First Post From Germany
And please excuse any strange spelling mistakes as these German keyboards are different. Not overwhelmingly so, but the y and the z are in different places and that's enough to be very disconcerting...also, the apostrophe is in a strange place and there is only a shift key on one side.
Well, I will make this short and sweet. I know that Hans e-mailed some of you. This is the first time I have been able to get down and use the computer. It is superexpensive to have internet in our room, so we come next door to this internet cafe.
Travel went OK. Not great, but not horrible. The kids slept the majority of the flight from O'Hare to Heathrow. I think that the worst part was the wait at Heathrow with everyone feeling a bit punchy and just wanting to be done. It was a very quick flight from London to Stuttgart and our wonderful sponsor, Jen, was there waiting for us. She had rented us a car, a Mercedes station wagon, so we got everyone in and zoomed off to our hotel. Having Jen has made a huge difference in this experience versus Japan.
Our hotel is amazing...it is a suite, so there is a bedroom for Hans and me. The kids have their own little room, especially for kids, with bunk beds and a little table and chairs and bright colors on the walls. There were coloring books and crayons there and bath toys, they even have their own little, low sink to use. We have a couch and an easychair and a dining room table. It is very nice and extremely clean. I have heard rumors about how clean the Germans are...as if I didn't already know that...but it is really true. The hotel includes breakfast for us everyday downstairs at their restaurant, but we have a little kitchen with a microwave and fridge. No stovetop though, so cooking is a little difficult. Everything must be through the microwave or last night I made ramen noodles in the coffee pot thing. I wish there was a hotplate.
We still are not sure about the housing situation. The first we will probably be offered is at an offsite location, Robinson Barracks. This is pretty much like Ikego to Yokosuka, so not that big of a deal, except there's not much out there. Some other folks have been offered other things and still others are trying to live on the town. It's not totally clear to us what will happen.
Everyone is doing great, getting plenty of sleep. We have to car to get around, so we may do some sightseeing already this weekend. We have already eaten at a real German restaurant. Hans had deer goulash...Gen, I can get the recipe for you.
Got cell phones yesterday, so now we're connected. I will try to get over here in a couple of days to e-mail and blog.
Miss you!
Well, I will make this short and sweet. I know that Hans e-mailed some of you. This is the first time I have been able to get down and use the computer. It is superexpensive to have internet in our room, so we come next door to this internet cafe.
Travel went OK. Not great, but not horrible. The kids slept the majority of the flight from O'Hare to Heathrow. I think that the worst part was the wait at Heathrow with everyone feeling a bit punchy and just wanting to be done. It was a very quick flight from London to Stuttgart and our wonderful sponsor, Jen, was there waiting for us. She had rented us a car, a Mercedes station wagon, so we got everyone in and zoomed off to our hotel. Having Jen has made a huge difference in this experience versus Japan.
Our hotel is amazing...it is a suite, so there is a bedroom for Hans and me. The kids have their own little room, especially for kids, with bunk beds and a little table and chairs and bright colors on the walls. There were coloring books and crayons there and bath toys, they even have their own little, low sink to use. We have a couch and an easychair and a dining room table. It is very nice and extremely clean. I have heard rumors about how clean the Germans are...as if I didn't already know that...but it is really true. The hotel includes breakfast for us everyday downstairs at their restaurant, but we have a little kitchen with a microwave and fridge. No stovetop though, so cooking is a little difficult. Everything must be through the microwave or last night I made ramen noodles in the coffee pot thing. I wish there was a hotplate.
We still are not sure about the housing situation. The first we will probably be offered is at an offsite location, Robinson Barracks. This is pretty much like Ikego to Yokosuka, so not that big of a deal, except there's not much out there. Some other folks have been offered other things and still others are trying to live on the town. It's not totally clear to us what will happen.
Everyone is doing great, getting plenty of sleep. We have to car to get around, so we may do some sightseeing already this weekend. We have already eaten at a real German restaurant. Hans had deer goulash...Gen, I can get the recipe for you.
Got cell phones yesterday, so now we're connected. I will try to get over here in a couple of days to e-mail and blog.
Miss you!
Comments
Please kiss the angels for me. I miss all of you so much! I love looking at my Christmas tree and recall the darlings decorating it.
Blessings on all of you.
I think that the German keyboard would not be too much of a problem as I only use one shift key anyway. I'm glad that you are finding Germany so nice and well ordered. They do have a reputation for being organized and thorough. Am looking forward to seeing it next year some time. Let me know how the driving is, at least they drive on the correct side of the road. Love for all, stay in touch.