Beer and Waffles

After bidding a fond farewell to the Venice of the North, we ventured south for a quick overnight stop in Bruges (like the movie...get it?).  It's a bad ass little city that really does make you feel like you're walking on a movie set.  Beautiful architecture, funky shops, quaint houses, and lots of fun watering holes that serve endless varieties of delicious beer.  After walking around town for a bit in the afternoon, I partook in a fun little beer tasting event at the hostel.  Unfortunately, my travel companion is an avid non-beer drinker so I was flying solo in this adventure...or so I thought (more on that earth shattering news to follow).  I had the pleasure of testing 6 different varieties of beer and not only did I enjoy all of them, I also made a few pals in the process.  We drank and danced the night away, I almost incited an international incident (involving a mistaken case of snack mix theft), we fled the scene of the alleged crime, and all was right with the world. 

Bruges, in pictures:

Hey, Bruges.  I like you a whole lot. 

Basilica of the Holy Blood, where a vial of Jesus' blood is said to be housed.  We didn't actually see it, but I heard one report that it looks like beef jerky.

Lions and the Bruges coat of arms and bears, oh my!

Pretty city

Weird nubbin trees

This is Chas, world renowned beer hater, moments before taking a sip of the beer he was peer-pressured into ordering...

And here he is post-sip!  That's one satisfied customer.  A momentous occasion to be sure.

One fun thing about Belgian beers is that they all come in their own unique glass that is designed to maximize the flavor of the beer.  Here is an especially awesome one.

The rag tag Bruges wrecking crew.  Two Americans, two Aussies and a Brit.  A winning combination to be sure. 

Wall of Beer.  Be still my heart.

Delirium. Or should I say DeliriYUM?  Hahaha, that was terrible.  Sorry.

Duvel translates to devil.  So when you get drunk off of this you can just tell people that the devil made you do it.

Oh yeah, Belgium also produces delicious waffles.

And chocolate, if you're into that sort of thing.

After we left Bruges, we took a train to Brussels to catch a flight to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Chas was gracious enough to give me this really amazing window seat.  The views were spectacular.

Although our time in Bruges was brief, the impression it left was quite large.  While I wish we would have had more time there, I kind of like the fact that it was such a whirlwind experience.  Only scratched the surface of what the city has to offer, but that just means there will be plenty of things left to explore the next time I visit. 

Next stop: Scotland....

Amsterdam the Man!

Top of the mornin to ya!

Coming to you live and in color from the bustling metropolis of Dublin, Ireland.  I offer my sincerest apologies to those of you who might have taken the time between posts to mean that I had been arrested, hospitalized, and/or kidnapped.  Miraculously, none of those things are true.  The reality is that when you're exploring new and exciting lands with your pals, there isn't much time for quiet reflection and bloggery.  But fear not because I'm here to start making up for lost time.  I've got four countries to recap so I'll probably be breaking it up into a riveting quadrangle of fun.  Let's get crackin, shall we?

Ok, so after I departed Prague, I spent a few days exploring the countryside of the Netherlands and then made my way to Amsterdam to meet up with Chuck Huck.  Amsterdam is just about what you would expect - hookers dancing listlessly in red-lit windows, constant smell of weed wafting in the atmosphere, bikes everywhere, picturesque canals, etc.  Although we both agreed that we were a few years past our prime in terms of being able to properly party there, we still had a great time and saw lots of ridiculous stuff.  A few highlights:

As luck would have it, I arrived in Amsterdam on the day when Ajax, the local footy team won the Dutch title by defeating Twente by a score of 3-1.  So it was like the Super Bowl of Holland and people were celebrating as such. 

I was slightly concerned when drunk people started lighting flares...

But then I saw a big line of riot police and felt better.

The police diverted all pedestrian traffic leading back to my hostel about 2 miles out of the way, but had they not I probably would not have seen the Ajax team bus cruising by with all the players waving to their adoring fans.  This picture doesn't really do the experience justice, but it was a pretty cool thing to witness totally by accident.

Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Charles Huckestein has just entered the building!

A fun game to play when you're traveling is to try to fit as many cultural icons/stereotypes as possible into one photograph.  Here we see bikes, canals, and coffee shops. 

Taking pictures of the prostitutes in the red light district is creepy and weird...so all you get is a picture of the Bananenbar.  I can't say with any certainty what goes on there, but I'm pretty sure it's disgusting.



Artsy fartsy shot from the gallery at the Weed Museum.   

 

Who knew condoms could be used so creatively? 

Here's a picture of huge flower bulbs for those of you who enjoy morally sound activities.

Biking in Vondelpark.  I would venture to say that bikes outnumber people in Amsterdam.

If you want to keep a low profile and blend in with the locals, a good start is to wear a giant sombrero at a crappy Mexican restaurant.

Chas showing off our spacious digs aboard the Vita Nova houseboat/hostel.

In all my travels, I have noticed that the one beer that is available everywhere is Heineken.  So that's nice for the Dutchies.

Home sweet home, the Vita Nova.  If you ever stay here, make sure you book a room as far away from the bathrooms as humanly possible.  You're welcome in advance.

So that wraps up the Amsterdam portion of things.  It's definitely a place that everyone should visit at least once in their lives.  Lots of fun stuff to see and things to do and experiences to be had.  Oh and if you do go there, be prepared to get lost all the effin time.  Canals are confusing.

Next stop: Belgium...