NOOOO !!!!!!

G:  Well, it's official.  Thanks to the recent rains befouling this fine city, the ready/move in date for our apartment has been pushed back to December 1.  Meaning another 2 weeks here at the Hotel Maximilian.  There's worse things in life, but when we started this journey, we never thought we'd have to be living in a small hotel room for 2 months (it was sort of hinted that the Nov. 15 "finish" date for the apartment was actually pessimistic).  As has been mentioned previously, we just sort of feel like we're in limbo here, and would like to get on with things (not to mention receive our winter clothes-- it's 29 degrees and lightly snowing outside tonight).  Life goes on, and the upshot continues to be the free breakfast and 2x/week maid service-- all in all, not too shabby.  And for the 3 people who don't know whose cat that is, that is the notorious Jesse, who adopted B and myself (dog people both) in Portland, and proceeded to take over the house-- nevermind his actual owner and residence was 3 doors down.

Coming soon: the Chips Ahoy Yankees vs. the Super Mario Brothers Red Sox

G:  Really, this whole naming thing of sports teams has gotten out of hand.  Remember the good ol' days-- when the SF Giants and 49ers played at Candlestick park, not 3Com Park, or (currently) Monster Park?  I guess somebody's got to pay for these astronomical player salaries, so let the rampant commercialization begin.  I mention this because the local hockey team has allowed a corporation to actually remove the name of the city(?!?!), and replace it with the name of one of their products.  So instead of the Nuremberg Ice Tigers, we have the Sinupret Ice Tigers (Sinupret is a nasal decongestant made by the Bionorica company, who have a 10-year naming deal with the club).  For what it's worth, German hockey is just a half-step down from NHL level-- a lot of NHL pros end up their careers here, and the Ice Tigers are doing well this season.  Like a lot of Euro sports teams, the Tigers' sweaters (jerseys) are emblazoned with a raft of other sponsors.  So beyond being named for a phlegm inhibitor, these blokes also have to deal with having the name of a local women's clothing store chain on their back-- Mister Lady.

... Because nothing says "classy" and "rich" like Champagne in a can

G:  You hear about it all the time:  American celebrities shilling for foreign companies, and the advertisements never come to the states (like Richard Gere's Lancia car commercial-- Lancia left the states in 1983!!).  Anyways, I spotted this at the Marktauf supermarket this past week, a point-of-purchase display for "Rich" brand Prosecco featuring everybody's favorite celebutard, Ms. Paris Hilton.  Prosecco is Italy's take on Champagne, and if it's anything like the gag-awful Sofia sparkling wine in a can (from the usually solid Coppola winery), the "bubbles" are injected into standard wine, like soda pop.  Ewwww.

Our (soon-to-be) apartment

So we came to Germany in August for our look-see visit to get the lay of the land and to do some minor apartment hunting. Nothing too serious or intensive. More to give us a well rounded idea of what was available on the market in our price range. The very first one we saw happened to be the one we ended up picking. Not because of how it looked for you can see from these pics that there is a lot to be done yet before we move in on November 15 (pls God), but because of its potential. The owners of the apartment are planning on moving into the apartment after we vacate and they are going all out on the rennovations and appliances.  There will be a private patio out front, heated large italian tiles in the living/dining room area. Beautiful hardwoods in the bedrooms. Designer floor to cieling tiles in the bathroom. And most importantly, a kick ass kitchen. Most apartments here in Germany (and Europe I believe) are rented out here with no kitchen. As in, you walk into the apartment to view it and there is this completely empty room with water and electrical hook ups. No lights. No counters. No oven. No dishwasher. No stove. No fridge. Nothing but the walls and floors. Not us. The owners of the apt are going over the top with high end everything. We won't have to spend $2K out of our own pocket at Ikea for the cheapest kitchen they have. We'll have an amazing kitchen that costs over $10K that includes zebrano wood countertops and an American sized fridge with an icemaker. Nobody and I mean nobody has that here. And the apartment will come with kitchen, hallway and bathroom lighting. Also normally not included. Normally, you have to buy all your own lighting for your apartment. As in you have to buy all kitchen, cieling, bathroom, hallway and bedroom lights. Basically, you get the space and have to fill it from scratch. I think the toilets, showers, bathroom mirror and bathtubs are the only thing that come with the apartments normally. 

