2008
en images
in pictures
in fotos
in pictures
in fotos
| Catching up with former and current colleagues over Korean food during the Interpack trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany. Apr 23-30 |
| How to spend my one day off of a week of standing up at a trade fair? A walking tour in Aalst in the Spring sunshine with the Durieux. Apr 27 |
| A quick weekend in London to visit Mark and David. For me the highlight of the trip was attending a performance at the Soho Theatre of Dina Martina (aka Grady West), with whom I used to sell popcorn at the Neptune Theatre in my UW days. Quirky and enjoyably surreal, as in the review of Dina's "film career", including her face imposed on Jeanette Mac Donald's "Indian Lovecall" duet with Nelson Eddy. The next day Grady and I browsed East End art galleries, but the most inventive (and creepiest) we found was on a local kindergarten. May 3-4 |
| Elegant American-themed dinner with colleagues at Shimbashi's Oregon Bar & Grill, with a sweeping penthouse view of central Tokyo. American family atmosphere three hours to the north in Oregon-like Misawa, where I spent the weekend visiting my cousin Doug and his family. Nicely surreal public service poster in the Hachinohe shinkansen station. May 9-11 |
| Back to Tokyo for a week of management training. Completely by accident I run into my former boss (whom I haven't seen in 15 years) in a tsukiji restaurant. Small world. Asakusa by night, including a delicacy of freshwater fish (eaten whole, guts and all), graciously offered to us by the house. It goes in better head first! May 12-16 |
| More traditional fare at Luc's 45th birthday party, with dinner and dancing for 62 guests. May 17 |
| We watch Nid come in at about 100 of 25,000 participants in the Brussels 20k. Kevin visits over a long weekend for a tour of the cities of Brabant (and not a little Belgian cuisine, starting with waffles). May 25 |
| On what would have been my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, Luc is a witness at Tiphanie and Johan's wedding in northern France. Civil ceremony (the one that counts), church ceremony and an amazing party where four generations of the family partied until 5am. Proof once again that life is too short to not wear the occasional silly hat. June 7-8 |
| June is the time of the midnight sun in nordic lands. The sun set over Finland around 10:45PM, but the sky remained bright to the north. June 9-10 |
| I arranged a meeting in Vienna forgetting that the Euro2008 football championships would be in full swing in Austria. VIP tents everywhere, with a large swath of the Ring shut off for outdoor big screen TVs. Even poor King Tut, visiting Vienna, has Anubis decked out in an Austria football jersey. June 10-11 |
| Europe from Birmingham to Kiev, Helsinki to Lisbon, gathers for our annual sales meeting, held this time in Brugge (Bruges) Belgium. As usual, international lectures, discussions and far too many good meals (and even more beers). Highlights this year included tours of the old town by bicycle, boat and horse-drawn omnibus, and crossbow target practise at the St George's Archers Guild, founded in the 14th century. June 16-19 |
| As if I needed another good restaurant after a week in Brugge. Instead, our Dinner Club has their annual feast at a great one, the Clos St. Denis in northeastern Belgium. Elegant decor nicely sets the tone for amazing cuisine. www.closstdenis.com June 21 |
| A new member of our household arrives: Leo, a tabby kitten (or tiny lion) adopted to the big city from a farm in Flanders. June 24 |
| Dinner out with the "Paris Yakuza", former work colleagues from France now all living and working in the Japanese world in Belgium. No, the lady was from the restaurant... June 26 |