Hi Everyone,
I've now finished three weeks here in Germany and I have to say that I love it here. I'm freezing my butt off, but I much prefer it to melting my face off like I was in Arizona. I haven't traveled anywhere yet other than a quick trip to Trier (half hour away) and Ramstein AB (hour away). I'm still waiting for my car to get here, which should be in about a month, and then I can start exploring.
I have found a place to live, it's in Huttingen an der Kyll. It's a three bedroom, 1200 square meters apartment. It's right next to the river Kyll and right across the river from the house is the train station. The landlords (owners) live in a house right across the courtyard and they seem extremely nice. The former tenants, also military, loved living there. It has heated floors and a very open floor plan (which is very unusual in Germany). The kitchen is a really good size and even has an island (also very unusual). It also comes with a garage and a large storage room behind the garage (also unusual). I think I lucked out finding this place and am pretty sure I'll be very happy. I move in November 1st.
I've been to German restaurants a couple of times now and here's what I've noticed that is different from American restaurants. First of all, don't expect to come in and be served right away. If you need a place that's fast, don't go to a restaurant. Here they expect you to take your time and socialize with who you came with. So they don't bother you for awhile when you get here and they take their time getting you the food and then getting you your bill at the end. Expect to spend several hours at a restaurant here. Also, each restaurant has it's own unique house salad and dressing. Each restaurant I've been to has had a different kind of lettuce for the salad and different toppings. The dressings are yogurt based and are very good.
Trier was very nice. I love all the different buildings in the "walkplatz" area in the center of town near the Porta Nigra (Black Gate). Very colorful and busy. The day I went they had a band playing in the courtyard, they had a children's activity area, and many street vendors. All the shops were also open. It was on a Sunday and they only open the shops one Sunday a month.
Everyone goes to Ramstein AB to do their shopping for items other than basic needs items. The BX (Base Exchange) is actually part of a "mall" they built here. It consists of the BX (huge), a food court, a movie theatre, and about 30 other shops. Most people though shop online a lot too or wait till they go back to the states, especially for clothes.
Need to go back to work now, I'll post more soon.
