MOS Whirlwind trips
There have been a couple of whirlwind trips by our Crew members over to Europe for some important MOS Business.
Guten Appetit!
Imagine a heaping plate of Jaegar Schnitzel ala-mustard, Weinerschnitzel, Duesseldorfer Potato Mushrooms, Hasenpfeffer, Spaetzle, Kartoffelknoedel, Sauerbrauten, sauerkraut...and that was
all on Staff Captain Micki's plate. Apparently, trans-atlantic travel acts as an appetite stimulant for some. The dessert buffett featured Obsttorte, Swabian Pancakes, Sweet Potato Pie, Vienna
& Dresden Stollen, Streuselkucken, Schwartwälderkirschtorte(Black Forest Cake), Schnitzbrot, and Zwiebelkucken. Just choose one please, but NO, someone is still hungry! I think we blew
our entire annual departmental budget and we're not talking about Captain & I! Chans ia!
Be careful to invite this crowd - it could make national news !!!
A selection of the best posts have been collected here:
Is MOS Business really always the first on the list?
We were sidetracked on our way to have dinner with the Captain. It wasn't really our fault but the pilot on the MOS super sonic jet made this suggestion and it just happened.
See we were going to go straight to Germany but the pilot said we would be close to the Netherlands and we had some time, so he asked if we wanted to go there.
Having wanted to see Amsterdam and being so close, we said ok. Well, we get there and it's just so neat and we start walking around. Found a museum with some of Rembrandts great works and in we go. Then someone said we had to take a boat ride on one of the many canals..... so off we go.
By the time we returned it was getting so late and then someone started talking about Belgium being right there, just a quick ride in the jet!!
We get back to the jet and ask the pilot about Brussels. He said it wouldn't be a problem.
Well, it was getting dark when we arrived and someone wanted to rest before some ballgame. So we find a hotel that is capable of televising the game. Well, I go off to sniff out the scents of chocolate and Cindy goes to rest up before the game (keep in mind, there is a 7 hour time difference.)
When I get back to the hotel, I stop at Cindy's room and request that she post telling you that we didn't meet with the Captain. I go to my room to get some rest.
A few hours later, I hear all this screaming and hollering and it's coming from Cindy's room. I go running over, hoping that I remember my kickboxing moves, thinking she being attacked!! She was just excited that some team won the ballgame. Now she's gone to sleep and I'm wide awake. And to top it off, she only made some post about baseball teams and forgets all about you, waiting for your answer.
Now, we do plan to meet with the Captain Wed evening for dinner. All I want to do in Brussels is go to the confiseries. See, they have wonderful chocolate here and they really celebrate that fact. The confiseries are places of elegance and you don't just walk in and pick up a box. You select each piece that you want. Nirvana Chocolates get their cocoa beans from Africa because it has a stronger and more assertive flavour than the So American beans. This gives their Pralinen (not to be confused with American version of praline) a much better flavour.
Anyway, after we get the chocolate, we're going to head to Germany, in time for dinner with the Captain. Now we may make a stop in Cologne but we won't stay long..... honest.
This jet is really nice
but we may have to start paying dues for the WGIG....... fuel costs, you know. But it's a great perk of the job!!!!
Didn't sleep too well, thought I was having a nightmare. Some crazed woman kicking down my door screaming everybody was kung-foo fighting.... and streaking into my room wearing
her flannel French's Mustard jammies with her fuzzy Poupon slippers. Learned my lesson - when in Brussels, never eat brussel sprouts with a white chocolate-mustard sauce within one
hour of bedtime! Saise!
Finally - after setting back the scheduled meetings several times - the Crew arrives to meet the Captain!
It's a new day and we're meeting Captain. Naturally, he has selected a fine choice for our dining pleasure. The Goldener Anker is a definite "specialty restuarant" to consider for our MOS ship.
So much for our round-table discussion. It was time to move on to Cologne, the oldest German city (a lot in common with SC). Now, I'm thinking that we're going to find lots of mini-bottles of
perfume that we could put in each cabin on the MOS. Why else would we be going somewhere called Cologne? This is a business trip! But no, this Cologne is known for it's cathedrals, the
Rhine, the Deutzer Bruke and Hohenzollernbrucke bridges. Hmmm, go figure. Wrona, can we get them for false advertising?
