Day 33: Neighborhood revisited

We were supposed to go to the housing office today to view pictures of more apartments but Ted's boss called a meeting so our trek to Kelley base is off. Ted will call Mr. Hernandez to see if we can make it the first part of next week.

I was a bit disappointed and yet at the same time relieved because I knew I had to get the cleaning done and I like to take my time in doing so and I know if we had gone to Kelley today, it would have been a rush job. This is something I don't like to do. In my younger days, I would have flown through the cleaning but these days, I take my time (since I have the time).

I reviewed our plans for tomorrow (you'll have to come back and see what those plans are) and sent a few sample itineraries to Ted. Our plans will all hinge on whether or not he has the time to make a phone call. I still have to firm up the rest of the itinerary based on the books. Gosh, I LOVE these books! They make it SO easy to decide where to go and what to do! They will be a never ending source of information for us over the next several years.

After handling those issues, I made the beds, put the dishes away and got the laundry ready to go for tonight's jaunt to the laundromat. I'm actually looking forward to it because it will be quiet and we can do our Bible study!

By this time it was after 11 and I knew I had to move if I wanted to get to the bakery on time before they close. I don't know the actual time but since we are all out of bread, I'd better hurry.

It's rather chilly and blustery today yet sunny. I grab my jacket, my sunglasses, my big Juice Plus+ bag (for the bread), my wallet and oh, yes...the glass jars I have under the sink to recycle.

I also grabbed the camera to take some more photos of the neighborhood. The camera does a MUCH better job with the photos than my cell phone, thank goodness. The next three photos are pictures of the farmland (not two blocks away) and the hills on the other side along with some farm houses. In the distance, you can see the church steeple. I hear the bells ringing even when they aren't ringing...or maybe they're just ringing in my head...I don't know.

After buying my bread (from the same guy as the other day), he now is speaking to me in German. I usually point and say "Brot" (bread) and then make a slicing motion. He gets the drift. I also order "Eins" (one) butter "Brezel" (Pretzel) for lunch. When he brings back the bread and puts the Brezel in paper, I say "Alles" and he gives me the total. I pay him and then leave.

I was not ready to go home yet and I thought I'd check out another grocery store across the way. I didn't even know it existed until a bit ago when Ted told me what it was (he apparently went in looking for cough drops - which are only available at the "Apotheke" (pronounced Ah-po-tech-a, weird, huh?). Anyways, I go in and see that it's like the old fashioned neighborhood markets that once dotted every neighborhood in the 50s and 60s. It sort of reminds me of Aldi's (for those of you reading this from Ytown). A huge difference though, is that this place is in the basement (or ground floor) of a four or five-story building that houses apartments above it. There is parking underground and a few spaces under the portico but that's it. The store is called Rewe.



I looked around and they had beautiful strawberries so I picked up a package of those. I looked for vanilla but all they had was bourbon vanilla beans. I didn't want the beans, I just wanted some vanilla extract...apparently this store doesn't carry anything like that. Once again, I was forced to look at pictures to figure it out - how humbling! I then walked around the perimeter of the store where their meat department and frozen foods were. I noticed they had "Kartoffel" (potatoes) patties and I thought, the Germans are big on potatoes, these are probably good and I picked up a package of them. This particular package has rosemary and garlic. Since Ted loves garlic and I like both, it should be OK. I can't read the directions but gosh, it can't be THAT difficult to figure out!



It was then that I remembered I wanted some Brillo pads because the pans were not getting as clean as I'd like. So I stood in the cleaning aisle and looked around and looked around. I felt totally lost. I could see Cascade (yes, they have Cascade here) and Palmolive, but where's the Brillo? I expect it has a different name so there I was looking for pictures again. Finally, I spot it next to the cleaning supplies for the floor. I guess I'm not used to having my pots and pans scrubbers lumped in with the floor cleaners. By the way, they have Swiffer too!



I check out and put my purchases into my Juice Plus+ bag and pay the lady. At this point, I'm STILL not ready to go back to the apartment and since I'm passing by what I think is a kitchen shop, I decide to go in and see if they have a very small tray that I can cook those potato things in the oven.

After going inside, I see it's a combination toy store and kitchen shop. That's a very weird combination. I guess if you get the kiddies in, the Mamas will buy stuff for their kitchen. Well, they had a pan but it was outrageously expensive and I was not about to buy it when I had my own stuff coming from the states. I'll just have to make due with the pans that are provided with the apartment.

I was excited, though, because I saw the tall, narrow clear glass pitchers that my mom owns. I have been looking for them in the states forever! They actually have three sizes!! Small, Medium and Large. I guess I know what I'll have Ted buy me for my birthday ;) While I wouldn't spend 8 Euro for a soup bowl (almost $11) I will pay (or should I say Ted will) 20 Euro ($26) for the big pitcher. And I would pay that since I couldn't find it in the states and I collect clear pitchers.

Here's a photo of the store. It's an interesting store because it has four display windows on the side of the store (to entice you to come in, of course) and one huge plate glass wall in the front of the store. I had browsed the front of the store on different occasions (always when they were closed) but never had an opportunity to check it out.



The Juice Plus+ bag is getting heavy so it's time to head back to the apartment. On the way back, I decided to snap a photo of the butcher shop I go to for Mortadella and Parmesan cheese. Notice the mural on the side of the building (and that it's part of some one's house). It depicts that it's a Butchers shop with hams and sausages hanging from the tree and even a "katsa" (Cat). I didn't notice that mural until a few weeks ago. It blends into the building!



As I walk along, I decided to snap a photo of the Bus Stop which is RIGHT outside some one's house. It also has the time tables and a map of the routes. I don't have the courage yet to take the bus. I think it's because I feel lost not knowing the language well enough in case I get lost. Having Ted with me and being lost is one thing, but being on my own...that's another story. I also don't want to figure it out yet because we don't know if we'll be living in this village long term. Why struggle to learn a bus route that I may not use a whole lot and possibly won't have access to in a month or so? It just doesn't make sense! There's also a bus stop on the opposite side of the street for folks going in the opposite direction.

Ted had to get the fuel card renewed and there was a bit of confusion surrounding whether or not we would get the card because the car was now in the company's name. After a few phone calls and a lot of going back and forth between bases (and the traffic was horrendous) the issue was resolved and the card was renewed. However, because of the traffic and the issue, he was really late in coming home tonight.

