When you live in a place that has “seasons”, there’s always a reason to celebrate. Having come from CA, I had no idea that weather could change so dramatically. It’s like when your Master of Ceremonies comes out in a different outfit. It sets a whole different tone – and keeps things interesting.
There are plenty of seasonal celebrations here in Germany – all of them called “Fests”. There’s Spring Fest and Volksfest in Spring and Autumn, respectively, which focus on the growing cycle (first and last harvests). These celebrations seem to center around drinking a lot of beer and last a few weeks. In the summer there are a multitude of Fests – some for one day or weekend, others for a week or two. These are somewhat randomly inserted into the summer season – but are always a good excuse to get out and enjoy the weather. We’ve seen signs for (and attended some of) the following: Wine Fest (um yeah, we went there….a lot!), International Fest (international food and cultural demonstrations), Venice Fest (you got me!?!), Harbor Fest (we are landlocked, so this one focuses on seafood eating), and countless others.
But, the crown jewels of the Fests in Germany, are the Christmas Markets. Every little village seems to have one – even if only for one weekend. And there are definitely more than 20 individual ones within an hour’s drive from our place. Stuttgart has one of the largest ones, which is really just blocks from our apartment and it lasts a full month - ending on Christmas Eve.
The market is comprised of many neat little booths (all made of wood, most with rooftop decorations that are outstandingly done). There you can find a multitude of items, mostly Christmas decorations. There are also places to find specialty items (handmade puppets, wooden toys and puzzles, shearling boot liners and gloves, even jewelry and antiques) and then there are your Ginzu knives and magic cleaning products (which we've only seen at the larger markets).
About 25 percent of the booths sell edibles (german sausages on rolls, crepes, waffles, gingerbread and chocolate covered fruit on a stick (a fest staple!)). And then there’s the Gluhwhine. This is basically hot sangria which they sell in signature “Weinnachtfest” (“Christmas Market”) mugs. It comes in White or Red (with an option to “make it Irish", if you know what I mean) and there’s a non-alcoholic version for the kids called “Kinderpunsch”. Let me tell you this: Whether or not the idea of hot spiced wine sounds good to you now – when you are FREEZING amidst the festive décor and holiday rush of a Christmas Market – it’s the only way to fly. Hubbz has even turned to me at one point and said: “My fingers are cold, I need some gluhwine” – clearly the digestive tract is not the only voter in his body’s evaluative process!
Since I truly envisioned us living in an Ikea catalog when we were sorting for our move, I opted to leave a lot of our Christmas décor back in the states. We brought the essentials (important ornaments, stockings, etc), but none of the small things we put out around the house to mark the season. Well, this was surely divine intervention, Loved Ones. Because we are having a great time accumulating things that will decorate our house today – and remind us of our Christmases in Germany for years to come!
That’s it for now. But there are more things to share about Christmas in Germany – so stay tuned!!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
I BELIEVE IN ANGELS
I consider myself a spiritual person. And, while we don’t attend church on a regular basis, I also consider myself a Christian. I have a relationship with God. I speak to Him often and try really hard to remember to do so in thanks more often than when making a request. And I believe in angels.
I believe that those who love us in life do not stop loving us when their time on earth is done. In my way of thinking, those folks become our angels. They watch out for us. They are close by at all times, and they help me, when something doesn’t go as I had hoped, to accept that there is a grand plan at work. I can recover and carry on because I feel that my plan is one that my angels know, and understand and will support me through. They can see the happy ending. They will prop me up and help me to get there.
I talk to my angels as I do to God. It brings me great comfort to envision my grandmothers, together, laughing at my Lucy Ricardo moments, or standing together with comfort and love when I need support. I swear there are times when I can FEEL a palpable increase of love in the room, just before that moment of clarity or calm washes over me. When I can set my shoulders, raise my head and say to myself: “Okay, what’s the next step?”
I have been very blessed in my life to have made it into my 30’s before losing a grandparent. Moreover, all of my grandparents have lived independent and healthy lives that were entirely their own. While the passing of my grandmothers was sudden and somewhat shocking, I take some comfort in knowing that they were healthy and well (and I envision them even having a laugh) on their last day with us.
I come from a long line of smart, resilient and loving women. I grew up hearing the reverence in the voices of my grandparents as they spoke of my great grandmothers. I have so much admiration for both of my grandmothers. They both made raising their children their life’s work. One of them did it “on the road” and maintained comfort and normalcy as the military moved them from state to state and country to country. The other one attended to motherly duties in her home, and then pulled on a pair of boots to help her husband run a ranch, stopping just a half hour before he did, to make sure that dinner was hot and that a cocktail was waiting to help Grandpa relax at the end of his day. They each had their own way of handling hardship, one with quiet grace, the other with laughter. But the strongest impression they made on me was the amount of love they brought into my life. It poured out of them in their warm smiles and tight hugs. It was unmistakable in the way their voices softened and celebrated each time they greeted me. I miss that the most – the world just seems so much colder without that love in it.
It stands to reason to me that a love like that– visible and tangible – is an energy. It can’t just evaporate. It HAS to continue on to some other place in the universe. I know that the love I have for them is unchanged, even if they are no longer on this earth – so perhaps these people are our angels. That love is still flowing between us bridging the distance that separates us.
The end of this year has been tough emotionally. We’ve had a few setbacks and some times of deep sadness – and this week in particular is rough, in part because we are getting reports of the imminent passing of yet another person who is very special to me. Another strong, wise and loving woman whom I admire greatly and strive to be like one day. I have some perspective to what her grandchildren are feeling now – and the ache I feel for them is deep. It is hard to imagine a world without her. It is hard to envision how our family will stay connected in her absence. It is hard to imagine that love leaving our world.
But, when I set my shoulders back and raise my head, I think about the fact that I will someday have another angel in my corner. Another amazing woman with a strong heart and clear vision guiding me along my life’s path. And while the world will be colder without her, I do feel like my future will be a little bit brighter.
In the meantime, I hope that her last days are filled with love, and devoid of pain. I hope that when she gets where she is going, she will look back and feel the love that we all have for her here. That all of the sorrows of her life will be explained and her questions answered. I believe that HER angels will be there to greet her and I know that one of mine will be there among them.
I believe that those who love us in life do not stop loving us when their time on earth is done. In my way of thinking, those folks become our angels. They watch out for us. They are close by at all times, and they help me, when something doesn’t go as I had hoped, to accept that there is a grand plan at work. I can recover and carry on because I feel that my plan is one that my angels know, and understand and will support me through. They can see the happy ending. They will prop me up and help me to get there.
I talk to my angels as I do to God. It brings me great comfort to envision my grandmothers, together, laughing at my Lucy Ricardo moments, or standing together with comfort and love when I need support. I swear there are times when I can FEEL a palpable increase of love in the room, just before that moment of clarity or calm washes over me. When I can set my shoulders, raise my head and say to myself: “Okay, what’s the next step?”
I have been very blessed in my life to have made it into my 30’s before losing a grandparent. Moreover, all of my grandparents have lived independent and healthy lives that were entirely their own. While the passing of my grandmothers was sudden and somewhat shocking, I take some comfort in knowing that they were healthy and well (and I envision them even having a laugh) on their last day with us.
I come from a long line of smart, resilient and loving women. I grew up hearing the reverence in the voices of my grandparents as they spoke of my great grandmothers. I have so much admiration for both of my grandmothers. They both made raising their children their life’s work. One of them did it “on the road” and maintained comfort and normalcy as the military moved them from state to state and country to country. The other one attended to motherly duties in her home, and then pulled on a pair of boots to help her husband run a ranch, stopping just a half hour before he did, to make sure that dinner was hot and that a cocktail was waiting to help Grandpa relax at the end of his day. They each had their own way of handling hardship, one with quiet grace, the other with laughter. But the strongest impression they made on me was the amount of love they brought into my life. It poured out of them in their warm smiles and tight hugs. It was unmistakable in the way their voices softened and celebrated each time they greeted me. I miss that the most – the world just seems so much colder without that love in it.
It stands to reason to me that a love like that– visible and tangible – is an energy. It can’t just evaporate. It HAS to continue on to some other place in the universe. I know that the love I have for them is unchanged, even if they are no longer on this earth – so perhaps these people are our angels. That love is still flowing between us bridging the distance that separates us.
The end of this year has been tough emotionally. We’ve had a few setbacks and some times of deep sadness – and this week in particular is rough, in part because we are getting reports of the imminent passing of yet another person who is very special to me. Another strong, wise and loving woman whom I admire greatly and strive to be like one day. I have some perspective to what her grandchildren are feeling now – and the ache I feel for them is deep. It is hard to imagine a world without her. It is hard to envision how our family will stay connected in her absence. It is hard to imagine that love leaving our world.
But, when I set my shoulders back and raise my head, I think about the fact that I will someday have another angel in my corner. Another amazing woman with a strong heart and clear vision guiding me along my life’s path. And while the world will be colder without her, I do feel like my future will be a little bit brighter.
In the meantime, I hope that her last days are filled with love, and devoid of pain. I hope that when she gets where she is going, she will look back and feel the love that we all have for her here. That all of the sorrows of her life will be explained and her questions answered. I believe that HER angels will be there to greet her and I know that one of mine will be there among them.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
OH LA LA!!
Paris was great!!! The weather was cold, but not too cold for exploring. We even saw a little sun! We took the hop on and off bus for the first day – those kinds of tours are my favorite for getting to know a city. There are headphones to plug in and hear about the sites, and if you see one you like, you just hop off of the bus - and then climb on the next one when you’re done and head off for the next neat place.
We toured the Musee D’Orsay and wandered the streets of Saint Germain. We posed for pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame and warmed ourselves with café au lait at cute little cafes. It was the first vacation Hubbz and I have had, where we weren’t visiting family or attending a wedding, just the two of us, since before we got engaged. It was a lot of fun! I’m looking forward to the next one!
I actually have a little French still in the gooey parts of my gray matter, so it was fun to be able to figure out how to ask for things, and read the signs as we navigated the city. Hubbz was impressed and says he’s definitely interested in going back again sometime soon!
We found a wine shop (in our guide book) owned by an American. They had free tastings, and soon, we were on our way to purchasing our “Learn about French wine” kit! The lady who helped us had been married to a Navy man herself back in the 60’s. She chatted with us about Norfolk and the Navy and the wines she selected for us. What a treat! We brought home 7 wines (6 in a shipping box and 1 in my suitcase). I had to do some creative shuffling with our luggage, since we were flying Air France and they have strict checked baggage allowances. Basically, we made the box of wine one piece (since you can’t carry on any liquids) and then put all of our regularly checked liquids in the other suitcase for checking. Hubbz carried on a bag with just clothing and shoes in it, and I put extra stuff that he would carry on in my big purse. We were laden down like pack mules, but we got the job done!
What a crazy few weeks it has been! I guess that’s life in the fast lane!
We toured the Musee D’Orsay and wandered the streets of Saint Germain. We posed for pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame and warmed ourselves with café au lait at cute little cafes. It was the first vacation Hubbz and I have had, where we weren’t visiting family or attending a wedding, just the two of us, since before we got engaged. It was a lot of fun! I’m looking forward to the next one!
I actually have a little French still in the gooey parts of my gray matter, so it was fun to be able to figure out how to ask for things, and read the signs as we navigated the city. Hubbz was impressed and says he’s definitely interested in going back again sometime soon!
We found a wine shop (in our guide book) owned by an American. They had free tastings, and soon, we were on our way to purchasing our “Learn about French wine” kit! The lady who helped us had been married to a Navy man herself back in the 60’s. She chatted with us about Norfolk and the Navy and the wines she selected for us. What a treat! We brought home 7 wines (6 in a shipping box and 1 in my suitcase). I had to do some creative shuffling with our luggage, since we were flying Air France and they have strict checked baggage allowances. Basically, we made the box of wine one piece (since you can’t carry on any liquids) and then put all of our regularly checked liquids in the other suitcase for checking. Hubbz carried on a bag with just clothing and shoes in it, and I put extra stuff that he would carry on in my big purse. We were laden down like pack mules, but we got the job done!
What a crazy few weeks it has been! I guess that’s life in the fast lane!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
BACK IN THE SADDLE
So, I am back from sunny CA – and sunny it was – 90 degrees in mid October! Definitely NOT the weather I had left in Germany.
The week was nice, despite the circumstances. The flights were easy enough, I was able to share a room with my cousins - which provided us with some time to catch up, and I felt like I made a contribution of support somehow. I knew that my family was amazing and loving and capable – but it was really inspiring to see everyone in action as we all worked together to put together my Grandmother’s funeral and get my Grandfather situated for the biggest transition of his life. He’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself – he’s an impressive man for his 91 years by any measure. However, he hasn’t lived without my grandmother in more than 60 years – and that is something that he will have to learn to navigate. I can’t begin to imagine.
Today, I am working on my suitcase full of laundry because tomorrow, Hubbz and I head for Paris! We have no specific plan. I have been there a few times, but Hubbz hasn’t been there since he was a small child. It’s fun to be able to share something neat with someone you love. So croissants and museums – here we come!!
The week was nice, despite the circumstances. The flights were easy enough, I was able to share a room with my cousins - which provided us with some time to catch up, and I felt like I made a contribution of support somehow. I knew that my family was amazing and loving and capable – but it was really inspiring to see everyone in action as we all worked together to put together my Grandmother’s funeral and get my Grandfather situated for the biggest transition of his life. He’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself – he’s an impressive man for his 91 years by any measure. However, he hasn’t lived without my grandmother in more than 60 years – and that is something that he will have to learn to navigate. I can’t begin to imagine.
Today, I am working on my suitcase full of laundry because tomorrow, Hubbz and I head for Paris! We have no specific plan. I have been there a few times, but Hubbz hasn’t been there since he was a small child. It’s fun to be able to share something neat with someone you love. So croissants and museums – here we come!!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
NEWS THAT COMES AFTER MIDNIGHT IS SELDOM GOOD
There are times when I kind of forget that I am living in Europe. Family is still just a phone call or email away. My furniture is now in my apartment – and heck, we get American foods from our commissary whenever we want them!
However, last night we got a call in the wee hours that made us feel like we were very far away. Unfortunately, tragedy has befallen my family and it is time to start planning a trip home. I am struck by just how far away I actually feel from my loved ones. It’s silly, because there’s nothing I can do by being there. The situation will not change – but I sure would like to be available to help somehow – and that’s simply impossible from Germany. It kind of makes the situation feel surreal.
So – it seems that I am off to CA very soon. Hubbz is doing everything he can to be supportive and helpful as I pack and prepare for the journey, but I can tell that he too feels a little strange and disjointed. Thankfully, there are very few demands on my time from work right now – so the Trophy Wife advantage is that I have only to jump on a plane. I’m also strangely looking forward to the trip. It will be nice to see family and bear the burden of grief together. I guess there are blessings to count amidst the sorrows.
However, last night we got a call in the wee hours that made us feel like we were very far away. Unfortunately, tragedy has befallen my family and it is time to start planning a trip home. I am struck by just how far away I actually feel from my loved ones. It’s silly, because there’s nothing I can do by being there. The situation will not change – but I sure would like to be available to help somehow – and that’s simply impossible from Germany. It kind of makes the situation feel surreal.
So – it seems that I am off to CA very soon. Hubbz is doing everything he can to be supportive and helpful as I pack and prepare for the journey, but I can tell that he too feels a little strange and disjointed. Thankfully, there are very few demands on my time from work right now – so the Trophy Wife advantage is that I have only to jump on a plane. I’m also strangely looking forward to the trip. It will be nice to see family and bear the burden of grief together. I guess there are blessings to count amidst the sorrows.
