My Goodness, My Guinness

The Guinness Storehouses
Dublin, Ireland

Our first stop in Dublin was the Guinness Storehouse. The center is located in a 7-storey building though which you guide yourself. Each entry ticket comes with a pint voucher. There are several places to redeem the voucher, but the best place is probably the Gravity Bar on the 7th floor; it provides unimpeded vistas of Dublin. The visitor center might be the tallest building in Dublin.

Gravity Bar Views
Dublin, Ireland

This visit was fun and informative, but I thought it was a bit expensive. I also would have liked to see the brewery process in action. The exhibits featured museum-worthy pieces of machinery and videos of the historic brewing process. Still, we had a good time and it’s a fun place to spend an afternoon.
There are 3 cafes at the storehouse, and their menus all feature dishes that are made with Guinness—a tasty theme. Even more interesting . . . there are recipes for some of these delicious dishes on their website.

Useful Links!

Pictures from Our Trip!

Guinness Storehouse

Guinness RecipesWebcam Views from Gravity Bar

The Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher
County Clare, Ireland

We stopped for lunch at the Roadside Tavern brewpub before we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. There aren’t many microbreweries in Ireland—Guinness has a pretty dominant market share—but we sought them out. When we walked in, we were immediately brought into conversation with a couple of regulars. Ireland has the friendliest people of any country we’ve visited; the Irish are always happy to shoot the breeze over a pint. On our way out of the bar we noticed a Great Lakes Brewing sticker; I was not the first Ohioan to visit this pub.

Don't climb over the wall and fall off the cliffs to your death
Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

Sated, we drove to the Cliffs of Moher. It was like being on the edge of the world; the cliffs rise above the sea some 700 feet, with thousands of miles of ocean on the horizon. The visuals are so dramatic they’ve been featured in several films, including The Princess Bride (the Cliffs of Insanity) and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Voldemort’s Horcrux Cave).

There are tour options that include boat trips around the cliffs and to the nearby Aran Islands. However, there was an epic storm blowing in with hurricane strength winds, so we decided to stay safely on land, and out of the rough seas.

Useful Links!

Pictures from Our Trip!

Roadside Tavern Brewpub

Cliffs of Moher

Movies featuring the Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher Cruises

Great Lakes Brewing

The Best Beer in the World

In August, Joe needed to go to Belgium for work, and before we left, we decided to check out some local breweries. A quick Google search revealed there was a brewery, Westvleteren, about an hour away selling the best beer in the world*; obviously we had to go.

The Saint Sixtus Monastery, home of Westvleteren Brewery
Vleteren, Belgium

Further research only piqued my interest more; the brewery is part of a functioning monastery. The monks brew the beer in small quantities, selling what they don’t consume to the flocked masses. Westvleteren is one of 6 trappist brewers in Belgium, and it hasn’t given in to the lure of capitalism.  Trappist denotes an order of monks that pride themselves on self-sufficiency. The monks brew beer for themselves and the community—excess is sold. They have not increased production since 1946; the monks "brew to be able to afford being monks". Chimay is sold in US supermarkets; Westmalle and St. Bernardus are available at US specialty stores; Westvleteren is only available at the monastery.

To taste the “best beer in the world”, you must make the trek to Vleteren, Belgium. Here, in the café/visitors center, you can order Westvleteren 12 by the glass. If you are interested in buying the beer by the bottle, there is a slightly more procedure to follow.

The road leading to Saint Sixtus Abbey
Vleteren, Belgium

The monks know their product is good, and they know people all over the world are clamoring for it. To deter people from buying it in mass quantities and reselling it, they’ve implemented a system that limits how much beer can be purchased at once, and how often it may be purchased. Beer may only be reserved once every 60 days, and you may only reserve 2 racks of 24 beers each. To reserve your rack, you must call the beer line at least 1 week in advance; don’t worry, they speak English. You’ll provide your license plate and choose a pick-up time, assuming of course they haven’t already sold out for that week. Keep in mind they are a religious organization, therefore they will be closed on Sundays and religious holidays, as well as any federal holidays in Belgium.  

If the reserved racks have all been claimed, or if you discovered the brewery a mere 48 hours before your intended visit like I did, there are other options available. Each day in the café, 6 packs are available for purchase. Of course, this is a long shot, and it requires driving out to the middle-of-nowhere Belgium without any assurances of availability. We went anyway.

In De Verde-the cafe/visitor's center of Westvleteren Brewery
Vleteren, Beligum

We arrived in the afternoon and joined the beer queue. This line was the closest we’ve come to experiencing a “Black Friday” phenomenon in Europe; it was still polite and orderly, despite the rare quantities for sale. It was a very tense line; all of us wondering if we would be among those lucky enough to obtain the elusive brew. Alas! It was not to be; they were sold out. But wait! A ray of hope! Westvleteren makes three beers: Blonde, 8, and 12. Blonde and 8 were still available; we purchased a 6 pack of each.

After buying our sixers and moving away from the throng still waiting their turn, we wandered outside. There are tables inside the café, but on such a beautiful day, the place to be was in the beer garden. We sat at one of the many picnic tables adorned with umbrellas and ordered a glass of 12 and of Blonde. We enjoyed our beers and gazed out at the farmland around us. This place really is in the middle of nowhere—only 1 lane roads provide access. As expected from a monastery, it’s very tranquil.

