I'm Back...

It has been some time since I posted anything on my blog and it's time to fire it up again.

For the past six months or so I've been side tracked with a Deutsch Integrationskurs and now I am studying for the B1-Prüfung (exam) upcoming on May 9th. The Deutsch Integrationskurs is a 600 hour course for learning the German language, integrating into the German culture learning about recent German history and the Politics. The course has been pretty interesting considering we only speak German and there are people from Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Romania, Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, Mongolia, Slovakia and Moldavia in the class. It's sort of like a movie we've probably all seen where the American guy is teaching English as a second language to a group of people who all speak a different language. We have had a few pot luck parties and the food is varied and pretty darn good.

At the end of the course I take an nine hour exam that covers reading, writing, hearing and speaking German. I took the A1-Prüfung about a year ago and passed with no problem. This one is going to be a little different I think.

So, if I pass the B1 exam what does that do for me? My Visa will be good for two or three years before I will need to reapply. If I don't pass then I will need to reapply every year until I do pass the exam - or - until I have lived in Germany for six years when the Visa automatically becomes permanent. Interestingly enough, if you hold an EU Passport all of this is not necessary. Fortunately, I won't get kicked out of the country.

Deport

I have to say the whole exercise is a bit frustrating, as I have no problems getting along on a day to day basis living in Germany, even with my limited Deutsch sprechen. I certainly have no problem ordering Nüernberger Bratwürste und Bier.

Nüenberger Bratwürste erobern die Welt
(Nürnberg Bratwürst conquer the World)

On the other hand, I of course understand the idea of being "invited" by the immigrations folks at the Ausländeramt to participate in the course and exam. Germany has been the go to country for folks immigrating (or Ayslbewerber, i.e. asylum seekers) from countries outside of the EU for some time now. Germany would prefer that people who are living here are able to contribute to the overall society. For those who need to earn a living that means speaking the language. Not such a bad idea.

The Big Dig on Hochstrasse

Yes in deed, in normal conditions street parking is never easy to find on Hochstrasse.  Refer to my May 24th post "Major Milestone Achieved!! Second Sonderparkberechtigung Obtained"

It's been much worse lately since they have been repairing the street that the city tore up last year to put in new sewer pipes.  The street is cobblestone and the asphalt patches are finally being replaced with new cobblestones.  This is nice, as the asphalt does not quite have the je ne sais quoi as cobblestone.

This re-cobblestoning process is apparently a lost art that the city workers are trying to figure out.  First they put up "No Parking" signs on the street (a street that mind you already has limited parking), along with some red and white barrier things, steel plates and orange blinking lights to form an alter - so to speak - and then go away for a week or so.

After they come back, the offending asphalt is removed in a rather violent and noisy manner.  They leave again - I presume to get further instructions from some very all knowing person.

After some effort that takes many, many days, the "alter" is prepared for the new cobblestones.  This involves a lot more noise.  A large truck brings the stones and dumps them into a big misshapen pile.  Many layers of dirt are deposited on the alter and tamped down with gas engine powered tamper (I am sure this is not the correct name).

The next phase of the event involves the HMFDIC (you must know what this means, if not do not ask), who keeps picking up one cobblestone at a time and stares at it and turns it to inspect all sides and stares for awhile longer.  Often he will toss the stone aside and then start the process all over.

Once he and a cobblestone have a melding of the mind (this takes place all the while on bended knees in a praying position) he places the stone just so in the alter and then gently taps on the stone with a ceremonial hammer like thing, using some secret rhythm.  During this ritual another city worker is standing by admiring the Stone Whisperer's work. I guess he is an apprentice.  Very often there will be two teams working side by side, engaged in some type of slow race.

I have attached a picture of the ritual taken from a secret hiding place.  Be careful not to get caught with this documentation of the cobblestone ritual.  If you are found with it in your possession there will be a pox on your street for a minimum of three years.  The city will come and replace the sewer pipes, leaving the street surface a mess for at least one year.  Then there will be a new crew who will tear up the patched street and go away for several months before returning to complete the work.

