Hi Ho Bauer take 7 - Belgian Beer Tour - Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium

The keen observer (who must also be a beer Pilgrim) would quickly identify the beers in focus and perhaps the setting depicted in the blurry background, as that is how most remember it, blurry. The Kulminator was the second famous beer bar visited in one day....after visiting the Delirium Cafe earlier in the day. What is so monumental about this you ask? While one is in Brussels and one in Antwerp of course...

...and that my friends and family, sums up our whirlwind derby across Belgium over the late May bank holiday weekend. Admittedly, that is how far I am on these posts. Actually typing this after a long Friday nights' work....in Malta. The bad part about this is the workload lately; the nice part about this is that I am sitting on the balcony of my Maltese hotel (Hilton), catching a beautiful pinkish-orange sunset glistening off the still blue waters of the Mediterranean. Yes, there are worse places to be subjected to work.

The trip started on the last Friday of May in London. It started with a bang and a sad note alike, as it was our last meal with Stu and Kate before they returned home. A quite emotional meal as our time with them in London was terrific and we will be visiting them during the ski season in the Rockies! Kate and Stu were nice enough to share a huge credit at Redhook in Clerkenwell, which was amazing!! Us and the Bauer's are thankful for being fed so well! Did I mention that before the meal we tried my order of Abstrakt 6 Black IPA produced by Brewdog, one of my favorite UK breweries?

As the title suggests, Dr. Bauer and his counterpart, Drs. Bauer, have joined us once again. A historic 7th time. Not sure if they wanted to visit or if they saw that Betch had visited again and were determined to retain sole possession of top visitor of our 7.5 year adventure...that's once a year for those not counting (Borgie).

The next morning it was to the Eurostar, which departs from St. Pancras station and takes about 2.5 hours to make it to Brussels midi. Note when taking the Eurostar, it pays serious dividends to book well in advance as you can get to Paris or Brussels from London for about £150 return, and saving all the check-in and transportation to the airport time gives you extra time to do things like see one of the most overrated sites in the world, Manikin Pis.

Following a quick breakfast and a walk around the Grand Place, we were due to embark on a journey of epic proportions; (pro)portions of beer.

The natural first stop was the Delirium Cafe, which is one of the world's most revered bar, housing over 2000 beers on its menu that resembles the Saint John's bible. Delirium is well known in many circles, it was my third time there personally. But if you haven't heard of it, here's an intro...a three sheets salute to the Delirium Cafe!

I will summarise our beer selections at each bar in part II of the Belgian Beer tour. Let's just say it included the heaviest hitters in Belgium and a pilgrimage to taste (and pick up our order of:-) the highest rated beer in the world.

Following the Delirium Cafe it was off to Antwerp, an underdog of Belgium, but for those that appreciate the lords brew, Antwerp is no secret at all. Its a quick 40 minute train ride between the two so a day trip to one or the other is easily doable.

Antwerp has a beautiful city center, definitely outdoing Brussels in terms of charm, at least in my opinion. We arrived with a long walk by the Yiddish diamond shops and away from the center(re) to Rue de Plantin to the Plantin Hotel. Not central, but to our delight just a 2 minute walk from Cogels Osylei, perhaps the prettiest street in Belgium. We would save that for the following morning hangover stroll and breakfast. First, strolling the centre and pit stops at beer bars.

First stop Paeters Vaetje, an old pub with a big heart and a local following. It truly fit the bill as a classic Belgian beer bar and the selection of taps is great. Its on the same street as the cathedral so its a great touring pit stop. Check out the beer list yourself, but make sure you have a Kleenex for the drool, or at least have your Rochefort 10 catch it.

The next stop was Afspanning t' Waagstuk, another not-to-be-missed spot just north of the city center (5 minutes walk). This pub, also a winner and highly recommend, oozes with character and has a smaller, but well regarded beer list. The one downfall about this place was there was a German tour group here, but in another room so it was fine sitting at the bar. The worst part was that they all (maybe 35 of them) left over 1/2 their beer to the spoils. What a tragedy. If I was an employee there I would've finished 'em myself (although we almost did as customers:).

