Bostalsee Campsite

This is the perfect daytime getaway if you just want to get out and have some inexpensive fun with the family. There are several fun activities and facilities available on the grounds to keep you happy. There is a sauna, solarium, walking/bike routes, playgrounds, swimming, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, and camping facilities as well other great things to do.

Campsite suitable for handicapped persons
Opening period: 01/01 up to and including 31/12
Indicative price: € 23.00 / € 23.00
Number of touring pitches: 110 (>100m²)
Number of camper pitches: 10
Number of permanent annual pitches: 334
Area: 14 Total area (in hectares)
Altitude: 400m

Campsite Bostalsee

66625 Nohfelden/Bosen

Germany

+49 (0)6852-92333

 

Take the A1 as far as the Nonnweiler crossing and then the A62 as far as exit 3 Türkismühle. Then follow the signs to 'Bostalsee'.

 

http://www.eurocampings.co.uk/xserver/index.php?campingID=101136

http://www.eurocampings.co.uk/en/europe/germany/saarland/campsite-bostalsee-101136/#

Day Trip List by Jessica Rapsavage

Day Trips
Times from Buechel, Germany

Mayen. 2 castles. 30 min.
Beilstein. Small village near Cochem. River cruise from Cochem available. 30 min.
Bremm & Ediger Eller. 20 min.
Kobern- Gondorf. 2 castle ruins on the mosel. 40 min.
Kloster Maria Laach. Abbey on the lake. 45 min.
Brodenbach. Castle Ehrenburg. 45 min.
Cologne Zoo. 1 hour
Montabaur. 1 hour
Bad Neunahr. old town, car free, medieval gates & moat. 1 hour
Bad Munstereifel. 18 towers, wall & castle. 1 hour
Echternach, Luxembourg. "Little Switzerland" 1 hour
St. Goar. 2 castles on Rhine River. 1 hour
Vianden Castle, Luxembourg. 1 hr. 20 min. & Castle Beaufort, Luxembourg. 15-20 min. apart
Limburg. castle, cathedral, medieval town. 1 hour
Bonn. castle ruins, cathedral, riverside. 1 hour
Valley of the Seven Castles, Luxembourg. 1 hr. 30 min.
Idar-Oberstein. 2 castles, Church of the Rock. 1 hr. 30 min.
Bouillon, Belgium. Fortress & castle above the river. 2 hours
Worms. 1 hr. 40 min.
Castles Reichenstein & Rheinstein. 1 hr. 20 min. ( Im Burgweg 25- Trechtingshausen am Rhein)
Aachen. Cathedral & Christmas Market. 2 hours
Castles Stolzenfels & Lahneck. 50 min. (Parkplatz B9-Rhenser Str. Schlossweg.)
Castle Thurant. Alken. 45 min.
Gerolstein. Kasselburg ruins. 45 min.
Castle Sooneck. 1 hr. 20 min. Niederheimbach
Luxembourg Casemates. 2 hours. 10 Montee de Clausen- Bock Casemates
Castle Satzvey. 1 hour 20 min.
Monschau. Half-timbered houses, no cars, medieval town & castle. 2 hours
Heidelberg. Large castle ruins, old bridge, bridge gate, shopping. Close to Ramstein. 2 hours
Dusseldorf Alt Stadt. Old center in the city. 2 hours.
Saarbrucken. 1 hr. 30 min. Large city
Atta Hohle Cave. Attendorn. 2 hrs 20 min.
Clerveaux, Luxembourg. Chateau. 1 hr. from Spang
Burg Eltz. 45 min.
Cochem. Castle, half-timbered houses on the Mosel. 20 min.
Koblenz. Large city, shopping. 30 min.
Trier. Oldest city in Germany. Shopping, old city center, Roman ruins. Porta Nigra, Roman bath ruins and more. 45 min.
Manderscheid castle ruins. 2 castle ruins. 20 min.
Bernkastel-Kues. 45 min. Christmas market, wine fest, pretty town on the mosel.
Irrel. Waterfall Irrel. West wall museum Irrel- restored WWII bunkers. 45 min.
Monreal. tiny village with half-timbered houses and a river running through. 2 castle ruins. 20 min
Traben-Trarbach. gated bridge. 45 min.
Darmstadt. Frankenstein's Castle Halloween. 2 hours

Local Treasures: Pulver Maar

• 
  The Pulvar Maar

For a nice break, head outside and enjoy the scene up at the Pulvar Maar. The water is soothing and you can go for a swim or just sun bathe in the summer months. Camping is available all year long, and there are many activities to keep your family busy. You can find food and drink along with ice cream if you need a snack.

http://www.feriendorf-pulvermaar.de/Naturfreibad-Pulvermaar/index.php

• 

Ticket prices (individual):
Person over 17 years € 3, -
under 17 years 1.50
Children under 3 are admitted free.