Logic and the Führerscheinstelle im Ordnungsamt*

Logic teaches rules for presentation, not thinking. 

-Mason Cooley

Logic is neither an art nor a science but a dodge.

-Stendahl

Logic! Good gracious! What rubbish!

-E. M. Forester

Such is logic when it comes to obtaining a German Drivers License - especially with a Motorcycle Endorsement.

I may have mentioned earlier that there is a nice little "logical" agreement between many of the States in America and Germany, where your American drivers license is exchanged for a German drivers license with no need to take a written or driving test - just pay the fee. So happens that my PA drivers License is honored in the exchange agreement.  This makes one of the necessities when moving to Germany very easy.  

Oh yeah - hold on!  Not so if you also need a Motorcycle Endorsement.  

For some reason the Führerscheinamt (Department of Motor Vehicles) has it in their "logic" that it's OK to just give an American a German drivers license (provided you pay the fee) for an automobile with no written or driving tests required.  Mind you the driving laws and road signs are not insignificantly different here, but never mind that.

But, if you also want the Motorcycle Endorsement on your American drivers license to be transferred to your German drivers license - "Forgedaboudit" (this is not German, it's New Jersey-ese).  

You must take the theory (written) and practical (riding) test.  OK - so what's the big deal, other than an inconvenience?  Well, let me tell you...

TÜV administers the tests for all of Germany.  In order to be eligible to take the tests a Fahrschule (driving school) must recommend that you are ready to take the test.  This means that you need to sign up with a Fahrschule.  Fortunately, Judith knows some very nice people at Peppel's Fahrschule.

They organized everything and I was able to study the German regulations on line, which a good thing because there is no little Driving Test Study Book like in America.

Example of the On Line study guide - same thing as the actual test

But, the regulations are pretty different and there is a lot of them and they are really bizarre.  For example, can you figure this question out?

You want to turn out of a road with a sunken kerbstone into another road.  A car is coming from the left.  What applies here?

1. Whoever turns into a road over a sunken kerbstone must wait
2. The rule “right before left”
3. The sunken kerbstone is of no relevance for the obligation to wait

What the hell is a sunken curbstone?  No one knows...




After taking about 175 (no kidding) practice tests on line I felt I was ready to go to TUV and take the test.  The big day was this past Monday.  The test is given by a computer program.  So promptly at 10:45 on a gray and rainy Monday morning myself and about ten others gathered at TÜV for the test.  Most everyone was taking the normal driving test - not the motorcycle test.  I was of course the only American.  I did get to take the test in English at least.


Twenty minutes later I was finished and even though I know the answer to the "Sunken Kurbstones" question they didn't ask. BTW, the correct answer is number 1.

I did however Ace the test!!!

Now... the riding test is next.  Weave through little orange cones, go in circles, panic brake, blah, blah blah.  But the catch is there is also an on road test after the little orange cone test.

The test is in about two weeks - wish me luck!








------------------------------------------------
*License Office in the Clerk's Office

Major Milestone Achieved!! Second Sonderparkberechtigung Obtained

NEWS FLASH!
May 22, 2013, 9:00 AM Central Europe Time
Nürnberg, Germany

A second neighborhood parking permit has been obtained!!!

What you say?  Why is this such a big News Flash?

Normally there is only one Neighborhood Parking Permit (Sonderparkberechtigung) issued per household.  Without the permit you need to look for somewhere to park that is not a permit area.  These are sometimes pretty difficult to find.  Park in a permit area and you'll get a Knöllchen - Parking Ticket - and then be allowed to contribute to the economy of Nürnberg.

Judith's Sonderparkberechtigung needed to be renewed, so we made a trip the the Stadtamt this morning to do so.  Just for the hell of of it we asked for two permits.  The nice lady said sure, why not.  I could hardly contain myself I was so happy.

A Meter of Bratwurst and a Night in a Castle

May 1st was a Holiday (Labor Day in Germany).  We decided to take a long weekend and go for a three day Motorbike Tour, leaving on Thursday.

