Germany is well known for their bread. On holiday in other countries I've often seen a "German bakery" (or "Swiss bakery"). That's like saying, here we have some GOOD bread.
I'm sure you are already doing this, but being a teacher I need to say it: learning a new language is hugely based on hearing it, so the more your kids listen to for example Benjamin Blümchen, TKKG, Bibi Blocksberg etc, the faster they'll learn :)
Sendung mit der Maus on RUclips, so if you have trouble you can slow it down even more. Sendung mit der Maus is a documentary series for children showing how things are made but it's fascinating for grown ups too. Also, Loewenzahn is really good at teaching what is typical German behavior, also aimed at children. I started learning German with Benjamin Bluemchen (audio only) and learned that it is where Germans get their Earth-friendly indoctrination.
So interesting to hear about your impressions and experiences of living in Germany 👍. And I just have to say: you come across as extremely likeable, open and genuinely good people. Great to have you here!
Incredible but recorded in the bread register: German bakers offer around 3200 different types of bread. You can read all of them at the German Bread Institute in Weinheim (Baden-Württemberg). The most popular is mixed wheat bread. Rustic wood-fired breads and Mediterranean breads are also in demand. No other country in the world has so many varieties. How important bread is to Germans is also expressed in the language: snack and supper. He's stupid as bread. Earning one's bread. It is his daily bread. etc
I was really slightly shocked hearing that the German bread tradition is not known outside of Germany. As Max said, there are really more than 3200 different bread types known (and produced) within Germany. I live in Weinheim (near Heidelberg) where the German Bread Institut is located, every year bakers from all over the world come here to actually learn how to make bread „the German way“. Usually, opening up a German bakery abroad is a lucrative business (from what i learned so far). So yes, kudos to that truly traditional craft.
Sonntagsfrühstück is even a word in german, so yes: it is a widespread tradition. Mostly Brötchen, Bretzel and sweets. I would actually say Germany is quite famous for its bakerys (at least in europe) think Bretzel, Pumpernickel, black forest cake, german chocolate cake etc
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife german Käsekuchen is made with Quark, not creamcheese. Germans eat a lot of Quark in general. It's similar to Ricotta. Best Quark is 20% or 40% fat. You can use it sweet (with berries and honey) for breakfast or dessert, or savory with onions and herbs as a dip for vegetables for example. It's high protein and very creamy.
I don't know if you noticed, but the laundry soap is made for drying clothes outside, even after 30 years, I still remember the wow factor of how good freshly dried in the sun clothes smelled.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife It's not uncommon to buy/have an extra freezer unit that you put where there is space and an outlet. I do, too, because my fridge doesn't even have a freezer compartment. :)
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife An extra freezer is also helpful if you like to take advantage from delivery services like "bofrost" or "Eismann". Both companies have a vast choice of frozen meat, veggies (plain/naturaly or pre-cooked in sauces), potato products, complete dishes, pizza, cakes, ice-cream, etc. that is brought to/into your house.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife don't agree. Look up German Bakeries in New York or Esther's German Bakery (seems to be more Californian centered) or Old World bakery (also California) or Bernhardsgerman Bakery in Marietta GA. There seem to be some in Florida one in Ohio, in Tennessee, in Texas, in Virginia...
@@franhunne8929 that’s awesome that there are German bakeries around the country! There are places like in Pennsylvania where there are a lot of German and Dutch descendants and they do have more bakeries there. But what I’m talking about is the stereotypes Americans have of Germans. When you ask most Americans what they they think of when they think of a German, most will say - Oktoberfest, beer, pretzels, and sausage. Bread is not thought of.
But I find our family know we have many kinds of bread, but we take often same brown bread (Mischbrot) be, the one of for all days. Even father would love bread with more wheat flour in it, how he get in his childhood, good old German white bread. My mother love more the Multi-grain bread or coarse rye bread.
"Mischbrot" is a sourdough bread made with a "mixture" of flours: wheat, rye, maybe some barley flour - depending on how the baker and his customers like it. If you are still eating primarily "Feinbrot", try gradually going for more whole meal sorts and see how you like them. There is nothing better under cheese (or raw smoked pork!) than a very heavy "Vollkornbrot".
I've experienced this very often, where Americans address me in German and I was so excited to have a chance to use my English, and consequently the person was really disappointed. Please don't look at that situation as reflecting your language skills, I really think that Germans just enjoy having the opportunity to speak in your language and want you to feel at home. But of course, one should probably be more sensitive towards your situation and let you practice. You might have to tell your neighbors straight up! I love your videos and admire your family! I also really hope that Germany will open up again soon so you can finally enjoy the full experience! Chapeau!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife As germans are very direct you should tell people if you don't like something. They usually will not be offended. So if you prefer to talk in german tell'em.
I'm officially guilty of switching to English when talking to foreigners. And I once read, it's an efficiency thing. We tend to want to solve any problem as soon as possible, and so switch to the more efficient language. We forget that learning German is a goal by itself.
Oh gosh, yes, we are doing this for efficiency. Never thought about it, but it is so true. A lot of people here speak okayish English, first because of school, second the internet and third a German village has a church, a bakery and an international market leader for some niche product 😂
France has good bread ??? Only has 6 types of bread! Germany has 3000 types of bread and the bread culture is also protected. Germans prefer to eat mixed breads, i.e. breads made from a mixture of wheat and rye flours, which make up 32.8% of all breads consumed. Toasted bread took second place with 20.3%, followed by breads with grains and seeds (15.2%), wholemeal breads (10.5%), pure wheat breads and rye breads, each with exactly 5.2% share of the bread market. In case you don't know, Germans love to be outside. But the forest is sacred to Germans. Buy a German home cooking cookbook, because then you will learn to eat like the Germans.The Germans also have more 4 star chefs than France. You have to try an "Zwiebelmettbröchen" or a "Matjes".
My experience in Germany is that their bread seems even more important to them than their beer or sausages. When Germans travel to other countries on vacation, they are very often astonished that they can‘t get good bread there. I‘m sure as you explore more kinds of German bread you‘ll realize that the bandwidth of varieties of bread and how good each kind is will make you think that bread in France and Italy, while very good, can‘t shake a stick at German bread. If you can, try to find a Hofpfisterei bakery. They are all natural, “bio” and expensive, but they are worth it.
You are absolutely right! I grew up like this, buying fresh Brötchen for breakfast every day. It’s not expensive, but it feels so good to smell it ❤️ I can’t live with our bread. And I have heard from a friend who is a nutritionist that carb-reduced diets are popular all over the world- except in Germany. (Of course many people also try to eat carb-free here, but for many Germans this idea sounds really tough)
@@Alexander-dt2eq there are no French Bakeries in small towns, from the top of my head I only know the one in Münster, Westfalia. German bakeries don‘t do Croissants like the French, but there are enough really delicious other choices that a French Bakery doesn‘t stand a chance
@@lynnm6413 just coming back from France, it is still true. get baguettes/croissants/pain chocolat/pains aux raisins en France und den Rest ist D mind. genauso gut
Trying every food and item in the grocery store which interests you is really the way to go. ❤️🤗 Love how adventurous and open-minded you are. You are lovely people.
I don't know if somebody already answerd the Mischbrot'mystery': it usually is a mixture of rye and wheat. The bakery will answer how the mix ratio. Yes we love our bread! 💖Love Your channel
Germans have more bakeries and eat more varieties of bread than most other countries in the world. According to the bread register of the German Institute for Bread (of course there is such a thing 😀), there are more than 3,200 officially recognized types of bread in the country. And German bread culture was officially added by UNESCO to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2015. Bread is a staple for most meals in Germany: at breakfast, break-time (sometimes called Pausenbrot, or "break bread") and dinner or Abendbrot, literally the "bread of the evening. "It sells like sliced bread" is a German proverb describing fast-selling items.
I'm a German, living since 15 years in Aussie and one of the things I miss most is a "propper bread"... made with sourdough. Mischbrot (Mixbread) is part Rye, part wheat 👍
I agrree. I am fortunate enough to live not too far from a proper german bakery in South Australia run by expats and all their bread is sourdough. My favourites are the heavier breads Their pretzels are superb and there is a great rangecof breadrolls. . Some of the german bakeries are not very authentic and they make a feew german specialities but the bread is more like local bread ..light fast processed and just not substantial.
I tell you a trick to pronounce the "ei" and the "ie" always wright. Look at the second letter. For "ei" pronounce the i like "I", the way you do it in english. For the "ie" it's a long "ee", like in "knee". Long story short, look at the second letter and say it the way like you would say it in the alphabet in english. There are only ecxeptions in combined words like "beinhalten = to contain" , where you pronounce both letters seperatly.
Very brave of you to move to Bavaria of all places in Germany as language is concerned! Really interesting view on my home country and very personal and lovely approach to a new culture! Hope you will love and enjoy your time in lovely corner of Bavaria!
a lot of dryers have options of leaving clothes semi-dry. We usually use that option for clothing and hang it up afterwards, that way it doesn‘t wrinkle and you don‘t need to iron stuff, but it‘s better for the clothes than drying all the way. With language, I‘d recommend watching TV in German, even if you don‘t understand anything, you‘ll learn a lot about the sound and flow of the language, it will help your pronunciation and understanding. I don‘t recommend doing subtitles, German or English. You‘ll just start to read them and not listen. Maybe start with films and shows that you know already, do you’re not completely lost on what’s going on. Watch Disney films with the kids in German and so on.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful trips with us from Germany. It is so beautiful there and it is awesome that you are sharing your excursions and knowledgeable insights about this amazing country. Yes, the food is awesome too. Love the bread!!!
I live in Germany and I’m myself an immigrant from Russia. I’m also a nurse and so I meet a lot of different people at work. Mostly it’s not the not speaking the language it’s the not wanting to learn the language of the country you live in. I’ve met people who lived 10-20 years in Germany and could not speak a word and I’ve met people who lived a few months and spoke very well for the time there have been here in Germany.
I just love your videos - I am an Austrian-Canadian and I totally relate to your experiences and those of your four children in Germany (oh yes, I forgot the cat) Thank you for sharing. Every video is just a joy to watch.
What you might like for drying cloth for the summe is a thing called "Wäsche-Spinne". You stack it in the garden in a really sunny place and have the cloth dryed by sun (in summer takes only 2 hours).
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife If you want to really install a permanent into the garden you probably have to ask your landlord for permission. It is easier and more stable to have it embeded in concrete. How to do that you can find on youtube.
