Aarhus... again

I'm in Aarhus, this time opting to fly in a day early so I wouldn't get off the plane and go into work as I have the last 7 or so trips - it's simply too exhausting. It was a good move, too, as I only got about 2 hours of sleep on the plane from ATL to Amsterdam.

I'm at the hotel, unpacked, waiting on an iron and board.

About to nap before heading out for dinner with the ladies - a true delight to have all my fave female colleagues in one place.

Land of the Gretzky

Toronto is aces. It just is. I think about half a dozen people have told me over the years that it's a great city - they were and are all correct.

First impression: Driving from the airport into downtown and nothing but hockey-related billboards as far as the eye can see. That is heaven. I'm so used to being a weird, red-headed step-child in the states. Hockey fans - particularly in the South - get no love. And we cling to each other. But here? Why there is no mention of football or basketball, golf or baseball. It's just hockey, hockey and more hockey, please.

In fact, my hotel is right around the corner from the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is aptly situated in what looks like a beautiful old church. In reality, it's a beautiful old bank. Go ahead and file that under whatever you like.

I flew up early yesterday so I would get some time to actually see Toronto. My business trips rarely allow me any time to look around and I was determined to get a taste of this non-Quebecois Canada. On the advice of our Toronto-based sales guy, I took advantage of the beautiful 70-degree, sunny weather and walked down to Queen Street West and Kensington Market. I also wound up in Chinatown and Little Vietnam. Delicious slices of city-city life, not that faux city existence in Atlanta. The smells, the signs, the people - wonderful and strange and pungent and a true reminder of Manhattan to me.

Today was a long day of work followed by a hockey dream: dinner at Wayne Gretzky's at 99 Bluejay Way. Sigh. The highlight: They pipe old recorded commentary from The Great One into the bathrooms... I tinkled while Wayne recalled his gold medal win for Canada. Surreal, ridiculous and fabulous. And I sampled the Famous Gretzky Meatloaf based on his mom's recipe - pretty good loaf, man, though the mashed potatoes were a bit dry.

Tomorrow will be another long day of work and then the flight home, which gets me in around 10:30 p.m. Friday at home and Saturday I'm off to Denmark again.

I haven't been posting much - partly because I'm tired, partly because my digital camera is busted. That takes all the fun out of it.

Back in the DK

Yep, I'm in Denmark again. :) Flew from Atlanta to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Billund and got a taxi to Aarhus. Total travel time roughly 13 hours. And I discovered the hard way that Amsterdam is now a smoke-free airport. As in I didn't get my customary post-long-haul nic-fix. That sucked. But I'm pretty impressed that I did without and didn't harm myself or anyone else.

I'm exhausted and only got about 2 hours of sleep on the red-eye over. Lots of babies and toddlers on the flight, post-Easter and all. And it was snowing in Amsterdam and now it's snowing in Aarhus - the biggest, heaviest, wettest flakes I've ever seen. Larger than a silver dollar and so thick I couldn't look up without getting jabbed in the eye by the cold bastards!

Just come from fish and chips at the Golden Lion. I'm ready for a hot shower, some PJs and a good, long sleep.

Go Bobcats!

It's my last night in Charlotte - on this trip. I will probably be coming back soon. The folks here have been so awesome, I'm sad to leave them and happy to know I get to come back.

I'm incredibly exhausted from doing two weeks of training. It's amazing how much it saps the body and the brain. But the clients really treated us to an amazing experience last night - we went to an NBA game at the Bobcats Arena and got to watch from the exective box!

I am absolutely not a basketball fan. Yes, I'm tall. No, I was never any good at b-ball. It requires coordination, something I have always been short on. My center of gravity sits somewhere around my nose.

But attending a live sporting event is always a blast - the vibe of the crowd always gets me going. And having a full fridge of every beverage imaginable, box seats, snacks and a big crowd of great people made the game that much better. Plus! The Bobcats won! 99-93 against the Magic! An unexpected upset that made the last quarter really thrilling.

So, thanks to the great people in Charlotte who make me look forward to returning.

