Category Archives: booze tourism

booze tourism, tours

Food and wine in Switzerland, Italy, and Liechtenstein… part one

How did we end up in Italy and Switzerland again?

Yesterday, Bill and I got back from our eleven night food and wine odyssey, which mostly took place in Italy, but also included a night in Andermatt, Switzerland, and two nights in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. We also spent three nights in a castle in Torrechiara (near Parma), three nights in Florence, a night in Cortona, and another night in Florence. Our trip was busy, as it included a very intense, but brief, wine tour, as well as visits to places we’d never been, and a revisit for lunch in the coastal town of Viareggio, which I had last seen in 1997.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had initially demurred when this trip was proposed. We hadn’t been planning to go to Switzerland and Italy for our spring vacation, but had to be convinced that it would be a good idea to go there. Left to my own devices, I probably would have chosen to go somewhere else, mainly because I like variety, and we’ve been neglecting other countries because of COVID-19. We are way overdue for a trip to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Poland, for instance. We went to Switzerland and Italy in 2020, and we visited Zurich, Switzerland last summer, so it seemed too soon to be going to those places again.

I also wanted to go somewhere where COVID-19 policies were less onerous, because frankly, I’m really tired of the rules and restrictions. I know this might not be a politically correct thing to admit. Many people still think we should be wearing masks and locking down, but having been in Germany the whole time COVID has existed, I am, quite frankly, fed up with the rules. In fairness, the rules have been much stricter in Europe than they have been in the United States. And yet, in spite of the stricter rules, people have still gotten the virus.

Anyway, Tom De Vries, a Florence based member of the Facebook wine group I run, owns a business selling beautiful Tuscan wines and leading wine tours in Tuscany. We’ve purchased a few wine boxes from Tom’s business, Sommelier’s Choices. While the boxes are not inexpensive, Bill and I have genuinely enjoyed the wines he’s sent to us. One day a couple of months ago, Tom sent me a private message, asking if Bill and I would be interested in joining his tour starting April 28th.

I have to confess that my initial reaction to his query wasn’t particularly positive. At the time Tom made his pitch, there were still a bunch of people arguing about COVID-19 and what should be done about the rules. I don’t always do well in groups, because I have the kind of personality that people tend to love or hate. I like to do things at my own pace, and I can be particular about food and accommodations. I also didn’t want to be stuck in a vehicle or touring wineries wearing a face mask. I legitimately hate wearing masks, and I go out of my way to avoid situations in which I have to wear them.

If anyone is offended by that statement, keep in mind my comment that I do my best to try to avoid situations in which masks are necessary. I do wear the masks when I’m required to, but I don’t like having to do it, and would much rather not. I figure that I don’t have to like wearing masks, as long as I comply with the rules. Vacations that require face masks aren’t fun for me, and I was afraid they would be required for the wine tour, either due to local laws, or because of other participants who preferred to wear them and imposed their preferences on everybody else.

I’m happy to report that face masks weren’t an issue at all on the tour, though masks were required for a good portion of our time in Italy. I’ll get more into that further into the series, since I did make some observations about COVID prevention measures in Italy that I haven’t seen in Germany. I was also surprised that Italy did away with masks in most public places later than Germany did. I would not have expected that, since Italians seem to be more laid back about a lot of things than Germans are. In some ways, Italy’s mask rules are stricter than Germany’s are, although to be fair, Italy got hit really hard with COVID-19 when the pandemic began.

I finally changed my mind about taking the trip because it was very obvious that Bill wanted to do it. He has become quite the food and wine aficionado, and he really has enjoyed Tom’s wine boxes. Bill also BADLY needed a vacation. He had leave to burn up, and was really jonesing for a trip somewhere. Before COVID, we used to do a lot of short breaks, which gave him a chance to recharge. We have been doing less of that over the past two years. But, I have to admit, for many reasons, I actually kind of wanted Bill to drive us in our own car on the tour. Again, I’m not very good at groups… Of course, now I know that wouldn’t have been a great idea. 😉

In spite of my initial misgivings, this trip turned out to be a good one, because we went to some places I’ve been wanting to see for a long time, and we returned to a couple of places to where I’ve wanted to return. I also finally got to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which I know many of my fellow military community friends have visited. In spite of my years living abroad and extensive travel, I had not had a chance to visit Pisa before last week. It was also great to walk around Viareggio, which I had the pleasure of visiting back in 1997, at a time when I thought I might never have a chance to see Europe again. And we spent two nights in Vaduz, which we had previously visited very briefly in 2009. Since Liechtenstein is technically a country, I was happy to add it to the itinerary– even if it does bear a strong resemblance to Austria and Switzerland.

So yes, even though I had some doubts about this trip when it was initially proposed, we did have a great time. I would also highly recommend Tom De Vries as a tour guide, especially if you’re into wines. He did a great job introducing us to some wonderful small wineries and great food. Again, more on that as the series progresses. This will probably be a long series, due to the length of the trip and its many facets. We stayed in SIX different hotels. I hope some people will follow along, anyway. I know of at least a few who will. So, let’s get down to it, shall we?

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booze tourism, short breaks

Paul Simon or bust… Our Dublin getaway! Part eight

Easy like Sunday morning…  we slept until about 8:00am, which is almost unheard of these days, even on the weekends.  Sunday morning was our last breakfast at the Merrion Hotel, although as it turned out, we totally could have had breakfast on Monday if we’d wanted to.  In fact, I wish we had done that, since the all purpose lounge at the Dublin airport kind of sucks.  For some reason, the breakfast menu on Sunday was abbreviated.  Maybe it was because we came down a little later.  Maybe it’s because it was Sunday.  I don’t know.

It rained on Sunday morning, which was significant because Ireland had gone 40 days without any significant rain.  The drought has scorched the grass pretty badly and, in fact, it was bad enough that a major archaeological find was discovered about thirty miles north of Dublin.

Bill had pancakes with blueberry compote and I had scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.

