PF 2019

PF 2019!  Štástný nový rok!!

Happy New Year!  I can't believe that another year has gone by so fast.  This really has been a whopper of year with so many things to be thankful for.

I was fortunate enough to visit 20 countries this year.

Happy New Year! Šťastný nový rok! Tau Hou hated! Guten Rutsch! Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku! Srečno novo leto! Frohes or Jahr! Gelukkige Nuwe Jaar! Sretna Nova godina! שנה טובה! Happy New Year! ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷದ ಶುಭಾಶಯ! С новым годом! Happy New Year! Срећна Нова година! नया साल मुबारक हो! З Новим роком! Nyakhomtsha! سنة جديدة سعيدة! 恭 贺新禧!

Christmas 2018

I'm in Berlin for Christmas this year.  Like last year, we went to see the Christmas service at the local Evangelical church.

Later we had dinner and then der Weihnachtsmann showed up with a bag full of presents.





I must say that I enjoy the Weihnachtsmann way more when I'm not the one wearing the outfit.  But at least this way Tünde doesn't realise that I'm not there when he shows up.  She's a clever little thing.

Sometimes technology is a good thing.  I love that whilst I'm in Berlin I still got to watch my niece and nephew open their Christmas presents in California.

To my ultra-international team at work...Merry Christmas! Veselé Vánoce! Veselé Vianoce! Wesołych Świąt! Весела Коледа! Sretan Božić! Hyvää joulua! Joyeux Noël! Gëzuar Krishtlindjet! Fröhliche Weihnachten! मेरी क्रिसमस! Craciun Fericit! С Рождеством! Vesel božič! Linksmų Kalėdų! கிறிஸ்துமஸ் வாழ்த்துக்கள்! Boldog Karácsonyt! Nollaig Shona! ¡Feliz Navidad! Gelukkig Kerstfeest! Срећан Божић! Buon Natale! ಮೆರ್ರಿ ಕ್ರಿಸ್ಮಸ್! З Різдвом Христовим! Geseënde Kersfees! Feliz Natal! Nollaig Chridheil! عيد ميلاد مجيد!

Feuerzangenbowle

It's Christmas time in Berlin and today we went out to Nikolaiviertel for Feuerzangenbowle.  Nikolaiviertel dates back to 1237 and it is the oldest residential quarter in Berlin.

The quarter was completely destroyed during the war and East Germany pretty much left it as a shambles for many years.  It was finally restored in time for the city's 750th anniversary in 1987.  All of the shops, taverns, and courtyards were rebuilt according to historical records and it is now a popular place to visit.

Feuerzangenbowle translates to "fire-tongs punch" and it is a traditional German drink normally served at Christmas and New Year's.  It became popular after following the release of a 1944 film comedy called Die Feuerzangenbowle.

Basically, there is a loaf of sugar that has been soaked in rum.  It sits on top of a smaller burner, kind of like a fondue set, and the whole thing is set on fire.  The sugar drips in to mulled wine (heated red wine flavoured with cinnamon sticks, orange peel, cloves and star anise).  It's similar to svaržák or glühwein but with a bit of a kick.

The stand in Nikolaiviertel has a video clip of the movie running on a loop.

The Canary Islands, Spain

I'm already need some warm weather and in March it's off to Gran Canaria for a week.  Over the past almost ten years I've wanted to visit but it's just never worked out.  So I'm excited to finally go.  Here's a bit of geography about where I'm headed.

There are four archipelagos in the North Atlantic Ocean between Europe and North Africa.  Collectively they are called Macaronesia.  They are the Azores, Madeira including the Selvagens Islands, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde.

Cape Verde is an independent country and is part of Africa.  The Azores and Madeira belong to Portugal and the Canary Islands are part of Spain.

The Canary Islands, Las Islas Canarias, are an autonomous part of Spain.  The islands are actually closer to Africa than they are to Europe.  They are only 100 km (62 miles) off the coast of Morocco.  Since the Canary Islands are a part of Spain they are in the EU and a part of Schengen.