My how time flies when you're working! Our flight home was scheduled to leave shortly. It was a real challenge dragging a certain SC out of the chocolate confiseries, even though she'd
cleaned out all of the confiseries in Brussels earlier. My, that lady knows her chocolates. Needless to say, we were slightly overweight for the flight and had to DHL all of our packages back
to the states. Unfortunately, the seatbelts had shrunk so we couldn't take off on schedule until someone who shall remain nameless was secured in the bulkhead area. No waris!
OK, It´s up to you to decide what activities are most important on these trips - Meeting the Captain or .....
The MOS Jet is ready for another "Business" trip to Europe
We (Angie, Cindy, Alisha, Wrona, Trish, and me) are on Jet MOS heading to our first stop.. Switzerland.
It's a darn good thing Captain will have that big truck when we get to Germany, 
a few gals will be able to change clothes and shoes about every 2 hours. As long as they're happy..... wouldn't want to travel with an unhappy crew.
We'll be sure and post from Zurich tomorrow.
First stop Zurich, Switzerland
Hello all from beautiful Switzerland! As we were circling Zurich preparing for landing. Oh what a sight. Seeing the Swiss Alps was amazing. I had the urge to start singing...."the hills are alive with the sound of music". I know that was in Austria, but still it just seemed so....right!
We have been having a bit of a language problem as Switzerland has 4 official languages, French, German, Italian, & Romansh. We walk up to someone and try out our French...and they respond in German! Talk about being confused!
What a busy day today! I am bushed! These long flights, even in the MOS supersonic jet still takes a toll. I am going to take a quick nap to rest up for the rest of the evening. I will let Micki or Cindy fill you in on our day and I am sure Trish or Alisha will have a few things to say too.
Meeting the others has been the highlight of the trip so far! Micki, you do have quite a chocolate-addiction and you're so creative! I didn't know that some of those things could be dipped in chocolate-ya learn something every day! I guess I didn't believe any one person could have so many shoes (Wrona), but I must say that "those shoes look marvelous" (in my best Billy Crystal voice). Trish and Alisha kept us going with their "Seattle's Best" coffee selections. What a great idea you two! Just picture the six of us pumped-up on caffein - oh Captain, look out! We're on a roll now.
You've got that right Angie - what a glorious sight. We're checking out Zurich and enjoying a party-cloudy day with temps in the 60's. Much like home, but so much more inspiring. I just feel like yodeling whenever I speak - but that would probabaly confuse everyone even more - dunka! Eating seems to be the main theme of this leg of the trip so far. The cheeses and tarts are to die for! I'm not sure about the "onion-slathered" tart though - I could leave that to everyone else thank you! Maybe if I spread mustard over the onions....... We have been told that tarts are very popular in Switzerland. Hmmm, we should fit right in!
More later - oh, business trips are so fun!
WOW...A good nap does a body good! I am now rarin to go. I see where Trish & Alisha posted while I was getting ready for the evening. The two of them were like kids in a candy store today...well actually it was the Lindt & Sprungli Chocolate Factory, but you get my drift. They were sampling anything and everything...OK we all were but they kept going back for more.
I must say the Swiss know how to make more than just cheese
Well, I need to meet everyone over in Micki's room to see what is on the agenda for the evening....more later.
What a day this has been. At least I can always find everyone else.... I just listen for someone singing "the hills are alive" and proceed in that direction.
Our day has been busy. As Angie mentioned, we checked out the Lindt & Sprungli factory. Interesting fact about them, they now own the Ghirardelli brand of chocolate. That's the place just round the corner from our Corp office.
Oh, clocks! There are clocks everywhere. These people really like their clocks. Can't be late for anything around here because you always know what time it is.
We have learned about cheese, especially fondue. The Swiss are still very into the fondue thing, probably because of their love of cheese. Emmental & Gruyere, with some wine thrown in is a favorite here.
Emmental is a swiss cheese with large "eyes" that give the cheese a more pronounced flavor. We also learned that baby swiss, which is popular in the States has water substituded for the milk whey used in the making of swiss cheese. This gives the baby swiss smaller eyes and a milder flavor.
Something else that is very popular here is Ovomaltine. It actually originated here. We know it by the name Ovaltine.
It's time for food now. Try getting 6 women to decide where to dine.... what a task. We just have to forget diets, food here is not low fat. I don't care where we go as long as they serve Zurigschnatzlets with a side of Rosti!
Gotta run, more later.
Hi all! We just stopped back to the hotel for a quick minute. All the girls wanted to change into their dancing shoes...which I guess is different from their dinner shoes...which is different from their shopping shoes.....I jsus don't get it......I must be missing the shoe gene!
