Chartres

Buddy and I decided that a daytrip to Chartres was a perfect way to spend a Sunday in France. Being only a mere 60 or 70 minutes by train, we managed the intricacies of the French train ticket purchasing process and headed southward.

While the day started out cloudy and gray, it quickly burned off as you will see in the photos. For those of you who, like me, are shamefully ignorant of architecture styles, let me cut to the chase. The cathedral in Chartres is THE birthplace of Gothic architecture, as this was the first church to make use of the ornate carvings and flying buttresses that are apparently so characteristic of the style. Although we had been told that a trip to see the cathedral was a must, we were ignorant of this little known fact.



Another interesting tourist tidbit is that the churches in Chartres, especially the main cathedral are all known for the great examples of medieval stained glass windows. Unfortunately, my pictures cannot do these windows justice, but take it from me, they are quite amazing. Sidenote: church services were in progress when we arrived at the cathedral. I am always a bit uncomfortable touring a church while others are there worshipping. Somehow I feel a little awkward checking out the church for its historical, cultural, and architectural while others are there visiting the church for its intended purpose. No one seemed to object, and there were plenty of tourists, so I kept the flash off the camera and kept moving.





Besides trekking through 4 of the city churches, we also explored a bit of the town, seeing plenty of small-town French houses, restaurants, and canals.





An unexpected treat occurred when we literally stumbled onto a crepe restaurant for lunch. We did observe upon first entering the restaurant that no other patrons were having lunch. Uh oh, not a good sign. Within 5 minutes, apparently, the church crowd let out and hit the door, because all of the 10 downstair tables filled up within 10 minutes of our arrival...which was later quite understandable as the crepes were magnifique!

It does not get any better than this....

A rather cool and blustry day did not diminish our first day in Paris: a leisurely walk though the St. Germain area, a boat ride along the Seine, and shopping along the Champs-Elysees...just to name a few. Having been to Paris before, and taken the "Paris Highlights 101" course for tourists, I still do not tire of seeing these remarkable sites. With no specific plans or destinations in mind, we simply took off armed with a map, a travel book, and a camera.

A few things held to form. St. Germain, while entirely charming and filled with great little cafes, did not provide me with my first purchase of the day. I felt confident that I would find that perfect antique in this corner of Paris, but alas, most of the antique shops were not even open. (A rather common theme). Never fear, Buddy charged to the rescue, making the very first purchase ...for himself, I might add (great pair of shoes by the way).

We also saw Paris' oldest church before boarding "une bateaux" for a ride along the Seine. The familiar sites of Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, the Louvre, etc. welcomed us back to this fair city. A second theme held true...invariably some major landmark is under renovation just when we decide to visit...it never fails. On this trip, it was the exterior of the Louvre, which was a shame because the tuilleries were all in bloom. Never fear, could we have found the photo destined to be THE 2005 Christmas card shot?



After a brief break "pour dejeuner", we got serious on this shopping thing. Remember, I still had some birthday celebrating to do. Victory came in the form of some great fashions in a shop along the Champs-Elysee (the Budman felt the need to join in the celebration as well). Bud is showing me how it is done as we begin our mission.



Tomorrow, we head to Chartres.

Joyeux anniversaire à moi

I love celebrating birthdays! It doesn’t matter if the birthday is mine or yours, family or friend. I simply love a good birthday celebration. Count me in on any type of birthday festivities.

For that matter, I am all for birthday extravaganzas. In my book, birthday celebrations can begin as early as 5 days before the main event and can easily extend for up to a week after. I can even get on board with birthday celebrations that last an entire month. Any excuse to celebrate a birthday is OK by me: birthday breakfasts, brunches, lunches, or dinners, multiple birthday meals on the same or consecutive days, birthday trips, birthday parties (formal or the friendly get-together) birthday “spa days”, surprise birthday parties, birthday cakes, cookies, desserts, birthday gifts, flower, balloons, and cards…I think you get my point. Birthdays are reason enough to celebrate and I am for any excuse to extend that celebration for as long as possible…especially if the birthday is mine.

