#40 - Boston - Mices and Noodles - March 10 07

Make that "mice" and "nodules", but "mices" and "noodles" sounded so endearing that no one wanted to correct the oh-so German speaker at the TAT conference here in Amsterdam yesterday. His presentation was interesting, however the heavy-duty Tscherman Akzent did distract (and amuse) to a certain degree. We have to give him credit though- despite his linguistic disabilities his train of thought could be followed, a statement that could have not been made for some of his fellow presenters. In particular our friends from France and Italy did a spectacular job in testing our auditory limits and at times it was just easier to quickly read the abstract and use the remainder of the 20 minutes for a power nap.

As with every conference, it is a mixed bag, some outstanding lectures interrupted by a few high-end snoozers. The highlight for me in any case is the ability to network, and gather the 411 on companies we are interested in collaborating with - and fortunately there was plenty of that.

It has been fun returning to Amsterdam every year for this conference - I know my way around and there is absolutely tons to see and experience. Having explored all the major museums during my past two visits and faced with a rainy day on Wednesday, I decided to go for something completely different and visit the Heineken Museum (http://www.heinekenexperience.com/). I know, I know I have been making snide comments about this beer here and there, and have stated that I would drink it only during a beer emergency (whenever that would be), but "The Heineken Experience" is definitely a cool thing to do. The museum is located on the original site where the brewery was initiated in 1867, and tells us in an impressive and fun display the history of its origins. One learns how beer is made and what is needed to do so, gets to know all the Heinekens (a fun bunch of people), one can explore the inside of a brewing vat, sit in a space pod and watch old Heineken commercials, and of course, get free beer!! Upon entering, you get three coins for free beers, and after using two of them, I, like so many other people, was ready for the gift shop, which is conveniently located immediately adjacent to Bar #2 (nothing like a little beer to loosen the wallet....). Needless to say I headed straight back to the hotel for a little shuteye before I was able and willing to re-enter civilization. Note to friends and the entire population of the Netherlands: I hereby retract all my previous insults about your beer - it is a yummy brew, I must admit!!).

It was a day for beer, this Wednesday - I had come in via train from Germany, and after transferring in Frankfurt to the extremely comfy ICE train that would take me to Amsterdam, made instant friends with a couple of nice young fellas who were on a tour of Europe for one purpose and one purpose only, drink and find as many women as they can! It was wonderful to observe them in full swing, and the servers in the restaurant car where quite happy with the amount of alcohol these guys consumed. Strangely enough they talked me into drinking a beer with them, and only after the buzz kicked in and I had to go back to my seat, did I realize that it was 10 AM. I had gotten up at 4:45 AM that day, so had lost all concept of time, but as the old saying goes, it must be 5 o'clock somewhere.....

The conference days have been busy, the evenings filled with business dinners mostly, including a welcoming buffet at the "De Kersentuin" Restaurant (which happens to be a fancy schmancy place in the hotel I am staying in) and an outing with some colleagues from Belgium to their favorite haunt, the "Roode Leuww" (The Red Lion) - http://www.deroodeleeuw.com/index1en.html , which dates back to 1690.

As usual I have been staying at the Bilderberg Garden Hotel (http://www.bilderberg.nl/uk/hotels/gardenhotel/), which in the past has been very very good to me, but this time disappointed with a series of mishaps and snafus, including giving me a smoking room at first, forgetting wake-up calls and last night, putting a band under my bed. I swear it was like sleeping in a disco, and upon my inquiry as to when the deafening noise was going to stop, the cheerful receptionist assured me that the party guests would surely leave at 1 AM. Grrrrrrhhhhh.

The conference ended this afternoon and I used the remainder of this spring-like day to wander the streets of Amsterdam some more. God knows I needed to walk off the hearty Dutch food served at the conference and the gummy bears I had for breakfast (don't ask....).

It has been a whirlwind week and trek though Europe, after Germany and Switzerland, I threw in France as well this past Monday. Accompanied by my childhood friends Gitta, Gisela and Mimi, I headed to the city of Colmar in Alsace-Lorraine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsace-Lorraine). Colmar, located near the foothills of the Vosges Mountains (the sister mountains to the Blackforest) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colmar - was founded in the 9th century, and was also apparently the city were "Charles the Fat" went on a diet in 884 (and you thought this was a new fad!). Apparently he was quite the overachiever and was emperor of France, Italy, and also Holy Roman Emperor, which is surprising considering his lethargy and ineptness. I also think he tried a couple of invasions which did not pan out either. Anyway, back to Colmar - aside from being the driest city in France, it is a charming place with a very well preserved city center, beautiful old "Fachwerk" houses reminiscent of the so-called Mock Tudor Style.


It was a fantastic day, we walked around, ate French pastries and French lunch, and then decided to explore the Alsatian Wine Trail. Driving along a more than picturesque landscape we ended up in Kaysersberg at the entrance of the Weiss Valley. The town was founded in the early 13th century, is a most quaint little place with a fortress to climb up to and some nice opportunities for "degustacion" - wine tasting. They are free, the tastings, and of course, after a few sips, one feels so much more inclined to buy a bottle or two - which is why I am now the proud owner of a couple of bottles of Bernhard Schwach wines - a nice oomphy Muscat and a more subtle Gewürztraminer.

I will be heading back tomorrow to the "Verenigde Staten" and will be a tired little puppy. The conference unfortunately has decided to move around its location and will be held at the exotic location of Bethesda, Maryland next year, so no more Amsterdam for a while. The organizers promised to alternate between Europe and the US and 2009 looks like Barcelona, which will be just fine with me.

Goede Avond my friends!!

Enjoy your weekend.

pert:)