From left to right; the blonde, the 8 and the 12.
Vleteren, Belgium

Even if there are no racks or sixers to be had, you can still enjoy the 12 and its brothers by the glassful. Here’s some food (or drink) for thought as well; just because Blonde and 8 aren’t the best beer in the world, it doesn’t mean they aren’t good. They’re very, very tasty. The monks at Westvleteren are skilled brewmasters, and it’s worth the trip out there, even if all you take away is the memory of sitting in the sunshine sipping delicious beer.

*As chosen by beer advocate

Useful Links!

The Brewery at Saint Sixtus Monastery 

Current Beer Reservation Calendar

Wall Street Journal Article about the monks trying to remain cloistered

Why the monks brew in such small quantities

In De Verde, the cafe/visitor center adjacent to the monastery

Nessie!!!!

Just one of the many vistas through the Cairngorms.
Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

Day 4 in the UK took us up to Inverness and Loch Ness. This was the farthest north we travelled, but I would have loved to go even farther to see some of the northern islands like Skye and Shetland. I think Scotland is the most beautiful country we have visited; our drive went through the Cairngorms National Park, and I made Joe stop the car several times so I could take pictures. It really is a wild landscape with few cities marring the view. The weather reminded me a little of Florida, in that it rained every day, but it was also sunny every day. It wasn’t hot and humid though.

A fresh water plesiosaur obviously lives here.
Loch Ness, Scotland

We arrived on the shores of Loch Ness around lunch time, so we popped into the Clansman Hotel for a quick lunch before our 1 o’clock boat tour with Jacobite Cruises. The food was excellent and we managed to order, to eat, to pay, and to make it down to the docks in under an hour—a rarity in Europe. While we ate though, a storm was gathering.

Our tour was to take us across the Loch to a spit of land where the remains of Urquhart Castle stand. Here we would disembark and explore the Castle and gift shop for an hour before the boat returned for us and sailed back down the Loch.

Top left: could that anomaly be Nessie? 

On our outward voyage, the clouds followed through on their threats and unleashed a storm; the weather was perfect. With rain and wind the surface of the Loch became choppy and shrouded in a thin layer of mist; the exact weather I imagined would plague the Loch on a regular basis. Under these conditions, I easily believed in the monster. Loch Ness is the 2nd deepest lake in Scotland at 755ft and is fed by the River Ness. The river and loch have been stained black by the peat they flow over. The black water limits visibility to about 12 inches, but our vessel came equipped with sonar for detecting any underwater anomalies (Nessie!). In fact, on the way back from Urquhart Castle we observed a curious shape in the sonar screen—perhaps the legends are true.

Remains of Urquhart Castle
Loch Ness, Scotland

As I said before, Urquhart Castle stands in ruins, and in this case, a ruin means almost no roof. Since it was still pouring, we didn’t spend long wandering the castle’s grounds. My parents gave up and went inside, but Joe and I defiantly, albeit quickly, explored all the sections of the castle before joining them in the gift shop. We were soaked, but we got our money’s worth. In the gift shop we sipped hot beverages while waiting for the boat to return. I wish I could say we were warm and dry by the time the boat docked, but damp and chilled is a more accurate description.

A dog in the Loch Ness Brewery
Loch Ness, Scotland

During the ride back down the Loch, the storm cleared up, so by the time we reached our next destination, The Loch Ness Brewery, we were reasonably dry. Breweries are always fun places to visit, especially the smaller ones, as I think microbreweries have more flavor. The Loch Ness Brewery is on the shores of the Loch, and it incorporates this locale into the names of the beers. All the beers end in Ness; HoppyNess, WilderNess, RedNess. The brewpub was small and dog friendly; we met a small, friendly dog inside. The beer was tasty and we were able to mingle with locals—but we still felt like tourists.

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
Cairngorms National Park
The Clansman Hotel on the Shores of Loch Ness
Jacobite Cruises Homepage
A History of Nessie from PBS - Back to Roman Times!
Urquhart Castle from Historic Scotland
Loch Ness Brewery

Magical Mysteries

The Albert Docks
Liverpool, England

We left Birmingham early and drove to Liverpool to kick off our second day of travel. There were many things to do in this city but we were there to take The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour and to see the docks where my grandfather landed during WWII. The docks have changed a lot in 70 years, but it was still fun knowing we were walking in his footsteps.

I want it.
Penny Lane, Liverpool, England

The Magical Mystery Tour was crazy but it was a lot of fun. We boarded a very loud colored bus and drove around the city checking out sites that were tied to the Beatles; we couldn’t look more like tourists, not even if we wore visors and fanny packs. We saw their childhood homes, Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, and the Cavern Club; our tour guide was even in one of the documentary films about them. When we visited Penny Lane Neil told us the sign was stolen so much when the song was new, the city decided to paint the street name on the wall instead; then people stole chunks of the bricks. Recently, the city decided enough time had passed, and they could put a sign back up; the signs now last an average of 3 days. I definitely wanted to return after dark with a wrench.

The Cavern Club is an underground music club that opened in the 1950s and the Beatles began frequenting in the 1960s. Over the years the club hosted many famous bands, and these are commemorated outside on the wall of fame; it truly is a piece of music history. Across the street is the Cavern Pub, a similarly decorated, underground pub serving normal bar food. When our tour ended we walked to the Cavern Pub for some lunch. The walls were covered with memorabilia from and photographs of dozens of artists. After lunch we briefly returned to street level before descending again into the Cavern Club.

