The Land of Beer, Such Delicious Beer!

As in Italy, I was lucky enough to stay with some incredibly wonderful people. My friend Meagan, her Aunt Nikola and Uncle Klaus were more than kind and took us in for the weekend while we stayed in Munchen.

The very first night was one that I'll never forget. As we sat at the dining room table, telling the tale of our travel to Meagan, her aunt and uncle, and her two cousins, Klaus kept our glasses full of some of the most delicious beer I have ever had. With each glass, he told us the history of that beer and fun facts about said beers. I enjoyed many pleasant hours with them as we drank and they graciously welcomed us into their house as if we were part of the family.

Over the next few days they took around the city of Munchen and showed us the sights. They introduced me to the greatest Germany tradition-the biergarten. It is an open area, garden type with trees to provide shade and tables every where to enjoy delicious beer. The Radler (a third Sprite and two-thirds lager beer) is quite refreshing when the weather is warm. Delicious Konig Ludwig Dunkel is a nice dark beer which is best drank in a half or a full liter glass. The best beer that I had in Germany was the special brew Lowenbrau Oktoberfest, which is only available around the time of Oktoberfest. More alcohol than the other beers and so crisp you can't stop drinking it. That is why this one is best enjoyed in a full liter stein. I'm just sad that I'm missing it this year! I guess that decided what I'm doing next year for my trip.

The English Garden was a huge Central Park type deal in which hundreds of people get together to swimor surf in the river, hang out with friends on the grass and again, enjoy local brews. Why don't we have this in the States?!

Also, the Gasthaus zur Muhle was definitely an experience. A huge raft made of logs with everything you'd every need on it. Food, a bathroom, live music, and of course endless amounts of beer as you cruise down the river and go down the biggest water slide in Europe. I'm not sure how the rivers back home are going to compare now when I have seen this...

And the food here is delicious-from any kind of sausage and sauerkraut to huge pretzels to potato balls. Eating and drinking is the biggest way to sightsee. You don't ever have to leave your seat at the hofbrauhaus. Absolutely amazing! So, basically, Germany is delicious. If you love beer, as I do, what are you waiting for-get over here.

The Schreiners were amazing hosts and I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope to see you all again soon-maybe next year at Oktoberfest?!

And now? On to London!

La Dolce Vita

The way people live in Garda is how I always imagined people in Italy to live. The key to la dolce vita? Wine! Lots of wine, at any hour of the day. My friend Giampiero and his lovely fiancee, Eva, (and their dog, Alisea) graciously took Andy and I into their Lake Garda home and showed us the true Italian way of living. It goes a little something like this:

Start your morning off around 9AM with a fresh cup of coffee made from a delicious coffee bean, preferrably Lavazza. Accompany this with your choice of organic yogurt with fruit or maybe a biscuit or two. Now the key to doing this is drinking slowly and savoring every sip. Maybe do this on a deck or in an outdoor area or at the very least with a window open so as to enjoy the fresh morning air on your just awoken face. If you have in your company a friendly canine, it is always enjoyably to pet and play with said canine.

Take your time getting ready to do most nothing. Lay around, lounge around, laze around. You get the idea. When you are feeling ready enough head into town around midday and take in apertivo with the local crowd. Now, this is probably my most favorite part of any day in Italy. Apertivo is not so much a meal as it is more of a reason for drinking with friends in the middle of the day. You sit down and order Prosecco, because that is what you do at apertivo. Accompanying this glass of bubbly are little snacks such as peanuts, chips, and hard pieces of bread with extrav virgin olive oil drizzled on top. As you much and drink your one to three glasses, you chit-chat with friends you haven't seen since yesterday at apertivo and comment on various topics. However, the most favored topic is, of course, food itself.

By now you should be feeling happy with maybe a little bounce in your step, possibly attributed to the bubbles of the Prosecco...This is the part of the day, around 2 or 3PM, where you head back to your house and prepare the meal of the day. Start it off with some wine, then a starter of a fresh squid salad maybe and then throw in fresh pasta with delicious sauces of ragu or a funghi melody courtesy of a true stereotypical Italian man*. All the while, make sure your glass is nice and full and savor it with your heaping portions of everything. Finish off with something like dates or cheese and homemade fig jam (which is stellar, by the way!). As an after lunch drink, have another fresh cup of coffee but this time add some Italian brandy and sit back and let the digestion start. Continue talking about food and argue about the way to properly prepare a ragu. If you get the ever so special opportunity to do this on a deck sheltered from, but still able to hear, smell, and experience, the rain, I highly recommend it. It is the proper way, I believe.

