What an impressive museum! 100+ years of automotive history, beautifully wrapped in a building that rivals the Guggenheim. Millions of dollars of incredible machinery and historic equipment alike. For any car enthusiast, this is a must… for non-car enthusiasts, this is still an amazing place to visit! Adjacent to the breathtaking museum, is the Stuttgart Mercedes Showroom / Dealership. Good thing I have to fly home, because I’d have been seriously tempted! These cars there were the ONLY thing I found in Europe that cost less than they do in the US!
I could go on for hours and pages about the museum... I'll attach the link to their website, and direct you to my pictures of the Museum on my Facebook page!
http://www.mercedes-benz-classic.com/content/classic/mpc/mpc_classic_website/en/mpc_home/mbc/home/museum/overview_museum.html
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Process Improvements and Understanding
Process Improvements and Understanding of Europe Logistics / Distribution / Purchasing:
The purpose of the trip, of course, was work.
To continue the training, understanding and improvement of the inventory control processes and systems for European region. The team is coming together well, and making progress in understanding the processes that aren’t effective, and making improvements to them. They are good people, who care a lot and work hard. The language barrier in the office isn’t to bad. English is the second language for these people, but they are fluent, which helps a lot.
My lean / six sigma / process improvement background from manufacturing is translating well into business processes. I am driving a deeper understanding of the systems we have at our disposal. It is challenging, to get the team to take the leap of faith and get rid of the “security blanket” currently where the system allows inventory to become negative (meaning there is a problem with the transaction). We also seem to have a problem with the team in Spain, which may require a stop there on my next trip.
Hey everybody… I’m in Holland… isn’t dat Veird??
My first real trip into the Netherlands (Holland) - besides driving through to another destination. The trip landed me in Bergen op Zoom and Tholen. I was there for a meeting with a key European Supplier, with whom our relationship started on what I took to be a rocky note. The Dutch are notoriously direct and blunt… a cultural nuance I didn’t understand until after my first encounter. I felt defensive and under attack during our first meeting in June, which I arranged primarily as a pleasantry to start the working relationship. I have since learned what to expect. This meeting was really very pleasant and constructive. We spent the first hour with light chit chat over a variety of pastries, brought in by one of the employees, whose father owns the local bakery. As the guest now, instead of the host like our first meeting, things were very different! A plant tour and some real business discussion about future plans, volume, etc. made for a good day. I had a few hours to walk around the quaint little fishing town of Tholen.
To my complete surprise, I came around a corner to find a huge, restored windmill from the 1870s. This was Don Quixote material!! It was just the nicest surprise! I wanted to see one in Holland when I was there, but didn’t know how to find one! Wandering the streets in little (and big) European towns is just the best way to find interesting things! I had to drive all over to find wooden shoes for the boys too. They are actually used/worn for gardening, apparently, because I had to find the Dutch equivalent of Lowes, where a wall of “Klompers” were found in the gardening section, by the fertilizer and live kipper (chickens)! I had a really cool apartment for the night in Bergen op Zoom, and had dinner outside in the Grote Markt square. Very European to say the least! Loved it!
Missing the family while in Europe…
I love Amy and my boys and routine. These trips to Europe are an amazing experience – I could not be more thankful that this is my destination, instead of some “crummy, boring town”. It is broadening my horizons in terms of culture, language (I spoke not a word of German before May of this year), how to manage a multi-site, multi-language, multi-currency, multi-national operation. And I get to stay in a “perfect” little German village, with enough time to go exploring and get to know Europe.
Having said all this, I miss my family a bunch! During this trip, Amy and I had our 14th wedding anniversary (October 7th). It was a little tough to be gone for that special day. We celebrated before I left town with a nice dinner out together without the kids (Nemo Grille)… and we’ll celebrate more when I get home this weekend. My boys are always fun to shop for… and are excited about everything I bring back – even the “neat” sugar packets! T-shirts from Germany, wooden shoes from Holland and chocolates from Switzerland. I found a beautiful gold/diamond ring for Amy in Euskirchen, Germany. I know she’ll love it, and it brings an interesting story (having come from Germany on our anniversary and all).
