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Tag Archives: Travel

Memories Lane or: Six Starts Part 11

14 Monday Sep 2020

Posted by TGBII in Honeymoon, Life as We Know It, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bruges, Brussels, Europe, Honeymoon, Sofitel Europe, The BCPF, Travel

Salutations™!!

I promise that this is the last of the “Honeymoon Chronicles” retelling. That means that September 13 and 14 from six years ago is this…

So, last we visited we had had a very beer-filled day in Bruges; high gravity and The Beer Museum and what not.  Well, this is Bruges – Belgium, I say – so beer was going to be a recurring theme as long as I can help it.

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Sex shop on the left/Toy shop on the right

After buying our chocolates and animal-fat-cone-shaped jelly candies, we made our way back to the hotel to drop off the goodies and then went out to get some dinner.  We wandered around looking for a place to eat.  Trying to not go back to the “Ol’ Standby” De Vier Winden, we stopped and looked at several menus before stopping in a cute little bistro type place, that in a completely rookie mistake we forgot to document with either pictures or writing it down.

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Kneeling at the Beer Wall

Anywhat, as I said, there was more beer.  I had a Pauwel Kwak, which is a lovely 8.4%ABV Amber Ale.  It’s charm also includes, as does most European beer, its own specialty glass. However, this glass was bulbous at the bottom, wide at the top, long in the middle and fits into a wooden handle.  The idea is the handle is there to ensure your hands don’t warm the glass.  The first bit is annoying because I thought the glass was going to move, but the design is true and the glass moved nary a bit.  The BCPF had some wine, a rosé, I believe.

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Coconut beer

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Kwak

We had had a great deal of food and beer for the day so we skipped appetizers and just ordered main courses.  She had rabbit with cheese croquets and I had shrimp in a saffron sauce.  Both were tasty, perfectly prepared and as is the case with just about every other dish on this trip, nothing but fabulous flavors abounding. Afterwards, we just walked back to the hotel and had our now-routine Grand Marnier and Sprite in the Oud Huis de Peellaert bar.  Early to bed, early to rise.  Well, we did watch some BBC (the only English speaking television there) news, reality and game shows.  We actually, talked about how we miss those, just this week.

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Neptune in Koningin Astrid Park

Our last day in Bruges we got up and found some lace to buy for our mothers and some other Bruges-made souvenirs before we stopped in front of a very strange combination of toy/hobby shop on the right and a sex shop on the left.  They weren’t really “together” but the wall between them was barely wider than me.  Then we moved down the street to the famous “Beer Wall.”  Said huh…?  Wall o’beer?  For serious?  YES for serious.  Holy dang!  At the end of this wall was a tasting station.  I say tasting, you paid for the beer, but there was a huge selection.  One that I saw that I just could not pass up was Mongozo’s Cocunut Beer.  It was only 3.6%ABV but holy dang! it was some fabulous beer.  Light, clean, very refreshing and very coconutty.  I loved it.  The BCPF, at this point, had had enough, I think.  She did taste mine but that was about it.

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Swans in the pond at Koningin Astrid Park

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Picnic in Koningin Astrid Park

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Statue of Koningin Astrid

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On an old bridge in Bruges

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Bonne Jovi

We wandered a bit more through the old city and came upon the beautiful Koningin Astrid Park which has a statue of Neptune (as far as I can tell) in the middle of a little pond.  The thing that I thought the most awesome about it was there were actual swans and a little swan bridge that enabled them to get out of the water easily.  The whole thing was quite serene.  A group of about 8 college kids brought blankets and picnic baskets and set up a mid-afternoon picnic, with wine and snacks. They were laughing and drinking and it was just cool to watch that.  Felt good to watch the scene.  We had stopped along the way at a little candy shop so while sitting on a bench watching the kids and swans, we ate a little of the goodies we got. Great stuff.

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Belfort at Night, Bruges

Then came more beer.  We stopped for a few and they were potent.  After that we walked through the streets taking pictures of many of the old canals and bridges.  Then we ended up back in the square where we stopped at, you guessed it, De Vier Winden; we just couldn’t stay away.  We had our “very best friend,” Vincent, again.  We had more beer and some fries.  We watched as a group of guys (and some young ladies) carried a guy to the square, and left him standing in the middle.  That’s not odd, but the fact that they had him tied to a lamp post, plastic-wrapped with a sign and wine and dolled up in make up was.  It turns out he was getting married the next weekend and this is somewhat a tradition.  The sign translates to “I’m Good Jovi. Half nun half Bon Jovi.”  I’m not sure what “the faith” part at the bottom was.  He was taking it well and laughed it off.

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Apple Pie

More walking and looking until that night we ate in the square (not at De Vier Winden).  As we approached the square we hear the bells in the Belfort and it sounded like it was being accompanied by other instruments.  It seemed like it never stopped.  As we sat to eat dinner at a street cafe called the Golden Stretcher Café or La Civière d’or Au Petit Café we asked the server (don’t remember his name) about the bells.  He said it was the closing night of the bell tower concert season.  He said there were accompanists and if the entire song was performed it would play over 24 hours. Wow. Anyway, it was beautiful to hear and beautiful to look at from our seats.  Whilst eating there The BCPF had croquets (she wasn’t ready for full-on dinner, yet) while I had a steak, rare.  We, of course, had beer and I opted for dessert. She wanted the apple pie but didn’t know that she could eat it.  I wanted something and even though I’m not a fan of apple pie, I got it so she could have some.  It was really good pie.  Off to the hotel, and up the next morning to head to one of my least favorite cities in the world, Brussels. But first, more Grand Marnier.

The train was on time and we were in “first class.”  The ticket, however was an “any Belgian train” ticket and we left earlier than expected.  We arrived at the Brussels station two hours before our driver was to pick us up.  So we waited in a little food court and waited until the time we were supposed to be picked up and went back to the platform we arrived at and did what the instructions we had said to do.  We never saw this driver. We even begged someone to tell us how to find the hired cars and they were rude. We ended up having to get a taxi to our hotel.  Strike one for Brussels this trip.

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Manneken Pis

We get to our hotel and I must say that if you ever get the chance to stay at a Sofitel, do it!!!  I’m a travel agent and I recommend them anytime I can (note: I am no longer a travel agent but I STILL recommend Sofitel). That hotel was one of the nicest in which we’ve ever stayed.  I can’t really say what it was about it, but it just felt cozy.  The room was spacious, had a great view of a neighborhood street, the lobby was immaculate and the staff was so very friendly. We went up and put our luggage away and went to the only place that I enjoy in the city, The Grand Place.  We had to find our way to the “Metro.”  We didn’t even know that Brussels had a Metro. The metro station didn’t look like it was in any good shape; like they were just building it but I understand that it has been around for a long time.  It was a big construction zone and it was hard to traverse. Strike two, Brussels.

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Salmon appetizer

We finally got there and unlike last year, they had flowers out and the place was really nicely decorated.  It’s majestic and historic. Full of shops and restaurants, the Grand Place is a bright spot in one of the dirtiest, most miserable cities I’ve ever been in.  We decided to eat at a restaurant called La Chaloupe d’Or.  The BCPF had a goat cheese, honey and rosemary pie that came in a filo shell and I had a meatloaf in savory sauce. The food at this restaurant was fantastic. The BCPF talks about that being one of her favorite meals.  Of course, there was beer.  I have to say while this restaurant was fabulous when it comes to food, the service was kind of crappy and to even use the restroom you have to pay €.35 just to be in there.  That ticked me off. After this, we skipped dessert and went exploring.

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Main course at BE Cafe Marche Jourdan

We ended up in a record store where The BCPF purchased a CD that included Ric Ocasek teaming up with Billy Corgan. She also bought a Band of Horses disc.  We then went to the Hard Rock Cafe and looked around. I saw Vinnie Vincent’s (one-time guitarist with KISS) boots and a set list from a David Bowie concert.  We wandered down to to the Manneken Pis (the statue of the little boy that is taking a pee) which happens to be one of the nation’s landmarks.  We made a point to see it last year, too.  We then made our way back to The Grand Place and had waffles and lambics, cherry and peach, at a place called Aroma.  We made our way back to the hotel, including taking a wrong turn trying to get to the correct Metro station.  I HATE BRUSSELS!