What next? A nap. Most definitely.

After a few hours, get up leisurely, and go back into town and walk around. Take in the tourists thinking they are doing it right but knowing all the while they are not even close. Enjoy the local bands playing blues and jazz and chat with other friends that you haven't seen in a few hours. Maybe walk along the pier and take in the gorgeous sights on the lake and the mountains jutting up and creating the dramatic scenery.

Now, you can either go to a local restaurant and get a delicious arrabiata pizza and wash it down with another glass(es) of wine and top it off with limoncello and superb gelato that will make you think you've died and gone to heaven or you can head back to your house, prepare a salad and fresh tortellini with olive oil and parmesan cheese and have a more laid back meal. However, both should be smaller than your massive meal at midday but never falter in quality or taste. And both should be just as relaxing and easy going.

Maybe before you go to bed, have another glass of wine. Totally up to you though. Stay up late talking with close friends, regardless where this occurs and then get up in the morning and repeat.

* A true stereotypical Italian man is one that talks more with his hands than with his mouth. He need not say anything and yet things are more clear than if he were trying to speak. He bangs the table and offers wine almost at very breath; His topic of conversation is food and how to prepare it properly. He is older, large around the belly (only to show his passion for food, of course) and smokes almost as often as he his drinking out of his wine glass.

This is what I have learned from my one weekend with such great people. I want to thank Gianp, Eva, Giuseppe (the amazing cook of sauces and fresh squid salad!) and Gianp's uncle all of whom made my stay in Garda one that I will cherish and remember the rest of my life! Words to live by following this weekend... Dolce far niente. Enjoy the road your on and life as it is happening because it is all happening right now. Italy has been amazing. Every year I visit, it gets better and better, just like a fine Italian wine. So wonderful and just a perfect way to end my Italy part of my trip. So, ciao Italy, until next time...

What next? Well, I think I've had my share of wine. Now, I think it's time for some delicious beer drinking in the great country of Germany! Until my next post...Ciao e bacini

The Best Of Venezia

I'm back in Venezia.
Doing something a bit different this time instead of a hostel. Apparently, there are a lot of places to camp right outside of Vemezia. So, that's what I'm doing for the next few days. A small tent with just enough room for my bag and the cot thing I get to sleep on. It's the cheapest place to stay at about 10€ per person per night. I love camping so this just makes me as happy as a clam. All I need now is a fire, some cold beer, and maybe a s'more or two!
After a short bus ride, we're in the city. Over the huge bridge and I get my first sight onto the Grand Canal.  It's just as magnificent as I remember it. Gondolas everwhere and water taxis all queued up at the pier to take you wherever your hearts desires.
There are tourists everywhere, more then locals I think. Down every street you can see little alleyways cutting this way and that going to who knows where.
 The best part? Following the alleyways. Take a break from the usual sights and experience the real Venezia. Plus, since all the churches in Venice charge you money to go in, there isn't much to do on the cheap here. Murano was definitely an awesome place to check out the glass blowing and see how the world famous Murano glass is made. But really, I most enjoyed the alleyways and coming out onto some canal where the locals are sitting in their boats talking to one another while tinkering.
I still love the striped posts in the water that the typical gondoliers dock to, the shop windows full of paier mache masks for Carnival, and the men playing the accordian as you walk down the main thoroughfares. But give me a bottle of vin rosso and a tiny hidden dock on the water overlooking Murano as the local young adults hop in and out of their boats to get pizza and wine for their romantic night on the water and I'll have a better night than doing anything else.
Overall, Venezia is nice if you have money to spend and someone special to share it with. Not so nice on a budget. Still it is quite gorgeous if you can find those places away from the thousands of others looking for a gondola ride.

What next? A much needed break from the go go go on Lago di Garda.

Besitos a todos!

