Our home and town - Merkendorf, Bayern, Germany

The "back" yard that's actually facing the street.  The grass finally broke ground last week!

View from the street.  Our  girls are excited that our house is pink... I prefer to call it, "Salmon."  You walk straight and around the back for the "front" door.  When German's come to our door, they know exactly where to go, but the Americans are always confused.  I've noticed this is a pretty common layout.  If you have a single family home, your front door is usually on the side or in the back. 

Front door.  Outside doors do not have doorknobs.  

You must have a key to get in your house even if it's unlocked.

 Front Entry.

 Turn to the right for a hall closest and guest bathroom.

 Continue past the front entry to another entryway.  

Kitchen to the left, living right straight ahead and stairs to the right.  

German homes have doors to every room; it keeps each room at whichever temperature you want (I like to keep the bathrooms and bedrooms a tad warmer).  Each room is either heated by a wall unit or floor heating and each has its own thermostat.  We have all floor heating except the attic has a wall unit.  

 The pantry is the door in the very back next to the fridge.

 These are borrowed cabinets from the military.  

I haven't quite figured out how to organize my pantry better- they are american style cabinets in a German style pantry, just doesn't work.

 Our entertainment center broke during transit and I was looking for something for our tv.   A lady gave me this sideboard that the tv is sitting on because it wouldn't fit in her new house.  I LOVE it- it's so tall and HEAVY!  It goes up to the top of my rib cage!  Bryson and I couldn't lift it, we had to drag it on rugs. And I can't wait to refinish it like the next photo!

 Our office isn't put together yet, so our computer is downstairs at the moment.

 Going down to the basement.

 Playroom to the left, laundry room in front, and storage room to the right.

 I need to buy a storage unit for the toys.

 Large storage room in the next 4 photos.  It's where we are going through most of the boxes.  

It will get organized.

 Second floor upstairs.  Bathroom to the left, office straight ahead, Master and kids rooms to the right.

 We have one wall unit heater that has an outside auto sensor.  During the winter, you can hang your towel on that while you're showering and it'll be nice and warm when you get out.

 The office... we sold our large desk back in Alabama and we are making a desk to fit the space here- that's why's its not put together yet.

 Master Bedroom.

 Girls room.

Again, borrowed wardrobe boxes from the military.

 Third floor and attic where we put our holiday decorations, baby stuff and a small gym is in the works.

Here are some pictures of our town.  I ran around the circumference of our town and it was a little more than a 5k. 

This is the "Kindergarden" that the girls will be going to.  

Their kindergarden is really preschool/ daycare.

Beautiful yellow flower fields everywhere that I found out is Rapseed- grown to make Rapseed oil, also known as Canola Oil (Canada changed the name.)

The park around the corner from us.  Our street is a figure "6."  You can only enter in from the top where this park is at and our house is at the bottom of the "6."  Merkendorf is growing a ton though.  Many people are building their own homes across the street from us where there is empty fields and a street is being built connecting the bottom of the "6" to another street.

Easter tradition!  Hanging hand painted (or store bought) eggs like ornaments on bushes outside your home.  It's truly beautiful!  Most people simply has a little bush and each town usually does a big display.  This was in our town.  There is a couple who made the news a few years ago that hung 10,000 hand painted eggs on their tree in their orchard a couple hours from us.  It's been a growing collection for them.

Our neighbor has two pet rabbits.

Common German dish. It's called a Döner- it's marinated turkey meat. Each restaurant has their version- in a bowl, in a tortilla, in bun, special sauce, etc...

The church tower in our town.

Seriously, why are parks not this amazing in the US??

This is Old Downtown Ansbach.  The big city near by where the Army base is also located.  The inner downtown area is walking only, really cool architecture and yummy restaurants.

View from our restaurant one evening.