Better Than

Today, I arrived at the Army Housing office prepared to take the apartment I liked. They told me I needed a memo from my organization's housing office, so I went to find one of the two men who work in that office. In a very round about way, I found Steve, who has been out on leave since I got here and whom I haven't met yet. I walked in, told him what I wanted to do, and after hearing that I wanted to live in Wiesbaden, told me to trust him, because he was going to show me a place downtown that the government already has leased. With no one living in it, the government is just paying for an empty apartment. (Pretend you didn't read that when you're paying taxes.)

The apartment sits in a building right next to a park. It's huge! There are, I think, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area, and a large hallway. The hardwood floors and bathroom fixtures, tubs, and sinks are brand new. There is a porch off the front and a patio with a small yard in the back. The only thing not new is the kitchen, which is kinda ugly, but not terrible. It's about a 10-15 minute walk to the pedestrian area and since it sits on the the edge of the park, you might think of it as a mini Central Park. You can view its location and the proximity to the pedistrian area. I saw another property the government has a lease on, but it wasn't nearly as nice as this one.

I decided it's what I wanted and Steve told me he could probably have it worked out so that I wouldn't have to move in until my air shipment arrives on 3 November. In it, I have an air matress, dishes, other things I'd need and comforts of home. There you go. I have a home. I asked if I earned some kind of prize for getting a house so quickly and he thought I should.

I actually went to work after that. Gasp!!! My accounts are working, the rest is boring. After work and after I dilly-dallied a bit at home, I decided to go out to dinner instead of staying home again, even though it was sprinkling and kinda gross. I had dinner at Le Petit Tartin. I started with a French onion soup, then moved on to Flammkuchen. (Tarte Flambee: a kind of 'French pizza' from Alsace made from a very thin layer of pastry topped with sour cream, chopped onions and bacon.) I chose the original, which was mushrooms, cheese, bacon, and some cream cheese sort of spread. Of course, I also had a nice Syrah is go with it. Yumm!

So there you go. In 11 days, I've accomplished a lot. Let's hope my streak continues.