Happy St. Patrick's Day

Wow, Can't believe it is the middle of March already. Time is sure flying by.

Sterling's trip to Boston was a success. The conference he attended went well and all made it back safely. Yeah!!!

While Sterling was gone, I spent time with people that were left at the office. We went to dinner and hung out and it was really nice to get to know some of his colleagues. I was gratefull for the company and appreciated the time they spent with me.

On March 9th, we decided to take a drive to see if we could get an idea of where the golf courses were. We found the one that is used most often by the military here and since it was a beautiful day out, and the golf bug was biting really hard, we decided to give it a go. Problem was that we do not have our clubs yet so we ended up renting clubs and golfing in our tennis shoes. Was not the best experience but hey, we got out and walked a bit on the beautiful course. Plus, we met a German person who was really funny to listen to. Nice afternoon all around.

Moving and New Apartment:

The next day was inspection day in anticipation of our move. We met our landlords at our new apartment and went over all the necessary things. We did the meter readings and received the keys to our new place. We then went back to the hotel and started packing for our move on the 12th.

Moving day arrived and since we were moving ourselves, we had to make several trips back and forth. But, all went off without a hitch and we were able to move what little provisions we took with us on the plane.


Our place right now is sparse in furnishings. We have a card table for a dining table and we are sleeping on air mattresses with sleeping bags. The laptop is stationed on a TV tray and we are using shelving and drying racks for closets until we are able to buy some wardrobes. Nevertheless, it is comfortable and bright and we love the place and location. Just outside of the main part of town but not too far that you can't walk.

Our apartment has 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room and kitchen. The floors are engineered wood in the living, dining room and bedrooms and tile everywhere else. They are nice but hard to keep clean as they show the dirt quite well. We will be putting area rugs down as soon as possible.
 While the interior is compact and boxy, we have a huge deck on the front side, which faces a park across the street. It is my favorite place to sit and have a beer or glass of wine. 

Next month, the landlords will be tearing apart our deck and refurbishing it with better railings and better surfaces, just in time for Summer. We look foward to the new look and to be able to Barbeque again.


View from our Deck



View from our Bedroom

From Our Deck to the Living Room

There is also a basement which houses the washer dryer, storeroom and garbage facilities and it is a secured building so any time we want to leave, we have to always remember our keys or we will most assuredly, get locked out.

The garage is compact but holds the Miata nicely and has padding on either side of the walls for extra protection.

Our tiny Garage

The street we live on is a fairly busy residential street with plenty of parking around the building. While there is traffic, it does not seem to bother us when we are inside.  It also sits on a busline and we have stops just outside our building. Not sure where the bus goes yet but I am looking forward to finding out.

We got lucky in that we did not have to buy a kitchen as it was already installed. That is rare in Europe and while the appliances are small, they work well and will be just fine. And yes, we now have a Microvawe and a small coffee pot to boot.



Stove an oven side ways. (Sorry)



 In the next few weeks, we will be ordering storage units, beds and furniture to go into our place and hope that our household goods we shipped from the States, will be arriving soon.  Once we get things set up, I will update my blog  but for now, there is not much here.

Amsterdam Trip With The USO, March 15, 2014

On Saturday morning, (1:15 AM) I hopped aboard a bus with 40 of my new best friends. This is the second in a series of observer/training tours that I am taking with the USO, in order to work as a Tour Guide. While the actual drive is long and a bit uncomfortable, exploring the places we see, more than makes up for it.

Our tour started just outside Amsterdam at a place that makes cheese and Wooden Shoes. They served us breakfast, fresh from the farm, and gave us cheese making demonstrations and wooden shoe making demonstrations, both of which, are done in both traditional ways and some modern.  I did not get to see alot of the cheese demonstration as I was working with the Tour Guide on some things however, I was treated to a block of cheese from the Cheese and Wooden Shoe Shop, just outisde of Amsterdam.  

Gouda Cheese - So Very Tasty

 Wooden Shoes are traditional to Holland and Amsterdam. They are made from several different types of wood, most traditionally, Poplar.  The Maker takes a block of wood and carves it down by hand to the correct size that he needs. He then will place it in a machine to groove out the interior. Once that is completed, they go into another machine for the final preparation before painting, staining and adding of the different decorations. They come all different sizes, colors and designs and the people that work in this shop, can add detail to shoes that are unique to you.

Wooden Shoe Maker in All His Glory. Take a look above at the very Small Sampling of his Shoes



Thought these would make good walking shoes. What do you think?



And here are my Soveniers from the shop.