Our soon-to-be-ready (pls God) apartment is also quite large compared to other local apartments. It's around 1200 sqf compared to most others hovering around 400-800 sqf. I think most of this is due to the lack of compartmentalization in our apartment that you'd normally get in a european apartment. Most apartments here have a long and narrow hallway leading in from the front door. Each room is set off of this hallway. No rooms connect. Again, this is for most of the older apartments here. Our apartment is one huge front room that will be the entry/living room/dining room. It butts up to our open/raised kitchen. Then there is a pantry, hall closet (closets are very rare here. you normally buy an armoire), large bathroom/laundry room and two large bedrooms at the end of a short hallway. All rooms have several large privacy windows that are mirrored on the outside. You can see out, but you can't see in.

We are on the ground floor. Partially submerged actually. This should help with heating and cooling bills actually and it's also the reason why the rennovations are taking so long. The weather has been cool and damp lately and the water sealant that they are basically coating the outside brick facade and internal brickwork with is drying ever so slowly. Once that is done they can finish the inside and then focus on the external work. They'll be adding balconies to the few floors above us and creating a private patio for us. The courtyard will also be finished and landscaped and the building will be re-painted. All by years end. Of course, because the sealant is taking so long to dry we have our doubts about the move in date. I think it will be more like end of November. That's ok though. The company will be ever so kind enough to pick up the hotel tab until then.

These pics here basically show the apt. from the outside and do not paint a pretty picture. Yet. Fortunately, G and I have lots of vision and just know this is going to look fabulous when it's all said and done. We can't wait to show you the finished result pictures!

How the mighty have fallen...

What you're looking at is a poster for a double bill of Metallica and AC/DC, who played Nuremberg last Friday (10/17).  Even though this is the second largest city in Bavaria, it's rarely a stop for top name acts.  I'm not a huge fan of either band, but it does smart to see these acts, who each could easily sell out football stadiums a few short years ago playing a 10,000 seat hockey rink.  The true kicker?  You can barely see it on the poster's left side, but admission was 6 Euros-- about $8.00

Looking down the street to St. Lorenz Church

Altstadt (old city), weekday morning.  Just so you don't think Nuremberg is one of these Ye Olde Medieval towns filled with guys selling the leather beer mugs like at the Renaissance fair, what you're looking at is one of the main shopping streets in town, totally closed off to traffic.  There is a LOT of old money here, and that's represented in stores like Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and the like.  St. Lorenz church (built from 1270-1477) is a marvel in and of itself, and has been undergoing a systematic reconstruction since WWII.  Click here for more information and interior shots of this amazing building.

Reasons I love Germany, part 1

McDonald's sells beer (spelled bier in German).  I reckon the food's the same, but this may help to wash it down better than a Mr. Pibb.

Getting settled...

G:  Apologies for the lack of posts lately.  B is getting situated at her job which is starting to head into a busy period again, and I'm falling into a routine of my own.  As some of you know, I don't actually have an actual "job" here per se, but I'm staying plenty busy, and I'm rarely at the hotel during the day.  Part of it is going through all of the silly hoops one must do with any sort of move; the added whammy is that it's in a foreign country where I don't speak the language, and the rules are all different.  I've mentioned our tiny kitchenette in a previous post; the problem with the small fridge here is that it doesn't hold much, so I go food shopping 2-3 times a week for the staples.  Beyond that, I spend over an hour every weekday morning walking to the city center to physically move money from one bank to another because my bank back home (who shall remain nameless) is unable to transfer the money electronically.  So I walk to the lone downtown Deutsche Bank (who has an agreement with my USA bank that I won't get charged the highway robbery 3% transaction fee+ foreign ATM fee+ international fee), withdraw my maximum-allowed 500 Euros, then walk another half-mile to "our" bank, and hand a wad of cash over to be deposited, usually to a teller that doesn't speak English (this is a VERY German bank, whose website and ATM's don't even offer English as an option).  Good times.  Believe me, physically moving your entire life savings in tiny bits takes a while.  Actually, it's not all that bad-- the weather has been behaving, I've been taking plenty of pictures along the way (pic posts coming later this week), and I find myself walking several miles every day on top of the long walks B and I take in the evenings.  I'm also doing some writing work for an old employer, and the benefit is that I can take the laptop to the hotel lounge or courtyard, or any number of coffee shops and do my stuff from there.  Boredom is a killer, and I'm planning on staying busy for the duration.

