Of the approximately 4,356 different amazing perks to living and working in Ireland, the proximity and ease of travel across the rest of Europe has to be near the top. I was able to check off a fair amount of must see places back in 2005 while studying in Madrid and am excited to see even more of the continent on this go-around.
As my 90-day Visitor Visa was set to expire in mid June, I technically needed to exit the country in order to re-enter through immigration in Ireland with my new official Work Visa paperwork. Forced to take a quick jaunt into mainland Europe? Sure, twist my arm. In order to accomplish this while also getting some work done I created an agenda that accomplished the following:
-Conducted interviews in Dublin for our new growing sales team.
-Visited a long time SmartBear partner who handles a majority of our business in the Nordic region, based in Copenhagen.
-Met with an engineering firm based in Zurich who is interested in outfitting their clients with SmartBear’s award winning software testing tools all across Switzerland.
-Spent time with two old friends from the States who coincidently both happen to be living and working in Copenhagen at the moment.
-Explored both Copenhagen and Zurich, two incredible cities I had never seen before.
-Drank Vodka’s until dawn with a group of math geniuses based in Copenhagen.
-Toured the streets of Zurich in a brand new Tesla; I swore it felt like being in a James Bond movie.
-Experienced a “Free City” within a city in Copenhagen.
-Watched The Netherlands achieve sweet revenge against Spain in the first round of the World Cup with a bunch of Dutch guys who are studying at the University of Copenhagen.
-And for a fresh dose of reality on my return leg to Ireland, I experienced once again that connecting through London’s Heathrow Airport is something I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. I survived my first ever 10+ minute full on sprint through the airport, with two carry on’s in a full suit to arrive at the boarding gate, dripping sweat and out of breath, with moments to spare. I owe my friends at Aer Lingus for moving through their check in process extra judiciously.
Here are some pics from the trip; I had a blast on the road and can’t wait for the next adventure to begin!
With Klaus and Ole from Nordic Software, SmartBear’s long time partner in Copenhagen.
Fun to reunite with Chris Davis, fellow Stillwater MN native and current Math Genius in residence at the University of CPH
Copenhagen is gorgeous.
So many bikes in Copenhagen. It’s truly amazing.
Just as many bikes as cars on the roads. Very unique. I haven’t felt this out of shape in quite a while.
Davis gave me a tour of his school. I snapped this from his office. Straight out of Good Will Hunting.
Davis yuckin it up with a local volleyballer.
Sneaking in a few equations before dinner. The man is a legend.
Our bud Tomas from Warsaw teaching us about his favorite Polish vodkas. These unfortunately were not on the top of his list.
Great to catch up with my old friend Jill, a fellow Cactus Club alumni who married a Dane and now lives in Copenhagen.
Was able to catch some Danish rock on Saturday. Couldn’t understand a single lyric but the boys rocked.
The free city of Christiania, a fascinating place where no pix are allowed. I was able to sneak just one.
The wealth and affluent culture of Switzerland is palpable upon arriving at the airport in Zurich.
View of the city from a great restaurant in Zurich. A beautiful view to say the least.
Everyone should be able to drive the streets of Zurich in a new Tesla at some point in their lives. Nothing like it.
mlk in ire 