Our Day in Portugal

Walking to the Beach

We didn’t spend much time in Portugal, so I’m not officially crossing it off our travel list. I really wanted to see the Alhambra palace and the cheapest way of getting there off season was to fly to Lisbon and then to drive. As such, we only spent 1 day in Portugal.

After touring the Donana National Park we drove to our hotel in Portugal. We were staying near Albufeira which is a thriving resort town – in summer. In the winter about 80% of the stores and hotels were boarded up. It made finding meals a little complicated and I’m glad we had the car. Our hotel was on the beach, well sort of. The beach is at the bottom of some cliffs and our hotel was at the top, so if we were on the same elevation the hotel would have been right on the beach. Still there was an easy walking path down to the shore and it was very convenient.

Portuguese Beach in Olhos de Agua

Portugal has some truly gorgeous beaches; the water is turquoise, the sand is white, and the cliffs provide seclusion. I can see why the place would be hopping in the summer time, and why most of the people we encountered were retirees. They were also British. Not sure what that’s about, but it seems the Algarve is the place to have a tropical beach house if you are a well to do Brit.

Cove we found hiking near Benagil Beach, Portugal

While the weather was lovely, it wasn’t quite warm enough to swim or even to sun bathe, so we only walked on the beach. We also had plans to visit this cool cave. If you want to see the cave you must drive to the closest fishing village and convince a fisherman to take you out there. Recently it’s become very popular to see the caves and there are now 2 guys who only take tourists out – no fishing. Regardless, when we showed up, those 2 guys weren’t there, and the gents in the snack shop weren’t sure anyone would be going out. The sea was a bit rough, and the waves were too large for the boats we would be taking – think 12 seater row boat. Slightly disappointed we left, but decided to stay in the area and check out some other beaches. After an hour or so we returned, but our would-be guides were still nowhere to be found. We realized we wouldn’t be seeing the cave this trip. Instead, we followed a hiking trail along the top of the cliffs. We got to spend time in the sunshine and staring out into the turquoise waters – not a bad day

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Safari!

For my birthday, we drove 4 hours southwest to the coast of southern Spain. Since we were west of Gibraltar, the water was the Atlantic, not the Mediterranean. We had signed up for a tour of the Parque Nacional de Donana. The park is huge and comprised of several ecosystems which are home to a number of wild animals. There are a few visitors centers on the edges of the park, but the best (only) way to see the interior of the park is on a guided tour. These tours are given from 21 seat buses with 4 wheel drive and 5ft tall tires; all terrain buses.

Our trip began on the beach where we drove in the surf a what felt like a dangerous angle – I was anxious the whole time. The land for the park was rescued in 1969 , but a few fisherman lived on the beach in very simple huts, they were allowed to stay, and 7 remain to this day. But as we drove past the first hut, our driver abruptly turned the bus and raced toward the hut. A spark had ignited the thatched roof and the two inhabitants were trying hard to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the huts have no running water, so they were drawn bucketfuls from their well to combat the flames. Our driver grabbed the bus’s fire extinguisher, climbed onto the roof and sprayed it down. Thatch is very flammable though and the fire was underneath it, so they were having to tear off chucks of the thatch to make sure it was fully out. Between our bus driver and the two residents, they were able to stop the fire before too much damaged occurred; it was lucky we were driving by.

After this exciting beginning we continued the tour inland at the shifting dunes. The dunes are constantly changing and growing in size. They readily form hills and valleys with pine trees growing in the valleys. As the sand moves, the pine trees are covered and die, but new trees crop up in the new valleys. It is an ecosystem constantly in flux. From the dunes we entered the forest; the trees are more permanent and diverse here. This area is bordered by the marshland and is inhabited by several species of deer, wild boars, and lynxes.

During our visit the marsh was dry and cracked. As winter progresses the rains will fill it back up and it will become a breeding ground for dozens of species of birds-including flamingos. We didn’t see many birds, though we did see the wild marsh cows. Yes, wild cows sounds like an oxymoron, but there is a herd that roams this area along with marsh ponies. Their population is controlled as they aren’t strictly native species.

