Beer & Sauerkraut by John Morgan - Book Tour
Beer & Sauerkraut by John Morgan
Summary:
John Morgan was born in the UK in 1938 and qualified there as a chartered surveyor.
He moved to Zurich for three years in 1969 to work for a US conglomerate.
He then moved to Germany, where he eventually established a successful property consultancy firm
together with a Dutch partner, selling this in due course to a German bank.
together with a Dutch partner, selling this in due course to a German bank.
John has a German wife and four sons and now lives in retirement on Lake Constance.
Having dual nationality and conversing today mostly in German,
he is now uncertain whether he is British or German!
Having dual nationality and conversing today mostly in German,
he is now uncertain whether he is British or German!
Information about the Book
Title: Beer & Sauerkraut
Author: John Morgan
Release Date: 9th June 2020
Genre: Non-Fiction
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Clink Street Publishing
Excerpt
Hello and guten Tag! As you may have gathered from the
Introduction, I am the first product of a new species named Homo
Germanus Britannicus! Having been born in England in 1938
and experienced the Second World War, I never thought I would be happy living
in Germany one day. However, falling in love with a German girl changed views
on Germans and Germany completely.
After moving to Zurich in 1969 as the European Director of Real
Estate and Construction of a large US corporation, I moved on to Germany three
years later to become the managing director of the German subsidiary of an
international property development group. My conversion now really gained
momentum, since German soon became both my family and business language. Having
a German wife and four children made it easy for us to make friends with other
parents, whilst my work resulted further friendships. Soon I was completely
integrated into German life.
Nowadays, I generally feel more German than British but when
England plays Germany at soccer, I realise that my conversion process has not
yet been quite completed!
Expression to learn: Ich
liebe Deutschland! (I love Germany!)
Avoid saying: You
would have far more tourists if you still had a Royal Family!
Most
foreign visitors travel to Germany by plane. It is easy to spot the visitors
arriving at the airports by the look of relief on their faces when they finally
make it through passport and custom controls, having by then had their first
experience of German officials. These are neither trained nor paid to be
friendly, but simply to follow all the rules and regulations to the letter. The
visitor is, of course, rather suspect from the moment his or her foot touches
German soil, as Germans tend to be so
busy
complaining about life here, they can’t imagine why anyone should want to come
to the country for any lawful reason!
The
visitor might be surprised to see all those non-German looking people waiting
in the arrivals’ hall. The explanation is that Germany has become very
multicultural in recent years, particularly since Angela Merkel dispensed with
border controls in 2015 at the height of the Syrian crisis.
If
visitors take a taxi from the airport, they will find that most taxi drivers
are foreigners, who don’t know their way around or, like many of their German
colleagues, prefer taking the scenic route in order to make more money,
something common at airports all over the world!
Expressions
to learn: Ich hasse alle Beamte! (I hate all officials!)
Avoid saying: I’ve
never visited such a bureaucratic country!
Author Information
John Morgan was born in Chatham, Kent, in 1938 and his first memory is of sleeping in an Anderson air raid
shelter in 1940- 1941, whilst the German air force was bombing Chatham Dockyard and surrounding areas
day and night - John’s father and many of his family worked in the dockyard, building and repairing ships
for the Royal Navy.
shelter in 1940- 1941, whilst the German air force was bombing Chatham Dockyard and surrounding areas
day and night - John’s father and many of his family worked in the dockyard, building and repairing ships
for the Royal Navy.
Having attended Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, Rochester, John trained to become a chartered
surveyor, qualifying in 1959, when he also married a German girl, who completely changed his views on both
Germans and Germany, as well as giving him an interest in learning German.
After working for some time in London, he became a partner in a firm of surveyors in Maidstone
but left in 1969 to take up the post of European director of real estate and construction for a large American
conglomerate with European headquarters in Zürich. His work extended from Sweden to Greece and from
Dublin to West Berlin but most of his projects were in the UK, Germany, Holland and France.
surveyor, qualifying in 1959, when he also married a German girl, who completely changed his views on both
Germans and Germany, as well as giving him an interest in learning German.