There are seven main islands and each has its own capital.
They are Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
There are also several smaller islands including La Graciosa, Alegranza, Isla de Lobos, Montaña Clara, Roque del Oeste and Roque del Este.

The Canary Islands are a little bigger than Delaware and home to almost 2.13 million people.  Most people live on Tenerife and Gran Canaria which are home to the two capital cities - Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The islands were discovered by Ancient Greek and Roman sailors.  In 1495 they came under Spanish rule.  During the Spanish Empire, the islands were the main stopover for Spanish ships on their way to the Americas.  They gained autonomy in 1982.

The Canary Islands have long hot summers and relatively warm winters making them a major tourist destination.  They get almost 12 million tourists a year which is about 32% of its GDP.  I can't wait to be one of those tourists because I'm in serious need of some beach time.  Let's see how my Spanish holds up but with so many German and British tourists I'm sure that I'll get by.

Louskáček 2018

This is my 1500th blog post!  I still don't seem to be running out of material.

Yesterday was our annual Christmas tradition to go see Louskáček.  We missed it last year because the Janáček Theatre was still closed for renovations and the performance was washed out in Berlin.


The Janáček Theatre is the biggest theatre in Czechland.  It was built in 1965 and was the largest and best-equipped theatre in Czechoslovakia.  It then cost almost 100 million Czechoslovak Crowns but I have no idea how much that translates to today.


It is primarily used for ballet and opera and besides Louskáček, I've seen a few over the years.  The theatre has been closed for over a year for renovations that cost more than 750 million Kč (~ €29 million / $34 million).

The performing arts in Brno really are top drawer.  Every time there's a performance at Janáčkovo you'll see Austrian tour buses lined up because so many people from Vienna come up for shows that are way less expensive than in Austria.

The renovations look great.  I believe that there is still some ongoing projects behind the scenes which should complete by April 2020.

After the show it was time to stop by the Christmas Market to see the tree.  This was a brief stop because the market was so packed with people and because it was just so dang cold.

2018 PM Christmas Party

Last night was the our unit Christmas party.  The theme was super heroes. I'm not sure how this became the theme but it's what the team decided so there you have it.  I managed to order an Incredibles t-shirt and a black eye mask via Amazon so I was set.

This was also my farewell party as two weeks ago I took on a new role with another team in IBM.  I've had a number of different roles but I've been in the same organisation for almost ten years so I decided to take on a new challenge.

While I'm enjoying my new role it's odd not being with my project management team.  It's been such a privilege to work with group over the years.  I'll definitely miss them.

Mikuláš 2018

It's Mikuláš time again.  So we made sure to pass out candy at work today.

How is already Mikuláš time again?  This year has gone by so quickly.  It's true what they say, as you get older time goes by faster.

10th Annual Czechsgiving

Well the 10th annual Thanksgiving party was a success!  But after 10 years in Brno it's pretty much officially Czechsgiving.  It's still hard to believe that this was the 10th.  Way different from the first one in 2009.

It was a bit of a tight squeeze but the turkey did fit in the oven.

Claudia had a special commemorative shirt printed for me to mark the occasion that had all of the group photos from the previous nine years.  I love it!

It's a lot of work putting this thing on but it's worth it.  But it's not me alone.  I have a bit of help.

Tünde prepping marshmallows 

Tünde loves to prep the marshmallows for the sweet potatoes and her job every year is to make the deviled eggs.

Lots of good food and time with friends.  It doesn't get much better than this.  And with leftovers it means that I don't have to cook for a bloody week.

Got the Bird

I picked up the turkey this evening for Saturday's Czechsgiving fiesta.  This beast is 13,4 kg (29.5 lb) and I hope that it fits in the oven.  This is the biggest bird I've gotten since I moved in to my new flat.

