My first week of Germany

So it's been one week since I've landed in this little German town, and I have to say, its been pretty great. At first all the paperwork (I hate paperwork, like I hate Hummers) and stress of starting over was a little tough, but I've done a lot of walking and biking, and a lot of exploring, and I'm happy to report, Im really excited about this. As soon as Julia gets here I think everythings going to be amazing. And Im anxiously counting down the days to her arrival! 

My first week of work went well. The team seems incredibly talented and everyones been nice. I really like the space were working in, and there seems to be a great laid back community vibe. I cant wait to be a contributing member. Theres a lot to learn and being the new guy who has to prove himself is a little daunting, but thats what this is all about. Im sure Ill write more about this later.

As far as Nuremberg goes, I like it a lot. I like it a lot more than I was expecting to. Theres a great mix of old and new. A lot of my pictures are probably going to show the old aspect more, but theres definitely a metropolis here. Its only a little smaller than Boston. I've found some great stores (even H&Ms, Levis, Lush, and some great boutiques) and restaurants already. I think theres more shopping and eating here than in Boston, but that's just my initial reaction. 

I really love all the markets, produce stands, cheese carts, and meat tents. If you know me you know that I love the little mom and pop type places, and theres so much of that here. I cant wait for Julia to see them all! I miss her like crazy.

She asked me two big questions about Germany. "Do they have dryers?" and "Do they have avocados?"

Well we found out that they do have dryers, but I wasnt sure about avocados. So when I landed last Sunday mission number one was the great search for Avocados.

First I saw a Mexican restaurant, which was a great sign, and I looked at their menu and it said Guacamole, but had an asterisk beside it. I couldnt find what that meant, which was a bad sign.

So I kept it moving.

And then....

I FOUND AVOCADOS!

I love prosciutto, I cant wait to hit up this stand. (Remember if you click on the photos they get larger.)

Theres so many stands like this, all the time! 

Im excited to buy Julia flowers here.

Its a slower lifestyle here, and Im excited about that. All the stores close at 8pm and arent open on Sundays, and their displays are set up for this. The displays are like a venting machine of merchandise, displayed for window shopping. On Sundays you see people slowing strolling along with their families, looking at the windows and eating their gelato. At one point this week I realized I was walking 3 times the speed of everyone, and since then have tried to slow it down and enjoy myself more. I realized I dont really have anywhere certain to be at a certain time. And moving over here was all about the journey.

I've also noticed so many wonderful street musicians. Its amazing cause on all these old city walls and cobblestone streets the music echos and follows you for a long time, especially if youre walking slower. There are people playing accordions on the bridges, and piccolos on the corners, and all the tunes sound vaguely familiar. Its a romantic feeling walking down an empty cobblestone street at dusk with your own black and white movie soundtrack.

This gentlemen had a setup I'm not familiar with, but I loved the sound it made.

I've even spotted some German humor!

This is inside the old city walls, to the left you can see the castle. It seems that every other building holds a cafe, bar, or restaurant. I can not wait for the courage to go in them.

The castle gardens are amazing, and have great views out over the city. This is on top of the fort, which sits up on a cliff, above the moat. 

The cemeteries here are beautiful. It made me feel guilty. These really are shrines to loved ones, and none of those flowers are fake. I checked. I know its kind of morbid, but that made me feel really good about the people here, and made me question my own practices.

Even lit candles.

I just liked this guy, he couldnt even be contained by the wall, hes busting out of there!

I never expected to relate to a giraffe.

Every corner I take is more charming than the last. Pictures really dont capture it. Sometimes I chuckle to myself, cause it seems so unreal that I find it funny. Places like this exist.


Theres a river that runs through the center of the old town. Its populated with restaurants that sit out on the water. Great to have just a bite, or a beer.

So I started apartment hunting. Bevy (our amazing relocation lady) took me around to about 6 places on Thursday, and I wasnt really liking any of them, til the last one.

Originally Julia and I wanted something older, with high ceilings, but I guess those are hard to come by and rarely renovated. If they are, theyre expensive. And we really want to save money to travel. This place I saw had the most amazing location. Its between the castle and the market in the oldest section of town. The interior is a little more modern thatn we'd like, but if I've learned anything from Milton, its that a location is the most important thing, otherwise youll never be at your apartment.

It looks out onto an old pub. Every room has these great big windows.

And the biggest attraction is this little french creperiete next door. This photo was taken out the kitchen window, oh and this apartment comes with a kitchen. Which is a luxury really. A lot of places just come with an empty room and you have to buy all your appliances and cabinets, then you take it with you to your next place. My first trip over here Bevy would show me a room and say "This is the kitchen," and I would say "Uh no... this is an empty room."

I can imagine Julia and I going here for breakfast in the mornings.

The river is really close to the apartment.

Theres amazing biking paths on both sides of the river, I cant wait til Julia and I have our bikes here! 

This is the market, its the heart of Nuremberg. During the day its filled with all types of stands. Produce, pottery, flowers, meats, and cheeses. Its just a short walk from that apartment to here.

Heres the castle.

Down the street from that apartment.

This is at a place next door. I dont understand German, but I do understand this, and I like it.

The apartment is back that street.

Well see. Julia and I arent sure what to do (Ive been sending her pics.) Do we wait to see other things and run the risk of loosing this or take it? Its pretty good. It has a guest bedroom which is great for when our parents, family, and friends come visit. Right Mom and Dad Herr and Ramirez?

Thursday night I met up with Nicole, a former Reeboker, who now designs womens performance shoes for Adi. It was great seeing her and catching up. She was leaving Friday for a week vacation with her boyfriend to Rome and then Venice. She booked her airfare for 99 euros round trip. I can not wait!

Last night I discovered that the hotel has bikes for lend, so I took one down to the river to meet up with John-Erik and his family at a tapas restaurant. His children seem incredibly smart, the school that Adidas has sounds amazing. Theyre learning German, English, and Spanish. His daughter went to space camp last year for a field trip! How bogus is that?! I went to Gettysburg! I had a lot of fun, and they gave me some really great insight!

I biked around the city today all day. It was so nice out. I took one of the paths down along the water and saw a lot of people just camped out relaxing with their friends and family. They were BBQing, and playing football, and just enjoying the day. It looked like there was a festival, but it was just Sunday.

Id love to write more, but I think my internet is about to run out. I need to write an entry about the German protest I joined on Friday, its a good story. I miss all of you and when I get my phone Ill make sure to post the number. Hope everythings well on your end, and I'll write more soon!

(Jenna, Donnie, Flynn, and Ben: I have emails on the way, I promise, sorry!)