December 30, 2024Dec 30 4 hours ago, Brisketexan said: And hey…they have messican stuff. ¡Oh snap they even have pulparindo!
January 1Jan 1 These are all private. Just…people blowing shit up, all over. And I’m going to die. We started drinking beer from Bavaria…and worked our way north. I just had my beer from the Baltic coast. I wasn’t allowed to leave till we covered the north, beer-wise.Also…I gotta tell ya, it’s weird watching Germany light up the night sky in all directions with artillery. It legit feels like a fucking air raid.Fuck I’m tired, and my head already hurts.
January 1Jan 1 Oh, and now we’re watching German music performances…hello there.I’m informed that she’s actually Austrian. The accordion is…a bit of a giveaway.Nice squeezebox….
January 2Jan 2 Made breakfast tacos for the Germans today as it snowed outside.They genuinely enjoyed.Then, they took extra tortillas and spread Nutella on them. Because Germans. They asked if it was ok, we explained that we put anything and everything on tortillas, so go for it.
January 2Jan 2 6 hours ago, Brisketexan said: Made breakfast tacos for the Germans today as it snowed outside. They genuinely enjoyed. Then, they took extra tortillas and spread Nutella on them. Because Germans. They asked if it was ok, we explained that we put anything and everything on tortillas, so go for it. I can attest to the obsession with Nutella. For years the boys, it seemed, only ate Nutella for breakfast.
January 4Jan 4 “NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN!” That was the response we got from the legendary Ilse Schreiber as we reached the window at her iconic wurst stand in the Kleinmarkthalle in Frankfurt. Our daughter tried to tell her our order, a selection of the different wursts available (see the wooden sign). Ilse cut her off with a series of “NEINs!” She explained that this is what she had left that was hot, so this is what we’d get: 2 pieces of krakauer, and 2 pieces of fleischwurst. So that’s what we got. And they were delicious. Ilse stands as testament to the proposition that the greatest monuments are not made of stone, they’re the unique people who symbolize and personify a space. And if Ilse reminds you of Tootsie from Snow’s BBQ…yep, the similarities are obvious. They each sell their specialized deliciousness, and are the face of their craft and their community. Very glad we stopped in. You should do so if you ever end up in Frankfurt. Tell Ilse we said “hello”…if she doesn’t cut you off…gotta keep that line movin’.Solid little lunch right there.
January 4Jan 4 Spent yesterday heading up the Rhine:We were right across from Bonn, and you could see the Koln Cathedral spires in the distance. Still one of the most impressive structures we’ve ever seen.Some grub:A German pasta dish, made with big potato dumplings, beef, roasted tomato paste, cabbage, and onions.Snack plates with all the meats:A few Xmas markets are still open:
January 5Jan 5 Did we hit the all-you-can-eat flammkuchen place last night near Koblenz? You bet your ass we did. For 8 of us…13 flammkuchen. So, 13 is apparently our limit. Interesting, because 15 is my limit on schnitzengruben.All the varieties. The classic with speck and cheese, sweet ones, a doner one (was really good), and yes…an American cheeseburger one (it actually kinda worked).Some beer, and a great last night with family/friends before we head off to Mainz and Munich.
January 6Jan 6 It ain’t all glamorous. Trudging uphill in the snow and slush to the boy’s flat. In the dark. At 5:00.And, from now on, you are all to refer to me as the…
January 6Jan 6 On 1/5/2025 at 7:33 AM, Brisketexan said: because 15 is my limit on schnitzengruben. I've been biding my time and waiting for the opportunity to drop that in. No need. Well done.
January 7Jan 7 Got to Munich today, pretty tired, didn’t do a whole lot. Wandered a market, seeing all the delicious meats that I cant bring back gives me a sad.Laughed at the poor boyfriends of Instagram who have to take 1000 pics of their girl in silly poses.And while I may be the LORD OF DONER, I don’t outrank the king of falafel AND shawarma (I presume that is a united kingdom).Dinner:
January 7Jan 7 Ok, my man--you didn't tell me you were going to Muenchen. So while you're there, you need to head over to Nuernberger Bratwurst Gloeckl am Dom. It's right behind the Frauenkirche. They have several family plates of all the sausages (including the little Nuremberger bratwurstl, which are fucking delicious). And they pour Augustiner, which is to your very great benefit. And then post pictures to show that you haven't forgotten about us.
January 8Jan 8 I’ve had those little Nuremberger sausages every day at breakfast for the past three days. They rock.
