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Oktoberfest 2012 – part 2

Posted on 23 January 2013
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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.		 Siena Panorama

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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.		 DSC_0364_color

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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!		 DSC_0407-0413_panorama
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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.		 DSC_0432_color

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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!		 Brussels-Panorama

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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

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.		 DSC_9648_color

 

 

 
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.		 DSC_9773_color

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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.		  DSC_0104_color

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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.		 DSC_0231_color
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.		 DSC_0241_color
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New Hampshire Vacation

Posted on 18 March 2012
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The last week of February was a full week in Bartlett, New Hampshire, at the Attitash resort.  Neither of us enjoy skiing at Attitash, but our timeshare transfers there and puts us close to Bretton Woods, Great Glen Trails, Mt Washington, and the cute little town of North Conway.  On the way up on Saturday, we stopped off at a little Meadery, the Saphouse Meadery.  Chatted with the brewer for a while, sampled all the meads, and bought a few too – they were REALLY amazing, and reasonably priced.  My favorite by far was the Hopped Blueberry mead – there was something about the subtle bitterness of the hops that combined with the sweet of the honey and blueberry that REALLY worked for me.  We left, our heads swimming with all kinds of new ideas for brewing more of our own mead.

Sunday we spent some time in North Conway and relaxed at the resort.  That’s what vacation is for, right?  We also geared up for our trip to the summit of Mt Washington, gathering some extra base layers and clothing that aren’t really available in our warmer suburban Philadelphia area.

Monday we got up early and headed to the meet up point at the base of the Mt Washington auto road.  Our guide collected all of us who had signed up for this special trip up the mountain.  The observatory and auto road are closed during the winter, and the only ways up are on foot (if you’ve got the experience and gear to do so) or by these special winter day trips with the Mt Washington Observatory.  There were 13 total people in the Snow Cat that took us to the summit – a driver, a driver’s apprentice, our guide, and 11 guests.  Think of the Snow Cat as what could be the baby of a snow plow and a tank – it had treads somewhat like a tank and a hugenormous plow on the front, with a cab in the back for the guests.  Not a bad piece of equipment!  The Snow Cat reaches a max speed of 8 miles per hour, so the trip up took 2 hours, and another 2 hours back down.  We did make a few stops along the way to swap out people sitting in the front cab with the driver/operator and to take a look around, watching the scenery change from sunny and mild to windy and grey.

Starting the journey at the very bottom. The skies are cloudy, but the sun is still peeking through. DSC_5362
About two-thirds (4,000 ft) of the way up. The vegetation is all short and scrubby from the high winds and cold. DSC_5376
The Snow Cat overlooking the summit. Weather was changing the whole way up, and by the time we arrived, we were in the clouds. DSC_5383

At the summit, we deposited our gear in the area that’s open to the public in the summer as a cafeteria. The observatory uses volunteers that swap out once a week to help with the day-to-day chores around the observatory – cleaning, cooking meals, etc. The volunteer had prepared a wonderful lunch for us, and we had some time to sit and chat with her for a while. After that, we geared back up and went for a walk around the summit. Winds were gusting around 80mph and the temperature was reading at -9 with the wind chill factor. Really, not terrible weather when you think about how bad it can get up there. I don’t think I’ve ever been subject to an 80mph wind gust before then, so that was quite the experience!  We even went an additional height above the summit into the observation tower.  Husband took a short video of a small group of us at the top of the tower.  Even shielded somewhat by a part of the tower, you can still see our jackets rippling in the wind.  Rime ice covers pretty much everything up there and forms due to a combination of high wind and cold temperatures that cause any moisture in the air to freeze to any surface.  Periodically, the observers have to come out and hack away at the ice to remove it from their weather monitoring equipment using ‘specialized’ tools (ie. crowbars, metal rods, poles, anything heavy and blunt).  We came back in from the tower, took our gear back off, and had some time to chat with the observers (three, plus one intern) who also rotate out on a weekly basis.

Doug (left) and me (right) at the Mt Washington summit, next to the famous sign, covered in Rime ice DSC_5392
Summit of Mt Washington, showing the summit marker sign and observatory tower DSC_5395

Our Snow Cat operator gave the signal – weather at the summit was deteriorating (or getting more interesting?), and it was time to go if we wanted to reach the bottom before dusk. We geared back up and climbed in the Snow Cat for our trip down. We made a few stops in order to swap out the person in the front cab, and made it to the bottom before dusk. It was really an incredible trip and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire day. You wouldn’t think that a short walk outside in that weather would affect a person as much as it did, but a lot of the other guests took short naps on the way down. The combination of the pressure difference and physical exertion just to keep standing in the wind was enough to tire anyone out.

