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 TH-cam, 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.
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.
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.
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!
@@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.
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".
The beginning reminds me of something that happened at an easter, when my elder son was four. We never boght them much chocolate, but at easter they of course had their choco-bunnies and were sitting at the table, stuffing their mouths with it, choco was oozing out at the corners. That was when my son said, with utter satisfaction in his voice: "We are rich." :-D
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'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 😂
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 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
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!
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.
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.
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)
'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.
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.
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 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 !
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!😅🌹
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
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.
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 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 😂 ....
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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
@@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!
Germany has 3300 types of bread how could this not be know in the rest of the world? Maybe thats why we go so well together with France: they have more than 3000 sorts of cheese... And btw: what is a beer or a sausage without a fresh loaf of bread? We have a dryer but use it only in "case of emergency" when the weather is really, really bad and we're out of "hanging space" or if we're in a hurry for whatever reason. So not very often. To learn the language, Germany offers language courses for (nearly) free. Just ask at the authorities, they can help you. Otherwise i rarely see people being impatient with "aliens" to learn german. Maybe you'll get a strange look if you're in Germany for more than 20 years and still don't know how to order your groceries but generally you'll not be blamed. Thanks for your lovely video! And YES we want to see more in the future! Take care and stay safe.
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.
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.
You can be really sure that if germans realize and see that you have the will to integrate and you are friendly that in my experience everybody takes the time to get along with you even is there is a little barrior due to the language :) Regards Timo
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
Hi Sara and Kevin, I'd like to know how your media consumption has changed (if at all) since moving to Germany? Are the kids watching German shows? Where do you get you news from? How is TV different here compared to the US? Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. are all available here, so you could still watch most shows in English. Have you started watching stuff in German yet?
I love how positive and openminded you are and how well you are adjusting ! No wonder your German neighbours are friendly - how can anybody resist a nice and friendly new family in the village ? And yes, you are right about eating at a restaurant being more interesting than taking your food home. Nevertheless I have just finished a delicious meal I took home from one of our two restaurants in the village not only because they make incredible dishes but also to support them during the pandemic . It's so important to help our local businesses to get through these hard times. How are your kids doing in their German classes ? Are they learning and understanding some German yet ? Usually it's much easier for kids than for adults to pick up a new language but you have only been here for a short while. Funny what Kevin told us about teaching your little one some German word and the person starting to speak English to him . I love little situations like that where you surprisingly get in contact with a stranger, it always makes me smile all day. As far as the food goes I noticed that Americans eat a lot of meat and I think people in southern German places do as well, but in general we are becoming more and more aware of the environmental aspect of animal mass production and consumption so that you'll find quite a number of natural food stores ( " Bioladen" ) and stores connected to farms ( "Bauernhof - Laden" or "Hofladen"). Meat, fruit and vegetables are more expensive there but after getting used to consuming less meat you can eat "bio" meat with a better conscience. Have fun adjusting even more and exploring ! Best wishes from Lübeck ( a place worth visiting once you have a car ) P.S. and Kevin, give my kind regards to the cat ( wink, wink)
You both should go to a language course at the Volkshochschule or something like it, if possible not together. Of course we have merci with foreigners ;) and even can talk to foreigners in a weird way, like: "You, going, Bakery, buy bread. Come back."
Another good idea would be to join a club, „Verein“. Maybe there is a hiking club in the area. This is a Great way to learn The Language and Meet new People.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife I think we all know how hard it is to learn a new language, we all did learn at least one other language :) So I would say we usually are pretty patient, but after few years you should at least know the basics, like being able to have some simple conversations, your German does not have to be perfect. So don't worry if you don't make as much progress as you hoped, that's normal :)
Hallo Merry und viele Gruesse von einer deutschen Familie die seit nun 5 Jahren in Chicagoland lebt. Was wir hier in USA vermissen ist in der tat das deutsche Brot und besonders die Brezen aber auch Wurst und die deutschen Lebensmittelpreise. Schnee und Natur haben wir hier auch zu genug. Was wir vermissen wenn wir Deutschland besuchen ist im Sommer unsere Klimaanlage, aber auch gute Steaks die in Deutschland nur schwer zu bekommen sind, ich rede von richtigen T-Bone oder Porterhouse. Das waren auch schon die gravierenden Unterschiede fuer uns die in 2 Welten leben. Liebe Gruesse und stay healthy and safe
Love your videos a lot. I've been binge watching them since yesterday. We have a dryer in our household but we rarely use it or at least not in the summer, only when it's very humid and cold outside.
