A one day trip to Vienna

Our trip to Vienna began at 21:00 on Friday February 25...with a scheduled arrival in Vienna., which by the way is spelled Wein, of 6:22.  We were advised to get a sleeper car for the trip......best 78 euro ever spent!
 It had bunk beds a closet, shower and bathroom.

 We arrived in Wein on time and kind of resreshed.....neither of us was brave enough to try the shower.  We jump in a cab and head to our hotel in the hope of dropping our back pack till we can check in.  We arrive at the NH Wein and the front desk manger jokes...you are early......we laugh back and ask if we can drop our bag.  He does us one better, he informs us that we could check in now but the room was a bit smaller than the one they had plan for us.  We decide to take the chance.....how much time do you spend in your room when you have one day? Our gamble was handsomely rewarded.....the room is bigger than the one in Dresden.  We take quick showers, grab some breakfast and head out to see the sights.
      No plan or agenda just see the sights.  Within about 10 minutes of being out we realize Vienna is a much different place than Berlin or Prague or even Dresden.  There is an air of elegance....you see it in the store windows, the building , the natives, heck even the tourist looked different.  We head out north toward city center...we spend the next 3.5 hours looking at beautiful old building, as Stephen says....He is still looking for the palm trees....I did find him one on a poster. as you can see the architecture is beautiful:

A beautiful day to go skating...

The Secession building

Our deal when we have one date to check out a city is..... half is spent on buildings, etc....the rest on the culture.....meaning food and beverage and what the locals like to do......we stop in a local shop for an adult beverage and to get our bearings....we have the iPad, the German, O2 sim card does not work in Austria...but the GPS does...we enjoy our beverage and head off to the neuer-Market which is suposse to be an open air market with loads of interesting vendors......on our way to the market we discover Stephansplatz and Karntnerstrasse which are crazy busy and full of people.....we are stop and asked if we plan to attend a concert...which would be nice but we do not have the clothes for this type of event....we then try to confirm our route with the ticket sales women....she pointed us in the opposite direction of the iPad directions so we asked a second ticket person who was excited to talk about his sister in Chicago and he confirmed the iPad's route.  Note to self.....be careful who you ask for help!  Karntnerstrasse is a very busy street with great shops as far as the eye can see.....but we are focused on the neuer-Market......well I am never too focused to ignore a shoe store.....kinda interesting how closely the shoes match the bags:

After my minor distraction we arrive in the market just in time for lunch.
We sit down at an outdoor table at a cafe at the top of the market.  This spot is perfect for people watching....and oh the people to watch.  After I finish my lunch of grilled prawns.....Stephen holds out hope for a sausage spot further down the market,  we venture further into the market.  It is a mix of what I would expect to find in a middle eastern market, with bits of Italy, German and of course Austria....I wish I had the ability to cook here...the wealth of natural and fresh ingredients is amazing!  There are meats of all kind, spices...lots of spices, dry fruits and nuts and all kinds of vegetables stuffed with a cream cheese stuffing.....the energy is incredible, all the vendors are giving samples and it is hard to say no to their product once you have had a taste. The place is wall to wall people.... .not sure how I managed these pictures:

 

 Other than loads of food vendors and true cafes there is your "typical" flea market items......we head back to top of the market to enjoy some more people watching.  This time we choose a stand-up table as our venue.........here is one of the market goers:

Stephen was not impressed......

On our journey into the market we did not find a cooked sauage stand so we head back to Karntnerstrasse in hopes of finding a hot dog....which is a grilled cheese brot in a baguette....we found this stand at the corner of Karntnerstrasse and Karntner ring. The hot dog was very good.......

Stephen shared a little......

The first time down Karntnerstrasse I was mesmerized by the Swarovski window but did not take a picture....I did not make the same mistake twice.......




Our next stop is the American Bar....which is full of locals....we end the evening playing dice with three teachers from the Vienna American School in an Australasian restaurant......We headed back to Dresden first thing Sunday morning...but as our front desk clerk said one day is not enough time in Vienna......which I agree with whole heartedly!

