Updates!

There are so many random tidbits of info that I've been meaning to share with everybody, so here goes!

1. We will be moving into our home on February 12th. It was supposed to be ready the end of January, but they are repainting and reflooring, so can we really complain? Also, we are still getting paid extra money to live in the hotel until then. Therefore, it's worth the wait. I am just so anxious to see it and start decorating! I definitely will miss room service though. (I emailed most of you who need our mailing address, send me a note if you would like it!)

2. Eric officially started work yesterday. Yes, yesterday! The Army sure sounds easy huh?! Haha. According to him it went really well and can tell it's going to be a good fit. He really deserves this awesome job (in Europe!!!) after those years and months and days of hell elsewhere.

3. Speaking of Eric's work, we had a Hail & Farewell party this past Thursday. It was a big gathering for the NCO Academy to welcome all the incoming soldiers/families and say goodbyes to all of the soldiers/families who were leaving. It was actually pretty fun, and they gave me a rose! I also got a "Welcome Packet" full of ideas of nearby restaurants and stores compiled by all of the current families that were there; it will really come in handy.

4. We have been hitting up the gym like crazy! I think we've only had 5 days off total since we've moved here. For those of you who know Eric, that sounds about right; but for those of you who know me, this is a new achievement. We've been super active and it feels good! It's not like we have had much of a choice though: no car, needing to walk to get food. Eric has his first PT (fitness) test the end of this month, and I know he's really wanting to make a big impression on his coworkers. I'm sure he'll do great, as always!

5. We made friends! I met a girl on the bus home from Grafenwoehr last week and we hung out a couple times and really hit it off. This past Saturday Eric and I went out with her and her husband, and we had a great time. We actually meant to go to a dance club in Weiden, but somehow (through large miscommunication with each other and the cab driver) ended up at an Italian restaurant in Amberg. We were so confused, and got laughed at by some women--a little embarrassing. But the evening actually ended up being so fun. The food was delicious (I think we ordered 4 platters of bruscetta!) and it gave us a good chance to get to know each other. It was fun doing something social, even if it didn't really go as planned.

6. We are getting our first visitor next month!!! That's right! My mom, Merry, found some really inexpensive tickets and will arrive here in Germany on March 27th! I am so excited and anxious to show off this incredible place to her. Luckily by then we will have our apartment, and hopefully know a little more about getting around. She'll be here for 2 whole weeks so we will have ample time to travel, shop and eat good food! Wow, I am excited!

Hmm, that's all I can remember right now. I swear there was more! Well, I guess I'll just leave you all with a silly photo. We haven't wasted one day where we didn't remind each other how lucky we are to be here.

Class Trip to Amberg

After much anticipation, and threat of the weather ruining our plans, our class still ended up going to Amberg yesterday at around 10am. We piled onto the bus and after about 30 minutes on a windy road, that left me feeling a little dizzy, we arrived at the base of Mariahilfberg Kirche, aka: Mary's Cathedral (pictured above). We walked up the steps and were all amazed at how beautiful it was on the inside.

This Baroque sanctuary was adorned with murals on almost every square inch, and each wall was more beautiful than the next. Originally this church had been used for pilgrimages, and each ceiling motif represents a certain part of this history.

From there we all went to lunch at a restaurant called Bergwirtschaft which was right at the bottom of the church steps. It didn't look like much on the inside, but the food was so tasty. Eric got the Rehmedaillion (venison medallions) with Kroketten (think of really fancy & fluffy tater tots). I got the Gebratenes Lachsfilet (grilled salmon) with boiled potatoes. Frau Ray (our teacher) had given us the food options days before, so we had plenty of time to practice ordering in German. You could tell we were all pretty nervous, though.

Everything tasted great, except for the side salads. Each person's salad was 3 tiny piles on 1 plate. One pile was shredded lettuce, one pile was sauerkraut, and one pile was shredded carrots. Everything had a vinaigrette dressing on it, but it was so saturated that everything was dripping wet--even the carrots. Out of all the classes, nobody finished their salad. I think it was just a little too different for us.

After eating, we piled back into the buses and headed to downtown Amberg. Like Nuremberg, Amberg also has remaining city walls around it's "old town". Parts of the wall even have bullet holes from the war, which you can see in the top left corner of this next photo.