Admission (ten tickets):
Person over 17 years € 26, -
under 17 years 13, -
Children under 3 are admitted free.
All tickets are day tickets, so you may for example morning and evening, come with a card. The cards are not transferable.

Family-holiday-card (valid for 1 month): € 41, -

Season-ticket:
Person over 17 years € 38, -
under 17 years 15, -

 

Munich by Jessica Rapsavage

Photo courtesy of Dave Harruff

Munich
http://www.muenchen.de/home/60093/Homepage.html - official site


One hour drive from Garmisch. Train is also available.
Parking: Marienplatz underground garage. Nearest to the center Marien platz.

Marienplatz. Heart of the city. Neues Rathaus/ New city hall with the famous glockenspiel- life sized animated models re-enact a play when the clock chimes
Alt Rathaus/ The old city hall. Public bathrooms are underneath the platz in the U-Bahn station, also in the Neues Rathaus.

Viktualienmarkt. Around the corner from the Alt Rathaus. Most popular open-air market. Cheese stalls, Butcheries, Bakeries, Fruit stands, flower shops, souvineers and restuarants/ beer gardens and etc.
Find a seat anywhere and enjoy a tap beer or a pretzel outside.

Photo courtesy of Dave Harruff

Church of our Lady/ Frauenkirche / Dom. Landmark for Munich.

Church of St. Peter. Oldest parish church in Munich. City viewpoint- 306 steps to climb. Rindermarkt 1. Beautiful interior! Across the street from the Marienplatz park garage.

Hofbrauhaus. World's most famous beer hall! Pick a spot at any table even if it means sharing a table. Enjoy the smooth Hofbrauhaus beers and Bavarian specialties. 

Photo courtesy of Dave Harruff

Residence. Europe's most significant interior decorating museum. 130 rooms.

Olympic Park. 1972 Olympics. BMW Museum & World Headquarters across the street.

Alte Pinakothek. One of the oldest and most important galleries in the world. More than 800 masterpieces of European artists.

Neue Pinakothek. 18th century to 20th century art gallery.

Deutches Museum. Technical achievement museum.

Bavarian State Opera. Classical opera house. Seats 2,100 people. Max-Joseph-Platz 2.

Palaces Schleissheim: Lustheim Palace, Old and New Schleissheim Palace. Major Baroque complex in Germany.

Allianz Arena. Futuristically designed football stadium.

Ruhmeshalle/ Hall of Fame. Bavarian.

Schwabing. 'Artists quarter' of Munich. English Garden- beautiful and massive public park.

Historical walking tours:
Viator.com -Hitler and Third Reich walking tour Munich
isango.com - Sites of Nazi Movement in Munich

Karlsplatz. Entrance to the historical city and pedestrian area. Underground shopping center. Winer- open air ice rink

muenchen.de - Munich Germany Bavaria bavarian german

www.muenchen.de

Welcome to Munich 's official internet site. A service provided by the official internet site for Munich.

Dachau Concentration Camp by Jessica Rapsavage

Dachau Concentration Camp
Gedenkstatte Dachau
http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/index-e.html - official site
From Garmisch- 1 hr & 23 min. drive
From Munich- 32 min. drive

Parking: 3E per car for the day.

Camp tour is free and at your own pace.

Visitor center: Audio guide is highly recommended . 3,50 E adults & 2,50 E kids
Bathrooms, book store and a cafeteria restaurant inside.

Hours: Tues-Sun: 9-5pm

Documentary film in Museum: Children under 12 are not allowed to view. 22 minute film. Two English viewings at timed intervals.

Bookstore: 10-5pm . Tues-Sun.


Dachau town is also a beautiful Medieval town usually passed by because of the camp.

Visitor Information - Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site

www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de

directions and parking, opening times, tours and seminars, archive and library, cooperation partners and frequently asked questions

Travel Info for Normandy, France by Jessica Rapsavage

Photo courtesy of Dave Harruff

Normandy, France. D-Day Landings
June 6th, 1944
http://www.bessin-normandie.com/ - Official site


Toll roads from Spangdahlem AB, around 50 Euro one way, be ready with cash.

