Germay 2013 - Day 13

Today was a great day. I did my daily routine of waking up, working out, eating like a king, and getting to work on time at 9 am sharp. Bob and I worked at the table until around noon, and then we decided it was time for lunch. Michael joined us as we headed toward the train station to take the metro down to the "Sevens", which is a multi-level multi-media mega center. Think "Best Buy" on steroids. The ground floor was scattered with various restaurants, and the other 6 floors were nothing but electronics and computer equipment. This is how I picture heaven.

We ate a great lunch at a fancy restaurant on the ground floor. I had the "Doner" which consisted of a small salad on one plate and another larger plate full of french fries and chicken schnitzel (shaved meat). After we ate, we headed up to the top floor where the computers were located and we looked around at all all latest and greatest nerd toys. Needless to say, we had to drag ourselves out of this place in order to get back to work.

Multiple levels of geekiness.

Bob and I worked together until about 6 pm, when I was scheduled to meet up with Nick Mockus at the Altstadt for beer. I knew Nick back in high school where we were both in the French Exchange program. He and I got to travel to France with the exchange program in 1996 and I got to know him a little bit back then. We were merely acquaintances at that time who basically knew each other through the French program. He played football for Newark High School and I was a drummer in the marching band (BDDLITS baby).

Fast forward 16 years, to last year, and he saw on Facebook where I was travelling to Dusseldorf for work. He pinged me and informed me that he was living in Dusseldorf and suggested that we hook up for some beers. Needless to say, we got together last year and hung out a bit. When I learned that I was coming back this year, I reached out to him and let him know I was coming back to his home town, and that we should do it again...

A ship in the middle of the old town (ie. Altstadt).

Curb-side Kilipitch!

Walking through Dusseldorf with open containers...
Yes it's legal, Mom. :)

Nick and I started at the Altstadt around 6:30 pm and had a few beers at the Fucschen before making our way towards the Rhine for more beers and pizza. He took me to various local places that he knew of and introduced me to a few of his friends along the way. It's amazing hearing him talk German so effortlessly with his friends. I guess this happens when you live in a country for so many years, but it was still neat to see. We had to stop for some shots of Kilipitch at my favorite "walk up window" where you hand over some Euros and are given a shot of hard liquor through a small window. :) At one point, we even made our way back to the Sevens near the fashion district. Jazzy would love this place, it's "All fashion, all the time". Nick and I had a great time hanging out, despite the rain and overcast weather.

Bars, bars, bars...

Around 9 pm, we went our separate ways. Nick headed off to a "work thing" and I headed back to the hotel to relax for the evening. I hadn't had much sleep the entire week, so I literally laid on my bed and read until my eyes got heavy enough to close for the night. I felt old knowing that the night was still young on a Friday in downtown Dusseldorf, and here I was in bed by 9:30 pm.

Strolling through the park on my way back to the hotel.

Today was a great day!

Germany 2013 - Day 12

Today (Thursday) was another work day. Calls were made and code was written...

As it turned out, I never actually "left the office" after work. Bob and I worked at the table up until dinner time. Michelle made burritos for dinner tonight and they were delicious! It's been great hanging out with The Andreini's this week. They are great hosts and have really welcomed me as a member of their family here in Dusseldorf. They invite me to every meal, and I really appreciate it. Michelle is "da bomb" cook; one night she made asian cuisine, the next night she made a delicious salmon and veggies dish, and tonight she made healthy burritos. Yum! Michael and Matt are very open to me this year. Last year, there was a bit of shyness I think, but this year we talk and joke with one another. I enjoy the stories of their travels and school friends.

There are some evenings when I simply do my own thing and give them their family time. This night, we all sat around and enjoyed each others' company even after dinner. Around 8 or so, I headed back down the hotel to relax and unwind for the evening. I worked a bit more at my desk in the room and talked to Jennifer on Skype for a bit.

All in all it was a very chill day here in Dusseldorf.