Our tour ended with a long drive on the beach as the sun set over the waves. It was gorgeous, and if we hadn’t visited in the off season, we wouldn’t have seen it or hardly anyh of the animals.

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Information about the National Park
Ordering Tickets for Park Tours

The Alhambra

Our 2nd day in Granada we visited the Alhambra palace/fortress. It sits on a hill above the city and offers spectacular views for miles in all directions. For 700 years the Moors ruled in Spain, and the Alhambra is one of their most spectacular creations.

The Moors were a group of Muslims who arrive in Spain in 711. They were focused on enhancing their knowledge, and rescued the texts of ancient Greece and Rome. They understood geometry and the Alahambra palace reflects their knowledge. Every aspect of the palace was designed on a single set of ratios so each room flows cohesively. The architecture is decidedly Eastern; a far cry form the styles of Europe at the time.

In 1492, the Catholic monarchs of Spain, Isabel and Ferdinand, waged a campaign to expel the Moors from their last stronghold. They succeeded in driving out the Moors, in taking over their palace, and in starting the Inquisition.

Much of the Alhambra is original, somehow it survived the genocidal tendencies of the Catholic Monarchs. I have to wonder if they didn’t know they were surrounded by Koran teachings. All of the beautiful carvings that decorate almost every inch of the palace are Arab script. There are excerpts from the Koran and poetry from the official court scribes of the Muslim kings.

In addition to poetry as decorative art, the Moors also understood how infusing a space with light and water can elicit different emotions. There are fountains and small waterways throughout the palace, contributing the sound of moving water to the ambiance. There are also sufficient windows and plazas allowing sunlight to stream in, quite a contrast from the contemporary thick walled Romanesque structures in Europe.

When we checked into our hotel, the lady at the front desk was adamant about seeing sunset over the Alhambra. So after our visit, we climbed a neighboring hill and sat in the gardens of the mosque to watch the sunset. It was a beautiful end to the day.

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Alhambra Homepage

Book Alhambra Tickets Online

UNESCO Alhambra Page

Interesting Documentary about the Moors in Spain

The Olive Oil Tour

The aged olive tree

I love olive oil. You probably already know that. But it bears repeating because everyone should love olive oil. Spain is actually the largest olive oil producer in the world. Like wine, the flavor of olive oil depends on growing conditions; each country, each region, even each farm produces different tasting oils. I wanted to taste Spanish olive oil, so I signed us up for a tasting to be followed by tapas and a wine tasting.

We were picked up in downtown Granada and whisked off to a small town called Nigüelas in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We stopped first in an olive grove where the trees were 300 years old. Olive trees grow slowly, so these trees are much smaller than a 300 year old maple, oak, or elm tree would be. They didn’t even seem taller than younger olive trees, just bushier. Amongst the olive trees were almond and pomegranate trees. In Andalusia they have a saying, plant an almond tree for your children and an olive tree for your grandchildren.

Joe trying the water from the "fountain of youth" in Nigüelas. 

We left the fields and drove into the town square where there is a fountain fed by the Sierra Nevada. It is rumored that drinking the water will make you younger. It was tasty and not as cold as I thought it would be, but it didn’t stop my birthday from coming. I like the concept of potable water in public fountains as it’s very easy to satisfy your thirst. From the square we walked to an ancient olive mill, Las Laerillas, from the 15th century.

 The mill fell out of use in the 1920s and it was boarded up and forgotten. In the 1990s the town realized what a treasure they had and they reopened the mill as a museum. It is the oldest olive mill in Spain. Outside the mill are stone cells which served as bins for sorting picked olives—each family had their own cell. These were weighed (so each family received their proper share) and then brought to the Molino de Sangre or Mill of Blood. This type of mill earned its name in Roman times when slaves were used to turn the millstones; the slaves were later replaced with donkeys, but the name remained.

