May 29, 2016
Yesterday was the start of our first weekend in our new home. On a walk earlier in the week, we had stumbled upon a wicked looking path winding up a tall hill. Alex, immediately interested, asked our landlord when he saw him next if it was a public path and was told that yep, anyone could go up.
So when a free afternoon rolled around, Alex and I gathered up the kiddos and puppy and went off to explore our little village.
Walking on one of the main roads, it was full of houses with beautiful gardens out front and quaint balconies up top. Each house had its own personality, whether it was in its color, design, or driveway. Germany certainly doesn’t fall victim to the cookie cutter mentality in which each property has the exact same square footage and layout.
The hill:
The stairs were actually better than I thought. While still a climb, they looked a lot worse from the ground. It didn’t take us more than a minute or two to reach the top, where there was a small bench and cement table waiting for us.
Landon and Buster took the break to cool off and drink some water. While not an exertion for us, I’m sure for their little legs it was a bit of a work out.
The path at the top went to the left and led into a small woods. Not exactly my favorite thing, but if I wanted to explore the rest of the hill I had to go through. Then, a five minute jaunt across a very sloped path dumped us out into an empty field with some incredible views.
It was kind of crazy to see the village from this view. The hill we were currently standing on could clearly be seen from down below. In fact, I had stood in my kitchen all week and looked out towards the top of the hill and the church that was situated on the end. (Said church was to towards our right that afternoon and looked much smaller when up close.)
That driveway in the photo? That’s ours. Our car is the tiny machine parked next to the white building. It’s not everyday you get to stand on top of a hill and get a birds eye view of your home.
Alex and I spent a good 5-10 minutes looking around and taking in the beauty that is the German countryside. Then the kids started to get antsy; time to push on.
The path ended at the church I mentioned earlier and a dirt road began. We followed it in hopes it would lead us to the main street, in turn getting us back home. It led us to a cow pasture with some turbines in the background. Then to another forested area:
And eventually it joined another road that looped to our driveway.
According to my fitbit, the entire walk (a big circle) was about 1.38 miles and 10 flights of stairs. Not a bad route when everywhere you look is green fields, overgrown trees, and endless skies. Not to mention it was such a contrasting sight from Florida. I don’t know of many neighborhoods where I lived that had a concrete staircase in the backyard or church bells ringing at all hours through the air.
When I was up at the top, staring down at my neighbors’ houses, I kept telling myself, “This is my home for the next 3 years. These streets, their inhabitants, they are going to become safely familiar to me.”
I also couldn’t help but look around and wonder if in five years’ time if I’d close my eyes and picture that view and miss it the way I was missing my emerald Florida beaches. Was I – without even realizing it – forming a lasting photograph in my memory that I would recall for the rest of my life?
If so, then I’d say our first weekend in our village was a success.
An Awfully Big Military Adventure 