Daizi, Lizzie, and Jazzy

Here is the same picture of the girls that I posted earlier this week. I'm re-posting it because I was really missing them tonight when I got back. This picture kind of summarizes our life on the farm; simple and happy. I can't wait to get home to see them again. Skype helps, but it's nothing like relaxing with them in the same room and being goofy with each other as we walk through the house. I've missed a few of their sporting and school events and I hate that. Lizzie had a volleyball game where their team did really good last weekend. Daizi actually got to read a few lines of a story up on stage at her school program the other night. Jazzy hasn't had any programs or events, but she keeps showing me her art work over Skype that she's been doing at home... WOW is she getting good!! It goes without saying that I'm really anxious to get home and just chill out with them again.

I'm approaching the half way point on my travels, so that's good. :)

Germany 2013 - Day 11

Today was a work day. Period. Honestly, not much happened outside of work. I didn't go out and see the city and I have nothing cool to say about today's events.

Anybody that knows me, knows that I love coffee. Well, I can say that Bob has the coolest coffee maker I've ever seen. He has a Krups coffee maker which makes amazing coffee. Everytime. It has all these programmable settings which allows you to make various types of coffees too. For example, he has a 'Favorites' category which allows him to configure different types of brews for weak, medium, strong. It also has the capability of frothing milk for latte's and cappuccino's built right in. Best yet, this thing actually grinds the beans on command. You basically fill it full of your favorite beans, and just make sure to keep the water level filled up. From there you just push buttons. It even cleans itself. I want one!

Here is a timed set of pictures that I took of me brewing myself a cappuccino. The only thing I had to do was add some milk and push a button...

Notice the metal stem inside the
cup which is boiling my milk.

Let the froth begin!

Espresso (strong coffee) is being added now.

Almost done!

Ready to enjoy!

Yay technology!

OK, so after a long day "at the office", I came back to my hotel and talked with Jennifer for a while, then went to sleep. Since I was in charge of my own dinner tonight, I chose the healthy route and got a big bottle of German Beer to wash down my box of European Cookies (ie. German Crack Cakes).

Dinner

Wednesday was a pretty relaxing day.

Germany 2013 - Day 10

Today began much like yesterday, I woke up early, did a mini worked out, showered, had an amazing breakfast, and headed down to Bob's flat to start the work day. Not a whole lot to talk about during the work day... We basically sat around and geeked out all day; Bob on his laptop, me on mine.

Around 5 pm, I packed up my things and headed down to my flat. Today, I really wanted to have some solitary "Luc Time" so I decided to walk around the Altstadt. I put my bags down, grabbed my wallet and camera and headed down to the Altstadt for a pizza and a beer. It was a lot of fun to just walk around and hear all the sounds of Europe (ie. scooters, cars, people, etc..).

Construction of the new shopping center.

The city has changed quite a bit since last year. They are putting a lot of money into the various projects around the city. I learned that the big project which is right in the middle of the Altstadt is going to be a huge shopping center when they are done. As cool as this sounds, it's almost heart breaking because it is really going to take away from the "old" feel that this area exudes with it's cobble stone streets and old restaurant fronts.

Beautiful Dusseldorf on the Rhine.

After my little mini tour of the Altstadt by the Rhine River, I came back to my hotel and worked the rest of the night. A few times I was able to talk with Jennifer and the girls. Mostly Jennifer, since the girls were outside playing in the nice Ohio weather. From time to time, they would pop in and say hi to me, but for the most part it was Jennifer and I just talking.

In between minor stints of talking with Jennifer, I really stayed focus on researching this new technology; I was finally beginning to wrap my head around it. One of my weaknesses when it comes to learning new things (maybe it's a strength??) is that I typically engulf myself into something too much until I fully figure it out. I can't just know parts of it, I really need to figure it all out from front to back as quickly as possible. This means sleepless nights, constant brain spinning, stupid questions, etc... up front. Therefore, I stayed up until 3 am learning and researching and piecing it all together with trial and error. Eventually, I told myself that I might figure it out in my sleep, and that was the only reason I went to sleep. :)

It was going to be short nap with an early alarm clock...

Germany 2013 - Day 9

Well, vacation is officially over and work must now begin. In my profession though, it feels more like play some days. Today was one of those days. I got to learn a new technology today and that is one of my favorite things about being a geek; staying on the bleeding edge.

