Hi Family and Friends!
We arrived safe and sound on Wednesday morning around 10:30am and have been pretty much non-stop since then. First, Deanna's cell phone wasn't getting service after landing, so we had to figure out how to use the T-Mobile phone booth that was in the airport to call the realtor so we could be met at our place and given the keys. Getting to our place was interesting, as our taxi driver didn't speak any English, but on the plus side we got to practice our German! We managed to converse quite well (at least we think) as he got us to the closest spot that he could to our place. Currently, we live on a pedestrian mall (similar to Pearl St. in Boulder) so cars are not allowed on the street.
We arrived safe and sound on Wednesday morning around 10:30am and have been pretty much non-stop since then. First, Deanna's cell phone wasn't getting service after landing, so we had to figure out how to use the T-Mobile phone booth that was in the airport to call the realtor so we could be met at our place and given the keys. Getting to our place was interesting, as our taxi driver didn't speak any English, but on the plus side we got to practice our German! We managed to converse quite well (at least we think) as he got us to the closest spot that he could to our place. Currently, we live on a pedestrian mall (similar to Pearl St. in Boulder) so cars are not allowed on the street.
Lister Meile, our new home!
Luckily, our place is close to a main driving road, so we didn't have to walk far. The unfortunate side, however, is that we each had two massive check-in bags, a back-pack, and a carry-on bag. We most definitely looked like crazy tourists that didn't know how to pack light. The trip up the stairs was the worst-- we live on "floor 5", which is actually the 6th floor, as Europe considers the ground floor to be 0. Combine that with no elevator and all of Deanna's clothes, that was one tough job!
We live at the very top on the middle. Lots of light! Above a bakery and an Italian place
Since then, we have gotten all of the important stuff taken care of. Kevin has his work Visa, so he will be ready to start work on Tuesday (holiday on Easter Monday). We have a Bank account at Deutsche Bank, which is very important due to the limited use of credit cards here. We have prepaid internet through O2, and Deanna has a new cell contract through O2. Check out our new Contact page for all of the new numbers!
Thursday on Lister Meile, we have something like a farmer's market where vendors come to sell their fresh meat, vegetables, fish, flowers, and prepared food. We picked up a key ingredient for our Mexican cooking (when we are missing home a little too much)-- cilantro!! Apparantly, the rest of the world calls it Coriander-- we call it Cilantro as that is the Spanish name for it.
"Coriander" = Cilantro
Today, Deanna made us a fantastic Easter duck, with sides of vegetables, and deviled eggs. Definitely made us feel at home! Quite a feat for a tiny kitchen and tiny oven. After dinner, we went out to a German rendition of "Alice im Wunderland"; a ballet, mind you, which turned out to be a good thing, as there was no talking, so nothing to misinterpret! All in all a fantastic start to a wonderful adventure!
Easter tulips from Kevin to Deanna!