It's hard to believe that this will be the 10th Thanksgiving that I've hosted here in Brno.  The event has become way bigger than that first one back in 2009.  At this rate it won't be long before the kids will outnumber the adults.

Australia-New Zealand-Hong Kong Trip Summary

We finally made it to Australia.  About 20 hours of travel but finally arrived in Sydney.

There is so much to see and do in Australia.  Another trip or two or three is definitely in order.  If only it wasn't so dang far away.  Starting in Sydney was brilliant.  Sydney is a modern, very gay friendly, European-ish city with a hip Asian vibe.  Loved it!

I really enjoyed the Blue Mountains and, of course, no visit Down Under is complete without seeing a Koala.  Marcus is now working in Sydney so it was good to catch up with him over dinner.



Most people take photos the Sydney Opera House but few actually go inside.  We were lucky to have tickets to the premier performance of Spartacus.

The performance was absolutely brilliant.

Here's the commercial from the Australian Ballet that I found out on YouTube.

©The Australian Ballet

From Sydney, it's possible to do a day trip to Canberra to see the capital.  In a perfect world, I would have preferred one full day there but when cramped for time then the four or five hours there on tour is enough.

Then it was on to Queensland to visit Cairns.  Nice little town but I could have done without the bats.  The best parts though of visiting Cairns were going to the rainforest in Kuranda and seeing the Great Barrier Reef.

The final stop in Australia was Melbourne in Victoria.  Melbourne definitely has a European feel to it.  One of the coolest things was the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel and seeing kangaroos going full blast in the wild.

The Great Ocean Road is a must do activity in Melbourne.  The Miss Fischer's Tour was interesting but probably only for fans of the show.

Cristine moved to Adelaide almost two years ago.  Since I flew to Australia she flew to Melbourne for a weekend and it was fun to catch up.

Australia was awesome!  I can't wait for next time, well except for the long flight there.

Then it was off to Kiwiland.  Back in Wellington for a couple of days with Natalie and her family.  Fortunately there was no earthquake this time.

Then it was off to Hong Kong via Sydney.  Natalie was on her way back to Vanuatu and we happened to be on the same flight.  Yeah!

It was fun being back in Hong Kong even just for a couple of days. One of the biggest highlights was lunch at Tim Ho Wan.  I still have yet to see the Bruce Lee statue but I did have an interesting Thanksgiving dinner.

Another great adventure but I wasn't ready to give up the 24℃ (75℉) in Hong Kong for the 4℃ (39℉) in Brno.  Now to start getting ready for the 10th anniversary Czechsgiving fiesta.  How has it already been 10 years?

Back in Hong Kong

Hong Kong isn't that big but there's so much to see and do that you don't have to repeat the same sightseeing unless you want to.

Aberdeen is located on the southwest side of Hong Kong Island.  In Cantonese, 香港仔,  the name translates to "Little Hong Kong."  The area is home to around 80,000 people and its harbour is home to several floating restaurants.

There's a nice little promenade for a stroll along the harbour.

The local Tin Hau Temple was built in 1851.



In 2004, the Avenue of Stars opened along the Victoria Harbour waterfront.  It's the Hong Kong version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and it honours the local film industry.



I wanted to see the 2,5 metre Bruce Lee statue the last time I was here but it was closed off for renovations.



Well the whole avenue has been moved during the three year project but at least this time I at least got to see everything, except Bruce.  Damn!  Guess I need another return visa in a couple of years.

I was able to overcome my disappointment of missing Bruce Lee for a second time by having lunch at Tim Ho Wan.  Fortunately we timed everything right and we didn't have to wait in the queue for too long.



Lunch at a Michelin Star rated restaurant ticks another item off of my bucket list.  This place has to have the best dim sum I've ever had.  Lunch for two for less than €20.  Highly recommended!



One thing well worth doing over and over in Hong Kong is going to Kowloon to view the Hong Kong Harbour at night.  This never gets old.