The giant pressing lever at the Las Laerillas Mill

After milling, the olives were pressed. This was achieved by use of giant levers. The pressed oil/water mixture flowed into underground chambers and gravity separated the oil from the water. The finished product was stored in giant terracotta pots from which manageable quantities could be labeled.

Large terracotta pots used for storing the pressed oil.

The final stop on the tour was a small shop where we had our tasting. We tasted 3 local oils with different tastes and 2 flavored oils. There are 2 methods of flavoring oil: the flavoring (herbs, fruits, or spices) can be added to the oil during bottling; or the flavoring can be added during milling. In the first method, the flavoring will sit in the bottle, slowing imparting flavor over time. In the latter, the flavoring and the olives are ground together and then pressed. The flavored oils we tried were lemon and basil, and they were flavored with the second method. The basil oil was delicious and would be an excellent way to impart basil flavor when basil leaves are out of season. I’m really excited to try it in some recipes. The lemon oil was very different; we ate it like a dessert. We poured the oil over bread and then sprinkled a little bit of sugar on top. This combination transformed the bread into an enchanting dessert.

After the oil we had our wine tasting, and among the samples was a dry, white sherry. It smelled like it would be potent, a little like whisky. But, since old sherry casks are used to age whisky, it is the whisky that smells like sherry. Despite its strong smell though, it was a smooth drink—very tasty. We bought a bottle. We also tried another sherry; it was red and much sweeter. It was made from raisins; the grapes are dried in the sun before pressing. While interesting to try, I think was too sweet.

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The Olive Oil Tour

European Food Crops

Orange Tree!

Outside the cities, European landscape quickly becomes farm land. Each country grows plants that are integral to their national products; vineyards lace across France, hops towers in the German fields, and apple orchards dot the English countryside. When we were driving around southern Portugal and Spain, I knew the plants growing in the fields adjacent to the highway were commercial, but it took me some time to identify them.

The easiest trees were the citrus trees—their branches were bulging with oranges and lemons. Next came the olive trees; they too were easy to pick out thanks to our earlier trips to Italy, and like the citrus trees, their boughs were covered in the fruit. I realized somewhat belatedly that the pine trees were cultivated for their pine nuts; I should have remembered them from Italy as well. There were two more difficult to identify species in the fields. The tall leafy trees came into my mind abruptly when I remembered seeing their picture on a pack of cough drops—eucalyptus. The last tree involved more observation to identify. I noticed the bark had been stripped off the trunks and I recalled reading about cork oaks; every 9 years the bark is carefully cut away and turned into bottle stoppers.

If you look at the bark carefully, you can see it's two different colors.
The darker color is where the cork was stripped off.

Near Granada there were also almond and pomegranate trees growing. Pomegranates are actually the symbol of Granada; they are featured in sculpture and mosaics all over the city. This should come as no surprise when you learn the Spanish word for pomegranate is granada. Unfortunately during our visit it wasn’t quite pomegranate season yet, so we didn’t eat them at every meal.

Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

When we finished our pints in the Gravity Bar we headed out the Temple Bar area of Dublin for a literary pub crawl. I was nervous about this tour; the description sounded a little cheesy, and I’ve been on enough cheesy tours. Luckily for me, it wasn’t.

Dublin Literary Pub Crawl
Dublin, Ireland

There were 2 men conducting the tour, and periodically they would act out little vignettes of Irish authors and their works. These I found quite funny, but I’m not sure everyone on the tour got all the jokes—only a few of us were laughing. I particularly enjoyed their interpretation of some of Oscar Wilde’s personal correspondence. Our guides also sang during the tour, and that was a lovely taste of Irish musical culture.

We toured 4 pubs that night, just a fraction of the over 800 pubs in Dublin. Since the tour cannot possibly cover this many, there is an accompanying book that gives the history of more famous pubs in Dublin, as well as background information on Irish authors and poets. We bought the book and had it signed by the author, one of the stars of the tour that night.

The tour concluded with a little trivia quiz about Dublin and her authors—there was even a prize! It was a close race, but in the end, only one person could win: me! I won a free Pub Crawl t-shirt! WOO!! I had a lot of fun on this tour (even before I won the t-shirt) and I would definitely take it again.