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Amuse Bouche – BE Cafe Marche Jourdan

We relaxed for a bit for our last night in Europe and did our airline check-ins and all that jazz.  We then decided to walk down to the restaurant, BE Cafe Marche Jourdan, to have dinner.  It’s a 4 star restaurant with the prices to match, but as with everything else on this trip, we didn’t hold back.  We looked over the menu and ordered the salmon appetizer, trout with cauliflower sauce and shrimp and a selection of sweets for dessert.  Here’s the funny story about this: the prices were up there and we overheard a neighboring table talk about getting bread or an appetizer.  Out to our table came a very, very small piece of salmon on a thin slice of cucumber.  The BCPF and I looked at it and looked at each other and then looked back, again, at the small ramekin containing the itty-bitty piece of fish.  We laughed.  We couldn’t believe this was the appetizer, especially at these prices.  We wanted, so badly, to tell the neighboring table to not expect much.  We ate the sliver of fish-on-a-cuke and said we didn’t know what we’d do if the entree was that small.  Again, we reiterated to each other, this can’t be the appetizer.  Well, it wasn’t. It was an amuse-bouche. Then we laughed harder.  The appetizer was a good size portion and the entree was as well.  And the fish (the waitress commented, “so, fish and fish?”) was perfectly prepared, tender and delightful.  We had plenty of beer, again, knowing that this was our last night in Europe. The last night of our honeymoon.

Not to give so much away or TMI, I ran a bath for The BCPF and we just enjoyed holding each other in the water.  Nothing too graphic, just enjoying each other.  We slept very well that night.  We got up, got showered, ready to go and received the call that our car was waiting for us downstairs.  They took us to the airport and somehow we had no problems (this is Brussels after all).  The flight back was uneventful, which is always the best way to fly.

And, so, Dear Reader, we concluded our honeymoon, our wedding trip. Here we are, five months later and all is well.  I love that woman with all my heart and she really is my saving grace.  We both hope you enjoyed reading about the honeymoon and wedding.  I know it was long (this one is well over 2000 words) and it was a journey.  I hope you felt like you were there with us.  If you have any questions, comments or want to take a trip like this for your self, please let me know.  I love to talk travel and this trip was so wonderful, I’ll talk your ear off. The whole trip was amazing – a dream – and writing this for you was great; being able to walk through those memories again. It’s hard to believe The Honeymoon Chronicles have come to a close.  Thanks for reading about it.

So, there ya have it, all the honeymoon. I love my wife and I am so glad we got to have this trip. It was the last big one that we took. Hopefully, we’ll get to do it again soon. And, hopefully, the world opens back up so we can, too. Thank you, Dear Reader, for reading this. I truly appreciate it!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“A country like Belgium, or socialist countries in central Europe spend more money on art education than the United States, which is a really puzzling thought.” – Mikhail Baryshnikov

Memories Lane or: Six Starts Part 10

12 Saturday Sep 2020

Posted by TGBII in Beer, Food, Honeymoon, Life as We Know It, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Beer, Belgium, Bruges, Europe, Food, France, Honeymoon, Paris, The BCPF, Travel

Salutations™!!

I know it’s Saturday but I need to get through this. Honestly, it gets hard to keep up when I’m skipping and chopping up the days. But, that being said, I’m really enjoying my own blog walking down this path. The BCPF and I talk about our honeymoon all the time but these accounts from when it happened, is fascinating to me. I honestly don’t go back to read my own blog much, so this is funny how I chose to word things. Anywhat! Back to the story. And I will warn you, this is a long one.:

So, Disneyland Paris and Dinner in Bespin down, the last day in Paris was a welcome change.  Yes, there would be walking but that’s okay, it was a little more relaxed than what we’d done up to then.  We had a tour scheduled for that day, A Bohemian Walking Tour, and we had to meet up with the group at The Pantheon.  That fact alone was great; it’s a world famous landmark in, and of, itself.  But, first, we had to get there.

We took the Métro from Opéra to Maubert-Mutualité station and emptied into a street market, conveniently called Maubert-Mutualité Market.  Now, we can maneuver Métro routes like nobody’s business, but once we get off the rail and onto the streets, that’s the only time I have trouble getting around.  Orientation is the problem, not map reading. I can read the maps but figuring out which direction is east/west/north/south is the problem.  We decided we were early enough before our tour that we could afford to explore and wander about (we were about an hour and a half ahead of time).  The BCPF picked a direction and we went that way.

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Produce Shop in Latin Quarter

This is was the mother lode of the stuff we look for: neighborhood streets, shops, bakeries, butcher shops, apartments, flower shops, etc. I have said it before, we look for the neighborhoods, to see how the natives live.  That means more to us than sightseeing, although, that’s fun, too.  That’s why we take the walking tours, we get to see how lives are lived as well as history.  That’s what we had, here. Commercialism and tourist areas were at an absolute minimum, here; right in the Latin Quarter. Parisian life, indeed.  So upon looking for The Pantheon we figured we’d eat.  A street crossing lent a number of options, including a bakery where people were piling in and out (quite quickly, may I add).  We decided on Le Petit Cardinal and sat on the sidewalk watching schoolkids walking in small groups together to school with their backpacks, young executives on bicycles going to work, men and women in business attire riding scooters; a bit of everything.

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Croque Madame of The BCPF

When the server came to take our order and before she could say more than bonjour, I told her immediately, “je ne parle pas français (I don’t speak French).”  She stopped in her tracks, turned on a dime and went back inside, only to reemerge with an English menu.  The BCPF took the usual, croque madame, and I took a flatbread pizza.  We ate, taking in the great sunny day, watching life hustle and bustle by – hectic, yet subtle – whilst the lunch crowd moved in around us.  Between bites, I noticed a directional sign across the street indicating the direction of The Pantheon… BINGO! We paid and moved on towards the landmark.

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Scorp and His Twin

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The Facade of The Pantheon, Paris

 

 

 

 

Up a few hills and past a school, in which a shload of high schoolers were sitting about with books, bag lunches and being cool little Parisian hipsters.  We finally made it to The Pantheon.  The Pantheon is an 18th Century former church dedicated to St. Genevive. It also serves as a necropolis and has since become a memorial to some of history’s greats including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Louis Braille, Alexandre Dumas and Marie Curie.  It’s of Gothic architecture and looks quite Greek, at least to me.  We wandered around it because we were still about 20 minutes before the tour.  There was this crazy statue that was a temporary exhibit of a very large, naked, Asian-appearing man.  Oddly, enough, he is shaped just like me, so here’s a picture of me standing next to it.  I wish we had taken a pic of what it was, but we didn’t.

So we meandered around the gates of The Pantheon until we saw other people who appeared to be tourists and we inquired if they were waiting on a tour. They were a group of 7 friends (some couples) from Australia.  They said they were and then a short, but personable young man popped up and indicated that he was our tour guide.  He asked if he could finish his cigarette and coffee as he had been eating his lunch, mixing with the other locals enjoying their surroundings.  None of us had any problems with that and after he prepared himself, we learned his name was Arthur.  That was my grandfather’s name, so I found it pretty awesome.  He gave us a little history of The Pantheon and told us that university was only about $150 per semester, which is depressing, really, knowing what I owe for college and I’m feeling more and more and more like my degree is not only useless, but a scam.  Enough of that, though.

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The Gardens at Luxembourg Palace

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The Honeymooners’ Kiss

 

 

 

 

Arthur took us through the streets of the Latin Quarter and told us stories of architecture, history, landmarks. We stopped at the French Senate that is inside Luxembourg Palace located at Luxembourg Gardens.  This is one absolutely beautiful building, garden and, obviously, popular destination for Parisians and tourists, alike.  It was a massive expanse of grounds that truly was an immaculate garden.  Benches and people lined the stroll ways. Picnics were also happening. It was lovely.  Then there was the jolie fountain area pictured here where Arthur said it was rated one of the 10 best places to kiss in Paris. Well, I don’t know if it was connerie (French for BS) or not, but it was a great place for us to do so, I’d say.