Third stop was to re-fuel with a nice dinner (preceded by a Leffe at a pub to watch the second half of the Champions League final). The educated scholar knows that Belgian beers with no food is a no-no if you want to remember the night and wake up with a clear head. We grabbed a really nice meal at a restaurant I don't remember - it's only my job to remember the pubs! The food was amazing though, and no it wasn't the booze that caused the memory loss (its my old age:).

Next bar was the Kulmination of our Antwerp beer tour (which was actually hijacked from a kind man at ratebeer - thanks!), the Kulminator bar. This bar is regarded by many as the best beer bar in the world.

Ask yourself, have you ever been to a bar with a bible-menu comparable to Delirium? The answer may be yes, but the follow up would be....does that menu list your favorite beers listed by year??!?!?!??

I encourage you to expand the above pic for a true appreciation of the beer menu, complete with years next to beers. You may be like, "what is this gimmicky bull-s*^t". Don't tell the owners or the patrons that, as this is a serious beer drinkers bar. I have never experienced anything like it and I consider myself a well traveled beer snob. We of course had a couple variations of De Struise that aren't readily available anywhere, let alone the 2004! It was an amazing and unique experience, Doc and I felt like kids in a massive candy store!

In hindsight we should've came here early, not last. I encourage all to do the same as the charm of the couple who own the bar can be much more appreciated with a thinner and more sober crowd.

The next morning was to get a nice breakfast along Cogels Osylei with a big cappuccino before a long walk along the beautiful street before making our way to the train to Bruges, where we would continue tackling the best beer Belgium has to offer!!!

Working in Malta

This post has been in draft format for six weeks now, as work has been consuming all my time - I am travelling a lot and even when I travel, don't have the capacity to update the blog. I am forcing this one out now to get back on track!

I recently have been working quite often in Malta, assiting an local EY team on one of our clients. This is what my home away from home has looked like from the inside for the past several months. While it seems glamorous, being away from the wife more painful than anything and having dinners alone gets pretty lonely.

I started working here in May and am now on my fifth trip here. But I am finally getting some company as some of my colleagues are joining now. I have had one weekend day off during my time here and in the day I had off, I got to experience a little taste of Malta by taking a hop on hop off bus.

I primarily stay at the Hilton, which is a great hotel for both business and pleasure and has about 410 rooms, 400 more than the hotels we usually like to stay in. The bay below is St. Julian's, where there are lots of old boats, restaurants and of course, beautiful waters.

The first stop of the hop on hop off bus was Valetta, the capital of the country. With amazing history and architecture, you could easily spend a whole day here wandering the alleys, walking through gardens to arrive at beautiful views of the harbor, and lots and lots of churches (as Malta is one of the most religious countries in the world). Malta has a really varied history and has been occupied by the Arabs, Napolean, Britian, Sicily and even Germany.

Its most famous protectors were the Knights of St. John, who fought for years to keep the Ottoman empire from conquering the city - successfully. Their fortress is across the harbor from Valetta, you can see it in the pic below.

Following Valetta, I took the bus to Mdina and explored around the picturesque medieval capital of Malta. You don't need more than an hour or two wandering around, but there are plenty of lunch spots and you can walk along the walls that used to protect the city.

Following my city tours, which builds up some sweat in the Maltese heat, it was off to the beach. Ghajn Tuffieha and Golden Bay were the beaches I choose, which has crystal clear waters and are off the beaten track, yet accessible by the hop on hop off bus.

The best of the two was Ghajn Tuffieha, as it had a little pizza cafe and is otherwise unspolit by development.

Again, as beautiful as the scenery is, my buddy was missing in the photo below, could've used another towel, some snokerling gear and a little wife!

Provence, Part 3 - Arles to Cassis

Just when we thought we couldn't see any more amazing villages, enter St. Remy and Arles. Two jewels of Provence, these are two great cities to combine together for a day trip from Avingnon. We began the day in St. Remy, which has a much smaller Saturday market than I was expecting. Regardless, it was nice to wander around the town where Van Gogh lived for a summer and got a morning espresso (or as the french say, cafe).