VOLKSFEST FAMILY STYLE
We had a great day today at Volksfest. For some reason, today we were unable to get into a single beer tent! My theory is that Oktoberfest in Munich is done for the year. I figure that if one wanted to hit both festivals, they would go to Oktoberfest last weekend, and to Volksfest this weekend, with some travel in the middle. In any case, the beer tents were so crowded at three o’clock on a Saturday, that we couldn’t even get in the door, let alone find seating for seven!
It was nice to see the family side of the Volksfest. The rides entertained the kiddos, and the “fest food” was yummy! The line for the ladies room was incredible – more incentive to pay for admission to the tents and get that reservation!!
The kiddos stayed true to their darling, sweet, well behaved and impressively interactive selves. We watched the Neverending Story – it entertained the boys and took us adults back in time to our youth. I know that our friends are proud of their children – and we wholeheartedly agree that they should be!
It was nice to see the family side of the Volksfest. The rides entertained the kiddos, and the “fest food” was yummy! The line for the ladies room was incredible – more incentive to pay for admission to the tents and get that reservation!!
The kiddos stayed true to their darling, sweet, well behaved and impressively interactive selves. We watched the Neverending Story – it entertained the boys and took us adults back in time to our youth. I know that our friends are proud of their children – and we wholeheartedly agree that they should be!
Friday, October 8, 2010
COLUMBUS AND CROISSANTS
Today is important because it is my dear mother’s birthday! It’s tough to be so far from family on celebratory days – but I have a little insight into her celebration that she doesn’t yet have (don’t worry, she’ll know by the time I post this). Pops is giving my mom a trip for her birthday ….to this cute little place I know….also known as the Holy Grail Apartment (and Guest House). WOOOO HOOO!! I’m really, really excited to get to spend some time exploring Europe with her. I feel a little bad that her present is really a present for ME – but that’s not going to stop me from encouraging my Pops from going full steam ahead!!
We have had a relatively quiet week thus far. Our first house guests returned to Italy on Sunday afternoon. We sure enjoyed their visit and we look forward to many more opportunities to share our European experience together!
The State Department issued a travel warning this morning for Europe. It’s a little eerie to consider that we are LIVING here – so we can’t decide to stay home and be safe – but honestly, Hubbz and I are both of the mindset that while we won’t purposely insert ourselves into dangerous situations, we also can’t hide out every time we are reminded that there’s evil in the world. We went ahead and booked a long weekend in Paris for this month. It’s someplace we’d both like to go again – and it’s about to get pretty dang cold there – so we’re eager to get there before Winter does!
Thanks to Senior Christopher Columbus, Hubbz has a four day weekend – so we are welcoming our second set of house guests (also from Italy). I was lucky enough to inherit these sweet friends from Hubbz – he has known them since flight school. In addition to being a truly fun couple, they are the proud parents of three absolutely fantastic boys. We are so excited to have them with us!! We are off to Volksfest (part trois). However, we are insured yet another different fest experience this time – since we are taking three young kiddos with us, this trip will focus on the amusement park portion of the fest.
We cannot wait! Having a house that is relatively clean and ready to accept guests means that I can finally take a few pictures of our apartment! Since I’m still working the anonymity angle here – please consult my facebook site – or our Flickr account if you’d like to check it out!
We have had a relatively quiet week thus far. Our first house guests returned to Italy on Sunday afternoon. We sure enjoyed their visit and we look forward to many more opportunities to share our European experience together!
The State Department issued a travel warning this morning for Europe. It’s a little eerie to consider that we are LIVING here – so we can’t decide to stay home and be safe – but honestly, Hubbz and I are both of the mindset that while we won’t purposely insert ourselves into dangerous situations, we also can’t hide out every time we are reminded that there’s evil in the world. We went ahead and booked a long weekend in Paris for this month. It’s someplace we’d both like to go again – and it’s about to get pretty dang cold there – so we’re eager to get there before Winter does!
Thanks to Senior Christopher Columbus, Hubbz has a four day weekend – so we are welcoming our second set of house guests (also from Italy). I was lucky enough to inherit these sweet friends from Hubbz – he has known them since flight school. In addition to being a truly fun couple, they are the proud parents of three absolutely fantastic boys. We are so excited to have them with us!! We are off to Volksfest (part trois). However, we are insured yet another different fest experience this time – since we are taking three young kiddos with us, this trip will focus on the amusement park portion of the fest.
We cannot wait! Having a house that is relatively clean and ready to accept guests means that I can finally take a few pictures of our apartment! Since I’m still working the anonymity angle here – please consult my facebook site – or our Flickr account if you’d like to check it out!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
BLACK FOREST
We made our way into the Black Forest today. The weather was lovely and we girls we ready to shop! Our friends, Jack and Jane, came with us, and armed with our GPS (coincidentally, also named Jack), we took of for Triberg - a little town known for it's waterfall, as well as it's Black Forest-y attributes of cuckoo clocks and Black Forest Cake. Along the way, our friends asked us if we were going to buy a clock. We smiled and said that cuckoo clocks weren't really our speed - so we'd pass, but we were excited to see what we could learn about them.
Triberg was a cute, one stoplight kind of town. The leaves were beginning to change, and they were all set up for Black Forest Tourists!
The cuckoo clock options were dizzying. We met a man who had lots of opinions and expertise about hand vs. machine carved characters and how he could customize a clock, etc. I smiled and nodded - it truly was interesting. However, my dear, sweet husband was HOOKED. He thought it would be really neat to take home a hand carved clock. (By the by, we didn't see a clock for less than 250 Euro!) He was all jazzed and ready to hand over his wallet. So then, I stepped in and resumed my role of "She Who Makes His Dreams Die" and pointed out that two hours before he hadn't been interested, and perhaps maybe we should wait awhile before deciding to make this purchase. I indicated that we didn't live far from here and if he got home and months later still really wanted a clock, we could always come back.... It did the trick :) Jack and Jane passed on the clock option as well. We decided to wrap up the shopping and head instead to the cake part of the trip!
I gotta tell ya, we were a little disappointed in the Black Forrest Cake. We went to a place advertised as having the "first and best" recipe for the cake. I'm sure there are another 20 just like it with a similar claim on the main street there. It was ....okay. A little spongy. VERY booze-y. I dunno - it felt like a bad grocery store cake to me.
After Triberg, we siddled on home and had a late dinner at the Japanese place down the street. It was one of those hibachi style places where you cook your meal at your table. It was yummy (not cheap, but yummy!).
All in all, it was a mellow adventure, but one more feather in our German Culture Cap :)
Triberg was a cute, one stoplight kind of town. The leaves were beginning to change, and they were all set up for Black Forest Tourists!
The cuckoo clock options were dizzying. We met a man who had lots of opinions and expertise about hand vs. machine carved characters and how he could customize a clock, etc. I smiled and nodded - it truly was interesting. However, my dear, sweet husband was HOOKED. He thought it would be really neat to take home a hand carved clock. (By the by, we didn't see a clock for less than 250 Euro!) He was all jazzed and ready to hand over his wallet. So then, I stepped in and resumed my role of "She Who Makes His Dreams Die" and pointed out that two hours before he hadn't been interested, and perhaps maybe we should wait awhile before deciding to make this purchase. I indicated that we didn't live far from here and if he got home and months later still really wanted a clock, we could always come back.... It did the trick :) Jack and Jane passed on the clock option as well. We decided to wrap up the shopping and head instead to the cake part of the trip!
I gotta tell ya, we were a little disappointed in the Black Forrest Cake. We went to a place advertised as having the "first and best" recipe for the cake. I'm sure there are another 20 just like it with a similar claim on the main street there. It was ....okay. A little spongy. VERY booze-y. I dunno - it felt like a bad grocery store cake to me.
After Triberg, we siddled on home and had a late dinner at the Japanese place down the street. It was one of those hibachi style places where you cook your meal at your table. It was yummy (not cheap, but yummy!).
All in all, it was a mellow adventure, but one more feather in our German Culture Cap :)
Friday, October 1, 2010
VOLKSFEST PART DEUX
Yep, we are back again!! This time we joined Hubbz’s command which had reservations for a different beer tent. The email from the command urged us to be there at 4pm to ensure that we were occupying our reserved tables (when the party reaches critical mass, it’s too hard for the Fest staff to get folks to vacate a reserved table).
The crowd was MUCH more subdued when we arrived at 4:00. The band was also a little more tame – although still very good. By 8:00 the party was picking up – but we had already had four hours worth of beer, and we were timed out. We felt a little bad for our guests – the scene was much more lively in our previous Volksfest experience – and we had talked it up quite a bit. But I think that they had a good enough time (they probably think we have a SAD definition of a wild night in our old age!!)
Tomorrow we plan to get up and hit the road for the Black Forrest – home of the cuckoo clock and Black Forrest cake!
The crowd was MUCH more subdued when we arrived at 4:00. The band was also a little more tame – although still very good. By 8:00 the party was picking up – but we had already had four hours worth of beer, and we were timed out. We felt a little bad for our guests – the scene was much more lively in our previous Volksfest experience – and we had talked it up quite a bit. But I think that they had a good enough time (they probably think we have a SAD definition of a wild night in our old age!!)
Tomorrow we plan to get up and hit the road for the Black Forrest – home of the cuckoo clock and Black Forrest cake!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
100 MBS OF INTERNET GOODNESS
That’s right, dear readers. We have internet!!!! I don’t have to perch on the windowsill any more. AND we can stream shows to our television set and watch them while sitting on our couch (Watching TV on the couch is something we haven’t done since MAY)
The installation did indeed take four hours. The technician spoke no English but we made it work. (He apparently also had an aversion to personal hygiene, since I could SMELL HIM FROM THREE ROOMS AWAY. Ick) The installation was not without its hiccups…I had a very Lucy Ricardo type morning.
THE PLAN: After chatting with our guests, we decided that I would take them to the Marktplatz and show them the flower and veggie market (to which I am addicted) and take them to breakfast at that super cute café (to which I am also addicted). We figured we would all window shop and wander a bit and when they were ready to go, I would get them situated on the train to Luidwigsberg where they could visit the pumpkin festival while I hosted the cable guy at 1230.
THE EXECUTION: I had literally just put my coat on and had my hand on the door when I was completely surprised by my ringing doorbell. Major hiccup. The cable guy arrived at 930 – three hours ahead of schedule. Thank goodness we didn’t leave any earlier!!
Crazy Little Math Segue: It is entirely possible that I got the time wrong with the scheduler on the phone and the cable guy was actually on time (one wrong on my part) – but since I don’t speak German well enough to get the clear picture from the installer (another wrong on my part), I am going to take the win and tell the story in a way that makes me right (my blog, my rules). SOOO – for those of you who might be keeping track, I do believe I just proved that two wrongs CAN make a right!!
I scurried around trying to direct the cable guy, and get Jack and Jane clear directions not only to the Marktplatz but also to the train station and explain the correct trains and connections to make. I couldn’t wait for Hubbz to come home so I could tell him the story and he could shake his head in a loving but admonishing Ricky Ricardo-like way..
Thankfully it all ended well. We have blazing fast internet, our guests had a day of Stuttgart adventures and we all had dinner together tonight at our house, drank wine and watched silly YouTube videos in 1080p HD tv together.
The installation did indeed take four hours. The technician spoke no English but we made it work. (He apparently also had an aversion to personal hygiene, since I could SMELL HIM FROM THREE ROOMS AWAY. Ick) The installation was not without its hiccups…I had a very Lucy Ricardo type morning.
THE PLAN: After chatting with our guests, we decided that I would take them to the Marktplatz and show them the flower and veggie market (to which I am addicted) and take them to breakfast at that super cute café (to which I am also addicted). We figured we would all window shop and wander a bit and when they were ready to go, I would get them situated on the train to Luidwigsberg where they could visit the pumpkin festival while I hosted the cable guy at 1230.
THE EXECUTION: I had literally just put my coat on and had my hand on the door when I was completely surprised by my ringing doorbell. Major hiccup. The cable guy arrived at 930 – three hours ahead of schedule. Thank goodness we didn’t leave any earlier!!
Crazy Little Math Segue: It is entirely possible that I got the time wrong with the scheduler on the phone and the cable guy was actually on time (one wrong on my part) – but since I don’t speak German well enough to get the clear picture from the installer (another wrong on my part), I am going to take the win and tell the story in a way that makes me right (my blog, my rules). SOOO – for those of you who might be keeping track, I do believe I just proved that two wrongs CAN make a right!!
I scurried around trying to direct the cable guy, and get Jack and Jane clear directions not only to the Marktplatz but also to the train station and explain the correct trains and connections to make. I couldn’t wait for Hubbz to come home so I could tell him the story and he could shake his head in a loving but admonishing Ricky Ricardo-like way..
Thankfully it all ended well. We have blazing fast internet, our guests had a day of Stuttgart adventures and we all had dinner together tonight at our house, drank wine and watched silly YouTube videos in 1080p HD tv together.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
FIRST HOUSEGUESTS
Hooray! Today we are welcoming our first houseguests at the Holy Grail Apartment (and Guest Hotel). The couple joining us this weekend are friends we made in San Diego. Jack worked with Hubbz and cruised on the Tarawa with him back in 2007. While the boys were out defending the free world and patrolling for pirates, Jane and I (and the other wives in our little helicopter deployment group) all bonded over a few girls’ nights out. Jack and Jane were dating then, but now they are married and living in Naples. They will arrive tonight and we will get to explore some of the area’s offerings together – including a visit to Volksfest on Friday night.
Unfortunately, our internet service provider called this morning and wanted to schedule our internet installation tomorrow. What a quandary!! To be a good host and show our friends around would mean passing on what may be the first of many appointments required to install our internet. Jane assured me that she and Jack were more than happy to explore on their own – so I went ahead and made the appointment for Thursday at 1230. It seems that our building is old – and the cable wires that run through it were probably installed 20 years ago. We ordered the most bandwidth possible, since we’ll be running our telephone, television and internet through it. This means that the installation could take as long as four hours!!!
At any rate, we are thrilled to welcome Jack and Jane tonight – and so appreciate them for baring with us as we work out the kinks of moving in and navigating sites that we aren’t familiar with yet!!
Unfortunately, our internet service provider called this morning and wanted to schedule our internet installation tomorrow. What a quandary!! To be a good host and show our friends around would mean passing on what may be the first of many appointments required to install our internet. Jane assured me that she and Jack were more than happy to explore on their own – so I went ahead and made the appointment for Thursday at 1230. It seems that our building is old – and the cable wires that run through it were probably installed 20 years ago. We ordered the most bandwidth possible, since we’ll be running our telephone, television and internet through it. This means that the installation could take as long as four hours!!!
At any rate, we are thrilled to welcome Jack and Jane tonight – and so appreciate them for baring with us as we work out the kinks of moving in and navigating sites that we aren’t familiar with yet!!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
HOLY VOLKSFEST, BATMAN!!
We are moving a bit slowly today, because of last night.
Last night we dove head first into German assimilation.
Last night we gathered with some close friends and took a big German bite of ….Volksfest.
Volksfest is Stuttgart’s answer to Oktoberfest. We hear it is just as good as Oktoberfest in Munich – but without the tourists to crowd it up. I can tell you this – I cannot imagine how Munich could improve on what we did last night.
We walked into a tent full of approximately 5000 people (no exaggeration) who were gathered around tables with benches, all placed around a stage where a band was playing. Many were in traditional dress (dirndls and liederhosen) and all were swinging a huge beer (called a “mass”) and singing along and toasting each other. Each mass holds a liter of beer (approximately 4 bottles) and our price of entry came with 3 mass and half of a baked chicken.
We found our group and didn’t even bother to sit down. Everyone - every single person - in the whole tent was standing on their bench. They were singing and dancing and toasting and laughing. They saw us approach, reached down and pulled us up..and the rest was history.
