Canals of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city riddled with beautiful canals, scenery and delicious food, as well as a plethora of “coffee shops” and plenty of opportunity for erotic window shopping. It is a melting pot of fascinating culture, swarming with tourists from all over the world. Parts of Amsterdam are a bit shocking to look upon to the untrained eye; it is different than any city I have ever been to. The elicit, even grotesque parts of Amsterdam are often a few steps away from some of the most beautiful parts. Whether you agree with all that Amsterdam has to offer, it is a fascinating and eye-opening place to experience firsthand.

My friends and I spent two nights in Amsterdam and our goal was simple; we wanted to get a feel for the city. We wanted to walk along the canals, visit the red light district, visit a coffee shop, and just generally experience the vibe of the city. We were able to do all of this and much more in just two days. One of the most enjoyable parts of Amsterdam was just walking around aimlessly, watching the people and seeing all the interesting shops. Every new street offered some sort of surprise that added a new perspective on the culture of Amsterdam.

One of my specific to-do’s was to take a tour through the Heineken brewery. This was my favorite part of the trip, the brewery tour, and although you have to deal with crowds of people and a lot of waiting in line, is so interactive and engaging! They do a good job of explaining the beer brewing process (a passion of mine) while still making it fun and hands on. At the end of the tour you have an opportunity to drink at a rooftop bar at the top of the brewery and enjoy a delicious Heineken as you gaze out over Amsterdam. If there’s anything I love, it is drinking beer outside and in high places with a beautiful view. Heineken was awesome. One night we went to the Amsterdam Ice Bar, and that was incredible as well. It was exactly as advertised, a bar made of ice with drinks in ice glasses. It was pretty cold, though (I know, I’m a regular Einstein).

Another item on my list was to visit the Anne Frank house which unfortunately we didn’t have time to take a tour (online tickets are the way to go). This picture is taken close to the Anne Frank house (it is on the left right before Westerkerk aka the giant tower). I definitely want to come back to take a tour, but it was really cool even just seeing it from the outside.

Amsterdam means different things to different people but it will always hold a special place in my heart. I love you, Rin.

 

Until next time Amsterdam!

Magical Bruges

As I currently sit in the Mark’t, the central square in Bruges, I feel as though I have been transported back in time to a magical age before the invent of modern technology. It is as though time has not taken its toll on the beautiful, ancient buildings; it remains an oasis in a desert of evolving technology and change. Even as I look upon the buildings in person, and also after I climbed the ever ascending, winding staircase to the top of the Belfry, I had the sense that what I was experiencing was not real, how could it be? Those who refer to Bruges as a fairy tale city are exactly right. It’s difficult to believe such a beautiful, old, quaint, yet vibrant city still exists in today’s society.

My friends and I took a weekend trip to Belgium, spending two nights in Brussels and one night in Bruges. We started in Brussels, and naturally our first stop was a waffle shop. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a waffle so quickly, at least not until I had my second one 15 minutes later (it was practically a heart attack on a plate – a waffle topped with a pile of whipped cream, strawberries and sugar). We wandered the streets and wound up in my favorite spot in Brussels, Grand Place, the central square (Yes, you caught me, I have a thing for old city squares). Over two days it would be safe to say that I was in the square 10 or more times, I could not get enough of it, it was so beautiful. Sitting outside at a restaurant on the square and drinking a liter of Blaunche de Bruges was one of the highlights of Brussels for me.

The nightlife in Brussels was such a great time due to the fact that everyone was so nice and they genuinely wanted to talk and get to know us. We went to a bar called Delirium that has more than 2000 beers available for purchase, which is just such an overwhelming amount of beer (I wasn’t complaining). We ended up meeting people from all over the world and taught them American drinking games like thumper and cheers governor (they loved them and never wanted to stop).

The second night we went to a sports bar to watch soccer games that were a part of the Europa tournament. It was the most insane bar experience I’ve had. There were people from all different countries standing on chairs screaming for their countries (especially the Irish, classic) and drinking copious amounts of beer. Everyone was getting incredibly rowdy but the best part was that overall, people were extremely respectful of each other even though they were all passionate about their teams with several beers under their belts. It was an awesome and unforgettable experience to have.

It’s hard to talk about Belgium without talking about the chocolate, waffles, fries, beer or mussels, so let me just tell you they are all insanely good! I don’t know how one small place has so many incredible, unique staples. Also, all of those are heavy, seemingly fatty foods but I don’t think I saw one overweight Belgian in my entire three days in Belgium. Pretty remarkable if you think about it!