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Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

Temple Bar

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.

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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.

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Roadside Tavern Brewpub

Cliffs of Moher

Movies featuring the Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher Cruises

Great Lakes Brewing

A Weekend on the Emerald Isle

Tullamore DEW Old Bonded Warehouse
Tullamore, Irealnd

On our first day in Ireland we drove across the entire country, coast to coast, and it only took 3 hours—Ireland’s not that wide.  We were driving from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher. Along the way we stopped off in Tullamore to visit the Tullamore DEW whisky distillery. While in Scotland, I discovered that I liked Scotch, so I was eager to try some Irish whisky. Not particularly liking scotch, Joe was not as eager. There are many distilleries around Ireland. We chose Tullamore because it was on our route from Dublin to County Clare, it was cheaper than the Jameson tour in Dublin, and we’d heard of it.




Placemat for Tasting 3 Whisky Blends
Tullamore, Ireland

The Tullamore Dew visitor center opens at 9:30am and we arrived slightly before 10:00am. We inquired about tour times, but the text tour wasn’t until 10:20am. Since we didn’t have the time to wait around 30 minutes for an hour long tour to start we bought a tasting ticket instead for only €5.00. Before our tasting started we watched a little video about the history of the whisky, and then were walked through the museum on a personal mini-tour. Next, we tasted 3 blends of whiskies that were vastly different from scotch. They were also generous pours, Joe—the driver—didn’t finish his. Don’t worry though, no whisky was wasted on this tour; I finished his too.

The tour ended in the gift shop where all kinds of Tullamore DEW merchandise and whisky was available for purchase. There are 2 blends of their whisky that is only available in their visitor center. We wanted to buy a bottle, but I was hesitant to spend the requisite amount on whisky we hadn’t even tasted. Luckily, they had just opened a bottle at the bar, so I was able to taste it there with some of the bar maids. The 3 of us pronounced it delicious—Joe would just have to believe us—and we bought the bottle.

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Visit the Tullamore Dew Old Bonded Warehouse
Tullamore DEW Whiskies

This Duck Quacks Me Up!

Why, yes, that is a giant rubber duck
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

In September, I returned to the US for a wedding. A week after the wedding, the giant rubber duck came to Pittsburgh! A city on the east coast—finally I would be able to see it! The giant duck is an art installation by the Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman; it has been all over the world, with each city building its own duck. I talked my parents into visiting the duck with me, and since my Grandma lives near Pittsburgh, we brought her along too.

Grandma and the Duck

My grandma is 91, and I was pretty sure she’d never seen anything like the duck in her whole life, so I didn’t tell her the whole truth about our plans. I told her that my parents and I would come down for lunch, and then we’d all visit this art exhibit in Pittsburgh. Honestly, I think she was more excited about the lunch than the art. I promised her she’d like the art, and she agreed to go.

My dad was not feeling it. He’d just come back from a weeklong conference and was not looking forward to driving 3 hours “just to see a duck”. He came along anyway, but I don’t think he expected to enjoy himself. When we reached Pittsburgh (please note it took only 2 hours, not 3), the duck was visible from the highway, and we were stuck in traffic. Luckily, we were able to divert my Grandma’s attention with the Steelers’ and Pirates’ stadiums. We got a little turned around trying to the find the entrance to the park, so our first view of the duck was from across the river. It was humorous, but it wasn’t the full effect, so I convinced my reluctant Dad we needed to get closer.



So ridiculous!
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Back on the proper side of the river, we parked the car and walked to Point State Park. The duck was anchored in such a place that you couldn’t see it until you were nearly right up next to it. Here was the true amazement; my dad took one look at it and gave his genuine belly laugh. Grandma was also amused. She laughed at the duck, and the babies, and duck, and the babies. I think the duck and the babies were tied for her attention.

