The day started off a bit hectic but ended in a spectacular success! We were able to get proof of insurance, register our car, secure it through customs AND drive it off the lot! Before we even left the States, we decided to go ahead and purchase a car through a special program via online. It was slightly weird to buy a car before even seeing it, but with all the tools on the internet (You Tube videos of test drives, Consumer Reports, Edmunds.com, chat forums, etc.), you can essentially get all the information you need.
We had thought about splurging on a nice new BMW or Audi, because we thought, "They're made here, they're cheaper here, and we wouldn't have to pay taxes, so when would we ever get a better deal?" However, the practical side of us overcame because we've heard horror stories of a simple oil change costing upwards of $300 for a nice BMW or Audi, so the cost of maintaining the car would just be too much (not to mention the requirement of premium fuel). SO, we decided on the 2012 VW Jetta SEL. It's the nicest Jetta they make, so we thought of it as a good middle ground.
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| Lori Modeling with the New Car |
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| Jetta Interior |
Luckily, I didn't kill any pedestrians today. It really is difficult at first because the signs are quite different and of course, some of them are in German.
Later that evening, we had a meeting with the realtor regarding the house that we ultimately chose: House #1 (from the last post). This house had most of the things on our checklist, to include a big, fenced in yard for Gizmo, a quaint village, decent commute, plenty of storage (especially for Europe) and a garage!
Before the meeting, we had time to check out the village we'll be living in. It's fantastic!:
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| Town/Village Hall |
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| The Steeple is At Least 500 Years Old (~1500) |
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| Quaint Street |
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| Lori Taking a Brake to Admire the View |
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| Quintessential German |
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| This Door May be Older than the State of Indiana... |
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| Village Well (We Saw a Lady Fill Up Some Buckets) |
We dined at a Greek restaurant that's no more than a five minute walk from our soon-to-be house. It was very good. The owner was also quite friendly and was actually delighted to talk with some Americans.
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| Kikiriku? A Greek Chicken Dish |
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| Gyro sans Pita (Different from what we're used to in the US) |
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They Had an Elaborate Bird Pen with Amazingly Exotic Birds.
Not Sure What the Colorful One is. |
We finished the evening with a night walk through Böblingen and to grab some Gelato cones...mmmmmm! The central lakes and surrounding areas are picturesque, both in day and at night:
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| Cool, eh? |
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