Restauracja Roma, Warsaw, Poland

Restauracja Roma, a nice cosy, quaint-ish style. Martin liked the interior. Service with attitude.

Bert Schaekers - Tivoli Security Sales Leader for IBM CEE. Grew up in Bree, Belgium, where Kim Clijsters is from. Committed IBMer straight from University, doing MBA at Henley, avid runner and cycler, reads interesting books (also on subconsciousness) given to him by his wife. One day he will master kitesurfing and Hercule Poirot is not French but Belgian/Walloon.

Rubelj, Zagreb, Croatia

Rubelj Grill. Great cevapi. This one in Crnomerec part of Zagreb.

Marijo Bos - Consultant, professor and a business woman running BosAdvisors. Delivered a great Business Communication class at Cotrugli MBA. Madrid resident, but works all over Europe and worldwide. Giving and receiving good feedback.

Veža, Bratislava, Slovakia

Restauracia Veža in the TV tower on the hill Kamzik above Bratislava, with a nice view over the city and the castle.

Javier Torres - WW WebSphere GB Sales exec, born and raised in Venezuela (where Miss Universe 2009 is coming from), can find only good words for Colombian girls, father sent him to Miami to study English and he never came back, married a Spanish lady, cannot sleep in the car, worked for Ingram Micro before joining IBM. Lives in Miami and will one day give back to society, while having his own restaurant - maybe near Vulpellac in Spain - as he likes to cook and does it often. Aye!

Martin Frolo - WebSphere Sales Specialist at IBM in Slovakia. Originally from Povazska Bistrica, studied computer science in Nitra, before moving to the capital. One day he will buy a small island and get busy with it.

Cara cu bere, Bucharest, Romania

Mici = Chevapchichi. Not server in Cara cu bere, but in Bucharest Business Park by Eurest.

Ovidiu Bastea a.k.a. Che Guevara - WebSphere Connectivity Leader in CEE region. Raised in small village near Galati. One day he will have a Hasselblad camera. That moment will probably be posted on blog.ovidiubastea.ro Like most Romanians, he also likes to "share" food in the restaurant = take from other plates :)

Carmen Raileanu - WebSphere Technical Specialist at IBM Romania. (The guy next to her is Adi). She grew up in Constanza, likes dancing, in particular rumba and salsa, was international aerobic and fitness instructor. Speaks Spanish and visited Argentina. And one day she will have a spa resort and travel a lot - Bali among one of the first destinations.

Cankarjevo nabrezje, Ljubljana, Slovenia

One of the bars on Ljubljanica river bank in Old Town. Always full, always available.

Miguel Nobre dos Reis - WebSphere Commerce Sales Manager for CEEMEA region. A very interesting figure, born in Portugal, lived in Central Africa, South America, met his German wife in Madrid and now lives with his family in Munich. Some day in the future, he will take care of his own hacienda. Not in Germany.

IBM. Innerpeace. Yeah.

A-GAIN. RE-START.

- - B.R.E.A.K. - -

Pomodoro, Vilnius, Lithania

Pomodoro - a nice Italian place. Recommended. Non typical furniture. Cosy.


(Gražvydas) Grazyvydas Govaras - WebSphere Sales for IBM in Lithuania. A proper Vilnietis, VIKO and KTU graduate, used to work for GNT, a Baltic distributor, before joining IBM. Reads Sci-Fi and is getting more and more involved in sailing - recently sailed to Swedish Gotland Island in the Baltic sea. He musts taste Adriatic/Mediterranean sailing. And one day he will sail around the world with his friend and sailing buddy Darius. Calvados is an apple brandy from Lower Normandy.


Volnius2009.lt Click&Experience


A white tribute to all bicycle accidents casualties in Vilnius. Peace.

Manna Euthentic Lounge, Budapest, Hungary

Manna Euthentic Lounge - Buda is the posh side of Budapest. Manna is the posh side of Buda. A very nice place. Especially nice in summertime when the happening spills on the terrace with DJ keeping demand for sparkling sky high. Gotta come at least once. Next time we'll check Olympic - or something like that.


Peter Lakhegyi - developer of international business at AAM Technologies. Father Lakhegyi works at IBM. Educated in Miskolc Egyetem, virtual photonics practice in Berlin, worked for IBM HU, Avnet HU and Avnet Australia before joining AAM. Recently participated at MEFTEC2009 in Bahrain. Had an Indian teacher in Australia that was drinking water through nose, is reading Oscar Wilde series, adores snowboarding and watches Dallas on storytv4. One day he will buy history and give it to the ones that don't have it.


