Join my family for an urban-rural experience near Frankfurt, the heart of Germany

Infos

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  Description

  My American parents (77, 80) were teachers who traveled to Europe and Germany in the summer of 1969. One year later, they moved to Germany and still haven't finished exploring Europe and the rest of the world. They are full of interesting stories and can give you many tips on what to explore. My mother would like to help you speak English and I can help you speak German, so long you know the basics in one or the other language. I would gladly support you during your new adventure in Germany/Europe, as I have traveled a lot myself and know how to get around on a low budget.
  
  I like cooking sustainable, and I try to teach different generations how to use vegetables that do not look perfect, and that farmers have problems selling - it is kind of a "freegan" lifestyle I prefer, meaning using resources that are already there or others do not want, can´t sell or simply have too much of. I like doing things together and try my best to advise our guests. There is so much to explore here like music festivals, beautiful nature, historic buildings, and many nice people to meet who almost all speak English.
  
  Since over ten years I am self-employed doing sustainable catering a few times per year, organizing community cooking events, and holding speeches on how to avoid food waste. Therefore I am quite flexible between jobs and help my parents regularly. I am staying at the neighbor's house, which my parents bought, which is at least 200 years old and was an old farm house. My parents bought a bigger neighbor house right behind theirs that needs to get cleaned and renovated and can be a bigger guest house. So they own three houses with barns, several garages, an old baking house next to the streem across from the street and quite a lot of property and many different kinds of work to improve the property. I was a Couchsurfing ambassador for many years in Wiesbaden and now try to host more people close to my parents to make life more exciting, improve more and learn from each other.
  
  You would stay in one of my parents' two guest houses in 55606 Königsau, Germany. I will spend most time there during your stay as well.
  
  I am 51 years "young", no kids and grew up in rural Germany with five younger siblings. We grew up in a nearby village and there we HAD different animals for fun for over 30 years. It was my father's big dream to own horses and he fulfilled his dream for over 30 years. Now my parents own three houses in a different village, where they live since ten years. They own several barns, garages, gardens and many things they and me collected threw out the years due to all the space. Königsau (zip code 55606) is a beautiful small village with a good bus connection to other places. It is great for exploring the 2nd largest forest in Germany and across from the three houses it is possible to swim in a stream called "Kellenbach" or try yourself on a paddle board or air-tube.
  
  In 2006 I moved to beautiful Wiesbaden, Germany with the the zip code 65193 near Frankfurt´s International Airport. I live in a shared apartment in a small room and do not host people during the night. My parents' three houses they own, including two guest houses, will be the main place for you to stay and are 80 km away from where I live (Wiesbaden), My Dad still works full-time in Wiesbaden and drives back and forth between there and Königsau. Therefore the beautiful cities of Wiesbaden and Mainz would be easy for you to reach since my Dad works there between Mondays and Fridays from 12 - 8.
  
  I like to improve the property at 55606 Königsau, where my parents and two brothers (31, and 49) live. My brothers do not have much interest in gardening and are not very handy. Unfortunately, they are not so excited about improving the property. For me it is a great opportunity to get out of Wiesbaden (city) and enjoy an active meaningful lifestyle in a rural area, that reminds me of my childhood, when my Dad had more energy to fix and improve things together with me. As his oldest I now try to figure out things myself with all his tools and advice from him, others on the internet, or even experienced Workawayers. We can find projects to do together. I am quite flexible and like using resources that are already there, help my parents, and, enjoy doing things together with other interested people rather than alone. Together with Workawayers so much more can get done and is more fun.
  
  >>In one of the two guest houses I have lots of clothes that need some sewing work, in case you know how to use a sewing machine. Ironing clothes would also be a big help. My Dad has many slides and I am too impatient to scan them, but have a machine to do so if you like focusing on a job like that to keep our family history available for new generations.
  
  I like cooking a meal my parents and brothers do not know with lots of vegetables once in a while and enjoy chopping up vegetables together with guests who worship a vegetarian or even vegan lifestyle. My parents and two brothers eat meat on a very regular basis, I do once in a while. You can eat with them or with me or cook for yourself or us with a relatively big selection of food, mainly organic. You decide what works best for you. We do not eat three meals a day and often just eat when we are hungry. My parents always have a late dinner and we all sleep relatively long. If you like getting up early, don´t hesitate to explore the beautiful nature or do whatever you plan for yourself to do.
  
  Königsau (rural) is great for exploring the 2nd largest forest of Germany and Wiesbaden (urban) is great for exploring historic urban architecture or the world's highest concentration of castles at the middle section of the famous Rhine River (Rüdesheim to St. Goarshausen and another side of river from Bingen to St. Goar).
  
  Sometimes I share my room in our shared apartment here in Wiesbaden, where currently one German and three Indian men are living with me. That can help you explore the beautiful area in and around Wiesbaden. I have a shared garden allotment with many berry bushes and fruit trees, which I like visiting to have this rural feeling of life and do some garden work. It is possible to sleep in the small garden house there, built out of bricks.
  