With that said, yes, today is my birthday. And without much forethought into the planning of this uneventful birthday (no major milestone here), I realized that as luck would have it, I would be celebrating my big day in the mother of all cities, the City of Light, Cité Magique, Temple des Amoureux, gay Paree!…you guessed it, PARIS!

It really happened without a lot of hoopla. We are meeting Buddy’s brother and partner in Paris for a few days, and this just happened to be the weekend they were coming. Whatever the reason, I can think of no grander place to celebrate a birthday than Paris.

Yes, the blog should be updated during this time, so check back for updates. I have no idea exactly what we will be doing, but I have a list a mile long that are all definite possibilities. Surely, I can find a suitable birthday present for myself while shopping in Paris….

OK, I give...

Last weekend, we were in Waxahachie for less than 72 hours...yes, you read that correctly. Because Buddy and I wanted to attend a wedding of some dear friends, wild horses could not have kept us away. So, we made the quick trip back. Due to the fact that I already had either taken most of my vacation OR have it already planned (i.e. 2 weeks in Italy in November), we only had a few days to play with.

We flew out on Thursday AM, arriving in Dallas around 3 PM; by Sunday at 9 AM, we were headed back to D-FW airport (our flight departed at 2:50 pm, but we did not leave until almost 7 pm). I know I am preaching to the choir, but flying home to the US on US airline carriers takes an incredible amount of self-discipline, patience, and an ability to curb the tongue (which is not always easy for me).

I suppose it is too many years living abroad, flying airlines other than US airlines that has spoiled me. Yet, every time we fly on a US airline back/within the states, we are shocked by the state of our domestic airlines. I realize that American, Delta, Continental, Northwest et al are simply trying to stay alive, but the degree of difference in terms of customer service, state of the aircrafts, on-time arrivals, and the general hassle-free experience is shocking. I suppose I would not even be aware of the disparity in US airlines if that was all I flew; but alas, I am painfully aware of the differences as I routinely fly other European and Asian airlines.

Now, being that most of our travel is destined to/from D-FW airport, it will not take a rocket scientist to figure out which US airline we are predominantly interfacing with. Let me give you a hint (and in the words of Buddy) this airline is “nothing special in the air”.

Indulge me as I share a few examples:

• Customer Service Attitude: Flight crews, flight attendants in particular, and ticket agents, are downright surly when dealing with customers in the US. This is a marked difference from their global airline counterparts. It does not matter if you are on crutches or in a wheelchair, have a small baby in your arms, or are Santa Claus in the flesh, each customer is treated with the same level of contempt. I sympathize, I really do. Asking a flight attendant for assistance or a question can be almost life-threatening…proceed at your own risk. I realize that these people are on the front lines trying to keep their jobs, and their company together. However, the customers are not the enemy; they are what are keeping the airlines in business.

• Lack of consistent information – We are compliant travelers; just give us the rules and we will follow them. Nothing is more infuriating than when you contact the airline 3+ times to verify an answer to your question (ticket confirmation, baggage limits, regulations pertaining to traveling with pets), and you get 3+ different answers. I just pray that when I get to the airport that one of the answers I have received is correct. I now pack for multiple scenarios, just in the off-chance I have to pitch something from my suitcase (which I have had to do before).

• On-time arrivals – Can I say, that without incident, I have yet to be on an AA flight within the past 3 years to/from the US that was not late for at least one leg of the journey? Multiple reasons abound: “the aircraft is late”, “the plan must be repaired and there is not a part available, so we’re flying the part in (or worse, trying to get you a new aircraft)”, or "bad weather". Again, don’t mistake the meaning of my message. I want my aircraft to be safe and I need to fly in safe weather. It just seems to me that US airlines are running things so tightly that they don’t have any contingency built in for problems. I have yet to experience this same issue on any Asian or European flights, whether it is domestic or international flights.

• Everything is purchased: Meals, headsets, etc. must all be purchased. Not that either of those is too great of a loss. I make sure I am not depending on the airline to satisfy my hunger needs. Now I bring my own food or eat up heartily before boarding. Many people are even packing their own headsets…Things are not quite so dire on international flights, but that time is a-comin’.
  
