Our first week has been spent getting used to the city and the culture. Mission #1 is finding a permanent place to live which is proving difficult as we want to live in the neighborhoods that everyone wants to live in. Our real-estate and relocation agent, Vero, has been amazing and we are confident that we will find a place in the exact Kiez (Berlin speak for neighborhood) we want to be in. 

Since that is well underway it was time to get needed tasks completed. First on the list was to cover transportation. Berlin is known for it's biking culture so Chad wanted to jump into that full force. We located an authentic Berlin bike shop, and thanks to Doreen's translating, we walked out with an awesome bike for Chad to commute to and from work. 

Ostrad is one of 5 major bike shops in Berlin that hold true to the authentic bike culture. They explained the differences between the different German bikes and we settled on a German made model of the Centurion series. They provide support, maintenance and general advice on how to navigate the city (do's, don'ts, how not to get your bike stolen, etc...). The shop is around the corner from Chad's office so it'll be easy to stop in for a tuneup.

Next on the list was to get a gym membership squared away. While this is a fairly simple task in the states it requires several German documents including a German bank account to get things squared away. On the plus side, there is a large gym just next to Chad's office so we headed there to start the process. The gym can best be described as a mix between a German night club and a workout facility but it'll do the trick in the AM before Chad heads into the office. Since it's a full service facility, the plan is to ride to work, workout out and then go into the office. You can read more about it here (it's a fascinating place). 

After we got all the basics squared away we made plans for what to do on our first Sunday. For those who are unaware, Germany shuts down on Sundays. Stores, including grocery stores, are closed. About 80% of coffee and restaurants are closed or have limited hours. Really the only open activities are museums and other family related activities. We decided to take advantage of the many museums around us and headed to the Natural History Museum of Berlin. Logan had a blast and got to see some dinosaur bones for the first time.