Ikea, Mannheim

Ikea, Mannheim 

There has always been an Ikea in San Diego for as long as my adult life and memory can tell me, however it has never been a store I frequent. When Antonio mentioned he wanted to drive out to Ikea on this lovely Saturday morning I was all about it! Particularly because it involved no effort by myself what so ever! :)

So we set out on the road to ikea! 52km away from our house according to gps, about 48 mins estimated. It was a beautiful drive, green, fields, vineyards and trees. Nothing like were used to coming from Okinawa! This is more like the country. It reminds us of the East Coast.

When we pulled into the parking lot we were surprised & excited to see the strip mall next door with an electronics store, a bike store but more importantly a bratwurst stand! Of course I had to stop to try one, it was lunch time!!! I chose the traditional brat to get my taste buds their first whirl. They had a huge selection of ketchups (extra spicy, mild, currywurst, Asian) and mustard. The mustard isn't like American or Heinz mustard it's just delicious. I tried the extra spicy currywurst ketchup and my favorite was the mild ketchup, it had a nice twang! The brat was soft, the skin was not tough at all, and the grilled flavors were delicious! Although it's not the most appealing sausage it's the taste that matters. The crunchy fresh baguette it was wrapped in was a delicious compliment to the soft meat. All in all it was an experience. Very different than our usual 'johnsonville beer brat' we would boil in beer then grill up & think was something special. Man we were humbled today. As we assumed, moving to Germany would change our perspective on the American sausage or bratwurst BBQ..... It was the best bratwurst Antonio & I have both ever had!

So back to Ikea!!! We got there.... Eventually!!

Huge, overwhelming and beautiful for someone coming from the island life in Okinawa Japan (oki residents will understand)! 

We found a ton of things we loved but only have the Mini & needed to be realistic. Although it was a long drive we can only fit so much we compromised and made some decisions. We picked out a nice shelving unit that allows you to manipulate the shelves sizes and additions like crazy. (I'll add a display photo from the store too). It's pretty cool how much it can be customized. So we got the shelves for the pantry. Also got the dark brown bathroom shelving for towels etc. we got some curtains, small shelves for Antonio's speakers, and a towel rack for the bathroom. The tall dining table was just too expensive but I loved it so I snapped a photo. Overall, we were very excited about the items we found. Most can be useful for the long haul not just Germany. 

I got super parched and was begging Antonio to come with me to grab a drink. We parked our cart full of items in a secret undisclosed location & headed to the Cafe. It was a cafeteria like place where you get what you want and get in line to pay after. I was only interested in a drink, couldn't find bottled water so at check out requested water and the ice cream cone she had sitting in front if her. The 'water' is a carbonated water to Germans, NOT cold refreshing water an American girl would expect. It is not refreshing and for someone who doesn't even really drink soda it is just awful to me! It does not quench any thirst! But that ice cream cone!! 1 euro gets you the large size and waffle cone. It comes out in a machine and it does all the work for you! Man it was delicious and the machine is awesome!!! That was the highlight of our afternoon!!! You receive a coin from the cashier after you pay, place your come in the machine, push the ice cream button (lit up) & BAM your perfect delicious ice cream come comes out! 

So real quick I'll explain what we did at ikea for people who haven't been in a decade like myself (Antonio helped me a ton!) OR for those in Germany who want their money back!

Step 1: Pick out your item(s) Step 2: Write down the numbers on the card attached to the item (aisle/item) it corresponds for getting it at the end. Step 3: Find the number & item of your stuff (double check colors) & fill your cart with the things you loved. Step 4: Proceed to check out & buy your items (tax included). Step 5: Head to customer service (to your right of the exit) with your VAT form. Step 6: Go back through the check out (closest register to cust serv is ok to cut through) and collect your 19% tax back in euro that you just paid. Step 7: Leave happy & satisfied as a military member or family member who just got their tax free new items from the wonderful Ikea Germany.

PS the new Kaiserslautern IKEA will open in 2015. It will soon no longer be an hour drive away! 😃

Doners!

Everyone told us when they heard we were going to Germany to have a DONER for them. Anyone who has lived here knows and loves them apparently. It's all we heard about for months leading up to our move. The food & travel, but most importantly ...  The DONERS! 

So we were heading on base and decided to stop at Kebab Haus nearby our home. It's right through a village and about half way to the base. Outside had a nice selection of items all the writing in German but a photo guide for the illiterate. So we ordered by corresponding number.

