Hello everyone,
We have secured an apartment in Frankfurt and have got a place for the children at the school we wanted.
My questions are around more everyday things:
1.). Places to run with our dog - we will be bringing our running buddy a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Are the parks in the city large enough for 5-10k runs or are there places not too far outside the city for a nice trail run?
2.). Pet Food Shops - We feed her a raw food diet. Is this common in Germany? Does anyone use a pet store that has food in freezers?
3.). I would like to take German lessons - has anyone used someone they would be happy to recommend?
4.). We have a 6year old little girl who loves gymnastics and golf. Can anyone recommend any clubs?
5.). We also have a 3 year old little boy who needs to start some clubs. Would anyone have any recommendations for clubs for him?
6.). We have previously lived in NYC but we didn't have children then so every night was a party night ☺️
I'm a very sociable person and am pretty upset to be leaving friends behind. Is Frankfurt an easy place to settle into? Do people use babysitters? Is this regulated?
4.). Which gyms would anyone recommend? We are both very fitness focused, a functional fitness gym with free weights is more suited to us than a gym stacked full of cardio machines.
Hopeful that someone will reply and be able to answer one or all of my questions.
Very much looking forward to joining you all in Frankfurt after Christmas. From my short trip there during the motor show weekend I could see it was a City with much to offer us and full of wonderful culture for our children to enjoy.
Many thanks,
Helene - from the tiny island of Jersey in the Channel Islands
Q’s From: Places to walk dog TO: after school clubs for children
Don't forget to register your dog and pay the associated taxes.
Dogs must be leashed in many places.
Thanks for that. I'll make sure we get her registered.
I noticed while we were there that all dogs were on leads so have begun more lead training with her. She is 8 years old so she is pretty relaxed about other dogs.
Again, thank you for taking the time to respond.
Helene
I've never lived in Frankfurt so I cannot give you specific answers to most of these questions. But I don't think Frankfurt has extensive parks so ideal for running in. It is hard to tell the whole story but just go to Google maps and it gives you a good idea. And like Beppi mentioned, in most places, not just on the street but also in city parks, dogs are supposed to be on a leash.
There are big stores for animal food/supplies in addition to what one finds in most supermarkets and hardware stores. I can imagine one might find frozen meat in the biggest places. We buy fresh meat for our cat but just buy regular meat from the supermarket.
And if Frankfurt is anything like Stuttgart, then there are lots of fitness and sports clubs to choose from. Look at Google for Fitnessstudio or Fitness-Club. Sportsverein is the generic term for sports club. I think the most sensible thing is to check out the places closest or most convenient for you to reach and expand from there.
Many sports clubs might have a focus on either adults or kids but many will have groups for different ages although 3 might still be a bit young for some. But otherwise, joining clubs is the best way in Germany outside of school or work contacts to make friends.
We have brought our Chow Chow to Germany. We moved from South Africa to the Netherlands in 2015 Aug to 2017 Aug and she absolutely loved all the dog enclosures and socializing with other dogs. When we moved to Hameln she tries to “greet” other dogs and all the dogs want to attack her. All the dogs bark at each other and there are no enclosures. It's been such a disappointment.
There aren't many places where we can let her off her leash. She's such a friendly old girl but people seem to think all Chow chows are aggressive which is really sad
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