Our Last Two Weeks

Hi All,
Hope everyone is well in the States. We continue to get used to Weisbaden and are becoming more acclamated to how things work here. We are learning new things every day and finding our way to different interesting restaurants and bars.

On Valentine's Day, we walked into town and had drinks at an Irish Pub. We then went to a restaurant and had a very nice, very traditional German dinner. We then went  back to the pub to finish the night out. After all that, we walked home. (Walking is safer than driving when you want to have a drink. German's are very strict about driving while drinking. First offense, 5 years in prison.)

On the following Saturday, we decided to go and look at some of the Antique shops in the area (Sterling's idea). The first place we visited, was very impressive but vey very expensive. The pieces were very old, dating back to the 1800's and very beautiful but started at a minumun of 12,000 Euro's. (almost 17,000 dollars in U.S.) The collection catered to the rich but we did a whole lot of dreaming and drooling.

The next place we visited was not so expensive and more of what I would call an Antique Store. The pieces also weren't as old or rare. We found a very beautiful, traditional German China Hutch that had been restored by the owner of the shop. It was more like 2500 Euros. (3500.00 US). This was much more what we were thinking but we decided that even that was a little big for our needs. No matter. We will figure it out eventually.

On Sunday, we rested as what is traditional in Germany. Many of the shops are closed and there really isn't much to do.

Since Monday was a holiday in the U.S., and Sterling has those off, we decided to take a drive. We went and followed the route on the Rhine River and were able to see (albeit from a distance) some of the old castles that line the highway. They were beautiful and you could just imagine the history that they held.


Rhein Castle



We will be taking a more in depth tour of this area later but mostly wanted to get out and drive for a bit



Another Beautiful Site on the Rhein

Berlin Tour 2/22/2014

This was the first in a series of observer tours that I will be taking to train with the U.S.O. Sterling came along for the ride and we both had a really fun adventure.

It started out when we met our U.S.O. Tour Guide at the pick up point for the bus, with the other 20 people that were taking the tour with us. Time we ventured out was 1:15 AM on Saturday Morning so we atttempted to take naps Friday evening.  The reason it started so early was so that we could get to Berlin, which is about 6-7 hours away, in time to have the whole day for the tour. It was an interesting trip there and nothing very eventful happened. Having said that, the trick for these long trips, will be learning how to sleep, sitting upright, on the bus. ARGH!!! (The only part of the trip that was not favorable to me because I am not a sleeper in moving vehicles).

The bus was fairly comfortable in a plane like way. Seats were close together but you had controls of your lights and venting so that helped. Also, because Germany is very strict with its driving rules, we had two drivers for the bus. They would take turns and that way, we were able to drive straight in without stopping and neither would get over tired.

We stopped at a rest stop about an hour away from Berlin and had breakfast and were able to stretch a bit. Then off for the final leg of our journey to Berlin.

Once we arrived in Berlin proper, we parked the bus and met our local tour guide that was going to be taking us around. 

The Tour Guide was an ex pat from England, a historian and someone who has been living and studying Berlin and Germany for the last twenty years.  He was very interesting to listen to and extremely knowledgable of the history, especially the Hitler era and all that now makes up Berlin.

We started the tour by seeing and hearing the history on the Brandenburg Gate. This is the formal symbol that divided East and West Berlin but it still standing in all it's glory. It is now the new symbol of the unity and peace between the two sides.  Looking at it really closely, you can still see the bullet holes that are there from the former fighting. It stands about 50 feet in the air and makes you feel really small when you are close to it. It is very beautiful to see, especially now in times of peace.





Brandenburg Gate

We proceeded through the gates and continued our tour to the Jewish Monument Park. This is the area that was established in tribute to the Jews that lost there lives during the Hitler Era. It is nothing but huge raised concrete slabs and feels like a maze when you are walking through it. It also felt kind of eary in that you knew what the symbols meant and could almost feel the pain and suffering that was happening then.