  

I could go on, but will stop here. Suffice to say, I am thankful that most of my air travel these days does not involve a US airline. That day will come again…in the not too near future…but until that time, I will enjoy a hassle-free airline experience for all my US friends… courtesy of any airline other than a US one.

Creature Comforts

Living abroad exposes one to so many new experiences: history that is only read about in books, interesting people and places, exotic cultures, and delicious but different cuisines. One’s perspective can really be enlarged, for which I believe is a good thing in this global age.

However, on a recent trip back to Texas for a friend’s wedding, I realized that there are some things I miss. Not to sound like a homer, and in no apparent order, here is a list of creature comforts that I must admit were heartily enjoyed on my trip home last week:

· Texas heat – Yes, it’s true. Having had only a little real summer heat this summer, I can say I miss the dryness of Texas heat. For those of you suffering through 100+ degree heat, I know I must sound like a fool. Just remind me of this fact, when I complain about no A/C in Germany. Side benefit to Texas heat: my hair always does better with less humidity.

· Air conditioning – connected with the first bullet, all stores, businesses, and homes have air con. Sheer heaven.

· Wedding cake – What is it about wedding cake with sour cream icing that is so delicious? I had missed it so much, I had two pieces. No, Dorothy can’t get this in Oz.

· Tex-Mex - It’s a cliché, I know. Tex-Mex is simply good for the soul. Everyone needs a weekly dose to keep the body and mind in good working order.

· Barbecue – Ditto the previous comment re: Tex-Mex. OK, so there is a food theme here…

· Jumbo size, biggie size, super size, Texas size (whatever you call big size) glasses of ice tea – if sweetened tea, all the better.

· 24-hour shopping at Wal-Mart – We went shopping anytime we wanted or needed to and hit the aisles at the Waxahachie Wal-Mart. We arrived at 12:30 am (after the rehearsal dinner) just because we could! Jet-lag also contributed to that decision.

· Product availability - Yes, I found everything on my list at one store. With the exception of the new PC purchase, we picked up everything at Sam’s store. No empty shelves where products should be, but are currently out of stock. No “getting to the grocery store early in the day because by late afternoon, everything is picked over”. It was an embarrassment of riches.

· Crepe Myrtle trees – no where else are these trees as lovely as they are in Texas in the dead of summer. Next time you see a crepe myrtle, remember that I said this.

· Gas prices – You think it’s bad in the US! Enough said.

· English speaking hair dresser – Not that my German hair stylist doesn’t speak a little English, and is a vast improvement over my Korean and Taiwanese hair stylists in terms of capability, but there is still something comforting about getting your hair cut, colored, and high-lighted by someone who I can speak with. I relaxed in the chair for the first time in years, just knowing this simple fact.

· Old friends and family – they’re only at home.

TV Update

The quick update is that we still have no TV cable or satellite in the apartment. I know, this is the 21st century and we continue to be amazed that this is still an open issue.

Since CNN and BBC News are the only English language channels on German cable, we elected to bypass the cable installation entirely. We figured, “Why bother?” On the flip side, we did submit a formal request to the landlord (per German law) to install a satellite dish. Originally we thought that our relocation specialist was handling the request; much to our chagrin, this action has fallen by the wayside. I guess after getting his commission on the apartment, he figured his work was done. So, after submitting this written request to our landlord in writing a week ago, Buddy and I are still waiting for the satellite installation verdict…not sure if that is a good or bad sign. So far, no white or black smoke is visible from the chimney.

We also figured that we would do all we could to ensure that nothing derails the approval process. We have tried to be “really good tenants”, get along well with the neighbors, comply with all the zany German quirks regarding the apartment (no washing clothes on Sunday, keeping our exterior hallway need and tidy, keeping loud noises, such as drilling and music to a low volume, etc.). We are the model tenants….or so we think. Well, we did have a little issue last week…something about leaving for the airport for a business trip at 5:30 am in the morning and “locking my door too loudly”. Is that even possible?

Not that we watch all that much television, but we are amazed that we have been without TV for almost 4 months. I guess when you have to do without, you can …looks like we will have hunker down and wait a bit longer.

