Dresden

I was in Dresden Germany early this week working (cough cough) at a customer site. I flew in to attempt to clean up the mess of a colleague. The colleague in question had been a tiny dit dour during past technical discussions with a customer and I was trying to put a happy face on it. I failed. In any case, the scenery was quite nice.

Dresden is a interesting area. I stayed in the historic downtown area. A little reading up on the subject and I learned that the area was literally wiped off the map during WWII. The town has worked tirelessly to resurect itself during the past two or three decades. So it's a town that looks old, but is in fact, quite modern. I believe that the buildings with the dark bricks are buildings that have both old and new brick. The old was burned during the war, the new is just new.

I loved the beer.

Frankfurt

I very much enjoy the open plaza's of Europe.  The open spaces just encourage everyone to come out and stroll and visit.  I found this plaza in Frankfurt over the weekend.  There were flower vendors scattered throughout the plaza, and I found myself wishing that I could buy a few to take home with me.

I had lunch one afternoon when I wasn't working and opted to eat what the locals were eating, brats and fries!  The line was long, but, the payoff was great! 

I had to sneak my camera out to take a picture of the catsup and mustard dispensors.  To extract the catsup/mustard you had to squeeze in the middle, just like a cows udder.  It was very practical, but it amused me very, very much.

There were quite a few butcher shops operating outside the plaza in an area that was reserved for a farmers market.  I'd never seen so many butchers in such a small area.  The the shops were all mobile, and drove away at the end of the day.  I did find myself lusting over all the delicious looking cuts of lamb.  Being a bit of a lamb junkie myself, I loved the low prices and quality cuts they were providing.

Tsujiki Fish Market

One of my colleagues was nearly begging me to take them to the fish market in Tokyo on Saturday morning.  I've been to the fish market perhaps ten times, and to be honest I'm a bit fried on it.  To be a nice guy I opted to take the guy to the market anyway.  I've been fortunate enough to go quite a few times, so I know how to be a decent tour guide.

This was the first time I've visited in the dead of summer, and it was bloody hot and humid.  We hit the market at 5:30AM and by 8AM we were done and settled into a small resturant for "breakfast".  There are lots of outdoor venues to eat at near the market, but my colleage was seeking AC, so we ate inside.  Luckily, he paid!  Anyway, we had lots of sushi and shashimi plus several beers each.  At times it's hard not to like my job!  The fringe benefits can be wonderful.