This is a week of beginnings and endings. Today marks the start my third trimester (cue the “Jaws” theme song—she’s coming!). It’s also our last week in Frankfurt.

In honor of these last 12ish weeks of pregnancy, I thought I’d share a fun meme I found on Pinterest. Who doesn’t like a little Napoleon Dynamite?

Saturday we move back to Toulouse, France where we’ll hunker down at least until the end of August. Let the nesting begin!

We didn’t spend a long time in Frankfurt—only about five weeks total since we went back to the States for two weeks—but we’ve really enjoyed getting to know this little city a little better. Matt’s been working the evening shift since we returned from Arizona, so we’ve used our mornings to explore the city. I’m working on an article about fun activities to do in Frankfurt, but will wait to post until we’ve hit the last spots on our list this week.

In the meantime, here are a few things I’ll miss about living in Frankfurt.

Speaking German
Though I certainly didn’t become fluent in our short time here, it’s been fun to relearn the language I studied for five years and fly stumble my way through some basic conversations. Most of those conversations have revolved around food or shopping, but I have managed to dialogue with a few people without either of us switching to English once. I’ve also really enjoyed my husband’s attempt to read and translate German.

Cheese Bread and Pretzels
France does amazing bread, that I’ll admit, but German bakeries hold the key to my heart with their fresh baked Bretzels (pretzels) and Käsebrötchen (cheese rolls). There’s something about biting into the hard outer shell of my favorite, twisty treats and tasting the combination of soft dough and salt on my tongue. As for the cheese rolls, well, they consist of chewy, fresh bread smothered in toasted cheese. ‘Nuff said.

Hand Cheese
Again, France has some amazing cheeses, but no one does hand cheese like Frankfurt. The delightfully soft and slightly salty cheese is best covered in a generous amount of vinegar and onions and served on a slice of buttered bread. Caraway seeds are an optional, though traditional, addition.

In-Room Washer and Dryer
These may sound like strange things to miss, but apartment-hotel living is so much more pleasant when you have a washer and dryer in your own room. Instead of trudging up and down to the common laundry room with a big basket of clothes, hoping the machines are open, you can do a load or two here or there at your convenience—and you don’t need to double-check to make sure you have correct change! Our hotel in Toulouse only has a shared laundry room, so if you hear crying on Saturday, it’s me struggling to say goodbye to our washer and dryer in Frankfurt.

Frankfurt Friends
When moving to a new city, it’s always nice to know someone who’s willing to introduce you to your new home. I was fortunate to know my friend, Eva, when we moved to Frankfurt. Even though she and I had only met once before (at a work function several years back), she and her husband were gracious enough to take us to dinner right after we got here (at Fichtekraenzi) and we met up again with them (as well as Eva’s brother and sister-in-law) for brunch at Langosch am Main (an awesome little restaurant down near the river) this past Sunday.

The four of them were so open and friendly that conversation flowed and it felt like we’d known them for years. Hanging out with them was one of the highlights of living here and it made Frankfurt feel like home—even if just for a short while.

We only lived here for a brief time, but Frankfurt (and Germany) will always have a special place in our hearts. Stay tuned for more on our adventures in Frankfurt and the weekend trips we took while we were here. In the meantime, I have a pretzel to track down. The baby insists!