Headed to Dahn-Vair

Fact. I work for Daniel Boulud as a beer sommelier in New York City. Fact. This is a sweet gig. My dream job, actually. It's a lot of work, but believe me, it's always interesting. In the middle of service the other day, Daniel comes up to me and flashes a message on his blackberry, with details and an invitation to the Great American Beer Festival. "You heard of this?" he says. I'm all shocked and, "yes, chef!" and before I know it he's inviting me to go in his place and I'm freaking out, and my shift is covered, and it's a business trip, and work is paying..? AMAZING! 

The festival is tomorrow, but first, I get to attend the premiere party for Top Chef Just Desserts. I'm rocking a wolf print tutu and glitter stilettos, and feeling fab. Plus my boyfriend has big boots and a leather jacket and he's lookin fly. So we're mingling and everyone is there- Chef chef chefs and Daniel, too. We chat about the home brew my boyfriend, Stephen and I are making, and we promise him a bottle and he asks about my trip to Dahn-vair, as he pronounces it. "It's all in line, chef," and three hours later, I'm waking up, headed to Dahn-vair...

The flight is only zzzzzs, and I'm wide awake when I land, at least after the large iced. I check in at the residence inn with beautiful Anita and I am excited. I get a sweet suite to myself, and wonder what it would go for in manhattan- $2800 a month? A nap is in order, deserved, but coffee will do and I head into the city center on the hotel shuttle- adore!

I arrive at the convention center- host venue of the great American Beer Festival! There is a giant blue bear statue peering into the building- thirsty? I check in at the brewers entrance, and get comp tickets- Yay! There is time to kill and I'm hungry. Chris, who checked me in, recommends Euclid Hall. Nice one, guy. Let's eat, and I'll tell you all about it later.

-H*

Goodbye! For now...

I am on a train right now to the airport in Amsterdam. I feel like that’s all I can write right now, but I am going to make myself say a little bit more about this experience as a whole. When I was leaving I was so excited that I was scared and that made me feel like not even going, but I am so glad that I did!

Now! An inventory!

Trip Length: 42 days (that’s 42 days off in a row!)

Cities Visited: 20- Munich, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary; Athens, Greece; Rome and Milan, Italy; Barcelona, Sitges and Figueres, Spain; Paris, France; Amsterdam, Leiden, Den Haag and Delft, Holland; Leuven, Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium; and London, England

Best/Worst:

Munich- Best: Oktoberfest Worst: Not a lot to do, although I’m sure this had a lot to do with the fact that I was only there during the fest.

Prague- Best: Public Art. They had really unique contemporary art all over the city. No need to pay for a museum when the city pays for you! Worst: None! Loved it!

Vienna- Best: Classical Music History. Worst: They rely pretty heavily on their history and it was cool, but I’d like to know what they are doing NOW. Ya know, in THIS millenium...

Bratislava- Best: Wonderful underground club scene that is easily accessible to outsiders. AND the city is CHEAP! Worst: This is not necessarily a negative, but they are new to the E.U. and going to the Euro in 01/09; I’m scared the whole undiscovered charm will fade. It’s going to be the new Prague, I think.

Budapest- Best: Friendly locals! I lucked out by meeting some really cool people who showed me around. Also, you can’t miss the thermal baths, which are pretty cheap for how luxurious they are. Worst: It will suck you in! I had to scrap my plans for going to Romania AND Turkey because I would NOT leave!

Athens- Best: Club scene! A city notorious for its nightlife! And obviously the ancient ruins are one of the world’s wonders. Worst: No complaints! Nothing was too pricy and it was easy to get around and see it all! Oh! It’s hard to spend any time relaxing, as going out is so much fun.

Milan- Best: Happy Hour! The apertivo is the best way to start a night on the town that I’ve ever experienced; it is a trend that should definitely catch on! Worst: Sadly, my few days in Milan were the worst in my life; nothing went right! I promise I do not hold this against her though. I will try again!

Barcelona- Best: GAUDI! He was a genius and really inspiring. Worst: Even though I speak fluent Spanish, Catalan is impossible to decipher. Thank God the people speak Spanish, too!

Sitges- Best: The food! We ate fabulous paella and all of the tapas we ate were equally good. Also, the local bars feel much more authentic than a lot of other touristy beach towns. Worst: Since it is so gay-friendly I imagine it would be a bit challenging for young, straight singles to find each other.

