My final weekend in Europe as my project has come to a close. I felt it was poetic to spend my last weekend in Germany as the only other time I had done that was my first weekend in Europe which is now over 10 months ago. The weekend was low key and very cold. Basically spent it taking in the Christmas fesitivals all over Stuttgart and Esslingen, which is a neighboring town only 20 minutes away.

Aside from that, I did run into a bunch of Stuttgart soccer players who were staying in my hotel the weekend they played Bayern Munich. Huge game with lots of excitment in the air. Very fun to see people’s expressions as they run into these players in the hotel. Most of them are in absolute awe. Below are some photos from the weekend of December 12th, 2008:

Achtung. Sie verlassen jetzt West-Berlin!
I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time in Berlin over the weekend of June 20th, 2008. Early into my exploration, I was quickly disarmed by the massive size of the city which immediately prompted me to narrow in on the significant landmarks I just had to see. The vast majority of the city is vibrant with energy, modern architecture, yet still draws important attention to its tragic history which should never be forgotten.

Here are some of my favorite spots I was able to see:
1. Berlin Cathedral (Gothic monstrosity at its finest)
2. Checkpoint Charlie (You have to go there and get your picture taken)
3. Holocaust Memorial (Very unique memorial)
4. Potsdamer Platz
5. Topography of Terror (You can’t help but get emotional when you visit this place)
6. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial (amazing church that was left standing after the war and later preserved to symbolize Germany’s resolve and dedication to rebuilding the city)
7. Book Burning Memorial
8. Reichstag (First house of parliament of the German empire)
9. Lustgarten (Park area directly in front of the Cathedral and Museum Island)
1o. Fernsehturm or TV Tower (I didn’t go up but it supposedly touts the best 360 degree view of the entire city)

Here are some photos from the weekend:

Click slideshow to view all photos taken from the weekend:

For those of you that don’t know, I’m a pretty big soccer fan. Admittedly, I enjoy playing it much more then watching but when a major tournament is in session, I can’t help but get into it. I’ve been a fan of the Portuguese national team since I was a child so I couldn’t help but root for them in this year’s Euro 2008 tournament. They played poorly in the qualifying games but they made it into the tournament just the same. As the tournament unfolded, Portugal quickly became one of the favorites to win the entire thing. Ah, but this expectation was short-lived as the Germans took it to them by claiming a decisive 3 – 2 victory in the quarters. C’est la vie.

Anyway, I was hesitant to attend a public viewing of the match as I knew I’d have to celebrate silently in the midst of several hundred (must of been over 400 people, easy) soccer crazed Germans. I managed to stick around until half time but I then retreated to my hotel room to watch the final minutes of the game in disgust. My second favorite team in the tournament was Holland but now that they are knocked out so I now feel compelled to root for Germany. Let’s see what happens.

Here’s a nice pre kick-off photo (Taken on June 19th, 2008) where I was still feeling pretty confident about Portugal’s chances:

Photos from a nice team event in Rothenberg, Germany. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia), the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City.  A significant fraction of Rothenburg is carfree.

Photos taken on June 10, 2008:

A few hours of siteseeing and an evening of medieval dining really capped things off. 

 I was fortunate enough to join a team event where we attended the Mercedes Benz two hour factory tour, at the European Delivery Center in Sindelfingen, Germany. I felt privileged to have a first hand look at Mercedes meticulous assembly processes, from start to finish. C-Class and S-Class. I was especially impressed with the large number of robots used in the early stages of the line. Not to mention the speed and harmony in which they operated between themselves. These machines almost appeared to be alive….Creepy, I know.

Anyway, here’s a nice photo of some colleagues in the souvenir center just before we started our tour. Photo was taken on June 3, 2008:

Following and evening of full-filled festivities with some colleagues, I had the opportunity to do some sightseeing in Frankfurt on Sunday. Frankfurt is essentially known for its financial district but it really was a nice little place.

Photos were taken on April 13, 2008…

Ten times better then his old Boxster…Amazing vehicle. He was kind enough to be my driver for the day and took me to all the hotspots in Frankfurt. It’s a pretty small place so it took maybe 2 – 3 hours. It’s like a miniature version of NYC.