"You don't need to speak German here... now here are your German instructions"

G:  That's pretty much how it went down when I picked up the cell phones (which, again, are referred to as "handys" in these parts) from the local T-Mobile shop 2 weeks ago.  I was advised by our (British) relocation agent/fixer to make sure the phones were reprogrammed to give English instructions/commands, and to deal with this one specific salesperson who is the go-to person for all of the agencies' American, Brit, and Aussie clients.  The salesperson wasn't available when I went in, so the store manager picked up the mantle, and finished the sale (don't ask me why, but we had to shop for phones and sign the contracts on one day, then come in a couple days later to actually pick up the phones).  I asked about reprogramming them to English, and the manager basically blew me off, said it would be a breeze to do it myself-- it was all in the manual.  And that's when he told me that a person could get along just fine in Germany without speaking a single word of German.  Hoo-Kay, fair enough.  So when I got the phones home, I set to getting them reprogrammed... except that the instructions were printed in German.  And Portuguese.  It took another trip to the store to set things straight.  

Fall in Nuremberg

We took a nice long walk around the Altstadt wall on Saturday and were dazzled by the brilliant colors of gold, red, bronze and green leaves everywhere we went. They were a beautiful contrast against the dark grey sky. Fall is in full swing here in Nuremberg.

Here is a panorama shot of the Design museum we poked our heads into as well. It's only a few meters away from the old wall and stands out in stark contrast with its uber modern design.

All photos are still from our new Sony Ericsson W891i cell phones. Not bad though we think.

Do you work here? My first day in the office.

I like to think I work for a pretty good sized company with a strong global presence. Most of its offices have people of many nationalities working in them. That's one of the reasons I love working here. My company affords its employees the opportunity to live and work abroad should they choose. As a result, internal employee transfers are a common occurrence and have been happening for decades. So when I show up on my first day of work I admit that I expect people to know I'm arriving, people to know that I'm a transfer and that things will have been handled properly by both my departing office and my new office. I think the intention was there, but my first day at work could (should) have gone a lot smoother.

I arrived on time and ready to get to work on Monday. Both my boss and my boss' boss were in meetings all day so it was up to one of my coworkers to be the point person should I need anything. She ended up being my babysitter for the day instead. I got to my desk and tried to log on to my computer, but my log on ID wasn't working so I called the IT group. They told me that my status in the system showed me as "being terminated in the Portland office. Do you work here in Germany now?"......I couldn't even answer him for a moment the question had taken me by complete surprise. Am I working in Germany now? Um, YEAH! I'm here aren't I? I have a signed contract don't I? I've moved our entire lives here and they want to know if I'm supposed to be here? I wasn't worried that my status was showing "terminated" in the system as opposed to "transferred". To be honest, I was slightly amused. As I mention earlier, global transfers happen every day. You'd think these guys would have the process down by now, but in every case I have seen one or two things get royally messed up and somehow it always gets resolved. Anyhow, I assured the IT guy that I was indeed supposed to be here and then they tell me to have HR and my new boss e-mail them to prove it basically............Ah, German bureaucracy. It's enough to make any newcomer's head spin....... So, while my coworker and I are running around the base.....(yes, my company is located in the small town of Herzogenaurach, just 15 minutes north of Nuremberg and our offices are housed in an old army base).....looking for my boss so he can send the blasted e-mail I realize my security badge doesn't work. The security guys only gave me enough permission to basically get in the front door, but no other buildings. So I can't access my Design or Marketing teams. I can't get into any building (I need access to at least 10 different areas) at all so after we find my boss my coworker then takes me to Security to get my badge fixed. By 5pm my badge still isn't working, but IT was able to get my e-mail back online. Day one may have been a bust, but I did run into some old friends from Portland who I hadn't seen in ages and the new coworker (the one who helped me maneuver my way around the red tape of Security and IT) and I formed a tight bond that I think will remain as long as I remain here. 

