Well, I know it has been a long time since I have updated this blog, but they say better late than never. Things have been going along quite nicely here since I last wrote. Now Carola and I are settled here in Frankfurt. We have a very comfortable one-bedroom apartment here on the south side of the river in Sachsenhausen. I have about a 6-7 minute commute to work every morning on my bike. I ride over the Main River and get to see the morning sun shining on the skyline of Frankfurt. All and all it is quite nice.

Work is going quite well. I have always had the temperament to want to know everything as soon as I can. But at work, there is so much to get to know, this process is just going to take a while, and I have to sometimes take a deep breath and take things in little steps. But it is all quite normal for a first “real” job. The good news is that I enjoy what I am doing, and I am learning a lot. That is all I can really ask. Oh, and I am getting paid, that is also something that is really good. Yesterday I moved from a cubicle into an office that I share with Marco. We both work on Market Intelligence stuff. Given the craziness of the economy in the USA, I am glad to have a job, wherever I end up living. Plus it is a job I enjoy. I am not sure that I could find that in America right now.

Things have been a bit crazy the past few weeks with getting settled into a new job and a new apartment. However, I think now that things have calmed down a bit, I can have a bit more time to update this blog and make it into something quite nice. That is my hope anyway; sometimes life has a way of getting crazy again.

I miss Colorado. I think fall might be the hardest time to be away. I cant wait to stand again on a fence-rail or a mountain top and see so far it seems like I can see half the world. I miss that, and a million other things. I guess the hardest thing to get used to here is the density of the population. There are people everywhere, and anywhere in public it is hard to excape people. But part of the problem is that I have not had the time or the knowledge about how to get out of Frankfurt. I am looking forward to finding some hiking trails or national parks where Carola and I can go hiking on the weekends. What I do like about Frankfurt is that it is surrounded by what they call a „green belt“ of forest area. A few weeks ago Carola and I rode our bike through it and it was really nice.

As for the next few weeks, wedding preparations continue. Also I am going to try and get my German drivers license. Normally the license costs around $2,000. And I will get it for much less because they recognize the validity of my Colorado license.

In a rare moment during the preparations for out engagement party, I was able to take a break and just relax for a minute.


Grandma couldn't help but lend a hand cleaning up the dishes after our 'hangover breakfast' after our engagement party. Fortunately, I got a little bit of her spirit in me, because I also can't seem to stay away where there are things to be done. It was really nice to have her and my parents there. I know Carola's family really really enjoyed getting to know them. And they were very impressed with Grandma's determination, courage and fitness with regard to coming all the way to Germany to visit them.



The photo above shows Carola in front of our apartment this morning. I know, this is really recent for this blog, but here it is! Carola normally locks her bike on this post. The main door to our apartment is behind the white wall next to the green trash cans. To the right is the cafe that operates below us.


Today was a really sunny and great day. This is the street where we live. Affentorplatz. I means Monkey Tower Square in German. Everything here is kept really clean, as the city cleaners come by every morning and sweep up all the trash. It is very nice to see.


Carola and I went into the city proper to get some things this morning and as we were crossing the bridge to head back to our apartment, I took this photo from the bridge that crosses the river. The tallest building is the Commerzbank building.



Our shower. Enough said.


We were lucky and had a washing machine come with the apartment. I had to fix the plug so that it could actually plug into the wall, but then it works just fine.



This is our living room. It is not much, but it quite comfortable and it is very comfortable and really nice to come home to after a long day at work.


This is our dining room/kitchen. It is small and cozy, but it is quite nice. We both worked hard on refurbishing this round kitchen table.


The view outside our bedroom (and kitchen) window is quite nice for Frankfurt. We can see the sun set, which I like. I love being able to see so far.


This is my new bike. It sits out in the stairwell, locked of course. It is amazingly comfortable to ride, and the best thing is that it had no gas tank. Also, it is super light which is good carrying up the stairs.


Another cool thing about my bike is that, you may notice, it does not have any reflectors in the spokes of the wheels. Instead, the tires have built-in reflectors in them. I love my bike!



