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Scotland – August 2012 – Part 2

Posted on 20 February 2013

Wednesday, 1 August 2012: We didn’t really have any plans again, so we set out to see what we could get to by bus around Inverness. We were told that the Glen Ord distillery was a short bus ride away, so we decided to do that. Visiting distilleries is always fun (especially the sample at the end) and this one happened to produce a single malt that was not available in the US, so that was a real treat. From there, we took the bus a few stops back to the little town of Beauly where we had lunch and explored the old Beauly Priory. The priory is another ruin, so even though it was cold and rainy (again), I was still pretty happy to be there with the camera. We made it back to our hotel for a quick change, then it was off for a dinner, and a pint or two at our favorite pub in Inverness.
Thursday, 2 August 2012: We were up to catch a 7:30 bus from the Inverness bus station to go all the way up to Orkney. At the time, it seemed like a good way to get there without spending more than just the day there (bringing along luggage, etc). We probably should’ve made the trip to Orkney for a day or two, but it ended up being a nice primer, should we ever get the chance to go again and spend more time. The bus ride involved a tour guide, who did a great job explaining the sites as we went along. Finally we made it to a very foggy John O’Groats and hopped the ferry up to Orkney where we met a smaller bus with a driver/guide. We stopped first at Kirkwall, grabbed some sandwiches for the bus, and saw St. Magnus Cathedral. Then it was off to Skara Brae, a site I had wanted to see since I was a child and our school was visited by the author of a book about Skara Brae. Then it was off to the Ring of Brodgar, a quick stop at the Italian chapel, and then back to the ferry at 5pm. We made it back to Inverness around 8pm where we got dinner and then collapsed back at our hotel. The whole day was a whirlwind adventure, with lots of time spent on the bus, but both fantastic tour guides totally made up for the time spent sitting around. We got a ton of information that we might not have gotten had we hopped a quick flight up and stayed in Orkney a few days.
Friday, 3 August 2012: After much deliberation, we decided to rent a car for the day. We debated over it a lot – Doug was pretty worried about driving on, “the wrong side of the road,” whereas I was pretty confident that it wouldn’t be too difficult. The roads aren’t nearly as congested as ours, they don’t drive as fast, and I had a nervous co-pilot to help keep me in line. We picked up the car (a zippy little diesel, manual transmission Ford Fiesta) and made our first stop at the Black Isle Brewery. Really fascinating operation – all organic, grown on the property, brewed on site, complete with a sweet brewery dog. Then we were off, grabbed some food at a grocery store and found a nice spot in Elgin to have lunch. Then, with our Diageo whisky passports in hand, we made a stop at the Cardhu Distillery where we were given a sample of two of their whiskys, but skipped the tour. Our last stop was at Cragganmore where we took the last tour of the day. None of the distilleries allow photos anywhere inside, but we did get samples! We had dinner, watched a beautiful sunset, and had another pint at Hootananny, and then back to the hotel. I wish we had decided on the car earlier since we would’ve had time to see more, but it was still an incredibly fun day.
Saturday, 4 August 2012: We had signed up for an all day tour of the Isle of Skye, complete with an incredible guide/driver from the area. We had originally planned on having two other people with us who were unable to make the trip last minute, so it was a little pricey, but for what we got (the information, being driven around and not getting lost, the knowledge, special little stop offs that aren’t on the maps), it was WELL worth it! Our first big stop was at Eilean Donan castle, the famous castle that’s splashed all over travel advertisements for Scotland. Gorgeous! Husband wore his kilt for the day, so I managed to prod him to take a really great photo in front of the castle. From there we were off to Skye. We made some lovely, picturesque stops along the way including a quick stop to have a drink of fresh, peaty water coming off the hills before lunch. From there we grabbed some ice cream and head off to see more sights which included Kilt Rock (and a hilarious warning sign). The whole trip was amazing and I can’t get over how absolutely beautiful Scotland is. We just have nothing at all like it at home. We got back to our hotel around 7pm, and then were off to our dinner reservation at Hootananny. We timed it so that we were able to have a table and see Tweed when they came on stage that night. They’re a fantastic local band we had seen once before and couldn’t wait to see again. They didn’t disappoint! It was a great night.
Sunday, 5 August 2012: We slept in a good bit after being out a little late the night prior. We decided to take it easy and take a walk down to Floral Hall, the local botanical garden. On the way there, we heard this strange sound, and as we turned around to see what it was, we saw a Border Collie bolting at top speed, dragging a sign behind him. At one point, I’m sure the sign was upright (it was weighted, but clearly not enough) in front of a coffee shop, but something spooked the poor dog and he took off running. He was coming straight for us, so as he got closer, husband and I lined up to block the path. I stuck my foot in the middle of the sign which was a big metal frame with a swinging sign in the middle, coming out with a REALLY badly bruised ankle, which stopped the dog. Moments later, a woman comes running around the corner yelling, “MY DOG! MY DOG! STOP HIM!” Good thing we already had! She came over, explained that he was a new rescue and had been badly treated on a farm before joining their family and was still easily spooked. She thanked us over and over. By this time, the coffee shop owner had come along to collect her sign while we snorgled the dog, applying liberal amounts of love. Then, we were on our way to Floral Hall which was really beautiful. The weather, unfortunately, was not – a persistent drizzle and chill – so the outside areas weren’t quite as nice as we’d have liked, but it was pretty nonetheless, and much bigger than it looks from the outside. We walked back along the canal, looking for blackberries, but it was a touch too early in the season. We went to lunch and took our time, and did a little shopping around Inverness. Then it was back to the hotel for more of the Olympics while we watched my ankle turn even funnier colors.
Monday, 6 August 2012: Hopped a train around 11am for Aberdeen. Arrived at Aberdeen around 1pm. Husband had a class to take which was our excuse for taking an extended vacation, so now it was time for him to get going on the class. We did lunch at our local favorite, and were back to the hotel somewhat early for dinner and more olympics coverage.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012: My ankle was still swollen and achy (not broken, just banged up) from the encounter with the dog in Inverness, so I took it easy and did some shopping. Husband had his class, so I was on my own for the day. We met up for dinner back at the hotel and got to bed early again since husband had to be up early again for class.
Wednesday, 8 August 2012: I decided to head out to the beach with my camera since it was a nicer day and I was feeling up to a good walk. It was still a little overcast, but the beach was empty and chilly which suited me just fine. I wandered around, finding that a bunch of bright purple jellyfish had washed up on the beach along with a few red/orange ones as well. The tide was out, so there was a LOT of beach to cover. I zig zagged back and forth, watching snails inch along the rocks, wee little fish trapped in tide pools, and took great big breaths of fresh air. I had finished my project for the Ravellenic Games, so I brought that along and grabbed some pictures of it too, since I had a nice background. Met the husband back at the hotel for dinner.
Thursday, 9 August 2012: Husband passed his class earlier than expected, so we were off for a day in Stonehaven, a really lovely little town I enjoy visiting when we’re in Scotland. We had a great lunch and some pints, and hten we were off to Dunnottar Castle. The regular route up, along the coast, was closed for construction which was a shame, because it’s a really beautiful walk, so we ended up taking the shorter, detour route. Then it was back down to Stonehaven and the railway station, and eventually Aberdeen. We had dinner at Slain’s Castle which is this really neat pub inside an old cathedral. It’s all decorated in a style Dracula himself would approve of – maybe a little goofy, but the theme works, and it’s definitely unique.
Friday, 10 August 2012: We were up EARLY to be at the airport by 5am. From there we hopped through London. On the way home, our flight was diverted to Bangor, Maine since weather, severe thunderstorms, has closed the Newark Airport. We sat there for I think two hours until the storms finally passed. A bunch of other planes had landed as well, so we weren’t alone. However, since it was an international flight, we couldn’t leave the plane, so it made for a boring situation, just sitting there waiting for the go-ahead to take off and then land again at home.

