The First Impressions...

So, almost one week here in Germany. And I thought that this time would never come. After last year, with us getting jerked around for the most of the first half of the season, it seemed like nothing good or exciting would come our way. I couldn't have been more wrong!!
As it turns out, the team he ended up on won the championship, we got married during the team celebration in Las Vegas (sober, mind you!), and my husband's deal with the DEL league here was the perfect cherry-on-top finish to a crazy, crazy season! Some blessings really do take longer to get here, but holy cow, they are hard to wait for!

So, we are on our new adventure now...living, playing, and loving in GERMANY! I hadn't been to Germany before, and although all my backpacking friends who traveled across this country loved every bit of the beer drinking, lederhosen culture, I didn't really know what to expect. Living in Europe is not too foreign to me (I lived in Greece last summer), and at the same time it is all foreign to me (but all in a fun way)!


**Taking the metro is so easy, but inconvenient in my mind; I am so used to tootin' around town in my little Jetta. We do have a car, but a damn standard, and I don't feel that comfortable yet driving in the city. I mean, really, who in the US drives a stick??
**The grocery store has everything we need, but we stand out as North Americans when we load up the cart every time and everyone else in the store has 2 or 3 items.
**Still have YET to have a good German beer, something that NEEDS be remedied oh so soon, haha. Mixed drinks in bars are priced out the wazoo, so there goes my vodka and soda fix. I think I will live, though. It turns out that decent bottles of wine (I'm talking $10-15 bottles in the US) are only € 2 in the grocery stores! Sweet...
**Skinny "euro" jeans and roomy tunics have me blending in pretty good, but I am missing sandals and boot-leg jeans, something unheard of here, lol. Who am I kidding, I still feel like I am sticking out like a sore thumb...no worries though, kinda like it.
**Our apartment has so much more space than I expected, and the furniture is nice and new, although it feels like I am living in an IKEA. Still waiting for Sven to jump out of the cupboard to serve me some meatballs!
**German is hard, lol. Lots of "ichs" sticking in the back of my throat
**Oh, and CNN, BBC, and most of the shows on MTV (God help me, "I love New York" is still running here) are in English and therefore have become my favorite channels.

No, but what do I really have to complain about?? Nothing of any importance. The people seem really nice here, especially the other players and their wives and girlfriends (thank goodness!). The team is off to a great start, 3-0 baby, shocking most everyone in the league. And I am here with the hubby, who I can't complain about too much, lol. I am surrounded by green landscapes and manicured gardens everywhere I turn. It is really beautiful, although locals might say that the town is more 'industrial' than countryside. I found some hiking trails around our place and the scenery was breathtaking for me. No wonder the Grimm Brothers decided to write their tales here.
Life is good in Germany, and I intend to keep it that way!