Multiple overlapping blurred Snellen eye charts with various letters decreasing in size

Military, Rheinland-Pfalz, United States

I really needed a drink after yesterday’s eye exam ordeal…

Bear with me, folks. It’s a surprisingly long story… The featured photo is AI, but it kind of looks like the eye test from yesterday, only it’s not as blurry.

Bill and I were greeted with beautiful sunny skies yesterday morning. The temperature was perfectly comfortable. It would have been a great day to drive my Mini Cooper convertible, which really could use the “exercise”. We decided to drive the Volvo, instead, and made our way to Ramstein Air Force Base, so I could take care of my vision test for my driver’s license renewal.

Ramstein is about a 90 minute drive from where we live. It’s not far from the French border– maybe 45 minutes or so. The area around the base is really beautiful, although it’s pretty much a mini America. Ramstein has many facilities and is a convenient perq for those of us with military privileges, living in Germany. Although part of the usual route we take is currently closed for renovation, we made it to the base with plenty of time before the optometry clinic would be closing (3:30 ish).

I didn’t think the test would be a huge deal. We already had the passable results of the eye test I had struggled to take in Wiesbaden last month. However, the optical shop in Wiesbaden couldn’t do the apparently newly required peripheral vision test, so I had to get a new exam done at Ramstein. At least the test in Wiesbaden was free of charge.

The Texas driver’s license officials had indicated that they only needed proof that my peripheral vision was passable, since my vision test results from Wiesbaden were passing. I thought our visit would be brief and uncomplicated. We definitely hadn’t planned on spending so much time with the optometry technician in Ramstein, a tiny white woman who appeared to be about Bill’s age. She immediately made an impression as we approached.

The lights in the optometry clinic were turned off, and she was sitting behind the desk, barely noticeable from outside. At first, I was afraid the office was closed. But then we saw her, and the hours posted on the door. The lady behind the desk– I’ll call her “Mary” (likely not her real name)– was very friendly, but as soon as we started trying to explain what we needed, she broke in and told us that the clinic was going to be shut down in July. Then she started ranting about the driver’s license exams, and how they would not be able to do them, because the two optometrists at the clinic are leaving and there are not any plans to replace them.

I started to worry that she was going to tell us she wouldn’t be able to help us, but then she said the magic words.

“I’m going to take care of you today. We’ll get you squared away.”

She addressed me directly, which I appreciated. After a few moments listening to Mary, I definitely got the sense that I was one of the lucky ones coming in under the wire for services at Ramstein. Unless, of course, something happens, and they get new optometrists to work in lovely Germany, so that people like us can be taken care of by Americans with American credentials, and still be able to renew our driver’s licenses, so we’ll be legal to drive.

I listened to Mary talk about how the requirements for the exams could not be met once the doctors left, because the driver’s license offices in the United States required stamps from licensed US based optometrists. I was thinking about all of the times I’ve renewed my driver’s licenses in person. Never on any of those occasions have I had to submit paperwork from a licensed eye doctor. I just did a very basic test involving looking into a machine with both eyes, conducted by the government flunky handling my request.

I guess things have changed. To hear Mary explain it, officials in the States are getting a lot stricter about eye tests for driver’s licenses. I gather it’s because officials don’t want anyone getting a driver’s license who isn’t “legal”. 🙄 But maybe it really is about public safety. Who knows?

I explained to Mary that I’d already (barely) passed the eye test in Wiesbaden, and the Texas officials had only requested a peripheral vision test. Mary told us she had to charge us $34, whether we did the whole thing or just a part. She seemed to think I needed a new test, and scoffed at what they’d done in Wiesbaden. She even said we should get our money back, and laughed when we said the test had been done for free. I didn’t really care about the $34, I just wanted to get this over with… but Mary seemed intent on doing her job, so I did the whole thing over again.

Thank GOD I brought my glasses with me, because if I hadn’t, I would not have passed. I certainly CAN see well enough to drive, but I am in need of a new prescription. I have astigmatism that isn’t currently corrected by my multifocal lenses. I can see better if I wear toric lenses, but I can’t read with the toric lenses. I can read with multifocal lenses, but my vision isn’t as sharp. My prescription is way off anyway, because it’s been years since I last went to the eye doctor. In Germany, you can just buy your lenses without a prescription. I’m pretty sure I need bifocals.

Mary was very nice, but she was really stressing me out during the exam. She exuded the slight shaming and judging one gets from medical professionals when patients don’t do things exactly as they should or haven’t been “living properly”.

I didn’t use the eye cover exactly right, and she corrected me for that. She was a little disapproving because I had dusty glasses, as I only wear them to watch TV at night, and then only for a few minutes. She chastised me when she did the peripheral test for turning my head as she talked to me. I hate it when medical people act that way. I have authority issues as it is, but it’s especially annoying when you have to pay for that treatment.

Another example of that kind of behavior…

My husband, Bill, has had to take blood pressure meds for almost as long as I’ve known him. He gets nervous when he goes to the doctor, so his blood pressure goes up. One time, he went to see the doctor, and the nurse who took his blood pressure gave him a disapproving look, implying that he wasn’t taking his medication. Bill is an excellent patient. He takes his medications religiously. But the nurse wasn’t convinced, because his pressure was high during that visit. Her castigating was making things worse. She was stressing him out with her disapproval, making his blood pressure rise even higher.

Bill later got diagnosed with white coat hypertension. I, too, was diagnosed with that, back in 2007. But now, I’m pretty sure I have high blood pressure and need to be on meds… and that will require a doctor’s visit, which really freaks me out.

Moving on…

I really wanted to pass the test, even though I almost never drive, because I just wanted to get this pesky chore done. I don’t want my driver’s license to expire, in case there’s an emergency. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I didn’t pass, but it would be a huge pain in my ass. Mary said that US officials won’t take German doctors’ signatures on the forms (which seems rather preposterous to me, especially if the optometrists are going away). I can’t stand dealing with medical people, and find addressing healthcare issues a huge hassle. I didn’t want to have to come back, or find somewhere else to go.

Mary warned that if I let my license expire, I would end up having to take the driver’s tests again. This was precisely why I have been bugging Bill for a year about completing this particular bureaucratic chore. I knew I’d probably have to furnish a lot of documents and official signatures, thanks to Trump’s micromanaging style of “leading”. I still have six weeks or so until my license expires. Mary was making it all seem so catastrophic and difficult, and this was the last hurdle I needed to clear before I’d be done with this process.

The last thing I want to do is retake the driver’s tests in the US, or have to take them in Germany (although I believe Texas has an agreement that would allow me to just trade in my license). I wasn’t going to argue with Mary, though, because she seemed to think she was 100 percent right about all of the current policies in the USA and Germany. Perhaps she is… but I got the sense she was making much more of a big deal of this than was actually required. All I wanted to do is pass the fucking eye test so I can stay legal to drive, in case I need to in an emergency.

