Czech please!

Part II of the buddymollys summer roadtrip series.

As our publisher’s three-week hiatus quickly approached near the end of July, we figured the best plan was not to have one. So we rolled the dice and started scanning for last-minute deals a la last year’s Thanksgiving in Turkey. 

Spain’s Costa del Sol? The Canary Islands? Malta? We were all over the place and we hadn’t even left the living room.

However, nothing seemed to fit and we soon discovered that the German concept of last-minute travel is planning a vacation only a month in advance.

So, with the clock ticking the day after we got back from Paris, we threw together a laid-back, five-day roadtrip through the Czech Republic, including Passau (Germany), České Budějovice, Český Krumlov and Prague.

After a short overnight in Passau, which sits at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers (where it’s always time to get Ilz) we crossed the border into the Czech Republic. 

We discovered very quickly that in addition to making delicious Bohemian fare, the Czechs know their way around a brewery. Our second stop, České Budějovice, is home to the original Budweiser. Some accounts said a disgruntled employee brought the recipe to Anheiser Busch, others suggested Busch tried to buy the rights to the town’s name (which it declined) … and in the end you have two distinct beers that share the same name.

 We couldn’t get enough of Budweiser’s dark lager (and could only find the lighter version in stores) so we made a special trip to the brewery on the way out of town to get a case for the road.

While most of our trip centered on city exploration, another highlight was a quick paddle down the Vltava River, which snakes its way through the quaint, very walkable Český Krumlov. The paddle included a few manmade chutes (some rafters took the plunge, literally) and a riverside tiki mojito bar. (A longer river trip just might be on the agenda next summer).

A few days later we made our way north to Prague (with a brief, bone-chilling stop at a church in Kutná Hora). Though it was probably our fifth trip there, Prague continues to surprise and impress us in novel ways each time. We wandered through new neighborhoods and practiced our “prosíms” and “děkuju” (please and thank you).

In the end, despite our lack of foresight, the trip turned out better than we could have planned.

Gay Paris: Coming out of the closet

One man's closet is a Frenchman's elevator.

Women's World Cup in 21 photos or less

We went on a road trip with bobble-head Obama at the helm. 

First stop, Frankfurt to meet J.R., Kiki and Cassy.

We watched U.S. play Columbia in Sinsheim.

We won. Woot Woot.

Then we went to St. Goar.

We rode bikes ...

and drank beer ...

and wine.

Then we said good bye to the cute little town and headed towards Wolfsburg.

But on the autobahn we got a flat tire.

 I did not like this.

We still made it to the U.S. vs. Sweden game though.

But not before a few drinks with the locals.

We may have been intoxicated upon our arrival. And we may have lost the game. (although those two incidents are most likely unrelated.)

The next day we drove to Berlin ...

where we picked up a Courtney and eventually said good-bye to Kiki, Cassy and J.R.

The three of us remaining went to Dresden.

We saw fireworks.

And scored tickets to the U.S. vs. Brazil game.

It was EPIC. We won. You probably know that by now.

Then we drove home, with fond memories, a rusty spare tire and more patriotism than we know what to do with. Jeremy still hasn't washed his lucky red soccer socks. Perhaps after tonight's game - U.S. vs. Japan in the finals. This is the big one.

And as we won't be there in person, we will be watching, with the lucky red socks on, of course.

And the winner is ....

We have completed our epic road trip, and epic it was, but more on that later, let's get to the important stuff.

When arriving home last night, our speedometer read 1,704 kilometers making B. (muthr$&@n) A. Barracus the winner of the first ever buddymollys kilometer challenge. Allison! come on down! (or rather check your mail soon for a special gift.)

And although Price is Right rules did apply, being as Laci was only over by 15 kilometers - we're sending her a consolation prize. Just think Laci, had you been 15 under, you could be reaching into Bob Barker's pocket right now for a crisp 100 dollar bill.

Stay tuned for the fun and madness that was 10 days on the road for the Women's World Cup extravaganza.

