Here begins the tale of our beer pilgrimage through Bavaria and Prague. My husband said that he wanted to spend his 40th birthday in Munich, sitting in a beer garden, so we planned a trip around that goal. The beers we tried are rated using the following system:
- If this was the only beer available, I’d claim to be on medication and not able to drink.
-/+ Drinkable, but wouldn’t choose it given other choices.
+ Quite good
+’ Damned good
++ I’d cross an ocean to drink this beer.
Fortunately we did not encounter any beers with a "-" rating on this trip - not a truely bad beer to be found. I did spend a reasonable amount of the trip discussing American craft brews with people though - not all American beer is a "-", contrary to many people's beliefs. Just doing my part to increase global awareness about the quality beer that we do brew in the US. We all to what we can to further cultural understanding across the globe, right?
Warning - if you do no enjoy beer, stop reading NOW. This trip report is not for you. Otherwise, proceed at your own risk.
August 12 and 13 – Friday and Saturday - Days 1 and 2:
We flew from SFO to FRA, arriving in FRA just before 10 am. We rented a car through Hertz and were on our way to Bamberg. The drive was fine – some sections on the Autobahn, which were great. Lots of fast German cars and race track-style driving. We spent most of our time in the slow lanes doing about 120-130 km/hr, feeling like slow pokes. There was a lot of construction on the highways though, a theme that we saw throughout Germany. It seems that the Germans are heading off high unemployment and deeper recession by building, rebuilding, and revising.
Our first stop of the trip was Bamberg, where we stayed 3 nights. Bamberg is an absolutely wonderful town. Narrow streets lined with half-timbered buildings, a picturesque river, and of course the iconic town hall – oh, and beer. Let’s not forget the beer.
We didn’t start off in Bamberg very well though. Our hotel – Barock Hotel Am Dom – was in the middle of the Altstadt, very well located unless you are trying to arrive by car on a Saturday afternoon. Some of the streets were blocked to cars, so we had to find an alternate route to the hotel. We got within about 100 meters, but couldn’t seem to get any closer. There were tons of pedestrians and it was difficult to tell where the driving streets were and where the pedestrian streets were. Eventually with the help of some people, we made it to the hotel. A note for future travel – when we have a car, choose a hotel on the edge of the old town center, not in the middle.
The hotel Barock Am Dom is wonderful. (http://www.barockhotel.de/). We paid 110 euro/night including breakfast and parking. Our room was on the top floor and was quite spacious and airy with 2 dormer windows overlooking the street and the Dom. The décor is minimal, but everything is very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was good – standard German breakfast fare, good quality and plentiful.
After arrival at the hotel and a shower and change, we went out for a walk around town and a late lunch/early dinner. We were pretty tired, but it was only about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and we wanted to make sure we stayed up to adjust to the local time.
We had our first meal at a place called Zum Domreiter – chosen because it was close to the hotel and served Schlenkerla Rauchbier, which was the motivation for traveling to Bamberg in the first place. The food was fine, but the beer was divine. The restaurant is on a corner with seating inside and outside – due to large windows, the inside seats also had good views.
After a couple beers, we wandered around the town for a while and then around sunset stopped at a place called Stillbunch on Ober Sandstrasse for another beer and some people watching. We tried the Rauchbier from Brauerei Spezial which was good. Then back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep after a long day.
Beers for Day 2:
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier ++
Brauerei Spezial Rauchbier +
August 14 –Sunday - Day 3:
This was our main sightseeing day for Bamberg. In the morning we took a walk around the Altstadt to see the town hall, the river, and various buildings there. Then we went to the Domplatz, which is the large square on a hill in the middle of the Altstadt which contains the Dom, the Old Court, and the Residenz. We took a guided tour of the Residenz for 4.5E each. It was in German, but brochures in other languages are provided, so it is worthwhile even for those who don’t speak German. The Residenz is quite interesting with plenty of original décor and furnishings. There is also a rose garden, which can be visited for free – beautiful garden with great views of the town. After morning services were over, we visited the cathedral, which was quite beautiful.
For lunch, we went to Ambrausuarium on Dominikanerstrasse. Their beer was ok. We tried the Helles and also got a Radler because it was a very warm day.
After lunch we walked around a bit and then climbed the hill to Michael’s church and visited the church and the Franconian Beer Museum (3E each). The beer museum was really interesting. All of the information is in German, but it was still need to see the displays, look at the machinery and tools, and the old pictures – along with all the beer memorabilia.
There is a café at the top of the hill, behind the church, with nice shade trees and a nice view, so we stopped for a snack. I had a wonderful cake and cup of tea, my husband had a Kapuzinger Dunkelweisen, which was very good. We relaxed at the café for a while, but then a storm came in. Lots of thunder and lightning and wind, then lots of rain. We sheltered in the restaurant nearby until the rain decreased to a drizzle and then walked back to the hotel where we waited out the rest of the rain. Walking through the rainy streets back to the hotel was magical – hardly anyone was out and everything was very quiet except for the light rain.
For dinner we went to Aecht Schlenkerla, which was great – really great. There is a small beer garden in the back, but it was closed from the rain, so we ate inside – interesting interiors with medieval-looking rooms. And the food was really good, hearty German fare. We had Rauchbier Marzen and Rauchbier weisen – both were excellent. There is also a window were you can order beer directly and people hang out and drink in the entryway of the restaurant and also out front in the street. The rain had stopped, so we joined the people in the street and hung out with our beers until late in the evening.
Beers for Day 3:
Ambrausiarium Helles -/+
Ambrausiarium Radler +
Kapuzinger Dunkelweisen +
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Wiesen ++
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen ++
August 15 –Monday - Day 4:
Originally we had planned to take the car and do a day trip this day, but after the challenges we had driving to the hotel originally, neither of us was interested in extra driving in Bamberg. The weather was also iffy, so we decided to stay in Bamberg and see more of the town. Being Monday, a lot of the tourist-type attractions were closed, so we walked around a lot to see more of the town. We walked toward the larger river closer to the Bahnhof, which has a nice walking and biking path along its banks and some interesting bridges across. We probably walked 5-7 km that morning. We also walked along the river that goes through the Altstadt and did a little shopping. Bamberg is a very picturesque and charming town.
For lunch we went to Klosterbrau on Ober Muhlbruke. It is tucked away around the corner on a very small side street, but definitely worth the effort to find. The food was very good and they have nice tables for sitting out. The Klosterbrau Schwartzbier is excellent.
