Visiting Nana

I have joined my parents for a few days in Bristol (UK) to see my Nana. The last time I saw her was a year ago when the whole family spent Christmas in England. It's great to see her, although it is a shame that the strokes she's had have affected her speech and makes communicating difficult. Glad that she's still with us, though, and that she's able to see her new great-grandchildren!

Family Christmas

Christmas is the time for a family get-together, this year with the addition of a baby boy and girl. Christmas lunch was had on Boxing Day with all siblings providing parts of the meal and Santa bringing some presents. As is the English tradition, paper crowns from crackers were worn and trifle was had for desert.

White Christmas?

Serious snow in the wintertime has for the last years been limited to the nostalgic memories of my youth. In my recollection it was quite normal to have temperatures of up to -20 Celcius, to have snowball fights and make snowmen. Since the middle 80s, however, our winters have been relatively snow-less (the snow that falls generally didn't last too long) and even quite warm.

The last few days winter has been announcing itself with a vengeance throughout Europe. Train service has been severely affected and traffic jams have reached record lengths. On the bright side, we once again have that traditional Christmas feeling and the chance to skate and play in the snow as kids!

Baby Hef

Luca clearly has a lot of Bremmer in him, as you can see from his relaxed pose. Enjoying a leisurely tooth brushing in the company of his best friend Aap ( 'Monkey' in Dutch), his pyjama-look makes him appear as a very young version of Hugh Hefner....

Commonwealth Business Forum

The reason for my visit to Trinidad was the Commonwealth Business Forum. The 2009 Commonwealth Business Forum was held as part of the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Trinidad & Tobago and attracted over 1,000 business and government leaders from over 50 countries.

The Forum promotes practices and policies for the enhancement of global trade and investment. It provides new opportunities for business networking and partnerships, drawing on the Commonwealth’s comparative advantage in areas such as services, information and communications technology, banking and financial services, manufacturing, agriculture and natural resources.

The event was held on a cruise ship docked in the harbour of Port of Spain. During the day delegates had an opportunity to sit in on various sessions and in the evening there were cocktails and gala dinners. The cocktails, held on the pool deck of the ship, were livened up by traditional Trinidad steel pan bands.

Parang

At Christmas time the Trinis become a little Spanish. The island was a Spanish colony for a long time, but other than Spanish place and surnames the Latin influence is little felt nowadays. At the end of the year, however, it surfaces in the traditional Christmas songs sung in Spanish.

Lopinot

Trinidad has a diverse cultural history that includes Spanish, French, Indian, African and British influences. As Christmas time approaches the Spanish influence is felt, particularly in the village of Lopinot. Originally settled by a French count, Lopinot is now home to descendants of Venezuelan cocoa farmers.

Every year there is a cultural festival in the village, when people can enjoy the parang music as well as delicacies such as pastelle.

Maracas

A stay in Trinidad is not complete without a visit to Maracas Bay. Less than 20 miles from the hustle and bustle of Port of Spain, Maracas is tropical serenity and an ideal place to connect to that inner laziness. Maracas is also home to one of T&T's delicacies: Bake 'n Shark. A succulent filet of shark, deep fried in batter and served on a hamburger bun with a host of extras such as lettuce, hot peppers and a range of sauces. One cannot come to Trinidad and not have it!!

Back in Trinidad

After five years (far too long!!) I am back in Trinidad. Not for a holiday, alas, but to be present at the Commonwealth Business Forum that is held in Port of Spain as part of the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009.

To take advantage of our visit, we have planned several meetings with old friends and new business contacts. Nevertheless, after a long day we can relax and enjoy the tropical sunset and a delicious cocktail.

My new nephew

Our family was delighted today by the arrival of the newest addition: a brother for Luca and cousin for Boaz and Noemi named Matthies Christiaan Arend.

Luca's got a slide

Luca's a lucky boy. His dad bought him a wonderful slide for the back garden. Even in the autumn drizzle it's fine to play on!

A visit to Antwerp

As part of the India Calling event a trip to Antwerp with a tour of the port was organised for the delegates. On our way to Antwerp we made a short stop at the famous Atomium on the outskirts of Brussels.

Bollywood!!

An international India event would not be complete without a taste of Bollywood! During a dinner hosted by ING in their Brussels headquarter the pre-dinner cocktails were livened up by a Bollywood dance troupe from the UK.

Breakfast in Brussels

The Belgians love their food. When visiting one must therefore partake of some delicacies such as the famed Belgian Waffle, ideally with some chocolate syrup!

India Calling

Anand and I are attending the three day India Calling conference in Brussels. A yearly event, it is organised by the Indian Merchant's Chamber of which our Indian partner Dinesh Joshi is a committee member. Around 140 Indian businessmen and women have come to the heart of the EU to meet with their European counterparts and attend various seminars and presentations.