Now to my favorite part: Bruges. I had to start the post with a blurb about Bruges because I fell in love with it in just one night. It really is magical and charming, and the people we met were so unbelievably nice. After a full day of walking around and getting a feel for the city, we met up with a couple of locals, Rien and Maren. Rin (my partner in crime, and not to be confused with Rien) arranged for me to meet up with them because Maren is her sister’s friend from college. They were so incredibly friendly and nice, and they have such a romantic story of how they met. Briefly, Maren, an American, studied abroad and met Rien, a Belgian, they started dating and she eventually just moved to Bruges to be with him. Wild, right? They showed us around to some of their favorite bars and ended up inviting us back to their house for some beers and stimulating conversation. It couldn’t have been a better evening (Thanks Rin, you’re the best. And of course thank you Rien and Maren!).

If there is anything I know for certain, it’s that Bruges will be seeing me again.

Northern Expedition

Sometimes in life we have the opportunity to be accepted into a new group of people, whether it is at church, school, or meeting the family and friends of someone you care about. Inside these groups are years of history, countless memories and jokes that they all share between them. They are a cohesive unit, and even if there are flaws or broken relationships in the bunch, everyone knows about them and how to avoid conflict. This can be intimidating for an outsider coming in; you are entering a dynamic that you are not familiar with and you do not know the subtle ins and outs of the group. However, even though you fumble around and make some mistakes, it is wonderful to witness and attempt to be a part of a new, fun group of people.

In my recent travels I had the privilege to dive right into a couple different groups of people who could not have been more welcoming. Within a couple hours of meeting these people, I felt like I was a part of the unit and I was starting to pick up on the group dynamics. There are few better feelings than being accepted into a group of people that you really enjoy spending time with. Also, it is much easier to be accepted when the person introducing you has already told everyone about you previously. (Thanks Rin!)

From the pictures above, it is pretty obvious to make the connection that I recently traveled to New York City. It was my first time in the Big Apple so I tried to see as much as I possibly could in the short time I had. Pictured above were two of my favorite sites (Can you guess them? I’ll give you a hint – the second one leads to Brooklyn…). I was just so amazed by the size of the city and the consistent height of the buildings. No matter where you go, you are surrounded by concrete giants, herding you through an asphalt maze. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Thankfully, due to my lovely and talented guide (Thanks Rin!), I was able to see a large amount of Manhattan in just one day. I had a small taste of the city that will most definitely draw me back, and I’m sure it will be soon!

I spent close to a week in Bristol, RI, which by the way, is the quaintest, loveliest town with the nicest people you could ever imagine. Bristol is right on the Narragansett Bay which offers beautiful scenery and a wonderful opportunity to kayak and sail. If you ever are passing through Rhode Island, it is a must see! While I was in Bristol, my newly acquired friends and I took a day trip up to Boston, another city I had always wanted to visit. Boston had a wonderful vibe to it; it was historically rich and culturally vibrant. The picture above was taken from a restaurant we were eating at right on the Boston Harbor. While I was able to see some of the sites in Boston including Fenway Park and Faneuil Hall, we decided to take it slower than New York. After each site, we would go to a brewery or bar to recharge our batteries and of course we would all have a delicious beer to keep us going (How else could we make it to the next spot?).

My trip up north with the best co-pilot and travel companion in the business, Erin (also referred to as Rin) could not have been better. I saw so many new cities and states and I was able to experience new cultures and taste so much delicious food and beer. I met the most amazing people along the way that I hope to keep in touch with for years to come. My eyes were opened to so many new and exciting things, and none of it would have been possible without you Rin. Thank you so much for taking a leap of faith and sharing the most incredible trip with me. You are a beautiful, adventurous, and kind person and I am so grateful for the time we had together.

Our road trip took us down south as well, but that is a story for another day. Moral of the story: if given the opportunity to go on an adventure that seems risky or improbable, take the leap of faith and go. You will regret not going far more than you would if you just go, and who knows, maybe you’ll have the time of your life.