We had our evening meal and waiting around a bit before leaving to go do the laundry. On the way there, we gassed up for our jaunt tomorrow. When we got to the base, the commercial machines were being used and people were there, unfortunately. I was disappointed that we didn't get to do our Bible study. Finally the washers were free and we could do the laundry. It was after 11 when I folded the last of the clothes and packed them up. We decided because we were leaving early and the landlady comes in and inspects, that we will bring the laundry upstairs tonight.

We got home but I didn't put the laundry away. I decided to take some advil and double up my Juice Plus+ and go straight to bed because my throat is sore and I want to get as much rest as possible.

Until tomorrow, Auf Wiedersehen!

Day 32: Driving!

I spent the better part of today pouring over those great travel books that I bought from Amazon. I'm going to be planning all of our trips so I want to be informed and prepared before we trek somewhere. I don't want a repeat of the Heidelberg trip!

I can't wait for the weather to get a little better and we have our housing and car stuff worked out, then we can relax until our household goods get here and we move into our new place...that is if Wells Fargo will ever cough up OUR money to pay the shipper. It's been a hassle and a half with them and I'm beside myself trying to coordinate the issue from here. My cell phone doesn't appear to be working and with the time difference it's a bit difficult to place a call to Wells Fargo and get it all worked out. I can't wait to get a place of our own so I'll 1) have phone service to the U.S. and 2) be able to call my husband. As it is right now, I can only receive calls here but I cannot make them. It's a pain! Until then, we're doing day trips on the weekends in the local and surrounding areas. There's so much to see that it doesn't matter that we cannot travel outside of Germany with the car. Who cares? There is SO much to see and do, it might take months just to see it all...and even then, we'll be going back to some places two and three times!

Ted finally came home to find me reading the travel books. He wasn't very hungry but wanted to go explore "Toom". We had a quick meal and headed first to Lidl to get some pound cake (or at least, I THINK it's pound cake) for some strawberry shortcake. We also wanted to pick up some whipped cream but shame on us for not translating it before we left for the store. Oh well! Once again, a learning experience! So we're at the store and we're looking around for whipped cream. It's really difficult to figure it out so like children, we depend on pictures to help us. There's something called Creme Freishe which I think is Whipped Creme but we found something else that looked like whipping cream. We purchased both because the both of them were less than 2 Euro. It certainly is going to be interesting making strawberry shortcake!

Since it's been 30 days since we have had the car, Ted's company had to renew the contract so we could continue to use the car. My husband requested that I be added to the new contract so I could drive. So guess what? I got to drive tonight! It was fun and reminded me of driving in Italy when I was there so many years ago. The streets are narrow here so Ted was a bit concerned that I would freak out or something. I reminded him that I drove in Italy and I have been driving for over 35 years, I THINK I can handle it. What WAS fun was driving on the "round abouts".

So after Lidl, we trekked over to Toom. We thought it was a department store but it is actually more like a Lowe's but on a MUCH smaller scale. They were redoing some of their displays for summer. They had the barbecue grills and outdoor dining tables out front along with beautiful potted flowers! The first floor was all of the seasonal stuff along with paint, lighting (their lighting is very, very contemporary and mostly track lighting). I guess they want the biggest bang for the buck or Euro as it were. They had those crazy escalators, the ones that are ramps. I think they are so curious! So up the ramp we go! Upstairs are all of the tools from construction tools to hand tools, washing machines, bikes, and even tires! There are doors and windows, cement, free-standing air conditioning units (which we may have to get - although I'll be scouring the military paper for used ones). Ted said there's one thing they can't improve upon...W-D 40! LOL!

When we left it was REALLY cold and the wind was kicking up and it was lightly raining. I really wanted to get back to our small apartment. Ted opened the window in the kitchen and Living room before we left and it was cold in there. They had to be closed for the evening! I sure hope it's warm tomorrow! I could use some sunshine! It seems like it's very sunny in the morning and then becomes overcast as the day wears on. Very different from our California weather!

I finally got Ted to call the shipper and they have started to receive their monies although they have to do it in installments because there is a limit on the account. UGH! So it will all be paid for by Monday and I should have a ship date and potential arrival date by next week. Hooray!

We also canceled our insurance for our cars. We left it in place because when we came to Germany, the rental was in our name until Ted's driving records arrived from California. The records finally arrived and the rental agreement was then transferred to the company. Now we can cancel the insurance and get a refund not only from the insurance company but also from Ted's company for the original rental. That money will be earmarked for housing!

Tomorrow we're planning to go back to Kelly to meet up with Mr. Hernandez to look at more apartment photos and get the appointment made to see one of the apartment's from yesterday.

Tomorrow is also laundry and cleaning day so it's going to be a big day all the way around. I will sleep well tomorrow!

Until then, Auf Wiedersehen!

Day 31: Housing!

It is a beautiful day today; sunny but a little chilly. Ted is still coughing but he thinks it's the last of it. He still has to get some material out of his lungs so he won't take the coughing medicine, just the antibiotic.

It was a little after 8am when we got on our way and the traffic was awful! I don't see the traffic because we travel that road on the weekends when it is clear. But my dear husband travels that road every day and every evening, God bless him!

We got to Kelly Base and there was a notice on the window of the housing office. It said the Kelly office was going to be closed until Friday and that if we wanted help, we should go to Panzer Base. I thought for sure the day would be a bust, but my sweet husband got on the phone and called Panzer base and talked to a Mr. Hernandez. He told us to come over to Panzer otherwise we would have to wait until Friday.

Before making the call, my husband warned me that the Panzer housing office was a nightmare. But I was surprised when he said, we're going. OK. I was happy because I thought I would be disappointed and would have to wait another two days.

We get to Panzer (more traffic) and it's about 9:30 at this point. We walk in and the place is packed. Uh-oh! We sign in and shortly there after, a gentleman comes over to us and tells us that the earliest they would see us would be at 11am and would we like to come back assuring us that when 11am rolled around, regardless of how many people were there, we would be first on the list. He also gave me an information sheet to complete, a map and the latest listing sheets. We would come back at 11am.

We were both hungry so we went over to the Food Court. Ted wanted a breakfast sandwich and I was dying to taste the "Apfel Strudel" (Apple Strudel). We both had our favorite tea, San Benedetto (from Italy, don't you know!). He favors the peach and I love the lemon.

We sit down and have our breakfast. The strudel was terrific! I could actually taste the apples because they were not drenched in sugar! Of course, Ted's sandwich (bacon, eggs and cheese) is Americanized and a heart attack waiting to happen!

I was so glad I brought along one of my travel books to look at while we wait. After reviewing the listings and completing the form, we perused the travel book for a bit. Finally at 10:45am Ted said, let's walk back over to the housing office. We walked to the housing office which is across a huge parking lot and past the new car sales place. We walk in and the room was empty. Hooray!!