As time passed during my exam, Mary could see I was getting progressively more upset, so as she was chastising and disapproving, she was also reassuring me. She kept saying, “You’re going to pass! Don’t worry!” she chirped, as she made me read off numbers to prove I’m not color blind. (good LORD!). When it came time to do the peripheral vision test, she had me do it without my lenses in. I could see her hands and fuzzy outlines of her fingers as she moved behind me. Thankfully, I did pass that part of the test with no issues. That was what I had come in to do.

So finally, at the end of the exam, as many medical professionals have before her, Mary “passed” me, with a stern warning that I need a new prescription (no shit). She warned that if we tried to call them tomorrow, it would be total bedlam. There are very few appointments left until July, when the office will be closed. I got the sense that maybe a main part of the reason Mary was so angsty is because people were going to be losing their jobs. Bill paid her the $34, and she set me up with an hour long appointment for June 13th, a week before my birthday, and before my license will be officially expired.

At some point, Mary told us that she’s a nurse. AHA! That explains her authoritative, but friendly, demeanor. She also said she’d worked in ICUs. I got the sense that maybe she missed the action of the ICU, given the relative drama of this appointment. Good thing no one else was waiting!

As Mary was signing me up to see the doctor– a man she says is a “talker”– she warned us to show up on time or face a $40 no show fee. And she reiterated that I needed a very thorough exam, which will involve dilating my eyes. I’m sure that will come with a lecture about my blood pressure, which probably does need correcting…

The question is, though… am I strong enough to deal with either authoritative military doctors at Landstuhl, or another German doctor who treats me like dog shit scraped off of their shoes? Time will tell. But I do look forward to getting a new prescription, at least. I do need one.

After my time with Mary, Bill and I decided to have lunch. Ramstein has a huge food court, and a Macaroni Grill. There’s also a Five Guys in the place where a Burger King once stood (and later burned to the ground). We decided to go to the German restaurant, which was set up to look like an indoor Biergarten. They had brews on tap, and I really felt like I needed one. As for lunch, I had a Munich Burger, while Bill had Schnitzel. Neither came with sides, which was a good thing, as the items were huge and messy. I could barely finish the dripping burger, but it did taste pretty good.

*It’s not that convincing as a Biergarten, but they did give it a good try at authenticity.*

After lunch, we stopped in an Italian gourmet shop in the mall. The lady running it was an absolutely adorable and friendly Italian, who was very helpful and spoke with a delightfully thick accent! She was impressed as she watched us loading up on products, and asked us if we were PCSing back to the States. I wanted to get some olive oil and balsamic vinegar for Bill’s younger daughter, who has never had any of the “good” stuff from Italy. I threw in a bag of pasta, too. We also got some stuff for home, including Orangello.

Then I heard music coming from the food court. It looked like a band consisting mostly of high schoolers were playing jazz. They were quite good. The young lady who was singing was very impressive. She had a lovely voice! If I hadn’t been so stressed out by the eye test, I might have stayed to listen for a bit longer, but we needed to get back to the dogs. I wanted to slip into something more comfortable and take a nice deep breath as I recovered from re-entering the “little America” of Ramstein Air Force Base.

Hopefully, the people in Texas will accept this last bit of proof of my worthiness for a Texas driver’s license. Mary said we were lucky. She had to fly back to Mississippi for hers. I guess Mississippi doesn’t make exceptions for people who live on different continents, but vote in Mississippi. I thought I’d have to go back to Texas, too… which, frankly, I would barely prefer over going to Mississippi. No offense to my Mississippi based friends. 🥰

I do appreciate Mary’s help. All in all, she was very kind to me, and I do need to get this taken care of. But it really was a lot more stressful and involved than I was expecting. I pray yesterday’s visit will be the end of the saga, at least in terms of getting my license renewed.

castles, Hessen, Military, YouTube

Friedberg, Hessen… where Elvis Presley did his Army duty…

But surprisingly enough, that’s not why Bill and I visited there yesterday…

One might think Americans would be teeming in a town where famous fellow American, and the so-called “King of Rock n’ Roll”, Elvis Presley has such a strong connection. After all, this town has two intersections Elvis Presley inspired walk-don’t walk lights (since December 2018), an Elvis Presley Platz (completed in November 2014), and a statue of the man!

But no… we didn’t notice any American Elvis pilgrims during our brief visit to Friedberg. In fact, we weren’t even there for him, ourselves. I had heard of the German town where Presley is celebrated, and had meant to visit in years past. However, by the time we actually laid eyes on Friedberg, I had forgotten all about Elvis’s Army connection to my adopted “home” country for 13 years of my life. It wasn’t until we were driving into Friedberg that Bill mentioned Elvis and his stint living in Bad Nauheim, a nearby town where he’d rented a villa, so he could do his military service in Friedberg. It was during his German stint that he also met his wife, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley.

So what the hell were we doing in Friedberg, if not to worship “the King”?

A few days ago, someone in a Facebook group dedicated to the German state of Hessen posted some pictures of Adolfsturm, a medieval tower that dates from 1347. I love a good tower challenge, especially when the views at the top are particularly rewarding. Adolfsturm is also very charming, as is the castle complex where it is located.

We’d never been to Friedberg before, and it is the capital of the Wetteraukreis district of Hessen. And since we didn’t have anything better to do yesterday, and the weather was pretty much perfect– partly cloudy, breezy, and only about 72 degrees Fahrenheit, we decided it would be a good day to climb Adolfsturm and get some photos. Of course, there’d also be lunch and people watching.

Friedberg is maybe a 40 minute drive from where Bill and I live. From 1956 until 2007, it was the home of Ray Barracks, which was a U.S. Army installation and, indeed, where Elvis did his patriotic duty for America. One of Bill’s co-workers once lived and worked near Friedberg, before it was “BRAC’d” (a victim of base realignment and closure) in 2007. In fact, Ray Barracks closed a month before Bill and I arrived in Germany the first time, back in September 2007, when he was still serving in the Army.

So, given all of that, you’d think we would have visited this charming town before yesterday. Alas, yesterday was indeed our first time ever there, but hopefully, we will be able to go back, and I can get some photos of all of the Elvis Presley shit. After we climbed the tower, I had completely forgotten about Elvis, and wanted to get home and take a shower! 🚿

I think the pandemic really stifled our desire to get out and explore as much as we used to. We’re only just now getting our mojo back. I also don’t have as many readers as I once did, so that sort of takes away the self-imposed pressure I put on myself when we lived near Stuttgart.

Here’s the story of how our visit went…

Bill and I left our house at a little after 11:00 AM. In the car, we had a deep discussion about our time in Germany thus far. As I lamented about how our previous rental experience vastly contrasts with our current one, and how disappointing it was that we had to leave the Stuttgart area on a sour note, we noticed an idiot driving a car with a full horse trailer cut off at least two cars with Dutch license plates.

As we approached Friedberg, we passed a rest area with a curious looking observation tower. Then I noticed that from the tower on the side of the Autobahn, one can easily see Frankfurt’s familiar skyline, the only one of its kind in Germany. Someday, we’ll have to stop there and take pictures while Bill gets gas for the car.