New to the family

This morning I was pleasantly surprised by the early arrival of my new niece: Noemi Netta Soledad. Both mother and baby are doing well.

Gong ceremony

I had the pleasure of being invited to the Amsterdam Stock Exchange to witness the start of trading. This time it was the Dutch ambassador to India who struck the traditional gong. Following the start of the markets we had some presentations on the advantages for Indian companies to list on NYSE Euronext in Amsterdam.

New glasses

My eyes have become worse, so new glasses were in order. This time I got some sunglasses with lenses too.

Hot stuff

On my last trip to Suriname I bought a bottle of hot pepper sauce. I enjoy a little spice in my food but this sauce has proved to be very hot indeed! Still, it's delicious to add some hot stuff to my daily toasted cheese sandwich.

Wedding crasher

Tonight I was invited by Anand to be present at the wedding of his nephew Dinesh in Almere. Hindustani weddings are usually big affairs, full of rituals and traditions. I could not help but to think of the movie 'Wedding Crashers' as we partied the night away.

New experiences

Luca likes animals such as cats and dogs. A pony, on the other hand, is a different matter. While they certainly are very interesting, such a big animal can be a bit scary, too. Luckily Dad is there to keep Luca safe and nudge him to touch the pony. Albeit a bit scary, the pony turns out to be far more interesting to Luca than the ruin of a chateau.

He loves the beach

Luca clearly loved the beach this holiday and was drawn to the sea from the moment we arrived. Undeterred by the cold Channel water, he would rush off leaving his parents and Uncle Ben behind.

About town

France has some beautiful towns. A good example is Brittany's Dinan with its medieval centre and cobbled streets.

Brittany

Brittany is known for its varying weather conditions. Whilst its beached and countryside are stunningly beautiful, the summer doesn't guarantee sunshine as is clear on our arrival.

Sad to leave

The boys are not too happy that we are leaving our home for the last week. No more spending hours in the pool or visiting castles. The holidays are not over, though. Boaz and his parents will be staying another week in Normandy, whereas I will be joining Luca and his parents in Brittany.

Up, up and away!

Boaz, not even four years old, has no fear when it comes to water...and he can't even swim with his bow-up arm bands!!

The boys love the pool

La vie en France

The Bremmer family has arrived in France. Our residence for the coming week is a converted barn on the grounds of a petite chateau not far from Poitiers. To keep us cool and the kids entertained we have a pool on the grounds. Life is good!

My friends the Gendarmerie

My trip to France started well...While getting on to one of the many toll roads a not too friendly policeman suddenly ordered us to the side of the road. Apparently, in France wearing a seatbelt in the back of the car is compulsory and I was not wearing mine. The result...a 90 euro fine! Vive la France!!

Mixed wedding

Being in a country with a semi-local has its advantages. Tonight I joined Anand at the wedding of his cousin's son. Although Suriname has many different ethnic groups, it is still relatively rare to see mixed marriages. Anand's family, however, has a couple and this wedding followed the tradition. The groom is Hindustani, the bride is Javanese. The mixed heritage of the couple was not only felt in the music (Bollywood and Java pop), but also in the food (roti and nasi). Of course a traditional Indian wedding outfit could not be let out either.

Back in Suriname

I'm back in Suriname again, but only for a week. No doubt our days will be jam-packed with meetings and dashes across town., and our nights short of rest. This time we are staying at the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel, close to the main entertainment area of Paramaribo. It is the second brand name hotel in the country and a good addition to the developing tourism sector.

On the balcony

As a memorable end to the conference the Munich municipality treated us to a small reception at the city hall and gave us the honour to stand on the balcony that is usually only reserved for high ranking dignitaries and the Bayern Munchen football club when they win the Champions League.

City tour

The Global Indian Business Meeting was concluded with a networking breakfast hosted by the Bavarian government and a short tour of the old city by friendly tour guides dressed in traditional Bavarian attire.

The Bavarians are known to be a conservative people, but even their national dress gets updated now and again.

Munich is home of the Oktoberfest beer festival and the famous white sausage. Bavarians love their food!

The conference

The first full day of the Global India Business Meet comprised of plenary and break-out sessions on a wide variety of subjects relating to India, from brand building for Indian companies to sustainability. The panels had members from successful Indian, German and American companies such as Infosys, Bajaj, Siemens and Hasbro as well as politicians and academics. In between the sessions one had the opportunity to network and meet new people.

Global India Business Meeting

Anand and I had the pleasure of being invited to attend the first Global India Business Meeting organised by Horasis. The two day event is held in Munich in cooperation with the Bavarian government. In attendance were mainly Indian and German CEOs as well as the Indian Minister of Commerce & Industry.

The event was opened with a dinner hosted by Bavaria in the former city palace of the Bavarian kings, the Residenz.