We were called into one of the rooms and a girl named, Verena Klempe, helped us review the paperwork they had given us when were there earlier. It turns out Verena was an Au Pair in Carmichael, CA for a year. Carmichael is not far from our home in Rocklin. She even knew where Rocklin was! It truly IS a small world. She spoke English very, very well but had a thick German accent. She was friendly and helpful. She joked with my husband and me.

I had already seen the list they had given me earlier and verified which listings I was interested in against the list I had made last night from the emailed lists we were sent. I had seven all together.

We looked as some of the interior photos of some of the listings. Of course you can't tell too much from photos and some didn't even have photos. And you can't see what the neighborhood is like, or the exterior of the building so we decided that we would do drive by before scheduling any showings. We didn't want to waste our time or the landlords.

For now we narrowed it down to three listings:

The first one is a 3 bedroom, 1323 Square Feet (SF) "Maisonette" apartment with 1 1/2 baths, a garage and two balconies. A Maisonette is a two-story apartment - not a townhouse but a two story in a building with other apartments. It is about 20 km away from Ted's work and he would have to be on the Autobahn almost the entire way to work. And it is very crowded in the mornings and the evenings. However, it is the least expensive of the three and well within the stipend that the company is giving us including utilities, but it is heated by oil. I'm not to thrilled with that. However, I liked the photos and there are some built in cabinets and the kitchen looks really nice! We drove by this apartment on our way home to drop me off. It faces a big field (which Ted likes) but neither of us were totally impressed with the building and Ted was less than impressed to have to use the autobahn for almost the entire way to work. We've ruled out this apartment.

About the time I was plugging the next apartment in the GPS, Ted got a call from work and he needed to take me home. Hopefully we will be able to see the other two tonight when he gets home. I will bring my camera and take photos of the exteriors so I have them.

After having a quick meal, we were on our way to drive by the other two apartments.

The second is also a 3 bedroom, 1636 SF apartment with 1 1/2 baths. It is about 27 km from Ted's work. I'm not sure of the route until we drive by it. I did do an aerial view on Google Maps before leaving the apartment but it doesn't really give you a sense of the neighborhood. It has a balcony and a community laundry room in the basement. We, of course, would have to provide our own washer and dryer. It also has a garage. However, it too is oil heated and is more expensive than the first one. The "cold" rent (without utilities) is still under our stipend but it means we would have to pay utilities out of our pockets. I was hoping to not have to do that. There were no photos so I have NO idea what the inside of this unit looks like much less the outside. We took a ride after dinner to see the outside of this property. It took us almost 40 minutes to get to this location. As we got closer to the town, there were a LOT of industrial buildings. One place reminded me of the old steel mills in Youngstown - much cleaner, though. I was not impressed with that but we were there so we might as well take a look at the apartment. This apartment is on the third floor. I am concerned about what the heating bill will be given that it's the top floor. I know heat rises but what about the ceilings...are they insulated enough to maintain the heat and utilities are more expensive here than in the states. Neither of us was impressed with the location or the exterior of the building. It was not as well kept as the place we are in. I will be telling that to the housing office. I also am concerned about it's location in reference to the town. It is quite a ways from town and it's on the side of a hill. When I go shopping, it will be a chore to get up that hill to get to the apartment. No, I think we're going to nix this one.





The third is also a 3 bedroom apartment 1399 SF apartment with 1 1/2 baths. It is 1 kilometer from where we live now. That means it's about 10km from Ted's work. It is the most expensive of the three which means our stipend will cover the "cold" rent but not the utilities. It has a balcony and a basement but we think the laundry is in the house because the listing doesn't say "laundry room". This unit only has a parking lot. I was hoping for a garage for Ted given the winter months. It is gas heated so that is a plus as well. Again, there are no photos of the interior of the property so we don't know what the inside will look like. I also did an aerial view of the property and it looks like it faces some grassy areas. It is close to where I currently shop so that's a good thing. This apartment like the previous apartment is on the third floor. I worry about toting groceries up two floors. And I worry about the utilities, especially in the winter time. We were somewhat disappointed that the exterior of the property is not as well kept as we thought it would be.



We are going to make an appointment to see the inside of the third property and continue looking. Ted suggested I continue to look on my own while waiting for more properties from the housing office. It means I'll have to translate and make sure there is no realtor associated with the transaction so as to not incur unnecessary additional costs.

This is a three year commitment so we want to be sure before we commit ourselves. On the other hand, we don't want to miss out on something that has the location and most of the amenities we are looking for.

This is a time for prayer and asking Him to lead us to the home He wants us to have. We are, and always have been, fully dependent on Him.

We decide to take a detour because my husband has been seeing this store called "Toom". What a weird name for a store, hmm? We found out there's one in Filderstadt near where we live. We decided to check it out...but of course, it's after 8pm and it's closed but we figure out it's a department store. How good it is, we don't know. I'll have to ask Angelika!

It's time to go home and regroup...and keep looking for a place. His will be done!

Guten Naben!

Day 30: Appointment Set!

It only took four weeks but we finally got an appointment for tomorrow at the housing office. I sure hope our personal "stuff" arrives at the same time we have to move in.

I knew I had to get to market because we were all out of bread and my wonderful Mango and Vanilla yogurt. I also wanted to pick up some Parmesan cheese. I thought it was warmer than it was but I figured as I start to walk, I'll warm up and I did.

The flowers are blooming everywhere and they are beautiful. I even brought Ted's phone along to see if his camera works any better than mine. And of course, it does! The second photo is of the "Blumen" (in case you couldn't guess - it means Flowers) field down the street from where we live. Aren't they beautiful? Now I REALLY have to take the digital camera. No more yucky photos!





I also need to stop by the recycling center to pitch the glass containers I'd been storing under the sink. So I get my mesh shopping bag, my wallet and sunglasses and off I go. First stop: recycling center. Time to give those bottles and jars the heave-ho!

Next stop: Bakery. Wonderful smells of bread but again, I can't get past this one kind of bread. It's just too delicious to try anything else. I pick up what I thought were two croissants with nut filling, only to find out it's some kind turkey mix baked in them (they're big on turkey here, I don't know why, but they are). It was OK but I won't be buying those again. Not even Ted was keen on it when he got home.

Next stop: Butcher Shop. I struggle to tell the lady that I want 250 grams (Funfzig und Zweihundret grammes)of Parmesan cheese. That's approximately 1/4 lb. Having spent time in Italy has really helped with the weights and measures!

