(Originally posted 10 February 2012)

So before I wait too long, I want to just share some of the websites I have looked at so far...

This is a great article from BBC Travel about moving and living in Berlin. I found it was very informative to where I want to start to look for a place to call "home."
http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110419-living-in-berlin

This website is devoted to Ballet, but really, it's pretty much the same thing! We all seem to go through the same thing in the Arts World, so why not pull ideas from one another!

http://www.pointemagazine.com/issues/februarymarch-2011/prepare-your-own-european-audition-tour

Then for all of us out there who are looking to immigrate to Germany... I have recently found that immihelp.com is a great resource for "getting all your ducks in a row!"
There is a wealth of information here and to just outline a few items:
- Shengen Visa Application information (if you plan to stay longer than 90 days, which is the allotted time with a Tourist Visa, then you need to apply for the Schengen Visa. I will be putting up a detailed entry on what this all entails.)
- Gives you a list of European Embassies and Consulates in the US and what they are able to help you with.

http://www.immihelp.com/

If you didn't know already, you CAN NOT make your tour in Germany without proper Travel Insurance. It is ILLEGAL to not have Health Insurance in Germany, so get the notions out of your head that you will go over to Europe to escape paying for it. You have to have proper documentation when you arrive! But not to fear, obtaining excellent Insurance for your time abroad is much easier than you would think, and believe me, it is much cheaper than the lowest cost crap insurance here in America! It's kind of ridiculous, but there you have it! Here are some sites to just consider:

http://www.insubuy.com/

http://www.imglobal.com/index.aspx

(I used IMG Global when I was in Vienna the last time and it was under $100 a month and was really great! I was able to use any Doctor I wanted and it was as if I was part of the Socialized Medical System... it's worth it and you have to have it so just start looking for what might work for you.)

I'm going to mention What the Fach?! again! If you buy it, which you need to buy it, so just go for it and BUY it already! you will find an invaluable resource of all the houses in German Speaking Countries as well as the Agents registered there! Get it and print it off. Add this to your Tour Book (which will be the next entry!) and make sure you are keeping a log of who you are in contact with and who need to keep working on!

http://what-the-fach.com/

Okay and now, for your Geography Lesson... Get yourself a couple printable maps, just for quick reference. Do you really know where things are in Germany or wherever you plan to go? Probably not as well as you thought, unless you grew up there... So just have them on hand from the beginning! It's good to start to learn now and not have to worry when you get there. Here are a couple maps I like! They are colorful, what can I say?

Well, there you are... have a start here and I'll will be updating as I get more details together! But isn't this fun already! I get so excited I can't hardly wait! And it's only 7 months away... I best get my act together... and get planning!

Logistics, logistics, logistics...