Why I am sure Fedex is going to take Germany!

So I was a little one the fence about adding this story/experience to our blog, but since it has happened again AND I got a more information about it today, I thought I'd share. 


       The week before Christmas, as Josh was headed out on a weeklong trip, he came across two postcards with our name on them, in a basket, in our lobby, typically used for the local newspaper and store flyers.  I never really check this basket since I can't read anything in there and never imagined a delivery service would leave a notice for us in such a public container. The postcards had a logo from a company called GLS and had package ID numbers and tracking #'s.  Being a Fedex family, we felt fairly sure that they were delivery notices for two packages but just to be sure, I took them to one of my new German friends and asked her my typically question while presenting them, "Was is das?" (sounds like "Vas ist das?" asked by Sergeant Schultz from Hogan's Heros).  She explained that they were packages that GLS tried to deliver when we weren't home so they were left elsewhere for us to pick up.  She said it looked like one was at a bike shop and the other at a cafe.  You can imagine my face, sort of like, "come again???"  I think what I actually said, with my mouth on the floor, was "what???"  I asked if they just took them to the next place the drivers were headed and she said basically, yes.  She wasn't familiar with either business and suggested that I google them or put them in my GPS.  I assumed they were right around the corner or down the street from our home so I just put them in the GPS and thought I'd walk to get them.  Wrong.  One was about 6 miles away, near the airport, and the other about 2 miles away, but in the opposite direction, of course.  I decided that since I was a bit crunched for time, I would just drive to get them the next day.  Off I went the next day to retrieve the packages.  First stop, bike shop...Keeping in mind that just about everyone has or needs a bicycle in Germany, I arrived at the bike shop, this, the Wednesday before Christmas.  I arrived around 11am to find the shop closed with a note printed from a computer hanging on the door.  Though I couldn't read the entire thing, I did understand enough of it to get that they were closed on Wednesdays in December to prepare for the holidays.  Seriously? What kind of joke is this??? Shaking my head, I got back in the car, punched the cafe address in my GPS and hoped they weren't closed for who knows what too.  I found a parking space on the street just prior to the address of the cafe so I parked there and walked along about 6 shops to the "cafe" that I would describe to be more like a very small convenience store.  They had the standard, old, cigarette pack dispenser over head of the counter and a selection of about 20 candy bars, etc in front of the counter.  In the back of the store, was a counter where 4 Middle Eastern looking men were smoking hookas (colorful vase-like things with hoses that stick out and one smokes through them).  The oldest of the men came up behind the counter and asked in German if he could help me.  I asked in German if he spoke English. Neine. I tried to explain in mostly German that I got this postcard (holding it out to him) and asked if he had a package for me.  He took it, muttering something about the 16th (the day it was left for us) and started searching like it might have been sitting around there for years...He looked under the counter, behind it, in the back store room of the shop just past his smoking pals, and finally walked out of the store saying "Eine moment" as he went.  He then lifted up his garage door, disappeared into the garage, and came out a moment later with a package for me.  He asked for my passport, which of course I failed to bring, but finally accepted my German driver's license and European Union ID card.  I signed a short form, put the package in my trunk, and went home to prepare for the 6 overnight guests I had arriving that evening.  On that Friday, feeling a bit of pressure to pick up all packages prior to Christmas which was on Sunday, I left my visiting family and headed back out to the bike shop.  Many Europeans don't own cars so how they do all of this would be far beyond my patience.  It was open this time, so I walked in and greeted the shop keeper in German, asking him if he spoke English as well.  Neine.  OK, one more mostly German explanation of the postcard and inquiry about a package.  He too muttered something about the date (the 15th) and went into the back of his shop.  He came out, handed me back the postcard and said what I thought was "No, I don't have a package for you."  At this point I am wondering where the Candid Cameras are hiding. I asked him if the address on the card was in fact the bike shop that I was standing in and he confirmed that.  I must have looked pitiful because after he tried to explain something to me in rapid-fire German, he went over to his computer and typed in what I assume was the tracking number on the postcard.  He then turned to me and said something else-I have no idea what, but it didn't sound at all like "Oh, yes, I DO have a package for you in my secret hiding spot!"  I told him in German that I was sorry that I didn't understand and asked if he had Google translate.  He walked nodded yes, went to Google and typed in whatever he was trying to say.  He turned the screen slightly towards me and pointed to the English translation: "The recipient has the package."  I nodded my head to the contrary and said "Ich habe dis (not a german word by the way) postkart-Das ist diene addresse-Sie haben eine package."  I was quite proud of myself.  He was not impressed.  He picked up his phone, called someone at GLS and spoke to them.  All of the sudden his English got a little better.  He took the phone from his ear, placed it against his chest, and said "Your mann (German for husband) has the package."  I wasn't about to explain that my "mann" was in Budapest or Basel so I just explained in broken German that my "mann" gave me the card to come and get the package so he did NOT have it.  He then said "yes, your mann got package at cafe".  WHAT????!!!  I held up one finger, said "eine moment" and headed out to the trunk where the package from the "cafe" still was.  I brought it in and said "This is a different number," to which he replied in almost perfect English "This driver is always a problem.  He is incompetent.  He gives two cards on two days, two numbers. I always have this problem with him."  Upon closer inspection, I did see that a second tracking number (that corresponds to the postcard notices but perhaps not the packages) had been placed over top of the first one.  My guess is that when we weren't home, the driver was going to drop the package at his next stop, the bike shop, but it was probably a Wednesday when they were home "preparing" for the holidays instead of selling bikes.  Who knows...anyway, after two days of driving all over town, I had my one package.  


