Benefits of Living on Base

As we all know, it's important to look at life thinking the coffee cup is half full , not half empty , and of course, in Germany the beer bottle is half empty because it was rather tasty. We purchased a six pack so we are still in good shape. This handy little machine is filled with Douwe Egberts coffee from Holland(it's complimentary) and I treat myself once, or twice or maybe more daily.
Burger King is also on base. Junior whoppers are not $1 as in the States. They are $1.55 but still do have a sesame seed bun. (They have to pay for the coffee some way.) Douwe Egberts owns BK; a FYI for you. I started to frequent BK with my Dad in Hutch. They do have this same delicious coffee near you.
Other benefits of living on base include: you can tell the maid not to clean your room and go have coffee and he does, I'm getting my exercise walking everywhere, I'm learning to read signs more carefully for the limited number of hours stuff is open here and I smile and greet (you know me) lots of young men and women in the Army.
Bitburger(bitte ein bit) is the number one cheap selling beer in Germany(glass bottle six pack $3.85). Many young men were seen purchasing it at the base Superette tonight!

Katie
P.S. Tom and I will be spending the weekend in Switzerland going to a cow festival We'll share highlights with you.

Sock Monster Alive and Well In Germany

As you know we've been gone about a week now and the pile of dirty stuff in the corner was getting bigger. (Tom's socks were starting to stink very frankly) Being the domestic little wife that I am, I loaded up a carry-on and walked two blocks to do the wash. Of course the machines were in German (today I decided I had to get with the program and learn the language so I took my "German for Travelers"with me) Just as in America,some frustrating male designed the machine with about 14 buttons on the washer- cotton, wrinkle-free, hot ,cold, delicates etc. I have always felt that on and off are quite adequate for instruction and then leave it alone. Please!!! Just like Bob Goggins said, "Joan I just want an old-fashioned country phone!" Me too Bob!(Bob would you like to drink to that? Please reply soon!)



I tried hard to be independent but was weak and asked the front desk for help. They thanked me for my efforts and pushed the button for me. As happy as a lark I cleaned the lint trap and went back to my junior-suite at the inn.
Pictured above was my problem-- missing socks! (to prepare for our global year abroad both Tom and I bought new socks, undies and blue jeans.) I looked everywhere and could not find the items. Do you think I should make a poster and put it up in lost and found?

Katie

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head...

Here I am in the Bamberg Inn on base holding my handy ID and new golf size Totes umbrella. ( I can not be photographed on base outside due to military restrictions) Anyway back to the story, the climate here is moist so today I have a pop quiz for you (no group discussions on this)-
Question 1
How many times on Monday did Katie get caught walking in the rain??(once was a downpour and there went my hair for the day)
Question 2
What was the price of my beautiful rainshield at the PX?
Question 3
How many times did it rain on Tuesday when Katie was out walking? (better prepared this time and not wearing my special,olive green expensive shoes)
Question 4
What time is NBC's Today Show on here? (my favorite)
Question 5
Does the card shop on base carry the Oprah magazine?
Question 5b.
Does the card shop on base carry the PlayBoy Magazine?
Question 6
Does the card shop on base carry the Martha Magazine? (of course they should, but do they????)
Question 7
How much postage does it take to mail us a letter? (the P.O. boxes bring back memories of college and checking to see if one had friends or not.) Blunt hint here!
Submit answers by Friday so you are included in the sweepstakes drawing.

Katie

Colonel's Wife May Need Eye Exam

After the Sunday worship on the 21st (because we have not purchased wheels yet) we dined on brunch at the mess hall ($4.10 each, all you can eat but the ice cream machine was not on). Colonel John and his perky wife, Elizabeth, joined us at our empty table. Elizabeth commented she had seen Tom in the commissary with his daughter shopping. How old was she? I politely thanked her for the compliment and she said "nothing like inserting with both feet!' Nice people, I hope we see them again. It was most interesting to hear about all of their travels.

On to the library(you can't go far on foot you know) to see if we could check out travel books. Dr. Mona, another dentist on base (post) passed by. We met and she too commented on my youthful look! (that's two for two) That deep wrinkle cream must be doing the trick or the eye guy on base needs to be replaced!!!

Katie

This Place is Old!

This Place is Old!

Yesterday (Saturday) my tour guide Katie found the Bamberg Dom (Cathedral) for a noon organ concert. The Germans are very good listeners - no noise at all until all pieces were completed. The photo is of the interior showing the tomb of the imperial couple, Heinrich II and Kunigunde carved in 1513. The Dom itself was finished in 1237. It is on our list of places to return to.

Three blocks away we found the church pictured to the left. Very ornate and lots of gold. We only had 5 minutes so have another stop on our list.

So enough for the history lesson. It does amaze me how much older and how well maintained these facilities are.

Today we spent time on base attending a church service and exploring auto purchase and library facilities.

Dozinky/Strossenfest

Our Minnesota home of 25 years has a festival, Dozinky which some of you are probably stumbling home from celebrating. We discovered in our Saturday exploring of Bamberg that there is a similar celebration called Strassenfest.

Both involve beer, food and music on the street. Dozinky is busier and many people we have known many years are seen. Strassenfest, maybe due to cooler weather, is a more sedate celebration.

Bratwurst on the street is very good. However, we needed to warm up so had Mexican. Yes, there is a "little Pepitos" in Germany. One of my last meals in Minnesota was Mexican. Silly me, I thought that flavor would not be found here. What we found was very good!

Just like New Prague, some people "camp out on the street". For those of you who like to vacation to the south in the winter, let me suggest beach chairs in Bamberg.

More themes will be explored in further posts.

Tom and Katie

And This We Shall Call Home

Two days into our Germany experience we have now discovered a great beauty in this community. Many churches, shops and a truly European feel are very appealing.
We live in two communities right now: Bamberg - old world, non-tourist Germany and Bamberg military base. Each has its unique feel and each is very different from any previous living experiences we have had.
We will expand on these more in the future... but for tonight, know that we are well in transition and will bring you up to date in future additions to this site.