In the executive box, cheerleaders stop by to say heeey! Dang, it's good to be executive.

This is some crazy snit, yo. This Bobcat balloon roamed around the arena, propelled by fans controlled remotely. I would love to get my hands on that RC.

My colleagues and clients grab a couple of cheerleaders (male and female) to help spell out the name Jesper - he is back in Denmark and missed out on the game. These folks are just rubbing it in.

As we left the arena, this drum corp was busting out some great beats and the guys in jerseys were dancing up a storm, old school. One guy even slid 6 feet on his head. On. His. Head.

The box! Back to the left was a kitchenette and the fridge had every soda imaginable and lots of beer - including Newcastle. Yeah!

The view from the box as the "game/show" started. Such a spectacle; we noticed that there wasn't one moment of silence during the game - music was always playing.

Oh yeah, there were some tall guys throwing an orange ball around, too.

Our box seats (the rest of the box is behind us. Sa-weet!

I think they were trying to spell out our company name... but they went overboard. :) Awww, these guys are so much fun.

The Queen City Welcomes Me Back

Now that the holidays are over, I am once again back on the road for work.

I opted to drive to Charlotte as it's only a four-hour trip. It would take the same amount of time, door-to-door, to fly here because of traffic, airport crap, rental car, etc. The drive up was a lovely, lazy Sunday push and I had blue skies and open road for most of the way.

I've actually been here since LAST Sunday, I've just been too busy working to post. But it was my first week doing a new task for the company - training instead of demo - and I find I quite like the work and the change of pace; 8 hours of give and take versus 1-6 hours of show and tell. The folks here are incredibly bright and warm, so that helps.

I like Charlotte. It hasn't seem to have figured itself out yet, but I think it's got great potential. The Queen City is a banking center of huge proportions and the Uptown reflects that - huge skyscrapers and restaurants but not too much in the way of real fun. However, they have added the light rail and I think the outlying neighborhoods are pretty charming and funky. My colleague and I spent last week exploring the food and wine in Uptown Charlotte, even enjoying a rickshaw ride (!!!???) back to the hotel the other night. It's been quite fun getting to know her and I'm glad to have come to North Carolina if just for that.

She and I spent last week dining all over uptown - RockBottom, Capitol Grille -- and even ventured to a mall nearby because they have a Cheesecake Factory. Yes, I know. She's Danish, though, and they don't have them so a trip to the mall was entirely all right. As it turns out, the mall - Southpark - is very posh and contained a lot of stores someone of my financial status has no business being in. However, I did find a Torrid there and blew a load of cash on work clothes - none of which I can expense, but all of which I quite need. (And, ladies, if you are above a size 10, Torrid is fantastic - fun, quality clothes for work and play in larger sizes.)

This weekend, Niels came up to visit and we met up with his old buddy Jeremy, who took us disc golfing at Kilborne Park, out for drinks at The Philosopher's Stone, the Solstice Tavern and on an aborted trip to a waaaay overcrowded Mac's BBQ. Jeremy lives in Charlotte's version of SoHo (and Louisville's Highlands) -- it's called NoDa for North Davidson. We had dinner at the Penguin - a traditional greasy spoon with awesome burgers and great friend pickles (in chip form!) This morning we went to Mert's uptown for Southern comfort and soul food with Jeremy, his girl Nichole and his sister Emily. Excellent mac n cheese -- excellent! It has me pining for the mac back in Louisville at Lynn's Paradise Cafe.

Niels has actually made it back to ATL already, and I am working in the hotel room, content to spend a night in ordering room service. The good folks at the client site have invited us to attend a Bobcats game Wednesday - in the executive box! I have never been a basketball fan, so this will be my first time at an NBA game. Hopefully, viewing from the lap of luxury will help me get into the game.


I'm afraid it didn't occur to me to look at the plaque on this statue. It was outside some sort of government building, I think. That's my hotel lit up in white in the background. The right is where the NASCAR Hall of Fame is being built. Yeehaw!

Riding in a rickshaw is a bit nervewracking. The speed seems much faster and since there is absolutely no safety protection involved, I did get pretty scared zooming downhill. I actually spent a lot of time planning how I would fall if the thing turned over or crashed!

