Conference Break and Ramblings - Part II

Yes Part II, to be read second after Part I (earlier Blog) - explanation attached to previous Blog. Oh the idiosyncrasies of the electronic world - when computers comply with intended actions, great - when they don't, then we have to resort to a Part II at a later date. Suddenly this morning I was able to add pictures to this saved draft - to a point, then it stopped again not allowing further picture downloads!

As noted in Part I, I visited Berlin, Germany for a conference.
Although a brief stint it was a nice break from the usual rules & regulations required for day to day life in the Magic Kingdom. "Rules & Regulations" being a relative term, whether to keep a "normal" society functioning in an orderly manner, or to coerce people to a certain lifestyle and degree of conformity. I'll let the reader do the math so to speak.
As noted before my hotel was a pleasant ten minute walk from my hotel, through pleasant green urban landscape, a nice change from a desert urban setting. Berlin is a walking city, with wide sidewalks, cafes, and trees - the many trees apparently planted after the destruction of WW II.

The fairly central part of Berlin, where the conference and hotel were located, was great for walking, but "relatively" new by European standards as much had been rebuilt after WW II. Clearly Germany shows the evidence of prosperity despite all the problems presently being seen in the Euro zone.

Cafes & eating out are part of the European way of life.
What I sampled was something unique to Berlin - the Currywurst, as seen in the next three images. A fast food snack, basically a cut up sausage with some spicey ketchup based sauce - I think you have to be a local to enjoy its attraction.

What image comes to mind when considering Germany?
The home of VW, Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche.
Clearly there were many examples as well as other forms of transportation, including the ubiquitous bicycle. Also an example of a unique way to park a small or "smart car".
It's interesting that even if a cyclist goes through a red light, or disobeys a traffic sign, they can get a ticket. Very Germanic, another set of orderly conduct activities that may or may not be welcomed elsewhere.

Walking the side streets revealed a quieter & more peaceful part of the city.

All in all a nice break from the hot humidity of the coast of the Magic Kingdom.
No I did not visit the Berlin Wall - little left now and at some distance to where I was staying. A piece of history not actively promoted in this modern Germany. Many other sites unfortunately were also not visited due to the conference and time restrictions of a short visit.
Yes this episode of the Blog also somewhat terse & "Germanic" in style.
We will see what "luck" I have in downloading pictures in future episodes.

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TGIW now TGIT not TGIF.

The electronic world of computer workings continues to be a challenge.
Despite "cleaning up" some aspects of this electronic beast on which I am typing I am still unable to download pictures to the blog site. Part II of the trip to Berlin will have to wait.

Now to the issue of TGIW versus TGIT, or TGIF at home.
Confusing?
Most places in the world celebrate TGIF, with the work week Monday to Friday (hence TGIF).
The Arabian peninsula for some time remained out of step with the work days Saturday to Wednesday (hence TGIW) with the weekend being Thursday/Friday, as Friday is the holy day.
Make sense?
However being out of step to most of the world created some issues in communications as transactions elsewhere only allowed three in common working days.
Ah, so what happened next?
The rest of the Arabian peninsula (eg. Dubai), but not the Magic Kingdom, switched their weekend to Friday/Saturday.
So now there were four working days in common to the rest of the world.
This month however, with a week's notice, the whole kingdom switched to the Sunday to Thursday work week (hence TGIT).
The weekend is now Friday/Saturday.
Has the sudden change created some challenges?
You do the scenario.

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German Beer and More.... Part I.

I arrived at the Immigration & Customs booth at the Berlin airport after my two segment flight from the Magic Kingdom.
He took my passport, flipped open the front page with my picture, accepted that it was the same person as in the image standing in front of him, scanned it in his magical device, looked for the only page in my passport that now had multiple stamps on all pages except one, did his duty with his stamp, and handed it back for me to go ...... all in less than thirty seconds.
Only when I said at that time that "maybe its time to get a new passport" (as now my one remaining unused page was now used) did I get a smile from him ..... otherwise all efficiency.
Yes, somewhat different from the "differences in efficiency" from my point of departure. No talking to his buddies, no going to get tea, no directing traffic while the line in front loomed large. Just efficiency.

I had routed through Istanbul, a city previously visited, a fascinating crossroads between two cultures, where the airport was nice but with the air of being somewhat more "gritty".

First Istanbul airport.

Now Berlin.

Yes the atmosphere could be a parallel universe. Different sides of a coin.

The image of the electronic board at this bus stop also tells the story ... the buses being monitored such that us impatient riders can tell how many minutes the next bus will arrive to take us to our destination ..... just try this in the region in which I am now situated! But all is not perfect as one is able to note the poster that some "vandal" plastered onto the board.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves, as the title suggests.
Clearly Germans are known for their beer ..... and wine, and cars (aka VW, Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche), pharmaceuticals (eg. Bayer ... aspirin) and more, presently the economic powerhouse of the European economy. Were they not the ones who lost WW II?

At any rate the reason for my brief trip to Berlin was to attend a conference, the MASCC or International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer.
A moderate sized conference with a large mix of international attendees.
My hotel was a ten minute walk to the venue which was nice allowing the blood to get moving while progressing along a pleasant green cityscape.
"Green" was appreciated that being a sporadic color where I am residing.

Now an unexpected event has just happened in our discussion of "efficiency" ..... I am now unable to download pictures!
Is this not ironic?
Has the program stopped responding or has the "internet surveillance" decided that I have said something unacceptable?
Usually at this time, being Friday morning here, the locals are still asleep such that internet traffic is at a minimal, so usually the uploads work reasonably efficiently .... there I go again with that "efficiently" word.
In any event my Blog will have to continue at a later time, as Part II, with this segment being read first.

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