A week after Mike left, the family started on a 9 day adventure through southern Germany and Austria.  For my beer friends that don't like sappy family pictures, I have some beer commentary at the end of this long blog, so you can fast forward to the end.

First stop was Koblenz, where the Rheine and Mosul rivers merge.  It is just outside this town that Burg Eltz sits.  This is considered the most well preserved castle, with original furnishings and artifacts from the Elz family, who have owned this castle since its construction in 1100 a.d.  The behind the scenes story for this was the 2.5 km walk through a forest on a dirt path with M in a stroller.  This was an uphill journey on a path with mud puddles, fallen trees, and eroded path.  This was not paved or stroller friendly by any means.  At the start of our walk a German man coming the other way stopped, patted me on the back, and said something to the effect of "it is straight up, rocky, and good luck with that stroller!"  Well...he thought it was funny.  He was right however, it took over an hour to get to the castle, only to find we had about 60+ steps to climb to get to the entrance of the castle.

2.5 km up hill and 60+ steps later:

 We made it!  We grabbed a bite to eat, got the last English speaking tour of the day, and then shortened our return trip to only 50 minutes. For those of you that would like to visit Burg Elz, and are willing to do the most minimal amount of trip planning, you will find out that you can drive to the castle and park nearby, and a shuttle will drop you off at the door.  Yup...we found out about that at the Entrance!

Next day we were off to Ettal, and small town south of Munich, and close to Neuschwanstein.  This is the castle that inspired the design of the Walt Disney castle.  But first, Ettal.  It is a small ski resort town with a Benedictine Monestary at its center.  And yes, they have a Klosterbrauerei to support the monastery.  Their beer is called Ettaler.  During our stay in Ettal, I decided to do God's work and try almost all of their beers.  I also bought 2 of their distilled spirits.  The following is a picture of the Monastery, set at the foot of the alps:

The next morning we went to Neuschwanstein.  You may be able to see the resemblance to the Disney castle:

One little know fact is that the Nazis stored some of their stolen artwork in this castle during WWII.  This was not mentioned on the tour for some reason ;)

And we can't miss an opportunity to "take a load off" and ride the horse drawn carriage up to the castle.  We have a 3 year old afterall...

Although we did not get any pictures that would do it justice, I must say that the Bavarian region is the most beautiful area I have ever seen.  Just driving through the region was amazing!  Every turn was a new view of the lush green countryside, with the Alps as the backdrop.

Next day, on to Salzburg, Austria.  This town, known largely in America as the "Sound of Music" setting, is also very beautiful.  Our first order of business after checking in to the hotel was a stop at the Augustiner Braustubl (beer garden and food court).  This place was close to the hotel and was a perfect first stop (and second stop).  This is again a monastery that makes beer to support itself.   It sits atop a hill, with a park across the street.  So a few pictures of each, as well as a video of M:

M likes to do "cheers", she is such a daddy's girl!:

Next up:  Daytrip to Dachstein to ride a cablecar, and tour an ice cave.  This destination has so much to do that it really takes 2 days, but we only had one.  We took the long cable car ride up to the first stop.  M really liked the ride, and had no fear of looking out the window.  Upon arrival, we were again faced with a long uphill walk to the cave entrance, but at least this one was mostly paved.  We had to leave the stroller at the entrance of the cave, so M had to walk the 1 km cave (although we picked her up a few times to help her up some icy steps).  She did very well, and the tour was very interesting.  Here are some pictures of the views and inside the cave:

 Does this look like a dog to you?:

 That's the town of Hallstatt,12,000 feet below of Dachstein mountatin, next to the lake:

After one more day in Salzberg (and another stop at Augustiner), we were off to Rothenberg ob der Tauber.  Rothenberg is a German "walled" city, that was the very few cities that did not get leveled completely after WW II.  We stayed in a small B&B just off the center of the town.  We happened to be there during a Renaissance type festival, so the atmosphere was great and festive.  We toured the city, which included a garden where I caught H & M relaxing.  And then a shot of the wall that surrounds the city.

It is also home to a very famous Christmas store and museum called Kathe Wohlfahrte's, where it is Christmas all year.

And that concludes the family version of the trip.  Nine days in total, 2000 km of driving (1,243 miles).

Now for beer highlights:
Ettaler:  Standard Weiss and Dunkel Weiss beers, all were good, but nothing stood out as exceptional.  They made spirits as well, with one flavored with Hallertauer hops, and one with spices and honey.  There was a "gin" sort of spirit, and a Jagermeister type.  I bought the Hop Flavored and the Honey flavored as novelty.