Oops… I guess I didn’t pay close enough attention to Bill’s face when I took this…  

The eggs were very good.

 

We had big plans for the afternoon.  I booked afternoon “art tea” for us at the Merrion Hotel.  It was easy to make the booking through Open Table.  Since it wasn’t due to start until 1:30pm, we needed to find something to do in the morning.  I proposed a visit to the Jameson Distillery Tour on Bow Street in Dublin.  We had yet another entertaining cab driver and we were his last fare of the day, so he was quite animated as we discussed topics ranging from Scientology to Donald Trump.  Then he let us off in front of a very high speed looking hostel, where he got out himself because he needed to pee.

We had to do a little searching to find the visitor’s center for Jameson’s, which now only serves as a visitor’s center and not a distillery.  Until 1970, this was where Jameson’s Whiskey was made.  It is now made in County Cork in southern Ireland.  However, although the facility was renovated in 2017, some original features from the original structure built in 1780 remain.  And instead of making whiskey, the place serves as a big commercial for Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, which I will admit is quite nice.

The entrance.

Below are some photos from our tour.  Although we usually go for the more involved experiences, we didn’t have time for anything beyond the basic guided tour, which ran for about about 40 minutes. Also, we had forgotten that on Sundays, one cannot purchase alcohol before 12:30pm.  We were at the distillery in time for the 10:45 tour and were allowed to taste whiskey, but not buy any.  It made perfect sense why the more detailed tours were offered after 1:00pm.  They probably figure that after learning how to make cocktails or blending whiskey, people will be more inclined to buy whiskey in their shop.  We wanted to buy whiskey, but didn’t want to wait until 12:30 pm.

Nice bar area, complete with chandeliers made with Jameson’s bottles.

Sine Metu– without fear.

And the variety of tours one can take.  We did the Bow St. Experience, led by a winsome lad named Adam.

The Bow Street Experience basically consists of hearing about the history of the Jameson brand in one room, then moving to another room, where the process is described.  Actually, having been to way too many scotch whisky distilleries and, by now, knowing the whisky/whiskey making process by heart, I must commend Jameson for their presentation.  It’s interactive and Adam was a good speaker– funny and entertaining.

You can actually see and smell for yourself as the tour guide uses a very nice backlit display to explain the process of making whiskey.

I was imagining Adam would make a good teacher.  His presentation skills and wit were impeccable.

We were given a sample of Scotland’s leading blended whisky, Johnnie Walker Black, a sample of Jameson’s Whiskey, and a sample of Jack Daniels Black Label, which I hadn’t had since my college days.  It was interesting to taste the differences.

Ahh… we get to taste it!

I like how they help out with the logistics of bringing the booze back in luggage…

At the end of the tour, you get your choice of whiskey neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail with lime juice and ginger ale.  I had the cocktail, which was nice.  Bill drank his neat.

The “Daily Grog”, which employees were given at the start and end of every shift.  Now they only give it at the end of the day.

A glimpse of the aging room below the main level.

The area around the distillery is pretty nice.  There are restaurants, places to shop, and on the day of our visit, it looked like they were setting up for a concert, complete with food trucks.

Bill used a handy app to summon a taxi.  It was remarkably effective and we could even watch the taxi’s progress as it made its way to us.  It took just three minutes.  The taxi driver got us back to the hotel at about 12:30 pm and we got dressed up for our afternoon “art tea”, scheduled for 1:30pm.  More on that in the next post.

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Baden-Württemberg, booze tourism

Whisky tasting at Best Whisky in Stuttgart…

My friend, Rick, has just accepted a new job in Rota, Spain.  He will be leaving soon, so he decided to host a whisky tasting at Best Whisky in Stuttgart.  I’m not sure if Rick has hosted these gatherings before.  I get the feeling he’s been a regular at this little whisky shop near the Schwabstrasse metro stop.  All I know is that he invited me and Bill to attend, and we’re almost always game for a tasting.  That is, unless it’s snowing, which it did all day yesterday in Unterjettingen.

To be honest, Bill and I did think briefly about whether or not we really wanted to go out in the weather.  But then I realized that I almost never regret attending social activities, even if I can be slow to get dressed most days, especially when the weather sucks.  Winter weather can especially make me want to hole up in a cave and hibernate.  I think what settled the decision in favor of attending was that we were out of whisky.  Thanks to last night’s festivities, we are now flush with the stuff… along with a new bottle of rum from Barbados.

First thing’s first.  Remember that whisky, with no “e” in the name, comes from Scotland.  Whiskey with an “e” comes from Ireland or elsewhere.  What we had last night were whiskys from Scotland and, boy, were they “heavenly”– if you like scotch, that is, which I do…  Speaking of heaven, our whisky expert also talked about the “angel’s share”, which is the part of the whisky that evaporates as it ages.  The whiskys we tried last night were all aged.

We paid 55 euros at the door for six whiskys plus an seventh of our choosing up to five euros.  That covered most of the whiskys in the shop, with the exception of a few.  Our host explained that if we wanted to try one that was more than five euros, we would have to pay a surcharge.

The cover charge we paid also included light food and all the water we needed, as well as use of the WC.  I should mention there’s also a public WC right across the street from the shop.  We’ve passed it many times on the way into and out of Stuttgart Mitte.  I’ve always been morbidly curious about it and now I can go to my grave with my curiosity about that particular public toilet satisfied.

Because of the obvious dangers of driving after a whisky tasting, Bill and I took the train from Herrenberg to Schwabstrasse.  In the course of getting to the event, I also learned that Herrenberg has a public WC– one that I hope to never need to use again.  Still, it’s good to know that they have one and that it’s even free of charge to use.

Below are some pictures from our event.  There were twelve of us in attendance.  Rick said he’d needed at least ten people, so I’m especially glad we didn’t bail.

The outside of the shop, right on the main drag as you come into downtown Stuttgart from A81.  It’s probably best to take public transportation there, especially if you plan to do any tasting.  The Schwabstrasse metro stop is about a ten minute walk.