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The First Guillotine Test was Supposedly Performed Here

He led us through side streets and past what he said was the oldest café in Paris.  That’s nice, but then he took us to a side garden where the first-ever test of the Guillotine was performed.  Macabre maybe, but cool, I think.  From there he led us to the oldest church (at least one of the two vying for the title) in Paris. Inside, The BCPF lit a candle, which has become a tradition for her in the historic churches we visit.  I usually stand to the side and hold things for her so she can have her time. Being non-religious, I am still respectful of others’ views and customs. One of the last places we crossed in front of during this tour was a hotel.  It was, in a way, the hotel: supposedly, the former apartment building that Jim Morrison died in.  I was never a big fan of The Doors, but still, it’s very interesting.

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Ma Salle a Manger (My Dining Room)

We then made our way to a small (and by small I mean minute) eatery called Ma Salle a Manger (My Dining Room).  I think my dining room is bigger than this. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lovely little place but I’m a big boy, even going to the bathroom was hard – lots of ducking and sucking in to maneuver.  We, along with Arthur, had wine and beer with our new Australian friends, of which we remember no names.  Included in our tour price was charcuterie and fromage.   Arthur knew the girl that was minding the shop and got us a few little extra cheeses in there.  It was very good.

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Our Tour Guide, Arthur

One thing I remember talking about was the money.  We all paid for our alcohol with cash.  The Australians told us that they hated American money.  Not for any political reasons, mind you, but because of its appearance.  They said that it was all the same color and all the same size. Euros and Australian monies are all different colors and sizes for different denominations.  We hadn’t really thought about it, it’s what we’ve always known.  There are a few variances in the money now, of course, but for the most part, it’s all that forest green and gray.

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The BCPF Drinking Ricard and Playing Pétanque

Arthur, then took us to a little courtyard and proceeded to mix up Ricard and water, to cut it. A licorice-like flavored thing, it was quite strong and quite fun to drink.  In this courtyard he introduced us to Pétanque, a bocce ball-esque game where you toss semi-hollow metal balls as closely as possible to a smaller, wooden ball. We all played, we all had fun.  Arthur then gave us the opportunity to continue the tour or to disband.  The Aussies had other plans to go back to the hotel and get ready for and they all opted out.

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Scorp Circling Point Zero

We asked if we could continue with him and he basically gave us a private tour for the next 45 minutes or so.  He took us past sanitariums and landmarks, eventually getting us back to Notre Dame, yet again.  He took us to Point Zero and told us the tradition of standing and turning on it. Doing so will ensure the circling individuals will return to Paris. Again, could be more connerie, but we didn’t take a chance, we circled it.

Before Arthur left us, we inquired about recommendations for dinner.  He gave us “instructions” on how to get to where he thought would be good for us and we said our goodbyes.  Arthur was fun and we glad that we got to take his tour.  We made our way toward the Métro and prepared to head where Arthur told us.  

(Arthur) had given us the info for a restaurant that he recommended as a good “closer” for Paris. He recommended Le Relais Gascon. Told us how to find it and sent us on our way.

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Le Relais Gascon restaurant

We took the Metro to the Pigalle station and exited to the street.  Because it was hard to understand every word that Arthur said , we basically were going to be winging it once we got off the train.  I did hear him say something about  a hill.  We looked around and noticed a hill. So we walked up it – by then we had gotten really good at hills. At the top of the hill and at a crossroad, there stood Le Relais Gascon.  We had found it.  We sat outside, as we did just about everywhere in Paris.  It had gotten a wee bit chilly.  I once more indicated Je ne parle pas français and they said, no problem and brought us English menus.

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The BCPF and Scorp having rosé.

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Avocado with grey shrimp and Russian dressing

 

 

 

 

One thing that we got on our Honeyfund fund raiser was “Wine in France and Beer in Belgium.”  So to satisfy that and to have a picture to thank JayCo & JenCo with, we had a nice rosé and we enjoyed it.  We then ordered appetizers.  The BCPF had a whole avocado covered with grey shrimp (basically bay shrimp) and a house-made Russian dressing.  She said it was great. I had pâté and it was quite flavorful.

Then on to the entrées. The BCPF had chicken with mushroom gravy and potato chips (not like the crisps we eat out of a bag, but grated potatoes).  She didn’t really care for that, she said. I had steak tartare. 4 nights in Paris, 3 nights of steak tartare.  I was addicted to that stuff.  Three different restaurants with steak tartare and three different ways of preparing it.  All three tasted different.  This one was more Worcestershire based. That’s not a bad thing, I like Worcestershire sauce.  I’m not really sure if that’s what it was but it did taste like it. It was delish!  However, I’d still say out of the three this was my least favorite; but still delish.  On to some dessert!

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Chicken and mushroom gravy

The BCPF had chocolate mousse and, as she sits here while I write this, said it was go-oo-oo-oo-ood!  I had a banana  split and it was yummy but nothing spectacular.  As usual, I finished my meal off with a snifter of Grand Marnier. Overall, we enjoyed the restaurant but it wasn’t our favorite of Paris. We made our way back to the Metro station and back to our hôtel (the proper French way to spell it). A great end to a great day.

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Steak tartare

The next morning we make our way down to the lobby where we awaited a driver to take us to the train station so we could move on to our next destination.  We got to the train station and had some croissants and coffee.  Something about French coffee, it doesn’t wig out my Tourette Syndrome like caffeine-laden American coffee.  Which is good, because I didn’t want to be jittery at that time. The reason for that is there was a presence of armed French officers, either military or police carrying the machine guns, just like under the Eiffel Tower. I’m supposing the ISIS threat at the time in Europe led them to that, but I’m not really sure. We also saw the apprehension of a thief. Thievery is apparently an epidemic in the train stations. I know we told the same beggar woman “allez!!” several times and the same to another bum. Homeless people I feel for, bums, I don’t.

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Banana Split in Paris

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Chocolate mousse in Paris

 

 

 

 

Finally, our train arrived and again, we had first class tix.  We put our bags in the racks and rode on to Brussels so that we could take the connector to Bruges.  Whilst riding we had come pastries, tea (me) and coffee (The BCPF).  It was about an hour and a half and quite peaceful.  I spent time trying to update my blog, but the WiFi on the train was spotty.  Present, but spotty. 

We arrived in Brussels and had to figure out where we were supposed to pick up the train to Bruges.  The train station in Brussels is but one reason why I hate that city; it is so darned confusing. I had to ask one of the rude workers in transportation which train I was supposed to get on because the only thing that they have that indicates trains is the Departures and even though we were departing we couldn’t find the right train to be on.  Anywhat! The worker told me to just get on ____ train (I can’t remember which one) it leaves at ____ time.  I thanked her and she just nodded.  Anyway we wait and wait and wait for the train. It arrives and we get on in a bum-rush of people.  Stuffing our luggage under and in-between seats, we sat down breathing heavy and worn out but ready to move on.

We arrived in Bruges and worked our way out to the taxi stand and waited in line to get a ride to our hotel.  The driver loaded our bags and drove us to a lovely old hotel.  On the way there, all on cobblestone streets, he pointed out several churches, a brewery, pointed us in the direction of the square, etc.  A very good driver, he was.  

Checking into Oud Huis de Peellaert, we marveled at how beautiful the hotel was. There was much to marvel at in this old place, mostly good, and some truly odd.  The view from our room was something just out of a storybook, or what you’d think a small Belgian town would look, historic and timeless.  The floor of the bathroom was heated.  As is the case with most European hotels, you had to use your room key in a slot to enable the lights and other electronics.  The odd thing about this one was that it was a true key on a weighted dongle and not a credit card-like passkey.  Also, we were to leave the key at the front desk when we left, which, if we forgot something, then the desk attendants, who never complained, certainly didn’t look pleased. It’s okay, they dealt with it, fantastically.

