Friday the 13th and another 13...

So Friday the 13th was an interesting one for us at work. During breakfast I was hustling around as usual trying to make sure everything was stocked and cleaned and not run into a guest at the same time. A woman pointed out that there was water coming out from the cabinet below the coffee makers. We have 2 giant coffee makers and a hot water dispenser in Market Station that are about 15 feet away from the doors that exit to the lobby. I realize that it's something to do with the pipes and not the actual makers so I run in back and find Fred, our manager and acting shift leader. He was doing the order for the day and I said, "Fred, there's water coming out of the coffee maker!" He thought it was just a trickle or something. I ran and got a mop and bucket. I come out with the mop and he's standing there on his cell trying to get some help before he runs off to try and turn off the water and find a plumber. So there I am in the middle of the restaurant at about 9 am mopping an ever increasing flood of water. Luckily I'm a scuba instructor so I'm good with water(the running joke) so I just kept mopping to try and make a path for the guests to walk around the flood. Finally the water was turned off(granted we then had no hot water and would soon run out of coffee) and the giant wet vacuums showed up. The manager or head of almost every department in the resort was standing there watching the clean up. Then it was realized that the water had not only gone into the lobby but leaked down through the floor and was dripping in the game/casino room down stairs. More fun! So we got it cleaned up with the help of maintenance and housekeeping and our day went on. Fred now understands that when I speak about water it's not a trickle, I'm serious. :-)  That was more than enough excitement for us for one day.
On another note, Justin's package of sheets and toiletries arrived in the mail yesterday and he will be getting here in 13 days! 

Quick trip to Switzerland!

So today I went on a quick day trip to St Gallen Switzerland with 3 other Edelweiss employees. Jennifer, Jessi, Mike and I met up around 730 and headed out for the approx 3 hour drive in Jennifer's new to her car. We had a quick pit stop to add oil and get a sticker for the car so we can drive on the autobahn in Austria. We drove through mostly rain with a brief time in snow soon after we crossed into Austria. We arrived thanks to Lee the gps voice and found some parking and set out for our Sunday self guided walking tour. We found an ATM and got some Swiss Francs and then some public bathrooms. With lots of window shopping along the way and some scenic photographs we made our way to a cafe/ bakery. With warm drinks and food we sat down and dug in. We all then got a dessert and shared it between the 4 of us and then Mike and I each got some yummy treats to go. I got a selection of truffles which are eying me through the box as I write this.  We walked around the Abbey of St. Gall, which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. So spectacular. The pictures I took do not do it justice. We walked around and explored a park, and saw the last of 11 original gates to the city. We then took a scenic road and stopped by Lake Constance on the way home. The rain was kinda gloomy but we still had fun. I would love to go back to Switzerland and explore more and have some fondue! Check out the pictures...  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082582&id=44801562&l=e454410d33

Staff Salute

So all the new employees that I came with were invited to the October Staff Salute which took place this past Thursday. Three of the seven of us were in attendance as well as probably 30 other Edelweiss employees. We were introduced and given a welcome gift of an Edelweiss mug and some candy. They awarded the "Caught doing something good" pins to about a dozen people, the nominations and naming of staff employee of the month, and the length of service awards. It was a good event and nice to meet some other people.
Officially welcome to Edelweiss I guess!

Munich and Griesbrau Brewery

So Lisa and I left the Abrams around 745 yesterday morning and rode our bikes to the resort. We signed in and got on the tour bus for our Munich City Tour through the Alpine Adventures Office at the resort. Our tour guide was Jim who is originally from Boston but has lived in Germany for over 20 years. He jokingly told the whole bus over the loud speaker that Lisa and I were Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The whole bus laughed and cheered. It was about an hour and a half drive with lots of beautiful views. We drove past the Oktoberfest grounds as well as some other sights before being dropped off at Maximilian Square. We walked up to the Royal Residence of the Wittelsbach which is a huge complex built between the 16th and 19th centuries. The symbol of this family is the Lion and there are many seen throughout the area and it's good luck to rub the noses. You'll see us in the pictures getting our share of the luck. From there we walked by the Theatine Church and the Felderrnhalle on our way to the Marienplatz. We saw a statue of Marien this the name and the Rathaus "Town Hall" Complexes, both new and old. Then at 11 the Glockenspiel (play clock) did it's chiming and we watched the dancers and jousting knights(blue and white won). From there we walked through the Vikualien Market which was still open despite the cool weather and occasional sprinkle. We ended our walking tour at the HofBrau Haus, one of the city's oldest breweries. Lisa and I stayed for lunch. We each got our own beer and shared some homemade sausages with sauerkraut and a Bavarian meatloaf with german potato salad as well as a bread basket. (Part of the menu is pictured) The meatloaf wasn't what we were expecting, it turned out to be more like spam we think. We then went to H&M and the C&A stores near the Marienplatz and found a place popular with celebrities evidently that Jim said served a non-carbonated beer. Couldn't remember what it was called and didn't have much time left until our meeting time. We stopped in the Spatenhaus for apple strudel(AMAZING) with fresh whipped cream(YUM!) and Lisa had an espresso. We met up with Jim and saw the crown jewels of the royalties of Munich past which was interesting but not as exciting or awe-inspiring as we thought. We then piled back on the bus just after 3 pm and headed back to the resort. We both fell asleep for a little bit but also spent some time talking to guests and getting advice on places to travel. Lisa and I then waited in the lobby in the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace for about an hour until the brewery tour. Most of the people that went in our van/bus had already been drinking. When we arrived we got a tour and explanation of the process and where everything is stored. We sampled 3-4 beers I think and a Beer Liquor. I'm not sure how to describe it but I liked the beer liquor. I assume that's the best translation as it says bierlikor, anyways, I bought 2 bottles. We tried the Christmas beer with the owner, his first sample of this years batch with us! The brewery is a part of a small hotel and we ate at the restaurant they had, again see the plate of food pictured. Everything was yummy, and I'm not sure what everything was but I'll keep it that way. We then returned to the resort a little before 11 and rode our bikes home in the cold rain. Long day but worth every minute!!
Pictures... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082359&id=44801562&l=fa5763427c

The New Market Station

So here at Edelweiss I work at Market Station which is the buffet style restaurant. We are open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The first two days I worked in the restaurant, then from Monday through lunch Friday our whole operation was moved to the General Patton Ballrooms while the restaurant was getting a makeover. I was part of the team that set up the first meal(Friday dinner) for our grand reopening. This just so happened to be right after the 5th anniversary celebration of the resort and we had a line snaking through the lobby with an estimated 400+ people for dinner. We were running around like crazy trying to make sure everything was running smoothly. Only two full trays of food were dropped and every highchair and booster seat in the place was used. So the rags and broom were my friend. We are all starting to get a hang of things and how it's all set up. I don't have any before pictures but I'll try and get some afters.