The inside of the shop.  We were seated in an area obviously set up for tastings, with tables and a large bar full of open bottles of whisky.

Bill enjoys the first dram, Glen Garoich 16 years Renaissance Chapter 2.  This was a Highland whisky at 51.4% ABV and normally retails for 99 euros.  We were given a 10 percent discount last night, so it was offered for 89,10 euros.  This shop also accepts the VAT form, which we used for our purchases last night.

Some snacks.  It was light fare, but appetizing and tasty… and basically healthy.

Another shot of the whisky tasting room.  I really should have taken a picture of the table with snacks, which included butter pretzels, smoked salmon wraps, small Greek salads, curry chicken sandwiches, and some type of pork/bread thing that I couldn’t identify (but did nevertheless enjoy).  The snacks helped absorb the whisky, which is always a good thing.

Bill checks out the color on another dram we tried.  I will name them all at the bottom of this post.  They were all interesting and unusual whiskys we hadn’t had before.

The bar with all of the whiskys available for tasting.

The man of the hour, teaching us about what we were trying in his shop.  I found him to be very knowledgable, engaging, interesting, and even funny…  And I probably would have felt that way even if I weren’t drinking whisky.  Bill said more than once that we’ll have to go back.

Hanging on to the last shred of sobriety…  

 

Actually, I’m kidding.  The evening was paced in such a way that most of us were still standing straight and tall as we called it a night.  Bill and I left at 8:30pm.  Since the event started at 5:00pm, we enjoyed a very substantial night’s entertainment.

Best Whisky specializes in whisky, but they do also have a few other bottles there.  As I mentioned before, we bought a bottle of rum from Barbados.  I also noticed gin for sale, which makes sense since at least one of the whisky distilleries whose wares are sold at that shop also makes gin.

One thing I noticed and liked about last night’s festivities was that I got to meet people I’d never met before.  When the event first started, most folks talked to the people they knew.  In our case, it was Rick.  But alcohol has a way of loosening tongues and lowering inhibitions (not that mine need much lowering).  Before we knew it, we were chatting with new people, all of whom were interesting and pleasant company.  It was just the right sized group for mingling, too.  I even got to talk up the whisky cruise we took in 2016 on Hebridean Princess.

Here’s a picture of last night’s program…  One of the whiskys we tried was 45 years old and absolutely heavenly.

I wish I could remember the two whiskys we tried that were our choice.  I told Bill to pick them and by the time he did, my attention span was wandering a bit.

We really had a good time at Best Whisky last night.  Special thanks to Rick for arranging it and to all of the other participants who made it such a good time!  I’ll be adding Best Whisky to my list of go to places for good spirits in Stuttgart!

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booze tourism

Booze! A guide to wine shops in the Stuttgart area of Germany…

Hello folks.  Every once in awhile, I like to write posts that are comparative in nature.  Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to try out a few wine stores near us and I thought it might be interesting to write about the pros and cons of each.

Naturally, you can always buy wine on post (if you have access and/or purchasing privileges) or at your favorite grocery store like Edeka, Aldi, or Real.  Those locations are givens.  I wanted to highlight stores that specifically focus on wine.  I’ve written about each place before, so I will link to my first posts about them so those who are interested can read about my first impressions.

Vinum!  Our favorite wine store.

Probably my all time favorite wine store in the area is Vinum in Tübingen.  I will admit that I mostly like that store for sentimental reasons.  We used to shop there all the time when we lived in Germany the first time.  I still like to go there and will go out of my way to visit for several reasons.  First off, they have a great selection of wines.  It’s not a huge store, but there are plenty of wines to choose from and quite a few are available for tasting.  They also have wine on tap and, as long as you have a bottle (you can buy one there if you want), you can load up on cheap, good quality wines.

Secondly, Vinum offers more than just wine.  They have a small selection of gourmet foods.  They also sell exotic beers and fine liquors and liqueurs, as well as nice booze related gifts.  Their staff is very helpful and speak English.  Sometimes they host events on the weekends for wines and spirits.  I also think their building is very cool.  It reminds me of a cave.  Bill and I have shopped there extensively, both times we’ve lived in Germany, so we’re very familiar with the store.  In fact, it may be time to pay them another visit soon.

Inside the Alte Brennerei in Herrenberg.

In second place, I think I’d put Alte Brennerei, a wine store Bill and I discovered just a couple of weeks ago in Herrenberg.  Alte Brennerei is a fairly small store in comparison to Vinum, but the proprietor is very friendly, speaks great English, and offers a good variety of wines.  She also has a small selection of gourmet items, though not as many as Vinum does, and will offer to do tastings for small groups.  She doesn’t have a wide range of liquors available or wines on tap, but she does have plenty of whiskys.  Since Bill and I like scotch, we like Alte Brennerei.  A bonus is that right across the street is a cheese shop and right next door is the adorable Lamm Gasthof, a great place for a bite to eat.

Jacques’ Wein Depot in Ludwigsburg.

In third place, I’d choose Jacques’ Wein Depot, a chain wine store that has locations all over Germany.  One advantage to visiting the Wein Depot is that there are a lot of convenient locations.  This store also allows patrons to try almost every wine they sell.

The reason I put Jacques Wein Depot in third place is because when we visited, the salespeople did not seem all that interested in helping us.  This is not such a big deal to us, since we pretty much know what we like.  It could be a problem for less experienced wine drinkers.  Also, I did not get the impression that the guys who were working at the Wein Depot spoke English.  Again, not a huge deal, but potentially less helpful for English speakers who don’t know what they like.

I also think the Wein Depot lacks the charm of of Vinum and Alte Brennerei, stores that have a personal touch.  Jacques’ Wein Depot is a chain; as such, it lacks a certain mysticism.  However, I did think the wines were probably better priced at Wein Depot as opposed to the other two stores.  Generally speaking, that is the advantage of visiting a chain store over an individual location.

Vom Fass.