Kevin: speaking Swedish helps you a lot with German - so many similar words. And most words that are neutrum in Swedish are in German too, while utrum in Swedish splits into male/female in German.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife BTW I can recommend Volkshochschule language courses - these institutions offer courses often in afternoon or early evening, many languages, also German for non-natives, at every level. - It is the way I learned a bit of Swedish. - Now most of this is closed, but bigger Volkshochschulen offer online courses. It is quite affordable, afaik, something like this does not exist in the US (but in Sweden - folkhögskolan). Search e. g. for VHS München.
Same applies to Dutch. Also with the gender thing for many words. Like Swedish and Norwegian, Dutch has only neuter and masculine/feminine combined (or the same)
I think most people will respect your effort to speak German but maybe not always have the time to do wait till you find the right word 😉 As most people in Germany under the age of 50 or even 60 had English lessons in school , so may speak it rudimentary or younger people even more fluently and are amazed to get a chance to use it. And in spring / summer (when this pandemic is over) you'll be invited to a new form of BBQ called "Grillen" a very famous hobby of many Germans, the "Angrillen" (1st time firing up the grill after winter) is usually a big event in German families !
'Mischbrot' is part rye, part wheat flour but in a normal bakery not usually wholemeal. That is made from 'Vollkorn' Weizen (wheat) or Roggen (rye). You usually find that in the organic supermarket (very yummy).
Fun fact: Frozen vegetables are better than "fresh" ones, except you mean fresh like directly from a farm and just harvested. Frozen vegetables are frozen only hours after harvest, so they keep most of their healthy stuff, meanwhile "fresh" vegetables in a supermarket may be a few days or even weeks old.
Damn - every time i want to give you a second like my first one disappears. OK now i know i have to click 3 times. Anyway, i love your positive and free spirit your curiosity and open mindset. Greets from Frankfurt
My littlest girl always wants to get out of the house and do things like Ella. She is 4 1/2. I know exactly what snow is like. I am in Minnesota. We have the snow pants, coats for up to -15°F , gloves, boots, etc. Can't live without those things.
Dads going to the bakery on Sunday morning absolutely is a thing. Getting chocolate croissants is open for debate I'd say. My dad, and basically all the people I know, usually bought different rolls and brezn (bretzels). I love how dedicated you are to learning the language. Don't feel bad for having an accent or saying stuff wrong. Everybody will be impressed by Americans speaking German, no one cares if it is perfect or not. As for the snow: it's very uncommon to have snow in April, even in Bavaria. The weather in the last weeks has been insane. There is a German saying that April weather does what it wants, but usually April definitely is spring meaning a mixture of rain and sun. So much snow in April is rare and you probably won't experience it in the next couple of years. Concering future videos: I would love to hear about your experience with German school and Kindergarten so far :
@@S_Black thanks to your answer! Very interesting to hear how the situation is in other European countries. I have to admit that I love snow, so I don't mind, but it definitely is very unusual and surely an issue for agriculture.
I do not even remember my father going to the bakery. But sending the kids (we were 3) was the usual way to get Brötchen on Saturdays (that was before they opened Sunday). My mom only went to the grocery once in the week with my Grandma, who had the appartment in the basement, in toy - and the Saturday mornings started with a big breakfast with bread rolls etc. Then we were sent to butcher etc. to do small errands and then it was big "cleaning" day in house, garden and street. Some days we were ready by lunch - sometimes it took until Kaffee and Kuchen. Spending the afternoon with Kaffee and Kuchen in my Granny's kitchen or on her balcony listening to the football on radio was as profilic for that Saturday afternoons as the bath hour at 5 or 6 and then watching the big Saturday evening TV show together afterwards.
"April, April, macht immer was er will!" That`s a german weather related rhyme, maybe centuries old. And it holds up very well today. Welcome to Germany.
It's not quite the same. The capricious April weather is a thing and it has an explanation. But that usually refers to very short cold snaps or changing weather during the day. Like sun followed by a bit of hail or rain, and then sun again. A week long cold spell with snow is not so normal. This is the coldest April in almost a century! The last year with average April temperatures this low was 1929
I know the issue if natives switching to English, when I moved to Norway from Germany people would always speak English to me although I wanted to learn Norwegian really badly! Just remind them that they're really helping you out by speaking German :) I guess Germans see speaking English to you as a nice opportunity to improve their English with a native speaker :D
I am not fully fluent in German, but speak enough for everyday situations. Whenever a German hears my American accent though, they inevitably switch to English, and I wish they continued in German to help me improve my language skills.
you have to insist to speak German. Just answer in German and don't switch otherwise you'll never learn German and never integrate. Everytime I'm in Germany I insist on speaking my bad German, never change and German's are fine.
We Use the dryer mostly in the Winter or when it is raining. As soon as it is nice outside, we live to dry the laundry outside. I smells soooo good and it drys pretty quickly
i would really love to see a video about your kids.. How they perceive the changes, the environment, other people, etc :-) Moving to another country is often "forced" on children so, seeing their opinions about the new life they live in germany would be really interesting :-)
Ich sehe mir immer eure Videos an.Es ist für mich als Deutscher interessant wie sie unser Land und unsere Gesellschaft Empfinden und Sehen.Liebe Grüße.Alles Gute weiterhin. I always look at your videos. It is interesting for me as a German how you feel and see our country and our society. Greetings. All the best.🙋♂🙋♂
The best new Thing in Germany for having a Car, when you dont want to buy, is a Car Abo. Abonnement. You pay for a month within securance, Bills. Surch for this
It‘s only two or three days that I discovered your channel, binge viewed all of your videos and I‘m already addicted waiting impatiently for my next piece of dope coming straight out of your merry family life and your enthusiastic way to tackle ALL obstacles! You‘re doing great!😅🌹
Ask for a "Roggenbrot" or "Brot mit möglichst hohem Roggenanteil" in your local bakery and give it a try. This typically consists of 90% rye and it's both delicious and healthy. An interesting tasting sensation are also slices of bread slightly-to-medium toasted in a toaster - just put butter on it, you'll love it.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife what I like as well as a quick dinner is dark bread with Speck (bacon) and cheese (or whatever you like) and putting that in the oven until the bread has a nice crunch and the cheese is melted. Dark bread really works well with stronger meats and cheeses. Your kids you chose their own toppings etc. Also my mother would usually not just make Schnitzel but also fry some vegetables as well, like zucchini (which you have to eat quickly or the crust gets soggy) or celery. Personally I prefer mushrooms. It's a good way to get your kids to eat some vegetables if they are a bit picky. Everything tastes better when it's fried :) Oh and do you know Bärlauch (wild garlic)? It grows in the woods where it is moist. If it smells like garlic somewhere around you, go there and get some. It tastes great as a spread on bread (with quark or cream cheese) or as a soup. Just be careful the underside of the leaf has to be matte and when you rip it up it needs to smell like garlic and each leaf grows individually from the ground and multiple out of a stem otherwise it would be Maiglöckchen which are toxic.
Sie sind eine sehr nette, erfrischend intelligente Familie und sicherlich eine Bereicherung für Deutschland. Insofern sind Sie bei uns herzlich willkommen. Nun, ich bewundere Ihren Mut und Ihre Entschlossenheit, einen Lebenstraum zu erfüllen und mit Ihrer ganzen Familie in ein anderes Land und sogar auf einen anderen Kontinent zu ziehen. Ich denke, Sie sind sehr aufgeschlossen, lernbegierig und bereit, sich an die Kultur Ihrer neuen Heimat anzupassen. Deshalb bin ich überzeugt, dass sie Erfolg haben und alles erreichen werden, was sie wollen und hoffen. Auf jeden Fall wünsche ich Ihnen viel Glück damit. Da Sie schnell Deutsch lernen möchten, schreibe ich meine Kommentare zu Ihren Beiträgen auf Deutsch und füge die englische Übersetzung unten bei. Ich hoffe, es wird Ihnen helfen, Fortschritte beim Deutschlernen zu machen. Translation: You are a very nice, refreshingly intelligent family and certainly an asset for Germany. In this respect, you are very welcome to us. Well, I admire your courage and your determination to fulfill a lifelong dream and move with your entire family to another country and even to another continent. I think, you are very open-minded, eager to learn and ready to adapt to the culture of your new homeland. That is why I am convinced that they will succeed and achieve everything they want and hope for. In any case, I wish you the best of luck with this. Since you want to learn German quickly, I write my comments on your posts in German and attach the English translation below. I hope it will help you to make progress in learning German.
We use our dryer only in the cold months. But when the weather is sunny, but freaking cold, we hang out laundry and put it in the dryer for a few minutes to rest dry em!
Hi there, I just stumbled upon this video and couldn't stop watching, it's really nice hearing the two of you sharing your impressions! A lot of things have been commented here, but one thing that has not gotten much attention yet is the ventilation, seeing you window slightly opened ("gekippt") almost gives me physical pain... Yes, in Germany it's crucial to ventilate the rooms by opening the windows because we usually don't have air conditioning. It's not only that we "like" fresh air, if you don't do it, the humidity in the air maight lead to mold, that can be a health-risk, especially with kids. Maybe you're already aware of that and you just showed a short clip where you did it differently, but having been raised here I have always been told that the only proper way to ventilate is called "Stoßlüften": brace yourself for cold air (maybe put another sweater on), turn off the heating, FULLY open as many windows as possible and let the air flow through the room/ house for a couple of minutes. Then lots of the air has changed, you close the windows completely and -if necessary- put the heating on again. But even without heating, the room temperature should readjust itself within half an hour. I ventilate like that every day, especially in the bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom, and even in winter. There have been studies that this is the most energy-efficient way to exchange the air in the room, and due to our German "Gründlichkeit", there are even some tips from the corresponding ministry :) here's the link, maybe an online-translator is helpful: www.bmu.de/themen/gesundheit-chemikalien/gesundheit-und-umwelt/innenraumluft/richtiges-lueften-und-heizen Take care, keep up the exciting videos, I'll be glad to follow your experiences here on youtube!
Yes such a great tip! We didn't do that the first month or so that we were here, but then started to air out the bathrooms after showering by opening the windows all the way. We did noticed that before we were properly airing out the rooms, mold was growing on the tiles i the bathroom. We got it all cleaned up, though.
More than 3000 sorts of bread here in Germany. Mischbrot is usually 50% rye and 50% wheat. But there are also some sub-types available like "Roggenmischbrot" or "Weizenmischbrot" where the ratio between rye and wheat is different. I have a dryer, but I use it only during winter or rain. In summer and when it's dry I hang up the laundry outside on a clothes line. 99% of German houses have a central forced hot water heating system. In the US it's the other way around, most houses have forced hot air heating which can also be used for cooling. Germany is more north than almost all American states, with the exception of Alaska. So forced hot water isn't a thing there with the exception of modern houses with floor heating. Sometimes also the so called "floorboard heating". And some really old heating systems which use radiators heated up with steam.
