24 hours

I left Germany at 3 PM on Sunday. Most interestingly, balloons and confetti did not fall from the ceiling upon the presentation of my passport with the brand new UK sticker, which is now date stamped with my arrival.

I drove a left-handed manual car for the first time. I'm sure the car rental people at the airport were wondering why I was circling the car park. I thought it would behoove me to get some familiarity before getting on the highway where I have no directional clue.

So far, 22 hours later, I've only whacked my right hand on the door 10 times when attempting to shift gears. :-)

I called to get a National Insurance number. Because of the type of work permit I have, and because I'm from the USA, I may fall under their 'mail NI scheme', meaning they will mail me the paperwork rather than forcing me to come in for an interview. The phone person said I would either receive a post or hear back from them in a week if I need to come in. I'm a big fan of the mail-in idea.

Am back on the road in an hour, back to the airport, then on to Bratislava for the week.
Limited posting for a few days....