A final 'Summer Break', one to remember

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It is what will most likely be my very last “Summer Vacation”; the god given right of every student’s life. Being that I’m studying in Europe, the typical swimming pool and barbecue routine is sort of out of the question. What is very much within reach however is a rugged paradise along the shores of the Adriatic.

I’ve decided to spend my summer traveling from Venice, through Slovenia, and then finally sailing down the Dalmatian Coast to Dubrovnik. The trip follows the path of so many traders, explorers, and builders of empires. This was the highway between Rome and Athens, and in time Constantinople. Apart from a sunny summer holiday, the Adriatic provided me a perfect environment to reflect during this very important year in my life.

It is reflection. It is relaxation. It is adventure. It is probably the best summer break of my life.



















"Spritz", the traditional Venetian drink, turned out to be far too good for my well being.



















Lake Bled in Slovenia



















Dragons are infesting Slovenia...



















...an accurate reenactment of my technique for killing the dragons.
























































Simon enjoys a girly drink... he may think twice next time he asks me to order for him.















































Simon and I receive a Japanese guest at our prison cell in Dubrovnik...





















...and what a view our prison cell had.

La Fiesta San Fermin

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My apologies to family and friends for a long absence in updating my blog. Classes, studies, and lots of fun have kept me from my duties. I’m sure however that you’ll forgive me for that.

As a special treat for your gratuitous pardon, I have provided a video link where you can see me run for my life away from bulls. This was Pamplona, La Fiesta San Fermin.

(look 1 min 59 sec, lower right on the screen)

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=Z12VM9T7

Immediately after the run, with fellow classmates in the bullring

That was a special opportunity for me. A great many people include ‘Running with the Bulls’ in their bucket list, but so few have the opportunity, while still young enough, to actually do it. For me this with a “must” during my time in Spain and I am glad I did it.

That said… don’t ever ask me to do it again! For that matter don’t even imply or joke that I should consider doing it again. I will tell you no and then I will punch you in the face (kidding of course, mostly).

Running with the bulls consists of the following: 45 minutes of fearful waiting packed in narrow alley with hundreds of people and then 3 minutes of sheer terror running. Twice I had to climb the walls to escape chasing bulls. Alas when you’re finally done and quite happy to be alive, you find yourself trapped inside a bull ring with younger bulls bounding about, tossing people with their horns into the air. This goes on for maybe an hour.

Yup. Once is quite enough for me. Thank you very much!

Aside from all that, the Fiesta is the biggest party you've ever seen that doesn't stop for 168 hours strait. You can see I enjoyed this part as well :)

World Cup Quarter Finals

- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

4th of July event at the US embassy in Madrid

Me at the American Embassy 4th event



Simon at the event - thanks for the invite bro!!



The ambassador Alan Solomont presenting the stars and strips, and welcoming the invitees



"Lets party!"- closing remarks by Alan Solomont, US ambassador to Spain



Rock & roll and blues all night long, and some inspirational USA images to accompany



The ambassador dancing with his lovely wife - they are clearly having a great time


- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

Location:Calle de Serrano,Madrid,Spain

First final down, and a good one!!

Final exam for Information Systems was today.



The professor (Enrique Dans) actually brought in the founders of the business case tested (spotCRAFT) to answer our questions.

VERY COOL!


- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone

Tesco Loyalty

Amongst loyalty programs, Tesco’s Club Card is considered to be the gold standard. The Club Card loyalty program is more than ten years old now and serves as a huge competitive advantage for Tesco. The brains behind Tesco’s Club Card program is an outside contractor – Dunnhumby.

What Dunnhumby did for Tesco was new for the industry, but not an entirely new concept all together. The idea of “loyalty programs” previously existed within the airline industry, however never before had a robust loyalty program been established for an industry with such frequent purchases as grocery. This allowed Tesco to obtain an enormous amount of information about its customers.

Soon after testing began on the Club Card program, Tesco's then-Chairman Lord MacLaurin, said "What scares me about this is that you know more about my customers after three months than I know after 30 years." The value of the loyalty program quickly became clear: loyalty programs’ competitive advantages exist in marketing intelligence.

With this new marketing intelligence Tesco was freed to engage with customers in new, personalized ways. Customers were offered discounts and coupons customized to their buying habits and also offered different discounts to encourage them to explore new products and categories. With this type of personalized marketing, soon loyalty to Tesco emerged within the UK market. If shoppers weren’t shopping at Tesco they were missing clear opportunities to save money.

Day trip to IE University Campus in Segovia

The next cover of the IE University Magazine... I'm sure of it!



Segovia from a distance











Only the best Roasted Suckling Pig in the world, served in this restaurant for over 250 years.

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More pictures...













































- Please excuse the brevity and typos. Posting from my iPhone