And for our last photo, we have the picture of Colorado. This was painted by Carola's grandpa in Colorado in 1944-ish. He was a POW down in Trinidad. Home of the Trinidadio Blues Festival.


Well, I don't have anything more right now, but I hope to be able to update this more often. Time for me to sign off and say goodbye. I hope to see you all in Colorado for Thanksgiving!

Well, well, well. It has been quite the busy weekend. It all started on Thursday, when Carola had her next-to-last exam up in Munich. We started off from Oberaudorf, and headed to the train station to catch the train to Munich. However, the trains were not going for some reason. We called Carola's grandmother, and she quickly came to pick us up and take us to the train station in Rosenheim. From there we could take the next train to Munich. However, that train was running a bit late too. So, time was getting short for Carola to get to the University in time for her exam. The train we were on went into the Munich main train station. We pushed our way to the front of this train so we would have less ground to cover once we got off. The door opened and we were on our way, sprinting through the crowds. We ran underground, hoping to catch the subway to Marienplatz, the downtown area of Munich. We had luck, and got on a train just as it was leaving the main station. Then, we got off at Marienplatz, and had to sprint down an escalator even further underground. Now, in order not to get in trouble, Carola had to validate our tickets. I ran ahead to see if I could hold up the subway train. We had luck again and there was a train just sitting there with the doors open. However they started to shut just as Carola was sprinting toward the train. I held the doors open as best I could and somehow we both squeezed through and exploded into the train car, welcomed by a few wide-eyed German commuters. All the effort payed off, and Carola arrived at her exam five minutes early!!

After Carola got a good grade on her exam (I have to brag), we met her Grandma. We went to a cafe for tea, coffee and cake!! I am told this cafe has some of the best cakes in Munich. I tasted them and I think it is possible. Carola ate a strawberry cake (Jenna: Erdbeeretorte) with a big smile on her face.

Then, while Carola went to go talk with her other professor, I got a guided tour of Munich from Carola's grandma. It was really nice and I got to learn alot of the history and meaning behind the buildings, parks and shops. Everything was in German too, which was really good for me.

After Carola was done with her professor, she met us at Marienplatz. Now it was time for her to meet some friends for a bachelorette party. I stayed with her long enough to meet with some girls and then I left to get on the underground train to meet an old Estonian friend who now lives out in the suburbs of Munich. I found her ok, and I got to see a part of Munich that I had never seen before. This is an area that is mainly state-subsidized student and low-income housing. All in all it is quite nice and nothing like what one imagines inner-city US cities to be like. I had a nice dinner and walk with Liis, and we caught up on what each other has been doing, and then it was time to head back into Munich proper.

Carola was having too good of a time to come back to Rosenheim with me, so she decided to spend the night in Munich and come to Rosenheim in the morning.

We had a nice day hanging out with Magnus, who has just gotten back from Ireland. Friday night we went to the Polterabend for Carola's friend. The Polterabend is a tradition in Germany. It is a reception for friends and family that is generally held the night before the wedding. People bring all kinds of porcelain - plates, cups, dishes, and even sometimes a toilet or sink - and they smash it on the front steps of the engaged couple. The couple then has to clean up the broken pieces. Carola and I brought two plates and we smashed them for good luck. If you smash glass, it bring bad luck.

After all the smashing was done we had BBQ and pot-luck. Carola and I made cookies. They were a big hit. Everyone loved them. I just used the Tollhouse recipe off the internet. The only chocolate chips I could find were in little tiny bags and intended for placing on the top of a cake (why else would they have such a small box of them ;) ). No big bags of chocolate chips here.

Then, after we woke up the next morning, it was Carola's birthday!!!! Magnus was really thoughtful and he got the breakfast table ready for Carola with a newspaper, tea, and decorations. She was indeed the birthday girl. Then Walter and Nora came, and we had a really nice relaxing time. We went into Rosenheim, did some shopping, and came back and played a board game.

