Intersolar 2011/Munich

I apologize for the extremely late update, but these last 6 weeks in Europe have been a whirlwind. I'm currently sitting at my hostel in Madrid, taking it easy until some friends arrive tomorrow night. More on Spain in another post.

Intersolar 2011

Germans dancing their heart out

Back in the second week of June, I was given the opportunity to go to Munich to attend Intersolar Europe, the world's largest exhibition for solar and renewable energy. There were people there from all over the world, and it was really interesting to see all the new innovations and products companies have been working on for such a diverse and ever changing industry. It was also nice to see all my coworkers' hard work completed and come to life. Plus, on a an even sweeter note, at the end of the night some of the booths held a massive "Booth Party" where drinks and catered food were served. We were told our party was the best, which isn't surprising. We had a live rock band, Hefeweissen, and Germans dancing their heart out. Nobody could compete with that. To top the night off, I had the opportunity to talk to the SCHOTT Solar people from our US branch, where I learned how different the US solar business is compared to Germany.


Regensberg/Munich

Regensberg

Oldest sausage tavern in the world!

I attended Intersolar for two days, and since the following Monday was a federal holiday, I decided to stay in Munich and visit a CBYX friend of mine, Trace, who was living there. I stayed with her Friday and Sunday, and she showed me a little around the city and we ate at a local student cafe. Saturday I met up with two friends from work, Erick and Julian, in Regensberg, a UNESCO World Heritage town an hour outside of Munich, where Julian went to school. It was a beautiful, little town filled with Roman ruins and the highlight of the trip, the world's oldest sausage tavern! Delish...yes, even the sauerkraut which came with every sausage. My mother would be so proud.... We also hung out a the Wahalla temple, an old German  monument of sorts.

Hanging out on the steps of the Wahalla

Mmmm... fresh strawberries

Saturday night Julian drove us to the tiny town (so small I don't even remember the name of it) where his parents lived, an hour away from Regensberg. On the drive there, we saw strawberry fields on the side of the road which there was absolutely no way I could pass up.... reminds me of some good childhood memories in North Carolina! We promptly stopped and joined the pickers in picking the most delicious, fresh strawberries I've ever tasted. We also drove past & stopped to look at the world's largest area for growing hops! Beer lovers would appreciate this sight.

Marienplatz in Munich... perfect weather

Sunday morning, we cooked the traditional Bavarian breakfast, white sausage and soft pretzels with sweet mustard. I still can't do the sweet mustard, but I still think my taste buds have moved up (matured) a level wooo! Then we made our way back to Munich where we got an amazing free tour of the city (Sandeman's I love you!). We ended the day at a beer garten in the huge (larger than Central Park!) Munich Englischer Garten, where Trace picked me up and the guys headed off to Salzburg.

Odeonsplatz