We had a fantastic time. Good friends. Great music (everything from German drinking songs to eighties songs to JOHN DENVER). Everyone was kind to each other. There were no fights. No women dressed in a ridiculously provocative manner. No slobbering drunks or crying girls. It was a huge group of people, enjoying themselves and respecting each other. The beer disappears quickly. There’s so much toasting and glass swinging that you don’t really realize how much you’re drinking until you’re empty. The glasses are large – and HEAVY! Even when they’re empty they’re heavy! My forearms and hands are actually a little sore from holding my mass…er masses…all night.
We got home after midnight, hoarse from singing, tired from dancing. Our clothes smelled of smoke and spilled beer. We slept in (waaaayyyy in) and kind of shrugged off our list of things to accomplish today, opting only to run the errands we needed since the stores will be closed tomorrow. The rest will still be there tomorrow and a veg day on the couch is definitely in order!
I don’t know if it’s good news or bad – but we have tickets to go to Volksfest with some other friends next week too! We’ve already made our plan for next time: We’re both going to shave one mass from the number we drank last night. No sense blowing another Saturday!
Last night we dove head first into German assimilation.
Last night we gathered with some close friends and took a big German bite of ….Volksfest.
Volksfest is Stuttgart’s answer to Oktoberfest. We hear it is just as good as Oktoberfest in Munich – but without the tourists to crowd it up. I can tell you this – I cannot imagine how Munich could improve on what we did last night.
We walked into a tent full of approximately 5000 people (no exaggeration) who were gathered around tables with benches, all placed around a stage where a band was playing. Many were in traditional dress (dirndls and liederhosen) and all were swinging a huge beer (called a “mass”) and singing along and toasting each other. Each mass holds a liter of beer (approximately 4 bottles) and our price of entry came with 3 mass and half of a baked chicken.
We found our group and didn’t even bother to sit down. Everyone - every single person - in the whole tent was standing on their bench. They were singing and dancing and toasting and laughing. They saw us approach, reached down and pulled us up..and the rest was history.
We had a fantastic time. Good friends. Great music (everything from German drinking songs to eighties songs to JOHN DENVER). Everyone was kind to each other. There were no fights. No women dressed in a ridiculously provocative manner. No slobbering drunks or crying girls. It was a huge group of people, enjoying themselves and respecting each other. The beer disappears quickly. There’s so much toasting and glass swinging that you don’t really realize how much you’re drinking until you’re empty. The glasses are large – and HEAVY! Even when they’re empty they’re heavy! My forearms and hands are actually a little sore from holding my mass…er masses…all night.
We got home after midnight, hoarse from singing, tired from dancing. Our clothes smelled of smoke and spilled beer. We slept in (waaaayyyy in) and kind of shrugged off our list of things to accomplish today, opting only to run the errands we needed since the stores will be closed tomorrow. The rest will still be there tomorrow and a veg day on the couch is definitely in order!
I don’t know if it’s good news or bad – but we have tickets to go to Volksfest with some other friends next week too! We’ve already made our plan for next time: We’re both going to shave one mass from the number we drank last night. No sense blowing another Saturday!
Friday, September 24, 2010
MAYBE I'M A SAP....
As I sit here to collect my “blog thoughts” this morning – I have to wax sentimental a bit. I have had a very social week full of family and friends, and when reflecting upon this, well…I must admit…my cup runneth over a bit :)
We have new friends with whom I feel connected and who make this German adventure feel like “life”. They experience new things with us, we teach each other little tricks and steps we’ve learned as we’ve tried to maneuver gracefully through this new culture. We laugh and scratch our heads together over lessons we have still to learn – and with them, I know we share an experience which will bond us together for many years to come (elephants, dear readers, lots of elephants!)
This week, I socialized with one of these new friends each day – one day for an adventure at the open market and coffee, another had lunch with me in my neighborhood and then was still here as I had an Ikea delivery and a couch sale happen simultaneously! Yet another was kind enough to invite me to the Pumpkin Festival with her in-laws for a day’s adventure. And tonight, we will meet another couple at Volksfest.
In addition to our “new” friends, this week brought us in contact with many of the “old”. We’ve managed to set up three weekend visits with friends we met at other duty stations (San Diego and Norfolk), and are SO excited to be reconnecting with them while we are here. The old friends are the ones that make my heart glow just a bit when I see their names in my inbox – and with whom we already share a library of stories that start with “Remember that…?” We can’t wait to add a few more of those stories to our memory banks. What a richness they add to life!!
We’ve also heard a lot from family this week! We got anniversary cards from “home” in the states and letters from some of our family members who don’t use email. Hubbalicious’ parents have finally received a healthy offer on Hubbz’s childhood home – so (if all goes well) they are about to start their retirement, and have already started penciling their visit to Stuttgart into their calendar. And I even had some pictures of our niece and nephew hit my inbox this week. What a treat!!!
All of this emotion has to go somewhere, right? (Thesis, Woman. Thesis!) Here it is: We are in the midst of a wonderful time in our lives. The scenery is beautiful and interesting and each new day is full of promise of some flavor of adventure. But YOU GUYS – you are the ones that make our lives good and happy and rich and substantive. Your involvement in our lives makes up a majority of the reasons that we know – we are SO blessed. See? Cup….overflowing… :)
We have new friends with whom I feel connected and who make this German adventure feel like “life”. They experience new things with us, we teach each other little tricks and steps we’ve learned as we’ve tried to maneuver gracefully through this new culture. We laugh and scratch our heads together over lessons we have still to learn – and with them, I know we share an experience which will bond us together for many years to come (elephants, dear readers, lots of elephants!)
This week, I socialized with one of these new friends each day – one day for an adventure at the open market and coffee, another had lunch with me in my neighborhood and then was still here as I had an Ikea delivery and a couch sale happen simultaneously! Yet another was kind enough to invite me to the Pumpkin Festival with her in-laws for a day’s adventure. And tonight, we will meet another couple at Volksfest.
In addition to our “new” friends, this week brought us in contact with many of the “old”. We’ve managed to set up three weekend visits with friends we met at other duty stations (San Diego and Norfolk), and are SO excited to be reconnecting with them while we are here. The old friends are the ones that make my heart glow just a bit when I see their names in my inbox – and with whom we already share a library of stories that start with “Remember that…?” We can’t wait to add a few more of those stories to our memory banks. What a richness they add to life!!
We’ve also heard a lot from family this week! We got anniversary cards from “home” in the states and letters from some of our family members who don’t use email. Hubbalicious’ parents have finally received a healthy offer on Hubbz’s childhood home – so (if all goes well) they are about to start their retirement, and have already started penciling their visit to Stuttgart into their calendar. And I even had some pictures of our niece and nephew hit my inbox this week. What a treat!!!
All of this emotion has to go somewhere, right? (Thesis, Woman. Thesis!) Here it is: We are in the midst of a wonderful time in our lives. The scenery is beautiful and interesting and each new day is full of promise of some flavor of adventure. But YOU GUYS – you are the ones that make our lives good and happy and rich and substantive. Your involvement in our lives makes up a majority of the reasons that we know – we are SO blessed. See? Cup….overflowing… :)
Monday, September 20, 2010
TWO YEARS DOWN....AND ALL THE REST TO GO!!
Two years ago today most of you gathered with us as Hubbalicious and I joined our lives into this crazy, silly, frustrating, liberating, protective and comfortable little marriage we call ours.
Two years isn’t long compared to most …or possibly ALL …of you. But for us, they have been an important time that has allowed us to learn about ourselves in a way that wouldn’t have been possible if we had decided instead to walk the world separately.
For me, they have been two years in which not a day goes by that I haven’t felt blessed to have such a loving person in my life who feeds my soul and challenges me and makes me feel like I have found the safest place in the world…even when he leaves his dishes in the sink for me to clean :)
Two years isn’t long compared to most …or possibly ALL …of you. But for us, they have been an important time that has allowed us to learn about ourselves in a way that wouldn’t have been possible if we had decided instead to walk the world separately.
For me, they have been two years in which not a day goes by that I haven’t felt blessed to have such a loving person in my life who feeds my soul and challenges me and makes me feel like I have found the safest place in the world…even when he leaves his dishes in the sink for me to clean :)
Sunday, September 19, 2010
HUBBALICIOUS' BEST DAY
Okay, not really – but he’s pretty happy. Right now, as I type he is working on putting the apartment together. There is a light to be installed in the bathroom. The shelves in the pantry need to be customized a bit and then secured to the wall. There are pictures to be hung. However, none of these tasks are the focus of his cheerful labor right now. Right now, he is setting up his new 47” flat screen in our living room.
We had discussed, at length, the fact that we were going to be buying a tv here in Europe. Our old one was ...well…old! And Hubbalicious has had his eye on a new one since he got back from his last cruise. I agreed that it was time to replace ours, so we agreed that we’d wait until we got to Germany, where perhaps one with dual voltage could be found. If dual voltage was not an option, we figured we’d buy something at 220v from our local Craigslist to use for the next three years, and then sell it when we moved on. Soon after we arrived here, Hubbz started sniffing around the tvs he’d see in other people’s houses and ask questions about the make and model of their set. Dual voltage was indeed an option here – and this fueled the fire of his yearning. He was very good about it – but I could see the wheels turning in his head, and I knew it was just a matter of time.
Well, this weekend we decided to start shopping around a little. Our friends, Jack and Jane, moved here when we did but they had moved into an apartment sooner. They are nicely settled in already and are the proud owners of a nice tv set: 36”, dual voltage, etc. they bought at the local MediaMarkt store. It cost what we figured was appropriate. We looked there yesterday, but without the specific information about the set we wanted, Hubbz was reluctant to ask for help (partially because he doesn’t want to waste the time of a salesperson when he knows he’s not buying…and partially because he doesn’t like asking anyone anything…especially in German). Everything except restaurants are closed on Sundays here – so there was no shopping to be done today in Stuttgart. But – the base exchange (Target like store) was open.
We were going to base anyways (to drop off a load of cardboard in the dumpster) and when I suggested we swing by the Exchange to comparison shop (where descriptions are in English) Hubbz perked right up! An hour later, we were loading a much bigger tv (47”) with much better graphics, and a much higher pricetag into the car. And Hubbz was grinning widely. How can you put a price on a happy husband!!
We had discussed, at length, the fact that we were going to be buying a tv here in Europe. Our old one was ...well…old! And Hubbalicious has had his eye on a new one since he got back from his last cruise. I agreed that it was time to replace ours, so we agreed that we’d wait until we got to Germany, where perhaps one with dual voltage could be found. If dual voltage was not an option, we figured we’d buy something at 220v from our local Craigslist to use for the next three years, and then sell it when we moved on. Soon after we arrived here, Hubbz started sniffing around the tvs he’d see in other people’s houses and ask questions about the make and model of their set. Dual voltage was indeed an option here – and this fueled the fire of his yearning. He was very good about it – but I could see the wheels turning in his head, and I knew it was just a matter of time.
Well, this weekend we decided to start shopping around a little. Our friends, Jack and Jane, moved here when we did but they had moved into an apartment sooner. They are nicely settled in already and are the proud owners of a nice tv set: 36”, dual voltage, etc. they bought at the local MediaMarkt store. It cost what we figured was appropriate. We looked there yesterday, but without the specific information about the set we wanted, Hubbz was reluctant to ask for help (partially because he doesn’t want to waste the time of a salesperson when he knows he’s not buying…and partially because he doesn’t like asking anyone anything…especially in German). Everything except restaurants are closed on Sundays here – so there was no shopping to be done today in Stuttgart. But – the base exchange (Target like store) was open.
We were going to base anyways (to drop off a load of cardboard in the dumpster) and when I suggested we swing by the Exchange to comparison shop (where descriptions are in English) Hubbz perked right up! An hour later, we were loading a much bigger tv (47”) with much better graphics, and a much higher pricetag into the car. And Hubbz was grinning widely. How can you put a price on a happy husband!!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
DEATH BY CURTAINS
So, I mentioned before that we had bought sheers for each of the huge windows in our house. I was really impressed with Ikea’s curtain setup. For less than $20, each pair of sheers came in at eight feet long, with some “stitch witch”/seam tape they can be customized to fit most windows. All one has to do is hang the drapes, determine the point at which the hem should be. Then take them down, iron in the hem – and then re-iron it with the seam tape and cut off the excess. Easy, right?? Sure it is….if you’re NOT me!
Now, my grandmother and mother are fantastic seamstresses. My sister and I had matching dresses for every Christmas when I was a kid. We were able to request Halloween costumes that weren’t in the stores and we were never the sad looking angel in the church pageants. Despite the domestic talents that I did assimilate from these women in my family (cooking, baking, setting a nice table, cleaning the house properly, even knitting and some crafting, etc.) that sewing gene is not in my DNA. I’ve always wanted to learn – but always suspected that I wouldn’t do very well at it.
When we got married, I figured that eventually I would stop working to raise a family (…I didn’t really plan on the “Quit Work and Move to Europe to be a Trophy Wife” path…) I figured I’d conquer sewing when that milestone provided me with the opportunity and motivation to do so. When we arrived here, I thought that perhaps, I would make a pair of decorative curtains for the guest room. Something with a little color to set over the white Ikea sheers and liven up the room a bit. How hard can curtains be? They’re a long rectangle with an open edge at the top for the rod to slide through. All you need to do is to finish the sides and hems. Right?
I measured, ironed, pinned and re-hung the curtains to check the new hemline. ….they were crooked. Hubbalicious was called in for consultation. He pointed out that the fabric might not have been cut straight to begin with or we (he) may not have hung the curtain rod straight (although he doubts it!). He suggested I eyeball the hem and then check that it was straight by folding it in half longwise and making sure the entire piece was symmetrical. I think he forgot what a whacked out perfectionist I can be.....but he got a little reminder..... At the end of the day today – I had hemmed only TWO pair of curtains. They were hung and checked, and re-hung and re-checked ad naseum at least 5 times (with 10 foot ceilings, this means a ladder...and a grumpy husband. So - the take home lesson for the day is this: Not only am I a perfectionist – but we now know that I am a perfectionist that is abysmally bad at pinning or ironing in a straight line. If that’s not a recipe for insanity, I don’t know what is!
Given that I can’t seem to iron a straight hem – I’ll be starting an eBay search for guest room curtains here instead!!
Now, there are another two pair of Ikea sheers in our bedroom window. Their extra fabric pools a bit where they touch the floor. Hubbz asked me last night when I was going to hem them. I told him I kinda liked them long. He laughed and asked “How many times are you going to say that before your hatred of them being imperfect overpowers your hatred of having to hem them?” I smiled, acknowledging that he had seen right through me. “About 12 more times” I replied.
Now, my grandmother and mother are fantastic seamstresses. My sister and I had matching dresses for every Christmas when I was a kid. We were able to request Halloween costumes that weren’t in the stores and we were never the sad looking angel in the church pageants. Despite the domestic talents that I did assimilate from these women in my family (cooking, baking, setting a nice table, cleaning the house properly, even knitting and some crafting, etc.) that sewing gene is not in my DNA. I’ve always wanted to learn – but always suspected that I wouldn’t do very well at it.
When we got married, I figured that eventually I would stop working to raise a family (…I didn’t really plan on the “Quit Work and Move to Europe to be a Trophy Wife” path…) I figured I’d conquer sewing when that milestone provided me with the opportunity and motivation to do so. When we arrived here, I thought that perhaps, I would make a pair of decorative curtains for the guest room. Something with a little color to set over the white Ikea sheers and liven up the room a bit. How hard can curtains be? They’re a long rectangle with an open edge at the top for the rod to slide through. All you need to do is to finish the sides and hems. Right?