All in all, the trip was wonderful. If I could’ve changed anything, it would’ve been to switch days off Inverness and over to Edinburgh or take a few of the Inverness days off to Orkney. The little taste of Orkney did give us a hunger for more though, so hopefully on another trip, we’ll schedule in some more time! The rest of the photos exist over here on Flickr.

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Scotland – August 2012 – Part 1

Posted on 17 February 2013

by Sheetar

This is going to be another VERY belated post about travel we did last year. Seriously, I need to get better about putting updates on the blog in a more timely manner. I’m splitting this up into two parts since it’s going to be WAY too long otherwise. Here’s Part 1, Part 2 to follow!

For photos of the trip, see the complete gallery on Flickr, here.

Thursday-Friday, 26-27 July 2012: Left Newark airport late in the evening on the 26th and arrived at Aberdeen, Scotland (via Heathrow) on July 27th. Got a cab to the hotel which was in downtown Aberdeen with both my big travel backpack and husband’s. Originally, husband was supposed to meet me in Aberdeen and take the train down to Edinburgh, but his schedule was changed last minute and we decided to meet in Edinburgh since he wasn’t going to make Aberdeen on time. At that point, it was too late to change any of the reservations, so I just went ahead with the plan as it was. The only downside was having to tote around his luggage and mine (two enormous backpacker type backpacks). Had dinner and some ale at Old Blackfriar’s and went back to the hotel early to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I had decided to participate in the ~~Ravelympics~~ Ravellenic Games, so I picked up my yarn and needles and cast on, somewhat tickled to be casting on while watching the opening ceremonies in the local time zone.
Saturday, 28 July 2012: Got up and walked the short walk to the railway station with both bags, and made it there for a 11am train. Arrived in Edinburgh around 1pm where husband was already waiting for me. He’d even checked into the hotel already! We had lunch and wandered around Edinburgh for a while. Husband had been there years ago in college, so some of it was familiar for him. Edinburgh was all decked out for the Olympics with a big olympic rings display setup on the hill, visibile for quite some distance. We signed up for a tasting at the Scotch Whisky Experience (the Platinum Tour), so around 6pm, we headed over there. It was totally a touristy thing to do, but it ended up being very educational, and a fun way to start our trip. The staff was very knowledgeable and we got to see the world’s largest whisky collection. It was REALLY impressive to see all the bottles lined up like that on lighted shelving, dates ranging from the late 1800s up through the present. The guide explained that most of the stuff wasn’t fit to drink anymore since the seals had come undone and it had been evaporating over time, but it’s still worth a lot. We went on to have dinner and some ales and then it was off to bed, but not until we watched a little more of the Olympic coverage.
Sunday, 29 July 2012: Got up and had breakfast and then it was off to tour Edinburgh Castle. On the way up to the castle, we stopped in the gift shop where we sampled Bruadar whisky which was AMAZING. A bottle may or may not have followed us home. The castle was more than just a castle – it’s a whole complex of chaples, war memorials, prisons, residence for the guards, among many other things. We were done with the castle, having seen the crown jewels and all, around noon, and headed off for lunch. Then, it was off to The Real Mary King’s Close, a small alleyway that had been built on top of over the years and forgotten about. The tour was FASCINATING – the way people lived, how tight and cramped the conditions were, but that they made do with what they had. The close and the homes off the close, now underground, had largely been left as they were for hundreds of years. Photos weren’t allowed since the Royal Exchange is above the close (security and all), but it was well worth the visit. After that, we wandered around and had some ales, took a ghost tour of Edinburgh, and had more ales and dinner before going back to the hotel.
Monday, 30 July 2012: We decided to head out to Incholm Island for the day since the weather was nice, and the trip involved a boat ride (for my mariner husband). It was a gorgeous day for it, and we spent a good while wandering around the island – through the old abbey where we encountered a man who broke into song, inspired by the acoustics of a little chapel room. This is the kind of place I love – a partially ruined old stone building with LOTS of character, tons of fun to photograph. The island also had remnants of battlements from WWI and WWII. Wee baby seagulls were almost done fledging, so the adults were still on alert. Doug happened to step just a little too close to the edge of the path where a fledgeling was hiding on the ground and he got dive bombed by an adult gull. Hilarious. He kept ducking down the whole walk back, thinking he’d be attacked again. Sometimes it pays to be the short one since they didn’t bother me at all! The boat took us back down the Firth of Forth, underneath the bridges, including the Forth Bridge which only carries rail traffic and was opened in 1890! On the trip back, we also saw a few seals in the water and basking on buoys as it got colder and started to rain. When we got back, we made our way to pre-dinner pints, then to dinner where we had things like Haggis nachos, including their famous, fresh caught haggis, and sat with a couple from Wales, a family from Belgium, and another group from Scotland. Had a blast and spent a lot of time there, enjoying the random company and food. Really lovely way to end our stay in Edinburgh, and I wish we could’ve had a few more days there.
Tuesday, 31 July 2012: We woke up, had breakfast, and then it was off to the train station for a train to Inverness. We arrived at Inverness and made it to our hotel by 2:30. We had no real plans for the day, so we took a relaxed walk around Inverness, had an early dinner, and went back to the hotel for an early bedtime (and some more of the Olympics).