As we drove into Friedberg, Bill mentioned Elvis, and I looked him up on my phone. I was still reading about him when we pulled into a mostly empty parking garage, and walked toward the main drag… Below are some photos from the walk into the happening part of town. I love the house in the first picture. It’s so cute!

As we got closer to the Stadtkirche Friedberg, I noticed an unhoused person sleeping under a thick red cover, sheltered by the church’s facade. I guess if one must be homeless, the church is a good place to find some rest. The Stadtkirche Friedberg dates from the mid 13th century. It is the only surviving church of Friedberg’s seven medieval churches. I was immediately impressed by its beauty, and of course, I took lots of pictures!

After a brief visit to Friedberg’s marvelous city church, we started walking down the main drag toward the Castle of Friedberg’s grounds. But first, we decided to have lunch. We stopped at a charming German restaurant called Die Dunkel. It was such a nice day, everybody was sitting outside. Bill went in and asked, in German, for two places, and the bartender, who appeared to be of Indian descent and, as it turned out, spoke perfect English, misunderstood and thought he was ordering beer. She brought out the unordered Pils beers, and we were momentarily confused, but I said, “Never mind. We’ll drink them.” Problem solved!

Bill and I both had salads. His had falafel in it, while mine had grilled chicken breast. And, of course, we drank beer and people watched. One guy had on a t-shirt Bill liked. It looked like the Walt Disney logo, but actually said “Malt Whiskey”. He laughed and pointed it out to me. I turned around, and the guy noticed us noticing. He smiled and showed it off, then bowed. We had a good laugh at that! Friedberg seems to be a place where people are friendly and relatively happy. I also noticed a lot of Muslims there, which isn’t a statement on anything other than the town seems to enjoy a diverse community.

At one point, a young couple with a baby sat next to us. I was enjoying watching their teamwork handling the baby, who looked like perhaps she was about 6 or 7 months old. She was quiet and content, playing with a spoon, while her parents ate. Then her mom breastfed her at the table. No one batted an eye. In fact, Bill didn’t even notice. Isn’t it nice that women in Germany can feed their babies without getting the side-eye from chauvinistic jerks who can’t understand that breasts serve a function other than turning them on?

I liked Die Dunkel. The service was friendly; the food was good; the beer was cold; and I noticed a lot of locals were enjoying each other’s company there. It seems like the kind of place where friends can meet up for a drink and then hang out… and that’s actually what I noticed some people doing. The main drag has lots of trees and is very pleasant. It reminded me a little of when Bill and I used to live in Fredericksburg, Virginia, back when we first got married. Friedberg is actually prettier, though.

After lunch, we walked to the castle grounds. There’s a large, impressive gate there, as well as what used to be a moat. Behind the gate there is a gymnasium (school for smart teenagers who plan to attend university), the castle itself, St. George Fountain, and of course, Adolfsturm. Friedberg Castle dates from the 12th century, and has a long, rich history. According to its official Web site:

With its 3.9 hectares, Friedberg Castle is one of the larger castle complexes in Germany. But it is not only the extent of its grounds, which have retained the closed character of a medieval fortified complex, that makes it stand out. For many centuries, it also occupied an exceptional legal position.

From the 12th century until 1806, the castle, which had been built before 1180 to protect the Wetterau, was the centre of a unique Burgraviate. From 1431 onwards, it was the only castle with a small territory subject to the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire alone; its cooperative constitution was another special feature.

I don’t think it’s possible to tour the castle itself, but St. George Fountain is in front of it, and the tower is a short walk away. And as we approached Adolfsturm, I paused to take a few photos. It really is a pretty tower, and it only costs 2 euros (1 euro for children under 6) to climb it. It’s open from 2-6 PM on weekends and holidays, from the beginning of April until the end of October.

Somehow, I didn’t manage to get photos of the Friedberg Castle itself! I was too fixated on the tower, which dates from 1347, and had its turrets added in the late 19th century.

To access the tower, you pay the guy minding the “Kasse”, then climb up some steps that lead to just below the midpoint of the tower. When you enter the tower itself, you will see a barred door that has a sign that reads “Verlies” (which means “dungeon” in German– specifically a cell in a tower or castle). After we climbed the tower, we saw that people went down to the bottom of it, but neither Bill nor I wanted to go down to investigate, because it would mean climbing back up, and we were already getting sore! I figured there would be other people’s photos on the Internet, and I was right about that. Another reason why we skipped the dungeon was because I really needed to pee. There is a free toilet on the backside of the tower. It’s not the cleanest, but it was a most welcome sight after our climb!

*The parking garage had a free toilet, as it’s part of the “Nette Toilette” program.*

Anyway, here are some photos from our climb, which really wasn’t too bad at all. It was a lot less terrifying than the Cathedral Tower in Vilnius was. I am less sore today, too. The tower is about 54 meters high, and offers two open vantage points. There are a couple of enclosed floors where the weapons used to be aimed. You can stop for a rest there on your way up.

When we got to the first outdoor observation area, I was impressed with the view. I looked up at the steep ladders going higher and wondered if I needed to bother with them. Bill and I debated for a couple of minutes, and then I said, “Well, if we don’t go up there, we might regret it. And if we do, then we’ll never have to climb this particular tower again!” So, we went for it, and the view was worth it. At the top, there are signs showing how far away certain landmarks are, that, on a clear day, are easily visible from the tower.

We decided to walk through the lovely castle grounds to make our way back to the car. We stopped for a moment to take in the views and admire the beautiful wildflowers. The park around the tower has rules: Dogs, alcoholic beverages, and grilling is NOT allowed. And if the weather is inclement, the park may have reduced hours or be closed.

On the way out of town, Bill was stopped by some guy who was looking for Western Union services. He said in his best German that we were “Auslanders”. I got a kick out of the sign at a beer bar, which I wouldn’t have minded stopping at, if we’d had the time…

We got back to the car, and I gratefully reached for my purse, which I’d left inside. I badly needed some Carmex for my lips, which were drying out. As we drove out of Friedberg, we passed the church and what appeared to be a minor fender bender. A distressed looking woman was shaking her head while a young female cop wrote a ticket. A young male cop was smiling as he leaned by the window of the vehicle ahead of the distressed woman’s van. It looked like a very minor accident, but the woman was obviously upset, nonetheless.

*Just past where the fender bender took plac*e…

And then, Bill turned left on the main drag, and I finally saw the Elvis Presley traffic lights and an information panel about Elvis! I realized we should have extended our stay by a half hour or so, so I could have gotten some photos. Oh well. Now, we have a reason to return to this very pleasant town, so close to where we live!

Below is a video about Elvis in Friedberg. It’s in German, but you can see the “Elvis Presley Platz”.

The King lives on in Friedberg… and helps save lives.

Hessen, Military

Time for another ID update…

Yesterday, Bill and I had an appointment to update our ID cards. We’re kind of cutting it to the wire, as our old IDs were due to expire June 25th. German authorities were taking awhile to update paperwork that allows us to stay in the country legally. Then, there was another person in Bill’s office who had to complete a procedure before we could get the IDs updated. Next week, we’re going to Lithuania, to be followed by yet another long planned trip to Switzerland…

Fortunately, everything came together, and Bill was able to pick me up and take me to the ID office yet again for new identification credentials. Had he not been able, he had another appointment for next week ready… but that would have REALLY cut it close. We also have to update our SOFA cards, which are basically the permits that allow us to be here legally.