Dinner was fantastic, which is why we decided to go out dancing tonight, to try and work off a bit of, well hopefully quite a bit of dinner. We have been past a few of the night hot spots, that we are going to check out. And maybe we will celebrate a birthday a little early, but don't tell, it is going to be a suprise!
OK, everyone has tried on all their shoes and have finally decided which ones they are going to wear, I have to get them out of here before they change their minds again.....au revoir
Oh my, this group can eat! Think I'll just wear my fuzzy hotdog slippers tonight - my feet are killing me. I hope disco dancing is still the rage - that's all I know how to do. Hold on a moment, I see Wrona walking down the hall........."Hey Wrona, was that you in the shoe store carrying the stack of 10 shoe boxes?" Hmmm, no answer and she's ducking into her room so quickly with all those bags. Okay, I'm back.....between you and me, I was surprised they made wooden clogs in so many different colors, but hey, to each her own! Oops, "be right there"...... well, somebody's knocking on my door - gotta go. Off for a night of dancing! This ought to be fun - I'll ketchup everyone later.
After wishing Alisha a happy bday, I have returned to my room. The responsibilities for an SC don't stop!!
Wow, those girls sure know how to party. And don't let Trish fool you, I've been at the table and she has been out on the dance floor. Wrona sure does have a knack for buying shoes. I hope the MOS truck can handle her purchases. Angie never stops, she's been dancing up a storm. And Cindy, with her hot dog slippers has attracted a crowd wanting to know where to purchase them.
We had a wonderful dinner. The fondue is exceptional here compared to home. Must be why they still enjoy it here. I did have my Zurigschnatzlets.... very, very good.
We are rearranging our schedule some. Since we can't sue Cologne, we will bypass the stop there. We'll be in Frankfurt in the morning where the gals can sample the wine and beer for MOS. We should be in Dorsten meeting with Captain by 2p.m. Captain has suggested a few things to see during the afternoon hours.
Alisha wants to go to Amsterdam and we will try and work it in on Sunday. Trish just notified us that she has jury duty Mon so maybe we can fly there for a few hours on Sun and with any luck Captain can join us. After we drop Captain off, we'll just head back to the states. (Note to self... find out from Wrona what will happen to Trish if she's late for duty.)
Laurie, sorry you couldn't be with us this trip. I believe the concern was bringing our assit. bookkeeper and having her see the expenses we're running up. Make sure you're seated when the reciepts are turned in. Yes, it's all MOS related, except for Wrona's shoes. WOW!!
I'll try to post before we leave for Frankfurt. It will be early, hope the gals will be ready.
WOW! I have not been up this late since.......it has been that long ago that I have no idea since when! But what a way get back into the swing.....and I am practicing for our cruise that happens in 15 Days
Well, Alisha will remember this Birthday for years to come. She throughly enjoyed telling anyone who would listen, "It's my birthday today" and she really enjoyed it after she found out people would by her a drink when they heard.
Wrona's skirt caused quite a stir! and she quickly kicked off those shoes she just purchased, when she found out she could not do the hustle in them!
We have a busy next couple of days, so must sign off and get a little sleep before the limo shows up to take us to the airport for our next leg of the trip. I took some more pictures today, and will see if I can post one or two tomorrow...I just can not keep my eyes open any longer and for some reason my fingers keep hitting the wrong letters on this key board and it is taking me forever to type. As they say here in Zurich "bonne nuit, gentil reve"...good night, sweet dreams
Well Wrona, I feel I can tell you this since we've jetted across the pond together AND we share a similiar affinity for footwear. "You call that a skirt?" In my day, that would have been a sash to accessorize my outfit. But your shoes definitely draw the eyes downward so I don't think anyone noticed just how short that skirt really is. Well, except Hansel of course and who knew he'd just broken up with Gretel and would be at the same club we were at! So, all I can say is "you go girl"!
Alisha, do you realize that I could be your mother? OMG - why did I think I could keep up with the youngins! I will not be happy in the morning. Speaking of morning, I'd better get back to my room. Good old SC is reliving her military days and doing bed-checks every hour. So far I've fooled her with my towel-person but I don't know how much longer my luck will hold out.
Sure wish Sara was here with her mustard spa products - my dogs are a howling. I can't believe that nobody else remembered how to do the Chicken Dance. I was the only one on the dance floor - come on people, flap those arms! And my favorite - the Hokey Pokey - was another crowd pleaser. I even got the band to play it a couple times cause I really think it's everyone's favorite dance. Oh, dancing the night away.
