Naturelich

A three-day trip broght me back to Big Apple. I had been to New York City on another occassion for just one day, giving me time to enjoy the view from Empire State Building and taking a very quick tour through the city. TO be honest, I was not really excited about New York City. Manhattan is of course an impressive place to be but it is also way too crowded and smelly for my personal taste. Maybe it's because I originate from a rural area - yes, a village with about 25,000 people. I didn't like the way I could only see the sky when looking directly upward (causing considerable pain in the neck if applied for a long time).

This time however, we had two afternoons off plus half the Sunday. This gave me a chance to make my peace with NYC: we saw real NYC comedy, enjoyed a German Kölsch beer in a restaurant / bar and visited Planet Hollywood on Time Square. We also enjoyed a steak in Michael Jordan's Steakhouse in Grand Central Station. But the biggest highlights for me was a vist to the MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was able to see several paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and many many more and I would have loved to stay a little bit longer.

As some of you might know, I am a big fan of bridges. Therefore, most of the pictures were taken when crossing the Brooklyn Bridge (yet another personal highlight).

New York City stereotype

Continue reading "Big Apple" »

Posted by Naturelich at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's my second time in Berlin this month. Earlier, I had visited the Waldbühne to enjoy a fabulous Metallica concert. The Waldbühne is adjacent to Berlin's Olympic Stadium - the arena for today's quarter finale match between Germany and Argentina. I went pretty nuts during the game. This was probably the best thriller I have seen so far.
Hope you enjoy some of the images...

Optimists

Continue reading "Germany vs. Argentina - Penalty shootout thriller" »

Posted by Naturelich at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am currently staying in Anaheim for a conference. From here it is not far to Disneyland and it is also not too far to Los Angeles. After our arrival on Saturday we have been to Santa Monica beach. The weather was great but not too hot - it was not that busy as I had expected. Seeing the pacific ocean again ist certainly cool.

We used Sunday to do some shopping. We visited three shopping malls in Anaheim which were pretty disappointing. After extending our search radius we decided to go to Ontario Mills mall. Three shirts, one pullover and a new pair of shoes. Pretty successful, I guess. :D

On Monday evening after the conference we went to dinner at an Australian restaurant (Outback something). The steak was superb and we had a monster-sized onion. I bet this thing was genetically engineered. We are going to grap some lunch later this afternoon and heading out tomorrow. The flight will be about 12 hours - wish me luck for an exit row seat.... ;)

Posted by Naturelich at 2:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wilma has arrived in Florida this morning. I woke up this morning when some heavy rains and winds where bearing against the window of the hotel room. It was not bad but the sound wasn't nice. I turned on the TV and almost all channels had a special as WIlma's eye had just hit South Florida. In addition to the hurricane several tornados touched down a couple of miles South of Orlando. All stations were drawing a totally devastating picture and it seemed all very dangerous.

Continue reading "Wilma" »

Posted by Naturelich at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have returned to the hotel room just minutes ago. The hotel is currently seeing a number of evacuees arriving from Key West. That's where Wilma is going to hit the hardest. On our drive to the hotel we had a heavy rainstorm but nothing too serious. I guess (and hope) Wilma will not hit Orlando too hard...

Posted by Naturelich at 5:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After the last conference sessions, we took a taxi to Chicago O'Hare. Upon arrival, there was this wonderfully nice person at the United Airlines economy check-in queue who segregated electronic-ticket holders from paper ticket holders to the correct line. What a friendly and over-enthusiastic person. A useless job if you ask me. But anyway, if they want to go bankrupt, they should.

When checking in with TED we were put on stand-by for the earlier flight. The attendant pointed out that even if we were not getting a seat on the first flight, our luggage will definitely come along on the earlier flight.

We headed through the security checkpoint (less friendly personnel there) and - hooray - we save two hours of waiting time and get the sixteenhundredsomething-flight.

But...

We were a little bit surprised when our luggage did not make it. We therefore filled out the required loss-of-luggage notification and went to the hotel. The friendly lady from United was able to track down our suitcases which had boarded the plane but not arrived. Apparently, someone must have taken them off again. OK, maybe United should invest their money in decent luggage transportation personnel rather than someone telling me which line use when holding a paper-based ticket. But anyway, the lady was really nice and told us any missing pieces would be in tonight (with the last flight) and provided us with an emergency toiletry kit. Little did we know...

