Kelly: After a weekend of exploring many ...burgs, ...dorfs, and ...strasses, we saw a military-approved house in the village of Ramstein listed on the housing website. The house was located on a little alley at the edge of town with great walkability to grocery stores and the train, which would eliminate the need for us to purchase a second car. It is about 4 miles from my work if Matt were to drop me at the pedestrian gate and 10 miles going around the big hill to the only gate that allows vehicles to enter. Needless to say, we were in love with it based solely on the location. I called to inquire about the rental this morning and was told to come by between ten and noon for an open house because the landlords had received so many inquiries already. So, Matt and I drove over, parked along the curb outside and waited until 10. We watched one of our competitors move in before us...he was in uniform (strike one against us). The house was completely charming, really big, had two garages and had a lovely garden. The landlords were very nice. It was by far the best we had seen in person or online! I really wanted the house but was trying not to get too excited about it. We reluctantly drove to more ...burgs, ...dorfs, and ...strasses but nothing compared! The owners said that they would call all of the applicants this evening and inform them whether or not they were "the chosen ones."
Fortunately, we were distracted from worrying about it by our trip to a little base about 35 minutes away to procure the cherised ID cards. We missed a turn on the way and had to drive to the next autobahn exit then retrace our route back to the maze of lights and gates before arriving at our destination. We were greeted (if you can call a gruff command: "Two forms of ID" a greeting) by a man who proceeded to tell us that he had been up since 3 AM.... you can see where I'm going with this. After we divulged all of our personal information including fingerprints and blood type (not even kidding), I was given the coveted ID card, and Matt was given a less-flashy but equally priveleged version of the same. This process took way longer than expected and the Travel office we needed to visit was closed by the time that we were free...bummer.
We trekked back home to wait for a call from the landlords. I checked the military-approved housing list, as I had been compulsively doing since I realized how fierce the market was, and was dismayed to find that our beloved house had been removed from the listings. My heart sank. As Matt and I were drowning our sorrows in choclate, the phone rang...you guessed it, we got the house!!! We were both overwhelmed with relief. We will meet them to finish the paperwork tomorrow and then drive it to the housing office for final approval. Move-in date is TBD based on when the house can be painted but will likely be in mid-November. Woo hoo! I am very grateful.
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