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Braces in the halls of Oud Huis de Peellaert

Another odd thing in this hotel, not in our path, but the opposite end of the hall, there were structural braces in the hall.  Not just there, but THERE! See the picture, won’t you?

Well, we settled our stuff in, took in the view and decided to go out and see what this small town held for us.  We dropped off the key and walked out the front door.  We glanced toward the skyline and looked for a clue as to where to go. We saw what were looking for and headed to the left.

We passed by a few small restaurants and came to a small square.  In this square there were a few police officers. They were setting up seats in front of a trailer/stage where an orchestra would play later that day. Let it be known that that was the only time we saw any police during our entire Bruges stay.  We moved on down a street. Street is a misnomer as there was no cars in this street, although some horse-drawn carriages were.

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Belfort, the Bell Tower of Bruges

We passed by chocolatiers, lacemakers, lace sellers, more restaurants and a beer museum.  Mmmm hmmm, a beer museum. But, that comes later.  We heard and saw what it was we were looking for. Bruges is visually best known for one thing.  It’s primary landmark, and if you’ve seen the film In Bruges, then you know it already, is the Belfort, or Belfry of Bruges.  It’s a 13th Century bell tower and has 366 steps to the top, in which I am way too lazy to climb. It’s the center attraction in the Markt, a market square that is full of restaurants, shops, a post office and some government buildings.

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Beers at De Vier Winden, Bruges

As we were now getting a little hungry we decided to sit down for a small snack and, of course, Belgian beer.  So, we ended up at a restaurant to the right of the Belfort called De Vier Winden (German for The Four Winds) where we had frittes with both mayonnaise and ketchup and Leffe Braun.  We also had a great server named Vincent.  He liked us, as well, because we ate there more than once and he kept calling us his “very best friends.”  The frittes, french fries – after all true french fries were created in Belgium, not France – were delicious and hit the spot and the beer, well Leffe is awesome and hard to go wrong.  We then decided that we were ready for a nap.  C’mon, we’ve at this point been going, non-stop, for 11 days, straight.  It was quite needed.

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The BCPF and Scorp on their horse-drawn carriage ride in Bruges

 

 

 

 

We returned to the square later that evening and after walking about a mile (plus) out of the way to find an ATM, returned to the square, yet again, to pay for a horse-drawn carriage ride through the historic city.  This was no ordinary carriage ride. The driver and her friend drove the horse quite quickly. At one point the horse was actually trotting and not just strolling through the city. It was probably the fastest carriage ride we’d ever taken. The driver stopped halfway through the tour to feed the horse and let it get water.  We took that opportunity to get some pictures and enjoy the rest.  It was a fun, but strange ride.  We ended back at the square about 45 minutes (the ride was fast, not the tour) and we went back to De Vier Winden since we were already familiar with it.  Vincent was waiting for us there and greeted us as his “very best friends,” yet again.

The BCPF had some wine whilst I had the biggest glass of Hoegaarden Raspberry known to man.  It was hugantic! She had shrimp croquettes and I had cheese croquettes for appetizers.  They were both spectaculicious!  For dinner, she had a chicken florentine stew and I had rabbit.  Dessert was, of course, a Belgian waffle for The BCPF and crème brulèe for me.  All was very delicious. She was especially taken by the croquettes and got them, when she could, from other restaurants.  We then returned to the hotel and stopped in at the bar for a night cap. Any guesses as to what I had?  Have you been reading, Dear Reader? I’ll give you three guesses and first two won’t count.  Okay, okay, I’ll tell you, it was, of course, Grand Marnier and The BCPF had Sprite. She was living dangerously.

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A bridge in Bruges with The BCPF

Breakfast the next morning was a cold/dry bar with cereals, lox, toast, etc.  Basically, it was the same shite we’d had everywhere else.  Nothing, really, to remark about.  Then, we were out and about. We had a 2pm appointment for one of the city tours with earphone guide, but we were up and out early so we had time to kill.  We did what we do and took a different turn and walked the streets to see what else we could wander upon.  We crossed some bridges that are older than most everything we have here in “The States,” walked the streets, doing some people watching and ended up at a little market square. At this square there was a few different things: fish (because why not?) and other seafood, scarves, t-shirts, etc. The BCPF loves some scarves, as I think I’ve mentioned, and these were actually made by the people that were there selling them.  They had a large loom there that they used to make said scarves.  She wasn’t going to buy one but I kind of insisted.  She loved it.

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Drinking a Straffe Hendrik by Brouwerij De Halve Maan Brugge

 

 

 

 

We made our way to the Markt again and whilst waiting on the tour bus, we had a few beverages. The BCPF had a Belgian cafe mocha with hot chocolate and coffee and I had a few beers. These beers were Straffe Hendrik by De Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges, a fantastic 11% ABV monster and the Tripel Karmeliet from Bosteels Brewery, a great 8.4% ABV Tripel.  One thing that I noticed about Belgium and their restaurants, when they serve beer, they serve it with glasses that have logos that match each and every beer.

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Bonne-Chière Windmill

We then walked across the square and got on the tour bus.  It was really a run-of-the-mill tour, nothing major.  We saw a couple of things like the Bonne-Chière Windmill, two more bell towers, including those older than the Belfort. There was also a VW Microbus carrying a wedding party. Interesting.  Then back to the square where we exited the bus.

We walked up the street to The Beer Museum. See, I told you I’d get there.  Admission included walking up a  ridiculous amount stairs to grab an iPad of some sort that would play the part of tour guide for us.  It showed the history of beer, both in the world and in Bruges. It showed the positive and negative aspects of beer in history. The highlight of the museum tour, though, was the three tokens each we received to exchange for beer samples.  And, yes, The BCPF drank beer! She says that it was Belgium that fully turned her on to it. We tried Kriek (cherry) lambics, hefty high-gravity beers and other smooth and strong Belgian beers.  Quite delish, all.

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Drinking beer samples at The Beer Museum, Bruges

Feeling quite sluggish and more than slightly inebriated, we stumbled about looking for things to buy for souvenirs and found a chocolate factory that tickled our fancies. One thing about Bruges, it’s known for a few things. Specifically, it’s known for its Belgian lace (especially bobbins-made), Belgian chocolate, Belgian beer and Belfort.  Anywhat! We proceeded to purchase a 36-pc box of chocolates (variety assortment) and a dozen “animal fat jellies.” Basically, jelly- (like jelly beans, not as in PB&J) filled candies that are shaped like noses and are called “neuzekes” (noses), oddly enough.  I mention the animal fat because the girl who sold them to us was quite adamant about informing us due to the fact that she sold some to a Muslim couple and they didn’t know. We got them in a tin and have finished those off, definitely. Remarkably, those things (and the chocolates) held up quite nicely.

That’s what’s we were doing on September 10, 11, 12 six years ago. Sorry it was so long, but I didn’t want to get any further behind. I will finish the whole story on Monday, which was the end of our honeymoon trip although the honeymoon is still happening.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“It’s like a f***ing fairytale or something.“ – Ken (Brendan Gleeson), In Bruges (2008)

Memories Lane or: Six Starts Part 9

10 Thursday Sep 2020

Posted by TGBII in Honeymoon, Life as We Know It, Travel

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Anniversary, Disneyland Paris, Europe, Honeymoon, Life, Life as It is, Paris, The BCPF, Travel

Salutations™!!

I messed up yesterday, Dear Reader. I stopped before I was done. But, it was a long post and this one is, too, so we will double up next time I post about it. This is from six years ago yesterday. Briefly before that, though. Today is the 19th anniversary of finding out that my ex-wife and I were going to have our first (and only) child. That turned out to be 3B. So, yeah… Anywhat! Here’s the recounting.

When we last left off in Europe, we visited Disneyland Paris. That same day we decided that we were tired and wanted to get some food and then go back to the room and relax. That had been a long, long day.