Last stop: Naturcost, the health food store. Here I pick up my wonderful yogurt, some rice and their wonderful bio-butter. (I guess they use the bio in front of everything that is healthy)

The rest of the afternoon is spent making supper and cleaning out the refrigerator. What a chore!

Ted is feeling much better but is really tired this evening. He came home bearing gifts! He was able to go to the CMR to pick up the packages. There was also a card from my dear friend, Deb. Her little reminder on the front made me cry! If you're reading this...I miss you too, Deb!

I had ordered some travel books from Amazon but according to Amazon, it was going to take at least 30 days to get here. They exceeded my expectations...by two weeks!! I was excited to see the books because now we can focus our travels a little bit more and keep track of places we think will be interesting for family and friends when they come to visit.

I spent the rest of the evening looking at the books (after doing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen of course).

Time for bed.

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!

Day 28: Tubingen!

We have been here four weeks and yet it doesn't seem that long although this past week has been a trial with Ted being sick. He's still coughing but the medicine is working. We were so thankful to have gotten him to a doctor! He will have to see a doctor towards the end of the week to ensure everything is AOK!

Both of us slept really well so we got up early and went to church. The service was wonderful and even Ted was able to sing a few verses! The Chaplain confirmed what we had just read and what was in hearts last Friday night! We will continue to seek Him for direction.

After church, we stopped at the PX/BX to return the medicine Ted didn't want and I picked up their catalog. If I can't find something in the store, I'm sure it will be in the catalog!

Ted wanted to show me where he had been working for the past week and the "Mall" on Panzer base. The photos don't do the area justice and I'm sure very few civilians ever get to see it. So here's your look! Hopefully, I'm not violating national security by posting these! The photos are still not coming out right. I think it's the sun but I'm going to have to buy a new camera because I believe we shipped the cords for our digital camera. Or perhaps I can get some cords for the digital without buying a new camera.







Next Stop: Commissary on Patch to do some minor grocery shopping. It's funny, the "baggers" at the commissaries are volunteers. They don't get paid so military personnel and civilians (like us) tip them to help us with our groceries to the car. I don't know why they don't get paid. They look like high school students. It's a good way for them to learn 1) the value of volunteering and 2) an appreciation of a tip!

The car needs fuel so after we drop off the groceries at home, we stop to get gas. The car is diesel so we cannot get the fuel on base. However, with the fuel card we have, we can get fuel at any Esso station (haven't seen those in years, have you?). We find the card needs to be renewed in a few days but there's still about $60 on the card. We wonder if that money goes away or gets transferred. We're hoping it gets transferred otherwise we'll have to re-evaluate how we use that card! Time will tell, of course!

I don't remember who but someone told us to visit Tubingen. That person only said that the buildings were very old and it was an amazing town. It's only about 30 km from where we live so it's a perfect outing for a Sunday afternoon except that what we didn't know was an afternoon would not be enough to explore this extraordinary town.

We travel on the B27 until we reach Tubingen. The GPS lady takes us right to the old section of Tubingen. It's hard to find a parking space but after much looking we find one under an overpass and about a kilometer from the square. It's a beautiful sunny day and although we brought sweaters, we didn't think we'd need them.

We started walking towards the first square we saw before we parked the car. There were TONS of people and families about - from elderly couples to modern-day bikers holding hands. We think there must be a University or some sort of school here because there is so much more graffiti than in the other towns we've visited. And there are bicycles everywhere! From the tiniest tots to fathers toting those made-for-bicycle baby carriages to the elderly cruising along; some with fantastic head-to-toe bicycle gear and others with regular everyday clothes. These people surely know how to live! The fountain you see in the photo below must have been used for horses in days gone by. It is clearly marked that the water is not for drinking.









The buildings are incredible! Some are four, five and six stories high and the workmanship of each building is outstanding. They are all so different. I would imagine the owners 0f most of the shops, cafes and "Beergarten" that are on the first floors of these wonderful old buildings actually live above the shops. What a short commute, huh? Most of the shops were closed but many of the cafes and restaurants were open. As we walk along the very narrow streets, I wonder about what it was like to live here in the 14th and 15th centuries. I imagine the ladies in their dresses, the peasants walking along, the horses and carts with produce going to market. I don't think I can do this town justice by describing it to you, so I'm depending on the photos to do it for me.

Every time we turn a corner and go down another street, we come to another square. Each one more beautiful and charming than the last. The one you see below had tables that were associated with a Pizzeria place that was located across the square. There weren't many tables. I'd say there were probably about a dozen. We decided to have an early dinner there. As we sat outside looking all around, enjoying the people, the buildings and listening to the bells toll, we were in awe once again that we were even here. It really is a bit surreal.





I didn't realize it, but the Pizzeria was located across a street that allowed cars. As we were sitting there, a HUGE bus turned the corner and slid past one of the tables. It couldn't been more than two feet away from a little girl sitting at that table. She didn't even bat an eye. My quick in-take of breath cued my husband to see what I was looking at. We held our breath until the bus maneuvered past the remaining tables. Now keep in mind that not only are there tables in the square but tables on the sidewalk across from the square and adjacent to the street as well. And the waitress had to traverse that busy street every time she had to wait on a table or bring a drink or food. Unbelievable! If you were there, what would you think?







I found out later that the waitress was Italian (she looked more German than Italian - if there is such a thing). She later told me she was from Sardinia and the chef was from Pescara!

It was getting cold by the time we finished eating (only because we were in the shade and the wind was kicking up. I couldn't help but think how incredibly pleasant this square must be in the summer time. It's still mid-spring and mild but it's not nearly warm enough to be without sweaters, at least in the shade. We decided we needed to get out into the sun to get a bit warmed up and we were curious as to what was down one of the streets. As we walked, we realized that even in these streets there was no sun because the buildings were so tall and so close together. All at once we come out into another square and into the sunshine. This square has a fountain and a church with bells (probably the ones that were ringing while we were having dinner)!







We continue to walk but we know we haven't even scratched the surface of this town. There are so many tiny alley ways and streets that we just chose streets that looked interested (and which was closest to us). All of a sudden we came into another square. I keep using the same words to describe this experience because I'm having a VERY difficult time describing it...but it was unbelievable!

I just stood there in awe of the magnificence of these buildings and those who created them all those years ago! The last photo in this group was a building that was built in 1435! We even chatted about whether or not this town was affected by the bombing in WWII. And I can't even imagine how long the people who built these buildings toiled away on them. It must have literally taken years and years to build them!!







