Well folks, I now have a German cell phone and bank account, with no small thanks to mein Schatz, who has been helping me understand the systems.  A few of my boxes have arrived, one directly to the apartment and a couple that have to be picked up at the post office.  Just in time for me to pack up and move to Bonn tomorrow for a couple of months.

But that’s all the official stuff.  We have also been enjoying ourselves!  We spent a few days on a mini-vacation on the German island of Helgoland in the North Sea.  Just a four-hour boat ride away, we were able to relax a bit and see what Northern German island life is like (i.e., full of retirees and seafood) and you can see plenty of photos here.

We’ve also been watching the European Cup games.  Germany won against Turkey in the semi-finals on Wednesday night and the city went crazy.  Tonight’s finale is against Spain, so we will head to a park a couple hours early to snag some seats for a free viewing.  Germany’s star player will not be playing because of an injury and Spain is a very good team, so cross your fingers! You can see some photos from the semi-final game and other Hamburg photos here.

And some minor housekeeping: I will not have internet access in my apartment in Bonn, though I will be able to connect in local hot spots and at the language institute.  I hope to stay up-to-date on e-mails and blogging, but it may take a little longer to post and reply than normal.  Stay tuned!