The Cavern Club
Liverpool, England

Interior of the Cavern Club, with a Beatles Cover Band Playing
Liverpool, England

Other artists play at the club, but more often than not, there is a Beatles cover band playing, even at 3pm on a Thursday. My Dad was super excited to be there and was singing along with the band, oblivious to everything else. The group was two guys with guitars, and we kept trying to convince my Dad to drum for them. He refused, even after we bought him official Cavern Club commemorative drumsticks. We stayed down there, taking it all in, until they finished their set.

Approaching Malham Cove on the Pennine Trail
Malham Village, England

Emerging from the club we were greeted with sunshine. The storm from earlier had cleared and the weather was perfect for our next adventure: hiking to Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Malham Cove is about 2 hours northeast of Liverpool and was the site of Harry Potter filming. The cover is a portion of land where a small creek has, over time, created a sheer cliff face; it’s like approaching a natural rock climbing wall. Peregrine falcons use the cliff face for their nests, and the whole cove is a haven for the birds.  The footpath through the area is called the Pennine Way; it’s part of a 267 miles trail through northern England. The trail ran through pasture land and was dotted with cattle and sheep; several times we changed fields and made sure to close the fence behind us lest the animals escape.

The sheer cliff face of Malham Cove; the colored spots are climbers
Malham Village, England

The real draw was at the top of the cove; water and wind have uniquely shaped the rocks into an eerie landscape. During The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1, Harry and Hermione camp on these rocks. It was a lonely spot in the movie, a perfect place to hide from Voldemort, but in real life there were lots of people climbing the face of the cove. Maybe the climbers come because of the movie and it was more desolate before, or maybe it’s always been popular.

I did not expect either of my parents to climb to the top; it’s a steep climb and it goes pretty high (260 feet), but they both did it. They didn’t stay up top very long, leaving us to explore a little more while they hiked back down. The entire hike we were serenaded by myriad wildlife including cows, sheep, and pheasant; Joe and I even found a flock of sheep on top of the cove. It was very pastoral and relaxing—I was reluctant to leave.

We regrouped at the bottom of the cove and decided to eat dinner in Malham Village; the Buck Inn was an easy decision as it was the only place open. The proprietors were very friendly and the food was delicious. While we were discussing the virtues of the onion rings the owner joked he could live on the onion rings, and I had to agree, though it would shorten both our life expectancies a bit. Before we came to Europe, everyone told us “Oh in [x] country they serve room temperature beer”. When in [x] country we would ask the locals and they would say, “oh no, not here, they serve it that way over in [y]”. We heard this about every beer drinking country, but until that night at the Buck Inn, all the beer was cold. At the Buck Inn we were drinking “Real Ale” or cask conditioned ale, which is unpasteurized, hand pumped beer served slightly below room temperature. So this would be considered warm compared to a cold, pasteurized, keg conditioned beer. The beer was more flavorful and less fizzy than keg beer, and I can appreciate the call for more “real” ales and ciders across Britain.

The steep Pennine Trail; perfect for sheep.
Malham Village, England

In addition to being a delicious pub, the Buck Inn is also an inn. My mom wanted to spend the night, but as tempting as it was, we’d already paid for accommodations in Newcastle, so we got back in the car after dinner. My dad was driving this leg, and to be honest, it was a little nerve-wracking—sorry Dad! We were following our Garmin, not the car’s built in GPS, and it was programmed to route us the fastest way. To calculate the route it uses posted speed limits, however if there is no posted speed limit it uses a default speed based on the road type. In the UK, the national speed limit on a single carriageway for cars in 60pmh unless otherwise posted. Using these default speeds the Garmin calculated that the quickest route to Newcastle was through the Yorkshire Dales Park. Unfortunately, we were not driving the default speed. The road was barely wider than our car and as it was through the national park, there were no street lights. To make our drive even more harrowing, there were also steep grade changes, 90⁰ hairpin turns, and no almost towns. Oh, also, we were running low on gas and the few tiny towns we drove through were all closed up for the night; yes the entire town was shuttered and dark. I could see the speedometer, so I know my Dad was only driving about 25 mph, but it felt like 70 in the dark and I spent most of the ride with every muscle in my body clenched in terror; I was very sore the next day.

Harry Potter fans will recognize this vista
Malham Village, England

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
Take the Magical Mystery Tour
Liverpool Tourism Website
More about the Pennine Trail
About the Peregrine Falcons at Malham Cove
Images from HP7 (in case you forget where they camped)
Malham Cove at the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Malham Village Visitors Website
Learn more about what "Real Ale" is
The Buck Inn
Helpful information about driving in the UK

München, again

Weisses Brauhaus
Munich, Germany

We pass through Munich a lot, usually taking the train. Whenever we arrive in the Munich Hauptbahnhof or main train station, we like to take a brief pit stop at the Pizza Panini stand in the station. There is something amazing about eating a slice of delicious pizza on the move after being cooped up in the train. We tried to mix it up this trip, and after lunch at our favorite beer hall, Weissesbrauhaus, we succeeded in visiting new venues.

The first was the Bier und Oktoberfest Museum. Most of the exhibits were in German, but there was enough English around that we weren’t totally lost. The admission was surprising low; I think it was €2.50 a person.

I think he'd make a cute beer maid.
Joseph Satava at the Bier und Oktoberfest Muesum
Munich, Germany

At Oktoberfest, the beer maids have to be able to carry 7 litres of beer per hand. At the museum they have mock liter mugs so you could compare your strength to that of the trained beer maids. Those mugs were heavy; I don’t have what it takes. Joe and Steve on the other hand could, with a little training, try out to be beer maids next year.