Figueres- Best: The Salvador Dali Museum is one of the best I’ve ever been to. Worst: That is the only reason to visit this town....

Paris- Best: Food and Wine. There really is no competition here, and for me to admit that is saying something; I don’t even like Paris! Worst: The Parisians. Come off it already! We get it- you’re French & Fab, but the sneering is really off-putting...

Leiden- Best: A real “mini Amsterdam.” They have the markets, coffee shops, and canals of the big city, but in a more relaxed setting. Worst: It is a University town, so that crowd is definitely there. For me, this is no problem, but it’s worth mentioning.

Amsterdam- Best: Alternative culture. Nothing is off limits, but surprisingly, this makes you much less interested in pushing them. Worst: It is easy to get overwhelmed by all of the unique attractions. But seriously, who ever complained about too much fun?

Den Haag and Delft- Best: Quaint shopping streets and beautiful cityscapes. Worst: Nothing! Fun little towns to visit for a day!

Leuven- Best: The architecture of the old city center- unlike anything I’ve ever seen! Worst: The nightlife is pretty much all students. Again, I was perfectly happy with this, but some might find it annoying.

Brussels- Best: The BEER! Every bar had great beers, and it was a fab time trying to taste them all :) The brewery tour I did was also amazing. And the food! FRIES, CHOCOLATE, WAFFLES, MUSSELS!!! Worst: None! I was in Heaven!

Antwerp- Best: Amazing shopping district of wide pedestrian avenues lined with beautiful buildings. Worst: Nothing. Was just there for a bit.

London- Best: The city is full of options- anyone can find anything and everything they desire! It is totally diverse in every way and obviously one of the world’s cultural centers. Worst: Um. Nothing. At all. I felt so at home in London.

Which brings me to my closing spiel.

After my LOOOONG EuroTrip, I’ve decided that it is time to relocate across the pond indefinitely- to Londontown!! Yep, it is a big step for me, but it is one that I am excited to make. This trip really expanded my horizons, and even changed my life, I guess. I just feel like the world is huge, but it’s not so big that leaving the familiar takes you too far away to come back home if/when you need to...

-H*

Living, Laughing, Loving LONDON

Believe it or not, I am already leaving after a fab London weekend. My how time flies! Arriving turned out to be much more of a hassle than I anticipated- no phone and no idea how to meet up with my friends! And rain. But no worries, I quickly resorted to begging and was able to bum a phone from a couple strangers to call the gang and meet up. Thursday, a normally tame(ish) night for the working crowd, turned out to be quite a party! I have to admit though, it felt more like a homecoming than a welcome! I am really in love with London...

The next day was all about relaxation. I ordered a pizza- my first delivery of the whole trip!- and watched a movie. When I finally left the house, I have to say I noticed something in the foggy London air that night- something UGLY! As we scanned the crowd at this cute little bar, we noticed that there were NO attractive people in the whole place! Seriously- no one even CLOSE!

We started to feel anxious, scared even! We became depressed and our conversation suffered. No joke, topics of the night were- Anne Frank, The Killing Fields, messy break-ups, the Holocaust, and when we started talking about what Hell must be like, we realized that we were already there, and that it was definitely time to flee the place! It was an early night and the 12-hour sleep that followed was desperately needed!

Saturday was fab! We greeted the day, or rather the midday, with excitement and headed to the Tate Modern to view some art. As a quick aside, the little sammy I ate for lunch was ham, brie, and cranberry jam on baguette- AMAZING! The museum was also amazing, from head to toe a real beauty. We checked out the whole place and even the special collection of this Brazilian artist, all courtesy of Miss Woodita, who comped our tickets! Bless her!

Later we went to the lounge at the National Film Theater for drinks. There were portraits of all sorts of famous actors on display, and it made me want to be a glamorous theater star :P Later, we met some friends and did Saturday night proud. Our crowd grew and I got to share a few laughs with a beautiful Venezuelana, a lovely and hilarious couple, a rock star vinyl boy, and oh so many others! I think our little corner was lively and laughs too loud and colorful and happy and planning dinner parties for the next day and the whole time snapping photos and what a joy!

I stayed up late listening to records, but still managed to get up some what early. Sunday, my last day :( was perfect! I watched Elf, which I had always wanted to see, with my friend Graham and then we went to the London Aquarium. For whatever reason I picked up this pamphlet on the train from the airport a few days earlier and it had a 2 for 1 coupon for the Aquarium- score one for me for being prepared; that never happens!

