My last 17 days I did this....

Seattle to Italy (Milan, Colico, Venice), Austria (Villach, Keutschach am See), Slovenia (Bled), Italy (Montebelluna, Venice, Barano/Murano, Pozzuolo del Friuli, Montepulciano, Rome), back to Seattle in 17 days.   The first part of the  trip was Union meetings, second part was business planning and the third part was a week with the wife on her first trip ever to Euroland.  Click

Right before I left, I got a physical.  If your over 40, you know what happened here.  

Left Seattle on Wednesday, wake up in Lake Como / Colico on Friday.  Not a bad view from Martino's pad.

Although jet lag sets in quick.  Thank God they have a styrophone mattress for us to take a nap on in between meetings.

 Joni and Hor Hey with some apres meeting Peroni's.

 Saturday night at the indoor go-kart track.

 Gums made us a couple of driving enhancers.

 Shit got real, real quick and I was regretting the enhancers.

Joni Mak with the win, Marty 2nd, and I got 3rd by systematically taking out the competition.  My ribs and wrists were wrecked the next day and 2 weeks later, my ribs still hurt.

 BBQ at Martys, with ran dumb bush pee'r off in the shrubbery.  9 bottles of wine later.

 Off to Awe-Stee-Ah for more meetings and had some wiener looking like vegetables.

 In case you didn't know, we have our own factory, and it's called CAPiTA MFG.  It's in Villach Austria and it's fucking BAD ASS.  That's a small sign for all the big shit going on inside.

There's some pretty liberal human resource laws over there, so all these car calendars that would be banned in the US work environment don the walls there.  They call it motivation.

 There's some molds right there.  See that Tree Hunter?

Dudes only worked in the factory cutting off the excess resin and glass for 26 years.  Probably pretty good at his job.  His hands were as big as boxing gloves.

 Ultrafears ready to ship.

Best restaurant we went to all trip.  Top 5 ever.  7 courses of deliciousness served and with each course came a new bottle of wine to go with it. 

 Schnapps were served.

 Got on a Ski Nautique for a taxi ride to a lake front restaurant.

 Just a couple dudes on one seat.

 Played with a couple of Austrian horses on some farmland.

 U2 album cover.

Went over Michi's house for a nice meat dinner, and stayed til 3AM drinking his uncles schnapps.  That's 4 time Austrian Olympian and bronze medalist Sigi Gruber on the left.  Dudes pretty all time.

 The BEST host in the business.  Michi Kohlman.

 Schrapnel

The Austrian Space Needle, but made from wood.  It has a stainless steel tube that winds down the thing from the top, that you drop in on, sitting on nothing but a carpet and get rad on.

 Panoramic view from the top.

 Dude shot.  I'm shitting my pants being this close to the railing too.  Windy as all hell here.

 HorHey thru the tube.

 Off to Kohlmans uncles schnapps making operation.

 We tasted every flavor he had.  I think 12 flavors or so...

 This is what a schnapps hangover looks like at the top of a Slovenian castle called Bled.

 This guys still lurking around Europe.

 Work week was done, and time to meet the wife in VeNICE.

 Went to a glass blowing studio and the dude whipped us out this stallion in a matter of minutes.

 Afternoon hombre's in Burano.

 Burano

Lisa and I are the last two on a water taxi in Venice, roll down the river for a bit and here my name.  Stephan, who we had worked together with at Northwave 17 years ago is on it, with his wife, kids and parents.  He's French, thus the scarf.

 Out of Venice to Tuscany on a 4.5 hour drive for this.  The worlds most famous butcher.

 5 courses of meat.

 Front row seating too.

 Downstairs was were the magic happened, in the butcher shop.

 And this is the butcher. 

 Montepulciano Italy

 Fiat 500, JLo style, with some added NW flair. 

 Rome

 Some famous stadium

 Spritz

Euro-Cans.  Dudes spread out every 20 feet selling the same hats for miles and miles.  Same with roses, sun glasses, trinkets and stupid ass toys.  Brutal. 

 Rome bike shop.  This is the store.  100 sq feet.

 Pepe at M.C. Moto d'Epoca Roma grabbed us off the street and showed us his collection.

 I'll take that red one.

 Bianci

 Some domed church with a hole in the center or something.

Friday...finally back to the states after 17 days of eating out and eating incredible food and what do I crave?  Burger, lettuce, tomato, mayo and some chips on a plastic plate.

 Saturday, jet lag?  Nah, lets go ride bikes boys and jump the shit out of them.  I'm sure I'll be fine. 

 Sunday, a mellow 4 hours splitting wood in the rain.  Best way to kill jet lag?  Pretend you don't have it. 

It was good to be gone, but great to be home.  Thanks for the incredible trip all that were part of it:  HorHey, Gums, Bruce, Blue, Martino, GP, Claudia, Guillietta, Joni, Joel, Michi, Sigi, Uncle Schnapps, Stephan, Mauritzio, Pepe, and of course Lisa.