Otterberg

June 13, 2019

We live in a small town called Otterberg. It is about 1 hour from Frankfurt and 20 minutes from Kaiserslautern town. Many of the military bases are within Kaiserslautern. Although Otterberg is still considered Kaiserslautern, it is out of the way. Germany has thousands of small villages. These villages can run by itself, there are food establishments, banking, personal services, auto repair, etc within the villages. Most people don't really leave the villages, probably only to work, but they seem quite happy living within the villages creating a simple way of life.

Michelle did a lot of work trying to get an apartment. She really bust her ass and I commend her for that. Although it would be beneficial to use up the 90 day transitional living per diem which pays for rent and food for 90 days, it was also during PCS season (military term for relocation) and finding a place to live is very difficult during this time and almost impossible at the end of PCS season. In hindsight, it might have been better to move during non peak PCS season so you can take your time and utilize the 90 days.

I truly believe she picked the perfect place to live. Otterberg is a small medieval town. Getting to the store takes between 8-10 minutes, the walk is less than 1/2 a mile. Getting groceries or a bite to eat is very easy to do. There are a lot of walking paths, so exercise is plentiful. The town has a rich history involving Cistercian Monks, members of the Roman Catholic Church. The town church is centrally located and about 10 minutes from our house. The church called Abbey Church is considered the most important church in West Germany. The German houses and cobblestone streets make it a beautiful walk everyday.