Hi there, as I could see in your video, the mudguard of the front wheel of the green bicycle is the wrong way around, the longer end is supposed to go to the back so the person riding it stays a bit cleaner ;-)
V interesting again and your house is so nice. Maybe get two poles in the far. end of the garden with a line, may be handier than just a small clothes horse - after all you are a family of 6 (and a cat), so you may need more space to hang things. Maybe of you can put on a proper big load of wash, cause you will have to capacity to hang it all up at once, instead of having to do many small washes -more work, more water and washing powder needed, cause you can only hang up a certain amount of clothes at a time. DIY shops (Baumärkte) usually have poles for clothes lines or Wäschespinnen, which can dry a bit more stuff at once. May be a bit easier on yous :-)
Mischbrot with a sch at the end. :-) :-) :-) In einem Jahr sprecht Ihr gut Deutsch und in zwei Jahren sprecht Ihr es perfekt. ;-) All americans love german Bäckereien, why don ´t you like geman „Wurst“ and „Metzgereien“? German „Wurst“ is so good!!! Viele Grüße aus Freiburg
I really enjoy following along your new experiences in our country. You should try "Kartoffelpuffer" (potatopatties) with "Apfelmus" (applesauce). You can do them yourself or get frozen ones. Kids usually like those. By the way... is Kevin already working? How is that going? I am really curious. Greetings from the alps. Sandra
The one top stuff a local restaurant flashed me with: Bolognese Schnitzel...the bolognese was self made and cooked for a long trime probably..the schnitzel were of the best "schnitzelquality", topped with molten provolone cheese...amazing!
Hello, it will be very hard for your child to switch from Mittelschule to Gymnasium. My son went to Gymnasium ( he grew up in Colorado, with a german mum and an american dad). HE had Latin from 5th grade on. Our youngest went first to Mittelschule and it was really tough for him to make the switch to Gymnasium. My oldest just finished "law-school" so everything worked out at the end and my youngest is going to University in the Staates. I wish you luck and welcome to germany 🍀🤗
Definitely buy a dryer, I'm single with a 17y old kid and we don't need a dryer, but when I need it for something big I can go to my sisters (5 person family). So I know how its at my sisters, her kid wants this t-shirt, but all my drying racks are full and I can't wash clothes now. No. It's not excessive if you need it. You have 6 people, and 4 of them are children that can change their clothes in a day. (my nephew dressed up in a policeman, Fußball trikots...) And buy a big one, min 8kg
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.
Airing is quite easy! Usually you just have to open the windows completely 3 times a day for 10 Minutes! If the weather gets warmer most people just open up the windows with the handle up for the whole day only closing them if they leave! When it gets hot it is best to keep the windows closed during daytime! Just opening then during the night and completely evening them for 20-30 Minutes early in the morning, when the temperatures are relatively low!
I think we also love reading books. And You also could start with some german children books to learn the language. Also there are some You Tube Channels like: Easy German Further I could recommend to watch the different german tv channels or to listen german radio .
Rick Steves (European travel guru in the US) talks about not taking everything. If you run out of toothpaste, you just pick out a tube of what you think is toothpaste. Could potentially be a nasty surprise!
There is nothing wrong with frozen vegetables, they are just as nutricious sometimes more so than the fresh stuff. But going to the supermarket regularly is still a good thing for the fresh salat and the fresh fruits. This kind of stuff doesn't freeze well. If you buy a dryer in Germany, it can be pretty expensive btw. That is because our "high quality" dryers are built to last for years. But a good Miele is really worth its money. (there are also cheap options, but in the long run, quality tend to pay off).
15:22 have you come across the term "Stoßlüften". It is hugely discussed :) - In families, in media, landlords. A country where you can even read books about how to air out houses the right way ;) - Do not trigger the Germans on that subject there is no escape ...