Likewise, Vom Fass, another chain wine store is kind of similar to Jacques’ Wein Depot.  Although we visited one when we went to Ulm in August, I haven’t yet really had a chance to write a review of one.  Vom Fass also has several locations near Stuttgart and elsewhere in Germany.  It seems to be more of an all purpose store, offering wines, vinegars, oils, and other gourmet items.  Jacques’ Wein Depot, by contrast, appears to be all about the wine.

Wein Kreis in Stuttgart.

There are definitely other stores in the area we haven’t tried yet.  For example, there’s a wine store/ wine bar in Stuttgart we have yet to visit.  It’s right next to the Markthalle, though, and we usually load up on wines when we visit the Markthalle.  Next time we visit Dr. Blair, which should be next week for a cleaning, we will have to stop by the Wein Kreis store in Stuttgart and try it out.  I will definitely update then.

The lovely thing about living in Germany is that there’s always a place to buy great wine for not much money.  You don’t have to visit a wine store to find something good, though it sure can be fun shopping in one!  This weekend, I hope to find a few more wines when we visit France!

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booze tourism, whisky distilleries

A repost of my review of the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh, Scotland…

This review was originally posted on the now defunct review site, Epinions.com.  Although it’s a few years old, I figured it could be useful reading on this blog for those planning a trip to Scotland.  I also like to preserve my old reviews when I can.  So here it is for all those interested…

    • Going to Edinburgh? Learn about scotch whisky!

      Review by knotheadusc
       in Books, Music, Hotels & Travel
        December, 10 2012

Pros: Fun, informative, campy.

Cons: Kind of pricey for what it is. No discussion of Campbeltown whiskies.

    • My husband Bill and I just got back from a 17 day trip to Scotland. We spent two nights in Glasgow, ten nights on the Hebridean Princess, and four nights in Edinburgh. One of the ways I managed to sell Bill on the trip to Scotland was reminding him of the prospect of getting to tour whisky distilleries. We visited both the Arran and Springbank distilleries while we were on our cruise and learned a whole lot about the process of making scotch. Nevertheless, when we approached Edinburgh Castle after a long walk on The Royal Mile, I talked Bill into The Scotch Whisky Experience, which is a tourist attraction designed to teach visitors to Edinburgh about Scotland’s national drink.

Bill and I are not strangers to booze tourism. We’ve visited a beer spa, a beer museum, and Vinopolis, in London, which is basically a museum dedicated to boozers. When we first walked into the Scotch Whisky Experience, I was reminded a lot of Vinopolis. There, on the wall, was a menu of the types of tours that were available. They ran the gamut and included everything to a master class for experience scotch drinkers to tours designed for elementary school aged kids. The desk agent told us a “silver” or “gold” tour was available within the next five minutes. The silver tour was the cheapest tour available and included a trip through the exhibit and a single scotch tasting.

Because Bill and I are hedonists, we went for the gold tour, which included everything included in the silver tour, plus a year’s membership in the Scotch Whisky Experience, which entitled us to discounts on merchandise and admission, and at the end of the tour, a scotch tasting which included whiskies from four different whisky producing areas in Scotland. The gold tour cost 22.50 pounds per person, while the silver tour was 12.75. Since we later learned the whisky tasting we got at the end cost about nine pounds, we thought this was fair enough. A “platinum tour” is also available at certain times of the day. It includes more scotch tasting, including one aged 21 years.

The “experience”

The first part of the Scotch Whisky Experience is admittedly pretty silly. It basically consists of a short ride in a whisky barrel while a campy guy in a film explains the basic process of making scotch. It’s entertaining enough. I’m sure it’s a big hit with kids, not that we saw any in there with us. That part of the tour takes a few minutes.

Then, you’re taken into a room where you are handed a scratch and sniff card with four colored circles on it. Each color represents a scotch region and the usual aromas associated with that region. A tour guide gives a brief talk about the different scotch regions: Islay, Speyside, Highlands, and Lowlands. There is a fifth region, Campbeltown, which used to be the scotch capitol of the world. Sadly, there are now only three distilleries in Campbeltown and I gathered it’s not too easy to get whisky from there, since this region wasn’t covered. Luckily, Bill and I visited Campbeltown and it’s biggest distillery, Springbank, when we were on our cruise. As you discuss the different essences from each scotch region, you scratch and sniff the corresponding color.

During the lecture, the tour guide hands out tasting glasses and asks which region you want to taste scotch from. I elected Speyside, while Bill tasted a scotch from Islay. The tasting glass is yours to keep.

After that, you visit the world’s largest scotch whisky collection. There are over 3,000 bottles in this collection, some of which are very old. None of the bottles have been opened, yet some of them have been exposed to air, which has led to evaporation.

At the end of the tour, you go into the McIntyre Whisky Gallery to see more of the collection, as well as the world’s largest bottle of scotch, which is about as tall as I am. There is a large bar in there, which offers hundreds of different scotches for tasting. You pay extra to taste scotches in the gallery, unless you’ve purchased the tasting by getting the gold tour. The scotch tasting that comes with the gold tour includes four scotches from different regions which rotate regularly. One couple that was on the tour with us and got the silver tour opted to purchase the tasting afterwards; they got one and split it.

If you want a whisky that isn’t included in the tasting, you have to pay for it. By the time we were done with our tasting, we were a little scotched out!

The Scotch Whisky Experience also has the Amber Restaurant. Bill and I did not eat there, but there is a tour that includes a meal in the restaurant or you could opt to eat there independently of the tour. I’m pleased to confirm that there are clean restroom facilities available, too.

You can’t leave the tour without walking through the shop, which offers a lot of whiskies for sale. We already had two bottles of scotch from touring distilleries, but Bill did buy a couple of minis so he could try a couple of whiskies he can’t get in the US. Sadly, you can only bring one bottle of liquor per person to the USA from abroad without paying duties.

Overall

Bill and I enjoyed the Scotch Whisky Experience. However, we probably would have been more impressed with it had we not already visited a couple of actual distilleries! If you’re just going to be in Edinburgh and are interested in how scotch is made, I think the Scotch Whisky Experience is worth seeing. It was a fun tour that ate up an hour or so.