Mischbrot is a mix of wheat and rye, might be called Weizenmischbrot or Roggenmischbrot depending on what is the majority of the used meal. I like to do "random bread testing": when I come into a bakery, I look at the halved loaves waiting there (when someone before only wanted half of a loaf) and buy one that looks interesting. And yeah - you have a "Hacken-Porsche". They are so great, no more carrying heavy things :) We have a dryer, but only use it during the cold months. Perhaps you might invest in a "Wäschespinne" for outside - way better for drying if you have a lot of clothing to wash, especially bigger things like linens or towels.
Germany produces more varieties of bread than any other country. Over 300 varieties of dark and white bread and over 1,200 varieties of rolls and mini-breads (Brötchen & Kleingebäck) are produced in Germany. Bread makes up a large part of German cuisine.
I dont know about your town specifically, but a lot of small town and villages have the "volunteer firefighters". A lot of kids go there and learn a lot, have some fire fighter adventures and it is a great way of making friends and being welcomed into a small town communities. They have a lot of fests together and grill events and whatever else :D
I love a good breakfast on sundays. Brötchen, ham & eggs (yes, the british bacon xD) Kaffee und Orangensaft! edit: The sundays actually are a food fest. Good breakfast, a special dish for lunch (try Rouladen, you can fill em in 3 different styles), coffee and a cake at 1600 and in the evening, you'll probably watch a movie with the family with popcorn or chips/crisps.
You are both right: Mischbrot is a mix of white wheat flour and rye flour, but rye is always the whole grain. It is THE run-of-the-mill bread in Germany, you should get it everywhere. I for one like it best, especially when oven warm with butter and a little sprinkle of salt or with butter and finely cut chives. Oh, and I have a laundry warning for you!!! When drying your laundry outside now in spring you might notice that your white clothing gets a bit yellow and can also smell strange - that is pollen. This year we had a long winter and chances are that soon ALL trees and flowers and what not will spread their pollen all at once, in these years you see everything dusted yellow.
😂 you made me really laugh. Yes, we have a dryer and just use it for towels and some other stuff. Mama always said, the tshirts are lasting much longer... and funny to say, the dishwasher mostly not used for the potts and pans 😂 ....
Chocolate croissants originally come from France. About 20 Years ago you would not find this at any German bakery. Brezeln are typical traditional for the south part of Germany.
Grandgrandpa here: ( Urgrossvater 70). I live to 50 like you. Raising 4 Daughter in Germany. Now 20 Years in Louisianna. Learn English by my Southern Bell and Sesamstrasse. Watch Movies was I have seen bevore in Germany. English is easy. German much more tricky. ( Grammar). Viel Glueck fuer Euch und Eure Familie. Bernd😀
We bought velux automatic window humidity sensor which opens our windows throughtout the day here in Ireland. On amazon germany (we are in ireland) we bought airwave to monitor mold, VOCs, humidity and radon in our home. I also bought an air purifier on amazon germany for our home gym which is in our garage with a boiler...it freshens the air in the room.
No worries about learning the language. Yes, it's not a language one usually learns in a year or two, there are easier languages. But it'll come. Most interesting aspect of learning a foreign language (I am a native German) to me is the phenomena to switch to a different mind set or mentality at will. Usually, sub-consciously, we are resisting this change of our "identity". But everyone that has gone through this process also develops the capacity to function within different "mentalities", more like a citizen of the world.
Very pleasant to see you still do not seem too annoyed about having moved from lovely Georgia to Old Europe ! "Mischbrot" usually means the bread is made from a mixture of wheat and rye but definitely not from pure wheat. If you look for seasonal vegetables, the asparagus season has just started which is something a lot of Germans are obsessed about and kids typically like it, too. It is white asparagus (meaning it was harvested before dawn, daunting work) which is best eaten steamed (about 15 minutes depending on thickness) typically with potatoes and Sauce Hollandaise. You can add some slices of ham if you wish to have some meat in the mix. It is not the cheapest meal to have but it is worth it and the season only lasts till June 30th (St. Johns Day). I personally prefer buying the asparagus at booths in open air markets ("Wochenmarkt") but you can get it in supermarkets, too. And, from about mid-May, the strawberry season starts ! (better avoid the pesticide-laden strawberries from southern countries that you can buy now) Makes for a delicious dessert after the asparagus, especially with whipped cream and optionally a scoop of vanilla icecream. And Kevin: "rognons" are delicious imho if handled appropriately by the chef. I believe you just have to avoid overthinking what precisely you have on the plate sometimes.... (And no, I have never eaten frog legs and I have no intention on so doing)
Asparagus is super expensive right now because it's still pretty cold and there isn't a lot yet. Better to wait a bit. Even then Covid will probably cause issues with harvesting since it's all manual work
Something nice to eat: put sone olive oil into a saucepan and a lot of thin slices of leek (german: porree or lauch), stirr it after 3 or 4 minutes, then give some spoonful of "Schmand" ( a kind of creme) to the leek, stirr. Then salt, pepper and currypowder. Besides that some meatballs and mashed potatos. Yummy to me.
April weather in Germany is all over the place, often within one day multiple times. You more than likely have experienced that yourself. But usually as soon as the year hits May the beauty of the weather starts to creep in. Beautiful long summer days, due to the northern latitude, but thanks to the Gulf Stream still wonderfully warm, lush summer nights. While Germany may not be known internationally for its bread, we hold the proud record of most bread types in one nation at over 3200 registered types of bread. We Germans are very, very proud of our bread, often more than our beer or sausages. Because we know that there are other nations that are at least as good with sausages or beer as Germans (the Polish and the Czechs come to mind, respectively), and probably some are better at specific types of each. But bread is the one thing we are absolutely proud of, and I believe, rightfully so. It probably is the one thing we miss most anywhere else in the world. Mischbrot usually consists of different types of grains, ground into different coarseness degrees. Usually it is wheat and rhye, but the ratios vary a LOT. Other types of grains may be spelt, oats, all either whole grain or kernels only, depending on the bread. When you get any kind of Vollkornbrot, this usually means several kinds of very dark breads with actual whole grains. Often very heavy and dense, with a slighty moist body with virtually no crumb. You might know Pumpernickel. Very similar to that, but it often comes in vaccuum sealed tins. In those tins, depending on production methods, these breads can last from MONTHS to YEARS in storage. These are not the whole grain breads you know from the States. That is Vollkornmehl / whole grain flour baked into standard breads from standard yeast or sourdough types. Sonntagsbrötchen and Sonntagsfrühstück is still pretty much a huge tradition for families with kids. Young couples without kids often like to sleep in on Sundays, so this often changes to late brunches. Kevin just going 'Ahh, they can make it' when talking about his kids biking to school shows how much he has become absolutely germanized already. At least what German dads often think. Their kids need to toughen up, and a little water never hurt them. Dryers: again, get one if you're not strapped for money or space. It will make your life so much easier with a family of six (or seven). Did anyone really give you grief for not speaking German perfectly? Really? Who was so insensitive towards you? That you attempt to speak German and are willing to learn should give so many brownie points in every German's books that I was astonished that anyone should have given you grief for it. Fun fact: most Germans speak some English, some are more at the smattering level (or as Kevin called it, baby English), others a bit more advanced, some speak almost fluently, with some oddities thrown in here and there. Lüften: really, you already accepted that as your daily rotation of chores? Wow, that was quick. Lüften is something so deeply ingrained in Germans it is something so many ex-pats mention as noteworthy, or even a bit strange. But with thick, insulated walls being the norm in Germany, with no central air conditioning, or air vent heating, an exchange of air is absolutely necessary to prevent mold or the dreaded Mauerschwamm (a type of fungus growing inside wet concrete or brick walls) from growing inside otherwise little ventilated rooms. The Mauerschwamm can cause brick and mortar walls to become brittle over the years. Once it has settled inside walls it is very difficult to get rid of. My architect told me that roughly 9-10 times the total volume of all interior rooms should be exchanged with fresh air each day to keep the atmosphere healthy. Old, drafty doors and windows, or walls with minor cracks and holes allowed that exchange naturally, but obviously allowed heat to escape as well. With modern insulated walls, doors, and windows this rate can often drop to as little as only 2-3 times the volume through osmosis or standard opening and closing of doors. Unless you open windows and doors wide at least once or twice a day for at least 10 minutes or so you wont achieve the 9-10 times volume rate. 15:38 ha, I knew it: Spaghetti-Eis would get your kids hooked. While the flavor is nothing special, it being simply vanilla icecream with a strawberry sauce and white chocolate sprinkles, the pressing into the shape gives it that special something. Have you been infected with the Döner Kebap bug yet? If not, find a good Dönerladen in your vicinity (I can guarantee there is one somewhere close to you) and get yourself a "Döner". Get ready for a flavor explosion with this Turkish-German fastfood. Compared to many other fast-foods it is even pretty healthy, due its large ratio of veggies.
So many good nuggets in this comment! We appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us! And yes, we do love Döner! There is a place in our village that sells them!
April weather usually means very short cold snaps, or a mix of a sun and clouds + rain. Sometimes a bit of light snow and hail. Plants freezing from very short sudden frost is not unusual. But the stereotype is about a quick succession of different weather types. These relatively harsh cold periods lasting many days are not at all normal. The reason for this is that the sun provides more energy and warmth now, but polar regions are still cold and bring lots of cold air south depending on air pressure.
Although you organize your househould very well I suggest a freezer. For special offers or larger quantities (e.g. for holidays like Christmas). - Greetings, Heinz
Love this lifestyle.... My German husband and I always, always open our house doors and windows when we get up in the morning! Need that fresh air, even here in the U.S.! Oh, the memories your kids are going to carry with them to adulthood!
Fresh bread is the best. But you should try bread with sunflower or other seeds. It stays fresh 2-3 days. "Mischbrot" gets dry within one day. But if you toast it it´s very delicios, too. You can store sliced bread in the refridgerator and toast single freezed slices when you need them. An interesting vegetable you might not know is "Kohlrabi". You can eat it raw, that´s my favourite, but you can also eat it cooked with "Sauce ´Hollandaise". You will find it in every German Supermarket in the section for fresh vegetables. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi
I know what you mean when you say the bread in other countries is more famous. Who writes odes about pumpernickel bread after all? Much more likely to happen for a ciabatta. :D For myself I do not like bread that I need a ton of liquid to swallow it. Pumpernickel and even most Mischbrot goes under that for me. What really brightens it up for me are seeds mixed into them. My favourite bread is propably "Weltmeisterbrot" because it is such a solid Allrounder. You can find it in propably any kind of chain store. It's fluffy, still a bread, and has a tons of nutritious seeds in it (and yummy!). My to-go-bread for my lunch box every day!