Sorrento, Pompei, and Napoli

The Land of Limoncello! After a failed attempt to go to Pompei in the morning, we decided to hit up the place from memories long past. Though seven years can change many things, parts feel like time hasn't touched them at all. Cliff clutching houses painted in colors of sunsets overlooking the Bay of Naples has such a magical feeling to it. I climbed down the steep side and made my way to the ocean that was calling me. Volcanic sand, black and soft, meets the warm water of the Bay. Scenes of locals splashing around enjoying the last days of their summer vacation clash with scenes of an earlier time when my Mom and I laid on the very same beach laughing and commenting on a different scene with locals...Tearing myself away from times long gone, I bury my feet in the sand and enjoy the warm breeze on my skin. When it was time for food, il Giardiniello was beyond fitting. A Ma and Pa run restaurant where you are greeted by an old Italian man and an older woman who is just charming as she offers us a seat in the garden. Surrounded by greenery and grape vines, we had a two hour lunch with local specialities of gnocchi alla sorrentina and cannelloni alla sorrentina, bruschetta, olives, and a liter of local red wine. Then the old man persuaded us to have some limoncello...not that it took much persuading! Delightfully stuffed and starting to feel a carb coma coming on, I passed out on the train back to Naples.

The Land of Ruins! Pompei was just as I remembered it. Grand mosaics, gardens of the richest houses, and volcanic ash and pyroplastic flow could not ruin the incredible frescoes in practically every house. Even though they lived two thousand years ago, they still had the same wants and needs as we do now. Beware of Dog warnings, bread shops, and the need for a place to watch shows and games. Women wanted gardens and perfume shops and men wanted their brothels. Yes, it' true. You can even go into the old building. The frescoes on the wall are just as clear and vibrant as they were years and years ago. It went like this-you go in and choose the position you'd like to do it in (this is what the frescoes show-the differents positions) and then choose the name of the lady you'd like to do it with because their names were inscribed on the wall. She would then lead you into her cubicle room area and  you would get serviced on the bed and pillow made of rock. What we do for pleasure!

The Land of Pizza! Naples is the dirty city everyone and every guidebook says that it is, but I feel like it is the Italy we all want to  come visit. Laundry being dried on lines in alleyways and women leaning out of cars, raising their hands and swearing in Italian at the other drivers. Grow men riding vespas in pastel colors with their little dogs between their feet looking out at the things going by. Grand cathedrals around every corner with breathtaking  insides and religious shrines to the Virgin Mary and various saints down even the most dogy streets. So, if you can get over being a prissy priss, this is the Italy you are looking for. And , of course, if you're looking for the best pizza, it is here also. L'Antica Pizza Da Michele has the best in town. A hole in the wall place but constantly packed with locals and tourists alike, it serves only two kinds of pizza-marinara and margherita. So, for 7€ I got a massive double mozzarella pizza with an Italian beer called Nastro Azzurro. Just the way to experience Napoli and the perfect way to end this bit of the trip.

Off to Venezia!

To Catch Up

So, I know it's been quite some time since I last updated. And now, writing from the Kindle, I can't see where it was that I left off.
To summarize-
Morocco is UNBEARABLY hot in August. If you are wanting to go, go in the winter.  The medinas are really worth a visit. Though they don't vary so much from city to city,getting lost in them is definitely all it's hyped up to be. As you walk by your senses are all bombarded at once:  Vendors have stalls of brightly colored spices piled as high as the people walking by, nxt are the fish carts where the men are displaying their fresh catches from ealier that mornin. You see what looks good and pick out the ones you want and he fixes up right there for you. If you want filets or steaks of fish, it's your perogative. However, the parts you don't want are then swept into the street. The smells that reaches your nose as the heat of the day rises is one of pure rankness. But the next thing you know you are passing the fruit stands with specialities like cactus fruit. It may be prickly on the outside but it is quite refreshing on the inside. Next you hear the clucking of roosters in their cages as the locals shop for the fattest and most juicy looking one. Once you'e made your decision,  they slaughter it right there for you and prepare it. Next door to the chickens are the butchers who sell evreything from steaks to legs with hooves attached to sides of cow so large they dwarf the men standing beside them. A little farther on down the side alley way is the group of young boys playing soccer and the girls squealing on the sidelines.
Overall worth a visit especially with the snake charmers and fresh OJ stands but maybe August wasn't the best time for it.