As you can see, we did actually survive. I don't think I am likely to repeat the experience here. Perhaps if I get the chance in Copenhagen, though.

Niels' friend Jeremy (super awesome guy!) shows us the ropes at the disc golf course at Kilborne Park. We loved it - it's a great way to get exercise and feel like you are accomplishing something at the same time. And, you needn't lug golf clubs around!

This is me prepping for a disc throw - much, much harder than expected. Those little puppies don't fly right unless you've got technique. I have none.

This action shot make me look like a kung fu star. In reality, my disc would fly about 30 feet, hang a decided left and plummet into the woods. Jeremy, on the other hand, was able to throw his over 200 yards at a shot. Ulp.

Charlotte has been good to me - and hopefully will be through the rest of my stay. And I might even be coming back again in the next six months.

Flight: None

Drive: 253 miles, one way

Bags: Black gear roller, backpack, huge pink suitcase

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn - Uptown. Sigh. I've stayed here before and enjoyed it, but this trip it seems the management is going downhill a bit - the desk staff have not been terribly friendly. They seem cranky and annoyed when I have dealt with them. Also, a lightbulb was out in my room when I arrived, the remote needed batteries and three days later another lightbulb went out. The maid sometimes delivers coffee packets, sometimes only delivers decaf (why, god, why????) and occasionally forgets to check the TP. Um, I'm not terribly thrilled with the place this time around. Lastly, the parking garage is a slow and painful cruise through many levels of parked car hell to a dangerous and steeply sloping exit that shows the marks of past drivers who accidentally hit the walls of this narrow ramp. I generally opt for HGIs as they are clean, a tad upscale but still for normal folks - this place is the exception to the many great stays I've had. And, frankly, my complaints are hardly major.

Savannah revisited

As luck would have it, after making our plans for our first visit to Savannah Niels and I were invited to a wedding there on Dec. 29. We were delighted at the prospect of returning after our first incredible visit. So we packed up again and this time stayed at the Westin, which sits on the opposite side of the Savannah River from the city. Our room, which was a treat to us from the bride and groom had a spectacular view and gave us a new perspective on the city that will one day become our home -- I hope.

Friday night was full of food and booze and old friends reuniting - and making me, the new girlfriend, feel incredibly welcome. Niels has a wonderful posse of pals that are colorful and warm.

Saturday morning we struggled to get out of bed and over to the Cobblestone Cafe, which we had noticed on our last trip serves breakfast all day long. What a dissapointment! Small, overpriced portions of really lousy food. The only upside were the visitor journals at each table that we got to read and add to.

Saturday night was the wedding, held at the famous Garibaldi's Seafood restaurant in the upstairs party room. It was so beautiful and warm and cozy a setting, I'm suprised more folks didn't wind up tying the knot! The ceremony, performed by Eric (aka Sleazy E) was short, sweet and genuine. The food was fantastic and the dancing was delightful. It was a great party and the vibe was loving and connected.

Sunday, unfortunately, came too soon. And it brought with it some hangovers and general traveling melancholy. We were sorry to leave old/new friends, Savannah and a great time.


Here are the pics:

On the ferry from the Westin to the city. That dude is so in awe of my awesomeness. Happens all the time.

The Reverend Sleazy (Eric) and West Coast Amit on the ferry. Eric was ordained by an online site to perform the wedding.

Getting goofy on the ferry landing.

Niels peruses the visitor journal at the Cobblestone Crap-fe.

It's like I knew the food would suck. Just look at that pinched face!

Garibaldi's was a perfect setting for the wedding.

Sleazy and Niels show off their sophisticated sides.

The guys - old college buddies from UGA. (Above and below)

Oh, Savannah, Oh Don't You Cry for Me!

I love Savannah, Georgia. I had a pretty good feeling long before I ever booked my hotel that I would dig on this peach of a town. It does remind me of New Orleans --always a plus -- only it's smaller and, well, cleaner. Also, it's not devastated by a hurricane and left to rot in the sun by the U.S. government. (Savannah is much whiter than New Orleans, so I'm sure that helps.)

