tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29760357325295238542024-02-07T22:19:50.144-05:00European LayoverOur adventure on a three-month "layover" in Europe between our move from Atlanta, GA to Austin, TX!The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-31679958247329658542010-07-21T10:52:00.006-04:002010-07-21T11:25:51.589-04:00A Perfect Ending<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwBEM0bqySgPBoN7tftXlZ7_0t9xwhFGBYyNzdoNkhnsGZ_w66Nxw164_sifMYNlMaVvZeRPi8oheTPDsCI1gQ66NIlByiO-3uUVNjbk6DrmFyTY8VSf2mTPZXklJVD-pYMYrvNsU1EcL/s1600/IMG_3826.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwBEM0bqySgPBoN7tftXlZ7_0t9xwhFGBYyNzdoNkhnsGZ_w66Nxw164_sifMYNlMaVvZeRPi8oheTPDsCI1gQ66NIlByiO-3uUVNjbk6DrmFyTY8VSf2mTPZXklJVD-pYMYrvNsU1EcL/s400/IMG_3826.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496375762110511106" /></a><br />We definitely slacked on posting our last blog – probably because we are in denial about our trip ending! It’s so hard to believe how quickly three months passed by!<br /><br />Croatia was a perfect place to end our trip! It was incredibly beautiful and actually quite similar to Italy (rocky beaches, lots of pasta, etc.). Although we did venture into the city center of Split one day, most of our time was spent at our resort (Le Meridien Lav) in a town called Podstrana – about 20 minutes south of Split. <br /><br />Our time in Croatia can be summed up in one word – relaxing. Below are a few of our favorite pictures from the week.<br /><br />View of the hotel pool and beach (where we spent nearly all of our time):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSV-L4mODYBLlYAiJYwOgmCa5NqATeGonrDqI_eKi7TpsiZV1RJQR-iDAdGXyo-jqjImyb1a6fjit8By5IjQeYrcjQeJ__jH5tqnyUt9GGWY-b3Mv29wSEDIHpbM6FxOCWd6_PtSXivj1J/s1600/IMG_3804.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSV-L4mODYBLlYAiJYwOgmCa5NqATeGonrDqI_eKi7TpsiZV1RJQR-iDAdGXyo-jqjImyb1a6fjit8By5IjQeYrcjQeJ__jH5tqnyUt9GGWY-b3Mv29wSEDIHpbM6FxOCWd6_PtSXivj1J/s400/IMG_3804.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496374710600607474" /></a><br />Enjoying the sun (prior to us both getting sun rashes):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEw6q9zPHAhK-1lfITo0NvCINco9hMsWTlDz21UfEDhiGv8YfgM5pH1eOzVz1FKIYLtU8NyiE-uYXA6jC7QPi2btFWNexs2nr9VhHvcM0_RLcVOxSaFUL8O3vfnrT1y4iI0hmaW-WA_Eo/s1600/IMG_3851.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEw6q9zPHAhK-1lfITo0NvCINco9hMsWTlDz21UfEDhiGv8YfgM5pH1eOzVz1FKIYLtU8NyiE-uYXA6jC7QPi2btFWNexs2nr9VhHvcM0_RLcVOxSaFUL8O3vfnrT1y4iI0hmaW-WA_Eo/s400/IMG_3851.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496375853509088578" /></a><br />Celebrating Jonathan’s birthday (a delicious dessert compliments of the hotel):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb64AiAz2WinOpoxeBduvZieknP3fNKNfvxr4m3NnCBonENfGG-b2R6zPLgDxhxc9upLgfSPwZ-IbZWCpvX8-smkOg9uI6doZf_LL30LfBIFqagN4Da_OTzMJx487YnmcmHpRRzijTDg40/s1600/IMG_3824.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb64AiAz2WinOpoxeBduvZieknP3fNKNfvxr4m3NnCBonENfGG-b2R6zPLgDxhxc9upLgfSPwZ-IbZWCpvX8-smkOg9uI6doZf_LL30LfBIFqagN4Da_OTzMJx487YnmcmHpRRzijTDg40/s400/IMG_3824.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496374698405161314" /></a><br />Roman ruins in Split (in the historic city center):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRKzVZq9fyJ_tJXHD4C-Psm-iO9d7TJRbDGLcARyDBzBvHsSuCg_xEr1El2TQV8h7LHMvIN4SamxW9WwkY7_q2LAwb-VvxEKEgykidDVkttQUcCqIbKLlH2jGdVvS57xcEjbw9q0Dg_ZF/s1600/IMG_3860.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRKzVZq9fyJ_tJXHD4C-Psm-iO9d7TJRbDGLcARyDBzBvHsSuCg_xEr1El2TQV8h7LHMvIN4SamxW9WwkY7_q2LAwb-VvxEKEgykidDVkttQUcCqIbKLlH2jGdVvS57xcEjbw9q0Dg_ZF/s400/IMG_3860.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496375896943206770" /></a><br />Fruity drinks at the bar (as well as at the pool/beach):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUroK5gESZTxQpQGAcgJEQJ0Hg_XkCXRwD-8u9OFJf34fTUqE6cMhqPovQo_CganLQ-eshfrCypotNJJ9OZSohRc6T230WTz9pslJkLsYkneU0i1MUHLssFMmwrb93YLIUUeKGClpQoxR/s1600/a.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUroK5gESZTxQpQGAcgJEQJ0Hg_XkCXRwD-8u9OFJf34fTUqE6cMhqPovQo_CganLQ-eshfrCypotNJJ9OZSohRc6T230WTz9pslJkLsYkneU0i1MUHLssFMmwrb93YLIUUeKGClpQoxR/s400/a.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496374690518209490" /></a><br />Last night of the trip (at dinner over-looking the coast):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjqYjuyo5c5vHB2WEiXPEItafCJe-uhBGwHIojIV_UxbwsWnKu3S51HN-k7x4lpFyw6zc3zwI__xFmHHSyNV8u1Gu-HA6ELhTEMO0VHKWmzXJLjVgv6ZbIWX0SyrWailMXeLQF4wYbmL0/s1600/IMG_3884.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjqYjuyo5c5vHB2WEiXPEItafCJe-uhBGwHIojIV_UxbwsWnKu3S51HN-k7x4lpFyw6zc3zwI__xFmHHSyNV8u1Gu-HA6ELhTEMO0VHKWmzXJLjVgv6ZbIWX0SyrWailMXeLQF4wYbmL0/s400/IMG_3884.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496375915837645090" /></a><br />Now that we are back, we’ve been asked quite a few times about our “favorites” on the trip. We really enjoyed every minute of our time in Europe (making it really hard to narrow down "favorites"), but below are a few we’d thought we share.<br /><br />Favorite Cites/Towns: <br /> • Budapest (Hungary)<br /> • Barcelona (Spain)<br /> • Edinburgh (Scotland)<br /> • Manarola / Cinque Terre (Italy)<br /> • Beilstein (Germany)<br /> • Stockholm (Sweden)<br /><br />Favorite Activities/Sites: <br /> • Kayaking on Lake Geneva (Switzerland)<br /> • People watching at New Harbor (Denmark) <br /> • Anne Frank House Museum (The Netherlands)<br /> • Wine tasting on the Mosel River (Germany)<br /> • Gaudi architecture (Spain)<br /> • Salvador Dali Museum (Spain)<br /> • Augustiner Braustubl Tavern beer hall/garden (Austria) <br /> • Porgy & Bess Jazz Club (Austria)<br /> • City walking tours (numerous countries)<br /><br />Favorite Restaurants: <br /> • Les Fines Gueules (France)<br /> • Espai Sucre (Spain)<br /> • Dos Palillos (Spain)<br /> • Bloberger Hof (Austria)<br /> • Pizzeria Starita (Italy)<br /><br />Favorite Local Foods/Dishes: <br /> • Waffles (Belgium)<br /> • Montanara Neapolitan pizza (Italy)<br /> • Genovese pesto (Italy)<br /> • Langos (Hungary)<br /> • Aelplermagronen (Switzerland)<br /><br />Favorite Beers: <br /> • Brouwerij ‘t IJ Columbus (The Netherlands)<br /> • La Chouffe (Belgium)<br /> • Pauwel Kwak (Belgium)<br /> • Fraoch – a.k.a. the “Heather” beer (Scotland)<br /> • Jamtlands (Sweden)<br /><br />Thank you all for following our journey with us! We are excited to catch up with everyone now that we are back! We definitely caught the “travel bug” and are already thinking ahead to our next big trip (although it might be a while)!<br /><br />Final Beer List:<br /> • Karlovacko Pivo (a Croatian lager)<br /> • Ozujsko Pivo (a Croatian lager)<br /> • Tomislav Pivo (a Croatian dark lager)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-40876298668244984832010-07-08T18:29:00.006-04:002010-07-08T18:51:07.614-04:00Hungary Hungary Heather!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlZxc2K43bZxcSFH0aSqBaw8IBrncVF7Kqq1pcUwWA3CESKzdreqgoCHpewvKQvRL64beaCNkcnmAsWhIMny3UGcoFuCkRAF49gPZ2TbGtNz1sxqvALtjcIagSJJ_JBeVXBCxZfJeDAeA/s1600/b.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlZxc2K43bZxcSFH0aSqBaw8IBrncVF7Kqq1pcUwWA3CESKzdreqgoCHpewvKQvRL64beaCNkcnmAsWhIMny3UGcoFuCkRAF49gPZ2TbGtNz1sxqvALtjcIagSJJ_JBeVXBCxZfJeDAeA/s400/b.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491667979623525586" /></a><br />We absolutely loved Budapest! With so much to do in such a beautiful surrounding, Budapest is definitely the most underrated city in Europe. We could have easily spent at least another week there, and one of the really wonderful parts is that it isn’t nearly as crowded as many of the other cities we’ve visited.<br /><br />After sleeping in until almost noon on Saturday, we ventured out to partake in some light exploring of the city – mainly the large shopping street and Great Market Hall – before heading back to our hotel to watch the afternoon World Cup game (Germany/Argentina). Later that evening, we had dinner at a really nice restaurant next to the beautiful Opera House (also out of season), and then spent the rest of the evening at our hotel’s bar listening to the live music. We have a knack for finding places frequented by older crowds – we were the youngest people at the bar by at least two decades!<br /><br />We started Sunday with a walking tour of both parts of the city (Buda and Pest) which are separated by the Danube River. It was run by a different company than the one we have been using for most of the trip (New Europe), but was just as good (and possibly even a bit better). The tour started in Pest (the financial and commercial hub of the city) and ended in the more historic Castle District in Buda (the more residential and historic side). Here is a picture of us in front of Fisherman’s Bastion in the Castle District, which supposedly served as inspiration for the Disney castle logo. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxeWfbHnCwfvW_jgPIPZy_Ij9wZ7xhUzBLErDykdGQ2EornWXvrmyecMkZ82lZHOpa4HChIGVoCZr00GG0XMuANMH2i7i4Hiic8Ld-z_LwRu5Wh7Xy-rmcJkq_4EVBCMCbRNEzaV6ky3R/s1600/IMG_3690.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxeWfbHnCwfvW_jgPIPZy_Ij9wZ7xhUzBLErDykdGQ2EornWXvrmyecMkZ82lZHOpa4HChIGVoCZr00GG0XMuANMH2i7i4Hiic8Ld-z_LwRu5Wh7Xy-rmcJkq_4EVBCMCbRNEzaV6ky3R/s400/IMG_3690.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491667080147551698" /></a><br />After the tour, we decided to do a wine tasting at a nearby wine cellar/museum which was really cool and informative. We were surprised to find out that Hungary is a huge wine growing country and we definitely want to make it back to visit some of the outlying vineyards. For dinner on Sunday, we ate at another Hungarian restaurant (see picture of Heather at the top of the blog enjoying a “kenyerlangos”) followed by a visit to one of Budapest’s “ruin bars” – Szimpla. “Ruin bars” are essentially former condemned or abandoned buildings that have been transformed into pubs/bars. Szimpla was really cool and definitely a unique Hungarian experience. <br /><br />After a morning of shopping, we planned to spend Monday afternoon at another wine tasting. Much to our dismay, we arrived at the House of Hungarian Wines to discover it was closed down – heartbreaking! Fortunately, we found a nearby cafe where we grabbed a glass of wine and tried the famous (and delicious) Hungarian cake – dobos torte. Later that night, we made a visit to the absolute coolest bar we’ve ever been to – Szimpla Kemp (see picture of one of the rooms in the bar below). It is the most famous “ruin bar” in the city and the “big brother” of the place we were at the night before (just Szimpla). It was crazy! They have a really large outdoor courtyard tucked in the middle of a bunch of run-down buildings, completely hidden from the road, and with all kinds of random objects (cars, pummel horses, computer monitors, etc.) decorating the venue. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSlYFNMbaKXDtHBQz3wBOIpHx2rVgJYkVNNlLlKyc1I7qm3oHUdJEUpPC2O0_ABjRp4aV38GU-03LP8T47knQlmI3EcxvLH0tyHzRdXkf8PpYXzq2GmbMt9g2jWXEXeFQIAS5z_LprH4y/s1600/IMG_3769.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSlYFNMbaKXDtHBQz3wBOIpHx2rVgJYkVNNlLlKyc1I7qm3oHUdJEUpPC2O0_ABjRp4aV38GU-03LP8T47knQlmI3EcxvLH0tyHzRdXkf8PpYXzq2GmbMt9g2jWXEXeFQIAS5z_LprH4y/s400/IMG_3769.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491667091115176178" /></a><br />Tuesday was our favorite day in the city. We started by visiting the Szechenyi Baths – the most popular and largest thermal (Turkish style) baths in Budapest. In addition to three large outside pools, there were numerous indoor baths/pools – all fed by thermal springs at varying temperatures. It was an awesome experience, as we were able to really absorb the local culture (and do some great people watching), and we highly recommend a visit to one of the baths on any trip to Budapest. We just wish we had time to visit more than one! Beware though… large Hungarian men aren’t afraid to don a Speedo! Below is a picture of us in the large outdoor swimming area.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANxgmHdJOcpXNJYKd_XskwFI29RxVpwajWBObRZdg1R-pr2WADNJ4QepcegtmhwBuKB513h3vfVYShA1niNA9PczBH7RxyYDAzcJjGlqsd1TBcIXgnl8RokUKuTgJZQNjanlq3F35fGyP/s1600/IMG_3789.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANxgmHdJOcpXNJYKd_XskwFI29RxVpwajWBObRZdg1R-pr2WADNJ4QepcegtmhwBuKB513h3vfVYShA1niNA9PczBH7RxyYDAzcJjGlqsd1TBcIXgnl8RokUKuTgJZQNjanlq3F35fGyP/s400/IMG_3789.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491667108724924866" /></a><br />After picking up a few last minute souvenirs, we tracked down the supposedly best “langos” (fried flat bread dough topped with garlic, sour cream, and cheese) place in the city. The “Langos Bar” did not disappoint us at all, and is probably the best thing we’ve eaten on the trip (see picture below of the lady topping ours with cheese). Just thinking about it makes our mouths water! Heather spent the next hour talking about opening a langos stand in Austin.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku37ieEzRP-Pl693ziejg5La5LnB7w2MM5NUyVGTxrTvRUvXi_s6E5A2Q5LA2fOftUjCDpYZyJL1bNA2c3fmWtR3PKazASngImXrqmV3UtOCi82r03o33LgYmZ7mEtz7xuORfUh6YOaw0/s1600/s.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku37ieEzRP-Pl693ziejg5La5LnB7w2MM5NUyVGTxrTvRUvXi_s6E5A2Q5LA2fOftUjCDpYZyJL1bNA2c3fmWtR3PKazASngImXrqmV3UtOCi82r03o33LgYmZ7mEtz7xuORfUh6YOaw0/s400/s.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491667100595645762" /></a><br />After our delicious snack, we made it back to our hotel in time to rest a bit before a scheduled visit to the amazing spa at our hotel. Our massages were awesome, and afterward, we made our way downstairs in the hotel to have dinner at a place called Bock Bisztro – one of the top restaurants in the country. The “wine-themed” restaurant was delicious, and was a perfect ending to our time in Budapest! <br /><br />Yesterday we spent the entire day traveling to Split, Croatia on a very long, overnight train ride. We arrived a little tired and grumpy early this morning, but after a short nap we were ready to head down to the pool/beach for a “strenuous” afternoon of relaxing in the sun (don’t worry – we just bought another bottle of sun screen)! The vast majority of our time in Croatia will be spent relaxing at our resort (see view from our hotel room below) and celebrating Jonathan’s birthday! We’ll definitely post anything exciting that happens during the week before we head back to the states on the 15th (boooo)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBibgdwjJIwaAbKVptKG2Q2Iik6UwVi3cy0yuYd-jJwVPAe2QzXmGvQ8m8IZw8T7_qusG63Vvcu_eVpUMStZTPxUE1fNgIb3p2KXs7s-oCZcTWLP7Wy5dfRPCAQ8IaorxkLYhuM04lo8Ij/s1600/IMG_3794.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBibgdwjJIwaAbKVptKG2Q2Iik6UwVi3cy0yuYd-jJwVPAe2QzXmGvQ8m8IZw8T7_qusG63Vvcu_eVpUMStZTPxUE1fNgIb3p2KXs7s-oCZcTWLP7Wy5dfRPCAQ8IaorxkLYhuM04lo8Ij/s400/IMG_3794.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491671300019903394" /></a><br />Beer List:<br /> • Dreher Classic (a Hungarian Euro Pale Lager)<br /> • Soproni (a Hungarian Euro Pale Lager)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-12731249684836334062010-07-04T13:52:00.006-04:002010-07-04T14:09:26.634-04:00Happy Birthday America!Since we didn't have a lot of options to celebrate the 4th in Budapest, we decided to toast America in our own way – by eating breakfast at McDonald's (see picture below filled with greasy food)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwA_iML1Rf7dvCgUDzesMJOSTWf3B40FoDtRJNBOeuOSXBSRGNBcS0YCMVOgMl5M89HGP5A0r2UJ-SF4ND1WvTbXduue8RFAD6KHGmo9_VpVKb_IU1iSx2P_5IAKQ-wUsyWtYVlEhc1BL/s1600/IMG_3634.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwA_iML1Rf7dvCgUDzesMJOSTWf3B40FoDtRJNBOeuOSXBSRGNBcS0YCMVOgMl5M89HGP5A0r2UJ-SF4ND1WvTbXduue8RFAD6KHGmo9_VpVKb_IU1iSx2P_5IAKQ-wUsyWtYVlEhc1BL/s400/IMG_3634.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490113761416012722" /></a><br />And because nothing is more American than Starbucks (except maybe apple pie) we continued the celebration by stopping there for an afternoon iced coffee (see picture below). Heather was a bit mortified though when Jonathan pulled out his camera and tripod in front of Starbucks! As a side note, this is the first Starbucks in Budapest (opening up just two weeks ago), and had a line out the door during our visit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yNOKwbHCDRdKbN36bdIBM00OCESFQRYmkIvz3iHM0pb3BPeYMKZA38DdTpIZxJsyQD3u_O-lRj1QigtQZgdO8RcWYLIhzkO4PxAz2Jg9xqKE9nRdZNZvsUQhiFGFT-AeBYA6eFpUCheK/s1600/IMG_3718.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yNOKwbHCDRdKbN36bdIBM00OCESFQRYmkIvz3iHM0pb3BPeYMKZA38DdTpIZxJsyQD3u_O-lRj1QigtQZgdO8RcWYLIhzkO4PxAz2Jg9xqKE9nRdZNZvsUQhiFGFT-AeBYA6eFpUCheK/s400/IMG_3718.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490114216670122290" /></a><br />Last but not least, we would like to wish a very happy 80th birthday to Heather's grandmother, Velma, and also a happy birthday to Aunt Laura! We love you guys!The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-14012075980997994232010-07-03T07:28:00.010-04:002010-07-03T08:00:23.274-04:00Save a Horse, Ride a Baby?