Our next stop on the tour was the Munich Residenz. There are 3 portions of the palace you can visit, and we only managed to visit one. This is another palace used by the Bavarian Kings because honestly, who only has one palace?

Munich Residenz
Munich, Germany

The Residenz was heavily bombed during WWII so a lot of the interiors are reconstructions, but there were a few original pieces. Like most royal palaces, the Residenz was decorated in all manners of opulence; I half expected a miniature giraffe to gallop by. There were a few standout rooms that broke up the monotony of audience rooms and bed chambers, but this tour is exhausting. There are over 100 rooms to tour, and I can’t imagine living here. What if I left my book at the opposite end of the palace? It would take me an hour just to get the thing. However, it would be awesome remarkably easy to get some private time and it would make a fabulous setting for an epic game of hide and seek.

Munich Residenz
Munich, Germany

Useful Links!

Photos from Our Trip!

Munich Residenz Museum

Bavarian Castle Pass

Bier und Oktoberfest Museum

Regensburg Volksfest

Regensburg Volksfest
Dultplatz, Regensburg, Germany

While driving home recently, we noticed a new silhouette on the skyline. It was round and brightly colored; the carnival was in town!

Spring and summer apparently join together into a “fest” season for Germany. It seems there is a bier or wein or volks (people’s) fest every weekend, and now it was Regensburg’s turn. I think the Volksfest here is a summer kickoff party, and then they end the summer with another one in August. Unfortunately it’s been cold and persistently rainy here so it feels more like fall than late spring.

Regensburg Volksfest
Dultplatz, Regensburg, Germany

The day we went was overcast, but we were excited to check out the rides and food booths. Joe and I had walked through it on a nice day earlier in the week, and we had returned on Friday with his parents and one of his coworkers.

Roy said you couldn’t pay him to get on a German carnival ride, and after we witnessed a group get stuck on an upside-down, spinning ride, I almost agreed with him. However, there were several tame looking rides and I was pretty sure we could handle the (copyright violation) Mario-themed house of mirrors unscathed. Unfortunately, while we were in the tent, the skies opened up and it began to pour. The downpour put an end to our riding rides plan.

Regensburg Volksfest
Dultplatz, Regensburg, Germany

Did you catch that reference? In the tent? Volksfest was like a mini-Oktoberfest. There were girls in dirndls and guys in lederhosen, and several bier tents. We didn’t hear an oompah band though, just a German rapper. I’m hoping the weather is better in August and we’ll be able to fully appreciate the Regensburg Volksfest.


Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
August Regensburg Volksfest

Drunk People are the Best!

I’m taking a slight break from our Roman adventures so I can tell you what happened to us just last night. We were out at a local brewery (there are at least 7 in town) with another couple having dinner. Just after our food arrived, 3 guys came up and squatted down to our eye level. One of them was wearing a black and white striped jump suit, a long, blonde wig, and had a log chained to his ankle. They just start getting into what they wanted when our waitress chased them away. She apologized and said she hoped they hadn’t bothered us too much. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t get to find out what they wanted, but we definitely weren’t bothered.

We weren’t disappointed for long though! When we finished our meals they came back for another visit and we got the whole story. The man dressed as a blonde prisoner was having his bachelor party, and the log chained to his leg had his fiancé’s name carved into it: Iris. He is getting married in 2 weeks. In Bavaria, there are certain tasks that the groom must complete, and our groom was in competition with his bride. Each was trying to collect the most underwear tags to win. In case you missed that, these two were wandering around, asking strangers to cut the tags out of their underwear, the bride asking guys, and the groom asking men. The female half of our group readily agreed to donate our underwear tags, but we weren’t going to let the very drunk bachelor use the very large, sharp knife to cut them out. Our husbands cut the tags, and we donated them to the cause. The waitress came by again, apologizing. We said we were happy to play along, but asked her if this underwear tag thievery a real tradition. She confirmed that it was a real tradition. Hooray for participating!

Belated Post about a Munich Trip

I’m sorry this hasn’t made it up here before now, I guess I’ve just had too many other things going on, and I got into a bad habit of neglecting this space. But here it is, a synopsis of our trip to Munich on November 3^rd. Yes, it has been that long.

Since we came out here, I’ve been trying to get Joe to go to some palaces or castles. It took until the 3^rd to make that happen. Bavaria has 65 state-run castles, palaces, and gardens, and you can purchase a pass to visit all of them. I love this offer. You can buy a ticket to see 1 palace, a 14-day pass to see as many as you want, or a 1 year pass to see as many as you want. It was € 65 for the year pass for a family, which I believe is 2 adults and 2 children. We can go visit ANY of the state run palaces, AND we can leave and come back at our leisure, something that the single visit passes don’t allow. This means we can leave the palace area to get lunch or drinks (without the palace markup) and come back after for more touring. Seriously, I am crazy excited about this card.

We bought our card at the Palace of Nymphenburg in Munich. This was originally the summer palace of Bavarian royalty, and when it was built, it was in the countryside surrounding Munich, though now it’s in a quiet corner of the city. The palace is preserved in the style of King Ludwig I and his wife, Queen Caroline, grandparents to “Mad” King Ludwig II.

