1. Go wine tasting at the Marché aux Vins. For about 10 Euros you are able to take a self-guided wine tasting tour. As you wind through the catacombs of an old church you’ll sample 18 different Burgundian wines ranging from a generic Bourgogne Aligoté AOC to a Grand Cru Montrachet. The best part besides the wine? It’s open every day.
2. Visit the Hôtel-Dieu.
3. If you arrive early enough on Saturday stop by the market – it’s in the square between the tourist information center and the Hôtel-Dieu.
4. Drive La Route Touristique des Grand Crus de Bourgogne.
5. Visit La Château de La Rochepot.
6. Sit in a cafe and enjoy a traditional Burgundian meal – especially les escargots!
7. Visit the cave of Patriarche Père & Fils.
   
8. If you visit in July, take in a concert as part of Beaune’s annual Baroque Music Festival.
9. Visit the newly restored Château de Pommard.
10. Enjoy another glass of wine – we love Gevrey-Chambertin!

Have you been to Beaune? If you have other suggestions for things to do, restaurants or hotels please let us know.

1. Pamela Wilson’s book Living and Working in Germany, 3rd Edition: A Survival Handbook (Living & Working in Germany)
2. Rosetta Stone for learning German.
3. The US Embassy on Living in Germany
4. The US Embassy on Residence/Work Permits in Germany
5. AngloInfo on Residency in Germany
6. Deutsche Welle on Learning German
7. IELanguages.com’s German Tutorials
8. VoteFromAbroad.org on getting your absentee ballot.
9. An American in Deutschland on finding your favorite American foods in Germany.
10. Automobile.de to help you price and find a car in Germany.

1. Register at the Einwohnermeldeamt to get your Anmeldebestätigung – must happen within the first 7 days you are there. Takes about 1 hour to complete if all your paperwork is in order.
2. Open a bank account (Konto) and transfer money from you account back home.  Requires your Anmeldebestätigung and takes about 1 hour of time at the bank, though you may need to make an appointment in advance. International money transfers can take 2-4 business days to complete.  While you may be used to paying for everything with your VISA/MasterCard/Amex, in Germany any of the transactions below are tough to complete without a true German Konto.
3. Get a mobile phone. Requires your Anmeldebestätigung and a Konto-Nummer.
4. Buy/Lease a car. Requires your Anmeldebestätigung and Konto-Nummer. Letters of employment and other proof of income can be helpful if you are trying to arrange financing.
5. Purchase car insurance. Requires a bank account and the car classification codes from the dealership. If you wish to get a lower insurance rate, a letter from your prior insurance company and/or a copy of your US driving record can be helpful.
6. Apply for your Residence Permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis). Too many requirements to list here, but there will be a full discussion of this coming up soon.
7. Spiff up your apartment. IKEA only accepts MasterCard, EC Cards (German debit cards) and cash (bargeld) – that already open bank account keeps coming in handy!
8. Learn the recycling and garbage collection system.
9. Get your driving license. Requires your Residence Permit, a translated copy of your driving license and an eye test – assuming your license was issued by a state or country that has full reciprocity with Germany (Prüfungsfreiheit). A list of the US States with Prüfungsfreiheit can be found here.
10. You’ve survived this far, go enjoy a beer.

Beyond the specific documents mentioned above it goes without saying that you’ll need your passport for pretty much everything.  It also doesn’t hurt to have a few extra passport photos made as you’ll need them at various points.  One thing to note here, the Germans have strict requirements for these photos, referred to as biometrische fotos – no smiling, grinning or laughing!