Today, I am in Chantilly, France where we are meeting with our Southern European team. We are staying at Le Fountaines, a conference center built around an ancient castle/chateau that has been immaculately restored and maintained. 

Here we find a what appears to be a very intimate little chapel. 

The first half of the course was entirely up hill and I was quite thankful when it came time to head back down. 

The first half of the course was entirely up hill and I was quite thankful when it came time to head back down. 

A nice little mountain lodge nestled at the foot of the German Alps. 

A nice little mountain lodge nestled at the foot of the German Alps. 

The day starts at 8:30AM with a 10 mile mountain bike trek. I fell behind the main group by stopping to take photos. Fortunately, the trail circled back and I was able to finish with the team. 

Small tables were set up everywhere. When you finished a particular course you would simply find a chef and make a request. He would either prepare it for you while you watched or you could do it yourself under his supervision. With your next morsel in hand you could move on to a different table and mingle with someone new. It was one of the most memorable meals of my life. Dinner was followed by dancing which was going strong at 3AM when I called it a night. 

Dinner was a phenomenal event. The hotel closed its restaurant and opened its kitchen. All overhead lights were turned off and illumination was by candlelight (literally hundreds spread throughout the kitchen) with live harp and guitar music in the background. 

Our Snickers team placed third in a field of ten teams. After the competition, we enjoy beer and pretzels. 

Here, Enja introduces us to our cow. Participants are given 1 minute to milk the cow and after the entire team has had a turn, the total amount of milk is measured. Other events included a 2-person sawing event in which partners use a push-pull timber saw to slice five sections of a 10 inch log, a bear mug sliding contest similar to shuffle board, and an event requiring the team to figure out how to lift 60 large plastic milk crates off the ground for at least 3 seconds. 

In the late afternoon, we took a break for an Alpine Olympic team building event. Participants selected their favorite candy bar from a giant jar. Later we formed teams based on our selection. I was a member of the Snickers team. In this event, each participant is allowed to strike the nail exactly once and then must pass the hammer to the next member of their team. The object is to drive in as many nails as possible in 4 minutes. 

This morning I traveled to Rottach-Egern, in southern Bavaria (1 hour outside of Munich), for a Sales Kick-Off Meeting for our German and Nordic offices. We are staying at the five star Seehotel Uberfahrt Tegernsee with this idylic view of the Alps.

This afternoon, Nicolai participated in a jam session at the Concord Public Library. Kids from the area are invited to bring their instruments and hang out. Nicolai borrowed my Jembe and was in fine form. He has far surpassed my ability to play this drum. I will be in Europe for the next week and unless I find a good internet connection will probably not post again until next weekend.