Dinner was at the Bamberger Hof on Karolinenstrasse, near the town hall. We chose this restaurant for the people-watching opportunities from the tables out front. The food turned out to be really good too. It was also pricier, but that is probably due in large part to its location near the town hall. I broke with the theme of the trip and had a glass of Riesling, which was quite good. My husband had a Kloster Scheyern.
Beers for Day 4:
Klosterbrau Schwartzbier ++
Klosterbrau Helles +
Kloster Scheyern Dopplebock Dunkel +’
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen ++
Stay tuned - next up, Aufsess and the Brauereinweg, then onto Munich...
A beer pilgrimage through Bavaria and Prague - Trip Report
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Great report. Good rating scheme. Your penchant for rauchbier, however, leaves me cold, the only beer in all our travels that my husband even had to leave on the table almost full. I know it's an acquired taste, but there are sure a lot of others I'd choose to acquire first. Anyway, carry on. This is fun.
I herewith declare myself guilty of liking Rauchbier a lot! (From the very beginning, not "acquired".) But when it comes to Rauchbier, there is either love or hate, indifference seems to be impossible.
november_moon, your report is enjoyable. Please continue. I'm particularly interested in that Brauereiweg, I remember the discussions about it a while ago when you planned the trip.
great report and I like the rating system.
I am another that dislikes the smoked beers not too keen on wheat beers either ,but each to their own and trying different stuff is all part of the travelling experience.
Looking forward to the Czech part of your report where i have a great deal more experience of.
november_moon, you're BACK! Happy belated birthday to your husband. I'm looking foward to the rest!
Thanks for an interesting post, NM
Interesting report even if I don't drink beer!
Enjoying your trip report, please continue! I am not into Rauchbier, either. Prefer wine anytime over beer, btw
Bamberg - agree that it is a very picturesque, lovely town. One of my favourites. Didn't know about the beer museum.
"It seems that the Germans are heading off high unemployment and deeper recession by building, rebuilding, and revising." Recession? Which recession? Germany wasn't hit much by the recession. Unemployment didn't go up significantly.
good report and just in time as i will be in Bamberg sept 5&6 thanks jayvee
rauchbier, the smell of bonfires as you open the bottle....
I am glad you guys are enjoying the report - there is more to come.
For me, the rauchbier was love at first taste. Several years back we were in Nuremburg and my husband ordered one at this little place opposite the castle. The waiter hung around to see how we liked it - probably because it is either a love it or hate it sort of thing. One taste and I was sold. The waiter told us where it came from, so we decided Bamberg was on our list for the next Germany trip.
I am also a big fan of wheat beers, but not the American wheats - they tend to be on the bland side. I've found a lot of German, Czech, and Belgian wheats that I like.
It's good to hear that the recession didn't affect Germany as much as the rest of the world - perhaps we should figure out what they've been doing that the rest of us haven't.
August 16–Tuesday - Day 5:
This was the day for our Brewereienweg in Ausfess to become honorary Franconian beer drinkers (http://www.aufsess.de/brauereienweg_en.php).
Aufsess is an area about 45 minutes to an hour outside Bamberg, and very picturesque – and the reason we had the car in the first place. Public transportation to this area is difficult.
There are lots of walking and hiking trails through the area – our chosen path was a 14 km loop that goes to 4 breweries. We started at Brauerei-Gasthof Reichold in Hochstahl, which is where we would spend the night. We took the route counter-clockwise so that the longest legs were at the beginning of the day.
We started about 11 am and walked the 5km to Brauerei Stadter in Sachendorf. The walk was great – through forests and around fields, all the while following the path markers for our route. Turns out Breuerei Stadter was closed! Ach!!! We never learned why – Mondays were supposed to be their day of rest, not Tuesdays. We were so disheartened, but we continued on to Aufsess itself.
The walk between Sachendorf and Aufsess is another 5km and is the most picturesque leg of the journey. The route goes through the woods, along a nice little stream, and through a couple villages. By the time we arrived at Gasthof Rothenbach in Ausfess, we were famished. It was just after 1pm, so the 10 km walk took us about 2 hours, maybe 2 1/2.
Gasthof Rothenbach (http://www.brauereigasthof-rothenbach.de) is connected to the Brauerei Aufsesser and has an outside seating area where you can drink beer and have lunch. It smelled wonderful there – the smell of the beer brewing definitely added to the experience. And the beer was wonderful. We each had 2 in order to make up for the previous brewery. We had both the Pils and the Dunkel, which were our favorites of those types thus far. The food was really good too.
Next up was Kathe Brau in Hackenhof, which was a short walk from Aufsess – maybe 20-30 minutes. This is a really neat place sort of tucked away in a little valley next to a small village. They have plenty of outside space with umbrellas to enjoy the beer, as well as some covered patio space, which came in handy when it started to rain. I don’t know if there was a special thing going on, or if this is a normal thing, but the brewery is very popular with motorcyclists and they even had special covered parking for the motorcycles. It was a busy place with a fun crowd. Because it was chilly and kind of raining, we both had the Dunkel at Kathe Brau – and then because it was still raining, we each had a second beer.
Once the rain let up, we set off on the last leg of the walk back to Brauerei-Gasthof Rechold in Hochstadt. The walk was pretty – more forests and fields. It took us another 45 minutes or so. I was pretty tired by the end of the day, but the walk was great and I am really glad that we took the time to do it.
Brauerei-Gasthof Reichold (www.reichold.de) is a neat little place. It is a family-run brewery in a small little town. They have a restaurant with inside and outside seating and several rooms upstairs for guests. There is also an RV campground in the back.
When we arrived, we found many of the people that we had seen throughout the day on the walk sitting outside having their beers. We were greeted warmly – everyone happy to see everyone else completing the walk.
We checked in with the family and went to our room. The room was reasonably spacious and very comfortable – probably the most comfortable beds of the whole trip. Someone has taken a lot of care with designing the guest rooms.
We had beers and dinner downstairs, and saw more people come in after completing the walk. Again, it was a nice crowd and a great atmosphere. I had a Weissbier and my husband had a Dunkel – both were excellent. It is hard to come by a bad beer there.
Beers for Day 5:
Aufsesser Bier – Pils ++
Aufsesser Bier – Dunkel ++
Kathe Brau – Dunkel +’
Brauerei Reichold – Weisbier +
Brauerei Reichold – Dunkel +
August 17 – Wednesday - Day 6:
This was the day we left Franconia for Munich. We drove through the Franconian hills to get to the Autobahn A9, which was a gorgeous drive. I believe it was Road 22 that we took, which meandered through the mountains along a river, past many resort towns. I would like to spend more time in the area on a future trip.
