To Arthur...TO ARTHUR!!!

Last Thursday, we happened to be in the most IN place in the entire world...Dublin Ireland for Arthur Guinness Day, a magical day of alcohol-induced celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of the black stuff.Strauss was kind (and savvy) enough to score tickets for us to attend the Foggy Dew, a historic pub at the foot of temple bar. The events, held at more than 15 pubs with a huge performance at St. James' Gate brewery itself, featured famous acts that were unannounced until the moment they arrived. We were treated to the Kooks, an english rock band who have a very chill vibe, check them out for yourself.

At the pub were Erin and I, Katie, Joelskie, Strauss, Cormac, Germaine and Tony. Arriving at 6pm, the Guinness game hard and fast, and didn't stop till the wee hours.

After the Foggy Dew we went to Hogan's on George's street, another popular Dublin bar, and met up with Strauss' office for yet a few more.

At the end of the night, it was Joel, Erin and I alone at where else other than Kehoe's, for a late night pint outside on the street. After Erin so heroically sent an older man who had split his head open on the curb to the hospital (his friends were going to let him continue drinking), we danced off the pints at Cafe En Seine and made one last (or second to last) Baggot street walk home.
The following day I had off as the movers came and picked up our goods for London, so I turned in my computer and was joined by about a dozen EY faithful for a series of pints at Kehoe's, outside until Guido complained too much about the cold, then to the upstairs bar which resembles more of a living room. Kehoe's is literally the best pub I have ever been too, with great history dating back to the 1800's, a great post-work outdoor scene which defines Dublin, and one of the best pints in the city. Thanks to all the current and post POD 3'ers for the great night, I'll miss you guys. After that, I hate to admit Colm, Oli, Mairead, Emer and myself washed down the Guinness with a couple bottles of not-so-wine-spectator-recommended wine. Mmmmm, vinegar. Nothing a little dancing can't overcome!!!

Ambling in Amsterdam

There is a lot more to Amsterdam than meets the eye. Especially when those eyes aren't wandering around the red light district at the various windows or coffee shops. As one meanders around the several hundred year old canals that define not only Dutch history, but European history, a sense of calmness sets in.

Particularly when wandering on Harengracht in the Jordaan neighborhood, which we were fortunate to stay in a really cool canal-view room at The Times Hotel. This is the very tranquil area of the city, close enough to the center (just blocks away from the Anne Frank House) but in an area undiscovered by many, full of little shops, bars, and restaurants.

I had a few hours between working in the suburb which is where I was all week before Erin arrived so I wandered around the canals and took advantage of the beautiful weather and took plenty of pics. We had dinner at Oliva Pintxos in the Jordaan neighborhood and then had some hard-to-find Dutch beer at T' Arendsnest, also a block from our hotel. There are about 20 great beers on tap and over 60 more in bottles. Great vibe inside with a sleek copper tap, old stools and a relaxed vibe that would please even the Belgium beer fan who on the cover scoffs at Dutch beer.

The next morning we found a nice little breakfast spot in the nine streets area which got us off onto the right foot for a full day of exploring. It was too nice out to go into any museums so we just aimlessly wandered around town all day long, stopping for some soup on the south part of town and watching the countless local boats float by. They know how to do it right in Amsterdam...relaxed Saturdays with friends and family cruising the canals was definitely the remedy.

That night, we went to De Kas for dinner. This is a must visit in Amsterdam and just a few stops down tram number 9 that you can pick up at the train station.

The following day we woke up and rented bikes, going out to the museum quarter, some local neighborhoods and the vast Vondelpark. The park is really great as there are tons of people walking around, picnicking, biking, and even enjoying themselves at one of the many beer gardens bordering the park. Having the bikes was a great and relaxing way to enjoy the city, especially given the nice weather. We rented our bikes from Orange Bikes (200 block of Singel). They were only 6 euros for 3 hours, well worth the memories of biking the canals of Amsterdam.

The trip was great, it was wonderful to get away and get calmness before the storm being our move to London in the next week!

Kotor, Montenegro & Dubrovnik, Croatia

Third of three new posts, see below for posts on our trip home and July in Dublin!