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Capucine Café

The BCPF was put in charge of picking a location.  She said we were going to go in a direction, stay within a few blocks and just see what we saw.  There’s restaurants in every direction in Paris.  Well, except the direction we walked.  Don’t get me wrong, there were some restaurants but they were few and far between while nothing looked like it was special enough for us to spend one of our Parisian dinners eating at or in.  We wandered down a few more streets, changing both direction and area until we found a more populous rue (street en français).  Surely, something would be on this street.

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Lobot (Photo© Star Wars Wikia)

As we walked there came a loud roar and wail of sirens and flashing blue lights of motorcycle cops, leading the way for a black sedan with black tinted windows, followed by more motorcycle cops.  We looked at each other and asked who might that be?  We neither one knew.  So we stumbled upon a cozy looking restaurant called Capucine Café.  We stood looking at the street menu, trying to decide if this was the place or not.  One of the older serveurs (yes I spelled that correctly) motioned us to a table outside.  OK, we’ll take it.

We took our seats at small tables and after what seemed like 10 minutes someone finally brought out menus.  We didn’t know what to think.  We were tired so we weren’t going to get up and look for something else.  This or bust! Out came a serveur who very closely resembled Lobot from The Empire Strikes Back.  Not only did he look like Lobot, he had the same facial expression(less). I wish we’d taken a picture of him.

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The BCPF’s Soup

So we ordered beverages, wine for The BCPF, beer for me; sad to say I don’t remember which one.  She ordered a glass of wine.  They brought a bottle. Here’s the thing, the ladies who sat beside us – sisters, one from Oklahoma, one from Nebraska – kept ordering bottles of wine but Lobot would only bring them glasses.  This should have let us know something was up.  We ordered our appetizers: soup for her, tuna tartare for me.  We ordered our entrees at this time, too, but we’ll get back to that.  Lobot left and brought back the silverware. He put the soup spoon in front of me and the small fork in front of her.  Um, it’s backwards hoss, she got the soup.  So we switched the silverware and sipped our libations.  Then the apps arrive and Lobot sets the soup in front of me and the tuna in front of her.  We informed him of this and with a blank look on his face, he somehow managed to look confused at the same time.  He switched them. He had also left some bread on the table for us to share.

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Line of Security Bikes

All of a sudden, a bevy of motorcycle cops and a certain black sedan came back down the boulevard and stopped on the street in front of where we were.  The bikes got up on the sidewalk, lined up and parked.  Gentlemen in dark suits and earpieces all got out of the car.  We wanted to get the camera ready to take a picture in case it was Johnny Depp or Brangelina or Lady Gaga or whomever.  No one that we recognized was there.  The “secret service” detail promptly marched in to the restaurant and, from what we can tell, started drinking.  The sisters told us that the hubbub had just come from their hotel as the President   of Czech Republic was staying there and they had gone through that earlier.  This was just security detail, I guess.  Which begs the question, why weren’t they protecting him?  Was he having a meeting? Perhaps a “meeting” that required his “full attention?”  Conjecture.  I don’t know.  Anywhat!

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Mussels for The BCPF

After the importantish people went into the restaurant and we finished our appetizers, Lobot took the app plates and went away after I ordered another bottle of delightful barley and hops.  Then in about 3 minutes he came back, took away the silverware that was still on the table, took the bread and asked us if we wanted dessert.  The BCPF and I looked at each other, half thinking this was a joke and half confused beyond measure.  We informed Lobot that we hadn’t even eaten our main course, yet.  He nodded as if he understood.  Then, he still walked off with the bread and the silverware.  The sisters were laughing and said he was acting weird with them as well.  In another 2 minutes or so, he brought the bread and sat it on our table along with silverware.  My lady and I did all we could to keep the snickering to a minimum by covering it up with coughs and what-have-yous.

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Crepes

The mussels she ordered and the scallops dish that I ordered (this was the only dinner in Paris that wasn’t beef tartare for me) finally arrived and were all quite flavorful.  We were almost finished with the main course when the battalion of security came marching out single file and placing themselves upon their bikes, in their cars, to their positions.  They then proceeded toward the direction from whence they came.  Lobot returned to inquire (again) if we wanted dessert. A chocolate ganache for Mrs. Scorp and a crepe with Grand Marnier/sauce of some sort for Mr. Of course, as is customary for me in Paris, a snifter of Grand Marnier was ordered  We ate up our lovely desserts and I ordered a second Grand Marnier.  In a move that was totally un-Lobot-esque, when I requested the second, he not only nodded (which was his signature move) and actually glanced at my eyes and threw some weird creepy smirk at me; more like a “yeah drink up, buddy!” look that anything.  I just chuckled as he walked back in to get my bev.

Again, some of the best food we’ve had, as was all of Paris, but this has to be the weirdest, most peculiar dining experience we have ever had, together, or apart.  I guess Lando Calrissian had Lobot on standby all evening and that distracted him.  Who knows, but it truly was bizarre; totally.

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Lando: I think she had the soup. Lobot: Whatchyou talkin’ ’bout, Lando!?

Well, that’s the ending of a pretty good day.  Disney (even if it was less than perfect) and Lobot – hey! He’s now a Disney character… coincidence?  Hmmmm.  The BCPF and I speculated that perhaps Lobot was part of the security detail and was mixing in.  That could have been his awkwardness.  I doubt it, though.

That was crazy, but so darned good. Like I said, I will catch us up over the next few days. Tomorrow is 9/11 so I may or may not post about this. We’ll see. 

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Well done. Get them to the security tower, and keep it quiet. Move.” – Lando Calrissian to Lobot, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

Memories Lane or: Six Starts Part 8

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by TGBII in Honeymoon, Life as We Know It, Travel

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Anniversary, Disneyland Paris, Europe, Honeymoon, Life, Life as It is, Paris, The BCPF, Travel

Salutations™!!

In this post, I talk about what happened when we visited Disneyland Paris, six years ago today. Copied from the original “Honeymoon Chronicles” post.

Bonjour, mes amis. This is Day 3 in Paris! Oui, oh oui!

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Beautiful older couple on Paris sidewalk

When we last left the blogosphere of The Honeymoon Chronicles, The BCPF and I were wandering through the streets of Paris seeing the Eiffel Tower and watching some dude water the ivy on the garden wall.  One thing I did forget to say was in our street touring we ended up behind an older/elderly couple that were walking through the streets holding hands.  They seemed to be natives and looked happy and content. I told The BCPF that that would be us in about 30 years.  I had her take a picture with her digi-obscura and you can see the result here.

This day was something that I had been waiting on. We missed the opportunity last year and this year, we weren’t going to miss it. I’ve touted myself as a Disney guy over and over and over, and I’ve been to Walt Disney World fifteen times! So, it just seems natural that I’d visit other Disney theme parks. And, that’s what we did on this, the third Parisian day.

The way to Disneyland Paris is to find the RER A Train. RER means Réseau Express Régional or Regional Express Network. This train serves from the city proper into the outlying suburbs. This particular train was going to the Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy. That station is right at the gates of Disneyland Paris. So we took our tickets that we pre-purchased and walked up to the main gates of Paris’ “Happiest Place on Earth.” Disneyland Paris is made up of two theme parks in one: the “Magic Kingdom” part and Walt Disney Studios, which is DLP’s version of WDW’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Scorp really excited about Disneyland Paris

When we arrived, there was a giddiness that had already taken me over. When we got to the turnstiles I was about to hop them before they took the tickets. But, I didn’t. I held it together. Once through, though, I had settled down a bit. It looks a lot like the Magic Kingdom: firehouse, confectionery shops, outlet-like shops, and even a Casey’s Hot Dog shop. Casey’s doesn’t open until 11a there and we were about 10 minutes early. The BCPF and I have a tradition of going to Casey’s as the first thing-to-do on every trip to WDW so why not carry that tradition on to DLP? A couple of things that are different was that the dogs – all of which are foot longs – came prepackaged and there was no “fixin’s” bar. They came how they came, either with melted cheddar and bacon or without, and that’s pretty much how it is. Paris apparently doesn’t know what yellow mustard is, only Dijon mustard. While I love me some Dijon mustard, I want yellow mustard on my hot dog. So, a couple of dogs (mine with cheese and bacon, hers without) with fries and bottled sparkling water and we’re ready to move on.