Living like that Kojak guy ain't all sweetness and lollipops, baby

Telly Savalas, TV's Kojak, beloved character actor, recording artist, Oscar nominee, Emmy Award winner, Jennifer Anniston's godfather and Nicolette Sheridan's stepfather, lived the last 20 years of his life with his family in a suite at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Hollywood. Apparently, he really liked living in a hotel, watching TV in the lounge and hanging out by the pool. We've been here at the Hotel Maximilian for only 12 days, and it's starting to wear. Granted, it isn't the 3rd floor suite at the Sheraton like Telly had, but all the same this small room has lost its power to charm us, and we still have 5 weeks to go. On the plus side, the free breakfast is marvy-- fresh baked breads and pastries every morning, both "American"and "European" style breakfasts are in evidence, the hotel restaurant is frankly better than it needs to be (it even attracts the locals), and there's a proper sauna and even a tanning bed on the lower level. Another big benefit (besides the free parking and a kitchenette in the room) is the fact that it's all covered: The Company is picking up the tab. Not for everything-- if we want a beer at the bar (happy hour Bitburgers for EU 2.50!), dinner, or internet access, we're shelling out for it ourselves.  On the negative side... well, we're living out of our suitcases, and the rest of our clothes won't arrive until we move into our apartment in mid-late November, the restroom fan doubles as exhaust vent for our neighbor's evening cigarette habit, and the "kitchen" is a hotplate embedded into a stainless sink with a dorm-sized fridge beneath.  All in all, it isn't so bad, but it's the VERY extended transition that's getting to us.  Who loves ya, baby?

Ein bretzel und wasser mit gasse, um... S'il vous plait

G:  Not sure why I do this, but whenever I'm stuck for a word or phrase here (which is pretty much every interaction I have with the locals), invariably, I'll lapse into French. Which is kind of funny, because my French vocabulary is right at the level of a Parisian 2-year old (as opposed to my German comprehension, which is hovering somewhere around that of a 1-month old puppy). So whenever I have to say "excuse me," and I forget the German phrase (entschuldigung)-- which is several times daily, I'll subconsciously let fly a  French "pardon," (pronounced pah-dohn). This way I can butcher 2 languages in one shot.   The header by the way means "one pretzel and sparkling water (German)... please (French)."   And yes, I actually said this exact phrase.  Followed immediately by "Dunkopf (dumbass) American" and pointing at myself.  The pretzel was great.

More pics from post below........

We haven't figured out how to add all of our pics in one posting. The format only allows us to post 5 at a time within the posting......at least that we can see. Here are a few more pics from our Castle adventure today.......

Storming the Castle

B: It's been said that everything in Europe is on the top of a hill. We agree. We headed up to the Nuremberg Castle located at the northernmost end of the Altstadt (Old Town) to take some photos on our fancy new cell phones (handys) we just got. The past few days have been downright wintry with temperatures in the 30's at night and periods of heavy rain during the days. So, when we woke up today and the sun was shining we bundled up, grabbed the camera phones and headed out.

We followed this great walking path along the Pegnitz River that led us directly into the Alstadt through a medieval arched door. Then it was up, up and up some more to the top of the hill. Thank goodness there were several wonderful Bierstubes along the way to quench our thirst if we had needed it.

G: While these shots are primarily of the Nuremberg Castle and its walls (they drained the moat; it's now a walking and biking path) we haven't stopped marveling at the fact that this is an old working city. By that, I mean that while parts of the castle date to the 1300's (and it was built on foundations that date back to the 1000's), there are plenty of houses in the Altstadt that were built in the 1600's and are currently being occupied, with satellite TV, internet- the works. This isn't some sort of hokey Colonial Williamsburg jive; this is everyday life.

