A glimpse into the Medieval world

Last weekend the beautiful town of Heidelberg celebrated the Heidelberger Herbst a festival welcoming the beginning of Autumn. This year we decided to first go to the old part of the town called the Altstadt and then walk through the main street all the way down. I am so glad that we decided to take this path as in the square called the Universitätsplatz we had the chance to experience life in the Medieval ages. 

Music from the Medieval times was presented by a group called Heurekapelle, a fun group and they played and performed some great music.


 


You  could even try your hand at archery if you wanted.




Every stall I entered seemed to transform me back into time, I wished that we were also dressed in appropriate costumes to merge into the whole theme.

 

The costumes were all cloak like long and flowing, clearly a way to combat the cold and rain in those times I guess.

After spending couple of hours in this medieval village walking through the streets again felt so modern and strange.

Welcome Autumn!

22 September was the official start of Fall or Autumn. Its remarkable how the flora and fauna meet their yearly deadlines and from one day to the next the beautiful hues of autumn are right there in front of you. Actually this is the perfect time of the year to go on a chestnut collecting spree.

Little bunny and little rabbit and myself decided to go out and do just that and we came back with a huge basket full of chestnuts.

Children, I think  are the best behaved when they are out in nature free like birds. Almost one and half hours of collecting chestnuts and not a single squabble or complain, everybody went about their business and the goal was clear collect as many chestnuts as possible.

Lovely way to spend an Autumn morning and get some fresh pure air into your lungs!

Hidden city treasures

Couple of weeks back, my work took me to Hertogenbosch a city in Netherlands that I had never heard of before. I always think of cities like Eindhoven, Rotterdam and of course Amsterdam in the context of Netherlands but Hertogenbosch was indeed unheard of atleast for me. The visit was truly an eye opener into a vibrant city with so much culture and so much to absorb. It was a pity that I hardly had any time on my hands to really explore this amazing city. The office was extremely stylish and the architecture so modern, it was truly impressive.

Went out with the team for lunch to a place called 'In de Roos' that was completely run by mentally and physically challenged people. The walls of the place was covered with paintings of all the people who work there. Obviously the city seems to be on the top of the list when it comes to offering some real superb culinary delights. Still remember the taste of the warm goat cheese salad in the restaurant which was named after the famous painter Jeroen Bosch who comes from this place.

So, if you are considering visiting a city with lot of style and flair and not necessarily on the top visited list then Hertogenbosch is definitely a city you should check out.

How colorful the nations of the world!

Last Thursday evening (16Sep2010) was the annual Diversity event at work. I always look forward to this event especially because you get to see a glimpse of the world's diverse cultures under one roof. Talk to people whom you work with about customs they grew up with, understand something more about the countries they come from, the traditions and cultures of their land, and also have a chance to sample their food and drink and simply network. It's a great opportunity for little bunny and rabbit to be able to see and hopefully understand how beautiful and colorful the cultures of the world are!

The dancers from Turkey portrayed such intense emotions, though I did not understand a word it was clear that the song was all about the man wooing his woman. The Egyptian belly dancer moved every muscle in her body with rhythmic ease.

The American group from the Heidelberg Roadside theatre put up such an awesome performance. The lady who performed the Mohiniyattam was beautifully graceful. Loved the fusion of Mozart's Symphony with the Bharatanatyam performance.

Delivering innovation

Hubby and me were talking about how companies deliver innovation. For example companies like Apple are extremely innovative, they bring to market products with the word 'Innovation / Patents' literally written all over it. Products, that consumers like me only expected to be available in another 2 years time.

This is so drastic in comparison to the norm where customer requirements known today are only addressed in a product which will be released hopefully in another 2 years time. I guess it all boils down to how serious a company perceives innovation and how important it is for their brand to be associated with being innovative.

Highlights from Bad Dürkheim

10 - 14 Sep and 17 - 20 Sep 2010 - free slots in your calendar? Then you might consider a visit to Bad Dürkheim. One of the biggest and the oldest wine festivals is awaiting you and trust me the place is brimming with activity. If you plan to take your kids then I would advise you to start early so that you avoid the crowds pouring in towards late afternoon. This festival has been celebrated for more than 570 years now!! And friends tell me that every year it only seems that there are even more attractions.

Be careful if you want to sample the wines, make sure that you order the smallest sizes and that is already quite a lot!! But you will need them if you intend to sit through all the fun rides with your kids like I did ;-)

Summer of 2004

Just finalized my slides for a presentation at an upcoming customer event this Thursday in Netherlands. Netherlands is just a four and half hour drive from here but I only realised today that its been six whole years since I visited the country. I remember the last trip was in the summer of 2006 along with hubby dear to watch a cricket match between India and Pakistan!!
Talking about Pakistan and cricket, oh well they seem to be in the news for all the wrong reasons but anyway I hesitate to digress now ;-)
I remember that match so vividly and I still remember the feeling of dissapointment when India actually lost the match :-( But all in all a wonderful experience that stays on and on in my mind.

I also remember our visit to Zaanse Schans and the amazing windmills on display there.

There was even a cheese and diary farm there offering some of the traditional Dutch cheeses. Old Amsterdam still remains one of my favorite cheeses till date.
Lets see what this visit will have in store, but I think most of the time will be spent driving to the destination, work and back home.

Ambassador for wines

Our local town painted a pretty picture over the weekend. With the last days of the Winzerfest everybody was indeed in celebrative spirits. It was nice to see the Weinkönigins (wine queens) of the region greeting everybody with their lovely smiles.

The Weinkönigins offically are ambassadors of the local wines produced in the region.
I understand that the selection process includes detailed testing about their knowledge on wines. This means rigorous exams with questions about viticultural and winemaking techniques, as well as wine labeling, packaging and marketing aspects.
I was also pleasantly surprised to meet my friend K, a mother of two and a business consultant by profession very happily making crepes at the crepe stand.

She told me that this has been her hobby over the last 15 years!! Would love to take that up as a hobby myself, but first need to gain some subject matter expertise!
As I am writing this post I am craving for some of those yummy Quark dumplings that was sold by the dozen at the bakery Rutz on that day.