I measured, ironed, pinned and re-hung the curtains to check the new hemline. ….they were crooked. Hubbalicious was called in for consultation. He pointed out that the fabric might not have been cut straight to begin with or we (he) may not have hung the curtain rod straight (although he doubts it!). He suggested I eyeball the hem and then check that it was straight by folding it in half longwise and making sure the entire piece was symmetrical. I think he forgot what a whacked out perfectionist I can be.....but he got a little reminder..... At the end of the day today – I had hemmed only TWO pair of curtains. They were hung and checked, and re-hung and re-checked ad naseum at least 5 times (with 10 foot ceilings, this means a ladder...and a grumpy husband. So - the take home lesson for the day is this: Not only am I a perfectionist – but we now know that I am a perfectionist that is abysmally bad at pinning or ironing in a straight line. If that’s not a recipe for insanity, I don’t know what is!
Given that I can’t seem to iron a straight hem – I’ll be starting an eBay search for guest room curtains here instead!!
Now, there are another two pair of Ikea sheers in our bedroom window. Their extra fabric pools a bit where they touch the floor. Hubbz asked me last night when I was going to hem them. I told him I kinda liked them long. He laughed and asked “How many times are you going to say that before your hatred of them being imperfect overpowers your hatred of having to hem them?” I smiled, acknowledging that he had seen right through me. “About 12 more times” I replied.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
NATURE'S BOUNTY
This morning I met Jane and her adorable daughter downtown for some veggies, gelbesachs and coffee.
We met at a little café called Café Scholtz. My new favorite breakfast spot! They have beautiful pastries and lovely little yogurt parfaits – as well as a full menu of hot breakfasts and dinners. We had lattes that came in little white ceramic bowls with a little pitcher of coffee next to them. Jane explained that this was so you could flavor your latte with just the right amount of espresso for your taste. We sat outside at a little café table and wrapped blankets across our laps for added warmth. It was crisp and sunny and promised to be a beautiful day.
The veggie market was really beautiful, and around the corner, about a block away, was the flower market where you could buy both potted and cut flowers. We wound around the stalls and marveled at the beauty and variety of produce. Onions were small and round and looked like they had just come from a garden. There were 5 different kinds of pumpkins – all of which were thick with flesh – not the “all shell” version all over the grocery stores at home grown for jack-o-lanterns. Jane bought a big wedge of pumpkin to take home and cook for dinner. The baby “helped” by holding on to it in the stoller as we made our way to get the gelbesachs.
Here are some market pictures:
We navigated the city hall and found the offices (interestingly enough, the very same office where I went to obtain our Parkpasse). Since Jane and I had different last names, we had to go into different offices. I had enough German to be able to tell the lady behind the counter that I needed a gelbesach and that I lived in central Stuttgart. She told me that she’d hand over the sacks this time, but next time, I needed to go to one of the vendors who hand them out in my area. She then photocopied the list of vendors and handed it over to me for next time. (Don’t let me lead you to believe that I understood all of this…the conversation went something like this: Counter Lady: “german german german gelbesach german german zentrum german german” hands me the list and a small roll of yellow bags. Me: "Ja. Danke". - Using my brilliant deductive skills and ability to read people (i.e, she was annoyed) and a list titled “Gelbesach - Stuttgart Zentrum” with a bunch of addresses in my neighborhood, I was able to ascertain that the gist of the one sided conversation).
Once I got home, I spent a little time on Google Translate (how DID people do this without the internet??!) and taped the instructions in our kitchen so we’d be able to navigate the garbage correctly in the future. Good trash, it seems, makes good neighbors in Germany!
We met at a little café called Café Scholtz. My new favorite breakfast spot! They have beautiful pastries and lovely little yogurt parfaits – as well as a full menu of hot breakfasts and dinners. We had lattes that came in little white ceramic bowls with a little pitcher of coffee next to them. Jane explained that this was so you could flavor your latte with just the right amount of espresso for your taste. We sat outside at a little café table and wrapped blankets across our laps for added warmth. It was crisp and sunny and promised to be a beautiful day.
The veggie market was really beautiful, and around the corner, about a block away, was the flower market where you could buy both potted and cut flowers. We wound around the stalls and marveled at the beauty and variety of produce. Onions were small and round and looked like they had just come from a garden. There were 5 different kinds of pumpkins – all of which were thick with flesh – not the “all shell” version all over the grocery stores at home grown for jack-o-lanterns. Jane bought a big wedge of pumpkin to take home and cook for dinner. The baby “helped” by holding on to it in the stoller as we made our way to get the gelbesachs.
Here are some market pictures:
We navigated the city hall and found the offices (interestingly enough, the very same office where I went to obtain our Parkpasse). Since Jane and I had different last names, we had to go into different offices. I had enough German to be able to tell the lady behind the counter that I needed a gelbesach and that I lived in central Stuttgart. She told me that she’d hand over the sacks this time, but next time, I needed to go to one of the vendors who hand them out in my area. She then photocopied the list of vendors and handed it over to me for next time. (Don’t let me lead you to believe that I understood all of this…the conversation went something like this: Counter Lady: “german german german gelbesach german german zentrum german german” hands me the list and a small roll of yellow bags. Me: "Ja. Danke". - Using my brilliant deductive skills and ability to read people (i.e, she was annoyed) and a list titled “Gelbesach - Stuttgart Zentrum” with a bunch of addresses in my neighborhood, I was able to ascertain that the gist of the one sided conversation).
Once I got home, I spent a little time on Google Translate (how DID people do this without the internet??!) and taped the instructions in our kitchen so we’d be able to navigate the garbage correctly in the future. Good trash, it seems, makes good neighbors in Germany!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
TRASH TALK
First a caveat: This blog is public. That means anyone who knows the web address can read everything I've posted. I could have protected it with a password or forced all of you readers to become members of it to see it - but that's a hassle and who needs another password to remember these days!!
Since it is public, I’ve tried really hard to keep this blog anonymous. This was a decision I made for many reasons: 1) my husband is a frequent topic. I am the one writing this thing, and many of my experiences involve him (God help him). However, HE did not make the decision to write a blog, and I’d like to protect him from things he didn’t want perfect strangers who many stumble upon this blog to learn about him. Of course I consulted him before starting this, and he was supportive, but on a day to day basis, as new information is posted, there may be something in here that he wouldn’t want, say an employer who Googles his name to learn. 2) I am a woman. I am security conscious. I don’t need folks I’ve never met (or worse, those I have and wish to protect myself from ) to be able to pry the lid off of my head and read my daily thoughts AND then be able to find me. That is something that would make me the tragic subject of a “Movie of the Week” on Lifetime, and that’s a role I’d prefer to skip! 3) I have friends. They also share my life experiences. I don’t want to have to ask them permission to write about what we did yesterday every time I spend time with them. My spidey-sense tells me that this would probably not make me very popular either!!
It is reason number three that brings me to my next disclosure: I’ve decided that for the purposes of this blog, I’m going to name all of my friends Jane. That way, it will be clear enough that I can tell the stories, but confusing enough that no one will know any one Jane’s secrets :)
So, let’s talk some trash! Germany is very eco-conscious – a fact that we like a lot. There are towns here that will not allow vehicles that don’t pass a high emission standard. (Period. Your polluting car stops here, my friend. Our town does not want what you’re putting out there. Park it and then walk on in, if you want). There are rules about leaving your car idling too long (30 seconds is the max – even at a red light). And then there’s the garbage.
Our courtyard has 3 different bins for garbage collection. One says Paper, one is clearly compost. Then there’s another one. It wasn’t immediately obvious what goes in there. Also, when we walk down the street, we sometimes see these yellow bags filled with what must be recycling. And NONE of the containers seem to accept glass! Hmmmm… (Note: I broke a wine glass the other night and it has been sitting on my kitchen counter. A painful reminder of my clumsiness AND an indicator of just how ignorant Hubbz and I are!!)
We saw a roll of yellow garbage bags at the hardware store last week, so we bought them. The ones we’ve seen on the street have (German) instructions on the outside indicating what goes in them – and they’re fairly large. These were small and without instructions…..hmmm…wrong bags. Recently, at a different hardware store we saw another roll of yellow bags. They looked bigger. The band around the roll of bags stated they were 5 liter bags. We shrugged and bought them. Same bags as before – no writing, no instructions….hmmmm. And, come to think of it, none of the cans in our yard had yellow bags collected in them. So what do we do with them once we fill them?!?
Finally, while we were in Italy last week, we asked Jack and Jane who were travelling with us about the bags. They have lived here for a few years, so they’re our go-to answer folks. They broke it down like this. We were right about the compost. The paper can accepts only paper – but nothing that’s been coated with plastic or wax (no juice boxes or milk cartons). The other can was for trash – stuff that doesn’t fit in any of the other categories. Our glass items needed to be deposited in receptacles around the neighborhood. There are little igloo looking things where you separate your brown glass, green and white glass from each other. But what of the yellow bags?
The yellow bags (called gelbesacks) are for recycling plastics and plastic coatings. They also take Styrofoam and metal cans. You can’t buy them at a store – they’re free. But you have to get them FROM CITY HALL. Apparently, one of the rooms in our basement is for gelbesack collection. On retrieval day, our hausmeister (or building manager) carries them out to the street as he does with all of the other trash collection.
Thank goodness for Jack and Jane. We SO want to be good neighbors – and in rule-loving Germany, we know that doing so means following the procedures correctly. Turns out Jack and Jane are out of gelbesacks too, so Jane and I are going to meet on Thursday morning for a little field trip to city hall. It turns out, there’s also a vegetable market out there three days a week, so we’ll hit that also. Who knew trash could be an adventure?!
Monday, September 13, 2010
REENTRY - AND CLOSETS
We are back!! AND the painter is done. Including the repainted kitchen which is now a yummy soft shade of butter yellow, phew! Now the real unpacking can begin!!
We got in late last night, but we had a truly lovely time in Italy. The weather was about 75 degrees. The water was beautiful, the company fantastic and we are really excited to be so close to places like this that we will explore again later.
Hubbz started tonight on installing the wardrobes we got from Ikea. They’re huge and unwieldy, but he’s tough and manly, and he honestly is really handy – so I know they will come together nicely. Today the washer and dryer and refrigerator arrived from the base supply. Did I mention this already? The base will loan us these major appliances during our stay here. The washer and dryer stack nicely in their slot in our bathroom (which is bigger than my kitchen…seriously). The fridge – well that’s another story. We have a long and narrow, narrow, narrow pantry in our kitchen. Hubbz and I measured it and decided that we could fit a refrigerator from the base in it because it is 80cm wide and the fridge is 75cm wide. It’s a close fit – but we figured we could do it. What we didn’t consider was that the doorway to the pantry was 67cm wide. WHOOPS The delivery man was SO NICE and showed me the error of our ways. Thankfully he hadn’t brought the fridge up the stairs yet (perhaps he’s had this experience before!). I called the base and they will send a new fridge on Thursday.
We are tired and not long for this process. More to follow soon!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
A WEEKEND IN ITALY
First and foremost, I MUST wish my Grandmother a happy birthday! I know she won’t read this until much later, but I hope she knows that I am thinking of her today and sending her a great big hug. She’s a neat lady, and one of the hardest parts about this adventure we’re on these days is that I am too far away to reach her directly. I love you, Gram!!!!
So – the adventure du jour is a weekend trip to Bella Italia!! Hubbalicious has a business trip to the base in Naples, and I am going along like a good trophy wife should! We have lots of friends stationed over there, so a long weekend isn’t really long enough to fully enjoy the people, let alone the sites. But we’re going to make a good first try at it and promise to try again as soon as we can :)
Our plan is to stay on base tonight so Hubbz can bounce down to the meeting in the morning. Then I’ll work from the room on base until checkout time. Hopefully by then the boys will be done and we can make our way to our friends’ house. This couple has been a part of Hubbz’s life since college years. I haven’t spent any large amount of time with them, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get to know them better. They live on base with their two little kiddos :) We will spend Friday night with them and then take a ferry over to Sorrento on Saturday – which is one of our favorite cities in the world (so far!). I am using one of my meeting planning connections to book us a room in Sorrento for Saturday night. They are putting us up for free!! I am certainly going to miss those perks when I finally finish my work! Then we’ll zip back across the bay of Napoli to the Naples Airport for a late flight back to Deutscheland :) Wish us bon voyage!!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
ADVENTURES IN PARKING
We live on a one-way street. This is great for us for a lot of reasons: 1) there's little traffic and little noise. 2) Half of the street is parking spots where we can nose in. This allows for a lot more cars, and helps alleviate the crowded parking situation around here.
We rent a covered, reserved parking space around the corner behind a grocery store for about $100 per month. This is rolled into our rent and is therefore covered by our housing allowance. But, if we can get a spot, we park in one of the spaces in front of our apartment. In order to do so correctly, we needed to obtain a neighborhood parking pass. And this was something I was going to have to do unaided!
I set out this morning for the local city hall. I figured I'd do my best to use what German I knew (darn little) and rely on the fact that most Stuttgartians speak at least a little English. In a fit of what I will immodestly call GENIUS I snapped a picture of the parking pass I wanted on the dashboard of a neighbors car using my cell phone. I figured if nothing else, I could show them the picture of what I was seeking.
I made my way to the local Rathaus (city hall) and walked up to the information desk. "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" I asked? This is a formality. Everyone in Stuttgart replies "Yes, just a little" and then proceeds to converse as if they were fellow Americans. However, the man at the information desk looked up and me and said "Nein". Awesome. Okay. I steeled myself and carried on to the point that my German failed me "I would like a....." um... Light Bulb! I pulled out my phone, showed him the picture and he smiled. "AH! Ein Parkpass" (really? The German word for parking pass is Parkpass?). He directed me to another building and kindly circled the words for what I assume are the offices I should seek.
Off I went to the annex and followed the signs with the words the kind man had circled for me. Ahead of me walked an older couple who were apparently headed to the same office as I was. I slowed so as not to overtake them and smilingly followed them into the door with some of those circled words written on the outside of it. The man was startled when I took followed him through the open door. I smiled as kindly as I knew how and pressed myself against the back wall - to allow them as much privacy at the counter as possible.
The man looked at me again over his shoulder, this time with annoyance. I smiled again, and wondered what I could have done to offend him. We all stood silently and waited for the counter person to see us.
She approached and asked (in German) "Are you all together?" to which we all answered "Nein". She then snapped up her chin, looked at me and said what I gathered to be "Get out". Embarrassed and bewildered, I slid back out the door and sat at some chairs posted on the other side. Only then did I notice a little indicator light above the door. It appears that whatever takes place in that office is done privately, and there is a red light/green light set up outside which lets the people outside know if someone else is already inside attending to this private business.
In time the couple left, staring at me as the walked past. The light turned green and I stepped inside. The woman there tried to speak English with me and discovered that I was in the wrong office anyways. She pointed me in the right direction and that sad little detour was soon a thing of the past as I went back to the business of trying to get my parkpass.
Finally in the right place, the process was easy (although at one point I signed something that was entirely in German, and had no idea what it actually said). I asked the lady behind the counter if she could copy it for me so I could take it home and attempt to translate it. (I later discovered that I had pledged, among other things, that I did not have an assigned parking space anywhere else in the neighborhood. Whoops!). I got my little green card and buried it in the corner of my windshield. Hopefully the meter maid won't notice that the license plate number on the pass is for our Honda, and not for the rental car we're parking instead these days!
We rent a covered, reserved parking space around the corner behind a grocery store for about $100 per month. This is rolled into our rent and is therefore covered by our housing allowance. But, if we can get a spot, we park in one of the spaces in front of our apartment. In order to do so correctly, we needed to obtain a neighborhood parking pass. And this was something I was going to have to do unaided!