We checked in to the hotel and went downtown at 23:00 p.m.- still in business casual, which felt a little bit inappropriate, but what can you do? After a quick party we returned at 2:30 a.m. - all bars close at 2:00 a.m. due to state legislation.
Back in the hotel we were happy enough to find no luggage whatsoever. Yuck. That's been really really bad and if I can avoid flying TED - I will... My suitcase only turned up at 12.30 p.m.

Posted by Naturelich at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(c) Naturelich 2005

After our day at the conference, we quickly changed and took a taxi to the Briar Street Theatre. After a 20 dollar drive we first picked up our tickets. Afterwards we enjoyed a nice meal at a diner. The diner was a very friendly place - the total opposite of what you are used to in Germany. We returned to the theatre and huge crowds had already formed at the ticket booth. Luckily, we were able to walk past the line and made it ON TIME to the show.

Since I don't want to spoil anyone's experience I will say only this much about this show: it was both funny and original,very interactive and really something new.

Posted by Naturelich at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's the first time for me in this city. At first I was stunned by the skyline. It's really huge. Here is a quick glimpse.

Having checked into the hotel I am going to watch an ESPN2 broadcast of a Champions League game: Manchester vs. Lille.

Posted by Naturelich at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We spent two and a half days on Juist. Juist is a narrow but long island on the German North Coast (Wikipedia). The island is one of the East Frisian Islands. We stayed at Nordsee-Hotel Freese, a great hotel which is a member of Relais du Silence.

The biggest hurdle for Naturelich were the ferry trips. I "love" ferries! :-(
The weather was awful and the sea was rough. Happily everything on the ship stayed where it belonged (if you know what I mean).

The monster ferry

On Friday, we enjoyed a long walk on a stormy beach. Some few raindrops hit us followed by sunshine, followed by another few raindrops. The sea was truly fantastic. Great waves, very atmospheric.
We decided to enjoy a decent cup of Ostfriesentee (a special strong kind of tea served with cream and "Kluntje" sugar) together with a cheesecake. In the evening we enjoyed a great dinner at Köbes restaurant. We all decided for fish dishes - and they were really great. Some more or less alcoholic beverages (in small dosages) served as digestifs and we returned to the hotel. As the Germans say: Vollgefuttert aber glücklich!
Naturelich enjoyed a quick visit to the hotel sauna and went to bed early. Saturday was waiting...

Continue reading "Juist" »

Posted by Naturelich at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have just returned from two days in Brussels. I enjoyed a quick visist to Manneken Pis and the Grand Place. Together with my colleagues we enjoyed dinner and a few Belgian beer.

Our way home was spoinled by the huge traffic problems. The rush hour in Brussels is simply a nightmare. It took us about 1 hour to get out of the city centre. Ugly...

Posted by Naturelich at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today, holiday traffic converted some Autobahns into a parking lot. It's a bad thing if you're caught right in the middle of "things". In this sense, things mean Dutch Caravans and German family limousines - both stuffed to the top with baggage, beach equipment and possibly a roof rack on top.

I can tell you - it is no Fahrvergnügen to get to a meeting in Frankfurt. From Düsseldorf, tt took 4 hours to get there - 1.5 hrs longer than normal (which already includes some traffic congestions in my favorite city Cologne). Do I sound bitter? Do I sound annoyed? Not really, but if I were to write a review of German Autobahn right now it would not be fantastic. I will stop my clichéd rantings and leave you with a quote from Texas Highwayman dot com. This puts the experience it in a nutshell:

The Autobahn is the pinnacle of the German driving experience, perhaps the ultimate in driving altogether. Virtually all of the world's serious drivers have heard of it and longed to take their shot at conquering it. German cars are known for their precise engineering and craftsmanship; the Autobahn completes the driving equation.

Some people are disappointed the first time they drive on the Autobahn. They come with visions of a twenty-lane superhighway where cars are barely a blur as they whiz by. In reality, the Autobahn looks like the average freeway, and despite rumors to the contrary, not everyone is traveling at the speed of sound. And the stories of unlimited speed are only half correct-- many sections of Autobahn do have speed limits.

"[...] not everyone is travelling at the speed of sound" - I betcha...

Posted by Naturelich at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am off to Barcelona for the weekend enjoying a stay at the Hotel La Florida.

Continue reading "Barcelona" »

Posted by Naturelich at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I left Basel and headed for Munich tonight. My hotel is located in Neuperlach - not the best area to live in. It's about €60,- by taxi from the Airport. But the hotel room was not expensive. Great, the intention was too save some money. Next time, I'll use a good airport hotel and organize a lift with one of my colleagues. Just in time, I was able to grap a Gyros Pita (for €3,-) and enjoyed Brazil tie Japan 2:2. How great, if Brazil had lost this game...