The appointment was for 1:00 PM, and as usual, Bill got me there too early. It’s unusually chilly for June right now, and there’s nowhere to sit near where our appointment was, as the door leading to the waiting room was closed. We didn’t want to sit in the car, because that might signal that we’re about to vacate our parking spot and attract lurkers.

Bill and I went to Dunkin’ (formerly Dunkin’ Donuts) and picked up six donuts for this morning’s breakfast. We haven’t been to a Dunkin’ in years. Although the donuts were tasty this morning, I’ve noticed a downturn in quality. But at least it was something different… a nice treat for today. Bill also showed me the concessions at Clay Kaserne, which is where he works. Aside from Subway and a couple of other fast food restaurants I’ve never seen before, there are also a couple of food trucks that looked pretty decent. I had already eaten lunch, so there was no need to visit them.

*On the way off post… I guess a bunch of these are rolling into DC now.*

Eventually, I spotted a picnic table on the other side of the road, so we went over there… and we actually found two picnic tables, but they were mostly covered with dried bird shit. One of the tables wasn’t as bad as the other, so we sat at that one until the wind grew too chilly. By then, it was close to 1:00 PM.

When we got back to the ID office, there were a bunch of people waiting at the door. Bill whispered with some disappointment that they were going to open right on time. “You expected anything different?” I asked.

It was lucky we had an appointment, because there were a bunch of people at the office, hoping to get in for an ID update. Most of them were walk-ins, and the lady who took care of us warned them that her co-worker was unavailable because of mandatory training. We ended up being the first ones called in, and the worker turned out to be very friendly and professional.

As we were filling out and signing paperwork, I noticed the “retiree spouse” military ID I carry, but don’t use over here, had expired in April. So I got that one updated, too. I would use that ID in the United States, if I’m ever there and need access to military facilities. They’ve gotten pretty strict about ID requirements. I had to show my passport and my Texas driver’s license, which is a “Real ID”. As I handed over my old IDs, which had my name on them, I realized how absurd and overkilling the requirements are these days, but God forbid an undocumented person get access to anything. SIGH…

Anyway, I’m glad that chore is now done. It took about an hour. I wonder how many of those folks who walked in got their business taken care of. Bill brought me home and I soon ended up taking a nice, long nap. Once the SOFA cards are updated, I can feel safer about leaving the country. Don’t want to end up like the people who have been detained in the USA right now.

Below are a few signs for upcoming events in the neighborhood. We will be in Vilnius when these are going on…

BeNeLux, churches, Military

Wandering around Mons… Day one (part two)

Tuesday morning, Bill and I woke at the crack of dawn, dressed, and made our way down to the breakfast room at the B&B Hotel Mons Centre. On that first morning, there were lots of people in the breakfast room. I got a kick out of checking out all of the uniforms. I saw folks from Norway, Germany, and Estonia (I think), as well as some Americans.

One thing I’ve noticed, having spent most of my life around military types, is that they all have a certain way of carrying themselves. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with the military. My father was a career Air Force officer, and I have many friends and relatives who have served. Bill was a career Army officer. I’ve been around these folks forever, and some of them are among the finest people I’ve ever met. But then, some are not so great. On that morning, I was feeling pride for the military– not just the US version, but for servicemembers from all countries. They all have a common thread, no matter where they come from.

As for the buffet breakfast– it cost 17 euros a person. Personally, I didn’t think it was worth that much, although they did at least offer fresh baguettes. The rest was pretty mediocre– watery orange juice, scrambled eggs that tasted reconstituted, canned baked beans, mushrooms (yeeech), and either sausages or bacon. They also had cold cuts, cheeses, fruit, yogurt, and a little machine that made pancakes. Yes, there was coffee, too… from a machine. I pretty much ate the same thing every day.

A bus took the conference participants to the work site, so once we were finished with breakfast, Bill caught the bus, and I went back to bed for a couple of hours. I would try to read, as I’ve been struggling to finish a book I’ve been working on for awhile. Invariably, I’d fall asleep. Then, later in the morning, I’d get up, get dressed again, and walk around Mons. Every day, I went to a different area.

Since Tuesday was our first full day in Mons, I kept things basic on the first day. I stopped at the Saint Elisabeth Church, a huge building on the main drag, on the first morning, and actually prayed. I don’t pray very often, but given what happened in the United States this month, I felt like it wouldn’t hurt to offer a word to God Almighty. As for the rest of it, you can see that Christmas decorations are already going up. My German friend tells me the carnival started on November 8 and will run until December 8. It’s pretty impressive.

Below you can see photos:

*I ended up going down these steps later in the week.*

As the hour drew closer to noon, I walked around the Grand Place, trying to decide where I wanted to have lunch. It’s always awkward for me to eat lunch alone in a restaurant, especially when I’m in a country that isn’t my home and I don’t speak the language. I really should have studied French or German in school, instead of Spanish.

In any case, I ended up having lunch at La Pizzarella, a pizza restaurant in the Grand Place. I would link to it, but it looks like their Web site is down. This restaurant doesn’t get the best reviews on Trip Advisor, but I didn’t have a terrible experience. A lady invited me to sit down at a two top and I ordered tortellini stuffed with smoked salmon, and washed down with wonderful Chimay Blue beer. They played French pop on the sound system, and the only negative thing about it was the woman sitting near me who sang along with it, off key. I know that sounds snobby, but I am a singer with perfect pitch, so off key singing is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

*I like how Belgian restaurants often serve bread with butter.*

By the time I was finished with my leisurely lunch repast, it was afternoon. I paid the waitress at the cash register, then walked outside to sunshine. After strolling around the Grand Place some more, I headed back toward the hotel, stopping once again in the church to get some sunnier photos. I love how so many churches in Europe are open for people to enjoy, even when it’s not Sunday.

A couple of hours later, Bill came back from his conference. We hung out in the hotel room for a little while, and then went looking for dinner. We ended up at a Lebanese place that we really enjoyed. However, a couple of nights later, one of Bill’s colleagues said that he found an even better Lebanese place. Maybe if we ever visit Mons again, we can visit it. There seemed to be a lot of Lebanese restaurants in that town…

I had grilled quail, while Bill had a lentil dish with hummus and a goat cheese salad. The waiter was very charming and spoke English quite well. Bill gave him a large (for Belgium) tip– 17 euros. The guy asked if he was sure, and Bill said he was… and the guy went “Thank YOU!!!!” It was pretty funny and worth the money to get that reaction.

*I enjoyed the quail , potatoes, and salad, but I think if I went back, I’d have chicken.*

After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel for night number two. I neglected to bring conditioner with me, and the hotel provided a shampoo/conditioner mix that irritated my scalp. So, on Wednesday, I made plans to visit a Belgian grocery store. More on that in the next post.

customs, Hessen, Humor, Military

It was that time again… driver’s chores and informal newsy signs!