I woke at 7:15 am, and got ready for the day. I'm actually staying at the same hotel I stayed at last year (The Hotel Berial) in downtown Dusseldorf. It's a really nice place and they have an AMAZING free breakfast buffet with a huge spread of meats, cheeses, eggs, sausages, juices, hot coffee, and fresh fruits and vegetables. It's leaps and bounds above any place else I've stayed on my travels. Major bonus!

Bob and I worked at his flat all day. I'd love to explain the details of what I worked on, but it really would bore most people. It's pretty geeky stuff... I'm sure I'll be blogging about it soon outside of my travel journals. Blah blah blah, we finished working around 5 pm.

After work, I took my stuff back down to the hotel -- which is 2 blocks from Bob and Michelle's flat -- and talked to Jennifer for a bit over Skype. Bob and Michelle invited me back to their place for a delicious Asian-style chicken dinner and wine. We sat around and had great conversation until about 9 pm and then I came back to my room to work on a prototype for a new project.

Most of my work day consisted of reading documentation and going through various tutorials... basically it was a "day of learning". So I guess it's safe to say that the first day back was a good one!

Germany 2013 - Day 8

Today was yet another extremely fun day in Germany! I woke up around 9:15 am and had breakfast with Dariush, Rita, Nouchine, and Jonathan. After breakfast, Rita was participating in a community yard sale at the kindergarten. Dariush and I helped pack up the car, and then realized that they were going to need to take both cars. I anxiously offered to watch the kids and told them to take their time.

Yumm

Babysitting the little Ghobad's was so much fun! No English was spoken and there was a severe communication barrier between the little ones and myself. They brought me German books and wanted me to read them. I did the best I could, and they listened very attentively the entire time. However, I'm positive that I was mispronouncing 9/10ths of the words in these kids books. :) They didn't seem to care, so I kept mutilating the words.

Danger is Jonathan's middle name!

At one point, Dariush came home and I'll be honest I felt a bit releived because I couln't understand them and they couldn't understand me, so it was like herding cats. :) I knew a few words that worked pretty effectively, like "nein" (ie. no) when they would start to destroy things, and "yah!?" (ie. yeah!?) when they would tell me big stories or ask for something that they wanted. That was about the extent of my German, and we had officially run out of things to talk about. :)

 Shortly after Dariush arrived back home, I packed my things and we made the drive to Dusseldorf to drop me off at my hotel, where I would be spending the remainder of my stay here in Germany. When we arrived in Dusseldorf, we all went to the local McDonalds and had a short lunch. We had a great final meal together and then said our goodbyes. I won't see them again for 2 more weeks when Dariush has offered to take me back to the Dusseldorf Airport for my departure.

I spent about an hour or so in the hotel getting everything organized and unpacked all of my things since I'll be living here for the next two weeks. Once everything was in order, I contacted Bob on Skype and asked if he wanted to go get a beer down by the Rhein, near the Altstadt. As it turns out, he was in the lobby already so we made our way down for some spanish cuisines, beer, and good conversation. We talked about some amazing new opportunities with InfoPlanIT and as crazy as it may sound, I'm very excited to start coding again!

Bob and I in Dusseldorf

I came back to the hotel with a high level of excitement... and alcohol content. :) Once I got settled back in, I was able to contact Jennifer on Skype and we talked for quite a while with on video chat. We were really missing each other and had a lot of fun talking to one another... I already can't wait to get back home to her and the girls.

Germany 2013 - Day 7

... Dariush and I began our drive from Berlin to Koln around midnight on Friday night. We essentially drove from the east side of Germany to the west side of Germany in one night. Our legs were cramped, our eye lids were heavy, and we arrived completely exhausted. During the trip, I was able to nod in and out of sleep, but really tried to stay awake to help Dariush along the way. We stopped a few times during the night so that Dariush could take 30 minute power naps at various rest areas. We realized upon arriving in Koln that it might have been best for me to have simply taken a train or a bus instead. Regardless, it was another adventure that Dariush and I get to add to our never ending list of adventures together. :)

We arrived safely at 7:30 am and went our separate ways to crash for a few hours before we were on "kid duty" today...