Recommended stay: Port-en-Bessin, Colleville-sur-Mer, Port-en-Bessin Huppain, Grandcamp -Maisy, Vierville-sur-Mer, Arromanches-les-Bains. All of these are extremely close to a site and on the country road behind the beaches. For a city stay there are Bayeux and Caen depending on how far you would like drive to the sites.

We stayed at Pierre Et Vacances Maeva Tourisme in Port-en-Bessin Huppain. Booked with Booking.com. Tourist residence next to the Omaha Beach Golf Course. It was an excellent base camp with a grocery store & gas station in the nearby town. The residence were fully furnished apartments with a heated outdoor and indoor pool, and a playground next to the outdoor pool. Parking was free and surrounded the building in lots. You do take out your own garbage and no maid service is available. Reviews online also stated that you don't get extra TP- we brought our own…… a vacuum cleaner was also in the apartment to clean up all of the sand=)
Campsites and Caravan Parks are also abundant in this area. Check out the above website for more info.

Arromanches- Artificial Mulberry Harbour. Arromanches 360- D-Day landings film from archives and Normandy today. 9 screens 360 degrees around you. Musee du Debarquement- Construction & operation of the artificial port/ Mulberry harbor.
Arromanches Militaria- Shop selling memorabilia from 1939-1945.

Batteries de Longues- Near Arromanches. Four German batteries with guns aimed at the coast across. A little bit further on the main road is Longues-sur-Mer- an Observation cliff of Arromanches and artillery command center. 

Omaha Beach- 2 Museums. Big Red One Assault Museum, Colleville-sur-Mer & Musee Memorial d'Omaha Beach with the floating bridge of Mulberry Harbour, St-Laurent-sur-Mer. 11 Monuments. The American Cemetery. German bunker on the cliff at the Monument Les Braves site. Read the signs and maps, they explain exactly the area you are looking at and what you can completely miss!!!

Photo courtesy of Dave Harruff

The American Cemetery and Memorial- Colleville-sur-Mer.
April 15-Sept.15th: 9-6pm. Sept 16- April 14: 9-5pm. Weekly closing: Dec. 25th- Jan. 1st. www.abmc.gov. 172.5 acres of cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach.
9, 387 graves of fallen soldiers during the Normandy campaign. A chapel, a Memorial and a garden pay tribute to the fallen. The inspired story for the Saving Private Ryan Film was from the Niland Brothers. There are 41 sets of brothers buried.

Pointe du Hoc- Cricqueville-en-Bessin. Free access all year. Reception & Info office: April 1- Sept 30th, every day: 9:30-1pm. 2-6pm. Oct.1- Mar. 31: 10-1pm, 2-5pm. Closed Mon-Thursday. The Pointe was a strategic fortification for the Germans on the Normandy coast. 30 Meters above sea, taken by storm by the men of Colonel Rudder's 2nd Ranger Battalion. The site was bombed heavily before the Rangers scaled the cliff wall to fight.

Grandcamp-Maisy- Port town after Utah Beach on the way to Pointe du Hoc. Nice lunch spot and visit.
Musee des Rangers- Recounts the story of the Rangers who stormed Pointe du Hoc on June 6, 1944.
Batterie de Maisy- German gun battery. 1.5km of trenches, tunnels & six 155mm artillery platforms.
Cimetiere Militaire Allemand- La Cambe. German WWII cemetery of 21,300 casualties.

Utah Beach & Museum- Sainte Marie du Mont. 9:30- 7pm. Utah Beach Monument..

Saint Mere- Eglise- Near Utah Beach. Paratroopers landed in the town and one got stuck on the steeple of the church. The church now has two stained glass windows, one with Mary and the paratroopers surrounding her, the other of Saint Michael (patron saint of the paratroopers) dedicated in 1972.

Photo courtesy of Dave Harruff

Bayeux- Notre Dame Cathedral, Gothic style. Famous for the Bayeau tapestry. Cimetiere Militaire Britannique- British military cemetery of WWII.
Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie- Retraces the battle of Normandy from June 7th to August 29, 1944.

Musee des Epaves Sous-Marines- Port-en-Bessin-Huppain. Underwater WWII vehicles recovered after 25 years. Route de Bayeux-BP 9

Musee de la Bataille de Tilly-sur-Seulles- In a 12th century chapel, recounts the struggle of Tilly-sur-Seulles and surrounding villages during the war.