All my best,
Jill

Just an average day....

Today is just a an average day in Dresden......my objectives work on Richmond Children's Festival vendors, check in with a couple clients, do laundry, get new flowers for the room, workout, treat myself to a manicure and then attend a good bye dinner for part of Stephen's team.  I head out of the NH Dresden at 8:30 with a backpack full of laundry.  It is about a mile walk to the laundry mart....but when you walk by architecture like this it is not such a bad walk even if it is -10C.......

This picture is from my December trip.....but you get the idea.

I am happy to be the only person at the laundry mart at this hour.  The whole laundry mart is worked off a control panel.....numbers for washers, letters for dryers.......wash soap is distributed via this panel as well......I load my washers and get to my tasks .....it is so nice to be mobile...I have a netbook , a Skype number and mobile internet!  I can work anywhere!

Highlight of today's trip....I was able to help some else master the control panel.........deposit money choose machine, deposit money for soap choose soap.....put soap in machine via a top tray, hit start......you then have about an hour which I used to compile a list of possible vendors for the Richmond Children's Festival.
  
 Are you a vendor who works with children and  families?  Know a vendor who works with children and families?......Do you or they want more information about the Richmond Children's Festival?  I would love to share our vision of the event......my email is... jill@boutiqueaffair.com or call 804-363-8780 and leave a voice mail....I will return your call ASAP.

Now that the laundry is done I head back to the hotel.  I read and answer client emails...... finish my blog for the day and then head upstairs for a workout.....I spend an hour on an elliptical like machine.  Here too the view is beautiful....which makes the workout all the better. Time for my treat... manicure appointment is at 14:30.  I walk to the appointment as the weather has warmed....yeah 0C!  After my appointment I stop at the florist just up the street and pop in a local bakery for quick snack....then back to the hotel for a client call.......did I mention I love technology?  The only hitch is I am 6 hours ahead of EST, but as a way to handle that I have both Dresden time and Richmond time on my computer.  The out come of this afternoon's walk: 

    







Client call complete....... now time for the send off dinner.  We went to a Tapas Restaurant which was super cute...our waitress was very nice dealing with our large group.
    The meal was nice as was the company.


Upcoming topics will include......The Blue Wonder, my trip to Vienna, my attempt to watch the Oscars and the Richmond Children's Festival.


All my best,
Jill

The Baroque Era then and now.....

The city of Dresden was founded on the site of a fishing village.  However from the 15th century onwards was the residence of the Saxon dukes, electoral princes and later kings.  The city has experienced both splendid eras and times of tragedy. It was above all during the 18th century a magnificent centre of European politics, culture and economic development, only to become a synonym for apocalyptic destruction just two centuries later.This statement is from the Dresden.de home page which provides a tremendousness amount of information into the history of the city.  http://www.dresden.de/en/02/07/c_01.php  But today I am going to talk about the Baroque era which is said to have begun when August the Strong gained the Polish crown.  The city of Dresden was made the home to a royal court........the city center was transformed into a center for the Arts of all kind.  Many of the buildings commissioned by the court of August the Strong are now museums visited by the tourist  of today.  Some of the buildings were destroyed during the 1945 bombing and have since been rebuilt............. here is a before and after.......

Note the fallen statue of Martin Luther

Note the Martin Luther statue in this picture.....

 The Baroque Era...it is said to have been inspired by the court of Louis XIV of France;  The Age of Elegance beginning around 1600 and continuing till 1750.  Believe it or not it was encourage by the Catholic Church.  It should also be noted for the first time in history there was a middle class that had money to spend.  Art was characterized to be less complex, more realistic while music was highly ornate, lavishly textural and intense.  Some composers of this era include....George Frederic Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach......  The dress was elegant and thoughtful.....but remember "Dressing gracefully begins with developing inner beauty, which consists primarily of a gentle and quiet spirit. A woman of noble character exudes natural beauty that cannot be captured by merely donning a fancy gown." from....http://www.erasofelegance.com/fashion.html

......in historical Neumart Square there is a place called called Kurfurstenschanke, a historical coffee House....they offer visitors the opportunity to "Dine like August the Strong"  In the name of research I decide to have lunch at this lovely restored example of Baroque architecture...  

 both outside and inside is lovely......

