In July 2021, our dream became reality-we sold nearly everything we owned and embarked on an adventure with our four kids, leaving the US behind. Our journey began in the amazing city of Leipzig, Germany, and after two years, we found ourselves in the incredible city of Málaga, Spain. This is our story!
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Can you imagine being a peasant who lives in a tiny one room half-timbered wattle and daub house with a thatch roof hut. Then you go to a cathedral and it's a massive building with huge columns and massive stained-glass windows? You probably can't even afford glass and just have a wooden latch on your windows then suddenly you see windows probably taller than your house with beautiful colors you never saw anywhere else. It probably such a crazy juxtaposition.
Regensburg is still on my to-visit list, which is why I wanted to watch this. Favourite city in Bavaria is a tough spot to claim when you have to compete against Rothenburg odT, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen, Bamberg, Würzburg, Ochsenfurt, Garmisch, Augsburg and Passau just to mention a few I have already been to and then I am sure there are plenty of other nice places still waiting to be discovered!
That's true, there are quite a lot of amazing cities in Bavaria (and in all of Germany). We can only compare it to the cities that we have been to, and it was our favorite out of those. We'll have to check out some of the ones in your list when we come back to visit!
Our kids went to a private international school for their first year, and now our younger ones will be going to a public school this coming school year. It is based on where we live in the city. But it is the best way to get them integrated into life in Spain, and it will help us meet more local parents.
I have no tips on purchasing (I assume you mean property - we rent). As far as schools go, if they are going to public school, it is based on where you live, so there is not a lot of choice (but there is some if there are multiple schools in your area). There are quite a few international private schools, and which one of those you pick will also depend on where you live (how far do you really want to drive to take your kids to school), what your budget is, what language you want the school to be in, and what kind of degree (Spanish, British, American, etc) you want your kids to get. There are some great groups on Facebook where you can get a lot of feedback on the different school options.
Bernardo de Galvez, an American hero from Malaga.April 30th 1789. George Washington was being invested as the first president of the USA. He was accompanied by someone very important to him. This man was the ambassador of Spain, who was standing on his left side at the ceremony. That very same day, the only foreign vessel docked at the New York port was the Spanish ship called Galveztown. This fact represented a proof of gratitude to the owner of that ship, Bernardo de Galvez. Sometimes history is not fair with people who contributed to make it, and Bernardo de Galvez was one of them. But this injustice may be solve really soon. A big portrait of him is going to be hung on the senate´s walls at the USA. But who was this guy to get such an honor?
Amazing! Thank you for pointing this hero out. Unfortunately, I don't think I ever heard about him in any of my history classes in school. (Although I must admit I was never the best student in history...)
I hope you enjoy my country and can have a good impression of it while living here. And it is true, it is difficult for children to change their environment, when they adapt from living in one place to another, but they always overcome it for the better.
We love it so far! And the kids have settled in and enjoy life in Spain too. Yes, it can be difficult, but we believe it can have an incredible impact on their future and the adults that they become.
Hi guys, where I can get the newest from Malaga and your way to settle in? You did such a nice job with your vlogs about Leipzig…. do you continue with Malaga? And if yes, please add RU-vid-link as answer to this comment….
Hi! I needed a break from content creation for a while to focus on some other things, but I'm back! New videos will be coming soon. Feel free to let me know what kind of videos you are most interested in!
I am struggling to choose between Leipzig, Freiburg im Breigau, Karlsruhe, Konstanz or Munich. More so Leipzig and Freiburg im Breisgau. I work in IT and speak a good amount of German. I feel like in Freiburg there would be less jobs there though. I feel like I would become bored in Freiburg Im Breisgau even though it is pretty and close to nature. I don't plan on going hiking every single day or weekend. Not sure what to choose.
