Friday Night In Baden

Not much to say today, so I will just post a picture of the plaza from this evening.

Where Are All The Rubberbands?

I was in the kitchen this evening doing something and started thinking to myself that I needed a rubberband. That spawned an interesting thought. Where are all the rubberbands in this country?

Looking back to life in the U.S. I never once bought a rubberband. Rubberbands where things that were always somehow a few steps away. One could find rubberbands in the junk drawer, around a couple of doorknobs in the house, or holding the daily paper in a nice round bundle. Whenever I found myself looking for a rubberband there was always one in reach. And I never ever paid for a rubberband.

Here not so much. In fact, I can't remember the last time I have seen a rubberband in this country. Where have then gone? Are they extinct because of loss of natural habitat? No junk drawers, no cluttered closets, no extraneous coffee mugs full on random desk junk at work.

As I refuse to pay for a rubberband I will continue to look. And hopefully I would someday come across one of the last remaining examples of such a fine innovative tool in this all too clean country.

Have It Your Way - Part 2

So a follow up to my earlier post about my complaint to Burger king....

After a quite some time, I finally got a response. I appreciate the response as it was honest, and outlined that I in fact should have been able to order my Onion Rings, there was at the heart of the complaint a 'training issue.'

Dear XXXX,

I have received a note from our offices that you had a poor experience in one of my Burger King outlets within the Birmingham International Airport. Thank you for your comments as it is only through customer feedback that we are able to improve our service to our customers.

Firstly I would like to apologise for any inconvenience you have encountered on behalf of the management and staff.

I have investigated your comments in detail with the management team in the unit as to why you could not have it “your way” the main reason for this was a lack of training and communication given to the team. You are absolutely right, all Burger King Meal deals can be served with either fries or onion rings as well as having any burger to your specification.

I have communicated with my staff and have spoken to them in depth regarding the importance of customer service and the impact of negative customer perception. I have arranged refresher training in customer service and the Burger King brand as no one in the unit should start work until they have gone through this training. I am very concerned with the poor experience you received, as this is a non-negotiable area of our business.

My staff members are in no doubt of the importance of these areas.

I greatly value feedback from our customers about their experiences at our restaurants and can assure you that your comments are taken seriously. I would like to send you some vouchers for the inconvenience you encountered, if you would send me an address where I can send them. I hope that your next visit will give us another opportunity to provide you with an enjoyable dining experience.

Thank you for taking the time to send us your comments and I welcome feedback from your next visit to our site. If you would like to discuss any of the matters further please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely.
xxx xxxxx

I did reply to the note, thanking the sender for their feedback, and also saying that I did not need any vouchers. My intention was not to get freebies, but rather improve the situation for the next guy, so he could "Have it his way"

Nice job BK, I thought you handled this well.

Schwarzwald - Germany

View of the Schwarzwald from a mountain meadow

Last weekend we did a bit of traveling with some friends. We took a trip to Alsace in France, as well as the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) in Germany. One of the highlights of the trip was a stop along the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse drive for a short walk along the edge of the forest.

Although the weather was a bit overcast and slightly rainy it made for some impressive pictures. I have to admit, we did stop for a piece of black forest cake. And it was wonderful. Definately worth a drive if you have some time and are looking for a good place to do some sightseeing.

There must have been a British car club out on the road during our drive as well. We saw well over 100 Jaguars running down the road, all with little signs on the front with a British and French flag. The cars seemed to range in age from about the 1930's to the most modern models. It was neat sight to see.

Alp Horns In Baden

The alphorn is a unique instrument. Last weekend I got a personal concert just outside my apartment.

We were walking around Baden when we ran across four gentlemen randomly playing their horns around town. At first we didn't know what they were doing, if there was a special event or something. We stopped for a few minutes to listen and then were on our way.

A few minutes after we arrived home later, the four guys showed up in the platz just below our apartment and gave a 10 minute concert. Unfortunately my camcorder didn't have enough battery power to let me go down to the street, and the only place on the baclony that had power didn't allow me to video all four guys.

Here is a short video of one of the songs.

You Know Its Hot When.....

Imagine yourself under the baking sun in the middle of the desert, it is 105 degrees F (34 c), you are sweating wrapped in a sheet of dark plastic. Your nose starts to itch, but your hands are tied behind your back. You feel the sweat slowly dripping down your spine.

Hell you ask? No, not at all. Just a regular trip to the barber for a summer haircut.

Gosh, I can not stand summer haircuts. Sitting in a barber chair, in an unconditioned room, under a sheet of heavy plastic. What on earth could be worse.

You know its bad when the haircut is over and the barber is trying to brush the hair off of the back of your neck, and he instead insists you go home and take a shower. I just bought myself another 6-8 weeks. Probably bad timing though, That will put my next haircut smack dab in the August. By far the hottest month in Europe by my measurements.

Still Waiting - Burger King Update

I was thinking today about Burger King. Not that I want to eat Burger King, but the fact that I still haven't heard back from their customer service department after my e-mail. It has been over a week. Not even an auto-reply. Seems strange.

Spanischbrödli - From Baden

Spanischbrödli from Mosers Backery

I can't believe I have lived in Baden almost 3 years I have just recently tried Spanischbrödli (small spanish bread) for the first time. The bread itself has no link to any spanish cusine. It somehow just got the name and it stuck.

The small pastry is about the size of a deck of playing cards. The pastry is similar to a croissant, maybe just a bit heavier. The middle is filled with a sweet hazelnut and carrot filling, it sounds strange, but it is really good.

When the first train line in Switzerland opened between Baden adn Zurich in 1847 the train became known as the Spanischbrödlibahn, spanish bread train, because it would deliver the Baden treats to the city.

If you find yourself in Baden, stop by a local bakery and ask for a piece. Get there early, because by the end of the day it is usually sold out, as I learned the first time I tried to get a piece.

Stockholm, City Hall

Stockholm, City Hall

I was going through some of my photographs today and spent some time working on this particular photograph.

It turned out just as I had envisioned it when I was standing there trying to capture the photograph. I really like the final result.

Have It Your Way

So I was in transit on Tuesday at the Birmingham airport. I had an extra 30 minutes before I needed to board the flight and as much as I love the little chocolates Swiss gives out at the end of every flight I can't stand their dry, tastless cheese sandwiches. I opted to stop at the Burger King to get a quick, and terribly unhealthy dinner.

I stepped up to order and asked for a Whopper value meal with onion rings instead of fries. To my surprise the cashiers says 'We can't do that.' This puzzled me. There sitting two steps away is a bin of fried greasy goodness. Half filled with fries and half filled with onion rings, and this pimply faced kid is telling me he can't do that. I was dumb founded.

I said, 'fine, give me the fries.' I paid and stepped aside. As I was waiting I heard a group of 4 young women discussing my interaction. I turned to them and made a comment that it was a bit strange and they responded that they had asked for exactly the same thing, onion rings instead of fries and were told it was a 'no go'.

So that begs the question, here I am waiting for my food, and behind this guy is a huge sign that says 'Have it your way, more of the stuff you want less of the stuff you don't.' That was classic.

I sat down to eat and looked over the receipt and noticed an e-mail address for inquiries. I pulled out the old trusty Blackberry and fired an e-mail over to our friends at Burger King to ask why I couldn't have it 'My Way'. I am still waiting on a response, lets see what they have to say.