No, this isn't fake....its Montenegro!
A couple months ago, Joelskie and Strauss booked a weekend to Montenegro via Dubrovnik and asked Erin and I to go. Erin really wanted to but in the interest of saving money for our move, I pressured her out of it. Little did she know that I ended up booking and surprised her on her birthday (17 Aug). Lets just say I'm a good hubby!

So we departed on Friday afternoon and were joined by a friend of Strauss', Lio, or Doc, a welcome late addition to the weekend cast. Lio's flight got in a few hours after ours, so we took the opportunity to have a pizza dinner in Dubrovnik and check out the beautiful city walls in the moonlight, having dinner with this view in the old harbor.

Lio got in and we made it to Kotor at about 11pm, tossing our bags into our room before heading out to the stone pier to share some Croatian wine we picked up in Dubrovnik. It was pretty hot so we followed it with some night swimming.

The next morning we were all at it bright and early, departing from our hotel Palazzo Radomiri which in the "suburb" of Dabrota, a 45 minute walk from Kotor's old town. The walk was a little longer than expected, but with the beautiful views of Europe's southernmost Fjord, who would complain! The views were stunning (see first pic above for what we were dealing with).

Kotor, a UNESCO heritage town (along with the surrounding fjord or Boka Kotorska), is a beautiful town that is frozen in Venetian times with narrow alleys pressed against rugged mountains on the most inner part of the Boka. We wandered around the town and then took off to ascend the medieval footholds that formally protected its residents from outside threats. We didn't realize how high the climb would be. Below is about 1/4 of the way up at a small chapel. We thought we were almost there at that point, but persevered in the pounding heat to the summit of the peak which dominates the medieval town. You can see the beautiful orange-tiled houses beneath the ancient ramparts. The boat you see below is 305 feet, the 17th largest private yacht in the world owned by a Mexican mining kingpin.

The view from the top is indeed spectacular. We felt worse than we looked.

Following lunch at Caffe Pizzeria, we made it back to our place for a quick dip to cool off before heading to Budva, a similarly dated walled town directly on the Adriatic that is succumbing to over building faster than its neighbor, Kotor. Directly outside the beautiful old town are some pretty dodgy buildings. However, when inside the walls and on the beach directly outside the walls, the scene is serene. After taking a dip in a nearby beach, Erin and I walked the walls before heading back to Kotor. The walls are nice, but not quite as cool as the hike to the fortress in Kotor or the walls in Dubrovnik. But still, 16th century walls are 16th century walls, they were pret-tty cool!!

We had a little happy hour of a few Nikšićko's on the hotel pier before dinner. The sunset is beautiful overlooking the mountains across the Boka. But who even needs the pier with water like this!

We had an unforgettable dinner at Stari Mlini (old mill) which is about 10 minutes drive down the Boka away from Kotor. The restaurant boasts an amazing setting on a stream connecting the mountains and the fjord and the restaurant has its own holding pond for their speciality, Trout. Our table was right behind one of the mills, overlooking the stream under an old wood 'canopy'. Below is the stream with a table straddling it...not a bad setting!We had some incredible fish that night before going back to Kotor to experience the nightlife. This is at Cittadella, a trendy bar on the town walls that had a great setting overlooking the ramparts, which were lit up at night. We had a couple drinks there, then one in the main square before Joel, Erin and I followed the locals to Maximus, where a popular Serbian pop singer was playing that night. I think the three of us were the only ones who didn't know the songs. Note for single men looking for beautiful women...go to Kotor on a Saturday night:-)

We got in at about 2:30am and had a nice nights rest. We had a very average breakfast at the 5-star hotel next door, not very 5-star if you ask me. We then relaxed and swam for a while before taking off and Strauss realizing he left the car lights on, hence no battery. We tried to push start the car to no avail, but got a good workout. After an hour or so we got the cables, started the car and headed towards Croatia. We stopped in Pearst, another UNESCO village on the fjord, with two cool island churches. We drove on and had another hour in Dubrovnik before returning to the airport. Joel and I did a Dubrovnik power tour, walking the walls, getting a bite to eat, and having a beer at Buja bar before heading to the airport. Despite being a new and little country, Montenegro is a great getaway with all you can ask for, good food, warm water, medieval walls and passageways, fortresses, history and good company. All you need to do is make sure you have good company!!!