That's the Palace there, waaaaay at the end

The palace is truly an oasis from the city. It sits on nearly 500 acres of park land, and is a huge U-shaped symmetrical building. I loved the approach to this palace, along a long, rectangular, man-made lake, leading to a large fountain lake, ending in the beautiful façade of the building.

The Steinerner Saal

Inside is truly breathtaking. I should have been a royal. Seriously. That is the good life. And, if I can find some chairs that look similar to the Queen’s, I will be reupholstering them in brocade so I can feel fancy. 

We think the REALLY happy guy in the middle is her dad.

While we wandered amongst some royal portraits, we heard this weird pounding. We rushed to the nearest window, and saw a bridal party dancing to the beat of a drum and tiny trumpet. I have no idea what culture the wedding was, but I’m guessing some kind of Middle Eastern because of the outfits the women were wearing. They looked so happy, and the Dad’s dance was so proud. It was truly a joy to witness, and made our visit exceptional.

 Ludwig II on a Nighttime Sleigh Ride by R. Wenig

Ludwig's Sleigh

The Queen's Chairs

Part of the palace was the carriage museum. This huge gallery was full of carriages from the previous royal era. The were all so very gilded and intricate. It brought to mind Jay Leno and his car collection, only these were carriages and sleighs. Furthermore, there were the horse decorations, bridles and other horse-wear (sorry I don't know all the horse terms). No saddles though. I'm amazed at how many vehicles and artifacts have survives, but apparently someone had the foresight to move them before the war. It's hard to pick a favorite, but it was really exciting seeing the carriage from the painting of Ludwig II on a Nighttime Sleigh Ride by R. Wenig, and the painting itself. This was especially exciting as these images, and the King's peculiarities were the inspiration for the DarKastle ride at Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, VA. 

Joe checking out the Lego vending machine.

After our visit ended, we walked back to a train station, and hopped one toward central Munich. In the train station we found a LEGO VENDING MACHINE!  How crazy awesome is that?! We didn't buy anything, but maybe next time. 

My goal for dinner was to find a brewery we hadn’t been in before, so we wandered around until we came upon Schneiderweiss. We went in, grabbed a seat, and ordered. We were soon joined by some Germans, and they proudly informed us that Schneiderweiss was a great choice, as it was tastier, and more authentic than the nearby Hofbrauhaus. Regular readers will know my feelings about HB, and those newbies can check it out here. 

Useful Links

Pictures from this Trip!

Nymphenburg Palace

Nymphenburg Wikipedia Page

Bavarian Palace Tickets

Schneiderweiss Brewery

DarKastle Ride

DarKastle Wikipedia Page

In the Tents!

The first tent we entered, Ochsenbraterie, was a little overwhelming. There were tables full of people everywhere, and we weren’t sure where to sit. We asked a waitress about reservations, and where we could sit, and she said that the crowded side of the hall was for those without reservations, and the nice empty side was for those with reservations. We circulated the tent a couple times, and couldn’t find any seats available. So we decided to try another tent. We did not go into the Augustiner tent because we have already been to the brewery in Munich, and settled on the Paulaner tent. We asked another waitress, and she explained that in this tent, because it was a holiday, all of the seats were available for everyone. We grabbed a seat, ordered 2 litres and some pommes, and waited to be joined by some other people.

Halfway through out first litres, a group of 4 French guys joined us, they spoke a little English, and even less German. But, like most of our social encounters, those who claim not to speak English very well tend to speak it better than even they think. They ordered their own litres and began to chat more. The 4 of them had driven down from France that day, and they were all pastry chefs. At this point, I ordered the largest soft pretzel I have ever seen in my life, probably a foot in diameter, and was trying to lament that the pretzels weren’t served hot. This involved a fair amount of miming, but I finally managed to convey that hot is a temperature, not a head accessory, hat. For the first time in my life, I fully appreciated the subtle differences in sound between “hot” and “hat”. We also taught them “Cheers!” and in turn they taught us, “Santé”. I also learned how to say 8, “huit” (sounds like wheat).

Chugging Contest!

The guys then began to play a card game, much like Kings. We watched for a little while, and then joined in the second round of the game, managing to hold our own. As the game came to a close, we were joined by some actual Bavarians! The 3 girls spoke English very well, and I didn’t speak with the guy, so I can’t comment on his English abilities. There was a song that the oompa band played once an hour, and during this song, 2 people would stand up and have a chugging contest with their beers. One time, two of the girls at our table stood on their benches to compete. I only remembered this after clicking through the pictures from that day, which brings me to an important point of advice, bring a camera to help you remember, because the litres will help you forget.

Tent #3

My next memory is of a tragic accident that befell me. During a prost, someone toasted me and my glass broke apart into several pieces! Beer went everywhere. Apparently this happens frequently, and is a good thing, because all the Bavarians immediately high-fived me after the event. Joe later told me that he had observed a chip in my glass, so it’s no small wonder that repeated prost-ing would weaken the structural integrity of the glass. When Joe finished his drink (mine having been whisked away by an irate barmaid), we decided to try our luck in another tent, and explore more of the fest grounds. We stayed in the next tent for a short period, and then decided to strike out on our own, especially when we realized it was already after 5pm! We realized that we needed to eat something more substantial, and stopped at a sausage stand. We also bought some souvenir steins and made our way back to the train for the ride home, stopping for pizza slices on the way. Overall, we had a fabulous, albeit short, time at Oktoberfest.

Click this link for more photos from Oktoberfest

OKTOBERFEST!