(Above: St. Martin Kirche/Church)

It was another 20-ish degree day, so we went in and out of lots of shops to warm up. Eric and I started with heisse schokolade (hot coco) and from there went to a few different clothing/souvenir shops. It was actually a pretty fun afternoon. We will definitely be coming back to this area now that we know what it offers. It's also a lot closer (by train or bus) than Nuremberg. Note how many different colors the buildings are below; it seems like they love pastels here in Bavaria!

At around 3pm we all got back on the buses and headed out of Amberg, but first stopped at a grocery store. The teachers wanted us to get a feel for the differences German stores have so we are surprised if we frequent one later on. Mainly the only major difference was there aren't any bags/baggers (like I've written of before). Eric stocked up on some favorite German chocolates (you can see how overwhelmed he was in the photo below) and then we were back home by 4:30.

Like I said, we are anxious to head back soon. We feel like we love each place even more than the last, and can't wait until we have the visitors to show this place off to!

Our Second Trip to Nuremberg

(Above: Shöner Fountain--"Beautiful Fountain" and Church of Our Lady)

Today we decided to take another trip to Nuremberg, now that we have a better idea of the lay of the land, and also know some basic words & customs. We grabbed a taxi to the train station at about 11am and we were off!

The train from Vilseck to Nuremberg was actually pretty entertaining. From what we could tell, there was some sort of sporting event happening that day in Nuremberg--soccer?? So there were some rowdy (but fun) fans cheering and drinking on the ride. Then the second we got into the Hauptbahnof (main train station in Nuremberg) there was so much cheering and yelling that it was echoing down the tunnels. The station was a happening place! It actually put us in a great mood, even though we had no idea what they were even saying.

We then headed out into Old Town and took some photos, went into little souvenir shops (look at the cuckoo clocks below, they were everywhere!), and tried to find a place to eat. Our German classes have taught us the basics on food names and restaurant etiquette so we wanted to test our skills.

We decided on Paulaner Im Pillhofer (pictured below), a small restaurant that also has a Gasthaus (hotel) above, which I guess is pretty common here. It was a little nerve-wracking, but since we knew the basics (seat yourself, etc) we did fairly well. The menus were 90% in German, so we picked out items that we recognized from class and hoped for the best. I opted for Bratwurst and Eric got a pork dish with a potato dumpling.

We also both got Radler beer, and before you react to the description let me just say that it was delicious! Radler is actually very popular here in Germany. It is half beer and half lemonade (lemonade in Germany is actually more like Sprite). What it does is makes the beer taste super light, very refreshing, and really sweet. It tasted like a much sweeter, less carbonated version of Ginger Ale. If that's not too confusing. According to Frau Ray (our German teacher), Radler was actually created because German bicyclists wanted a refreshing beverage to drink while they rode, but also wanted something alcoholic. And thus, Radler was born! Seriously though, we both were shocked with how great it tasted. Neither of us are beer drinkers at all, but now we are hooked. (Below: The delicious Radler!)

After the meal we shopped til we dropped. Well I shopped, and made Eric carry my backpack. There are dozens upon dozens of women's' clothing & shoe stores here, and everything was really inexpensive. I ended up getting a peacoat and a blouse. Poor Eric. Maybe next time it will be his turn, haha.

After about 4 hours in Nuremberg, we were frozen solid (another 23 degree day) and pretty exhausted. We hopped on a train...which ended up being the wrong one...then back on the right one, and ended up safely at home with plenty of time to Skype with mom & dad Holland.

Great day.

(Above: Us over the river Pegnitz)

And now, a couple fun facts!
1. Waiters and waitresses in Germany get paid very well and even receive full benefits. Also, the price of your food includes a gratuity for them. Therefore, most Germans hardly ever tip. We gave a Euro to our waiter and he couldn't have been happier.
2. Dogs are welcome pretty much everywhere here. We saw countless dogs around town, in clothing stores, on the train (without a leash!!), anywhere! But, the German people are known for being very punctual and law abiding, so their dogs are very well-behaved. I love it, so point out every single dog to Eric. Him, not so much.

Sprichst du Deutsch?

We do!! Well, kind of.

The Army has given us a great opportunity: German Immersion classes! The session lasts 4 days; we've done 2 already and have Monday and Tuesday left. Each day is 8 hours of lots of learning. Then on Tuesday we get to go on field trip to Amberg, complete with ordering & eating at an authentic German restaurant: Bergwirtschaft.