Salzburg was the beer winner of the trip.  The Augustiner was a Maibock, it was the only one being served.  It was poured from a tilted wooden barrel with a spigot at the bottom.  No forced co2.  The beer was mild, perfectly balanced between malty and slight hoppiness.  In fact, it was the easiest beer to drink I have ever had.  It was rich, but light, and while it had taste, it did not have any bitterness, just a light nutty and malty flavor.  The head, having been poured from a barrel, was thick and stayed with the beer to the last drop. We drank from stone porcelain mugs (as seen in the earlier pictures), so it had a very "old world" feel to the experience.  If you are ever in Salzburg, Augustiner is a MUST!

We also went to a brewpub called Die Weisse.  Also a must if in Salzburg.  They had 3 different Weisse beers, the Original Wiesse being the best.  All of their beers were great, I even brought home a Christmas ale they had bottled.  The food was outstanding here too.

 
Finally in Salzburg, we rested in a cafe that served the following beer.  It was Organic, but quite tasty nonetheless.  It had a slight bready bite to it in the body, which made it unique.  Get it if you are touring around.  It is a nice day beer:

Finally, while in Rothenberg, the local Kloserbraueri made both a Weiss and a dunkel.  I preferred the Weiss, but both were good.  I love the bottle's label too:

So, if in Bavaria, do God's work and drink lots of beer made by the monks in the monasteries.  You will not be disappointed!

It has been a while since the last post due to my return to the U.S.  Special Thanks to Ken and Cheryl, Anh and Gary, and Mark and Danielle for putting me up over the course of my stay (or more appropriately "putting up with me" over the course of my stay!). I cannot thank you guys enough for your generosity. 

Upon my return we had a visitor, Mike, my homebrewing buddy and neighbor from Philly.  After a couple of days showing him Dusseldorf, Mike and I drove to Leuven, Belgium for the Zythos Belgian Beer Festival.  We had two days of tasting Belgian beer, with over 500 to choose from.  They had my beloved Poperinge Hommel beer on tap, as well as St. Bernardus Abt 12.  Both of which brought back memories of our trip to St. Bernardus last year.   We had some amazing beers and even noticed that the American hoppy ales and IPA's are catching on in Europe.  Many were made with American hops imported from the Pacific northwest.  We met some folks from the Netherlands, including a guy that was at least 7 feet tall.  There was also a surprising amount of folks from the U.S. there, to the point that we avoided them, opting to hang with the Dutch instead.

When we returned from the Beer Festival, Mike and I jumped on a train to Amsterdam.  I returned to the Beirtuin, Windmill Brewery, Beir Fabriek, and DePrael, and then we also hit some other pubs along the way.  Mike found a cigar shop with a very cool speakeasy in the back.  Since I do not smoke cigars, he introduced me to high end Port wine, which was a nice surprise and very enjoyable.   Amsterdam has so much, I just love that city.

Upon our return from Amsterdam, I packed up Mike and the family and headed off to Achel Monastery and Brewery.  Yes, another one of the 11 Trappist breweries.  It was a beautiful day to enjoy lunch and a beer in this beautifully restored old farm and stable complex.  It is only about an hour and 15 minute drive, so we may be back! 

From there we checked into our room at an Alpaca farm.  It was fun for Marissa to pet and feed the Alpacas.  There was also an artist that lived next door, who created a garden filled with copper sculptures.

And Mike's visit was not yet complete.  We had an extra couple of days to finish showing him around Dusseldorf, including visiting the Schumacher, Uerige, Fuschen, and Schlussel breweries, all known for their altbeer.  Throw in some schweinehax from Schweine Jane's (best in DD), and Mike's trip to Dusseldorf was complete.

Kaiserwerth

After 4 months of winter, this was the first weekend that we had sun with mild temperature.  Spring is coming !!!! Our good friend, Anh, was visiting, thus we went up to a nearby town Kaiserwerth.  It is a cute little town 20 minutes outside Dusseldorf with castle ruins along the Rheine river and lots of cute shops, restaurants, and bakery.  We walked along the river and also enjoyed bier garten.  A great way to spend leisurely Sunday.

Carneval in Dusseldorf

We just witnessed Carneval in Dusseldorf.  The same Carneval that is celebrated in New Orleans and Rio.  Less obscenity here, but still big crowds, public drinking/intoxication, costumes, parades, etc.  It starts on Thursday when the women raid Altstadt and cut off men's ties.  Then, non-stop party through Monday.  Saturday featured a kid's parade, which we attended for Marissa.  A little boy in the parade tripped and did a total faceplant right in front of Marissa, and got up screaming and crying.  It looked so bad Marissa started tearing up.  She received some candy and we moved on.  On Sunday, everyone gets dressed up as a clown or other costume, and gathers in Altstadt to party in the streets.  I attached pictures of a group that gathered outside our apartment door (at 9:00 am), before heading off to Altstadt.  I also attached pictures and a video of the scene in Altstadt.  Monday was a holiday, Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), which features a parade.  Maybe it should be re-named Recovery Monday.  Overall, it was a festive weekend.  We will be prepared to fully share in this event next year, including having costumes (visitors welcome).