I always thought Germany was especially known for its bread outside of Germany, next to the beer. Sadly many small bakeries had to close because bakery chains starter to pop up all over Germany and grocery stores like Aldi and Lidl started to sell semi-fresh baked goods very cheap so people stopped going to the small bakeries. At least that is how it is in many cities, hopefully, the small bakeries survive in the countryside. Edit: The new language thing, actually isn't that obvious I'd say. Because many many Germans nowadays, especially the younger generations, tend to speak English very well. I'm not totally sure how it is in the countryside but in the city, as an adult, you could definitely survive without learning a lot of German. It sure is better that way but I don't think it's mandatory as someone who speaks Engish.
Yeah I agree about the language. We are all learning German because it makes living here much more interesting, easy and fun! But actually there have been times where we really did need to know German.
The Germans love to practice their English, so yeah, it makes it hard sometimes to force yourself to keep up the deutsch. But be patient, stay open minded and it will come with time...
To practice their English.. Yes.. But US English isn't easy.. They have different words for the same thing. Rooster. =Cock Toilets = Restroom Huge = Bigly ( according to Trump)
Be careful. They live in the deepest bavaria. It could be end as like my direct neighbor. He is an italian and is now speaking german bavarian style ;)
Rinderrouladen with Klößen is for a lot of people one of the best german dishes. But somehow most german restaurants don`t have it on there Menu and usualy people prepare this dish themselves at home. But keep looking for it. It is just wunderfull
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Pumpernickel doesn't realy rise when you make it european style... it just sits and 'marinates' kinda... www.innungsbaecker.de/westfaelischer-pumpernickel This is the recipe (in german... sorry) straight from the source of all things bread!
Hi, the green bicycle of your son, the front wheel is built-on incorrect I guess. Maybe you should to turn by 180°, to do this you have to disconnect the handlebar and re-connect afterwards.
To be more precize: you don't have to touch the handlebar itself... just loosen up the central bolt on the stem, turn fork and front wheel so that the slight curve of the fork swings to the front side and the short end of the fender points to the front as well. In this position at the moment the frontend is to steep. ;-)
Hi guys, after having followed your journey to Germany for a while, I finally subscribed :-) Mischbrot is called that way because rye flour and wheat flour are used and mixed for the dough. In some areas it is also called Graubrot, which literally translates to grey bread.
A simple Mischbrot or Graubrot may have a 50/50 percentage of wheat and rye flour. If you're more on one side look out for the "lighter" Weizenmischbrot (higher percentage of wheat) or the more darker and tastier Roggenmischbrot (more rye in it). And these are only the "normal" bread types. Not to mention the whole grain, 5-grain, 6-grain bread...
Hallo it will be easy to you sarah to learn german just along the way ,and during these time be sure most germans speak or understand english.and by the way if you are my neighbours it would be very pleasend to practice my english skills.have a nice and safe day.
Hallo again may it will be helpful ,take a look at simple german ,they do exellent contend about living in germany and they do it quiet entertaining but Easy to understand and how it really is to live and deal with us the ordinary german.
Living in the bavarian alps,who wouldnt love that?Its one of the most beautiful areas in the world,the alp areas in both Germany,Austria,and Italy. Fresh air,beautiful views,sights,perfect for walks,bicycle rides,small or longer trips. It has everything. The food in Europe/Germany is very fresh and healthy as well. Not the least bread. Its magic. As you guys have discovered with time,little by little. And yes,not being dependent on having a car that swollow a big chunk of low and middle american family incomes,isnt it freedom? Not being dependent on car all the time? When I lived in Arizona I felt abit like a weirdo because I didnt have access to a car during those 4 years. I didnt own any car. Even teenagers have cars in America,you are looked upon as a weird outcast if you dont have cars,and cars costs alot of money to have. Here in Europe we dont have that demand of a burden on our shoulders because we dont need it. We can put our hard earned money on other things,better things. Its partly a part of freedom to live that way as I see it. We are not in the hands of greedy car and motor and oil industries here.
I do agree with your point of learning a new language but we have a neighbour that lives here (Switzerland) for over 10 years now and I never heard him talking German or Swissgerman. I don't expect anybody to speak Swissgerman but a least German after such a long time.
Thank you so much for mentioning how hard it is for mothers moving with the family to a foreign country! How much we have to whoop! I have learned English, moving to the US, in school in Germany, but just School British English.... My kids started their school career in Elementary in the US and I have learned WITH them through Spelling Test etc. It is so much easier to move with children. Since, you get in contact with the locals through the kids! The younger they are the easier! Just my experience! Just learn the basic words you will use all the time! Ask people to don’t hesitate to correct you! Americans have a hard time to correct people because they think they might be rude, but I have asked for that! I still, after 18 years, try to get reassurance how to pronounce certain things! Loose your fear, the sooner you know things! You will learn it very quickly! You know already so many words! Kevin might learn different word and sentence than you, Sarah! Your brain will be constantly challenged what is a good thing to avoid aging;))))) Much love and support from afar (North Carolina)!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Here's a trick to make sure Germans don't identify your nationality and address you in English. Just say you're not American but Albanian. The Albanian accent can be easily mistaken for the Anglo-Saxon one.
Germany is famous for its bread. Perhaps not in the USA but in other countrues like other Europa counties. It has the most varieties of bread (>300) in the Wold.
Dryers use a lot of energy wich is significantly more expensive in Germany than in the US. That's also the reason, why we usually don't have AC or even ceiling fans.
Mischbrot is a mixture of wheat and rye flour. You get them in different content of rye, so is is lighter or darker. If you see Dinkel, that is a protein rich form of wheat, while Einkorn and Emer are some mediveal wheat varieties. Dinkel bread dries very fast almost over night, while rye bread can be stored for some days. For food I would recommend to learn how to make Spätzle and Semmelknödel. Very easy, very tasty and bavarian. For the Spätzle (or Spatzn) you need a Spätzlehobel or a Spätzlepresse. And Spätzlesmehl.
Getting to know your neighbors is easy just invite them for a grill party or invite them for Kaffee and Kuchen in the afternoon.
usually yes, but it's still Covid times.....
Once Covid is over........Kaffeeklatsch!! Or perhaps outdoor?
We have had several neighbors over for Kaffee und Kuchen and its been really fun!
Not that easy in times of corona ...:-(
Not during Covid times! :-(
Germany is well known for their bread. On holiday in other countries I've often seen a "German bakery" (or "Swiss bakery"). That's like saying, here we have some GOOD bread.
It sure is!
I recently saw one German bakery in London saying: German Bakery: we have God bread! 🤔🤣🤗
I'm sure you are already doing this, but being a teacher I need to say it: learning a new language is hugely based on hearing it, so the more your kids listen to for example Benjamin Blümchen, TKKG, Bibi Blocksberg etc, the faster they'll learn :)
Na, na, don't make Sara(h) and Kevin hate us ... (I just say: Töröö and HexHex)
Sendung mit der Maus on RUclips, so if you have trouble you can slow it down even more. Sendung mit der Maus is a documentary series for children showing how things are made but it's fascinating for grown ups too. Also, Loewenzahn is really good at teaching what is typical German behavior, also aimed at children. I started learning German with Benjamin Bluemchen (audio only) and learned that it is where Germans get their Earth-friendly indoctrination.
@@franhunne8929 There is a climax to that: Pumuckl
Astrid Lindgren auf Deutsch: Michel aus Lönneberga, Die Kinder von Bullerbü, Ferien auf Saltkrokan - C.S. Lewis, Die Chroniken von Narnia
@@franhunne8929 Törööö schreibt sich mit vier ö (spiele Borderlands 3 und lerne, wie man Törööö schreibt :-) )
So interesting to hear about your impressions and experiences of living in Germany 👍. And I just have to say: you come across as extremely likeable, open and genuinely good people. Great to have you here!
Awe thanks so much. 💖 We are happy to be here!
Incredible but recorded in the bread register: German bakers offer around 3200 different types of bread. You can read all of them at the German Bread Institute in Weinheim (Baden-Württemberg). The most popular is mixed wheat bread. Rustic wood-fired breads and Mediterranean breads are also in demand. No other country in the world has so many varieties. How important bread is to Germans is also expressed in the language: snack and supper. He's stupid as bread. Earning one's bread. It is his daily bread. etc
I was really slightly shocked hearing that the German bread tradition is not known outside of Germany. As Max said, there are really more than 3200 different bread types known (and produced) within Germany. I live in Weinheim (near Heidelberg) where the German Bread Institut is located, every year bakers from all over the world come here to actually learn how to make bread „the German way“. Usually, opening up a German bakery abroad is a lucrative business (from what i learned so far). So yes, kudos to that truly traditional craft.
Sonntagsfrühstück is even a word in german, so yes: it is a widespread tradition. Mostly Brötchen, Bretzel and sweets.
I would actually say Germany is quite famous for its bakerys (at least in europe) think Bretzel, Pumpernickel, black forest cake, german chocolate cake etc
Okay good to know! We’ve gotten a cherry cheesecake from the bakery and it was the best cheesecake we’ve ever had in our lives!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife german Käsekuchen is made with Quark, not creamcheese. Germans eat a lot of Quark in general. It's similar to Ricotta. Best Quark is 20% or 40% fat. You can use it sweet (with berries and honey) for breakfast or dessert, or savory with onions and herbs as a dip for vegetables for example. It's high protein and very creamy.
I don't know if you noticed, but the laundry soap is made for drying clothes outside, even after 30 years, I still remember the wow factor of how good freshly dried in the sun clothes smelled.
I didn’t know that! They do smell amazing when dried outside.
Your fridge looks small even for German standards, considering the size of your family and the cat. Never forget the cat !
never ever, lol!
That's what some other people have told us! Amazingly it has been fine for us.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife It's not uncommon to buy/have an extra freezer unit that you put where there is space and an outlet. I do, too, because my fridge doesn't even have a freezer compartment. :)
@@berlindude75 I came to say the same thing: A lot of people have an extra freezer in the basement :)
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife An extra freezer is also helpful if you like to take advantage from delivery services like "bofrost" or "Eismann". Both companies have a vast choice of frozen meat, veggies (plain/naturaly or pre-cooked in sauces), potato products, complete dishes, pizza, cakes, ice-cream, etc. that is brought to/into your house.