So far it's been a lot of the basics: how to say your name (Ich heisse Frau Clark: I am Mrs. Clark), where you live & other personal information, numbers/time, restaurant/food terms, basic greetings & questions, etc. Our teacher has also told us about a lot of German customs/habits so we aren't subject to too much culture shock. We even have learned about the lay of the land here in Germany, and even some quick facts about surrounding countries. We are inspired to travel now more than ever.

Eric and I have been filling our workbooks with lots and lots of notes, and getting fairly good at the basics of German. Dare I say we are the 2 best students? It's been a great experience so far and we are anxious to learn more and go on the trip with our class.

Here are some fun little tidbits, and proof that we are actually learning something.

1. You know how in America there is the phrase "junk in the trunk" for women with a large hind-side? Well, here in Germany there's the phrase "firewood in front of her hut"--which I am sure you all can decipher. However, our teacher refused to teach it to us, haha.
2. A phrase I think we'll be using a lot: "Bitte, sprich langsam." Meaning: "Please, speak slowly." One I hope Eric says sometime: "Möchtest du tanzen?" Meaning: "Would you like to dance?"
3. Grafenwoehr, where we will soon be living & working, actually is the old site of where the S.S. troops were trained. Slightly eerie? Yes.
4. There are a lot of letters used in the German language, making spelling a lengthy process. For example my age (22) is written out as: "zweiundzwanzig". Catchy right? Haha.
5. Radler Biere (beer) is a very popular beer in this area, and is actually half Sprite.
6. Grocery stores do not provide bags/baggers for your groceries. So bring your own people! Or, in our case, just shop on base.

Well, that's all for tonight. We plan on returning back to Nuremberg tomorrow now that we have a better idea of what to expect.

Leb wohl! Gute Nacht! (Live long! Good night!)

Nuremberg!!

(photo: St. Lorenz)

Well we are home safe and sound from our first trip off post! This morning we woke up, went to the bus station at about 9am and took the (free) shuttle to the train station. The train ride was fast (about 45 minutes) but a little nerve-wracking once we got off at the Hauptbahnof (train station) and realized we had no idea what we were doing. The station was quite large: full of coffee shops, bakeries and stores. So we bought a map of the town and tried to figure out our next step.

It ended up being pretty simple. Hauptbahnof is technically in the "new city", and all the things we wanted to see were in the "old city". All we had to do was go through the city walls and we were in a giant pedestrian area full of historic buildings and unique shops and restaurants.

Bakeries were everywhere, and everything looked/smelt better than the next. It was only 20-ish degrees outside, so after walking around for a bit we stopped into one called Kamps and enjoyed!

Here's me with a hot coffee and a "kaffeestange", which tasted like a toffee bear claw. Eric had a "nougatstange" which was a bready strudel cookie. Great descriptions right?

There were also pretzel stands all over the place. So we of course HAD to purchase something there. Eric had a pretzel with salami and I tried one with brie. Both were very tasty. We sounded totally ridiculous ordering them though I am sure.

Another quaint thing about this area were all of the coffee shops and restaurants still had outdoor seating. They were just equipped with lots of wool and sheepskin blankets to keep warm.

We saw a lot of really great buildings and churches just in the short while we were there. Below is a side view of St Lorenz (Lorenzkirche) and the next photo is of An der Mauthalle.

And now, 3 new and exciting things about Germany:

1. There is a store, AND a magazine, named Brigitte

2. All the taxi cabs in Nuremberg were Mercedes

3. You have to pay to use public restrooms, but it's worth the cost! They are super safe, clean..and quite fancy!

First Adventure: Tomorrow

Well, we have officially decided to trek off post tomorrow! We are walking to the bus station at 9am, taking the bus to the train station here in Vilseck, and riding the train 1.5 hours to Nuremberg.

We both admitted to each other earlier this evening that we were nervous for this first little trip. I guess it's mostly just taking this first step into the unknown. We haven't lead the most exciting life here on post yet: walking to & from the gym, commissary and PX daily...so we know tomorrow will bring the first of many new experiences for us here in Germany.

Apparently Nuremberg has a few fun touristy things to offer. A castle, for one! But also the familiar: like a giant shopping mall.

So, wish us luck on this endeavour. Of course, I will blog ASAP about how our Saturday went. Until then...auf wiedersehen!

Oh! And now I have another favorite thing about life on post! When you go to the movie theatre, you have to stand for the national anthem before the film starts. I felt very patriotic and a little cheesey.