January 8Jan 8 Welcome to sunny Bavaria.Lunch was solid. Franconian sausages and a lentil dish with three kinds of pork. Oh, and there was a side of buttered spaetzle to stir into the stew. It was great on a cold day.The fact that I cannot load up on 20 kilos of sausage to bring back because customs laws and such is giving me a sad.
January 8Jan 8 The fact that I cannot load up on 20 kilos of sausage to bring back because customs laws and such is giving me a sad. My German/Yiddish is a bit rusty. But kiester them thangs. At least wrap one in foil a la Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap.
January 8Jan 8 Had to hit the Hofbrau, of course. Beer, pork knuckle, schnitzel. And a cranky old drunk German at our table. I loved him. But not as much as the French brunette I caught on my video pan of the place.
January 8Jan 8 Also…you need to jam to die größten rock songs, right?And if you go to the coin shop, and they have little red marks over part of the coins…those are fucking swastikas. And fuck Nazis and all of their shit.
January 9Jan 9 Greetings from sunny but chilly Southern Bavaria.1) King Ludwig had shitty Liberace-like taste.2) I ain’t buyin’ no damn cuckoo clock.
January 9Jan 9 More Bavaria:Yeah, we went to Neuschwanstein. And I would definitely recommend going this time of year, because holy shit, in the summer it most be a MADHOUSE.And the climb up is not a cakewalk. About a half hour steady uphill, then you climb the whole damned castle.So, let’s talk about King Ludwig. Dude was clearly queerer than a football bat (NTTAWWT….in fact, his life would have been much happier if he was just able to have sexy time with Wagner all the time).Ludwig was, as the kids say, quite “EXTRA.” Definitely not “basic.” Imagine how a gay Bavarian king would design and decorate everything, and you’ve got him figured out.We got lucky, had a mostly sunny day, really highlighted the local beauty. And while we’re glad to have seen Bavaria and it is indeed pretty, we didn’t feel any deep connection or anything like that (we’ve got literally zero German blood). It’s deep rural, conservative Germany. Culturally…no thanks. Give us libertine Berlin.
January 9Jan 9 Now for some fun stuff….the people. These two gals made me SO happy. Why? Because they hogged the primary overlook of the castle to take 10,000 photos for their Instagram pages. All the posing, multiple poses. Shot after shot. Nevermind that families were lined up to take their own photo. These top-of-the-line INFLUENCERS had to take over the place.We left, and they were still there taking photos. Why does that make me happy? Because your castle tour ticket is for a. EXACT time (this is Germany…everything but the trains is exactly on time). So, they for so caught up taking all their pictures that when they showed up at the gate, they were denied entry - they were too late. I don’t think they ever got in, as you buy your tickets at the BASE of the castle.And…as always. F’n Russians:And check out the fucking Hanson brothers over there. Two Canuck jerseys, a Bruins jacket, and a Black Sabbath T-shirt. I wanna party with those guys.From the wardrobe, I thought these gals were Russian too. Nope. They were just very attractive Americans. Quite nice, too, we ended up chatting with them later.
January 9Jan 9 1 hour ago, Brisketexan said: More Bavaria: Yeah, we went to Neuschwanstein. And I would definitely recommend going this time of year, because holy shit, in the summer it most be a MADHOUSE. And the climb up is not a cakewalk. About a half hour steady uphill, then you climb the whole damned castle. So, let’s talk about King Ludwig. Dude was clearly queerer than a football bat (NTTAWWT….in fact, his life would have been much happier if he was just able to have sexy time with Wagner all the time). Ludwig was, as the kids say, quite “EXTRA.” Definitely not “basic.” Imagine how a gay Bavarian king would design and decorate everything, and you’ve got him figured out. We got lucky, had a mostly sunny day, really highlighted the local beauty. And while we’re glad to have seen Bavaria and it is indeed pretty, we didn’t feel any deep connection or anything like that (we’ve got literally zero German blood). It’s deep rural, conservative Germany. Culturally…no thanks. Give us libertine Berlin. People get caught up in the whole "he was gay and built castles" thing with Ludwig II. They completely ignore the fact that he was King of Bavaria during the decade of German unification. Ludwig himself was not a proponent of German unification, but Bavaria wasn't itself strong enough to forestall it after it was defeated in the Austro-Prussian War. And the role that Ludwig's weakness played in Prussia's ascent to dominance over Bavaria and the other southern German countries is kinda unexplored.