Germany is certainly known for their bread - even in Japan they love German bread ...
I guess I should’ve been more specific - in America, Germany is not known for their bread at all, except for pretzels.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife don't agree. Look up German Bakeries in New York or Esther's German Bakery (seems to be more Californian centered) or Old World bakery (also California) or Bernhardsgerman Bakery in Marietta GA. There seem to be some in Florida one in Ohio, in Tennessee, in Texas, in Virginia...
@@franhunne8929 that’s awesome that there are German bakeries around the country! There are places like in Pennsylvania where there are a lot of German and Dutch descendants and they do have more bakeries there. But what I’m talking about is the stereotypes Americans have of Germans. When you ask most Americans what they they think of when they think of a German, most will say - Oktoberfest, beer, pretzels, and sausage. Bread is not thought of.
But I find our family know we have many kinds of bread, but we take often same brown bread (Mischbrot) be, the one of for all days. Even father would love bread with more wheat flour in it, how he get in his childhood, good old German white bread. My mother love more the Multi-grain bread or coarse rye bread.
"Mischbrot" is a sourdough bread made with a "mixture" of flours: wheat, rye, maybe some barley flour - depending on how the baker and his customers like it. If you are still eating primarily "Feinbrot", try gradually going for more whole meal sorts and see how you like them. There is nothing better under cheese (or raw smoked pork!) than a very heavy "Vollkornbrot".
Oh I didn’t realize Mischbrot is a sourdough bread! That is very healthy.
I've experienced this very often, where Americans address me in German and I was so excited to have a chance to use my English, and consequently the person was really disappointed. Please don't look at that situation as reflecting your language skills, I really think that Germans just enjoy having the opportunity to speak in your language and want you to feel at home. But of course, one should probably be more sensitive towards your situation and let you practice. You might have to tell your neighbors straight up! I love your videos and admire your family! I also really hope that Germany will open up again soon so you can finally enjoy the full experience! Chapeau!
You make some very good points, Ursula! Yes they are being very kind to switch to English. It does make us feel more welcome.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife As germans are very direct you should tell people if you don't like something. They usually will not be offended. So if you prefer to talk in german tell'em.
This is a very good point. Thank you!
I'm officially guilty of switching to English when talking to foreigners.
And I once read, it's an efficiency thing. We tend to want to solve any problem as soon as possible, and so switch to the more efficient language.
We forget that learning German is a goal by itself.
That's totally okay, we understand. We appreciate you speaking our language with us, it's kind!
Oh gosh, yes, we are doing this for efficiency. Never thought about it, but it is so true.
A lot of people here speak okayish English, first because of school, second the internet and third a German village has a church, a bakery and an international market leader for some niche product 😂
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife youtube suggested this video, made me laugh :D ruclips.net/video/Ou18FJZxfx4/видео.html
France has good bread ??? Only has 6 types of bread! Germany has 3000 types of bread and the bread culture is also protected. Germans prefer to eat mixed breads, i.e. breads made from a mixture of wheat and rye flours, which make up 32.8% of all breads consumed. Toasted bread took second place with 20.3%, followed by breads with grains and seeds (15.2%), wholemeal breads (10.5%), pure wheat breads and rye breads, each with exactly 5.2% share of the bread market.
In case you don't know, Germans love to be outside. But the forest is sacred to Germans.
Buy a German home cooking cookbook, because then you will learn to eat like the Germans.The Germans also have more 4 star chefs than France.
You have to try an "Zwiebelmettbröchen" or a "Matjes".
I‘d be curious to learn how your kids are doing at school without knowing a lot of German. Maybe you can share a bit about that?
yes that would be interesting
Funny you should suggest that because today we just recorded a video on how they’re going in school! So that will be published in two weeks!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife awesome, looking forward to that!!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife great !
And how they will manage all the homework the German kids get daily especially before the end of the schoolyear
My experience in Germany is that their bread seems even more important to them than their beer or sausages. When Germans travel to other countries on vacation, they are very often astonished that they can‘t get good bread there. I‘m sure as you explore more kinds of German bread you‘ll realize that the bandwidth of varieties of bread and how good each kind is will make you think that bread in France and Italy, while very good, can‘t shake a stick at German bread. If you can, try to find a Hofpfisterei bakery. They are all natural, “bio” and expensive, but they are worth it.
buy your baguette and croissants in the french bakery.. and for all the rest: go to the german bakery.
You are absolutely right! I grew up like this, buying fresh Brötchen for breakfast every day. It’s not expensive, but it feels so good to smell it ❤️ I can’t live with our bread. And I have heard from a friend who is a nutritionist that carb-reduced diets are popular all over the world- except in Germany. (Of course many people also try to eat carb-free here, but for many Germans this idea sounds really tough)
I agree. I lived in Germany twice, traveled all over, and German bread is the best.
@@Alexander-dt2eq there are no French Bakeries in small towns, from the top of my head I only know the one in Münster, Westfalia. German bakeries don‘t do Croissants like the French, but there are enough really delicious other choices that a French Bakery doesn‘t stand a chance
@@lynnm6413 just coming back from France, it is still true. get baguettes/croissants/pain chocolat/pains aux raisins en France und den Rest ist D mind. genauso gut
Trying every food and item in the grocery store which interests you is really the way to go. ❤️🤗 Love how adventurous and open-minded you are. You are lovely people.
Yes that is kind of what we’ve been doing! Fun
We have a dryer, but we mainly use it in winter when it is difficult to dry the laundry outside , or when we need dry laundry quickly
Fun Fakt In Germany we have over 3200 different types of bread, which is why the German bread culture is a UNESCO World Heritage Site😊
Yes SO cool!
Ja sag ich auch unser täglich Brot
Is echt guuuut
I don't know if somebody already answerd the Mischbrot'mystery': it usually is a mixture of rye and wheat. The bakery will answer how the mix ratio. Yes we love our bread! 💖Love Your channel
19:20 First rule you have to teach your kids: "Don't eat yellow snow !"
🤣🤣🤣
Esse niemals gelben Schnee'.
How often my father said that to me
Hey we have that rule in the US! Words to live by.
I just love your great attitudes and openness to all life presents you! You’ll all come so far and experience so much more with this view of life!
Thank you! 💖
Germans have more bakeries and eat more varieties of bread than most other countries in the world. According to the bread register of the German Institute for Bread (of course there is such a thing 😀), there are more than 3,200 officially recognized types of bread in the country. And German bread culture was officially added by UNESCO to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2015.
Bread is a staple for most meals in Germany: at breakfast, break-time (sometimes called Pausenbrot, or "break bread") and dinner or Abendbrot, literally the "bread of the evening.
"It sells like sliced bread" is a German proverb describing fast-selling items.
Love it!! We will be sure to share this fact in future videos. More Americans need to know that Germany has amazing bread!
I'm a German, living since 15 years in Aussie and one of the things I miss most is a "propper bread"... made with sourdough. Mischbrot (Mixbread) is part Rye, part wheat 👍
I agrree. I am fortunate enough to live not too far from a proper german bakery in South Australia run by expats and all their bread is sourdough. My favourites are the heavier breads Their pretzels are superb and there is a great rangecof breadrolls. . Some of the german bakeries are not very authentic and they make a feew german specialities but the bread is more like local bread ..light fast processed and just not substantial.
I tell you a trick to pronounce the "ei" and the "ie" always wright. Look at the second letter. For "ei" pronounce the i like "I", the way you do it in english. For the "ie" it's a long "ee", like in "knee". Long story short, look at the second letter and say it the way like you would say it in the alphabet in english. There are only ecxeptions in combined words like "beinhalten = to contain" , where you pronounce both letters seperatly.
Yes thank you! I do know that trick.
The front wheel of the green bike is wrong way, you should turn the handle bars 180 degree ;-)
The other bike has the same problem, the fork should point forward, same as the brakes
Very brave of you to move to Bavaria of all places in Germany as language is concerned! Really interesting view on my home country and very personal and lovely approach to a new culture! Hope you will love and enjoy your time in lovely corner of Bavaria!
Thank you so much!
a lot of dryers have options of leaving clothes semi-dry. We usually use that option for clothing and hang it up afterwards, that way it doesn‘t wrinkle and you don‘t need to iron stuff, but it‘s better for the clothes than drying all the way.
With language, I‘d recommend watching TV in German, even if you don‘t understand anything, you‘ll learn a lot about the sound and flow of the language, it will help your pronunciation and understanding. I don‘t recommend doing subtitles, German or English. You‘ll just start to read them and not listen. Maybe start with films and shows that you know already, do you’re not completely lost on what’s going on. Watch Disney films with the kids in German and so on.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful trips with us from Germany. It is so beautiful there and it is awesome that you are sharing your excursions and knowledgeable insights about this amazing country. Yes, the food is awesome too. Love the bread!!!
Yes, love the bread!
I live in Germany and I’m myself an immigrant from Russia. I’m also a nurse and so I meet a lot of different people at work. Mostly it’s not the not speaking the language it’s the not wanting to learn the language of the country you live in. I’ve met people who lived 10-20 years in Germany and could not speak a word and I’ve met people who lived a few months and spoke very well for the time there have been here in Germany.
I just love your videos - I am an Austrian-Canadian and I totally relate to your experiences and those of your four children in Germany (oh yes, I forgot the cat) Thank you for sharing. Every video is just a joy to watch.
Oh how cool that you’ve lived in “sister countries” to where we’ve lived! And yeah, don’t forget the cat!!! 🤣🤣🐱🐱
Think about installing a so called Wäsche Spinne next spring, it's made of metal looking like a huge cobweb to hang up all your laundry outside
Yes! Those things are awesome! We do have one now.
Ihr seid total nett. Der Rest kommt schon von allein. Liebe Grüße aus NRW 👍😉😉
I have a 2-in-1 washer/dryer (takes up less space in a small flat), but I also only use the dryer for towels and bed linen.
What you might like for drying cloth for the summe is a thing called "Wäsche-Spinne". You stack it in the garden in a really sunny place and have the cloth dryed by sun (in summer takes only 2 hours).
Yes thank you! I want to get one of those.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife If you want to really install a permanent into the garden you probably have to ask your landlord for permission. It is easier and more stable to have it embeded in concrete. How to do that you can find on youtube.
@@geneviere199 okay good to know, thank you!
New Language: You know that you changed to a new language, when your dreams change to this language.
Ooo yes!!
Kevin: speaking Swedish helps you a lot with German - so many similar words. And most words that are neutrum in Swedish are in German too, while utrum in Swedish splits into male/female in German.
