Business Trip to Germany

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It was at the last minute and right before I head home to the US so I was not all that excited about traveling, but my boss and I went to Dusseldorf for business convention. It was supposedly the largest packaging show in the world; I am not sure it was that big, but it was big! The bad part was a lot did not relate to the food/meat industry. Although we did not spend much time in places like the medical devices/packaging area, we still had to go through it to get to other halls.

On Thursday we landed in good time and spent the afternoon wondering around seeing the town. To be honest, it was a pretty town and fairly modern; but there was not a lot to see and do. We headed to the Old City as it looked the most interesting. It was a lot of beer gardens and restaurants for people watching, but did not take long to see the whole thing so we soon found an interesting place to eat where we over stuffed ourselves with a plater of Germany meats/sausages designed for four people. It really was way too much food!

On Friday we headed to the show/convention. The business part was fine and we learned several new things, worked on a few problems with current vendors, and met some new ones that may be able to assist in the future. It was a lot of walking around, like most conventions, but I think it was worth while.

The best part was being able to see Jetta, Paige and Liam. When I thought this might happen, I let them know, but did not know any details so they did not plan until the last minute. I wanted to go visit them, but there was just not enough time to catch a train on Staurday after we left the show then get back in time for our morning flight on Sunday so Jetta and the kids decided to come to Dussledorf to visit me. They left directly from the baseball game and then met me at the hotel. They were not sure if they would stay the night, depending on how Jetta felt or go back when Alan and I left for the airport because they had piano lessons on Sunday afternoon.

Jetta did a little research and like us, could not find a lot of historical or interesting things to see/do. The kids wanted to just hang out and spend time together so we decied to walk around Old Town and have dinner there. Afterwards, we came back closer to the hotel for deserts and ice cream. We sat around and talked until 9:30 and Jetta decided she felt good enough to drive back so they did. It was great seeing them!

As for Dusseldorf, it was a neat little town, but I just did not find that much to see or do while here. The show was huge and kept us busy, which I am sort of glad because there really was not a lot to do after walking through the old town area with its shops, restaurants, and visitors. It is a nice town, but it is not one that I plan to come back and visit.

P.S. I am not a beer drinker, but Alan said their beer was sort of flat and not very strong for being a dark beer if you are interested in the type of beer they had there. All was dark beer, but not a heavy or thick, when you think of dark beers.

Also, I want to wish everyone a belated Russian Happy Easter, which took place yesterday, Sunday. Happy Easter!

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Photos

Dusseldorf along the Rhine
In Old City

The Boss
Alan and I took some time on Thursday afternoon after we arrived to tour around the city.

Kaune Visit
Jetta, Paige, and Liam came to visit me on Saturday afternoon/evening while I was in Germany.

Train Station Clock Tower
I could not capture the clock tower at the train station, but I really enjoyed it all lite up at night.

Hotel Room
It was a very nice hotel room and very large for a single in Europe, but then again, for ~$500/night, it should have been nice!