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife basically opening the windows on several occasions during the day for up to 10 Minutes - fully, not keeping the windows only "auf Kippstellung" (tilted) for most of the day. Usually, it is a hot subject during the winter.
Dont stress yourself with learning german. Most people understand that it takes time and can be difficult. Set yourself some daily goals like 5 words a day and some grammar on the weekend or something. Also dont give up. You are DEFINITELY going to struggle with this language. Pronouns, cases and articles will definitely be a big big problem. Focus on speaking, you will get it right eventually without thinking about it. It needs to get into your ear :)
@7:33 have you noticed that the front wheels on the bikes are actually backwards? This makes it much harder to ride in a straight line. The fork should bend forwards with the brake on the front side!
To the dryer topic! Yes most germans that have a dryer just use them for sheets, towels or very robust clothes! Very often just in the wintertime or if dry clothes are very urgently needed! That's because clothes tend to loose shape in the dryer and electricity is expensive! I saw you still use a standing dry rack! It is usually far easier to set up some clothesline in an appropriate high! Better for your back and if you use clothespins it is also safer if it is windy and the clothes dry much faster! Or you could install a holder for a wash spider, that does the same job! Usually houses on the countryside have one of those options already set up in the garden!
Another thing is if you get used to hang out your clothes to dry, you can tear them back in shape while still wet and set them straight! that way you don't need to iron as much clothes! And if you get practice, you learn how to fold your clothes ready to be stored away, while taking them down from the clothesline! Saves lots of work!
Just remember that all of us who learned English as our second language also didn't just wake up and were able to speak it. For most of us it took years of slowly but surely learning grammar and vocabulary, some had an easier time learning it than others but still this takes years. Set yourself some small achievable goals for each week and work on them. Eventually you will get there.
Yeah this year it is a very long "cold season" usually at the start of May the bathing season starts...that might be this year very unlikely...but who knows how the weather will be in 12 days ;-D And "Mischbrot" is a sourdough bread and the mixture of wheat and rye...and it is my favourite bread too. But I noticed something at your vlog at 7:32 which is a bit concerning..Please teach your boys always to stop the bike when they come to a crossroad in order to take a look if the coast is clear even when it is a road where probably just only every hour a car is passing by, it is nevertheless dangerous not to do so...because it looked like as if your boy was biking into the crossroad without looking, maybe he did look but he was definitively biking into the crossroad with no concern that something could might happen... and when in that moment a car is coming I do not want to imagine that outcome..because "the devil does never sleep" as we use to say in German...it´s not meant as critic but it is always better being very cautious while biking on the street...a biker is always the weaker and vulnerable one on the street.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife I felt very uncomfortable to adress this but it has to be said after I saw that bit...I´m glad you noticed it as well...I know and understand kids in that age are often "in their own world" not noticing what happens around them while focusing on something like biking so to say, therefore parents have to be cautious...and again I´m happy that my content didn´t hit you now totally out of the blue and you already did what has to be done.
Oh,and since you asked .. No,we do not own a dryer..never did. Brötchen every Sunday is not a mandatory think but the one day of the week without anything to do so we have way more time for breakfast...and I prefer Kürbiskernbrötchen or Vinschgauer.
German bread (and other European countries toward the north) does often include a lot of rye flour and is often sourdough rather than yeast rising. And every German TH-camr talks about the bread. In more urban places in the US you can of course get similar bread, but not at a regular supermarket.
Thanks for your cool videos. 🤩 Just a small observation: can it be that the front wheel on the kids bikes are back to front? Somehow it looks strange with the fork bending the wrong way, the guards so long in the front and the breaks behind the fork... hmmm just saying. Cheers from switzerland
Since you mentioned healthy food. Check out Alnatura and Tegut bio (organic) stores. Don't know how close you are to one (Munich definitely has them), but check 'em out some time. You may also want to ask for the next local BIOLADEN. Or check out some BIO FARMs in the area (just google "bio bauernhöfe in bayern"). Fun fact: USA's Trader Joe's is ALDI owned ...