Sadly, we decided it was time to head back to the car but we didn't want to retrace our steps so we took another route going back in the direction of the car. Up hilly streets and around corners, looking into alleyways and admiring the workmanship on the very, very old doors. I was impressed by the fact there are many streets that cars cannot go, not just because the streets are narrow but because these buildings are built on hills, so many of the narrow streets have stairs, and not roadways! They certainly didn't know anything about barrier-free construction in those days!!



On the way back, we saw a house with an incredible vine growing in front of it. I told my husband we HAVE to come back in the summer because I want to see that vine in full bloom. There's also a river (which you can see a hint of in the third photo). We definitely have to go back to see the river as well.







There was also a pedestrian (and bicycle) tunnel going from where we ended up to the very first square that we saw when we parked the car. Silly me, I had forgotten to take a picture of it. I think at one time, it must have been a tunnel for cars. We had gone in a total circle! By this time our legs were hurting, but a good kind of hurt. We were happy to finally see the car.

It seemed that the trip back was quicker than the trip there. We decided to stop at our favorite Gelato store in Bonlanden before going home.

All in all, we had a great day (just not long enough to see everything) and with just a little bit of coughing from Ted.

It's time for bed. Gutten Naben!

Day 27: Rainy day Saturday!

It rained all night long and Ted coughed all night long as well. It's still cloudy and raining, not to mention cold! I was hoping for a return to warm spring days like two weeks ago but it was not the case.

After reading email and checking out Facebook, I did further research on finding a "Klinik" (Clinic) for Ted. All of the websites are in German so that means I have to cut and paste text into the translator...such a tedious job but it has to be done! Meanwhile, Ted goes back to bed. He finally sleeps which is a good thing.

After several hours of this tedious process, I'm no further ahead than I was when I started. I was truly, truly dismayed. He wasn't getting any better and I didn't want him to go another day without seeing a doctor!

My eyes were getting heavy and I was very cold so I thought I'd just snuggle under the covers for a few minutes to warm up. A few minutes turned into a two hour nap!!
I woke up to Ted coughing again.

By this time it's after 2pm. I checked email and lo and behold, my new German friend emailed me. It appears that the telephone number I gave her, was wrong. I don't know if I copied it down wrong (I'm sometimes dyslexic) or if I couldn't read the writing on the phone. No matter, my friend tells me there's a clinic not far from where we live and that it's open 24/7. She also said they probably speak English. I'm SO grateful!!

Now to convince Ted he's got to go. He feels pretty good now. Sure after he slept. I keep hounding him but he's not moving. Men! Husbands! So after a few hours of my nagging, he finally takes a shower and gets ready. We also have to get out of the house because my landlord has to refresh our supply of kitchen and bath linens, not to mention changing the sheets. (Boy do I like this service!! - Except, I have to make sure we leave the house on Saturday so she can do her thing!)

Now, remember, we still had our clean laundry in the car. Ted does not want to leave to go to the clinic without taking the laundry upstairs. His reasoning was that if it begins to rain later on, the laundry will get wet. I understand that, but honestly, I want to get him to the clinic.

So, we get the laundry bags and the soaps and trudge back upstairs. We didn't put the laundry away. That I'll do when we get back. We have to get him to the clinic.

So off we go! We find the clinic. It looks deserted. I'm getting worried. We passed a parking deck and followed a car through another gate to the round about in front of the clinic. There's no parking there so we exit that area and go back to the ParkPlatz (Parking deck - I guess!). We park the car and take the elevator to the second floor and come out to where the roundabout is. We walk into the clinic and there doesn't seem to be a soul around. We stop at the information desk and ask the lady if she speaks English. She said a little. We found out, she speaks better English than we do German! She directs us across the hall to the door next to the "lift" (elevator) where we can see the doctor. She must have learned England English.

The Clinic has light wood everywhere and it's neat and clean. It doesn't have the "hospital smell" so many of them have! We ask the man behind the desk (who looks like an EMT guy) if he speaks English. He said a little. He asks us about insurance. We don't have the German social insurance but we do have insurance that will pay for the visit. We just do not have a card yet. We'll deal with those details later...just get him to see the doctor.

After waiting less than 10 minutes we were escorted to an examination room. In walks an elderly lady. She was wearing white pants, a blue and white striped blouse and a light blue zippered heavy weight vest. I thought she was the nurse's aide or something. It turns out, she's the doctor AND she speaks English! I like her already!

She reviews the information that we wrote down on the paper we were given at the front desk. The Germans are SO precise! We write our birthdates differently - and of course, I forgot. They write their dates DD-MM-YYYY rather than MM-DD-YYYY like we do. She corrected that and she corrected our address. We didn't put the city of Bonlanden, Filderstadt. She asked the employer's name and got all of the information she needed. She left for about five minutes and then came back. She said Ted was now in their system and she could start the examination.

After describing his issues: coughing, fever, his lungs hurting, not sleeping etc. He tells her he thinks he has pneumonia. I'm hoping he doesn't. She begins by asking if he has a fever. She said, we'll check that. Now this is curious. She took the thermometer, put a plastic sleeve on it (nothing unusual here) and told him to put it under his arm! Now I haven't seen THAT done in absolutely years...and much less in a hospital. We looked at one another (Ted and I) and just smiled!

She continued to ask questions. She took his blood pressure which was good. And just about the time she was ready to listen to his lungs, the thermometer beeped. She said he didn't have a fever.

She listened to his lungs much like any American Doctor would. But I REALLY like this lady. She was kind and helpful. She asked us if we had a doctor and we said no. We asked her to recommend someone. She did and she gave us a post card with his information on it. She said he has a private practice at the clinic so it would be close by! She said she thought he speaks English.

She told Ted she thought if the medicine she was going to give him didn't make him any better by Wednesday or Thursday that he should see the Doctor. She told us to bring all the medication with us so he could see what was prescribed (similar to what we do in the States). But, she also wrote a letter to give him when we scheduled an appointment. Now that WAS different! All the time she was talking to us, she was entering information into the computer. She typed like Ted - two fingers at a time! LOL!

She also recommended a tea for him to drink before bed to help him sleep. She gave us a computerized prescription form which she signed. There are four prescriptions: one antibiotic (which she stressed he was to take until they were gone - no big difference there); capsules for the cough (now that's different); drops to help him sleep (now THAT is different) - 20 drops in water before going to bed; and drops for pain (again very different)! Now the question is...where is there a pharmacy that will be open at this hour (by now it's almost 8pm!) She also gave me the name and address of a 24 hour pharmacy. How wonderful! We'll just pop it into the GPS and we'll be ready to go.