  Königsau, your main place to sleep (zip code: 55606, Germany) with 70 inhabitants is near "Frankfurt-HAHN", a small airport 25 km away, where you can reach many other European countries with the low-budget flight company "Ryanair" or Flixbus, long-distance busses. Only 15 km away is a lovely open-air museum in Bad Sobernheim where you can see how people lived in the old days and try and have a snack or meal in a restaurant that is several 100 years old. The cake there is still made like it was made in the good old days. Only a few steps from my parent's guest house is the bus stop that takes you to the next train station. Perfect area for hiking and exploring the countryside of West Germany, which is close to two important rivers with the highest concentration of castles worldwide as mentioned above- the Rhine and Mosel rivers.
  
  So, your stay could be a combination of switching between urban and rural life.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Bénévolat

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Compagnie pour pers. âgée

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Travelers will get to know a nice rural area of western Germany where my parents live and one of Germany's most beautiful cities, in the middle of Germany called Wiesbaden where I live. From Wiesbaden, you can easily reach many castles along the Rhine River, the city of Mainz and Frankfurt.
  
  Wiesbaden where I live has 26 hot springs, no other city has so many hot springs. Wiesbaden and Mainz, two capitals of German states are divided by the famous Rhine River along with many castles. There is plenty to see here in Wiesbaden, but also in the neighbor city Mainz with its two very old cathedrals. The older cathedral has a big size for back then when it was built, 1500 years ago! The newer one is huge and over 1000 years old, right next to each other. Everything is easy to reach by food in Wiesbaden and Mainz. Frankfurt is a more modern city which has an old historic city center as well, like almost every German city.
  Wiesbaden where I live is the 2nd or 3rd richest city in Germany and you can recognise that by looking at the beautiful historic architecture.
  
  I speak English and German and don´t mind helping you improve one or the other language. My mother was a teacher and has time to help improve your English. She is very talk-active, me as well ;)

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  Aide

  I always need help with general housework and small maintenance jobs we can figure out how to do together. Usually, I will be doing the same or other jobs close by. I try to explain everything clearly and answer all questions while you are doing something. So, no worries. If you like to cook and use the kitchen, there is plenty of healthy food you can cook for yourself. If not, I can cook on all days you help me, because I do not like preparing meals alone. Just let me know what you prefer to eat. On your days off I might not be around, so then you should be planning to cook yourself or having a late dinner with my parents, who always have meat/sausage in their dinners. I usually cook vegan or vegetarian. If you wish I can prepare meals with meat I on your working days. I have many vegan vegetable stews I already have prepared and canned myself for a fast healthy meal to warm up and add heavy juicy German wholewheat bread, Germany is famous for.
  
  I have many vintage clothes that need to get ironed and require small sewing work, with hand and needle or with my sewing machine.
  There is always work involved in my garden plot/allotment in Wiesbaden and the gardens of my parents in Königsau. I would be glad if you help with different tasks and enjoy working with your hands.
  
  I like having cooking or dinner parties and hosting people from all around the world :) If you know how to play an instrument and like to practice in front of a small audience, you are very welcome to do so :) If you like to cook for me and other guests, just let me know and I will try organize everything you need, I don´t have already.
  
  Work is to be done during the day or in the evening, depending on when you would prefer to explore the beautiful surroundings. I tend to sleep long, my parents, too. But you could start earlier in the garden at my parent's house if you are an early riser. My father leaves work at Wiesbaden at 10.30 and drives back from there close to the main train station in Wiesbaden shortly after 8 pm. You can join him and save time getting to the Rhine-Main area with many cities like Frankfurt/Wiesbaden/Darmstadt/Mainz you can explore easily from the "Hauptbahnhof Wiesbaden", or just meet me when I am not at my parent's place.
  
  You are the perfect helper if you do not mind getting dirty, can keep yourself motivated, like learning, and feel free to bring up your ideas for improvements.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Allemand: Courant
  Anglais: Courant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  I can help you improve your English and/or German if you know the basics and stay for a while.
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  Hébergement

  At my parent's place, you stay in one of their two guest house(s), which were regular traditional farm houses once and between 200-300 years old. There you have a room for yourself or to share with your partner/friend/companion in a bunk or big double bed at my parent's property in 55606 Königsau, Germany,

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  Autres infos...

  I like having travelers over from all over the world and meeting new people, just like my parents who are getting to be Workaway hosts, since it got difficult for guests to sleep at my shared apartment in Wiesbaden. If I have time to explore the area with you together, I will do so. My parents might want to drive with you to the beautiful open-air museum with a lovely Restaurant, that looks like in the old days in the countryside. Though the area is quite easy to explore on your own and we can give you lots of good advise.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  50 Mbit is available.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  There is plenty of room on my parent's property where we will be doing work together if you stay longer than two weeks. They live in 55606 Königsau, Germany.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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