After working for some time in London, he became a partner in a firm of surveyors in Maidstone
but left in 1969 to take up the post of European director of real estate and construction for a large American
conglomerate with European headquarters in Zürich. His work extended from Sweden to Greece and from
Dublin to West Berlin but most of his projects were in the UK, Germany, Holland and France.
John’s wife died suddenly only a few months after the family moved to Zürich,
his three sons being only aged seven, five and 18 months’ when this disaster struck.
John’s firm immediately employed a full-time housekeeper for him and in 1971 he met and married
an attractive German nurse, Marlies, then working in Zürich, who at the tender age of 23 was brave enough
to take on John and the three boys. Within a matter of months, the family language became German.
John and Marlies had a further son in 1975 and in the meantime have some 10 grandchildren.
his three sons being only aged seven, five and 18 months’ when this disaster struck.
John’s firm immediately employed a full-time housekeeper for him and in 1971 he met and married
an attractive German nurse, Marlies, then working in Zürich, who at the tender age of 23 was brave enough
to take on John and the three boys. Within a matter of months, the family language became German.
John and Marlies had a further son in 1975 and in the meantime have some 10 grandchildren.
In 1972, the family moved to Frankfurt, where John set up and ran a commercial property development
company for a British group for a few years. At that time there were no qualified property advisers in Germany
and in 1979 John and a Dutch partner filled the gap by founding a firm of commercial property advisers
that became the leading firm of its type in Germany, eventually having eight offices and some 300 staff.
company for a British group for a few years. At that time there were no qualified property advisers in Germany
and in 1979 John and a Dutch partner filled the gap by founding a firm of commercial property advisers
that became the leading firm of its type in Germany, eventually having eight offices and some 300 staff.
As it was difficult to find qualified staff, John was the driving force behind setting up the German Society
of Chartered Surveyors and arranging for a number of local universities to establish courses In Real Estate
Economy. He subsequently became a member of General Council of the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors in London and the President of the European Society of Chartered Surveyors in Brussels.
He assisted in establishing societies of chartered surveyors throughout the whole of continental Europe.
of Chartered Surveyors and arranging for a number of local universities to establish courses In Real Estate
Economy. He subsequently became a member of General Council of the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors in London and the President of the European Society of Chartered Surveyors in Brussels.
He assisted in establishing societies of chartered surveyors throughout the whole of continental Europe.
Having sold the property consultancy business to a German bank, John returned to the UK in 1994 to carry out
research for a PhD in sociology and real estate economy at Reading University,
being awarded his doctorate at the beginning of 1998. He then returned to Germany and worked
as a consultant for several years before finally fully retiring in 2010.
research for a PhD in sociology and real estate economy at Reading University,
being awarded his doctorate at the beginning of 1998. He then returned to Germany and worked
as a consultant for several years before finally fully retiring in 2010.
Over the years John was a regular speaker at real estate conferences in Germany and the UK and wrote
numerous articles for German newspapers and journals, as well as being a contributing author in respect
of several textbooks in German concerning property investment. In 2017 John wrote his autobiography
with the title Chartered Survivor.
numerous articles for German newspapers and journals, as well as being a contributing author in respect
of several textbooks in German concerning property investment. In 2017 John wrote his autobiography
with the title Chartered Survivor.
John now lives on the German side of Lake Constance, in the village where he met his second wife at a carnival
in 1971. He is, of course, bilingual and has both British and German citizenship.
He no longer knows whether he dreams in German or in English and has a serious personality conflict
when Germany plays England at soccer!
in 1971. He is, of course, bilingual and has both British and German citizenship.
He no longer knows whether he dreams in German or in English and has a serious personality conflict
when Germany plays England at soccer!
Tour Schedule
Monday 8th June
Tuesday 9th June
Wednesday 10th June
Thursday 11th June
Friday 12th June
Saturday 13th June
Sunday 14th June
0 Comments
Please try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.