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Duck Pictures!
Fllorentijn Hofman's Duck Page
Rubber Duck Wikipedia Page

Champagne Champs

Hand Hewn Limestone Caves
Taittinger House, Reims, France

Before we moved to Europe I was unaware that wine and cheese usually earned their names from the region in which they were produced. Now I know better, and I try to incorporate these localities into our trips. In Reims, there was champagne, so named for the region in which the grapes are grown. There are several champagne houses in the area, and they use underground caves for storing their bottles.

We visited Taittinger house on the outskirts of the city; there was free parking available on site. We walked into the tours office and were able to join a tour that started in 10 minutes time. To be clear, the champagne is not pressed and bottled here; it is aged. The Taittinger champagnes are aged for at 3 years in the underground caves.  The Romans used the site as a quarry, and dug these caves into the limestone in the 4th century. After the Romans, the site was occupied by an order of Benedictine monks who built an abbey over the caves, which they used for storage and rituals. The abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution, but the caves remained beneath the surface. In the 1920s, a champagne house was founded on the premises and in the 1930s, the Taittinger family bought the site.

One of the Vaults filled with Bottles
Taittinger House, Reims, France

The caves are ideal for champagne storage because of their constant temperatures and humidity levels. The average temperature is in the 50s, and we spent at least 30 minutes underground; if you go, bring a coat. There were millions of bottles in the caves, each in various stages of the ageing process. The bottles are stacked in every cubby and vault the Romans or the monks, or the Taittinger employees excavated. They are just laid on top of one another—no shelves. Until we visited these caves, it seemed impossible that all the champagne in the world could come from this small region, but it does; Taittinger is just 1 of many houses in the region.

Champagne at the end of the Tour
Taittinger House, Reims, France

The tour ended with a glass of champagne back at ground level. After so long underground, the bubbly helped take the chill off. The kind we tried was the “base model” Brut, but there were many more “upgraded” vintages available in the gift shop. We bought some bottles of these other varieties, so hopefully they’re as good as the Brut we sampled.


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Information about Taittinger
Taittinger Homepage (Learn about Tours, the Vintages, and the History)
10 Fun Facts about Taittinger
Taittinger Champagnes

Reims

Reims Cathedral During the Light Show
Reims, France

In college, I took a medieval art/architecture history class, and the professor always encouraged us to visit the places we were studying in class. To the best of my ability, I’ve followed his advice; the Vatican, Cologne cathedral, Notre Dame in Paris, Il Duomo in Florence, Mont St Michel. Reims cathedral was also on the list. I know we won’t see everything on the list, but it’s always fun when words and images become real places.

Architecturally speaking, Reims cathedral isn’t too different from Notre Dame, but the city was a perfect stopping point for the night, and several champagne houses are based there. Furthermore, the cathedral was having an evening light show while we were in town. The show was originally conducted for the 800th anniversary in 2011, but there was an encore presentation this summer.

The show was after sunset, so we walked to the plaza in front of the western façade and waited in the darkness with the gathering crowd; the show used the cathedral as a movie screen, projecting images onto the façade. It started suddenly. The spot lights went dark. Silence fell. Then light returned—with music—illustrating the construction of the building. Step by step, from the architectural plans to the masonry work, the cathedral rose into the sky. The show’s finale was a sequence of rapid color changes that would rival an LSD trip. And then it was done. The crowd dispersed into the night.



The rear of Reims Cathedral
Reims, France

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Pictures from Our Trip!
Video of the Light Show (it's a little long, but really cool if you can hang in there, check out 05:25)
Practical Information for visiting Reims Cathedral
Learn about the Cathedral's History, Windows, and Architecture

Water Lilies

Water Lilies at Monet's Garden in Giverny, France

Sometime during the summer I learned that Monet’s Water Lilies was based on a real garden that was open to the public and located about an hour outside of Paris. With this knowledge in hand, Giverny became a way point on the trip back from Mont St Michel.

Giverny was fabulous, although it was a little crowded on the narrow paths. It’s exactly the kind of garden I’d love to have—riotous color, varied texture, and slightly overgrown. The town of Giverny is quiet and small; I think it sees most of its visitors in summer. I imagine it could still be used a retreat from Paris.