Overlord Tours- They were always around us at the same time. Company recommended by veterans. French and English fluently. Tours in air-conditioned minivans for up to 8 people. 45E half day, 85E full day- includes museum. Private tours for all distances. overlordtour.com

Photo courtesy of Dave Harruff

Normandy is famous for their biscuits, Isigny Caramels, Cheese, Ciders- alcoholic and non, & Calvados- apple brandy, try the Calvados chocolates;)

Follow the signs, sometimes the GPS got lost for us.

Gold Beach, Juno Beach & Sword Beach - No info. Non American beaches.
Center Juno Beach- Canadian museum of D-Day landings on the beaches.

The countryside is dotted with charming villages with stone- built homes, colorful painted shutters, windows wish full flower boxes and beautiful tended gardens. The American flag flies proudly in every town/village more often than any small town in the States!

The food: Fresh seafood prepared in traditional dishes. Cream and butter sauces are richly delicious. The breads and bakery treats are fruit or chocolate filled, decadent and tasty.


Le Mont Saint- Michel
1 hour drive from the sites
Mont Saint Michel BP 22, 50116
Enchanting island sight crowned by a fortified abbey linked to the mainland by a causeway.

May- Aug: 9-7pm
Sept- Apr: 9:30-5pm
The entrance to the island town is free, shop and wander the pilgrim's route up to the Abbey.
Tour the Abbey: Under 18 free. 8,50 Euro adults
Parking for the day: 5-7E, can't fully remember!

The abbey of St. Michel- Benedictine monastery and then used as a political prison after the Revolution for 73 years. 3 levels- lower, middle & church..

St. Aubert's chapel: Small 15th century chapel on rock outcrop.

Ramparts: Fortified walls with imposing towers and walkway around for great views and photos. Take the right staircase after the first shop in town to the walk the Rampart wall and to the abbey.

Abbey: Protected by high walls

Gautier's Leap: Top of the inner staircase where a prisoner leapt to his death.

Grand Rue: The pilgrim's route followed dine the 12th century. Climbs through the town to the abbey gates.
We ate at Les Terrasses Poulard, one of the first restaurants at the top near the abbey entrance. Excellent fresh seafood specialties. You can order meals separately on the menu or choose a 3 course meal for a fixed price. The fixed menu was an inexpensive choice to try three separate courses compared to the main menu prices. Portions were very well sized and we left beyond full! I ordered a seafood sampler plate, scallops in a cream soup to die for, literally, and a dessert sampler plate with 4 desserts. Absolutely awesome!!!

Tourisme Normandie - Tourisme et vacances à Bayeux Bessin Normandie

www.bessin-normandie.com

 

 

Planning for Travel

While in Germany, you have access to travel within Europe at affordable prices. There are several sources that are available to help plan excursions. The ITT office at Spangdahlem offers many trips and day trips ar reasonable prices. Inexpensive flights can be booked using Ryan Air. Air Berlin, German Wings, TUI, and Condor are also well known discount airlines that are popular in Europe.

To find great excursions at several locations around the world, be sure to check out Viator.com. They offer fun events that are off the beaten path, and wonderful tours with guides.

While in Greece, we attended a dinner with live dancing for the entertainment. It was a wonderful evening, and it made us feel like we were attending a family gathering with welcoming faces all around us.

Along with those websites, you can find all sorts of information using wikitravel.org and expedia.com.

Once you reach Germany, Spangdahlem has a special book called Panther Paws, by the spouses from Spangdahlem, which is available for purchase and has an abundance of wonderful travel tips, important websites, info about Germany, and conversion charts. This book has info on many countries within Europe, such as good hotels and restaurants as well as things to do and places to see.

Another hidden gem for travel and recreation is Outdoor Recreation on Spang. The scuba diving trips out to Egypt are spectacular and not something to miss out on! They also offer trips for snowboarding and skiing, and many other wonderful trips as well.

Swimming in the Eifel

Many people love to swim for recreation and excercise. In the Eifel, there are a few options for swimming. A pool is located in Moselbad.

Another pool is located in Bitburg, Cascade pool.

  Both pools offer saunas as well as other great services and special pool areas. The websites are in German, but can be easily translated on your browser or with an online translator. Google translator is a good site to use for this.

In Wittlich, the Vitelliusbad there is an indoor and an outdoor pool available. More information can be reached through the link above.

SodaPop Pages: Market Day

This post was originally from the blog sodapoppages.blogspot.com  written by Jennifer Harruff.