This week when checking my mailbox one evening, I found a similar notice from DHL that indicated that I had a package at the "package station" which happened to be right down the street.  Hallelujah!  I was ready for this one.  I couldn't get there the next day, but went the day after that. Fully expecting a manned DHL store (like a FEDEX Office store). I pulled up to find this:

Concern quickly faded to a slight feeling of approval.  These efficient Germans may have something yet!  Low payroll if you have package lockers, right?  I approached the computer side of the kiosk and held my barcoded notice up to the scanner-looking window.

The computer said something, but no package was evident.  I tried punching in the tracking # on the key pad.  Nothing.  Fortunately for me, a young woman came walking by.  In German, I said "Excuse me.  Do you speak English?" to which she replied in perfectly pleasant English "Yes. I do."  I explained that I had received the notice and thought there might be a package for me in this kiosk, but that I couldn't figure out how to get it out.  She said she had never used such a kiosk before.  I told her that was ok, I just needed her to tell me what the computer screen was saying.  She walked up to it, touched the screen (which, admittedly, never occurred to me) and followed the instructions, eventually putting the bar code in the same scanner window.  The computer seemed to read the barcode, but evidently said something to the effect of the number and date didn't compute.  Here we go again.  My new helper handed me back the notice and apologized that she could be of more help.  I was starting to have deja vu and I had other things to do so I just put the notice in my handbag and got back in the car.  While out running errands, I saw a DHL truck double parked, making a delivery.  I pulled up behind him, jumped out and asked him in german if he spoke English (see a trend here???  Thank goodness I start my German intensive next week!).  Nope.  Again.  However, another DHL man popped up behind me and he spoke a little English.  I explained that I got the notice two days prior, went to the kiosk and scanned the barcode and the computer said the number and date didn't match.  How could that be?  He matter-of-factly explained that the packages are only stored there for 24 hours.  Do people in Germany not ever go away???   I asked where it was now and he told me to call the "hot line" (14 cents a min) to find out.  I got home, called the hotline, and got a very nice woman on the phone who, guess what, spoke NO English.  We tried but between the two of us, it was futile.  I have put a German friend on the job to call but DHL says they don't have any package with that tracking number.

As I write this today, I know we are missing at least two packages.  Whether or not one of them was ever down the street in the giant yellow locker I don't know.  Today I was told that I could go to the "Central Logistics center" and see if they had it or if it was already declared "lost and found".  If they had it, I should expect to pay a fee to get it.  Hello-if it is "lost and found" it's because they lost it and I am trying to find it!  Why am I paying to get it when the sender presumably already paid to send it?  Seriously, Fedex is going to take over the package world in Germany in no time.  These other folks have no idea how to get anything to addressees!  It is crazy!  (My Fedex delivery man says that it is because the other package delivery services don't pay very well and their employees just don't care.  Another local said they are more concerned about money and packages than service and people.  Either way, I am thinking leave packages with my neighbors, bring them another day, or leave a number where I can call and set up a delivery time.) How hard can this be???

World Cup Ski Jumping in Innsbruck

We arrived in Innsbruck, Austria to go skiing for a few days before the boys head back to school and found out when we got here last night that the World Cup Ski Jumping qualifier was here yesterday and that the Innsbruck finals were today.  We decided as a family that this would be a more unique experience for the day vs. skiing, so we purchased tickets, bundled up (including Baxter) and headed to the base of the mountain (on the tram with evidently everyone else in Innsbruck!).  It is a competition that takes place over four different days and four different locations.  Those who place in the top three at the conclusion of each day get points, which after the four locations' jumping is complete, are complied to determine the overall winner.  Admittedly, this is not a good analogy, but for my Southern friends, it is sort of like Nascar from a scoring standpoint.  Anyway, we had to hike into position, which turned out to be right along side of the large red stripe across the landing zone.  We later learned that this is the average distance of the landings of the competitors, determined during the qualifier.  A great location except that we could not see the very end of the jumping ramp but, we could watch the ski down, the competitors catching a boatload of "air", and them landing just abreast of us.  It was fantastic.

