My Week "Abroad"

One of the attractions of my temporary European assignment was the opportunity to visit a region of the world I had never seen before. My employer secured a project in Doha, Qatar and as the local Program Manager it's mine to manage. So, early last week I left Germany on the Qatar Airways flight for my first ever visit to the Middle East.

I think that Qatar was a great introduction to the region. I consider it one of the more moderate countries in the area. As a North American I felt very safe and with a few amusing exceptions it was very easy to do business there. But make no mistake about it. You are constantly aware that you are in a different place. So here are a few observations:

• It's trite to say it but Doha is hot. Unbelievably hot. And I didn't see anything like the worst. I believe we had a high of 43 when we were there. The previous week it apparently hit 53. It's only going to get hotter for the next month or two. The experience is hard to describe. I've been in Phoenix in summer and that didn't even come close. I liken it to severe winter cold at home. You move as quickly as you can from the air conditioned hotel lobby to the air conditioned car and then to the air conditioned office. Repeat in reverse at the end of the day. Evening temps dropped to the mid 30s which was a major relief. I can't imagine what life must have been like for the country's original inhabitants before the appearance of air conditioning.
• Construction is everywhere to an extent I have never really witnessed before. I remember thinking similar thoughts in Sydney prior to the 2000 Olympics but again this was another level altogether. Unfortunately the abundance of construction combined with the hot dry climate created a perpetual dust haze in the air. In the course of 4+ days I never had a clear view of anything in any direction. I was told the air quality is not always like this.

• The level of service in the hotels and restaurants puts most North American and European countries to shame. The only comparable experience I can recall was Hong Kong in the mid 80's. I had better not get used to it.

• The variety and quality of food in restaurants - at least what was available to foreigners - was just outstanding. I deliberately steered towards "Middle Eastern" establishments. But here is a little perspective. In one concentrated area of restaurants on the waterfront we had a choice of Lebanese, Armenian, Turkish, Moroccan and Egyptian in addition to some more westernized (and Far Eastern) places. I think that saying "Middle Eastern" there is like lumping French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Dutch, Hungarian, Portugese and Belgian together and calling the result "European" cuisine. I loved the food.

• We stayed in one of the few major luxury hotels that doesn't serve any alcohol. Most do. Standalone restaurants generally do not. I didn't have a drink from the time I left until I returned to Germany. Honestly, I didn't really miss it. And also, honestly, I really enjoyed the beer I had with dinner once I got back to Nuremberg.
• I think there is a reason why I don't know of any world class Qatari triathletes. For me, in those temperatures, running outside was not an option. I saw no bicyclists at all. I think the texting drivers have taken care of the few remaining ones that may have survived the heat. Luckily the hotel had an excellent fitness facility with top of the line treadmills. I got two runs in which was probably a minimum given how good the food was.
• In case you're interested the price of gasoline works out to about $0.20/liter. It's not posted on the signs because apparently it's not all that important.

I'm going to be changing apartments later this week and I'm super stoked about it. Maybe more in my next post.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

A Little More Klezmer

Back in Germany after a great week at home. It went so fast and I did so much, what to blog about now? OK, the Generals and Admirals version:

• 28th Anniversary dinner with Kate that was made extra special when our friends Ken and Heather (caterers extraordinaire!) tipped off the restaurant without our knowledge. We were spoiled rotten. Ausgezeichnet!
• Swam 5 mornings of the available 6
• Triple Threat Triathlon training camp in Pinawa. Another great weekend with the team.
• Four bike rides,Four runs
• Caught up with the guys
• Sent flowers to my Mother for her Day and spoke to her on the phone
• Haircut, dentist and physio who told me I am 90-95% recovered

As soon as I got back to Germany I immediately set off for Bergamo, Italy again. I was reintroduced to Autobahn driving after 15 years - definitely not for the faint of heart but good to get out of one's system. But still the question loomed: What should my first return blog post be about?

Thank God for the CBC. They reminded me that there can only be one answer. And it's these guys.

You know how when you travel you should always bring your tunes? Say for the case where someone is no longer on the flight "for whatever reason" according to the Captain. Then they have to go looking for his bag. And you sit. Maybe for two hours. Well next time I recommend you have the foresight to bring "Toronto's only Balkan-Klezmer-Gypsy-Party-Punk Super-Band" They're called The Lemon Bucket Orkestra and they were on their way to Bucharest where they were invited to play at the International Romany Music Festival. They told the plane they had raised enough money to buy all their air tickets by busking for a month. So maybe the rest of us are in the wrong line of work. The YouTube Video is good but it doesn't do the moment justice. These guys played for half an hour and I must say, they are very good at what they do. If you hunt around you'll find more clips. Now, if only Steve Jobs was still alive maybe he could have gotten them to fit in your shirt pocket.
Here's a link to the CBC News story http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2012/05/16/lemonbucket-orkestra-toronto-flight548.html
Oh, yeah. I missed my connecting flight to Nuremberg and had to wait in Frankfurt an extra two hours which screwed up my evening big time. The "concert" was my only compensation. It didn't cost Air Canada a dime, airline management didn't have a clue it was happening and the musicians were actually a source of revenue. Sigh.

From Nuremberg I wish you a joyous Christi Himmelfahrt Feiertag, which Kate deduced is Ascension Day (It's also Father's Day here). And thanks for reading.
Tom

Back "Home" in Germany Again

This blogging really takes commitment. Life rolls along and then you realize you haven't posted anything  for a few days. I'm correcting that right now. It's not as if nothing has happened! So here are a few facts:

• I was in Northern Italy (on business) from Wednesday afternoon until Friday evening. I  stayed in Central Milan and made a day trip to Bergamo on Thursday
• The day I left Milan it was 27C and sunny. The following day back here in Nuremberg it was 31(!). Summer arrived in this part of Europe with the flip of a switch.
• The TV cable in my apartment had to be updated. Germany switched over to digital TV last Tuesday.
• Outdoor pools in Nuremberg opened this weekend. There's one not too far from me that looks really nice. I need to find out what the hours are
• My blog now has over 1000 page views. Thanks everyone. I'm not sure what the number is if you eliminate my views and my mother's.

And some observations:

• I now have more German TV stations to watch than I did previously. The number of other than German language stations remains the same (0)
• 

  

  It would be unfair to only include
  this photo of the Duomo in Milan

  Milano is admittedly one of the most important commercial and industrial cities in Italy. It's not particularly appealing. Once you see the Duomo (under renovation), the Galleria (truly spectacular apart from the McDonald's in the centre) and the Teatro alla Scala (refreshing because people still dress up to go see a performance there), it's really not that nice at all.







• On the other hand, on a clear day you can see the Alps from Milano. And Bergamo itself is right at the foot of the Alps. They are beautiful.
• There are a lot of Italian restaurants in Germany. I have yet to see a German restaurant in Italy.
• Flying time from Munich to Nuremberg is 20 minutes. Time spent checking in, going through security and boarding is considerably longer. Lufthansa still feels obligated to do a beverage service (?!). I was in row 19. The drinks only made it to row 17. Somewhere out there is a beer with my name on it that I will never get to know.
• The sun and the hot weather absolutely transform the city of Nuremberg. All kinds of people are out and about and the outdoor restaurants and cafes are packed. It's a great atmosphere.
I actually have other things to write about. Sometimes I just feel like I need to save something up for a rainy day. It's Sunday night here in Nuremberg and on Friday morning I'll be flying back home (Winnipeg, where my family is!). One of my friends described this as "time off for good behaviour" and another described it as a "conjugal visit". Clearly I need new friends.
Thanks for reading,
Tom