Lisbon was gorgeous! By the water it allowed for nicer weather. It was exactly as my Mom had always described it to me. The tile roofs, white washed buildings, ornate tiles with intricate patterns everywhere you look-stairs, sides of houses, even in public bathrooms, and, of course, Catholic churches and shrines to saints down practically every street. The abundance of fresh fish and the cheapness of wine made for savory, cheap meals. The Amalfa is by far the best for winding streets and hidden cafes under giant bouganvillea plants and seeing views of the city with an old man playing the acoustic in the background.

Paris. Well, anyone who knows me knows that me and this city are practically joined at the hip. Espresso in little side cafes, strolling up and down the right and left bank of the Seine, wine on the left bank basking in the setting sun over Notre Dame, beouf bourginan and tartiflette and creme brulee, pursuing the little stalls of artists in Montmartre, reliving the Impressionist period at Musee d'Orsay and visiting Monet's waterlilies at Musee de l'Orangerie and of course La Tour Eiffel by day and by night. Ah, c'est la vie en rose. After many a baguette and bottles of wine, we bid  au revoir to my city of lights.

A day of traveling landed us in Florence after the Italians were again having ishes with their train system. It was late but it didn't matter. We were in Italy -land of pasta! So after finding a cheap place to sleep we had our fill of pasta and red wine before catching some zzzs until the next day. Over the next few days we did as most do-we saw the sites. I walked the Ponte Vecchio and watched the jewelery sparkle and dance in the bright rays of te midday sun. I ate the most delicious mascarpone gelato. Hands down the best gelato I've ever had.    We drank wine while sitting on the window sill overlooking the windy street below doing our own rendition of "yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me". We walked the windy streets and looked at all the differents types of doors (see Andy's blog for more information). We went to the Uffizi and saw The Birth of Venus and La Primavera by Botticelli and then the Accademia to see David by Michaelanglo. Wonders of art and definitie mustsees. However, I think my favorite thing about Florence were the little doors all over in almost very building. Little wine doors from the days of the Black Plague. To prevent contamination they had secret ways of still getting your wine. Not even with a threat of almost certain death if contaminated, the Italians made sure they could still get their wine. So the take home message-don't try to separate an Italian from his wine! They will find ways to get it.

Pisa has a leaning tower. It's name is the leaning tower of Pisa.

La Cita Eterna! Roma. The Capital of the World. Home of the Colosseo and the Roman Forum. We did some couchsurfing there for a few nights to save some money. We did three free walking tours and saw much of the city this way. Rome is known for mnay things as well as it's plethra of fountains with ice cold drinking water. It was so hot that these really came in handy. We visited the Spanish steps just like in Roman Holiday. At the base of the steps is my favorite fountain in all of Rome. It's name in Italian meas "little boat" and it is a flooding fisherman's boat and the best fountain in it's simplicity and theme. The Trevi fountain is just as massive as I remember it in taking up the entire piazza. Since thousands of years of living has occurred in this city, no one can make a proper metro system so we did a lot of walking. We visited Il Colosseo and the Forum, St. Peter's Basillica and the Sistine Chapel, several works of art by Carvaggio, Michaelanglo and others all hidden in churches every couple blocks or so. Of course the mouth of truth was pretty wicked and then I beat Andy at a race on the Circo Massimo. I saw a man get ran over by a train. Next, I saw many an obelisk and more fountains in some of the grandest piazzas in the world. Trastevere has a great night life and all along the Tiber ther are shops and restaurants. At night here are bars and live music that can be heard from the banks to the bridges to the piazzas up above. We also found the greatest Italian restaurant on a side street walking back from a place we were trying to go to dinner. They don't speak a lick of English and since the old Italian women were eating there (and according to Andy, that means it's good). Specialities of the region like spaghetti with bacon and pecorino cheese o tonnareli with pepper and pecorino cheese, the most delectable maccaronini ai quattro formaggi or rigatoni al pesto and my favorite Italian dessert of panna cotta ai fruitti di bosco. So delicious that I could have eaten there every night! But it was time to move on...

I'm writing this now after just arriving in Naples. Time for pizza, Pompeii and Sorrento,and delicious Limoncello. So, ciao for now. More to come soon!

PHOTOS!!!

I just posted up a bunch of new pictures to my Flickr account! Check them out.

New blog updates coming soon too :)

Wow...It´s been a while...

So...
It´s been a while.
Well, here I am. I´ve made it to the other side.

But before we get to that...let´s see...I think last time, I was just leaving Chiang Mai. That was so long and so much has happend since then. I´ll try and fill you in as best I can.