I set out this morning for the local city hall. I figured I'd do my best to use what German I knew (darn little) and rely on the fact that most Stuttgartians speak at least a little English. In a fit of what I will immodestly call GENIUS I snapped a picture of the parking pass I wanted on the dashboard of a neighbors car using my cell phone. I figured if nothing else, I could show them the picture of what I was seeking.
I made my way to the local Rathaus (city hall) and walked up to the information desk. "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" I asked? This is a formality. Everyone in Stuttgart replies "Yes, just a little" and then proceeds to converse as if they were fellow Americans. However, the man at the information desk looked up and me and said "Nein". Awesome. Okay. I steeled myself and carried on to the point that my German failed me "I would like a....." um... Light Bulb! I pulled out my phone, showed him the picture and he smiled. "AH! Ein Parkpass" (really? The German word for parking pass is Parkpass?). He directed me to another building and kindly circled the words for what I assume are the offices I should seek.
Off I went to the annex and followed the signs with the words the kind man had circled for me. Ahead of me walked an older couple who were apparently headed to the same office as I was. I slowed so as not to overtake them and smilingly followed them into the door with some of those circled words written on the outside of it. The man was startled when I took followed him through the open door. I smiled as kindly as I knew how and pressed myself against the back wall - to allow them as much privacy at the counter as possible.
The man looked at me again over his shoulder, this time with annoyance. I smiled again, and wondered what I could have done to offend him. We all stood silently and waited for the counter person to see us.
She approached and asked (in German) "Are you all together?" to which we all answered "Nein". She then snapped up her chin, looked at me and said what I gathered to be "Get out". Embarrassed and bewildered, I slid back out the door and sat at some chairs posted on the other side. Only then did I notice a little indicator light above the door. It appears that whatever takes place in that office is done privately, and there is a red light/green light set up outside which lets the people outside know if someone else is already inside attending to this private business.
In time the couple left, staring at me as the walked past. The light turned green and I stepped inside. The woman there tried to speak English with me and discovered that I was in the wrong office anyways. She pointed me in the right direction and that sad little detour was soon a thing of the past as I went back to the business of trying to get my parkpass.
Finally in the right place, the process was easy (although at one point I signed something that was entirely in German, and had no idea what it actually said). I asked the lady behind the counter if she could copy it for me so I could take it home and attempt to translate it. (I later discovered that I had pledged, among other things, that I did not have an assigned parking space anywhere else in the neighborhood. Whoops!). I got my little green card and buried it in the corner of my windshield. Hopefully the meter maid won't notice that the license plate number on the pass is for our Honda, and not for the rental car we're parking instead these days!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
AMERICAN MEDIA IN GERMANY
Hubbalicious is back at work today, so it is me and my friend the painter holding down the fort. He seems to be an interesting fellow - he was a born here in Stuttgart to Croatian parents. When he came of age, he decided to go home to Croatia and serve his mandatory military time there. He became the equivalent to a Navy Seal. When he tried to make a career of it, he wasn’t guaranteed a Seal slot – so he walked away from the military entirely and returned to Germany. Now he is painting my house. And I imagine he could kill me with his bare hands if he wanted to…. Seriously though, he’s a very nice man. He enjoys practicing his English with us, and LOVES to chat with Hubbz about all things military and political. (He also tells me to “ask my husband” about any question he has about the house. Clearly a different gender structure where he lives…)
While our painter friend paints, I work. Since my temporary internet solution is based on a cellular network – I work propped up on our windowsill in order to get a strong enough connection to work. We cannot wait to get our internet set up!! It’s kind of the hinge for all of our communication and comfort needs here. Soon, it will be the hub for us to have a US phone number, American tv shows AND of course, wireless internet access in the whole house!! Here’s what I mean:
Basic cable is included in our rent. This consists of about 30 channels in German - plus CNN International and BBC International (the only English speaking networks). We haven’t even bothered to set up the tv yet, since we 1) have no time to watch it and 2) have nothing interesting tempting us to watch it. Our tv is actually a computer monitor that Hubbz noticed was dual voltage as we were packing up our things in VA. I’m fairly certain he’s going to make a case for a new tv when the time is right. He doesn’t know that I know….but I figure there’s nothing wrong with a little mystery in your marriage :)
Once we have internet, we will set up our Slingbox. The Slingbox, is a friend to all tv addicted Ex Pats – like yours truly (and Mr. yours truly) over here. It’s basically a tool that routes into a cable box set up in the US, and allows you to watch the tv and control the cable box remotely from your computer using the internet. It’s GENIUS. Here’s how it works:
My sister in law added a cable box to her normal subscription package (we contribute to her monthly cable bill) and plugged it into the wall (not a tv set) in her home somewhere. The Slingbox connects to the cable box, and an internet connection. We will soon be able to log into a website that makes our computer, the tv that is connected to the cable box! We’ll have use of the dvr, we can subscribe to Showtime, just like we were back in the good Ol’ U-S- of tv addicted -A!
Through Vonage, we were able to subscribe to an internet phone service that allows us to have a US phone number. This will allow all of you time zone minded loved ones to call us at domestic rates at our home in Germany! AND, as if it couldn’t get any cooler, we ported my old cell phone number over to the Vonage phone – I get to keep the phone number I’ve had for more than 10 years now! I know my mom is happy about that one!
Fast internet will also allow us to have and use Skype. We’re really excited about this. It is so nice to see your shining faces and see how big your kiddos have grown, AND, once the apartment is finally settled in (a day that I KNOW will come, but is hard to ever envision right now!) we can swing the webcam around and show our families where we live! What fun!
This all sounds great, doesn’t it? Well it’s the GETTING internet that seems to be the stumbling block around here. First of all, there’s the language barrier when trying to set it up. My husband is a saint and has handled this for us. One might be able to argue that he wants internet/tv more than he hates talking to people on the phone…but I’m going to give him the points for sainthood anyways. I’m a giver like that :)
The next hurdle is getting the guy to actually show up. We’ve heard so many horror stories about people waiting fruitlessly all day long for the cable installer – and then getting a notice a week later via mail about how the cable guy came but no one answered the door. Or worse, the installer comes, pokes around the wires and says something to the effect of: “these wires weren’t installed by us, call Deutsche Telecom and ask them to fix them, then we’ll come back and install your internet” Of course, Deutsche Telecom has zero interest in sending a service rep when you are not using their service. And if you do get the wires fixed, you're back at the bottom of the list waiting for an appointment. The stories I’ve heard indicate that it will take upwards of a month to get the cable installed – sometimes two months. So I’m not holding my breath!!
While our painter friend paints, I work. Since my temporary internet solution is based on a cellular network – I work propped up on our windowsill in order to get a strong enough connection to work. We cannot wait to get our internet set up!! It’s kind of the hinge for all of our communication and comfort needs here. Soon, it will be the hub for us to have a US phone number, American tv shows AND of course, wireless internet access in the whole house!! Here’s what I mean:
Basic cable is included in our rent. This consists of about 30 channels in German - plus CNN International and BBC International (the only English speaking networks). We haven’t even bothered to set up the tv yet, since we 1) have no time to watch it and 2) have nothing interesting tempting us to watch it. Our tv is actually a computer monitor that Hubbz noticed was dual voltage as we were packing up our things in VA. I’m fairly certain he’s going to make a case for a new tv when the time is right. He doesn’t know that I know….but I figure there’s nothing wrong with a little mystery in your marriage :)
Once we have internet, we will set up our Slingbox. The Slingbox, is a friend to all tv addicted Ex Pats – like yours truly (and Mr. yours truly) over here. It’s basically a tool that routes into a cable box set up in the US, and allows you to watch the tv and control the cable box remotely from your computer using the internet. It’s GENIUS. Here’s how it works:
My sister in law added a cable box to her normal subscription package (we contribute to her monthly cable bill) and plugged it into the wall (not a tv set) in her home somewhere. The Slingbox connects to the cable box, and an internet connection. We will soon be able to log into a website that makes our computer, the tv that is connected to the cable box! We’ll have use of the dvr, we can subscribe to Showtime, just like we were back in the good Ol’ U-S- of tv addicted -A!
Through Vonage, we were able to subscribe to an internet phone service that allows us to have a US phone number. This will allow all of you time zone minded loved ones to call us at domestic rates at our home in Germany! AND, as if it couldn’t get any cooler, we ported my old cell phone number over to the Vonage phone – I get to keep the phone number I’ve had for more than 10 years now! I know my mom is happy about that one!
Fast internet will also allow us to have and use Skype. We’re really excited about this. It is so nice to see your shining faces and see how big your kiddos have grown, AND, once the apartment is finally settled in (a day that I KNOW will come, but is hard to ever envision right now!) we can swing the webcam around and show our families where we live! What fun!
This all sounds great, doesn’t it? Well it’s the GETTING internet that seems to be the stumbling block around here. First of all, there’s the language barrier when trying to set it up. My husband is a saint and has handled this for us. One might be able to argue that he wants internet/tv more than he hates talking to people on the phone…but I’m going to give him the points for sainthood anyways. I’m a giver like that :)
The next hurdle is getting the guy to actually show up. We’ve heard so many horror stories about people waiting fruitlessly all day long for the cable installer – and then getting a notice a week later via mail about how the cable guy came but no one answered the door. Or worse, the installer comes, pokes around the wires and says something to the effect of: “these wires weren’t installed by us, call Deutsche Telecom and ask them to fix them, then we’ll come back and install your internet” Of course, Deutsche Telecom has zero interest in sending a service rep when you are not using their service. And if you do get the wires fixed, you're back at the bottom of the list waiting for an appointment. The stories I’ve heard indicate that it will take upwards of a month to get the cable installed – sometimes two months. So I’m not holding my breath!!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
GROUNDHOG DAY + BEER
Well here's an interesting wrinkle! We got home last night from our shopping day to find that the kitchen had been painted (yay!) We had chosen a yellow color to replace the burnt orange color that was there before. The shift to yellow was refreshing - but maybe a little too refreshing for Hubbalicous' taste. It was fine in the daylight - but by the light of our halogen ceiling lights, it was ..well....you know sometimes your body gives you a sign that it's processed that vitamin that you took this morning? It was like that. We (grossly) dubbed it Vitamin Pee Yellow. I was willing to live with it - Hubbz was NOT. He decreed that we needed to pick another color - right now - and ask the painter to repaint it. He didn't care what it cost (easy for us to say, when the taxpayers foot the bill!). And then his eyes got really big as he asked: "Didn't we tell him to use the same color in the bathroom?!?" We scurried over and were pleased to confirm that the painter had not yet painted it! Phew! I'll fix it on Monday when the painter comes back. I hope he doesn't mind. I feel bad asking him to do it over. Hopefully the extra pay he'll receive will sweeten the deal.
This morning we shook up our old and tired bodies this morning and squared our shoulders for what we have come to call Groundhogs Day. The pattern goes like this: Ikea, hardware store, unpacking – lather, rinse, repeat. Sigh!
Our inventory and unpacking from yesterday revealed the absence of a ladder, and a few decisions to buy some items we had contemplated while shopping yesterday. The highlight of which was the $350 ladder that Hubbaclious had been eyeballing. He’d left our old ladder at home (a decision which I fully endorsed, given that it was bent and I felt the need to grab my rosary beads each time he unfolded it and climbed aboard). I had no idea how pricey a ladder could be – and the irony didn’t escape us that we had just purchased a ladder for $350 that would facilitate the use of $75 worth of light fixtures and curtains!
It wasn’t entirely Groundhog’s Day, actually - we did cut out to meet a friend at a biergarten nearby. She was there with her family and their friends from her children’s school. This is the friend that I met at the airport on the day she moved here. She’s FANTASTIC – and her family is wonderful too. I’m feeling like a little divine intervention was at play there :)
Since we’re in the land of seasons over here, biergartens are a thing to be enjoyed as much as possible during the warm months – because they roll up tight during the cold ones. The Germans were really on a roll when they came up with this invention. Basically, they put out tables and sometimes, the really smart ones, add a playground for the kiddies. They pop in a little snack bar where 10 different kinds of “-wurst” are sold, as well as ice cream, some salads and various munchies – and, of course, beer. The nestle these little gems amidst the hiking parks and city walks so that when the people are out enjoying their recreational walking (HUGE pastime here), and they start to get a bit peckish, they can plop down and enjoy a frosty brew, while still enjoying the nature that surrounds them. The kiddos play, the adults sip and chat and they all walk home when the day is done. Since Stuttgart is built in the bottom of a bowl, many of these little spots have beautiful views.
We had a nice visit and met some really nice folks who had some funny stories and sage advice about their ex-pat experience. It was good to get out and enjoy that time – and, hey, with our silverware still at large in the cardboard wonderland – it was a nice way to have a meal!!
At one point during our visit, I remarked that if we didn’t curtail our beer consumption, we’d go home and hang crooked drapes! We shrugged and toasted to hanging drapes tomorrow! But one of our new friends reminded us that no drills could be used tomorrow, since it was a “quiet day” …being that it was Sunday. Apparently, in some, more traditional, neighborhoods Sundays were still a day of rest, and no noisy work (mowing the lawn, hammering, etc) can be done! Well, how do you like that for forced relaxation. I slumped over in defeat with the realization that we’d get NOTHING done tomorrow – and Hubbz grinned so hard that beer ran out the corner of his mouth :)
This morning we shook up our old and tired bodies this morning and squared our shoulders for what we have come to call Groundhogs Day. The pattern goes like this: Ikea, hardware store, unpacking – lather, rinse, repeat. Sigh!
Our inventory and unpacking from yesterday revealed the absence of a ladder, and a few decisions to buy some items we had contemplated while shopping yesterday. The highlight of which was the $350 ladder that Hubbaclious had been eyeballing. He’d left our old ladder at home (a decision which I fully endorsed, given that it was bent and I felt the need to grab my rosary beads each time he unfolded it and climbed aboard). I had no idea how pricey a ladder could be – and the irony didn’t escape us that we had just purchased a ladder for $350 that would facilitate the use of $75 worth of light fixtures and curtains!
It wasn’t entirely Groundhog’s Day, actually - we did cut out to meet a friend at a biergarten nearby. She was there with her family and their friends from her children’s school. This is the friend that I met at the airport on the day she moved here. She’s FANTASTIC – and her family is wonderful too. I’m feeling like a little divine intervention was at play there :)
Since we’re in the land of seasons over here, biergartens are a thing to be enjoyed as much as possible during the warm months – because they roll up tight during the cold ones. The Germans were really on a roll when they came up with this invention. Basically, they put out tables and sometimes, the really smart ones, add a playground for the kiddies. They pop in a little snack bar where 10 different kinds of “-wurst” are sold, as well as ice cream, some salads and various munchies – and, of course, beer. The nestle these little gems amidst the hiking parks and city walks so that when the people are out enjoying their recreational walking (HUGE pastime here), and they start to get a bit peckish, they can plop down and enjoy a frosty brew, while still enjoying the nature that surrounds them. The kiddos play, the adults sip and chat and they all walk home when the day is done. Since Stuttgart is built in the bottom of a bowl, many of these little spots have beautiful views.
We had a nice visit and met some really nice folks who had some funny stories and sage advice about their ex-pat experience. It was good to get out and enjoy that time – and, hey, with our silverware still at large in the cardboard wonderland – it was a nice way to have a meal!!
