Normalcy

There have not been any posts in a week. What? Why? Well, because. It was a ... normal week. I started work on Monday the 2nd, which means there was a routine. There were small things that came up, but they weren't very out-of the ordinary: I returned the rental car on Wednesday; Lisa soloed a grocery store trip; the air shipment showed up. Exciting things in a way, but not particularly note-worthy. Saturday was spent going to a bike store and trying to figure out which bike to get. We left without bikes, but we have a much better idea what we are looking for. I bought power cables for my computer. Stuff happened.

We did do a little wandering on Saturday after the bike store and ended up at the Alter Botanischer Garten, I will say, the Europeans do know their gardens. We sat outside at a picnic table and sipped beers. It was lovely.

So, what is the "non-normal" stuff that has crept into my routine? Well, there are things that Americans that live in large cities do that I haven't really ever done. We don't currently have a car, so I take the train to work everyday (which is my plan anyway). This adds walking and sitting on trains to my routine. The amount of time is about the same as my old commute in Austin and while I wouldn't call it enjoyable, it is a whole lot less UN-enjoyable. After Lisa's "big" grocery trip, we didn't have a rental car anymore, so this means almost daily walks to the local grocery for whatever we are out of.

Then there is the car-purchasing experience. THAT was a whole new thing. Germany changed some emissions laws and manufacturers are scrambling to catch up this year. This means that there is currently a shortage of new cars, causing a smaller, but still noticeable, shortage in almost new cars. We finally found what we wanted and went to the dealership on Thursday. We took it for a test drive and decided we were good to go. Next, we signed a contract. So far, so good. Now comes the fun. For some reason that I still don't understand, it takes at least a week for you to be able to pick up your car. And just like in the US, you need insurance. However, you don't just call your agent and ask them to add your new car. There seems to be a lot more involved than that, some of it involving two guys named Hanz and Franz drinking beers and adding up their guesses for how many "girly men" are in the bar to come up with a price for said insurance (no disrespect at all to my insurance guy, whose name actually is Hans and who is VERY helpful).

And, oh the options! Did you know there is a rider for damage caused by wolverines? Not Wolverine. Wolverines. This is apparently a thing if you park near forests here. Who knew?

So, other than negotiating the local process for a major purchase and odd concerns about Hugh Jackman  carving up said major purchase, it was a week like I can expect to have for some time.