enough complaining... things I love about living in europe

On any given day, I have a number of complaints about our new home. The rain. The lack of air conditioning. The abrasive personalities of many of the German people. The difficulty in communicating. The complaints were at an especially all-time high last summer while I was pregnant and frustrated and homesick, but finally... FINALLY... I've embraced this European adventure with my little family. Here are just a few of the simple things I love about living in Germany:

Miles and me heading out to run some errands.

Not having to drive anywhere. We only have one car - which Josh takes to work every day, but that's no problem since we live right in the city! I can easily reach the grocery store and a myriad of restaurants and shopping in less than 10 minutes on foot. While this means lots more trips to the store since we don't want to lug home six bags of groceries, it's nice to get out of the house and enjoy a daily stroll.

Outdoor seating. Any day when it's even slightly warm (as in, above 50 fahrenheit) and not raining, restaurants and cafes have their outdoor tables set up and the town square is swarming with people sitting outside enjoying a meal or coffee. It's prime people-watching territory.

A busy Saturday in Aachen Markt.

Ease of travel. This is one of the very best parts of living in Europe. Flights are cheap, train travel is easy, and we're even close enough to drive to lots of places. We've made several day trips to places like Maastricht and Monschau, took the train to London last summer to visit our friends Jas and Jennie, and we're driving to Amsterdam (only two hours!) at the end of this month for a long weekend!

Enjoying a nutella crepe at the fair.

The pastries. The gelato. The sweets. These people love their treats. Just on my walk into town, I pass no fewer than three bakeries and two eiscafes (this is the German word for the ice cream shops). Bad for the waistline. Good for the soul.

Italian food. Say what?! I know it sounds strange, but the Italian food here in Aachen is amazing. Presumably due to our close(ish) proximity to Italy. I suppose it's a bit like finding great authentic Mexican food in the southeastern U.S. The pizzas are amazing (I ate them on a weekly basis while I was pregnant - this mama CRAVED marinara like nobody's business), and you can find delicious fresh made pastas all for extremely reasonable prices. It's definitely no Olive Garden :)

Enjoying it with the comfort of knowing that we'll be returning to North Carolina, home-sweet-home. Since we'll be returning to the U.S. in less than a year and a half, I'm trying to soak up every bit of this little temporary lifestyle as possible. While I'm sure I'll be sad to leave this place, it makes it easier to be away from family, friends, and the comforts of home to know that it's all there waiting for us when we head back stateside next year.

life lately: an update from germany

Whew! It's been over two months since I last posted, and the time just slipped away. Since January, we've returned to Germany (following a fiasco in which I discovered my passport was nowhere to be found less than 24 hours before our scheduled departure), survived and (I think) made it to the other side of the four month sleep regression, and soaked up lots of fun times in our foreign home with our ever growing boy. He's now actively playing with his toys, loves to sit and stand up (assisted, of course), is *so close* to rolling from back to belly, cackles when mommy tickles him or gets his toes, is happiest in the bath, is a trooper on long walks about town in his stroller or ErgoBaby carrier, and smiles so big every day when daddy gets home from work :) Basically, he's the best.

Here are a few iPhone photos of the past couple of months:

Miles's 1st plane ride - he handled international travel like a trooper!

Love these sweet baby snuggles so much.

So many beautiful, sunny days in Aachen! Unfortunately, we're back to cold and rainy for the time being.

Is that not the cutest little tiger you've ever seen?!

The Easter bunny brought Miles a Sophie la Girafe teething toy and his first German books, and Mommy and Daddy hosted a yummy brunch for friends!

This past weekend, we took a day trip to Monschau where we visited their Historic Mustard Mill, picked up some delicious coffee from a local rosterie, and wandered about this adorable little town.

This face cracks me up... this kid definitely has personality :)

This is what we were choosing to do instead of sleep last night. Baby squeals :)

To see more photos of our Glessner family adventures, follow me on Instagram.

who knew...

Who knew moving to a foreign country would require so much work?! People have been asking me if I'm excited, and I am, but honestly, right now, I'm just in survival mode. I thought planning our last move from Pennsylvania to North Carolina was a headache, but coordinating an international move is a whole new ballgame...

Figuring out how to manage our money overseas without losing all of it to foreign transaction fees. Hobo doesn't look good on me.

The emotional roller coaster that preparing to uproot your life causes. One second, I'm mapping out weekend trips to Paris and yelling "peace out u.s.a."... the next, I'm in a corner rocking back and forth mourning the loss of our first home (which isn't even for sale yet, BTW) and imagining that I'll never make new friends.

Apartment hunting online. Learning that German apartments don't include kitchens... you have to buy them yourself just like furniture. Thank Scandinavia for Ikea.

Drowning in a puddle of tears because you have the best pals ever who send you "OMG YOU'RE MOVING TO GERMANY!" packages when said emotional amusement ride gets the best of you. My BFFs are better than yours.

When you have a friend who's a pro artist, you get amazing handmade cards like this. You're awesome, A.Trest.

Megan knows the way to my heart... coffee and chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Thanks for letting me use your lunch break to have a nervous breakdown :)

Thanking my lucky stars that most apartments we've looked at online have a proper bathroom with a real shower not created exclusively for use by children and hobbits. I'd nearly worked myself into a frenzy after watching years of House Hunters International and seeing so many places with bathrooms I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy.

Trying to learn a new language. Newsflash: This is WAY more difficult as an adult - it was far easier in the second grade before I had useless information like the words to Chumbawumba's Tubthumping taking up valuable mindspace. So far I know wasser (water) and apfel (apple), so obviously, I'm going to have NO problems communicating in a foreign land.

Figuring out how to get our Scottish terrier over there. He's never flown, and he HATES being near people and not being able to love on them. Like any good parent, I thought sedation would be the best option, but apparently, that's a no-no for airborne pets. Any recommendations on whether it's best to carry on or send as cargo and the safest way to do either is welcome.

Trying to resist buying all new clothes so that I have a new wardrobe to wear to buy new clothes when I arrive in Europe. What? I can't look like an American slob while shopping.

Getting our house ready to put on the market. Rearranging your furniture and cursing yourself because you haven't been enjoying it this way all along. 

Deciding what to ship and what to store. Oh, KitchenAid mixer, I'm going to miss you like woah. Seriously though, I might cry.

In case you haven't gathered from my lack of knowledge on all fronts regarding expatriation, we don't know that many people who have moved internationally (other than studying abroad or military moves), so any and all tips are welcome!

xoxo,

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