The menu boosts a wide variety of Saxon and Bohemian dishes......
I choose a dish under the cold offerings named Gebreatene Garnelen. in weiBweinrahn.......roasted shrimp white white wine cream, cherry tomatoes spring onions and garlic and is served with a baguette of bread....... it looked a like this:
 and was super yummy.  For the sake of research I had dessert from the seasonal offering menu....Lauwarmer Milchres.....warm rice pudding with chocolate sorbet and saute saskatoon berries, again yum!


This lunch was considerably more than the 6 euros I spent in the food court but is was lovely.........and I am reminded of a quote from St Augustine "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

Remember you don't have to travel far and wide.. or to distant lands.  I just traveled about 10 tram stops and found two very different but both very enjoyable lunches.....remember to do this in your own town......the same is good sometimes but don't be afraid to "travel" across town and try something different.

All my best,
Jill

A day in the suburbs of Dresden....well a couple hours

There is a large group of Stephen's associates in Dresden.  

At dinner on Saturday night....at a lovely Tapas Restaurant I might add, they asked what I thought of the "big" mall.  I reported that I had not been to the "big" mall just the mall in the Art Market downtown.  I had my plans set for Monday but since it was going to be cold....and I do mean cold, -11/-5 C, on Tuesday as well....I decided I would go to the "big" mall.  I find my route,  the #13 tram to the then end of the line in Micken....and then get on the #9 to Elbe Park.  I get on the #13 to Micken.....this is a tricky stop because it is the end of the tram line and you must get off the tram which I know I need to do....but I am not sure where to get on the #9, it is not obvious at first.  This and the fact that a stop before Micken I heard the tram operator say the name of a stop and Elbe Center....don't be confused....not the same as  Elbe Park.  I exit the tram and walk back toward the previous stop....I then see where I need to get on the #9...but have missed it and need to wait about 9 minutes till the next tram......just a note is is a diagnal stop and you must cross the tracks and the street to hook up with the #9.  I wait my time and the #9 arrives and I take it to Elbe Park.  I am greeted with a large sprawling "big"mall.  There is a tanning salon, a casino, a mega electronic's store on one side of the entrance and a decorating store on the other side......both super huge stores.  The decorating store reminds me of Haynes in Richmond. As I wander around the mall it appears to be your typical suburban mall.....I also realize I have been spoiled by the new malls in Richmond....I have grown used to the outdoor shopping experience...the light is better....but I also understand it is cold outside here I Dresden.  It is now time for lunch and I head for the food court.....this is going to be interesting right?  So many choice....I decide on something very unusual for me, a buffet of sorts at a place name Olga's.  I choose a dish that is made up of a type of ground meat with scallop potatoes, I "fill" my plate and move to the cash register to order a glass of wine and pay for my lunch.  I am greeted by a women all of 5 feet tall who tells me, in what I decide is a very firm German, that I need to add more food to my plate.  I then explain I am fine, this it more than enough.....oh no this was not acceptable she took my plate and FILLED it with all types of food.....handed the plate back to me with my glass of wine and says 6 euro.....go eat.  What makes it even more fun is the chef is standing next to her just shaking his head when I protest the need for more food.  I pay my 6 euro and take a seat in the corner.....WOW is all I have to say.....I am not sure what I ate, there was some kind of cabbage and carrots in sauce...note not a big fan of cabbage but this was good, grilled vegetables, some kind of homemade sausage and a pancake that I associated with a blitz filled with the cabbage, carrot and sausage mixture.  I finish everything on my plate, thank the women at the counter and waddle back out to the mall.  

The lady in yellow was unstoppable when it came to making sure I had enough to eat.

Overall my experience at the mall was OK.......but I think I will stick to the downtown mall and the shops of the Neustadt.  Now I am off to do laundry and do some more research on the Baroque era for tomorrow's  blog.  This weekend I am heading to Vienna...sleeper car and all.  Stay tuned for more Eastern European adventure.