Posted by Naturelich at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Naturelich has arrived in Basel for another business trip. Since the weather is excellent (>34°C) the hotel room was not the best place to stay in the evening. The Rhine river banks were populated with sun-loving people. Many dived into the water swimming down the river for a few hundred meters. It is just amazing here. If only I could get rid of the suit & the tie I am wearing here and join these people. It would just be an extraordinary holiday. Tonight, I hope to find a Biergarten with a huge TV set. Germany plays Argentina. And Kahn is not on the team. Great news, isn't it?

Tinquely Fountain 1

Click on the link below to get more impressions of yesterday's walk through the city. I hope you enjoy these...

Continue reading "Sunny Basel" »

Posted by Naturelich at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Having returned from two days in Switzerland I am pretty exhausted. The Swiss plane was stuck at Basel airport for half an hour and due to bad thunderstorms, the service was stopped. Bad luck for someone who was naturelich hungry. Even worse, because this was the first flight after Swiss had re-introduced free snacks in eco.

Airberlin was far better on the flight to Zurich. Friendly, quick and cheap. Just a little bit too early in the day. Getting up at 4.00 o'clock is not one of my particular strengths...

I stayed in Solothurn's the Hotel an der Aare from Thursday night to Friday. The hotel was opened in January 2005 and is one of the best hotels in the city. The hotel building was used as a hospital (Altes Spital) in the 18th century. The hotel has a magnificent view over the Aare river and the mountains. Especially the restaurant is magnificient - given the right weather. And funny enough, the sun was shining all along in Switzerland...

Posted by Naturelich at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow. That's been something. It has been a long trip from New Orleans via Chicago O'Hare via London Heathrow to Düsseldorf. The worst thing occured to me in London. Apparently, Heathrow does not have a decent transportation system. Therefore, they use buses to take passengers from terminal to terminal. Guess who had a short connection? Guess who missed the first bus and had to wait ten minutes for the next(regularly one is supposed to wait 6 minutes, but it was not a regular day)? Guess who stood in the wrong (read: slow) line at security? Yes, naturelich, you have already guessed correctly.

You can imagine my relief when I noticed the flight was delayed. This actually gave me a few minutes to walk (read: not run) to the gate. It was a British Airways flight. Yes, and there was a reason for the delay - the air condition was not working. After my rush to the gate I had just cooled down a little bit. And things were starting to heat and sweat up again. Imagine: we are sitting there in this miserable British Airways plane and little flight attendant cannot bring no water to none of the passengers. Yeah, exactly, remember the slogan: ba.com - making traveling easier?

The pilot was going like hell to make up for the delay and he was able to cut it down to 45 minutes only. By that time, the air condition was running again. I went home just to unpack my suitcase, water the plants and grab something to eat. I just wanted to sleep - but could not. I therefore enjoyed watching some decent German television. I went to bed at 1 a.m. and slept 14 hourse until 3 p.m.
A new personal record! Can you imagine? I could've slept even longer but the phone was ringing and this woke me up. Bad luck, I know.

The bad news is: my sleep cycle is completely messed up. I woke up at 4 a.m. and started to read and work and naturelich update my blog. And now I am waiting for the shops to open - I am hungry...

Posted by Naturelich at 4:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was sitting at New Orleans' Armstrong International Airport and reading a book, when all of a sudden spontaneous applause started to rise from somewhere. It was rather strange as I was not able to see anything. Maybe some famous film stars arriving?! Or a popular politician or rock band? But no: it was soldiers arriving. They were easy to recognize in their "desert uniform". People were applauding and tapping onto their shoulders.

Naturelich, I was rather surprised...

Posted by Naturelich at 4:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have just returned from 2 hours on foot through New Orleans. It is totally exhausting. The weather is so hot and humid! It's simply unbearable. Naturelich, you are extremely happy, when entering an air-conditioned shop. I'll quickly take a shower and continue back into the action with a colleague of mine.

But now, enough of the talking, here are some impressions...

