Snapshots from the Road

In the spirit of "a picture is worth a thousand words", here are a few snapshots from December roadtrips, including a trip to Berlin and another to northern Wisconsin. This time the travel itself became part of the story. Sonoma to San Francisco to Frankfurt, no problem. But then - snow in central Europe and the UK. Flights to Berlin were cancelled. So we did what any sensible traveler would do - we took the train. Got to Berlin a few hours later. Luggage arrived a couple days after that.

This was the 16th Annual meeting of Online Educa Berlin, the largest and most international elearning conference that I attend. It is held at the Intercontinental Hotel on Budapeststrasse. The main bar is the Marlena Bar. It is the site of many meetings, gatherings, networkings, reunions, and rendezvous during the first fews days of December. I learn as much from watching and listening to what's going on here as I do from the plenaries and sessions.

Berlin in early December is a wonderland of Christmas lights and craft markets. Hard not to get into the holiday spirit.

Despite this year's freezing temperatures plenty of Berliners gather for gluwein and jagertee, at Christmas markets all over the city. This one, the Weihnachts Markt near the Opernpalais along the Unter der Linden, is particularly good.

Sunday morning and once again snow threatened. Thankfully there were no flight cancellations this time, and only minor delays along the way. Before I knew it I was on the way back to San Francisco.

Which was good, since I turned around a few hours later on a red-eye to Green Bay. Just in time for the first artic blasts of the season. Within two days of arriving the bay out front of my family home had frozen over.

Fortunately my flights back to the west coast squeeked through a small window of clear skies, so I arrived back in Sonoma in time for a taste of winter, Wine Country style. That means it was sprinkly rainy, with temperatures in the mid 50s F. Fog rolling down from the hills around the valley, like big clouds of cotton candy. Fields are emerald green. Definitely not the kind of winter I grew up with!