Need I say more?

Totally kidding! Of course I must say more! OKTOBERFEST!!! This place was CRAAAAAAAZY! If you are alive and have had beer, you are probably aware of the premise of Oktoberfest, but you probably don’t completely understand the magnitude of this celebration.

Oktoberfest is a two-ish week long celebration celebrating the 1810 marriage of Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese. Their wedding reception was so awesome they decided to celebrate again the next year, and we are 200 hundred years later still partying. Of course the focus has shifted slightly from royal nuptials to beer consumption, and there are a few more guests, approximately 6 million people visit every year. Those in the know call Oktoberfest der Wiesn after the “field” where the festival is held every year, Theresienweise.

At der Wiesn there are 14 different beer tents. I use the term tent loosely. A more accurate description of the big tents we entered is a giant barn typical of a state fair. These humongous spaces are filled with hundreds of tables with seating for thousands of people. The beer maids execute a carefully choreographed dance to bring beers and food to all the patrons. As far as I know, the beer only comes in litre mugs. I struggled lifting my mug when it was full, and have the bruise on my hand to prove it, but these Iron Maidens could carry 7 full mugs at a time. Talk about a workout plan. To get service, you must be sitting, and to be sure of a seat, you must make a reservation. Without a reservation, the seats are first come, first serve, and most people don’t vacate their seats once they have them. On the weekends, without a reservation, you are unlikely to get a seat after 10am and on weekdays after 3pm. Reservations must be made in person at the tent where you would like to sit, or by mail, fax or email. They must also be made for 10 (a full table). We did not have a reservation.

We opted to go in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds and increase the likelihood of finding a seat. Our day of choice was Wednesday the 3^rd because the weather forecast was in the 70s, and it was supposed to be sunny all day. Unfortunately, Wednesday was German reunification day, a national holiday. Working on the assumption that the holiday would mean weekend crowds, we left Regensburg early to arrive in Munich early. We biked to the train station and passed only 1 person on the way. She took one look at our outfits and asked if we were going to der Wiesn. After momentarily blanking, I remembered that ja meant yes, and responded accordingly. Most important, this exchange confirmed the slang term for Oktoberfest.

Arriving at the train station, we found it extra crowded, despite the lack of people in the rest of the city. Apparently, everyone was heading to Munich. We bought our tickets and elbowed our way toward the edge of the platform. Even though we managed to get on the train, we couldn’t find any seats, so we were forced to stand in the vestibule by the doors. Every stop added more people to our vestibule, and by the time we reached Munich, there wasn’t room to swing a cat. Furthermore, because so many people were trying to get on the train, it took much longer to travel, so we ended up standing in the same place for 2 hours. The worst part about the journey was the maddeningly cute couple standing behind me. They were to loudest, wettest kissers ever. It was like water torture. But as our vestibule became more crowded, the portly German gentlemen drinking at 10am managed to drown them out (mostly).

Hoping off the train in Munich, we quickly entered the subway system, jumped on another packed train, and rode to der Wiesn. And it was amazing! Sensory overload!


Here's a link to more Photos from Oktoberfest!

Getting on Tracht for Authenticity

Enjoying the Paulaner Tent at Oktoberfest

Part of the fun of Oktoberfest is wearing the traditional Bavarian dress, collectively referred to as Tracht. The men wear breeches called Lederhosen and the women wear dresses called Dirndl. Fun fact, authentic Bavarian tracht (not the slutty, cheap versions) are actually quite expensive. This is because the breeches are embroidered goat leather, and men generally only buy 1 pair of lederhosen in their adult lives. I’ve seen a lot fo folks on base sporting the costume, and it’s a fun way to celebrate holidays. This begs the question, why have I seen so many children wearing lederhosen? Those aren’t going to fit next year. Why did you buy that for Jr? Not my business, but I will not be buying traditional dress for any children ever. Waste of money. My dress, in my opinion, was not terribly expensive–no more expensive than a dress to wear to a formal occasion (like prom), which is the primary purpose of dirndls. They are worn to weddings, dances, and other holiday celebrations. We managed to match our lederhosen and dirndl.

Me and My Bike

Joe and His Bike

To further our attempts at achieving German authenticity, this past weekend, we bought bicycles. Everyone here seems to be riding them–including senior citizens and toddlers. I often wonder if children learn to ride before they can walk. We spent several hours on the 29^th in the bike store, trying out different bikes. The store actually had a test track for the bicycles. Stadler was the biggest bike store I have I seen, almost like a Costco, but completely full of different kinds of bikes, and with a small section devoted to Vespas. http://www.zweirad-stadler.com/ The website doesn’t even do the store justice.

It’s very overwhelming, especially when you don’t speak German and can’t read the subtle differences between the style of bicycles. We selected “hybrid” bikes, a mix between road bikes and mountain bikes. They have wider tires but angled handlebars. As per German bike law, our bikes have front and rear lights, and a bell, which we ring when passing others. Most interesting, there are no laws regarding helmet use. However, owing to our preference for personal safety, we have purchased helmets. 

Czech Beer that Isn’t Budweiser

On our beer tour, we visited 3 separate Czech microbreweries around Prague. Our guide was Anna, and she was cute and lots of fun. And not one of the breweries we visited was Budweiser. Budweiser has been brewed in the city of České Budějovice (or Budweis) since 1895. Apparently the American company Budweiser is a completely different brew. There have been legal battles over the name Budweiser, and Anheuser-Busch can only use the brand in North America. The Czech company retains rights to the brand everywhere else.