 

The City Calls

Recently the city has been calling to me.  I’m not sure if it is a call to live there or just to be a part of all that there is to do and see.  I had been there several times before but not since I became a living, breathing adult, uniquely shaped by my experiences and outlooks in the world.  Therefore, I was looking forward to this trip where I would be able to see the city in a new way, a new New York for me.  Our first day in the city was spent wandering like most tourists up and down the avenues near midtown where we were staying.  Seeing the shops, Times Square, the mass of people on the sidewalks, the unbelievably giant buildings all around, the variation in architecture, and simply the sounds of the city; frantic yet peaceful in the right light.  We eventually bought tickets to a Broadway show entitled A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.  My sister chose this show after our last trip to New York in which she was put under pressure and decided we would see an off-Broadway show.  Needless to say, she was excited to finally be seeing a real show.  The show was phenomenal with one person playing about 9 different characters, and afterwards we met family friends at a restaurant in the theater district named Joe Allen’s.  It was there that I ordered a 50 year-old secret recipe slab of meatloaf covered in the finest mushroom sauce I’d experienced in my life.  This heavenly slice of meat was accompanied by a golden IPA and several desserts as we told stories about old times and learned about the newlyweds’ lives in the Big Apple.

It all sounded so enticing especially when I went to see my friend Connor the next day to got burgers and beer in midtown and talk about his experiences in the city that summer.  One of these experiences included going to the Belmont Stakes and watching American Pharaoh win the first Triple Crown in almost 40 years.  We parted ways eventually and I walked back to the hotel wondering how I could fare in the city.  The best thing that we did in the city was visit the 9/11 memorial and museum.  It was one of the most moving experiences I think I have ever had.  Seeing all of the things salvaged from the site in the museum was shocking really.  This included several full-sized, mangled fire trucks that had debris fall on them, as well as a large piece of the radio mast from the North Tower.  There were other areas with backlit pictures of the WTC in New York and Pentagon in Washington where you could hear survivors accounts of what happened at what time that day and showed where in the building they were.  I was just imagining the pure chaos of being downtown that day because over the years my understanding and sadness associated with 9/11 has only grown seeing as I was only in second grade when it happened and didn’t fully understand the gravity of the situation.  Then, there was a backlit picture of United 93 and instead of survivor stories they played back phone calls and messages made from the plane to the loved ones of those on board.  This was the most heartbreaking of all because you could hear fear in their voices and the understanding that things were probably not going to have a happy ending.  After hearing two calls I broke down and cried for several minutes, then moved on to see the rest of the museum.  The museum in general was incredibly well done and was tactfully tasteful.  On our last day in the city we woke up early to go to our favorite breakfast joint in NY called Sarabeth’s Kitchen.  Sarabeth’s has several locations around the city and that day we went to the location right on the southern border of Central Park.   I got my current favorite meal of eggs benedict and it was outstanding.  House made English muffin with a sizeable piece of cooked ham and a positively perfect poached egg (I am a sucker for alliteration), with the whole thing covered in light and buttery hollandaise sauce and topped with chives.  I finished it in less than seven minutes and asked if I could be excused to go look around the Park because it is my absolute favorite part of the city.  In the middle of one of the most populous cities in the world is a massive park full of green trees, massive rocks to climb on, lakes, ponds, and beautiful fauna.

As I stood there at the top of a rock and grinned to myself at the beauty of the park, I realized that for all of the money that had been spent on food and extravagances that vacation, I would have been content to walk around the park for four days and discover everything that it has to offer.  I snapped a picture, my family found me, and we walked around the Park for another thirty minutes taking in the stunning scenery before we left the city.  We are going back in December and I can’t wait.

This was an article from our very own Alex B. If you enjoyed this article, reference a display of his past work at http://spinningatlas.com/2015/03/15/a-bahamian-sunrise/

Autumn’s Knocking

The most beautiful time of the year is fast approaching. I can see the leaves starting to change; the air is brisk at night. The familiar smells of fall are returning once again. It’s an in-between time; a celebration of what summer and winter have to offer all at the same time. There are warm days followed by cold nights, with pumpkin beer and hot apple cider to cherish. Football games dominate every weekend, with people out and about constantly. It’s a wonderful time of the year.

Out of all of those things, I am most excited about pumpkin beer. They are all hitting the stores now and I feel like a kid in the candy store. I am always looking to find new delicious pumpkin beers, and who knows I might even brew my own!

A Knight of Baseball

Last night I went to a Charlotte Knights baseball game in Center City Charlotte, NC. As you can tell from the picture, the view could not have been better. To top it off, the weather was perfect, hanging around the 60’s for most of the night. The best part is I got the tickets for free through my work; definitely one of the advantages of corporate life.

The prices for beer and food at baseball games are always absurd, and this game was not any different. However, at the BB&T Ballpark they have tons of craft beer vendors right there at the game! So instead of paying 10 dollars for a Bud Light, you can get a beer that makes you feel a little better about emptying your wallet. That’s my kind of baseball game. I had never even heard of the brewery I got my beer from, but it was fantastic. That really just means I need to step it up and get to know the Charlotte beer scene better before I leave!