We looked at pink and orange fish and a manta ray jumped out of the water to speak to us and the piranhas didn’t even scare me and there was a fish that looked like a silk dress and turtles and fish so big they looked like they could swallow a dog and I WAS scared of the sharks and it was all so beautiful. After hours of staring we sort of ambled through the arcade next door, seeing the flashing lights chase like tropical fish. Dazed, we made our way out, I with my souvenir squishy squid and shoelace charm, and Graham with some gummy candies.

We actually went through with our drunken dinner plans from the night before and Woo and Rach had us all over for a fab shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash and broccoli and sparkling vinooooo and the whole works! Of course the night ended with a snuggly pile up and then sadly, goodbye for now hugs. Next morning- the departure :(

To Brussels and Beyond!

I would like to start by saying WOOO HOOOOO! I am so proud that Barack Obama is our president! I always had faith in him, but I was scared that the general population didn't- so glad I was wrong! This is definitely my top reason for wanting to come home; I want to celebrate our great decision with all y'all Americans back in the US! I was in Brussels on election night and everyone was so in to it. One bar we went to was having an "American Party" for the election and gave us free cheeseburgers when they heard w were from the US- too cute!

Anyway, I realized I forgot to tell a really important story the other day. When we were coming home from Delft, all stuffed with Mexican food and margaritas, something HORRIBLE happened. I get on the train with the fam, and as I'm going through the little door to the second level, this old lady starts to come out. I back up and smoosh against the wall so she can come through and after she does the door swings back and WHAM!!! Totally hits me in the head!! I felt like I was back in Milan!! I swear I have a target tattooed on my forehead!

It hurt so bad I instantly got tears in my eyes, and I yelled out "JESUS!!!" and everyone was staring and the old lady felt so bad but didn't speak English and had to run off of the train anyway and I just took a minute to calm myself down and MAN, why have I gotten bitch slapped in the head 3 times in as many weeks? Seriously...?

But yeah, I am over it. I just thought it was funny that I got hit AGAIN! In other news I made my way to Belgium a couple days ago to visit Alex, a friend from college. I LOVED IT! I feel so stupid for not putting Belgium at the top of my list of places to see! It's obvious that I would love it. I mean, they make the world's best beer, chocolate, crisp warm waffles, mussels, and they invented french fries! YUM!

I went to Leuven, where Alex is living, and he showed me around a bit. We wanted to go to this fairy tale bridge in the woods that is through a pretty little gate. As we were walking back, and we were almost to the bridge, we hear "clink clink clink!!" and we realize- we were being locked in! AHHH! We ran and yelled and, no joke, we barely made it out! So funny...

The next day I ventured out alone and enjoyed Brussels. As I was in Belgium, I decided that another brewery tour was in order! The coolest one I found was Cantillon Brewery, where they make lambic using the traditional method. I.E. they do not add yeast to the beer, they simply rely on the natural yeast in the Belgian ari to spontaneously ferment it. This is not cost effective, reliable, or easy, but it is SO cool! They are the only brewery still using this traditional system in Belgium and I had to see it! Make sure you check out the pics from there- all of their equipment is 100+ years old! I tried their geuze, which is a blend of 1, 2, and 3 year old lambics. I also tried their kriek lambic, which is made with fresh cherries. Both were tart and flavorful and SO different than the fake-o lambics I've tried. I was shocked and I even felt stupid for THINKING I knew lambic!

After the tour I wandered. I giggled as I did it. For whatever reason, I was VERY excited by Brussels! I bought hand made chocolate from a charming old lady in her shop and ate it as I walked. I stopped for a paper cone of real Belgian frites and a fab beer. I found the Grand Plaza with its shiny gold facades and strings of Christmas lights.

Later, Alex and I went to the Delirium Cafe and drank amazing beer. The place has over 2000 to choose from! After the "American Party" I mentioned earlier we went to Leuven and partied with the locals. We made new friends and danced and went home EXHAUSTED! It was crazy- I pretty much drank beer ALL day, but when in Rome... Or Belgium...

I got up the next morning and made sure Obama really did win, and when I saw that he did I was able to get out of bed! A NEW DAY!!! I celebrated with a Belgian waffle on my way to the train. SO dee-lish! On the way back to Leiden (where my sister lives) I stopped in Antwerp, Belgium. The day was gray, but the city was beautiful. It seemed ritzy. I grabbed an over-priced, gross sandwich and headed back to Holland to celebrate the victory with the fam before heading on to London. FABULOUS! Now I'm on a train to city center! I'll tell you all about it later!

