A week in Ulm

So, time for a week of pork, sausages and beer then. Yes, you guessed it, dear reader (?), another week in Ulm it is then!

As always, I jumped on the first plane to Munich, where I met up with my co-workers Tuukka and Mohammed at the airport, from where we made our way over to Ulm. This trip was rather different from my other trips to Ulm in the respect that Ulm was experiencing proper winter! The old town centre does indeed look quite charming, covered in snow. My hotel was conveniently located near the old Munster, so I was in good striking distance of the main sights (=eatiers/bars).

Monday night, after a hard night at the office, it was time for the team to get together at that Ulm institution, a visit to which no trip to Ulm is complete without: the Barfüßer. So yes, that means: weissbier, and Schweinshaxe – yummie... But no apfelstrudel for desert though – what's wrong with me ?

Tuesday night was, hmm, Valentine's Day. It did feel a bit sorry to spend it in Ulm, rather than at Cagnes with my darling, it has to be said. Since most of the locals seemed to prefer (for some odd reason??) spending Valentine's Day with their partners rather than go and have weissbier with me, I ended up going to have some Italian with Mohammed in Da Franco's. Good choice, actually, the food was really excellent – and believe it or not, authentically Italian as well! I even got to practice my Italian – good move since Tuesday night is when I normally have my Italian course. It was also quite interesting getting some insight into Egyptian post-Arabic spring politics from Mohammed (who hails from Cairo).

Wednesday was team meal night! Thomas, our boss, had chosen another Ulm institution for the occasion: Zunfthaus der Schiffleute. Not only do they have excellent Swabian food their – they also have a particularly tasty, if rather lethal, beer called Icebock. Unsurprisingly, after a couple of those, I had no objections to carrying on our nocturnal exploration of Ulm, which finished in Besitos – a Spanish Tapas bar (more famous for its drinks and late opening hours than its food, I reckon).

For our last night in Ulm, we headed to Pfannkuchenhaus – the pancake house. Can't go wrong with a name like that – especially considering the size of their pancakes! After our meal, we were treated to the spectacle of half of Ulm (it seemed to us, anyway?) dressed up and behaving like Finns on 1st of May (I believe this day marked the start of the 2012 carnival). A nice spectacle for our last night in Ulm...

All in all, it had been a rather exhausting week, both professionally and socially. But all good fun! ;)