The Light at the End of the Tunnel...

... Or second installment of our series "In the Claws of German Bureaucracy". After two visits and several calls to the Führerscheinstelle (Drivers License Agency / DMV) in Leverkusen we finally got confirmation that all data has been transferred from the license department of the neighboring city (Bergisch Gladbach) which handled our file prior to our immigration to Canada. And finally we were able to apply for a German drivers license. It only took three weeks (!) for the documents to travel the distance of 15km. German public service must be stuck in the stone age of communication. Even snail mail is faster than that. And they still use paper index cards. Duh! We pretty much felt like this...

... and after filling out the necessary paperwork and signing the documents we were more than ready and willing to work off our frustration. We chose an outing in the close by Bergisches Land, which is a low mountain range (or better hills) with lots of forests, creeks and rivers, hiking trails and old farm houses, and went for a long walk in the crisp air to clear our minds.

Below is Rausmühle, a mill which was already mentioned in the tax books of the 15th century. Today the mill is no longer in use. Instead you will find a lovely restaurant with traditional local cuisine.

The big city is only a few miles away but one feels remote in this forest surrounded by green grass and trees and a bubbling creek flowing by.

We follow a small path through the forest which then opens up into a meadow.

There we find serenity and watch the clouds chasing each other. We haven't seen blue skies in a while, and appreciate the dry spell today.

Whenever cloud watching is on, a certain lady blogger comes to mind. These pics are for you, Martha.

Live is always good after a long walk in fresh air. We are making progress in our re-settlement (ever so slowly), and might spend the weekend in another country or two... stay tuned.