This morning, Bill had to take me on post to get a new driver’s “license”. Actually, it’s not a license; it’s a special permit given to Americans living in Germany, courtesy of the US military. My Texas driver’s license is my real license, but I also have to get a card from the military, which grants me the right to drive in Germany. When we go to other European countries, technically, we’re supposed to have an international driver’s permit.

I don’t know what we’re going to do if we stay here for much longer, because once my Texas license expires, I’ll have to renew it in person. And that will mean somehow establishing a residence there, when we live here… I think it might be time to trade the Texas license for a German one, or move back home. Or maybe do what a lot of contractors and their spouses do, and just drive on an expired license, which is risky, because it’s illegal. I remember back in 2015, there was a huge fiasco when German cops cracked down on American drivers with expired licenses. It did eventually get worked out, but this is a problem that a lot of folks like us eventually have to confront, if we stay in Germany.

Personally, I think we should just get German licenses. Since we have Texas licenses, we can just exchange them. But Bill worries about doing that, because anytime one does something official in Germany, it puts one on the government’s radar, and that could threaten our status as non German tax paying “temporary” residents. But I don’t see how getting a proper driver’s license is any worse than putting a child in a local school, which a lot of military folks do. I myself went to a British kindergarten, when my dad was serving his final years in the Air Force and we lived in England.

Anyway… today was the day to get a renewal, and due to Bill’s busy work schedule, we had to go today, which is a “walk-in” day. It’s lucky that we got there when we did, because there was a huge influx of people in the few minutes we waited. We were lucky enough to score chairs to sit on. While we were waiting, I was reminded of how much the military loves signs… and I couldn’t help but take a few photos of the ones posted in the building we visited to take care of today’s chore. I know I’ve written about this topic before, but I figured today was a good day for a reminder. Some of these signs are especially “newsy” (and some are reruns from the earlier post)!

Behold!

*I actually wish I had this poster at home.*

We saw the same guy who helped us the last time we renewed (in August 2019), but we were actually served by a different guy, who wore a Hawaiian shirt. Apparently, the office is “totally understaffed” right now… You can read all about it in the newsy sign requesting that people make appointments instead of walking in. We would have obliged, but Bill’s office is also “totally understaffed”. After filling out the paperwork, taking a quick eye test, and handing over $30 (up from $20 five years ago), we were all done. The line for licenses had gotten longer while we were taking care of business.

After we took care of renewing my USAREUR license, we headed back to the car, and I was reminded of how I’ve been in this system for most of my life. It occurred to me just how many military installations I’ve been on, due to the fact that my dad was a career Air Force officer, and my husband was a career Army officer, and now he works for the Army. It wasn’t my plan to be in this military life… but yet, here I am… a lifelong “dependent” (I refuse to refer to myself as a “dependa”, because that term is offensive.)

It also occurred to me how attracted I am to men in uniforms… There were quite a few handsome young guys standing in line, looking quite “hot” in their OCPs. The ladies also looked good. It made me miss the days when Bill wore a uniform to work every day. Hubba hubba!

I don’t even drive very often anymore, even though I have a car. I don’t see the point in going somewhere just for the hell of it. But I do need the legal license, because when we get back from our vacation, I have to take Charlie to the vet for a heartworm test, since he came from Kosovo. We want to make sure he wasn’t infested down there before we have him anesthetized for a much needed dental cleaning.

Yesterday, our neighbors brought over some cake for us, because that’s a tradition among some Germans on the first day of school. You make a cake, and share it with neighbors. I actually only heard of that tradition when this particular neighbor brought it up a couple of years ago. Anyway, it was nice of her! We had it for breakfast this morning.

Well… I think today, I will take care of a few routine chores, so I don’t have to worry about them tomorrow, before we jet off to Iceland. So ends today’s blog post! The next one will probably be written from an island in the northern Atlantic!

blog news, Military

Some practical things that the last nine years of living in Germany have taught me…

Lately, I’ve noticed I’ve been getting lots of hits from the United States on this blog. Many of the hits land on my posts about the differences between life in Germany with the US military versus military contractor life. There must be many recent retirees or other people who have left the military thinking about taking the European plunge.

In early August of this year, Bill and I celebrated our ninth year of military contractor life in Germany. A lot has happened since our arrival in 2014, and this blog is full of those stories. Over the years, I’ve added updates to my military vs contractor series. Those posts are easy to find on this blog, although please bear in mind that until 2019, this blog was hosted by Blogspot. I did move the old posts to this blog, but they are formatted somewhat differently. Moving the old posts was very labor intensive, and I’m not even sure I got everything fixed properly! The job took several weeks!

I moved the blog to WordPress in the summer of that year, due to a very bizarre situation that arose. I’m not sorry I moved the blog, but that weird situation did change the way I do things and significantly reduced my readership. I also learned a lot from that situation, which I’ll explain more about later in this post.

As I survey the past nine years, I realize that I’ve learned a lot of stuff. Some of what I’ve learned has been very practical, and it will probably serve me well for the rest of my life, no matter where I live. Some of it has been unfortunate and kind of disheartening. The rest of it is stuff I might have learned anywhere.

Since there are so many people hitting the soldier vs. contractor posts, I thought maybe I’d share some wisdom I’ve picked up over the past nine years. Maybe it help some people… or maybe some will be entertained or amused. I will issue a caveat that some of what I’ve learned is a little disturbing, but it’s part of our story… and I like to be straightforward as much as possible. So here goes.

Citric acid is your friend

I’ll start with a relatively benign thing. Before I lived in Germany, I had no idea that citric acid would be something I’d want to keep in my house. Aside from when I was a kid in rural Virginia drinking well water, I didn’t have to deal with the insane hard water that Germany has. It was pretty bad when I lived in Stuttgart, but it’s even worse in Wiesbaden.

Citric acid is cheap, and it’s essential for getting rid of hard water stains and limescale. Vinegar is also good for cleaning glass and descaling things, but I’ve found citric acid to be much more effective. So now, I always keep it in the house… and I expect that won’t change if and when we move back to the States. Mix it with hot water and let it soak. It’ll really help get rid of that chalky stuff. Here’s a link to the brand I usually buy from Amazon.de, but you can also get it in local stores.

Adequate insurance is a MUST

I’ve written about this a few times, but I’m going to write about it again. Get insured. If you’re coming here as a contractor and could be here awhile, I highly recommend buying German insurance policies, rather than relying on USAA or another US based company.

Chances are good you won’t need your German policies, and I do understand not wanting to get into German contracts, which can be hard to break without sufficient notice. BUT… I’m here to tell you, German insurance policies are usually fairly cheap, and they can save your ass.

I recommend having a liability policy, at the very least. This is a policy that covers situations like when when you accidentally break another person’s property. If you have pets, you should definitely get pet liability insurance, which covers any damage or accidents caused by your pets (accidents caused by them will not be covered by personal liability insurance). You may also want to consider purchasing legal insurance, though that’s not as essential. All three of these products have been useful to us.

