Arriving at Germany... First task: decode the German on this train ticket machine, purchase the right ticket, and get to the training facility.
Colleagues waiting for train. Look at that HUGE train system map in the background! It's SOOO complicated!
Arriving at the DWD training facility at Langen where we spent the first week.
Lobby of the training facility
My room. I looks so much like a dorm room. For those from Waterloo, doesn't it remind you of V2!?
Looks like Pluto is already digging into books...
A social ping-pong night during the week. I never knew the sport is popular in Germany.
While some were playing, others were busy working on their presentations etc in the common lounge area.
Dining out near the training facility with my supervisor. I keep forgetting the name of this soup.. Goulash? Some kind of beef soup, it was VERY good.
Second day in Germany, I took the train to downtown Frankfurt shopping area by myself: Zeil street. It's kinda like Robson street in Vancouver or Bloor street in Toronto. Unfortunately I realize that shops are closed on Sundays in Germany...
Some old church
Kinder museum! At first I thought it's museum for Kinder Surprise Eggs... And then I found out “kinder“ means “children” in German.
Haagen-Dazs shop everywhere! I so wanted to try one, but everytime I pass by it's the wrong time of the day... Haha, I guess that's my only regret for this trip.
Very cool old building
Old + new building fusion
Opera house
Typical street in downtown Frankfurt. Far away is another famous church.
I'll call this the “brand-name street”... You'll see why... Burberry...
LV, Cartier, ...
and Nike!
If you look closer, you'll realize this is McDonalds. “Danke” means “Thank you” in German. This is a garbage-return area instead of garbage cans. It's typical in all self-serve food area. Oh, and they sell beer in McDonalds!!! (A happy-meal with beer please~~~)
Very cool shopping mall
Lots of people window shopping in this mall... It's like a spiral.. You keep walking and walking until you reach the top 8th floor.
OK, Monday, back to work. My presentation. Haha, I was so relieved after it's done.
Social event at a restaurant in the forest... In view is my colleagues from Canada.
Haha, yes, of course I had to try some beer in Germany... Look at the size of my mug compared to his... haha, it's a baby size.
Tuesday night, went to Zeil again with the Toronto guys
Haha, guys busy looking at their pictures... I think we were standing at that spot for 15-20 mins just taking pics!
Gummi-bear store~
More night view of Zeil
Yes, international restaurant menu! Haha, I was so fasinated when I saw this, so many languages~ In Germany, it seems like not everyone speak English. So it's good to look at a menu before you walk in, just to make sure there's English..
Another church
Christmasy street
And then we saw someone towing a van....
They hang the whole van just to move it!!!
It took them several tries to put the van on the truck properly... Meanwhile, us Canadians were standing there shooting pics like crazy, haha...
Wednesday, back to training... Look, we all didn't fall asleep, heehee.
Mountain of name tags
Haha, we were trying to boot up a laptop to show our software so we can take a picture... And then Windows crashed with the “blue screen of death” in German. It was so funny that we decided to take a pic of it too~
Here is our software... It's showing a VERY cold forecast for Ontario.
Wednesday night, dine-out at downtown Frankfurt with a German ex-colleague that I met when I was a co-op.
In the restaurant.. very European
Goose and “potato+rice” ball... It has a very strange textual... Kinda like Chinese sticky rice, but with potato.
Friday after the training ends. Another trip to Zeil just to do some real shopping in open stores! This is like a Future Shop... Big Nintendo section~ But they're all so expensive. I'm so glad I don't live in Germany after looking at the price tags, haha.
Don't remember this district's name.. somewhere near Zeil... it's a more “ancient” area.
Famous ginger bread store (at least for tourists, haha)
My favourite store in downtown Frankfurt. Very cute stuffed animals!!
Very medieval-feel buildings
History museum
St. Batholomaus Church
Romer - ancient roman bath place
German hot-dog stand. It's totally portable: umbrella and grill are both attached to the guy. I purchased a hotdog from him, it's SOOOO hot and tasty in the cold weather~
Souvneir from the day's shopping. Husky stuffed animal with Pluto who I brought from home.