What time is it? My goodness the alarm just went off....it can not be morning already! I need coffee! I need a shower! What the heck did I do last night? Who was that on the dance floor? What was I thinking? I NEED COFFEE!!
It's about 6:45 a.m. here. I wonder if I should let everyone sleep a bit longer..... nope, they need to get up.
Excuse me, someone is at my door.............................................. ..
I'm so pleased, Angie is wide awake and she brought me some ice tea. Wow, now I know why she's awake. If her coffee is as strong as this tea, we won't sleep the rest of this trip.
And isn't she nice, she's taking coffee to everyone else. Gotta get them moving, Frankfurt awaits, then Captain.
About 8 a.m. Leaving for airport.
Angie...
Alisha...
Cindy...
Trish...
Wrona...
Apparently they had some of Angie's coffee!!
We will be very busy once we arrive in Frankfurt and our time will be very short. We have to go to the Wien Societat. I don't know how they will be able to drink, I mean sample wine and beer so early but I know they will because it's for the good of MOS.
We will also stop at the Flohmarket Sachsenhausen for something called Bumper BBQ. It's different types of grilled sausages and meats. We should have some varieties of mustard to sample at this event.
About the time most of you are waking up, we should be arriving in Dorsten and meeting the Captain.
Since our day will be very busy, someone will post what we're up to at some point during the day.
Gutenmorgen to everyone in the US!
Just have a couple of minutes for a quick post as we just adjourned our first meeting with Captain Speaking and have the last one in a couple of minutes. Then we plan to paint the town of Dorsten..... YELLOW!
Will fill you in on more as time permits.
BTW not only did Captain have his sign at the airport upon our arrival but he also had the truck, which was a good thing....the girls refused to leave any of their purchases on the plane.....they keep saying you just never know what we will need today!
Snuck out for a bathroom-break......
That was coffee that Angie poured down our throats? Wow, it could've stopped a llama dead in it's tracks. (sorry, don't know what kinds of animals are most common here - no disrespect to the Llama Society intended!) Well actually SC, I couldn't believe that we had to get up already! Why oh why didn't my towel-person take-away all of the sore muscles, foggy head, and sleepy feeling I had from staying out past my bedtime last night. But, a little "hair of the dog" sure did help me bounce right back. The beer and wine for breakfast was a fabulous idea. We ought to consider that for our MOS Breakfast Buffets.
Okay everyone, say it along with me.........EINS, ZWEI, FREI, G'SUFFA ..... and y'all know the rest. I'm hoarse from chanting that as we ventured through Frankfort. Everyone was so friendly there, smiling and hugging and toasting - oh my! I hope we can spend more time there on our next visit, but of course Captain was waiting and that was the purpose of our trip. Honest Laurie - those receipts will verify that this is really a business trip - with just a few short detours of course.
Oh-oh, there goes Wrona with another pair of shoes. Let's see, that makes three shoe changes already today. Hope she doesn't notice me over here in the corner - oops, too late....."Hi Wrona, yes - I'm heading right back in.....I, I, I just stopped to lace my shoes again". Phew, I think the "shoe talk" will buy me another minute or two but I'd better get going. OMG, Wrona switched into another pair of shoes that DON'T MATCH! But, I think it was intentional and I certainly don't want to embarrass myself and point it out to her, but what if she really didn't mean to do that. Well, I'm not going to say anything - we'll see if Captain notices.
"It's my party and I'll cry......" "Alisha, are you still singing that loony tune? Yes, I'm heading back into the meeting.....ummm, I did see Wrona walk past but she was heading that way.....no, I haven't seen Trish - she's was a little sleepy due to her nightmares last night. I think when Colonel Mustard was attacked by Madame Brat - well I can only imagine the horror of it all. Okay, see you back inside....."
Well, bathroom break is way over so I've gotta run. Mehr Spater - Auf Wiedersehen !
Gosh, our time in Frankfurt went so fast. My hat's off to the crew, they did a great job of sampling all the beer and wine for MOS. Not being one to indulge in either of those I certainly appreciated the fact that they were willing to take that on.
But I didn't totally forego my learning experience. I can tell you that Germany has the oldest food regulation law in the world. In 1516, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria established the REINHEITSGEBOT, otherwise known as the Purity Law. It stated that beer should only be brewed from Barley, hops, and water. Yeast has now been recognized as a vital ingredient and added to the list. This law is still the most important one in the brewing of German beer.