-H*

Pics from Brussels: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2148922&l=84508&id=22001348
Pics from Leuven: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2148931&l=4717f&id=22001348

All around Amsterdam

My sister Jessica and my niece Juliette came for a visit. They arrived on Halloween and it was AMAZING! I bought Little Miss J a Flamenco dress in Barcelona and she looked fabulous. Plus I think she kind of got that it was a fancy dress and more than just a bit theatrical and she ROCKED IT! We had a very chill holiday and relaxed with some snacks and movies. By the way- The Exorcist is BARELY a horror movie- I thought it was straight up GOOD cinema.

Anyway, the following days were all about exploring the Netherlands. We started rather local and checked out Den Haag. Even though Amsterdam is the capitol, Den Haag is the official seat of government and of the UN Peace Palace, so there were stately, very official-looking buildings all over the place. I ate some raw herring, a Dutch delicacy, in the street and wandered around smelling like fish and onion. Bad. Yeah.
No worries though, my sisters aren’t ashamed of me and we continued to sightsee.

By afternoon we make our way to Delft, another Dutch town known for its blue and white china- Delftware. SO beautiful. If each hand-painted piece weren’t like 70 euro I might have bought something. But then I remember I don’t have any real counter space or even a house, at all! So I go wanting... Dinner at this surprisingly authentic Mexican place was deeLISH and we downed some Margaritas to accompany it. We headed back to Leiden exhausted and tipsy- the only way to be after a long day out. :)

The fam and I seem to be thoroughly enjoying each other’s company and I remember how it is to see things with people you love. Don’t get me wrong, I do most of my traveling alone, but it is nice to make memories with people you care about. That way, you have a sort of back up if you forget! Plus you can all converse and share opinions and all. AW!

The next day we headed into Amsterdam. We decided to see the Anne Frank House, and if we were up to it, the Heineken Experience, which opened that day. I thought that the Anne Frank museum was so well done. They give you a lot of information and tell you about everyone involved with keeping the family hidden and you get to walk around where they atually stayed and wow. I noticed how well-preserved the place was. Anne posted magazine clippings that still hang brightly on the walls, little pencil markings to show the heights of the children were bold, and the diary itself looked like it had just been written. Then you realize that it was only 64 years ago... Anne would only be 79 if she were still alive.

I don’t want to write too much about it, but it was a very heavy experience. Obviously.

We ate our little picnic BLTs and trammed it to the Heineken Experience. Let me just say, the surest way out of a sad place is through a happy lager brewery. When we walked in, the door staff lit up and yelled, “WELCOME! YAAAAYYYYY!!” No joke. It was opening day and they were just as excited as we were. Plus I treated the gals and after the opening day discount I was like, “YAAAYYYY!” too, so everyone was happy.

We got to see snazzy videos about the history of Heineken, the big copper kettles they use to brew the stuff, the stables where the Heineken horses reside, a 3-D bubbly shaky ride where “They brew YOU,” a mini bottling plant, the tasting room, a PARTY lounge with fab music and cool videos, green lounge chairs with personal TVs that play classic ads on loop, and you end up at a Heineken bar and the gift shop. What a rad time. My little niece, the latest addition to a long line of flirtsy girls, wooed four young Italian guys and they were all in LOVE with her! Too cute! We watched her go and shared a few laughs while drinking, what else, HEINEKENS! EXTRA COLD!

I rushed back to Central Station after the tour to catch my train to Brussels, Belgium. I’m excited to see somewhere new! I’ll tell you all about it soon!

-H*

AmsterDAAAAAAAM!

So my first day in Amsterdam was pretty horrendous. Next day was also less than fab, but for very different reasons. We left Leiden, the town where my sister lives, to go into Amsterdam Centraal, and the weather was BAD! Rainy this and drafty that and my little boots were soggy :( We still made an effort and grabbed some lunch. My dad took a boat tour and my sister and I went make-up shopping. Actually we just looked in the rain for a Sephora- to no avail! However, the fact that we found a tiny Belgian bar with Duvel for 3 Euro QUICKLY eased our pain!

