In Wittlich, the Vitelliusbad there is an indoor and an outdoor pool available. More information can be reached through the link above.
Friday, July 15, 2011
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.
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Another pool is located in Bitburg, Cascade pool.
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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.
In Wittlich, the Vitelliusbad there is an indoor and an outdoor pool available. More information can be reached through the link above.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
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!
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?
Monday, July 11, 2011
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
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.
Do houses have air conditioners?
Unfortunately, keeping cool in the summer time involves purchasing several fans and eating plenty of popsicles.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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