ISMRM Berlin, Germany

The ISMRM materials all featured this picture of the Brandenberger gate. It was all lit up at night and very nice to see.

This is me in front of the ICC (the conference center where the meeting was held. I also really enjoyed seeing remnants of the Berlin Wall, Charlie's Checkpoint, and especially the Holocost Memorial. Rachael and I are standing near the Berlin Wall - we went there the very day we arrived in the city. It was fun to sight see despite the jet lag. I think I might have fallen asleep at dinner . . . at least dozed off since the others asked me a question and I never heard them!

The Holocost Memorial was really impressive both in daylight and at night when it was lit up. I am glad that this city in Germany has chosen to remember the atrocity that was done to the 6 million Jews during WW2.

Charlie's Checkpoint was the one gate between East and West Berlin. There was a Russian Soldier that guarded the Eastern side and an American Soldier that guarded the Western side. The museum nearby showed the many ways that people tried to escape the communist side.

Katie's Dance Class

My niece had a dance recital while I was out of town so I ended up going to her last class. It was so cute to see them practice.

Her class did a tap dance to "I've been working on the Railroad" and she was so excited that her brother David would like it since his favorite thing is trains.

Antwerp, Belgium

Today John, Tom, and I decided to go to Antwerp. I am not sure if any of us had ever been to Belgium so it was a fun adventure. The city has some really nice architecture and the train station was no exception. Here is a picture of the three of us still inside. It looks a bit like Grand Central Station in NYC but smaller and with darker stone.

Keukenhof Flower Gardens

Holland is quite famous for its tulips yet for only a few weeks out of the year the huge flower gardens are open with its impressive display of 7 million flowers! It was obviously hard to capture on film but here are a few of my favorite shots.

This is me in a canopy of whisteria. They smell so good!

This is a never ending row of various tulips. They were quite impressive.

Only in Holland

These types of things just make me laugh!

Translation problem.

Warning signs

Someone really wearing wooden shoes!

And a vending machine restaurant! This just kills me! You can eat ultra fast food like this where you stick coins in to get the burger or sausage that has been sitting in its cubby for who knows how long. Or you can sit for hours on end to get a decent meal. Such a dicotomy of choices.

Wisconsin Spring

I arrived back in Wisconsin after a short trip to Washington DC. I was so thankful to have missed the snow storm but it was so sad that the flowers were suffering.

Putting things in Perspective

Most of my work related blog posts are from my business trips where I get to visit people and places that are far more exciting than just my routine and everyday life. This is actually where I work on a daily basis. I have a normal desk with a computer and phone.
However, the little office area where I work is being temporarily used to store the computers that are planned to go to our test sites. It kind of reminds me of working in a warehouse.
These are my co-workers Jen and Dan. Both are fun to work with.