5:50: A few decades ago only a few bakeries did open at Sunday, except in bigger cities (and some special bakeries in the countryside which did open only on Sundays). And since in our town Saturday is the day the weekly farmer's market is held, the tradition in my family is to go the market first and then make a big breakfast / brunch with all the cheese, sausages, fresh radish and other delicacies buyed at the market, accompanied by a big basket of bread rolls, bretzels, croissants and - very important! - "souls" (which are an Upper Swabian speciality named after the Catholic "All Souls" day ). In most weeks there are enough leftovers to be crisped up at Sunday so we don't have to go to the bakery again. :)
Well, a few decades ago as you say, you could still find your Wochenendbrötchen in a paper bag at your front door. Those were the days the baker would deliver them by bycicle.
Germany has better bread than most countries . Its substantial not blow up fluffy stuff that squashes. In South Australia we benefit from our German heritage with Wurst smallgoods and some bakeries . I don't have a drier. We have too much reliance on cars and i wd usually make 6000 steps a day but only occasionally 10000! Airing homes is a big thing here. In summer we shut everything in the heat of the day and open up over night or as soon as a cool breeze rises. Its effective . It can be 37 outside and a comfortable 27 indoors just by controllling airflow and awnings.
Hi there, first of all let me tell you that I love your videos! You are so friendly, so open-hearted! I envy your neighbors for living next to you. Too bad that you did not move to my hometown here in northern Germany! 😉 And YES, bread is very important to the Germans! Actually, whenever I am abroad, the only thing I miss is German bread. All the best for you and your family! 🍀🍀
06:06 Did you know that this little 2-wheeled cart you are drawing behind you is colloquially known as a "Hackenporsche"? Matter of fact is i don´t even know its official name, come to think of it... (Hacken being your heels, because it´s "right on your heels", i guess. Where the "Porsche" part comes into it, i don´t know...)
there are washingmashines (2 in 1)that contain also a dryer. maybe thats something u should purchase. becouse u dont have 2 items in your loundryroom sou when not needed or u youse it just ocasionaly it will not take the place like a separate dryer which is allways there.
the best way learning a language easily is by watching movies (or series) in German and additional with German subtitles on - best with movies you already know from the US!
i really think the lanuage thing is not that hard here. almost every german speaks at least a bit english =) im so glad to see how you try all the german things and foods. many people only eat what they used to =)
I am more afraid of the american room climate. I stayed a couple of time (at least 10-15x) in NC and SC. The first 2x times the 18°C inside and the 35°C outside got me really sick. Since that i always carry a winter-jersey with me when going to work over there - in the middle of the hottest sommer.
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! :-(
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 TH-cam, 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 :-) )
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.
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.
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!
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.
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".
The beginning reminds me of something that happened at an easter, when my elder son was four. We never boght them much chocolate, but at easter they of course had their choco-bunnies and were sitting at the table, stuffing their mouths with it, choco was oozing out at the corners. That was when my son said, with utter satisfaction in his voice: "We are rich." :-D
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
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 th-cam.com/video/Ou18FJZxfx4/w-d-xo.html
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.
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!
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
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!
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! 🤔🤣🤗
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.
Ihr seid total nett. Der Rest kommt schon von allein. Liebe Grüße aus NRW 👍😉😉
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
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!
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)
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.
'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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 🤣🤣.
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! 💖💖
Fantastic, how you embrace the different aspects of German lifestyle!
We love it here!
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
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.
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!
I love your openness to experience
😂 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 😂 ....
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.
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.
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...
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!
Wait for the summer and explore the Chiemsee.
We definitely will!
Love your videos ... thanks for sharing ...
Thank you!
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!
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.
I love your view on "my country"
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.
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
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!
Germany has 3300 types of bread how could this not be know in the rest of the world? Maybe thats why we go so well together with France: they have more than 3000 sorts of cheese...
And btw: what is a beer or a sausage without a fresh loaf of bread?
We have a dryer but use it only in "case of emergency" when the weather is really, really bad and we're out of "hanging space" or if we're in a hurry for whatever reason. So not very often.
To learn the language, Germany offers language courses for (nearly) free. Just ask at the authorities, they can help you. Otherwise i rarely see people being impatient with "aliens" to learn german. Maybe you'll get a strange look if you're in Germany for more than 20 years and still don't know how to order your groceries but generally you'll not be blamed.