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3EYdhl-xVuJOKQrG_KjmYf-iI6VbK-CBrFdXHJXmqlHlit7DQmHx6p_YAUbajUA8a9qifPNTzpRUZB6KKdAY7d0cjAEWM2WQ0uYqs8mRBz9mZSSzZfa86iSIMNU_I6cjQ6lvPphSs03O/s1600/IMG_3607.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3EYdhl-xVuJOKQrG_KjmYf-iI6VbK-CBrFdXHJXmqlHlit7DQmHx6p_YAUbajUA8a9qifPNTzpRUZB6KKdAY7d0cjAEWM2WQ0uYqs8mRBz9mZSSzZfa86iSIMNU_I6cjQ6lvPphSs03O/s400/IMG_3607.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489645090520365266" /></a><br />This past Sunday, we arrived in Prague – the capital of the Czech Republic. Heather couldn’t stop laughing after snapping the above picture of Jonathan at a park along the river in Prague, so we thought we’d share it with everyone! In all seriousness though, all the tour books and fellow traveler comments were right on – this is definitely one of the most beautiful cities in Europe (see picture below). Another great thing about Prague is how cheap this city is, at least in comparison to many of the other places we’ve visited. You can get a great half-liter beer on draught at a restaurant for just a little more than a buck (beer actually costs less than water)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhKOYkcDO00_d_9R8zWyeTIIOdvTY7L4pWeYV7pPB_nBCT2k88IuaAKlqdyVPFxl-X_6sGkswsT4n_qErOmw8ofd0B97-fjc1vF9HPo7ZydYIxhp1mNjD8iOAx3Ltf5wLus-1JnehkZIl/s1600/IMG_3553.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhKOYkcDO00_d_9R8zWyeTIIOdvTY7L4pWeYV7pPB_nBCT2k88IuaAKlqdyVPFxl-X_6sGkswsT4n_qErOmw8ofd0B97-fjc1vF9HPo7ZydYIxhp1mNjD8iOAx3Ltf5wLus-1JnehkZIl/s400/IMG_3553.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489645067493117522" /></a><br />On Monday we got an early start to try to avoid the hordes of tourists. There are so many things to see and visit in Prague! We decided to take another free tour offered by the New Europe tour company (the same tour we’ve taken in several other cities) as a way to gain a better understanding of the city. After showing us some of the major sites in Old Town (the square, the clock tower, churches, theaters, etc.), our tour guide took us to the Jewish Quarter (see picture below). During World War II, the Nazis destroyed most Jewish neighborhoods in cities throughout Europe. However, the Jewish Quarter in Prague is remarkably well preserved, largely due to Hitler’s gruesome plans for the area. According to our guide, after removing the Jewish people from the neighborhood, Hitler instructed his troops not to destroy the area. His plan was to preserve the neighborhood to create a “museum” to an extinct race where scholars could study their buildings, relics of their religion, and objects used in daily lives. Today most of the area is devoted to the Jewish Museum, Synagogues (including the oldest in Europe), and graveyard. Although we didn’t visit the Jewish Museum, our tour guide told us an especially moving story about some of the contents. During the concentration camp period, a Jewish artist was able to smuggle in basic art supplies. Rather than use them herself, she gave them to the children in the camp. For many, their art work hanging in the Jewish Museum is the only evidence left that they ever existed. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorD9tMaqVQDKDXZO3qLM8aXPynP-xadGuCSKVpJHfL_IA5r6f6zrxzGUOIkFRuJ4GZ5xAxfRV9EAVeWzMTdzaX4ERme7KslYpU-gcp-cYRmLpVjVvn9pH0VP0vO6e6NJZ-7tvUpRiHoXI/s1600/IMG_3478.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorD9tMaqVQDKDXZO3qLM8aXPynP-xadGuCSKVpJHfL_IA5r6f6zrxzGUOIkFRuJ4GZ5xAxfRV9EAVeWzMTdzaX4ERme7KslYpU-gcp-cYRmLpVjVvn9pH0VP0vO6e6NJZ-7tvUpRiHoXI/s400/IMG_3478.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489644536617353682" /></a><br />After the tour, we grabbed lunch at this place called Bohemia Bagel, which serves all kinds of crazy sandwiches on a variety of bagels (definitely worth a stop on any trip to Prague). We then made our way over to enjoy a couple beers along with a shot of herbal Czech liquor (Becherovka) at the oldest brewery/pub in Prague – U Fleku. It was a really cool place and another must on any visit. For the World Cup, Hyundai built a “fan park” in the Old Town Square with a giant screen for people to watch the games. Live bands played before and after each match, and local vendors were set up to serve food and drinks around the area. We decided to partake in the festivities on Monday night, watching Brazil (the crowd favorite) destroy Chile! Here is Heather enjoying a Czech Budweiser during the game.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8R6MWqPAZv5hLZV6Z5QwH7iGtG2A1Z_3h2BALZm-j4oBkmXGdKSE6QvMEVg2H_Awd2c8bpOebT74dnJtyP3FZBQPT_AUENQMVyvnLPWA1NTBZpyXHUDkf3NxOoYP1DOD8G-zGWLYRTMDB/s1600/1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8R6MWqPAZv5hLZV6Z5QwH7iGtG2A1Z_3h2BALZm-j4oBkmXGdKSE6QvMEVg2H_Awd2c8bpOebT74dnJtyP3FZBQPT_AUENQMVyvnLPWA1NTBZpyXHUDkf3NxOoYP1DOD8G-zGWLYRTMDB/s400/1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489643556192684418" /></a><br />Tuesday we started the day by trying to visit the Staropramen brewery (Jonathan’s favorite Czech beer). Unfortunately it was closed for renovations, but we were able to eat lunch in their restaurant. We spent most of the remainder of the day revisiting sites from our walking tour and taking pictures (it is always hard to take pictures during the actual tour). Below is a picture of us in front of the Astronomical Clock (tower) in Old Town Square. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvO1sKkGvqUSkhlB2YnV0LbfD3aYZOBRt2HDBgZR_gH-Ejwpl14SZZKE5vIuEsFsTQkrJvmfo8NBYrwcjrDOliS-Spev9ZpZgfgaD79olEbcip-9QTvvMazTZ7XpqQf6wxp_o6QgXmPEsG/s1600/b.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvO1sKkGvqUSkhlB2YnV0LbfD3aYZOBRt2HDBgZR_gH-Ejwpl14SZZKE5vIuEsFsTQkrJvmfo8NBYrwcjrDOliS-Spev9ZpZgfgaD79olEbcip-9QTvvMazTZ7XpqQf6wxp_o6QgXmPEsG/s400/b.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489644197813568178" /></a><br />Wednesday was another jam packed day, which included a tour of Prague Castle and an area of the city called “Lesser Town” – ultimately lasting over four hours. The tour also included a changing of the guard ceremony at the castle which was rather pathetic compared to some of the others we’ve seen before. Interestingly, while the guards at Buckingham Palace work seven hour shifts, the Prague Castle guards only work one hour shifts. Here is Heather giving a “high-five” to one of the guards in front of the castle. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3LQK1bm2nrBsP_UGQuDNVfR54sZTU33Tiw7aPqLpbSwkf47By4U3HupkAu1L-TcPgYzl3RZT0HxaX8dSE8qzPzgX5l8UNJt4RHb66N4CxbgVlfqvL0fbnXX9fzfLTlw-9d3D_4ZlDwS6/s1600/a.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3LQK1bm2nrBsP_UGQuDNVfR54sZTU33Tiw7aPqLpbSwkf47By4U3HupkAu1L-TcPgYzl3RZT0HxaX8dSE8qzPzgX5l8UNJt4RHb66N4CxbgVlfqvL0fbnXX9fzfLTlw-9d3D_4ZlDwS6/s400/a.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489643745087881698" /></a><br />We were quite tired and sweaty when the tour was all done – leaving us just enough time to run back to our hotel, quickly shower, and make it back to the Municipal Hall for a classical concert we were attending that night. After almost three months of doing our best to avoid anything and everything we consider “touristy,” we somehow picked the most “tourist” concert imaginable! In our defense though, our first choice was to attend an event at the Rudolfinum, but the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra was out of season. The building housing the touristy concert was extremely beautiful though (both inside and out). Here is a picture of us with the Municipal Hall in the background. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrax4XBpM0JQE85k9rkhIiVNCyE1Z1CujrqGhCHtdZHv9YFqmV7kVfwbr9FVN97YUh9RjW9eL72QZU-V2D3yp8BTIV5yxCE-lGVXIC0pZuHqHowEu5i4SPGCbMSQ1LUkkuTiOFqZBNUp0/s1600/IMG_3542.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrax4XBpM0JQE85k9rkhIiVNCyE1Z1CujrqGhCHtdZHv9YFqmV7kVfwbr9FVN97YUh9RjW9eL72QZU-V2D3yp8BTIV5yxCE-lGVXIC0pZuHqHowEu5i4SPGCbMSQ1LUkkuTiOFqZBNUp0/s400/IMG_3542.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489644545031534450" /></a><br />We spent most of the day on Thursday revisiting sites in the Lesser Town, including the Strahov Monastic Brewery (a microbrewery run by monks – see picture of Jonathan below). We finished our time in Prague with another Czech meal at a local restaurant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzMWQY7B6LsVWi99-aa1VeHNJaIx-fqmW9Z6tia49nsK1HC_dr_zFnqdph6HeHPmPv5aaqbHPD9cmf0ZSoc4WIUfnmEnRwMGd2i5WR2-dBnA6cCqWVlUC0eG2Bg8Q6rt9va21s8fCPD0a/s1600/IMG_3570.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzMWQY7B6LsVWi99-aa1VeHNJaIx-fqmW9Z6tia49nsK1HC_dr_zFnqdph6HeHPmPv5aaqbHPD9cmf0ZSoc4WIUfnmEnRwMGd2i5WR2-dBnA6cCqWVlUC0eG2Bg8Q6rt9va21s8fCPD0a/s400/IMG_3570.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489645082299139154" /></a><br />We arrived in Budapest last night and are staying at the nicest hotel of our trip! We look a little grungy at this point (have you noticed how long Jonathan’s hair is), so we are sure the hotel staff was really excited to see us arrive! <br /><br />Beer List (we are going to detox when we get home!):<br /> • Staropramen Lezak (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • Staropramen Granat (a Czech Euro Lager)<br /> • Staropramen Cerny (a Czech Dunkel)<br /> • Staropramen 11° (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • Kozel Medium Lezak (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • Kozel Premium Lezak (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • Kozel Cerny (a Czech Dunkel)<br /> • Kozel Svelty (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • Budweiser Budvar (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • Bernard Svatecni Lezak (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • Gambrinus 11° Excelent (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • Krusovice Cerne (a Czech Schwarzbier)<br /> • Pilsner Urquell (a Czech Pilsener)<br /> • U Fleku Flekovsky Tmavy Lezák 13° (a Czech microbrewery Dunkel)<br /> • Saint Norbert IPA (a Czech microbrewery India Pale Ale)<br /> • Saint Norbert Weizen (a Czech microbrewery Hefeweizen)<br /> • Saint Norbert Amber (a Czech microbrewery Marzen)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-13464567010397813912010-06-28T02:17:00.003-04:002010-06-28T03:01:31.455-04:00Tired of Traveling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYKtJamjldVGCgLyaqtT8-NCZ8XMhGDO1xVXS_O5V0yDVjnKKqtZ3Vr8U4T7AXLO80Zc0MhDpRjnG1xmB7LZ6XI4pOx4-EoaYL5y9rntrZzgaEU9YtMzKb3Mq8BLd-BbVAL-4UfgpcFc7/s1600/DSCN1632.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYKtJamjldVGCgLyaqtT8-NCZ8XMhGDO1xVXS_O5V0yDVjnKKqtZ3Vr8U4T7AXLO80Zc0MhDpRjnG1xmB7LZ6XI4pOx4-EoaYL5y9rntrZzgaEU9YtMzKb3Mq8BLd-BbVAL-4UfgpcFc7/s400/DSCN1632.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487714707550380194" /></a><br />Don’t worry… we are definitely not tired of traveling! We’re actually trying not to think about the fact that we are down to the last 3 stops on our trip. The picture above is of a random tourist we happened upon outside of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. Hopefully she got a second wind later that day! <br /><br />On Thursday, we spent our first full day in Vienna taking in the major city sites (Hofburg, Spanish Riding School, Museum Quarter, Opera House, etc.) and doing a little light shopping. In the early afternoon, we spent a little over an hour searching for the allusive “brat in a bun,” only to figure out that it was sold at a vendor stand that we had already passed 3 times. It was well worth the time and effort though! Here is a picture of Jonathan enjoying his “brat in a bun” and a beer in the historic city center of Vienna. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR0ingbrB2YPYreEBvpXJ6dvD8AuGsH_GvGm4n2e7EqVOCiVf5gU7ytihEofpI759zps3jfxcNMyTsW48awJQezGDopxg9Gj3V5y7FzYmUxZAylNcVERSaDGgrRGSVxsTmEyy7yDfgDE6/s1600/IMG_3337.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR0ingbrB2YPYreEBvpXJ6dvD8AuGsH_GvGm4n2e7EqVOCiVf5gU7ytihEofpI759zps3jfxcNMyTsW48awJQezGDopxg9Gj3V5y7FzYmUxZAylNcVERSaDGgrRGSVxsTmEyy7yDfgDE6/s400/IMG_3337.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487706385987546626" /></a><br />Thursday night, we had our second Asian meal in Vienna. We didn’t know Austrians loved Asian food so much! We also stopped by one of the famous cafes (Café Sacher) to sample their Sachertorte, one of the best desserts of the trip!<br /><br />We spent most of Friday at the humungous Schonbrunn Palace. The palace is so large and includes so many different sites that it would be easy to spend more than one day there. Here is a picture of us with the palace garden and Gloriette in the background. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibs4QFUBxQfnsIOZXo_dHtI5W0njmLHItUESff7aK8TFQuAyjhhwa9yhCQtHAJWB3y1cR4f5Nd7tnMacFTzO00DuebCp3V8Btf5gvL1QEmhJA5vV6zXfjX1IKSqhfKAgF0n91FHVZp3SK4/s1600/IMG_3385.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibs4QFUBxQfnsIOZXo_dHtI5W0njmLHItUESff7aK8TFQuAyjhhwa9yhCQtHAJWB3y1cR4f5Nd7tnMacFTzO00DuebCp3V8Btf5gvL1QEmhJA5vV6zXfjX1IKSqhfKAgF0n91FHVZp3SK4/s400/IMG_3385.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487706379844185746" /></a><br />We limited our visit to a tour of the Imperial Rooms and later a stop at the garden maze/labyrinth. Heather scoffed a bit at the maze when we entered it, thinking it was going to be a breeze, but after repeatedly getting lost, she finally had to get out the maze map. Below is picture of her in front of one of the many dead ends we encountered. Unfortunately her map reading skills are not that great, so it still took us quite a bit of time to find the center of the maze and eventually get out! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzy2NezezX44H34u4VpxjPnO0EViWgImwR9hE3vQw6dn7amC_Za4Ib3sMalO77jMvwm8ID51U94wvFXI0tYq8UtGp0oZJU3UjiclK3q646CWiHkghPbWCRiBOtVQmfNKv1dP3I5XTaJweq/s1600/IMG_3396.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzy2NezezX44H34u4VpxjPnO0EViWgImwR9hE3vQw6dn7amC_Za4Ib3sMalO77jMvwm8ID51U94wvFXI0tYq8UtGp0oZJU3UjiclK3q646CWiHkghPbWCRiBOtVQmfNKv1dP3I5XTaJweq/s400/IMG_3396.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487706372055081810" /></a><br />On Friday night we found a local artsy neighborhood that was having a block party. It made us a little homesick because the neighborhood really reminded us of Decatur. At one of the local shops, the owner (who was actually from California) recommended a micro-brewery in the neighborhood for dinner. We decided to take his recommendation and were not disappointed! The 7 Stern Brau brewery had amazing beer and really good food! It is possible to get vegetarian dishes in Austria! We wanted to try more of their beers but had to quickly make our way across town to make it to a show at the Porgy & Bess Jazz Club. The club was awesome, and the band performing played really cool and interesting music (kind of a fusion of jazz and latin). <br /><br />Yesterday we visited Naschmarkt, Vienna’s huge outdoor food market. It was a bit different from the markets we visited in other cities, and we were really surprised to find an entire row of Asian restaurants. Seriously, these people love their Asian food! After lunch at the market we took the train to visit an Austrian “Heuriger.” The Vienna area is known for these “wine-gardens” where you can sample the young wine served from the wine-growers own grapes. The place we visited (Zum Alter Pflug) probably would be really cool if more people would have been there and the servers were a little nicer. The setting was really cool, but boy was our server grumpy! Below is a picture of “Mr. Grouchy Pants.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCa0sE1fZ9K2fOj3KXXe5J9IohsAXZUIF4LwkYQtvW4Ren_MgFVoNN1_I1TlZMZbeHs_rslUAIfStTH_mldppKUsshhsei3MhEdXuGn3-G1OLS8HoWspCjxVxXq4Ib8ohl96w6HSfpmwr/s1600/DSCN1676.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCa0sE1fZ9K2fOj3KXXe5J9IohsAXZUIF4LwkYQtvW4Ren_MgFVoNN1_I1TlZMZbeHs_rslUAIfStTH_mldppKUsshhsei3MhEdXuGn3-G1OLS8HoWspCjxVxXq4Ib8ohl96w6HSfpmwr/s400/DSCN1676.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487706358951350770" /></a><br />He even tried to stiff us on our wines, until we pointed out that we can read the difference between 1/8 a liter and 1/4 a liter of wine. Here is Heather giving the wine two thumbs down.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpbY1XgrlK9DlRxCoeAEO9DxyydeCTJ4j_PKSzhfI8Obj5InQsk6PHH9lvqW5msQDpm3p7fBkv3djOvDEjkpEYJ3B98c93WUUEDWrGvznSRfln8wCZpCUcNixfSm9-Ig7SNVAxtcjSkYZ/s1600/b.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpbY1XgrlK9DlRxCoeAEO9DxyydeCTJ4j_PKSzhfI8Obj5InQsk6PHH9lvqW5msQDpm3p7fBkv3djOvDEjkpEYJ3B98c93WUUEDWrGvznSRfln8wCZpCUcNixfSm9-Ig7SNVAxtcjSkYZ/s400/b.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487706366093758082" /></a><br />After the wine garden we headed back into the city to watch the USA vs. Ghana soccer game. We first tried a well known bar/restaurant, but after checking out place, decided (for the first time on our trip) to go back to 7 Stern Brau (the same restaurant we visited the night before). The food and beer were both delicious (once again), and the only bad part of the night was the USA losing the game. <br /><br />Yesterday we took the train from Vienna to Prague, arriving late in the evening. You can expect Jonathan’s beer list to really grow in the Czech Republic! Hopefully not his waistline too!