Buzznut3000

Don't tell the bank anything, as long as you are paying your mortgage they don't care.  I bought 3 properties this way.  Lived in the properties for a couple years then bought the next primary residence and rented the previous one.  

If it really was a reissue of a lost license, WA should be able to verify that in a letter.  If you renewed it after moving to Germany that is technically not allowed for the purposes of reciprocity.  Some offices apparently ignore it but it looks like yours is following the rules.  In my case my US license was renewed 2 months prior to my moving but they still required that I show them the previous license (fortunately I had it).

The US embassy is located in Berlin.  There are consulates in Frankfurt, Leipzig, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Munich.  You should be able to apply for a VIsa in Frankfurt.  Contact them to verify.  Note that they are closed this Monday (Sept 2) as its an American holiday.

If it's in your city Car2go is a good choice.

I had the insurance requirement right away as my US insurance coverage was enough.  I applied for the resident permit and was given a paper until my ID arrived, I think it took a month or so).  I have a college degree so they waived the A1 requirement.  I then went and applied for the driver license.  They told me I had to wait but that they would hold the paperwork and submit it at the proper time.  It might be tougher for you as you have to take the tests again.  Another thing I found from these forums is that every office seems to run things differently.  It is weird for those of us from the states but, apparently they have a lot of leeway to interpret the rules however they see fit.

Here is my experience moving from the US.  Once you have the insurance requirement you will be issued a 2 year residence permit if you have A1 language equivalency or a college degree.  You can apply for a permanent permit after a certain amount of time (6 years I think, but I can't remember for sure) and you need B1 for that.  I'm on my second 2 year permit.  The six months should start the day you register with the local authority.  I was lucky as my state has full reciprocity.  I applied ahead of time and received my license the week that I was here 6 months.

I'm talking about a grinder in the store.  There is nothing like really fresh peanut butter.

Even in my small town the Edeka carries an 'American style' peanut butter that comes in a plastic jar and tastes exactly like Jif.  Take a look there.  Personally I miss fresh ground peanut butter that I could get at most stores in the US.

Check out meetup.com  There are a lot of active groups.

There is a reason beer consumption is going down in Germany (especially among younger people).   There is just nothing interesting about drinking the same 3 or 4 varieties of beer that your parents drink.  Brewers embraced the Reinheitsgebot awhile back to help stop English imports from taking over.  It worked in the short term but long term its going to kill the industry.

I'm with you my friend.  I come from Austin, TX which is (according to some)  the craft beer capital of the world.  There even a crappy dive bar will have 40 taps.  It's pretty slim pickings in these parts.   Seems like finding craft beer in stores is not too hard.  The Kaufland I go to stocks Stone Ripper which is currently my favorite.  Getting it in bars is difficult.  Naïv is a good place to go in Frankfurt.  I also go to a place in Aschaffenburg called the Union.  Owned by an Aussie and he understands beer.  I've heard of a place called Le Petit Belge in Wiesbaden if you like Belgian Beer.

Best thing you can do is go to a beginning German class.  I took one here and everyone spoke English.  I wasn't looking to hook up but I did meet an English girl and became good friends with her and her husband.  You don't even need to pay if it is not a full class.  Just show up the first day and if there are no prospects, head for another class.  If it looks good tell the teacher you had problems with the website and will sign up right away.

You could believe scientists I guess. "Get your protein from plants when possible. Eating legumes (beans and peas), nuts, seeds, whole grains, and other plant-based sources of protein is a win for your health and the health of the planet."  source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/    Also, I haven't eaten meat for 30 years and (according to people I meet) look 15 years younger than my age (60).  So I guess one doesn't need animal protein.  I get that its hard to admit that what you are doing everyday is hurting yourself and the planet you just have to open to new ways.

I find it funny that in Germany everyone is marching over global warming yet they ignore the fact that raising animals for food damages the environment more than just about anything else that we do.  Animal agriculture is the second largest contributor to human-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions after fossil fuels and is a leading cause of deforestation, water and air pollution and biodiversity loss.

In 1976 I bought a 1972 Opel GT for $500.  I drove it for 10 years until my girlfriend at the time drove it into the back of a dump truck.