Cologne, August 3

Melinda and I were both getting a little bored with small-town living and talked a lot about moving to a different city in Germany. After considering Hamburg, Hannover and Nuremberg we finally chose Cologne as our new home.
It was hard to say goodbye to our friends in Kiel and it felt a little strange packing all of our things into a rental car and driving out of town. We rented a temporary apartment for the month of August so that we could get a better idea of where in the city we wanted to live long-term. I was surprised how quickly I found work and was equally surprised how long it took takes to get a work permit here...six weeks, ugh!
Cologne is really a terrific place to live and Melinda and I are quickly falling in love with it. It's much bigger than Kiel with a population of 1 million, the 4th largest city in Germany. It's one of Germany's most attractive cities and has lots of great sightseeing, terrific architecture, first-class museums, funky boutique stores, and unique local food and beer. We can't wait for our friends and family to see it in person.