Water Lilies at Monet's Garden in Giverny, France

Since the water lilies were still blooming during our visit, it was high tourist season. As with most popular attractions, there was a long line to enter the garden. Here I will reiterate how important it is to book ahead; we used a separate back entrance and didn’t have to wait in any line because I’d pre-booked. At many sites there is an online booking discount, but even without the discount, pre-booking is worth it. See the main sites, but don’t spend your vacation standing in lines.

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Visit Monet's Gardens 
Online Booking of Tickets to Monet's Gardens
Museum of the Impressionists in Giverny
Rick Steve's on Giverny
See the Complete Works of Claude Monet Online

Mont St Michel

Mont St Michel, France

When Joe finished his work in Belgium, we set off for a mini French vacation; our first stop was Mont St. Michel. I first read about this abbey when I was a little girl, in some book I don’t even remember. I was fascinated by the tides and by this church rising seamlessly from the rock to tower over its surroundings. Mont St. Michel is located at the mouth of the Couesnon River in the English Channel and has some of the most dramatic tides in the world. When the tide is out, the island becomes part of the mainland; just a church on a rocky hill. When the tide is in, the city is surrounded by water and becomes a walled island once more. The tides come in with such speed (17 feet per second) and ferocity that it is dangerous to be outside the walls. 

The mud flats around Mont St Michel
This photo was take at about 4pm

This picture was taken exactly 3 hours later, and the
area is almost completely underwater.
Mont St Michel, France

The tide was out when we arrived, so we took the opportunity to wander around the mud flats surrounding the abbey. There is something amazing about walking on mud barefoot; it just feels so good squished between your toes. Joe was hesitant to join me at first, but eventually he gave in, kicked off his shoes and socks, and strode out onto more uneven ground. Quicksand is prevalent, so our steps were careful—until we found some. It was a small patch of quicksand, and it felt very weird to walk on, but since we weren’t sucked in, we stopped worrying about it. When our feet reached the desired level of muddiness, we decided to rinse them off, and go find a place for dinner.

We returned to the “island” by walking along the shallows of the adjacent Couesnon River. During our stroll, one of the local residents scuttled up to examine me. I think the little crab wasn’t paying attention and just crashed into my toe, but when I looked down and saw him there, I screamed and ran off. I probably scared him more than he scared me, but I’m not looking to get my toes pinched.

A soloist inside Mont St. Michel abbey church

After dinner we strolled along the walls of the abbey and looked at places where we had been mere hours before—now they were all underwater. At the time, the abbey was open at night, so we were at the top of the Mont during sunset. These stunning visuals were accompanied by soloists playing period pieces. It was very moving; the acoustics inside gothic churches make is seem like music is coming from within you. 

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Mont St Michel Visitor Information

Tide Times 

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

German Graves

My mother’s ancestors came from Germany, so before my parents left, we visited the towns my great-great grandparents came from. My mom was hoping she would be able to find more information from some of the local cemeteries. The towns were up near Stuttgart, and our plan was to drive around looking for cemeteries. 

Driving around Kirchheim am Neckar, we were able to find the cemeteries really easily, once we learned the German word, Friedhof; we just followed the signs. Puzzlingly, none of the graves were older than the 1950s. At the time, we thought collateral damage from WWII had destroyed all the older graves, but we wondered how that could happen to all the cemeteries in this small town. Lacking another explanation though, this was all we had to go on. It turns out the truth is actually stranger. 

Germans lease their grave spaces. The plots are rented in 15 year increments, and after 30 years, if the family doesn’t want to maintain the site, it will be reused for a totally new (dead) person. Usually, the previous occupant has returned to dust before the new occupant arrives. However, in some regions, the soil composition is such that the bodies are becoming preserved. When undertakers dig up the site, they’re finding mummified remains, and are being forced to come up with alternate solutions. 

Useful Links!

