My First Trip to Europe!

I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to London and Berlin for work. I attended two NBA Europe Live games and met with marketing counterparts at DT.

This adventure began as a business trip, with all the amenities of business class and Starwood points, but also the drawback of actually having to work. There were moments when I felt like I could have been working anywhere in the United States. Shamefully, I even went to STARBUCKS five times to quell my jet lag with hits of caffeine.

Chris joined me in Berlin after work wrapped up. Exploring Berlin together made the trip that much more memorable and special! I could no doubt write a lengthy blog of every silly story; but even a long-winded novel and 476 pictures (whittled down from thousands) couldn't do our journey the justice it deserves. I guess you just had to be there. :)

THURSDAY/FRIDAY

[The Thames River winding through London. Also, the Tower Bridge next to the Tower of London.]

THE TUBE

I arrived at Heathrow Airport on Friday afternoon after 14 hours of travel (including a layover in Copenhagen). Surprisingly refreshed, I dared to commute to my hotel by Tube, or underground trains. I could have taken a taxi, but I opted for ADVENTURE!

My adventurous spirit sagged the longer I lugged my suitcase from train to train on long meandering rides through boring, dark tunnels. After two hours commuting by Tube, I finally arrived at Canary Wharf sweaty, tired and on a mission to find my hotel. I marched out of the station and found myself smack-dab in the middle of London’s financial district. HSBC and Citigroup towered over me, while hundreds of young professionals in black suits milled about me holding cocktails and briefcases. I had apparently popped in on Friday afternoon happy hour.

Determined to get to my hotel I gathered my bearings and began the 8-block trek to the Four Seasons Canary Wharf. Along the way, I plowed through a field of London suits enjoying afternoon cocktails. I wheeled my suitcase over many a Prada shoe, indifferent to the dirty looks darted down at me. I stopped at each block to catch my breath and take a picture or two. I felt it necessary to document my first “adventure” in Europe.

SATURDAY

I popped out of bed bright and early to soak in some of the city before locking down on work. I had only a few hours to explore, so I fast-tracked through the thicket of towering financial buildings, then strolled along the beautiful Thames River where I found a café selling freshly-baked croissants. I found a bench by the wharf and had breakfast. Although we were quite a ways from London proper, Canary Wharf offered a spectacular view of the Thames River. Probably the prettiest view of all hotels I’ve had the pleasure to visit.

[The view I woke up to.]

[My days in London started with tea and croissants.]

Denise and I huddled down on work for a few hours, and then took a taxi to Bond Street for some window shopping. I steered clear of any tempting purchases, since mostly anything I saw in London I could find in the states at a much better rate.

For dinner, we ate at a Chinese restaurant near our hotel which was lovely and fun until a couple of good ol’ chaps next to us decided that we were prime American specimen to probe. Among the many fascinating details they discovered about us, the following details astounded them:

• Women work in sports marketing!?!
• Women understand sports!?!
• Women like sports?!?
• There are female security guards in America??
• All women don’t know how to make pizza from scratch?

After enduring their silly queries, Denise and I diplomatically slid past these real deal blokes, and bid them good night and good riddance.

SUNDAY

Jet lag swept over me on Sunday like a hazy fog. Although I had intended to pop out of bed early, my body had a different agenda. I woke up at 7 am, peeked out the window and saw that a heavy, gray fog had descended over the river, enveloping the hotel and buildings surrounding it. Sleepily, I snapped a picture of the view then hopped right back into bed. I slept in until 1pm. Denise went through the same thing. Around 2pm, we peeled ourselves out of bed and trotted outside, where we taxied into town for a late Sunday brunch at Boswell’s in Covent Garden.

The New Jersey Nets battled the Miami Heat at the O2 arena in London. I spent ¼ of the game mingling with the NBA and sponsors, and ¾ of the game wondering why I had traveled 10,000 miles to see yet another NBA game. Alas, the wonders of my job still bewilder me.

[Intimate moment between Jay-Z and the Commish at the Nets/Heat game.]

MONDAY/TUESDAY

I took a tiny plane from London to Berlin on Monday morning. Upon arriving at Tegel Airport, I followed the crowd to Customs. I stood in the designated foreigner line and waited patiently for my turn to approach security. The silence around me was undeniable – you could here a pin drop. I dared not even cough.