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Oktoberfest 2012 – part 2

Posted on 23 January 2013

by Sheetar

Wednesday, 26 September 2012 The trip on the night train was a little rough. Doug and I were both coming down with some sort of illness (congestion & low grade fever) and neither of us really slept. We got into Florence around 6am and found the bus station to catch the bus to Siena. In my sickie fog, I had to ask a local (in Italian) where the station was because I couldn’t quite remember. We found it, caught the bus without a problem, and made it to Siena around 7:30 or so. It was still REALLY early, so we figured we’d find the hotel and leave our luggage until it was official check in time. Well, between when I booked and when we arrived, the hotel had changed addresses, and we had no idea. We stood outside, feverish and bewildered, until someone passing by saw us with our backpacks (and thank goodness I still remember enough Italian) and communicated that the hotel had moved, it was up the street. It was still MUCH too early anyway, so we took up a spot in the Piazza del Campo and alternated taking naps on the sun-warmed bricks. After we finally checked into the hotel, we found a pharmacy and some cold meds and then went back for a long nap since we were both pretty well beat. It ended up being a very off day, but we needed the rest pretty badly. We did manage to get up for a walk and dinner later in the evening and then it was back to the hotel for sleep.
Thursday, 27 September 2012 We had booked a tour with a local company, so we got up and met our guide, Gianni, at the entrance to our hotel. It may have been much more expensive than renting a car and driving around ourselves, but not having to drive and having the knowledge that Gianni had was really worth it. Gianni took us to some little known places, knew the best wineries to tour and sample, and taught us about the wineries and how they worked. We visited during peak harvest season, so most of the operations were in full swing and really neat to see at that level. We stopped at the Borgo San Felice which was once a town, but had been completely bought up by a hotel company. The whole thing, except for one house, was a resort. As Gianni explained, people slowly moved away, closer to Florence and Siena, and this little town out in the country was getting emptier and emptier. It’s happened a few times, apparently, and all sorts of celebrities will rent out the town for a weekend for events. We made two stops at wineries for wine tastings, had an incredible lunch at a small, family-run restaurant, and wandered through little Tuscan towns all day long. We got back to Siena around 5pm, wandered around for a while, and found an amazing dinner – wild boar was ‘in season’ and pici was on the menu, so we had our fill of some very regional and typical Sienese food.
Friday, 28 September 2012 We got up early, found breakfast (espresso and a pastry) and got a taxi to the train station for the train to Rome and then out to Ostia. There was a snafu with the hotel that I was pretty pissed about. We booked the hotel four months in advance, but somehow they were overbooked and we got bumped to a ‘sister’ hotel that was further away and probably the most gaudy and tacky hotel I’ve ever seen. Think Caribbean (palm trees, etc) meets Rome, meets China, with a military museum, ALL AT ONCE. The room we were brought to was clean enough, but we couldn’t walk anywhere which was one of the benefits of the hotel I had originally booked at. The plan for the day, since Rome was really a stop over for our flight to Brussels, was to go to Ostia Antica nearby. It’s basically like Pompeii without the volcanic activity. Really, IMHO, better than Pompeii, because you don’t have to go through Naples and it feels SO much bigger. We spent the afternoon wandering through the ruins, and then went off to find dinner. Well, the restaurants didn’t open till 7:30 or 8pm, and were pretty firm about that time, so we walked around and had a glass of wine at a cafe to waste time. We ended up at a really wonderful little place that even gave us a complimentary cordial to finish the incredible dinner. We got our pickup back to the hotel and prepared for the flight the following day. By this point we were both feeling better and not hitting the cold medicine as much!
Saturday, 29 September 2012 The hotel had a shuttle service to the airport which was nearby in Fiumicino, so that was thankfully an easy transfer. Our flight was pretty short and we arrived in Brussels in the early afternoon. A short train ride later and we were brought practically to the front door of our hotel. Not bad! The hotel was a B&B based out of an artist’s studio and the retired couple who ran the whole operation were really sweet. The rooms were SPACIOUS and each had a different theme and color scheme. Really neat – it felt so comfortable and like home. Breakfast consisted of bread brought up in the morning with a layout of spreads (jam, nutella, etc) and coffee/tea, all do-it-yourself in the kitchen on your floor. I really loved this setup and how well it worked. We had been in Brussels the year prior, so we had a pretty good handle of where we were and where we wanted to go. First stop was the Cantillon Brewery, my personal favorite brewery, ever. They still make beer in the old fashion, using wild yeast, and have such a limited production that we can’t get it at home, so we brought a few bottles home. Then it was off to Moeder Lambic for a few more beers before dinner. The beer tends to be not as strong (ABV 5% or so), so it’s easy to sit around and enjoy a beer or three and not get totally sloshed. We walked around the area around our hotel for a while, saw the Manneken Pis and the usual crowd gathered around him, had dinner, and made it back to the hotel.
Sunday, 30 September 2012 We figured not much would be open on Sunday, so we decided to head back to the Military History Museum since we knew we missed a section of it the last time, plus, it’s free to enter! We did sleep in a little though and took our time getting going in the morning. On the walk there, we wandered through a flea market and oogled all the things on display, mostly antiques. Turned out that we didn’t miss nearly as much as we thought we did at the museum, but we did get to go to the roof top and see a full panorama of Brussels which was pretty neat. The musuem also had a special exhibit on the day-to-day items of soldiers during World War I and II which was pretty fascinating. The things they brought with them, the things they were issued, things they made themselves. After the museum, we went to find Wafels and Frites, as you do in Brussels. We made a few stops for food and beer as the day went on, lingering for a while here and there, having a taste of some AMAZING Chimay 150th anniversary beer. There was of course, Delirium, and another stop at Moeder Lambic before dinner which was Doug’s favorite, Waterzooi, and I had the Flemish Rabbit. Brussels, I love you, and would love to spend more time seeing the rest of Belgium!

