Business trip-

So I had to go away a couple of days on business.

I booked a hotel in Freiberg. Then I realized I was headed to Freiburg (in the black forest) not Freiberg near Dresden. That cost me about $40 to cancel the room.

I got on the train yesterday. When they came around to check tickets, the lady realized that my Bahn card had expired last week, so I had to pay full fare (not half). That was another $70 on the spot, doubling the cost of the trip.

I left my umbrella on the train. No worries, cheap Ikea.

I get to Freiburg and it looks like rain, so I borrow an umbrella.

I did have a Ganter Hefe Weissen last night. Drinking beer alone is about as fun as gouging your eyes out with a spoon.

This morning, the train arrived just as I got to the station. Two stations later I realize I left my borrowed umbrella at breakfast.

And to top it all off, my two projects in Freiburg are not working out.

I am ready to come home.

Ganter Hefe Weissen - Not very good.

Freiburg

So I am collaborating with a German Public Lab in Freiburg. Freiburg is right in the black forest (Schwartzwald) and the city has a lot of history. It apparently was a walled city back in the day and there are still some old gate houses and walls in parts of the old city. We met up with some friends there and they introduced us to a few of their favorite Biergartens where we could get Bier von Flass (from the keg) and the kids could drink cokes in big beer mugs. We stopped downtown and watched some socder in the Eurocup and had beer and ice cream. Ganter Hefe Weissen.

Freiburg is at the base of a hill. It really looks similar to the US Appalachian mountains. One night we went to a Biergarten, walked up the hill to another Biergarten with a veiw of the city, then walked further up the mountain to an observation tower, then back to the Biergarten for another beer (reward for hiking up the hill). Erdinger Hefe Weissen and Erdinger Dunkel Weissen. We did not get the kids home until 10:00 PM and it was still light. We are at the 47th parallel and Northern Michigan is only at 45, so we get a lot of light in the summer.

Made it back to Stuttgart last night and had a Veltins Pilsner.