Congrats to Juan and Amber

The blog has been a bit quiet for the last few days as Buddy and I traveled back to Waxahachie for a wedding. Some dear friends of ours, Amber and Juan, were married this last weekend, and we were not only there to share in their big day, but to also participate in all of the wedding festivities.

What impressed us most about the entire weekend was the love that was evident in each detail of the wedding ceremony. While Amber and Juan are both accomplished young adults with an exciting future ahead of them (personally and professionally), it was the affection and warmth that was a part of their wedding that was so endearing. Not only did friends and family travel great distances to be there and to share in wedding ceremony, but the events leading up to the actual wedding as well as the ceremony itself were filled with great love: between the bride and groom, by the parents of the bride and groom towards their children who were the first to marry from either side, for extended family who participated in the wedding as wedding party, pastor, and honored guests, and of course, in the good wishes of all the friends.

To the new couple:

Ámbar y Juan -
Felicitaciones a usted ambas sobre su boda reciente y recuerdospara una unión larga y feliz. Recuerde, "el viaje verdadero deldescubrimiento consiste no en buscar nuevos paisajes sino en tenerojos nuevos."

(translation: Congratulations to you both upon your recent wedding and best wishes for a long and happy marriage. Remember, "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes".)

Are Cats Second Class Citizens?

The Germans love their dogs, which is so endearing to see. Everyone seems to be a dog owner, dog lover, purchaser or purveyor of dog supplies and equipment, and all-around dog aficionado. It is grand fun and quite entertaining to sit on the apartment balcony and watch the parade of dogs being walked by their owners.

The Germans appear to be breed agnostic. German Shepherds and Dachshunds are obvious favorites, but our neighbors also have an affinity for Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Dalmatians, Collies, Sheepdogs, Jack Russells, Spaniels of all sorts (Cocker, Springer, English, Brittany, and King Charles), Corgis, Scotties, Beagles, Bassets, Bloodhounds, Bull Mastiffs, Boxers, Pugs…oh, the list just goes on and on. Each evening, we see an endless stream of dogs walking along the neighborhood sidewalks as if they are strutting the runway of a beauty pageant.

The thing is this: While I have had my fair share of dogs in the past, currently I am exclusively a cat owner (and yes, there are more pet owners of cats than dogs in the US). I just can’t get a sense of how popular cats are in Germany, if at all. My anecdotal data suggests that the popularity of cats lags significantly behind dogs and that the “canine is king”, as these examples might show: · Our vet office only has pictures of dogs in the waiting room, as opposed to any other pets, including cats. Now why is this?

· Vet clinics in Germany do not board pets for owners who are traveling on business or pleasure. Recently, Buddy and I were provided a list of boarding facilities from our vet, yet when we called the companies on the list, only 2 of the entire lot were either willing or capable of boarding cats. Not sure why, as felines are a much easier animal to board. Even when we asked our local vet why this trend existed in Germany, he shrugged his shoulders and simply said “Dogs are more popular”. Yea…got that message.

· Pet stores have rows and rows of food and other products for the canine. Sandwiched at the end of the one row is the cat food, litter, and a small assortment of feline-related products.

· I have seen a few random cats skulking in the neighborhood but I can count on one hand the number of times this has occurred. Message: People either don’t own cats or don’t let them outside.

· A dog tax of 5% (of something) is assessed for those German citizens owning dogs; no such tax exists for cats. Perhaps the rationale has more to do with the need to pay for city “pooper-scoopers” rather than anything else.

Clearly, it’s a dog’s world….

Traveling with Others

It happens to all of us…you know...the weird and wacky things that happen to us when we travel with others. Thankfully, these are not life-threatening or serious, and usually can be looked back upon with a sense of humor and a good laugh. Although at the time they are happening, humor can be a bit in short supply.

Take my trip to London and Warsaw last week…again, with everything going on in London, it could have been a lot worse. I do recall having a few of those out-of-body experiences where I vacillated between moments of frustration, kiddy laughter, and a need to sit in the nearest corner and jot my thoughts down for the blog.

