3 April - Here I am !!

Wow, so much has happened. I arrived at 6:00 AM on April 3, with a whirlwind of activity. My manager Cl picked me up at the airport, with a sweet Welcome balloon. We drove the hour from Duesseldorf to Koeln, where we met the relo consultant for the apartment turnover. From there it was a lot of administrative work, registering in Koeln, getting the rental car, a SIM card for my phone. I took a nap, then headed to the nearest Rewe to get some groceries. Fortunately I passed a cute Italian place for my first meal in Germany. And that was only Tuesday!!

I also had the foresight to ask L, the relo person, about a doctor. In a few days, that turned out to be important.

Wednesday my coworker Ca met me at the apartment, helped me buy a monthly transit pass, and how to get into work. Then there was the security badge, cafeteria card, computer setup.

Everybody at Bayer has been warm and welcoming, and really helped me with the transition.

I'll post some photos here of my street, none of the apartment, until I clean up a little. Guess I should have taken those the first day (before I unpacked)

GenterStrasse 

A panoramic shot from by upper balcony

My cute little VW Golf (diesel)

Front door of the apartment building

My apartment building