Thanks for your lovely video! And YES we want to see more in the future!
Take care and stay safe.
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.
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.
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.
You can be really sure that if germans realize and see that you have the will to integrate and you are friendly that in my experience everybody takes the time to get along with you even is there is a little barrior due to the language :) Regards Timo
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
Hi Sara and Kevin, I'd like to know how your media consumption has changed (if at all) since moving to Germany? Are the kids watching German shows? Where do you get you news from? How is TV different here compared to the US? Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. are all available here, so you could still watch most shows in English. Have you started watching stuff in German yet?
I love how positive and openminded you are and how well you are adjusting ! No wonder your German neighbours are friendly - how can anybody resist a nice and friendly new family in the village ?
And yes, you are right about eating at a restaurant being more interesting than taking your food home. Nevertheless I have just finished a delicious meal I took home from one of our two restaurants in the village not only because they make incredible dishes but also to support them during the pandemic . It's so important to help our local businesses to get through these hard times.
How are your kids doing in their German classes ? Are they learning and understanding some German yet ? Usually it's much easier for kids than for adults to pick up a new language but you have only been here for a short while.
Funny what Kevin told us about teaching your little one some German word and the person starting to speak English to him . I love little situations like that where you surprisingly get in contact with a stranger, it always makes me smile all day.
As far as the food goes I noticed that Americans eat a lot of meat and I think people in southern German places do as well, but in general we are becoming more and more aware of the environmental aspect of animal mass production and consumption so that you'll find quite a number of natural food stores ( " Bioladen" ) and stores connected to farms ( "Bauernhof - Laden" or "Hofladen"). Meat, fruit and vegetables are more expensive there but after getting used to consuming less meat you can eat "bio" meat with a better conscience.
Have fun adjusting even more and exploring ! Best wishes from Lübeck ( a place worth visiting once you have a car )
P.S. and Kevin, give my kind regards to the cat ( wink, wink)
I will tell Kevin you give your regards to the cat! 😂🐱 Thank you so much for your sweet comments!
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife my pleasure, you are a great joy to watch !
You both should go to a language course at the Volkshochschule or something like it, if possible not together.
Of course we have merci with foreigners ;) and even can talk to foreigners in a weird way, like: "You, going, Bakery, buy bread. Come back."
Another good idea would be to join a club, „Verein“. Maybe there is a hiking club in the area. This is a Great way to learn The Language and Meet new People.
@@ccrisDE we’d love to join a Verein if they were open! All clubs and classes are closed right now because of COVID. 😣
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife I think we all know how hard it is to learn a new language, we all did learn at least one other language :)
So I would say we usually are pretty patient, but after few years you should at least know the basics, like being able to have some simple conversations, your German does not have to be perfect. So don't worry if you don't make as much progress as you hoped, that's normal :)
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife www.alpenverein.de/Der-DAV/
German Alpine Club. I would expect they have a regional section where you live.
Make sure that you try asparagus. Now is the season for it.
I did buy some! I've heard it's all the rage.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife white Spargel rules!
Hallo Merry und viele Gruesse von einer deutschen Familie die seit nun 5 Jahren in Chicagoland lebt. Was wir hier in USA vermissen ist in der tat das deutsche Brot und besonders die Brezen aber auch Wurst und die deutschen Lebensmittelpreise. Schnee und Natur haben wir hier auch zu genug. Was wir vermissen wenn wir Deutschland besuchen ist im Sommer unsere Klimaanlage, aber auch gute Steaks die in Deutschland nur schwer zu bekommen sind, ich rede von richtigen T-Bone oder Porterhouse. Das waren auch schon die gravierenden Unterschiede fuer uns die in 2 Welten leben. Liebe Gruesse und stay healthy and safe
Vielen dank! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Love your videos a lot. I've been binge watching them since yesterday. We have a dryer in our household but we rarely use it or at least not in the summer, only when it's very humid and cold outside.
Hi there, as I could see in your video, the mudguard of the front wheel of the green bicycle is the wrong way around, the longer end is supposed to go to the back so the person riding it stays a bit cleaner ;-)
Die Gabel des Vorderrads ist falsch herum montiert.
