It's official - we got it!

We got the dream house that I mentioned in the last post.. 200 square meters over two floors right in the heart of the Altstadt (Old Town), which is not only the main historical district featuring a large Medieval castle overlooking it, but also is home to the oldest university in Germany. All of this means that we'll be right in the middle of the action. We're talking about 5000 bars, pubs, restaurants, shops, department stores, markets, sightseeing...all within a 15 minute walk of our apartment.

We're scheduled to move in June 1st. I'll try to get some pictures posted after we move in. Til then, we've got plenty of room should anyone ever want to visit...

We might have a place to live...

We looked at a place this morning that is 100% what we're looking for. It could not have been any better. Perfect location, perfect size, well within our budget. Perfect. It's almost too good to be true. In fact, it actually just might be too good to be true - the German gentleman who owns it is very hesitant to rent to an American. I'm guessing he probably had a bad experience with an American family in the past, who knows. When the German rental agent called Natascha (the German woman who works at the housing office on base), he initially told her that the landlord would not rent to Americans. However Natascha told him that I'm not in the army, I'm a civilian, that I would be a great tenant and that she's met my wife and that we're both extremely nice people and would not give them any problems, please give us a chance, yada, yada. They agreed to at least meet us and show it to us, which they did this morning. It turned out to be everything we were hoping for. The landlord's daughter actually showed us the place and she speaks a bit of English The landlord speaks no English and is apparently concerned that we will make no attempt to learn any German at all. I did my best to charm him and allay his fears by using what little German I know every chance I could. We had the immobilien agent explain that I lived in Italy for 6 years and learned Italian and that I lived in Germany for two years before that.

Anyway, they seemed to like us and said that we should each take a couple days to think about it. I told them we didn't need a couple days, we wanted the place for sure but they said to take a couple days anyway just to be sure. I'm kind of worried that they're stalling, hoping that a German family will come in and take it. But, I went to see Natascha after we left to do the application and when she called the immobilien rep, he informed her that it appeared positive for us.

We're supposed to get an answer by Monday or Tuesday so it will be a nerve wracking weekend. If we get the place I'll post some pictures and a description to make you all jealous. If we don't get it then maybe I'll just post a picture of me sobbing uncontrollably...

Finding housing in Heidelberg sucks

One of the best things about working for the government overseas is that they pay for your housing and utilities. I came into the system at a pretty high level so I receive a pretty high housing rate which means there are very few places that I can't afford here. With that in mind we were excited about the opportunity to be able to pick and choose where we want to live. Our first choice is to find a nice 3 or 4 bedroom apartment right in the Altstadt (Old Town). The Altstadt of Heidelberg is magical. It's not that big and is the center of the tourist district as well as home to the university. That means it is packed full of a plethora of bars, restaurants, shops, historical sights, etc. And the best part is that there is a huge medieval Castle on a mountain overlooking the Altstadt (Click here to see some pictures of the Altstadt). Living right ion the middle of it all wouild be a dream come true. Plus, the wife doesn't drive, which is another reason to live there. And I can more than afford it with my housing allowance.

Enter Murphy's Law.

We have a housing office on base that acts as a rental agency for people stationed here. They have several listings in the area, they negotiate leases, etc. However, they seldom have any listings for downtown or the Altstadt. Apparently most of those places are represented by the German rental agencies, called "Immobilien". And the immobilien charge two months rent as a finder's fee, in addition to the rental requirement of two month's rent security deposit. That means that if you use an immobilien, you'll have to come up with 4 months rent before you even move in. And rents in the Altstadt are usually between $2000-2500 a month. That means anywhere from $8,000-10,000 up front. How the hell do Germans afford to move?!

Luckily, there is a consolation in the listings that the housing office does have. They're a little further out (commute...yuck), but with my housing allowance, I can afford a 4 bedroom palace in the suburbs with a yard, terrace, 2 car garage, etc.

Germans love pork (and David Hasselhof).

So we're driving up to Germany from Italy last weekend. We decided to stay overnight about halfway because the X Man doesn't do well at all on long car trips (or short trips for that matter). We made it to Fussen, which you may know as the home of the Neuschwanstein Castle. We managed to find the most gorgeous little pensione that had a balcony featuring a fantastic view of the Zugspitze, which is the highest mountain in all of Germany. I delighted in sitting on the balcony and sipping a Rosso di Montalcino that I had brought with us from Italy.