Ooo Kevin says that he’s never made that connection before! Thanks!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife BTW I can recommend Volkshochschule language courses - these institutions offer courses often in afternoon or early evening, many languages, also German for non-natives, at every level. - It is the way I learned a bit of Swedish. - Now most of this is closed, but bigger Volkshochschulen offer online courses. It is quite affordable, afaik, something like this does not exist in the US (but in Sweden - folkhögskolan).
Search e. g. for VHS München.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife it's the same with Norwegian ( at least when reading the words, the Norwegian pronunciation is difficult for me, too).
Same applies to Dutch. Also with the gender thing for many words. Like Swedish and Norwegian, Dutch has only neuter and masculine/feminine combined (or the same)
I think most people will respect your effort to speak German but maybe not always have the time to do wait till you find the right word 😉
As most people in Germany under the age of 50 or even 60 had English lessons in school , so may speak it rudimentary or younger people even more fluently and are amazed to get a chance to use it. And in spring / summer (when this pandemic is over) you'll be invited to a new form of BBQ called "Grillen" a very famous hobby of many Germans, the "Angrillen" (1st time firing up the grill after winter) is usually a big event in German families !
Yes I can totally understand how they don't have the patience for us to find each and every word 🤣🤣.
'Mischbrot' is part rye, part wheat flour but in a normal bakery not usually wholemeal. That is made from 'Vollkorn' Weizen (wheat) or Roggen (rye). You usually find that in the organic supermarket (very yummy).
Loving your German/ Vs. USA videos! Please share how your children are coping in German language school!
Yes! That video is coming in two weeks! We just recorded it yesterday.
The kid on the green bike has the front wheel wrong, he has to turn the handle bar for 180 degrees. You can see it at 7:34
Yes! Kevin has already fixed that. Thanks!
I love the way you adopt to the German way of live.daily fresh fruits and vegetables is the way to health 💐
Yes it sure is!
Fun fact: Frozen vegetables are better than "fresh" ones, except you mean fresh like directly from a farm and just harvested.
Frozen vegetables are frozen only hours after harvest, so they keep most of their healthy stuff, meanwhile "fresh" vegetables in a supermarket may be a few days or even weeks old.
Damn - every time i want to give you a second like my first one disappears. OK now i know i have to click 3 times. Anyway, i love your positive and free spirit your curiosity and open mindset.
Greets from Frankfurt
🤣🤣 thanks for the support! We appreciate it!
My littlest girl always wants to get out of the house and do things like Ella. She is 4 1/2.
I know exactly what snow is like. I am in Minnesota. We have the snow pants, coats for up to -15°F , gloves, boots, etc. Can't live without those things.
Dads going to the bakery on Sunday morning absolutely is a thing. Getting chocolate croissants is open for debate I'd say. My dad, and basically all the people I know, usually bought different rolls and brezn (bretzels). I love how dedicated you are to learning the language. Don't feel bad for having an accent or saying stuff wrong. Everybody will be impressed by Americans speaking German, no one cares if it is perfect or not. As for the snow: it's very uncommon to have snow in April, even in Bavaria. The weather in the last weeks has been insane. There is a German saying that April weather does what it wants, but usually April definitely is spring meaning a mixture of rain and sun. So much snow in April is rare and you probably won't experience it in the next couple of years. Concering future videos: I would love to hear about your experience with German school and Kindergarten so far :
It's not just Germany. In France several regions lost almost all of their grapes due to sudden frost. That hasn't happened in decades on that scale
@@S_Black thanks to your answer! Very interesting to hear how the situation is in other European countries. I have to admit that I love snow, so I don't mind, but it definitely is very unusual and surely an issue for agriculture.
I do not even remember my father going to the bakery. But sending the kids (we were 3) was the usual way to get Brötchen on Saturdays (that was before they opened Sunday). My mom only went to the grocery once in the week with my Grandma, who had the appartment in the basement, in toy - and the Saturday mornings started with a big breakfast with bread rolls etc. Then we were sent to butcher etc. to do small errands and then it was big "cleaning" day in house, garden and street. Some days we were ready by lunch - sometimes it took until Kaffee and Kuchen. Spending the afternoon with Kaffee and Kuchen in my Granny's kitchen or on her balcony listening to the football on radio was as profilic for that Saturday afternoons as the bath hour at 5 or 6 and then watching the big Saturday evening TV show together afterwards.
"April, April, macht immer was er will!" That`s a german weather related rhyme, maybe centuries old. And it holds up very well today.
Welcome to Germany.
It's not quite the same. The capricious April weather is a thing and it has an explanation. But that usually refers to very short cold snaps or changing weather during the day. Like sun followed by a bit of hail or rain, and then sun again. A week long cold spell with snow is not so normal. This is the coldest April in almost a century! The last year with average April temperatures this low was 1929
I know the issue if natives switching to English, when I moved to Norway from Germany people would always speak English to me although I wanted to learn Norwegian really badly! Just remind them that they're really helping you out by speaking German :) I guess Germans see speaking English to you as a nice opportunity to improve their English with a native speaker :D
I am not fully fluent in German, but speak enough for everyday situations. Whenever a German hears my American accent though, they inevitably switch to English, and I wish they continued in German to help me improve my language skills.
you have to insist to speak German. Just answer in German and don't switch otherwise you'll never learn German and never integrate. Everytime I'm in Germany I insist on speaking my bad German, never change and German's are fine.
We Use the dryer mostly in the Winter or when it is raining. As soon as it is nice outside, we live to dry the laundry outside. I smells soooo good and it drys pretty quickly
Happy, healthy and well mannered children! Great job in raising them!
Thank you!
Fantastic, how you embrace the different aspects of German lifestyle!
We love it here!
i would really love to see a video about your kids.. How they perceive the changes, the environment, other people, etc :-)
Moving to another country is often "forced" on children so, seeing their opinions about the new life they live in germany would be really interesting :-)
Yeah not all of them want to be on RUclips and talk about it…so we will see! Two of our kids were excited to move here and two weren’t.
Ich sehe mir immer eure Videos an.Es ist für mich als Deutscher interessant wie sie unser Land und unsere Gesellschaft Empfinden und Sehen.Liebe Grüße.Alles Gute weiterhin.
I always look at your videos. It is interesting for me as a German how you feel and see our country and our society. Greetings.
All the best.🙋♂🙋♂
Once you got a car take the short drive to Chiemsee and Königssee for the sights and enjoy nature
Yesssss! Both lakes are close by and are gorgeous!
The best new Thing in Germany for having a Car, when you dont want to buy, is a Car Abo. Abonnement. You pay for a month within securance, Bills. Surch for this
It‘s only two or three days that I discovered your channel, binge viewed all of your videos and I‘m already addicted waiting impatiently for my next piece of dope coming straight out of your merry family life and your enthusiastic way to tackle ALL obstacles! You‘re doing great!😅🌹
🤣🤣🤣 thanks so much! We appreciate your support! 💖💖
Ask for a "Roggenbrot" or "Brot mit möglichst hohem Roggenanteil" in your local bakery and give it a try. This typically consists of 90% rye and it's both delicious and healthy. An interesting tasting sensation are also slices of bread slightly-to-medium toasted in a toaster - just put butter on it, you'll love it.
Oooo okay! Thanks so much for the suggestion!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife what I like as well as a quick dinner is dark bread with Speck (bacon) and cheese (or whatever you like) and putting that in the oven until the bread has a nice crunch and the cheese is melted. Dark bread really works well with stronger meats and cheeses. Your kids you chose their own toppings etc.
Also my mother would usually not just make Schnitzel but also fry some vegetables as well, like zucchini (which you have to eat quickly or the crust gets soggy) or celery. Personally I prefer mushrooms. It's a good way to get your kids to eat some vegetables if they are a bit picky. Everything tastes better when it's fried :)
Oh and do you know Bärlauch (wild garlic)? It grows in the woods where it is moist. If it smells like garlic somewhere around you, go there and get some. It tastes great as a spread on bread (with quark or cream cheese) or as a soup. Just be careful the underside of the leaf has to be matte and when you rip it up it needs to smell like garlic and each leaf grows individually from the ground and multiple out of a stem otherwise it would be Maiglöckchen which are toxic.
Sie sind eine sehr nette, erfrischend intelligente Familie und sicherlich eine Bereicherung für Deutschland. Insofern sind Sie bei uns herzlich willkommen. Nun, ich bewundere Ihren Mut und Ihre Entschlossenheit, einen Lebenstraum zu erfüllen und mit Ihrer ganzen Familie in ein anderes Land und sogar auf einen anderen Kontinent zu ziehen. Ich denke, Sie sind sehr aufgeschlossen, lernbegierig und bereit, sich an die Kultur Ihrer neuen Heimat anzupassen. Deshalb bin ich überzeugt, dass sie Erfolg haben und alles erreichen werden, was sie wollen und hoffen. Auf jeden Fall wünsche ich Ihnen viel Glück damit.
Da Sie schnell Deutsch lernen möchten, schreibe ich meine Kommentare zu Ihren Beiträgen auf Deutsch und füge die englische Übersetzung unten bei. Ich hoffe, es wird Ihnen helfen, Fortschritte beim Deutschlernen zu machen.
Translation:
You are a very nice, refreshingly intelligent family and certainly an asset for Germany. In this respect, you are very welcome to us. Well, I admire your courage and your determination to fulfill a lifelong dream and move with your entire family to another country and even to another continent. I think, you are very open-minded, eager to learn and ready to adapt to the culture of your new homeland. That is why I am convinced that they will succeed and achieve everything they want and hope for. In any case, I wish you the best of luck with this.
Since you want to learn German quickly, I write my comments on your posts in German and attach the English translation below. I hope it will help you to make progress in learning German.
We use our dryer only in the cold months. But when the weather is sunny, but freaking cold, we hang out laundry and put it in the dryer for a few minutes to rest dry em!
Oooo good idea! Even to put them out when it’s sunny and cold, because there is nothing that smells better than sun-dried clothes!
