Ya (My Wife if you don't know) and I flew out of Knoxville morning of June 10th to Newark, NJ to Zurich, Switzerland to Stuttgart, Germany. We then drove to Markus Duenger's model home which took several hours thanks to road construction, wrong turns and some erroneous directions. By then we were up for about 30 hours and dead on our feet. I then met with Frank Reynolds (Export) to do final plans for the meeting the next day.
NEXT DAY 6/12 Meeting began at 9:00AM with all European dealers in attendance; Markus, Roger Van de Vyver (Spain)and his son Rick, Jean Francois Boullier (Jeff) (France), John Ormiston (Scotland), Lutz Hoffman (Germany). Couple of the dealers couldn't make it, Steve Marshall, England(Had just visited TLH) and Marie Setterfield, Ireland. We discussed all the things that we usually discuss with dealers everywhere focusing, of course, on how to sell logs, logs and more logs! "Have fun, sell log homes, make money" is the same in all languages. Went until around 6PM. Markus had a great barbeque prepared for all of us which finally broke up around 10PM. Still dead on feet and jet-lag taking over. Crashed. Next day was much of the same and we also watched exerpts from "Cabin Fever" and discussed web site, estimating and all that stuff. Finished up around 6PM. Frank, as always, was bringing everyone up to date on all the import/export rules and regs. and did his usual superb job.
Went to dinner with whole group...expanded (Axiom: free dinners expand
groups) which Ya and I hosted and walletted.
Next day, Saturday, we had all of Markus's sub dealers in to do a sales meeting and spend a little time on estimating, and all the rest of our features/benefits. One thing I've learned about O'seas dealers is that the personal relationships are the strength of doing business in foreign countries, even more so than here.
Meeting broke up, officialy, at 5:PM but we continued through dinner until about 11:PM. One couple, Stefan and Heike Siebrecht, are into the American thing. American Tennessee Log Home, American car, they prefer American-style food and clothes. He even plays American football and she plays golf. I told them to come on over and I'd get them an American dealer territory. No, not yours.
Next day, Sunday Spent 2 or 3 hours strategizing (German word?) with Markus and Lutz about Customer in Berlin who is seriously interested in building a 25 unit rental property on a lake in Berlin city limits. Ya and I drove around and looked at the countryside for a couple of hours. Went to dinner with Markus, Lutz and Markus' parents.
Monday Drove 7 hours to Berlin and met with developer at 1:PM (you do the math) and spent the entire rest of the day with him; job-site, Check-Point-Charlie, dinner. Project looks great and we got a letter-of-intent to purchase 25 double units (DoppleHauses) for the project.
Set up a visit for October here in Tennessee. Next day, Drove 6+ hours to Nuremburg, arrived early evening. We just wandered around, had dinner, bagged it. We had been going non-stop for over a week and were flat out of gas. Ahh, the sun will be out tomorrow!
Next day drove through the remainder of Bavaria and into Switzerland. Pretty much an all day trip and arrived in Lausanne at 11:PM. Got a room and looked for dinner. None found since they roll up the sidewalks at 11:PM. Everything closed. Both my stomach and Ya (and I) grumbled a bit. I couldn't blame any of them. Next day, June 19th. Up early for BREAKFAST! And then off to Geneva where we spent the day, the whole day, just wandering around playing tourist which was exactly what we were. About 5:PM took off for Chamonix, France to see Jeff Boullier.
About a 2 hour drive. Had dinner with Jeff and prepared for the meeting with Mr. Collumbiere who is building in Switzerland. The meeting the next day went well and we have a drawing deposit and contract shortly. Back in time for dinner (At a golf course in Chamonix-Mont Blanc no golf though).
Wow! Let me add. You want to see an absolutely gorgeous place, this is the place. Mont Blanc is the highest place in Europe, in the Alps. Almost 16,000 feet and Chamonix is nestled right at the foot of the mountain, in the Alps, surrounded by some of the most beautiful, picturesque scenery you have ever seen. Breathtaking! Next day, off to Spain, through the tunnel at Mont Blanc, 6-7 miles under the mountain, into Italy.