Let’s start with the simple premise: traveling with others can be demanding and challenging, but never dull. For married couples/people in committed relationships, we can learn to cope with the pet peeves of travel styles that are not in sync…one person’s need to overpack, the other’s inability to ever pack the right things…one’s desire to want to sleep in and relax, the other’s desire to hit the ground running and see all the castles in a 100 mile radius (which one is me?). Traveling with friends can also be dicey, but after a few “test runs” or practice trips, I can quickly determine who will be compatible travel companions. Trips of significant duration are only taken with friends who have adequately passed the practice trip assessment test. Experience has taught me that the quickest way to ruin a friendship is to embark on a two week trip without figuring out your friend’s travel preferences. Traveling with co-workers is an entirely different matter altogether.

The thing is, you can’t pick the co-workers you travel with…sometimes, it is simply the luck of the draw. And I kept telling myself this last Wednesday as I was making a mad dash though Heathrow Airport because my office traveling companions prefer to be the types that hurl their bodies across the jetway into the plane just as it begins to taxi out on the runway. I, on the other hand, am the “let’s get to the airport early, check in, have a leisurely coffee, stop off for a bathroom break, and re-read War and Peace all before boarding the plane” type. For some unknown reason, my team mates and I were all booked to travel to the airport together in one car. Yet, a small percentage of our contingency felt the need to continue to tweak and fine-tune our presentation up the last possible moment. Now, being a stickler, at times a perfectionist, and even a bit anal retentive, I understand the need to dot the "i"s and cross the "t"s but something about leaving for the airport with less than 55 minutes before take-off was just about enough to put me in a straight jacket.

I’ll spare you too many more details. Bottom line, I left in an earlier car for the airport, and was able to make my way through the baggage check-in line just in time for the rest of my team to arrive at the airport and cut in line at the very moment I was greeting the British Airways ticket agent. As you can imagine, we were all extremely popular with the travelers waiting in line behind us. Unfortunately, pay-back came only too soon, as we were forced to sprint the entire way from passport control and security, dragging our briefcases and suitcases behind us as we were “too late” to check them in anywhere else but the gate. By the time I actually collapsed into my seat, my arms and legs had no feeling in them, sweat was poring down my face, and conversation was virtually impossible. Thankfully, the flight attendant understood sign language and was able to fill my drink request.

The other issue is this: I am not an EU citizen, and as such, am usually instructed to queue in a separate line for passport control from all my EU colleagues. Immigration officials simply waive them through, where I, on the other hand, am lumped into the "all others" group which includes people who are non-EU citizens as well as those who have passport issues, forgot their passports, have no appropriate visa, or are from countries in which the EU places major travel restrictions upon. Upon witnessing my challenge, my EU colleagues gave me really sage advice, “Perhaps you should leave for the airport a little earlier next time.” Gee, now why did I not think of that?

After a pleasant and uneventful flight to Warsaw, our team arrived at the company offices in Poland without issue. Except to say that the tweaking and fine-tuning of the presentation commenced once again, meaning that dinner was pushed back till about 10:30 pm. No problems from me if there is work to be done, but by this time we were debating over font size and color of the graphics. A small coup d’etat was staged with the four of us having finished our work departing for the hotel in search of food. This is where the race car taxi driver entered the story (see blog entitled Warszawa, dated Thursday, July 21, 2005 for further details) depositing us post-haste at the doorstep of our hotel...white knuckles and all.

The good news is that our presentation went well, we raised a glass in celebration of our hard work, and we shared a good laugh through it all. Still, if it just the same with them, I’ll go back to my “arrive at the airport 2 hours before take-off” approach….call me a creature of habit .

Warszawa – Old Town

OK, I think I am getting this now….most European cities and towns have the concept of an “Old Town” and a “Market Square”. Still, I do not seem to tire of seeing another variation of this theme. My apologies for those visiting the Hachie Gal’s blog who have had their fill of discussions and photos of “old towns”. It always seems that old towns combine three of my favorite things: a sense of history and architecture, a place to people watch and shop, and of course, food.



What is most amazing to me about the Old Town in Warsaw is that the city was annihilated during WWII. When I write about this destruction, for most of the city including Old Town, almost 100% lay in ruins at the end of the war. Looking at these pictures included here, it is amazing that these buildings have been reconstructed within the last 40-50 years using nothing but old plans and photographs. That this level of reconstruction could have been achieved during the Soviet period of governance is even more amazing.