Balcony in French Quarter

Continue reading "New Orleans - Small Picture Gallery" »

Posted by Naturelich at 2:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

It's the most surprising cocktail I have ever had. It is a New Orleans special. Registered as a trademark it may not be copied by other bars and restaurants in the US. It is only available at Tropicalisle and Funky Pirate on Bourbon Street. It is really sweet and really strong - but only after a while. At first you don't really notice but after half an hour it really hits you hard. And the hit is just like some kind of grenade kicking you off your feet! I definitely recommend them. Oh, and, by the way, there is no living being who had five in a row... :)

Posted by Naturelich at 1:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

The journey to New Orleans has been good. I went with British Airways to London Heathrow where I enjoyed a few hours at the airport. Time goes by easily if you have to change between terminals and can get to visit a few shops (books, DVD, music,...). The British were all watching their FA Cup Final and a huge noise was made by the fans after a team had scored. It is quite interesting to see that not only Germans are like that.... ;-)

Anyway. I went on to the gate where the American Airlines Boing had just arrived. I had asked for a seat near the bulk where people have more leg space - even in economy class. And: I was really lucky - I got the last seat. Oh, did I mention that it was next to a young family with two very young children. My mood was deteriorating a little bit. But the kids were really nice and I could get a good night's (afternoon's actually) sleep. I also read a book during the flight which was very fascinating.

After going through US immigration and customs at Chicago O'Hare Intl. I had to wait another hour at the gate. I got an ice tea and an apple and continued reading. I was getting really tired. On the United flight to New Orleans I slept the whole time and had a hell of a pain in the neck. The flight was crowded and there was little leg space. But anyway, I finally made it to New Orleans, took a cab to the hotel and here I am using the hotel's complimentary internet connection to update my blog. Next thing up is breakfast and to register at the conference.

Posted by Naturelich at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Naturelich will be leaving for New Orleans in about 14 hours. It's gonna be a long trip and I will arrive at about 23:00 local time. I suspect I'll have no trouble sleeping then. I hope to have some internet access there and maybe post some news. But do not bet too much money on this. I seem to have very limited time lately to update the blog regularly.

Posted by Naturelich at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Burg Wassenberg was the location for a two day meeting. The hotel is located close to the border between Germany and The Netherlands in a rural but atmospheric area. The rooms are good, with the exception of the bathroom. The shower is definitely not build for larger people. The hotel is a nice country hotel with medieval furniture, knight's armors and several huge fireplaces. This makes a visit worthwile.

In addition to accomodation the hotel features a wellness area and a nice restaurant. Due to a cold I was not able to visit the wellness area (pool, solarium, steam bath, etc.) but the restaurant offered great dishes in a warm and friendly environment.

Posted by Naturelich at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I arrived in Basel today for another week of business activities. Unfortunately for me, Basel hosts Baselworld one of the biggest watch and jewellery shows. Therefore all the taxis at the airport were already gone and I had to wait 30 minutes in a long, long queue. Also, the city will be really crowded during the week.

This put aside: the weather is extremely beautiful. While sitting in the Taxi I thought: if only this were a week of holidays. But it is not and I have to sit in the office all day long. Baaad luck...

Posted by Naturelich at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Back in Basel again. Besides work, not much is happening here, so I have to talk about the wheather. :-)

The temperature is freezing and I still need to get something to eat. Yesterday I crossed Wettstein bridge and almost froze to death. These days everyone seems to be complaining about the weather. In German we have a word for this: Waschlappen! You can read a funny piece on this by following the link below.... (in German only)

Continue reading "Wheather in Basel" »

Posted by Naturelich at 7:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After two days of learning in Brussels, I have just returned home. Now, I am very much looking forward to some relaxation during the weekend. And of course some washing and ironing for the upcoming week in Basel.
Outlook for the first actions on Saturday:
Two packages with new goods are waiting for pickup at my post office. I need some milk and something to real to eat. Thus, I have to get up early tomorrow and shall lay me down to get some sleep...

Posted by Naturelich at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While sitting in the business lounge at Basel airport I finally find a few minutes to update this blog. I have been on customer-site in Basel today. I arrived in Hotel Europe and had to notice that I forgot my laptop's powercable. What a pity for the internet addict. Now, I could not update the blog yesterday as I needed all the cell power for today's workshop.

Thus, I was forced into watching the Champions League games. Bayern Munich won 3:1 against Arsenal London! Although the first half was rather lame, the second half made up for the first 45 minutes (I missed the first goal due to flight connections). A cool result and maybe we will see more of Olli Kahn in the next round of the tournament.

The flight to Brussels is leaving right now. Maybe I will have access to the net from there. A colleague of mine will bring the missing power cable so I hopefully won't run into any additional trouble on Thursday. Wish me luck...

Posted by Naturelich at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

American taxpayers are made aware of the fortune the government spends on the war in Iraq. This initiative is sponsored by CostofWar.com.

Please note the sarcasm in my post (category assignment!)

Also, I think reducing it to a monetary figure (whatever the increase) does not suit the topic either. I mean there are people dying on both sides!