German Graves

Pemberley

Chatsworth House
Derbyshire, England

It took all day to drive from Perthshire back to London, but to break up the drive we stopped in the Peak District, at Chatsworth House. This is one of those grand British houses leftover from another time. The house is still owned by the 12th Duke of Devonshire, a peer of the realm. This is the kind of house in which girls dreaming of being Mrs. Darcy want to live. It’s fitting then that the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie used Chatsworth at the set for Pemberley—Mr. Darcy’s home. There is also rumor that Jane Austen modeled Pemberley on Chatsworth when she was writing Pride and Prejudice.

The library at Chatsworth House
Derbyshire, England

I’ve seen the 2005 movie a lot, so I knew the house would be big, but standing before it, I was still amazed at its size. I couldn’t believe that it all belonged to one family—and I’ve been to several castles and palaces. Maybe that’s the problem; this building was palatial, but it was referred to as a house. At least with all the servants and generations living there, it can’t be called a single family home.

Bust of Matthew Macfayden as Mr. Darcy
Chatsworth House
Derbyshire, England

We were walking through my imagination; wandering the house, grounds, and gardens. It was a welcome break from the car. I particularly enjoyed seeing vistas from the movie, and there was a prop—a bust of Matthew Macfayden as Mr. Darcy—in the gift shop. The staff around the property was all very friendly and helpful; they were well educated on their surroundings and they could answer questions or participate in discussions about the artifacts or their owners with ease. Furthermore, the Peak district is a beautiful area and driving through it was a pleasure.

Useful Links!

Pictures from Our Trip!

Chatsworth House Visitor Information

Pride and Prejudice at Chatsworth House

The Boat Show

For our last day in Scotland, I’d booked us tickets to the Traditional Scottish Wooden Boat Show in Portsoy, Scotland; it seemed like the perfect event for my Dad. When we arrived it was cold and rainy, and since we were on the coast, there was a cold wind blowing in off the North Sea. The weather really diminished our enthusiasm, but the festival looked like it would have been a lot of fun if it wasn’t so cold and rainy. There was an outdoor stage were a group was singing sea shanties, but I couldn’t bring myself to sit in a wet chair in the rain to listen to them.

Yellow Pants doing most of the Work
Portsoy, Scotland

The weather was apparently part of a much larger storm and a lot of the boats were setting sail to try to avoid it. The show was supposed to last until 7pm that evening, but when we arrived at noon, only 2 large boats remained, and they shipped off within the hour. These departures were actually the most interesting part of the festival. The ships were traditional crafts, so the crew used traditional methods to exit the 300 year old harbor—no outboard motors.

Safely exiting the harbour
Portsoy, Scotland

To exit, two lines (nautical speak for rope) were connected to 2 “tie up thingies” (also a nautical term*). The whole crew would pull on the first line to pull the ship away from the harbor wall, and then they would start pulling on the second line to turn and exit out to sea.

The first boat was manned by an experienced crew and they managed a beautiful exit. Some of the men were old and just standing around though; one young guy in yellow pants appeared to be doing the brunt of the work, but he was clearly capable of working alone.

Notice the rope they're tugging on
Portsoy, Scotland

The second ship was crewed by a bunch of newbies, unused to working together as a team. It took them much longer to exit the harbor and their departure wasn’t nearly as smooth. With a few months at sea, they’ll be able to manage turns better in the future.

After the big ships left, there wasn’t too much else going on. There were smaller boats and even some dinghies, but their captains weren’t around for chatting. We also visited some of the shops, but my Dad is full up on lines and buoys, so we didn’t buy anything. My Mom and I did visit a bead shop where a woman was selling beads out of her motor home.  There is a bead store in Regensburg where I get my beads so I was all set. I also wasn’t thrilled that her crystals came from China and were priced higher than the genuine Swarovski crystals I’d been buying. But I guess that’s what happens when you aren’t next door to Austria.

*Thanks to Google, I’ve learned the proper term for the “tie up thingies”. It's bollard.

Useful Links!
Pictures from Our Trip!
Traditional Scottish Wooden Boat Show

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