Proof We Are Actually Here!

Since we are on foot, and since it hasn't stopped snowing here, it's been hard to take photos that really show off our surroundings. I promise I will add more as soon as I can. For now, enjoy these few we took before/during our walk to get hot cocoa today.

Below: The Amberg House is the building we are staying in--part of the Kristall Inn.

Below: The view from our room window.

Below: Another view from our window of the actual Kristall Inn lobby.

I realize these photos don't seem to do Vilseck justice, but it really is quite pretty over here. Stay tuned for more proof!

We are in Germany! Finally!

Well, I'll soon have a few catch-up posts to do regarding our recent trip to Washington over Christmas and New Years...but I thought I should probably keep all updated on our arrival to Germany.

Our flights went by without any delays or mishaps. We actually got upgraded to 1st Class on our first flight (St. Louis to Chicago) and Business Class for our second (Chicago to Frankfurt). Business Class on an international flight was actually incredible. We definitely got the upgrades because of Eric being in uniform...and because of a very confused German customer service man who said "Happy Honeymoon" as he handed us our upgraded tickets. It was nice having a relaxing, and pampering, 8 hour flight into Europe.

Once we deplaned, we met up in baggage claim with dozens upon dozens of other Army members, and their families, all headed to different bases throughout Germany. We were divided into groups and bused to our corresponding posts. Somehow, out of all of those people, Eric was the ONLY person being sent to the NCO Academy at Grafenwoehr. This soon proved to be a very good thing.

I emailed my mom a very long, detailed explanation of what happened from there (today). So let me just do some copy/pasting to fill everyone in as well.

Sgt Diaz (a medic who will be working side by side with Eric) picked us both up at about 8am this morning. He took us to every single place we need to go to get into the system. Let me explain a couple things first about where we are, then what happened today.

The post Eric will be stationed is called Grafenwoehr (Graf-inn-veer). About 20 minutes away is Vilseck (both a town and a post). They are two separate posts, but to get all plugged in to Grafenwoehr, there are a few things you need to do first in Vilseck. Right now we are actually staying in a hotel-type situation in Vilseck because it's literally across a parking lot from the buildings Eric needs to be processing the next week or so. It's also across the street from the PX, Commissary, fast foods spots, and theatre, even walking distance to the gym...so great location.

Since Eric and I will actually be working in (and living in) Grafenwoehr, that's where Sgt Diaz took us today to meet everyone, see Eric's work space, and get the ins and outs of what our life is going to be like there.

So far, everybody we have run into here (even as far back as the airport and before we saw Grafenwoehr today) has told us that Eric got practically the luckiest deal in the Army. Seriously, some people were shocked. Then after talking to Sgt Diaz, and other people at Graf (Grafenwoehr), we now see why. Eric will be working in a good-sized office, with his own computer and desk. This office is shared with Sgt Diaz, but he is actually leaving in a few months, so Eric will take his place as the NCOIC (non-commissioned officer in charge). Eric's schedule will be PT in the morning (but self-led, meaning Eric can go to the gym and train himself) then just 9-5 Monday thru Friday.

We also got to meet both Sgt Majors, who were quite intimidating at first. We sat down with one of them for quite awhile and he explained in greater detail what Eric will be doing. Both of the Sgt Majors talked about how long they've been waiting to get Eric there and how great of job this is for him. They talked a lot about how Graf is an incredible place to work, and is one of the Army's biggest bragging points.

Grafenwoehr, and more specifically the NCO Academy--which Eric is the medic for, primarily and constantly trains officers. They pretty much told us that THIS is the place to be in the Army. They seemed really impressed by Eric already. They talked about how the soldiers here are viewed as important diplomats for the area, and how its unique to the Army in how everyone is very respected, focuses highly on looking/staying physically fit, and how me (as a spouse) becomes just as much a voice and influence on base as Eric can. They said that Eric easily will be promoted soon to Sgt (E5)---remember how Eric just passes his Board for this to be a possibility?! They also said they would be surprised if he didn't leave Germany before getting his Staff Sgt (E6) or Sgt 1st Class (E7).