When I woke up 10:30 am, I walked out of my door was presented with a huge hug from my good friend, Nouchine. She saw me open the door and ran from across the room to wrapped her arms around my leg. My heart absolultely melted in the moment... She immediately looked up at me and counted to 5 in English: "ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE!". I counted to 5 right back at her in German: "EIN ZWEI DREI VIER FUMF!" :) This was the only thing that her and I were able to communicate with each other the last time we saw one another. What a way to begin my day here at Dariush and Rita's house... It truly made my day!

The Ghobad's then presented me with my birthday party since I wasn't able to be here on my actual birthday, last weekend like we'd planed (remember: flight problems). It was a very small party, but absolutely perfect! Rita made me coffee and eggs, and I had a large variety of hams, brochen, and my favorite: the chocolate croissant (ie. "pain au chocolat"). Mmm mmm mmm... All of this thrown together with some of my favorite people made for an amazing birthday breakfast. Thanks guys, this really meant a lot to me!!

After breakfast, Dariush and I took Jonathan and Nouchine to the park to play for a bit, and then made our way to the ice cream shop for ice cream in the sun. Dariush had to go to the bank for a few minutes, so I was in charge of taking the kids to the ice cream place and ordering for them. Of course, I don't speak German, and they don't speak English, so I ordered a vanilla on a cone for Nouchine, and a vanilla in a cup for Jonathan... I could not understand why Jonathan was so mad. He wouldn't eat his ice cream and kept mumbling something in German with a horrible pouty face. Finally, Dariush arrived and I explained to him what was going on. Jonathan talked to Dariush and it turns out that he wanted "red ice cream". So Dariush ate his vanilla in a dish and ordered Jonathan some strawberry ice cream; all was right with the world again. :)

Jonathan enjoying his red ice cream.

Dariush cooking a sausage
the German way.

Upon returning back to the house, we all laid down for a short nap. Dariush and I were still completely exhausted from our travels all night. We only slept for about an hour and a half and then we woke up to prepare for a dinner date with some friends here at the house. Rita prepared food in the kitchen, while I hung out with Jonathan and Nouchine. Dariush was in charge of the grill and it was a very relaxing evening with friends.

The night ended with Nouchine and I playing with her trains in the entry foyer. Jonathan had already went to bed, and Rita and Dariush were picking up the house from the evenings party. The entire time, Nouchine was speaking German to me as though I could understand her... This was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Germany 2013 - Day 6

Today was a pretty relaxing day for the most part. It started off by me sleeping in again; I woke up around 10:15 am to a quiet flat. Volli was in his office working on his computer so I just leisurely ate some banana's for breakfast and drank some coffee. Here is a picture of my girls that Jennifer took and sent to me which made my day. :)

Grill cheese and tomato soup... Mmm

Around 11, Volli and Stefanie's friend, Eva, showed up to try and borrow a router from them since her's broke. As it turned out, her and I ended up sitting around talking for a while while Volli finished up a few things for work. She was very nice and we had a great conversation about everything from music to travel to you [name it]... She gave me a few tips on things to do in Dusseldorf and we agreed to try and get together for a beer sometime next week.

After Eva left, Volli and I decided we were going on a journey to tour south-west Berlin on bicycles! It was the coolest thing ever! We got to cross the chaotic streets of Berlin, dodge pedestrians, ride down the peaceful bike paths along the metro line, and weave our way through the public parks. My bike looked like Ms. Gulch's bike on Wizard of Oz.

I'll get you, my pretty... and you're little dog too!

Volli and I enjoying some beers.

At the half way point, Volli and I stopped for some beers in a very tranquil "Bier Garten". We sat around for about 30 - 45 minutes just shooting the breeze and enjoying the day. After our beers, we hopped on our bikes and headed back towards the house. We took a different route and it allowed me to see a few different aspects of Berlin.

I really enjoyed the city bike ride today. It'll be something that I'll never forget. I felt like a true European as I dodged pedestrians and weaved through moving cars on the busy streets. :) Thanks for a great time, Volli!

When we arrived back at the house, we waited on Stefanie to come home before getting ready for dinner. Eventually we got a phone call and it was Stefanie outside of the apartment and we all ran to the window in a lot of excitement, she had purchased a new bike trailer for the kids and the kids seemed very excited about it... However, I think they might have been more excited to see Mama out of the window. :) Regardless, it was cute and I snapped a picture of Stefanie which needed a small blurb, so there! Shortly thereafter, Volli and Stefanie prepared dinner, while I got to hang out with my new little friend, Margarethe. We took turns making each other laugh and it was so much fun. She is a perfect mix of Volli and Stefanie and her dimples are too cute.