This is a non-business trip - the first on this blog. Niels and I went to Savannah to celebrate the holidays early since we won't be together at Christmas. Also, it was that crucial "first trip as a couple." It was a total success - champagne, gifts, incredible meals, walking, sites, drinking local beer, the best corned beef sandwich in the history of corned beef sandwiches. We also completely charmed all the other guests on our Haunted Pub Crawl Friday night. They followed us - including the tour guide - to an Irish bar on River Street for post-tour beverages. And, yes, I do believe EVERY bar on River Street is Irish.

Which leads me to ask you a question... what's with all the Irish in Savannah? I've just checked with Wikipedia.org and that was no help. Awful lot of Irish wound up in New Orleans, too. Just curious.

Niels and I arrived in Savannah Thursday night after literally being turned back by a blocked road not 3 miles from his house. I was convinced we were heading toward the Weekend of Doom because I'd had a bad day and I'd had a black cat dart in front of my car right before I got to Niels' house. There were some bumps along the way - a mixup with the hotel reservation, bad traffic, etc.- but it certainly did not turn into the Weekend of Doom. It was, indeed, the Weekend of Awesome (Hangovers).

Friday morning we woke up bright and "early" and walked down to the River Street to enjoy the water and bridge views. We had lunch at Tubby's, Niels sipping on a pre-noon beer and both of us reveling in the fresh seafood - shrimp and an unbelievably good blackened mahi mahi. Yum! After lunch overlooking the river and watching a tanker sail by, we did the touristy shopping thang and stopped in at all the shops on River Street, finally ending with one of the 3,000 old-timey candy stores in Savannah. (Tourism pays.) Loaded down with chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-coated s'mores and chocolate-glazed marshmallows, he grabbed some coffee before driving to the beach on Tybee Island.

Tybe Island is where I would like to live... starting now. OK, now. How about now? It's this insane little paradise full of Carribean-inspired beach houses nestled next to old-timey '50s Florida homes and hardy New England Cape Cods. And palmettos, scrub pines and more line the streets. We drove around for an hour just enjoying the incredible homes. We also enjoyed being on the beach in bare feet on Dec. 14. It wasn't warm enough to swim but it was a warm and relaxing day.

Afterwards, we did some more auto-site-seeing and then went to Murphy's Law for dinner. The best corned beef sandwich I've ever had lives there. Truly. Amazing. Succulent - it's actually written like that on the menu... and it's actually true! Then it was on to the Haunted Pub Crawl, which started down the street at Molly MacPherson's.

Strange things were afoot at the start of the tour. Firstly, our tour guide was actually the 8 o'clock guide, but the 9 o'clock guide called out, so 8 o'clock guy doubled back to Molly's with his 8 o'clock crowd -- a very cheery, pub-y crowd. In that group was a woman named Lisa... she grew up in Smithtown, on the north shore of Long Island. She went to law school in New Orleans. She now lives in Atlanta. (Anybody see any parallels to my life???) We had a lot in common.

So, with a half-drunk group in tow, we began the tour. It wasn't very scary. It wasn't scary at all. But it was historically delicious and there is no open-container law in Savannah so we could toddle along from bar to bar with plastic cups and grins displayed.

And many beers were had. And then many shots were had. And then it was morning. And then it was closer to noon. And then Niels and I struggled to leave the hotel. And then it was raining all day. We drove around enjoying the gorgeous neighborhoods of Savannah. Eventually, in the evening we managed to amble over to the City Market for some fresh air.

After returning to the hotel and getting all gussied up, we walked over to the Chart House. It was a busy restaurant, but the atmosphere was cozy and the food was sensational. More shrimp met their maker in the form of my belly that night... it was heaven for me, anyway.

We had plans to make great use of the hot tub in the room that night... but the flail was mighty after that meal and all I could manage was watching some TV before falling asleep. :)

Sunday: It was cold. We packed up, stopping at Parker's Gourmet Market for gas and supplies on the way out of town. We hit traffic. We sat in traffic. We got home.

I love Savannah. Heh.