The next day was busy, but nice. We got a train ticket that allows for unlimited travel for 5 people, and so we went for a hike above Oberaudorf. It was really nice to get outside, and it was a great sunny day. The Alps were clear and we could see all the mountains in Austria as well. The bad news is that the Alps are alot more crowded than the Rocky Mountains, however, the good news is that when you get to the top, there is usually a nice lady waiting to serve you a cold beer. On the way down we took a luge that runs all the way to the bottom of the hill. It was a ton of fun - I can't wait to do it again. Magnus and I raced to the top of the jungle-gym and then we went to go meet Carola's grandma. She was very very happy to see Magnus, as he has been in Ireland for the past six-months. We had a nice time there, and then headed back to Rosenheim to watch the European Cup final, German v. Spain.

It was a hot summer day, and I have never seen so many German flags. They were everywhere. In America flags everywhere usually means fireworks and hot dogs and parades. In Germany, it means that there is about to be an important football game. So, along with a few thousand of our friends, we headed in to downtown Rosenheim. We walked through Max Joseph Platz where there was a live band and thousands of football fans waiting to watch the game on a huge outdoor screen. We were not up for such things and headed to a small beer garden instead. They also (of course) had a tv where we could watch the game. It was a fun, festive atmosphere - until Spain scored their first goal. Then it became really clear which team was the better team as Germany could hardly get any shots on goal.

After the game we got the last train back to Oberaudorf, and Nora and Walter headed back to Kufstein, Austria continuing on the same train line. There were big thunderhead coming over the mountains and Carola and I got home just before the skies opened up. It was nice to have some relief from the heat of the day.

Now today was much more relaxed. I just did some research and read a bit. Carola is back studying hard for her final exam on Friday. More about that later.

Last weekend was the Langenpfunzen beer festival. I had gone to it last year, and it was nice to see things repeat again. All the locals got dressed up in their lederhosen and dirndl. It was a very nice time and Carola's brother, Walter and his girlfriend, Nora, were also there. Each of the beers served is one liter - so no light drinking allowed.

Well, I am now sitting here in Oberaudorf, in southern Germany. I have recently accepted a contract with the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. I will be working for their microfinance spin-off, the European Fund for Southeast Europe, or EFSE. This is where I did my internship last summer, so it is not anything so new, and it will be nice to already know some people when I start.

This is an article from the Financial Times about EFSE: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9114deb4-33e1-11dd-869b-0000779fd2ac.html

...and in German:
http://www.ftd.de/karriere_management/karriere/:Neu%20Handelsroute/370597.html


Above is a picture of where I will be working.




However, despite all this progress, I still need to get a work visa. And due to the way the system works, it could be as late as mid-August before I start. So now I have a bit of a vacation time, which has been great. I can spend some time with Carola while she is working hard on her final exams. It looks like she will be done on the 4th of July. So if you see some fireworks on that day it is most likely us celebrating the fact that Carola and I are both done with school now.

As for Oberaudorf, it is a small village tucked here in the shadows of the Bavarian Alps. It is really nice to be out of Denver and in a small town where the pace is a little less hectic and everyone knows everyone else. Everything is really safe here and everyone looks after one another. It is really nice. To the left is a photo I took of the house where I am living. It is Carola's aunt's house. Her Aunt Renate is currently living for a year in Scotland with her family, so Carola is house-sitting while she is studying for her exams. The house is situated quite nicely next to a big hay-meadow. In the photo you can see the wood stacked under the carport in front of the house. It seems to be much more common for people to heat their houses with wood here. The main Catholic church for the village is just off to the left. The priest of this church is the one who led Carola's trip to Israel last year.

I just thought everyone would like to see a photo of my office, i.e. the place where the magic happens. In the foreground is the coffeepot, the power-house of any german outfit. I work right behind the coffee pot, which is nice, because then I am always in the center of what is going on.

Last weekend Carola and I went on a little holiday to France. We went to Strausbourg and Colmar. We also visited Freiburg, which was quite interesting for me as I had done a project in my German class on Freiburg. It was all very pretty.



There was huge Cathedral in Strausbourg that was built in the 13th C. Napoleon used this church for his signaling system to communicate troop movements throughout France. At night they had a huge light show on the facade of the building and it was very nice to see.