This isn't to say all buildings here are old-- far from it. But this is a large city that respects its past, and where the very old and the very new coexist side-by-side.

These are just a few shots from today's adventure. More to come soon........**We're still learning how to format our pictures within the blog. Apologies for the hatchet job.

Where are the pics?

Where are all the fabulous pictures of Germany you may be asking? The updates are fine, but where are the shots of bier drinking and lederhosen and the local architecture? Well, we seem to have packed the camera's computer connection cord in with our air freight shipment and it won't arrive for another 2 weeks. In the meantime people can go to Nuremberg Daily photo for one amateur photographer's view of Nuremberg while we get the picture situation situated. 

Day One

Bureaucracy is alive and well in Germany. We spent our first full day on the ground being carted around by The Company's contracted relocation expert and fixer. Things in Germany have to be done in a very specific way, and in a very specific sequence, or it all goes to hell, and you don't have a prayer of getting your new handy... er cell phone. Did I mention we were out of our minds jet lagged and drugged up with residual bits of the previous night's Ambien? First, we had to register our arrival  with the city. Except... our apartment isn't ready yet and you're not allowed to use a hotel as an address, so we declared that we were living in our relocation person's office in a totally different city. There was an election in Bavaria over the weekend, and for whatever reason, the city office was therefore closed on Monday-- election hangover, I guess. Whoops, that blew a hole in our plans, and completely set back chances of getting cell phones for another 48 hours (not sure why, but that's just how it works over here). Then it was off to a series of meetings related to B's employment: banking, health insurance and a meeting with the tax preparer. Banking was quick, painless, and we got ourselves a cordless phone for the effort. As far as health insurance is concerned, Germany subscribes to socialized medicine, which is a nice way of saying everybody pays a lot of money to get the same level of sub-par treatment and spotty coverage. By the way, this is compulsory-- if you are working, you HAVE to have it, no exceptions.  Well-to-do folks can opt out and get private insurance, which costs only a little less, yet has far better coverage. They changed the law last year (too many folks were going private and the public system was getting underfunded, no doubt) and upped the salary threshold-- so now to get the private insurance, you have to prove a salary of 46,000 Euros (nearly USA $64,000)/year for the last 3 years. Whoopsie, somebody in HR kind of forgot to mention that-- looks like we're going public, and paying 8x more for considerably less health care than we were getting back home. Mental note: don't get sick or hurt. Tax preparation was painless and boring, but neither of us were all that coherent at this point-- dead tired, and it was, like, 6 hours since we last ate. Hopefully, we didn't miss much there. It's only taxes, right? By the by, due the the fact that we're married, we enjoy the low, low rate of 42% taxation on B's paycheck. If you think that's draconian, try being single: 51% of your paycheck goes to The Man. After that, off to The Company's motor pool to pick up some temporary wheels. We got the last car available: a diesel minivan. Made in France. Now, I'm a car guy so the idea of having a Citroen (last exported to the the USA in 1973) seemed exotic and cool enough... except that this thing was a beast. Remember that small cars rule the roost in Europe-- most folks drive something the size of a Mini or VW Golf/Rabbit, and the parking spaces reflect that... so when we got this C4 Picasso, it was like being handed the keys to a delivery truck. You've read B's tale of parking garage hell below-- this vehicle barely fit in the spot provided, and you couldn't open the driver's door. This was all sorted out the next day when a diesel C3 came available, and it's been a lot easier to get out and around. I should hasten to add this: the relocation company has this all wired-- there are plenty of new arrivals working for far larger companies (including engineering colossus Siemens, a $100 Billion dollar company with nearly 500,000 employees in 190 countries) who have had to fend for themselves and figure out this maze without any guidance, from getting a work visa to registering with city hall. We're quite lucky that we had somebody who knew the lay of the land and drove us around 3 different cities in one day to get (almost) everything done in one shot.