So anyway, we settled into the hotel and asked about dinner. The hostess informed us that they didn't do a dinner but that the little pensione right next door did so off we went. It had been a few years since I left Germany but I had a fond recollection of German sausages and schnitzel, etc. I scanned the menu and spied a grilled pork dish that looked promising. As a side dish, the menu described something along the lines of pork and bananas but that didn't seem quite right to me. Bananas? In Bavaria? I figured my limited German was deceiving me. But sure enough, the dish arrived...and the side dish to my grilled pork in curry sauce was bananas wrapped in bacon. Think about that for a minute. Bananas with bacon wrapped around them. As a side dish.

You gotta really love your pork to wrap your bananas in it.

My last Italy post, Part 2

OK, so earlier today I finally got around to finishing and posting the last post that I had started in Italy. However, it seems that Blogger.com refuses to post it as a new post. Ergo (therefore) you will need to scroll down a bit to read it. It's headline is "My Last Italy Post". Please read it so my efforts weren't in vain...

We're here

We arrived in Germany yesterday and are now in the hotel until we find a house. I have internet access in the hotel so I'll try to post the update when I have time, as well as answer the 17,578 emails I got while we were out of the loop. I start my new job tomorrow. I also have our new address so if anyone needs it please email me...

I'm not ignoring you...

Our ADSL hookup at the house was turned off almost a week ago and our household goods are currently on their way to Deutschland. So if you've sent me an email in the past week or so and haven't received a response, that's why. We're currently staying at the hotel on base which surprisingly does not have internet access which means I'm reduced to the occasional trip to the library to wait a half hour for a public computer.

We're on schedule to depart Italy either Friday (21st) afternoon or Saturday (22nd) morning for Germany. Don't know how often I'll be able to check email up there either while I inprocess and search for a house, etc. So please be patient and remember that I'm not ignoring you. Well, at least not most of you, har har...

R

My last Italy Post

[EDITOR'S (OK Me...) NOTE: I wrote this entry a couple weeks ago while we were still getting things ready to go. Things got so crazy that I never had a chance to post it so I'm doing so now to get finality on the Italy section of my blog. Consider this my last post about my expoits in the land of Bella Italia before starting my new life in Deutschland.]

With everything going on lately I haven't had a chance to do the recap from our trip to Venice last weekend. Since we're leaving in a couple weeks, it might actually turn out to be our last trip to Venice. If so, I'm satisfied that we got our money's worth.

Our friends Mike and Grace from Rotterdam in the Netherlands came down for the weekend to experience a bit of Bella Italia. And if you know me, I love to play host to anyone wanting to experience Italy. We picked them up Friday afternoon and set out for Venice. By the time we checked into our hotel, it was dinner time so we headed to the Alla Madonna where we had a less than stellar meal. Typical Venice - Si spenda tanto e si mangia male (you spend a lot and you eat badly). We should have just done panini. But I digress...

Mike and Grace

Anyway, we were there to show Mike and Grace the city and visit the bars so after dinner we headed towards my old standby, the Devil's Forest Pub. Had some Guinness and chatted while the X Man played with a couple other kids who were there. From there we hit the Bacaro Jazz which, if you know me, is my favorite drinking establishment in Venice. They've got good wine, good beer, the place is usually crowded and lively, and the bartender Mary is one cool chick (she's from Niagra Falls, btw).

Bacaro Jazz, my favorite Venetian watering hole

We had some vino there, then headed for another one of my favorite pubs - the Fiddler's Elbow. One of the best things about the Fiddler's Elbow is the Kebab shop right next door. It's by far the best kebab I've ever had. I go there everytime we're in Venice and the guy there knows me by now.

>

The kebab dude

From there it was back to Bacaro Jazz which was quite packed by that point. Mike and I kept yelling "If it's not Scottish, it's CRAP!" (It's from a Saturday Night Live skit...) for some reason so imagine how funny it was when this dude walking by stopped and asked us if we were from Scotland, which of course, he happened to be. We ended drinking with him and a bunch of others all night:

The Scottish dude

The night ended badly however as we were not able to locate any drunk food due to the late hour. Good drunk food is paramount to any night out in Venice so it detracted from the experience but we persevered like the troopers that we are.