Forecasts for heavy rain to the East literally put the damper on our planned three day Motorbike Tour to Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic.  Too bad too since Ceske Budejovice is the home of the original Budweiser Beer, which is not at all like "Bud" in America.

The rained out route to Ceske Budejovice

We decided to head towards sunny surrounds instead and see where we would end up.  Our friends Wieland and Christian joined Judith and I and we headed North West from Nürnberg towards Würzburg.  I forgot my camera, so pictures are stolen from the Web.

Our alternative route away from the rain

• Day one is the lighter green route. 
• Day two is the purple route.
• The last day is dark green.
• A total of about 725 kilometers.

Sulzfeld am Main (Picture stolen from the Web)

Christian was very familiar with this area, having spent a lot of time in Würzburg when younger.  Along the way we stopped in Sulzfeld am Main for lunch.  This is a nice large village on the Main River (pronounced Mine). 








Bratwurst is traditionally sold by the meter in this region, so we naturally had to have Bratwurst for lunch - but only a half meter.

Traditional meter of Bratwurst (Picture stolen from the Web)

Like the name already says the sausage is one meter (40inches) long. In 1953 Lawrence Stark a butcher in Sulzfeld, Bavaria invented this meter long sausage on the suggestion of a guest who proclaimed : "I can Wurscht The meter setting ess" meaning he could eat a whole meter of sausage in one sitting. Lawrence rose to the occasion and came out with a meter long sausage sizzling in a pan, that started the tradition and is still a fun thing to do.

There are contests to see how much meter bratwurst you can eat. The current record set in 1982 is 5.15 meters or 16.9 feet! 

Michels Keller (Picture stolen from the Web)

Herr Stark's restaurant was not open when we arrived (it was a little late for lunch), but we founds a very suitable choice at Michels Keller right up the street. 

Bratwurst at Michels Keller (Picture stolen from the Web)

The Bratwurst was served in a sizzling iron plate shaped like a steer (weird, since this is pork sausage), with a delicious wine sauce, sides of sauerkraut and potato salad.








After lunch we continued on West for awhile and the turned to the North.  Very wonderful roads, with little traffic and good weather.  Since I forgot my camera there are no pictures.

Around 5:30 or 6:00 we decided to start looking for a place to stay and came across a nice small hotel, but sorry to say I have forgotten the name.  Reasonably priced and good food, but nothing else remarkable to mention.

Breakfast coffee was good, as were the other items.  After filling up we packed up and headed further North, and then South, and then North.  Just winding around the roads through the forests all day.  As the day wore on the weather started to turn a little colder and gray.   We finally figured it was time to find somewhere to stay for the night. 

We pulled into Bischofsheim an der Rhön around 6:00.  This is a pretty small town/village.  Christian found an information kiosk with a list of local Gasthauses.  There was one listed about six kilometers out of the village we decided to try, with really no idea what it would be like.  So I set the GPS for Holzberg 1, Bischofsheim an der Rhön Germany and headed out.  For almost six kilometers we wound up a small winding road and then the GPS pointed us down an even smaller, very narrow winding road.  It had started to rain about 15 minutes earlier, so the half kilometer was a slow go.

Coming around the last corner we found the Gasthause -- the Jagdschloss Holzberghaus -- a  Hunter's Castle in the High Rhön.  We got the last two rooms.  There are no amenities here and the Bad (bathroom) is shared.  But this is to be expected at a hotel & restaurant that was built in 1614.  While the rooms were clean and adequate and sparse, the restaurant was super.  Dinner was excellent, beer great and a proper wine list.

Jagdschloss Holzberghaus

The main courses served here are hunted daily in a local game preserve, ensuring fresh, local meat. The secluded location of the castle and the fact that there are no electric lights in the dining room make for a nice, relaxing experience. Because of it's location near several hiking trails, the restaurant is open all day, although on off-hours they mainly serve bread and wurst. The evening meals can be a bit expensive, but the day meals for the hikers average about 4 euro in price. 

