Day 29: Staying In!

For some reason I was particularly tired today. (I can't imagine why - after all the walking yesterday!)

I was supposed to go to the market to get bread and some other essentials that we buy on the economy but honestly, I couldn't bring myself to go.

I spent a good part of the day going through yesterday's photos and writing my blog. I sent Ted a list of "To Do's" including scheduling a date with the housing office and the driver's license people as well as a doctor's appointment.

We sent along the paperwork for the shipment but we found that for some reason, our bank would not cough up our money. I sent an email to them since I can't call them and am hoping that they will facilitate action relatively quickly.

The highlight of today was Ted calling me to find out if I could get those "green cards" I so quickly pitched when he brought home the mail. Silly me, I thought the green cards were for the stuff he brought home, not for more mail!! He asked if the trash had been taken away and I said the landlady (her name is Angelika) had taken the trash on Saturday. When he went to the CMR (Central Mail Room) to find out if they were really necessary...it turns out there's a location on the green card and without it, they have no way of knowing where the mail and/or packages are. And we don't even know what it is we're looking for!

I decided it wouldn't hurt to go ask Angelika if the trash had been taken away. She was SO gracious to let me look through my trash again. Luckily I knew EXACTLY where I had placed them. I found them quickly and thanked her again. I also thanked her for elevating Ted's bed. German beds are so different from American beds. We thought we looked to see if they we were able to elevate the bed and we didn't think it had that capability...but lo and behold, dear Angelika had elevated the bed when she changed the bed linens. I was so thankful. Now Ted could sleep a little bit more comfortably. Well, that was Saturday night and I didn't see her to thank her so I thought, I'll thank her for that while I'm looking for the green cards.

She proceeded to tell me that she actually changed the entire bed out because the bed that was there did not elevate. What an incredibly nice thing to do!! I explained what Ted has - a really bad case of bronchitis - and that we were able to go to the clinic to get him medicine. We talked about medical care and how I enjoy speaking Italian with the Cafe Venezia owner.

It turns out, Angelika and her husband, Helmut own two other apartments like the one we are in on another street in Bonlanden!! She said that they were occupied by two other people from Ted's company. She then invited me into her home in order to give me their names.

She showed me around her home. Her living room is very contemporary and they have a flat screen TV. The kitchen is larger than I expected and the dining room is pretty with an upholstered bench half-circle bench with an oval table and chairs around the other side. The wood is light and what I would have expected in a German home. They have a corner fireplace which I'm sure gets used a LOT in the wintertime. Her guest bath is off the foyer and she is doing renovations to her home. Her office is becoming her bedroom and her bedroom is becoming her office. She showed me the work that was being done. Everything was neat and tidy even though there are major renovations going on. I found out that she sews and that she made all of the drapes in her home and in our apartment...but I kind of figured that when I saw the drapes. They didn't look store bought. I explained that I sew as well.

We talked about language and how difficult it is but she said that some of the grammar in German is difficult and to do the best I can (which I am doing) but I'm still killing the pronunciation! LOL!

We talked until her husband came home. It turns out, she needed the car so he bicycled to work! Seven kilometers there and seven back. He certainly got his exercise in for the day! I told him that I had shipped my "gelbes Fahrrahd" (yellow bicycle). (notice the noun is capitalized...in German ALL nouns are capitalized. That takes some getting used to!)

Anyways, I said "Guten Naben" and went back upstairs.

Ted came home and didn't want to eat so we watched a few episodes of NCIS and went to bed.

Until tomorrow, Guten Naben!