As a side note, here are the things that are plentiful at European winter sporting events:  beer (of course), gluhwein (hot, mulled, delicious red wine), and noise.  The Europeans love their horns and other noise makers, which, by the way, Baxter HATES!  Wendy wore him in a carrier up the hill so he wouldn't have snowballs hanging all over his belly and legs and so that he wouldn't have such cold little pads that he would hate it.  Although he loved the carrier and stayed warm, he shook and shivered from all of the noise until about halfway through the four hour event.  We did, however, learn that he likes gluhwine though...Check out some of the photos:

Josh the Weinachts Lottery Winner

Ok, so as we wander through this adventure, it has been great to experience the German customs and traditions, especially around the Weinachts holiday.  To you who think I just sneezed while typing, that is German for Christmas.

As gluhwein, which is a spiced, hot wine that really is the center of the Weinachts festivals, is served by the barrel full, there are countless other delicious treats to pair with it. Shwein schnitzel (pork chop sans the bone) and mushrooms on a non fitting bun, or a bratwurst on a really non fitting bun, or the mother load of deliciousness........racelette mit brot.

So before I stepped into a line, I tried to figure it out.  Imagine a cartoon-size wheel of cheese, cut in half, and on a moveable rack.  Directly above the massive half round of goodness, is a heat lamp that causes the cheese to bubble and bake tender brown in under 20 seconds.  Now the movable part comes in, as does the brot part.  (Brot is bread, by the way). Once the bubbling cheese is ready, the server guy swings the arm out from under the lamp, and scrapes the bubbly mess onto the awaiting peice of bread. Voila! A pizza without sauce, or a fondue without the cleanup.  But here is the best part:  some like it just like that, others go one step further and add zweibeln (onions) and gerkens (pickles), others go all in and get that, plus shinken (bacon).  

When I was about number three from the front, the festival meister came by to ensure the stand was closing because the whole fest ended like an hour earlier.  Well, not really knowing how to say " HELL NO, I have been wating a long time here, I have finally figured it out, and I want my bread with onions, pickles, and ham on it!", I snuggled up tight behind the rotund lady in front of me who apparently was deemed the cutoff.  I think I made her day.......any way, she acted like we were together, and I knew I was in.  

Finally, I am to the point where I understand how much things cost and how to make proper change, instead of holding out all my money like a five year old, so I handed the fella my money and he handed me the goey mess of heaven.  Now, I know that the combination does not sound that appetizing, but I can assure you, you do not want to miss out if you ever see such a stand at your local market.  More so, if you are lucky enough to get the "cheesy crust" like I was, you apparently have won the weinachts raclette lottery, so revel in your victory.  More importantly, if a large lady helped you get the last one served for the night, you can really acheive rock star status, at least in her eyes, by sharing said crust with her.

What fun we are having, hope you are too, and that the holidays find you all well.

Josh, the Raclette lottery winner

It'a a wrap!

Some of you know that our family has recently been involved in the filming of a US television show called House Hunters International.  It is a program aired on HGTV, a cable or satellite channel that features home and garden programs.  This particular show follows families or individuals as they move abroad and try to find a home.  They highlight both the real estate market at the destination as well as try to highlight the city itself.  It is described as a combination travel and real estate program.  They came and filmed us in Memphis/Collierville to document our "backstory", home, and daily life there, then came to Germany and followed us while house hunting here too.  They also came recently and filmed the home that we chose and a few snippets of our new life here.  It has been a fun and fascinating process to be a part of and we have loved the crews that we worked with!  As of now, according to our producer, it is a "wrap"!  We are hoping the 50 million tapes will go to edit now and have been told to anticipate a spring airing of the episode.  Unfortunately, the airline lost a key piece of luggage containing camera lights and batteries so the poor crew had to scramble to come up with some substitutions for about 3 days of filming and wound up having to film us for more days here an originally anticipated.  We are hoping those days will not have to be reshot, but should know something more definite soon.  Anyway, the boys have found new potential careers that they are now interested in and we found more friends abroad.  We are so grateful for the experience!  