SodaPop Pages: Market Day:
I love living in Germany, and some of the great perks of living in the Eifel are the farms and open spaces. I remember when I learned we were moving here. I was under the impression that everything in Europe is smaller, especially houses and apartments. However, when we got here, we found these amazing towns clustered together in beautiful little communities, and the houses are much larger than I ever dreamed they would be. They may not have closets built into the rooms, but they make up for the lack of space in storage spaces and bedrooms (ours has five bedrooms). The people in Germany are very outdoorsy, so you can spot them in the fields walking with long walking sticks (which reminds me of the travelling Uncle from Fraggle Rock) or just walking with their dogs. Several homes have stunning gardens and many people grow their own fruits and vegetables. I love driving through the towns in spring, when the flower boxes on the houses bring an explosion of color that instantly makes you feel happy and welcomed.

The people here are very friendly, and even though my Deutsch is not by any means perfect, I find that when I try to speak German, they are put at ease, and usually can speak better English than I can speak German. In most cases, people are terrified that their language skills are worse than they really are, so when they see me struggle, it lets them know that I feel exactly the same way about my own skills.

I recently went to a market in Wittlich. I've been really wanting to eat more local fruits and vegetables, so this was the perfect opportunity to find some! Even though there weren't many vendors, we found everything we needed, and I even saw some new foods that I'd never seen or heard of (purple carrots!). I saw some amazing carrots with the green leafy part still attached, so I instantly snagged those. Aren't they gorgeous?

I was amazed at the quality of the foods offered, and even more at the prices. I got a bunch of carrots, a bag of celery, four apples, five lemons, a bundle of cherry tomatoes that smell amazing, and an english cucumber all for eight euros and some change. The bag was pretty heavy when I finished shopping. Since my family eats a ton of veggies and fruit each week, this really makes me happy.

The kind lady who was selling at this stand gave my daughter a free banana. She was really great. Since this was my first experience going to the market, I felt a tad bit awkward with what I needed to do, so I asked if I could use the bag I brought to corral my items while I shopped. She was pretty helpful, and assisted me in getting my goodies into the bag. The market had fruits and veggies, organic fruits and veggies, eggs, baked goods, fresh meat cuts, deli meats, and olives/spices/jars of oil with foods inside. While we waited for our friend to get her donut holes, the lady even gave one to my daughter for free!

Summer Festivals in the Eifel

In the summer, the Eifel is full of fun events and festivals that are sure to keep any family busy and happy. There are various winefests all over the area, but here are a few of the more popular events:

European Folk Festival
In early July, Bitburg hosts a European Folk Festival. The event lasts for five days, and includes dancers and music from over 15 countries. There is a parade and folk dancing demonstrations. Festivities last for about three days, with different fun events going on per day. A children's folk festival is also included.

Rhein in Flames
The Rhein in Flames is a fun event in Koblenz, with a small carnival with rides and food/drink vendors along the river. River boats travel up the river and shoot off fireworks before the official start of the fireworks display. The fireworks show is a true marvel. The sides of the river are first lit up in soft orange lighting that slowly turns red over the hours, simulating the flames of a fire. When the fireworks start, music is blasted from overhead speakers, and the fireworks a choreographed to the music, which lasts for a few songs. In Germany, these fireworks displays are performed by people who spend their time competing for the best fireworks displays in the world.

Pig Fest

Wittlich hosts the Pig Fest every year on the third Sunday in August, and it is something that is worth visiting! A fun carnival is set up, with food/drink vendors, games, and a little area for shopping handcrafted gifts and other goods. There are also several stages set up for live music entertainment, and the roasting a pigs on the spit are the main attraction. The story behind the pig fest is that long ago the village was under attack by the Huns, and the city gates were shut to protect the people. The pin that usually closed the gate went missing, so a large carrot was wedged into the gate to close it. A pig came by later, and ate the carrot, allowing the Huns to come into the city and invade. To take revenge against the pigs, all pigs were slaughtered in the city, and every year they roast several pigs on a spit to mark the occasion. A count of how many pigs have been roasted will appear on a little board near the pig tent. The pork is sliced and served on brotchen, and is very delicious. 

Bernkastel Weinfest
The Bernkastel Weinfest is a fantastic event featuring local wines from the region, carnival rides, games, and food/drink vendors. It is held during the first weekend of September in Bernkastel. Festivities begin on the Thursday before the weekend, beginning with wine tastings. For more information, use the link above.