They told him that after Diaz leaves, and Eric is the NCOIC, he'll be the most in-charge medic for the Academy, and perhaps even fairly soon could become an actual instructor FOR the Academy...meaning, teach medical skills to the soldiers attending the Academy. They also REALLY press finishing your education. Eric can take classes ASAP, and they even said he'll have ample time to do his homework/studying during work...that's even looked highly upon. They literally said that he'll have so much extra time at work that it’s ok if he goes to the gym, has me visit, does school stuff, etc etc. Everyone working at the NCO Academy (even those outranking Eric) were all super friendly, really funny, and seemed really impressed and respectful of Eric already. And soon enough Eric will be on the same level (rank-wise). They are also giving Eric a few-day long German class, and gave us information on getting our European drivers' licenses. They ALSO said that I can take a lot of classes for free too! One of the Sgt Majors (who actually used to be at Ft Campbell--so really liked that about Eric) said that the FRG (family readiness group) is very involved and will contact me soon. He said that the NCO Academy is unique in the fact that spouses get a lot of opportunities and privileges.

He really couldn't stress enough how lucky we both were that we BOTH were at the NCO Academy, AND in Grafenwoehr, AND in Germany. They told us about Marriage Retreats (like the one we went to in Nashville) but how they are in places like Edelweiss. They also said they even do special things for wives of Academy employees (like shopping trips to Prague). Even those Sgt Majors, who I said were a little intimidating to meet, ended up being super gracious and friendly. And literally told Eric that no issue was too big or too small for him to just come into their offices and talk with them. Oh! And they joked that if he ever got "deployed" while here in Germany it would literally be something rare like "doing good works in Africa for a week". Sounds pretty great to him.

After all that stuff, Sgt Diaz gave us a tour of Grafenwoehr--since that's the actual post we'll be living in. It's sooo much smaller than Ft Campbell. You could literally walk anywhere, from anywhere. The posts here are so cute! All of the buildings are painted yellow, and most have that distinct Bavarian-look. He drove us by the Generals home and it was this huge Bavarian mansion--right out of Leavenworth, haha. Diaz also gave us a heads-up on what housing we should request, how to get cell phones (and is even loaning us his old one for a few days), how to use outlet converters, train schedules and tips, passport info for tourism...all sorts of stuff! It was really exciting. Even the gym on Graf is huge, new, and really modern.

We can't go to the housing office until we are totally in-processed to Graf, which should be sometime the beginning of next week. Right now we are staying at the Kristall Inn, but the Army is more than covering those costs. We aren't too worried about wait times, especially because our household goods, and car, won't be here for quite awhile still. The room comes with an amour, and a couple dressers--so our clothes are out of the way. It also comes with a little fridge/microwave, coffee maker too. The room is serviced like an average hotel, but there is enough shelving in the bathrooms and stuff so we aren't tooo cramped. But it is very small! Good thing we still are in love.


All in all, we are feeling super super excited about everything. It seriously is this whole new side to the Army that we never got to experience at Ft Campbell. Especially for Eric, it sounds like his job is going to be easy, reliable, dependable, and much respected. His quality of life at work just went through the roof.


Neat things about Germany so far (our whole 24 hours of experience.)
1. Towel heaters in the bathroom! They are these big racks hanging on the walls that keep your towel extra toasty and dry!
2. Volvos, BMWs, Mercedes, Audis, VWs, Porsches are everywhere. And really make up 99% of every car we've seen here.
3. We both couldn't figure out how to flush the toilet. The trick: press the GIANT button RIGHT in front of your face.
4. Watching MTV in German. And pretty much everything about TV here. American/English stations are paid for by the Army, so every single commercial is Army-related. Other channels are either subtitled, or voice-over. And the commercials are completely ridiculous.

New exciting tales to come!! Auf Wiedersehen!

Resolutions

I’ve never really made a habit of making New Year’s resolutions before. Honestly, my only memory of making an actual list was many many years ago, after the family car broke down during a winter vacation, my parents made us write down our resolutions on napkins in a diner as we waited for news from the mechanic. Mine was probably something like: Clean my room once a week. I doubt I even came close to keeping that one.

I usually find resolutions too demanding or unrealistic, and know that I really can’t be trusted to keep such promises to myself. So this year, something a little more concise should do the trick.

This year, I promise to:

Fully experience the many opportunities we have been handed.

This year, I promise not to:

Complain about said experiences while they are happening.



Side note, as I am writing this, Eric is snoring a few feet away. I nudged him awake...

"Hey, do you have a New Year's Resolution?"
"No"
"Oh"
"...or get back in shape."

Creative!! Inspiring!! Oh well...I have a feeling he won't have a hard time keeping that one.