When I first moved to Olympia, WA,  I was happy to learn just how many German people live in this area. With the two large military installations, Ft. Lewis and Mc Chord AFB nearby, many of the military wives come from Germany (I'm one of them). I started a German conversation group in 2002 that meets once a month on Saturday afternoons at a local German cafe. It's a great opportunity to speak German, swap magazines and catch up on what's going on in the "old country".

It's not surprising that so many Germans make this part of the country their home. Our local climate is very similar to that of Germany, and the Washington geography, with it's alpinesque mountain ranges, forests, lakes, wine growing region and coast offers a little bit of everything one can find in Germany.

As a Realtor I meet lots of people, and since I can't disguise my accent, the topic of Germany gets struck up quite a lot. It's amazing how many Americans have some sort of connection to Germany and most have positive associations with it.

I welcome fellow German speakers to my conversation group and, of course, as real estate clients. I am the source for information of interest to Germans who are new to this area, such as German shops and restaurants, German schools, clubs and churches.

I'm from the beautiful town of Regensburg on the Danube river and go back to visit every year. These photos are from last Christmas.

Liebe Gruesse

Sandy

Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia Area Real Estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com