Captain had such a wonderful welcome for us. The townspeople welcomed back Cindy and I with open arms and more food. The shoe store owners were extremely pleased that we brought Wrona. Even Angie broke down and purchased a pair of shoes!
We're getting into evening here. This has been another busy day, with still more to do. I hope to be able to convince Captain to make a quick trip with us on Sunday morning to Amsterdam. Alisha is so looking forward to that trip.
Oh, just so y'all know. Cindy thought she had me fooled with that towel person, she didn't!! I knew she was still out dancing up a storm with the rest of the crew. I just let it go because it is kind of Cindy's last "fling" before turning a certain age!! Her upcoming cruise will mark this BIG celebration and then she can return home to read all the nice stuff AARP will send her just to rub, errrr, remind, no, celebrate the event with her!!
Back to our meetings.
7:00 am??? Are you sure that's EARLY ENOUGH? I didn't think I had fooled you Micki! But, last fling my Bass (shoes that is)! I'm just getting started. I am looking so forward to this next decade - my SIL tells me that the 50's are "freeing". Well, I have no idea what that means, but I can't wait to find out!
Captain has been such a gracious host (again) and never seems to tire of all the chatter we six produce! Dorsten is such a lovely town and the banners adorning the street lamps were definitely a surprise. WELCOME TO DORSTEN HONORABLE WGIG-MOS STAFF! I am humbled.
That's certainly a good idea about the judge, Captain. It's always a smart to have a judge in our pockets (er, I mean, on our side)! Now, I'm a little nervous about our trip to Amsterdam. My nephew visited there about two years or so ago and had some wild stories to tell. Seems it was a great place for a 20-something single male to visit. Well, maybe that's part of the "freeing" I'm to experience. We'll see.
Are any of the rest of you as amazed by our Staff Captain's wealth of knowledge about almost everything? Who knew as we quitely sipped our brew that our ancestors wisely established the REINHEITSGEBOT, otherwise known as the Purity Law? Pats on the back SC - I love to learn as I pursue one of my favorite habits.
Say, has anyone seen my hotdog slippers? I took them off when the band played the last Hustle song, and I hope I didn't forget to bring them back to the room. Oh my, Alisha, Trish, Wrona......did either of you pick them up?
Yes, 7 a.m. By the time everything is loaded, it will be 8 a.m. before we take off and our time will be short.
We did ok in Amsterdam so I'm not worried. We just have to stay out of the district that could require a lawyer. Wrona isn't licensed there.
Now, as to that "freeing" experience...... I've had a few years at this 50's thing and I guess I missed the boat, err ship on that one. I have to wonder at what that means as my responsibilities have increased. Maybe I'm going to be a late bloomer on "freeing."
I tried to warn you about the slippers. You had a lot of people eyeing them with envy. Hopefully one of the gals found them.
I'll give the girls credit, they were ready this morning. Of course they may have been afraid of Angie bringing more coffee.
We're at the airport. All chocolate is loaded. We just have to wait for someone to get all her shoes loaded.
Wow, you won't believe this. I think half the town is coming to say good-bye. I wish I could read German. What's that Captain? Oh how sweet, they have a banner saying "Don't leave yet!" Captain, what is that they're saying? They want our autographs! Wow, this is something! Captain, what is all this that is written here? WHAT!? We have to sign an agreement to being you back? Seems our Captain is well loved and the townspeople are worried we won't bring Captain back. What did you say Captain? OHHHH! It also says we have to make a return visit and stay longer. I think we can sign this paper.
So sad to be leaving but we'll have one more opportunity to see Dorsten when we bring Captain back.
All luggage and packages are loaded now. Time for us to board. We're off to Amsterdam for a short visit.
Hard to believe by Sunday evening we'll all be back home.
Somewhere over the Atlantic..... Have just awakened from a MUCH needed nap. Who said ladies do not snore? I had to check to see if the jets engines were still running as I can not hear them over all the sleeping noises going on in the cabin! Captain and the town of Dorsten were most gracious and we had to promise a return trip soon. Cindy got her hot dog slippers just before takeoff as the DHL truck zoomed up to the jet just as we were getting ready for departure. Cindy now is as snug as a bug in a rug as she has put them on for the long trip.
Still a bit foggy in the brain right now, so I will sign off and try to catch up on the slumber I missed this weekend.
