Vogelbach House

The following is an email from the Spousal Unit, talking not to me, but to you my gentle readers. Read on:*

Gueten Abend von Deutschland, (Good Evening from Germany)*

Today's synopsis: work, work, work, house hunting, now waiting for return phone call.

It took me almost 2 hours to send you the remaining pictures from the Sulzbachtal house. The only place that I could connect was in the Pizza Gallerie so I sat there smelling the aromas while waiting for the electrons to flow.

The time was productive because I was able to work other email and partake of some pizza (no beer; I was working).

This afternoon I looked at a house that is a possible. It is in Vogelbach (hence the name of the message). The house is 2 blocks from the main street, and it is 2 years old. It has floor heating, a garage, off-street parking, and a very large backyard. You access the yard from the terrace (which is suitable for a grill and comfy chair) on the side of the house. The bad news is that the terrace is very visible from the street so no less-than-properly-clothed sunbathing (unless you're interested in making lots of new friends). (The nerve of the man to even suggest that I would partake of the local European custom of sunbathing less-than-properly-clothed. Especially on my blog.)*

There is another piece of bad news: the landlord lives in the basement. Should I continue?

After being counseled last night, I guess that I should. The entry way opens to the living room/dining room, kitchen, three-quarters bathroom, and the laundry room. (Sorry for the delay; I had to pour a Park.) (That's a local beer and I guess he isn't working now.)*

The living/dining room will accommodate our furniture (even the schrank with some separation). The kitchen table will fit also. The kitchen has enough room for a 2-person table, and it has a pantry that is larger than our current one. (Our current pantry is sizeable.)*

As you exit the kitchen into the entry way, the bathroom is on the right, and the laundry room is directly ahead. The laundry room is easily large enough for American machines and drying racks.

The stairs to the second floor are "L" shaped. (That may be a problem, we have a king sized bed)* There are 4 bedrooms and the full bath (with tub and shower) off of the landing. I think that all of the bedrooms are about the same size (14' X 13'), but they suffer a limitation of the roof angle. One bedroom has a walk-in closet (complete with some shelves). The "attic" is one party/game room, but it too suffers the roof angle (and no toilet). The neighborhood is quiet because the houses along the main street block the noise.

There is a market and bakery close by, and there is an American military facility (where my Mannheim buddy was stationed) across the autobahn.

As I said, a possibility if you can get past the landlord (husband, wife, and 1-year old daughter) living in the basement. One of my calls today netted me an appointment on Friday afternoon to see a house in Gries (pronounced like the "old country"). Gries is about 8 - 9 km away from Vogelbach so I took a quick drive by to know where I should be headed on Friday.

The house is a block from the dirt fussball pitch (Soccer field)* (with bier-atorium/Beer stand*). It was completed last fall, and no one has lived there yet. You probably wonder how I know these details. I could tell you that I laid hands on the house, but that would be misleading.

I was preparing to take some preliminary pictures (which didn't turn out because someone at home, other than me, messed with the settings and put the camera on manual) (Ya think that maybe during travel the settings might have changed??)*, when a neighbor stopped by to ask if I was going to move in. I said "maybe", and the neighbor filled me in on the house and the neighborhood.

No shopping in Gries itself, but there are lots of shops in a neighboring town (1 km away). I have mentioned this town before as one that has a Fussganger (walking only, shopping street)* with lots of restaurants and markets. I could not see much from the outside, but the house has a double carport (no garage) that I think will accommodate our vehicles.

It is in a newly constructed neighborhood. The view out of the back is stereotypical German: looking down on gentle hills with a town nestled in. The backyard is huuuuuuuuugggggggeeee (probably about 400sqm), and it appears that there is a terrace.

The ad says the house has 223 sqm so I think the configuration is living/dining room, kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom on the first floor. The second floor will be the bedrooms and a bath. The attic is over that.

More on Friday. I also have a call in to see a new house in Glan-Muenchweiler, but no one has called yet.

That's all the news that's fit to print.

Love you,

S

* She Who edits