For the rest of the vacation, husband took a day skiing while I did some knitting in the lodge, and we took two nice snowshoeing adventures. On our way back home, we made two stops in Lee, New Hampshire. First stop was at the Flag Hill winery.  We sampled some wines and ended up buying a few bottles.  The other stop was at a little farm, Riverslea Farm, just down the road that has wool and yarn and even sheep and goat meat.  Needless to say, I consider the combination of these two things, wine and wool, to be the absolute best place on earth.  We had a good long chat with the owner of the farm and came home with wool and some goat meat.

There are a few more photos on flickr here, in case you’re interested!

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Eurotrip 2011 – Amsterdam

Posted on 23 October 2011
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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). DSC_7451

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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. DSC_7486

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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. DSC_7518

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Slideshow of photos from Amsterdam

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Eurotrip 2011 – Brussels

Posted on 22 August 2011
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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?		 DSC_7361DSC_7354DSC_7358

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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. DSC_7380
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.		 DSC_7405DSC_7410
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! DSC_7425DSC_7417DSC_7433

Slideshow of photos from Brussels

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Eurotrip 2011 – Munich

Posted on 16 August 2011
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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).		 DSC_7256
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! DSC_7285
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. DSC_7321
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! IMG_4904

Slideshow of photos from Munich

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Eurotrip 2011 – Florence

Posted on 2 July 2011
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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) DSC_7224
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. DSC_7206
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! DSC_7228

Official Stair Counter: 1496

Slideshow of photos from Florence

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Eurotrip 2011 – Siena

Posted on 29 June 2011
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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. DSC_7114
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. DSC_7105
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. DSC_7123
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). DSC_7147
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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. DSC_7197

Official Stair Counter: 1082

Slideshow of photos from Siena

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EuroTrip 2011 – Rome

Posted on 8 April 2011
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Rome > Siena > Florence > Venice > Munich > Brussels > Amsterdam

The husband and I packed our enormous backpacks and headed off, thanks to a batch of frequent flyer miles, on a two week vacation to the cities listed above.  I’ll put up a post per city over the next couple of weeks – in part for myself, to remember the places we went, as well as for others to enjoy.  The trip was March 15-29, 2011 and here it is, April 8th, and I’m still having a hard time getting back into the groove of things at home.  I was told that means we had a terrific time, and I’m inclined to agree    :)