Gourd of Thunder

Well, this looks creepy. To be honest it kind of is! But inside was one of the best beers I’ve ever had; Gourd of Thunder. It was a pumpkin porter from Strangeways brewery in Richmond, VA. Last weekend I went on a brew crawl with my family and this is the last brewery we ended up at. We had some extra time so we decided to swing by one more brewery near the end of the night. Little did we know this would be the best destination we went to all night. Not only did it have incredibly creative, great tasting beers; the environment was perfect. They had a small tasting room up front that had a good feel, but in the back they had a low key tasting room near the brewing equipment. It was dark and in the center of the room they had a disco ball spinning, with some old slow jams playing. When we first got there, we were the only ones there. It was perfect, and we ended up staying there about an hour longer than planned.

We were celebrating my birthday, and it was honestly the best birthday celebration I’ve ever had with my family. All I wanted was for all of us to get together and be able to have fun, bond over something. There is so much tragedy in life, especially between family, that we forget to have fun until it’s too late. Sometimes you need to push all of your troubles aside for just a couple hours and enjoy the company of the people you love the most. Going to breweries was a lot of fun, but the part I really cared about was the cohesiveness we had that night. It’s something I hope we can do more of in the future.

What’s better than spending time with family and drinking fantastic beer?

Ommegang Rare Vos

The Ommegang Rare Vos Amber Ale. Before I even had my first Ommegang Brewery beer, I already loved them. This brewery located in Cooperstown, NY makes beers inspired by Game of Thrones. I am an avid fan of Game of Thrones, having read all the books out so far (In the A Song of Ice and Fire series) and watched all of the episodes on TV. I still haven’t had the chance to try all of them, but the names of the Game of Thrones inspired beers are: Iron Throne, Take the Black Stout, Fire and Blood, Valar Morghulis (which I’ve tried – it’s delicious) and Three-Eyed Raven. If you are a fan of Game of Thrones, it’s hard not to get excited by those clever names.

So when I was in the beer store, looking for something new to try, an Ommegang beer seemed like a solid choice. I went with Rare Vos because it seemed like a perfect warm weather beer, to be enjoyed on the balcony on a sunny day. I was absolutely right! It’s a belgian amber ale, light and fruity. You can taste the coriander and orange peel immediately, giving you the sensation of summer. When I go to the beach this summer, I will definitely be armed with at least a 6 pack of these bad boys.

Next time I am passing through Upstate NY I am definitely stopping in at Ommegang, and I will just hope they will have a couple of the Game of Thrones beers on tap!

Birthday Beer Float

I am a huge fan of craft beer. I have been brewing beer for several years now and it has definitely given me a deeper appreciation of the craft. I am constantly on the hunt for delicious new beers, and this is one I stumbled upon.

Shiner has become a rather large craft brewery, based in Shiner, Texas. They are most known for their Shiner Bock which I am not a fan of. However, I have always loved their Shiner Black Lager, thanks to my mom (most of my good taste in beer comes from my mother). One day when I was browsing around the beer aisle in the grocery store, which is one of my favorite things to do, I noticed this Shiner Birthday Beer. I was intrigued by the label, but I was sold by the fact that it was a chocolate stout. I am a huge fan of a well brewed chocolate stout, and I had a feeling that Shiner would do it justice.

It did not disappoint. Most chocolate stouts just have a hint of chocolate in them… this beer had an explosion of cocoa with every sip. It was easy to drink, but possessed the thick quality a good stout should have, making it as much of a meal as it is a beverage. I had big plans for this stout.

INTRODUCING THE CHOCOLATE STOUT FLOAT

I can’t claim to have thought of this myself, unfortunately. When I visited Burlington, VT with my family last Thanksgiving, we stopped by a little local brewery called the Vermont Pub and Brewery. Their food and beer was so delicious we ended up going there twice even though we were only there for three days. They had a dessert beer on the menu that I was itching to try but didn’t get around to it until our second visit. It was a mint chocolate stout, which was absolutely delicious. When I ordered it, I had no idea that it was going to come in the form of a float! It was spectacular, and ever since then I have been a large proponent of stout floats (a porter will work too but it will most likely taste better with a stout).

If you can find Birthday Beer at the store, snatch it up quick! It is a limited edition celebrating the brewery’s 106th birthday.