Happy New Year!  And let me tell you, New Year’s Eve is crazy here.  People go out into the street and light fireworks everywhere, to the point that it could be a little dangerous.  For about 25 minutes (just before midnight until quarter after) the night sky was filled with the flickering multi-colored glow of fireworks.  Our ears were filled with the sounds of church bells ringing, firecrackers exploding, and the whistling and popping of the aerial fireworks. It was quite a celebration!

As cool as the New Year’s celebration was, it did not overshadow our trip to Amsterdam.  Amsterdam is a wonderful place to visit, and it seems to have something for everyone.  It is easy to get around, very kid-friendly, and well suited for tourists.  We did the obligatory canal cruise, as well as visited the floating flower market, some cheese shops, and quickly walked through the red light district.  We also enjoyed walking through the Jordaan area, a revitalized area with nice little shops, restaurants and cafes.  Heather toured the VanGough museum, while Marissa spent some time at the Apple store playing games on the newest iPad.

Of course no trip would be complete without a visit to a microbrewery or two.  We found one called De Prael, that made outstanding Belgian inspired beers, and another called Bier Fabriek that featured marinated chicken roasted over a fire (delicious!).  There was also a brewery set in a windmill, which had great beers.  We met a Dutch couple there that travels to Dusseldorf regularly, to hang in Altstadt and eat pizza.  We really enjoyed talking with them, and they directed us to a restaurant called “Biertuin”, where they had great food and a variety of great beers on tap, including one from the innovative TV show “Brewdogs”.  A few pictures follow, and a video of Marissa at Christmas Market jumping in muddy puddles (Peppa Pig cartoon reference):

Planning Dates for a visit to Europe/Germany

For those of you that are interested in meeting up with us while visiting Europe, or in visiting us in Dusseldorf, Heather and I have compiled some suggested 2015 dates that work for our schedule.  Other dates may work as well, but we thought we would start with these to begin a planning process  July is not good for us, we will be in Baltimore for the last 2 weeks of July.

Here are our suggested date ranges:

February 14-22   Monday the 16th is Carnival, which has parades and celebration, so good for kids and adults.

April 23 - May 3  April 25 and 26 is a major beer festival in Leuven, Belgium (just outside of Brussels, about a 2.5 hour drive from us)  If interested, we need to plan ahead (NOW!) to get accomodations.

May 14-31         

September         The whole month of September is wide open

December 5 - 20 This is a good time to visit with small children, because the Christmas markets are open.

I hope this makes planning a visit to Europe easier, we would love to have visitors and share this European experience with as much family and as many friends as possible.  I can help you plan the trip from my end as well, since I am Chief Vacation Planner for the family.

We are entering the Christmas season in Dusseldorf.  Christmas is a big deal here, with Christmas Markets, Parades and many celebrations.  It started on November 6, with St. Martins day.  St. Martin is the patron saint of children and the poor.  Marissa's Daycare celebrated with a procession to a nearby park, to sing songs around a fire.  The children made lanterns that are illuminated by a small light on the end of a stick.  Tradition says that when you see a small child, you should give them a treat.  Marissa gets treats all over the place, from loaves of bread to lollipops.  It is quite nice.

Then came November 11th, when everyone gathers in the center of Altstat at 11:11 am, dressed up, and ready to get drunk and carry on.  Reminded me of the Mummers in Philly.  This date starts the religious holidays, but the dressing up part is a tradition to mock the French (Napolean) and others who have occupied the region at various times throughout history.

The Christmas Markets open at the end of November.  Dusseldorf has the best Markets apparently, with tourists coming from all around the region (The Netherlands, Belgium, UK, etc.) to visit.  We are looking forward to this event very much.  I will post some pictures when the time comes.  There are some great videos on You Tube as well, if you want to get a glimpse of what it looks like.

The cold weather has also ushered in some nice winter beer.  I found some bock beer (shown below) that is excellent.  A perfect balance of dry hoppiness and medium malty body disguises the 6.9% alcohol.  This a wonderful treat to enjoy on the cold damp nights here (while I watch Marissa's Papa Pig cartoons over and over).

And one last thought, our furniture came about 5 weeks ago, so we are much more comfortable now.