When Our Tour Ended, We were Presented with Beer Diplomas

As part of our beer tour, we got a handy map of Prague with all the microbreweries and beer pubs labeled. We visited 2 breweries on the list and 1 that was opened only a few months ago; U Valśů, U Medvídků, and Pivovar. Along the way, we learned some fun facts about Czech beer, like the fact that Pilsners were invented in the Czech Republic, in the city of Plzen.

Following the tour, we decided to bop into the Old Town Hall for a moment. The Old Town Hall in Prague houses the Astronomical Clock. This clock has myriad information is actually a little confusing to decipher. It tells time 3 different ways, the position of the sun, the month, and the day of the year. The clock was built in 1410 and is the oldest working Astronomical Clock. For a small fee, you can climb to the top of the clock tower, and look down upon the square. Since the clock tower is open until 10pm, we decided to climb it before dinner.

The View from the Top

The Astronomical Clock at Night

After our climb, we finally got some dinner. At this point in the evening, after drinking 4 beers and having not eaten since lunch, we were a little tipsy. We chose a restaurant right at the base of the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square called El Toro Negro. We were able to eat outside, in a biergarten of sorts, and our meal was delicious. All it was missing was shots of tequila! I’m kidding about needing the shots, but not about the missing tequila. On that very day, the Czech government passed a law prohibiting the sale of hard liquor over 20%. We got to kick of prohibition abstinence style. Lest you immediately flash back to the 1920s speakeasy-bootleg era, this bill was passed for the public safety. Apparently, someone decided to sell alcohol laced with methanol, and people who were drinking the poisoned alcohol were dying. Here is a news video about the issue. Furthermore, the Czech Republic has stopped shipping liquor throughout the EU, at the EU’s request. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2012/09/18/pkg-sesay-czech-booze-ban.cnn?iref=allsearch Fortunately, we only had plans to drink beer, and were perfectly safe from the methanol poisoning.

Click here for more photos of Prague

Czech Out our Prague-ress!

While Joe and I waited for the living-in-Germany-long-term paperwork to clear all the government offices, I busied myself with various crafting projects and research on European travel. I have compiled, and am still in the process of finishing, a list of destinations across the continent that I feel would be fun to visit. Furthermore, I’ve researched the sights found in the cities we’ll be traveling to, and copied down their opening hours and websites. I gathered my information using guidebooks from my local library and then conducted further research online. This has made our traveling easier. Before when we wanted to take a trip, I cast about for an idea on where to go, and then spend hours researching what to do once we got there. Now, I’ve narrowed down the time I have to spend on the internet before we travel.

On September 14 we drove up to Prague, in the Czech Republic, for the weekend. The drive was only about 3 hours from Regensburg and part of it included the autobahn, so Joe enjoyed driving fast. Before we reached the border we needed to pick up a vignette. You place these little stickers on your windshield, and you are permitted to drive in the country. Since our trip was short we only bought the 10-day pass, but there were options for 3 months and 1 year as well. These stickers are available both at gas stations near the border and at the border crossing itself. The Czech Republic is part of the European Union so our passports weren’t checked and our vehicle wasn’t searched, we just drove right under the vignette scanner (like EZ-pass in the states) and continued on our way. Being prone to usefulness, I fell asleep. Wait, I meant uselessness. When I woke up, we were almost in Prague. As we got closer to the center of the city, the highway became crowded with more and more billboards. I don’t mean billboards every 100ft or so, I mean so many billboards it became difficult to distinguish the ads from the signs. From one spot on the highway, we could see 20 or so billboards at once, plus traditional road signs. It’s very overwhelming to be bombarded with so much advertising when trying to find your way in a strange city, though I imagine it’s probably overwhelming at all times.

Beer Tour Brochure!

During the drive, when I wasn’t sleeping, we spent some time with our European phrase book. This book is pocket sized, and we bought it before we arrived because it has almost all the European languages in it. There were a couple times were Joe asked me to look up a word, but I couldn’t find it, because as it turns out the book is mostly concerned with food, identifying it, obtaining it, and eating it. There were also a few handy phrases for getting by, like do you have a fax machine? And where is the nearest phone booth? We settled on learning these phrases to help us: Mluvite anglicky, pronounced mlooveeteh anglitsky, means do you speak English? Dobrý den, pronounced dobree den, is good day. Ahoj, pronounced ahoy, means hello and is incidentally my favorite Czech word. Joe had trouble with every phrase except ahoy, but he claims it’s because he didn’t have the opportunity to read the phrases like I did.

After a couple (possibly illegal) u-turns and some vague directions from our British GPS system we arrived at our hotel, the Best Western Bila Labut, which means white swan. The woman behind the front desk was very helpful and spoke fluent English, so unfortunately we didn’t have an opportunity to use the Czech phrases we had been practicing in the car. There was also a brochure stand. I love brochures! They make my job easy. Since we arrived near to 6pm, all of the attractions I had bookmarked for our visit were already closed, but the brochures identified a beer tour starting at 6:30 and decided that touring microbreweries would be a great way to start the weekend. 

Shopping on the Glass Road

Snow covered Zwiesel, Germany
The building on the left is the Schott Zwiesel Kristallglas Factory

When we went to Passau, and visited the Glasmuseum, I expected to find all kinds of stores brimming with hand-blown glass, just waiting to be bought. This was not the case. We hiked all over the town and could not find an open glass store anywhere. We also did not see many (any? I can’t remember) open glass shops. So even though we were in the heart of Bohemian glass country, we went home empty handed.