My husband and I had an unfortunate incident involving an awning at our rental house when we lived in Stuttgart. It was an old awning, and in poor repair. One windy day, it collapsed. Our landlady insisted that it was my fault that the wind blew down the awning. She wanted us to buy her a brand new one. We happened to have a German liability insurance policy, which gave her a very low settlement. She wasn’t happy about the settlement, but it was good that we had it, even though she still tried to rip off our security deposit to pay for a new awning. Which leads me to my next point…

Join the Mieterverein!!!!!

This is the German tenants union, and it can be very useful if you have a dispute with your landlord/landlady. It’s very inexpensive to join. We are members, although in our situation with our former landlady, we ended up using our German legal insurance policy instead of the Mieterverein. Still, I highly recommend that anyone renting a home on the German economy become a member of the Mieterverein at the very least. The above link will take you to the general site, where you can find the Mieterbund in the area where you will live.

I mentioned above that when we moved out of our last house, our former landlady tried to illegally seize our “Kaution” (security deposit), because she was upset about the low settlement she got for her awning. She didn’t directly charge us for the awning, since she had accepted a settlement for it. But she did make up lots of little charges that would amount to what she said she would pay for a new awning.

We used our German legal insurance to get advice from German lawyers, and we ultimately ended up suing her. It turned out she did a lot of things wrong, to include never doing an “protocol” when we moved in and out of her house, and never reconciling the Nebenkosten (other costs paid for things like trash). In Germany, it is the law that landlords reconcile the Nebenkosten every year. She didn’t do it for the four years we were in her rental house. Consequently, we had the right to ask her to return ALL of the Nebenkosten we paid for the whole four years we were in her house. It totaled thousands of euros.

Now, we didn’t end up demanding that she return the Nebenkosten, but it did help us build our successful case against her. There were other issues, too. Like, she also falsely accused us of theft, and charged us ridiculous fees, for things she couldn’t prove we did, on old stuff that needed to be replaced, anyway. She ended up having to return most of the Kaution she illegally withheld, plus she had to pay for court costs, her lawyer, and our lawyer… though I’m sure she had German legal insurance, too.

Moral of the story is… Make sure you are insured adequately! And if there is the slightest hint that there will be an issue when you move out, get the legal insurance ASAP. It won’t cover pre-existing issues, and there’s also a waiting period before you can use it. But… if you don’t want to get German legal insurance, you should at least join the Mieterverein. Sometimes, the memberships even include legal insurance for landlord issues. Also… don’t be afraid to use the German legal system to fight for your rights. It’s not that hard, especially if you have legal insurance. Unfortunately, there are landlords here who WILL prey on the fact that you aren’t a local.

Don’t be too quick to accept a house

I actually had a bad feeling about our ex landlady when I met her. I wish I’d listened to my gut. It might have spared us some grief. But, I did enjoy living where we lived, and dealing with ex landlady was educational on many levels. I wouldn’t recommend learning lessons the way I did, though. It’s very stressful.

When we moved back to Stuttgart in 2014, we were dealing with some pretty major life issues that made us want to settle into a house quickly. We also had memories of the housing shortage that existed in 2007, during our first Germany stint. Finding housing isn’t as hard as it was in 2007, though; so learn from us, and take the time to find a decent place that you’ll like, with a landlord/landlady who doesn’t make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

Don’t get too involved in the Facebook group dramas

This was an unfortunate mistake I made in 2014. I joined a ton of local groups in Stuttgart, and got too sucked into the dramas of the groups. I’m not saying you can’t make good friends that way, or that being in the groups isn’t useful, informative, or entertaining. But those groups can lead to bizarre situations that can make your time in Germany more stressful and stupid than it needs to be. I could write about several of those that personally affected me, but that would make this post even longer than it already is.

I learned from our Stuttgart experience regarding Facebook groups. When we moved to Wiesbaden, I only joined the local pets group and continued to maintain the wine and food group I started when we lived in Stuttgart. I didn’t join any other groups. My life has been much more peaceful as a result, and I’ve gotten to know more locals. Your mileage may vary, of course. I’ve just seen a lot of drama erupt over social media, and was involved in way too much of it, especially in Stuttgart. So I recommend proceeding with caution and limiting the number of groups you join. Besides, those groups can eat up precious time that you could be spending on exploring Europe.

If you bring a car, consider joining ADAC or another auto club

Both times we’ve spent in Germany, we’ve had occasion to use our ADAC policy. One time, we went on a Baltic cruise and came back to find our battery dead. We called ADAC and they sent us a guy with a battery. He fixed our car on the spot, and we were on our way.

Another time, we were in France and some jackass deliberately popped our tire, hoping to rob us. He didn’t succeed, but he caused quite an issue for us. ADAC was a lifesaver there, too, helping us to get new tires and report the crime to the French police. There are other auto clubs besides ADAC, so do some research and choose one that works best for your budget and lifestyle.

Enjoy yourself!

I know not everyone likes living outside of the United States. We’ve seen a lot of people come and go, and some people are happy to go when their time over here is finished. Unfortunately, being a military contractor can be stressful, because contracts are won and lost all the time. When we lived in Stuttgart, Bill’s first company lost its contract. The new company hired him, but the next year, his job was turned into a GS position. In fact, that’s why we moved to Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden, by the way, seems to be much friendlier to contractors than Stuttgart was, at least when we were there.

Having now lived in both places for a total of nine years, I can honestly say that both have their pluses and minuses, and you really can’t go wrong moving to either place, as long as you manage your expectations and keep your eyes open. One thing that we have tried to focus on is ENJOYING our time here, and seeing places. And when you see places, don’t forget to explore locally. We missed a lot of really awesome local stuff when we lived in Stuttgart the first time, because we were so focused on seeing the rest of Europe. We also had to leave a year early, which sucked.

If you care at all about living in Europe for the experience, rather than just the job, then I urge you to make the most of your weekends and holidays. Go see Paris and Rome, but don’t forget about Stuttgart and Wiesbaden… and Mainz, Frankfurt, Tübingen, the Black Forest, the Rheingau… and any of the other really cool little places near where you live. Nagold is one town we completely missed the first time we were in Stuttgart and ended up loving when we came back. So I recommend going out to explore locally, and soaking up the culture. You may not have another chance… On the other hand, you may end up like me, and seem destined for European life indefinitely.

If there’s any interest in more posts like this, I’ll be happy to write them. Feel free to leave a comment or a question, because there’s definitely more I could share.

Now… time to write something for the main blog. See you next post!

housekeeping tips, Military, rants

Repost: Launderette etiquette… dryer hogs!

I wrote this piece for my original OH blog on August 9, 2014. That means this post is exactly NINE years old! I’m leaving it “as/is”, so whatever’s in it was accurate as of 2014. I’m really glad I don’t have this problem anymore. Fair warning… there is minor profanity in this post. It was written when I still lived in Stuttgart.