I love your openness to experience
Hi there, I just stumbled upon this video and couldn't stop watching, it's really nice hearing the two of you sharing your impressions! A lot of things have been commented here, but one thing that has not gotten much attention yet is the ventilation, seeing you window slightly opened ("gekippt") almost gives me physical pain... Yes, in Germany it's crucial to ventilate the rooms by opening the windows because we usually don't have air conditioning. It's not only that we "like" fresh air, if you don't do it, the humidity in the air maight lead to mold, that can be a health-risk, especially with kids. Maybe you're already aware of that and you just showed a short clip where you did it differently, but having been raised here I have always been told that the only proper way to ventilate is called "Stoßlüften": brace yourself for cold air (maybe put another sweater on), turn off the heating, FULLY open as many windows as possible and let the air flow through the room/ house for a couple of minutes. Then lots of the air has changed, you close the windows completely and -if necessary- put the heating on again. But even without heating, the room temperature should readjust itself within half an hour. I ventilate like that every day, especially in the bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom, and even in winter. There have been studies that this is the most energy-efficient way to exchange the air in the room, and due to our German "Gründlichkeit", there are even some tips from the corresponding ministry :) here's the link, maybe an online-translator is helpful: www.bmu.de/themen/gesundheit-chemikalien/gesundheit-und-umwelt/innenraumluft/richtiges-lueften-und-heizen Take care, keep up the exciting videos, I'll be glad to follow your experiences here on youtube!
Yes such a great tip! We didn't do that the first month or so that we were here, but then started to air out the bathrooms after showering by opening the windows all the way. We did noticed that before we were properly airing out the rooms, mold was growing on the tiles i the bathroom. We got it all cleaned up, though.
More than 3000 sorts of bread here in Germany. Mischbrot is usually 50% rye and 50% wheat. But there are also some sub-types available like "Roggenmischbrot" or "Weizenmischbrot" where the ratio between rye and wheat is different.
I have a dryer, but I use it only during winter or rain. In summer and when it's dry I hang up the laundry outside on a clothes line.
99% of German houses have a central forced hot water heating system. In the US it's the other way around, most houses have forced hot air heating which can also be used for cooling. Germany is more north than almost all American states, with the exception of Alaska. So forced hot water isn't a thing there with the exception of modern houses with floor heating. Sometimes also the so called "floorboard heating". And some really old heating systems which use radiators heated up with steam.
Mischbrot is a mix of wheat and rye, might be called Weizenmischbrot or Roggenmischbrot depending on what is the majority of the used meal. I like to do "random bread testing": when I come into a bakery, I look at the halved loaves waiting there (when someone before only wanted half of a loaf) and buy one that looks interesting.
And yeah - you have a "Hacken-Porsche". They are so great, no more carrying heavy things :)
We have a dryer, but only use it during the cold months. Perhaps you might invest in a "Wäschespinne" for outside - way better for drying if you have a lot of clothing to wash, especially bigger things like linens or towels.
Germany produces more varieties of bread than any other country. Over 300 varieties of dark and white bread and over 1,200 varieties of rolls and mini-breads (Brötchen & Kleingebäck) are produced in Germany. Bread makes up a large part of German cuisine.
I dont know about your town specifically, but a lot of small town and villages have the "volunteer firefighters". A lot of kids go there and learn a lot, have some fire fighter adventures and it is a great way of making friends and being welcomed into a small town communities. They have a lot of fests together and grill events and whatever else :D
Oh good to know! Thank you. We can ask around about that.
Love your videos ... thanks for sharing ...
Thank you!
I love a good breakfast on sundays. Brötchen, ham & eggs (yes, the british bacon xD) Kaffee und Orangensaft!
edit: The sundays actually are a food fest. Good breakfast, a special dish for lunch (try Rouladen, you can fill em in 3 different styles), coffee and a cake at 1600 and in the evening, you'll probably watch a movie with the family with popcorn or chips/crisps.
That sounds like a perfect Sunday!
You are both right: Mischbrot is a mix of white wheat flour and rye flour, but rye is always the whole grain. It is THE run-of-the-mill bread in Germany, you should get it everywhere. I for one like it best, especially when oven warm with butter and a little sprinkle of salt or with butter and finely cut chives.
Oh, and I have a laundry warning for you!!! When drying your laundry outside now in spring you might notice that your white clothing gets a bit yellow and can also smell strange - that is pollen. This year we had a long winter and chances are that soon ALL trees and flowers and what not will spread their pollen all at once, in these years you see everything dusted yellow.
Ooo that sounds good! We will try it that way. Haha, now you see how bad bread is in America if we think run of the mill bread in Germany is great! 🤣
😂 you made me really laugh. Yes, we have a dryer and just use it for towels and some other stuff. Mama always said, the tshirts are lasting much longer... and funny to say, the dishwasher mostly not used for the potts and pans 😂 ....
Chocolate croissants originally come from France. About 20 Years ago you would not find this at any German bakery.
Brezeln are typical traditional for the south part of Germany.
Grandgrandpa here: ( Urgrossvater 70). I live to 50 like you. Raising 4 Daughter in Germany. Now 20 Years in Louisianna. Learn English by my Southern Bell and Sesamstrasse. Watch Movies was I have seen bevore in Germany. English is easy. German much more tricky. ( Grammar). Viel Glueck fuer Euch und Eure Familie. Bernd😀
We bought velux automatic window humidity sensor which opens our windows throughtout the day here in Ireland. On amazon germany (we are in ireland) we bought airwave to monitor mold, VOCs, humidity and radon in our home. I also bought an air purifier on amazon germany for our home gym which is in our garage with a boiler...it freshens the air in the room.
Ooo love all of this! I’d like to have a mold monitor in our home.
The drawer at the bottom of the fridge is for vegetables. Temperature is best for them in that drawer
Okay we’ve been keeping fruits and vegetables in there.
No worries about learning the language. Yes, it's not a language one usually learns in a year or two, there are easier languages. But it'll come. Most interesting aspect of learning a foreign language (I am a native German) to me is the phenomena to switch to a different mind set or mentality at will. Usually, sub-consciously, we are resisting this change of our "identity". But everyone that has gone through this process also develops the capacity to function within different "mentalities", more like a citizen of the world.
Yes so true! It's like taking out your brain and putting in the other language brain - English brain, Germany brain, Spanish brain...
Very pleasant to see you still do not seem too annoyed about having moved from lovely Georgia to Old Europe ! "Mischbrot" usually means the bread is made from a mixture of wheat and rye but definitely not from pure wheat. If you look for seasonal vegetables, the asparagus season has just started which is something a lot of Germans are obsessed about and kids typically like it, too. It is white asparagus (meaning it was harvested before dawn, daunting work) which is best eaten steamed (about 15 minutes depending on thickness) typically with potatoes and Sauce Hollandaise. You can add some slices of ham if you wish to have some meat in the mix. It is not the cheapest meal to have but it is worth it and the season only lasts till June 30th (St. Johns Day). I personally prefer buying the asparagus at booths in open air markets ("Wochenmarkt") but you can get it in supermarkets, too. And, from about mid-May, the strawberry season starts ! (better avoid the pesticide-laden strawberries from southern countries that you can buy now) Makes for a delicious dessert after the asparagus, especially with whipped cream and optionally a scoop of vanilla icecream. And Kevin: "rognons" are delicious imho if handled appropriately by the chef. I believe you just have to avoid overthinking what precisely you have on the plate sometimes.... (And no, I have never eaten frog legs and I have no intention on so doing)
Asparagus is super expensive right now because it's still pretty cold and there isn't a lot yet. Better to wait a bit. Even then Covid will probably cause issues with harvesting since it's all manual work
And good freezers are made here by Liebherr.
I really really appreciate how you put your own experience into the perspective of immigrant families in general. Super informative. Thank you.
Something nice to eat: put sone olive oil into a saucepan and a lot of thin slices of leek (german: porree or lauch), stirr it after 3 or 4 minutes, then give some spoonful of "Schmand" ( a kind of creme) to the leek, stirr. Then salt, pepper and currypowder. Besides that some meatballs and mashed potatos. Yummy to me.
That sounds sehr lecker!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife the clou is the currypowder.
Hi guys! Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences and views! Besides: "Mischbrot" normally is a mixture of wheat and rye...
Hello Brigitte
April weather in Germany is all over the place, often within one day multiple times. You more than likely have experienced that yourself. But usually as soon as the year hits May the beauty of the weather starts to creep in. Beautiful long summer days, due to the northern latitude, but thanks to the Gulf Stream still wonderfully warm, lush summer nights.
While Germany may not be known internationally for its bread, we hold the proud record of most bread types in one nation at over 3200 registered types of bread.
We Germans are very, very proud of our bread, often more than our beer or sausages. Because we know that there are other nations that are at least as good with sausages or beer as Germans (the Polish and the Czechs come to mind, respectively), and probably some are better at specific types of each.
But bread is the one thing we are absolutely proud of, and I believe, rightfully so.
It probably is the one thing we miss most anywhere else in the world.
Mischbrot usually consists of different types of grains, ground into different coarseness degrees. Usually it is wheat and rhye, but the ratios vary a LOT. Other types of grains may be spelt, oats, all either whole grain or kernels only, depending on the bread.
When you get any kind of Vollkornbrot, this usually means several kinds of very dark breads with actual whole grains. Often very heavy and dense, with a slighty moist body with virtually no crumb. You might know Pumpernickel. Very similar to that, but it often comes in vaccuum sealed tins. In those tins, depending on production methods, these breads can last from MONTHS to YEARS in storage.
These are not the whole grain breads you know from the States. That is Vollkornmehl / whole grain flour baked into standard breads from standard yeast or sourdough types.
Sonntagsbrötchen and Sonntagsfrühstück is still pretty much a huge tradition for families with kids. Young couples without kids often like to sleep in on Sundays, so this often changes to late brunches.
Kevin just going 'Ahh, they can make it' when talking about his kids biking to school shows how much he has become absolutely germanized already. At least what German dads often think. Their kids need to toughen up, and a little water never hurt them.
Dryers: again, get one if you're not strapped for money or space. It will make your life so much easier with a family of six (or seven).
Did anyone really give you grief for not speaking German perfectly? Really? Who was so insensitive towards you?
That you attempt to speak German and are willing to learn should give so many brownie points in every German's books that I was astonished that anyone should have given you grief for it.
Fun fact: most Germans speak some English, some are more at the smattering level (or as Kevin called it, baby English), others a bit more advanced, some speak almost fluently, with some oddities thrown in here and there.
Lüften: really, you already accepted that as your daily rotation of chores?
Wow, that was quick. Lüften is something so deeply ingrained in Germans it is something so many ex-pats mention as noteworthy, or even a bit strange. But with thick, insulated walls being the norm in Germany, with no central air conditioning, or air vent heating, an exchange of air is absolutely necessary to prevent mold or the dreaded Mauerschwamm (a type of fungus growing inside wet concrete or brick walls) from growing inside otherwise little ventilated rooms. The Mauerschwamm can cause brick and mortar walls to become brittle over the years. Once it has settled inside walls it is very difficult to get rid of.
