DITA Europe trip: Day two

I slept late (almost to 9 AM!) and then dragged myself downstairs for breakfast. Usually I love German breakfasts, but this was disappointing and not anywhere as good as the 12-euro buffet at King's Hotel Center, where I stayed in June. I'm not going to have any problem convincing myself to pass by breakfast in the hotel this trip, thankfully.

Then I went out and walked for an hour or so, getting my bearings. The hotel is about two blocks away from the Mullerishes Volksbad! I brought my swimming gear with me, so I have no excuse for not exercising while I am in Munich. Ironically, I think I walked by the Volksbad when I was here in June, and I didn't even realize it.

Despite making an extra trip up to my hotel room to retrieve my camera, I didn't take any pictures; the battery had run down. I'll either need to purchase a second battery or a charger or rely on my iPhone. I did find a large camera store on Zweibruckenstrasse on my way back from Marienplatz. (Note: I need to remember how to type umlauts.)

So, I am back in my room, drinking tea, and stalling working on my session for tomorrow.

I did listen to the tape I made on the S8, and I think the voice was saying "Bitte Entfahrt Richtung Links Aus Steigen," which might translate to "Please, the exit direction is to the left; get off." I initially misheard einfahrt for entfahrt, and auf steigen for aus steigen ... This is an object lesson in what it is like to be somewhere and not speak the primary language well, comparable to the experience of most ESL speakers confronted with technical documentation written in English.

DITA Europe trip: Day one

It's after midnight, and I am typing away in bed. The last 24 hours were spent in travel. I took the Friday 8:35 PM American flight from RDU to Heathrow, enjoyed a three-hour layover and a crayfish and rocket sandwich (arugula to us Yanks), and then grabbed a British Air flight on to Munich.

Both the new terminal 2 in RDU and terminal 5 at Heathrow are very nice, BTW. I wish I had taken some photos, but as usual, I didn't. One of my side goals for this trip to is to actually use my camera and not just drag it around.

As I took the S8 to Rosenheimer Platz, I had an insight into my new job. Before every stop, a voice announced "Next stop: ... " and then a phrase that I never quite completely caught, despite the fact that I listened carefully each time. It reminded me of my new job, where I am trying to learn a new work culture, new product family, new line of technology, and all sorts of stuff at the same time. Sometimes no matter how hard I listen the first time, I just can't get the meaning. This is especially difficult in meetings where I can't hear well or can't interrupt to ask for clarification.

Anyhow, by the time I checked into my hotel, I was quite tired. I unpacked, went out for some quick grocery shopping, and was asleep by 9 PM, albeit if only for a few hours.

Now I am going to shut down the computer, have a night cap, and hopefully get back to sleep. Ideally, I will manage to get going on Munich time tomorrow ...