August 2009 Weddings
raynes
member
We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
:Auguri, MO, and Leo:
Sooo, my little brother is apparently moving to Germany in less than 2 weeks. He`s been offered a job to set up an office/business for the company he first started working with out of university.
Nothing is 100% final yet, as they only offered him the job on Saturday, but I figured I'd ask you ladies for some advice to pass on to him.
Auguri and MO, he's going to be in Colonge, do either of you know about the area? Any general tips you could offer to him about living in Germany?
Leo, do you have any tips for him for moving to somewhere totally different? Any good tips to pass on about traveling in Europe?
Annnd, to everyone else that reads this, any tips to pass on?
We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
Re: :Auguri, MO, and Leo:
We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
That is so exciting! Cologne is a fabulous city with a ton of museums and the beautiful Dom! I've only done short trips to visit, but I have always had a great time when I visit. The city is right next to the Rhine River and I believe close to a river cruise hub so quite a few tourists visit through there. Brandon and I spent our anniversary there last year too!
I don't know about the city's public transportation because I have only walked around the city, but I hear the buses and the subway are nice. I haven't rode on them and actually never even saw a subway station, but then again, I wasn't looking for one.
If he doesn't already speak German, then definitely have him pick up a German phrase guide and Rosetta stone or something similar. A lot of people speak at least a little English, but we always do our best to speak as much German as possible.
If he likes to travel and plans on using the Deutsche Bahn (train) while he is here, then he should really consider getting a Bahn card for discounts. I love the trains here and they are my favorite way to travel. I also think that Koln is situated really nicely as a good hub for travel. They are good for a year and if he plans on doing trips by train then he definitely wants to get one. I love the discounts I get with mine.
Make sure he has a debit card and credit card. I only say this because we have had visitors that simply came with a roll of USD and it was a pain. Also, don't assume that businesses take credit cards, many only take the EC card which is a German bank card so carrying actual euro is a must. That varies by region and city, but when we lived in Bavaria we were shocked that the car repair shop did not take credit cards. We had to wait to pick up our car because we couldn't withdraw enough from the ATM. Lesson learned.
Cologne is a great city and Germany is such a great place to live. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but it is also a lot of fun. The weather is wonderful right now and there are a ton of fests going on everywhere so he should have a great intro to the German culture. Wish him luck and let me know if he needs anything. Also, does this mean you'll be visiting here??
Such an exciting opportunity for your brother! We went to Koln for the Christmas markets a few years ago and loved it. Such a great city. I can't add a whole lot about Koln or Germany specifically, but if the company is moving/transferring him there, some things he may want to think about or have included in his package:
- Are they paying for his flight over? Will they pay for any return flights to the US throughout the year?
- Moving and shipping expenses, depending on whether he's bringing furniture?
- Arranging and paying for his work visa?
- Providing accomodation while he's there? If not, providing temporary accomodation while he looks for a place? Providing any assistance in finding an apartment?
- Covering any lease breakage fees from current accomodations? Or helping to sublet, etc.
- Tax assistance, for both US and local tax returns?
I'm probably forgetting some things, but those were the key things that were provided to us when we moved to London.
Cecilia arrived 12 October 2012
I love Koeln! I have friends who live there. I'm not sure actually if she's still living in Koeln, but I can find out.
I had a hard time remembering that for holidays Germany basically shuts down completely.
Auguri and Sushi have more advice than me, but I can say that Koeln does have a pretty good S-Bahn system (street car) Also biking around the city is good too. I would definitely try to learn some German just basic phrases because like Auguri said while people do speak at least some English, there a many that don't.
We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
No experience in Germany (except two trips when I was 5 & 7), but I just wanted to say that that sounds SO exciting.
I'd say get into some German classes. One of the best things about Japan was getting to meet all the people, and I've always wished I'd taken more time to learn the language so I could have made expanded my circle of friends.
Alyson & Phil | Planning Bio | Married Bio!
Dates & Quinces Blog
I did an exchange outside of Koln and loved it. I took DH back a few years ago. The public transit is great. Biking is really popular in the city. I don't know the neighborhoods at all but what I remember was all the places are tiny in comparison to US apartment standards.
What a great experience for him!