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Gosser Marzen (an Austrian Marzen)<br /> • 7 Stern Marzen (an Austrian Vienna Lager)<br /> • 7 Stern Summer Bock (an Austrian Bock)<br /> • 7 Stern Prager Dunkels (an Austrian Munich Dunkel Lager)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-60711482025064291462010-06-23T17:44:00.008-04:002010-06-23T18:30:05.584-04:00Is this thing on?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkqwqKt1tYEBgrU0A6R3bFOwULFduOwaphp0ciGc7LhR0N8XlQ-YlEVlNZ6LJxh3uUlnd0hF6yawDsrWPg7j3zvS6tKHuaBXDboY96BqKbIuNd4lcaEPltYjaT1NpwBKyMVufrdpqs9Qp/s1600/IMG_3314.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkqwqKt1tYEBgrU0A6R3bFOwULFduOwaphp0ciGc7LhR0N8XlQ-YlEVlNZ6LJxh3uUlnd0hF6yawDsrWPg7j3zvS6tKHuaBXDboY96BqKbIuNd4lcaEPltYjaT1NpwBKyMVufrdpqs9Qp/s400/IMG_3314.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486093025231201634" /></a><br />On our way to Salzburg this past weekend, we spent one night in Bolzano, a mid-sized city in northern Italy. The highlight of our brief time there was our hotel upgrade to an executive suite about the size of our condo in Atlanta. Thanks Starwood Preferred Guest points! It was also interesting to see the German/Austrian influence in the Italian town – architecture, people, language, etc. It was very different from our previous two stops in Italy (and much colder).<br /><br />We arrived in Salzburg Sunday night and luckily found one restaurant still serving dinner near our guesthouse. Although completely charming, the place we stayed was about 20 minutes outside of the city center. We spent most of Monday walking around the city, avoiding the tour groups, and enjoying the food! Below is a picture of Jonathan with his first, but not last, pretzel of the day!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQywHBRbK6QPCTH5XImp8qQHNc-e2s867nEuHjFh_P2QBePyGgh7qKGvwjYUtMKvnE7xit0XB83bl1odie0tMqTaHbQi_HKTZIRFez5Gml6eeis-f1A0AJuHHt8Qd-Srs6CG1qcVolA-m/s1600/IMG_3215.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQywHBRbK6QPCTH5XImp8qQHNc-e2s867nEuHjFh_P2QBePyGgh7qKGvwjYUtMKvnE7xit0XB83bl1odie0tMqTaHbQi_HKTZIRFez5Gml6eeis-f1A0AJuHHt8Qd-Srs6CG1qcVolA-m/s400/IMG_3215.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486093019346877330" /></a><br />From her study abroad days, Heather remembered the famous Augustiner Braustubl Tavern beer hall/garden, and Jonathan was definitely looking forward to a visit. This was our favorite beer hall/garden so far! It was much less touristy than the beer halls in Munich and also much larger. Visitors can actually bring in a picnic or purchase local food from the vendors. Below is a picture of Heather enjoying our dinner Monday evening and her 1 liter beer!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJ0CmJVbMH8EWoynyBGl1ivwqNCWm8CWQ7ff5zJotP7S_kfGheUROD6vyZLmwOVNFiYEh58OqGEob6PVd0qEkBJ0dOLjb0FtEP5G5cmeErWUZEy9tXq-MnfS2qTsGU_QOwkzoZRXJ-2Pa/s1600/IMG_3264.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJ0CmJVbMH8EWoynyBGl1ivwqNCWm8CWQ7ff5zJotP7S_kfGheUROD6vyZLmwOVNFiYEh58OqGEob6PVd0qEkBJ0dOLjb0FtEP5G5cmeErWUZEy9tXq-MnfS2qTsGU_QOwkzoZRXJ-2Pa/s400/IMG_3264.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486093011308752978" /></a><br />One thing that Heather missed while studying abroad in Austria was the "Sound of Music" movie tour. After much debate, we decided to do a self-guided tour of the major movie sites in Salzburg (which we recorded with Heather commentating), rather than joining a tour group. The highlight of our tour was visiting the Stift Nonnberg (Abbey) where several movie scenes were filmed. The nunnery is actually considered to be the world’s oldest with constant occupation of the site since the 700s. Below is a picture of the alter area of the church. We also heard the nuns singing their morning prayers, which was really cool!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_G7SmsBjpLI8lVo_ikCZlgBo46MtDczuAVUOu6_DWgx2hgxKnlPg9adhiCmpVarARm4-ntKr_83-Bo0ZvdgBNaWaU0zJoVM5eEmiTfVBEVchkr9wUKu-zhKOFNtAjHBwvlOvYLq5NkEb/s1600/b.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_G7SmsBjpLI8lVo_ikCZlgBo46MtDczuAVUOu6_DWgx2hgxKnlPg9adhiCmpVarARm4-ntKr_83-Bo0ZvdgBNaWaU0zJoVM5eEmiTfVBEVchkr9wUKu-zhKOFNtAjHBwvlOvYLq5NkEb/s400/b.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486092997358566802" /></a><br />Even though he hasn’t seen the movie and isn’t really a fan of musicals (shocking!), Jonathan was a good sport! Below is a picture of Heather after narrating an explanation of a movie scene filmed in the beautiful Mirabell Gardens.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEcZw5QHX2q2EhEtk7HpyeNME8PuEN90b108Ioe2WIZDT49iqaL0w7Xs3d11uG3Ld7t_0ibCz-YciBEkCoA5Cw7d9qcuuwAP6M9Jh9CMneqOVvs1NbWXNaR7KIRmhW3bl-4H6O0fSjquT/s1600/a.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEcZw5QHX2q2EhEtk7HpyeNME8PuEN90b108Ioe2WIZDT49iqaL0w7Xs3d11uG3Ld7t_0ibCz-YciBEkCoA5Cw7d9qcuuwAP6M9Jh9CMneqOVvs1NbWXNaR7KIRmhW3bl-4H6O0fSjquT/s400/a.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486092988569903330" /></a><br />After a long day of filming, we decided a return trip to the Augustiner Braustubl Tavern was necessary. Luckily it was sunny enough to actually go out into the gardens! The picture at the top of the blog was taken while we were trying to set the timer on our camera to capture our experience in the beer garden. They also had TVs set up so we could follow the World Cup games!<br /><br />Last night we ate a four course meal at our guesthouse that was one of the best of our trip! We should have skipped lunch! Interestingly, we were seated next to an Australian couple also on a three month holiday! We decided we live in the wrong country as the husband described how he gets 15 weeks of vacation a year (1 for every year with the company) plus the standard 4 weeks! <br /><br />Today we took a train to Vienna (on which Heather accidentally squirted hand-sanitizer in the eye of the guy sitting across from us) in time to drop our bags off at the hotel before catching the USA soccer match! After the game (which the USA dramatically won in the final minutes), we grabbed dinner, explored the city a bit, and then shared coffee/dessert at one of the city's famous cafes. <br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Stiegl Weizengold Hefefein (an Austrian Hefeweizen)<br /> • Stiegl Weizengold Dunkel (an Austrian Dunkelweizen)<br /> • Stiegl Zwickl (an Austrian Zwickelbier)<br /> • Augustinerbrau Kloster Mulln Marzen (an Austrian Marzen)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-66756408358293238482010-06-19T03:28:00.004-04:002010-06-19T03:48:35.011-04:00The Spillmans are Finally Tan(ish)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_R1a6KroFGgq2uPoFBTWFgznKMaGMpvOC8GYkKSy6yeQf9sr2M0k0KTOqaWKHZ1mRDvxLbo3wUxikkFsrjMLwMHBTeq2Q0XGD6PfA5FlRHJYhOCb5oCtAWYnx3hHTC08Ys1rBgNlXq7oV/s1600/DSCN1409.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_R1a6KroFGgq2uPoFBTWFgznKMaGMpvOC8GYkKSy6yeQf9sr2M0k0KTOqaWKHZ1mRDvxLbo3wUxikkFsrjMLwMHBTeq2Q0XGD6PfA5FlRHJYhOCb5oCtAWYnx3hHTC08Ys1rBgNlXq7oV/s400/DSCN1409.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484385476568585826" /></a><br />After just over a week of enjoying the sun and beautiful views of Italy’s coastline, it is official that we are looking “somewhat” tan. Don’t worry though… we have already gone through one bottle of sunscreen and are getting ready to purchase another. If only we could find a store that sells SPF 50!<br /><br />Last Friday we made our way from Naples down to Sorrento, Italy. It was so beautiful and we really enjoyed our time there! Saturday and Sunday were spent exploring the town, shopping, and laying out by the hotel pool. Saturday night, we found a really cool bar to watch the USA vs. England World Cup game. The only bad part about the bar was that it was filled with England fans and we were the only people cheering for the USA. Since we didn’t bring any USA t-shirts with us, we both wore the next best thing – University of Texas shirts (see picture below). As a side note, don’t worry – we don’t plan to make a habit out of dressing alike! All of the England fans were actually really good sports though, and congratulated us on ending the game in a draw.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4Pm506Qei7dP0XbscPxSJpynfUhLc8M50i1LPwbPqtvsoqZJYZcnpOV1Ow8XFPhXvMm4Xd8j0AI4fEVYLOH2a-3TfMRjL3D_6PaJkY78ewWDnt66wXb6XNrKRGiCOFpf1AnVCOl_09Vk/s1600/a.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4Pm506Qei7dP0XbscPxSJpynfUhLc8M50i1LPwbPqtvsoqZJYZcnpOV1Ow8XFPhXvMm4Xd8j0AI4fEVYLOH2a-3TfMRjL3D_6PaJkY78ewWDnt66wXb6XNrKRGiCOFpf1AnVCOl_09Vk/s400/a.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484385465882186450" /></a><br />After the incredible pizza in Naples, we were slightly disappointed with our meals in Sorrento. The pastas and pizzas were not very flavorful. Jonathan’s mom and grandmother definitely put the dishes to shame!<br /><br />On Monday we spent most of the day on the beautiful island of Capri (see picture below), browsing the shops, roaming the beach, and enjoying a delicious lunch. Tourist season is definitely in full swing, though, and the place was packed! We wanted to take a boat tour of the famous Blue Grotto, similar to the caves we visited on our honeymoon in Portugal, but missed the chance due to high-tide. Maybe next time! We spent our last night in Sorrento watching the Italy soccer game and enjoying the liveliness of the town as they cheered on their team.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJqDuKW1X_R0k_s6SaxToTokfCZlF8J4tw6VRjrLiBuQ2HthQaMNSXGJQKE_DVSA4_DxRn-iEDfBdpGEA6uCqAdlKPCl3jEMToAoc1t7GiykAjhzRhfVu5xwjUps9jUKZyuf5n-K0DfIq/s1600/DSCN1484.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJqDuKW1X_R0k_s6SaxToTokfCZlF8J4tw6VRjrLiBuQ2HthQaMNSXGJQKE_DVSA4_DxRn-iEDfBdpGEA6uCqAdlKPCl3jEMToAoc1t7GiykAjhzRhfVu5xwjUps9jUKZyuf5n-K0DfIq/s400/DSCN1484.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484385479057865458" /></a><br />Most of Tuesday was spent traveling by train up the Italian coastline, eventually reaching Manarola (one of the five “Cinque Terre” towns) late in the evening. We both agree that Cinque Terre (Manarola specifically) is the most beautiful place we have ever been and is our favorite stop on the trip so far! Below is a picture of us in front of Manarola and the house we stayed in (yellow house on the hill)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9fWKvYLvaAIEl-20gWxyD_RBsAIpPCm5hG3Btz-wlFnpo5w2E9L7Nkuo-7jFzr-PytB2BOwsJlyHmV-vGnxTWmJ0sxDy-p-1zlhFxJWLi2awOyBW3G2hgy5hCtTsWQXSfvCkobe0ahdX/s1600/IMG_3176.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9fWKvYLvaAIEl-20gWxyD_RBsAIpPCm5hG3Btz-wlFnpo5w2E9L7Nkuo-7jFzr-PytB2BOwsJlyHmV-vGnxTWmJ0sxDy-p-1zlhFxJWLi2awOyBW3G2hgy5hCtTsWQXSfvCkobe0ahdX/s400/IMG_3176.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484385508349700770" /></a><br />Besides the picturesque views and the charming quaintness of each of the towns, the food was beyond amazing. This area of Italy is known for their pesto sauce and after discovering this, we ordered pesto on everything. It was incredibly delicious, and we made sure to bring some jars home with us! We both ate so much pesto that we ended up with stomach aches, but it was totally worth it!<br /><br />The house we stayed in had an amazing terrace overlooking the sea and we spent a lot of our time hanging out on it, working on our “tans,” and drinking local wine. We took a break from our relaxing for a short swim in the Mediterranean, which was pretty chilly! Unfortunately Jonathan cut his foot on a rock, so we weren’t able to swim very long. Luckily, we brought a first aid kit! If we could stay here for the rest of our lives, we definitely would! If anyone wants to go in on a vacation house here, let us know! Below is a picture of us on our terrace.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuV-9LK498r-bbTuWvM5kHrox7DLbshXBM_NzfGZEvrLtAYQSmDxF5Nnc25s-SV3A6R-BVatrIaEXdU8Clufg4bXVel2dDLMttun-x-sHeh6Kpms1Udgoy912EqHGGuRPwiGlFzSIQAHP/s1600/IMG_3159.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuV-9LK498r-bbTuWvM5kHrox7DLbshXBM_NzfGZEvrLtAYQSmDxF5Nnc25s-SV3A6R-BVatrIaEXdU8Clufg4bXVel2dDLMttun-x-sHeh6Kpms1Udgoy912EqHGGuRPwiGlFzSIQAHP/s400/IMG_3159.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484385491365904002" /></a><br />The only disappointing part of our stop in Cinque Terre was that we were not able to hike between each of the five towns (which is one of the most popular things to do here). Storm showers during our stay forced closure of a number of the trails between the towns, preventing us hiking the whole way. We did get to hike to the next town, though, and were able to take the train to visit each of the other towns. We know we will definitely be back, so we’ll just have to save the hike for our next visit!<br /><br />Today we are headed to a town in northern Italy called Bolzano for a one night stay in route to Salzburg, Austria. We should be in Salzburg by late in the afternoon on Sunday. Hopefully the weather is beautiful there, so that we can enjoy some of the many beer gardens! <br /><br />Beer List (we drank quite a bit of wine on this leg of our trip!!):<br /> • Peroni / Nastro Azzuro (an Italian Euro Pale Lager) <br /> • Becks (a German Pilsener)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-45516524659675409012010-06-11T04:49:00.008-04:002010-06-11T05:15:33.254-04:00Bagnoli or Bust!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeaiSknIxCKlbdesufsiSymst-6NMUGa4CjH3Onk5n2iWDZ1T8LlkXvx8c8zNdPaGh-rUy_u9ZHBIGzVICDsZyG-qjJTlwafo6H5X_y2Wn5meAN-WtwUnuirdZ_ao63dkBmjElfhiB9AP/s1600/b2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeaiSknIxCKlbdesufsiSymst-6NMUGa4CjH3Onk5n2iWDZ1T8LlkXvx8c8zNdPaGh-rUy_u9ZHBIGzVICDsZyG-qjJTlwafo6H5X_y2Wn5meAN-WtwUnuirdZ_ao63dkBmjElfhiB9AP/s400/b2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481437286356041922" /></a><br />Yesterday, after arriving in Naples just after eight in the morning, we rented a car for our day trip to a tiny Italian town called Bagnoli del Trigno.<br /><br />Although he has lived in the U.S. for most of his life, Jonathan’s grandfather (Vito) actually grew up in Bagnoli del Trigno. He left Italy at the age of 16, moving to Ohio with his family and starting a new life in America. The house he grew up in is still standing, and there is actually family that lives in it for part of the year. Of all the stops on our trip, Jonathan was most excited about this one!<br /><br />The car we rented in Naples wasn’t the nicest vehicle we’ve ever been in (to put it nicely), including a broken air condition, no radio, missing hub caps, and a fourth gear that didn’t quite work. On the bright side though, it thankfully made the two-hour drive back and forth safely. Unfortunately, due to the broken air condition, all the chocolate we bought in Switzerland melted inside Heather’s backpack!<br /><br />Bagnoli del Trigno is located in central Italy, and the drive was really beautiful. This section of the country is filled with trees and mountains, and doesn’t look at all like the Mediterranean Italy we’ve both visited on previous trips. Below is a picture of Bagnoli del Trigno from a distance on our way in.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvtq_cOJq0gLvBuFJizTh_Kv4uoQcBl2E8zdAs8ceCpMCZBBIcJkjHxDkl8rzQhwMt5eZ44728amaL4_1mYZdHGME24SRlYUwbIXxDJt2qzgSaLPe-96UDF2tiabXfeCGQ0tq7nN2TS3I/s1600/b4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvtq_cOJq0gLvBuFJizTh_Kv4uoQcBl2E8zdAs8ceCpMCZBBIcJkjHxDkl8rzQhwMt5eZ44728amaL4_1mYZdHGME24SRlYUwbIXxDJt2qzgSaLPe-96UDF2tiabXfeCGQ0tq7nN2TS3I/s400/b4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481437292048848626" /></a><br />Since neither of us speaks any Italian, and we were pretty sure that practically no one in the town would speak English, we prepared our visit with a “cheat sheet” containing some phrases that would hopefully help us to find the house Jonathan’s grandfather grew up in. After stopping a number of residents in the town to ask for directions (none of which spoke English), we finally arrived at the house (see picture below). Unfortunately, the relative that lives there for a couple months in the summer was still in Rome, so we were not able to go inside.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuvBRU41zsYrP6nPc7bYEJr52ChYholVl762HbuFg4LVTK-HPHuBDqJlGub80ta_0AKknz8eJbOU20tslycWnwYw7UrAyqQQJ8GnTv6e2kg93rJsEEYl5bR-mr0FYPDdaUOjzHinrf4V7/s1600/b.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuvBRU41zsYrP6nPc7bYEJr52ChYholVl762HbuFg4LVTK-HPHuBDqJlGub80ta_0AKknz8eJbOU20tslycWnwYw7UrAyqQQJ8GnTv6e2kg93rJsEEYl5bR-mr0FYPDdaUOjzHinrf4V7/s400/b.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481437275074499842" /></a><br />The great news, though, was that a couple of the town residents pointed out that more of Jonathan’s relatives lived in another house just down the road and were actually home at the time. A really nice old man (who kept mumbling in Italian the entire time) led us to the relative's house, where we were warmly greeted! Salvina (Jonathan's grandfather's cousin) and her husband Rafella even invited us in for coffee, biscotti, pie, and a personal tour of their house (see picture below). Neither of them spoke any English, but we were still able to communicate with each other a little – mainly about family members and where they live.