Ich bin wieder ein kleines Kind, und wenn ich in die Stadt gehe, ist das so, als würde man spielen, und das Weihnachtsessen ist eine Ratte, die über einem Kamin sitzt. Ich erinnere mich, dass es Tischreihen und eine Hierarchie der Sitzplätze gab, weil ich nie am Kindertisch vorbeikam, der ganz am Ende, fast in der Küche, als Kartentisch diente. Trotzdem war die gebratene Ratte immer noch lecker. Dazu gab es meist Kartoffelpuffer. Mein Onkel sorgte dafür, dass alle Kinder zwei Schuss Schnaps bekamen. Oh, das gute Leben!
You shouldn't compare Kindergarten / Kintertagesstätte to the US-kindergarden, than to the education pre school. In Germany there was or is sometimes also a Vorschule (pre-school) if a kid enter elementary school, but is not fit for it know, they sometimes go into the Vorschule for one year. As the name kindergarden was taken over into English, they might have taken over the concept of protected flourishing, rather than started teaching them in a school. An the kind of Kindergarten before school is the standard way in most parts of Europe.
What the hell is an expat?! I never hear that word in American TV, news or politics.. I hear the word immigrant and the word alien a lot but I guess these are for a different species of humans, not noble americans
MJ _ We are Christians in the US (wife is a German citizen) looking towards moving to Leipzig. What church were you working at there? We’d love to visit it.
Love your content MJ! It's been super helpful. We are heading to Leipzig in July/August and wondering if you have any recommendations for quieter, nature-connected neighborhoods with good transport links for accommodation? Any advice would be awesome! 🥰
Hey, sorry for the long delay, I haven't been as active as I should be on OnwardMJ stuff! We loved living in Waldstraßenviertel. Near a big park, still close to the center, relatively quiet neighborhood (with the exception of game days, we were close to the stadium). The Musikviertel is also near Clara-Zetkin-Park, which is really nice and big, but we never lived there so I can't speak on how quiet it is. I've also heard good things about Gohlis. These are all pretty close to the center and the transportation in the city is amazing, so it'll be easy to get around. We started by renting a place through Wunderflats, which has monthly rentals cheaper than Airbnb, so that might be a way to get a feel for the city before committing to any area. Good luck, enjoy Leipzig, it's a great city!
@OnwardMJ this is Amazing I will definitely check it out, the wunderflat option thank you so much 🤩. We were even considering living in Deutzen but we don't have a car. Do you think it will be to much of a hassle? Because we found an option near Schaubühne Lindenfels but unsure if that will be too much? We like quiet nature but not at the expenses of all convenience 😅. I don't know if you might consider doing a call or something for advise. If you have that service we will love to hear about that. At this point we are trying as much as we can to get a feeling of the place. Every time we move, we have a call with some travellers or locals to be more informed 😊 let me know if you are able to help us out. Thanks for all the information really 🎉
@OnwardMJ also we live near Málaga (cala del moral) how crazy is that. We are moving out for the summer to scape the crowds 😅 or even a cup of coffee me and my Girlfriend would love to meet you
This was such a great video of Regensburg. I’ve never been there. My mom was from this city. I wondered a great deal about the outskirts I the countryside.
Visited Dresden twice an amazing city very beautiful and asthetic.for the Christmas market 2023 for 2 nights on the way back from Berlin it's beautiful around Christmas and last month on my way the way to Prague stayed a night loved it. The Zwinger palace is gorgeous the art galley tour and the Elbe river cruise. Would visit again it's a baroque gem which one can combine traveling with other great cities close by like Prague, Berlin, Leipzig, wroclaw.
Yeah I never really understood why Americans never go outside even though they have much much more beautiful Countryside. The Countryside in the US alone is probably 10x bigger than all of Germany 😂
I completely understand why you felt Leipzig is just right for you. I almost moved there too after I visited Leipzig a few years in a row. Who knows, maybe one day :) Enjoy my favorite German city :))
Hello! I live in Texas, but am considering a move to Leipzig or Spain. We are a family of 6, as well. Our allergies and my asthma have made living here in TX not an option. How are the environmental/seasonal allergies in Leipzig and Malaga?