Posted by Naturelich at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have just arrived in Basel. The great news is, this hotel has a wireless LAN access, a Swisscom mobile hotspot. 30 minutes at CHF 9.00 enable Naturelich to present some live action pictures with my camera's nighshot functionality. In addition the hotel offers in-room tea & coffee which saves my life. Naturelich is always anxious to sleep as long as possible trying to avoid breakfast as often as possible. But enjoying a cup of tea or coffee in the morning is really cool.

Tomorrow I will be on customer site, enjoying a wonderful workshop. Same duty on Friday, just a different customer. I have to go now: halftime-break is over and the soccer match Germany vs. Argentia in DÜsseldorf (wish I were there!) continues. Go, Germany, go!!

Posted by Naturelich at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And off we go to Basel again! If I new enough PHP, I could program a repeating entry in this blog which gets published randomly every once in a while. I keep travelling to Basel so very often that this program would probably be telling the truth 80% of the time.

As a novelty I will be staying in Hotel Europe, part of the BâleHotels hotel chain. My regular "residence" was fully booked, so this was the next best opportunity. Next week, Basler Fasnacht will start - Basel has always been one week "behind" German carnival. In 2004, I was present during Morgenstreich which was an exciting experience. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it this year. The city is too crowded and too loud for anyone to work.

Posted by Naturelich at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today, Naturelich is leaving for another short trip to Basel, Switzerland. Business, business, business, projects, projects, projects... Back on Friday...

Posted by Naturelich at 7:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The fourth day in Basel. I am enjoying my stay here although I could use more time to buy some additional christmas presents. I always took pride in buying presents earlier than the very last day, but this year it just has to be different. We shall see what shops still have to offer. My homeflight is scheduled to leave at around 1700 so I still have a few hourse in the evening to attend to the household and to wrap some of the presents I already have. Additionally, I am very much looking forward to opening the remaining doors of my advent calendar (all but one, of course). Maybe I can enjoy another good cup of tea - for relaxation purposes.

Tomorrow I will take off for Osnabrück (after getting the last prezzies in Düsseldorf) where I shall enjoy Christmas with my family. Happy Holidays to everyone reading these lines...

Posted by Naturelich at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I arrived in Basel yesterday morning and was surprised by all the snow at the airport and throughout the city. I was told it was snowing heavily on Sunday! Thus, I decided to visit the christmas market in the evening. Although it was rather cold (-8 C) the market itself was wonderful. Since this has already become a kind of tradition, I enjoyed a Klöpfer (a special kind of sausage). The booth were fabulous and have somewhat changed over the years (which cannot be said about all the christmas markets). It was also very nice, that the booth were arranged in a more dungeon-like fashion. This way, the wind was not able to penetrate the spot that much. In addition, it makes discovering new things far more enjoyable.

In a lucky moment I was even able to find another christmas present which is really beautiful. Although I can't tell you what it is...

Posted by Naturelich at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since I have recently missed my home flight, I had to drive by rental car from Basel back to Düsseldorf. I seem to have acquired taste for driving the entire way by car (sarcastic irony): on Monday I had a business meeting in Frankfurt am Main. The rest of the week holds more meetings in Basel. Therefore, I decided to take the entire journey by car. Which could potentially be rather nice, if it only offered the opportunity to further investigate the surrounding areas of Basel (located in a border triangle between Switzerland, France and Germany). However, the entire schedule here is so busy, I cannot afford to have much spare time. It was suggested by my laborious, painstaking self to spend the evenings working in the hotel.

Holy Exception: It is November. Oh - and what makes this month an exception? Well, November, is Käsefondue-time (cheese fondue-time) in Basel. And tomorrow will be Käsefondue-Day. Should Germany ever decide to get rid of their National Holiday (Day of Reunification) (eds. note: as was suggested by German government last week), I suggest we give Germany a new national holiday for Käsefondue day. This would enable Germans to drive to Switzerland to enjoy this delicious meal (eds. note #2: written by someone who normally does not like to eat cheese...). Then this holiday would not only be bad for German econonmy as is our current National Holiday (if we believe the government). It would be twice as bad, as all the money would be spend on Swiss Käsefondue-restaurants... Can someone please suggest this to the German government ;-)

Posted by Naturelich at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Naturelich missed his return flight from Basel! What a joke! 2 minutes too late! The guy at the gate (Swiss) was unfortunately not very helpful.

My baggage had already been unloaded. Congratulations and a nice weekend.