We went to an outdoor market and I luggage shopped. FYI: My adorable polka dot suitcase is in TATTERS! It has a janky, non-functioning wheel, the pull-out handle is also non-functioning, so I pull it by its little pigtail of a strap, which really hurts us both, AND the zippers are giving out at the seams and missing their metal pull tabs. YIKES! I didn’t buy anything though, because I can’t decide what size to get, ESPECIALLY if I end up changing plans to come home, but that’s another story :P

We went out for a Traditional Dutch meal that night and I had veal with mashed potato and sauteed apples. Everybody else had equally delicious meals, and the place was a real success from our draft LaChouffes to our two Grand Dessert platters. Yum Yum Yum all the way home!

The next day was my dad’s grand send off ie: We had hot chocolates on the train platform before he headed to the airport... So sad to say goodbye :( We snapped a really cute shot that morning though :)

Later, Sal and I headed into the city for “The Heineken Experienece.” For whatever reason I was SUPER excited for this, and we get right up to the door and it says “Opening November 3rd.” Ok, I was here last year and it was closed and there is no way that it should’ve taken this long! PLUS we got directions from the tram driver and there was an advertisement on our map and NOWHERE did it say “Opening November ’08” or anything like that. GRR!

Without any real plans we started walking around the city. And that was it. Now I’ll tell you about Coffee Shops in Amsterdam. ;) So they came about because Amsterdam had a REAL junkie issue with people all strung out and needles and everything in the street with kids & blah blah blah. They decided that the best way to curb the hard drug problem would be to regulate softer drugs. SO, they made coffee shops. There you can buy weed, hash and space cakes that you consume on the premises- no cigarettes allowed! You can’t smoke in the streets or sell and buy on the streets, you actually can’t even carry, legally.

But so these places are little drug dens and everybody just chills and waitresses bring teas and juices and whatever. There is hardly ever any food, other than space cakes, and waitresses don’t sell drugs- you go to the drug dealer at the bar who answers any questions you might have. Then you do your thing and go on your way. It was funny because there would be like an older guy by himself just blazing away, or like five young guys with two joints each, or a group of friends, or a couple lounging on the beaded pillows, or some girlfriends giggling together, and the atmosphere is so cute and relaxed and you never worry that some lame bar brawl will break out or that somebody will pee on the floor in front of you and your friends like in Budapest...

When they made coffee shops they also made smart shops, which sell mushrooms and other light hallucinogens. Same logic applies, if we give them some soft drugs to play with, maybe they won’t care to try anything harder AND if they do, the penalties will be much harsher. It has actually worked and the big majority of the junkie population is older people who started using before the regulation of soft drugs happened. SUCCESS!

Same thing goes for prostitution- they’re like, “if we regulate it, the prostitutes will be healthier and safer and it won’t happen in the streets and there won’t be “sex for drugs” trades or girls that are too young and if a girl IS harassed or raped the penalties are much worse since a desperate guy SHOULD just go to the red light district... So another success for the city. The strange thing, though, is that none of these places are legal. It’s just that if they are discreet and go by the rules, they’ll never get in trouble. Dutch law is very weird like that, very look the other way- cool, right?

I’ll rave more later, but that’s what’s up so far....

-H*

Pics from Amsterdam: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2147355&l=e83e9&id=22001348

Arrival in Amsterdam!

So I'm here now in Amsterdam- Day 2. I want to tell you about some crazy psychedelic adventure or a random hobo who shared with me the meaning of life.... But instead I'll tell you what really happened.

Some of you may know that I have always had a sort of love/hate relationship with Paris. No, actually, a hate/hate relationship. Paris and I just don't get along. I feel weird there and I swear the boys don't check me out and I just can't get it right. However, my dad was there, and of course I wanted to visit with him, so I went. We had a magical/gluttonous couple days, and I felt like the Parisian curse had finally been broken; I felt like she really started to warm up to me. NO.

When I got to Amsterdam, I basically just went to sleep, and when I woke up, I was A MESS! I couldn't eat, my stomach was all churny, my head was pounding, I couldn't even drink water, I was bed-ridden, a chaplain read my last rites, I went on a Saltine-Only Diet, I prepared my will, I sent in my absentee ballot, I was in & out of the bathroom for various reasons, I contemplated the meaning of life as I fought off the blackness engulfing me, I blinded myself from the white light- PARIS FOOD POISONED ME!!!!

And you know what? I don't even know why I'm surprised. OF COURSE that French Bitch had the last laugh.....


-H*