At one point during our visit, I remarked that if we didn’t curtail our beer consumption, we’d go home and hang crooked drapes! We shrugged and toasted to hanging drapes tomorrow! But one of our new friends reminded us that no drills could be used tomorrow, since it was a “quiet day” …being that it was Sunday. Apparently, in some, more traditional, neighborhoods Sundays were still a day of rest, and no noisy work (mowing the lawn, hammering, etc) can be done! Well, how do you like that for forced relaxation. I slumped over in defeat with the realization that we’d get NOTHING done tomorrow – and Hubbz grinned so hard that beer ran out the corner of his mouth :)
Friday, September 3, 2010
A TRUE LABOR DAY
Hello Labor Day Weekend! Hubbalicious has a FOUR day weekend (they really do know how to do this right, over here!) and we are going to devote it to: well….labor! The painter showed up, coffee in hand, and proceeded to start with the bedroom. We know we are going to need to buy closets, and we figured that the sooner the room is painted, the sooner we can set them up and get our clothing put away (which constitutes a fair amount of boxes in here!).
So, with the painter established, we left him at work and headed to the hardware store and to Ikea. Our goal: to finally pull the trigger on the closet purchase, and to seek and find some light fixtures for the ceilings. It also occurred to us last night, as we tucked in for our first night in the new place, that we are living in a fishbowl. These great big beautiful windows are like tv screens for our neighbors! We had to undress in the bathroom – and I couldn’t read in bed. So, some sort of quick and easy drapery is at the top of our list as well!
It was a long day, and I have a lot of gratitude and respect for my friend who decided to tag along. Having just settled into her place a month or two before us, she knew what she was in for, and trooped along with us!! She was also an invaluable resource for how to navigate the usage of our VAT form at Ikea.
We also made a discovery about closet purchasing which shed a little light on my failed shopping experience earlier this week. It turns out, the reason that the Ikea clerk wouldn’t sell me the closet part that wasn’t in stock, may not have been attributable to her staunch values and sense of what is fair. Buying closets at Ikea means taking a flat bed cart to a warehouse and picking up each component pieces to stack on your cart (save one or two…although not the one or two BIGGEST parts…). You then wheel your cart to the cash register, pay for the items, and THEN wheel them to the “Transportation”
So, closets have been purchased as have some white sheers for the windows and some temporary lights (SIDEBAR: What are temporary lights, you may ask? Let’s pretend you did. Here’s the answer: Each room in our house has these wires hanging from the ceiling. They are waiting for a light. I haven’t ever bought ceiling lights before, and while there are many wild and crazy options – it’s taking me some time to figure out what would be appropriate for each room. For me, the lamps are fine – so the ceiling light is gravy. Hubbz, however, has a different perspective. To HIM – the wires on the ceiling are truly bothersome. Additionally, he is accustomed to ceiling lights (it turns out he’s had them in just about every house he’s lived in…I can’t say the same). AND it’s truly frustrating to him to not be able to hit a light switch and navigate through a room – apparently his spidey sense for finding a lamp in a dark room is not finely tuned. SO his request was that we buy some very cheap ($3) ceiling lights which he will hang whilst we decide on the permanent light for each room. How could I possibly argue?)
BUT- here’s the thing about the temporary lights….they don’t come with a temporary ladder…
So, with the painter established, we left him at work and headed to the hardware store and to Ikea. Our goal: to finally pull the trigger on the closet purchase, and to seek and find some light fixtures for the ceilings. It also occurred to us last night, as we tucked in for our first night in the new place, that we are living in a fishbowl. These great big beautiful windows are like tv screens for our neighbors! We had to undress in the bathroom – and I couldn’t read in bed. So, some sort of quick and easy drapery is at the top of our list as well!
It was a long day, and I have a lot of gratitude and respect for my friend who decided to tag along. Having just settled into her place a month or two before us, she knew what she was in for, and trooped along with us!! She was also an invaluable resource for how to navigate the usage of our VAT form at Ikea.
We also made a discovery about closet purchasing which shed a little light on my failed shopping experience earlier this week. It turns out, the reason that the Ikea clerk wouldn’t sell me the closet part that wasn’t in stock, may not have been attributable to her staunch values and sense of what is fair. Buying closets at Ikea means taking a flat bed cart to a warehouse and picking up each component pieces to stack on your cart (save one or two…although not the one or two BIGGEST parts…). You then wheel your cart to the cash register, pay for the items, and THEN wheel them to the “Transportation”
So, closets have been purchased as have some white sheers for the windows and some temporary lights (SIDEBAR: What are temporary lights, you may ask? Let’s pretend you did. Here’s the answer: Each room in our house has these wires hanging from the ceiling. They are waiting for a light. I haven’t ever bought ceiling lights before, and while there are many wild and crazy options – it’s taking me some time to figure out what would be appropriate for each room. For me, the lamps are fine – so the ceiling light is gravy. Hubbz, however, has a different perspective. To HIM – the wires on the ceiling are truly bothersome. Additionally, he is accustomed to ceiling lights (it turns out he’s had them in just about every house he’s lived in…I can’t say the same). AND it’s truly frustrating to him to not be able to hit a light switch and navigate through a room – apparently his spidey sense for finding a lamp in a dark room is not finely tuned. SO his request was that we buy some very cheap ($3) ceiling lights which he will hang whilst we decide on the permanent light for each room. How could I possibly argue?)
BUT- here’s the thing about the temporary lights….they don’t come with a temporary ladder…
Thursday, September 2, 2010
FINALLY HOME!!
Ah the joys of military moves! The German company that was scheduled to deliver our things called last week to ask about the parking situation and to confirm their scheduled arrival time at 8:00am. In the US the arrival time of military movers is flexible at best – but we didn’t know what to expect here in Deutschland. Turns out, it’s not so different….
We got to the apartment at 730am and emptied car load number two. Then we ran around contemplating paint chips in the daylight. I had NO IDEA that picking paint colors was so difficult. I could describe the shade and colors I wanted for each room – but too many options made selecting the actual color overwhelming! When the movers finally arrived (at 930) we also held the chips up to furniture and to the bedspread. That helped a bit.
Our shipment took a bit of a circuitous route to our apartment. In a perfect world, our furniture would have been loaded from our Norfolk home directly into large shipping crates on the truck. The crates would have been sealed up and then transferred to a ship and delivered to us in Stuttgart unopened (assuming customs didn’t need to see our furniture). However, our move was hung up by a paperwork item in Norfolk. So, our stuff was instead loaded on to the truck, sans crates, and then unloaded at a storage area. Six weeks later (due to yet another paperwork glitch) it was loaded into crates and forwarded to Germany. This meant that our stuff was handled by movers a total of FOUR times, instead of twice. Of course, every time our posessions are handled is another opportunity for damage and loss. Judging by the way our stuff came off of the truck – we think it must have been handled about seventeen times…..
We had a total of seven crates worth of household goods. The movers were nice and spoke very little English. I had prepared the empty apartment in advance by taping a number to the door of each room. I figured I know my numbers in German better than I know the names for “living room” and “guest room”. When the movers needed direction as to where to put items, it worked pretty well to give the number in German (although it turns out that pointing works pretty well also!)
Our furniture is pretty beat up. Hubbz dresser came without one of its legs (we later found it in one of the drawers - um...thanks??). There are chunks missing from the legs of our bed and sofas. The entire shipment looks pretty much like someone threw rocks at it (my friend B says that perhaps it was used as a shield from pirate attacks)! Our kitchen table (which is about as old as we are and not a piece of quality furniture by any measure) showed up in the first crate – with only three legs. The fourth leg showed up in the seventh crate. (We were honestly kinda bummed, because we are ready to buy a new table and the replacement money would have helped!)
Three truck loads later, all of our belongings were off of the truck…and piled in the center of each room so the painter could begin work on the next day. Hubbz had an evening conference call at work, so I dropped him off on base, and went back to the hotel to pack up the clothes – our last load of items to be moved into our new apartment. We turned in at 11:00, tired from the day’s adventure, excited about settling into the new place, and even a bit wistful about leaving the hotel which was our first German home! We chuckled at the realization that while we felt like our German life had been “on hold” for three months – we had already created a lot of memories of our time here :)
We got to the apartment at 730am and emptied car load number two. Then we ran around contemplating paint chips in the daylight. I had NO IDEA that picking paint colors was so difficult. I could describe the shade and colors I wanted for each room – but too many options made selecting the actual color overwhelming! When the movers finally arrived (at 930) we also held the chips up to furniture and to the bedspread. That helped a bit.
Our shipment took a bit of a circuitous route to our apartment. In a perfect world, our furniture would have been loaded from our Norfolk home directly into large shipping crates on the truck. The crates would have been sealed up and then transferred to a ship and delivered to us in Stuttgart unopened (assuming customs didn’t need to see our furniture). However, our move was hung up by a paperwork item in Norfolk. So, our stuff was instead loaded on to the truck, sans crates, and then unloaded at a storage area. Six weeks later (due to yet another paperwork glitch) it was loaded into crates and forwarded to Germany. This meant that our stuff was handled by movers a total of FOUR times, instead of twice. Of course, every time our posessions are handled is another opportunity for damage and loss. Judging by the way our stuff came off of the truck – we think it must have been handled about seventeen times…..
We had a total of seven crates worth of household goods. The movers were nice and spoke very little English. I had prepared the empty apartment in advance by taping a number to the door of each room. I figured I know my numbers in German better than I know the names for “living room” and “guest room”. When the movers needed direction as to where to put items, it worked pretty well to give the number in German (although it turns out that pointing works pretty well also!)
Our furniture is pretty beat up. Hubbz dresser came without one of its legs (we later found it in one of the drawers - um...thanks??). There are chunks missing from the legs of our bed and sofas. The entire shipment looks pretty much like someone threw rocks at it (my friend B says that perhaps it was used as a shield from pirate attacks)! Our kitchen table (which is about as old as we are and not a piece of quality furniture by any measure) showed up in the first crate – with only three legs. The fourth leg showed up in the seventh crate. (We were honestly kinda bummed, because we are ready to buy a new table and the replacement money would have helped!)
Three truck loads later, all of our belongings were off of the truck…and piled in the center of each room so the painter could begin work on the next day. Hubbz had an evening conference call at work, so I dropped him off on base, and went back to the hotel to pack up the clothes – our last load of items to be moved into our new apartment. We turned in at 11:00, tired from the day’s adventure, excited about settling into the new place, and even a bit wistful about leaving the hotel which was our first German home! We chuckled at the realization that while we felt like our German life had been “on hold” for three months – we had already created a lot of memories of our time here :)
THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
We checked out of the hotel and I headed “home” to start the unpacking process. The painter met me at the house and we decided we would paint all of the rooms, including the inside of the closets. This is a bit of a bummer, because it really inhibits the unpacking – but we’ll be glad to have everything painted and fresh in a month (or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself!)
We selected a colonial blue for the dining room, taupe/beige for the bedroom and living room, pale blue in the Guest room and (after some input from my Facebook friends) yellow in the kitchen and bathroom. Tomorrow we start with the bedroom – so we can set the closets right up when they arrive!
I’m off to dive into my first set of boxes….Here we go!!
We selected a colonial blue for the dining room, taupe/beige for the bedroom and living room, pale blue in the Guest room and (after some input from my Facebook friends) yellow in the kitchen and bathroom. Tomorrow we start with the bedroom – so we can set the closets right up when they arrive!
I’m off to dive into my first set of boxes….Here we go!!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
MOVING IN A CLOWN CAR....
This morning at 830 sharp we were able to talk to USAA Frankfurt. They lined up a rental car for us through Enterprise on base. If we use Enterprise, we won’t even see a bill –which is great! We got there and found that they had only one car left for the day….an Audi A3….hatchback…UGH. Not exactly the spacious moving vehicle we had envisioned. But let me tell you something people, that car is awesome! 6 gears (manual), amazing turning radius, and the little guy is PERFECT for our tiny little one way street and our narrow street parking opportunities.
I spent the day boxing and organizing our things in the hotel room, and getting organized for the moving day itself. Our movers are scheduled to arrive at 8:00am sharp tomorrow. Since we don’t get keys until 8:00pm tonight, getting our multiple loads from the hotel room to the apartment is going to be tough, since we also need to be AT the apartment with the movers. I talked Hubbz into keeping the hotel room for one extra night (which we’ll pay for instead of the Navy footing the bill). As much as we are both Jones-ing for our own mattress, the likelihood of my finding the respective boxes containing the sheets, pillows, towels and bathroom tissue necessary for us to spend a night in our place is pretty slim. Between that and needing some extra time for transit of our goods from the hotel itself, the cost of a hotel room for one more night seemed worthy. Convincing Hubbalicious was a bit more challenging – until I pointed out that he’d have a full breakfast buffet at the hotel – and we’d have to hunt for coffee at the new place…Done deal :)
We crammed our first load of stuff into the little rocket car and sped off to our new neighborhood. We walked in the door and chuckled a bit, as we realized that indeed, the previous tenant was taking all of the light fixtures with her. (this is common in Germany.) We weren’t sure which ones would come with the house. So the walkthrough was happening by the light of the two (ugly) lights in the foyer that actually came with the apartment. There were also lights remaining in the kitchen and bathroom.
Having the walkthrough at this time of night was GENIUS on her part. In the dim light the scratches to the floor and crack in the entry door’s window were barely visible. However, my husband also has flashes of brilliance. As we were about to walk out the door, Hubbz decided to find himself a flashlight. So while the realtor was doing the move our walkthrough with the old tenant, we were snapping iPhone pictures of the damage we saw, using the flashlight as a flash :) We wanted to be sure that we had documented anything we would consider damage in case we have to defend ourselves in three years (we are all the wiser from our German rental car experience)! The old tenants also took the toilet paper roll holder from the bathroom – but were kind enough to leave seven buckets of paint, in various shades of orange, left over from their tenure there. How does one dispose of paint in Germany, you may ask? I’d have to answer : “I don’t know!”. But I guess we’re going to find out!
Once we had keys and had noted the damage we found with the realtor, signed the paperwork, and agreed to the numbers on the gas meter (more on how that works later) the realtor left and we were free to unload the contents of the little rocket car as our first official act of moving! Hello new apartment!!
I spent the day boxing and organizing our things in the hotel room, and getting organized for the moving day itself. Our movers are scheduled to arrive at 8:00am sharp tomorrow. Since we don’t get keys until 8:00pm tonight, getting our multiple loads from the hotel room to the apartment is going to be tough, since we also need to be AT the apartment with the movers. I talked Hubbz into keeping the hotel room for one extra night (which we’ll pay for instead of the Navy footing the bill). As much as we are both Jones-ing for our own mattress, the likelihood of my finding the respective boxes containing the sheets, pillows, towels and bathroom tissue necessary for us to spend a night in our place is pretty slim. Between that and needing some extra time for transit of our goods from the hotel itself, the cost of a hotel room for one more night seemed worthy. Convincing Hubbalicious was a bit more challenging – until I pointed out that he’d have a full breakfast buffet at the hotel – and we’d have to hunt for coffee at the new place…Done deal :)
We crammed our first load of stuff into the little rocket car and sped off to our new neighborhood. We walked in the door and chuckled a bit, as we realized that indeed, the previous tenant was taking all of the light fixtures with her. (this is common in Germany.) We weren’t sure which ones would come with the house. So the walkthrough was happening by the light of the two (ugly) lights in the foyer that actually came with the apartment. There were also lights remaining in the kitchen and bathroom.
Having the walkthrough at this time of night was GENIUS on her part. In the dim light the scratches to the floor and crack in the entry door’s window were barely visible. However, my husband also has flashes of brilliance. As we were about to walk out the door, Hubbz decided to find himself a flashlight. So while the realtor was doing the move our walkthrough with the old tenant, we were snapping iPhone pictures of the damage we saw, using the flashlight as a flash :) We wanted to be sure that we had documented anything we would consider damage in case we have to defend ourselves in three years (we are all the wiser from our German rental car experience)! The old tenants also took the toilet paper roll holder from the bathroom – but were kind enough to leave seven buckets of paint, in various shades of orange, left over from their tenure there. How does one dispose of paint in Germany, you may ask? I’d have to answer : “I don’t know!”. But I guess we’re going to find out!