So I had to run through the airport back and forth - again and again - to hunt down my suitcase. After 45 minutes: I was lost but the baggage found. Then, I decided to take a rental car back to Düsseldorf. It was already 19:30 when I was getting off in a black BMW 320 Diesel. Beam me to Düsseldorf, Scotty. The weather was not all too good, so I had to drive carefully. The beamer is limited to go not faster than 220 km/h. On the way, I picked up my photo camera's power cord which a colleague of mine had forgotten at a hotel nearby. I reached home sweet home at around 23:30 hrs, brought my suitcase upstairs (still with "Carry on baggage", "Swiss priority" and "DUS"-stickers on it) and would have loved to go to bed.

As you can imagine Basel weeks are always rather exhausting so I had far too little sleep. But the car had to get to the airport.

So I refueled the horse. Accidently took Shell V-Power for EUR 1.109 a liter. Today is a good day to die.

Then I drove to the airport - being a little envious at all the tourists arriving, who had 2 weeks of holidays - where I dropped the keys off.

Well, a taxi. A very friendly driver. But taking me along the more expensive way. Thank you, Oh Mighty Lord, for this wonderful day!

Now, at around 1:20 a.m. (after having unpacked and repacked for tomorrow's trip to Osnabrück) I am writing this blog entry, knowing that next time I read it, it will all sound better than it does right now... Good night!

Posted by Naturelich at 1:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On the flight back we had to go via Charlotte and Munich. As we were rather late in Orlando, they did not check us in for the two flights still to come. So we had to hurry to the Lufthansa gate in Charlotte. After my colleague asked for seats with additional room for Naturelich's long legs, I added "We wouldn't mind being upgraded to business class either..." Having tried this earlier, I knew the chances of success were slim, but this time - she did it. "Gentlemen, with this coupon you will get a free drink in our lounge. I have upgraded you guys to business class and I hope you enjoy your flight!" --- "Ohhhh, thank you very much" - suppressing some inappropriate jumps through the air! She did it. I like to believe, it must have been my charm, but, anyway...

Off to the lounge we went, enjoying Heineken's there and a wonderful and relaxing flight on the way home - with enough leg space...

Posted by Naturelich at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to the weather forecas, hurricane Ivan is probably not to hit the Orlando area in full. Some rain and thunderstorms are expected. Those are not part of the main hurricane but rather inflicted indirectly by the hurricane. So probably no need to worry for our return flights on Wednesday noon...

Posted by Naturelich at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today came to an end in the Bamaha Breeze bar in Orlando with dinner plus a few Mexican Negro Modelo beers. 100% exhausted -- the only thing remaining is to get a good night's sleep...

Posted by Naturelich at 3:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today, I spend half the days shopping at the Premium Outlet center in Orlando. Naturelich, a very successful afternoon. I got hold of two new pairs of shoes, four shirts and two pullovers. The good news: now, there is no need for the regular Naturelich autumn shopping event - or at least I can do it much faster when I'm back...

Posted by Naturelich at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We went to Universal Studios Florida today.

Continue reading "Universal Studios, Orlando" »

Posted by Naturelich at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After a long long flight via Frankfurt and Washington Dulles we finally arrived only one hour late in Orlando. Next thing was to get a car. Welcome to service-country: the car was already waiting for us, we just had to get it and go. If I think of the time and trouble it takes to rent a car in Germany it was lightning speed. We then made our way to the hotel. The Peabody Orlando is magnificent! Great rooms, nice conference area and the greatest feature is complimentary wireless LAN. So, this is why I can write to you now...

After a short five-minute break, we went into a bar where we enjoyed some beers along with some chicken wings and delicious prawns. Totally tired we went to bed and enjoyed a good 8 hours of sleep.

Posted by Naturelich at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I will be on a trip to Orlando, Florida from September 10th to 16th. Our residence in the themepark capital of the world is the Peabody hotel not too far away from the major attractions. On Saturday, we have scheduled a visit to Universal Studios Florida. I hope to take part in the Shrek-4D, Terminator 2:3D Battle Across Time, MIB: Alien Attack, Jaws, Twister and so many more. The rest of the week is packed with business events and conference organization. Looking 4wd to this...

Posted by Naturelich at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A business trip to the small but beautiful city of Worms (Germany) offered a visit to Worms' Backfischfest. A few glasses of tasty wine at the Fischerwääder Kerb and some wonderful music made this evening naturelich enjoyable.

Posted by Naturelich at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Buckingham Palace has opened it's doors again to the public. After 30 miuntes in a looong queue we finally made it. Naturelich equipped with a program and headphones we felt honoured to be admitted into the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace. The visit was well worth the money! Actually walking through the rooms everyone has seen to some extend on television is an astonishing and marvelous experience. Although the modesty of Her Royal Majesty is well-known, but I have to say: these rooms make you feel the power the British Empire has.