A magic carpet ride (with wine)

Business class rocks. Especially when somebody else is picking up the tab. As part of the relocation package, B's employer, henceforth known as "The Company," rolled out the red carpet and plunked down for business class seats to Germany. Being something of a hairshirt/dirtbag, this was an extravagance beyond compare-- my previous trips on First/Business Class (all 2 of them, including a 1-hour flight from Phoenix to Denver) were the direct result of the airline totally screwing me over, me being cool about it, and their ticket agents bumping me up as a result. But these seats... my word, we're talking about motorized, all-singing, all-dancing Recaros that could double as narrow Barcaloungers, had a massage function, could extend in any position, had legroom aplenty, with individual movie screens complete access to ALL of Lufthansa's movies, not just the "Kung Fu Panda" that those poor mopes in steerage were suffering through.  I saw a heavily edited "The Bank Job" and, as a nod to my new address, and a biopic  of 80's Austrian synth pop flash in the pan Falco (hey, I liked the original "Der Kommissar"). But as a connoisseur of sleep, it was the seat's ability to achieve fully reclined position that made the trip so much easier-- and time pass more quickly. Would I front the money myself to do this again? Frankly, no-- Ambien, red wine and earplugs usually do the trick for me, and I'd save about $3100 doing so-- but I really can't fault anyone who chooses to fly on the other side of that curtain. In the end, our entire journey from the time we left for the Portland airport to the time we walked into our German hotel room took 22 hours. So those 3+ hours of sleep I managed to catch on the plane were most welcome. 

How the heck do I get out of the parking garage?....and other tall tales from Germany

BPOV: I learn something new every day in Germany and I've only been here 4 days. The other day I learned how to get out of the hotel garage. Actually, the German and US hotel garages are similar. You get a card at the front desk and swipe it at a reader in order for the garage door to open so you can drive in. BUT, if I am leaving the garage in the US I would pull up to the garage door and swipe the card again or a sensor would detect the car and automatically open the door up. Not in Germany. I drove my car up to the door and almost hit it because I expected it to open. There was nowhere to swipe the security card and no button to push anywhere. I went back and parked and G walked up to door hoping to set off some unseen sensor or hit some unseen button. Nothing. I honked at the door. Yelled at the security camera and nothing. I waited for a car to come in hoping I could sneak out while the door was open, but it was a narrow lane and did no good. I had to call the front desk from the security phone because we were locked in the garage once we entered it funny enough (haha). They asked me if I had seen the chain hanging down in front of the garage door? Chain in front of the the garage door?? Yeah? So. I went back to the garage and in the middle of the garage, in front of the garage door was a plain chain hanging down from the ceiling. There was no sign on it at all. I walked up to it and pulled it and the garage door opened. Ah yes, pull the chain. It was so clear now. We got back in the car, drove up to the chain which was in front of the garage door. I pulled it and we left. And now I know how to get out of a locked garage in Germany. I also know how to crawl out of my hatchback trunk door in case the parking spot in aforementioned hotel garage is too tight to open the blasted doors.

And now, some introductions are in order...

Hello family and friends! And so begin the trials, adventures and tall tales from Germany. Neither of us has had a blog before. I guess it's because we've never had much of anything to blog about before. And just because we're in Germany now, far away from all our friends and family it doesn't mean our lives are that much more interesting. It just means we need to be more creative in how we communicate on the cheap with people. So that means that this blog, facebook and skype are our new friends. So, at the very least we hope that it keeps us all in contact with each other. At the most, we hope you are somewhat entertained by the happenings in our daily lives. Take care. We miss you all already. Tschuss!

Imagine pitching it all. For real. By that, I mean walking away from life as you know it, with all your friends, family, cars, house, pets, routines, favorite TV shows, job-- everything that makes you who you are--the works. And just, well, fall off the grid. Unplug from The Matrix. That's kind of what we're doing, (probably me more so than B, but whatever), but the whole concept is basically this: working without a net. That's kind of what we're doing. While we have the comparative benefits (bad word choice) of no house, kids or pets, it's still going out on a very long, thin limb. We're moving to Germany yet don't speak German, and aside from dashing through the Frankfurt airport on a connecting flight or being trapped inside a convention center for a couple days at a trade show, we've never spent any time here. While we didn't make this choice in haste (and we did a helluva lot of background research), it's still going to have a few twists and turns. This is our story.