"There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hallAnd the bells in the steeple tooAnd up in the nursery an absurd little birdIs popping out to say, "Cuckoo"Regretfully they tell us but firmly they compel usTo say goodbye to you
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good nightI hate to go and leave this pretty sightSo long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieuAdieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu
So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehenI'd like to stay and taste my first champagneSo long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbyeI leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye, goodbye
I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lieI flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I flyThe sun has gone to bed and so must I
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbyeGoodbye, goodbye, goodbyeGoodbye"
We are officially in PCS mode. We've gotten our orders to leave Germany and go back to the states. I've been trying to put off this post as long as I could but our movers are coming in two weeks and I don't think I can ignore it any longer. I've been making lists for a while, and purging but we finally sat down and physically sorted through our belongings last night. Our cat is freaking out thinking we are going to leave him behind. He keep sneaking into our suitcases!
We still have a little bit of time left before we actually have to get on a plane so hopefully we can fit in one last trip somewhere. For those of you just arriving my advice to you is apply for your tourist passports as soon as you find out you're coming. (I know you get no-fee passports from the government but you can't use those to travel in Europe. See my previous post about that here.) Start practicing for your USAEUR drivers license and taking the practice test online over and over until you can pass it without any wrong. That way you can get out and travel as soon as your vehicle gets here. There are a lot of four day weekends here. At least one a month. You can do a lot of travelling on four days without even having to use any leave! Make a list of all the places you want to see and try to make it happen. I'm grateful for all we got to see and experience. Do a lot of reading about the places you want to go. Most of all be open and prepared to change. Things aren't exactly like the states, but that doesn't mean it's bad. People spend entirely too much time complaining and comparing and forget what an amazing opportunity they have to see what others will only dream of. It's scary but exciting!
We're sad to be leaving, there are still a lot of things we would like to see but it's time for us to go home. We're both excited to get back to familiar stores, air conditioning and family and friends. I'm excited to get back into an actual house and out of this stairwell. We've made it ours during our time here and it has served it's purpose but I won't be sad to say goodbye to Apt 1A. It'll be a lot harder to say good-bye to Europe.