Jewish Monument Park

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Our next point of interest was the site were Hitler was buried. It is front of a big building that is being used as apartments and offices. There is a reader board over the site that explains the history and where exactly Hitler is. The guide told us that when his body was found here, it was confirmed not only from the dental records but from the skull that was found. There can be no mistaken that this was Hitler.  And that is our Guide Nick, telling us all about it.  

We then moved onto what is left of the Great Wall and the SS Momument that housed the Guistapo in the day.  There is also a memorial to the wall that is laid out on the payment.

SS Memorial



What is Left of the Berlin Wall

Memorial to the Wall

We finished our tour by visiting Checkpoint Charlie and hearing all there was about it. Checkpoint Charlie was the border point between the Soviets and the Americans. The only thing left standing here any more is a museum that houses its history. We did not have time to venture in nor did we take pictures but it was interesting to see and note that battles that raged at one time here.

Once our tour guide completed his tour, we were allowed to explore Berlin on our own. We went to a restaurant for lunch and of course, had to taste the beer that was there. Then we ventured off to the Alte NationalGalerie. This is an art gallery featuring paintings and sculptures from the 19th Century. Featured Artists were Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir (just to name a couple). The art inside this building is incredible. It is very interesting to me to note that for the time, the paintings were so beautiful and detailed. There were several that I wanted to take home with me. Can you imagine the time and effort it took to mix the colors, paint the images and all that goes with it? Not like our time at all.  This is the outside of the building that the art museum is in.

Alte Nationalgalerie

This is the Parliment Building was one of the structures that I could not take my eyes off of. It is so beautiful. It has been restored  to the beauty that you see here and is one of the most impressive sites to see in Berlin. You can climb up and actually look out over the city from the Dome part of the building.

Parliament Building or the Reichstag

 We closed out the day by rejoining our group at the bus site and headed back home. This again was another long trip and we returned @ about 2:00 Sunday Morning. 

Berlin to me was not what I expected. It is very much a vibrant city and has alot of shops, museums and interesting places to visit. Parts of it are under construction and I would imagine, the next time we visit, we will be able to see some of the completions of these areas. I also want to do some more exploring in the museums and some of the fine shops that are available. 

Weisbaden Germany

Hello one and all from Weisbaden Germany.

Sterling and I have been here about 3 weeks now and are enjoying our time here so far. We have been very busy, trying to figure out the "lay of the land" and sleep schedules.

For example, when we arrived on the 28th of January, in Frankfurt, we were met by a coworker of Sterling's from his new office. We drove about 40 minutes to our hotel in Weisbaden, dropped our luggage off and then went to the army offices to handle all the paperwork and to get our official I.D.'s taken care of.

When we were finished with that,  we went to Sterling's office to check in and help him to gain access to his computer, as well as meet some of the people he will be working.  He enjoyed meeting people and seeing his space that he is working in.

Our temporary quarters is on the Weisbaden Garrison U.S. Army Base. It is interesting because you see military personnel all over the place and American restaurants and entertainment.

Our room, while compact, is like an extended stay hotel in the States. It is comfortable and cozy and gives us what we need to get by.

This is the living room of our suite.

What is interesting to note is that the housekeepers are both male and female. I have never seen that before. They come and clean every day and check in to make sure that we have everything we need. They speak English and are a very nice group of people

The nice thing about this tour is that even though we are civilians, we are here with the Department of Defense and therefore, are able to receive the same privileges as the military. We are able to access the Commissary, PX and all the other things that the military can. We even are issued "Ration Cards" for purchases such as hard alcohol, coffee and tobacco. Seems weird but it allows us not to have to pay the 19% tax rate on the German economy and that is huge.

Because this is a military town and we are not restricted to stay here, we can branch out to the local economy. Means that we have to carry both American money and Euros as most of the local vendors won't accept our money. It is fun though seeing the pretty buildings and the old architecture that is here. Really is a Bavarian paradise. This is just an example of what we have been seeing. Beautiful huh!

