The commander’s guidance was that all the new lieutenants should come to Kuwait in a large group. This would allow for consolidated in-processing and arrangement of professional development courses upon arrival. What this translated to for me, was more time in Germany before deployment. Because, I would be unable to stay in temporary lodging on post for more than 60 days, I set my self hard at work finding a car and a place to live (realizing the former would likely be a requirement for the latter). By the end of March, I finally found what I was looking for in both categories. I picked up a used, 1998, BMW 525, diesel, station wagon for around $4,000. I wanted a station wagon so that I could carry large amounts of gear around (including a kayak and or bikes as necessary) and a diesel because they tend to get better gas mileage. I ended up having to put almost $1,000 extra dollars into the car on repairs and replacement parts, but it has served me well thus far and I hope it will continue to be reliable for the next three years, till I change posts again.
On the housing front, I had three necessary specifications: 1) that the house or apartment has a garage (not always a given in Germany), 2) that it not be on the “Dachgeschoss” or top level of a building as these always have slated roofs, which I tend to hit my head on, and 3) that it have enough space to store by large library and gear collection. Within the first week, I had realized that the Army housing office would not be able to offer me anything that met these specifications due to constraints they had (only certain size/bedroom allowance for certain pay grades and number of dependants); however, if I found my own apartment independently, I could still get the contract signed through the housing office. I did a number of searches both online and by looking in the papers (knowing German definitely came in handy here), and finally found a nice place out in the village of Theres (20 minutes east of Schweinfurt). The house met all three criteria. In addition, it was newly constructed (2005), had three floors and three bedrooms. At 138 m2 it certainly had enough space to store all my gear and had a nice view of the surrounding fields and Main River Valley to boot. By the beginning of April, I had moved in and shortly thereafter my household goods from New Zealand had arrived. The US Army Europe provides basic furniture to single solders, on a loan basis, for the duration of their posting. Through this program, I received a washer, drier, refrigerator, kitchen table, chairs, desk, couch, bed, dressers (these are not built into German houses), and a few other things. This fulfilled my basic furnishing needs, but because my house was quite large and I did not own any furniture previously, I still ended up needing to buy a few things. There are many good shops around Schweinfurt that sell furniture and furnishing for reasonable prices, yet with the current Euro exchange rate, it still feels quite expensive. So far, I have bought a curio, two bookshelves, two industrial shelving units (for my gear room), lamps, and a vanity. I still need to buy quite a few things (to include another bedroom set, a new couch, and a patio set). These items can wait till after deployment however. Furnishing and decorating a new house is quite a large task, but I find it rather enjoyable.
View from the living room toward the kitchen
Before leaving Europe, I tried to make the most of my weekends. Though going to the range and working on my hunting license occupied many Saturdays, I was still able to make it out on a couple big trips. The first was over the weekend of the March 9th-11th, when I drove down to Munich to visit my old friend Maik Gronau, who had lived across the hall from me when I was studying in Munich, and I had not seen in 3½ years. Maik is just about to finish up his masters at Universitaet der Bundeswehr and will be heading up north to be a platoon leader for a mechanized infantry platoon near the Polish border. While in Munich, Maik and I took a couple trips around the city. After paying a ceremonial visit to the Paulaner brewery (where we were able to get factory pricing for glassware and memorabilia, which I was pretty stoked about), I wanted to go see the “Innenstadt” (down town) again. We walked by the Rathaus, Frauenkirche, Oper, and the Feldherrnhalle. That afternoon, we drove out to Schloss Nymphenburg, where the Bavarian kings had their summer residence. I had never been to Nymphenburg before, but the grounds certainly were beautiful. Coming when the flowers are in bloom would be a magical experience I imagine.
Paulaner Brewery
The following weekend, we had our “Jagerschlag,” or Hunter Initiation Celebration, after passing our final exam. The Jagerschlag was held at the Schiesshaus, a large, traditional, German restaurant located in the forest just north of Schweinfurt. The food was absolutely delicious. I ordered Bamberger Schaufel with Knodel. I had never had this dish before, though it was so delectable, I don’t think I will be able to avoid it in the future. We also upheld some hunting traditions, including blowing the hunting bugle, swearing the hunters oath, and getting rolled. All in all, we had a great night of fun, food, and camaraderie.
Erik being presented his Jagerbrief
My last weekend before deployment, I was approved for a special four-day pass, and drove to Switzerland to visit my friends and host family from my exchange year. Since it was coming up on Easter weekend, the drive down from Germany on Wednesday night took longer than expected, and I did not show up in Bern until quite late at night. In Bern, I stayed with my host brother, Christian, at his Wohngemeinde (shared apartment). Christian is going to University in Bern and studying sports. On Thursday, I did a self-guided tour of Bern as Christian had class in the morning. I am quite familiar with the city and had a hit list of places I wanted to revisit including Zumstein Stamp Shop, Swiss Philatelic Bureau, Clock Tower, famous fountains, and the Swiss Alpine Museum. Around noon, I met Christian at the Bundeshaus and we headed out to the Altes Tram Depot for lunch. The Depot has since been converted into a brewery/restaurant and is located right next to the newly renovated Baerengraben. In the new enclosure, the bears have the ability to swim in the Aare River and climb trees, a great improvement on their old concrete jungle. That evening, I made the 20 minute drive into Speiz, where I would stay at my friend Florian Gomez’s house. The Gomez’s are always so welcoming, and even though they had a large gathering for the holiday, the still invited me over. They always prepare the absolute best cuisine as well, and I am always spoiled when I stay with them. On Friday, Florian, Oliver, and I went on a hike up the Justiz Valley. We were a little concerned about the possibility of excessive snow at higher elevations, but the recent warm temperatures had taken care of that. On our day trip, we basked in the sun, and lucked out on seeing both Ibex and Chamois, which is relatively rare. On the way back, we hiked though the “Sheep’s Hole,” a tunnel drilled high into the mountains as a defensive fortification during WWII. The Swiss made many such preparations due to the treat of a possible Nazi invasion. In typical Swiss style, the plan was to retreat to the mountains and fight out of many such alpine fortifications. On Saturday and Sunday morning, I went around visiting three of my old host families (the Gerber’s, Prior’s, and Schranz’s) and my old Rotary Counselor, Herr Pfanner. They are all doing quite well and I enjoyed far too much good food and coffee in the various visits. In addition, I got to go back to the picturesque villages, where I used to live, surrounded by crop fields and majestic views of the Alps. Switzerland has to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. After a nice, long weekend, it was time to drive back to Germany, pack my bags, and prepare for the next stage in my life: deployment.
Erik by the Aare in Bern