Once we had keys and had noted the damage we found with the realtor, signed the paperwork, and agreed to the numbers on the gas meter (more on how that works later) the realtor left and we were free to unload the contents of the little rocket car as our first official act of moving! Hello new apartment!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
CLOSETS, EC CARDS AND FLYING PIGS
After a two hour closet designing session on the Ikea website last night (another very cool internet tool, btw), Hubbalicious and I have achieved the design of Closet 1.0 (he’s reserving the right to add another section later, should he decide he needs it). This exercise, btw, was a hilarious and illuminative exercise in understanding how each other thinks. My design approach was based on what I wanted to store (hooks for necklaces here, a small drawer for scarves and gloves there, etc). Hubbalicious’ approach was pure geometry – he had 300 cm² of space in his dresser at home, and therefore needed to replicate that in his closet. Mars, meet Venus :)
The trophy wife errand du jour was to venture forth into Ikea for the THIRD time in five days…and to purchase our closet masterpiece, so its delivery would coincide nicely with our move in date…and I FAILED!! Our local Ikea is an establishment with integrity – because when they discovered that one of the 15 parts I was ready to purchase was out of stock – they just couldn’t sell it to me. I told the clerk that it was okay if the part was backordered – we didn’t really want the closets to be delivered for a week or so anyways – she responded by saying “But Madam, I cannot sell you what I do not have”. Oh! Well…okay then! She told me that they would have the requisite part back in stock in two days (seriously? You can’t backorder for two days?!?), and I could come back and make my purchase then. And so that, Ladies and Gentlemen, marks the only time in the history of mankind that a person has left an Ikea store without having made a purchase!!
In our time here, we have discovered that we really need to have a German bank account. The reasons for this are complicated – so I’ll go into them in a later post – but the long and short of it is, our payment options around here are cash or German bank card and I can’t do math in my head well enough to figure out how much cash I’ll need as I cower through the already intimidating grocery store check-out line.
But I digress – today, on Hubbz’s lunch hour, I met him near the base to venture forth into deep German territory. With some coaching from those who went before us, and some colorful Deutch-glish speak passed between us, we got….well, we got nothing! We started an account, but I don’t think we actually opened it. At no time did they ask us for an initial deposit. They said that our paperwork would come in the mail….so we’ll be making our way back to our oracle for advice on that one!! We even had enough time at lunch to swing by the local O2 shop and ask them how the heck to make the mobile internet solution we bought yesterday work The 19 year old kid behind the counter smirked and told us we had to buy a monthly password from him. He implied that it could only be done at an O2 store. My interpretation of the German brochure (aided by Google Translate) indicated that we could input our credit card number somewhere online to recharge our service when needed – but Smirking Schultzie didn’t want to give up that information, and after our game of German charades at the bank, we were too spent to push any harder, so we rolled over and bought the card. So much for good Ole American Stick-to-itiveness!!
We got a call today indicating that our car parts are FINALLY in!! (For those of you who haven’t been keeping track, it’s been about 6-7 weeks since our little accident. As luck would have it, the mechanic called at 4pm today to ask us to drop the car in the morning. Hubbz has been working with USAA (LOVE them!) through this process and confirmed to me that we have rental car coverage for the time that the car is in the shop (which is pretty crucial, now that we’re a one car family). I assumed that he had the process in hand for retrieving the car – but when I called him at 5pm to ask about the parameters for booking tomorrow’s car, he shrugged (I’m guessing, since I actually couldn’t SEE him) and said he didn’t know. By then, our USAA contact in Frankfurt had gone home for the day (voicemail) and the adjuster who answered the phone in the US call center wasn’t really clear on the rules for us ExPats. Sooooo – now, in order to get the car squared away, we’re going to have to wait until 8:30 tomorrow AM to arrange for our rental car for the day. No biggie, but this means that Hubbz won’t get to work on time (and he really hates that!). We’re hoping for an SUV or a van to minimize the number of loads we need to take from the hotel. Between our 17 suitcases which accompanied us from the states, and the small express shipment that arrived in early July, we have managed to cram a lot of stuff into our little hotel bungalow.
The upside is that we actually heard from the Realtor today (whoa! Watch out for that flying pig!!) He set an appointment for our walk through tomorrow at 7pm. At this time we should receive our keys and be able to move in a first load of our stuff from the hotel (can I get an AMEN?!?) We are relieved and excited – and starting to steel ourselves for the long days ahead.
The trophy wife errand du jour was to venture forth into Ikea for the THIRD time in five days…and to purchase our closet masterpiece, so its delivery would coincide nicely with our move in date…and I FAILED!! Our local Ikea is an establishment with integrity – because when they discovered that one of the 15 parts I was ready to purchase was out of stock – they just couldn’t sell it to me. I told the clerk that it was okay if the part was backordered – we didn’t really want the closets to be delivered for a week or so anyways – she responded by saying “But Madam, I cannot sell you what I do not have”. Oh! Well…okay then! She told me that they would have the requisite part back in stock in two days (seriously? You can’t backorder for two days?!?), and I could come back and make my purchase then. And so that, Ladies and Gentlemen, marks the only time in the history of mankind that a person has left an Ikea store without having made a purchase!!
In our time here, we have discovered that we really need to have a German bank account. The reasons for this are complicated – so I’ll go into them in a later post – but the long and short of it is, our payment options around here are cash or German bank card and I can’t do math in my head well enough to figure out how much cash I’ll need as I cower through the already intimidating grocery store check-out line.
But I digress – today, on Hubbz’s lunch hour, I met him near the base to venture forth into deep German territory. With some coaching from those who went before us, and some colorful Deutch-glish speak passed between us, we got….well, we got nothing! We started an account, but I don’t think we actually opened it. At no time did they ask us for an initial deposit. They said that our paperwork would come in the mail….so we’ll be making our way back to our oracle for advice on that one!! We even had enough time at lunch to swing by the local O2 shop and ask them how the heck to make the mobile internet solution we bought yesterday work The 19 year old kid behind the counter smirked and told us we had to buy a monthly password from him. He implied that it could only be done at an O2 store. My interpretation of the German brochure (aided by Google Translate) indicated that we could input our credit card number somewhere online to recharge our service when needed – but Smirking Schultzie didn’t want to give up that information, and after our game of German charades at the bank, we were too spent to push any harder, so we rolled over and bought the card. So much for good Ole American Stick-to-itiveness!!
We got a call today indicating that our car parts are FINALLY in!! (For those of you who haven’t been keeping track, it’s been about 6-7 weeks since our little accident. As luck would have it, the mechanic called at 4pm today to ask us to drop the car in the morning. Hubbz has been working with USAA (LOVE them!) through this process and confirmed to me that we have rental car coverage for the time that the car is in the shop (which is pretty crucial, now that we’re a one car family). I assumed that he had the process in hand for retrieving the car – but when I called him at 5pm to ask about the parameters for booking tomorrow’s car, he shrugged (I’m guessing, since I actually couldn’t SEE him) and said he didn’t know. By then, our USAA contact in Frankfurt had gone home for the day (voicemail) and the adjuster who answered the phone in the US call center wasn’t really clear on the rules for us ExPats. Sooooo – now, in order to get the car squared away, we’re going to have to wait until 8:30 tomorrow AM to arrange for our rental car for the day. No biggie, but this means that Hubbz won’t get to work on time (and he really hates that!). We’re hoping for an SUV or a van to minimize the number of loads we need to take from the hotel. Between our 17 suitcases which accompanied us from the states, and the small express shipment that arrived in early July, we have managed to cram a lot of stuff into our little hotel bungalow.
The upside is that we actually heard from the Realtor today (whoa! Watch out for that flying pig!!) He set an appointment for our walk through tomorrow at 7pm. At this time we should receive our keys and be able to move in a first load of our stuff from the hotel (can I get an AMEN?!?) We are relieved and excited – and starting to steel ourselves for the long days ahead.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
DID I MENTION WE'RE MOVING ON WEDNESDAY?
Yeah – we are. And for two people who have been waiting 3 months for this fateful day – we are ASTOUNDINGLY unprepared! How is it that two otherwise normally functioning and even (dare I say?)“productive” members of society managed to run out of runway on a THREE MONTH approach?? Clearly, this is a question that I am not equipped to answer - but I digress….
So – here’s how the World of Crazy turns for our little family:
One Month Ago –
I emailed our landlord (LOVE him) and asked about procedures, when he’d like to schedule our move in walk-through (more on that in another post), etc. He replied stating that he (like the rest of Europe) was on holiday for the month of August and that he’d still be gone on our move in date – and he’s already asked our real estate agent (do NOT love him) to help represent him during the walkthrough. Surprisingly (to the landlord, not to us) the real estate agent has not responded to this request to date – and if I wouldn’t mind arranging the meeting with the agent directly, he’d get back to enjoying his time with his family (because apparently a month plus, isn’t enough quality relaxation….not that I would know!). I send the email and (still not surprisingly) get no immediate response.
One Week Ago –
The Real Estate Agent sends Hubbalicious and I an email, with a link to YouTube video of the apartment next door – and asks us if we know anyone from the military who might be interested in it. The email begins “I hope that you are enjoying life in your new apartment…” Fabulous.
Hubbz volunteered to respond to the agent, because we agreed that he would be more friendly than I would (I tried to argue that responding only with “Please send us the appointment time for our walk through – Sincerely, Us” is not MEAN per se – but I had to concede that more flowery language may ensure good relations with the man who holds our house keys for the time being). Hubbz sent the message and got no immediate response.
Tuesday –
We got an email from the agent (YAY!!!!) asking if he could share our contact information with the current tenant (BOOOO) at our HG Apartment who had some household items she was interested in selling to us. As I am in a hospitable mood (having just eaten chocolate) I write back a friendly note granting permission for the information release and gently prodding for a time for our appointment (don’t laugh, I CAN be nice if I want to be...sometimes...after chocolate...). As I am finishing the last line of my email – another email comes from the agent, this time addressed to the tenant with me in cc – with our contact information. So much for asking for permission…. I add the line to the part about passing the info along: “Thank you so much for asking before you sent our information! We appreciate your kind respect.” (See – Mean Me would have changed my answer to “Please do not pass our information along” to embarrass him for already doing so and thus make a point….ahhhhh, it’s a chocolate miracle :))
Friday –
The current tenant at the HG Apartment called me and asked if we would like to buy her closet. It’s a large system of wardrobes with built in drawers that occupies a good 25% of the real estate in what will be our guest room. She said it’s a very nice system but that it’s a pain to deconstruct and that she’d be willing to part with it for half of the price they paid for it 3 years ago. She was asking $1000. Yup, a cool kilo. That’s how we roll in these parts. It’s a “Big Money for Small Furniture” kind of city. I agreed that Hubbalicious and I would swing by on Saturday am to examine said closet and make our decision then.
As I hung up the phone, I realized that I had NOT done my closet research. I have no idea if $1000 is a good deal for a closet of any quality…and what a quality closet might look like…. So geeze, I guess I’d better before I go see some closets before I have to evaluate the potential for savings in the morning! So I collected myself and rushed off to Ikea to see what I could learn (interestingly enough – what we call “i-KEY-ah” in the US, is called “ICK-kay-ah” here….). What I learned was that Ick-kay-ah has a LOT of cool stuff!! After spending a good chunk of time there, I flung my exhausted self back into Home Sweet Hotel Room and started navigating paint colors
.
Sidebar: Painting a rental property is part of your obligation as a tenant here. You can choose when you will paint, but the place must be painted during your tenure. The military acknowledges this and therefore grants us a Move In Housing Allowance (MIHA) for paint. However, please note the “I” in MIHA stands for “In” and therefore this allowance is only good for painting done during your move IN process. You must submit your painting bill within 30 days of your move in date to collect the reimbursement. This makes for a hectic move in period…but allows us to customize our new apartment to our liking.
The painter was due to drop off paint color options for us to peruse on Friday evening. He wanted me to choose colors and call him today with our decision so he could begin work on Thursday. Figuring that I’d have a small window in which to make my choice, I started visiting paint company websites (and the local hardware store) to try to familiarize myself with some options. I discovered that most paint companies (Sherwin-Williams, Behr, etc) have a paint choosing tool which allows you to upload a photo of the room you want to paint and “try on” colors. It even suggests complimentary colors for accent and trim. (That was a colossal time sponge – but really fun!). Of course, being that I am …well, me…I was unable to make any firm decisions. I decided to call off the painter until I had seen my furniture again and was able to hold up the chips to my bedspread or art work.
Saturday –
We finally got a chance to sleep in a bit (a respite from the jetlag we’ve battled since our return from the states last weekend). But we hit the ground running and made it downtown in time for our appointment with the old tenant and check out the closet. (It’s a nice piece, but takes up the entire wall of the guest room in sliver and frosted glass). I must admit the bigger draw for me, was a new opportunity for me see the apartment and for Hubbz to take some measurements. The meeting was pleasant and we left them with the promise that we’d let them know our decision by the end of the day. We then found the closest café and poured over the Ikea catalog to try to figure out our best closet solution. In the end, we decided to buy a new closet system since we wanted to have our clothing in our bedroom (not in the guest room), and a new closet could be customized to our needs. We will probably spend about the same, so the extra convenience is gravy!
After our decision making coffee break, we shot down to the local Media Markt store and bought Hubbalicious a pay as you go cell phone (a decision that was 3 months in the making) and me a wireless internet solution so I can continue to work while we’re waiting for our internet installation to happen (typical runtime window – one month plus!!). Then it was off to Ikea for part deux.
Ikea was crowded and crazy (which those of you who know my darling husband will realize, are not conditions suited to easy and relaxed shopping. The timer starts when we walk in the door and the grumbling begins exactly 27 minutes later!). We were able to figure out our top ideas for a closet solution based on the outward appearance (dimensions, wood color - we'll figure out the "guts" of it later). We also swung by the local Ikea competitor here (called MOMA). Its stuff was a bit flimsier – although no less expensive - so we crossed them off of our list. Then we dropped off the car, and the electronics back at Chez Marriott, and grabbed a train for a visit to the Stuttgart Wine Festival with some friends. I’m invoking Fight Club rules on this particular night – but let’s just say… it was a rainy, funny, wine-y, foodie night that will live in infamy.
Sunday –
This brings us to today. Shops are all closed here on Sundays, so we’re laying low and recovering from…. um…..“jetlag”…… all day….not much happening here….. Still no word from the realtor about Weds (shocker!!). Much like every step we’ve taken in our journey towards this, the “Holy Grail Apartment”…it’s slow going, but we remain hopeful :)
So – here’s how the World of Crazy turns for our little family:
One Month Ago –
I emailed our landlord (LOVE him) and asked about procedures, when he’d like to schedule our move in walk-through (more on that in another post), etc. He replied stating that he (like the rest of Europe) was on holiday for the month of August and that he’d still be gone on our move in date – and he’s already asked our real estate agent (do NOT love him) to help represent him during the walkthrough. Surprisingly (to the landlord, not to us) the real estate agent has not responded to this request to date – and if I wouldn’t mind arranging the meeting with the agent directly, he’d get back to enjoying his time with his family (because apparently a month plus, isn’t enough quality relaxation….not that I would know!). I send the email and (still not surprisingly) get no immediate response.
One Week Ago –
The Real Estate Agent sends Hubbalicious and I an email, with a link to YouTube video of the apartment next door – and asks us if we know anyone from the military who might be interested in it. The email begins “I hope that you are enjoying life in your new apartment…” Fabulous.
Hubbz volunteered to respond to the agent, because we agreed that he would be more friendly than I would (I tried to argue that responding only with “Please send us the appointment time for our walk through – Sincerely, Us” is not MEAN per se – but I had to concede that more flowery language may ensure good relations with the man who holds our house keys for the time being). Hubbz sent the message and got no immediate response.