We were particularly impressed with the pieces of art: paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, incredible Sèvres porcelaine and wonderful pieces of furniture. You ain't seen nothing yet! To put it in a nutshell: 12 GBP very well invested! More details on the official pages of the British Monarchy.

Posted by Naturelich at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The tradition started off in Paris, France in 1996. Since then, it has been Naturelich policy to visit at least one park during a weekend stay in a major city. In London it was time to take walk on the bright side in Hyde Park. The weather was beautiful and the atmosphere very quite and relaxed. A lot of people where cruising with their rented pedal boats. Others fed the birds and yet a third group - and by far the largest - enjoyed a foot bath in The Princess Diana memorial. The fountain, opened by HRM The Queen Elizabeth II. earlier this year, had been closed due to some people slipping on wet fountain stones. Someone should have told the designer that children, fast-running water and slippery stone do not mix. Not even if you pay 3.6m GBP for the fountain. Now, they have placed security guards with the duty to stop visitors from running around. Well, we'll see what the future brings...

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We have been to the We Will Rock You musical in London. It was brilliant! For a Queen fan this is a must! Even for someone not so much into the group - go see it in London - as there are plenty of hardcore Queen fans transforming this venue into a real rock concert . The crowd was singing along to the most famous songs (We are the Champions, We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody) and giving standing ovations at the end. Naturelich, we had to buy some glowing lights to participate in the grand finale - this was real fun!

On second note, be aware that the show mainly consists of the two first Best Of-albums from Queen the legendary band. Although, the song texts have been revised but not too much-you will be able to identify them easily. As my sister pointed out: it is astonishing that they were able to create a sensible story line from the most famous Queen songs. Thus, the songs really are applicable in a broader sense and we figured this is why Queen must've been successful.

There were some special moments giving tribute to Freddy Mercury - the legendary frontman and singer - and other rock icons such as Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, etc.

I will spare you further details of the story (the official website has plenty of material). Go and see it, the atmosphere was one of the best I have ever seen (although I have not been at a live Queen concert).

On a final note: the musical will come to Cologne, Germany in December 2004. If you are interested, you may want to check the official German website for additional news.

Posted by Naturelich at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Capital. It's London time...

Finally - a (Fri)day off! Sight seeing and some minor shopping in UK. A nice and easy flight with Airberlin offered a good paper and a satisfying quick lunch. The Stansted Express from STN to Liverpool Street Station was still easy going, the check-in caused some minor troubles (Do not try to check-in at 9:00 am with a Holiday Inn - it is impossible. You can leave your bags - fine - but do not even attempt to do it, the staff won't like you anymore... although I have to admit - we knew it was stupid trying it).

We then went to see the Tower of London, including Tower Bridge and The Crown Jewels. Really impressive stuff! After three hours or so we went to see St. Paul's Cathedral. A big disappointment here, as the cathedral is currently undergoing enormous renovation work and we decided against spending 7 GBP per person to see only half the attraction. Good choice, as the cappucino we had nearby was well worth it. After some R&R and refreshments in our hotel we headed for Tottenham Court Road to enjoy We Will Rock You...

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A definite dining recommendation in Basel is the Japanese restaurant Sakura (German) located directly next to Basel SBB (i.e. Basel central station). The restaurant offers wonderful Sushi and Teppanyaki dishes. Although rather expensive - as fish and especially Japanese Sushi is very expensive in Switzerland - the visit is well worth it. I enjoyed it a lot and may even become a real Sushi fan...

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The Tutanchamun exhibition in Basel is great! Although rather crowded, it is well worth the investment of 28 SFr. The Antikenmuseum Basel is showing not only pieces of the legendary Tutanchamun but also items from The Valley of Kings. I am definitely no expert in Egyptian history but the ancient Egyptian culture must have been terrific - at least for the Pharaos. I would definitely recommend to visit the exhibition to see these wonderful unique pieces of power, art and craftsmanship! The exhibition runs until October 3.

Posted by Naturelich at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I will be leaving for Basel again. Return is scheduled for Wednesday evening. Second try to see the Tutanchamun exhibition. Unfortunately, I was unable to pre-order tickets, but I was assured that a 16:45 visit would be optimal to pick up tickets at the box-office. We will see...