All my best,

Jill

Traditional Museums of Dresden

Thursday December 23^rd and Monday December 27^th days at the museums in Dresden!

Thursday is a “warm” day in Dresden.  It is about 35 degrees and sunny.  My first visit is to The Dresden Fortress.  This is an underground museum that explains and illustrates the structures that protect the city in its very early years.  I was somehow taken back to seventh grade social studies class and the diorama I had to make of a fortress.  I of course was doing mine at the last minute and failed to appreciate the amount of work that went into protecting cities from intruders in those days.  I am also reminded that there were no cranes or back hoes to help with this process.  The walls in places are two feet thick.  There are spiral staircases; cannon yards, ramparts and yes even a bathroom…..if you can call this a bathroom.

I guess you do what you have to do. 



Being from Richmond and remembering Tropical storm Gaston this next image caught my attention too……it shows the high water marks through the years.   This museum cost 4 Euros and includes an audio guide in English.   I felt it was a worthwhile trip.   

I walk across the courtyard to The New Albertinum which boasts the New Masters Gallery and reflects art from Romanticism to the Present.  There are three floors of interesting painting and statues to review.  The cost is 8 Euros which includes the audio guide. 
Here is a picture of the outside of the building…….you can’t take pictures inside.

Monday is a bright sunny day…..but a little on the chilly side so I bundle up and head out to see the Zwinger which is supposed to be A Midsummer night’s Dream in Versailles Style per the literary scholar

Hermann Hetter.  I am also going to see the Historishces Grunes Gewolbe, Nuees Grunes Gewolbe and the Munzkabinett and the Turckische Cammer.  Translation, the historic Green Vault, New Green Vault, Coin Cabinett and Turkish Chamber in the Armoury.    I take the #3 tram to Albertplatz and then the # 8 tram to “Theaterplazt”.  To my right are the Opera house and the Zwinger.  Even with 8 inches of fresh snow and never being at Versailles I can image the Zwinger would be a Midsummer night’s dream.  The place is breath taking.  The historic Green Vault and New Green Vault are full or treasures from an era past.   The era is the Baroque era….1600-1750……...more on that later this week….

February 21, 2011 update….I have now seen Zwinger without the snow and it is truly beautiful. 

All my best,

Jill

Monday February 14th, 2011 Valentine’s Day

     Let me begin this with a statement, I am not a fan of Valentine’s Day in the US and am interested to see how it is celebrated in Germany.  Today’s objectives, a hot spot internet stick, a month of prepaid internet, a sim card for the iPad, postage for too postcards and a hot pot.  My first stop is a Vondafone, I enter the store survey the situation; there is a couple at a computer, a man looking at phones and a gentleman behind a counter.  I decided he is my man I approach the counter with my best bitte English with a smile, the clerk says yes: I pull my electronics from my satchel and launch into my needs.  The look on his face would peel paint from the wall.  He then walks from behind the counter toward the couple by the computer and begins helping them with their needs.  I now realize I have jumped the line…which is very bad ….so I re-satchel my electronic and wait my turn.  Twenty minutes later I am the only person left in the store so I re-approach the clerk.  He then tells me he has no prepaid options and no sim cards for the iPad.  Thanks dude, I loved standing in your store for twenty plus minutes for no reason! 

Oh well, down the street I go. I walk past two floral shops, no lines, no crazed people buzzing around; just some lovely tulip and daffodil bundles.    

I think I have found the main Dresden Post Office; it has the bugle symbol on the side so how can I be wrong.  No worries right, but over the front door it reads something, something bank.  I have faith in the bugle!       Upon entering the building I realize it is a bank AND a Post Office!  Score one for me….I go to the counter and get postage for my two post cards…..one is off to VT and one is off to TX….I wonder how long it will take them to reach their destination. 

 Across the street from the Post Office is another Vondafone; fingers crossed the second time is the charm, I enter the store and it is empty…..I approach the clerk and ask bitte prepaid? And I get a yes….then bitte English?  A second yes…then I ask bitte surfstick?  Another yes! 

