Every year, the APPINA TRAVEL team gets together for a weekend of team building, sightseeing, and fun! This year was my first team event and we were very lucky to visit the charming and picturesque city of Strasbourg in Alsace.
Read here about Margarette-Anne’s experiences:
Before our team-building weekend, myself and my colleagues, Alin Müller (Dresden), Denise Buchanan (Toronto), and Violeta Bringel (Munich and Sao Paulo) arrived a few days earlier to see some important destinations en route to Alsace. We visited Frankfurt, Mainz, Worms, Heidelberg, Speyer, and the Black Forest. We had the opportunity to visit great hotels, many historical landmarks, an energy cooperative, as well as taking in the beautiful scenery. The Black Forest, with its perfect dusting of snow, was stunning!
While in Alsace, we had a lovely walking tour with our guide Regine Baumgartner-Karcher, who has worked with APPINA TRAVEL for 20 years. She showed us the best these destinations have to offer. We explored Strasbourg, Colmar, and the town of Riquewihr where we popped into a cozy little winery and sampled some beautiful local wines, meats, and cheeses.
On Sunday, we ended the trip with a relaxed boat ride along the River Ill and learned about the storied and tumultuous history of Strasbourg.
We also had delicious Alsatian dinners at Au Petit Bois Vert, nestled under one of the oldest, majestic trees in Strasbourg and Le Tire Bouchon. This was followed with some dancing and karaoke with the team. A great time indeed!
The trip was an amazing experience, connecting with the team and with these destinations. I have so many great memories it’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to choose, it would be tied between our winery visit and our night of dancing. I will continue to reminisce about my explorations and will look forward to the next adventure.
by Margarette-Anne Oliver
Read here about Denise’s experiences:
Once again January rolled around and it was time for our annual APPINA TRAVEL company get together, exploring some of the destinations that we sell and spending some good quality time with the team. I am based in Toronto and most of the team is in Europe, so it’s an invaluable time to get to be with everyone and learn more about Europe.
We started the adventure off on a rainy day in Frankfurt with our colleague from Toronto, Margarette-Anne. We wandered the city in the rain and wind and did the best we could to give ourselves a little tour. Frankfurt, I noticed, has some beautiful architecture and a lovely riverside park to meander.
The next morning we got an early start off to Strasbourg with some beautiful stops along the way. First stop was the village of Worms, a stunning place on the river Rhine with the towering Dom St Peter watching over the village, followed of course by some yummy spätzle.
Then onwards to the breathtaking castle of Heidelberg where we spend several hours getting lost in the ruins learning about how life was before the castle was demolished in the 17th century. The views from the castle were my favourite part, it was a perfect wintery sunny days and we could see for miles. Onwards we travelled to Speyer where we strolled through the storybook town then drove onwards to Strasbourg, France where we would spend a fabulous weekend with our colleagues.
Upon arrival in Strasbourg, I unfortunately come down with something and had to miss out on the excursion to the Black Forest but luckily the next day I was back in action. I did manage to have a wander through the town to Notre Dame Cathedral which was so worth it even just from the outside. The Medieval Architecture with timber beams gives the vibe of a cozy French village. The Maison des Tanneurs stood out - the building is now a traditional restaurant but was once where hides were laid out to dry along the river. It’s a beautiful white building with dark brown timber beams overlooking the river.
We saw some hotels in Strasbourg, we always like to see and experience the hotels we use for our clients – My favourite being Hôtel Beaucour which is an Alsatian townhouse style hotel with beautifully, individually decorated rooms. That night we headed out for sauerkraut and lots of sausage! Followed by a delicious piece of Black Forest Cake for dessert, perfectly paired with Alsatian wine and topped it off with some team Karaoke.
Saturday was filled with a tour of the Cathedral in Strasbourg including the incredible astronomical clock from 1843. The detail and amount of technology involved in the making of this clock is amazing. After wandering the town with our very knowledgeable local tour guide, we headed off to a wine tour and tasting of Alsatian wine. The rolling vineyards are dotted with castle ruins and small French villages. We stopped for a wine tasting complete with ham, Munster cheese and fresh bread. We ended the day with a tour of beautiful Colmar where the statue of liberty was made.
On the last day we took a relaxing river cruise through Strasbourg, ate one last flamekuchen and headed home. I am always grateful for these moments to connect with the team and the cultures that I spend the rest of the year promoting. I wonder where we will go next?
by Denise Buchanan
