Our village is in close proximity to the Rhein and situated on a canal. The village itself is smallish but self sustaining. Streets are narrow and because parking on the street is permissible, I often have to pull over and wait for oncoming traffic to pass before proceeding. The streets definitely don't accommodate the girth of the van well; it's gargantuan in comparison to Smart Cars and Citroens. Street names reflect Germany's (Austria's, too) musical and philosophical heritage: Goethe Str., Joh Sebastian Bach Str., Richard Wagner Str., and Franz Liszt Str. run parallel to the main avenue.
Relative to more urban areas, there are many more freestanding homes here. Half-timbered homes line most streets, and plastered facades are also prevalent. All roofs are comprised of terra cotta colored tiles. Lawns are immaculately manicured with roses and sunflowers frequently gracing flower gardens. We've noticed several homes with a water feature positioned among flowers. Litter is entirely absent.
All hours of each day, one can find burgers (citizens) engaged in some sort of sport or exercise: rowing, kayaking, cycling, fishing, walking or jogging. Despite all of the pedestrian traffic, the village is extremely quiet. So quiet in fact that one might imagine it entirely abandoned. Quiet hours, from 2100-0700, are strictly enforced.
The pace of life is much more relaxed compared to life in the States. Work weeks are generally no more than 35 hours. Each day, all businesses close from approximately 1200 until 1500 only to reopen for a few hours. Nearly everything is closed on the Sabbath.
Though I'm not one to generally subscribe to stereotypes, I have found that the idea of Germans being reserved and asocial is not entirely correct. I have several times been addressed and greeted while walking. On one occasion, while dining out in the village, a couple at a neighboring table bought ice cream for the kids. The waiter offered after dinner drinks at the restaurant's expense. The couple that owns the nearby Metzgerei (butcher shop) make a point to speak each time I visit and have shared personal stories (gasp!). The lady who runs the bakery was proud to offer me 'Black and Whites', a ubiquitous cookie in New York, which she called 'Amerikaners'. Certainly there are those who have not expressed an active interest in making our acquaintance, but I'm confident it will come in time. My German national friend elaborated on my observations by saying that Germans in general are cautious in befriending people and prefer an intimate number of friends to a broader number of acquaintances. For now, I'm content with acknowledgments and greetings; it's a positive sign.
We live across the street from the Catholic church, and the Evangelical church is two blocks away. Without fail and always on time, the bells of both churches toll the time with prolonged songs at noon, 1800, vespers, and on Sundays at times of worship. We also live across the street from a flower shop which I frequent once a week. Next to the Catholic church is an Italian Gelateria with divine stracciatella made on the premises as I understand. Each day, dark chocolate is melted and poured into a large copper kettle which is rotated so that its interior is coated. The chocolate is allowed to set and a dense cream flavored gelato is poured into the kettle. The kettle is allowed to freeze for some time. After freezing, a hammer is taken to the side of the kettle splintering the chocolate. The 'chips' are then mixed in to the custard; yummy! A 'farm' is located in a courtyard on our block. Livestock is kept on the ground floor, and I can tell you by smell that the stalls are shoveled out each Tuesday! Seasonal produce that is grown outside of the village proper is brought in and sold at the farm in addition to fresh eggs and unpasteurized milk. Produce is sold according to weight and measured on a scale on a tin pail offset by individual weights and measures.
All and all, living in Europe is thus far all that I had hoped it would be (minus J's being absent, of course). I find that I am much more relaxed as a whole. I hope to share more aspects of our village in the weeks to come!
A home in our village
A view of our home as seen from the Catholic church. The building in which our house is situated used to be a tavern. Our home is on the third floor and used to be the dance hall!
Bop says this home reminds her of 'Madeline' because it is covered in vines.
Roses
I am determined to have shuttered windows when we finally settle. I've also observed that nearly all windows are dressed with lace curtains; some of the handmade variety and others much more commerical. Patterns in the lace vary from quite simple to the elaborate depicting ships, flowers, and provincial scenes. Nearly every window displays decoration of some sort or another with flowers (orchids) being common as well as Hummel figurines.
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