When my turn came up, I marched to the window, smiled, put down my passport and murmured a soft, but cheerful, “hello.” The officer took one look at my smiling face and started to bark out questions:

Officer: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Me (surprised): Uh, I’m here on business.

Officer: WHERE DO YOU WORK?

Me (stammering softly): T-T-T-Mobile (American accent). “T-Mobile (British accent). Deutsche Telekom (desperate reach).

Officer: WHERE ARE YOU STAYING?

Me (pale and feeling faint): The, um, Marriott Berlin.

The kind customs officer took another cold look at me, then nodded once, quickly and purposefully. I grabbed by passport, nodded back (more like bowed), then sprinted to the next holding pen. What a welcoming introduction to Berlin.

My first few days in Berlin were spent working; however, I did manage to get our to enjoy some kangaroo stir-fry and yet another NBA game. This time i watched the Hornets crush the Wizards.

[Kangaroo stir-fry at an Asian restaurant in Berlin. What a melding of cultures!]

WEDNESDAY

Chris joined me in Berlin on Wednesday! (YAY - fist pump, high-five, toast and CHEERS!) We spent our first day wandering about Ku'damm, tasting currywurst and Berliner Weisse, finding piles of fall leaves to kick around, and just hanging out in general. This was a great day for us to explore, immerse ourselves in the culture and catch up. We even found matching German scarves for just one euro -- we sported them proudly!

[Currywurst is simply a sausage lathered with globs of ketchup, then sprinkled with curry powder. It's usually served with a hard bread roll and a plastic toothpick.]

[With his new German scarf, Chris fit the Lacoste window display perfectly.]

Thursday

Chris and I sported our ultra-touristy German scarves and ventured out into the city on an open air, hop-on, hop-off tour bus, where we explored 12 different historical/cultural stops. We hopped off at Brandenburger Tor, where we joined dairy milk farmers in a demonstration.

Friday

This was our longest, most memorable day in Berlin. We started bright and early by following our noses to the underground train stations, where freshly baked goods made for an awesome breakfast below street level. We visited Knut('s cousin) at the Berlin Zoo, then stared down some goats at the petting zoo.

For lunch, we snacked on wurst, kraut and budweiser while overlooking a great view of Ku'damm from the 9th floor of KaDeWe, a reknown department store in Europe. We slowly walked back to Potsdamer Platz to see the Holocaust Memorial, stopping for Haagen Dazs on the way.

After trying to grasp the meaning of the Memorial (we completely missed the museum below), we wandered around looking for a bathroom. We found a (free) bathroom in the biblioteque, which was right across the street of our happiest find yet -- the Hofbrau Oktoberfest tent.

Here is where we spent 6 hours celebrating in the German way, singing songs and dancing arm-in-arm, with liters of beer, and even liederhosen.

Intoxicating, intoxicated night indeed. :)

SATURDAY

Hungover from our Oktoberfest night, Chris and I managed to have a great day despite our late start.

[We met crazy Casper from Denmark, who spoke with a lisp and paired his stories with flamboyant hand gestures. Capser insisted on linking arms and drinking since we had become good chums.]

SUNDAY - MY BIRTHDAY!

Chris and I celebrated my 27th birthday with an equal share of solemnity and frivolity, (just like me). :) We toured museums and sites of significant cultural and historical meaning, including the preserved sections of the Berlin Wall and the Topographie des Terrors, the physical remnants of political power during the Third Reich.

On the lighter side, we toured different bars and cafes, including an artsy-fartsy junkyard full of fun, graffiti art, and a bar in former East Berlin, where we met some icy-looking bartenders and cheery, outgoing Dubliners.

I had a wonderful birthday -- it topped a spectacular week in Berlin!

[CHEERS TO ME! (I can only be obnoxious about my birthday one day a year...) :P]

[ I'm a speck in comparison to this tremendously towering work of graffiti art.]

MONDAY

On our way back to Seattle, Chris and I spent a 5-hour layover carousing the streets of Copenhagen with cans of beer and our ever-present thirst for adventure. ;)




ALOHA EUROPE! It was wunderbar!


For details on My First Trip to Europe, including all 476 pictures, please check out my Picasa albums, which will guide you through our entire weeklong trip:

Album 1: http://picasaweb.google.com/lizfong/EuropeAlbum1

Album 2: http://picasaweb.google.com/lizfong/EuropeAlbum2