For more information: http://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/index.php

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booze tourism

Part 9… Sunday morning at Kilchoman Distillery…

I mentioned in a previous post that Bill and I aren’t church people.  But we sure felt the spirit on Sunday morning, March 20th, when we visited Kilchoman Distillery on Islay.  After a hearty breakfast at the Columba restaurant, many intrepid whisky enthusiasts clambered off the Hebridean Princess and back on the old schoolbus with the busted seatbelts and boogers for a trip for one of Scotland’s newest distilleries.  The drive to Kilchoman was breathtakingly beautiful as we passed many fields of grazing sheep, lightning fast hares, wandering partridges, and majestic herds of deer.

We were originally scheduled to visit the Bowmore Distillery, but for some reason, that plan was changed in favor of Kilchoman.  I am mostly glad we went there.  I say mostly because I suspect that I picked up a nasty stomach bug at the Kilchoman Distillery.  I will explain more about that later.  For now, I will just say that I forgot my education at this lovely place as a very friendly staffer hopped on our bus near the distillery and guided us in.

The Kilchoman Distillery was founded in 2005.  It was the first distillery to be built on Islay in 124 years.  It is one of six Scottish distilleries still doing floor maltings (and I guess we must have seen two of the others during our cruise) and is unique in that all steps of the whisky making process are done on Islay.  Our guide, Leha, explained that the owners had just purchased the adjacent farm, giving them plenty of room to grow their own barley and feed whatever’s leftover from the whisky making process to the farm’s own livestock.

More barley malting…

Another kiln…

We were a little delayed waiting for people to use the restroom, which wasn’t such a good thing.  The staff at the distillery had made fresh scones for us.  One group enjoyed the scones while the rest of us toured the facility.  We were supposed to flip flop, but ran short of time.  I managed to grab a scone to go, anyway.

Spirit safe.

Here’s where things get a bit sketchy, though.  At one point, Leha pulled a metal tubelike container out of one of the tanks.  It was full of wort.  She passed it around and invited people to try it.  Though I had tried the wort at Laphroaig (whose staffers were kind enough to put it in little plastic communion cups for us), Leha simply passed the metal tube around.  And I was dumb enough to try it.  I think this is where I ended up picking up the stomach bug that made things go so awry on the last day.  I don’t know for certain, but my guess is that I am not the only one who paid for that mistake.

I’m mostly pretty good about hygiene, especially on cruise ships.  I wash my hands and use the alcohol cleansers, although those are not effective against Norovirus.  I usually only share glasses with Bill.  But I forgot myself while I was on this distillery tour and I think that’s what caused me to get so sick; not coming from the UK, I was not used to the bug that invaded my body so quickly.  It didn’t even have to be someone from our cruise that spread the germ.  Norovirus can survive a long time without a host.  I hasten to add, I don’t even know that I definitely had Norovirus, but I sure had all the symptoms of it.  And based on how long it took for me to get sick, then Bill, I have a feeling I got it at Kilchoman and then spread it to him and perhaps a few other unlucky people.

I thought the bottling machine was pretty cool.  Also, I was surprisingly interested in how they came to choose their distinctive bottles.

Apparently, it’s hard to break those suckers, even when you drop them.

Sample time.  Besides whisky, Kilchoman makes a liqueur that I immediately dubbed a “lady’s drink”.  

It is possible that I got sick on the ship or somewhere else, but remembering what I did during the cruise, I really think I got the bug when I tasted the wort at Kilchoman.  It takes a minute amount of the virus to infect someone and that seems like the most obvious time it would have happened.

But just because I got a stomach bug, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the tour and Kilchoman’s products immensely.  In fact, Bill was very excited to pick up a bottle of Kilchoman to take home with us.  It may be awhile before I want to drink any whisky, but I bet he’ll be opening it soon.  And, if anyone from Kilchoman reads this, I loved visiting your facility.  I just hope you’ll follow Laphroaig’s lead and provide little individual cups for people who want to taste the wort.  And, I also hope I learned my lesson in hygiene.  Fat lot of good that master’s degree in public health did me!  The wort isn’t even that tasty, though on the bright side, at least my immune system got some practice.

Unfortunately, we were a bit rushed out of Kilchoman.  We had to get back to the ship because we were headed for the Jura Distillery that afternoon.  Jura is another island.  But, at least until I started hurling a couple of days later, I had a glowing impression of Kilchoman and my experience there taught me to remember not to drink from communal containers.

Bill’s butternut squash soup.

More seafood for me…

I had a smoked salmon sandwich.

Bill had Irish stew.

Rice pudding for Bill.

Ice cream for me.  I was blissfully oblivious about what was coming.

 
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booze tourism, short breaks

Beer and Fucking Tour… and finally, swimming in beer at the Starkenberger beer pools!

Sometime during or after Bill’s last tour of duty in Germany, I found out about the Starkenberger Beer Pools, basically big stainless steel vats rendered obsolete by the modernization of beer making.  Someone involved with the brewery in Tarrenz, Austria had the bright idea to turn the huge vats into “swimming pools” for paying customers.  Given that I love beer tourism with all my heart, and we have a lot more money now than we did last time we lived here, I easily convinced Bill that this was an experience worth paying 250 euros for.  So in August, Bill sent an email to the brewery asking to reserve a pool for last night.

When Bill inquired about reserving the pool, he got a pleasant response letting him know the pools were available.  He wrote back asking them to expect us and figured they had penciled us in, even though he never got a confirmation.  The email advised that we could reserve the pool for after 5:00, which, as it turns out, is when the tours end.  At 10:00, we’d have to vacate.  And we were allowed to drink all the beer we wanted.  We were limited to four people using the pool.

Starkenberger Brewery also has a restaurant (which was closed for ruhetag yesterday) and a “Biermythos” museum.  I think the grounds are also beautiful, though due to the weather, we didn’t get to see much of them.  I wanted to see the museum, so I told Bill we should go to the brewery right after we were done at Highline 179.  It turned out that it was a lucky thing I’d suggested that.

