Oh Happy Day!

Things are falling into place, and not to jinx myself, I'm knocking on some wood. Maybe it's that the sun is now brighter, the days will continue to feel longer and the roads and countryside are sprinkled with pink and white specs all over. For those of you that know me well, you know I get a little anxious in the wintertime, as many do, anxious for spring and brightness and a sense of freshness. I remember about a month ago- as much as I loved living abroad- I often asked myself if I'd ever feel like I "fit in" here in Germany. There's always a grace period between starting something new and feeling like you own it. I'm not at the "feeling like I own" point yet, and still have awhile to go, but I know I'll get there.

We Found an Apartment!

Again, knocking on wood because the contract is not signed yet. But I felt like sharing the news. We toured a large flat in Zwingenberg, a town about 10km north of Heppenheim, on Saturday. It's the first floor of a large house surrounded by a garden, patio and it backs up to the state park and vineyards. The guy currently living there had it in a state of disrepair, but the real estate agent promised it would be cleaned well. The city is on the train line, there is a nice park, and the agent informed us that the large wine festival starts the day we move in and will basically start in on our backyard. How convenient! So, we are waiting for the contract and will hopefully have it signed by the end of the week. I am just relieved that we won't be living in a hotel. Simba is too.

Other News

We headed to Heidelberg on the train yesterday to check out where Derek will be having German classes all this week and two more weeks to come. The train ride was nice- it's about time we got on a train in Germany! After finding our way to one of the plazas, we headed to the "Philosopher's Walk" - a pathway overlooking the valley and river. We headed into the woods and walked for about two hours. We came out of the woods at a little B&B and large Biergarten. It was a popular place! 

We will begin our gym membership next week so that we get the full amount out of it - my classes go on break for 2 weeks and Derek will be used to his travel to Heidelberg for intensive courses. I'm spending my other time still doing Rosetta Stone, biking in the vineyards and studying Sicily since we are going there for our honeymoon. Oh, and still planning a wedding!

Overlooking Heidelberg in the valley below

 Heidelberg from the hills

Derek found a fort!

 So cute!

We found a biergarten, of course!

Beautiful Spring day