V interesting again and your house is so nice. Maybe get two poles in the far. end of the garden with a line, may be handier than just a small clothes horse - after all you are a family of 6 (and a cat), so you may need more space to hang things. Maybe of you can put on a proper big load of wash, cause you will have to capacity to hang it all up at once, instead of having to do many small washes -more work, more water and washing powder needed, cause you can only hang up a certain amount of clothes at a time. DIY shops (Baumärkte) usually have poles for clothes lines or Wäschespinnen, which can dry a bit more stuff at once. May be a bit easier on yous :-)
We have the same sofa! :) Mine is a smaller configuration though.
Mischbrot with a sch at the end. :-) :-) :-) In einem Jahr sprecht Ihr gut Deutsch und in zwei Jahren sprecht Ihr es perfekt. ;-) All americans love german Bäckereien, why don ´t you like geman „Wurst“ and „Metzgereien“? German „Wurst“ is so good!!! Viele Grüße aus Freiburg
I really enjoy following along your new experiences in our country. You should try "Kartoffelpuffer" (potatopatties) with "Apfelmus" (applesauce). You can do them yourself or get frozen ones. Kids usually like those. By the way... is Kevin already working? How is that going? I am really curious. Greetings from the alps. Sandra
Hi Sandra! Yes Kevin has been working since we got here. Okay that sounds yummy! We will have to try that - kartoffelpuffer!
Reibekuchen = Kartoffelpuffer.....depends on where you live ;)
I second that. Kartoffelpuffer with Apfelmus is simply great.
The one top stuff a local restaurant flashed me with: Bolognese Schnitzel...the bolognese was self made and cooked for a long trime probably..the schnitzel were of the best "schnitzelquality", topped with molten provolone cheese...amazing!
Oh wow! Sehr lecker!!
Hello, it will be very hard for your child to switch from Mittelschule to Gymnasium. My son went to Gymnasium ( he grew up in Colorado, with a german mum and an american dad). HE had Latin from 5th grade on. Our youngest went first to Mittelschule and it was really tough for him to make the switch to Gymnasium. My oldest just finished "law-school" so everything worked out at the end and my youngest is going to University in the Staates. I wish you luck and welcome to germany 🍀🤗
Definitely buy a dryer, I'm single with a 17y old kid and we don't need a dryer, but when I need it for something big I can go to my sisters (5 person family). So I know how its at my sisters, her kid wants this t-shirt, but all my drying racks are full and I can't wash clothes now. No. It's not excessive if you need it. You have 6 people, and 4 of them are children that can change their clothes in a day. (my nephew dressed up in a policeman, Fußball trikots...) And buy a big one, min 8kg
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.
Airing is quite easy! Usually you just have to open the windows completely 3 times a day for 10 Minutes! If the weather gets warmer most people just open up the windows with the handle up for the whole day only closing them if they leave! When it gets hot it is best to keep the windows closed during daytime! Just opening then during the night and completely evening them for 20-30 Minutes early in the morning, when the temperatures are relatively low!
Great tips, thank you!
I think we also love reading books. And You also could start with some german children books to learn the language. Also there are some You Tube Channels like: Easy German
Further I could recommend to watch the different german tv channels or to listen german radio .
Another option would be to stream films or shows in German, using English Subtitels
Kevin and I both love the Easy German channel!
Rick Steves (European travel guru in the US) talks about not taking everything. If you run out of toothpaste, you just pick out a tube of what you think is toothpaste. Could potentially be a nasty surprise!
You have to try some special german food, like Mettbrötchen. Just go to your butcher and ask for it.
Ask for Zwiebelmett ;)
There is nothing wrong with frozen vegetables, they are just as nutricious sometimes more so than the fresh stuff. But going to the supermarket regularly is still a good thing for the fresh salat and the fresh fruits. This kind of stuff doesn't freeze well.
If you buy a dryer in Germany, it can be pretty expensive btw. That is because our "high quality" dryers are built to last for years. But a good Miele is really worth its money. (there are also cheap options, but in the long run, quality tend to pay off).
15:22 have you come across the term "Stoßlüften". It is hugely discussed :) - In families, in media, landlords.