Tuesday –
We got an email from the agent (YAY!!!!) asking if he could share our contact information with the current tenant (BOOOO) at our HG Apartment who had some household items she was interested in selling to us. As I am in a hospitable mood (having just eaten chocolate) I write back a friendly note granting permission for the information release and gently prodding for a time for our appointment (don’t laugh, I CAN be nice if I want to be...sometimes...after chocolate...). As I am finishing the last line of my email – another email comes from the agent, this time addressed to the tenant with me in cc – with our contact information. So much for asking for permission…. I add the line to the part about passing the info along: “Thank you so much for asking before you sent our information! We appreciate your kind respect.” (See – Mean Me would have changed my answer to “Please do not pass our information along” to embarrass him for already doing so and thus make a point….ahhhhh, it’s a chocolate miracle :))
Friday –
The current tenant at the HG Apartment called me and asked if we would like to buy her closet. It’s a large system of wardrobes with built in drawers that occupies a good 25% of the real estate in what will be our guest room. She said it’s a very nice system but that it’s a pain to deconstruct and that she’d be willing to part with it for half of the price they paid for it 3 years ago. She was asking $1000. Yup, a cool kilo. That’s how we roll in these parts. It’s a “Big Money for Small Furniture” kind of city. I agreed that Hubbalicious and I would swing by on Saturday am to examine said closet and make our decision then.
As I hung up the phone, I realized that I had NOT done my closet research. I have no idea if $1000 is a good deal for a closet of any quality…and what a quality closet might look like…. So geeze, I guess I’d better before I go see some closets before I have to evaluate the potential for savings in the morning! So I collected myself and rushed off to Ikea to see what I could learn (interestingly enough – what we call “i-KEY-ah” in the US, is called “ICK-kay-ah” here….). What I learned was that Ick-kay-ah has a LOT of cool stuff!! After spending a good chunk of time there, I flung my exhausted self back into Home Sweet Hotel Room and started navigating paint colors
.
Sidebar: Painting a rental property is part of your obligation as a tenant here. You can choose when you will paint, but the place must be painted during your tenure. The military acknowledges this and therefore grants us a Move In Housing Allowance (MIHA) for paint. However, please note the “I” in MIHA stands for “In” and therefore this allowance is only good for painting done during your move IN process. You must submit your painting bill within 30 days of your move in date to collect the reimbursement. This makes for a hectic move in period…but allows us to customize our new apartment to our liking.
The painter was due to drop off paint color options for us to peruse on Friday evening. He wanted me to choose colors and call him today with our decision so he could begin work on Thursday. Figuring that I’d have a small window in which to make my choice, I started visiting paint company websites (and the local hardware store) to try to familiarize myself with some options. I discovered that most paint companies (Sherwin-Williams, Behr, etc) have a paint choosing tool which allows you to upload a photo of the room you want to paint and “try on” colors. It even suggests complimentary colors for accent and trim. (That was a colossal time sponge – but really fun!). Of course, being that I am …well, me…I was unable to make any firm decisions. I decided to call off the painter until I had seen my furniture again and was able to hold up the chips to my bedspread or art work.
Saturday –
We finally got a chance to sleep in a bit (a respite from the jetlag we’ve battled since our return from the states last weekend). But we hit the ground running and made it downtown in time for our appointment with the old tenant and check out the closet. (It’s a nice piece, but takes up the entire wall of the guest room in sliver and frosted glass). I must admit the bigger draw for me, was a new opportunity for me see the apartment and for Hubbz to take some measurements. The meeting was pleasant and we left them with the promise that we’d let them know our decision by the end of the day. We then found the closest café and poured over the Ikea catalog to try to figure out our best closet solution. In the end, we decided to buy a new closet system since we wanted to have our clothing in our bedroom (not in the guest room), and a new closet could be customized to our needs. We will probably spend about the same, so the extra convenience is gravy!
After our decision making coffee break, we shot down to the local Media Markt store and bought Hubbalicious a pay as you go cell phone (a decision that was 3 months in the making) and me a wireless internet solution so I can continue to work while we’re waiting for our internet installation to happen (typical runtime window – one month plus!!). Then it was off to Ikea for part deux.
Ikea was crowded and crazy (which those of you who know my darling husband will realize, are not conditions suited to easy and relaxed shopping. The timer starts when we walk in the door and the grumbling begins exactly 27 minutes later!). We were able to figure out our top ideas for a closet solution based on the outward appearance (dimensions, wood color - we'll figure out the "guts" of it later). We also swung by the local Ikea competitor here (called MOMA). Its stuff was a bit flimsier – although no less expensive - so we crossed them off of our list. Then we dropped off the car, and the electronics back at Chez Marriott, and grabbed a train for a visit to the Stuttgart Wine Festival with some friends. I’m invoking Fight Club rules on this particular night – but let’s just say… it was a rainy, funny, wine-y, foodie night that will live in infamy.
Sunday –
This brings us to today. Shops are all closed here on Sundays, so we’re laying low and recovering from…. um…..“jetlag”…… all day….not much happening here….. Still no word from the realtor about Weds (shocker!!). Much like every step we’ve taken in our journey towards this, the “Holy Grail Apartment”…it’s slow going, but we remain hopeful :)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
HERE'S ONE FOR THE LADIES...BECAUSE YOU'LL UNDERSTAND!
The intention of this blog is to keep our loved ones apprised of our collective experiences in Germany. It would be easy for someone as opinionated as myself to use it for powers of evil and expound upon the things that are affecting ME (as opposed to US) in my life. So, I try to keep a tight rein on my urge to write about the more internal or singular things that happen. However, today I am going to stray from this path just a bit and share with you something that happened to me, but in all honesty is affecting us both over here.
In preparation for our quick US trip, and, because it was time, I got a haircut…or rather, I should say…I got
THE.
WORST.
HAIRCUT.
EVER.
(There will be no pictures posted….nope….don't even ask....never…what am I, crazy??)
This is one of the things they DON’T put in the “So You’re Marrying the Military” brochure (no they don’t actually have one..but wouldn’t that be a good idea?!?). Every three years we get a new house, a new set of friends and a new scene out of our bedroom window – all very cool things. But, we also have to find a new dentist, doctor, pizza delivery place, car repair, - and for us girls who like to be as put together as possible – a new hair stylist, manicurist, and esthetician. Not to wax all “complain-y” here, but other than being far from family, I’d say that’s the worst part of this gig.
So - I knew it was going to be a risky venture – and I had discussed it ad nauseum with my girlfriends. Where we would go, how we would discern a good salon from a bad one, etc. Finally, the time came along, as it always does, when Hubbalicious started to tease me about the increasing number of gray hairs threaded through my coif (hardy har har, since I can’t retort to the man who shaves his head!!) and when I started to grumble about how my hair wouldn’t do what it was supposed to do anymore. Then, I realized that we would soon be attending a wedding and that there would be pictures taken at said wedding. So, with a defeated sigh I admitted that I had reached that fateful day when I would surrender myself to someone who hopefully understood my native language well enough to cover my gray and trim my hair in a flattering and natural way
.
In an effort to be as communicative as possible, I drove over to a salon that I had been eyeing in the neighborhood of our hotel and made an appointment. They looked at my hair and attempted to understand what I wanted and then made an appointment for me with one of their stylists. I took a deep breath, smiled and prayed.
But then, fate stepped in….One of my friends here has children who attend the International School, which specializes in bridging their native language and schooling with the practices here in Germany. They produce a list of vendors in the area who speak English and welcome ex-pat business. She used a hairdresser on their list and came back with RAVE reviews about his work – so I took that as a sign that I should look no further than the place endorsed twice already – and made an appointment there instead.
The young man I worked with was funny and kind (and as I later discovered, NOT the one that my friend had seen). He seemed to understand what I was striving for and, I, hoping to embrace the fact that he knew what he was doing, agreed to his recommendations. The FIRST bad sign happened when he was about halfway through the foils on my head and said “Oh, I think the color we picked was too dark to show up, so I went a little lighter”. Wait – WHAT?? The SECOND bad sign I noticed was that he only put about 5 foils onto the top of my head. (My favorite stylist in Norfolk would put about 15 in that area – coloring fewer hairs and allowing them to blend into my other hair color in a much more natural way). Then he started cutting….
When he was done, the result was a bubble cut with tiger stripes. (Think Carol Brady Mullet, only brunette with honey colored stripes). I could not get out of there fast enough. I am proud to say that I DID NOT CRY. But I’ll admit to a great deal of affirmations spoken aloud and a seemingly endless cycle of looking at my hair in the rear view mirror, and then batting it away in disgust. I called my mom, she commiserated and suggested I make an appointment in CA. I called my sister who lovingly took up the call to arms and started dialing all the hairstylists she trusted in the area. (God love you both – seriously)
Hubbz called as I was driving home. He knew I was worried about the experience and wanted to see how it went. I sighed and repeated one of my affirmations to him “Oh well, it’s only hair. It will grow”. He clucked empathetically and assured me it probably wasn’t as bad as I thought.
When I picked Hubbalicious up from work that night, he climbed in the car and I laughingly stuck a pose and batted my eyes at him. He laughed (I should say guffawed!) and shook his head and said “I’m sorry Babe”. About 3 minutes later he regained his composure and tried to convince me that he kinda liked it…. I then gave him a little pearl of wisdom about how if he really wants me to believe a lie to improve my self image, he may want to LEAD with it next time, instead of the laughing and pointing routine we had just shared…. It was a sweet thought though!
While I didn’t cry and I did do my best to force all of my pragmatic thoughts to the foreground of my brain – I do have to admit that at night, the wee beastie thoughts of panic and disgust got the better of me. I actually think I lost sleep over this ridiculous haircut. Then, suddenly, I had a thought!! Despite my many attempts to remember to do so, I had forgotten to cancel my original appointment in my neighborhood!! Divine Intervention – I think so!!
So, the next morning, I rolled up to the new salon, ready for the color and cut on the books – and sheepishly explained to the hair tech that I had just had some work done on the previous day – and could she please help me!?!? She was a great sport. She repaired the color and spoke to me about strategy for fixing the cut. Unfortunately, it’s a process – so we actually agreed to cut MORE hair in an effort to start to fix the shape. With my hair already waaaaayyyy shorter than I wanted, I called my sister off of the appointment making process – short of shaving my head, there was little else to be done.
So…the end result is this… for two times the price, I have a haircut that still makes me sigh heavily each time I look in the mirror. AND my dear sweet husband gets to be part of the super-fun floor show which includes my sullen expression every time we leave the hotel and my overall reluctance to do anything social, because I would much prefer to hibernate until my hair grows!! See- I told you this story had a direct correlation to our life in Germany!!
In preparation for our quick US trip, and, because it was time, I got a haircut…or rather, I should say…I got
THE.
WORST.
HAIRCUT.
EVER.
(There will be no pictures posted….nope….don't even ask....never…what am I, crazy??)
This is one of the things they DON’T put in the “So You’re Marrying the Military” brochure (no they don’t actually have one..but wouldn’t that be a good idea?!?). Every three years we get a new house, a new set of friends and a new scene out of our bedroom window – all very cool things. But, we also have to find a new dentist, doctor, pizza delivery place, car repair, - and for us girls who like to be as put together as possible – a new hair stylist, manicurist, and esthetician. Not to wax all “complain-y” here, but other than being far from family, I’d say that’s the worst part of this gig.
So - I knew it was going to be a risky venture – and I had discussed it ad nauseum with my girlfriends. Where we would go, how we would discern a good salon from a bad one, etc. Finally, the time came along, as it always does, when Hubbalicious started to tease me about the increasing number of gray hairs threaded through my coif (hardy har har, since I can’t retort to the man who shaves his head!!) and when I started to grumble about how my hair wouldn’t do what it was supposed to do anymore. Then, I realized that we would soon be attending a wedding and that there would be pictures taken at said wedding. So, with a defeated sigh I admitted that I had reached that fateful day when I would surrender myself to someone who hopefully understood my native language well enough to cover my gray and trim my hair in a flattering and natural way
.
In an effort to be as communicative as possible, I drove over to a salon that I had been eyeing in the neighborhood of our hotel and made an appointment. They looked at my hair and attempted to understand what I wanted and then made an appointment for me with one of their stylists. I took a deep breath, smiled and prayed.
But then, fate stepped in….One of my friends here has children who attend the International School, which specializes in bridging their native language and schooling with the practices here in Germany. They produce a list of vendors in the area who speak English and welcome ex-pat business. She used a hairdresser on their list and came back with RAVE reviews about his work – so I took that as a sign that I should look no further than the place endorsed twice already – and made an appointment there instead.
The young man I worked with was funny and kind (and as I later discovered, NOT the one that my friend had seen). He seemed to understand what I was striving for and, I, hoping to embrace the fact that he knew what he was doing, agreed to his recommendations. The FIRST bad sign happened when he was about halfway through the foils on my head and said “Oh, I think the color we picked was too dark to show up, so I went a little lighter”. Wait – WHAT?? The SECOND bad sign I noticed was that he only put about 5 foils onto the top of my head. (My favorite stylist in Norfolk would put about 15 in that area – coloring fewer hairs and allowing them to blend into my other hair color in a much more natural way). Then he started cutting….
When he was done, the result was a bubble cut with tiger stripes. (Think Carol Brady Mullet, only brunette with honey colored stripes). I could not get out of there fast enough. I am proud to say that I DID NOT CRY. But I’ll admit to a great deal of affirmations spoken aloud and a seemingly endless cycle of looking at my hair in the rear view mirror, and then batting it away in disgust. I called my mom, she commiserated and suggested I make an appointment in CA. I called my sister who lovingly took up the call to arms and started dialing all the hairstylists she trusted in the area. (God love you both – seriously)
Hubbz called as I was driving home. He knew I was worried about the experience and wanted to see how it went. I sighed and repeated one of my affirmations to him “Oh well, it’s only hair. It will grow”. He clucked empathetically and assured me it probably wasn’t as bad as I thought.
When I picked Hubbalicious up from work that night, he climbed in the car and I laughingly stuck a pose and batted my eyes at him. He laughed (I should say guffawed!) and shook his head and said “I’m sorry Babe”. About 3 minutes later he regained his composure and tried to convince me that he kinda liked it…. I then gave him a little pearl of wisdom about how if he really wants me to believe a lie to improve my self image, he may want to LEAD with it next time, instead of the laughing and pointing routine we had just shared…. It was a sweet thought though!
While I didn’t cry and I did do my best to force all of my pragmatic thoughts to the foreground of my brain – I do have to admit that at night, the wee beastie thoughts of panic and disgust got the better of me. I actually think I lost sleep over this ridiculous haircut. Then, suddenly, I had a thought!! Despite my many attempts to remember to do so, I had forgotten to cancel my original appointment in my neighborhood!! Divine Intervention – I think so!!
So, the next morning, I rolled up to the new salon, ready for the color and cut on the books – and sheepishly explained to the hair tech that I had just had some work done on the previous day – and could she please help me!?!? She was a great sport. She repaired the color and spoke to me about strategy for fixing the cut. Unfortunately, it’s a process – so we actually agreed to cut MORE hair in an effort to start to fix the shape. With my hair already waaaaayyyy shorter than I wanted, I called my sister off of the appointment making process – short of shaving my head, there was little else to be done.
So…the end result is this… for two times the price, I have a haircut that still makes me sigh heavily each time I look in the mirror. AND my dear sweet husband gets to be part of the super-fun floor show which includes my sullen expression every time we leave the hotel and my overall reluctance to do anything social, because I would much prefer to hibernate until my hair grows!! See- I told you this story had a direct correlation to our life in Germany!!
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