Along the way to Munich after getting on A9, we stopped in Ingolstadt for a couple hours for lunch and wandering around. We thought that Ingolstadt was ok, but I think that upon further exploration, it would prove to be more interesting. We parked the car in a carpark and wandered around awhile toward the town hall – the town hall was getting a facelift, so lots of scaffolding. The platz in front of the town hall was pretty uninspired too. But it looked like there were some more interesting areas along the smaller lanes.
Lunch was at Weisbrauhaus zum Herrnbrau. I was driving, so I had apfelschorle, but my husband had the Herrenbrau Hefe-weiss bier Dunkel, which was really good.
We arrived at Munich airport about 3 to return the car and then took the S-Bahn into the city center. We checked into the Motel One Sendlinger Tor (http://motel-one-sendlinger-tor.h-rez.com/index.htm), which was fine. We chose it based on location and price, which were both excellent. The location is practically on top of the Sendlinger Tor U-Bahn station, a 5 minute walk from the Karlstor station, and a 10 minute walk to Marienplatz. There are also plenty of small restaurants and shops in the area. The hotel itself was just ok though. They’ve done a lot to make it look good, but they clearly chose form over function. I would definitely choose less décor for more functional rooms. Our room was very small – I kept bumping the TV when skirting the bed to get to my side. There also wasn’t any room for the luggage, so we had to keep our suitcases on the floor under the window which then meant that the small closet was in accessible.
In the evening, we took the Beer Tour with Munich Walks (http://www.munichwalktours.de), which was a lot of fun. We met in the Marienplatz, which was overrun with football fans – Zurich was playing Bayern Muenchen and the Zurich fans had descended. The football hooligans were out in force, and the police were out in force too. Other than a bunch of broken beer bottles, I think things were fine though.
The tour went to the Vicktuleinmarkt, then to the Augustinerbrau next to the Frauenkirche. At Augustinerbrau we each had a beer – I got the Helles and my husband got the Dunkel – both excellent as always. This is where the tour really came together and we all had a chance to chat and get to know one another. It was a good group of people.
Next we took the U-Bahn to Gotheplatz station to the Paulaner Brewery for a tour and some samples. This part of the tour was quite informative about the brewing process. They have a nice outside area where we spent quite a while sampling the beer. Paulaner isn't my favorite, but the tour of the brewery made the stop worth it.
The final stop of the tour was the Hofbrauhaus, which is a must-visit, of course. There we had the Hofbrau Helles, which is good.
After the official tour, we hung out at the Hofbrauhaus for more beer and some food until closing. We got to know the guide a bit more – he was excellent. We also got to know the other people on the tour more and ended up hanging out with some of them later into the evening. Overall, it was a really fun evening – great tour and really good start to our time in Munich.
Beers for Day 6:
Herrenbrau Hefe-weiss Bier Dunkel +’
Augustiner – Helles ++
Augustiner – Dunkel ++
Paulaner Helles -/+
Paulaner Dunkel +
Hofbrau Helles +
August 18–Thursday - Day 7:
This was a fairly light day – we slept in since we were out late the night before and then needed to do laundry. The Motel One doesn’t have a laundry service, so we took our laundry out to get washed. Being the height of summer, the full service laundry facilities we found were overbooked and couldn’t go our laundry fast enough, so we went to a Laundromat and did our own. That was fine, just took a little longer than we had anticipated.
Later we took the U-Bahn to the Englischergarten to wander around and then go to the Seehaus beer garden. We hadn’t been to this one before, but because it is on the lake, we wanted to go. Also, the weather was turning hot and a stroll through the Englischergarten and then hanging out by the lake seemed like a nice idea. Lots of other people had the same idea and all the shady areas were full. We sat out anyway and had some beer and food – they serve Paulaner there, which is fine, but not my favorite. It was a good day for Radlers anyway, which are half Helles and half lemon-lime soda, so the beer type doesn’t make as much difference.
The Seehaus beer garden is nice, but it is very crowded. The tables are packed very close together and into the evening, all the tables were full – we were literally packed in like sardines. For this reason and the fact that they serve Paulaner, I would probably not choose this beer garden again. But it was fun to go once.
Beers for Day 7:
Paulaner Helles -/+
Paulaner Radler -/+
August 19–Friday - Day 8:
This was my husband's actual birthday – Happy 40th, he is now an old man. For his birthday, I took him to a monastery to drink beer.
We took the S-Bahn to Herrsching station on the Amersee to visit the Andech’s Monastery and Brewery, which is up the hill from the S-Bahn station. There are buses and taxis that take people up the hill to the monastery, but we decided to walk. There are different routes, but we followed the route marked Fussweg Nach Andechs, which took us on a 90 minute walk through the woods – beautiful walk. Of course we couldn’t be beer pilgrims if we took the easy way and rode the bus up the hill.
Once we arrived at the monastery, the first order of business was food and drink. We went directly to the beer garden, which is a nice shady place just down from the church. There is another, more formal restaurant as well, which also has plenty of outdoor seating, but we liked the beer garden better. The food was good and the beer was excellent.
After we had gotten some sustenance, we visited the church, which is a fabulous rococo church. We then wandered around a bit and bought some souvenirs at the ubiquitous gift shop.
We were going to walk back down the hill, but a storm was coming in, so we opted for the bus. Our original plan was to hang out at the Amersee until evening, but it was raining, so we went directly back to Munich. The Amersee looked really picturesque though and it will definitely be on the list for a future trip.
For dinner we went to Augustinerbrau behind the Frauenkirche – we’d been there with the Munich Walks beer tour, but as we really like the beer, we decided to go again. There we had a Helles and a Dunkel.
Afterwards we wandered around the Altstadt a bit and then headed back to the hotel. Being my husband's 40th birthday, he wanted to have 4 liters of beer this day, so we stopped at Hackerhaus on the way back to the hotel in order for him to reach his goal. We had a Weiss bier and a dunkel.
Beers for Day 8:
Andechs Weissbier Dunkel ++
Andechs Dunkel ++
Andechs Dopplebock Dunkel ++
Augustiner Dunkel ++
Augustiner Helles +’
Hacker-Pschorr Wiess +’
Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel -/+
August 20–Saturday - Day 9:
This was our last day in Munich – sad. We love Munich and wished we could have stayed another couple of days. This was our second trip to Munich (technically my 3rd, but that one was only a short layover) and we still haven’t seen everything we want to see. I think Munich gets the short shrift on a lot of people’s itineraries, but we think it is a wonderful city.