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3YFd06b1LSRX7ZTpRACg9adpq7ZIMBoOWV-gXGQg3FqFTOKeJpXM7Rs8MGgSVLqrMadgvoLPlgazsEfd_LWUpgJd2H4JQtsyCjwlVlH4oqDi97D9YbUw-RFY66MilE40MfL5TbtDJ3XA/s1600/IMG_3047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3YFd06b1LSRX7ZTpRACg9adpq7ZIMBoOWV-gXGQg3FqFTOKeJpXM7Rs8MGgSVLqrMadgvoLPlgazsEfd_LWUpgJd2H4JQtsyCjwlVlH4oqDi97D9YbUw-RFY66MilE40MfL5TbtDJ3XA/s400/IMG_3047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481439258577217538" /></a><br />After about an hour of visiting with Salvina and Rafella, we made our way back to the center of town to do some more exploring before driving back to Naples in the late afternoon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNcWouTa5B2u8mp5HdUmK9-SM8Yav1NCsEVuCmPC62JskX7u7shRCs6iWjo9bOxNRRvaa9Exc198NwEu4QfsOGEXhMWBlSteyD66ETIPqgYvfO-7Tp6aRUd5Pq-OLF4GQZuFsFTBxYt0c/s1600/DSCN1299.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNcWouTa5B2u8mp5HdUmK9-SM8Yav1NCsEVuCmPC62JskX7u7shRCs6iWjo9bOxNRRvaa9Exc198NwEu4QfsOGEXhMWBlSteyD66ETIPqgYvfO-7Tp6aRUd5Pq-OLF4GQZuFsFTBxYt0c/s400/DSCN1299.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481437305924909730" /></a><br />For Jonathan, the trip definitely lived up to his expectations and is something he will always remember. We took tons of pictures (and video) to share with Jonathan’s grandfather (who celebrates his 80th birthday in August) when we get home.<br /><br />Of course you can’t visit Naples without trying their pizza, so last night we went to one of the most famous pizza places in Naples, Pizzeria Starita. The pizza definitely lived up to all the hype. It was amazing and probably ruined American pizza for us! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyDpCuTAfDQu7eyfBFcEsCtIFx-hF8ldnHO2FPxb2fu8bns8sicfC1d_38otxtn5kfTtZYPVciEUgnhM7s5W5tq2JlPYjcvoBc2VEFnxZvr96pWhJk5SfitOVBCxBnrGGFYKvqz6h4DDu/s1600/IMG_3103.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyDpCuTAfDQu7eyfBFcEsCtIFx-hF8ldnHO2FPxb2fu8bns8sicfC1d_38otxtn5kfTtZYPVciEUgnhM7s5W5tq2JlPYjcvoBc2VEFnxZvr96pWhJk5SfitOVBCxBnrGGFYKvqz6h4DDu/s400/IMG_3103.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481439266872926514" /></a><br />We spent last night in a really cool guest house in the center of Naples that was actually a palace for a Duke at one point. This morning, we are heading to Sorrento for a couple days of relaxing and enjoying the Italian coast. Fortunately, our sunscreen didn’t melt in the car so we should be able to avoid becoming lobsters!The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-91349780972975337002010-06-09T09:21:00.008-04:002010-06-09T10:02:17.749-04:00Say Cheese!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1AmaudSsOvZwJUXIEDRDXrGW2Swi0RVp2l45fwAvdAgrVKpkHkzTWQGipMWVNBpMdTs6q40hWLtRPmxVt8DKLSYSzAw9lFUPQ_Hu5HR-1Du_csoj23e4o2sqs_4zZ-LYyMSl0JcaZiiS/s1600/IMG_2934.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1AmaudSsOvZwJUXIEDRDXrGW2Swi0RVp2l45fwAvdAgrVKpkHkzTWQGipMWVNBpMdTs6q40hWLtRPmxVt8DKLSYSzAw9lFUPQ_Hu5HR-1Du_csoj23e4o2sqs_4zZ-LYyMSl0JcaZiiS/s400/IMG_2934.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480768743851059202" /></a><br />We arrived in Munich on Monday (May 31st) and immediately regretted our decision to give Amy our jackets to take back to the States. Thankfully we kept our umbrellas though, because it rained the entire time we were in Munich! On our first night there, we decided to be a little adventurous and try the top-rated TripAdvisor restaurant – El Gordo Loco. As a rule we try to avoid Mexican food abroad, but this place was surprisingly delicious (not just by European standards)! Apparently the chef is the only authentic Mexican chef in Munich, as the owner proudly told us.<br /><br />On Tuesday, we braved the weather to take a walking tour of the city. Much of Munich was actually destroyed during World War II. However, as the war started to ramp up in Germany, the German people carefully took pictures and made drawings of the major buildings so they could be reconstructed after the war. It was really amazing to see the Old Town Hall and other architecture around the city. Although the buildings look very old, most were actually rebuilt in the 1960s in preparation for the 1972 Olympic Games.<br /> <br />Munich has a really awesome outdoor market which we took advantage of for delicious brats and pastries. Here is Heather enjoying the world’s largest macaroon, or at least the largest one we’ve ever seen. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42KGMXjOC7q5QS75FNWjiIVH-E6pJ0C49ybWNWuwNMAZ7iY3Z_5xmuvzoCnhBBrKVvFrpw9l89UVHrYhmhkjIz3iZ_e4uUDQCE7PWekMqvctRAMtJzuhaxoxEOtiHQe4xZUlHIBMh3awY/s1600/1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42KGMXjOC7q5QS75FNWjiIVH-E6pJ0C49ybWNWuwNMAZ7iY3Z_5xmuvzoCnhBBrKVvFrpw9l89UVHrYhmhkjIz3iZ_e4uUDQCE7PWekMqvctRAMtJzuhaxoxEOtiHQe4xZUlHIBMh3awY/s400/1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480767061416477586" /></a><br />With the bad weather, we were “forced” to spend most of our time hoping in and out of beer halls. Below is Jonathan at the famous Hofbrauhaus. Luckily Heather didn’t get kicked out this time like her last visit with her study abroad group!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOSYm3rf0PGJQina0jA-2h0othBV1gmEjFG9jPyyJWZ3kOhXMYBgLcpsxnsGR_aDa82dq95-inlH-ghUS2NK7xdGOz8r9ICzdOBk5mmI0O7umTcFg3fib3IvBVWcPFzxJFQTNZ0ZCM_6_/s1600/2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOSYm3rf0PGJQina0jA-2h0othBV1gmEjFG9jPyyJWZ3kOhXMYBgLcpsxnsGR_aDa82dq95-inlH-ghUS2NK7xdGOz8r9ICzdOBk5mmI0O7umTcFg3fib3IvBVWcPFzxJFQTNZ0ZCM_6_/s400/2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480767075149093826" /></a><br />After Munich, we headed to Luzern, Switzerland. We arrived on Thursday night after a long day of travel to a hotel room that greatly resembled a college dorm – complete with bunk beds! On Friday morning we awoke to absolutely perfect weather and were finally able to break out our short sleeves again. Luzern is definitely the most picturesque city we’ve visited yet – situated around Lake Luzern, with the Swiss Alps in the background. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eNcIIoi2AbP5Dffpz-wed7h05PyNCQgEfT7Ec9KgjiW0tSJSwx5Bgf35yjP3bN7v9H33nEkiEBQ5jV_qGKaJoO_5P_YBXLik2mG07bvEWZgd0BwYMmHAvOg819iLjsDQoNngiZN4EAqv/s1600/IMG_2932.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eNcIIoi2AbP5Dffpz-wed7h05PyNCQgEfT7Ec9KgjiW0tSJSwx5Bgf35yjP3bN7v9H33nEkiEBQ5jV_qGKaJoO_5P_YBXLik2mG07bvEWZgd0BwYMmHAvOg819iLjsDQoNngiZN4EAqv/s400/IMG_2932.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480767098119563906" /></a><br />We spent Friday morning exploring the downtown shopping area and then "spontaneously" decided to rent a peddle boat in the afternoon to explore the lake (see picture of Heather below). We should plan better for our adventures next time because we both got quite sunburned!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78AavBAn_RTZ-CLqqld5kEPoFBPbue4Xwsu-VNiQwAti6PZVbsWTm_fnc_vBO48FJFMmwS5neo7PVHHrLDgLtxrQhbu7Sz8hyphenhyphen5yF63MZzXBxzmngEQXlBiH2CEJwsHDDcX-39CnqlbaNw/s1600/3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78AavBAn_RTZ-CLqqld5kEPoFBPbue4Xwsu-VNiQwAti6PZVbsWTm_fnc_vBO48FJFMmwS5neo7PVHHrLDgLtxrQhbu7Sz8hyphenhyphen5yF63MZzXBxzmngEQXlBiH2CEJwsHDDcX-39CnqlbaNw/s400/3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480767082899941682" /></a><br />Friday night we had a traditional Swiss meal, including cheese fondue (see picture of Heather at top of post) and a delicious plate of rosti. We love this country – they put cheese on everything! <br /><br />On Saturday, we decided we needed to work off some of that cheese, so we hiked to the top of one of the surrounding hills. The view was absolutely beautiful (see picture below)! We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the lake and avoiding the sun! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznn6_m2Ia_lUAroPun4OWFFORpFqYudSOEIGXTfLEl4WDBFG7kq0_pmsC6dzbBqTi0Eqf3zAvMmc7Cxym8abqx2kPWrfPUkRZpJQIGSPEz6vzYgdK0Dn_WmRr44ttLT5P5cgTS22cEC3r/s1600/IMG_2944.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznn6_m2Ia_lUAroPun4OWFFORpFqYudSOEIGXTfLEl4WDBFG7kq0_pmsC6dzbBqTi0Eqf3zAvMmc7Cxym8abqx2kPWrfPUkRZpJQIGSPEz6vzYgdK0Dn_WmRr44ttLT5P5cgTS22cEC3r/s400/IMG_2944.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480768757430502434" /></a><br />Sunday we headed to Lausanne, a Swiss city situated on Lake Geneva. Overall, this wasn’t our favorite city we’ve visited. However, one of the highlights of our time there was visiting the Olympic Museum. Below is a picture of Jonathan putting his old shotput skills to use in the Olympic Park.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuSNCDzDkICqTp0Wmeg-RJSdgPuCif-QdGBG4ath4aOzOKSA-LcBEIhbYqPwK4MiLKPNWU1eC5WHlua6wkDX7SXGFfL7a61vb8yBNwu6z2AHJQSuyO6eTx9K1ErdGsG_jKBc27fZkw3kx/s1600/7.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuSNCDzDkICqTp0Wmeg-RJSdgPuCif-QdGBG4ath4aOzOKSA-LcBEIhbYqPwK4MiLKPNWU1eC5WHlua6wkDX7SXGFfL7a61vb8yBNwu6z2AHJQSuyO6eTx9K1ErdGsG_jKBc27fZkw3kx/s400/7.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480767088833098290" /></a><br />In the museum, they just opened a new interactive exhibit where you could test your sports aptitude (apparently we both have poor hand/eye coordination). They also have an entire floor dedicated to the history of the Olympic Games, including the actual torches from each of the games (see picture below).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBZ1Fb7LVAmBPnkRRzZ2V8FeveWiFGk8mZ4xhuB_qsRSSjP4BgkIjb0BhhNGTunIAgeTkvc37o1pdhSXY5SZ9oXZYY-r5k4WGg5olX3TPyMtGVa7sYcY6XIe4rsXojF-DJl-W-X5_eAHI/s1600/IMG_2986.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBZ1Fb7LVAmBPnkRRzZ2V8FeveWiFGk8mZ4xhuB_qsRSSjP4BgkIjb0BhhNGTunIAgeTkvc37o1pdhSXY5SZ9oXZYY-r5k4WGg5olX3TPyMtGVa7sYcY6XIe4rsXojF-DJl-W-X5_eAHI/s400/IMG_2986.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480768778133654338" /></a><br />Our favorite activity in Lausanne was kayaking on Lake Geneva. We virtually had the lake to ourselves on a Monday afternoon. Unfortunately we couldn’t take any pictures (we were too busy paddling), but here is a picture of the lake from the shore.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5CWvSTBo_Q6GMzkrmPpl2FrXRiCyZYFCHBOum3lB1GzILbIC6zzsKPgQWKoCL_XtqRvL9YCj9gjEkyKCVMykI1Ok32XoZ1lXnqDOz70-E7X8fVDJWOQhjLwHQyzXOE6KRJ_tnrob4F0m/s1600/IMG_2961.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5CWvSTBo_Q6GMzkrmPpl2FrXRiCyZYFCHBOum3lB1GzILbIC6zzsKPgQWKoCL_XtqRvL9YCj9gjEkyKCVMykI1Ok32XoZ1lXnqDOz70-E7X8fVDJWOQhjLwHQyzXOE6KRJ_tnrob4F0m/s400/IMG_2961.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480768772127312386" /></a><br />Our last stop in Switzerland was Geneva. Again, this wasn’t our favorite stop on the trip, but this side of Lake Geneva was also very beautiful. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wUzuXFVQrwFTqUnkftuNbhMeEg1XfVE106ggEtyTaxo-_vB_nE_wucVFESieP0ycruZVPBFg8bFhEl6qNhzX5BrYNfk3oZ792YSWDmN2NhtmY4w5L_ze3QZhI1z7dBDVmQWpoD9ZThwV/s1600/IMG_3014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wUzuXFVQrwFTqUnkftuNbhMeEg1XfVE106ggEtyTaxo-_vB_nE_wucVFESieP0ycruZVPBFg8bFhEl6qNhzX5BrYNfk3oZ792YSWDmN2NhtmY4w5L_ze3QZhI1z7dBDVmQWpoD9ZThwV/s400/IMG_3014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480768797579748994" /></a><br />Most of our time was spent window shopping the amazing jewelry/watch displays and eating more cheese fondue. On the lake front there was also a really cool photographic “World Peace” exhibit that we happened upon. Below is a picture of Heather with a special message for our readers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiw8Hlmyn8QDoNeGZl70EEc58dZjJw_858mskwuDAofUhKhtSlDQiZ17zp-45w63jK2QXJQ7R13VC9wW0g1Kw96UjyLRrTJsBPxmkHzU6joUcb5TyVZkgTzbugH_Aao1eVPmFJpipLqUAN/s1600/IMG_3021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiw8Hlmyn8QDoNeGZl70EEc58dZjJw_858mskwuDAofUhKhtSlDQiZ17zp-45w63jK2QXJQ7R13VC9wW0g1Kw96UjyLRrTJsBPxmkHzU6joUcb5TyVZkgTzbugH_Aao1eVPmFJpipLqUAN/s400/IMG_3021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480769268935053778" /></a><br />Tomorrow we head to Naples, Italy on a really early morning flight. There we will be renting a car and driving to the birthplace of Jonathan’s grandfather, Bagnoli del Trigno. After that we will head to the Amalfi Coast!<br /><br />As a side note, over the last week or so, Jonathan went from a full beard to a goatee, to a mustache (YUCK!), and finally to a clean shaven face. After all of that, he is now in the process of regrowing the beard. <br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Augustiner-Brau Dunkel (a German Munich Dunkel Lager)<br /> • Augustiner-Brau Edelstoff (a German Munich Helles Lager)<br /> • Augustiner-Brau Weissbier (a German Hefeweizen)<br /> • Augustiner-Brau Lagerbier (a German Munich Helles Lager)<br /> • Hofbrau Dunkel (a German Munich Dunkel Lager)<br /> • Hofbrau Original (a German Munich Helles Lager)<br /> • Hofbrau Munchner Sommer Naturtrub (a German Kellerbier)<br /> • Schneider Weisse (a German Hefeweizen)<br /> • Lowenbrau Original (a German Munich Helles Lager)<br /> • Lowenbrau Triumphator (a German Doppelbock)<br /> • Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse (a German Hefeweizen)<br /> • Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel (a German Dunkelweizen)<br /> • Paulaner Original Munchner (a German Munich Helles Lager)<br /> • Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse (a German Hefeweizen)<br /> • Hacker Pschorr Munchner Hell (a German Munich Helles Lager)<br /> • Eichhof Lager (a Swiss Munich Helles Lager)<br /> • Feldschlossen Original (a Swiss Euro Pale Lager)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-36839593991082693382010-05-31T09:42:00.007-04:002010-05-31T10:06:29.884-04:00Table for Two with a View<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70kHyO1X02dcMoimBxfKNENOuauvHM4mv5DDsGtNtwQ7nyEQSOMuaCAzMSpevKhrg4iOpPfUJPgOfI0h08z2CRVs5JBdcAWy3WlLjUADMCWZX4QQt9sQ1mnt0rAudkJZf0AeyN5twzzDp/s1600/IMG_2702.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70kHyO1X02dcMoimBxfKNENOuauvHM4mv5DDsGtNtwQ7nyEQSOMuaCAzMSpevKhrg4iOpPfUJPgOfI0h08z2CRVs5JBdcAWy3WlLjUADMCWZX4QQt9sQ1mnt0rAudkJZf0AeyN5twzzDp/s400/IMG_2702.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477433620174808994" /></a><br />We arrived in Beilstein, Germany around lunch on Thursday. It was definitely the most relaxing stop on our trip to date. With a total population less than 150 residents and a beautiful Mosel River Valley setting (but without a single traffic light, ATM, or grocery store), we spent most of our time enjoying the view with a beer or glass of wine. Our hotel room directly overlooked the river and the countless vineyards that lined the surrounding hills (see picture from our room below)! We quickly discovered, even if we added our ages together, we were still the youngest tourists in the town by a fairly large margin. After Spain’s tradition of late-evening meals, eating dinner between 6 and 8 (when the restaurants were open) each night took a little getting used to and really made us wish we had some snacks for later at night! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GFg3Q1iqGR8kyxrpRGMjOOVDef12nXPAkDRRfDLY41Hlk_hq2afa9fyrcXBZxUIDLPZM31cMbZpgzSMxbgtCfJPpQnvyEQKTL2J8QFUwA5HjMxACuvnrGRYj2eSCIC9-zm1_0YWJ-oq3/s1600/IMG_2759.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GFg3Q1iqGR8kyxrpRGMjOOVDef12nXPAkDRRfDLY41Hlk_hq2afa9fyrcXBZxUIDLPZM31cMbZpgzSMxbgtCfJPpQnvyEQKTL2J8QFUwA5HjMxACuvnrGRYj2eSCIC9-zm1_0YWJ-oq3/s400/IMG_2759.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477430510950530978" /></a><br />On Friday, we spent most of the day driving up and down the Mosel River. Unfortunately our car was a manual this time, making Heather the driver. The roads were extremely winding and our tiny Fiat didn’t have much power. All in all, we got off to a bit of a rocky start. Things didn’t improve much when we finally arrived in Trier, one of the largest cities on the river and the oldest city in Germany (dating back to 16 B.C.). It was impossible to find a parking spot! After driving down a pedestrian filled street (scary), we finally found a place to park and were able to explore some of the Roman ruins. Below is a picture of us in front of the ruins of the Porta Nigra Roman city gate. On the way back to our car (crossing our fingers there would not be a ticket on the windshield) we made a quick stop by Karl Marx’s birthplace and then hit the road. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoKoG9Y6X-lO3YrQWmSX_fsz9YaQvGNI0wCqEH7yY2O-yTSRr6HgrEuug03OtDDjULrrYn2BwpHr7jPakkv-LMAiUj9mwIDtKz-tEGrja94lF-nvTRbiW7_XhyM5B3ORvgmzPgLJYW8Js/s1600/DSCN1081.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoKoG9Y6X-lO3YrQWmSX_fsz9YaQvGNI0wCqEH7yY2O-yTSRr6HgrEuug03OtDDjULrrYn2BwpHr7jPakkv-LMAiUj9mwIDtKz-tEGrja94lF-nvTRbiW7_XhyM5B3ORvgmzPgLJYW8Js/s400/DSCN1081.