This was the first trip where Amy and I both had Skype accounts. We skyped about every day – which was nice. Fun way to keep the line open for a while – so I can hear the chaos that is our home… Murphy barking, kids running amuck, etc. So, I have lots of work and sightseeing that I do to stay busy… but when it gets quiet, I miss them an awful lot. I always want Amy to join me… so far, she hasn’t been up for the flight, etc. I think she’ll be convinced, and we’ll have a wonderful trip together! I offered a weekend in Paris on the last trip for our anniversary, but she was unwilling to fly and no one could watch the kids for two weeks, either. NEXT TIME!
Having said all this, I miss my family a bunch! During this trip, Amy and I had our 14th wedding anniversary (October 7th). It was a little tough to be gone for that special day. We celebrated before I left town with a nice dinner out together without the kids (Nemo Grille)… and we’ll celebrate more when I get home this weekend. My boys are always fun to shop for… and are excited about everything I bring back – even the “neat” sugar packets! T-shirts from Germany, wooden shoes from Holland and chocolates from Switzerland. I found a beautiful gold/diamond ring for Amy in Euskirchen, Germany. I know she’ll love it, and it brings an interesting story (having come from Germany on our anniversary and all).
This was the first trip where Amy and I both had Skype accounts. We skyped about every day – which was nice. Fun way to keep the line open for a while – so I can hear the chaos that is our home… Murphy barking, kids running amuck, etc. So, I have lots of work and sightseeing that I do to stay busy… but when it gets quiet, I miss them an awful lot. I always want Amy to join me… so far, she hasn’t been up for the flight, etc. I think she’ll be convinced, and we’ll have a wonderful trip together! I offered a weekend in Paris on the last trip for our anniversary, but she was unwilling to fly and no one could watch the kids for two weeks, either. NEXT TIME!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Lake Placid Vacation Diary - pre race
Monday July 21st - last day of work. Such a crush to get everything done I wanted and needed to before leaving. It is unusual to have such a long vacation so soon after starting a new job (just coming on 4 months with Fosbel) - but this was set up a full year in advance. I trust the people I work with to do the right things while I am gone.
Tuesday July 21st - OFF WE GO! 6 hour drive to the Finger Lakes Region where we will spend the night in a bungalo. Turned out to be a very pleasant surprise there! Beautiful, clean, new stand-alone bungalo in Skanaeteles. Very cool little resort town. Had a great dinner at Pete's! Kids had a blast. Finger Lakes are beautiful. Wished we had more time - good place to go back to.
Wednesday July 22nd - 4 hour drive through the Adirondaks to Lake Placid. We arrive too early! House not ready - so we go out for pizza on a lakeside deck and then mill around town for a couple of hours until it is. Then we get to check in. WOW! Exceeds expectations! Simply fantastic - this is a once in a lifetime vacation for us to be sure!! :)
We spend the afternoon settling in and playing on our beach. Kids seem like they are going to LOVE it here. OK - the adults too!! I swim from our house to the Ironman swim course and do about 0.75 miles to get a feel for the lake. Dinner is take-out from our favorite place last time - Mykonos - Delicious Greek food!
Thursday July 23rd - Day starts with a 1.2 mile warm-up swim at the Ironman race course. I meet Brian Simpson (a Facebook friend) for the first time in person. Very nice guy. We swim the course and have a good visit. I bike the marathon course to check it out and remind myself of the nasty hills that we have to deal with at miles 10 and 23. It is a beautiful day! I also encounter some Olympic biathletes doing their road ski work along Riverside. Cool to know so many top caliber athletes live and train in this very town. What a lifestyle!
Family-wise - while I was doing Ironman stuff for the day - including registration - Amy and the kids walked into town.
Dinner was at the Lake Placid Brewery. WOW! Excellent BBQ - and Amy got SMASHED on their beers there... especially the UBU! We walked around town afterwards and enjoyed a very nice evening!
Friday - July 24th - lazy morning at the lake house. The off to do the 5 mile descent into Keene with a small group of others. Nice to practice that long and fast descent with others, and with drivers waiting at the bottom of the mountain pass to take us back up for another go! After 3 good runs down the hill - I drove the rest of the bike course to get reacquainted with it. Beautiful - and with a mean streak! What does downhill, must go up, and the last 6 miles of the bike loop are all uphill through the Whiteface notch to Lake Placid. Quite a lot of eleveation to gain over those miles. Long and grinding - this is the challenge of the race.
