License to Drive

Week two of in-processing couldn't have gone better.  In-processing included a day and a half of briefings, a tour of several hospitals in the area (familiarizing us with the medical system here), and finished off with driver's orientation and training.  After the class everyone took a written test (100 questions).  The test is a mix of True and False questions, multiple choice and about 20 signs.  In order to pass you can miss no more than 15 questions.  I'm happy to report that I now have my license.  Tom will have to retake it when he returns as he missed 16 questions.

Other big news for Tom and me this week is that we have a contract on our house in St. Louis and should close on the sale by the end of the month.  We have also found a very nice place here in Stuttgart that has great access to work, the airport and Stuttgart's great public transportation system. 

Since I am now the proud bearer of a U.S. Forces Europe Certificate of License, I thought I'd share some of the different signs you'll see when driving around Germany.  These are not my pictures but ones I found on the internet.

This first sign indicates the Autobahn, whether on a directional sign or at an entry ramp.  Not to ruin your hopes and dreams of driving with your hair on fire but to my surprise I have discovered that I had many misconceptions about the famous German Autobahn.  I thought the Autobahn was one main roadway that traveled through Germany but have discovered it is simply an Interstate system with several routes.  AND it does have speed limits on many portions of it, particularly traveling through cities.  There are of course sections of the Autobahn that do not have speed limits but speed recommendations.  I haven't been on one of those sections yet but I'm sure in the next few years we'll find ourselves on several.     

This sign above is an example of a directional sign.  You'll see the blue sign indicating the Autobahn routes, numbers 3 and 92.  The diamond shaped sign you see under the sign with the yellow square indicates a priority road.  Right-of-way is crucial to driving in Germany.  Right-of-way and right turns before left ones are basic rules (it is no longer whoever gets to the intersection first) but the indication of a priority road trumps all that.  If a driver is traveling on a priority road than all others have to yield.  This next sign shows how the priority road curves, see the thick bold line.

There are also signs that indicate a particular road has priority just at a particular intersection.  Those look like this.

A sign that you'll see a lot on the Autobahn and other city highways is "Ausfahrt."  It's kind of a bizarre word for Americans but simply means Exit.  

Another sign we'll need to pay close attention to is informational signs like the one below.  It indicates that the speed limit in the city limits is 50 kilometers, 100 km outside of the city and 130 km on the Autobahn.  A quick tip we were given on deciphering between kilometers and mph is to multiply the kilometers by 6 and remove the last digit.  So 130 kilometers would be traveling at approximately 78 mph.

Knowing the speed limit is crucial to avoiding fines and any unpleasant run-ins with the Polizei, the German police.  I'm told we do not want to mess with them and if they request a breathalyzer test (suspecting that you've been drinking) that you'd better agree or else they are authorized to take blood by force!  The blood alcohol level in Germany is lower than in the USA (it's 0.5) and it's just no worth risking the loss of your license so absolutely no drinking and driving.  Even one drink can put you in danger of being above the legal level in Germany.  This really isn't an issue for Tom and me as I serve gladly as the designated driver when Tom has a drink.

I'll sign off for now but check out my blog again soon as I am venturing out into the rain today to attend the Cannstatter Wasen Beer Festival here in Stuttgart.  It is apparently the second largest Beer Festival in Germany, second behind Munich's Oktoberfest.