The next morning we woke to a light rain.  After slowly managing to get coffee, wake up and eat breakfast - also great - we packed up to head back towards home.  We decided to stay off of the small back roads because of the rain and jumped on larger roads (not the Autobahn).  After about one and a half hours the rain let up and the sky became slowly sunny.  We stopped in Bamburg a little after Noon for lunch and then took the back roads into Nürnberg.

1st of Mai Tankstelle Motorradtreffen in Nuernberg

An ARAL Tankstelle (gas station) on Münchener Straße in Nürnberg is an unlikely focal point for a motorcycle event that draws several thousand motorcycles and even more people.

Every May 1st is Labor Day in Germany and a holiday.  A number years ago (legend says it started in the '70's) a small group of motorcyclists, like motorcyclists will tend to do, decided to meet at the ARAL Gas Station on Münchener Straße on Labor Day and then go on a ride to some place.

Each year a few more friends and friends of friends showed up.  There was no organizer, and the gathering still has no organizer.  Matter of fact it is never advertised, there is no Web Site - nothing.  But now several thousand motorcycles show up and many more people than that.  Some come to just watch, like we did.  So many people come by car to just watch that we parked about a Kilometer away and walked into the meeting area.

Because this event has no organizer no one can be held responsible for any problems, but it seems that there are not any problems.  The Polizei are present, even Polizei from outside of Nürnberg, but only as a "gesture" and they might do a little traffic control.  It's a stretch of about two Kilometers along Münchener Straße that is full of motorcycles, as well as any where else you can park a bike.  One lane stays sort of open for people to ride through, make a U-Turn at some point and do it again, or park.

There was a potpourri of motorcycles to see.  You can my pictures at: Nürnberg Motorradtreffen

Plus a video on You Tube (not mine).  Nürnberg Motorradtreffen on You Tube

The video is pretty long, but if you watch the first few minutes you'll get the idea.

Hope you enjoy.

The Visa Saga

Germany allows you to stay in the country for 90 days without the need for a Visa.  The U.S. State Department web site sort of suggests that even though you can start the Visa application process before you leave the U.S. it's just as easy to start it once you arrive in Germany.  Hmmmm!  Not necessarily so.

About two weeks after arriving I started the process.  Filled out lots of guess what?  Paperwork.  Submitted everything to the Ausländeramt and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Nothing!

The application is for both a Visa and a Work Permit, and since I have a pending work contract to do consulting for a company in Nürnberg I started getting a bit anxious.  Not to mention that 90 days was rapidly approaching.

My friend Christian, who owns the company I have the pending work contract with, and I went to the Ausländeramt in our nice business suits to see what we could find out. Christian, being the sweet tonged devil that he is manged to get us in to see the nice lady who had my file.

Now since the original application was made Judith and I were married in Reno in February (that's another installment).  After explaining this fact it seemed to make a significant difference in my status.  Being married to a German citizen negates the need for a Work Permit - you only need a Visa.  Ah Hah - good news.  Well sort of...

All we needed to do was get a certified copy of the marriage license from Washoe County and an Apostille from the State of Nevada's Secretary of State.  What is an Apostille you may wonder?  It's simple - an Apostille is a certified document that says the other certified document is certified - a certification of a certification.  This is actually a very simple process and was accomplished with no fuss or muss.

But... there's one more tank trap to get across as well.
 

I must pass the German Language A1 test.  Not so easy!  This all has to do with integration of aliens into the German society.  So OK, I've been taking German lessons for awhile now.  But, I can tell you, passing the German Language A1 test was not going to happen before my 90 days in Germany was up.  Fortunately, the nice lady understood this dilemma and gave me a six month temporary Visa.

In addition to the private lessons I've been taking I have enrolled at the Buildungszentrum (Education Center) for intensive German lessons.  Oh Boy!! 




So far, all of this must sound pretty daunting.  Well yes, it is, but I have a wonderful wife and friends who are helping and supporting the effort.  It's a matter of chipping away at each hurdle a bit at a time.  There's been a fair share of upside things going as well, and I'll get to those.