I ask about paying for the visit. She told me they will bill us! WOW! Now I don't have to worry if we have enough Euro's to cover the visit. The insurance will reimburse, of course, but I wondered if I had enough cash on hand.

We both were impressed by the clinic, the doctor and how quickly we were seen. No waiting for hours in an overcrowded emergency room! It was terrific! When we were leaving, the doctor smiled and wished us "Good Health!" That too was different. I don't ever remember any doctor wishing us that upon leaving for an office visit. Who said the Germans are cold? It's ridiculous, they are not! So now it's off to find the "Apotheke" (It sounds like our word for Apothecary - but is our equivilant to Pharmacy).

But we have to get out of the Parking deck first. We had a bit of trouble with that. We went to go get out and couldn't. It appears you have to validate the parking ticket by paying at a "Kasse" (Cash)or automated pay station. So we backup the car and find the "Kasse". We were charged one Euro. Now we could leave the "Parkplatz". Boy did we feel stupid!!

It turns out, with the GPS, the Pharmacy is less than two miles away! We thought because it was in a different town that it was further away. It couldn't have been further from the truth!

So we go into the pharmacy. It's small and has all of these concoctions on shelves around the room. The lady (I don't know if she was a pharmacist or not) talked to us in German. I presented her with the four prescriptions (on two forms). She began filling them. What surprised me is that the prescriptions were in these drawers from floor to almost the ceiling (unlike the U.S.)! She proceeded to open drawers and take pre-packaged items out of different drawers and brought them to the counter. She must have realized we didn't speak German and proceeded to talk to us in English. She said her English wasn't very good. To which we replied, your English is better than our German! She wrote the instructions on the boxes and stamped the Prescription forms and gave them back to us. I wondered how much all of these drugs were going to cost. To my surprise and delight, the total for all those drugs was 53.06 Euros! I was floored! Antibiotics are usually terribly expensive. Not so here in Germany. I don't know what the strength is but someone, somewhere in the U.S. is raking in the dollars!

Now it's time to go home (almost 9pm) but Ted is hungry. Ok, so let's get a pizza and go home. Well, he wants Pizza from a place called "Amalfi Pizzeria" - a sign he sees on his way back and forth from work. We couldn't find it with the car so he decided to "hoof" it to find this place. When we got to De Franco's Pizzeria, I nixed going any further looking for this phantom "Amalfi" place. We can look for it when 1) it's light outside and 2) when Ted isn't struggling to breathe! It was cold and damp and NOT good for Ted to be traipsing about anyways! Men sometimes need to be corralled!

So we go in and yes, they speak Italian. Wonderful! I can order the pizza and have a conversation. Once the pizza was ordered, Ted left to go get the car. There was a German guy there that spoke English and said he traveled back and forth to the Bay area for business. He knew exactly where Rocklin was! What an incredibly small world it is!

I found out the Franco and his wife were from Foggia in southern Italy. I've never been there but I know where it is on the Italian map. The pizza was done and Ted wasn't back yet. I paid 6.3 Euros for the pizza which I had hoped would be terrific.

I thought I'd start walking toward where the car was parked. I walked to the corner and kept looking for the car. Nothing. Now I was wondering if he got sick or something else equally dreadful and the pizza was getting cold. I was at the corner and I stopped. I realized that if I went one way, he could go around and miss me so I waited...and waited...and waited. I turned to look in the other direction, the direction of De Franco's when I saw Franco standing in the middle of the road. I realized that he probably was looking for me and that Ted either passed me or went another way. UGH! So back up the street I walked. He was a bit upset with me but dog gone it, if he had listened to me in the first place and went and got the car BEFORE going to Franco's, the pizza would still be hot! No matter though, we were on our way home. Finally!

When we got home, we realized the landlord had changed the kitchen and bath linens and changed the bed. Our landlady, angel that she is (her name is Angelika), realized that we were trying to elevate Ted's head so he could sleep, and made the bed so it was elevated. Even though the beds are small and the mattresses are not that thick, they do elevate which is really cool.

We then whipped out the paper plates and started to chow down. The pizza was still warm but unfortunately, not that good. Ted gave it a thumbs down and I couldn't agree more. That's one Italian place we will not go to again. I reminded Ted that not all Italians are good cooks...and that goes for Pizzerias. This is only the second time in four weeks that we've had a bad meal out. Of course, we don't go out all that often! :)

It's getting late and Ted wants to watch an episode of NCIS. He feels he deserves it for going to the doctors! I'm hoping he will sleep without coughing and get great rest.

Until tomorrow, Guten Naben! (Good night)

Day 26: Friday at last!

The acronym TGIF never sounded so good as it does today. It's been raining non-stop for two days now and I'm getting a bit stir crazy!

At least I could look at the car ads, the house spreadsheet and clean the house but there's only so much of that one can do. Company work has been curtailed until a new contract with a client is signed so there's nothing to do there.

At about 5pm, I had a long FB chat with one of my old High School friends about our Italian heritage. It appears that her mother is from the same area in Italy that my maternal grandmother was from. How cool is that? We chatted for such a long time, I didn't realize how late it had gotten! We want to talk more when we have a chance because we think there are a LOT of people that we are either related to or that we know between us.

When Ted got home, which was late because of some issues at work, we had dinner. He felt good enough to want to go get the laundry done but I questioned whether that was the right thing to do, given the rain and his not being well. He insisted he didn't have any more clean clothes (and he was right - even my clothes are running low).

So it's almost 9pm when we venture out with our laundry bags and soap. As we got out of the car we realized that the We get to the base and the laundramat is empty...WOOHOO! An MP was patroling by foot and stopped to say hello. It turns out he's from Monterey, California. What an incredibly small world!!

Having an empty laundromat, means I have ALL of the commercial front loaders and dryers to myself. Luckily I brought a very small book written by Graham Cooke with me. The name of the book is "The Nature of God". As we sat down to wait for the laundry, I read the book to Ted. What an enlightenment that book is!! We were so enthralled with it, we forgot the time and the laundry was ready to go into the dryers!!

Our hearts were pierced by the words on the pages. They were incredibly moving and we felt were meant just for us. The gist of it was that "God wants to give you an 'upgrade'!"

It seemed like just a few minutes had gone by...but the dryers were pinging. Time to put down the book...reluctantly, of course...and fold the clothes. It was pitiful to see someone had used ALL of the laundry baskets on wheels to store their wet clothes. I don't understand some people. These were children's clothes and underclothes and such and they were beginning to smell!! I couldn't wait to finish folding my clothes and getting them into the bags so we could leave. I couldn't stand the smell any longer.