Once you move off of Main Street U.S.A. (yes, that’s its name) the similarities to Magic Kingdom get a bit weird. Not dissimilar mind you, just weird. Did I mention it’s weird? Anyway, just like its Anaheim counterpart, this Disneyland’s castle is called Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant or Sleeping Beauty Castle (WDW has Cinderella Castle). As you can see the castle is pink. The inside of the castle has a few shops – glass and crystal making shop and a Christmas shop. The upstairs features stained glass windows and a spinning wheel, like the story. Underneath it there is an animatronic dragon in a grotto that is supposed to represent Maleficent. It’s actually pretty cool. You can then step out to the side and be under the bridge that connects the castle to the “land” and that covers the “moat.” A pretty and relaxing waterfall is present here as well. Not as spacious as Cinderella Castle, but appealing and interesting nonetheless.

Surrounding the castle, as is the case in both Disneyland California (DLC) and WDW, is a collection of “lands” that represent various themes. In WDW (the one I’m familiar with) there is, clockwise, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. In DLP the lands are (in the same order): Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland. There’s no equivalent for Liberty Square, which is the counterpart of New Orleans Square in DLC. Confused, yet? It’s not rocket surgery, but more info than you’d probably ever want to know. Some other oddities to me are that the haunted house ride is called the Phantom Manor instead of Haunted Mansion, the storyline is entirely in French, and sits right next to Big Thunder Mountain; and this after you pass the Legends of the Wild West which looks like the fort on Tom Sawyer Island in WDW. Those sit in Frontierland. Then we moved to Adventureland where we saw the DLC version of Swiss Family Tree House called Le Cabane des Robinson. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was closed.

Moving on to Fantasyland there were some familiar rides like Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Peter Pan’s Flight, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, a carousel called “Lancelot’s Carousel” and Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (Cups, in DLP). But something we don’t have, which to me seems redundantly similar to Snow White, is Les 

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It’s a Small World Ride – Disneyland Paris

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Scorp and The BCPF on It’s a Small World in Disneyland Paris

Voyages de Pinocchio. I don’t know, it just seemed like it was rehashing her ride. Also, there’s Le Pays des Contes de Fées (Land of Fairy Tales), a mostly useless boat ride around a loop that shows models that represent various fairy tales. I know that sounds kind of harsh, but really, it seemed like they just needed to stuff something in a space and this was it. The theming was nice, but really, meh. The main attraction in this land, though, was It’s a Small World. The queue is actually outside and there’s an open court that, I’m sure, lends to queue management during the busy months. The DLP version actually has some American theming that you don’t see in the American version (at least not at WDW). Overall, there were several things that matched the WDW, but overall it kind of fell flat.

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Space Mountain: Mission 2 in Disneyland Paris

We moved on, then to the Tomorrowland equivalent: Discoveryland. There was Space Mountain: Mission 2 and Star Tours, Orbitron – Machines Volantes (Astro Orbitor) and touching on some Epcot action, Captain Eo starring Michael Jackson. There was also a very strange 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea thingy called Les Mystères du Nautilus that was basically a “life-size” model of The Nautilus that Capt. Nemo sailed in the story/film. It was a cool, shady distraction but really I don’t get why it was there.

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Les Tapis Volants – Flying Carpets over Agrabah Disneyland paris

 

 

 

 

So we decided to head over to the other park, “Walt Disney Studios,” which is kind of like a misnomer because there aren’t any studios there; not working studios, anyway. There we did ride the Studio Tram Backlot Tour which is very similar to the now-defunct ride of the same theme in WDW. We skipped around inside looking at some of the rides and comparing/contrasting with WDW. We also rode the Les Tapis Volants – Flying Carpets over Agrabah that are also in WDW. There’s a Twilight Zone Tower of Terror there. I’ve never ridden the one in WDW and wasn’t about to this time, either. Some of the other rides were Ratatouille: The Adventure (which we didn’t know anything about it so we didn’t get in line for it), Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop (like a drop zone/Tower of Terror-type ride), Rockin’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith (just like in WDW), Crush’s Coaster (not riding roller coasters) and Cars Quatre Roues Rallye (bumper cars). Interesting things, yes, but nothing I wanted to ride.

I’ll be honest here, I was just going through the motions mostly at this point. We’re not really “thrill ride riders” as much as we are “experiencers.” There was something of a letdown when it came to the whole “Magic Kingdom” and Studios aspect. Parts of my problems were as such: The park opened in April, 1992. It seems that most of the park was still stuck there. In Disneyland Paris you can see ceiling tiles, a/c units, cobwebs where they shouldn’t be, etc. There was no attention to detail and “keeping the magic alive” happening. They were fleecing money from the consumers and tourists only. I’m not naïve enough to believe that’s not what is happening in WDW but when I’m there, I get that air of mystery; mystique. Unless you’re really looking for it, you’re not going to find many things out of place. Notice I don’t say all, that’s virtually impossible, except Disney does a darn fine job of it. The ceiling tiles in It’s a Small World are painted black with other decorations giving the perception of depth and infinity. DLP there were tiles missing and you could see the a/c above holes in the drop-tile. I know I’m repeating but the illusion is lost there. The paint jobs on the attractions are old and tired. I’m thinking there should be a push in the Disney Company to capitalize on the fact that DLP is finally profitable. You’d think they’d want to do what WDW and DLC are doing, updating, renovating, refreshing their parks.

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Bride and Groom at Disneyland Paris

Now, all that being said I’m glad I saw it. Truly, even knowing what I know, I’d really hate to have missed seeing it. If my son wants to see it, I’ll definitely take him, in a heartbeat. However, as I said, I’ve seen it. I don’t ever have to go back. Been there/done that. I was so done with DLP that we didn’t even eat anything else there. In WDW, food is the main highlight of my trip. So that’s saying something.  But, hey! I was with my new bride, so that’s awesome, too.

One thing that I found cool outside of the parks proper was the inclusion of benchmarks of the other Disney parks in a “compass” and I’ve included them here.

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Walt Disney World Benchmark

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Disneyland (California) Benchmark

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Hong Kong Disneyland Benchmark

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Tokyo Disney Benchmark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to go back to Paris to see what we could find and where we could explore. That’s part of the next blog. This is already long, as it is. Next up in The Honeymoon Chronicles, it’s the most bizarre experience I’ve ever had at a restaurant.

Like I said, I would have always kicked myself for not going if we didn’t, but I am glad we did, even if I didn’t really care much for it. This is primarily the reason I don’t get excited about Disneyland in Anaheim. If it’s not WDW, I don’t want it. Anywhat! I’m out for today…

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I’m a big Disneyland nut.” – John Lasseter

The Piggyback Back or: Have Beer Will Travel

14 Monday Oct 2019

Posted by TGBII in Beer, Food, The Less Desirables Network, Travel, Uncategorized

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Beer, Food, Podcast, Podcasting, Podcasts, PodernFamily, The Beer Dads, The Less Desirables Network, The Man Who Ate the Town, Travel

Salutations™!!a0_asx8X

So far this week, meaning today, we published two podcasts on The Less Desirables Network. First, on The Man Who Ate the Town, Ray and I talked about some stuff going on at Carrabba’s, King’s Classic Bakery coming to Trade Street and Five Loaves Catering finally opening a retail store. Hear that HERE.

Then, on The Beer Dads, we talk about traveling and where we’d want to go, where we have been or where we actually haven’t been. You can hear that HERE.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Travel is a new experience that can transport you out of your everyday routine to create memories with the ones you love.” – Brian Chesky

Sounds Like Saturday or: I Don’t Know What You’re Talking About

31 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by TGBII in Honeymoon, Life as We Know It, Sounds Like Saturday, Travel

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Belle & Sebastian, Dalmahoy, Edinburgh, Honeymoon, Music, Scotland, Sounds Like Saturday, Travel

Salutations™!!