The following day, which I don’t need to make a whole entry about, was our flight home, involving a 7 hour layover in Washington, DC. Ick. The joys of frequent flyer miles flights.

Overall, the trip was incredible – from the crowded and crazy fun time at Oktoberfest, and then to the more relaxed trip through Italy and Brussels, it was really an awesome vacation. If you’d like to see more photos, I’ve got the full set uploaded to flickr, here.

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Oktoberfest 2012 – part 1

Posted on 2 January 2013

by Sheetar

This is a VERY belated post from a trip we took in late September. Things have been really hectic since then and I haven’t been able to sit down and put it all in a blog post, so FINALLY, here it is. I’m splitting this into two parts because the first half of the trip was Oktoberfest and the second half was a mini-trip through Italy and Brussels. We used frequent flyer miles for the flights, so we ended up having to fly through Rome and Brussels to get home anyway, so it made sense to extend the layovers and make a bonus vacation out of it.

Friday, 21 September, 2012 Landed in Munich where I met my husband and two of his friends from work who had arrived straight from their ship earlier that day. Made my way through the incredibly crowded metro system and met them at the train station. We split up and got settled in our respective hotels (all three different) and met to go out for lunch at the Augustiner Keller. We were all pretty tired after the travel (the guys got in at about 6am local time), so we decided a nap was a good idea and headed back to our hotels with a plan to meet up later for dinner and beer (as you do in Germany, during Oktoberfest). Well that didn’t quite happen. Doug and I were the only two who woke back up. We did manage to go out shopping for Dirndl and Lederhosen though, ready for the opening day on Saturday.
Saturday, 22 September, 2012 Got up and had breakfast at our hotel (the spread was AMAZING at the breakfast buffet). Got together with everyone and headed out to watch the parade. It was drizzly and cold, but we were determined. Grabbed some beers on the way to enjoy at the parade and grabbed a pretty decent spot. The first man down, opening the parade, was a stout man leading two dachshunds. After that, Wagon after wagon of beer barrels rolled by, each wagon representing a tent at the fest grounds or a brewery in Germany. Then it really started to pour down rain, as the parade was finishing. We scrambled down the street to the entrance to the grounds and tried to get into a tent which just wasn’t happening. We turned around and went back out into the rain, off to find somewhere to eat and drink, but everything was full. Finally we made our way back to the Augustiner Keller from yesterday, hoping they still had room indoors. THEY DID. A very nice waitress ushered us to a table that was reserved for later that day, but we had enough time to eat, so it was no big deal. Turns out the folks who had reserved the table never showed up, so we spent a good long while inside, drying off, and enjoying food and drink. It FINALLY stopped raining, so back to the fest grounds we went. The guys hopped some rides (bumper cars, and some ridiculous scrambler-on-steroids type ride), and we had another pint or two and some sausage. As it got dark, we found our way into the Hacker-Pschorr tent, well, the outside anyway, and met two nice young men from Venice, and two other guys from England. Had a blast. Went back to our hotels to try it again the next day.
Sunday, September 23, 2012 Again, we had plans for everyone to meet together, and it never really happened, so, it was down to me, Doug, and Paul. Doug and I got stopped by a huge parade that we stood to watch for a while. The same man with the two dachshunds from yesterday opened the parade again – all the service companies involved in Oktoberfest started this one. We walked around and did a little shopping, eventually having lunch at Schneider Weiss. We wandered around the fest grounds for a bit and made it into the Augustiner tent, and found a table! Granted, it was later on in the day, and the place was still shoulder-to-shoulder, but we found an empty spot and grabbed it. We sat talking to a bunch of random people at the table, and Doug even found his slightly older beard twin (he grew that out just for Oktoberfest). Lots of laughs, and it was an incredible time. No one in our group speaks much (any?) German, but it’s amazing what you can get across without words. Google Translate on the phone was pretty helpful too, but most people seemed to speak at least a few words of English. After the tent closed, the guys did another round of bumper cars, and somehow we ended up at a bar on the way back which was really crazy. It was a LONG night, and we were sure to sleep in LATE the next day.
Monday, 24 September, 2012 We managed to make it to Mike’s Bike Tour, a little worse for wear, but had a blast on the tour, even if it rained. AGAIN. After the tour was over, we went to the Hofbrauhaus since it was right at Mike’s Bike Tour shop where the tour ended. We sat with a few guys who were in our bike tour group and found two other Americans to add to our table as well. Always a good time :) We split off and wandered around the fairgrounds for a while, having a beer on a carousel small beer tent, and enjoying all kinds of fair food – chocolate covered fruit, candied nuts, sausage, etc. Really, the whole of Oktoberfest is like an enormous state fair with LOTS AND LOTS of beer.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012 We signed up for the tour of the concentration camp at Dachau since we’d had plenty enough of the fairgrounds and wanted to do something cultural. I had been to Dachau almost 10 years ago, but didn’t do a proper tour, so I’m sure I missed a lot. Turns out the place had gone through some massive changes – the entrance was in a different spot, and overall, the grounds and buildings had been upgraded with better exhibits. Our guide was really wonderful, in spite of the horrific history that happened there, and was able to present everything in a clear manner without trying to diminish what had happened there. After we got back (it was almost a full day tour), we went back to the grounds for one last go-through (and I needed to pick up a postcard), and the guys used up the rest of their ride tokens. Doug and I were hopping on the night train to Florence, Italy, so we parted ways and off we went.