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477429974030475090" /></a><br />After a long day of driving, we were ready to get back to Beilstein and enjoy some cold German beer. Unfortunately our GPS had another idea. After taking us completely out of the way, we arrived at the ferry stop on the opposite side of the river from our tiny town – only to be directed by the GPS to take the ferry across (which wasn’t free by the way). We spent the previous day wondering who actually paid to take this joke of a ferry when there were several bridge options. Well at this point, we just wanted to get back to our hotel, so we paid the five euros and drove on. Heather thought the situation was hilarious, but Jonathan was less than amused. <br /><br />Amy and her friend Kim arrived on Saturday, ready for the full day we planned! Our first stop was at a medieval castle called Burg Eltz. We picked this castle out of the numerous options in this area because it is Rick Steve’s (the Europe travel guru) favorite in all of Europe. The castle was pretty but unfortunately under construction (as many of the “must see” sites have been during our trip). The tour of the interior was also fairly limited and very crowded – not the most impressive site we’ve seen so far. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsIDhT7i6E4IGNKc7eb7HJ7WQbIISQ2Ews5_p7W-t5GHsLTXnk2DrtpHzFncB55X2oIX5Pc8YZXG7FfueDnCC3GLeHLvIoId-nrHdXRCfh7b9jUSYgmEfxcL-Eh49F-QYvG8BWpmLFNii/s1600/IMG_2761.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsIDhT7i6E4IGNKc7eb7HJ7WQbIISQ2Ews5_p7W-t5GHsLTXnk2DrtpHzFncB55X2oIX5Pc8YZXG7FfueDnCC3GLeHLvIoId-nrHdXRCfh7b9jUSYgmEfxcL-Eh49F-QYvG8BWpmLFNii/s400/IMG_2761.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477431053695290418" /></a><br />Luckily our wine tasting in the evening was much more exciting! We all agreed that our tasting at the H.H. Hieronimi Winery in the neighboring town of Cochem was the best any of us had ever been to – and this was an experienced group! The winery is still family owned and currently the sixth generation is running operations. Below is a series of pictures with us inspecting the color and smell of the wines, and then joining in a “cheers” before tasting. The Mosel River Valley is known for their Riesling wines, Amy’s favorite, so of course we all had to pick up a few bottles (see final picture below). Hopefully Amy made it back on the plane with all of hers! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI_15GZfcVVd2XA5Xx2uWxwvbGS1kiQ4L4CoeMrqVfAFWWf-qefYlXrhxfU56b_TNAsKvKTsLh_Z4SSajdpl6abPORT3NOOf2vepu_j5XZV3vqCC2oF_wPWtfexu0oAQBWp4aGZrGCQ1Y/s1600/IMG_2786.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI_15GZfcVVd2XA5Xx2uWxwvbGS1kiQ4L4CoeMrqVfAFWWf-qefYlXrhxfU56b_TNAsKvKTsLh_Z4SSajdpl6abPORT3NOOf2vepu_j5XZV3vqCC2oF_wPWtfexu0oAQBWp4aGZrGCQ1Y/s400/IMG_2786.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477433018088517906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0KZI46ZcdxXn5vLKO64jbMFu4ztoe0ZcJeA_iiXyr_dG96NJ5uc-MGvgOVBBGfNH4hc_408vlg3yuwxdxGrIo1Mkdj727rdHOEqJtmMQ6-J_PmCnTSZ6B243mefShfskFpyguMy1klGw/s1600/IMG_2787.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0KZI46ZcdxXn5vLKO64jbMFu4ztoe0ZcJeA_iiXyr_dG96NJ5uc-MGvgOVBBGfNH4hc_408vlg3yuwxdxGrIo1Mkdj727rdHOEqJtmMQ6-J_PmCnTSZ6B243mefShfskFpyguMy1klGw/s400/IMG_2787.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477433034351641650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxXEUNykwPgCPZlq7Ik1QYLbWFRohUadOVFkC8MLV4Fm6lxfXcGxYxVmVfDzMFLs8m9Df0rVki61-xiQIN2GpuIYne48Tln1nE-c8mV_0V-iIWjnWMwbVNMf2p424JvIpal38LWAckAZ9/s1600/IMG_2788.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxXEUNykwPgCPZlq7Ik1QYLbWFRohUadOVFkC8MLV4Fm6lxfXcGxYxVmVfDzMFLs8m9Df0rVki61-xiQIN2GpuIYne48Tln1nE-c8mV_0V-iIWjnWMwbVNMf2p424JvIpal38LWAckAZ9/s400/IMG_2788.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477433042004511042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdP1Jw6EqC2u_H3QpK5IedMbFfs_OX1ff7wVH99yRQfXodvqgM3ssDQ3EQQK-TTd_GzWA19uXbkdQmPmO6SiOSujlM2BAYGR0fx_9ud8mny3_dSWAwkEZUhD_nvjt4lMw7_FnSazMH0D5q/s1600/abc.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdP1Jw6EqC2u_H3QpK5IedMbFfs_OX1ff7wVH99yRQfXodvqgM3ssDQ3EQQK-TTd_GzWA19uXbkdQmPmO6SiOSujlM2BAYGR0fx_9ud8mny3_dSWAwkEZUhD_nvjt4lMw7_FnSazMH0D5q/s400/abc.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477433049144291186" /></a><br />Sunday was Happy Mosel Day in the Mosel River Valley. Once a year, they close the roads on both sides of the river to all traffic except bikers and pedestrians – and the occasional rollerblader. Each town sets up tents with local food, beer, and wine. We spent most of the day walking between the towns and dodging several rain showers. The highlight was a stop we made for some really delicious strawberry wine. The vineyard owner was extremely friendly, and not very busy, so he gave us a quick tour of his wine cellar and “estate.” He even gave us each a bottle of free jam when we left. Germans are so friendly! <br /><br />Thanks for meeting us Amy! We had a great time! Today we are on our way to Munich and Jonathan can’t wait to explore the beer gardens!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel (a German Dunkelweizen)<br /> • Erdinger Weissbier Kristallklar (a German Kristalweizen)<br /> • Gemuender Kroenes Eifeler Landbier (a German Kellerbier)<br /> • Bitburger Premium Pils (a German Pilsener)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-69409450178080042852010-05-27T11:05:00.008-04:002010-05-27T11:29:21.697-04:00Hostess with the Mostess<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAZE_TRSrW2Y21UlP-IlraWb2QCGLPxFCxcjtk08bIAXM9nnfND5S1tEyhlB-thGjZm2g5gt4zEppVc8sbAYm3A_A53qzaUa7X4mXBhs7B6lXMCtCmKDxYrCLAQipxwdQosP5B3nQISXC/s1600/IMG_2677.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAZE_TRSrW2Y21UlP-IlraWb2QCGLPxFCxcjtk08bIAXM9nnfND5S1tEyhlB-thGjZm2g5gt4zEppVc8sbAYm3A_A53qzaUa7X4mXBhs7B6lXMCtCmKDxYrCLAQipxwdQosP5B3nQISXC/s400/IMG_2677.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475968893435602018" /></a><br />We had an absolutely wonderful time in Madrid with Paige! On Friday, we started the day exploring Paige’s favorite shops in her neighborhood, including a really awesome wine store, and then met her at the U.S. Embassy (where she works) for a tour. Unfortunately the Ambassador missed our visit, but we did get to see his house and swimming pool. We’ll catch him next time we are in Spain! Friday night we went out to dinner in one of Paige’s favorite parts of the city, followed by drinks at a a nearby bar. The Spanish have a very interesting idea of customer service. It took us no less than 45 minutes to get our check at the bar, after the bartender did everything to avoid our table – including making out with another customer.<br /><br />After sleeping in on Saturday (did we mention how great it was to take a break from living in hotels?), we explored the major sites around Madrid, including the Royal Palace and major city squares. Below is a picture of us in the gardens of the Royal Palace (one of the largest palaces in Europe).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKtjvwNg5o7e0dqC1GcXqIYTzciamBHKOJJMMarmEByZxPIQ8yuRnxmLVV127FLWI2eqcPvfn9A8oPwY0wkyqt1PwAwFsD9AAuzbaDt-5XK6D758JVkSAT1n-DU4f06S2WFoXxVydODUYx/s1600/IMG_2634.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKtjvwNg5o7e0dqC1GcXqIYTzciamBHKOJJMMarmEByZxPIQ8yuRnxmLVV127FLWI2eqcPvfn9A8oPwY0wkyqt1PwAwFsD9AAuzbaDt-5XK6D758JVkSAT1n-DU4f06S2WFoXxVydODUYx/s400/IMG_2634.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475968050027233442" /></a><br />Madrid hosted a huge soccer game on Saturday night between an Italian team and German team, providing us the opportunity to experience what soccer “tailgates” are like. It made us really miss college football season! On Saturday night we went out to a traditional tapas dinner (boy do these people love their ham), followed by an authentic flamenco music/dance show featuring Spanish gypsies at a place called Casa Patas. The show was fantastic and a must on any visit to Spain! Heather and Paige even elbowed their way through the other groupies to take a picture with the flamenco lead singer (see picture at top).<br /><br />Sunday was an extremely relaxing day. We spent some time exploring a local market, followed by a long picnic in Retiro Park (the “Central Park” of Madrid). Paige should definitely consider a career change after having another one of her fantastic home cooked meals! Below is Jonathan with his part of the ginormous sandwich she made. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIXRvGf93liYQaxXzcj2dmvqPVWdzi0cdzr1tcz5H4m9J7kHC9iU9INE9YIAkiZoiYqYXtMO_ofrQQOoNST8hAVsjJSJ80vbOKroiPSOAyL0hYAr3ovFvbbszdrWbzd1HTy6QVIbeTy_d/s1600/IMG_2683.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIXRvGf93liYQaxXzcj2dmvqPVWdzi0cdzr1tcz5H4m9J7kHC9iU9INE9YIAkiZoiYqYXtMO_ofrQQOoNST8hAVsjJSJ80vbOKroiPSOAyL0hYAr3ovFvbbszdrWbzd1HTy6QVIbeTy_d/s400/IMG_2683.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475968497606497122" /></a><br />Monday morning, after profusely thanking Paige for being such a wonderful hostess, we took the metro to the Madrid airport. Little did we know that the short ride on the metro could have greatly impacted our overall vacation… <br /><br />As we were boarding the train, we found ourselves in the middle of a large group of people pushing and shoving, who then proceeded to immediately jump off the train. Thanks to Paige’s warning us about some common pick-pocket tactics, we realized what was going on. Jonathan quickly checked his pockets only to unfortunately find out that the pick-pockets took our passports! We jumped off the train and Jonathan ran after the group, leaving Heather behind with the bags. Jonathan actually managed to catch up with one of the thieves (who of course denied everything), but the most amazing part is what happened while he was gone. Apparently at least one of the pick-pockets had a change of heart and actually brought the passports back to Heather. We aren’t exactly sure what made them change their minds to return the passports rather than just throw them away. Several days later we still can’t stop talking about what happened! We thought we were pretty savvy travelers before the incident, but needless to say, we are significantly more careful now. Any person that happens to walk too close receives a distrustful glare from Heather, and Jonathan is now wearing the money belt whenever we use public transportation (in case you notice a little extra stomach girth in some of the pictures).<br /><br />After that rather intense experience, we arrived in Barcelona and immediately loved the city! The first thing we did on Monday was explore the Olympic Village (see picture below), followed by a long walk to the oceanfront, and ending with evening stroll down Barcelona’s most famous street – La Rambla.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOkupp0aX3fEMteXzfFfOp3tI5ZAIIVXvtHLODAXA5u0NSVq6BBd_UW0-JNBk0b-aEU8qSzc1Y5isaFEhfw7-iJkZoja0zugmy_F51CwD3p7zAMkKH1J3VFRrT7YWiJf6b5orwVI5_0yL/s1600/DSCN1046.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOkupp0aX3fEMteXzfFfOp3tI5ZAIIVXvtHLODAXA5u0NSVq6BBd_UW0-JNBk0b-aEU8qSzc1Y5isaFEhfw7-iJkZoja0zugmy_F51CwD3p7zAMkKH1J3VFRrT7YWiJf6b5orwVI5_0yL/s400/DSCN1046.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475966659649362562" /></a><br />Tuesday was jam packed with tourist sites, starting with Gaudi’s famous architecture. We visited Parc Guell (see picture below), La Sagrada Familia (the coolest cathedral we’ve ever seen), and two of his residential designs – Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. After picking up lunch at an amazing outdoor market (Mercat La Boqueria), we visited the Picasso Museum. Our evening plans were courtesy of Paige’s recommendations and included dinner at her favorite Barcelona restaurant (Dos Palillos), and a dessert tasting at a local cooking school/restaurant (Espai Sucre). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_LmM_nRdgFFQmsiHFfBN-iQ8SKSSa1r2vDeRuobLkwN_FEsL0PdTmcJB93gRcHSgd_q-zaoe5ep1Zeluwp08iZTcKHrNhC3GOOR9fXUC_h_0OCbguzQtX0GV432p-qu0gh4y5ZkQucbv/s1600/DSCN1081.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_LmM_nRdgFFQmsiHFfBN-iQ8SKSSa1r2vDeRuobLkwN_FEsL0PdTmcJB93gRcHSgd_q-zaoe5ep1Zeluwp08iZTcKHrNhC3GOOR9fXUC_h_0OCbguzQtX0GV432p-qu0gh4y5ZkQucbv/s400/DSCN1081.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475967156145921666" /></a><br />Wednesday we took the train to Figueres, focused on visiting the Salvador Dali Museum. So far, this is our favorite museum of the trip and definitely worth the train ride. The museum itself is the largest surrealist art piece in the world. We were really lucky during our visit because the Dali Jewels Collection was also on display. Here is a picture in the “Stage” room at the Dali Museum (the large painting changes when viewed at different distances – super cool). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvwtRByXHuY2wTeEl_KqXMbOw5wbZgOUtbURLa4jnm3NMzvdkpwrySCxZ-BWCrp_OH1Kx8qXSlSYDMoHgqXN41STHXNnBz2IizW9eFE66LWIUAzDpXwKGMqzMzvcjo4BxKAjlffxFt2lM/s1600/DSCN1241.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvwtRByXHuY2wTeEl_KqXMbOw5wbZgOUtbURLa4jnm3NMzvdkpwrySCxZ-BWCrp_OH1Kx8qXSlSYDMoHgqXN41STHXNnBz2IizW9eFE66LWIUAzDpXwKGMqzMzvcjo4BxKAjlffxFt2lM/s400/DSCN1241.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475967563450566050" /></a><br />Today we had to get up way too early to catch a flight to Germany. Have we mentioned how much we “love” Ryanair and their luggage weight restrictions (sarcasm intended)? We just arrived in Beilstein, Germany and are excited to explore the Mosel River Valley and spend a few days with Amy!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Mahou Clasica (a Spanish brewed American adjunct lager) <br /> • Mahou Premium Light (a Spanish light lager)<br /> • Estrella Damm (a Spanish brewed American adjunct lager)<br /> • Xibeca (a Spanish Euro pale lager)<br /> • Cervesa del Montseny + Blat (a Spanish brewed American pale wheat ale)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-46446636561230288352010-05-21T05:30:00.011-04:002010-05-21T05:56:50.332-04:00Can I Get a Venti, Please?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWvL60rU4eaHY__XSYqgjS50USxYqD7EPMS-W5L_7527WooCM6mQIwAgbcP1teAA7m64YW6mB_Lka_FssLVX03dkLuysB8V5N90COkkuHvA1HmvE1dzc27JOY_bI4offImgD9LFqhkJ1u/s1600/IMG_2611.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWvL60rU4eaHY__XSYqgjS50USxYqD7EPMS-W5L_7527WooCM6mQIwAgbcP1teAA7m64YW6mB_Lka_FssLVX03dkLuysB8V5N90COkkuHvA1HmvE1dzc27JOY_bI4offImgD9LFqhkJ1u/s400/IMG_2611.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473654537439589202" /></a><br />Last Sunday we took the train from Brussels to Luxembourg City – the capital of one of the smallest countries in the world. A lot of time and effort was put into trying to think of something exciting to write for the blog about our short stay in Luxembourg, but frankly, we just couldn’t think of anything. To be blunt, the city is just kind of boring. Everything closes early in the evening, there aren’t really any great places to eat, and the people are not all that friendly. With that said though, the “old town” historic city center is very charming and much of it looks like it is right out of a storybook.<br /><br />The best part of our visit to Luxembourg was spent at the Casemates du Bock – a vast network of underground military passageways built in the mid 1600s. It was really cool to explore (and get lost in at times) one of the city’s most popular attractions. We spent the rest of our visit roaming around the city and enjoying the huge parks that surround the city center (see picture below). We’re definitely glad we decided to make a quick stop in Luxembourg, but also very happy we didn’t schedule more than one day there!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1svY3K7bLXkNivt2LsaHHPj25P572h6y21yJEpHeX8tezWuQolBmrsQYFQgbuRlQ_L4tTkNyKIY6kTDY-LllLIgWNHuQDgFnUFna6qyAPMKTTBUXCiDksyIyVo3XoIt7mNIwro6gGxvd/s1600/IMG_2552.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1svY3K7bLXkNivt2LsaHHPj25P572h6y21yJEpHeX8tezWuQolBmrsQYFQgbuRlQ_L4tTkNyKIY6kTDY-LllLIgWNHuQDgFnUFna6qyAPMKTTBUXCiDksyIyVo3XoIt7mNIwro6gGxvd/s400/IMG_2552.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473655206699273058" /></a><br />On Tuesday afternoon we took the train to Paris. Initially, we weren’t going to stop in Paris on this trip since we’ve both been before, but we eventually decided on a short layover there before heading to Spain. However, our quick (and wonderful) visit to “the city of lights” definitely made us wish we had allocated more time for it on our itinerary!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwed64nzGK6e3PQAvCaTtv5MM07_fRt3Qv_vL-h14C34-LoGRLhS_dnymfFwfXrpGoInhtuIks8GHlkWxAtUuMqGlSZluzq04fiDq_zVoRl6wYzeySO9euYH4bh-5IEF75dFF4GjLlFkx/s1600/ABC.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwed64nzGK6e3PQAvCaTtv5MM07_fRt3Qv_vL-h14C34-LoGRLhS_dnymfFwfXrpGoInhtuIks8GHlkWxAtUuMqGlSZluzq04fiDq_zVoRl6wYzeySO9euYH4bh-5IEF75dFF4GjLlFkx/s400/ABC.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473658000167950898" /></a><br />Since we’ve collectively already visited most of the major museums and sites, we decided to instead focus our time on strolling through the city, shopping, and eating wonderful food. However, we did devote a bit of time on Tuesday afternoon to taking pictures at some major landmarks (as you can see above at Notre Dame and below at the Eiffel Tower).