Continuing the fifth-year memories of our glorious time in Edinburgh, we spent our first night in the Dalmahoy, a 300-year old castle that sits on two 18-hole golf courses and has one of the stillest and quietest elevators lifts I’ve ever been on. Whilst waiting on our room to be ready, we had haggis and blood pudding for the first time, sat out and watched the first and 18th holes of one or both courses, and wandered about the beautiful grounds.

We got to take a nap and rejuvenate a little whilst the Tottenham football match was on the television. When we woke up and went down to grab a car to take us into Edinburgh, we came around the corner and the hotel attendant was singing along to a song on the radio. The song playing was from Belle & Sebastian which is one of The BCPF’s favorite bands and I dig the heck out of them, too. B&S are from Glasgow, which is only about 30 minutes away from Edinburgh. We mentioned that we loved them and she looked at us in that cheeky UK way and said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

So, here’s the song she was listening to. Enjoy!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Let me step out of my shell that’s wrapped in sheets of milky winter disorder. Let me feel the air again, the talk of friends; the mind of someone my equal.” – “I Want the World to Stop” (Murdoch/Jackson/Martin/Colburn/Geddes/Cooke/Kildea)

Anniversary Weekend or: That Was Then

30 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by TGBII in Honeymoon, Life as We Know It, Travel

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Edinburgh, Europe, Flying, Honeymoon, The BCPF, Travel

Salutations™!!

I’m writing this at about 1145p on August 30. Five years ago right now, we were somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean on our way to Edinburgh, Scotland.

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©bizjournal

We almost missed our flight because as we were laying over, the airline or airport switched not only the gate but the entire terminal in the Philadelphia airport. We didn’t know this until about 20 minutes before our flight was scheduled to depart. We were told to run. No one called to warn them that we were bustling our way over there. We were not running but we were walking very fast to get to the correct terminal.

We were several gates away and one of those carts went by carrying some girl to wherever she was going. We were getting closer and we could hear “Scorp, party of two.” It wasn’t Scorp but our real last name (well, hers to be). “Scorp, party of two. Last call!” I had to yell “we’re coming!!!!” We get to the gate and the girl on the cart that passed us was getting on the plane. We were literally the last ones to board. In fact, they closed the door behind me.

Since we were the last ones to get on, and it was a full flight, that meant that there was no room in the overhead bins. We had to put our carryon’s under our feet and fly eight hours like that. The BCPF nodded off for a bit but was awakened by the girl at the window having to go to the bathroom just as she fell asleep. I can’t sleep without my CPAP so I can’t sleep on those flights. That’s a shame. I need a portable one that runs on batteries or something.

Anyway, at this time we’re still flying. We’ll talk more about that this weekend.

Happy beginning of the holiday weekend and our anniversary weekend!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Edinburgh is so cultural and such a beautiful place to walk around.” – Rupert Friend

Fare Thee Well or: A Man Crush Confidential

08 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by TGBII in Blogging, Food, Life as We Know It, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Anthony Bourdain, Asia Argento, Billy Joel, CNN, Culinary Institute of America, Elton John, Eric Ripert, Kitchen Confidential, Life, Life as It is, Paris, The BCPF, The Grateful Dead, The Ramones, Travel, WSNC

Salutations™!!

My interest in Anthony Bourdain came right after The BCPF and I met. She talked about liking his show, No Reservations, and how she really loved it and his bad-arsed qualities. It was an immediate reaction for me. Dang! This cat is cool and he loves food and travel. He dug into things that went beyond just food and travel, though.

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©David Holloway/CNN

 

He was a social activist. Which I know being a bleeding-heart liberal can turn a lot of people off. But, he was able to do that without being too in-your-face about it. He was outspoken about sexual harassment in restaurant kitchens as well as the circus that has become Hollywood’s own fight within about the same subject. In fact, his partner/girlfriend, Asia Argento, was one of the women that Harvey Weinstein allegedly harassed. But, he worked for better working conditions for restaurant workers.

Another thing that drew me to him was his willingness to try just about any food. He was especially fond of using varietal bits of animals, the stuff that most 21st century people wouldn’t think of eating. That caught on. I mean, a few of my favorite local chefs here in WSNC do what is called an offal dinner and use glands, hearts, gizzards and just about anything else they can find to use. That rubbed off on me, too. It was because of his adventurous eating that inspired me to do more of it myself. Sweetbreads. Foie gras. Glands. Organs. I will try many things like that, now. I love steak/beef tartare and it’s because of him.

But, it wasn’t the food and the activism alone. It was about the travel, too. He had a fascination with the people and cultures of Southeast Asia. He always said when he retired he would move there. The BCPF and I totally expected him to do just that. He loved Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. He loved China, Malaysia, the Philippines and one of the most memorable episodes of his latest show, Parts Unknown, was filmed in Myanmar.

He loved to show his “TV friends” places that most likely would have been way off our radar. Sure, he went to some glamorous parts but mostly he dug deep into deep areas that were “less desirable,” and brought awareness, by way of “documentary-style” television. He got to know the natives. He befriended them, got to know them, lived with them for small amounts of time, learned about them and, perhaps most importantly, he learned from them. Thus, we learned from them.  He was a rock star in travel and food.

The BCPF and I love to travel. We love being places. So much of our “wish list” is based on places that he’s been. The only reason we don’t follow through is financial reasons. But, we both love to learn about different cultures and immerse ourselves in those cultures. He did that for us and we would sit with him in our living room and learn more, benefiting from his insight, knowledge and learning. I’ve loved him. I’ve had a man-crush on him.

Just this past week, 3B, my 16-year old culinary hopeful, asked me who my favorite celebrity chef was. Without hesitation, I said Anthony Bourdain (and followed by Gordon Ramsey), even though he had technically moved from the culinary aspects of his life. He wasn’t completely out of it. He talked a lot about cooking, methods, ingredients, techniques and it was never not part of his conversations, at least on television.

He graduated from Culinary Institute of America in 1978 with an associates degree. He went on to become the executive chef of Brasserie Les Halles in NYC and eventually moved on from there. But, up until their closing last year, he was considered their “chef-at-large.” He was given an honorary doctorate from CIA in December 2017.

I haven’t always agreed with him, though. He’s a fan of the Ramones and I don’t care about the Ramones. He doesn’t like Billy Joel or Elton John and I really like both of them. I am with him on the Grateful Dead though, I don’t care for them, either. He’s been tough on some celebrity chefs and lenient on others. But, he admits when there are mistakes that he’s made and apparently he’s made a lot.

He’s had demons. He was an abuser of illicit drugs. He’s admitted to using LSD, cocaine, heroin, psilocybin mushrooms (which he would soak in honey and flavor his tea) among others. He was a two-pack-a-day smoker until a few years back which he quit for his daughter’s sake. That little girl is 11 years old, now. And she’s without a father.

You see, Anthony Bourdain was found dead in his Parisian hotel by his best bud, Éric Ripert, who appeared on many of “Tony’s” shows. It was an apparent suicide, although as of this writing, I don’t know how he did it. And, I don’t know if there is a note. I think this is hitting me as hard as it did when Prince and Bowie died two years ago. As I said, he was a rock star, at least to me. He sat in my living room. He helped (indirectly) strengthen my incredible marriage to my beautiful wife.

I feel awful about this. I think I’d feel less bad had it been natural causes or something that wasn’t his doing. But, this was suicide and I have an especially hard time with that. I feel for his 11-year old daughter. I feel for his fans. I feel for others that loved him that have also dealt with suicide directly by a loved one as this is reliving a situation. I talked to just a person like that this morning. I won’t go into that because it’s not my story but she touched my heart with her story.

