My apologies first for being so slow in posting. We've had a busy month and it's just going to get worse for the foreseeable future.
I've been wanting to come here for what feels like 1/2 of my life (I think it just might be.) We arrived at the venue and went straight to hall 10. I did my homework and knew exactly where I wanted to go. Our first stop happened to be Constantin puzzles where we met Hendrik. I took a few photos, said hello, but headed out so Hendrik could do his business. Our next "stop" was Beverly. I was hoping to see our friend Lawrence from Hong Kong, but sadly he wasn't in. We wandered some more and saw our friend Mark Setteducati. He was at a booth of magic as usual.
The fair as is expected is overwhelming. There are more booths to see than there is time for. The ones in HK lasted 4 or 5 days, this one is 6. I will have sore feet when it's all over I'm sure.
Anyway, we never made it past hall 10. We saw professor puzzle, Eureka, Hanayama of course! I was surprised by Konstantinos when I was standing explaining something to George. We sat with him for about 1/2 an hour and had a glass of wine and a nice chat. We'll go back later in the fair to chat some more. It ws cut short by a customer. Much much more important than us.
We ran into Tanya as we were walking the hall. It was wonderful to see her again. After a short catch up, we carried on to go see other booths.
Guido was at Recent Toys, we visited with the folks form Giiker, ran into Marcel Gillen, Pantazis, and Wil. It was really a fun fair.
To be honest, we never left hall 10 on the first day. I had put together a list of vendors we wanted to visit and we did. Beverly, Hanayama, Professor Puzzle, V-cubes....and quite a few more. By 1 George's feet were sore and I was tired as well. We had a bit of lunch then headed back to the hotel for a much deserved sleep.
The next 4 days were much of the same. I made a few deals, found a few old friends, and enjoyed our trip. I'm only saddened because Uwe wasn't here to share in my pleasure. But I still have my lover and I embrace that every day.
As always, I will let the photos speak for me.
