You can just speak English if you want to....

I was at the local Edeka (grocery store) and there was a guy giving out samples of wine.
I tried some and wanted to say that it was "too dry".

So I said "Zu draussen?"...which really means
"Too Outdoors?"...
He said "You can just speak English" an I then said "too dry for me".

I should have said "zu trocken".

Moving Date

What with waiting for the end of the semester and a few business trips, looks like the Move Date will be the beginning of March.

The Moving People came to do a "survey" of the house to see what is being stored and what is being moved. They commented we had a lot of stuff....but hey, we have been in the house for 18 years!

Now to start sorting....

Glockenspiel of Munich

The Rathaus-Glockenspiel of Munich is located in Marienplatz and was part of the second construction phase of the New Town Hall, dating from 1908. Marienplatz (Mary's Square) is a central square in the city center of Munich, Germany since 1158.
(click on pictures to get a close up)

Close up of the Clock.

The Rathaus (Town Hall)

Every day at 11 a.m. (as well as 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. in summer) it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century to the amusement of mass crowds of tourists and locals. It consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures,

The top half of the Glockenspiel tells the story of the marriage of the local Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lothringen. In honor of the happy couple there is a joust with life-sized knights on horseback representing Bavaria (in white and blue) and Lothringen (in red and white). The Bavarian knight wins every time of course.

The bottom half tells the story of the Schäfflerstanz (the coopers' dance). In the 16th century a particularly bad period of the plague hit town and everyone went into hiding. The first people to dare go back onto the streets were barrel makers who performed a big dance to show that it was okay to come out again.

This small model of the center of Munich was found nearby.

Signs of Confusion

I guess going up and down is okay, but side to side is Verboten.


Women and children can walk here...but what about the men?



Evidently the men are allowed to get run over by cars.

Watch out for birds attacking you on bicycle?

Which house/apt. did we pick?

Shown below are some of the places to live that we saw while in Erlangen. Which did we choose?

Choice 1: Right across from school

Very convenient for the kids, but only 3 bedrooms. No room for an office.

Choice 2: Bubenreuth

5 Bedrooms, decorated circa 1970's, relatively cheap, kinda dark inside

Choice 3: Bavaria style

Only 3 bedrooms, more than one apt in this building, overlooks the parking lot and building supply center.

Choice 4: Under construction

A bit pricey, not done, 4 bedrooms, brand new

Choice 5: The Green House

The kids bedrooms must be accessed via a hall between apartments or through a steep stairs.

Choice 6: The Penthouse

Only 3 bedrooms, Lots of light, nice balcony, in the middle of apartment land.

Choice 7:The Free standing house

Only 1.5 baths

Choice 8: The Former Rectory

7 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 half baths,oh my

Move Time-line Update

The hubby just returned from Germany and reports that the official piece of paper that tells the relocation people that we get to move has been lost, so the process is just starting now. Looks we will be there more like in January.

First view of Erlangen

The Hubby took a trip with the HR guy to Erlangen yesterday. It was raining, but he captured this picture with his cell phone (or "Handy" as they call them in Germany). It seems to be a small town with a nice downtown that has lots of outdoor cafes and such.

Telling People

The littlest daughter has been telling people we are moving to Germany. I am getting a few "My daughter says your daughter says you are moving to Germany??? Is that true?"
I say indeed we are, but I have no more information than that. I have not told everybody at work that we are moving (but have told my boss) because I have no information or timelines to share. I am sure once the process starts it will be so fast I can't stand it, but right now it is hurry up and wait.

Welcome!

Welcome, readers of this blog.
Part of the reason of this blog is to journal our journey from New Jersey to Germany.
So far all we know is we are headed to Erlangen in Bavaria, Germany.
I hope to write about our adventures as we go along....and about other stuff.