We went to the Strausbourg city museum, which was very interesting (and cheap) and it gave us a good sense of the history of the city and Carola made me wear the costume of the city.




We spent most of the time walking around the city. Here you can see the Cathedral behind some old houses.





As Straubourg is located on the Rhine, it was of great stratigic importance for many many years. Behind Carola is one of the defenses used to defend the crossing of the river.












Next we went to Freiburg, which is back on the other side of the Rine, so it is in Germany. It was nice to be back in a place where I could understand people and they could understand me. However, this does not include the Korean kids in our hostel.





Freiburg is quite cool in that it has intricate stone designs in front of every shop. It must have taken quite a while to lay all these stones.





On the way home we traveled through Colmar, FR. It is quite a pretty little town. They produce alot of wine in this region, mainly white wine.




The sculptor who made the Statue of Liberty was born in Colmar. And we had the pleasure to visit his old house. Inside were his original clay models of the Statue. It was all very interesting and an unexpected place to find someone so involved with America.

Dear All,

First let me say how many times I wanted to update this blog, but have not found the time. I have been working a lot at my internship. It seems like every night there is something to do, and despite having no tv or really anything to, it seems like I am always busy shopping for food, taking my clothes to the Laundromat, or something like this.



One of the most important things that I did, was when I went to IKEA and purchased a table and two chairs for my apartment. This I needed desparately, and it was very good to get. Allthough without a car I had to take a bus and train to get home. The photo is of me waiting for the bus.







Carola and I had a nice dinner with her flatmates. The guy on my left taught me the proper way to pour a German beer into a German bottle. I have been practicing, but I am not as good as he is.








Carola got these very beautiful flowers for her birthday. She was very surprised.









A couple weekends ago we went to a festival that reenacted roman times. They had centurians there that would bark orders to each other in latin. Very interesting.





We went to the festival with Carola's Aunts family. They live in Oberaudorf, close to where the festival took place. It was a very relaxing time and I think everyone enjoyed it. They also had a huge catapult which flung stones very far. They said this was the only catapult of its kind in the world. I thought that they should go see the Manitou Springs fruitcake throwing contest.




Near the place where the festival was held there was a huge cave which had been made from where people took their mill stones from. The type of rock was very well suited for making mill stones so I guess over hundreds of years people always came here to chip out their new mill stone. Very interesting place. A man-made cave.






A few weeks ago the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (DAX) had an open house. So Carola and I went to see what goes on. It was surprisingly quiet, as most trading is done electronically these days, but interesting nonetheless.

People gathered at the most scenic square in Frankfurt for a Catholic service this morning.



The view from my "kitchen" window.

Okay, I know the blog name is luke in Colorado, but I didn't feel like setting up a new blog just for my time in Frankfurt. All is going well here, I live in a nice, but spartan place near the German stock exchange. It is a nice part of Frankfurt to be in. I have gotten as settled as I can for the moment. Today is a public holiday so only cafes are open for business. I was going to get some things that I need for my apartment, but that is going to have to wait for another day. Work is going well. Things are a little slow there right now as I think alot of people are away on business and will be back on Monday. I think I will like it and it is very interesting. I bought a cooler to keep my milk and cheese and stuff in, so that was very necessary. Food at the grocery store is very very cheap here, so that is wonderful. This weekend I will go to Munich and hopefully get a bike and a hotplate to cook on. This will improve my life greatly. I am tired of instant noodles. The weather is warm and humid here. Yesterday I finally got my visa. It was a crazy affair where Carola and I ended up running throught the streets of Frankfurt trying to find the American consulate (after being mistankenly told to go to the Mexican consulate) P.S. if you ever get lost in Frankfurt the Mexicans are very helpful about it. Well, I can say that the smoothies are good and the beer is better here. Allthough a word of caution to those who would consider starting a war out of some egoism of the nation: Frankfurt used to be a beautiful city, but in the rushed reconstruction that took place in the 1950s, there are still some huge scars of ugliness on this city.



My refridgerator.