Getting Legal

We lost our internet over the weekend, so we weren’t able to post anything. We are back online, and will try to be better about posting. It is interesting how much more dependent we feel to have internet. On past trips for a couple of weeks to a month, we didn’t feel as much need to stay in contact. Maybe it is the prospect of being here for six months.

In Germany, if you are going to live at an address, not a Pension or Zimmer, you must register with the local authorities. We did that last week on Thursday, and it was our first exposure to the German way. Get in one line, told to get in another, and finally another. Then wait, go to a room, answer a few questions, and finally receive your papers. That makes us legal for three months. Our next trip to the office will be to obtain a Residence Permit that will allow us to remain in Germany for the full six months. Wish us luck.

We are feeling more comfortable each day, although each day presents new things to deal with.  We are finding that many places don't accept our Visa card, only the EC Visa.  That means we need to carry more cash to avoid the embarrassment of having to go to a ATM to pay our bill.  Also we find we need to be more careful in reading menus and business details.  We were all set to go to a Spanish restaurant, but found out that it was closed until an hour from the time we arrived.  We were meeting our landlady later that night and had to eat early.  Our fallback position was to go to a nearby Beergarden and have Spargel, Schnitzel and Beer.  You can always count on finding a Beergarden.

Yesterday, we ventured out to the local (somewhat) IKEA to purchase some essentials (to us) that are missing from our apartment.  Things like kitchen utensils, bowls and some bedding.  We found the bus and underground we should take online and started out about 11:00.  It took about an hour to get there, an hour or so shopping and an hour to get back.  All in all not an unpleasant experience.  We were prepared, as we had found on line at our favorite expat site that they don't take Credit Cards.  As a side note, we had learned earlier that Walmart had opened 65 stores in Germany, but all had closed, problably because no one but foreigners did any shopping there.  That is something good to say about Germany.(Gary)