One thing I have noticed that hasn’t changed in the years since we last lived as Americans in Stuttgart is that when it comes to laundry, people can be incredibly inconsiderate. When we first moved here in 2007, doing laundry was an unpleasant weekly ritual. In those days, Panzer didn’t have the huge hotel that it now has; they were building it as we were leaving in 2009. Now that Panzer has a hotel and it has its own laundry room, the launderette doesn’t get quite as busy as it did pre 2010 or so. But last time we were here, it was not uncommon for people to do tons of laundry during peak times, hogging washers and especially dryers, and holding up everyone else.

This morning, Bill and I took a trip to Panzer Kaserne to get our laundry done. We had two small plastic bags full of laundry that needed doing. I dreaded going to the launderette, because I spent way too much time there during our first tour. The laundry room on Panzer has about 12 washing machines and, generally speaking, it’s no problem to get one or two of them without any waiting. But there are only eight dryers and one or two of them are always broken. That was true in 2007 and it’s still true today (there were two down this morning). So that means there are only six dryers that can be used.

You get someone who needs to do a shitload of laundry– people who are stuck in local hotels or people who have a bunch of kids and need to knock out that little chore… and even people who have a place to live, but just want to avail themselves of a larger washer/dryer. German machines are smaller and take longer to get through a cycle than American machines do. All of these folks come to the launderette on a Saturday morning, the one day that most everyone has off from work. They do a mass load of laundry, then proceed to use more than one dryer to dry their clothes, blankets, and whatever else they have.

This morning, I witnessed a man load up four dryers. That’s four out of the six dryers that were operating. I couldn’t believe my eyes or that man’s nerve. I honestly couldn’t believe he thought that was okay. Obviously, he’d never had to wait for a lone dryer to free up, right?

Granted, when the dryer hog loaded the dryers, I was still waiting for my washer to finish the last of its cycle. But there were at least two people ahead of me who also needed a dryer. One was a guy who ended up just leaving, seemingly in disgust. The other was a nice couple here in Stuttgart on vacation. As we were waiting for Mr. Inconsiderate to get a clue, another lady came in to do her wash, as did one who obviously just needed to use a dryer and left when she saw there was a line. And then two or three other folks arrived and the launderette was soon very busy.

I admit, I got rather bitchy and more than a little passive aggressive, loudly commenting that I only needed one dryer to get my stuff dry. The dryer hog, to his credit, did eventually get a clue and start freeing up machines for other folks who were waiting. I did hear him say, though, as he was unloading and folding his laundry one machine at a time, “I know folks are waiting, but I’ve only got two hands!”

Dude… take your shit out of the machines and fold your clothes after they’re out so other people can get started! Are you really that situationally unaware and/or rude?! Jeez!

The dryer hog did appear to have a number of friends, which makes me think he must otherwise be a nice person. And I’m sure he thought he could get away with hogging the dryers on a Saturday morning. I would say that if you’re at the launderette in the wee hours of the morning and you need four dryers, knock yourself out. But on a Saturday after 9:00am, you need to be more considerate of other people who are also trying to get that one little pesky chore done. We all want clean underwear, and I’m willing to fight for the right to stain and stench free drawers!

It’s bad enough when people leave their clothes in a machine forever… don’t even get me started on the ones who do that with washing machines when there aren’t other others available for use. But hogging a bunch of dryers just because you think no one else needs them is just a shitty thing to do. If there are other people doing laundry, they are very likely going to need access to a dryer, unless they are fortunate enough to have access to a clothesline. It takes longer to dry clothes than it does to wash them. So when you hog four machines out of six, you really are screwing over your fellow Americans at the Panzer Launderette!

Bill was walking the dogs while I was waiting for a dryer and then my clothes to get done. We weren’t held up too much and, unlike the cute couple I chatted with while we were waiting, I wasn’t wasting precious vacation time. With any luck, we will get to move into a one room apartment for the next few weeks while we look for a more permanent place to live, and then this issue will be a non-issue for me once again.

anecdotes, Military

Funny repost… “German fork language”

I don’t usually put reposts on my travel blog, because it’s a place for me to write about living in Germany and our travel adventures. But I just ran across this funny post from the Blogspot version of my original Overeducated Housewife blog, and I thought it might make a funny entry for this blog. So here it is, written September 7, 2014, and appearing here “as/is”. Please be advised that the language is a bit rawer than usual, because it was written for the original blog, and I tend to curse more there. I hope some of you enjoy it!

A few weeks ago, I ranted on my travel blog about Stuttgart Friends, which is a Facebook group dedicated to people in the Stuttgart area who are somehow affiliated with the US government. I’m pretty sure there are some Germans and other European folks on that site, too. While Stuttgart Friends and its many spinoff groups are generally very helpful, I notice that some folks get a bit uppity sometimes.

For instance, today someone posted a very interesting article about dining in Germany. Given that a lot of Americans are not familiar with dining in Europe, it was good reading. Many of us need to learn more about the local customs here. Some people were commenting about things they had or had not experienced while dining in German restaurants.

One person brought up how if you place your fork a certain way on your plate, it’s a signal to the server that you’re finished eating. I usually put my knife and fork at about 3 or 4 o’clock on the plate and, sure enough, the server takes my plate. Another person in the group dubbed this practice as “fork language”.

Well, I noticed that another person wrote a lengthy post about European table etiquette and how Americans are “backward” because, in general, we don’t eat the way Europeans do, with our knives in the right hand. Her initial post was somewhat interesting, though it bordered just slightly on snob territory. A couple more people, myself included, posted about so-called “fork language” and used that impromptu expression. I thought it was kind of a clever term, even if it’s not necessarily official. It sounds almost sexy, though the possibilities of what one might do while communicating with fork language are endless and potentially horrifying.

An old video I recently watched about table manners… They mention not having to hold silverware the “European way”. Funnily enough, Bill holds his silverware like a European does.

Our resident European etiquette expert came back and wrote how she was taught proper table etiquette, not “fork language”. She added a winky smiley, possibly to soften the blow of her holier than thou-ness. How awesome indeed!

Naturally, her comment annoyed me, because I’m not usually impressed by people who presume to school other adults in such a condescending manner. Moreover, if she was really an expert in etiquette, she’d know that it’s rude to try to chastise and correct people in that way. I mean, isn’t etiquette ultimately all about being graceful and making other people comfortable? And before anyone brings this up, I do not claim to be an etiquette expert. In fact, I delight in making certain people uncomfortable.

But really, I’ve always thought being polite and showing proper etiquette was about being charming, civil, gracious, and kind, not making other people feel like boorish twits because they don’t know how to position their forks when they want their plate cleared at a restaurant or they decide to refer to table etiquette as “fork language”. I mean, jeez!

So, being the smartass I am, I wrote, “Pin a rose on your nose…” 😉 (special thanks to Stephanie Tanner of Full House for that stale one liner…)

I mean, big fucking deal… So the proper term is “table etiquette”; that doesn’t mean the terminology can’t evolve and people can’t come up with new or creative ways to express themselves. That person needs to get over herself.

