized Window boxes spilling over with colorful Geraniums

-Sunday closures
-Volksmarching
-Red lights at the cemetery
-Carbs
-Religious displays
-Houses close together/distinct villages
-Walkplatz
-Windmills/multiple trash cans/green culture
-Autobahns/traffic jams (staus)
-Rolladens
-Biergartens/beer culture

-Devotion to soccer
-Houses that are never finished/little deferred maintenance
-Active elders
-Nutella
-Christmas Markets

I've noticed that with a few execptions, I'd be hard pressed to find these in the US. It will definitely be hard to leave many of these behind in next year when we head back home.

Our German Gummi Bear

Lots of pix of Luke up on the net. We had a professional photographer take some shots and you can check them out at the website http://www.babysmile24.de/. When you see:
"Sie haben einen Code...
5-stellig Klick hier
12-stellig Klick hier "

click on the one for the 12 digit code. The code is 0015011-7RD7M. That will bring you to the photo gallery.

Take a look!

Needless to say, we were a little (okay, very) apprehensive over the prospect of having a baby in a foreign country away from friends and family. As we look back, we can honestly say that it has been a great experience. We've been very fortunate to have some great friends over here in Germany. We've had about two weeks worth of meals dropped off at our house. It means the world to all of us. Also, we've been lucky to have a great experience at Saint Johannes--the german hospital where Luke was born. It was a 180 from our experience with Julia and the berthing resort in Arizona but it was still a very positive experience.

Happy One Week Birthday Baby Luke!

Our son Luke continues to do really well. He's home from the hospital and is adjusting well to our house. Thankfully he sleeps through the night unless he wants to eat. What a relief! Julia was a night owl.

This last week has been a week of firsts for Luke. He did his first trip to church on Sunday, first time meeting his "brother" Reagan, and first of many leaky diapers. Speaking of firsts, Luke's first trip took place on Sunday when we all headed over to Heidelberg. While we were hoping to do some walking on the great trails that surround the city, the winds kicked up and dropped the temps to below freezing. Too cold for our little guy. Instead we decided to cruise the Marktplatz pedestrian district and grab some dinner. Regardless of the weather, it is really hard not to have a good time in Heidelberg.

Looking forward to coming home in April. I've been away for way too long. Last year this time I was in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras and haven't return to the states since. By the time I get home, it will have been over a year away from the US and over 15 months since going to CA. Time to hit the fast forward button on life and get home!