Roma!  We landed in Rome early on March 16th after leaving the USA on the 15th.  We were able to take the train from the Fiumicino  airport to the main train station in Rome (Termini), find our nearby hotel (Hotel Papa Germano), and be all checked in and settled with the room by 10am.  It was drizzly but about 60 degrees F, so not incredibly terrible.  We grabbed our things and took the metro out to the Vatican City.  After going through metal detectors and security (something new since my last visit in 2002), we were permitted to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica.  First we saw the inside of the Basilica, marveled at the size of the place, the art (The Pieta!), and just took some good time taking it all in.Photo to the right is of the inside of St. Peter’s Basilica, looking up at one of the many, many domes inside. DSC_7015
We then decided to go and climb the cupola, “a piedi,” and save one Euro per person.  If you took the elevator, it cuts out 231 stairs from the total of 551 stairs.  We arrive at the top of the 231 stairs where the elevator lets out, and it’s the gallery inside the basilica.  Nice view of the whole basilica from a safe, fenced in walkway that goes around the entire cupola (see photo to the right).  Great, we think, that wasn’t too bad, we’re there, and that’s it, and we go back down, right?  No.  There are another 320 stairs that wind in the narrow space between the inner and outer skins of the cupola, taking you ALL the way to the top of the highest point in the Vatican.  At one point, near the top, the walls curve in on a diagonal so that you are basically walking up those stairs leaning sideways.  Doug demonstrates the beginning of the walls moving in on his 6’4″ frame in a photo here. DSC_7025
We make it to the top, and the view is spectacular.  Spectacularly pouring rain too.  Good thing we brought the rain jackets instead of heavy winter coats.  Anyway, I shuffle out, get a photo of the view (photo to the right), and then wait in line to head back down all 551 of those stairs again.  At the bottom, we went back inside to the Crypt which holds the tombs of 91 popes including the most recent burial, Pope John Paul II.  I had the pleasure of sitting through Easter Mass in 1998 with him, in the Vatican on a high school trip to Italy.  I’m not the world’s most religious person, but the dude was pretty well liked and a master of I don’t even know how many languages, so even if the religious importance of the mass flew over my head, the cultural importance of JP and the pope’s position certainly did not.  When we got to the point where his tomb was, a large group of mourners (he died in 2005 by the way), clutching tissues and sobbing, had been given a sizeable area to stand and mourn as long as they wished.  Doug was a little shocked, and I was too, given the amount of time that had passed.  Found out after we got home, that he’s set to be beatified on May 1, 2011, so that might have been part of it too. DSC_7036
After spending most of the day at the Vatican, we walked a short distance to the Castel Sant’Angelo.  We were pretty beat by that point, and the Castle offered us some more stairs that we begrudgingly took to the top of the castle (photo to the right is from the top).  A stage and sound equipment was being set up outside but we couldn’t figure out what it was for.. something was going on, in all that rain?After that, we took the metro back to the hotel and took a short nap before dinner.  Dinner in Italy doesn’t start until 7 or 8pm and forget about even finding a restaurant open before 7.  It’s a later event than it is in the USA, and is always at least an hour or two long.  You relax, enjoy yourself, chat, and have a full, FULL, 3-course-minimum meal.  We took advice from the hotel reception staff and went across the street, still a little travel weary, to La Famiglia.  They had a tourist menu for 16€ plus 4€ tip.  The wait staff spoke English – I speak Italian, or at least used to be pretty good after studying it in college plus the semester abroad for four years – and the food was delicious, ESPECIALLY the orange custard Tira Misu. DSC_7048
March 17.  We wake up and finally figure out that the stage setup from last night was for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification.  We were up early, and a little worried that everything would be shut down for the day because of the big holiday.  Instead, we find out that everything is free because of the big holiday – we didn’t pay a single admission fee anywhere all day long!  Not bad.  So we wished Italy a Happy Birthday and set out to the Baths of Diocletian which wasn’t quite open yet.  So, we go on a walk around the block and stumble into Santa Maria degli Angeli e Martiri (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs).  Camera crews are set up inside and outside the church for something (probably as part of the celebration of the unification), but the cathedral is still open, so we go in to waste some time before the baths open.  Turns out, the cathedral was built using the existing walls of the ancient Roman bath.  There’s also a really neat sundial built into the floor, also referred to as the Meridian line.  A small hole in the wall allows a spot of sunlight that shines at solar noon to mark the date.  It was pretty neat to see something like this inside a cathedral, and we took some time looking it over (photo to the right). DSC_7050
The Baths of Diocletian finally open, and we go inside (for free!).  The courtyard outside is lined with row after row of grave stones gathered from various sites around Rome.  The museum inside contained so many incredible artifacts including a large collection of items from burials in the surrounding area.  It was totally visual overload, and I REALLY enjoyed spending time inside (and out of the rain).  We then hop the metro out to the Coliseum – a must-see landmark in Rome.  Noticing a long line at the Coliseum, we walk down the street and stop in for some pizza.  The rain had stopped for a short while, but started up again just as we were finishing lunch.  The wait staff moved us under the umbrellas on the outdoor dining area, and let us hang out with our wine until the downpour stopped.  At the coliseum (photo to the right), entrance is free again, and we dodge in and out of passing downpours, wandering around the complex. DSC_7081
It looked like the rain finally gave up for the day, so we decided to hit up the Roman Forum and Palatine hill.  I still get chills walking on the ancient Roman roads (Via Est Via Romana!), thinking that I’m walking on the same stones where Julius Caesar, Cicero, and other notable Romans once walked.  Those four years of high school Latin really bring ancient Rome to life in a way that can’t possibly be described in words.  We spent the remainder of the day exploring the forum including the Stadium of Domitian (photo to the right).  Headed back to the hotel, and again upon recommendation by hotel staff, went off to a nearby restaurant, Da Vincenzo.  Another fantastic meal, served by an English-speaking waiter with quite the sense of humor (he had us laughing all night).  Another classic Italian dinner, complete with wine and dessert.  We went back to the hotel and got ready for our morning departure to Siena. DSC_7097

Official Stair Counter: 551

Slideshow of photos from Rome

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Scotland!

Posted on 22 June 2009
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From June 13th to the 20th, I was in Scotland with the husband.  Husband had a class in Aberdeen for work, so I had a great excuse to go and play tourist.  The flights getting there were a little weird – I left from Philadelphia on Saturday and ended up at the hotel in Aberdeen on Sunday with the husband coming from Angola (Africa) straight from work, arriving a few hours after me.

Once settled, we went into town for dinner and wound up at Old Blackfriars for food and their incredible selection of cask ales.  Went back to the hotel and had a hard time falling asleep since the sun set and rise times are drastically different from those near Philadelphia.  The sun set at about 11pm and rose around 4am – we get about 9pm for the set and 5:30 for the rise.  The hotel’s black-out curtains did the trick though and we finally got some shut-eye.

Monday I took my time to explore the city.  Picked up a walking tour map from the tourism office and walked all over town, stopping off at the Duthie Park winter gardens.  By that point, I had made a HUGE circle around the city and was pretty hungry.  Thankfully, the husband called up and came into town for dinner.  We ended up at the Illicit Still for some neat atmosphere and great food.

