SAP TechEd 2008 - Berlin

So I am in Berlin this week attending SAP TechEd Berlin 2008.  This was my first time traveling to Europe, so there was some adjustment, like having no alarm clock in my hotel room, and never getting any ice in my glass when asking for a coke or sprite.  On Monday, we did the Mentor's Hands-On track again, and it went pretty well I think, the turnout was more than I expected since no one signed up on the wiki.   On Tuesday was Demo Jam, which was really a repeat of the Las Vegas Demo Jam, but the only one that was new, ended up being the winner, and they did a good job.  They did a code-less application builder for the iPhone.  The ESME team presented well, and we cheered for them, but unfortunately, they didn't make the top three.  Good job and congratulations to them anyway.  They should be very proud of what they have accomplished in the past 4 months or so.  After that was RIA Hacker night, where Dan McWeeney, from Adobe Systems,  presented Adobe's project Genesis, and came baring gifts, free Flex Builder 3 licenses, and books!  Thomas Jung, from SAP NetWeaver Product Management,  presented what SAP is doing in the RIA space, and showed the Flash Islands technology in Web Dynpro ABAP which is delivered with NetWeaver 7.0 Enhancement Pack 1.  The rest of the evening was spent sitting around chatting about technologies, SDN, and doing Jager shots.  Craig Cmehil taught Mike Prosceno, from SAP Global Communications, how to code an iPhone application. Mike is responsible for the "Blogger's Corner" at the various SAP events, he and Stacey Fish really do a great job with it.  This afternoon, the SAP Mentor's had a meeting with the new head of NetWeaver development at SAP, Herve Couturier. He really seemed to understand where the Mentor's were coming from with their issues and concerns.  Tonight, is the Steve Winwood concert, and I have to say I am not really a fan, but its entertainment none the less, and much better than watching German television.  Tomorrow evening, I plan to actually explore the city a bit, and take in some of the historical sites, like the Holocaust Memorial, and the Brandenburg Gate which are right down the street from my hotel.  When walking to the train station from the hotel each morning, I could just feel the history around me, you can feel it in your feet as you walk on the stone-like streets, and look at the architecture.  Really amazing city, I must say.