Amy and the kids went into town again this morning while I was preparing for the race. They did some shopping - and discovered the "Creperie" - a place that was visited not once, not twice, but THREE times that DAY! Good stuff!
Andy and I had a nice afternoon together while Amy and Tommy were napping. Took a nice walk and went into town together. A Luna Moth was found along the way to town... what a cool looking creature! Stayed there all day - apparently they only fly at night!
For dinner, we went to "The Cottage" for some killer Lakefront dinner. Then starte to walk around town when a downpour hit - we got totally soaked and laughed all the way! Our 3rd stop at the Creperie for the day - mmmmmm... Nutella - Banana crepe for desert! YUM!!
Tuesday July 21st - OFF WE GO! 6 hour drive to the Finger Lakes Region where we will spend the night in a bungalo. Turned out to be a very pleasant surprise there! Beautiful, clean, new stand-alone bungalo in Skanaeteles. Very cool little resort town. Had a great dinner at Pete's! Kids had a blast. Finger Lakes are beautiful. Wished we had more time - good place to go back to.
Wednesday July 22nd - 4 hour drive through the Adirondaks to Lake Placid. We arrive too early! House not ready - so we go out for pizza on a lakeside deck and then mill around town for a couple of hours until it is. Then we get to check in. WOW! Exceeds expectations! Simply fantastic - this is a once in a lifetime vacation for us to be sure!! :)
We spend the afternoon settling in and playing on our beach. Kids seem like they are going to LOVE it here. OK - the adults too!! I swim from our house to the Ironman swim course and do about 0.75 miles to get a feel for the lake. Dinner is take-out from our favorite place last time - Mykonos - Delicious Greek food!
Thursday July 23rd - Day starts with a 1.2 mile warm-up swim at the Ironman race course. I meet Brian Simpson (a Facebook friend) for the first time in person. Very nice guy. We swim the course and have a good visit. I bike the marathon course to check it out and remind myself of the nasty hills that we have to deal with at miles 10 and 23. It is a beautiful day! I also encounter some Olympic biathletes doing their road ski work along Riverside. Cool to know so many top caliber athletes live and train in this very town. What a lifestyle!
Family-wise - while I was doing Ironman stuff for the day - including registration - Amy and the kids walked into town.
Dinner was at the Lake Placid Brewery. WOW! Excellent BBQ - and Amy got SMASHED on their beers there... especially the UBU! We walked around town afterwards and enjoyed a very nice evening!
Friday - July 24th - lazy morning at the lake house. The off to do the 5 mile descent into Keene with a small group of others. Nice to practice that long and fast descent with others, and with drivers waiting at the bottom of the mountain pass to take us back up for another go! After 3 good runs down the hill - I drove the rest of the bike course to get reacquainted with it. Beautiful - and with a mean streak! What does downhill, must go up, and the last 6 miles of the bike loop are all uphill through the Whiteface notch to Lake Placid. Quite a lot of eleveation to gain over those miles. Long and grinding - this is the challenge of the race.
Amy and the kids went into town again this morning while I was preparing for the race. They did some shopping - and discovered the "Creperie" - a place that was visited not once, not twice, but THREE times that DAY! Good stuff!
Andy and I had a nice afternoon together while Amy and Tommy were napping. Took a nice walk and went into town together. A Luna Moth was found along the way to town... what a cool looking creature! Stayed there all day - apparently they only fly at night!
For dinner, we went to "The Cottage" for some killer Lakefront dinner. Then starte to walk around town when a downpour hit - we got totally soaked and laughed all the way! Our 3rd stop at the Creperie for the day - mmmmmm... Nutella - Banana crepe for desert! YUM!!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
2009 Marathon Race Report
3H 13M 34S (7:24/mi avg) = personal best by over 7 minutes!
What a GREAT race that was for me, and I'm pleased to say, a very well executed race plan.
My only real blunder was before the race. Filled up my bladder too early... tried to pee before the start... lines were too long... too crowded to just pee somewhere... lost my seeding... and the gun fired with me stuck behind the 5 hour crowd. My fist 2 miles were super slow, weaving in and out of people to try to get some room to run. Mile 1 was 8:40! About a minute too slow... not the end of the world, but making up that time later would not be so easy.