Front of the brewery and the museum.

After stopping in a nearby town to get some cash (not sure if you have to pay in cash, but Bill wanted to be prepared), we showed up at the brewery.  There was… you guessed it… a large tourbus group there.  The tour guide went to speak to the lady running the shop before Bill had a chance to ask her about the beer pool.  When he did, the lady looked confused, then a little panicked.  She was not expecting us.

First, she said that the pool had to be reserved in advance and costs 250 euros.  Bill said he knew and he had reserved it.  And he had the cash in hand.  Then she asked if he had the email.  He had to turn roaming on his cell phone because although he had printed the emails, he had forgotten to bring them.  Then, the lady said she needed to prepare the pool, so we might not be able to go in right at five.  That was fine with us.  I asked if we could see the museum.  She said yes and handed us a packet of information in English, which basically told us what we were looking at.

The brewery tour costs 7 euros per person, but since we were paying to use the beer pool, we didn’t have to pay for the tour.  It’s entirely self-guided and you go at your own pace.  Don’t be surprised if you run into a beer maker as you make your way through.

Entrance to the museum.

The tour was very interesting, but I really needed to use the ladies room because my lunchtime beer had processed and, truthfully, I was there for the pool!  I rushed through the exhibits a bit.  We finally got to the big hall where we could taste some of the products made at the brewery.  The tour group was there and they were all drinking beer.  The tour guide who had spoken to the shopkeeper ahead of us told us the beer was one euro each.  Bill paid it, even though he didn’t have to.  I think she got a kick out of getting tipped by the clueless Americans.

While we were exploring the museum, the shopkeeper found the email Bill sent.  She later explained that she’d been on holiday during that time, so her assistant had been the one who had answered Bill.  For some reason, she never saw the follow up email Bill sent.  She presented us with a bottle of beer liqueur and Starkenberger single malt liqueur for our troubles (yes, they do make whiskey and liqueurs, too– whiskey is basically made the same way beer is).  That was a very nice and totally unnecessary, but much appreciated, gesture.

It was lucky that we got there early.  If we hadn’t, we might have been disappointed.  If this post makes you want to reserve a pool at the Starkenberger brewery, make sure you get a confirmation from them.  Also, print out the emails you send and have them with you when you show up.

After the rowdy tour group cleared out, the shopkeeper found us and said it was no problem to use the beer pool at 5:00.  She prepared it for us and offered us robes, slippers, and towels.  We had our own towels and I had a robe, but we did use the slippers.  Then, at 5:00, we went to her, paid 250 euros, and she invited us to the beer pool.  She said she’d be back at 10:00 and we were welcome to use the infrared sauna and showers and drink as much beer as we wanted.  There was a tap with lager in the beer pool room or we could go back to the tasting room and get the biologic or dark beer from there.  I’d already had a few from the tasting room and I was itching to try the pool.

She set up a couple of lounge chairs for us and told us to have a good time.  Then she left us completely alone to enjoy the pool at our leisure!  Let me just say, it was awesome.  We had a wonderful time!  And honestly, after the beer pool experience, other beer spas will probably pale in comparison.  One of the things I loved most about the beer pool was all the cool art on the walls.  Whoever painted in there had a great, raunchy sense of humor!  I noticed all the people in the murals were naked and had hilarious expressions on their faces.

Cool exhibit in beer pool room showing how beer ferments.

Beer tap.  All you can drink.  Plastic cups for safety.

Sauna.

Showers.

Yes, you can do this… or, at least we could.  The naughty murals were inspiring.  

Someone’s gloves on a beam.  We thought they might be trunks.

I liked the panorama room, with its beautiful mural and scene of the surrounding countryside.

One of many empty glasses.

This was the information about what we were seeing.  The museum has information in several languages.

The last room in the museum.

The way the pool looked before we got in.

At the beginning of our dip in the pool.

Check out the art!

We took a short break on the loungers because we needed to de-wrinkle a bit.

Bill was loving it!

Toward the end of our adventure.

A funny poem in the bathroom.

There is a special bathroom for patrons of the beer pool not to be used by employees or regular visitors.

Last look at the pool before we left…

I am about 5’2″ tall.  The warm water and beer mixture came up to my chin.  It was deeper than the pool we had in our backyard in Texas and, yes, you really can swim in it.  We got in the pool, swam around, drank lots of beer, and eventually ditched our swimsuits.  We stayed until about 8:00, then decided we’d had enough of our decadent beer pool adventure.  One thing we didn’t bring but should have is soap and shampoo.  But the shower worked fine for hosing off the beer aroma.

Gift!

We had an unforgettable time at the beer pool.  Yes, it was absolutely worth paying 250 euros to do it, especially after hiking up a mountain.  The hot beer water did nice things for my sore muscles.  Would we do it again?  Maybe, if we had the opportunity and the extra money.  One thing I will mention is that I had forgotten that the Tirol region is full of curvy, two lane roads.  If we did go to the beer pool again, I think we would stay in a hotel closer to Tarrenz than Lermoos because driving on dark, wet, curvy mountain roads after enjoying beer is not the safest idea.  Fortunately, Bill was very careful about not drinking much.  I have noticed that after my dips at the beer spas, my skin and hair is looking great!

Dinner last night at the hotel.  I was gushing about the beer pool!  And I was also a bit tipsy.

A video about the Starkenberger beer pool.  Here, I see they didn’t fill it as high and they served beer in glass.  


We checked out of the hotel this morning.  The innkeepers had put a little goodbye card in the menu holder on our table.  It was a very nice gesture.  We said goodbye to the tour group and got on the road, experiencing no issues at the border.  We got home at about 11:45am, after making a stop at that same exit where I ran into the pooping, farting lady.  I think I speak for Bill when I say that our Beer and Fucking tour is sure to go down as one of our best trips.  We had a marvelous time.  I can’t wait to start planning our next adventure!