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlTZpi7K42SgHGCe36-iGaCVFqGKNIkgeBODtZWyfmCYJCEQSxpDvnx4ZZ4G9y4ud7xWjCfURWagSk_bJ7zeUNJMBLpIvAfRKIOKUmwEwdZ99ImbJMAnk2K0HXQLGq7nMKhv60hcQyCel/s1600/XYZ.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlTZpi7K42SgHGCe36-iGaCVFqGKNIkgeBODtZWyfmCYJCEQSxpDvnx4ZZ4G9y4ud7xWjCfURWagSk_bJ7zeUNJMBLpIvAfRKIOKUmwEwdZ99ImbJMAnk2K0HXQLGq7nMKhv60hcQyCel/s400/XYZ.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473658596900242290" /></a><br />We also made a stop Tuesday afternoon at Heather’s new favorite bookstore, Shakespeare and Company (see picture below). The place has an entire floor of books that are just for browsing and reading, but not for purchase. Anyone can come in and spend the entire day reading without a salesperson pressuring them to buy anything. There’s also space for writing workshops, and even couches/cots available for struggling writers. Instead of charging for them to stay, the owner just asks the writers to write a one-pager on their background for his collection. We would definitely recommend a stop here!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtteNRHbXLMVTXo89B5T6fNf3dhc48HbBt7RSjdfu36bO9o34Fm9KLM8OnOJf_-t6dEqlp46Fl8C4M2eb07yUondoruDZQZxofcSpV5V65WuNdDmiSG1Q50dYj4kOzYuj4S9yBoc-ruqQ/s1600/IMG_2606.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtteNRHbXLMVTXo89B5T6fNf3dhc48HbBt7RSjdfu36bO9o34Fm9KLM8OnOJf_-t6dEqlp46Fl8C4M2eb07yUondoruDZQZxofcSpV5V65WuNdDmiSG1Q50dYj4kOzYuj4S9yBoc-ruqQ/s400/IMG_2606.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473655964238489186" /></a><br />We happened upon a fantastic French restaurant for our first dinner in Paris – Les Fines Gueules. This was our favorite meal of the entire trip so far! Everything was delicious, but Jonathan’s steak tartare was just beyond amazing – and neither of us really like tartare! The staff was also incredibly welcoming and helpful, which made the experience even better. Here is a picture of Heather at the restaurant – they don’t have printed menus in the place, so the waiters just lug a big board around.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP00_w22ZoynH08vMBMQsi-rCZ3RKJPuhuEeX0Knz-Cwfmy4Ae6tgHqD9eaQ2Hc6fr51s7u_OHZW9ACOCZMKa0a_yhH-EOwzC80REu-muiJcMCJzHVogCaQlMaWAQzJlagxu7XBJFivdl/s1600/IMG_2607.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP00_w22ZoynH08vMBMQsi-rCZ3RKJPuhuEeX0Knz-Cwfmy4Ae6tgHqD9eaQ2Hc6fr51s7u_OHZW9ACOCZMKa0a_yhH-EOwzC80REu-muiJcMCJzHVogCaQlMaWAQzJlagxu7XBJFivdl/s400/IMG_2607.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473656585579507842" /></a><br />We started Wednesday with a classic croissant and the “huge” coffee pictured with Jonathan above. Somehow, we keep ordering coffee and ending up with espresso. We devoted the entire day to just exploring Paris, shopping, and eating lots of pastries. As you can see from the picture below, it is FINALLY getting warm! Despite a thorough application of sunscreen, we did get the first (certainly not the last) sunburn of the trip! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExy3KW5sUGGnQY-Uholhv20yYqvhk2469gapqxL8HzWFTLZiGlTnrocrK7T9jEjtwJossDcWjKQcCjnzmeY4Ws12-qRP_Pq__VgY2lrx_Q9EsfBU_dprgw5b5-qaDKG9BqORqC1WuCQtE/s1600/IMG_2616.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExy3KW5sUGGnQY-Uholhv20yYqvhk2469gapqxL8HzWFTLZiGlTnrocrK7T9jEjtwJossDcWjKQcCjnzmeY4Ws12-qRP_Pq__VgY2lrx_Q9EsfBU_dprgw5b5-qaDKG9BqORqC1WuCQtE/s400/IMG_2616.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473657235141860338" /></a><br />Yesterday we only had half a day in Paris, so we just shopped a little more and grabbed crepes for lunch. We took a late afternoon flight to Madrid where we were where warmly greeted by our good friend Paige who is graciously hosting us while we are here. Paige has spent a lot of time traveling and knows the extreme shortage of good Mexican food in Europe, so she cooked a delicious Mexican meal for our first night in Spain (including cheese dip and chips of course). We are very excited about what she has in store for us over the weekend, and also really looking forward to using her washer and dryer!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Diekirch (a Luxembourgian pale lager)<br /> • Kronenbourg 1664 (a French pale lager)<br /> • Grimbergen Blonde (a Belgian pale ale)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-16100827536205790932010-05-16T18:18:00.011-04:002010-05-16T18:50:24.613-04:00Too Many Beers, Too Little Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkByGqdwWMLVDylzU4xAeK3SaXWp6-qTR6QV8wb3KBZV6FthzRbeeElaJwBeYjwdqda8veRdYmklVpkJh5Ej5aJiNI1iM_7UhxkZ_El2XOizfXAZsz9bkqeQrNfNyN8ueZz0Mp9nTewXT/s1600/XYZ.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkByGqdwWMLVDylzU4xAeK3SaXWp6-qTR6QV8wb3KBZV6FthzRbeeElaJwBeYjwdqda8veRdYmklVpkJh5Ej5aJiNI1iM_7UhxkZ_El2XOizfXAZsz9bkqeQrNfNyN8ueZz0Mp9nTewXT/s400/XYZ.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472000278758772274" /></a><br />As you can see from our beer list below, we were quite successful in our attempt to try as many Belgium beers as possible (Jonathan's trying to decide what to order next at a bar in Bruges in the picture above). Needless to say, we are going to give our livers and waistlines a bit of a break until we get to Germany. American beer is going to seem pretty weak after what we’ve been drinking this past week, and we’re pretty sure Jonathan is now fully ready to show off his drinking skills at school!<br /><br />Beers weren’t the only things we double-fisted while in Belgium. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FD63RjtzRtRscsmUzys3Ryqqdr01b1_w8W5s7FTEHdACqrUgyyZS-3UuJD-7QvpXZHHboF2gnKTSUvwuQr3YqyK_PXSj6hhtfoU_xKPJU2H805g1U1wQ1mDH4v8sk6j26K0GJ-SE05ON/s1600/DSCN0941.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FD63RjtzRtRscsmUzys3Ryqqdr01b1_w8W5s7FTEHdACqrUgyyZS-3UuJD-7QvpXZHHboF2gnKTSUvwuQr3YqyK_PXSj6hhtfoU_xKPJU2H805g1U1wQ1mDH4v8sk6j26K0GJ-SE05ON/s400/DSCN0941.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471997936084713570" /></a><br />While we did eat quite a bit of Belgium chocolate and sampled the double-fried fries, the waffles were by far our favorite food on this leg of our trip. Jonathan just couldn’t get enough, and already has plans to purchase a waffle maker when we get back! Here is Heather in front of one of the many waffle stands we visited.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT_5BJ5J1hwxAPT9qFhqCxBfci29AMx3Uz6qE7Tl0GFvq5NKbSR067kp0IU0S66iJJR4SAMwA8UMNEpOM6qI33TKsx2GWxjviKf_8W_aH-2lByYpcP4-lBV9KegoVJ7hyphenhyphen3Rguz_kR244d/s1600/DSCN0937.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT_5BJ5J1hwxAPT9qFhqCxBfci29AMx3Uz6qE7Tl0GFvq5NKbSR067kp0IU0S66iJJR4SAMwA8UMNEpOM6qI33TKsx2GWxjviKf_8W_aH-2lByYpcP4-lBV9KegoVJ7hyphenhyphen3Rguz_kR244d/s400/DSCN0937.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471998407064676754" /></a><br />The architecture in Belgium was our favorite so far. Brussels was absolutely beautiful (although rather cold and rainy)! The city was very walk-able, allowing us to easily visit most of the major sites on foot (which is a good thing considering all the beer and waffles we consumed). Below is a picture of us in Brussels’ most famous square, Grand Place (you can ignore the street-cleaning machine in the background). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihP5TrWbp8QwdCdU1VtWM4eSbFip499S4aQClLGt6TUVwFc08QxJiIdq-YLOgGeOPOER_9urk8GczABQqmqFxnN05ghLrjZ5hf3WrsAsnVB-sRirnqIN_TsdeB95aXz1ZFYg4qgOctAmEi/s1600/DSCN0920.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihP5TrWbp8QwdCdU1VtWM4eSbFip499S4aQClLGt6TUVwFc08QxJiIdq-YLOgGeOPOER_9urk8GczABQqmqFxnN05ghLrjZ5hf3WrsAsnVB-sRirnqIN_TsdeB95aXz1ZFYg4qgOctAmEi/s400/DSCN0920.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471997490612026386" /></a><br />Brussels is also the primary capital of the European Union, which occupies an entire section of the city. Heather was excited to visit this area, but unfortunately it was a little boring and disappointing. There might have been some sort of tourist center or museum, but if so we missed it. Mostly we just saw nondescript, large office buildings, with many angry looking Europeans going in and out. They must have read the news about the uncertain future of the EU!<br /><br />Since we had almost a full week in Belgium, we were able to take day trips from Brussels to both Bruges and Antwerp. On Thursday we headed to Bruges, known as one of the most historically preserved and beautiful towns in Belgium. Coincidentally, we happened to arrive on one of the busiest days of the year – a religious holiday called Ascension Day. Even though most of the shops were closed and the town was really crowded, we were able to take part in many of the festivities of the day - including the Procession of the Holy Blood (a tradition that started in 1291). Bruges is beautiful and definitely worth a half-day trip, although we can imagine how crowded it must get during the height of the tourism season! Here is a picture of us in the main “Market” square. You can see the bleachers set up behind us for people to watch the parade.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtjaOkjERfOhbK_EL_vNF2cOthmR38NpW-PtRk-2H-d9LHS5wDhCdq1KgpGkJE30x0va8z7pPK3CcCk5KT5CjoeA6b9PG_dej13R44SPpQbPaholU6PXGtUoj397i6hssIJ_PIOLIH4jL/s1600/DSCN0979.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtjaOkjERfOhbK_EL_vNF2cOthmR38NpW-PtRk-2H-d9LHS5wDhCdq1KgpGkJE30x0va8z7pPK3CcCk5KT5CjoeA6b9PG_dej13R44SPpQbPaholU6PXGtUoj397i6hssIJ_PIOLIH4jL/s400/DSCN0979.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471998839702143906" /></a><br />On Friday we took a day trip to Antwerp, Belgium’s second largest city and the Diamond Capital of the World. We didn’t do a lot of research before we arrived but were pleasantly surprised at just how much we enjoyed the city! We definitely liked our visit to Antwerp more than Bruges, and wished we had more time to spend there. Most of the day was spent strolling the main shopping street, visiting the major sites, and of course, window shopping in the diamond district. Unfortunately, everything Heather picked out would require us to cancel the rest of our trip and return home immediately! Here is a picture of us in front of Antwerp’s Central Station – one of the most beautiful rail stations in Europe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfF8pfSs-OhhbnkKo7LMIgOcHcxz-jWoeUxGEdNsXwAgFeZ6TUR7g4QWZMhXqT-l4MaoZMbkhGP5JJ_VqRGYM05vIuhOmaRT5mjUZGGdkYCROMKQLVAMTzmcRf1N_B27s-qTNvQkDi-Coo/s1600/IMG_2422.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfF8pfSs-OhhbnkKo7LMIgOcHcxz-jWoeUxGEdNsXwAgFeZ6TUR7g4QWZMhXqT-l4MaoZMbkhGP5JJ_VqRGYM05vIuhOmaRT5mjUZGGdkYCROMKQLVAMTzmcRf1N_B27s-qTNvQkDi-Coo/s400/IMG_2422.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471999275788454930" /></a><br />The most interesting part of our time in Antwerp was spent visiting a beer bar rated 2nd in the world (Ratebeer.com) - the Kulminator. The bar is owned and operated by an older couple and according to the reviews online, the husband is a bit of a beer tyrant. Apparently they have a huge inventory of vintage beers, but the owner will only discuss his collection after he deems someone to be a true beer lover. Well, we must not have met the criteria because he didn’t interact with us at all. He sat at a nearby table and read the newspaper the whole time we were there. The bar was practically as quiet as a church, with classical music playing in the background and several cats roaming around. It was really strange, but a must for any beer lover visiting Belgium! Here is Jonathan enjoying a N’Ice Chouffe at the Kulminator. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxphWmeCKcF1tdvkIEmiAYO8YE1ZWLJDNilmVhOJVQu9o5x08_rSRGzLAF8N7nZrn3pAQaXBLYYwX6Y1grlh17Lul470X9sT9b_AP4DOKWNp6m2zgvyLC0K4XFsi10X-VSU7hGsVoeaevf/s1600/IMG_2454.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxphWmeCKcF1tdvkIEmiAYO8YE1ZWLJDNilmVhOJVQu9o5x08_rSRGzLAF8N7nZrn3pAQaXBLYYwX6Y1grlh17Lul470X9sT9b_AP4DOKWNp6m2zgvyLC0K4XFsi10X-VSU7hGsVoeaevf/s400/IMG_2454.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471999787951763186" /></a><br />Our train arrived in Luxembourg this afternoon, and we’re excited to explore the city before heading to Paris on Tuesday!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Leffe 9 Degrees (a Belgian strong pale ale) <br /> • Leffe Blonde (a Belgian pale ale)<br /> • Chimay Grande Reserve (a Belgian strong dark ale)<br /> • Chimay Premiere (a Belgian dubbel)<br /> • Chimay Tripel (a Belgian tripel)<br /> • Hoegaarden Grand Cru (a Belgian witbier)<br /> • Vedett Extra White (a Belgian witbier)<br /> • Blanche de Bruges (a Belgian witbier)<br /> • Orval Trappist Ale (a Belgian pale ale)<br /> • Trappist Achel 8° Blond (a Belgian tripel)<br /> • Trappistes Rochefort 8 (a Belgian strong dark ale)<br /> • Blanche De Hainaut Biologique (a Belgian witbier)<br /> • N’Ice Chouffe (a Belgian strong dark ale)<br /> • Gordon Finest Platinum (a Belgian strong pale ale)<br /> • Watou’s Wit (a Belgian witbier)<br /> • Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor (a Belgian IPA)<br /> • Nostradamus (a Belgian strong dark ale)<br /> • Valier Extra (a Belgian IPA)<br /> • St. Feuillien Blonde (a Belgian strong pale ale)<br /> • Mort Subite Gueuze (a Belgian gueuze)<br /> • Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel (a Belgian IPA)<br /> • Duvel (a Belgian strong pale ale)<br /> • Delirium Tremens (a Belgian strong pale ale)<br /> • Ramee Blonde (a Belgian strong pale ale)<br /> • Maes Pils (a German Pilsener brewed in Belgium)<br /> • Erdinger Weissbier (a German hefeweizen – warming up for our next big beer country)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-72707071581563024602010-05-11T12:03:00.009-04:002010-05-11T12:17:13.674-04:00The Smallest House in Amsterdam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UL7_82hTd7S5EVZ7Heb3AlcWN7YBHibTRQUmgwjq6fJLjc-hP-pw_-q7-P0m3Vyq63HimstJGRChAE60wwef3ng_rEmPkef6qaNQQbRdbl-ZWJBE_-Kyqch87vaclUlDYPb7bh892dfz/s1600/XYZ.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UL7_82hTd7S5EVZ7Heb3AlcWN7YBHibTRQUmgwjq6fJLjc-hP-pw_-q7-P0m3Vyq63HimstJGRChAE60wwef3ng_rEmPkef6qaNQQbRdbl-ZWJBE_-Kyqch87vaclUlDYPb7bh892dfz/s400/XYZ.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470045492185469698" /></a><br />We arrived in Amsterdam late in the evening last Wednesday. We don’t typically like to blog about our hotels, but this one was so freaking cool! It was definitely the most high-tech hotel we’ve ever stayed in, and we would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Amsterdam. It’s called CitizenM, and everything in the room was controlled by a remote and completely customizable – down to the color of the lighting. Our room was purple for most of the week! <br /><br />Thursday was a very busy day spent exploring the city. We went on another walking tour and saw most of the major tourist highlights, including the eye-opening (or more like eye-closing) Red Light District. We also visited the Anne Frank House, definitely the most memorable museum we’ve been to thus far. Both of us read “Anne Frank” in middle school, but forgot some of the specifics over the years. We were able to walk through the actual house her family hid in, including Anne’s room with her magazine cut-outs still hanging on the walls. It was a really moving experience. Her diary is second only to the Bible in copies sold world-wide. Below is a picture of us in front of the museum and house. The house is on the left (just behind the tree) and the museum is the glass building to the right.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J20xVvWGty0RRX_dacO1gFxckDP2h1kOcir14sVllbG-_uAXHnjkASO40YIIMBgA8ayiLvBC6XpabjPS8KIvpiZEqP-cjlxBbjarGfY-GE2TwX5OM1jVRE3pKiiHWT21_4tihbOvvzeP/s1600/IMG_2369.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J20xVvWGty0RRX_dacO1gFxckDP2h1kOcir14sVllbG-_uAXHnjkASO40YIIMBgA8ayiLvBC6XpabjPS8KIvpiZEqP-cjlxBbjarGfY-GE2TwX5OM1jVRE3pKiiHWT21_4tihbOvvzeP/s400/IMG_2369.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470044875282771842" /></a><br />Friday we explored some different parts of the city, including a visit to a brewery housed in a windmill – Brouwerij ‘t IJ (see picture below). We’ve both been on quite a few brewery tours, but this was one of the coolest. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlJJFvElgP9MeroMkXuNDhzzWUWAVgGnwK0a6YQJi7HeXMuPA2Kbf0MxsAbizRWaMojEqZxQiV8QqvNUjarwj79AEEGcowk85C9psJrD98dJ0-NLAIBpmOYvDmF5nk7Ca0CvytJ6X8HeB/s1600/DSCN0851.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlJJFvElgP9MeroMkXuNDhzzWUWAVgGnwK0a6YQJi7HeXMuPA2Kbf0MxsAbizRWaMojEqZxQiV8QqvNUjarwj79AEEGcowk85C9psJrD98dJ0-NLAIBpmOYvDmF5nk7Ca0CvytJ6X8HeB/s400/DSCN0851.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470044549132906930" /></a><br />After sampling a number of very strong beers, we decided to head over to another cool bar we found called Café Gollem. It was a tiny pub, but served hundreds of different beers. We finished off the evening with some savory pancakes that are a must on any visit to The Netherlands!<br /><br />On Saturday we took a day trip to Delft, a small city famous for the white and blue hand-painted Royal Delft porcelain. There was a huge antique and food market going on during our visit, which was a lot of fun to explore. We bought some local produce and cheese, and had a picnic near the city hall. The town was absolutely charming, and we definitely recommend it for a short excursion from Amsterdam. Below is a picture of us in front of their beautiful city hall. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mZ918Aew1XEuWVD41UWF-eaK9YgdO19M_61p1EyBepnf6pv3CgwwQD4Ubjw5E21dH2xAgvt4gmX1eGIOndNPY0-cOEh7PUAh2vPMBI2HORj-2wFUY1TMQDY1_XZOteENejNMhx64dgvz/s1600/DSCN0889.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mZ918Aew1XEuWVD41UWF-eaK9YgdO19M_61p1EyBepnf6pv3CgwwQD4Ubjw5E21dH2xAgvt4gmX1eGIOndNPY0-cOEh7PUAh2vPMBI2HORj-2wFUY1TMQDY1_XZOteENejNMhx64dgvz/s400/DSCN0889.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470044713277195346" /></a><br />After arriving back in Amsterdam, we spent the rest of our evening listening to jazz music at a really cool place Jonathan found called the Cotton Club. The bar was packed with locals, and we had a great time! <br /><br />There must have been some sort of trash man revolt because by Sunday there was garbage everywhere - attracting even more pigeons for Heather to fight off. We spent part of our last afternoon in Amsterdam on a canal boat tour of the city, taking in a relaxing view of the major sites. We also stopped by the smallest house in Amsterdam (see picture at the top of Jonathan). The house is less than two meters wide (about the same as Jonathan’s arm span). When it was built, taxation was based on house width, so to save money the owners built a really narrow home. We were told that the man that lives there is actually quite tall, and ironically, it’s located right next to the widest bridge in the city!<br /><br />Our only regret leaving Amsterdam is that we were not able to visit a museum that we are sure Heather would have loved (see below)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuh9NaJtYspXvuRfA2D9TyoisNr-gmx8wYAZovAWfiNi_XwEEfPquxgFAIyJqdztuIb1kCvimMMaPdpZxofEiLhl1XaZMGIUCpxP0o5HciuQ8T6AuL2WIpHlVWzYg8bOCDuzmFThj8h1zX/s1600/IMG_2393.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuh9NaJtYspXvuRfA2D9TyoisNr-gmx8wYAZovAWfiNi_XwEEfPquxgFAIyJqdztuIb1kCvimMMaPdpZxofEiLhl1XaZMGIUCpxP0o5HciuQ8T6AuL2WIpHlVWzYg8bOCDuzmFThj8h1zX/s400/IMG_2393.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470045085207041250" /></a><br />Yesterday we arrived in Brussels where we celebrated our two-year wedding anniversary! Jonathan had reservations at a really popular Moroccan restaurant, Kasbah, followed by listening to jazz at one of Brussels’s most famous jazz clubs – L’Archiduc. Below is a picture of us at the restaurant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7P3WGEzz4rZ8bSZs0GpuA3FP5fgOXfViV96UBJZrGZGj0u-3HouD0V83Qj8AZPsn4EAxEblZSxn8Bp78yycQGCO9RB9EVHp47RX2sLlOV9qCWN7ckveW9xbfRiSlep29coQ2-7G1sk3N/s1600/IMG_2410.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7P3WGEzz4rZ8bSZs0GpuA3FP5fgOXfViV96UBJZrGZGj0u-3HouD0V83Qj8AZPsn4EAxEblZSxn8Bp78yycQGCO9RB9EVHp47RX2sLlOV9qCWN7ckveW9xbfRiSlep29coQ2-7G1sk3N/s400/IMG_2410.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470045269930480514" /></a><br />We loved our visit to Amsterdam, and are very excited to explore Brussels over the next week – which means, of course, sampling lots of beer and chocolate!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Brouwerij ‘t IJ Columbus (described as a “special” amber ale)<br /> • Brouwerij ‘t IJ Struis (a strong, dark beer)<br /> • Brouwerij ‘t IJ IJwit (a white beer)<br /> • Brouwerij ‘t IJ Zatte (a golden yellow tripel)<br /> • Pauwel Kwak (a Belgian strong pale ale) <br /> • Blanche de Namur (a Belgian white beer)<br /> • Wieckse White (a Netherlands white beer)<br /> • Westmalle Tripel (a Belgian tripel)<br /> • La Chouffe (another Belgian strong pale ale)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-81066608871621303492010-05-08T03:15:00.002-04:002010-05-08T03:32:57.230-04:00Happy Wedding Day Tom and Christina!Although we are having a wonderful time on our trip, we are very sad to be missing the wedding today of our close friends, Tom and Christina. We just wanted to wish them the best and let them know we will are thinking about them! We know the wedding will be incredible and that everyone will have such a great time in New Orleans!<br /><br />Love you guys!The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-60825821899912602842010-05-05T07:00:00.005-04:002010-05-05T07:17:48.803-04:00Like Riding a Bike… Sort Of<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqQtHm3Qgfv9pSdzKv4o21MeLmEckRqlJb0GVV-BL58fPN9Et39YcLN0igQX1m0ULSWyVPkiIu9JxXrnJw2IuSKO1axsLH9XbvG8abl-sdl3Qx5QgK3Z7TLXghSYXevxcMKFjJlkzY08T/s1600/DSCN0795.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqQtHm3Qgfv9pSdzKv4o21MeLmEckRqlJb0GVV-BL58fPN9Et39YcLN0igQX1m0ULSWyVPkiIu9JxXrnJw2IuSKO1axsLH9XbvG8abl-sdl3Qx5QgK3Z7TLXghSYXevxcMKFjJlkzY08T/s400/DSCN0795.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467739470542969586" border="0"></a><br />This city is crazy! We read that Copenhagen was a bit of a party town, but were surprised when it actually lived up to the description. We must be getting old, because we were kind of amazed by the scene! We arrived on Saturday night and quickly found out there isn’t an open container law in this city – or any drinking age from what we could tell. Our first stop was Stroget, the longest strolling/shopping street in Europe. Mayhem! Drunk people were everywhere – singing, yelling, dancing, shot-gunning beers, and throwing bottles on the ground – it was crazy! <br /><br />On Sunday morning we had the city to ourselves for a while as the population recovered from Saturday night. We decided that we wanted to relax a little more than we’ve been doing on the trip thus far, so most of our day was spent at a coffee shop and then later drinking beers at the New Harbor canal/waterfront (see video below). That was our favorite place in the city!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwFdu-WeoE4JysCXiBR9rfYChnNE80XsDVCzTi3Gqho4u5atgq4OoCLolyZPPJC0oS0Vqk_TFIBynQzyIlYtw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Our plan on Monday was to sample some local pastries (YUM!!) and walk to the Tuborg Brewery for a tour and tasting. After a 7 km walk, we arrived at the “brewery” to discover that it either didn’t exist or was closed for renovations. Disappointing! We drowned our sorrows with more pastries and then took the bus back into the city center. We found a really awesome microbrewery called Brewpub (very creative name) and had dinner at their restaurant, along with a couple of their beers/ciders. We highly recommend this place for anyone visiting the city. The beer was great and Heather claims the cider was the absolute best she’s ever had! <br /><br />Yesterday we grabbed two free “city bikes” and planned to visit many of the remaining sites around Copenhagen. Well, that didn’t go exactly as we thought it would. Apparently it isn’t impossible to forget how to ride a bike – just ask Heather! It took a while for her to get on the bike to actually “ride” it, and just after she finally started getting some momentum, she crashed into metal scaffolding on the sidewalk. Finally, she pulled it together and we were off and riding through one of the most bike friendly cities in the world. Now we know who will NOT be teaching our children how to ride a bike!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BV2fE1j596ukJkDiaaqaOPMa7pi_JE81o2RJgLGhGen4nNtT3sO3SuSyFd2-WNQQCK_cbMbBxJ39SSwYoV_odlW4kVxBra8dtTdjRnauyCmLGICVM7FZlXC_ITRxDwUbtN-3L7Z0HGVG/s1600/DSCN0800.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BV2fE1j596ukJkDiaaqaOPMa7pi_JE81o2RJgLGhGen4nNtT3sO3SuSyFd2-WNQQCK_cbMbBxJ39SSwYoV_odlW4kVxBra8dtTdjRnauyCmLGICVM7FZlXC_ITRxDwUbtN-3L7Z0HGVG/s400/DSCN0800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467739771087466802" border="0"></a><br />Our first stop of the day was the city’s most famous attraction – The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid statue, situated on Copenhagen's waterfront, represents a character from a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tail (the basis for Disney’s The Little Mermaid movie). When we finally arrived at the site, we discovered the statue was in China for the World Expo. In its place was a non-functioning multi-media installation designed by the same person behind the Beijing Olympic stadium (we found this out while being interviewed for a Chinese newspaper). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi090gAj9jdx3UZ2PbZf2BbjYD2lzU85ITcIrL1zqiFwMmi6yOkrqRkAhSpdv0EC64fHar5-KnhcQ1UFM26jxM9WGk2vmO0xenapKT6u0msOplBbDi_YhnOOj9pl8ywSyuUs1DByKBmth-B/s1600/DSCN0807.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi090gAj9jdx3UZ2PbZf2BbjYD2lzU85ITcIrL1zqiFwMmi6yOkrqRkAhSpdv0EC64fHar5-KnhcQ1UFM26jxM9WGk2vmO0xenapKT6u0msOplBbDi_YhnOOj9pl8ywSyuUs1DByKBmth-B/s400/DSCN0807.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467739944504383106" border="0"></a><br />On our bike ride, we also stopped by several of the city’s castles and palaces. One of the stops we made was at the Rosenborg Castle and gardens – located in the middle of one of the largest parks in the city center (see picture below). The scene was absolutely crazy – kind of like Panama City during Spring Break (seriously). There were about 500 middle and high school kids running around drunk and causing pandemonium. It felt like a bad after school special! Again, we must be getting old because we were shocked! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOtc0zb4nFjjuZlPNvYmp7K5MbVHTmrDvpicZA_Y1WzIqvfXjFkWDATuIxirUqr_h4Ejacq_16AEjAAdXhFBhgiMD1KM3T4khMoRRymk_nd9UhvwTbl1_IoQEUx-qzyZAikNOu65P_CtX/s1600/DSCN0767.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOtc0zb4nFjjuZlPNvYmp7K5MbVHTmrDvpicZA_Y1WzIqvfXjFkWDATuIxirUqr_h4Ejacq_16AEjAAdXhFBhgiMD1KM3T4khMoRRymk_nd9UhvwTbl1_IoQEUx-qzyZAikNOu65P_CtX/s400/DSCN0767.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467739605210738914" border="0"></a><br />Last night we had a picnic dinner at New Harbor, followed by drinks at Heather’s favorite bar in the city – Library Bar. We would definitely recommend this bar to anyone visiting the city.<br /><br />All in all, this wasn’t our favorite city so far, but we definitely enjoyed our time here. Today we leave for Amsterdam!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Tuborg Green (a pilsner that is essentially a Miller Lite/Bud Light in Copenhagen)<br /> • Brewpub Cole Porter (a deep black microbrew porter)<br /> • Brewpub Armstrong (a microbrew IPA)<br /> • Brewpub Rose (the cider that Heather claims is the best ever)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-1556303074367307722010-05-01T15:20:00.011-04:002010-05-01T15:36:45.765-04:00Ice Ice Baby<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4H7MVZlTlEIAVYfmZLjm-hdZh1PqSHYvdSThqZiCPQBX87xnh10REsbzLI-Cml5UwOQ2loZCnc8M2My2Vo2uyyIZ5ALRdc-MHEPucXa_7iGTvzsmnTgY6z1-fhKCxOq3PgaxkCtvMuLK/s1600/IMG_2314.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4H7MVZlTlEIAVYfmZLjm-hdZh1PqSHYvdSThqZiCPQBX87xnh10REsbzLI-Cml5UwOQ2loZCnc8M2My2Vo2uyyIZ5ALRdc-MHEPucXa_7iGTvzsmnTgY6z1-fhKCxOq3PgaxkCtvMuLK/s400/IMG_2314.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466385009651824690" /></a><br />We were welcomed to Stockholm this past Wednesday with cold and rainy weather after a full day of travel, but luckily had two beautiful days thereafter to enjoy the city!<br /><br />On Thursday we started out exploring on foot after a Swedish breakfast at the Chinese restaurant in our hotel (a little weird but still tasty). We spent most of the day walking around Stockholm, taking in the people and surroundings, and trying not to spend all of our money at the really cool stores (we are both suckers for the modern Swedish designs). Jonathan felt right at home after running into a restaurant and bar called the Texas Longhorn Smokehouse (don’t worry, we didn’t go in)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYt5myqqGf0tZy1fSK3SrIQ_8cBotXP4i1HrKChs8UankYueXYqIaKT3R79rnUrEW_gh8cMWrWcYmkBi24V8CeAV-Jcm3f8Vuud_nGYx0saPSwVRu4RWUwzixBQJ3EbDr1SFTCsf0EAX1F/s1600/ABCD.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYt5myqqGf0tZy1fSK3SrIQ_8cBotXP4i1HrKChs8UankYueXYqIaKT3R79rnUrEW_gh8cMWrWcYmkBi24V8CeAV-Jcm3f8Vuud_nGYx0saPSwVRu4RWUwzixBQJ3EbDr1SFTCsf0EAX1F/s400/ABCD.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466384209491459730" /></a> <br />After weighing some of the really cool museum options, we decided on the popular Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a massive Swedish war ship that set sail on her maiden voyage on August 10, 1628 – only to unfortunately sink after traveling just 1,500 meters from the harbor. In the 1960’s, after being submerged for more than 330 years, the ship was pulled out of the Baltic Sea, salvaged, and put on display in a really cool museum. About 95% of the original ship is on exhibit, including many of the personal articles found from the crew members on board. Unfortunately, it was really dark in the museum and most of the pictures didn’t turn out very well (below is a picture of Heather touching an original piece of the ship).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_Pw3e6fanHBDkfVje-uj60WoaR0ldNoLNjkDLJEfhBDHUYXdshE3g8H_qgL5KVNFNO_IT552U7lUCnKjurR7InleQ8IilPcdt2pDPX4Vx3AygCXxeX9oDQVxqphR7Vy9X0kVQpC8XMRW/s1600/XYZ.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_Pw3e6fanHBDkfVje-uj60WoaR0ldNoLNjkDLJEfhBDHUYXdshE3g8H_qgL5KVNFNO_IT552U7lUCnKjurR7InleQ8IilPcdt2pDPX4Vx3AygCXxeX9oDQVxqphR7Vy9X0kVQpC8XMRW/s400/XYZ.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466385498138217042" /></a><br />Thursday night we went to dinner at a really good restaurant in the more artsy, non-touristy part of the city, and then made a stop for a couple beers at Akkurat - voted the World’s 3rd Best Beer Bar in 2010 (RateBeer.com). As a side note, the Brick Store Pub, in Decatur, GA (the city we’ve lived in the past three years), was actually ranked 6th on the same list. Here is Jonathan enjoying a pint of a delicious Swedish micro-brew IPA.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvTh9dmXyTOx7aAWL8yWYEXoEL9VhCylIDerYltxw8r3DO7mFXMqhiefcLGMAEBDXskaM_uxv72i4vaReNGPH0IoMUqrWbJjTv_v9VhyphenhyphenMIUU6gY5cPYlxka-8EEQF4WLWOqg13XZjmuZF/s1600/IMG_2246.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvTh9dmXyTOx7aAWL8yWYEXoEL9VhCylIDerYltxw8r3DO7mFXMqhiefcLGMAEBDXskaM_uxv72i4vaReNGPH0IoMUqrWbJjTv_v9VhyphenhyphenMIUU6gY5cPYlxka-8EEQF4WLWOqg13XZjmuZF/s400/IMG_2246.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466384402589770114" /></a><br />Yesterday we stopped by the Nobel Prize Museum, but couldn’t visit because of some local events taking place. We did, however, get to see the City Hall, which is where the Nobel Prize Banquet is actually held (see picture below). We also saw the Royal Palace and caught some of the Changing of the Guard ceremony. It seemed much less organized than the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, with the soldiers somewhat haphazardly marching around.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhjc6f2dvisaUOnnPP4Fa3wPbKAY4CIgBENZj5AyNRbAycZsdA6hK0vUK4RRd3Ty86ooXYwouL2huyasjW8bVyqb4Im5V2kPZhbQnF1wob7ox7w_g0wE3Za1DthUZO3wT_DpYNB86ETXE/s1600/IMG_2268.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhjc6f2dvisaUOnnPP4Fa3wPbKAY4CIgBENZj5AyNRbAycZsdA6hK0vUK4RRd3Ty86ooXYwouL2huyasjW8bVyqb4Im5V2kPZhbQnF1wob7ox7w_g0wE3Za1DthUZO3wT_DpYNB86ETXE/s400/IMG_2268.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466386081999490162" /></a><br />After much debate, we decided that we couldn’t leave Stockholm without going to the “Ice Bar” (pictures at top and below). Nearly everything in the bar, including the glasses, was literally made of ice, and they even make you wear these Eskimo type coats inside because it is so darn cold. It was a bit touristy, but we had a lot of fun! We tried to look as “Swedish” as possible to stand out from all the tourists.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKK3BXeLFMQHBLAjVjdpR9NgDjKN-zxQPsvqeLL_6nCOLaemcJES-qBXCBh4oJqkoN9wVGiW5LMqfhHsewGPIgAc8YfuZenOvGQj1Hoy3IIu1FxCjxsRecN__uGFkaIlBY_jjIBT6iWkO/s1600/IMG_2312.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKK3BXeLFMQHBLAjVjdpR9NgDjKN-zxQPsvqeLL_6nCOLaemcJES-qBXCBh4oJqkoN9wVGiW5LMqfhHsewGPIgAc8YfuZenOvGQj1Hoy3IIu1FxCjxsRecN__uGFkaIlBY_jjIBT6iWkO/s400/IMG_2312.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466385201870761218" /></a><br />We left Stockholm this afternoon and just arrived in Copenhagen. The city looks really cool and we can’t wait to explore!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Spendrups Lattol (pretty much the Miller Lite/Bud Light of Sweden)<br /> • Jamtlands (a Swedish micro-brew IPA)<br /> • Bedero Bitter (a Swedish micro-brew pale ale)<br /> • Chimay (Heather keeps warming up for our Belgium visit)<br /> • Brauerei Wagner Weisse (Heather also keeps warming up for our Germany visit)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-76473798545750873092010-04-27T14:40:00.009-04:002010-04-27T15:05:14.407-04:00The Best Beer in the World<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Bp_dlGeAogTR3F3NNezDddJ6b-d7mfJJWO8MJPd7XuVcdSLnhWV1P6Y9qR4L8tG0dyRshK9UZ-jFqPd4ZqllqeRO80q6rVqso_My54JamV2PomrRXnLvkNQD-KwBu27wFvG1U0ZcpZiR/s1600/IMG_2138.