A country where you can even read books about how to air out houses the right way ;) - Do not trigger the Germans on that subject there is no escape ...
We’ve not heard that term! Haha, we
Will read more about it now, thank you. 😂
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife basically opening the windows on several occasions during the day for up to 10 Minutes - fully, not keeping the windows only "auf Kippstellung" (tilted) for most of the day. Usually, it is a hot subject during the winter.
Dont stress yourself with learning german. Most people understand that it takes time and can be difficult. Set yourself some daily goals like 5 words a day and some grammar on the weekend or something.
Also dont give up. You are DEFINITELY going to struggle with this language. Pronouns, cases and articles will definitely be a big big problem. Focus on speaking, you will get it right eventually without thinking about it. It needs to get into your ear :)
@7:33 have you noticed that the front wheels on the bikes are actually backwards? This makes it much harder to ride in a straight line. The fork should bend forwards with the brake on the front side!
Yes! Kevin fixed them a while back.
To the dryer topic! Yes most germans that have a dryer just use them for sheets, towels or very robust clothes! Very often just in the wintertime or if dry clothes are very urgently needed! That's because clothes tend to loose shape in the dryer and electricity is expensive!
I saw you still use a standing dry rack! It is usually far easier to set up some clothesline in an appropriate high! Better for your back and if you use clothespins it is also safer if it is windy and the clothes dry much faster! Or you could install a holder for a wash spider, that does the same job! Usually houses on the countryside have one of those options already set up in the garden!
Another thing is if you get used to hang out your clothes to dry, you can tear them back in shape while still wet and set them straight! that way you don't need to iron as much clothes! And if you get practice, you learn how to fold your clothes ready to be stored away, while taking them down from the clothesline! Saves lots of work!
Just remember that all of us who learned English as our second language also didn't just wake up and were able to speak it. For most of us it took years of slowly but surely learning grammar and vocabulary, some had an easier time learning it than others but still this takes years.
Set yourself some small achievable goals for each week and work on them. Eventually you will get there.
So true!
Yeah this year it is a very long "cold season" usually at the start of May the bathing season starts...that might be this year very unlikely...but who knows how the weather will be in 12 days ;-D
And "Mischbrot" is a sourdough bread and the mixture of wheat and rye...and it is my favourite bread too.
But I noticed something at your vlog at 7:32 which is a bit concerning..Please teach your boys always to stop the bike when they come to a crossroad in order to take a look if the coast is clear even when it is a road where probably just only every hour a car is passing by, it is nevertheless dangerous not to do so...because it looked like as if your boy was biking into the crossroad without looking, maybe he did look but he was definitively biking into the crossroad with no concern that something could might happen... and when in that moment a car is coming I do not want to imagine that outcome..because "the devil does never sleep" as we use to say in German...it´s not meant as critic but it is always better being very cautious while biking on the street...a biker is always the weaker and vulnerable one on the street.
Yes you are right, Michael! He did run out into the crossroad without looking. We have been teaching them to stop since then.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife I felt very uncomfortable to adress this but it has to be said after I saw that bit...I´m glad you noticed it as well...I know and understand kids in that age are often "in their own world" not noticing what happens around them while focusing on something like biking so to say, therefore parents have to be cautious...and again I´m happy that my content didn´t hit you now totally out of the blue and you already did what has to be done.
Tell the people you'd appreciate if they could continue in german as you'd want to learn it better
refuse to answer in English. Just speak German.
Oh,and since you asked ..
No,we do not own a dryer..never did.
Brötchen every Sunday is not a mandatory think but the one day of the week without anything to do so we have way more time for breakfast...and I prefer Kürbiskernbrötchen or Vinschgauer.
Your guys are awesome 😘
Thank you 😻
The German bread thingy was ironically, right?
I wish it was! But in America, Germany is not known for their bread. Only the beer and sausages.
German bread (and other European countries toward the north) does often include a lot of rye flour and is often sourdough rather than yeast rising. And every German TH-camr talks about the bread. In more urban places in the US you can of course get similar bread, but not at a regular supermarket.