Something very interesting is that he always said he didn’t care for Paris. The BCPF and I call it our favorite city. The last time we were there, we actually purchased his book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly in Shakespeare and Company, an English-speaking bookstore which happens to be one of the most famous bookstores in the world. I look at it often and say, I want to read that. I have a feeling that I may get to that, now.

I also have a feeling that there will be a lot of binge-watching of old eps of No Reservations and current eps of Parts Unknown. Tony, I miss you already, sir. I need to pick up my culinary chops and do you proud (at least in my mind). Thank you for the inspiration and guidance, though we never spoke. Thank you for the cultural lessons and the social advocacy.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Sad Scorp out…

—
“If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” – Anthony Bourdain

Reaching the Beach or: Shipping Up to Boston

03 Thursday May 2018

Posted by TGBII in Life as We Know It, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

3B, Anniversary, Boston, Charles Dickens, Cheers, City Winery, Delta, Doug Davis, Edith Wharton, Jackyl, KISS, Life, Life as It is, Music, Samuel Adams, Sky Miles, The BCPF, The Fixx, The Omni Parker House, Travel, Trixter

Salutations™!!1tix

Here’s the phone conversation:

The BCPF: “Hello.”
Me: “So, baby… I love you!”
The BCPF: “Um… I love you.”
Me: “I fixed the shower (it had been leaking really badly (I was proud of myself – that’s another conversation)).”
The BCPF: “Yay! Thank you.”
Me: “And… I love you!”
The BCPF (with trepidation): “I love you…?”
Me: “So, I made a little purchase today.”
The BCPF: “Okay…?”
Me: “You know how we’ve gone to several concerts to see your bands and you told me it was my turn next?”
The BCPF (cautiously): “Yeah…?”
Me: “Well, I purchased tickets to something. And, it’s on our anniversary weekend.”
The BCPF: “Okay…?”
Me (after a pregnant pause): “And… it’s in Boston.”
The BCPF: “WHOA!!!”
Me: “I LOVE YOU!”
The BCPF (stutteringly): “Wha… er… um…  Okay, so, two questions…”
Me: “Okay. I love you!”
The BCPF: “First: who is it?”
Me: “The Fixx.”
The BCPF: “Really!?”
Me: “Yep.”
The BCPF: “Okay… Second: how are you paying for this?”
Me: “I had a bit from a new sponsor.”
The BCPF: “So, I don’t have to pay for it?”
Me: “Nope. I’ve already done it.”
The BCPF (still stutteringly): “Wha… er… um… ”
Me: “I LOVE YOU!”

So, that’s almost word-for-stuttering-word the conversation. I partially blame Doug Davis, yes, that Doug Davis for it, although, it’s a good blame. You know, Dear Reader, how I post all these records that I listen to on my Instagram/Facebook/Twitter almost daily? Well, I posted one on Tuesday that was The Fixx’s Phantoms. Doug mentioned that they were still doing gigs with the classic lineup and that they were touring but nowhere around here. I said, “ROAD TRIP!!”

And, apparently, I wasn’t kidding. I went online, as one does, and looked up their tour. There was one in Nashville and some all across the country but here this one was on Labor Day, September 3. Our anniversary – you’ll remember because I don’t dare allow you to forget it – is on September 2. It just so happened to be in Boston. There were four tix left. I bought one. The venue, City Winery, only seats about 200 people it appears so it will be intimate.

We have both mentioned, several times, that we wanted to go to Boston one day. We are also the couple that will talk about doing stuff but won’t actually pull the trigger on making big plans until we “have reason to.” We haven’t been anywhere for our anniversary since our honeymoon and serendipity says that those two stones could be knocked out by one bird. That bird (or Bee-man) was me.

We agreed, once she was able to breathe, that we’d just have to tighten up and save for some stuff. Turns out, I had some Sky Miles with Delta and was able to book roundtrip tix from GSO to BOS for only $56 cash (travel insurance and all). Plus, I still have some Sky Miles to use later. So, that was taken care of. A reason and the transportation.

Now, just to find the right accommodations. I scanned my known inventory of hotels (no I’m no longer a travel agent, but I know where to look) and found something that I know that The BCPF would love (she loves classic “old” places) and settled on the Omni Parker House in the “North End (or just right outside of it)” which is about 2 blocks from the inspiration for Cheers (one of our favorite shows to watch together) and about that far from the venue to see the band. It’s on the “Freedom Trail” and we will get to do a lot of exploring of the “cradle of American civilization (as I call it),” Boston.

The hotel itself has a rich literary history involving both Edith Wharton and Charles Dickens (her two favorite authors) and other literary figures, plus it is where (allegedly) the Bostom Cream Pie was perfected and the Parker House roll was invented. There are about 30 more things I found about it but will save that for when I travel. It was also the least expensive in that area but still a 4-star hotel. We will be there for five nights.

As for The Fixx. I know that I like them. I love what I have heard, which is actually more than what they play on the radio, still. I have three albums by them and really, really dig them. They will be playing Reach the Beach in its entirety which celebrates its 35th anniversary in 12 days (3B’s birthday).  This is the album with “Saved By Zero” and “One Thing Leads to Another.” It’s also the farthest I’ve ever traveled to see a band. The previous record was driving to Greenville, South Carolina to see KISS, Jackyl, and Trixter. You’d think if I was going to do this it would be for my favorite band or at least one that I identify as a “fan” of. Like I said, I love what I have and will learn even more before September. I promise that! So, it looks like we’re going to have fun in Boston.

I know a good bit of you have been to Boston. What would you recommend? I know that she already has most of the trip planned already (not really) but I’d like to hear some “must see,” especially food places and beer places (yes, we’ll probably go to Samuel Adams). Thanks in advance for that!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Crying parents tell their children, ‘if you survive, don’t do as we did.’ A son exclaims there’ll be nothing to do to. Her daughter says she’ll be dead with you. While foreign affairs are screwing us rotten, line morale has hit rock bottom. Dying embers stand forgotten. Talks of peace were being trodden. Stand or fall. State your peace tonight.” – “Stand or Fall” (Curnin/West-Oram/Woods/Greenall/Barrett)

Been on My Way or: End of an Era

01 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by TGBII in Life as We Know It, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bee On Your Way Travel, Life, Travel

Salutations™!!

This morning I received confirmation that I have been allowed my release from the travel agency I was working with/under. This is a load off my mind. I love the travel business. I really do. However, it takes a lot of time and patience that I just don’t have. I don’t think I failed at the job, I just think it became such background in my life that I didn’t get to concentrate on it the way it deserved. BOYWT

I made a fair amount of money doing it, but the biggest problem I had was trying to convince people that they needed a travel agent. With OTAs (online travel agencies) such as Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, and the like people feel they can do it themselves. I get it. With loyalty programs and reward systems, it becomes easier to think that. I had resources to check all over the grid and I’ll admit I would book my stuff through the resorts or hotels directly. But, what I tried to convey to people is that you work so many hours a week to get the money to take a vacation, why will you spend just as many hours looking into vacation things that you may or may not be happy with. There’s way too much out there to choose from that it bogs you down. We as travel agents were there to take the work out of it for you. We weren’t there to find you “deals.” I wasn’t a dealer I was an agent. But, none of that matters now.

Turns out it cost me about half of what I made in commissions to even be able to call myself an agent and be able to book travel. I hadn’t booked anything in about three months, or even discussed it, other than a passing conversation with friends. It enabled me to take “FAM” trips (familiarization trips) but really, most of what was available to me wasn’t any more affordable than what I could book and it usually excluded The BCPF. She’s my travel and life partner and really, if she’s not going, I don’t want to do it.

So, anyway, this is my final resignation. I’ll still talk travel with anyone and I’ll offer advice on things if I’m asked (and I hope that I’m asked) but I can’t book anything any longer. I’ll miss it but it’s definitely for the better. Oh well. Travel on, anyways! Thanks to my clients and thanks for my friends who trusted me to get their travel worked out for them.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“What has happened to the good old-fashioned travel agent? I want to go to a really posh travel agent and have them organize everything for me. I don’t want to do things on the Internet.” – Jenny Eclair

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