Sorry for the long delay in replying! I pulled back from content creation for a season. I have found my seasonal allergies to be much better here in Málaga than in Leipzig. However depending on what triggers you, you may run into other issues. Occasionally, "calima" comes through which brings some dust from the Sahara into the air, but that hasn't caused any issues for me. If cloudy, rainy areas are not good for you, I wouldn't go to Leipzig (see my video on the one reason I was ready to leave Germany). And if you have anyone in your family that deals with migraines, the weather in Málaga has been much better for that for our family. Short answer - do you like sunshine and warm weather (sometimes hot)? = Málaga. Do you like seasons and are you ok with cold weather and a long grey season? = Leipzig.
I feel sorry for the children who are dragged from one place to another and constantly lose their social circle. It's like a child who moves 10 times during their childhood. Somehow always there but still not belonging. You don't do that with your children. As a parent, I would be ashamed to do something like that to my children. It's your choice to live this way, ok, but forcing it on your children is wrong!
That is what I was thinking. Moving abroad is about letting changes in your lives, on a massive scale, and making them a part of your life, and a home, learning the language, the daily life, making friends. Or you just stop at secondary issues (like weather) and you completely change everything to start from scratch. Of course, it helps when you feel grounded at a place, and Germany was not that place. I doubt, though, that Spain will be the spot. We all love Spain for our vacations and the sun and the beaches, but without the language you won’t get a chance to make it your home. Must be very tough for the children. I guess this family would be best located in New Zealand or Australia. Let’s see what happens in another two years time. Btw, I lived nine years in the U.K. and I loved every minute of it. I worked for a British company, and really lived my life there. Moving back to Germany was a wonderful move, as I appreciate my home country much more for what it is.
Reading your comments, it seems a bit harsh to judge their family's decision. Aside from the fact that it is obvious that a family with 4 children did not make such a decision lightly, one would expect that they would have asked the children if they wanted to do it or at least taken the time to explain why such a big decision was necessary. It's not because something is hard to do and will change your life that it's not a good decision (one could argue that having the courage to make such a move is precisely a sign of a good, mature decision). All the best for your new adventure: it feels like your whole family deserves it :)
While there certainly can be challenges and I understand your concern, there are some amazing benefits as well. We don't make decisions like this easily, and we involve our kids in the discussion process. What our children are experiencing and learning can set them up for an amazing life. Not many kids their age have seen and done what they have. They will also be fluent in at least 3 languages before graduating from school, and will have a deeper appreciation for cultures from around the world. And thankfully with technology, they have stayed in touch with a number of their friends and still develop good relationships.
You will definitely have much better weather and more blue skies there, not to mention the amazing beaches and landscape! Good luck to you and your beautiful family!
I worked in the residence and castle, they want you to buy their albums n such. that's why there is no filming allowed. When I was on duty and no supervisors around I did let the ppl take photos ;). Sorry to everyone I had to reprimand for it, but it was required as employee. And as a person that walked every time to it, when on duty in the castle. I can recommend, you walk from the base of it after crossing the bridge over the main river. because you will walk through the old defensive posts and walls and looks really cool with great views^^. And I think on a few weeks in the year the one defensive tower next to the vinyards on the opposite side of the castle and attached secret defense path is open to the public to visit. Its a few € but you can go up the tower and walk all the way through the mountain into the castle :). Oh and important: Please don't think you are sly and hide when the castle closes and hide. You will get locked in! A collegue and me had to close up and accidentally locked a few tourists out there on the walls. They had to yell for help and were lucky the curator living there heard them at 3 AM. And we got in trouble :( Also did you guys visit the crypts in the Dom? There you can see the alleged bones of St. Kilian :)
A loooonnnnggg delayed reply - I'm such a bad RU-vidr. (Took a season off, getting back into the swing of things now.) Málaga is amazing! If you guys ever want to visit a beautiful, warm, sunny city in the south of Spain, let us know - it'd be great to see you here!