Finally it was time to go. I couldn't believe it was after 11pm!! I decided that we were going to leave the clothes in the car for two reasons: 1) it was still raining and 2) it was so late, I didn't want to disturb our landlords.

All during the laundry time, Ted was coughing. I'm really, really worried about him. But, like a man, he's SO stubborn! I gave him the name of a doctor this morning not three kilometers from his work...but did he go? NOO!!!

At any rate, we checked email and went to bed. Ted was still coughing like crazy. I have to do something about this in the morning!

Day 24 - 25: Ted still sick.

To say that not much is going on is an understatement!

The weather has been rainy and ugly for several days now so we have not traveled far from home. Add to that, Ted is still not feeling better. While I've been trying to find a doctor for him, the task is particularly difficult!

Add to that, this is a crucial week for Ted as his job as he has a project due and he's a real trooper...going in even though he's been feeling poorly. At this point, I'm really getting concerned because the cough is not going away. He hasn't had a really bad fever for a few days but he's not getting any restful sleep either.

I'm hopeful that a new friend here in Germany will give me some good advice as to who to go to and if they speak English.

Day 23: Looking for a car!

Ted was ever so much better today. His voice sounded good even though he was not 100%, he was a darn sight better than he had been these past two or three days.

My day consisted of reviewing finances and figuring out how much we can spend for a used car. We have to do something here in the next month or two and I don't want to wait until the last minute to find a car.

There's a military periodical called "Stars & Stripes" and it has classified ads in it for automobiles from service members who are either rotating back to the States or going to another duty. Some of the cars are high-end cars like Jags, Porsches and Mercedes. There are TONS of BMW's too which are high-end as well but a lot more of those than of the other cars. We would like to get an Outback but don't think that's something that is wise. It's a better idea to get an older BMW sedan, possibly a station wagon.

I'm hoping to put together our "Wish List" of features this evening. We REALLY need to go do laundry tonight. With Ted being sick this weekend, doing laundry was out of the question.

I know a few of the features we'd REALLY like to have is a sun-roof and heated seats. It probably sounds like we want a bit much but when it gets cold, heated seats are the "bomb"! And we've always wanted a sun-roof...so why not? I'd also like to get an automatic because it's easier to drive. I like stick but for long range driving, it's a real pain in the butt!

What's really cool is that Ted will have access to the base mechanic's shop so he can change the oil and do any regular maintenance that needs to be done. Plus he likes to do it, so it's a win-win situation all the way around.

Day 22: Nursing the sick!

Today is the Monday after Easter. It's a holiday for the Germans so many of the shops are still closed but it doesn't matter because I am not going anywhere.

It's a day of rest, not only for me, but also for Ted. He is still really, really sick so he took the day off. I'm nursing him as best as I can with the medications I have available to me: Tylenol, Alka Seltzer Plus (which seems to be the best thing for him) and quadrupling his Juice Plus+ intake.

He's been sleeping off and on all day long and it's difficult to get anything done because the apartment is so tiny and I don't want to be making a lot of noise. So instead, to be quiet, I've been doing some online reading of end time prophecy. It is a subject that is close to my heart.

He doesn't even want to eat, save drinking orange juice. I did manage to get him to eat a sandwich but I don't want to push it.

Tomorrow is another day and hopefully he will be much, much better for having slept and rested.

Day 21: Easter Sunday!

Happy Easter!

It is the most blessed day of the year. It is the day that Our Lord and Savior rose from the dead!

Ted is still not feeling well but will not miss Easter Sunday services. I got up and made breakfast before going to church. We went to church at Panzer Base. Again, the music was awesome because it is all music that we know. The Chaplain giving the message this morning was different from the Chaplain last week. This Chaplain, Chaplain Santiago, was incredible. He is truly a man of God and I totally enjoyed his message!

After church Ted decided to go to Kelley base to check the mail. Of course, I was the one checking the mail. The weather was incredible so I wore my contacts this morning because I wanted to use my sunglasses.

To get to the post office there are two dozen steps to go up. I didn't realize it until I got to the box which is located close to the floor that I had forgotten my cheaters so I could see the numbers! So back to the car and down the 24 steps to get my cheaters. Meanwhile, Ted is resting because he's still not feeling well. I was not happy because I thought this was something that didn't need to be done today particularly because Ted wasn't feeling well. I finally get back to the box and the combination didn't work so I reversed the order and it has a spring latch so I finally got it open. There was mail!

Ted's sister sent a lovely Easter card and there were two pieces of mail that were not ours. After depositing them into the mail slot for redirected mail, we left.

When we got home, I fixed a sandwiches for Ted and myself. After checking email and sending out an Easter greeting to family and friends, we took a nap.

After we napped we watched some of our videos that we brought with us from the US. Oh the wonders of modern technology: our laptops serve well as TV's!!

After a dinner of lasagna and veal cutlets, we sat and called family members to wish them Happy Easter.

It's a clear, cool evening and we have the windows open a bit to let the fresh air in. We watched more videos until it was time to go to bed.

Until tomorrow...

Day 20: Holy Saturday!

Today is Holy Saturday! I'm looking forward to church services tomorrow but I'm missing some of the regular Easter traditions that we have. When we lived in California, I didn't miss it as much. For some reason, this year I do.

Ted is still feeling sick and his voice is very raspy. However, with the propped up pillows and blankets he was able to sleep. For that, I'm thankful. We were up early, before 7am and checked email. I was waiting for some company files so I could finish up some work but they were not there. So I checked email and looked around on Facebook. It was around 8:15 when Ted decided to go back to bed. And with nothing to do, I decided that I would join him...after all, I was having sympathetic pains for him. :)

We woke up at 11:30. WOW! I can't believe I slept that long so I'm SURE I was feeling for Ted. He looks a hundred times better than he did yesterday but his voice is still very raspy. I give him orange juice and more Juice Plus+.

It is SUCH a gorgeous day outside that we decide to go over to Panzer Base because the bank is open on Saturday and there's some business we have to attend to and I have to be there. So off we go, with the top down and listening to Calvary Chapel Christian music. It was wonderful!!

We were also misinformed about ALL of the stores being closed. Yes, a great deal of the smaller shops are closed but there are many stores that are open. I daresay those same stores will be open on Monday.

We get to the bank at about 1:40 and they are still open. We had 20 minutes to spare. We decided to get some cash and try out our new ATM cards. What's really cool about THIS ATM is that I can get either U.S. Dollars OR Euros!! How cool is that?

