Romania

Yup, I'm going there. Next week. For 2 weeks. The guy stationed there is TDY and they need a little help. So I volunteered. I've never been to that area of the world so it should be interesting. I should probably look up the weather. That would be a good idea. Definitely a good idea.

SNOW!

Yeah, we got some of that.

My drive to work.

Walking the dogs.

A Few Days in Wiesbaden

I had to go to our district office in Wiesbaden, Germany for a few days. Here’s what happened.

1. It snowed every day. Thankfully I found my snow brush/ice scraper in my delivered household goods because the GOV didn’t have one. Some days I had to clear the car multiple times. But, it was very pretty out when it was snowing. At least, when I didn’t have to drive in it.


2. German drivers are not friendly. There are no protected left turns. You are supposed to drive into the intersection (and they will madly honk at you until you do because they’re going to join you in said intersection) and wait until either the opposing traffic ends or the light turns red. Then as many cars as can get through before the traffic starts coming at you the other direction. The snow made the already narrow streets even narrower and obscured the already confusing road markings.

3. My GPS kept losing signal. I was repeatedly left driving aimlessly waiting to reacquire a signal. The first morning it took me about 40 min. to go what should have taken 10. The second morning it took about 80 min. Seeing as I had no idea where I was going and couldn’t see the road markings because of the snow I had a lot of angry people honking at me to get out of their way.

4. I finally visited a Christmas Market. It's a little like the state fair; but with fewer rides. Basically it's a bunch of people selling stuff. It was interesting to walk around for a little bit. It was VERY cold out, though.

And here are some pictures from the drive back.

My Tree

It's a little more brown than green and a little bit tipsy but it's working for me.

The Longest Night

Being further north, now, my days are even shorter than ever before. I have less than 8 hours of daylight. So I am very joyful that we have reached the Winter Solstice. The longest night is upon us and we can celebrate the return of light; something for which I am very grateful. This is, afterall, the origin of the modern winter holiday celebration.



So happy solstice, everyone.

Moving Day

The lease is signed and I have the keys! Tomorrow we check out of the hotel and our stuff gets delivered. Today I need to move all the junk we have here in the hotel over to the house. Once we check out tomorrow we won't have internet at home for a while so postings will be sporadic.

I'm taking bets on two things:

1. The front door doesn't have a door knob. You have to open it with the key. This is typical of Dutch houses. How long will it take me to lock myself out of the house?

2. The house is 2-story. The steps are steep and have a turn. This is also typical of Dutch houses. I have to lean forward and hold on in order not to fall over backwards when going up. And that's when I'm not carrying anything. How long will it be before I fall up or down the stairs (cause can be dog induced)?

I'll let you know when (not if, because they're both pretty much guaranteed) these happen :)

A House For My Birthday

I've been holding off on posting this because I didn't want to jinx it. But I've received too many complaints about the lack of updates. So if it falls through I blame you. Yes, you specifically!

I'm set to sign a contract for a house on Friday. I move in on Monday. Happy birthday to me!!

I am very ready to be out of the hotel. I'm anxious to be cooking for myself again and I'm definitely ready to be done taking dogs down and up stairs!! Three cheers for back doors to back yards!!

The house is not one of the ones previously described. It's a little larger than I wanted but is the nicest house I looked at (hello heated tile bathroom floor). The yard is the most secure (although I have no doubt my houdinis will figure a way out) but, sadly, has no shade. It's not located right in town like I had hoped but since my houdinis will likely figure out how to get out of the yard that's probably for the best. It's easily bike-able to work and could be walked if I'm feeling energetic.

I'll post more next week about the neighborhood and such after I've had time to explore it.

Very Odd News Story

Local news site OverEindhoven.nl reports that a three-car collision in the Netherlands tonight was caused by a red couch sitting in the middle of the road.

The couch was lying in the center of highway A270 near Eindhoven, Netherlands, for unknown reasons. The fire department rescued at least one person trapped in one of the cars and one person was transferred to a hospital by ambulance, per the report.

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I like how they reported the color of the couch. Would a different color have resulted in a different outcome?

Snow!

Well, sort of. Just a dusting. But a reminder that I need boots. And warmer gloves!

N.B. I have no idea why the pictures post so randomly. I can't seem to make them post the way I arrange them.

Jessica and the Chocolate Factory

I had to go to the office in Belgium again yesterday to connect my computer to our network. There must have been solar flares or a giant, dense cloud hanging over Belgium because the GPS kept losing signal. All I could do was keep driving until the signal came back. Usually by that time I had missed my turn or exit. I ended up taking the very long way around!

Belgium is known for its chocolates (Godiva is based in Belgium). I had heard of a chocolate factory that was sort-of, kind-of on the way so I stopped by there on my way home. There's a little store (and I do mean little) attached to the factory. The chocolates there are greatly discounted (although still not cheap by any means). The best part, though, are the samples. They don't care how many you eat. You eat them until you feel like you're going to be sick. And then you eat a few more because you realize you haven't tried *that one* yet. My stomach still doesn't feel very good.

This was the "Lucky Corner." There are boxes and boxes of various chocolates and you can buy them in bulk. Because, really, doesn't everyone need good Belgian choclates in Costco-sized boxes?

On the drive back I stopped to use the bathroom and found the cutest male/female symbols on bathroom doors.