"Manna has the most extensive selection of champagnes in Budapest. Paired with caviar, it is the perfect starter for a special celebration." - as per Budapest Week. All of Hungary only gets 6 bottles of Salon (the one on the photo) per year. Cheers!

Buena Vista, Budapest, Hungary

Buena Vista - one of the many fine places on Liszt Ferenc ter. Recommendation. Particularly in summer time. Things open and show.


Alexander Knaani - member of IBM Software Industry Solutions team, living in and leaving Boca Raton, Florida to move to Vienna, Austria. Born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay with Austro-Hungarian roots and likes Slovenia. Earned his PhD from NWU, speaks five languages, is parallel reader and El Juego del Angel is one of the books currently open. Avid cook, careful and systematic about food, very much into healthy nutrition, working out and a big soccer fan will one day study cinematography inside out. Cut.


There was a distinct Buda-side posh-ness to the place. Emptiness including.

Menzies Airport Lounge, Prague, Czech Republic

Menzies Aviation Lounge - serving "Schengen flyers" only. Nice, quiet and most important - pretty empty. No white wine. Damn :)


(Tomaž) Tomaz Vincek - IBM System p senior tech specialist. With presumably Czech/Polish origin, Vincek is also "probably Zagreb’s most popular dessert hangout" as described by IYP Zagreb. Long ago he used to program controlling apps that would fit to 8K memory, has no cakes for birthday, adores Belgium chocolate and denounces chocolate attributes to anything that has less than 70% cocoa in it. For the past three years slowly, but relentlessly accumulating "soaring" hours to earn his glider license. Reads Steel Rain and immensely enjoys beer drinking pleasures. One day he will transform himslef into a jewelry maker. And have an ice cold pint o'beer. Cheers!


Nokia E90 and a "light" paperback. Professional business traveler's devoted companions.

Saloon, Zagreb, Croatia

Saloon - one of the many spots in rich Zagreb night club scene. One must do "been-there-done-that" there, if one wants to qualify to comment on the club happening. Yes. Them girls, too.


Aco Momcilovic (Momčilović) - HR Specialist at L'Oreal and one of the real connoisseurs of Zagreb night life. His upbringing is a Zagreb-Varaždin combination, psychology graduate at FFZG, current Cotrugli EMBA Generation 6 student and used to worked for Ledo. Used to be active valley ball player for Zagreb team and follows up his goings-out with diligent posting on Facebook album. Some day he will devote himself to teaching, coaching and pursuing social studies. Documenting as he goes, we hope.


Garnier Fructis ad in the Saloon toilet. I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Garnier brand belongs to L'Oreal and Aco being the resident guest here ... :)

Toxic Bar, Zagreb, Croatia

Toxic Bar - recommended by FiveStars. A bit small. DJ. Good vibes. Nice looks. Belvedere. Cool, I guess.


Rossen Petkov - Senior Marketing Manager at Pernod Ricard Bulgaria. Sofia native, graduated at American University in Bulgaria in Blagoevgrad, worked for BAT, Kraft and for a while also in USA. A back nature peson, kick-boxer, reading The Power of Subconscious Mind. Given all means needed, he would build quality development schools all over Bulgaria. The fastes and most effective way, I say.


Toxic Apple-ish tables. Lit Belvedere. Not Pernod Ricard, though. Yet.

Kaptolska klet, Zagreb, Croatia

Kaptolska klet - exclusive location and interior, BUT the staff was really trying very hard not to accidentally appear friendly. Do not go there. Period.


Matic Meglic (Meglič) - CEO of Center za sodobne izzive and Researcher at UP PINT. Influenced by late prof.Marusic, medical school graduate with interest in cognitive neuroscience, working on his Ph.D. in eHealth and care process management, addicted to free-climbing and mountain sports in general. Does not subscribe to the theory that drinking alcohol is removing low performance brain cells, making you cognitively more powerful in the process. Reading Goldratt's The Goal and will one day devote himself fully to innovation in eHealth services. Some of it might even be in line with US Recovery Plan.

Franjo. The man.

K Pivovari, Zagreb, Croatia

K Pivovari - during weekends full of Cotrugli MBA students and sometimes with live music. Service varies, but in the long run (read: many samples) one gets a normal distribution with mean being on acceptable level.