I'm not happy about the exchange rate, however. The dollar is only worth .73 Euros today! I do hope it goes back up. The saving grace is that our stipend is in Euros which is a definite Godsend!

All the stuff I bought yesterday to get Ted better, he didn't want and I forgot to bring that stuff with me so that I could take it all back. Oh well, it will have to wait until next week. But he wanted PLAIN Tylenol because the other Tylenol bothers his stomach. So off we go to BX/PX to get the Tylenol and two green teas. We stop at the food court to drink the teas and get the Tylenol into Ted.

Before we leave the PX/BX, Ted stops at the Candy Store and buys Chocolate covered Strawberries and Bananas on a skewer. He's in heaven. I didn't have it because I'm fasting until Easter. He's really killing me! LOL! The lady tending the store is German but speaks English. We were surprised to see Jelly Belly's there and told her we used to live about an hour away from the factory and even went on a tour of it. She told us that they only get a few flavors and she wished she could see the factory and all the flavors they can't get! We also bought some hazelnuts that are covered in Sugar, Cinnamon and Vanilla. They are in a curious package. I took a photo because I don't think I'd ever seen them packaged like this! It's just heavy wrapping paper made into a cone. Go figure!



Before leaving we ask her how to say "Happy Easter", she says "Furer Ostern". I'm not sure of the spelling but I think the u has two dots over it.

We also stop in the cell phone place to see if they can unlock my phone. They can't. They need the codes from my provider before they can do it. So now I have to call AT&T to see what can be done for my phone. That's going to be one big, fat hassle. Oh well, the joys of living abroad!

On our way out, there's a sign with the address of the Robinson Base where the furniture store is. We'd been wanting to go and it's the only Base that we haven't visited. So I program the GPS to get there and we are on our way.

Because it's between where we are right now and where we need to go, we decide to stop at Ted's work place because the paperwork he scanned on Friday did not go to his email address. It must have gone out to cyberland somewhere! That task accomplished we are ready to go to Robinson base.

It took a LOT longer than we anticipated because we had to drive through the city but what a wonderful drive it was. Stuttgart typography is bowl-like. If there weren't signs in German or the houses being a little different, I would have thought I was in San Francisco!!

We finally get there (it took almost an hour) and this base is a bit different than the other bases. It has these barricades that you have to drive through to get to the checkpoint where you show your ID. Very curious indeed! The base is much larger than the other bases and it appears to be in better condition. No one ever wants to go there and we know why! It's a pain in the butt and takes a long time to get there. This was a holiday and it STILL took a long time to get there. Can you imagine how long it would have taken if it were a regular weekday or a Saturday?

We had no idea where this furniture store was so we started reading the signs. It turns out the furniture store is in the PX/BX on Robinson. One-stop shopping! We go in and check out the furniture. There wasn't anything that I couldn't live without EXCEPT for the love seat that has two recliners on it!! It's the right color to match our other recliner. I didn't like any of the tables and for the prices they wanted, some of them were scratched and weren't level. I think I'll either be going to the local Red Cross to buys some used stuff or to IKEA. I'd rather have IKEA which is much cheaper and is made better. I'm sure I'll be able to sell it all when we return to the States.

We check out the washer and dryer. While I loved the front loading LG washer and dryer units, I'm not spending $1000 for them for a three year period. We'll have to buy used or see what we can buy on the economy that is cheap! There is an Italian brand called Candy. I think I'll start there!

Since we were there, we decided to do some shopping. It's amazing what you can buy there. Almost everything we can get in the states, we can get there. I'm a happy camper. There are some things that I will not buy there: Bread, sweets, fruits and vegetables and of course, my husband's beloved gelato.

The GPS lady takes us a different way back but we end up on B27 (which goes through the city and becomes a freeway. It is the first time in many, many, many years that I see someone actually "thumbing" for a ride to "Munchen" (Munich). When I said that to Ted, he remarked: "That's because it's safe here. There are no crazies here!"

When we get to our little town of Bonlanden, there are people walking about but the shops are closed. By this time it's after 6pm. He takes a turn and I knew he was going to where the Lidl store was. Since we didn't get to go in the other night, he decided we needed to check that out as well as the store across the street called DM.

We park the car and at first, we were just going to go in and check out the place. Well, I got in there and saw something I had never, ever seen in the states. They actually sell colored hard-boiled eggs for Easter. How cool is that? I took a photo of them so you could see the packaging and the eggs. Now I will have something that will be home-like.




So now I need a cart (buggy as my mom would say). They are outside. You have to pay a deposit to use the carts in Germany. Then when you return them and lock them down, you get your deposit back. It's 50 cents (Euro) to use a buggy. If the US had something like that, there would be no "buggies" all over the parking lot. Leave it to the Germans to ensure that the lots are kept neat and tidy and that no "buggies" are missing.

We go through the store and my husband likes it better than the Lidl near his work. He's like a kid in a candy store. We see American sliced bread - which we shake our head at! Why in the world would these folks buy that awful sliced bread when the Germans make such delicious breads? We also see M&M's which I found so funny! Again, my husband said, "Why would I want to get M&M's when I can have these other types of chocolates which are SO much better?" And we forgot our shopping bags - but in all fairness, we were not supposed to be shopping. I'm glad we did do our shopping, though. Now I don't have to think about it until the following week. We're well stocked.

It appears where ever there is a Lidl there is also a Trieger. This is a bakery and sandwich shop. They carry fresh bread that you can slice or not, delicious pastries and sandwiches. They are attached to Lidl. So I go in and get a small loaf of ciabatta bread and have them slice it for me. And another thing, there are no twistie-ties here in Germany, which I find hard to believe. They don't even have them at the Commissary! You don't realize how something so small, so insignificant can make your life easier. So...if anyone reading this, has compassion, the next time they go to the grocery store, grab some extra twistie-ties, put them in an envelope and send them along to me in Germany. I will be forever grateful! :)

Purchases in hand, we're ready to check out the DM store. It turns out, it's their version of our Walgreens or CVS minus the pharmacy part. Their pharmacies are strictly that: just pharmacies.

We both looked at some of the prices and realized that the only reason to buy anything at all in here is if we are in a pinch and can't get to the BX/PX. And that's not going to happen because everything in here is extremely expensive! From hair care to personal care and baby stuff, nothing is inexpensive. I'm ready to go home, the dogs are barking!

At home we unload all the groceries at the steps going into the house and he moves the car while I carry most of the groceries up the stairs and into our tiny apartment. I'm having trouble fitting everything into the refrigerator but I'm going to force it! Everything put away, it's time for a shower and bed.