In the morning, we spent a little time at Starbucks – God strike me down, but I was really jonesin’ for a giant chai tea latte. Plus, they have free WIFI. I am not sure what was going on with the WIFI at the hotel, but I couldn’t get on.
After that, we went to climb the tower of St. Peter’s church in the Altstadt. The climb is significant, but the views are terrific. The tower was crowded and it was a hot day, but such is life – we saw some great views and it was nice and breezy up top. We were up there in time to watch the Glockenschpiel, which was fun.
We also toured the Residenz that day – there is construction going on at the Residenz (like everywhere in Germany), but inside is fine. We got the audio tour, which was quite helpful. The interior of the Residenz is absolutely splendid – really worth seeing.
A late lunch was at the Weiss Brauhaus, just east of Marienplatz, which was recommended to us by someone on the bus from the Andech’s monastery. The Schneider Weiss beer there was really great. And the food was good too.
After lunch we did a little wandering, but after all the walking, hiking, wandering, and tower climbing, my feet were pretty tired, so we got some snacks to take back to the hotel room to relax. Next up – Prague!
Beers for Day 9:
Schneider Weiss Dunkel Aventinus +’
Schneider Weiss Original +’
Braugirgl Dunkel -/+
Tegerneer Helles -/+
Oh, this is great! I'm drooling. Thanks so much for posting.
I've enjoyed reading about your travels in Bavaria. My husband and I lived in Eichstätt in the Altmuhl valley near Ingolstadt for several years.
Augustiner is one of my favourites, too. But Paulaner's also, so to each their own
Sorry your stay at Motel One wasn't very pleasant. I hate them with gusto.
bookmarking for later reading
Germany economics was set up by the Brits after WW2 to generate a socially stable efficient society. After a kick start of US money. Luckily the country took to it and the affect has been ongoing sucess.
The rebuilding is what happens when you have a profitable society with most having a stake in it. I'm always amazed if I can buy antiques in Germany, normally they have been "restored" to "new".
Now if only others had listened
Nowadays' successful German economy is a result of "Soziale Marktwirtschaft" set up by Ludwig Erhard. It bases on partnership between unions (employees) and employers.
Back to the trip report.
Enjoying your report even though I'm not a beer drinker. We are considering a trip to Germany next year and trying to decide which cities/towns to visit. Sounds like we need to allow at least 3-4 days in Munich.
Do you know how hard it is to read this report and not want a beer? Thankfully DH bought me some Shotgun Betty for the weekend, and I totally forgot about it! (Loneriderbeer.com) Your statement about American craft beers is spot on.
We need to plan a Germany trip. Haven't been there yet. This is a good "hook" to get DH deeply intrigued...
It is hard to write the report and not have a beer
I realized I left something out for Munich though - that's is what I get for writing when jet lagged, it guess.
The last night we were there, we went back out and rode the tram to the Hirschgarten to go to the beer garden there. We loved this beer garden on our last trip to Munich - we actually stayed not far from there, so it was like our own neighborhood place. We didn't want to leave Munich without going there again.
I love the Hirschgarten because of the atmosphere there - lots of families and groups of friends just hanging out and having a good time. The beer garden is very large, but even when it is pretty full, it doesn't feel overly crowded. And they serve Augustiner there, which we really like.
We had intended to seek out some of the other beer gardens around Munich, but there is only so much time - guess we'll have to go back again
For your next trip, I recommend the beer and beer garden at Weltenburg Abbey on the Danube near Kelheim.
http://www.klosterschenke-weltenburg.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=108
We stayed at the Altstadt Molitor Hotel right across the street from the Klosterbräu Brewery on Obere Mühlbrücke. Had dinner there a couple of times on both of our visits to Bamberg.
Sounds like you had a great trip.
Hi, november,
just found this, and read it in one session! i very much liked the beer-based content, not least because we are off to Germany [not Munich area though] in about a month's time, and it's good to have some ideas for what to drink.
a question though - what is this "rauchbier"? I've been to Germany lots of times and never seen it. is it limited to certain areas, or have I just been going around with my eyes closed?
annhig - I am not surprised you haven't seen Rauchbier before. It is a smoked beer - they smoke the hops with beechwood before they use it in the brewing process. It is very dark, but not heavy like a porter. The "weight" of the beer is very light and refreshing. The only breweries that I know of that brew it are in Bamberg and the distribution seems quite limited. Aecht Schlenkerla is the most well-known and our favorite. We can actually get it in our local BevMo, but we learned on this trip that it is MUCH better right out of the keg - and given the rate at which people were drinking it in Bamberg, I am not surprised that not much gets out of Franconia.
vttraveler - I will definitely put that on the list for a future visit.
what a great trip report!
november_moon,
Love the report - excellent work!
Andech’s is THE beer to enjoy - so glad you made the pilgrimage and got to try it.
BTW, for others reading this, you don't HAVE to go out to the monastery to try it - it is available (at only one location) in Munich - a bar/restaurant called Andescher am Dom, behind the Frauenkirche in central Munich, just east of Marienplatz.
http://www.andechser-am-dom.de/
You might think about a 1-2 week beer tour of Belgium for your husband's next big treat. Hard to believe, but there is even BETTER beer out there. Most of the more than 500 different (and quite varied) Belgian beers are "++".
bardo1--any special recommendations for Belgian beers? We will be there for 11 days in late September/early October.
(sorry to highjack the thread november_moon but the response may be useful to you in your future travels)
ok...I'm ready for the Prague portion now. We'll be there for 4 days early in Oct.
november_moon: ...then to the Augustinerbrau next to the Frauenkirche. At Augustinerbrau we each had a beer – I got the Helles and my husband got the Dunkel – both excellent as always.
Awesome report so far, nm. I'm no beer connoisseur myself, but I do love that spot and that Augie Helles. I was there last year, enjoying a tall one, when I struck up a conversation with some guy from Chicago. We were both talking travel, talking Chicago stuff, etc. when we both stopped at the same time and said "damn... this beer is really good, isn't it?" Wish I was back there now.
Looking forward to the rest of it!
Vttraveler,
A separate thread might allow for other beer geeks to chime in.
Anyway, the question is like asking "Which (of the more than 500) French cheeses should I try?".
Not east to answer as there are so many excellent options and individual taste vary.
