Big Event #2: Busy Season Strikes Again

So the time arrived. The three months every accountant looks forward to and prepares for, busy season. It is the time of the year that separates the men from the mice. A time where efficiency, stress control and technicality are all sought after traits. This year, my busy season began on Saturday, January 16 (and yes, that is my birthday), with a flight to Zurich, Switzerland. I was traveling with an associate of mine to perform an audit over one of my client’s subsidiaries. The flight was long but relaxing. A few hours of the flight were used to plan my course of action for the upcoming week.

Upon arrival, we drove a couple of hours to Fribourg, where we stayed for the next couple of weeks.
When Monday arrived, we hit the ground running. We were trying to be as productive as possible so that we could have enough time to dedicate Saturday as our fun day. After the first couple of days of working long hours, and the adjustment from jet lag, my body was drained. On Wednesday at about 6pm I was fading. So, I did something that I never thought I would do; I downed a 5-Hour Energy Drink. I think the name is a little modest. I would rename it to 11-hour energy because I was working until 5am the next morning. I then only had 1-hour of sleep that night and was still productive the next day. Crazy stuff. Maybe my lack of caffeinated drink consumption contributed to its potency.
So, Saturday arrived and we were excited to finally see the sights.
First, we travelled to Chillon Castle, nestled between a tall mountainside and Geneva Lake.
It was a beautiful sight. The size of the castle was also impressive. It took us about 3 hours to see it all.

Next, we decided to drive to Geneva, the home of the historical protestant reformer, John Calvin. It was such a magnificent city. One of the most beautiful I had ever seen. While we were there we visited St. Pierre Cathedral, where John Calvin preached and where the League of Nations was formed. We also went to the International Museum of the Reformation. On the way out of town we drove by the old United Nations Building. We also decided to cross the border into France, just so that we could say that we did.

We then had a busy week and were able to accomplish what had to be done. The last day we were in Switzerland we drove to Zurich, where our flight would be leaving from the next day. We checked into our hotel (the Marriot) and our rooms were insane. My friend, who booked the rooms, was a Marriott Club Member, so they gave him a good deal and even upgraded his room for free. His room was a corner unit, multiple room suite, with two flat screen TVs, a view of the river running through downtown Zurich, flower pedals on his bed, and a complimentary $200 bottle of champaign. It was crazy!
That night we walked around Zurick, went out to dinner, and looked for gifts for our wives. It is easy to say that Zurich is the neatest city I have ever been in. The buildings were ancient. Off of the main roads were mazes of small alleys. These acted like a large mall with more shops than you could visit. The next morning we were on our flight back to the US, where our families and a couple of months of work were waiting for us. The rest of the engagements that took up the rest of busy season were interesting. A technology manufacturer, a golf course, a clothing line, a furniture manufacturer and a high-end wheel manufacturer took up my entire busy season. After it was all said and done, I look back, and can say that what I learned was invaluable and I was able to grow as a professional.