Game plan was to go easy the first 8-10 miles... stay efficient, well fueled, and avoid any lactic acid build-up on the early hills. People were trying to launch up the hills... I refused to... I would catch up to them a little later in the race, I think (and I did). My goal was to be at mile 10 at 75 minutes. thanks to the starting fiasco, it was actually 76.5 minutes. No biggie though... I was feeling great, and passing people like crazy! Nutrition was good... so I was ready to really start the effort. (fun aside - Adam Bartel - one of my very first friends growing up in Wyoming was calling out the times at mile 10. We high-fived as I went by... we've been talking via Facebook... but this was the first time to see each other in person in about 30 years!! pretty cool, eh?)
At the 1/2 marathon point (13.1) - I was averaging 7:30/mi pace. A little slower of where i wanted to be (because of mile 1), but I was OK. I've really been practicing negative splits and building pace during my long runs and my 15k race. So I finally have the confidence not only that this strategy works, but that it is the BEST way to run a race.
As the miles ground on from 10 - 18, I was flying... right around 7:05 average... granted some of this was downhill... it was the plan and I was right on top of it.
for the last 8 miles... as things flattened out, and a few more smaller hills were encountered... I went right to my target pace of 7:16 and held it all the way through the rest of the race. That was a really, really big accomplishment for me. I didn't fade off. I kept passing people who were hurting... and I had a smile. This was a very good thing to keep picking off the people that went out to fast and hard and hurt - that used to be me!
The last 4 miles became an inner struggle. While I had done well on nutrition and pace... the intensity of the effort was taking its toll on me. I didn't know this until after the race (because I stopped looking at my heart rate the last 8 miles - at that point, there was no holding back - it was, what it was)... my HR was over 200bpm steady.
My body had exhausted much of its fuel reserves... not quite hitting the wall, but it was getting damn close... I was doing math in my head as I saw the various mile markers and time... I thought I was 6 minutes off the official start clock (chip time) - turns out it took me 8 minutes to cross the line... anyhow - I thought I was at a big risk of not making my goal of 3:13, or my goal of Boston Qualifying (3:15). I had to push it hard... and the body was starting to get tired.
The last 3 miles were incredibly difficult for me - mentally. Finding every way to push the body where it didn't want to go. by this time - my HR was 205 (a new max for me)... struggling to find and provide energy and oxygen to my tired muscles. The fatigue was real... people were dropping like flies around me... cramping, walking, stopping... that looked so good... but I was on a mission. I did not train all winter, come all this way, and have all these people coming to my race to see me fail to meet my goals.
Push on... push on...
I remembered reading a blog from Mark Durno last year... about a race situation for him... how in the home stretch - he kept telling himself "I can endure anything for 20 minutes...". Those words were now echoing in my head, over and over.
The pain and anguish was so great the last 3 miles... but I had a goal to achieve... and I wasn't letting the body off the hook until we made it. No disappointments... I can endure any pain for 20 minutes... tweaks of a cramp coming in my right calf... deep breaths... relaxed hands... hold your form and efficiency..
2 miles to go... look at the clock... at this point, my mind isn't doing math well... I think I'm off goal now... pushing harder... HR 206-208 now... this is hard... but I can endure any pain for 14 minutes... one more gel and salt pill just for insurance... probably won't matter, but I'll know I did everything I could have... push on... push on...
1 mile to go!! Starting to believe I'm going to hit my goals... but I feel horrible... there is a little hill coming... nothing huge - but could undo me if I'm not careful... build up the hill... conquer it - do NOT let it get to you... the city and finish line are close now... I want to stop... I want the pain to end... I just want to lie down right here... BULLSHIT! This is real - as real as it gets... keep moving dammit...800 meters to go now... every step is horrible pain and anguish... I don't want to go any further... this is my all... my everything!
1/4 mile to go... tunnel vision... heart is out of my chest... mind is a mess... 100% of my mental effort is focused on just getting one leg in front of the other at a 7:15 pace after 26 miles... this hurts so bad...
OH NO! a runner collapses right in front of me... he was running fine one second, then just crumbled to the ground, spun around and looked at me like "what just happened??" I will not let this happen to me... push on... push on... where are the crowds? where is the noise of the finish line?? where is it?? I want this to be over!!
