Getting ready to go to Germany

There are 55 days to go until the move to Germany. I have a huge to-do list which must all be ticked off before I leave. Of course most of it can only be done in the last couple of weeks but I have managed to get a few important things done already. I've booked the removal company, sorted out the shipping insurance, short term accommodation for the first two months and a couple of days ago I booked my flights. I was surprised to find that Qantas had a route between Frankfurt and Cologne. I wanted to see who the code-share was so I clicked on the link:

It was a train with a QF number! I like the "Aircraft type: Train" :-) I can image wandering round the airport looking for the right gate only to be directed to a platform. While Bonn and Cologne share an airport they have different stations so it's good to know before I turn up with all my bags after a 24hr flight.

Moving to Germany

For a while I've been considering several options for work after my contract at the ATNF runs out in September. It was not an easy decision but in the end MPIfR made me a offer that was too good to turn down.

So in September I'm moving to Bonn to work for the Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie on a 5 year contract. They have a 100m telescope in nearby Effelsberg which is the 2nd largest fully-steerable radio telescope in the world. There is plenty of good work we can do with a telescope like that!

I've bought a 'Teach Yourself German' book in the hope that I'll be able to improve my atrocious, mostly-forgotten, school taught German. However I suspect that it will join my 'Learn to Speak French' book that I bought before going to Montréal - hardly read in the corner of the bookcase!

I'm looking forward to being long drive or a short flight away from the UK making it very easy to visit friends and family. You have been warned!

With three months to go I've got to start getting moving quotes and working out my ATNF 'exit strategy'. The advantage is that it should be at least 5 years before I have to do this again... I hope!