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booze tourism

Beer and Fucking Tour… a visit to Fuckersberg… and peeing on a snake!

Sunday morning, we were up bright and early, ready to move on to our next location.  After breakfast, we loaded up the car and checked out of the hotel.  Our total bill for two nights, two beer spa packages (beer bath, partial massages, and four course beer menu), Friday night’s four course “menu” dinner, and several beers, came to about 480 euros.

I noticed that the proprietor meant to take the day off.  She had set a sheet of paper with hotel keys on it next to the names of people scheduled to check in.  I guess these folks would later show up, grab their keys, and deal with the check in process later.  Obviously, the lady in charge was going to rest and enjoy her Sunday.  As we were about to leave, she showed up in a beautiful dirndl, said goodbye, and wished us a pleasant trip.

I really enjoyed staying at the Moorhof, even though it’s a bit 80s and in a somewhat rural area.  Salzburg is close enough to visit for those who need to see a city, yet the hotel is in a very serene, beautiful area.  The food is good.  The prices are reasonable.  There’s plenty of free parking and there are many places to take walks.  And, if you want to, you can even rent an “old time” tractor and go for a ride.  Though I thought Franking was lovely, I really liked the friendly people.  I would go back there if I ever need a place to completely unplug.  Franking is very tranquil and serene.

After we settled up, I told Bill that I was dying to see a place called Fuckersberg.  I was alerted to the existence of this place in Austria by ListOfTheDay, a hilarious guy on Facebook who posts funny stuff.  He claims he lives in Fuckersberg.  He’s hysterical and now runs the Everything 70s group on Facebook.

Anyway, because we were in Austria, I had to see this mystical place called Fuckersberg, even though we had big trouble pulling it up on the GPS.  While plenty of people posted pictures of Fucking, no one had posted pictures of Fuckersberg.  Yet I knew from Google (and now having seen it) that it’s a real place.  So, even though it was Sunday and Fuckersberg is over an hour northeast from Franking and in the opposite direction of where we were going, I convinced Bill to take me there.  Since it wasn’t in the GPS, we picked a small town about three miles from Fuckersberg’s location per Google maps.

The drive to Fuckersberg was absolutely beautiful!  I was really enjoying the scenery.  Unfortunately, I eventually really had to pee.  Since it was Sunday, a lot of places were closed.  I determined that I needed to find a bush somewhere.  As a side note, since we moved back to Europe, I am finding that I have fewer and fewer inhibitions when it comes to public urination.

Bill found a spot on the side of the road near a wooded area.  I don’t think we were supposed to park there and given what happened, I kind of wish we hadn’t.  But my bladder was screaming and I spotted a place I could duck behind and relieve myself quickly…

I ducked behind here… it was a good hiding spot for a whiz…

I was pretty pleased with myself for finding this particular spot, even though there were briars and debris back there.  I had just dropped my pants and squatted down when I spotted a stick near my foot.  As the first drops of urine flowed to the ground, I saw the stick move and realized that I was actually peeing on a snake who had the misfortune of hiding back there while I took a much needed whiz.  I let out a small scream, finished up, and rushed out from behind the machinery.  Later, I looked up the snake…  It wasn’t very big, nor was it poisonous.  Still, it gave me the creeps.  In fairness, I guess I gave it the creeps, too.  ETA: My German friend Susanne thinks maybe it was a different kind of snake.  She’s probably right.  Anyway, it was sort of gray and brown and not very scary.  Just creepy.

Near Fuckersberg…

We finally got to a town called Zell an der Pram, which is near Fuckersberg.  Bill turned on roaming services on his phone and we used Google GPS to get to the exact place where Fuckersberg is.  Fuckersberg is in a very beautiful area, but I could tell the locals aren’t used to strange people cruising through there.  One lady gave us a bewildered look as we drove past.  She was saddling her horse for a morning ride.  We passed her again when we determined that Fuckersberg only has one sign.  It’s pretty small and you could very easily miss it.  But here it is in all its fabled glory…  Fuckersberg is apparently a big field.

I had to take this photo in a hurry because the horse lady looked perturbed with us…

Once we finished our business in Fuckersberg, we headed for Lermoos, which is in the Tyrol region and very close to Garmisch-Partenkirchen.  In fact, Bill and I passed through Lermoos several times last time we lived here because he had a bunch of conferences at the Edelweiss Lodge and I always tagged along when he went there.  I gotta say, I liked our traditional hotel in Lermoos a lot better than the Edelweiss Lodge.

Because we were so far east, we ended up going to Lermoos by way of Germany, which involved driving through Munich.  Bill was not a happy camper and neither was I.  In fact, I got pretty “hangry”.  More on that in the next post.

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booze tourism

Beer and Fucking Tour… beer spa #1 at the Moorhof

So, finally it was time to try out the Moorhof’s beer spa.  Bill and I slipped into our bathing suits and I wrapped up in the robe I wisely brought with me (I don’t think they had them at the Moorhof).  The hotel has sauna towels, but we brought our own spa towels, which are huge and cover everything.  The nice lady who checked us in told us to wait by the door where the beer spa is (and you can tell which one it is because it says it’s only for beer spa patrons).  We waited patiently for her to come and get us started.

For beer spa patrons only!

Finally, we went into the little room where the fake beer keg looking bath is.  She had already prepared it with hot water and hops.  I got in first and sat on the side close to the wall, where there was a beer keg with spigots over the tub.  Unfortunately, they were just decorative.  Bill sat on the other side.  There were two dark beers waiting for us, included in the treatment.  She turned on the tub and told us she’d be back in 20 minutes.

Bill and I visited the beer baths in Chodovar, which is a beer spa in the Czech Republic.  That was a great experience and we really enjoyed ourselves.  I think we liked the Moorhof’s beer spa a little better.  For one thing, it was more private.  At Chodovar, there are a bunch of tubs in one room and people bathe at the same time, albeit it with sheets drawn for privacy.  The Moorhof had the one beer bath in the room we were in and I think there was another room with two or three more tubs for those in groups.  I liked that the tub was like a jacuzzi, too.  And the hops and stuff added to the water was definitely rough.  Some of it stuck to me when I got out of the bath.