YES - there it is! I can do this! What a lift to see the finish line and the people! look at the watch... this is going to happen! But I still want to stop... every fiber of my body is screaming! My mind is all over it... suppressing the urge to stop, to stretch... to lie down... 200m to go...
I know everyone I know is watching now... don't let them know you hurt... don't let them know how hard these last two miles have been... the demons... the pain... and for God's sake - don't collapse in front of them!
Finish line is coming now... marathon runners to the left... can someone tell me which way is left? I see the line... closer... please come closer...
YES!!! I DID IT!!! I'M DONE!!! Wait - 3:21 on the clock... oh no... did I not BQ? How slow was that last mile?? Oh shit! What happened?? I thought I was on track. (more on this in a second)
In the mean time - the mind told the body it was OK to stop now. The body obliged by buckling... need help - volunteers - please come here quickly... I'm not going to remain standing for long. Two nice people grabbed me and helped me to a wheelchair to sit down. I can finally say at the end of a race - that I had nothing left to give, but didn't let total exhaustion have a bad impact on my time (I've hit the wall and crashed and burned in a couple of marathons - like I did last year). This was the ultimate in good timing of burning up the last possible calorie right at the finish line.
Aaahhh...
that's better.
Now... let's look at the watch and see what's going on here... 3:13:33... YES! 3H 13M 33S!! YES!!
I am going to Boston!! I DID IT! I DID IT! My prior PR for the marathon was 3:20:54 in flatter Cleveland last year... this was a HUGE improvement of almost 7 1/2 minutes! and more than 9 minutes faster than I ran Cincinnati in 2006. This was a very good race! I'm happy! Tired... but happy!
What a GREAT race that was for me, and I'm pleased to say, a very well executed race plan.
My only real blunder was before the race. Filled up my bladder too early... tried to pee before the start... lines were too long... too crowded to just pee somewhere... lost my seeding... and the gun fired with me stuck behind the 5 hour crowd. My fist 2 miles were super slow, weaving in and out of people to try to get some room to run. Mile 1 was 8:40! About a minute too slow... not the end of the world, but making up that time later would not be so easy.
Game plan was to go easy the first 8-10 miles... stay efficient, well fueled, and avoid any lactic acid build-up on the early hills. People were trying to launch up the hills... I refused to... I would catch up to them a little later in the race, I think (and I did). My goal was to be at mile 10 at 75 minutes. thanks to the starting fiasco, it was actually 76.5 minutes. No biggie though... I was feeling great, and passing people like crazy! Nutrition was good... so I was ready to really start the effort. (fun aside - Adam Bartel - one of my very first friends growing up in Wyoming was calling out the times at mile 10. We high-fived as I went by... we've been talking via Facebook... but this was the first time to see each other in person in about 30 years!! pretty cool, eh?)
At the 1/2 marathon point (13.1) - I was averaging 7:30/mi pace. A little slower of where i wanted to be (because of mile 1), but I was OK. I've really been practicing negative splits and building pace during my long runs and my 15k race. So I finally have the confidence not only that this strategy works, but that it is the BEST way to run a race.
As the miles ground on from 10 - 18, I was flying... right around 7:05 average... granted some of this was downhill... it was the plan and I was right on top of it.
for the last 8 miles... as things flattened out, and a few more smaller hills were encountered... I went right to my target pace of 7:16 and held it all the way through the rest of the race. That was a really, really big accomplishment for me. I didn't fade off. I kept passing people who were hurting... and I had a smile. This was a very good thing to keep picking off the people that went out to fast and hard and hurt - that used to be me!
The last 4 miles became an inner struggle. While I had done well on nutrition and pace... the intensity of the effort was taking its toll on me. I didn't know this until after the race (because I stopped looking at my heart rate the last 8 miles - at that point, there was no holding back - it was, what it was)... my HR was over 200bpm steady.
My body had exhausted much of its fuel reserves... not quite hitting the wall, but it was getting damn close... I was doing math in my head as I saw the various mile markers and time... I thought I was 6 minutes off the official start clock (chip time) - turns out it took me 8 minutes to cross the line... anyhow - I thought I was at a big risk of not making my goal of 3:13, or my goal of Boston Qualifying (3:15). I had to push it hard... and the body was starting to get tired.