/rant

Health, Military

A stem to stern skin exam… German style…

I don’t have anything to report travel wise this week, as Bill is away on another business trip. He left for Bavaria on Thursday and will be gone until this Friday. I hate it when he travels without me, but at least we have a trip upcoming. I’ve been trying to make the best of my alone time by sprucing up the garden furniture. Yesterday, I put teak oil on it, and I have plans to add a sealant. However, it looks like it’s going to rain, so maybe it’s just as well that Bill isn’t home.

Before Bill left for his trip to Bavaria, he visited a doctor in Mainz. Several months ago, I noticed a spot on his skin that looked weird. He showed it to his military doc, and she referred him to a dermatologist. Or, she told him to go see one. He had to find one on his own, since he’s retired from the military.

Bill scheduled a visit with a doctor in Mainz, but she had to cancel his appointment because she was sick. I believe the original appointment was supposed to happen in March. The appointment was rescheduled for May 3, and Bill dutifully went in on Wednesday morning. He said the waiting room was full of people.

When he made his appointment, he was advised that he could either pay 50 euros for a spot check, or pay 120 euros for a full exam, complete with high resolution photos. As Bill is a very white guy who’s of a certain age, he went with the 120 euro option. Bill described the procedure to me after it was all done.

He went in, met the doctor and showed her the spots that were questionable. She had him strip completely naked (though I don’t know if he had to keep wearing a face mask). She stayed in the room while he disrobed. Then, she methodically checked his entire body, to include all of the places the sun doesn’t shine– between his toes, on his gums, under his balls, and probably between his ass crack, too.

She took photos of four or five places, then had him get dressed, again while she was in the room. The whole thing took about an hour. Afterwards, she said the questionable spots were not of concern, but she had noticed that he had fungus on his feet. Bill probably blushed and said, “Yes, I have a problem with athlete’s foot.”

“I’ll prescribe you something for that. You must apply it three times a day until the fungus is gone, and wash your socks in hot water.” I think he should just get new socks, if you ask me.

After the appointment, he paid the 120 euros, then went to a nearby pharmacy and got the foot medicine. That was another 17 euros. He’ll file the bill with our insurance and probably get the money back. Still, I thought that was pretty affordable for such a thorough exam. I probably should visit her myself, given that I’m as white as he is. I don’t like doctors, though.

It was a lucky thing that he had enough euros on him, though, because the doctor’s office only takes EC credit cards (European). Our cards are American. I tried to get Bill to open a German bank account so we could get local cards, but he ignored my advice. Of course, now German banks don’t like messing with Americans, thanks to our crazy ass tax reporting laws.

Anyway, I’m glad his skin is healthy, for now. I ordered him a couple of new Irish flat caps to help keep his scalp skin cancer free. I’m sure they’ll come in handy on our trip next month. He sure can rock a flat cap! The ones in the photos are summer weight, as opposed to the wool tweed one he usually wears in cold weather. Aran Sweater Market for the win.

Military

My first time out of the neighborhood since March 14th…

Bill and I had to go on post today. We both needed to get our vision tested for new driver’s licenses and I needed passport photos for a renewal. So, for the first time since March 14th, I rode in the car. This time, it was with face masks I bought from Amazon.de. They’re the surgical kind, since they were the easiest to get my hands on quickly. I bought a pack of ten.

As we passed the entrance to our neighborhood, I was reminded of a month ago, when the dog we had hoped to adopt escaped his pet transport and got hit by a car. We live very close to Autobahn 3 and Autobahn 66. A3 is literally right next to our neighborhood. I felt a little sick thinking about that poor dog disoriented, terrified, and lost as he ran away from what could have been the lap of luxury for him. He was so close… And it will probably be a while before we can get our next dog.

Maybe it’s for the best, since it’s hard to get the routine services we need. Bill needs to get new rear tires for his car, since we had snow tires put on them in France back in December. I need to get my car serviced. Arran, Bill, and I all need dental cleanings, which means a vet visit for Arran and the dentist for Bill and me. Germany is starting to loosen up some restrictions, but everyone has to wear masks now in any place where social distancing isn’t easy.

We did decide to order take out again last night. Our local Italian joint/sportsplatz, La Fonte, had pizza and pasta on offer. Bill said the family that runs the restaurant was sitting outside drinking wine as they handed over the orders. They were doing a good business. We’ll probably get more take out tonight, since I’m tired of Bill’s cooking and we want to support local businesses. I’m kidding, actually. Bill has turned into a great cook. But I do want to give some business to the restaurants, since they have provided me with content for so long.

Passed this on my walk with Arran yesterday… Wonder whose handprint that is.

The drive to post was even quicker than usual, since there wasn’t so much traffic. We got to the gate and a uniformed guy in a mask asked us the three important questions about whether or not we had been exposed to COVID-19, whether or not we had symptoms, and if we were ordered to be quarantined by a medical officer. We both said no to all three questions, then presented our IDs to be scanned touchlessly.

This is probably a European eye test as opposed to an American one. It’s probably harder to cheat on it, since it’s not letters. I remember doing one in Armenia that was different, too. It was a Russian eye test.

The PX opened for regular folks (as opposed to high risk folks) at 11:00am. We needed the optical shop. A sergeant was standing there in his mask, enforcing the wait time. Finally, at 11:00, we all washed our hands, donned our masks, and went in. Taking the eye exam was weird. It was a German style test, which meant telling the examiner where the openings were. I had trouble with my left eye until I realized that the steam from behind the mask was fogging up the lens. Once I let the steam dissipate, I could read everything properly.

After the eye test, we found the passport photo booth, where I got new pictures done for my passport. I was actually quite pleased with them, since the photo I’ve had since 2011 is horrible. In that picture, I look fat, hungover, and my hair is a yucky shade of dark brown. I gave up hair color several years ago, because the hard German water mixed with dye was turning it into straw. So now I’m back to my original blonde with silvery hints. And the new pictures done by a machine are prettier and have more natural light, even if I still look fat. The weird thing is, it’s just like taking a selfie with your phone. You think you’re going to look like you do on the monitor, but your image is reversed. But for some reason, it looks less ridiculous taken by the machine.

We went into the PX to pick up a few things… I got a new hairbrush, conditioner, and lotion for my horribly dry skin. I think I have eczema on my boobs, which is not very pleasant. The hard water and constant washing has turned my skin into leather. Edited to add: my German friend says there is soft water in parts of Germany, however in all of the places I’ve lived, it’s been very hard by American standards. It’s been hardest of all in Wiesbaden, where there was so much chalk on our taps when we moved in that we couldn’t turn one of them on and had to get it replaced. We also have to use salt in the dishwasher or else our dishes look terrible. Vinegar is useful for getting rid of some of the Kalk, but it’s an ongoing battle.

After about twenty minutes with the mask, I was ready to get the hell out of the PX. It wasn’t as stifling as I feared it would be, but the thing kept going into my eyes, requiring me to touch it to adjust it, which you shouldn’t do. Anyway… since this was a momentous occasion, I did get some photos…

Anyway… I’m glad to have that chore done with for now. I’ve been bugging Bill about our driver’s licenses and my passport for ages. We should have done it before this coronavirus mess started. Hindsight, unlike my eyesight, is 20/20.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Category Archives: Military