Today, the Old Town on Warsaw is the center of wonderful shopping, sightseeing, food, and entertainment.



One of the highlights of the Old Town area for me was the Royal Castle, which was rebuilt in 1977. Of course, I am a HUGE sucker for a good old-fashioned castle; so please go the link on the right hand side entitled “Passport Photos” to see photos of the interior of the palace. A feast for the eyes.



And then, there is the discussion of food. I would not have thought that Polish food could have been that delicious! My limited understanding of the Polish cuisine would have started and ended with Polish Kielbasa sausage and potatoes. Yet, there is a whole Polish cuisine that is making resurgence; and I can understand why. Here is a sample of our dining experiences:

1. A big part of the Polish dining experience centers around soups. Apparently, there are a few Polish standards that everyone says one must taste: (1) Hot and sour cream soup (which is a hot cream soup with a garlic flavor), (2) hot beet soup (red soup made from beets that have a taste of wine flavoring in it, along with little beef dumplings, (3) Borscht, a Polish specialty, and (4) Flaki (tripe soup – and no, I did not try that one).

2. Anything with mushrooms: mushroom garnishes, mushroom soups, mushrooms as vegetable sides, mushroom dumplings…being a gal who loves mushrooms, I was heaven!

3. Polish dumplings – this is where Buddy and I made absolute gluttons of ourselves. We had read that everyone needed to savor Polish dumplings that are made with everything from cheese, vegetables, beef, fish, pork, chicken as well as dessert dumplings. Having stumbled on a restaurant serving nothing but dumplings, we ate there not once but twice. Additionally, I had two meals of mushroom dumplings before Buddy even arrived. Suffice to say, if I had continued to eat nothing but dumplings, I would be the size of one big dumpling. The chocolate dumplings were to die for!

All in all, we found ourselves lured back again and again to this delightful corner of Warsaw…..

Warszawa – The Jewish Ghetto

On Friday, I celebrated my first “official” day off from work since transferring to Germany. After sleeping in “till I woke up”, eating a leisurely breakfast, and taking the morning easy, I took a three-hour sightseeing tour of the highlights of Warsaw. Normally, I do not often use the services of such a local tour group, but I figured that since my sense of direction is so bad and I was not really sure what the “highlights” of Warsaw exactly were, I would use Friday afternoon to do a little reconnaissance before Budman arrived.

The bottom line is that it was a good use of my time (only a three hour commitment), achieved my goal of identifying the city’s main sightseeing spots, and was only 130 PLN (zloty), or USD 35.00. Invariably, though, I seem to have a real oddball for my tour director. My luck ran true once again. This gentleman, while being very nice and trying very hard, told the worst jokes…over and over again. I began to feel uncomfortable for him, they were that bad.

There are a few areas that are indeed worth spending some time in: Warsaw’s Old Town, The Royal Route (which originally was the site of all the aristocratic homes and palaces, but today is the home of several embassies, museums, and art galleries), and the Jewish Ghetto. My afternoon tour did not allow much exploration or dilly-dallying around, which is OK because Buddy and I will check out in a bit more detail this weekend. Hopefully, the afternoon showers that plagued me on Friday will clear for the rest of the weekend.

I did learn a bit of history about Poland and Warsaw, in particular The Jewish Ghetto. Here is some information that I learned today about that area in Warsaw:

· At the start of WWII, Warsaw had over 1,000,000 inhabitants, with approximately 260,000 being Jews. Today, Warsaw is a city of 2,000,000 people, with approximately 2,000 Jews.

· The Jewish Ghetto was the area that the Nazis created in 1939; Jews were forced from their homes throughout Warsaw and relocated to this part of the city. A wall was erected around the Jewish Ghetto, separating the Jews from the rest of the Polish people. Guards were posted at all entrances; only those people working in labor camps were allowed to exit the Ghetto on a regular basis. At the height of the Jewish Ghetto (about 1944), there were over 600,000 people crammed into the designated ghetto area; approximately 7 people lived in one room.

