Drupa 2004 Pt. 2. Moerlenbach & Dusseldorf, Germany

 May 2, 2004  Posted in Uncategorized

Spend 2 weeks in Germany for Drupa 2004 – one of the biggest trade shows in the world, dedicated to graphic arts and the printing industry.

Continuation of the day in Moerlenbach. I was invited to a nice barbeque at Helmut’s house (no we did NOT eat one of the giant bunnies). It was also an open-house at the local farmer/butcher’s, so Helmut and his daughter Lena took me to check out the animals. On the way back to Hainburg I tried one last time to break the 118mph speed limit on the autobahn 🙂

Speedometer testing on the Autobahn, part I
Speedometer testing on the Autobahn – the stubborn needle refuses to go pass 180 kilometers per hour (112 miles per hour)!!!
Speedometer testing on the Autobahn – HORRAY! (118 miles per hour)
Driving towards the old woods (Odenwald)
Exit = Ausfahrt
End of Autobahn
Driving towards Moerlenbach, where my colleague/friend Helmut lives.
Stop in English = Stop in German
Helmut and Rita’s home in Moerlenbach
Rabbit cage
GIANT rabbits
My chapstick next to the rabbit, to show its scale
Rabbit attempts to eat the chapstick
Helmut gets the barbeque grill started, and Rita… plays with the bunnies
I swear these bunnies are the size of small dogs!
Is this what a jackelope looks like?
Helmut hard at work
Delicious dinner prepared by the Frankens
Sparglezeit! (White) Asparagus Time!
It’s the farmer’s market so Helmut took me to the local farmer’s “open house” with his daughter Lena.
Free range hens
Helmut and his daughter Lena on right
The farm owner himself
Helmut and Lena
Helmut’s dog Orsa
And Lena’s dog Felix
On the way back to Frankfurt…
Final Autobahn speedometer test: HORRAY – 200 kph = 124 miles per hour!

My stay in Seligenstadt / Hainburg is over – on the way to Dusseldorf, Germany where Drupa 2004 is to take place for 13 days (I am only staying for 8 days, lucky me)…

Partying with Bernd’s good friend Frank
My hotel in Seligenstadt, Hotel Columbus
Gas (or Petrol, as they call it), is about 4x the price in the United States!
100-octane gasoline!
DRUPA 2004 (The biggest print show on Earth, happens every 4 years).
The CGS booth
Reminds me of concert parking
The CGS global proofing task force (yes Bernd and I are very geeky)

The show begins… nothing too exciting to take pictures of during the show… but after the show closes I get to hang out with my German colleagues and have some of the most memorable moments during my stay in Germany this time… One reason why I enjoy working alongside these fun-loving people 🙂

Lutz Semmel, my German colleague
Helmut sitting next to Ralf Siefert, and Nadja (now working for CGS) next to Thommy
Let’s get to work! (Actually the day is over, and we are heading out for drinks!)
Ran into a bachelorette party at a local bar. Lutz checking out the candies on the bride-to-be’s t-shirt
Bernd buys a candy…
And gets a kiss on the cheek (bonus?)
No idea who else she is kissing… oops is that me?
Drinkning Kolsh, a beer brewed daily in the city of Cologne
I like beer!
Ziggy Zagga Ziggy Zagga, Oi Oi Oi!
David Arculus from our Canadian office
Back to the hotel, there is a party going on already…
CGS reserves the entire hotel for our staff
Frank Kempf (Left) looks awfully tired
Oy – Jagermeister…
Helmut and Ralf, the party animals…
Yum – that was very satisfying!
Hey Lewis, get in here so we can have a picture with you!
Looked like they cut my head off
“Lewis, you look really sexy!”
Helmut and Ralf fighting over who gets me… ?
Ralf wins and tries to kiss me
The kissing game between Ralf beings… in 3 – 2 –
one!
Okay – you’re choking me…
Ralf wants to stick the pretzel into Helmut’s ears
Helmut: “no F-ing way!”
Ralf: “C’mon – it’s just a short one!”
Helmut: “fine – only my LEFT ear though!”
Ralf: “Let me show you – this is how I will do it”
Ralf: “If I keep pushing, it will go through the other side!” (Helmut mesmerized)
Helmut rolls his eyes as Ralf fails at pushing the pretzel through his brain.
The owner of our hotel behind Ralf
I DID IT! I DID IT!
Okay, wait a second… now for the final trick… 3 –
– 2 –
TA-DA!
Now if I can only get the smoke to come out of my ears…
This is really fun!
2:00am… time for bed everyone!
Who gets to sleep with Ralf tonight?
Ralf: “I like Helmut better”