Women's World Cup A-Team

Jeremy and I are leaving tomorrow morning to meet up with the rest of the A-team for a cross-country  Women's World Cup extravaganza here in Germany. 

Yep, we fight crime, drink beer and cheer cheer cheer for the U.S. team. This promises to be an epic road trip. If only we could stuff Jack Kerouac in the trunk ... 

And as an added bonus, (and a excuse for folks to actually comment on one of our blog postings) we are offering a free buddymollys T-shirt (or you can pass on showcase 1 and opt for a surprise gift), to the person who comes closest to guessing the number of kilometers our total road trip proves to be - but there are rules, (there are always rules ...) 
  
You must comment on the actual blog page, not facebook, and again it's in kilometers (because we're european now.) Closest guess wins, Price is Right rules apply, but please, no 1 km guesses. 

Hint: It's a 10-day, 7-city tour. Vielen Glück! 

Whining for wine

A few weeks ago Jeremy and I hosted a party, inviting 12 of our favorite whinos over to dine, converse and sample some of the finest wine Germany has to offer. 

Plus it gave us a good excuse to raid the cheese section at our local grocery store. Amongst the top 5 favorites were wasabi, pesto, cranberry, red pepper and stinky.

Germany is, of course, the land of beer, but they do dabble in the sweet nectar as numerous vineyards exist in the country, (mostly in the West). 

The “wine guy,” as we affectionately call him, is a large German man with a thick accent. He brings over about a dozen bottles for everyone to sample, and then offers the opportunity to buy them – by the case. (Think Tupperware party, with booze.)

Mr. Wine speaks broken English and frowns upon any attempt at humor (which makes the evening all the more hilarious).

He began the evening by telling us the real reason people drink wine – for good health. (If you answered to get drunk, to make other people prettier or to lower inhibitions, you would be wrong, as were most people at the party.)

The evening was one of our finer parties, (pinkies up!) with good conversation, food and vibes floating around the living room. It was the kind of evening you get so caught up with that you forget to take photos. You go to bed feeling inspired and wake up with a "healthy" headache.

And like the old saying goes, “never go to the grocery store hungry” - same goes for wine. Never purchase wine when you’ve sampled a dozen bottles - a few weeks later you may end up with a year’s supply … 

or a really fun Saturday night, depending. 

Ich bin ein Hamburger

Last week, while the weather was still primo, my work sent me to a weeklong German-American seminar on the outskirts of Hamburg. The seminar was a good mix of history, politics, and economics, and the diverse crowd kept discussions interesting.

Molly flew up later in the week and we painted the town (to include the Reeperbahn) red.

Although Hamburg is considered a city and a state, the most fascinating part for me was the fact that it didn’t even get a mention by Rick Steves. Despite being heavily bombed in World War II, the city is gorgeous – built on sprawling canals with its back up to two lakes, the inner and outer Alster. With loads of trees and parks but still a grungy edge to it, it feels like the lovechild of Berlin and Amsterdam. 

Before Molly arrived, I visited the Minatur Wonderland, which is the world’s largest model train. I never really built model trains growing up, but this place was ridiculous. I don’t even know where to begin – the excruciating (and sometimes hilarious) detail was insane. This video is a good summary and the narrator rocks (thanks, Manute!)

We stayed at the apartment of Molly’s friend Courtney, who moved to Hamburg nine months ago from St. Louis. Unfortunately, we never had the chance to hang with Courtney because she was back in STL for the entire week, in part filming the ultimate 2011 winning 48 hour film project movie. 

We totally dug her 'hood though, which she said the residents bust bottles and keep it just dirty enough to keep the rent low. (genius!)

In addition to cruising through a few flea and farmer’s markets, we caught some live music at the Cotton Club, did some urban hiking in the warehouse district and soaked up some much needed sun. 

We can now say we're Hamburgers, have been Berliners and by next Friday, we'll be Frankfurters. 

Delicious.