In the mean time the Container arrived in late January - that was a relief!!

 

Arrival - Your Papers Please

Like most countries, Germany doesn't just let you waltz in and take up residency.  I thought it would be smart to be a good alien resident and get my papers in order once arriving in Deutschland.

I had read pages of U.S. State Department info on what is necessary to take up residency in Germany, so I had a pretty good idea what the paper work drill would be like.  Also, having worked for Siemens I had a feeling for the level of process and procedure in a German organization.  Good thing too... German government bureaucracy is a well oiled machine.  That is if you consider well oiled to mean very, very slooooow.

Here's a few of the highlights...

"Your papers please?" "I don't think I have them on me." "In that case you will have to come with me."

Your Papers Please...

Right off the bat you need;

German residence permit: Aufenthaltserlaubnis

Confirmation of Address Registration: Anmeldebestätigung

Visa and Work Permit: Aufenthaltstitel (the Visa and Work Permit get real interesting)

Navigating Through The Land of Amt and Behörde (Offices and Authorities)…

Einwohnermeldeamt (located at city hall or Bürgeramt): This is where you register your living address with the authorities and fill out either the Anmelden (Moving in document) or the Abmelden (Moving out document)

Ausländeramt or Ausländerbehörde: Immigration Office or Aliens Authority office (this is one of my favorite Amts)

Führerscheinstelle im Ordnungamt: Drivers License Office (another of my favorite Amts)

ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.): The German Auto Club (yes in deed, the Auto Club is a type of official authority)

…one must be persevering

Many States in the U.S. have a reciprocal agreement with Germany and other EU countries that will honor your U.S. Drivers License.  Just get a 7.00 € eye test and passport photos taken, then go to the Führerscheinstelle im Ordnungamt to fill out some papers, and pay a fee.  Presto - a Germany Drivers License. 

Hold on - no way is it that easy you say.  Well it is IF you only need a Drivers License to drive a car.  Whole different story if you also need the Motorcycle Endorsement.  No reciprocal for that!  Got to take the written and riding test that is administered by TÜV.  But, before you can take the tests you need to go sign up at a driving school.  They in turn assess when you are ready to take the tests.  Yep, drivers licenses are a hybrid process; go to the local government agency and then go to the private driving school and then go to the private testing agency and then the local government agency issues you a license.

It takes multiple trips to the Führerscheinstelle im Ordnungamt to finally get the information and process correct because each person you meet with seems to have a different interpretation of the rules.  Plus it always seems like "something is missing", when in reality nothing is missing.  But if you ask nice to please check again the missing item is usually there.

So, no drivers license yet.  I am studing for the written test and then can take the riding test after passing the written.

More perseverance - setting up a Bank Account

I opened a checking account a few days after arriving.  This was not too difficult, but certainly different than what I was used to doing.  I needed to wait to receive paperwork and bank card (sort of an ATM card, but not exactly) in the mail before I could actually do any banking.  The paperwork needed to be signed and returned to bank in order to enable on line banking.  I received the paperwork, but no bank card.  Turns out bank card making people didn’t know how to deal with the apostrophe in O’Dell.  So instead of dropping the apostrophe just like the airlines and credit cards they did nothing with the bank card.  After a few phone calls this got sorted out and the card arrived with no apostrophe – just like the airlines and credit cards.

Now I needed to set up on line banking on the web site.  After several tries and a request for a new password, because I screwed up too many times, I got it to work. 

Blue Dinksta

To do on line bill paying, etc you log in to the bank site just like you'd expect.  Then it gets different.  After filling in the bill pay info you need to complete any transaction by using this card reader (the Blue Dinksta).  After you insert the bank card you then hold the card reader up to the computer screen.  The two talk to each other for a few seconds and then you get a TAN (Pin Number) to enter.  Then your done.  Only thing is you need to do this for each individual transaction.

And then there's the Visa (no, not the credit card)

This will have to wait for the next installment - stay tuned