I can first steer you to the best of the best - which is Westvleteren. Available by the drinking and take-out at this cafe just outside the Abbey (limit one 6-pack per person to go). http://www.indevrede.be/
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/313/1545
If you like a lighter beer, Saison Dupont is a real treat. Available at most beer bars and many restaurants and cafes. Highly drinkable anytime, but especially nice in hot weather.
I usually go for darker and/or higher alcohol but I just LOVE Saison Dupont and never tire of it. Try it even if you think you don't like lighter beers, this will be the exception.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/637/1717
Also available at the better beer stores in the US (in the larger/largest cities).
Lastly, no beer lover can go to Belgium and not visit the Kulminator in central Antwerp. Elected 4 times as best beer pub in the world over the last 7 years and has been listed 2nd place best beer pub in the world also in those 7 years.
A must visit.
...and schedule plenty of time there.
The seemingly infinite variety of Belgian beers available there, including many aged 10, 20 years or more is mind-blowing.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1232
Hi, nm! Great report! Have been looking forward to this ever since you posted your planning.
), in the Englischergarten, try the Chinesischer Turm beer garden. It's got an om-pah band going at times. Half a roast chicken and a 1L of beer and I'm happy. Love Munich!
Love themed travels and this beer-laced one is so well written! Oh, weisenbier and Radlers bring back great memories!
On Munich: Agree that the Residenz is worth a visit. Not much to see on the outside but wonderful inside and those porcelain are priceless.
THE place for Augustiner beer apparently is the Augustiner Keller on Arnulfstrasse, although more people end up at the one you went to because it's in the Altstadt. Next time (there WILL be a next time!
Looking forward to more!
bardo1--thanks for the Belgian beer tips. For some reason when we have visited Belgium before we have not concentrated much on the beer (although we enjoyed what we did sample) but this trip with more time we will make more of an effort. You are probably right that I should start a separate thread on this topic. I am sure others will have suggestions, too.
We spent a week in Belgium in 2009 and the beer there was heavenly. The funny thing is that for the 2009 trip, the main reason we even ended up going to Belgium that trip is because we had frequent flier miles and could get to Belgium with them. It was a "we want to go to Europe using miles - what's availible?" kind of thing.
When we were getting ready to head home from this trip, it took all our will-power not to call the airline to change our flights so that we could tack on a week in Belgium, because that Belgian beer was calling to us
Regarding the Andech's beer - we first were introduced to that beer at Andecher Am Dom on a previous trip to Munich and we loved it - in fact, when I was in Munich for a few hours on a layover last year, I made a bee-line for that place. When we learned that the monastery was within easy striking distance of Munich, we knew we had to go there.
Ok - now for the Prague portion of the trip ...
August 21–Sunday - Day 10:
Today we are off to Prague. We took the ICE train from the Munich Hauptbahnhof to the Nuremburg Hauptbahnhof and then the Express Bus from Nuremburg to Prague. The connection time was only about 11 minutes, which I was worried about, but it was fine. The bus was right out in front of the train station and we had plenty of time. The bus was very comfortable, even in 2nd class – 2nd class is upstairs, so the view is better anyway.
We arrived in Prague at the main train station, which is a beautiful Art Nouveau building that time forgot. Below the historic train station is a modern station with shops, restaurants, and the metro. We found an ATM, got money and then went to buy metro tickets – the machines only take coins, so we had to buy something at a shop to get change. Once we got our money and tickets sorted out, using the metro was easy. We stayed at the Hotel U Tri Bubnu near Staromestska, which was only a couple blocks from the metro station. We learned later that you can also buy Metro/tram tickets at the Tobacconist shops around town, which is handy if you don’t’ have change or if you are catching a tram at a stop that doesn’t have a ticket machine.
The Hotel U Tri Bubnu (www.utribubnu.cz) was great – fabulously convenient location and very well run. Our room was spacious with a decent-sized bathroom. We also had a nice large fan in the room to help cool things off. It was hot and muggy for our stay in Prague, but having the fan made our room fairly comfortable. The hotel contracts with a laundry service, and later in the trip we sent out a bag of clothes – next day service for 350 crowns (approx. $20) including service and delivery, which I thought was a great deal. When we did our laundry in Munich at a self-serve Laundromat it cost more than that.
After settling in, we went out to see the city. Our hotel was around the corner from the old square, so we went there first. There were lots of vendors in the square selling food, crafts, and souvenirs. We bought some fried cheese on bread, roasted almonds, and pig roasted on a spit with potatoes. Oh – and beer, of course. We made a dinner out of street-food. One of the vendors overcharged us by 100 crowns (about $6), which we didn’t catch until later.
I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but it was a new currency for us, so we were still trying to get used to it. We figured that if that was the worst that happened during our stay in Prague, we would be golden. And yes, that was the worst thing that happened.
It was a nice night, so we sat out at one of the cafes on the old square (Staromestska something or other) and had a couple beers – Pilsner Urquell light and dark. We figured that for our first night in Prague, we should go with the standard. It was nice to sit out and people-watch for a while. The place was funny though –the waiter was really friendly, even took our picture for us – but the guy out front seating people was a real grump. He was turning people away who only wanted to have drinks – if they didn’t want to eat, he wouldn’t seat them. It was close to 9pm by this time, so not prime-time for dinner and there were plenty of open tables, so I didn’t see what the problem was with seating people for drinks. He and the waiter seemed to be having a disagreement about whether to seat drinkers and not eaters. We had been waved in by the waiter when we showed up, and he didn’t seem to have any problem with us drinking and not eating. The grumpy guy at the front also told everybody that there was a 50% markup on the menu price for sitting outside, and if you wanted to pay the prices printed on the menu, you had to go inside - however when the waiter brought us our bill, it was for the menu prices. It was weird. I don’t’ know if that is normal for the touristy places right on the square, or unique to this place.
Beers for Day 10:
Pilsner Urquell Dark +’
Pilsner Urquell Light +
August 22–Monday - Day 11:
We had breakfast at the hotel, which was fine – nothing spectacular, but decent. Their coffee needs an upgrade though. It was Nescafe out of this little machine that mixes it and puts it into a tiny cup that is only good for a few sips.
Other than the coffee, my only complaint about the hotel was that the shower was chinsy – it was a hand-held shower and the bracket that holds the showerhead to the wall was really loose so the stupid showerhead fell down if you knocked the hose. Lame. And not a difficult thing to fix, which made it that much more maddening – a trip to the hardware store and 30 minutes worth of work and it would be good to go.