Andrej Strojin - project manager and consultant at Infotehna. Brewed in Novo Mesto, lived in Trieste and is not Strojan. Used to work for RCL and is Generation 6 Cotrugli Executive MBA student. Co-founded web design company when he was 19, vegetarian that eats prosciutto, but only on islands. Learning Russian language and sauna is a must for him. Has 1 year old son and is reading Kids Are Worth It! and In Their Time: The Greatest Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century. One day he will buy Trieste and be therefore responsible also for Barcolana. A quite big main sail.

El Rincon De Esteban, Madrid, Spain

El Rincon De Esteban - Classy place. Good food. Good wine. Good service. Recommended. Also by Michelin.


Doru Constantin Nica - pervasive WebSphere Sales person at IBM Romania, in Bucharest office. Grew up in Craiova where he graduated at Universtatea din Craiova - known also for good sports. Worked for Xerox and is currently reading Goleman's Emotional Intelligence. Recommended.


Bernd C Blasczyk - IBM Application Integration Middleware (AIM) Business Developer for CEEMEA region, based in Hambug. Being partly Polish-Bohemian origin, most of Blasczyks actually reside in USA. Used to work in controlling filling spreadsheets all day, then escaped to Cognos before joining IBM. Loves David Beckham (NOT), read Kurzweil's Homo S@piens, did Camino de Santiago on bike and enjoys travelling and spending time with his family. Neat.


They were also here. A while ago. And the light is still on.

Vinos, Madrid, Spain

Vinos - a very old, very traditional (read: never upgraded) Spanish wine bar. A different experience. Very. For those who need to try everything. And for those that want to put things into perspective.


Marko Raubar - for a while still vice CEO of Housing, before joining IBM in Slovenia as WebSphere sales. Grew up in Koper with Kras roots, worked for Tobacna and Magistrat International, as an avid mountaineer climbed Triglav 4 times and can also serve as handball referee. Having an almost 2 years old kid, he's reading parenting books, recommends a great wine place Cejkotova domačija in Goče in Vipavska dolina and will one day nurture his own vineyard. Cheers!


Tom Boonen - recently appointed ILOG Sales Leader at IBM in CEE Growth Market Region. Born in Belgium to father veterinarian, knows the other famous Tom Boonen through wide Boonen family gathering, lived in Moscow, Vienna and now back in Belgium. Worked for Microsoft, is a parallel reader, currently crunching on The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. When too much money will not allow him to work for it, orphans around the world will benefit. Immensely. Whatever events and ideas spin around his world, the center of gravity remains with his kids Nathalie and Stefanie and wife Svetlana.


Yo, prosciutto! Hang on there!

LH Lounge, Terminal A, Frankfurt Airport, Germany

Lufthansa Business Lounges. A must for a frequent traveler. Usually nice atmosphere and great wine.


(Srečko) Srecko Janjic (Janjić) - ILOG and WebSphere BPM technical sales specialist for CEE region, based in IBM Slovenia office. Worked for Monolit and SŽ, reading Mario Puzzo's candidate book for Godfather 4, survived terrorist bomb attack in Paris Metro in 1997 and can talk about Huntigton theory. Since the middle of the 1980s Spain’s foreign population has risen nineteen-fold to 4.52 million.


Mexican Japanese mix served by Germans.

Figovec, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Figovec - old, traditional, in the center. Surprisingly empty on working Monday lunch time. Spicy. Good.


Simona Poljansek - public sector employee, global woman with a pinch of desert sand and passion for finance. Elementary school class president wannabe always ended up as treasury secretary. Italian-Czech roots with a half-Pakistani cousin. Twin sister, parallel reader: Obama's Audacity for Hope and Questions of King Milinda. Observing, motivating and testing boundaries of possible. That's her cup of tea.


Figovec is boasting full variety of Simčič wines.

Pekos Pub, Trzin, Slovenia

Pekos Pub, local joint, sponsoring local sport. Not for wine lovers. Stopped there on the way from the airport as I found out via Facebook that a friend is celebrating the birth of his child #2, son #1.


(Matjaž) Matjaz Tavcar (Tavčar) - head of development at Infohit. Grew up a block away from me, my mother taught him English in elementary school. FRI graduate with highest grade and distinction. Recently read Coelho's Alcimist, tried paragliding and finding inner peace while hanging out with Domen.


An innovative STO Bluetooth welcome at Ljubljana Airport.