Naturschutzgebiet Mainau bei Augsfeld
Nature preserve on the Main River floodplain near Augsfeld
Barge on the Main River
The Main River is only a five-minute walk from here. It is an important waterway which flows into the Donau. The locks can accommodate ships up to 360 ft × 38 ft.
Branches
Looking up into the trees or looking down at the Nile delta from space. Don’t remember what I was doing on this particular day.
Knetzgau
Knetzgau is a relatively small and quiet community on the Main (rhymes with Rhein) River in the northern part of Bayern (Bavaria). It is about equidistant from Bamberg and Schweinfurt, and the A70 autobahn runs right by use here, making getting around very convenient. If I were looking for somewhere in Germany to retire, this would be it.
Knetzgau
Double Cross
We were having our first cappuccino today in Hassfurt, a nearby town, when I noticed the “double cross” through the cafe window and looking at the late gothic Ritterkapelle (Knights Chapel) next door.
Beach Stone
A rock on the beach slowly becomes sand . . .
First Day
Sunday was a travel day and doesn’t count as my first day of retirement, so . . .
. . . the first thing I did Monday was to go to the bank and get some cash from the ATM machine. If for some reason that didn’t work, plan B was using a note I had allowing me to draw money from Gerda’s account. I am glad the card worked. I didn’t really want to go to a teller with a note from the wife.
Then it was off to the Einwohnermeldeamt to register as a resident with the town officials. Very simple procedure and the lady there filled out a single form for me to sign. This had to be done before going the Ausländerbehörden in Hassfurt. There I have to register as an alien. This is like just letting them know I was here, instead of begging the government for permission to have my spouse live with me like we had to do in the States. I can fill out a form to bring back next week with a picture. This whole process is a far cry from the months and money spent getting the same thing done when Gerda came to the states.
I also went to the Apotheke (drug store) for some cough medicine. Gerda is hacking pretty bad. I go in and asked one of the ladies there what I should get for her. What followed was a thorough discussion of her symptoms and a recommendation based on these symptoms and her own personal experience. Very nice to be able to discuss these things with a trained pharmacist in such detail.
After that, I went to the DAK and in a matter of minutes, we both had health insurance coverage. Pretty easy, if you ask me. Next, it was to the Rewe Center to get a couple of things like coffee and yogurt and other essentials.
I used Marcel’s car to go to Hassfurt. This was a little strange at first and I had a hard time finding reverse. It will take a while to get used to the price of gas. It’s running around $8.00 per gallon.
The Last Look
After taking a few pictures inside the terminal at Boston’s Logan International, I went outside to get a shot of the skyline. There, a state trooped in storm boots and Jodhpurs told me I wasn’t allowed to take pictures here since 9.11, and that was why he was there. I think he meant the rules were not posted but he was just being an asshole.
The Kilgores
Colin, Brian, Lisa, Robin, Martha, Andy. Laurie