I pay my 40 euros for my surfstick with my 5 day trial period and head to the Hot Spoon for lunch.  Here is a link to this fun lunch spot….http://www.hotspoon.de/.  I treat myself to a large bowl of cheese soup; because I have already done an hour on the elliptical like machine at the gym and walked two miles and the day is young.  I enjoy my soup and try to get my surfstick to work….I realize I need to take the stick apart and flip the sim card, which turns the blinking light from red to green, but it keeps asking for voucher numbers.  I am not sure where the voucher numbers are located.  Time to go back to the Vondafone shop.....and between the clerk and I we read the English and German instructions.  Note to others: click the picture of the sim card, scratch off the silver lottery like ticket; this is your voucher number.  Then click mange bundles, click 2, 2 and then 1 and wait for the sms.  You are then online….not sure how it works but it does.  At this point I have decided the sim card for the iPad can wait.

 I now turn my sights on a hot pot; I head to the German grocery store that I have decided is the Whole Food of Germany to get oatmeal and tea.  The whole reason for the hot pot quest…….living in a hotel can be fun but sometime you just want to make a cup of tea and some light breakfast for yourself.  As I walk through the Neustat I see more floral shops with tulip bundles…..I am liking Valentine’s day in Germany nobody seems too crazy!  

Hot pots range in price from 5 euro to over 30 euro and they are not like the hot pots I had in college.  I settle on a mid range pot and head back to the hotel to fix a cup of tea.  Wow, it is the best cup of tea i have had in a while!  

Dinner is with the boys.  They chose a beerhouse in Old Town……their orders are soup, beef and beer, then the waiter looks at me and I say white wine and spaghetti pesto.  As the talk around the table turns to work issues, I look around the restaurant and see many couples enjoying Valentine dinners.  My impression of Valentine’s Day is Germany is it is a much lower key event than in the US.  

All my best,

Jill

Dresden take two...

The journey back to Dresden began on Friday February 11th at 5:10 PM, this time the trip was much less adventurous.  I flew from Richmond to Newark to Frankfort to Dresden.  No rental cars needed, no flights missed just a long journey.  I arrived at the hotel, the familiar N H Dresden, at 7:00 PM on Saturday February 12th.  I pull into the garage in a slightly larger car than last trip and can't help but notice the massive amount of  police vehicles.  I take the lift to the main floor to check in; I am greeted with a lobby teaming with police officers, the open design of the hotel allows me to see that the main floor is not the only area inundated with police officer.  This display of force does not come as a total surprise, I had lunch with a friend in Richmond prior to leaving on Friday; she reminded me that I was going to be in Dresden for the dubious anniversary of the Allied bombing of Dresden. Here is a link to the wikipedia information on the bombing.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II  Neo-Nazis have been trying for years to reinterpret the memorial and use it  to promote their message.  Last year they were able to create a great amount of unrest.  Looking around the hotel it appears that the powers that be in Dresden do not want that to occur again this year.  I check in the hotel, then head to the Neustat for dinner with friends followed my some adult refreshments.  There are lots of people milling about  but no trouble.  Sunday morning I am greeted with a fresh blanket of snow on  he ground and brisk temperatures.  I set out toward center city to see if there is any kind of protest.  As I approach the heart of the city,  the Frauenkirche I am relived to see not protesters.  There are thousands or so it seems, of police in full riot gear but all I saw were candles light in remenrance of the bombing victims. 




 Here is a translated portion of the news.de report of the events of February 13, 2011 in Dresden........."With commemorative events and a mile-long human chain of thousands of Dresden against the deployment of more than 1,000 neo-Nazis protested in the city. On the 66th Anniversary of the bombing of Dresden lined up in snow and freezing temperatures, according to the Government a 17,000 people in the chain.Many of them wore as a symbol of peaceful resistance, a white Ansteckrose on the jacket.  The Dresden at the same time reminded of the victims of World War II.Participants included Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière, Prime Minister of Saxony Stanislaw Tillich (both CDU) and representatives of all democratic parties.