January 9Jan 9 4 hours ago, Brisketexan said: Yeah, we went to Neuschwanstein. And I would definitely recommend going this time of year, because holy shit, in the summer it most be a MADHOUSE. And the climb up is not a cakewalk. About a half hour steady uphill, then you climb the whole damned castle. This is much easier
January 9Jan 9 This is much easier It would have been, but were the more intrepid type.Shoulda taken the damned carriage.
January 9Jan 9 2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said: It would have been, but were the more intrepid type. Shoulda taken the damned carriage. I walked up there in June with my girlfriend. She's a walking/hiking machine. I had to stop and rest on those benches 3 times. For the return hike I said Fuck No and jumped in a horse carriage.
January 10Jan 10 I walked up there in June with my girlfriend. She's a walking/hiking machine. I had to stop and rest on those benches 3 times. For the return hike I said Fuck No and jumped in a horse carriage.I only had to rest twice. My wife does spin class 6 times a week. Her cardio routine had her doing just fine. Walk down was fine.
January 11Jan 11 I only had to rest twice. My wife does spin class 6 times a week. Her cardio routine had her doing just fine. Walk down was fine.So…like the Japanese…we clearly fucked these people up when we bombed the crap outta them.Although that said…a pissed off antlered winged fox WOULD really tie my office together.Stupid import restrictions.Same dumb laws that are preventing me from filling a suitcase with this stuff:That second pic is just dead-sexy.
January 11Jan 11 30 minutes ago, Brisketexan said: So…like the Japanese…we clearly fucked these people up when we bombed the crap outta them. Although that said…a pissed off antlered winged fox WOULD really tie my office together. Stupid import restrictions. Same dumb laws that are preventing me from filling a suitcase with this stuff: Right next to your jackelope
January 26Jan 26 Just booked a ~10 day trip with a group of friends in mid-May — I’m so amped: Munich - 2 nights (a few of us have already been) Werfen - 4 nights (at the reco of a Surly poster in this thread); Using it as a base to see Berchtesgaden, Salzburg, Wolfgansee, Hallstatt, Ice Caves, etc Prague - 4 nights; Flying direct from Munich when we return the rental car… We’ve heard nothing but great things about Prague!!
January 26Jan 26 On 1/8/2025 at 9:50 PM, Brisketexan said: Also…you need to jam to die größten rock songs, right?
September 2Sep 2 So we are planning our Germany trip starting the end of May 2026. I've been to Germany many times and have worked over there as well, but my wife has never been. We will also likely hit Prague and somewhere in Austria. Munich and some small towns are definitely in the plan, but I'm trying to decide what to do about Berlin. It's a bit out of the way for where we will be and I'm not sure how important it is to hit it. I've been there 10+ times but have never done much sightseeing. My wife isn't a huge history buff. Thoughts on leaving it off?
September 2Sep 2 1 hour ago, Dbeasy said: So we are planning our Germany trip starting the end of May 2026. I've been to Germany many times and have worked over there as well, but my wife has never been. We will also likely hit Prague and somewhere in Austria. Munich and some small towns are definitely in the plan, but I'm trying to decide what to do about Berlin. It's a bit out of the way for where we will be and I'm not sure how important it is to hit it. I've been there 10+ times but have never done much sightseeing. My wife isn't a huge history buff. Thoughts on leaving it off? 1) Berlin is one of our favorite cities in the world. 2) BUT, it's out of the way for your itinerary. With that fact in mind, I'd skip it (we didn't go to Berlin last time we were in Germany -- did a more southern-focused trip).
September 2Sep 2 17 minutes ago, Brisketexan said: 1) Berlin is one of our favorite cities in the world. 2) BUT, it's out of the way for your itinerary. With that fact in mind, I'd skip it (we didn't go to Berlin last time we were in Germany -- did a more southern-focused trip). That’s the struggle. I love Berlin. It’s a great city to work and hang out. But I agree with you that it’s probably it not critical for this vacation itinerary .
November 30Nov 30 Daughter is in school in Bonn these days, she really likes their Christmas market. Family friends from Koblenz came up today so they could all have a day at the market together. Man, central Europe really nails Christmas markets.
November 30Nov 30 44 minutes ago, Rudiger said: I’d be filling up a suitcase with Lebkuchen. 99% confident that a box or two will be coming home for christmas with the girl. Along with paprika Pringles, to which my wife has an addiction.
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