The next day was exremely full. We took Mike and Grace to some of the main sights - the Piazza San marco, the Bridge of Sighs, the Accademia, etc. Grace runs a little business where she makes and sells hand-made jewelry and beads, etc, so she was in heaven in the many glass and bead shops:

Grace among the beads

We packed in quite a bit for one day - so much so that by the time we made it to the car, all of us were practically limping. If we wer horses, you would have lined us up and shot us one by one.

So we left Venice, but Mike and Grace's real Italian experience was yet to come. I had lined up a dinner with our upstairs neighbors, Giampietro and Agnese, for that night. Agnese made some pasta with asparagus and we also had some bresaola with rucola and grana and some nice steaks that Virginia cooked up. I wanted to ensure that Mike and Grace got the absolute most out of their 2 days here so I broke out one of my prized Brunello di Montalcino's for dinner. God, it was exquisite. After dinner came the ever present cheeses, no less than 6 different types. It was a very special - and international - night. American, Italian, Filipino, and Dutch, all at the same table. And despite the language barrier, we were all like old friends. That's one of the things I love about Giampi and Agnese, and the main reason I wanted to do dinner with them upstairs rather than take Mike and Grace out to a really good local restaurant for dinner. I'm satisfied that I made the right choice. Here's a couple of pics from dinner:





We finished the night at home watching the movie "Euro Trip" which Mike go ta kick out of, being European and all. I was feeling the moment so I even delved back into my collection and opened a 1997 Barbaresco. It, too, was fanastic.

Overall, it was an outstanding weekend, one of the most enjoyable I've had in quite some time. As I mentioned, I always enjoy showing people my Bella Italia, but when they really enjoy it and I can see how much they appreciate the things they see and experience, it just makes it that much better. Here are some more pics from the weekend:








As you can tell by that last picture, Mike and Grace were pretty much spent by the time we dropped them off at the airport. I was extremely satisfied that they received a true Italian experience so the drive home was nice. I had met Mike and Grace about a year earlier on my Amsterdam trip (check the blog archives, last May) but I wasn't sure how well Virginia and Grace would hit it off. Turns out they got along great and we all had the best weekend. As for the X Man, he really took to both Mike and Grace - especially Grace. So, I'm wondering...Grace, what the hell did you do to my kid?! Har har...you guys better visit again soon...



[ADDENDUM: We're in Germany and indeed the X Man seems to have developed an infatuation with Grace. For example, on the drive up here we told him that he had to wear his seatbelt and he responded "Anche Grace!", which is Italian for "Grace has to wear hers too!". He has also commented a few times "Call Grace" when I log onto the computer. Also, everytime we pull up their website and he sees it he yells "Mikie Grace!". And the "coup de grace" (no pun intended) was today as we were walking around the Altstadt (old town) in Heidelberg, he saw an Asian girl who looked sort of like Grace and he pointed and yelled "Grace! Grace!"

This is sort of a first as usually it's the other way around - the women always develop a crush on him. Grace, you are certainly special...]

Germany Timeline

OK, here's the deal:

Friday, April 14th - Household goods get picked up.

Tuesday, April 18 - Final inspection/move out of house.

Friday, April 21 - Last official day with Northrop Grumman IT.

Saturday, April 22 - Drive up to Germany.

Monday, April 24 - First day at work on the new job.


So that's that. I'll try to update the blog with more Italy stuff before we leave, including a recap of our friends Mike and Grace's visit here last weekend. Stay tuned...

ACHTUNG!

It's official; we're going to Germany. Got the offer this morning and already accepted.

WOOT!

Yet another update

Just got an email from the guy in Germany and he informed me that the guy in Hawaii has decided to decline the position afterall. So assuming he gets his declination letter to the hiring office within the next day or two, I should be receiving a formal offer soon. I'm looking forward to getting final resolution to all this very soon so I can start sleeping again.

No Update Yet

Still haven't gotten any official word from Germany. If they take much longer I might have to go to Hawaii...

A miracle?

I received an email yesterday from the hiring guy in Germany telling me to expect a job offer in the next day or two. Apparently they worked an arrangement to bring both me AND the other guy on board. I'm still waiting for the official notification but but it looks like I may have received a miracle...