Following St. Remy, we took about 20 minutes of beautiful, windy roads past Les Baux (not recommended as it isn't really a village but more of a tourist trap) and to Arles. We caught the tail end of one of the largest Saturday markets in all of France, even buying a few goodies to go along with the photos.

After the market, we had lunch at A Cote, the little sister to the famous Michelin-starred L'Atelier that shares the same chef's and kitchen. I splurged for the grilled lobster, which was of course amazing.

Following lunch we did the tours of Roman Arles, checking out the amazing colliseum and Roman Ampitheatre. The colliseum is surreal and really relaxing to get lost in. And for €6 for the two sites, not a bad value either. It is really well preserved and worth a separate visit to the city just to see this site.

Following our tour of Roman Arles, including checking out Cafe La Nuit, which was immortalized by Van Gogh in one of his famous paintings, we wandered around the tiny streets of the town before heading back towards Avignon.

Once back to Avignon, Erin and I took the opportunity to see the sunset over Avignon across the Rhone from the city itself. It is really peaceful with lots of benches and grass to enjoy the views from.

We then made it back to our Domaine for one last night of home cooked Provencial food ala Erin. Below is the Domaine, a 16th century manor house converted B&B.

The following morning, our last in France, we made it back to the coast to Cassis, another amazing village that I had visited when studying abroad. Aimlessly strolling along the boats and promanade of the village is a great way to begin a relaxing day.

The weather was also amazing this time and we were able to take a Calanques tour. The tour itself was €20 for two and takes about 90 minutes to do all the Calanques. We would've liked to stop at the beach below but time didn't really permit, and the water was still on the chilly side.

Following the tour and a marginal dinner, we decided it was time to head home and get back to reality in London. It was a great return to where my passion for traveling began and was equally great to share all of it with Erin.

Provence, Part 2 - Chateauneuf to Avignon

After a nice lunch in Orange, it was back to try Beaucastel a second time. We made sure we arrived 15 minutes early so we didn't miss the second consecutive tour. We had several friends recommend Beaucastel as a great place to take a tour and do a tasting, and not just because they are perhaps the most well regarded estate in Chateauneuf de Pape. Also, with their top (currently for sale) wines selling at $550 a bottle, the fact that you aren't obligated to buy such a bottle as part of the tour is nice too. The tour itself was very comprehensive, and was (potentially) made more personal given the vineyard owner who took the tour with us has indirect business relationships with Beaucastels JV in the US.  

The estate itself was incredibly beautiful and as one of the most historic vineyards in the world, definitely lived up to its promise. We tried several wines in the old cellar, including the 2008, 2007 and 2001, all very good. It was interesting to try the three of those as well as some other wines in the region, and be able to tell just how much more complex and flavorful the aged Beaucastle was then all the others.

One of the other things they do is always keep a decent (but perpetually dwindling) stock of older vinetages on hand if some of their more important customers are looking to replenish their stock. And surprisingly, being such a historic vineyard, they haven't rested in place and have established stat of the art wine making  techniques.

Following Beaucastel, we did some more of the region wine experience in Gigondas, stopping first at the village just north of Gigondas called Siguret, which is only a few minutes out of the way but worth stopping for the view of the nearby vineyards if the Plus Beaux Village title doesn't convince you.

We then stopped at Gigondas on the way home. We didn't eat here, but there is a great restaurant in the village that is owned by the Perrin family, who own and operate the Beaucastel estate.

From Gigondas (after a tasting at the local wine "coop" and picking up a couple bottles, we made it to Isle sur La Sourge, which is home to some canals and argubaly the best antique stores and markets in Provence. The real reason we went there was for dinner at Le Vivier an affordable but amazing one star michelin restaurant.

The four course menu is only €40 or so and provides amazing value for the quality of food served here. I had perhaps the best steak I have ever eaten and Erin had a lamb trio that was amazing.

The following day we had a morning tour at Domaine de Giraud. While not quite as intimidating as the Beaucastel empire, the brother and sister run vineyard in creates some amazing wine. Marie was a great host, letting us try some 2010 directly from the barrels. It was interesting to try the Mouverde from the same year, but grown in different soil. Amazing how the type of soil (rock v. clay in our case) can completely dictate the taste of the wine.