After breakfast we went on the Sandeman free walking tour (www.neweuropetours.eu). It was a little chaotic at the beginning when they were figuring out how many people they had and dividing the group into smaller groups and assigning tour guides, but once that was done, the tour was great. Kate was our guide and she was wonderful – very knowledgeable about the history of Prague and the Czech Republic and a very good story teller. We learned a ton and had a lot of fun. The tour covered a lot of the old town area and into the Jewish quarter.
We had so much fun on the tour that we decided to take the afternoon castle tour, which was 300 crowns per person. Amy was our guide for the second tour, and she was good too – not quite as good as Kate, but then Kate was awesome. For this tour, we took the tram up to the castle, wandered around the neighborhood up there, and went through the castle. The tour doesn’t include entrance into any of the parts of the castle that require a ticket though, so a separate visit is required to see those areas. After seeing the castle, we walked down the hill through the Mala Strana, and then back to the old town. Both tours were great, but it was a really warm day and I think that on a hot day, both tours back-to-back was probably overkill. They also have a pub crawl in the evening that you can go on, but we passed. I think we are a bit beyond the pub crawl these days.
Later, after relaxing at the hotel and cleaning up a bit, we went out for dinner. After all the walking and time out in the hot sun, I was pretty tired and my ankles were unhappy, so we decided to take the easy route and have dinner close to the hotel. There is a steak restaurant across from the astronomical clock called El Toro, and after all the pork and beer in Germany, a steak and a glass of red wine sounded wonderful to me. We sat outside and had a terrific view of the clock. I don’t remember how much our meal cost, but it was the most expensive meal we had in Prague – but it still didn’t seem unreasonable to us. That same meal at home would have cost much more, and without the nice view and good people-watching. We both had steak, I had 3 glasses of Malbec, and my husband had 2 liters of Krusovice.
Beers for Day 11:
Krusovice Dark +’
More to come, but I have to say we absolutely loved Prague though and will definitely be back. It is a really neat city. I love the blocks and blocks of great architecture, the way the old buildings are just lived in and used like normal buildings, not something preseved just to preserve it for tourists and the like. I'd like to explore more of the Czech Republic too. This history of the country is facinating.
november moon,
Thanks for the link to the Sandeman free walking tours. These look great. They sound like a perfect introduction to Prague and Copenhagen. Glad you had a great time.
August 23–Tuesday - Day 12:
This was another hot day – we hit a good heat wave. I am beginning to think that I am responsible for global warming because if I go someplace, a heat wave is sure to accompany me.
After breakfast, we went over the Wenceslas Square to wander around a bit and then to the Museum of Communism (www.muzeumkomunismu.cz). We had seen this museum the day before and it seemed interesting – the mascot is a babushka nesting doll with fangs. How could we resist? AND the museum is in between a McDonalds and a casino. Can you say “Irony”?
The museum turned out to be quite interesting, telling the story of the rise of communism in Czech Republic, the reality, and then the resistance and ultimately the fall. It took us about an hour to go through the museum.
In the afternoon we took a bike tour with Praha Bike – we did the River and Beer tour. Oleh was our guide and there weren’t any other people on the tour, so we had a private guide for the afternoon. The ride included more mileage than other bike tours we have done – more riding and less stopping and talking. Oleh was really cool, although generally I like a guide with more commentary. He was talkative when prompted though and it was nice to get out of the city and ride along the river. It was still hot, but felt nice to have the wind in our hair.
We had 2 beer stops along the way. One was at this tiny little place that we never would have found otherwise. It was along the river, down a small path, seemed like someone’s backyard. But there was a small bar there with tables and benches under a corrugated roof. The beer served was Svijany, which was quite tasty. The other beer stop was the beer garden at Letna Park, at which we had Pilsner Urquell. On the tour, we also stopped at Troja Chateau and went to Stromovka park. The whole ride took about 5 hours or so. By the time we got to the end, we were pretty hot and tired, but the ride was good.
For dinner that night we went to a little restaurant around the corner from Praha Bike at Dlouha and Ramova called U Carodejek. It is a little place that serves Czech food at really good prices. For beer we had Kozel Cerny, which was dark and delicious.
After dinner we walked further down Dlouha to the Prague Beer Museum. This is a wonderful place full of a plethora of beers –the menu is basically a small book with quite a bit of information about each of the available beers. We ordered a 10-beer taster, which ends up being 1.5 liters of beer.
Beers for Day 12:
Kozel Cerney +
Ferdinand d’Este – Special Lager +’
Jezek – Pale Lager +
Podkovan – Pale Lager +
Bernard Cerny Lezak – Dark Lager ++
Something Porter – Dark Lager +
Merlin Cerny – Dark Lager +’
Starokladenske Black Miner – Dark Lager +
Vysoky Chlumec Demon – Amber Lager +’
Kvasnicak Opat Chocolate- Special Dark Lager ++
Cerna Hora Velen – Wheat Beer -/+
August 24–Wednesday - Day 13:
This morning we slept in and took it easy. We had planned a day trip to Pilsen, but it was just so darned hot and we had so much sun and beer the day before, we were kind of wiped out.
After resting up, we got some lunch and then went to the Charles Bridge. We hung out there a little while, but it was very crowded, so we walked across and wandered around the Mala Strana neighborhood a bit. We took the tram to the base of the funicular at Petrin park. We rode the funicular up to the top and wandered around the park for a while, then walked down the hill back to the Mala Strana. The views from Petrin park are nice – and the Prague Eifel tower is up there for those who would like to climb it for better views.
While wandering around the Mala Strana very near the German embasy, we saw a sandwich-board sign advertising Pilsner Urquell for 29 crowns. Since that is a price we like, we decided to stop in for a drink and a snack. The sign was for a little place on a small narrow street around the corner with a friendly little courtyard on the front of a small restaurant. We had a great time hanging out there – the people, both working there and the customers, were very friendly and the snacks were good.
Once we were refreshed, we explored the neighborhood some more and then took the 22 tram up the hill to the Strahov Monastery. We walked around there a bit and then went to the brewery restaurant for dinner and beer. Monks pretty much always have the best beer.
Beers for Day 13:
Pilsner Urquell light +
Sv. Norbert Dark ++
Sv. Norbert Wheat +’
Sv. Norbert Amber +’
sounds like you are having a great time. The st norberts at the Klasterini Pivovar is some of the best beer you will get anywhere.Glad you made it to the Beer museum Pub,it has only been open a year now but is getting a great reputation.They are supposed to be opening another place near Charles Bridge.Letna park is great some of the best views of the city from there.
