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  • Christmas in Austria (& Germany)

    Although I've lived in Germany for most of the past 13 years, I've never spent a Christmas here, since we usually go to Austria to be with my husband's family. I have asked a number of German friends though, and from what I can tell, they...

  • Advent Season

    Because my son is half Austrian, I like to participate in holiday traditions from Austria as well as America, not only because I want to keep them alive for my son, but also because he has Austrian cousins who would be horrified to hear that my son didn't...

  • Thanksgiving in Germany

    This week is American Thanksgiving, and as an American I will be celebrating it with friends and family. We'll be an odd assortment of Americans (plus our 1/2 American children), Germans, Austrians, a Brit and an Australian. I'll be serving Poulet...

  • Helping in Schools

    Something I've noticed is a little different here in Germany is parents are often more involved with their children's schools than in the US. The school libraries are often run by a volunteer parent group, the cafeterias at many schools require...

  • Books set in Germany

    I love to read, and something I especially enjoy is reading about places I know. As a native Detroiter, I always get a little thrill reading something by Elmore Leonard, or William Kienzle, because they write about things I'm familiar with: I have...

  • Holiday Hotels

    Last week was Herbstferien (fall vacation) for the public school students in our state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and we took a trip arranged by a local travel agency. It's different in several ways from trips I take when I'm in the US. Here in Germany...

  • Halloween

    Our weather right now is gorgeous fall weather: frost on the grass in the morning, but sunny and crisp in the afternoon. The leaves on the trees are all changing colors, and the air smells so good I keep the windows open, even though that means we have...

  • Duvets vs Flat Sheets

    We're having guests this weekend so I had to make up the sofa bed. The thing that's different for me, is I have a set of bedding for European guests (duvets and square pillows) and a set for American guests (flat sheets and blankets, and rectangular...

  • Election Day

    Sunday was election day here in Germany. It's pretty much the same as in the US - lots of signs up for the different political parties, ads on TV, people passing out flyers - all the things you'd expect. One small difference is there are strict...

  • Grocery Shopping

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  • Back to School at a New School

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  • Changing Countries is like Changing Shoes

    I’ve been on vacation in the US for the month of August (my son’s summer vacation), so I haven’t had any “life in Germany” moments to blog about lately. But since I’m headed back to Germany this week, there are a few...

  • English in German Public Schools

    I’ve had a request from a blog reader to write about how English is taught in the schools in Germany, so here goes: My son is a student in the local public schools in Stuttgart, and in our state (Baden-Wuerttemberg) they begin learning English in...

  • Weekend in Austria

    My husband Dietmar is Austrian, and even though we live in Germany, we spend many weekends in Austria so our son can see his cousins and grandparents there. Dietmar grew up in Linz, the third largest city in Austria (after Vienna and Graz), but when his...

  • Schulfest (School Festival)

    The school year here in Stuttgart is fast winding down. My son will graduate from elementary school on July 29, and next year he’ll start Gymnasium (which is the last 8 years of school here, sort of a combined middle- & high school). This past...
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