Home Sweet Actual Home

Second of three posts, make sure to check out below this one!!!

As August came, so did a trip home for both Erin and myself. For me it was arriving home on 6 August and heading straight up to Fish Lake, home of the dangerous doublewide, otherwise known as Borgie's cabin. Give the timing for my Dallas-based client, I didn't know if I would make it but at the last minute I was able to get a plan in place to go home that weekend, and work out of the Minneapolis office for the week. Thanks for planning the weekend around my return Borg's.

Another visitor made it back for the occasion, my little sister Lins. Although not Erin, one of the four sisters will do. We just wish she would've announced to everyone at the cabin that she had a cracked rib.The cabin was good. I won't go into too many details as this is a family site. You'll just have to experience it yourself. And you'll have to ask Kaake why he was buried and the feat he accomplished while playing ant farm.That week I saw most of the guys, went to a couple Twins games, and then went up north to Gull Lake to catch up with the in-laws, who I haven't seen in WAY TOO LONG. Some would say that's a good thing...myself, I don't think so! I also got some quality time in with my mom for her birthday, my sis and bro in law and dad at the Twins game, and then my aunt Kathy had mom's side of the family over for my mom and Grandpa Barney's b-days. I definitely did a great job squeezing everyone in during the week! Even saw the Johnston and Parrish families! Congrats Pat (not sure if you would ever read this)! Mike and Emily also had a nice gathering where I got to see all the Hopkins homies for the evening; the stars even aligned where Zach, myself and Jahnks were in the same place in one night!! Thanks again for having us over!! Also thanks to Megs and Ryan for giving Erin and I a home when we are orphans in Minneapolis!

Erin got home the Monday after I did and went up North after having dinner with myself and her aunt and uncle in Northeast. Her parents must of been in heaven as all the girls were home all week long! They went to Gull lake on the Wednesday and I met up with them on Friday.

It didn't take long for the sisterly love to take effect;-) But no hard feelings...I think its safe to say with daily trips on the pontoon, lots of local beer and home-cooked food, Jeff and Jenny's little girls, and some of the best weather of the summer, the Utz' had a great time!!

Its been a while and July concerts

We deeply apologize for the inactivity on the blog as of late. If you look at the post below, we moved into a new apartment in July, and unfortunately, our Irish friends have a problem with the concept of marginal revenues versus cost in relation to internet connectivity. Even before moving in to the new place, we learned we were going to move to London and as such couldn't get broadband because they make you sign a year contract for internet access! Seems like they could figure out that to activate an already wired apartment doesn't take much on their part, but not quite, so both us, (you), and the internet provider lost out on the no internet thing.

I digress; to catch everyone up on our happenings, July was a probably the most low-key month since we moved, no travels, just concerts in Dublin. In the interest of our finances, we decided to forgo a trip in July. I know you feel pity for us, but shed no tears, we'll make it.

Our friend Joel had lots of visitors out in July and early August, so we were the beneficiaries of some good times and fun nights out. Below are Joel, myself, and a fellow Minnesotan, Mr. Hadley.

We went to three shows in August. Actually only 1.5. The Eagles were in town playing at the RDS so as we have done in the past, we enjoyed the show from the canal, listening until about 10pm, then working our way into the show to catch the last 45 minutes (i.e. the best songs). It was cool to watch the Eagles as the may not be touring for much longer.

The next week Bruce (the Boss) was back in town. This time we weren't so lucky to get into the show, but it was still a great night and nice to have a couple beers on the stone wall banking the canal.

The next week was the one show we actually paid for, U2. When U2 play in Dublin and you live in the Irish capital, there are no excuses for missing the show. It was a great atmosphere and we had lower level seats. The only problem is that they were at the other end of the 360 stage (which are usually in the middle of the stadiums on tour). Not sure why they didn't do this at Croke Park, but nonetheless, we still had a great time at a historic show.

I am going to follow with a couple more posts in the next several hours as I have internet (courtesy of Mr. Strauss).