To rectify this situation, I started on the Glasmuseum’s website, where I remembered they had a link to the “Glass-road” website http://www.die-glasstrasse.de/. This site details the cities along a 250km scenic route centered on glass. I then clicked on the shopping tab, and started running through the cities listed as selling lots and lots of glass.

I settled on Zwiesel (sssvy-sel) because it seemed (from online pictures) like it would be the cutest town to visit. It is also well known for its cross-country skiing trails and downhill ski resorts. I was hoping maybe we could find a place to ski, but there was nothing within walking distance of the train. Another perk of Zwiesel was its location, we could pay 29 euro to ride the train there and back. To get there, we rode a train to Plattling and changed trains to ride one into Zwiesel. The train into Zwiesel consisted of 2 engine cars, allowing the train to travel in both directions, but making the whole train not much larger than a city bus.

Regensburg has had relatively mild weather during our visit here. We’ve seen a few snow flurries, but nothing has stuck, and we’ve seen lots of rain. Zwiesel had OVER A FOOT of snow. The town’s webcam did not prepare me for this, and I am beginning to think it may not have been updated in awhile. Luckily, we had work our hats and boots, so we were not frozen solid.

As per usual, it was lunchtime when we arrived so our first priority was getting something to eat. We settled on the local brewery, Dampfbier Zwiesel, and I am so glad we did. The wait staff spoke English, which we did not expect in a town of 9,000 people. Furthermore, the guy was a joker–he had a fake bottle of ketchup he pretended to spray (I tried to dive out of the way before I realized it was fake) and a fake glass of beer, which he pretended to dump on Joe, causing a gasp of surprise from the old ladies sitting behind us. The food was delicious and the beer was unique. Dampfbier is steam beer, and method of brewing that is unique to Zwiesel. According to their website, http://www.dampfbier.de/_dampfbier.htm, they use malted barley because hops and wheat were a rare commodity in the Bavarian forest. It is a very tasty beer, and I always enjoy trying out new brews.

There were plentiful glass shops in Zwiesel, and I would love to go back on a weekday, when more are open (we did a lot of window shopping) but we were able to find hand-blown items to bring home, including some beautiful flowers and a carved bud-vase in which to display them. 

Kelheim & Weltenburg

A couple weeks ago, we were in the Bischofshof brewery, drinking Bischofshof beer of course, and we noticed the bartender routinely serving a different beer that was not Bischofshof. We asked him about it, and he told us it came from Kloster Weltenburg, and he gave us a rather large free sample. It was a dark beer so I was hesitant, usually they are too bitter for me, but this beer was amazing. It had complex flavor and a hint of something sweet, possibly honey. We learned that the Kloster was about 20 minutes away, just outside Kelheim, so we decided to visit.

One of the main attractions in Kelheim is the Hall of Liberation, Befreiungshalle in German. The building was commissioned by Ludwig I (grandfather of the Ludwig II who built Neuschwanstein) to celebrate the victories over Napoleon in the Wars of Liberation. Like many monuments in the area, the outside is free to explore, but if you want to go inside, you need to buy a ticket. We decided to walk to the monument and decide if we needed a ticket before actually buying one. At Valhalla, we could see the inside (peeking through the door) and felt since we did not know any of the people honored there, we would not gain anything by going inside. The door of the Hall of Liberation was closed, so no peeking, but there was a sign that promised dozens of giant angels inside. That sounded sufficiently interesting, so we went back to purchase a ticket and we met with all kinds of awesome crazy inside.

The building was huge and empty. Like a ballroom with no furniture. The walls rose up past my head, but then leveled out, shelf-like. On these levels, there stood giant angels holding hands with each other over shields. These angels were probably twice the height of a normal person, and they were all identical. Behind each set of two angels and a shield (on the higher level) were tiny rooms, which were also empty. Then if you were interested, you could climb up very tight spiral stairs to a 3^rd empty level, and gaze out over all the angels. It seemed like a cool place to hold a prom or a wedding reception, but without any people or furniture inside, it was quite strange.

From Kelheim we drove across the Danube, Donau in German, to find Kloster Weltenburg. Kloster Weltenburg is a Benedictine abbey founded in 620, the oldest in Germany. The beer they make is slightly younger: it has only been brewed since 1050. To reach the abbey, we parked the car and walked a kilometer down a paved path along the river. Right around a bend the buildings of the abbey appeared. We planned to have some beers inside the brewery, but we quickly found that Kloster Weltenburg was having a Weihnachtsmarkt, another word for Christmas market, and we would not be drinking our beer inside.

Almost immediately, we followed our noses to the fried dough stand and got a rose shaped pile of deliciousness. I say almost immediately, because the first thing I did was get some Gluhwein to warm up and celebrate Christmas. We next went to the beer stall so we could try the famous beer. We found many varieties from which to choose. Joe opted for the Winter-Traum, the seasonal beer. I decided on another seasonal beverage, the Gluhbier, which was hot and awesome. As with the gluhwein stalls, we could keep our cups or return them for a refund, but since our plan was to buy some anyway, we kept them. Many of the stalls in the market were run by the monks, in their robes no less, and I felt we should buy something to support the abbey. We found a very cool nativity scene carved out of a log, and it now lives with us.