Euro trip 2012: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Video of Jay partaking in locally made wormwood spirits. You let it breathe a bit, swish the whole glass around in your mouth then swallow. It tasted sweet, but not too sweet. Similar to coke without fizz.

Sunday morning we went on the town wall walk...its roughly a mile around the Old Town in Dubrovnik. Lots of great views. It was around 0930 and already pretty warm (probably mid 70's).

Miniature view of the Lokrum.

Rooftops from the city wall. The pale colored rooves survived the bombings from the civil war, the more vibrant colored ones did not.

We kayaked out in the Adriatic. Only 250 Kunas for the day!

View toward Dubrovnik.

We stopped at an island during our kayak for some refreshments. There were peacocks everywhere.

Jay having locally made wormwood spirits.

View of a "cave" on the island. We were all excited to go into these caves, but once we found them we realized they're nothing more than alcoves. Yes, you can go into them, but they might be 20 feet deep.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Dubrovnik at night, a balmy 75 degrees. :-)

We were out to dinner...look closely...the Husker nation truly is world wide!

Robes, slippers and chocolate waiting for us in our room. I could get used to this.

Also, bottled water, desserts and a welcome letter. I wonder if Ecolab knows about this.

OMG...so much has happened in the last 24 hours! We left Munich on an overnight bus heading to Croatia. We were scheduled to arrive in Zagreb at 0430, but the car rental company didn't open until 0900. Our actual arrival time was closer to 0400 and the bus station was as you'd expect in a poorer country. Dad, it was like a slightly upscale Morocco. We ended up walking to a Sheraton about a mile away and gave them a sob story about how we had five hours to kill. They let us use Jay's points to get a room and breakfast. I'm pretty sure the front desk guy is having a party in there right now as we technically have the room through tomorrow (and we're already in Dubrovnik). We got the car in the morning and drove the (ugh) seven hours to Dubrovnik. Worth every kilometer! Its the most beautiful place we've ever been. Our digs are pretty amazing too...full suite with private terrace and use of an "executive room" (ie. free booze and food). Nazdravlje!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

At the mouth of the artificial stream that runs through the Englischer Garten, there is a standing wave produced by the water pumping mechanism. Surfers attempt to surf on this wave for as long as they can. It seemed pretty dangerous as the water is only roughly 3-4 feet deep with concrete all around. Didn't see anyone get hurt though.

Within the Englischer Garten there are a few different beer gardens.

This beer garden is called Chinesischer Turm and is the second largest in Munich with 7000 seats.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Jay in front of the Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz in Munich.

Paula having a bier at Hofbrauhaus, where Hitler used to drink.

Also at Hofbrauhaus, fried pork knuckle.

Check out my display of bartending flair/magic recorded at the Bols Museum.

http://bols.bitmove.tv/wmv/paula_white250412140945.wmv

There was a carnival in Dam Square. They had delicious waffles that they cover in chocolate or powdered sugar.

These pillars signify the start of the Red Light District (De Wallen) in Amsterdam.

Red Light District. We didn't see any "transactions" going down, but all of the "merchandise" was on display.

We went to the Bols Museum in Amsterdam. They make liquers as well as something called Genever, which tastes a lot like gin. This was at the end of the tour where you choose a drink and they make it for you. You also get two shots of anything they have. Jay got the Barrel aged Genever (gross!) and an elderberry liquer. I tried apricot and, brace yourselves, yogurt flavor. It was actually pretty good.

This is the traditional way to enjoy Genever. They pour it right up to the lip of the glass and you have to lean forward and slurp enough out so you don't spill any.