Tuesday was spent on a castle tour in the local area.  Picked up the van outside the tourist office and went immediately to Crathes Castle and gardens.  Sadly, no photos were allowed inside the castle, but it was really neat to wander around and check out the rooms.  Outside was a beautiful garden that was in perfect bloom – talk about the right time to visit!  Then we went on to Stonehaven to wander around and check out the little fishing village.  I was able to take a walk out to the beach and dip my toes in the north sea.  It felt like ice water, but the view of the surrounding area from there was really gorgeous and it was nice to be alone on the windy beach and just take it all in.  Then we were on to Dunnottar Castle – a big ruin on a cliff with the waves crashing around you.  Very dramatic.  Also dramatic was the ridiculous staircase that led you down to the bottom of the cliff and then back up into the castle (lather, rinse, repeat to get back to the van).  100% worth it though and I got some incredible photos.  Got back into Aberdeen and met up with the husband at the hotel for dinner along with two of his classmates for a relaxed evening.

Wednesday was the rainy day, so I took a quick trip out to Wool for Ewe to check out the local yarn store.  From there I went to the Maritime Museum and the Art Museum to try and stay out of the cold and wet weather.  Also did a little bit of tourist shopping and finally went back to the hotel again for dinner with the husband and his classmates.

Thursday I took the train out to Inverness and went on a tour with Jacobite Cruises after doing some shopping around the Victorian Market.  I picked up the bus in the center of town and took it down to the boat dock while a guide gave us a history of Loch Ness and some of the mystery behind the monster said to inhabit the huge freshwater lake.  Sadly, we didn’t see Nessie during our half hour cruise, but we ended up at Urquhart Castle so I guess that was okay.  The castle was another huge ruin and I had just enough time to run around with the camera and get some great photos.  After a short video on the history of the castle, I was back on the bus and taken into Inverness again just in time to catch my train to Aberdeen.  Got back to Aberdeen around 7pm and found the husband at the Irish pub, Malones (yep, Irish pub, in Scotland).  We went over to Slains Castle Pub which was inside an old cathedral.  Really neat ambiance – the sort of place you’d expect Dracula to show up for dinner.  Then I went over to the Belmont Cinema Cafe to meet up with the Aberdeen Stitch ‘n’ Bitch group.  Got in about a half hour of knitting (I showed up late) and then went back to Slains to meet up with the husband and go back to the hotel.

Friday, the husband was done with class for the week and we had scheduled a whisky tour, but it ended up being cancelled due to lack of interest (meaning, we were the only people who wanted to go on a whisky tasting tour on Friday, geez people).  We got on the train and ended up in Keith at the Strathisla distillery, the oldest constantly running legal distillery in Scotland.  Most of their whisky goes into the Chivas Regal blends, but we got to sample some of the distillery’s whisky that they sold outside of the Chivas brand.  A lot of the beer brewing knowledge we have helped us appreciate the tour more and understand the whole thing better.  We brought home a bottle of cask strength whisky that was aged in a sherry barrel.  Did a quick lunch in town and then went back to the hotel where the husband went straight to bed while I went down and grabbed dinner at the hotel’s bar.

Saturday was up early and on the plane back to home.

A few other things of note about the trip:

Seagulls.  Aberdeen has lots of them, and they’re the BIGGEST seagulls I have ever seen in my life.  I’m fairly sure they could eat most small dogs for dinner and not blink twice.  They’ve been known to go on shoplifting sprees and attack people for whatever food they’re holding.  There’s even a facebook group dedicated to their demise.

Temperatures were about 60F for the high and only about 50F for the low.  The north sea pumps out some cold air that keeps the temperatures steadily cool.  There was only one day that it rained all day, Wednesday, but most days would give you a few brief periods of rain mixed with sun.  They say that if you don’t like the weather in Scotland, just wait 15 minutes – it’ll change.

To make things easier, the husband and I picked up a pre-paid SIM card for our phones at T-Mobile in Aberdeen for 5GBP.  I got a week’s free internet access which helped me out A LOT with the G1 phone I’ve got – I was able to pull up google maps wherever we were and know exactly where I was and where to go.  When the husband finished his classes, he’d call, we’d meet up, and it made life SO much easier.  Definitely worth the money.

The exchange rate sucked.  1.62 GBP to the US dollar.  And most of the prices, say a pair of jeans was 24.99 GBP.. about what you’d expect to pay for the same jeans in USD, just take out the pound sign and put in the dollar sign.  But NO!  No.  The exhange rate made them 1.62 times more expensive.

Just a few photos here, the rest are in this set on flickr.

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