Saturday morning we departed for Rothenburg. And that HUGE van was our rental car! Good thing I didn't have to drive, haha.
Scenaries along the Germany autobaun
A stop for breakfast on the highway
A very cool orange juice machine. When you press the button, it takes oranges from the top and make fresh-squeezed juice!
Lots of teddy bears in the restaurant for some reason. These were very expensive too. Apparently some collector's bears.
Take a guess at what this is...? This is washroom in the restaurant building... It's gated and you have to pay before you enter! That is such a strange concept... But it's well-maintained inside so I guess there's a point.
Wind-power~
Arriving in the old town of Rothenburg. Snowy, narrow streets, old buildings.. It's very cool, haha.
Parked outside our hotel (yes, on the sidewalk)..
In the lobby.. again very European
Going up to my room in the attic
My room
Nice small and cozy attic
Husky and Pluto enjoying the TV while I go out for some sightseeing
View of the town
Found this very cute snowman along the way
Pretty scary looking gate..
St. Jakobs church
Inside the church
Very nice wind organ
Sculpture craved out of one piece of wood!
Horses... kinda remind me of the Lego castles town and soliders etc.
Tea time in a pastry shop
This is a famous food in southern Germany: snowball.
More old buildings
There are lots of weapon stores in the town. And here I was playing with a less harmful looking one, pointing at a lead programmer in the team, haha...
LOTS of teddy bear stores in the town. Here's one of them.
Teddy bears~
And a BIG one!
Teddy bears tree
Teddy bear thermostat. We joked around and said maybe we can just use this and throw our project (a weather forecast software) away...
We then took a long walk around the city wall.
It was a VERY cold walk in the snow... Through tunnels...
And even darker places...
But the scenaries were very nice!
Some tower along the city wall
Going up one of the towers
Nice view of the snow-covered city
One of the interesting houses
This is inside the Toy Museum. Look at this doll house!
More teddy bear
I bet many of you played with this kind of doll when you were little
Next stop: Christmas Museum
Unfortunately we were allowed to take pics inside the museum... It's half museum and half store. The store is SOOOO huge. I think we spent like 1.5 hr in a store that's dedicated entirely for Christmas!
Night watchman. A very funny guy who guided us for a night watch around the town.
Night view
Courtyard view from my hotel room
Sunday we drove back to Offenbach in preparation for our meeting on Monday
Husky and Pluto at the hotel
“work area”
Weird bathroom... Notice there's no shower curtain.. You have to make sure you stand within that glass area so water doesn't splash out...
Walking in the snow to find a restaurant for dinner because a hotel's restaurant is closed!?
Creme Brulee on flame! It was VERY good!
Street parking in Germany is kinda strange... You park halfway on the curb.. I guess it's to save space?
DWD Offenbach building, where we spend 4 days in meetings.
In one of the radar meetings
Dine-out at downtown Frankfurt again. I found this restaurant online and came all the way for it because I wanted to try German pork knuckles.
And here it is!
Wednesday night I think... We went to downtown Frankfurt for the annual Christmas Market.
“Gluhwein” - some kind of traditional German Christmas drink. Everybody seems so excited about it.
Here's my mug of Gluhwein. It's hot like Japanese Sake... It's a bit too “alcoholic” to my taste tho.
Gingerbread store
Look at the crowd... so many ppl..
The shopping mall I went to during the first week... now “wrapped” as a gift :)
Friday time to go back home. Haha, I was very glad to go home even tho it's quite a good trip overall.
Lego at the airport!
Shopping avenue.. The airport is like a shopping mall!
More Haagen-Dazs.... Sadly it's morning again... Last chance missed...
Chocolate section in Duty Free store... They all look sooo good!
Home sweet home! Finally home after 2 long weeks. Look at all my souvenirs! :)