Medieval Festival

Manderscheid hosts a midieval festival during the last weekend in August, which lasts for about three days. There are live shows, jousting, musical entertainment, vendors selling food/drinks and handmade goods, and fun demonstrations for kids to participate in. The Manderscheid castle can be visited during this time, which is truly stunning to view from the roads passing by. It is set in a hidden mountain area, and in order to reach the festival, cars must be parked in specified fields, and transport buses take vistors back and forth.



Bitburg invites Sabers to European Folk Festival

Bitburg invites Sabers to European Folk Festival

Welcome to the Eifel Community!

Life in the Eifel area is fun, challenging, and mysterious to those who have never been here before. There are many questions about living in the Eifel area that we plan to answer here. Who are we? We are the community members who live in this area who wish to leave behind some valuable information to newcomers and others who live or will live here as well.

The first thing that many of us wonder when we discover that we are moving to the Eifel area is what the homes here are like. Information about living in Germany is not equally offered for smaller towns like it is in the larger cities, so everything found on this blog will pertain mainly to the eifel area unless specified. So, here are several common questions about the Eifel area:

Are the homes small?
Many homes in the eifel area are far larger than they are in the larger cities. This area of Germany is mostly country living, with wide open spaces between each town, and several rooms in each home. Do not worry about fitting your furniture into a house if you are moving here, it should be easy to accommodate your needs!

Are there closets in the rooms?
Unfortunately, there are no closets in most homes in the eifel. Some of the newer homes have them, though. If a house does not have a closet, large wardrobes are provided for your use, so clothing can still be hung up, and things can still be stored inside.

Most homes will have wardrobes instead of closets.

Do houses have air conditioners?
Unfortunately, keeping cool in the summer time involves purchasing several fans and eating plenty of popsicles.




Your summer savior


Is there central heating?
German homes are usually heated with special oil. They have what look like radiators in each room, but they are not the same. Giant vats of oil are stored in a special room in each house, and the heated oil is pumped into the "radiators" that have dials for adjusting the temperature as needed. All rooms have doors on them so that the heat can be sealed into each individual room, or it can keep a room that is not often used shut off so that it is not necessary to heat it as well.

Can we use our electronics?
All of the outlets in Europe are not the same as they are in the US. The EU uses 220v electricity, while the US uses 110v. Unless an item is dual voltage (check the item, it will have both 220v and 110v on it or 240v/120v), a transformer will be necessary to convert the electricity. However, if the items are dual voltage, a simple plug adapter can be used and it can be plugged into any outlet. Adapter plugs and transformers can both be purchased overseas, and two will be provided per household.

Are the kitchens the same size as they are here?
Unfortunately, living overseas will be an adjustment when it comes to cooking. Typically, German homes have small ovens, and the stovetops are harder to control the level of heat (they get very hot and take a long time to cool off) than the ones in the US. Most ovens here will not be large enough to bake things on large cookie sheets or pans. Fridges here also tend to be on the miniature side, so a full sized version is provided per household along with a microwave, both with 220 voltage.

Are the washers/dryers in Germany the same as they are here?
Although most washers and dryers in Germany are smaller, larger ones are also available for washing things like large comforters and blankets. When using German machines, the sizes of the washing loads need to be cut down in half in order to be properly cleaned. Detergents also need to be cut down with the wash cycles. Also, Germans typically do not dry clothes in machine dryers, they usually will air dry on special racks, or outside on laundry lines.

Photo by Laura Evans

What else is unique about German houses?
Windows overseas are set up differently than we are used to in the US. They have handles that twist to the side and the window will open like a door, and when the same handle is twisted upwards, the window will tilt inwards from the top. The outside of the windows has a special metal shade that can be lowered, blocking out the light quite efficiently. There is a pull inside the house that lowers and raises them.
Toilets are different as well. Most of Germany is environmentally conscious, so they have little water inside the toilets.

Recycling is the law here. All plastics, papers, lawn debris, and regular trash needs to be seperated. Each kind of trash has a different date in which it is to be put out for pickup. Also, several towns have trash pickup only twice monthly, and there are many with only one pickup per month. That means that plastics will be picked up once or twice a month, paper will be picked up once or twice a month on a different day, etc.

Cell phones, telephones, and internet are more expensive in Germany, but are available. T-Mobile has a monopoly out here, so there are limitations to services that do not exist in the States. Most people use prepaid plans to pay for their cell phones. A few cell phones can be used overseas that were used in the US, but be prepared to pay for a new phone when arriving here. To prevent high cost phone calls to the States, many people use Skype to talk with family back home, or Vonage.

If you have a question that you would like answered, please leave it in the comment section below.