"This year we know how to protect our Dresden," said Mayor Detlef Sittel (CDU).Neo-Nazis should be given no room. They defiled the memory of the victims of war and tyranny."  

The report continues......."Demonstrations in sight and sound of the banned neo-Nazi

Neo-Nazis gather after the end of the human chain in the afternoon at the Dresden train station. The police counted about 1,300 far-right, which began about 17:00 clock police protection with the deployment.The area around the railway station and the route had previously been blocked off a wide area.

Eyewitnesses reported that reduced the police the route of the extreme right to avoid a clash with hundreds of leftist protesters, with slogans such as "Nazis out" chanted.

The city had all demonstrations within sight and earshot of the banned neo-Nazi march and moved to the other side of the river in the New Town. But not all the demonstrators were in it. According to police, the situation remained peaceful until the evening."

I went to dinner at Raskolnikoff around 6:00 pm on Sunday night.  I enjoyed a wonderful Rump steak with creamy potatoes and sauteed tomato; yum!  As I walked home I watch a convoy of armored vehicles drive out of Dresden.   I am glad this year's anniversary is a peaceful memorial of a difficult time in world history.

All my best,

Jill

Networking, marketing and social media oh my......

Six months ago I decided to go out on my own as a small business owner.  The following is my adventures in the world of networking, marketing and social media.  The first step in the process was to create a “brand”.  A couple of friends who have a wealth of knowledge in this area were priceless....a couple weeks later that aspect of business was done.  Step two, a website; http://garzawebdesign.com/  created; http://boutiqueaffair.com/ .  Step three armed  with “real “business cards and a “real” website, I hit the networking scene but which group was right for me?  Richmond has a large collection of professional organizations.  The follow is a small sampling of the groups I have visited since July.   I was already a member of RCEN, River City Express Networking group; http://www.rivercityexpressnetwork.org/ , NACE just kicked off a chapter in Richmond, National Association of Catering Executives;  http://www.richmondnace.com/ , then there is NAWBO which is National Association of Women Business Owners; http://www.nawborichmond.org/ , AMAR which is the American Marketing Association http://amarichmond.org/;  ,  PRSR, which is short for Public Relation Society of Richmond; http://www.prsarichmond.org/  and finally  the Wedding Guide offers networking too; http://www.richmondweddings.com/  There is not enough time in the month to attend all of these meetings on top of holding client meetings….so which group should I join which meeting should I attend?   I am still working on that question…..but each has its benefits; RCEN time is great and offers education, NACE has education but there is a great deal of overlap with The Wedding Guide, AMAR and PRSR both offer education elements but also have overlap…..NAWBO has an educational element and a chance to work with other enterprising women who act as your Board of Directors…..In July and December RCEN offer all networking sessions….NAWBO and AMA take the summer off to avoid burnout.   There is also a company in town called Ignite who holds speed networking events throughout the year…..the next to be held Friday February 11th; https://www.ignitespeednetworking.com/events/eventinfo.aspx?id=20;  they hope to set a World Record at this upcoming event.  There are also events such as the launch party of the newest edition of GRID magazine where I meet great contacts.  The Women Who Mean Business Summit brought to Richmond by the Metropolitan Business League, allowed business owners to interact with some of the most successful women in the state of Virginia with a Keynote address from the no nonsense Suze Orman. 

 Social media has opened up all kinds of low cost marketing tools to the small or emerging business owner………Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and Tumbler…..are all free tools.  Did you know that Tumbler’s headquarters was located in Richmond’s own Corrugated Box Building; which has a very cool lounge brought to Richmond by C3.  There is also a Social Media Club in Richmond; http://www.facebook.com/SMCRVA,  follow them on Facebook to get notices of their month meeting which work to educate Richmond on the latest in Social Media. 

Head spinning……mine too.   I have created an old school excel spreadsheet and track what networking events I participate in, how much they cost, what connections I make and ultimately if they lead to new business.  I am still trying to figure a way to track the success of social media efforts.  Anyone willing to share their methods, any help is greatly appreciated!

All my best,

Jill