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Eurotrip 2011 – Amsterdam

Posted on 23 October 2011

by Sheetar

Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

March 26. We caught the train from Brussels to Amsterdam at 9am, and arrived around noon. It was a relatively short trip, and we found our B&B pretty easily via the tram. Hans at the RAI Bed and Breakfast checked us in and we headed back out to the downtown area for some lunch. We ended up finding a place that had Dutch food which was proving to be hard to find since typical Dutch food is comfort food and really only made at home. We headed out to the Heineken Brewery/museum afterwards and found it to be a complete waste of time and money. They don’t do any brewing on site anymore, and the whole thing is one long, drawn out Heineken advertisement filled with drunk or nearly drunk obnoxious tourists. Random side bit, the cashier who took our money was actually from the area where we live now! The brewery site did make for pretty pictures (to the right) but it was a big disappointment especially for the 15 Euro per person cost that included two beers. We walked back to the hotel later that evening, after walking around and taking in Amsterdam and were passed by a group of people marching in solidarity for the victims of the tsunami in Japan (bottom photo, right).

March 27. Got up and Hans made us breakfast and we chatted for a while. It’s one of the nice things about staying at a smaller B&B, and I’m glad our last hotel-keeper was SO friendly and accomodating. We decided to rent the two bikes he had, but they turned out to not be all that great, and we turned out not to really be able to handle the hordes of skilled bicyclists on the streets. The most we get to ride at home is on trails and such, not in busy traffic. Plus, the seats weren’t quite securely fastened and wrenched themselves free and wiggled around more than was comfortable. Oh well, it was worth a try. Tried to go to the Van Gogh museum, but the line was around the block even at 10am. Walked around and made it to lunch with a fellow knitter who ran a bit of an errand for me (it was for Wollmeise and she was going anyway, and I still love her to bits for offering!). Had a great time chatting with her! We found out about a proper brewery (you know, one that actually makes beer and isn’t just a building that used to make beer) that was next to a windmill. Well two birds, one stone, right? The Brouwerij ‘t IJ was FANTASTIC. We really just went for the tour, but ended up hanging out all afternoon enjoying the beer and cheese and sausage. The brewer was trained in Belgium, so the beers were mostly Belgian and were all absolutely knock-you-over amazing. So, my advice? Skip Heineken, GO TO THE IJ! Also? Check out the prices on the wall in the bottom photo – you can’t beat that with a stick. We wandered around for a while, checking out some of the little shops, trying to see if they made wooden shoes in Doug’s size (they did! Size 14 US!), and eventually wandered back to the B&B.

March 28. We signed up for the countryside Mike’s Bike tour. I’m really glad we did this because we were both getting tired of the touristyness of the downtown/old city area. We made a little stop at the Albert Cuyp Market just to check it out (and, we were out and running VERY early for the bike tour). Having not found a stroopwafel, we headed onwards. The bike tour was four hours long and took us out of the city, to a windmill, and then to a farm where they made cheese and wooden shoes. They showed us the cheese making process and then the wooden shoe making process which was all done by machine using a template. There was a fair bit of hand finishing involved from the sanding and then painting and decoration, but they said it made no sense to make them exclusively by hand anymore since they’re shoes. You wear them in the garden and get them muddy. They are also pretty darn comfortable for being made of wood. After that we headed deeper into the countryside, checked out the system to control flooding in the city (those Dutch, they’re pretty brilliant that way), rode through some parks, and really learned a lot of history and backround detail about Amsterdam. HIGHLY recommended. We were completely beat but managed to find dinner and then head back to pack for an early early flight. Hans (our B&B owner) was kind enough to offer us a great deal on a ride to the airport which we got to with time to spare.

Slideshow of photos from Amsterdam

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Eurotrip 2011 – Brussels

Posted on 22 August 2011

by Sheetar

Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

March 24. We got up early and caught the 7:23 am train from Munich to Brussels, transferring at Cologne (Koln) and arriving at 2:30pm. It was a long trip on the train, but all first class again with meals and everything. The ride from Cologne to Brussels was via Thalys and it actually had wifi available, even if it was spotty and unreliable. Hopped a cab at the train station to our hotel for 10 Euros. The hotel, Hotel Van Belle, was a very last minute booking and the only thing we could find that wasn’t over $200/night. The reviews said it was in a sketchy area, and it was, but thankfully there was a shuttle bus than ran from the hotel to the downtown area throughout the evening. It was safe enough, but I don’t think I’d stay there again – while going to sleep one night, we heard a girl outside the window yell, “Stop! GET AWAY FROM ME,” in perfectly clear English. Needless to say, we PacSafe’d our bags in the room and lashed them to the heaviest thing we could find. That out of the way, the hotel is literally around the corner from the Cantillon Brewery, also called the Musée Bruxellois de la Gueuze (The Brussels Museum of Gueuze). The tour was self-guided but there happened to be a tour group there as well, so we sort of lingered around to hear the speaker. The whole process is absolutely amazing – we brew our own beer and this is just totally opposite everything we learned as brewers. We’re taught to sterilize and sanitize everything and that an infection in the beer is bad. Making lambics and gueuze in the traditional method means pumping your wort up to the attic and letting it sit overnight to capture wild yeast and bacteria, maybe even a few spiders and bugs. Really! The photo on the right, top is the cooling tank where the wort rests overnight. Then the beer is put either in stainless steel fermenters or barrels and left to do its business of fermenting for a year or five. Then it’s bottled (Lambic), or added to fruit (Kriek when it’s cherries), or blended together (1 yr old + 2-3 yr old barrels) to make a Gueuze. The resulting brews are sour and can vary widely from batch to batch. These folks are more interested in doing things the right way rather than mass production and what they make is absolutely incredible. The tasting at the end was the highlight, and I’m super glad we can find it here as well. Something of interest to note, Belgium is known for its beer, and throughout Brussels, I don’t recall seeing a single instance of Bud or Coors or any commercial beer. Not once! Who needs that swill when you’ve got the world’s best beers?

