First trip to Germany

I truly enjoyed my first week in Germany. What an amazing trip!

Getting there was surprisingly easy - espeically considering the fact that Sunday morning I ran the Cincinnati Flying Pig marathon - set a personal best 3:13:34 and Boston Qualified. The notion of driving back to Cleveland that day to spend 14 hours traveling to Germany was daunting - but it worked out just fine, thankfully.

Flight from Cleveland to London was easy and Layover in London was short and sweet...

Arriving in Frankfurt airport was the first introduction to Germany. I have learned enough German to ask where the train station was, and could buy the right kind of ticket to Seigburg. That was cool. The train was AWESOME... high speed rail... 300km/hr+ (about 190mph) and you couldn't tell. It was whisper-quiet and smooth. Very, very comfortable. What a way to get around between cities!

I emerged from the train station to a beautiful, post-card view of Germany... and a nice little lady (Mrs Riesner) who was there to pick me up and drive me to my hotel.

Everyone at the Fosbel Eurpoean HQ was terriffic! Very friendly, good english (I need to work on my German to reciprocate this effort). I worked on this trip to set the tone of what my expectations are (the Purchasing and Warehouse/Distribution functions report to me). We also had an international summit there, so I worked with the sales team that covers the globe on the challenges and issues we need to work on together going forward. We accomplished a lot while I was there, and laid a great foundation for things going forward.

I interacted with people from: UK, US, Germany, India, South Africa, Netherlands, Mexico, Spain, Luxemborg, France... exposure to a few new cultures to say the least!

The scenery was out of a book or disneyland... if we weren't in the heart of the rural areas - away from the tourist-type areas... I would think it was done to create an illusion... but little town after quain little town... showed it is just how they live there. Beautiful, clean, neat, quaint.

The one day of "tourism" was spent in Koln (Cologne). Good sized city, and home of the DOM - 1000 year old HUGE cathedral that is simply breath-taking. Amazing how this huge marvel was designed and built before calculators, computers, modern engineering or equipment. Just minds, vision and a lot of hard work. To make a beautiful, detailed construction. Simply amazing! We drank Kolsch beer on an outdoor beergarden in the afternoon, and went out for an amazing dinner. Great night!

Really, every night we enjoyed fantastic food... from a huge lamb shank, to sauerbratten to "angusbeef" to sausage and weinerschnitzel... YUM!

I return there again in late June. Cannot wait!

My photos are up on my facebook page.