Neighbors' First Impressions of the Halletts

I feel like I lecture my kids about this all of the time...it goes something like this:  "People will form a long lasting opinion of you, without even realizing it, upon first meeting you so make a good first impression. It takes longer for them to change their opinion and much more time invested by you"...Keeping that in mind, I was told at some point that there was an "aristocrat" living in our building.  Frau Von Something.  Anyway, last thurs, late in the evening after receiving all of our household goods and dealing with movers for 8 hours, I went back to wiping out cabinets, etc to prep for the inloading. This also after a few trips out in the drizzle. Let me just say, not my best look. Anyway, I headed out to the trash area to get rid of some stuff and wound up meeting a lovely, older woman who was dressed in a beautiful cardigan set, dress pants, and pearls, and who spoke some English, but not much. It started with a simple "guten abend" before her face lit up and she said "You must be the new family upstairs.  Your husband is a pilot?" She and I spoke for about 10 minutes and promised to get together for coffee to get to know one another better. During this conversation, It never occurs to me that I am wearing the apron pictured below or that I look like a drowned rat, until I get back on the elevator and see my reflection.  I get upstairs and tell Josh and The Boys about my new friend and what I was wearing.  Josh is cracking up, saying "NO you were not!!!" (and takes the below photo). Of course, I later find out that she is Frau Von Aristocrat (so lovely;  I never felt judged).  I apologized to her days later for not realizing that I had the silly apron on.  She kindly looked confused and said that she noticed no such thing.  Seriously, how can you not notice...she is too kind.

Later the same evening, we made another great first impression, I think.  When we first moved in, they were working on some pipes in the floor of our unit and ceiling of the flat below us (who is occupied by the Spanish Consulate).  Since our kitchen water/dishwasher was unable to be utilized during this time (two weeks), we were given keys to an empty flat on another floor to use that kitchen to take care of dishes. Our first night after delivery, around 10 pm, about an hour after the garbage/apron meeting, I had loaded this bin of dirty dishes into the elevator and turned away to get something else. Evidently someone else called the elevator so it left without me and it arrived to get them like this: 

No person in it, just a container of dirty dishes...can you imagine getting home to your beautiful flat, after a long day's work and opening the elevator to find this?  Turned out to be the Spanish Consulate, who happened to cause the long delay in the repair work so I didn't feel so badly in the end.  Perhaps he got the gist as the plumbers fixed the issue the next day and we had working water and dishwasher in the kitchen!  I am sure our neighbors love us...

Just when I thought I was blending in...

Just when I thought I was fitting in...I have been taking the u-bahn (combo of surface trolley and subway) to the grocery store to fill our mini-bar sized fridge a few times a week, with my rolling bag and a few other reusable bags. Yesterday, at the stop where I get back on to go our place, I had to carry this cart down the steps since the escalator only goes up at this particular stop. As I picked up the cart, one hand on the top and one on the bottom kickstand-looking thing, one of the wheels came off and bounced down two flights of stairs before landing on it's round edge in the gutter and rolling down the third flight, picking up speed as it went. As I stood there absolutely cracking up and laughing out loud, the other wheel came off, just as the first one shot out of the mouth of the gutter and rolled across the station concourse ricochetting to a flying stop near a coffee shop. I couldn't make eye contact with anyone. I just kept walking down the stairs laughing and walked over to retrieve the wheels laying on their sides scattered about the station. I examined them like I knew what to look for, jammed them back on the axel looking thing and pushed a paperclip looking thing into what I thought was the locked position. I continued down the next flight of stairs to the platform where two, very amused, older women said something friendly to me in German. I asked in German if they spoke English and wound up making two new friends on the ride home. Now I know where to buy a German made wheely cart (I still don't know what these are called though) who's wheels hopefully won't fly off in front of so many stoic Germans. :) I don't think I quite fit in yet...

Searching for Julie Andrews 11/11

Due to some new EU immigration policies, our registration and move in process is taking a little longer than expected.  Before we arrived in country, we rented a home (the 70's style indoor garage sale...) to stay in while house hunting, getting settled, etc. We were originally told that the process would take 2-3 days plus house hunting and to expect a no more than a month of temporary living. That has all shifted to two months now.  Of course, as luck would have it, our month-long rental ended on the day before the largest, annual conference in Dusseldorf began and another couple were checking in on the afternoon of our scheduled departure.  Additionally, ALL hotel rooms in Dusseldorf,  Cologne (about 30 minutes away), and the surrounding areas were all sold out.  Since the flat we have found isn't quite ready, we decided to head off on an adventure for a few days until a hotel room in Dusseldorf became available.  It turned out to be a three day gap. We found on-line what sounded like a fun hotel, with a pool (not too common here) for the kids, about an hour and 15 minutes away.  We rented a storage unit, made several trips to fill it with our stuff, and took off with about 4 suitcases and the dog.  What a pleasant surprise awaited us upon arrival at this typically European hotel.  It was quaint and historic and in the German version of Napa Valley.  The restaurant is an award winning one and of course, they serve local wines in additional to the typical fare.   On our first night there, Josh had to leave on a 5 day trip, so the boys and I ventured out the next day on our own.  Driving through the surrounding mountains and rolling hills was breathtaking!  Even the boys commented on how beautiful it was.  Once we left the vineyard covered valleys it felt like we were driving through the movie set of The Sound of Music.  I was just waiting for Julie Andrews to come skipping over the one of the hills, singing in her nanny apron and skirt.  I love it when bumps in the road turn into such a beautiful surprises!