Dis yopu make it to the Pilzen Brewery (is that bit still to come) or did you give up on that trip?
Love the Saint Norbert (VERY!) Dark!
If it's mid-afternoon (or otherwise not a dining time), you can just get a cup of coffee or tea and sit on on the terrace of the overpriced Italian restaurant (next door to the monastery) and enjoy the best view of Prague for 1/2 hour or longer.
Loving the report...
We never did go to the Pilsner Urquell brewery. There was just so much in Prague itself that we didn't even get to that we decided to put it off for another trip.
We saw that italian restaurant with the great views - we definitely thought it would be a nice place to get some coffee and cake.
Have been to the Strahov monastery brewery and loved the beer (and food!) there, too.
Oh, and the service was slooooow. Better calculate an hour for simple but overpriced coffee and cake.
LOL, recently I was on business in Prague. My hosts probably wanted to impress me and took me to that overpriced Italian restaurant with the view next to Strahov monastery - seriously, the food was as overpriced as the food was lousy. Thank God it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the views
ingo - we had a great time at the Strahov monastery too.
we fell into conversation with an elderly couple from Moscow who had spent 30 hours on the train to get to Prague [in December!] because the wife wouldn't fly.
he was showing her all the places he'd known when he'd been posted there, before the Wall came down etc. We got a distinct whiff of KGB but that might have been us!
Ok - so here is the report for the last couple days of the trip. Sorry for the delay. I blame it on my husband. Actually, really - it is his fault. He left for a business trip, taking his phone with him, which of course had all the pictures that I took to remind myself where we had been, and of course - which beers we drank!
August 25–Thursday - Day 14:
Our last day in Prague. By this point we have decided that we are DEFINITELY coming back to Prague for another visit. We have really enjoyed our time here and didn’t get to everything we wanted to. Prague is infinitely interesting.
We hadn’t climbed the Astronomical clock tower yet, so we decided to do that this morning. I really wanted to go to the top, but with 2 weeks of walking, riding, and climbing, plus the heat wave, I was pretty beat by this time. But, I am a trooper, so we decided to climb the tower. We bought tickets and went in – and wouldn’t you know it? There is an elevator! Yes, an elevator to the top. Well damn, if I had known there was an elevator, I would have gone up 3 or 4 times already. The view from the top of the tower is great – over the whole of the old town, the castle area, Letna park, etc. It was kind of crowded at the top sometimes, but the people seemed to come in spurts, so by hanging out, we could let the crowds dissipate and have the tower almost to ourselves for a while.
After the tower, we went down to the river to take some more pictures of the boats and bridges and just stroll around. Everybody talks about Charles Bridge, of course since it was the first stone bridge, has so much history, the statues, etc. but I really liked the bridges just north of the Charles Bridge – Cechuv and Manseuv Most. These are neat art nouveau bridges. I think people overlook them, but when you take the time to notice them, they really are beautiful.
As mentioned above, I was pretty tired by this time and wanted a shady place to hang out, drink a little beer, have some food and basically just kick it for awhile. We ended up finding the James Joyce Irish Pub down a little side street – U Obecniho Dvora in the neighborhood just east of the Jewish Quarter. The Irish are always good for comfortable places to hang out. There are some comfortable tables outside under some big shady chestnut trees. Being mid-afternoon, there were only a few customers, so we decided to have a little lunch and relax there for a while. We had toasted sandwiches and we each had a Gambrinus. My husband had more Gambrinus and I switched to hot tea – the heat wave started to break that afternoon and it was almost the first time in 2 weeks that it was cool enough to drink hot tea.
After a couple hours of just hanging out, we were ready to see some more things. This pub advertised live music in the evenings, so if we had been in town longer, we probably would have gone back to check it out one evening.
We walked through the Jewish Quarter – by this time it was later in the day, so we didn’t buy tickets to go inside any of the Synagogues or anything since things were starting to close up. I would like to explore that neighborhood more though. The Old New Synagogue is really neat from the outside though – early Gothic building, about 1000 years old. Quite impressive. There were some street musicians playing along the side of the Old New Synagogue, so we stopped to listen for a while. They were quite good and one of the musicians was making giant soap bubbles, which was fun.
We had dinner someplace I assume (I don’t skip meals often) but I don’t remember where – that is what happens when I wait so long to write my trip journal. After dinner we went back to the Beer Museum for dessert – I had to get more of that Opat Chocolate. OMG that stuff is good. Then on the way back to the hotel stopped for a final Czech beer – Budweiser. We couldn’t come to Czech Republic and not have it at least once. And it was quite good. We hung out awhile and then called it a night.
Beers for Day 14:
Gambrinus +
Opat Chocolate ++
Budvar Budweiser +
August 26–Friday - Day 15:
We had to be in Frankfurt on Saturday mid-day for our flight home, so we effectively started our journey home today. We had the Express Bus from Prague to Nuremburg and then ICE train onto Frankfurt. Instead of going all the way to Frankfurt this day though, we had decided to spend the night in Nuremburg and continue onto Frankfurt the next morning – stretch the vacation out a little more.
Metro to the main train station in Prague was easy and fast, and the Express Bus to Nuremburg was as convenient and comfortable as before.
In Nuremburg we stayed at the Hotel Victoria (www.hotelvictoria.de), which is just inside the old city wall, literally steps from the under-street pedestrian tunnel between the train station and the Altstadt. Very convinient. The hotel is in a more modern building, but fits in well with the surrounding buildings. Our room was small, but well-laid out and very comfortable. The staff was top-notch, and breakfast the next morning was the best breakfast we’ve had in Germany at a hotel of this level. I would definitely stay here again.
We’d been to Nuremburg before, and since we didn’t arrive until about 3 in the afternoon, we just sort of wandered around in the Altstadt a while and soaked it in. We didn’t actually “do” anything although there is a lot to do and see in Nuremburg. It is actually one of my favorite cities. It isn’t as cute as say Rothenburg or Bamburg, but I just like it. The Altstadt isn’t totally preserved, but I like the blending of the old and new, and the fact that the Altstadt seems to actually be used by Nuremburg people and not just preserved for tourists.
We had an early dinner at Augustiner zur Schrante, I think it is called, just below the castle. We went here specifically because on a previous trip to Nuremburg it was here that we first tasted the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier which is basically responsible for this whole itinerary. I broke with tradition and drank some Franconian white wine though, which was wonderful. My husband drank Schlenkerla, of course.