We careful made some decisions before walking in. Inside is a small cute place with two tables to sit at and a nice window like at subway where you can watch the man make your food and view all the fresh vegetables. I grew more excited as he packed my bread with onions, cabbage, pepperoncini, cucumber and tomato! There was also delicious chicken and sauce thrown in so crushed red peppers on top, extra spice for ME please! 

I can now understand all the hype! This sandwich concoction cannot be explained. You need to try one to appreciate it! Th crisp veggies, the cool sauce, the hot meat, the bread! Oh man!

Well, after stuffing our face.... it's time for a run! 

tschüss!!!

Drivers Exam Day! (USAREUR license)

Of course I walk in to the test room and sit front row & in the very first seat, cuz I'm that girl! Nerdy at heart and ready to learn! But then the military proctor comes in & starts talking.... And I lost interest quickly. He proceeds to explain we are going to have to watch a very old video that is 43 minutes long. Again I lose more interest and my tiredness sets in full affect! The videos start and they are all the modules from the study website they provide, I believe 13 in total. So I made it through the dreadful 43 minutes & was ready for the test! But no... we need to break first for 10 minutes and then a brief before the exam. The proctor went off on a few tangents about driving, driving in Germany and the BMW he bought for his wife. After some useful but mostly irrelevant information we were allowed to start the test. 

You put on over sized headphones and click through a series of slides where you take an exam after each module. There are four modules with tests, with the 3rd module being the toughest. It had the most questions (40) to include diagrams of cars at intersections where you have to put them in order of right-of-way. All in all it wasn't awful, but it was challenging. I did have to use my brain quite a bit and focus after all my day dreaming prior! If you don't study it is likely you would fail. However, for the spouses exam you can retake each module as many times as you need to pass then move on to the next one. You need an 85% in each section to move on. So it may take you two to three times longer to finish the exam if you chose not to study. I was about the 5th person finished out of maybe 20.

So I finished my exam, walked across the hall, where a man filled out my temporary driving permit by hand, charged me 10 bucks and sent me on my way! ....I am now legally able to operate a motor vehicle in Germany! It's OFFICIAL! My permanent license will come in the mail within 30 days. Wish me luck! 😁

Moving to Sulzbachtal

Out of the blue this morning Antonio dropped a bomb on me while I was lolly gagging and about to take a shower. He said "our household goods are here and can be delivered as early as tomorrow!" I was like what? (Yesterday we were told they didn't know where our HHG were and that temporary furniture would be delivered on the soonest, Aug 25th & that is when we would move into our home). Shocked I said huh? and again Antonio repeated himself. I planned on just exploring today & hanging out for 3 weeks. I have been mentally preparing myself for the exhausting hotel stint we were about to embrace! Well.... He said yes to confirm delivery from the moving company. He only had 3 hours to reply to the email from when they click 'send'. So boom 9am we are confirmed for move in tomorrow yet we just told the landlord yesterday we weren't movin in for 3 weeks.... And so the drama stress and errands of the day began!

I broke out my notepad & started a list! Team Lugo in full force! 👊

Had to throw together a gift basket for our sweet land lady & her awesome daughter who helps translate & do everything. Our favorite red wine (the naked grape cab) a white (just for balancing purposes in case they don't like reds) some truffles, almond roca, and a new leash for Hugo their lab who just ate his! The gift basket is a flower pot because everyone seems to garden in Germany! Better to make use of the "basket" afterwards, so I got creative!

Let's not forget that our household goods are coming but included in temporary furniture delivery is government properly you rent for your tour, so we will also have no washer or dryer or American refrigerator until the 25th of august! ....ADD laundry to today's to do list!!! 

Crazy day and 3 trips from base to the new home to get inspections, lease agreement, deposit and first months rent & utilities in order & we were just about ready for dinner at 8pm. I snapped a couple pics before we left for the last load.

This yard is all yoshis to the right!

House #23 is that a coincidence?!

Love this kitchen.

Our bathroom. 

My tub.

The balcony & patio is perfect for the 3 of us.

Wait but the laundry isn't done yet! Oh & I forgot I have a drivers exam at 7am!! Here I sit 10:44pm waiting on the 3 dryers I have going on both the 2nd and 1st floor during quiet hours breaking all the rules! 😔 I finished some cram sessions ablut 10:30 and am now so ready to crash. Have had zero time for jet lag! But that's a good thing!!! But first the dryers must be emptied! 

From Japan to Germany and we are about to move into a home & have all our stuff delivered in 7 days after arriving here! Wow! Can't wait for the movers tomorrow. Excited!!