It was getting late, so we went into the downtown area and had a few beers at Bonnefooi – it was rated pretty highly. The staff was really nice, and they had a decent selection of brews. We ended up at Le Fiacre (near the Bourse) for dinner. I had Rabbit, Flemish style, and it was amazing. Not something I’d normally eat, but hey, we were on vacation right? We also saw the Manneken Pis (peeing statue) – it was definitely smaller than I thought, only about two feet high, but nonetheless hilarious. He even gets costumes if there’s a local holiday or special event going on, but he was bare naked when we visited.

March 25. This was our full day in Brussels. The breakfast at the hotel was a huge spread. We locked up our things again in the room and walked to the park for the Musee royal de l’Armee et d’Histoire Militaire (The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History). On our walk, because Brussels in the political capital of the European Union, we saw a few police-led motorcades and areas that were blocked off or secured with razor wire and such. We literally spent the whole day at the museum – the complex is HUGE – and only saw about 2/3rds of the museum. There are a few photos to the right, but honestly, they had every single weapon, uniform, manual, equipment, machinery, etc that was ever, EVER made. The top photo is the airplane hangar where they still do restoration work on parts and planes found in the countryside. Below that was another hall filled with weapons and uniforms. Then beyond that, there was a modern warfare hall about the same size that dealt only with WWI and WWII. It included a mock-up of a 1940′s kitchen, bunker, and I just can’t quite describe the scale of how HUGE this place is. Even if you’re not terribly interested in military history, it’s a marvel just to see the scale of the building and collection. When we left around 3pm, the park was scattered with people toting six-packs or wine bottles, enjoying the sunny spring afternoon. Places I could live? Yep, check.

We took the subway back to the center where we saw the Chocolate Museum with a demonstration by a Belgian Chocolatier (photo at right). LOTS of samples of chocolate from all over the world. We also did the Brewer’s Museum at the Grand Palace and had another beer sample. There were stops for proper Belgian Frites (french fries) and Waffles smothered in as much Nutella as you could handle.Then we stumbled across Moeder Lambic. There were 34 beers on tap with an incredible selection of Lambics, Dubbels, and all sorts of mind blowing beers. There were bunches of little places like this – it was sort of like a coffee shop with people sitting around drinking a beer, relaxing with friends, doing work on laptops, etc. We then went and found dinner at Le Cirio. Doug had a traditional Flemish meal called Waterzooi which was sort of like a local version of chicken soup, but more incredible. He also got his favorite beer, a Rochfort 10, to end the trip to Brussels. Next stop, Amsterdam!

Slideshow of photos from Brussels

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Eurotrip 2011 – Munich

Posted on 16 August 2011

by Sheetar

Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

Still 21 March. We make it to our night train to Munich at the station in Venice. Because we had Eurail passes and are over the age of 27, the passes had to be first class, no choice. I’d never traveled via train in first class, so this was a wholly new experience. The cabin we booked for the night train was in first class and had a private bathroom and shower. A conductor came in and offered us sparkling wine, let us know the wake-up procedure that included breakfast to go, and took our passports so that he could process them as we skipped across the borders. We finished our wine and both of us slept soundly. 22 March. We arrived in Munich at 6:30am. Our hotel, the Wombats hostel, was just a block or two from the station and super easy to find. We were VERY early for check in, but there happened to be a room empty and ready, so we were allowed to check in. We ended up taking an hour or two nap and then got up to see the Glockenspiel, photo to the right (it’s a must-see even if it is totally silly and a big old tourist trap).

After the little ditty finished playing we hunted down the Mike’s Bike Tour office. I’d done the bike tour years ago while studying abroad, but the tour guides are always hilarious, and it’s a great way to see an overview of Munich in a short amount of time. Perfect. We reserve our spot and then wander to the market where Doug finds a sausage vendor. His belly full, it’s time to go meet up the bike tour. Our guide was Matt from Vancouver and he was absolutely hilarious. The group was small, just six of us, but it worked out nicely. Matt even took us mullet hunting but we only found one along the ride. Lunch was at the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) in the Englischer Garten (English Garden). Doug proudly displays his lunch in the photo at the right. We stopped back at the hotel at the end of the bike tour and then went out for dinner at the infamous Hofbrauhaus. The seating is all at open tables, so you’re likely to be seated next to people you don’t know which really, is half the fun. Our initally empty table filled in with Germans, locals, who had all sorts of questions for us in what limited English they knew – Doug got quizzed about Mormons (What’s wrong with them?!) and I think I got a speech about Americans and how they’re so fat, amongst other things. We toasted a bunch of times, enjoyed the band, and left as the place was closing. Going there is always an experience, and this trip was no exception!

23 March. We were thinking about going to Neuschwanstein, but off-season, it’s hard to get to without a tour group and they only seem to run during peak tourist season. Oh well, we slept in a little and ended up going to the Olympic Stadium, photo at the right. We were chased by some swans, and took a nice stroll around the grounds. The BMW World experience is right next door, so we checked that out too – it’s basically one big BMW advertisement with a bunch of interactive games/exhibits about the cars. We then took the U Bahn and tram to get to the Hirschgarten for lunch. The Hirschgarten is the largest constantly operating beer garden in the world, so we couldn’t miss a chance to check it out and dine on still more sausage and more beer. We then hopped the tram to the Schloss Nymphenburg and strolled around the grounds and botanical gardens.