My cute little friend, Margarethe.

Eva joined us for dinner and we sat around telling stories the whole time. Towards the end of dinner, we got a call from Dariush and he was only 30 minutes away. He would be hanging out with us this evening and then we'd be driving home through the night, back to Koln. While killing time, Volli and I were on a mission to finish our bottle of Johnnie Walker, so we did just that. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but we roughed it. We proved to all the kids that if you really put your minds (and livers) to it, you can accomplish your goals. :)

Mission accomplished!

Left to Right: Stefanie, Volli, Eva, Dariush

Since Dariush, Volli, and I were all together, we decided to call my Mom and talk with her. We tried to get Yiorgos and Jennifer on the phone as well, but I wasn't able to do a group Skype video chat with my iPad for some reason. We didn't try to hard because my Mom was having technical difficulties as well, but we were able to talk with her for about 20 minutes before our call was eventually dropped.

After talking with my Mom, we called Jennifer and the girls and were able to talk with them for a while as well. Around 11:30, Dariush and I gathered our things and made our way back to Koln by car. This was going to be a 6 hour car ride through the night...

Thank you so much Volli and Stefanie for a wonderful stay at your place! I can't wait to repay you when you visit Ohio!

Germany 2013 - Day 5

Today was a little hazy. I woke up around 10:30 am and had a relaxing breakfast of bread, cheese, and ham. I washed it down with some coffee and apple juice. Stefanie had already left for work and the kids were in kindergarten. Volli had a few calls to make, so I worked in his living room writing my blog and catching up on the days events through social media and news sites.

At noon, Volli and I laced up and went out for a quick run around the block. He took me through an old rail yard that has been transformed into a park. It was very cool, and there were a lot of people out riding their bikes and just enjoying the weather. It was rather hot at times as the sun was directly above us and there wasn't much shade along our route. Loved it!

We arrived back at Volli's flat and began our day with some Johnnie Walker. Around 1:15 pm, I realized that the girls would be getting ready for school, so I called them via Skype and had them turn on the computer so we could do some video chat. It was exactly what I needed!

Jazzy was getting her hair straitened by Jennifer, Daizi was eating cereal, and Lizzie was simply awake for moral support since she had and orthodontist appointment at 9 am and wasn't going to be getting on the bus with her sister. Volli and I talked to them for about 5 - 10 minutes and then we let them finish getting ready for school.

The plan for today was to pick up Henry at kindergarten and meet with Johannes (Volli's childhood friend) and his son, Emil, at the Berlin Zoo. We spent 3 hours at the zoo simply walking around and killing time. The zoo was right in the middle of the city, but it felt very "green".

We went from attraction to attraction and I snapped a lot of pictures so that I could share them with my girls when I get back home.

At one point we found a comfortable table in the center and began drinking beers while Henry and Emil ran around. It was a very lazy day for us and we had nothing else to do but enjoy each others company. I really enjoyed my time here.

Like father, like son.

Nine beers later...

One of the more memorable attractions was the Elephant area, because there was a very cute baby elephant that was playing in the water. He attracted quite an audience and I was able to take a small video of him just being a kid. :)

From the zoo, we came back to the house to help Stefanie get the kids to bed. Around 7:30 pm Volli, Stefanie, and I all headed out for the evening to meet with another one of Volli and Stefanie's childhood friends for dinner. We met up with Martin at a local restaurant and enjoyed an evening of more beers and conversation. I was able to taste many of southern Germany's dishes. They were delicious and I really enjoyed my time with them. Martin was a CTO of a local software company, so we were able to talk about a lot of things that we had in common relating to software. It was great!

Hacker beer. :)

Noodles and Meat in Mustard Sauce (yum)

We arrived back home around 11 or 11:30 pm and Volli and I made our way out to the terrace for more Johnnie Walker. :) Volli went to bed and I spent the evening configuring my computer with the latest version of Ubuntu Desktop until I passed out. Today was a great day!