City hotspots…

Mehdi insisted I pose in front of this poster. Apparently it’s some major event that Ernst & Young Germany sponsors every year.

My weekend trip to Frankfurt was probably the most fun I’ve had since the beginning of my Germany experience. I think alot of it may have had to do with the fact that I actually had some company this time. The festivities started on Saturday night when we first had dinner at the Surf ‘N Turf (arguably the best steak house in Germany) and ended with a very entertaining show at the Tigerpalast. The event was comprised of a very eclectic group of performers such as singers, contortionists, acrobats, jugglers, etc. It was an intimate venue which made for a very engaging experience.

The following photos were taken on April 12, 2008:

A few lessons learned about this magical steakhouse:
1. When consuming a slab of beef that is called a “lawyers cut”, be prepared to have awful nightmares for at least 2 – 3 nights. This according to Dr. Farhadi.
2. Don’t be afraid to order the “Ladies Cut”, even if you’re a man, as the name is quite deceiving.
3. It’s never a good idea to surreptitiously take photographs of random people at another table even when it’s for a humorous reason.

Tigerpalast Theater…Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos during the show.

I was fortunate enough to have my significant other visit me while in Germany for 4 days. We tried to make the most of if even though the weather was quite ghastly.

Photos were taken from the weekend of April 4th.

Welcome to Stuttgart…

Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan

Residenz Museum (simply amazing)

Peterskirche – Church of St. Peter

Frauenkirche – Cathedral Church of Our Lady (Landmark of the city)

 Pictures were taken on February 13th:

Ah, this was a fun evening…This was the night of my first Porsche experience. My colleague (Mehdi) took me out for a spin in his Boxster after I showed a mild interest in seeing what she can do. Learn more about Mehdi and his professional experience by clicking here: Click here to view.

We started the night by cruising around the town with the top down and the heat blasting. It was actually quite comfortable for a while. Mehdi then proceeded to methodically inform me of the true brilliance of Porsche by speaking to each of vehicle’s superb attributes. It was great! If you knew Mehdi’s playful personality and distinct accent, it would bring a smile to your face and perhaps even spark an uncontrollable chuckle or two. I mean this is the guy that said “I like to drive fast to feel alive”, followed by: “I like getting tickets now and then so I don’t feel so lame”. Come on…How funny is that? As we made our way to the Autobahn, I have to admit I was getting a bit anxious. I mean, we were heading to a section of the highway with no speed limit, which is obviously what the infamous road is known for. As we turned the bend and made our way to the onramp, Mehdi dramatically turns down the music while simultaneously tilting his head in my direction. He then says…I kid you not. “Listen…Listen to the sound. (Referring to the engine as he revved it up) This is the sound of Porsche…So beautiful…Are you ready? Here we gooooooo!” I started laughing hysterically but was quickly silenced as were blew down the highway. I was immediately amazed by the acceleration and the control as we weaved in and out of traffic. I didn’t have the courage to look over at the speedometer but he mentioned we maxed out at around 230 kph or 142 mph. I think he sensed I was getting a bit nervous so he held back on me quite a bit. He later confirmed my thought. I’m such a wimp.

As we made our way back to the hotel, he insisted I test drive his car. The obvious problem was that I have never driven standard before. I know…Pathetic. He then graciously offered to give me my first lesson. Guys got the patience of a saint. It was awesome! You won’t see me driving on the highway anytime soon but I think I’ve officially mastered speeds between 0 – 10 mph. Hey…It’s a work in progress but how cool of a story is it to say I took my first lesson in a Porsche?

So on to some visuals to complete your mental imagery of the evening:

 I’m currently typing up this posting while I travel at 38,000 feet…It appears that I’m now at the center point between Frankfurt and JFK airport, directly over the Atlantic Ocean. This is the tail-end of my third week in Stuttgart for what has thus far been an exciting and challenging engagement. I’m sure there’s plenty more where that came from. Anyway…I wanted to take a moment to commemorate and share some of the non work related activities I’ve managed to squeeze in here during my short time.

Hope you enjoy!

The following photos were taken on the weekend of February 8th in Stuttgart, Germany:

Now this was interesting. It was probably the most intense game of Bocci I’ve ever seen. Located in a beautiful park directly across my hotel. Very competitive and angry old men. Good times… :