Vacations Blog

This is a destination you probably have not thought of – yet. Well its time to change that.

If you are visiting Europe, or live there, it is a short flight to this island in the Mediterranean. Kayt Sukel, based in Germany, explains that the island has a remarkable history. Its temples pre-date the Egyptian pyramids. The island has great hotel options – but you could consider B&Bs or even renting a villa. The food is rich in choices – after all, the island has a great location in terms of regional influences. Getting around is easy by bus and there are great beaches and diving. Take a look at the island’s tourism information here.

Play

German Eats

Maybe it’s the Southern boy in me or the Irish ancestry, but I’m baffled as to why German cuisine isn’t mentioned more. It’s warm, hearty and cheap – the Soul Food of Europe. We managed to get into the well-known Schusterjunge, an excellent jumping off point in Berliner cuisine should you be a first-timer.

[Clockwise]

Solianka (actually, a Russian soup, but popular here…and fantastic)

Tea

Bratwurst w/ roasties and sauerkraut…all in a sausage gravy – insane.

The (in)famous digestive, Jagermeister.

Apple Strudel with custard – went down in about 3 minutes.

Gluewhein…sure, of out season, but they had some left from December. Read More »

I’m quite the lucky boy.

I mean, sure, I could have probably bought the train ticket and somehow found my way around the neighboring city, guidebook in hand, taking it all in, but as luck would have it, a friend offered to take me there in her car. On the autobahn. Which was all the rage when I was 12.

‘There’s NO SPEED LIMIT! You can go as FAST AS YOU WANT!’ – sad that this was the extent of my European knowledge. Read More »

Its that time of year again. In Munich the biggest party in Germany is about to start. Uptake’s Kayt Sukel explains they expect to see 1 million visitors this year. From all over the world no less. For two and a half weeks, Munich is a party town. Although a recent event in European terms, Oktoberfest clearly struck a chord. People love the event.

Play

Visiting a concentration camp is one of the most important things someone can do. Be you black, white, Jewish or Irish, doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter if your people were the ones afflicting or the afflicted. 8 years ago, I walked down the train tracks and into Auschwitz and it did something. Not immediately, but it did something. What it was, I couldn’t tell you – but it was there. Be it a deeper understanding of how far some have went, or simply piecing together the scenes in Schindler’s List… Read More »

My husband recently traveled to Germany and brought back a strong opinion, a bag of souvenirs, and a long list of no useful information.  This is my attempt to make apple wine out of his sour crab apples.

Stewart had to fly to Frankfurt, through Zurich on a business trip.  A big lover of the good old US of A, he did not look forward to it at all, which left me insanely jealous and shaking my fist at the unfairness of it all.  I begged him to take pictures and notes and essentially make me feel like I was there with him instead of left behind to parent two little boys all by myself.  At first it seemed like his work schedule would leave no room for exploration of his surroundings, but he made great progress and wound up with a free day.

Frankfurt Train Station

From the hotel Mercure in Friedrichsburg which he loved and said had all necessary amenities, he managed to navigate the the signs and local language to get to the central train station and hop on board one of many offered sightseeing tours to get a look around the area.  He chose the Rhine Day Tour.  He was there during the week, so the other travelers he encountered were also people on business trips, but there was one American couple with a child, who seemed out of place during the wine-tasting stop.

The tour took Stewart to the beautiful countryside along the river Rhine and the participants got to ride on a ski lift for a better view.

The river Rhine

The hills are alive...

At the bottom of the mountain they ate lunch at a local restaurant which also offered the wine tasting.  He learned that a local delicacy, ice wine, is made when the grapes are frozen and picked during the middle of the night and all the local spirits are subject to purity laws.  He brought back a bottle for me, and I must say it was fantastic.

Lunch stop

The tour also included a ferry ride where views of medieval castles were on display, and a chance to get out and walk around and shop for gifts in the village of Rűdesheim/Drosselgasse.

On the ferry

A castle on the banks of the river Rhine

View of the village

A local landmark that Stewart does not remember

Niederwald Monument

Overall, my husband’s reaction to flying to Europe, going through the hassle of exchanging money, dealing with a foreign tongue, and clearing customs, was not worth it.  He says “If I want to see rolling hills, I will go to Paso Robles.  If I want to see the water’s edge, I’ll sail to Catalina.  And for tasty beer, I’ll pop open a Sierra Nevada.  In other words, Germany is nice, but California is something special.”

We obviously don’t share the same taste in travel.  I enjoy exotic adventures and sights unseen.  Luckily, there are plenty of those in California too.  At least I got him to bring home some pictures, so I can gaze at them as I dream of the day I will get to travel to Germany…with some girlfriends!