For dinner that evening, we ended up at the Augustiner restaurant, enjoying their Maximator and an incredible dinner. The atmosphere was entirely different and Doug enjoyed it more than the Hofbrauhaus. Photo to the right is of us at dinner, enjoying dessert. Back to the hotel and we packed for an early departure to Brussels!

Slideshow of photos from Munich

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Eurotrip 2011 – Venice

Posted on 8 July 2011

by Sheetar

Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

Still 20 March. We hop the train at Florence for Venice. On board the train, there was a little drama – a woman behind us swore up and down, over and over and OVER again that she had paid for her first class ticket, but didn’t get a receipt from the conductor. She spoke broken English (she looked to be from asia, though I wasn’t sure exactly where) and got very upset with the other conductors (the one she paid had gotten off at a prior station). The police were called aboard, twice, and we could not get off that train fast enough to get away from the constant whining coming from her seat.Anyway, we hop on the vaporetto (Venetian water-bus) that takes about an hour to get to our stop at Santa Maria della Salute and just a short walk from there, we find our hotel, Hotel alla Salute da Cici. They had a pretty spectacular deal online for a great room with canal view, toilet/shower, and a bottle of wine so we went for that. The view was worth it (photo at right). Room was a little smaller than our last three, but it was just fine. Dinner at the restaurant next door was included with the hotel price, and it was okay, but nothing to write home about. We were pretty tired, so it didn’t matter all that much anyway.

March 21. Breakfast was at the hotel and there was a fantastic selection of food laid out. We left our bags, PacSafed again, at the hotel in the bag area and headed out to Piazza San Marco. Sadly, Venice was nearly completely under construction while we were there – everything was scaffolded and covered in canvas painted/printed to look like the building it covered. The really disappointing part was the Bridge of Sighs which was nearly entirely encased in advertising by the folks who were sponsoring the restoration. I understand the importance of donors and restoring/maintaining historic landmarks, but it was really disgusting – there’s a photo in the flickr set. There are still plenty of pigeons around though (photo at right), even if there were less than I remember from years ago.

We hopped on the Vaporetto and went to Murano, the island of the famous Venetian glass. We oogled the chandeliers, and Doug even picked up a small glass faucet dripping out a fish sculpture that he’d been eyeballing at every shop. It’s really cute and we need to find a neat place for it at home (still!). We also hit up Burano, the painted island of lace, and wandered around the beautifully colored homes (photo at right) for a while. I had been feeling ill all day (weird stomach/gut pains?) and didn’t have my advil on me, so we were kinda taking it easy.

On the Vaporetto back to the hotel, we get to watch a gorgeous sunset over the water (photo at right). While we probably spent more time on the vaporetti than actually sight seeing, it’s a good way to get an overview of Venice without setting foot on land. Anyway, we grabbed our bags at the hotel and prepared for the night train to Munich!

Slideshow of photos from Venice

[ 5 Replies ]

Eurotrip 2011 – Florence

Posted on 2 July 2011

by Sheetar

Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

Still March 19. Our hotel in Florence was the Katti House B&B. We checked in easily enough, though the owner didn’t speak much English – just enough to get by – but it gave me a good chance to work on my Italian a little bit, so I didn’t mind! We were brought to our very spacious room (with shower/toilet), and wandered off to find dinner. We ended up at Regginella, a small place near the hotel (which was also near the train/bus stations). The food was excellent, and we were even served some Limoncello on the house to end dinner. Back to the hotel, and to bed – the street was a little noisy, but it wasn’t peak tourist season, and it was chilly enough to need the window shut at night, so it wasn’t that bad.March 20. We end up having to catch the earlier train to Venice, so we only have until 2:30pm. It was also Sunday, and a bunch of things were closed or running limited hours, and really, Florence wasn’t appealing to either of us that much – it’s a very americanized and tourist filled city. If you’re going to visit for the art, that’s wonderful, but the city itself is kinda dirty and leaves a lot to be desired. After Siena, Florence was a huge disappointment. We got up and I got a chance to chat with our hotel owner in Italian which was great fun. She thought Doug was German (his family is near 99% Dutch) They allowed us to leave our bags in the hotel check-in area and again, we PacSafed them just in case. (Photo to the right is of the Duomo (cathedral) of Florence, a view from halfway up the bell tower)

After finding some good espresso for breakfast, we found that the Campanile (bell tower to the Duomo) was open for business. Made it all the way up the 414 steps with the bells clanging in our ears every 15 minutes (photo to the right is the view looking up). At the top, it was REALLY windy, but crystal clear and made for a great view. Here, we’re going to suspend the stair counter since this was the last tower we climbed – 1496 stairs in four days. I’d tell you how hard it was to get out of bed in the morning, but that number speaks for itself.

We spent a little time wandering around Florence. Crossed the Ponte Vecchio and oogled the gold, walked past the Uffizzi, and through the markets at San Lorenzo. Near the Ponte Vecchio, there’s a chain set up to separate the pedestrians from the street. The entire chain was FILLED with padlocks stuck to the chain. We got home and found out they were Love Locks (photo to the right) – couples in love lock a padlock to a bridge, chain, fence, etc and then throw the key in a nearby river symbolizing how they’re locked together in love. AWWW. Anyway, short entry for Florence, but we made our train on time and were off to Venice!

Official Stair Counter: 1496

Slideshow of photos from Florence

[ 6 Replies ]

Eurotrip 2011 – Siena

Posted on 29 June 2011

by Sheetar

Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

I realized that I was WAY behind on these, so here’s the next installment from our trip in March. (Is it really almost July already? It can’t be!) As always, click any photo to see the larger version on flickr.