That afternoon we walked around Avignon and took a tour into the Palais des Papes, which was as amazing as I remember it longggg ago. It was a great day and all necessary for a complete holiday in Provence.

Provence, Part 1 - Aix to Orange

After two days reminiscing of the times spent in Cannes so long ago, we embarked for 5 days in Provence, to see some familiar sights from years past as well as some new ones! Complete with our trusty but almost to detailed map of provence and a list of the most beautiful villages in the region, courtesy of the official website, we were set, taking off on a one tank of gas, six day journey. One tank of gas courtesy to the Renault Megane, which gets 68 mpg; most impressive. 

Our journey began at the towns of Cotignac and Villecroze, where we picked up a picnic and wandered around the narrow lanes and popped into antique shops. One of the best picnic snacks were the sausage sticks in the market. Not quite your average beef jerkey stick, this is the real deal! It washed down well with an Orangina. 

After the towns, we made our way to Aix en Provence. I had been to Aix during my stint abroad, but it was literally for 2 hours and we didn't get to see much. Aix is a great town with LOTS of little shops to keep you occupied for a day. Lots of fountains too!

After going into the church in the old town, Saint Sauveur, we walked around for a couple hours, grabbing a couple beers at Brasserie les Deux Garcon, where Cezanne and Matisse used to mix it up.

We had dinner that night at a thai restaurant - it was decent but not worth recommending, so I won't include the name. Most of all, it was to change it up after French and Italian meals for so many consecutive nights. We stayed at Hotel du Globe, which is moderately price and very central. They even have a small parking lot that you can stash your rental in for the night. A good option for EUR80 a night. 

The following morning we were up at the crack of dawn to explore some more villages before our wine tour and tasting scheduled at Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Pape. We went to Ansouis, Lourmourin, Roussillon and finally Gordes, before getting to Chateauneuf.

All of these villages are on the Plus Beaux listing that is linked to above. Our favorite was Gordes, mostly because of the stunning situation of the town, hanging on the side of a cliff. All were nice, but if you time to do only one, go for Gordes.

Following Gordes, we treked to where we thought was Beaucastel, incorrectly directed by a google map search. We showed up right on time for the tasting, but it was just the wrong estate! If you are on google maps, there is a point on the map called Beaucastel, just follow to that point, not trusting other suggestions! As we finally made it to the estate 30 minutes late, one of the Perrin brothers allowed us to re-book for the following day, joining a couple who owns a vineyard in Paso Robles, California.

This freed up the rest of our afternoon so naturally we crammed in a trop to Pont du Gard, perhaps the best and most in-tact roman aqueduct in the world. I visited this in 2001 with my CSB/SJU group, canoeing from a couple miles away for 30 minutes before concluding at the aqueduct. The weather was nice enough to splash into the water a little. I always had such a great impression of this UNESCO site, and returning just reinforced that impression as one of the coolest sites I have ever seen. It is a must see if you are around Provence. 

We then ventured to our accommodation for the next four nights, Domaine de Rhodes. The Domaine is situated on Ile de Barthelasse, a surprisingly undeveloped island between Avignon and Villeneuve-les-Avignon that made a great base for exploring Provence. We got a gite so we could cook a couple meals ourselves. Our gite was EUR400 for five nights, which is pretty good for that area.

The main house on the property is extremely beautiful, dating back to the 16th century. It is a nice tranquil oasis to return to after a long day of touring the region and we recommend to all. We made dinner three of the four nights we stayed, highlighted by a mussel and prawn pasta.

The following morning we went to Orange, to check out the Thursday market and the Roman amphitheater. Orange is a nice city to wander around for an hour or two in addition to checking out the roman sights. One doesn't need more than an hour or two to do this however.

The amphitheater itself is fabulous and worth the EUR8 admission. Your ticket includes an audio guide which is helpful to explain the significance of the site and its place in history. After the tour, we had a nice lunch before heading to the second attempt at a tour of Beaucastel!!