This year was no walk in the park. In fact, some parts were outright nightmarish. Our daughter, Lily, had a couple fevers and infections that got pretty dangerous. And she gave us a real scare with an accident that left her lying in the hospital for a whole month - the recovery is ongoing but at least she's healthy! Anyway, you've gotta take the good with the bad. It was also a year full of great experiences. We spent a lot of time with friends and family, got a KiTa (kindergarten) spot for Lily, and went on trips to Norway, Holland and, of course, the USA.
If you're lucky enough to get one, a KiTa spot is supported by the city. To be fair, not every city in Germany offers this support but, considering that people in Switzerland pay thousands a month for basic childcare, the situation here is extremely advantageous regardless of your city. This is one of many things that makes raising a family in Germany so great. Right from the beginning we were also getting regular visits from a Hebamme (midwife), who advised us on pretty much everything that you can imagine, and even a representative from the city came to make sure we had all the information we needed on relevant services. Then, of course, there's the help we've gotten from friends and family. Almost all of Lily's clothing came from friends. And in times when we've needed it, many have also cooked and babysitted for us.
It seems that every year we spend more and more time with friends and family. This year we went to lots of family events, including a big Familientreff (family reunion) near Dortmund. Even some relatives from the US were supposed to be there but, unfortunately, something came up. Maybe we'll see them at the next one in 2025, though.
During the holidays we spent a lot of time eating cake and Raclette. Thankfully this year Lily didn't have a heart attack when the fireworks started going off and even slept through it. Last year we were with friends and didn't realize how scary it is for babies... it certainly didn't help that someone threw a firework directly at us! Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. For the last couple years now, a big problem here has been people throwing fireworks at the emergency services. So, I guess we shouldn't be surprised that they're also targeting babies. Annnd that's why fireworks are slowly being banned here.
We've also been getting a bit closer with our neighbors. A couple of neighbors come over regularly for Spieleabend (game night) after Lily goes to sleep, and with others we've started working together on gardening projects. As they have a yard, and I grow lots of stuff, we've really been able to help each other out. Anything that doesn't fit on my balcony, goes directly into their garden. I then theoretically have access to the harvest. Although, they get a lot less light, so this may not necessarily work out. Still fun, though!
Finally, we still really enjoy travel as well - I even published the first part of my series this year! This time we did have to figure it out with a baby, though. Turns out it's doable! First we had to get her a German and a US passport as she has both nationalities. One is needed in order to enter the US and the other to return to Germany. Crazy, huh?
We cut it pretty close having bought the tickets before even applying for the passports, but it worked out pretty well. In April we flew to the US without too much difficulty. This was largely thanks to the fact that we requested a bassinet in advance - basically a bed on the wall so that you don't have to hold your baby the whole time. At six months, she was already reaching the size limit, though. So, next year we'll probably have to hold her on our laps.
We had a pretty relaxed visit to the US. Lily went swimming for the first time at my mom's, we walked around in the Theler wetlands and paddled around on the lake at my dad's, and visited some friends.
A couple months later we took another flight - this time to Oslo, Norway! We got a great deal on an AirBnB just out of town (had to book a few months in advance) and used two all-inclusive tickets for public transportation for the week using the "Ruter" app. The first few days were pretty simple - we went for a walk around a nice lake in Sognsvann, had brown-cheese waffles at a flea market, visited the Royal Palace and ate in town using the Toogoodtogo app. This was actually essential as the prices in Norway are several times that of Germany... even a regular hamburger was over 20 bucks! But the app, which we also use quite a bit at home, gets you food from places that would otherwise have to throw it away. Still good, as the name suggests, just too much for them to sell.
Around halfway through our trip, we visited the Folkemuseum (The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History). This is probably the coolest museum I've ever been to. I mean, I was a bit skeptical at first as it was just basically rooms full of nice wooden chests (a major item in the traditional Norwegian home), but soon we were outside looking at different structures imported from regions all over Norway! Seriously, just look at the pictures (at the end of the post).
After seeing a couple dozen variations over the course of about an hour or so walking around the expansive grounds of the museum, we finally arrived at a "town" with traditional residences and businesses that were presumably also imported from actual sites. And, just like in the previous areas, they also had period-appropriate actors that even sold goods in old-timey shops. A real living museum.
On another day we went to Hovedøya Island where we saw the monastery and went swimming... at the wrong beach. It turned out there was a much more appropriate swimming spot down the way, but then again our spot was more private.
Our last stops during our visit to Oslo were the opera house and Drøbak. As you can see, the Oslo Opera House can be climbed for a really cool view over the bay. It's also just around the corner from the port where the boats for island hopping dock, so it was a good add-on.
Drøbak, on the other hand, is a day trip in itself. The bus also leaves from the port area but takes about an hour each way. Drøbak is a cool little town with a nice spot for jumping into the Fjord and a beautiful coastal walk.
The last couple weeks of September, we took our final trip of the year to Holland. Indra's parents found a nice family resort in a town called America. There we rode bikes to Venray and other local towns, used our private infrared sauna, and played around in the little water park they had there in the resort. All in all, a really great way to spend time with family!
