Landal

If you have little ones and are looking for something  phenomenal to do indoors, and gets your kids energy out- then Landal is the place to go.

Landal is a resort area that has cabins, camping, restaurants, pools (indoor and outdoor), etc.  BUT, if you just want a 45 minute drive to do something fun for the day or half a day, Landal is a great choice.

...and its FREE FOR ALL MILITARY AND THEIR DEPENDENTS!
Yes, folks-FREE.  Just show your military ID before entering into the play area.
(update Dec. 2016-they now charge a small fee, even with your military ID.  It is 3 euro per child)

This place is really great!  they have a padded play area on the floor that is enclosed by these soft wall blocks for crawlers and babies (you can see it in the bottom of the above picture).
But the great part is the castle like play area.  I have a 6 and 4 year old and they are both able to do all of it. I've even worked up a sweat playing and climbing with my kiddos myself. It's big enough for adults to go in and have a little fun with their kiddos.
They have air hockey and some other games that cost 1-2 euro, but the actual play equipment is free.  there is a trampoline that you can pay for too...it's around 2 euro for 3 minutes or so.
This play area is  massive and so much fun!

    

There is a little snack shack and really nice seating area for the adults to sit and what I like about it (confession of an overprotective mom) is that from almost anywhere in the seating area you can sip a cappuccino and see your kids almost anywhere they are in the entire play area.  It's clean and nicely open and cutely decorated.  (and the bathrooms are clean and FREE)

My kids and I ate lunch there and it cost about 30 euro...but was really nice.  You cannot bring your own food in, so be prepared to buy something to munch on.
When you drive there it feels like you are not supposed to be there at all...you drive though a resort area and through narrow, curvy roads.  Once at the top, after driving through some of the resort (passing the outdoor water park area) you will find a really nice restaurant...in the back of that restaurant is where you'll find the play area.  I know that sounds crazy, but the back of the restaurant opens up to this huge play area.
Outside the restaurant is a trampoline like 'bubble' on the ground for kids to jump on and a little wooden water splash zone (only operational in the summer-it's just enough for the kids to splash their hands around in and have fun with a bucket and little wooden water bridges and such)

Here is the link:  Landal

If you are at spangdahlem, the playground that is featured is the one in Sonnenberg (it's the closest).  The address is:

Landal Sonneberg 
Sonneberg 1 
54340 Leiwen 
Mosel 
Tel: +49 (0) 6507-936 90 
Email  sonnenberg@landal.de  

GPS coordinates

49 ° 48 '12.5'' N 
6 ° 53 '30.4'' E

Monday to Friday 9:00 - 21.00 clock 
Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10:00 - 15.00 clock

Phone #:  01806 - 700 730

Dinner in a Pouch

We are currently in transition waiting to move into our house in Germany.  We are a family of 4 living in a tiny one bedroom German apartment.  It's functional but small. I've been trying to figure out some simple and healthy dishes to fix so we can stop living off of microwavable foods.:)

After searching Pinterest for inspiration I came up with what I like to call "Dinner in a pouch."  I used to work at a Ranch and we made something similar to it...potatoes, onion, carrots, and ground seasoned beef in a tin foil pouch cooked over a campfire. 

This version is slightly healthier.
Here is my German kitchen to cook in. 

I have 2 pots and one pan, but no cookie sheet so tin foil has become my best friend.
Here is what you'll need:
tin foil
bell peppers (how many and which kind is your preference)
onion
polish sausage
mushrooms
zucchini
salt and pepper and whatever additional seasonings you want
(I made a tin foil pouch, one per person).

Take a medium sized piece of tin foil and lay it out on your counter.  Make sure you give yourself extra on the edges to fold in and create a seal (this will be more clear as you read on).  Cut your bell pepper, sausage, onions, and mushrooms and place them on the tin foil.  The size and amount of veggies and meat is completely up to you. You can also add different veggies than the ones listed-be creative since you will be the one eating it.

You will not need to spray the tin foil with pam or anything to prevent sticking.
Season the meat and veggies with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you want.  I also used garlic salt and a little Italian dressing.  Tear a second piece of tin foil the same size as your base tin foil and place it on top.  Fold the sides of the tin foil in to create a seal.  Place in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes on 350 degrees. 

BE CAREFUL when you open the pouches to check on their progress and when opening to eat due to steam escaping.  You can eat it right out of the tin foil or put it on a plate and serve with rice.  Very yummy!
So, whether you live in a tiny apartment or want something good to eat while camping, this is a great dish to enjoy.

Wiedenhof-German apartment

As I mentioned before, I am trying to add some extras to my blog to help those near where I live know some tips...
We are a military family stationed in Germany.  This is our 3rd week here. 
If you are military, you may know that when you PCS (permanent change of station-i.e.  move to a different base) you have a limited time to stay in the base hotel before being made to move out.  But, where do you go if you have not secured a home?  Or, where do you go if you have secured a place to live, but it is not ready for you to move into?
This is the place that we are at in our transition from moving from the states to overseas.  We were blessed to find a fantastic house our first weekend of house hunting and were able to sign a German contract on it to rent it.  BUT, we aren't able to move into it until the beginning of June.  Our 2 weeks in the base hotel was almost up so where were we supposed to go in the interim?
Well, there is a fabulous place in a village called Speicher called The Wiedenhof  Palace (pronounced Veedenhof). 
It is a place that offers fully furnished small apartments.  We are a family of 4 having to stay in a one bedroom apartment here at the Wiedenhof.  It is small, but functional and the staff is great.  They speak pretty good English and supply all linens to you, there is a laundry room in the basement for tenants to use, a small playground for the kiddos to play on, and an in house Greek restaurant.


The Wiedenhof playground

The attached Greek restaurant.  Open for lunch and dinner

 
They also have rooms that allow pets and there is a wonderful field and picnic area as well.

So, if you find yourself in the situation we were in and need a place to stay, the Wiedenhof Palace is an option.  You can pick up one of there pamphlets at the base housing office. 

Their website is:  www.wiedenhof-palace.com

Hope this is helpful to any newcomers or travelers. 

(I was told there is also a place similar in Bitburg called the Eifel- if I can find out more about it I'll post it).
(I was not paid or asked to endorse the Wiedenhof)