Whoops! Another language to try and deal with. Incidentally, that is the only serious problem in driving around Europe. Road signs, directions, menus, stuff like that, and they drive really fast so at 90 to 130 mph you've got to be on your toes when it says EXIT or TURN LEFT FOR GAS or other signs and signals. Yes, they drive on the same side of the road that we do. Of course, every time you change countries, the language changes and it can be quite stressful.
Anyway, it is early and we have to go over the Italian Alps, back into France and get to Toulousse in time to turn in the rental car (Renault Scenic) that night. Roughly 500 miles. Over the Alps up to about 13,000 feet, down the other side and on to Toulousse. An amazing trip but very long. We finally got to Toulousse about 10:PM and luckily found a hotel right downtown.
June 21st is the first day of summer of course, and all over France they celebrate with "Fete Music"! Which is a festival of music and singing and lots of fun. Millions of people on the streets, cars and pedestrians, which made it difficult to get around plus it was Saturday night. The French may have some faults but knowing how to party is not one of them. We met some very nice people and in one instance, after we got home, got an e-mail from a couple inviting us back. None of us spoke a common language but I hand out cards everywhere, all the time.so they had someone translate and send an e-mail (the French now call it "Couriel").
Next day, Sunday, 22nd. Tried to get our train to Madrid. Fugedaboudit! Impossible! (French for
impossible) so we found and proceeded to the airport, found a plane to Madrid leaving in about 4 hours, turned in car, got lunch, checked bags, flew to Madrid, rented another car (Ford, Montero), drove to Malaga on the Costa Del Sol. Since I had told Roger Van de Vyver, our dealer, that I would be there on Monday morning we drove basically all night and arrived on the Spanish coast around 4:AM, pitch dark, found a hotel, got a few naps and was at Roger's office by 10:AM.
He has a business called Timber Buildings S.A. and we spent the day touring his place, looking at some proposed job-sites, and stuff like that.
Ya decided that the Mediterranean Sea looked a whole lot better than a bunch of ground for building-sites and since the hotel was right on the beach, who is to argue?
Next day, Tuesday Dinner, bed, up the next morning, off to the office. Met with and toured the home of our customer. Pictures of the home in Spain on the web site. Great looking modified Augusta ready for occupancy in about 3 weeks (From now).
Late afternoon drove down to Rock of Gibralter, took a few Pictures: Here's ya waving , here's Jock waving, here's ya looking at the "Rock", here's Jock with the sun in his eyes, squinting at the Rock of Gibralter and so-on.
Dinner with Roger and Jane Van de Vyver and Barry and Pamela Kempster (Customer).
Next (To last) day Late to bed, early to rise and off to Madrid. Long drive made longer by a very long wrong turn (These road signs are in Spanish!) Arrive very late afternoon, find hotel, find airport, find dinner, find bed.
Last day. Up at 0'dark-thirty, pack, repack, prepare to head for aeropuerto. Arrive airport, dump bags with Ya, try to turn in car, get lost, find car return (Signs still in Spanish!), turn in car find Ya, stand in line, stand in line. Get ticketed, find gate, wait, wait, wait.
FINALLY! Fly to Newark, NJ, hassle through customs, schlep bags through airport, re-check in and fly to Houston! Right over Knoxville. Much later, get on plane and fly back to Knoxville. Arrive home around 1:AM so at that point up around 24 hours. It was a great trip, full of interesting places that we mostly passed by, enroute to somewhere else. We drove almost 3,000 miles. It is interesting though since every place we were was some place we had never been. We were able to spend time with some wonderful people that also happen to be our dealers and sub dealers. We had 3 days of travel to and from, 13 actual days on the ground and about 3-4 days or evenings when we just dawdled, saw sights and goofed off.
Two week vacation. I report, you decide.