From the Cheese and Wooden Shoe Shop, we travelled into Amsterdam and met our local guide, Martin. Martin took us on first a bus tour and then a walking tour and told us about the history of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and is home to nearly 4 million people within its boundries. The city is located in North Holland area and began as a small fishing village in the late12th Century. It is known as the "commercial capital" of the Netherlands. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, which is the oldest Stock Exchange in the world, is in the center of the city. There are also famous museums and attractions such as the Van Gough Museum, Anne Frank House and the Red Light District, plus the many canals that run through and surround the city. 

One of the canals that runs through the city.



Beautiful Scenery from the Bus



 Driving is discouraged in Amsterdam as the roads are narrow and many are one way. To get around, there are Trams and buses that are used as well as trains and water taxi's. The most popular mode of transportation is the bicycle. There are thousands of them everywhere at any given time and don't forget to be careful when you are out walking around as you will get hit by a bike or car.  I can guarantee you that it will happen.

This is a building in the middle of one of the squares. I think it is beautiful especially, cause it has part of my name in it.

The Red Light District is where the "ladies of the evening" come out to play. They are standing in windows, dressed in scant clothing and showing off their "goods" Interesting to note that they are of all shapes and sizes.  Don't try to take pictures though because they are camera shy and will hide behind the curtain they have. 

Marijauna is everywhere and is legal in Amsterdam. You will walk by a coffee shop or bar and find the patrons drinking and smoking on the street. If you run out, just go to the nearest soveneir shop to replace what you have smoked. They also have all the paraphanelia you need. (Interesting). 

Amsterdam is very beautiful in its architecture and structure from the old buildings to the canals everywhere. The Dutch that inhabit the city, seem to have taken the old and have done a great job of combining it with the new. The shops are unique, modern and fun and you will find retail that is common in the States, such as H&M. 

I loved walking around and exploring the sites, especially those from the water taxis. Next time I go, I will visit some of the museums and other attractions but willl make sure that I bring my bike with me.

This was a trip that was particularily interesting to me as my Great Grandmother was from Holland albeit, not from Amsterdam. however, it was fun to see.  

First Blog in March

Hi all,

Well, here we are in the beginning of March already. Alot has been going on. 

Last week, we signed the contract for our apartment, which will become our new home on March 12th. We also were able to get Sterling an International Drivers license so that he can drive in other countries.  We went exploring to some restaurants and pubs and I did some shopping on the side.

I was able to finally secure my German's Driver's License so I am able to drive now. I have not gained the confidence to drive in the city yet but I will soon enough.

This past weekend, we took a train to Rudeshiem (about 20 minutes away), to partake in their Fasching (or Carnival). While on the train, we were blessed with several German young men who where drinking (apparently it doesn't matter if you are on the train or not, drinking is allowed) and where serenading us with all kinds of songs. Laughing and swearing up a storm as well. Interesting to note that they spoke German until they started singing and then sang in English.

When we arrived, we walked around and found some shops. While most were closed for the celebration, there were a few that were open and I was able to drool at their items. I actually went to a shop with a new friend and was able to help her pick out a jacket to buy. It was fun and if I would have had more Euro's,. I probably would have been buying as well. Oh well, I know where the place is.

After our shopping excursion, we met up with the other members of our party and hit a couple of the pubs along the way. We then went to watch the parade and were treated with candy and treats thrown from the parade participates and alcohol flowing all over the place. Seems that the Fasching celebrations really mean drinking celebrations and all were having a good time, standing on the street and celebrating. Once the parade was over, the streets were lined with all kinds of broken bottles and trash. I was kind of sad to see that. However, I am sure that it did not take long for the parade organizers to clean up the mess and I know they expected it.

The parade was quite long and had many interesting  floats and characters. There were Smurfs, German traditionals Ghostbusters and all kinds of other themes. Not sure what some of them were and some were pretty weird but hey, it was all good.

After the parade, we headed back to the train station and waited for our turn to board. It was the most awful experience that I have been through in recent years. Reason why is the train station closes the doors to the platform when there is no train there. When the train is arriving, the doors open and every one literally pushes through the doors. We had a stroller with two small children with us and they were nearly knocked over as the nationals tried to make their way over us. Reminded me of the good ole concert days of the seventies and early eighties. Also reminded me of why I quit going to concerts. Not cool but all in all, it was good and everyone arrived safely back to Weisbaden.

Some of us then went and found food and we closed out our night by taking a taxi back to base.

The next day was the celebration here in Weisbaden. We decided to opt out of that one because we were recovering from the one in Rudesheim. I am to old for two days of festivals in a row. So we hung around here and did grocery shopping.

Sterling got up early on Monday to make a flight to Boston. He is in a conference there all week and I am sure that he is having a great time. I am doing my thing here and just hanging out this week. Next week, we will finalize our paperwork for our apartment and move. We are suppose to be going to Amsterdam with the USO the weekend of the 15th but I am not sure if that is going on yet.  We will have to see if there is enough sign up or not.

That is it for now from Germany.  Love to all and I will write again soon.