This is $5.00 in Euro. Can't tell you what it is worth in American money because the exchange rate fluctuates all the time. We have to accept that and build a bit of a "nest" into our long term plans for the fluctuation.

  









The Sunrises are really pretty here and we get to see them while all of you are gearing down from a long hard day. There is a nine hour time difference between us here in Germany and you all in Washington so, if it is 12:00 pm in Seattle, it is 9:00 at night here in Germany and we are getting ready for bed.  Gotta love the view though.

Sterling and I have been sampling some of the local restaurants in the area and have found them to be good. We have eaten traditional German food like pork knuckles and have sampled the German's version of American food, like steak. Both are good and I have not decided which one I like better or not. Guess time will tell.

The  below picture was taken at a restaurant not too far from here. I can't remember what the real name of it is but the Americans (Mandy and John Melgaard to name who) call it "Steak on a Rock". It is really interesting because you order your steak and they bring it to you on a super sizzling, block of stone. It cooks while you are eating it and you can control how you want it done. Serve it up with a baked potato smothered in Sour Cream and Chives and a good German beer and you are set for life. MMMMM!!! GOOD STUFF!!!!

We were happy that we were able to watch the Seahawks blow out the Bronco's during Super Bowl Sunday on Armed Forces Network.  For us, the game aired at 12:30 pm so we took power naps ahead of time to be able to stay up and watch. There were also several parties that were going on as well with one being across the driveway at the base Entertainment Center. We chose to watch in our hotel room and were able to Skpe with Gary and Teresa, during the game. Almost made us feel like we were there. Thank you G&T for bringing us "home" for the game. (Sterling had already arranged to take Monday off from work so that was quite good for him).

 We also were able to stream the parade on our computer. If we would have been home, I would have been right in the middle of the chaos in downtown. While I would have loved it, it was just as fun to watch it from a distance. Gary, Teresa, Mandy and John kept us posted on this and sent pictures of them or family members enjoying the festivities.  We also saw alot of Facebook posts of the Skittles all over the place and I am pleased to say, we had ours here in Germany!!!!!! GO HAWKS!!!!

We were able to take delivery of our Miata the day after the game. In order for an American to get approval of a vehicle in Germany, the car has to be inspected and authorized. Then it has to be plated for Germany. We were lucky that the Miata met all the criteria and was easily plated and registered here. Oh ya, it likes it when we drive on the Autobahn. Here is what the plates look like:

We will be moving into our permanent housing situation in March, and feel fortunate that we found an apartment so quickly. It is a bit outside of town but affords all the comforts necessary.  It features 3 bedrooms 1 1/2 baths, a living room and kitchen. There are laundry facilities on site and we get a storage area and a one car garage. This is all in a secured building. Best part is that it has a HUGE deck that is connected to the front of the building and is on a bus line leading directly into town.  We should be able to live with only one car and that will be huge as parking is at a premium here. There is plenty of space around our apartment though and we like that alot. I cannot wait to move and set up housekeeping here. I already have ideas on how to decorate our new space. (Sorry Sterling!) Pictures will be forth coming.

Last but not least for now, I have committed myself to some volunteer work with the USO. This organization is designed to assist the military and their families and offers tours of Europe, German speaking classes and all kinds of other things to make sure that our armed forces and their families are well taken care of. I am also pleased because this is the organization that my dad was involved with in the 60's. He would be very proud!

My duties will be to accompany different tours around Europe and be the go between for the Americans and whatever local group we are visiting. I am excited to get started on this venture and will be taking my first tour, albeit as an observer for train purposes, in March. We will be going to Amsterdam. I look forward to seeing and experiencing what is out there and it will be a great way to meet others like me that are here.

Well all, this is it for now. We are happy and content and while we miss our family and friends tremendously, we do not regret our decision to move here.  We hope that all of you are happy and healthy and look forward to hearing from you. Better yet, hop on a plane and come for a visit. We would love to have you any time.

With much love to you all,

Sterling and Deb.

Disclaimer - This is the first time that I have ever written a blog so feel free to comment on it and tell me what you think.