March 18. We missed the train to Siena from Rome by about three minutes – the train was at the far, far end of the station and as we were quick-walking to get there, it pulls away. Ugh. Next one was in two hours, so we spent a little time people watching outside the police station which proved to be good entertainment. We ended up on the 10:58am train which arrived at Siena (via Chiusi) at 3:20pm. Somehow, I had neglected to write down the address to the hotel on my master-sheet, but thankfully a very nice cab driver knew exactly where to go, the B&B San Francesco. It’s tucked in a tiny alleyway near the Basilica of San Francesco (St. Francis). The room we booked came with a toilet and shower (somewhat of a luxury for European hotels on a budget), check in was easy, and the folks at the desk spoke enough English, and I had apparently remembered enough Italian that we figured things out just fine. We got to the room, dumped our bags, and ran out after taking a quick peek at the view (to the right) – Incredible.

We booked it on over to the Tuscan Wine School, making it there just in time. Doug and I had decided to do the small wine school class in the city rather than a full wine tour of the region mostly due to time constraints. If we had spent the full two weeks just in Italy, it would have made sense to do a full day wine tour, but I really wanted to go back to Siena (the city where I spent four months for a semester abroad) and spend time in the city proper instead of just being there for the hotel. Anyway, the class we took was the Tuscan Wine class, and I can tell you, having already spent four months (granted, years ago) studying Tuscan Wines in great detail, that this class was SPECTACULAR. I learned a few new things (my studies were more casual, perhaps), and the range of wines presented was absolutely perfect. The teacher, Maria Luisa, was very knowledgeable and spoke English perfectly though we did share a few words in Italian after she found out that I studied there nearly 10 years ago. The tasting ended with Cantuccini and Vin Santo, two of my all-time favorite things.

We wandered off to the Piazza del Campo for dinner – pricey, but it’s quite the experience to sit in that piazza under the moon and take in a meal (photo at right). After that it was off to the Dublin Post for a beer seeing as we had missed getting beer on St. Patrick’s day, and Doug felt it was his duty to have at least one beer. They had a great selection (as always), and overheard a number of English conversations (lots of exchange/study-abroad students in Siena). Then it was back to the hotel to collapse.

March 19. Breakfast at the B&B San Francesco was included, so we helped ourselves to an AMAZING spread in the common kitchen/dining area. They allowed us to leave our bags at the hotel in the hallway while we were out sight seeing for the morning. Since it was in a hallway, we decided to lock up the backpacks with our PacSafesjust in case – it’s not that we didn’t trust the staff of the hotel, it’s just a travel precaution (and really, if anyone wanted to help themselves to some dirty socks, they were more than welcome). Anyway, we went to the Duomo Museum and climbed the facciatone (big facade) (131 stairs). The facciatone is the remnant of a very ambitious plan to expand the Duomo (cathedral) in 1339 which would have made it larger that St. Peter’s in Rome. Unfortunately, the plague swept through shortly thereafter leaving them with no workforce and no money to finish the project. The view from the top of the facade is rather spectacular and well worth the climb (photo to the right, top).The same ticket that permits entrace to the Duomo museum (if you do the city-attractions ticket), also allows entrance to the Bapistry, Crypt, and Cathedral. Doug jokingly called the cathedral (Duomo) the zebra church (photo to the right, ) – the entire inside is made of black and white marble arranged in stripes. It’s really quite a sight to behold. The floor is marble as well, and while mostly covered up, a few open spots show the incredible detail of the marble murals. I’ll let you go poke at the flickr set (linked below) for those photos, otherwise I’ll be posting every photo from Siena here in the blog. I just love it that much.We did lunch at a little place called La Vecchia Taverna di Bacco. INCREDIBLE. I think I had this gorgonzola cream sauce gnocchi which was just to die for. Siena in general is pretty expensive, so you just can’t look at the bills and be shocked, but I didn’t think this place (on a side street) was too bad for lunch with wine.Post lunch, we decided to burn off some of those calories. The big tower in the center of the photo at the right/top is the Torre del Mangia – 400 stairs to the very top. That brings our stair counter to 531 for Siena. The view of the piazza below, and the countryside is always incredible (photo to the right, bottom), and well worth whatever they’re charging for it (and the time spent in line as well).

We finished off the tower at the bottom with Frittelle di Riso (fried rice balls, photo to the right). In honor of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph), a little shack is set up in the Piazza del Campo and sells fried rice balls covered in powdered sugar. It was something I remembered from my study-abroad days, and LOVED back then. Doug really liked them too, so we enjoyed one last paper cone full before going back to the hotel to grab our bags.Back at the hotel, we collect our bags and head out to the bus station. At the end of the little vicolo, there’s a small square with a fountain. A table was set up, and one of the youths at the table calls out to us (something I didn’t catch at first), so we curiously walk down to see what’s going on. He pegs us for Americans and hands us more Frittelle and cups of prosecco, “For San Giuseppe! From the Contrada del Bruco!” (Bruco = Caterpillar) Siena has these contrada, or neighborhoods, that each have some pretty fierce pride. There’s an annual horse race in the piazza, and each contrada raises money, cares for a horse, chooses a rider, flag bearers, etc. It’s a pretty elaborate thing, and I suppose it would be like Eagles fans vs Cowboy fans, but with 17 neighborhoods each in competition with the others. They have little festivals and special feast days and whatnot throughout the year, and it’s sort of like an extended family in a way for people who live in the contrada’s boundaries. Anyway, short cultural history lesson aside, it was pretty neat to be flagged down like that, and we thanked them and wandered off to the bus station. We grabbed our tickets to Florence, deciding not to get on the VERY PACKED first bus and grabbed the second one instead. It’s just an hour’s bus ride to Florence, and is MUCH easier by bus than train.

Official Stair Counter: 1082

Slideshow of photos from Siena

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Oktoberfest 2012 – part 2

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Eurotrip 2011 – Amsterdam

Eurotrip 2011 – Brussels

Eurotrip 2011 – Munich

Eurotrip 2011 – Venice

Eurotrip 2011 – Florence

Eurotrip 2011 – Siena

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