St Patrick's Day in Venice

If you follow my blog or my website, you know that I'm very fond of pub hopping in Venice. So we decided to jump on train with a couple friends of ours, Danny and Adriana Arrowood, and hit Venice for St. Pattie's Day. We had to catch the last train home so the night ended way too soon but it was fun nonetheless. Here's a few pics:



Me and Danny getting into the spirit


Some guy from Chicago that we met


Heading back to the train station, feeling wee














"I want you...to have another Guinness!"

Fate, thou art cruel.

I just got word that the guy they selected for the Germany position changed his mind at the last minute and decided to accept it.

We're going to Hawaii.

I <3 Vino

Yeah so I'm making the most of my remaining few weeks in Italy by drinking as much vino as possible. I'm saving the really really good stuff (Brunello, Barolo, etc), but am still getting the most out of my viniculturo. I'm currently on a 2003 Sangiovese and it is very good. Once I get to my next job - whether Germany or Hawaii - I intend on cutting out the wine almost altogether so I'm getting as much as I can for the next 3 weeks...

In Vino Veritas!!!!!!

Update

Still not sure on the Germany position. However, I spoke with the hiring supervisor up there yesterday and he informed me that he's about 90% certain that the guy they selected will turn it down. If he does I'm all up in it. I should have an answer by the end of the week hopefully. This is really getting tiring.

"As Thib's World Turns"

Well, here we go again. This is getting to be quite a soap opera. Just as I finally accept the fact that we're heading to Hawaii, there is another development that threatens to derail it. This one is actually kind of humorous:

Remember the GS11 position in Germany? Well, as it turns out, it went to someone else up there. Not the inside track guy, but someone else. As it turns out, I was selected as the 1st alternate which means is he turns it down, it's mine. I figured that there's no way the guy they picked would turn it down but I spoke to a guy in his office yesterday who informed me that he also was offered a GS12 position in...wait for it...Hawaii. So he might not accept the Germany position.

As you can imagine, I'm on pins and needles here waiting to see what he does. Hopefully he won't take a long time to decide as my start date in Hawaii is right around the corner.

Stay tuned...

The countdown is on

As it stands now, my start date in Hawaii is April 7. I have to admit that I'm still hoping for some kind of miracle but not counting on it. I have so many different wines to discover and so little time...

I've had it.

If you've been following my job situation, then you know that my job has been converted to a GS11 position. Being that I have actually been in the position for the past 6 years, I would normally have the inside track for it. However, the hiring official decided to hire someone else. I accepted another contract position in Hawaii but I continued to nominate myself for other GS positions both here and in Germany as we don't want to leave Europe. Most of the positions I put in for, I was a little underqualified for so I didn't expect much. However, there is a GS11 position similar to the one I do here that recently opened in Heidelberg, Germany.

I put in for it and was not surprised to find out a few days ago that I made the initial referral list. So yesterday I received a call from an acquaintance up in US Army Europe Headquarters. He called to tell me that the head guy up there was pulling strings to get one of his guys in the position. Now this happens all the time so I wasn't surprised. But he went on to tell me that he knows of at least 2 people (me and another guy) who submitted for it and who were much much more qualified for it. Apparently, the guy who is in line for it has only been at this job for a little less than a year and is only a GS9 (I'm a contractor, but I'm considered a GS12 Equivalent). He suggested that me and the other guy submit a grievance if this guy gets the position. I briefly considered it, but in the long run, it'd be a big mistake for one reason. The head guy who I would filing the grievance against is a full bird Colonel and is a very powerful man in this theater. He controls all the people who work for the Army in Europe in my particular career field. So if I ever want to come back and work in this theater again someday, filing a grievance against him would be a big mistake. I know what you're thinking - he's a Colonel so he won't be there forever, right? Well, it just so happens that he's been there more than 7 years now and will probably be there until he decides to retire someday. And then he'll get a cushy civilian job and stay there until he dies.

So in case anyone is missing the irony here, let me spell it out for you; I had the inside track for the position here but I lost out to someone who was supposedly more qualified. I am probably the most qualified guy for the job in Germany but will probably lose out to someone less qualified who has the inside track.

I've had it. The GS system sucks.