We headed back to Bangkok for a night and then headed out the next to CAMBODIA! It was a long overnight train and we made it into Cambodia tired and wanting a shower because of the heat. We were shuttled into a tuk-tuk by a man who had started rushing the train as it was still pulling into the station. He then tried to take us to a small travel agency in which to buy our Cambodian visas. It was a good thing we had read ahead and knew that these cheeky men were going to try and do just that. We insisted that we get to the real border with the men in official looking uniforms adn all that jazz. We walked the extra bit to the border crossing. We stepped inside and checked out of Thailand.

We then had to walk across the duty free area full of casinos and people heckling at you to buy this or eat that. They use the US Dollar there and their own currency as coin change. 1000 Riel was the equivalent of 25 cents...that´s how shitty the rates were. We were shuttled into Cambodia, got a good stamp and visa, and then put on a bus to take us to the transportation center. We got there and I had to ride in the crack between 2 seats for the 2 hours it took us to get from the border to Siam Reap. We arrived at a hotel and were then shuttled into little tuk-tuks to take us to our hotel. Well, we didn´t have one so our driver man took us to the cheap, backpacking area. We got a place for $8 a night and once I had dropped off the bags and showered, I was ready for beer and food! Veggie stirfry with piña. ¡Qué delicioso!

Angkor Wat the next day. The guy that drove us to the hotel the previous night had set up a way to meet us in the AM to take us there. However, it was his 'brother' that showed up and drove us around all day. We saw the huge main Angkor Wat and then about 4 other smaller ones in the complex. Even the one with the trees growing out of everything (though it is known as the Tomb Raider temple...who knew...) It was pretty wicked awesome. If any of the computers out here will read the USB drive, I´ll be able to upload pictures!

We were heckled some more but this time by a 7 year old girl trying to sell bracelets. 2 for a dollar? 2 for a dollar? Okay, okay...3 for a dollar. 3 for a dollar? 3 for a dollar? Okay! 5 for a dollar! 5 for a dollar?
Not sure how many times we needed to say no...they don´t seem to get the idea.

Beer and buckets were so cheap and buckets came with a free t-shirt. Andy said it was like Pokeman-gotta catch them all. So, we diligently tried. However, the night ended with Andrew passed out in the bathroom in his boxers getting sick all over and being an ass to me. Yay haha

This pretty much summed up Cambodia. Great ruins and cheap booze. I almost even bought a stuffed alligator. The lady wouldn´t come down on the price otherwise, it would be in a box on the way to the States. Damn.

I bought some Black Panther beer before leaving and decided it best to leave the country before Andrew disappeared into another bucket...So long Cambodia.


When we got back to Bangkok a day later after having spent 6 hours traveling, we had dinner with our Chang man. He´s so lovely in his wanna be a woman way. Next day? Harry Potter! WOOWOO I don´t care how much of a nerd it makes me, but I was so excited, I was boucing the entire day. We go to see it on the 14th and in an awesome theatre with reclining leather chairs with popcorn and airheads! However, I was not really happy with the movie...bit of a disappointment really; it probably didn´t help that I had read the book right before either...sad sad

We met up with Andy´s friends Cat and Tristan and drank beer out of coffee mugs and to go cups do to it being a holiday. Drunk and wandering Koa San Road, I get a hair wrap and henna and eventually head back to Hua Lamphong. We got up early and headed to the train station. Time for Koh Phangan and the Full Moon Party woo!!!

We arrive at the island after traveling night and most of the morning and we are right on the beach. White sand, a huge pillow area to relax, the water shallow, clear and warm. It is only ankle deep so you have to sit in it to get any kind of relief from the sun.
The party was a huge success on my count. I had my full moon t-shirt and within two buckets, I was blacked out. Stealing bracelets from dude´s pockets and getting my face paint all over the place. I had to be led back to the taxi and thought I was sober enough to speak French to a couple who didn´t speak it either. Then, I inisted on sleeping on the bathroom floor until 6am. I woke up in bed, feeling great, ready to go again, not sure what happened the night before. SUCCESS!!!

Andy got sick and we chilled the next day before heading to Koh Tao for the best part of my trip thus far:
on the beautiful island of Koh Tao I became a certified scuba diver! It is the most amazing thing!
More details and picture of course (even from underwater!) to follow! Keep an eye out!