Zagreb, Croatia
Over a week after returning to the USA via the UK - and a rather lovely short weekend with my 'rents sitting, chatting and chillin' - I'm playing catch up with my Eastern Europe tour review.
I'll keep it short and sweet!
Zagreb took me by surprise. OK, I know I don't know everything and I consider myself open minded to new experiences and places. Even so Zagreb caught me off guard. Perhaps it was my preconceptions of the region, post Serbo-Croatian conflict. Perhaps it was me not realizing what had happened where in that region during that war. Perhaps it was my inkling of both world wars having their root there and communisms influence. In fact driving into the city you pass Lenin walking through a National Geographic type square. I quote a local "It was never as communism here as it pretended to be."
Why was I surprised? Well it was far more developed and beautiful and clean that I had expected - a latent expectation rather than an overt one. A mix of history and the modern, such as London. But it was more like a cross between Prague and Copenhagen, but smaller. Trams run non stop. An Orthodox cathedral in a rather old town looking area graces atop a hill just up from from downtown. With only two hours on Friday post-customer meetings I was able to get an injection of the city but not a chance to soak up the cafe culture. I did spend enough time there however to experience the very laid back service - not bad, just laid back. Confusing for Americans I would presume to assume.
I went out for dinner with one of the local team. It was a delightful seafood restaurant (bear in mind how close to the Mediterranean Zagreb is) and my host Tomislav (aka DJ BADASS aka BlackSoul - a funky house DJ with gigs coming up with Thievery corporation and Faithless) a delightful chap with a penchant for creating some seriously funky choons - he gave me an EP of his tracks and a mix CD. All very good!
I was there from Thursday night - with "nothing to do" and my hotel was next to a multiplex. So I saw Star Wars Episode 3 there. And again in the UK. Gotta see in a cinema here in the US and I'll have a hat trick of countries with that movie under my belt ;-) Great movie.
I will be going back & I do recomend it.
Prague Revisited
As much fun as all this dashing about meeting customers, flying from country to country is I have realized today what I am missing out on when fleetingly in a city. I have been to Prague for perhaps a total of about 20 odd days. Around two new years eve celebrations. But tonight I'm in late, with no local cash for starters... not sure if they'll all use the Euro in Jo's bar, Music Club etc. And I'm exhausted to boot. So after a beer (Pilsner Urquell - Pivo!) in the hotel bar I'm just gonna crash out.
Funny, I projected this feeling to my recent visit to Warsaw - which I do not know as I know Prague. And then I really realized how much you do miss out on without even really... well, realizing.
Everything has its time, I guess. There is a purpose (even if not ordained) to all things and experiences. 2001 and 2002 were clearly times to party and celebrate in this wonderful city. And now? Now its a time to tend to customers, learn about the local market and share knowledge and experience with the local country team. All things I am more than happy to do. I'd also be happy to party but that clearly isn't going to happen ce soir!
Thanks for hosting me again Prague - sorry if I seem quite different to the last times I was here.
Poland & Romania
Warsaw (Warszawa) & Bucharest
Editorial: I hope you can find a few spare minutes to read the account of my recent Woodget-micro-adventure (more to come!). As some friend have been known to put it its "Koran Style" or "War and Peace Style" id est, a little on the wordy side. But it is an afforded flow of prose that I found my self relaxing into. So I hope some of that relaxation can find itself through language, silicon, copper and cyberspace to your good self and deposit itself, even if fleetingly, on your soul.
Two more notches on my traveling cane. Romania and Poland. The virtual 26 in my mind pulsated at an increasing beat in brilliant red as the Lot 737 airliner again approached the Earth. As the wheels screamed across tarmac the 26 flicked effortlessly to a 27. I've just had a quick shower, post gym. In the Marriot, Central Warsaw. I mean, literally central. I can see the ancient 'looking' (didn't the Nazi's destroy everything?) 'MAM' building & a dash of sky scrapers from where I sit in the bar sipping a free beer - curtosey of joining the Marriott rewards program.
"I'm sorry sir, we are out of rooms. Unfortunately I will have to put you in a suite." Ola [As her name badge announced] clearly found her mastery of English mildly amusing. And I must say the 40th floor, atop a sky scraper without the mere mention of the word 'upgrade' was indeed worthy of breaking a smile for. Was it my United Mileage Premier card or had I just got lucky? In my experience you never do know. Just enjoy it when its there.
It just so happens that the 40th floor is where the bar I'm sitting in is located. Approximately 30 seconds from my room. I mean suite, and which for the first time I'm experiencing 2 floors in a hotel in my 'room' - see how un-couth I am? I'm not used to using anything else to describe where I stay.
Two days ago I was in England, recovering from what should have manifested as a hangover but reared its head as just a rather unstuck from reality feeling - probably international travel effects (no jet lag so to speak of, thanks to the anti jet lag diet). It had been Steve Donkins stag do. He's engaged to the lovely Donna Hall. He's madly in love with her and it was a shear pleasure to see the old chap off, as such. Sandwiched between her majesties empire and this city which quite frankly is begging me to come back - ok, I like what I see and I want to return - was a visit to a place quite different indeed.
My arrival in the country of Dracula (set the counter form 25 to 26) and the region of Transylvania (read that as "the country containing that region", I wasn't IN that region - and I certainly wasn't in Dracula, and he wasn't in me - teeth people, teeth) was marred by a rather unscrupulous taxi driver who over charged me horrendously by a combination of unpreparedness, hangover (?), and "how many pounds/dollars/euros to this crazy money" left me rather ripped off - as it would happen karma balanced this all out.