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Bp_dlGeAogTR3F3NNezDddJ6b-d7mfJJWO8MJPd7XuVcdSLnhWV1P6Y9qR4L8tG0dyRshK9UZ-jFqPd4ZqllqeRO80q6rVqso_My54JamV2PomrRXnLvkNQD-KwBu27wFvG1U0ZcpZiR/s400/IMG_2138.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464890288367443586" /></a><br />Well… at least the best named beer! “Fraoch” is actually Gaelic for Heather. Heather ale has apparently been brewed in Scotland for 4,000 years and is the oldest style of ale still made in the world. Jonathan knew he liked Heather for a reason! <br /><br />We expected the Scottish Highlands to be very similar to the rural part of Ireland we visited, but it is actually quite a bit different. The landscape is more rugged but still really beautiful. And the population is a little older than Edinburgh!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TtjeyToYklTgjGQ0WOUXK6TGgbYgdPDEz0ImTSdKNd1tP9R6t5Kqd5uQSkgmAmbgun4wyQqcOXXG1XEM_aVdnRCdY11bB5O1luHlsCVZDdWjGJlCFaabDGk2jJ-611k-5P0zsW4-xLNy/s1600/ABC.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TtjeyToYklTgjGQ0WOUXK6TGgbYgdPDEz0ImTSdKNd1tP9R6t5Kqd5uQSkgmAmbgun4wyQqcOXXG1XEM_aVdnRCdY11bB5O1luHlsCVZDdWjGJlCFaabDGk2jJ-611k-5P0zsW4-xLNy/s400/ABC.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464893967062552242" /></a><br />We spent our first full day exploring the Ness Islands, a short walk from our hotel… and doing laundry. Inverness is a fairly small city but still has all the essentials – including another castle! The next day we rented a car (thankfully they upgraded us to an automatic) and drove to the Isle of Skye, where the sheep to people ratio is approximately 50:1. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXY5ct7HXHSk0fvoUUPnxALsfKjsF8G0HHeMjS4U-FtGEQcyKpjC4UivJbiR7q4rno2Xz-1XlxWGAnTYnDK-juGfoVIZOaGnjnzbewzfXVZMEXc2K94T2dvxhQoyLZUjjyK4-OqU3FrqX/s1600/DSCN0712.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXY5ct7HXHSk0fvoUUPnxALsfKjsF8G0HHeMjS4U-FtGEQcyKpjC4UivJbiR7q4rno2Xz-1XlxWGAnTYnDK-juGfoVIZOaGnjnzbewzfXVZMEXc2K94T2dvxhQoyLZUjjyK4-OqU3FrqX/s400/DSCN0712.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464892015931291970" /></a><br />We visited the Talisker Whiskey Distillery for a tour and tasting - a required stop on a Scottish vacation. We had a picnic lunch and then spent some more time driving around the island, where we came across the highly allusive “hairy cow.” Luckily for us, Catherine gave us a heads up to be on the look out for these guys. Jonathan bravely snapped the picture below (but we weren’t sure if the cow could see him anyway).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DKBjCOyoA6UR1pIRAwsk93fmCFqHJoFD41eexQ2-Xu4fnBzk9ukSzSQ1gn9FkkvQBr3UESTT9plhnhLp2xDcpOzcUXdD62FAqA9PFdWL9YbbkLf3vCYR8m3fBbtA9b7vgGRb-pyJmS2R/s1600/DSCN0678.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DKBjCOyoA6UR1pIRAwsk93fmCFqHJoFD41eexQ2-Xu4fnBzk9ukSzSQ1gn9FkkvQBr3UESTT9plhnhLp2xDcpOzcUXdD62FAqA9PFdWL9YbbkLf3vCYR8m3fBbtA9b7vgGRb-pyJmS2R/s400/DSCN0678.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464891378242536290" /></a><br />Later that afternoon we drove to Fort Augustus, a small town on Loch Ness, to continue our hunt for Nessie (see picture below). Unfortunately, we didn’t have a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster. We eventually gave up our search and had dinner at a nearby restaurant where Jonathan tried the official dish of Scotland – Haggis. Heather tried not to gag as he ate the mound of lamb parts. Supposedly it tastes like sausage, but Heather can’t confirm.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAHgPCFRZiANDbJwfgliWYbyujAJPaUZD-9OA7qEG7gwgavcy5L6xpBUdc8Adf9WyxvdmmSMJWmn4bSjqPe3or4mE5u66c_kLLF3-Y-6MlWlWhoHRagMfGZZvdUPT_M8XLWaopyvL8NpR/s1600/DSCN0719.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAHgPCFRZiANDbJwfgliWYbyujAJPaUZD-9OA7qEG7gwgavcy5L6xpBUdc8Adf9WyxvdmmSMJWmn4bSjqPe3or4mE5u66c_kLLF3-Y-6MlWlWhoHRagMfGZZvdUPT_M8XLWaopyvL8NpR/s400/DSCN0719.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464892671598440594" /></a><br />Today we drove to Cairngorms National Park, the largest in the UK, and went on a long hike around one of the lochs in the park. Unfortunately, the only wildlife encounter was with a small field mouse. After that we drove to Black Isle to visit the Black Isle Brewery – a small craft brewery known for their award winning organic beers. Our less than enthusiastic guide, also the owner of the brewery, let us try several craft brews including another beer made with the heather flower.<br /><br />Tomorrow we are headed to Stockholm. Cross your fingers that our bags meet the weight-limit for Ryanair!<br /><br />Beer List:<br /> • Fraoch (a Heather ale brewed in Scotland)<br /> • Maplemoon (an English “maple” ale)<br /> • Wychcraft (a blonde beer from England)<br /> • Oxford Gold Organic (an English craft brew)<br /> • Old Hooky (a full-bodied English ale)<br /> • Titanic Stout (an English Stout)<br /> • Heather Honey Organic Beer (from the Scottish Black Isle Brewery we visited)<br /> • Yellowhammer Organic IPA (also from the Black Isle Brewery)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-45652077237312067372010-04-24T07:42:00.006-04:002010-04-24T07:55:55.033-04:00The Birthplace of Harry Potter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLhRszvdOtbxhpoVNTknmt8p76AieBclr3DFmeHsmU-2lryMveMdrdxCLPtbTd6ShI8jFtorPR54KZPqu-rS6-bfy4o7zkKCxJEv0nd-Lta0oh7mkDgR6jh12cMSbhENZxccGtwmZWTfq/s1600/IMG_2107.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLhRszvdOtbxhpoVNTknmt8p76AieBclr3DFmeHsmU-2lryMveMdrdxCLPtbTd6ShI8jFtorPR54KZPqu-rS6-bfy4o7zkKCxJEv0nd-Lta0oh7mkDgR6jh12cMSbhENZxccGtwmZWTfq/s400/IMG_2107.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463669171245579538" /></a><br />After a short, unplanned detour through Belfast, we finally made it to Scotland! We really love Edinburgh and wish we had more time here. For those of you not familiar with the city, it is largely divided into two sections -- Old Town (where most of the historic sites are located) and New Town (where we stayed). Interestingly, New Town was built in the 1700’s – not very new by American standards!<br /><br />Our only full day in Edinburgh started off with walking tour of the city, which allowed us to see most of the historical highlights, learn a ton about Scottish history, and see an unexpected stop along the way -- the "birthplace" of Harry Potter! Our tour guide was a huge Harry Potter fan and in addition to the major historical sights (Edinburgh Castle, City Hall, Prince Street Gardens, etc.) she took us by the Elephant House Café (pictured above) where J.K. Rowling wrote the first drafts of Harry Potter! She also showed us the private school that Rowling used as her inspiration for Hogwarts, and the graveyard that contained tombstones with names inspiring some of the characters in the book.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaUFriE5BVa-_ABpZX0bQNerBxQnRrGSEuIfqF_8tnrq5AJDvueoEAqLgEu5huu4h29o0TfdHckiqL-E538ITSmtQRKsPc3EjvKU2WJfKR8uzkLYxyhqDn8CSzN5YnWTa39Qt379U4FRN/s1600/IMG_2120.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaUFriE5BVa-_ABpZX0bQNerBxQnRrGSEuIfqF_8tnrq5AJDvueoEAqLgEu5huu4h29o0TfdHckiqL-E538ITSmtQRKsPc3EjvKU2WJfKR8uzkLYxyhqDn8CSzN5YnWTa39Qt379U4FRN/s400/IMG_2120.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463670245560877954" /></a><br />We had a chance to try several local pubs/bars and like the scene more than Ireland. The bars we tried were really laid back and had a much more diverse selection of beers and drinks. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG4VD7NEFj8ArGt4ciP18Nwc7kpBkI1are9bmVmq969X6yX-ksHzCL1FudhZFKuXhLf2UulKcPTBZAY1_POMRWeBwpB2MU8dwurj71gIrSov5S7_9rkY7kpG6k9h5-hVORguNy1c4pYps/s1600/IMG_2048.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG4VD7NEFj8ArGt4ciP18Nwc7kpBkI1are9bmVmq969X6yX-ksHzCL1FudhZFKuXhLf2UulKcPTBZAY1_POMRWeBwpB2MU8dwurj71gIrSov5S7_9rkY7kpG6k9h5-hVORguNy1c4pYps/s400/IMG_2048.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463670769601153394" /></a><br />After lunch today we are taking a bus to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. We will be there until April 28th. We’ll try to snap a picture of Nessie!<br /><br />Even More Beers (this was a good city for beers):<br /> • John Smith’s Extra Smooth (an English ale)<br /> • Stewart’s 80 (a dark Scottish craft brew)<br /> • WEST Hefeweizen (a Scottish craft brewery in Glasgow)<br /> • Claverhouse (a red ale from Strathaven Ales brewery in Scotland)<br /> • Belhaven Best (another English ale)<br /> • Strongbow (not a beer, but a great flashback to Heather’s study abroad experience)<br /> • Fruli Strawberry (Heather tried this Belgium fruity “beer,” not Jonathan)<br /> • Hoegarden (warming up for Belgium)<br /> • Staropramen (warming up for the Czech Republic)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-90865634428838250192010-04-20T19:11:00.006-04:002010-04-20T19:41:17.239-04:00Pretty in PinkWe left Dublin on Sunday and drove down to Cork. Luckily, they saved this special pink car for us!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVG1V0Uz920WYVEcJ04KAMuef9dml_w72HCf_6DuFkkss2uSIEQlgbrG6SEXqBqHJOYw22pgRUz2RlLyDqxsLN4XXP8SH7FpFEtQDq9KQSUqcPAfDPxM4c_LtLV17gfuLf8i99lj_f-rk/s1600/DSCN0595.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVG1V0Uz920WYVEcJ04KAMuef9dml_w72HCf_6DuFkkss2uSIEQlgbrG6SEXqBqHJOYw22pgRUz2RlLyDqxsLN4XXP8SH7FpFEtQDq9KQSUqcPAfDPxM4c_LtLV17gfuLf8i99lj_f-rk/s400/DSCN0595.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462363694169634178" /></a><br />The drive was fairly simple once Jonathan got the hang of driving on the wrong side of the road. Cork is a great town and we would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Ireland. We stayed at a really nice bed and breakfast, Fernroyd House, where the hosting family was a wealth of knowledge on the area. Each morning after breakfast the husband, Tony, sat down with us and helped us plan our day. <br /><br />On our first night in Cork we got to hear a local band, Arundo, play traditional Irish music. It was really cool! On Monday, we explored Cork and the nearby Blarney Castle – famous for the Blarney Stone. The story goes that if you kiss the stone, you will never again be lost for words. Needless to say, Heather didn’t need to kiss the stone, but Jonathan gave it a try. This is a picture of Blarney House, where the owner of the castle lives.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmc3h1OJLlPNXVqgUhxhLqQjd2QmqJJAiEoRUs_2_QuHaGaBwVN2VG3EQOssewuD024Y0zuZHraha-CoBn9eGX0Ugg-S2n3CahtbSshfIaiE3pIg6-dMpmBJANzNDgNhi6vh-jwjHQUOj/s1600/DSCN0549.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmc3h1OJLlPNXVqgUhxhLqQjd2QmqJJAiEoRUs_2_QuHaGaBwVN2VG3EQOssewuD024Y0zuZHraha-CoBn9eGX0Ugg-S2n3CahtbSshfIaiE3pIg6-dMpmBJANzNDgNhi6vh-jwjHQUOj/s400/DSCN0549.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462365595753190658" /></a><br />Today we drove to the Dingle Peninsula – definitely our favorite part of Ireland. It was incredibly beautiful and pristine. The mountains and beaches were deserted, minus the cows and sheep overlooking the coast. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZOsYPUlAi8WJa0R9b4uFP2iMnw5laF1snFBl-lHpXjUtuLRT-ZSX62EYxcyPw0P7zrWKgRJjpfk2xygVzoWORq3nkFcTmx7y8SUxuNHoB5dH5_wiMbHAds1YAvchLR8X8oM6MTnMjkwx/s1600/IMG_2023.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZOsYPUlAi8WJa0R9b4uFP2iMnw5laF1snFBl-lHpXjUtuLRT-ZSX62EYxcyPw0P7zrWKgRJjpfk2xygVzoWORq3nkFcTmx7y8SUxuNHoB5dH5_wiMbHAds1YAvchLR8X8oM6MTnMjkwx/s400/IMG_2023.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462367386693543170" /></a><br />We were supposed to head to Edinburgh tomorrow, but Ryanair canceled all flights until Friday because of the Iceland Volcano. So instead, we are heading up to Belfast to spend the night and then take a ferry to Scotland. We are pretty lucky to be able to use another form of transportation. One of the couples at our B&B was told that they might have to wait until May 6th for a return flight to Chicago!<br /><br />More Beers: <br /> • Murphy’s (Irish Stout – kind of a knock-off Guinness) <br /> • Beamish (Irish Stout – another Guinness knock-off) <br /> • Carlsberg (just a warm-up for our visit to Denmark next month)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-59684643392787662692010-04-18T06:37:00.004-04:002010-04-18T06:43:57.237-04:00Where's Heather?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDYoJwCvxB9V_t37Ps6vk1ziXqNT5PpovFEEBYbIKWWyHGkLkebCLFN1jPIvvKFQfzCErZ1aN1PGDH_qPME9M99z5MPBf1Hzn6napKN0EBW03xd_kKLnU3-CU7SqhORSrQg1JJsy-bqOc/s1600/IMG_1978.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDYoJwCvxB9V_t37Ps6vk1ziXqNT5PpovFEEBYbIKWWyHGkLkebCLFN1jPIvvKFQfzCErZ1aN1PGDH_qPME9M99z5MPBf1Hzn6napKN0EBW03xd_kKLnU3-CU7SqhORSrQg1JJsy-bqOc/s400/IMG_1978.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461425551994260338" /></a><br />Well the “luck of the Irish” must be with us because we somehow made it to Ireland despite the volcano situation in Iceland. Interestingly, we actually considered visiting Iceland on this trip. Hopefully the air ban will be lifted before the 21st so we can make it to Scotland. Right now most flights from Europe are canceled at least through tomorrow at 1:00 a.m. Although there are worst places to be stranded than Dublin!<br /><br />Our Dublin hotel, Trinity Capital, was quite purple. Seriously, everything was purple or pink – kind of a mecca for Heather. We must be getting old because the time difference is affecting us more than in the past. After sleeping half of the first day away, we were able to drag ourselves out of bed in time to make it to a pub for some traditional Irish food and beer. On Friday we toured the Guinness Brewery and explored the city. Are we the only ones who didn’t realize that the beer company is also responsible for the Guinness Book of World records? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuLKYHVuYK8ARfNXvpP8L49ttOUAAOr9Cp0p1Et6NpfeaVczodFY7kdkImjaKAaU1JEXIKVBoDVpFQ4wHqeUkzIk3stPHEb_87w3jVsYEgPV6kC60hSiF-ldS4Prtx0OkftAKjtEUd8R1/s1600/IMG_1955.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuLKYHVuYK8ARfNXvpP8L49ttOUAAOr9Cp0p1Et6NpfeaVczodFY7kdkImjaKAaU1JEXIKVBoDVpFQ4wHqeUkzIk3stPHEb_87w3jVsYEgPV6kC60hSiF-ldS4Prtx0OkftAKjtEUd8R1/s400/IMG_1955.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461425944609985506" /></a><br />We actually made it out that night, encountering multiple bachelor and bachelorette parties – including the Where’s Waldo themed party above. The first song the band played at Quay’s Pub was Sweet Home Alabama – seriously. And EVERYONE knew all the words.<br /><br />Yesterday we went on a cool walking tour (no fanny packs or buses involved, we promise) and learned about Irish history. The tour took us to most of the major highlights (Christ Church, Trinity College, etc.). <br /><br />We are headed out to Cork today. Wish us luck with driving on the wrong side of the road! Hopefully we will master it before we arrive in Scotland and Heather has to drive a manual!<br /><br />Beers tried so far (somewhat paltry list, we’ll work on this):<br /> • Guinness (required beer for Ireland visit)<br /> • Smithwick’s (another local brew)<br /> • Krombacher (we realize we aren’t in Germany yet)<br /> • Bulmers (technically a cider – this one was for you, Cat!)<br /> • Hersbrucker (local pilsner craft brew from a place called the Porterhouse)<br /> • Paulaner (yup, another German beer)The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2976035732529523854.post-70087021052250201512010-04-14T15:47:00.008-04:002010-04-14T16:14:42.584-04:00Off we go!We started with the idea that we would “backpack” around Europe - of course avoiding hostels. Well, when we checked in at the airport today we had two suitcases almost at the weight limit and backpacks big enough to tip Heather over. Hmmm… we are definitely going to reevaluate our packing. I guess we don’t really need 45 Cliff Bars!<br /><br />We also thought this would be our time to unplug from the real world. In our carry on we have 2 iPods, 1 iPhone, 1 Kindle, 1 laptop, 2 cameras, 1 GPS, and a Flip camcorder. Yup, definitely unplugging!<br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMoz9rrLb0dgU8eemwCp4ZOlAjnArW7TuUs54Y3f5DhTnq_l4Ek48OuRnczMYBphaGUkyCSp_hAcXR_mxwAQNp3icOr2mh4xHY_ipNyHEKATi7aoDZx0JKKOPRRKwinj4gMlbRUe42for/s1600/DSCN0388.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMoz9rrLb0dgU8eemwCp4ZOlAjnArW7TuUs54Y3f5DhTnq_l4Ek48OuRnczMYBphaGUkyCSp_hAcXR_mxwAQNp3icOr2mh4xHY_ipNyHEKATi7aoDZx0JKKOPRRKwinj4gMlbRUe42for/s320/DSCN0388.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460086437589581570" /></a><br />Here is our schedule for the next 3 months...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIRPXOSbbQ3mR1GSNMii0inKCQFIa0EUdOJ84P9J6T-i-Wx297hfnm10up3cU0MwIkuRKOzMfWDdZgkohaUHrLvF6F3jlj7N02cplvMKTdTKIMXc-obUSWtpjV0dsM6nNGSwt_KBus2RU/s1600/Schedule.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIRPXOSbbQ3mR1GSNMii0inKCQFIa0EUdOJ84P9J6T-i-Wx297hfnm10up3cU0MwIkuRKOzMfWDdZgkohaUHrLvF6F3jlj7N02cplvMKTdTKIMXc-obUSWtpjV0dsM6nNGSwt_KBus2RU/s400/Schedule.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460087035761420146" /></a><br />We'll be in Dublin by 9:00 am tomorrow!The Spillmanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09910966218814200073noreply@blogger.com5