The beer bath at Moorhof is hot, and you definitely wouldn’t want to drink the beer used for the spa treatment.  It’s really more like a wort than actual beer.  But it’s relaxing and a lot of fun.

After thirty minutes, the lady came back, had us strip naked (and she averted her eyes so she didn’t see us in the buff), then wrapped us in sheets.  She escorted us to a wooden bed covered in oat straw that had a sheet over the straw.  We laid on the straw and she covered us with a blanket and turned out the light.  We laid there for thirty minutes.  Actually, I had to get up a little sooner than that because I had to answer the call of nature.  But again, it was very nice… very restful and relaxing and not itchy at all.  I was expecting the straw bed to make me sneeze or scratch, but it didn’t.  It was surprisingly comfortable and pleasant.

I don’t usually pose for pictures, but I made an exception…

Awww…

After we were finished with our treatments, we showered.  We really needed to shower because there was beer spa residue all over us and in our bathing suits.  Then we got changed and went to dinner, where we enjoyed four courses.  Each course included beer in the ingredients.  Three small beers were included with the dinner.

They thoughtfully translated for us.  

Cute little pils.

Beer soup.  It was very yummy, even if the color was a little iffy.

Beer batter fried broccoli?  Maybe the best way to eat it…

I didn’t eat much of the chicken and potato croquettes because I was getting full and wanted dessert.  It was good, though.

Beer pancakes with cranberries.

 

Remember in the first post of this series, I mentioned tour buses?  Well, there was one parked at the Moorhof on Saturday night.  I think it was full of young folks in a band of some sort.  We heard a few brass instruments playing scales.  This was the only tour group we encountered that consisted of students.  It was interesting to watch them, especially when the adults had to come in and herd some of the stragglers from the breakfast buffet the next morning.

The beer spa at the Moorhof was great!  But it paled in comparison to the Starkenberger Beer Pool.  Stay tuned for that post coming up soon.

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booze tourism

Beer and Fucking Tour… Welcome to Austria, land of profane place names!

After lunch, we sped down A8 toward Munich, then headed toward Salzburg as I fiddled with the sound system in my car.  The weather was beautiful and I was tempted to put the top down.  Bill was afraid something would fly out of the backseat, so I refrained.  I had noticed on the map of the area near Franking, there was a place called “Fucking”.  I thought that was funny and looked it up on Google.  Sure enough, people had visited and taken pictures… and yes, there had been quite a few folks who decided to steal the sign.

As it turned out, we didn’t have to go out of our way to visit Fucking.  It was on the way to Franking, and we drove right through the village.

And yes, I got a picture…  

I had been afraid that someone would harass me, but there was no one in sight when I took this photo.  In fact, the whole village of Fucking consists of maybe five or six houses.  We went through it so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to photograph the exit sign.  But anyway, yes, this is a real place and it’s pretty charming.  If you visit the Moorhof, you can cruise through Fucking too…  Also, you can read more about Fucking in earlier posts on this blog.

Anyway, after Fucking, we were soon close to our destination.  My amusement over unusual place names turned to awe as I noticed just how pretty the country is around the Moorhof.  Indeed, it reminded me a little of Sanford, North Carolina, which is a country town in the middle of North Carolina where Bill and I lived for two years.  Of course, near Franking, you can see the mighty Alps in the distance.

Approaching the Moorhof…

When we got to the rurally situated inn, we entered the lobby, which appeared to be deserted.  A kind woman answered when Bill finally hit the bell summoning her.  She spoke little English, but between Bill’s sucky German and her somewhat better English, we determined that we were assigned room 28.  We had booked the beer spa package, which included a partial (back) massage, a beer bath, the oat straw bed, and a four course beer inspired dinner on Saturday, which was the day of our treatment.

The entrance to the inn…

Looking around the hotel, I got a distinct 80s vibe.  It was quaint and cute, but a little old fashioned.  However, the staff was very kind and the prices were reasonable.  Because it was close to dinner time when we arrived, we opted to eat at the inn.  We had a choice of rotbarsch (ocean perch) or pork cutlets.  I had the fish and Bill had the pork.  This meal came with four courses and was priced at the bargain low sum of just 15 euros.

Bill and I, along with a family of five– grandparents, parents, and an adorable little girl, were the only ones around on Friday night.

Bill waits for dinner to start.

Super quaint dining room…

A little bar in the dining area.  They also have a very cozy Stuble on the other side of the hotel.

 

We start with a simple salad.

I pause to take a picture of the fireplace and mantle, circa 1986.  That explains a lot, actually.

Next was soup.  This was some kind of beef terrine served in a broth.  It was good.

My pumpkin seed encrusted rotbarsch with parsley potatoes and tartar sauce.

Bill’s pork cutlet with krauterbutter, vegetables and potato wedges.

The first of many beers.

Plum cake for dessert!

The local dark beer was a winner!

One thing I did that Bill didn’t do (and regretted) was pack my own pillow.  I have found that in a lot of traditional hotels, pillows are small and in short supply.  I like a couple of pillows when I sleep.  It turned out to be a good thing I brought my pillow because both places we stayed only offered one wimpy pillow per customer.

Also, I made a new discovery when I spotted this on the nightstand…

Just so you know… this is used to repel insects…  Plug it in and supposedly it keeps the beasties away.

 

At first, I wondered if it was a thin piece of chocolate.  Nope.

 

Bugs weren’t a huge problem in our room, but we did end up plugging that thing in on the second night after Bill left the balcony door open awhile.  It did seem to help and didn’t smell bad.

The bed was comfortable, aside from not having enough pillows, and the shower was surprisingly good.  It was a rainfall shower and was just heavenly.  The bathroom was the old style WC in a separate room and there was a hokey fake rock sticker on the cabinet.  But the shower made up for the room being a bit dated.  It was pretty awesome.

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