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After leaving Solothurn, my next stop was Basel, the beautiful city upon Rhine river. Since the weather is still wonderful (with temperatures around 33°C) there are a lot of people actually swimming in the Rhine. There has been a time when this was deemed impossible (after the accident in the Sandoz chemical plant), but this is now over. The water is almost crystal clear and the Swiss people seemed to survive their swim. At least they did not walk out of the water as mutants or anything. A wooden beach had been build on the banks of the river - an art project by local university and some famous Asian artist. At least he is said to be famous, although I did not know him (know we need to discuss if I am a good measure for people's fame and correctly you say Naturelich, he must be). So, anyway, it has been quite a workfull stay with only little sleep since the hotel had no air conditioning. But the hip crowd on Barfüßerplatz made up for this... :)

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I had lunch with two of my colleagues at the top of the Weissenstein (white stone), the highest mountain close to Solothurn. Daniel is a passionate paraglider who knows the Weissenstein inside out. So he took the chance to introduce me to his Hausberg. It was quite an interesting conversation, as the other colleague is a bee keeper. So we spend our lunch talking about our hobbies and I was able to organize a huge pot of self-made honey (1 kilogram) for just 20 Swiss Francs. More on how this stuff tastes (presumably excellent), if I get my next gemutelich Saturday breakfast.

Posted by Naturelich at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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I arrived in Solothurn today, after flying with Swiss to Zurich. Sololand (as others call it) is said to have the greatest baroque city center in Switzerland. Who said this? Well, off course, you would not have guessed: a Solothurner. I do not know enough swiss cities to compare with, but I think Solothurn has a wonderful Altstadt. As I said earlier, the city was host to the Hungarian soccer team during the world championships in 1954. They were staying at Hotel Krone (see picture above). Really, a beautiful place. I enjoyed a pretty good Italian dinner in a beautiful restaurant (together with a colleague) and took a short tour of the city. Actually long tours are especially difficult in Solothurn, as the Altstadt is pretty small. But nonetheless: definitely a recommendation if you want to stay for just a day or two.

Posted by Naturelich at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tomorrow, I am heading off for Switzerland (again). I am visiting Solothurn on Monday and Tuesday and Basel for the rest of the week. In Solothurn, I will stay in hotel Baseltor. I have recently learned that the Hungarian soccer team stayed in Solothurn in 1954 when they lost against the German team. The team stayed in Hotel Krone. I hope to bring a pic or two. Keep your fingers crossed...

In Basel, I will stay in Hotel Wettstein, a hotel of good quality located on Grenzacherstrasse. The weather in Basel is expected to be excellent and I hope to get to see the famous Tutankhamun exhibition in Basel's Antikenmuseum. The famous treasures from the pharao's chamber are brought to Europe again - for the first time in 20 years. The exhibition also features numerous items from the Valley of Kings. Perhaps, I will even stay a day longer to have enough time to see it all?! We will see...

Posted by Naturelich at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have just returned from a project management training. The training took place at Hotel Via Stenden in Kerken. Kerken is a very rural place and the beautiful hotel is set in the country-side. The hotel is nice, with a bar, a BBQ place with excellent food, a Fußball table, a table tennis and billard table, a Sauna and a swimming pool (although swimming tub would naturelich be the more appropriate term, as the pool was rather small). It is not five-star but the training participants (incl. me) had a lot of fun. The training itself gave some interesting new ideas and hints on how to "survive" in international projects. Well, all in all, 2.5 very productive and social days.

Posted by Naturelich at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Naturelich, Amsterdam has been quite an experience (who would have guessed) --- ;-) Some thoughts and experiences while they are still fresh...

A boat-bus tour through the city was real fun to do. You can simply hop-on and hop-off as you desire and get a tour through the old part of the city. It was really worthwhile - perhaps a little but to much tourism. But if I were to live in Amsterdam, I would definitely get my own boat to cruise the Canals with some friends and some beers.

We also visited the Rijksmuseum which was showing the masterpieces of Rembrandt and Vermeer and other famous classic Dutch artists. It was really remarkable and better than one would have expected. I was especially fond of a picture by Aert van de Neer called River by the Moonlight which shows a wonderful Dutch scenery at night in the moonlight. The picture can be found on the Rijksmuseum webpages with some additional descriptions.

Posted by Naturelich at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I will leave for a business trip to Bonn tomorrow. Saturday and Sunday is going to offer some interesting sightseeing in Amsterdam. If the weather is not playing it too ugly, I hope to take some nice pictures to share. Naturelich here. We have booked the Bilderberg Garden Hotel which is located in the city center. Saturday will be shopping day with a nice evening dinner. Sunday will be our culture day with some museums to visit and maybe a boat tour through the Venice of the North.

Posted by Naturelich at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)