Busy and behind schedule

I haven't posted in almost a month. Sorry about that. I have been very very busy and have fallen behind with a lot of things. I'll briefly go over some highlights of the last month.

The next weekend after coming back from Denmark I went back with T for a day trip just over the border at Flensburg. We parked, walked over a bridge that straddled the border and were then in Denmark and could fish. We cast for a few hours but didn't catch anything, so we packed up and headed back. Still it was nice to get out.

Now that I have both my US and EU driving licenses, V has started the process of getting her German license. The person I saw was away on vacation when we went to the office and the alternative threw the book at her (driving lessons, eye exam, first aid class, driving test, ...). The woman was very condescending and asked if V had ever driven before (miming steering a wheel while asking). V has been driving for over 20 years! In Hamburg they have a direct exchange with US driving licenses (no extra testing or anything) that V checked into but you have to be employed in Hamburg. There is also another angle, if you are working for a US company in S-H you can automatically get a drivers license, so if V were self employed, ... ? At any rate something has to be done soon because if you do not convert your license within three years of moving to Germany you have to start from the very beginning as if you have never had one before. V got the eye exam done and is planning to take a two day first aid class in Kiel next week to get those parts done.

The weather has warmed and "sunnied" up dramatically. I've taken the kids on a few mini-outings in the area the last few weekends. One of these is a tree that is a local tourist attraction (more about that later), a maze in a field out of stones, and a tower on a hill where there are nice views. Also last week we drove around Ploen to look at the Rapeseed fields which are bright yellow and at their peak. Mid-May is the best time to visit northern Germany.

And, last of all, I found out that kids under 12 can fish in Germany if they are with someone that has a German fishing license (and has a permit for that particular pond/stream, ...). So T went fishing with A and I tagged along. T caught a pike (finally we caught a fish!!!)! We brought it home and he was very proud of it. V fixed big pike steak fillets out of it.