Aside. A parable. The man with money who meets a man of experience will leave with experience and the other shall leave with money. My take; Damn it you can get ripped off in a myriad of ways. I wonder if I'm too trusting! A shame! Fear leads to hate and hate is the dark side - yeah, Star Wars... but I was also slightly surprised to find such a quote in a book I'm reading on the adventures of a Taoist! In fact the book alludes to many similar concepts Mr. Lucas must have assimilated! Fair play.
I was to stay in the World Trade Centre Bucharest. In the minuet amount of time I had in the place I managed to get a taxi to tour me around the city so I could at least get a feel for it. Certainly Eastern Europe! Nothing much in Europe can be further east. This land of fairy tales, kings, princes, princesses and demons with the Carpathians and the Black Sea was certainly inspiring. As was the remains of some of the older architecture.
I got the distinct feeling that the rather "rich" communists... the ones running the damn regime made significant changes to the city. Much of it obliterating the history. There was plenty of impressive architecture but most was established by them. As the Romans and Greeks did with Egypt. I assume - try as he did the Taxi driver was only able to convey so much. I did realize what he was talking about when he pointed out the bullet riddled building in the square where their revolution started in 1989.
The highlights (though interest and amusement - in that order) were the Orthodox Cathedral (Amazing inside - eerie, dark and mysterious!) & people randomly crossing themselves religiously in the street and advertising with Dracula/Transylvania slants & the "We make sex better" shop. FYI I was driven past this shop. It wasn't something I wandered into you naughty people - unlike the cathedral :-) Which in fact wasn't a cathedral but the house/church of the Patriarch.
Something that struck me on the flight to Poland (after a frantic "am I going to make it" connection in Vienna [Austria]) was the sheer difference between the "emerging markets" of Eastern Europe and the Dusty out-back like communities in Africa and India or the tiny mountain situated villages in the remote of China or the almost temporary island shacks in Indonesia (yes, all places I've not been too... yet). This was given a new angle as I was driven through Warsaw where there was the cutting edge of modern in buildings, vehicles and bill boards but a bus that looked like it had driven all the way from Moscow. Companies who treat these markets the same will not succeed. And seeing as I'm working for a company trying to treat them differently - sending me here in part to steep me in the culture (as much as you can be saturated in 24 hrs) - I'm getting the kind of impression I need. Now, to take that knowledge and appreciation back to California.
I've had 2 beers now (tiny little things) and am suitably relaxed. And I also feel suitably knowledge transferred to this little work. I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.
Energy Drink. Lovley colours and back ground blur. Actualy I was going to take this photo when I fond "Pete for Pope" tucked away behind some items, on a pole. No wonder he didn't get to be the latest pontif... he wasn't properly marketed.
Talk about crazy random action! I found this little Gem in a Safeway in Sacramento. Someone clearly had dillusions of grandure. But what of Pete? Well Google throws nothing up. Pete for Pope '05! What, must be students. :-)
Review: The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy
Ok, I say review. This will be short and sweet.
Saw it last night. Really enjoyed it. Only sense of disappointment was that I enjoyed The restaurant at the End of the universe much more and much of what I'd hoped to see in this movie wasn't in that, having read them so long ago the all just globbed together in my mind.
Ok... I kind of told a fib. Something else... I don't think the casting was that good for the lead characters. Something was missing but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Watch it, make up your own mind :-) Its a blast.
Rant: US Postal Service
Where else can one have a voice if not in one's blog?
I posted an important document to our new rental company (the walk through no less). I had it returned for not having enough postage. There was an ink-stamp, and a sticker informing me of this. I removed the sticker - as instructed, and put 2 more stamps on. There was no amount written in the allocated zone for it in the ink-stamp.
Yesterday it was returned again! My lord! How exceedingly frustrating. Come on US PS, your online services are so good why is your core business so rubbish - a judgment given after one experience granted but there you go.
Augustana were supporting Snow Patrol at Empire in Sacramento last night - as per my other post regarding last night. Its 9.16 and after some late night working post dinner - all day training means no work during the day, and oh boy so many emails to catch up on.
This band certainly were not bad. They got my attention to say the least and their last track not only hinted at greatness, it really was... well for lack of a more eloquent word. Great. Listened to their 3 track sampler and it was this track, Boston, that really did it for me. The other songs were good album tracks and I'd expect to see more of the quality of Boston to become a real "fan", so to speak.
Boston is moody and energetic, filled with a growing sense of musical story that gets you singing (well me any way) along during the first listen... Ok so the first listen was essentially last night at Empire but by my first CD Spin I was doing my version of singing along.
Check them out... Link under title but here for convenience http://www.augustanamusic.com/
Band: Snow Patrol
Saw Snow Patrol in Sacramento last night - They ROCKED! Fantastic show. They really have that whole hard/soft dynamic down - to use a cliche. They played some songs from their new album and my lord, they were fabulous. One just built and built and built. Really looking forwards to the new album when they get it finished. Great show, great guys, great interaction... great time! Good work lads.
In a 3 day training with work "Presenting for Action". The chap delivering it Robert Keiper was in Ladder 49, on a 15 min email break (yes I can publish to my blog via email) and can't wait for the rest of the course. "Bob" is doing a great job so far and I hope it'll help for years to come... Looking forwards to 3 evenings of working catching up with email etc of course :-)