The last 3 miles were incredibly difficult for me - mentally. Finding every way to push the body where it didn't want to go. by this time - my HR was 205 (a new max for me)... struggling to find and provide energy and oxygen to my tired muscles. The fatigue was real... people were dropping like flies around me... cramping, walking, stopping... that looked so good... but I was on a mission. I did not train all winter, come all this way, and have all these people coming to my race to see me fail to meet my goals.
Push on... push on...
I remembered reading a blog from Mark Durno last year... about a race situation for him... how in the home stretch - he kept telling himself "I can endure anything for 20 minutes...". Those words were now echoing in my head, over and over.
The pain and anguish was so great the last 3 miles... but I had a goal to achieve... and I wasn't letting the body off the hook until we made it. No disappointments... I can endure any pain for 20 minutes... tweaks of a cramp coming in my right calf... deep breaths... relaxed hands... hold your form and efficiency..
2 miles to go... look at the clock... at this point, my mind isn't doing math well... I think I'm off goal now... pushing harder... HR 206-208 now... this is hard... but I can endure any pain for 14 minutes... one more gel and salt pill just for insurance... probably won't matter, but I'll know I did everything I could have... push on... push on...
1 mile to go!! Starting to believe I'm going to hit my goals... but I feel horrible... there is a little hill coming... nothing huge - but could undo me if I'm not careful... build up the hill... conquer it - do NOT let it get to you... the city and finish line are close now... I want to stop... I want the pain to end... I just want to lie down right here... BULLSHIT! This is real - as real as it gets... keep moving dammit...800 meters to go now... every step is horrible pain and anguish... I don't want to go any further... this is my all... my everything!
1/4 mile to go... tunnel vision... heart is out of my chest... mind is a mess... 100% of my mental effort is focused on just getting one leg in front of the other at a 7:15 pace after 26 miles... this hurts so bad...
OH NO! a runner collapses right in front of me... he was running fine one second, then just crumbled to the ground, spun around and looked at me like "what just happened??" I will not let this happen to me... push on... push on... where are the crowds? where is the noise of the finish line?? where is it?? I want this to be over!!
YES - there it is! I can do this! What a lift to see the finish line and the people! look at the watch... this is going to happen! But I still want to stop... every fiber of my body is screaming! My mind is all over it... suppressing the urge to stop, to stretch... to lie down... 200m to go...
I know everyone I know is watching now... don't let them know you hurt... don't let them know how hard these last two miles have been... the demons... the pain... and for God's sake - don't collapse in front of them!
Finish line is coming now... marathon runners to the left... can someone tell me which way is left? I see the line... closer... please come closer...
YES!!! I DID IT!!! I'M DONE!!! Wait - 3:21 on the clock... oh no... did I not BQ? How slow was that last mile?? Oh shit! What happened?? I thought I was on track. (more on this in a second)
In the mean time - the mind told the body it was OK to stop now. The body obliged by buckling... need help - volunteers - please come here quickly... I'm not going to remain standing for long. Two nice people grabbed me and helped me to a wheelchair to sit down. I can finally say at the end of a race - that I had nothing left to give, but didn't let total exhaustion have a bad impact on my time (I've hit the wall and crashed and burned in a couple of marathons - like I did last year). This was the ultimate in good timing of burning up the last possible calorie right at the finish line.
Aaahhh...
that's better.
Now... let's look at the watch and see what's going on here... 3:13:33... YES! 3H 13M 33S!! YES!!
I am going to Boston!! I DID IT! I DID IT! My prior PR for the marathon was 3:20:54 in flatter Cleveland last year... this was a HUGE improvement of almost 7 1/2 minutes! and more than 9 minutes faster than I ran Cincinnati in 2006. This was a very good race! I'm happy! Tired... but happy!
I finished 126 out of 4,035 finishers in the marathon (top 3% overall). 17 out of 372 in my age group (top 5%)
A group of friends from high school secretly planned a big support for my race - they had T-shirts made up, signs and everything. God bless them! They gave me a real lift at mile 5 when I saw them for the first time... and were there at the finish to congratulate me afterwards. It was really great of them to get up at 6am to stand in the rain and wait to see me for 10 seconds!
My family and training partners this winter and spring deserve a lot of credit for this as well. It took lots of time, effort and a few early morning sessions at the track to make this possible! Thank you all for your support!!!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.
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.
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