· As the Nazis shifted their strategy from the ghettos to the death camps, Jews were once again forced to leave their homes in the ghetto and board trains for either Treblinka or Auschwitz, under the pretense that they were being sent labor camps. Throughout my tour today, I kept thinking about the movie The Pianist; it was as if I was reliving the experience of the main character as I was touring the area. Jews were shipped out of the ghetto at a rate of 5,000 per day. As the ghetto began to decrease its inhabitants, the Nazis moved the ghetto walls in, so that the space per person continued to be roughly the same.

· Towards the early part of 1944, a few hardy souls banned together to fight when the Nazis invaded the ghetto area to remove the last few people...known as the Warsaw Uprising. Eventually, the Nazis were too much for them, and many died in a suicide pact. Hitler apparently was so angry at this turn of events that he ordered Warsaw to be blown up…house by house with dynamite.

· Today, there is nothing left of the Jewish Ghetto, as most of Warsaw was blown up by the Nazis in 1945. There is a monument to the memory of those Jewish men and women who lived in the area, as well as a monument on the site of the railroad station where the Jews were loaded into railroad cars.





For that matter, nearly all of Warsaw has been rebuilt since 1945. When I say rebuilt, I mean literally rebuilt from the ground up. Tomorrow, I’ll share more about the Old Town area, and the reconstruction efforts since WWII.

Not in London

Thanks to all who have sent emails, called me on my cell phone, and checked in on me in general. I had already left London a day before the latest set of bomb blasts. I really appreciate the concern, and all is A-OK.

Warszawa

Yesterday, I landed in Warsaw as a business trip has brought me to this Polish city. Thankfully, Buddy will be joining me for some weekend sightseeing following my business commitments. All I have seen thus far is the Warsaw airport expansion project, view of the outskirts of the city from the back of a cab, and Warsaw nightlife from the window of a conference room.

What can I tell this you at this time? I am afraid not very much. It has been a while since I exited and airplane directly onto the tarmac and was bused into the arrivals terminal. Thankfully, passport control, while a bit archaic, was relatively hassle free – no arrivals card required.

The most exciting aspect of my trip has been the wild taxi ride from the EDS office last night to the hotel. Myself, along with 3 other EDS colleagues learned that Poles and Texans apparently do have something in common: (1) amber traffic lights mean accelerate through the intersection rather than slow down and (2) driving 10 miles an hour (or perhaps kilometers in this case) over the spped limit is standard operating procedure. For a split second last night, I felt like I was an extra in the Steve McQueen movie “Bullet” as we careened our way through the streets of Warsaw, taking curves on one wheel or “The Dukes of Hazzard” as we flew over the tops of hills. OK, could it be so bad as all that, you ask? Even the veteran EDS Client Executive in the front seat was “white knuckled” as he held on to the dashboard.

The last minute race to prepare for a client presentation has demanded that my team mates and I hunker down in a “soviet-bloc” style office building rather than experiencing the sights and sounds of Warsaw. Give me a day and I promise I will share more…..

Ah, London

Another great reason to visit London, besides the obvious things, is the food! There is every type of food available and usually within close proximity of your home or office. This includes Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Lebanonese, Thai, Greek, Italian, etc. It is a gastronomical smorgasbord!

It is not that Düsseldorf does not have these options as well, as they do. Yet, the flavor tastes as if a German is trying to cook Chinese or Indian food. Don’t get me wrong – I am sure there are delicious options just awaiting our discovery. In London, however, restaurant options are endless. Last evening, not having had a good Chinese meal since leaving Taipei in March, I had a hankering for that cuisine. Much to my delight, I easily and quickly located a Chinese restaurant and indulged myself in spring rolls, sweet corn soup with crab meat, fried noodles, coconut sesame shrimp, and fried rice.

Never thought I would consider Chinese food as a form of “comfort food”.

PS....

I tell you what I don't miss...Taiwan typhoons! There is one now raging over the center of Taiwan. Of course, government mandated "typhoon holidays" are great opportunities to get off of a day of work or school, but there is something about raging storms, high winds, and whirling debri that is just not fun....