A little more wandering, and a stop for ice cream, then another stop to watch a group of people doing the tango in front of the cathedral in the main square – and we were ready to call it a night. We had an 8 am train the next morning, so we needed to be up and going early. But then on the way back to the hotel, we saw umbrellas in front of a little café advertising Andech’s beer, so we stopped for ONE LAST BEER before we put a DONE stamp on the trip.
Beers for Day 15:
Aecht Schlenkerla ++
Andechs Dunkel ++
Andechs Hefeweisen ++
August 27–Saturday - Day 16:
Train to Frankfurt airport, flight to SFO, and then HOME. Of course the heat wave officially broke the night before, just because we are leaving. We walked to the train station in a chilly rain and shivered on the platform while waiting for the train.
We were sad that the trip is over, but the trip home was uneventful, and it is always nice to be home. The cats were alternately incredibly happy to see us and absolutely pissed that we abandoned them for 2 weeks. As I write this journal (3 weeks later), I think they have finally forgiven us. But we better toe the line for a while.
The end. I hope you all enjoyed my report. We certainly enjoyed the trip.
Very nice - thanks!
Thanks for the explanation and for finishing up - I was wondering what had happened - if whether you hadn't decided the beer was just too good and went back to live in Europe and sample more beer!
Thanks again! Thoroughly enjoyable TR!
November, this is so weird. We'll be in Prague next month and staying at an apartment on U obecniho dvora! I know it's a tiny street so that Irish pub should be right there! How was the food?
great report, really please you had a great time and want to come back to Prague (my next trip in in just over 5 weeks).
I like the fact that you mention all the beer you had ,very useful for a nerd like me but i think i will give the chocolate beer a miss (thanks but no thanks).
once again thank you for writing such a comprehensive report of yopur travels.
Glad everybody enjoyed it.
easytraveler - If I could get away with it, I would hop a plane back in a heartbeat, but I think my boss would have an issue with that
Treesa - you can't miss the pub. It is definitely a small street. The toasted sandwiches we had were very good, we didn't try any of the other food though.
unclegus - Everybody has their own taste in beer. Some people are mad for IPA, but they all smell like cat pee to me - LOL. This chocolate one is for anybody who enjoys dark chocolate and dark beer, but of course not everybody does. It is nice that the Beer Museum offers all of their beers in small taster size - that way people can try something they aren't sure about without the commitment.
I have been to the Beer Museum pub quite a few times now,I really like the Blueberry beer but tried the pepper beer which i did not like.
i am a lover of IPA so each to their own as i say.
Chocolate beer? I've never cared much for beer but could be a convert. We're making our first trip to Prague next month so I'll have to hunt that down.
http://www.praguebeermuseum.com/en/index.htm
you will find it here.
Thanks Unclegus. According to the blog post below they don't have aspirations to be a gastropub but certainly worth a stop to try the chocolate beer.
http://czechoutchannel.blogspot.com/2010/10/prague-beer-museum-pub.html
that Blog is an excellent tool to use if looking for resturants in Prague.
i did a Trip Advisor review of the Prague Beer museum pub where i do make a mention of the food.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g274707-d1937570-r86632058-Prague_Beer_Museum-Prague_Bohemia.html
but as they say it is All About the Beer................. and ohhhhhh what beer.
I will be in Prague next month for a few days 24th-28th and will pop in there again.
I didn't even notice that the Beer Museum had food.
it is pretty basic stuff mostly from a resturant nearby,pickled chesses or sausage ,hamburgers and chicken wings, enough to stop you going hungry but not a gastronomic experience.
I enjoyed reading your report. I was curious how you made out in the Aufsess Brauerienweg. I was there about one month before your trip and had mixed results. I stayed at Rothenbach in Aufsess and I really liked it even though it poured that evening. I was supposed to stay at Reichold. I even had a reservation for Reichold but when I showed up they were closed for a 1 day vacation!! What a disspointment but that can happen during the week in the Frankische Schweiz. Brauerei Stadter was also closed that day. I really liked Kati Brau though and in addition to that I took a different hiking route to Breitenslau for Brauerei Krug and then Schroll in Nankendorf. Both were outstanding. It was a longer walk than originally planned but worth it.
I enjoyed reading about your impressions of Bamberg. Schlenkerla is indeed great beer and the tavern is fantastic. However, as is always the case more time is needed in Bamberg. There are 5 breweries within walking distance of your hotel that you missed and numerous other beer pubs and kellers. Not to mentione the nearby sorrounding countryside. But hey it's an excuse to go back.
Great trip report! DH and I spent a couple days in Bamberg in February 2005. We loved it but were limited in our exploring by the snowy weather. Would love to return in the summer sometime.
markan - That is weird that Reichold made a reservation for you, but then went on vacation. That must have been extremely frustrating. At least Rothenbach was available. We liked their beer best of the 3 breweries we had on the walk. And yes, we absolutely have to go back to Bamberg. I know we missed a bunch. Part of it was that we were there on a holiday and a bunch of stuff was closed. The other part is that we just don't move fast on vacation. I read other people's itineraries and think "Really, you guys do ALL that in ONE day? Wow."
Yeah I'm the same. I'd rather go slow and enjoy. It has taken me 6 visits to Bamberg so far and I've finally visited all the breweries and pubs that I know of. Still there are about 100 within a 50 mile radius that I still have not been to yet. It's a lifetime pursuit I guess.
I like your approach markan - it is definitely a lifetime persuit. Last summer we aquired a map of west coast (US) breweries - we intend to visit them all, whichi is another lifetime persuit.
november moon, thanks for finishing up your TR. I hope your husband appreciated all the effort you put into this trip. So, where to next and where are you celebrating YOUR big 4-0?
yk - Yes, he absolutely appreciated my efforts. He was a very happy man. When we were on the brewery tour in Munich, the guide asked everybody to introduce themselves at the begining of the tour, and my husband's introduction of himself was to tell everybody that I had planned this lovely trip for him for his birthday. It was funny.
I want to walk the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. There are several routes, but the Camino Frances is the main one and is about 750 km long. I think we will only be able to get away long enough to do the final 200 km or so, but I think it will be a really neat way to celebrate a milestone birthday. Following in the footsteps of a thousand years of pilgrims should be an incredible experience.
My 40th birthday isn't for a few more years, but I am already starting the plans, of course
Some of my friends think I am insane - why can't I go to the Caribbean for a week and drink pina coladas on the beach like a normal person? People have been asking me all my life, why can't I do XYZ like a "normal person"? You'd think by now they would get a clue and stop asking. Like a normal person...yeah, whatever.