We Wish Someone Would Have Told Us…

On November 13, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Travel Tips7 Comments

We have been back in the States for over six months now and we think about our extended time in Germany all the time. It was just about a year ago when we moved to Frankfurt and struggled to find an apartment. There are so many things that we wish we would have known before moving to a foreign country. Even if you travel constantly, there is something unique about living in a place that is completely different than your typical surroundings, especially if you move to a place with a language that you don’t know.

The first couple of weeks after we arrived in Frankfurt were like a vacation, it didn’t seem real. We were in a hotel, getting to know where things were located, and doing normal tourist things. Then the hunt for the apartment began and we quickly realized that we were in for an experience. In the United States, there are advertisements, magazines, real estate agents, and apps that will all help you find a place to live or buy. Renting a flat in Germany was a little different. They had just gone through the process of having landlords rent on their own to having them rent through agencies, but there wasn’t an easy way to see what was available. What information there was out there was in German, which is a language that we knew only a little of, so we were spending a lot of time using translation apps.

As our allotted time to stay in a hotel was coming to an end, we started to get stressed as we didn’t seem to be able to locate a place to stay. We were at a local pub that we had found on our first day in Frankfurt and happened to ask the bartender if he had any advice. Although he didn’t know the process, he said his wife would know exactly what we needed. A few minutes later and we had a couple of websites to use and within a week we had found an apartment that was exactly what we were looking for. It was centrally located, near old town, the food district, and shopping. We might have paid a little bit more than we had originally anticipated, but in the end, it was worth every penny.

This was only the first of the challenges that we would face during our transition to living in Germany. We thought that living in a large city would mean that most people spoke English, but that wasn’t necessarily the case, especially as you went into the smaller neighborhoods and frequented the local businesses. We assumed that going into a grocery store, we would be able to easily recognize what products we needed or find things that we normally used. We couldn’t figure out the products based on the pictures on the labels and with our limited German, the titles didn’t translate well for us. We quickly found that we needed to go to several different stores to buy all the things that we needed. We went to the butcher for our meat, the bakery for our bread, the pharmacist for our aspirin and vitamins, the DM (home and bath store) for our toiletries, and then a typical grocery store for canned goods and other products.

Out of the Front Balcony (We had one front and back)

Just figuring out how to operate the oven, coffee maker, laundry machine, and other daily routines were not as easy as we expected. We had over a thousand television channels and yet the only things that were in English were news, so we ended up using our Netflix subscription and watching it on our laptop. It took us a while to figure out that we could connect the laptop to the television, but eventually we were able to watch it there. It certainly wasn’t all a struggle, there were other things that we found easy to understand and convenient. Transportation was fairly easy to figure out from the street cars, underground railway, railway, and airplane travel, there were so many options. We also enjoyed walking the city, it was easy and as long as you paid attention to traffic signals, easy to navigate. There were an abundance of restaurants, but most of them had limited menus, so you quickly learned which places to go when you were in the mood for certain foods. Most of all, we truly enjoyed the friendships that we made and the impact that they made on our lives. We wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world and hope to go back for a longer stay at some point, although this time, wherever we go, we will be better informed.

Sauerbraten with Red Cabbage and Potatoes

On November 8, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Czech Republic, Germany, Recipes8 Comments

Sauerbraten is something that we had several times during our time in Germany. It is basically a pot roast and it is typically served with red cabbage and potatoes. We decided to recreate the Sauerbraten that we ate at a restaurant in Prague, Czech Republic, in December last year. It is fairly easy to make, but does take a while to fully marinade the beef. Because it is marinated and then slow cooked, it is possible to use a less expensive cut of meat and still have it tender and tasty. We cooked our red cabbage with an apple as that was often the way that it was served in Europe. We have to admit that it turned out really well and tasted wonderful.

Sauerbraten with Red Cabbage and Potatoes in Prague

INGREDIENTS

2 lb Rump Roast
Kosher Salt
1 cup Onion – diced
3/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 cup Water
2 tbsp Pickling Spice Blend (you can make your own if you can’t find it pre-made)
1 tbsp Honey
8 Black Peppercorns – whole
4 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
3 to 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 cup Beef Broth
Potatoes – boiled until fork tender
Butter
Parsley
1 jar Red Cabbage (we used @AuntNellies)
1/2 Granny Smith Apple – peeled, cored, and diced

INSTRUCTIONS

Season all sides of the roast with a generous amount of kosher salt. Combine the onions, red wine vinegar, pickling spice, honey, peppercorns, water and roast in a large plastic bag and let marinade for 1 to 2 days. Remove the roast from the bag, keeping the rest of the marinade, and pat the roast dry. Dust all sides of the roast with the flour. In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil to medium-high heat and then brown the roast on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the roast to a slow cooker or crock pot and pour in the reserved marinade and the beef broth. Cook on low for 8 hours until the roast is tender. Sauté the red cabbage with the diced apple until the apple is soft. Boil the potatoes, drain, and add the butter and sprinkle with parsley.

Autumn in Koblenz, Germany

On November 1, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Photo Challenge1 Comment

Situated along the Rhine River where it connects with the Moselle, Koblenz is a wonderful city to visit, especially in the fall. One of our favorite memories from our time in Germany last year was taking the train along the Rhine and seeing all of the beautiful foliage. There are many different sites to visit in Koblenz, such as the fortress, the Basilica of St. Castor, Stolzenfels Castle, and the German Corner with its monument of William I on horseback. Regardless of sightseeing in Koblenz, we enjoyed simply walking along the river and enjoying the beautiful scenery. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is anything with the letter K. We hope that you enjoy a few images of our time in Koblenz as much as we enjoyed visiting it last October.