Thanks for your cool videos. 🤩 Just a small observation: can it be that the front wheel on the kids bikes are back to front? Somehow it looks strange with the fork bending the wrong way, the guards so long in the front and the breaks behind the fork... hmmm just saying. Cheers from switzerland
Ah - I see in the comments you already fixed it - nice 👍
Since you mentioned healthy food. Check out Alnatura and Tegut bio (organic) stores. Don't know how close you are to one (Munich definitely has them), but check 'em out some time. You may also want to ask for the next local BIOLADEN. Or check out some BIO FARMs in the area (just google "bio bauernhöfe in bayern"). Fun fact: USA's Trader Joe's is ALDI owned ...
Oh I had no idea that ALDI owned Trader Joe's! Go ALDI.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife They have owned it for more than 40 years (since 1979 to be precise) and made it the brand it is today.
5:50: A few decades ago only a few bakeries did open at Sunday, except in bigger cities (and some special bakeries in the countryside which did open only on Sundays). And since in our town Saturday is the day the weekly farmer's market is held, the tradition in my family is to go the market first and then make a big breakfast / brunch with all the cheese, sausages, fresh radish and other delicacies buyed at the market, accompanied by a big basket of bread rolls, bretzels, croissants and - very important! - "souls" (which are an Upper Swabian speciality named after the Catholic "All Souls" day ). In most weeks there are enough leftovers to be crisped up at Sunday so we don't have to go to the bakery again. :)
Your comment is making me hungry! This sounds like an amazing tradition!
Well, a few decades ago as you say, you could still find your Wochenendbrötchen in a paper bag at your front door. Those were the days the baker would deliver them by bycicle.
Your kid's got great taste - Spaghetti Eis is the best !
He loved it and he’s been wanting to try it for a month!
Germany has better bread than most countries . Its substantial not blow up fluffy stuff that squashes. In South Australia we benefit from our German heritage with Wurst smallgoods and some bakeries . I don't have a drier. We have too much reliance on cars and i wd usually make 6000 steps a day but only occasionally 10000! Airing homes is a big thing here. In summer we shut everything in the heat of the day and open up over night or as soon as a cool breeze rises. Its effective . It can be 37 outside and a comfortable 27 indoors just by controllling airflow and awnings.
Brötchen makes good sandwiches, get some bierwurst and cheese, slice and butter the Brötchen and fill with those.
YUM
We only use the dryer 4 our kids clothes
Hi there, first of all let me tell you that I love your videos! You are so friendly, so open-hearted! I envy your neighbors for living next to you. Too bad that you did not move to my hometown here in northern Germany! 😉
And YES, bread is very important to the Germans! Actually, whenever I am abroad, the only thing I miss is German bread.
All the best for you and your family! 🍀🍀
Thank you so much! We hope it won’t be too long before we are able to travel to see northern Germany.
06:06 Did you know that this little 2-wheeled cart you are drawing behind you is colloquially known as a "Hackenporsche"?
Matter of fact is i don´t even know its official name, come to think of it...
(Hacken being your heels, because it´s "right on your heels", i guess. Where the "Porsche" part comes into it, i don´t know...)
Yes! So funny!
there are washingmashines (2 in 1)that contain also a dryer. maybe thats something u should purchase. becouse u dont have 2 items in your loundryroom sou when not needed or u youse it just ocasionaly it will not take the place like a separate dryer which is allways there.
the best way learning a language easily is by watching movies (or series) in German and additional with German subtitles on - best with movies you already know from the US!
Yeah good point! And that’s a fun way to learn, too.
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife it increases you passiv "Wortschatz" witch will convert into an active "Wortschatz". it doesn't even feel like learning.
i really think the lanuage thing is not that hard here. almost every german speaks at least a bit english =) im so glad to see how you try all the german things and foods. many people only eat what they used to =)
I am more afraid of the american room climate. I stayed a couple of time (at least 10-15x) in NC and SC. The first 2x times the 18°C inside and the 35°C outside got me really sick. Since that i always carry a winter-jersey with me when going to work over there - in the middle of the hottest sommer.
Yeah the use of air conditioning in many businesses and offices in the USA is so wasteful and waayyyy too cold!
Cool video.. but Bus sickness? Never ever Heard of. Grüße aus der Pfalz
Motion sickness 😀
@@MyMerryMessyGermanLife ahh okay