My architect told me that roughly 9-10 times the total volume of all interior rooms should be exchanged with fresh air each day to keep the atmosphere healthy. Old, drafty doors and windows, or walls with minor cracks and holes allowed that exchange naturally, but obviously allowed heat to escape as well. With modern insulated walls, doors, and windows this rate can often drop to as little as only 2-3 times the volume through osmosis or standard opening and closing of doors.
Unless you open windows and doors wide at least once or twice a day for at least 10 minutes or so you wont achieve the 9-10 times volume rate.
15:38 ha, I knew it: Spaghetti-Eis would get your kids hooked. While the flavor is nothing special, it being simply vanilla icecream with a strawberry sauce and white chocolate sprinkles, the pressing into the shape gives it that special something.
Have you been infected with the Döner Kebap bug yet? If not, find a good Dönerladen in your vicinity (I can guarantee there is one somewhere close to you) and get yourself a "Döner". Get ready for a flavor explosion with this Turkish-German fastfood. Compared to many other fast-foods it is even pretty healthy, due its large ratio of veggies.
So many good nuggets in this comment! We appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us! And yes, we do love Döner! There is a place in our village that sells them!
April weather usually means very short cold snaps, or a mix of a sun and clouds + rain. Sometimes a bit of light snow and hail. Plants freezing from very short sudden frost is not unusual. But the stereotype is about a quick succession of different weather types. These relatively harsh cold periods lasting many days are not at all normal.
The reason for this is that the sun provides more energy and warmth now, but polar regions are still cold and bring lots of cold air south depending on air pressure.
I love your view on "my country"
Although you organize your househould very well I suggest a freezer. For special offers or larger quantities (e.g. for holidays like Christmas). - Greetings, Heinz
Love this lifestyle.... My German husband and I always, always open our house doors and windows when we get up in the morning! Need that fresh air, even here in the U.S.! Oh, the memories your kids are going to carry with them to adulthood!
Yes! I'm getting so used to airing out the house everyday now that I crave that fresh air, even when it's cold.
Fresh bread is the best. But you should try bread with sunflower or other seeds. It stays fresh 2-3 days. "Mischbrot" gets dry within one day. But if you toast it it´s very delicios, too. You can store sliced bread in the refridgerator and toast single freezed slices when you need them.
An interesting vegetable you might not know is "Kohlrabi". You can eat it raw, that´s my favourite, but you can also eat it cooked with "Sauce ´Hollandaise". You will find it in every German Supermarket in the section for fresh vegetables.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi
I know what you mean when you say the bread in other countries is more famous. Who writes odes about pumpernickel bread after all? Much more likely to happen for a ciabatta. :D For myself I do not like bread that I need a ton of liquid to swallow it. Pumpernickel and even most Mischbrot goes under that for me. What really brightens it up for me are seeds mixed into them. My favourite bread is propably "Weltmeisterbrot" because it is such a solid Allrounder. You can find it in propably any kind of chain store. It's fluffy, still a bread, and has a tons of nutritious seeds in it (and yummy!). My to-go-bread for my lunch box every day!
Ooo good to know! Another great bread to try.
I always thought Germany was especially known for its bread outside of Germany, next to the beer.
Sadly many small bakeries had to close because bakery chains starter to pop up all over Germany and grocery stores like Aldi and Lidl started to sell semi-fresh baked goods very cheap so people stopped going to the small bakeries.
At least that is how it is in many cities, hopefully, the small bakeries survive in the countryside.
Edit: The new language thing, actually isn't that obvious I'd say. Because many many Germans nowadays, especially the younger generations, tend to speak English very well. I'm not totally sure how it is in the countryside but in the city, as an adult, you could definitely survive without learning a lot of German. It sure is better that way but I don't think it's mandatory as someone who speaks Engish.
Yeah I agree about the language. We are all learning German because it makes living here much more interesting, easy and fun! But actually there have been times where we really did need to know German.
The Germans love to practice their English, so yeah, it makes it hard sometimes to force yourself to keep up the deutsch. But be patient, stay open minded and it will come with time...
To practice their English.. Yes.. But US English isn't easy.. They have different words for the same thing.
Rooster. =Cock
Toilets = Restroom
Huge = Bigly ( according to Trump)
Be careful. They live in the deepest bavaria. It could be end as like my direct neighbor. He is an italian and is now speaking german bavarian style ;)
@@danielkaufmann15 It's British English I suppose
Once restaurants and cafés are open again go to Rupolding to the Windbeutelgräfin. They are famous for their creme puffs.
Nice! Okay we will! Ruhpolding is very close to us and we’ve already been there twice, but of course, nothing but the Eis shop was open!
Rinderrouladen with Klößen is for a lot of people one of the best german dishes. But somehow most german restaurants don`t have it on there Menu and usualy people prepare this dish themselves at home. But keep looking for it. It is just wunderfull
Do you know that the minimum baking time for Pumpernickel is 16 hours ? We love our bread !
Wow!! I didn’t know that. So a long time for it to rise?
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Pumpernickel doesn't realy rise when you make it european style... it just sits and 'marinates' kinda...
www.innungsbaecker.de/westfaelischer-pumpernickel
This is the recipe (in german... sorry) straight from the source of all things bread!
Hi, the green bicycle of your son, the front wheel is built-on incorrect I guess. Maybe you should to turn by 180°, to do this you have to disconnect the handlebar and re-connect afterwards.
To be more precize: you don't have to touch the handlebar itself... just loosen up the central bolt on the stem, turn fork and front wheel so that the slight curve of the fork swings to the front side and the short end of the fender points to the front as well. In this position at the moment the frontend is to steep. ;-)
Hi guys, after having followed your journey to Germany for a while, I finally subscribed :-)
Mischbrot is called that way because rye flour and wheat flour are used and mixed for the dough. In some areas it is also called Graubrot, which literally translates to grey bread.
Oh gray bread! Haha okay, I’ve heard Phil from Deanna and Phil talk about grey bread. And thanks for finally subscribing! 😆😅
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Deanna and Phil are great. Do you also know Donnie and Aubrey from "Passport Two"?
A simple Mischbrot or Graubrot may have a 50/50 percentage of wheat and rye flour. If you're more on one side look out for the "lighter" Weizenmischbrot (higher percentage of wheat) or the more darker and tastier Roggenmischbrot (more rye in it). And these are only the "normal" bread types. Not to mention the whole grain, 5-grain, 6-grain bread...
Hallo it will be easy to you sarah to learn german just along the way ,and during these time be sure most germans speak or understand english.and by the way if you are my neighbours it would be very pleasend to practice my english skills.have a nice and safe day.
Hallo again may it will be helpful ,take a look at simple german ,they do exellent contend about living in germany and they do it quiet entertaining but Easy to understand and how it really is to live and deal with us the ordinary german.
Living in the bavarian alps,who wouldnt love that?Its one of the most beautiful areas in the world,the alp areas in both Germany,Austria,and Italy. Fresh air,beautiful views,sights,perfect for walks,bicycle rides,small or longer trips. It has everything. The food in Europe/Germany is very fresh and healthy as well. Not the least bread. Its magic. As you guys have discovered with time,little by little. And yes,not being dependent on having a car that swollow a big chunk of low and middle american family incomes,isnt it freedom? Not being dependent on car all the time? When I lived in Arizona I felt abit like a weirdo because I didnt have access to a car during those 4 years. I didnt own any car. Even teenagers have cars in America,you are looked upon as a weird outcast if you dont have cars,and cars costs alot of money to have. Here in Europe we dont have that demand of a burden on our shoulders because we dont need it. We can put our hard earned money on other things,better things. Its partly a part of freedom to live that way as I see it. We are not in the hands of greedy car and motor and oil industries here.
we do have a dryer, but there is a 30 minutes quick program and we often do that and hang up the clothes afterwards to fully dry
Smart way to use it!
I do this in the other other way.
Wait for the summer and explore the Chiemsee.
We definitely will!
I do agree with your point of learning a new language but we have a neighbour that lives here (Switzerland) for over 10 years now and I never heard him talking German or Swissgerman. I don't expect anybody to speak Swissgerman but a least German after such a long time.
Yeah 10 years is a long time! Maybe by our neighbor knows German but is scared to speak?
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife He is from Scottland and doesn't talk a lot anyway. So that might be the reason.
Thank you so much for mentioning how hard it is for mothers moving with the family to a foreign country! How much we have to whoop! I have learned English, moving to the US, in school in Germany, but just School British English....
My kids started their school career in Elementary in the US and I have learned WITH them through Spelling Test etc. It is so much easier to move with children. Since, you get in contact with the locals through the kids! The younger they are the easier! Just my experience!
Just learn the basic words you will use all the time! Ask people to don’t hesitate to correct you! Americans have a hard time to correct people because they think they might be rude, but I have asked for that! I still, after 18 years, try to get reassurance how to pronounce certain things! Loose your fear, the sooner you know things! You will learn it very quickly! You know already so many words!
Kevin might learn different word and sentence than you, Sarah!
Your brain will be constantly challenged what is a good thing to avoid aging;)))))
Much love and support from afar (North Carolina)!
Wow cool, a German in North Carolina! We used to live in Georgia so we were neighbors! 💖 Yes learning a new language as a parent is totally different.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife Here's a trick to make sure Germans don't identify your nationality and address you in English. Just say you're not American but Albanian. The Albanian accent can be easily mistaken for the Anglo-Saxon one.
Sorry, but Germany is for sure famous for its bread... 😉
I wish it was! But not in the US - well, except for bretzel brot. We think of Germany as having amazing sausages and beer.
Germany is famous for its bread. Perhaps not in the USA but in other countrues like other Europa counties. It has the most varieties of bread (>300) in the Wold.
Dryers use a lot of energy wich is significantly more expensive in Germany than in the US. That's also the reason, why we usually don't have AC or even ceiling fans.
Mischbrot is a mixture of wheat and rye flour. You get them in different content of rye, so is is lighter or darker. If you see Dinkel, that is a protein rich form of wheat, while Einkorn and Emer are some mediveal wheat varieties. Dinkel bread dries very fast almost over night, while rye bread can be stored for some days.
For food I would recommend to learn how to make Spätzle and Semmelknödel. Very easy, very tasty and bavarian. For the Spätzle (or Spatzn) you need a Spätzlehobel or a Spätzlepresse. And Spätzlesmehl.
Dinkel and Einkorn and Emmer are old sort of grain
Okay thank you for the recommendations! I have made käsespatzel several times and it’s really yummy.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife oh yes, it's a southern German speciality and soooo good !
Hello from Canada. I hope you get over to Bayreuth in Bavaria, where my family comes from. Cheers!
I have to admid, that i am learning english with you guys. I appreciate that. Viele Grüße aus Lübeck