Cool Discoveries
I thought I’d share some cool places we discovered as we walked around various cities and places. These also might be just a unique experiences we weren’t expecting. These are going to be out of order as I think of them.
Although Tim already covered this one, the upstairs Pannakoechen Huis in Amsterdam was really fun. Small amount of tables, singing to the radio chef/waiter of a tiny eaterie was very different and the stairs were really steep.
There was a bar in York (I can’t remember the name but I think it was something like Moreys) Tim and I went to. The bartending woman with off-red hair was fun to talk to. They had a bell that was rung when any of the staff received a tip. This bell was given to them by a major regular of the place. The staff thought, and still thinks, it would be fun to ring the bell so hard, they would damage it. The bell used to have an ornamental rim around the base edge (the staff thought it was too fu-fu pretty for the bar) and it is a metal bell. They have since, with all the hard, jump up and nail the bell with full-body force, knocked off the base rim altogether and are ripping it apart with every smack. The regular customer that gave them the bell has since ceased to come to the bar. The bartender did think it was because of the mistreatment of the bell. (The treatment of the bell gift may seem harsh to some and it is BUT the bell that once was fu-fu out-of-place is now totally cool looking in a haggard way) The bar is still a fun place where young locals come to hang out with the latest alternative music and ourdoor/indoor seating, surrounded by pictures of older great musical artists.
The Blackfriars in London was a treat. First of all, Londoners seem to eat at regularly scheduled times. If you want to go to a place that serves food at certain hours of the day, you may be out of luck as we were after 9pm. Luckily we chanced across this place. I had a pot-pie. It is still, after eating in many different European restaurants in different cities, in my top 5 “best food I’ve eaten at a European restaurant” list. The decor of Blackfriars is carved, dark wood with many frescos of monks doing various normal monk things. I can’t describe this place accurately with words. It must be seen. The place is called Blackfriars because, way back when, a monastery existed in this spot and, for extra cash, the monks brewed beer. Needless to say, it is good stuff.
Ever tried haggis, sheep stomach stuffed with meat and other stuff? I did…in Edinburgh at a place called The Last Drop. The Last Drop doesn’t mean a mug of brew that is really good and I drank it to “the last drop”…which I did by the way. It means you better have your life in order because a hangmans noose is around your neck and they are kicking away the stool beneath your feet. Anyway, the haggis served to me wasn’t literally in the stomach. They took out the meat and such and put it on a plate. Its taste and look is kind of like corned beef hash but it is still very different than that. It’s the closest food like it I could come up with. It was good!
Back to London. We went to a farmers market south of the river. We discovered it while riding the bus by it while on the way to the Tower of London (we didn’t go into the tower-too much money). Not only was the market huge, there were many places to buy cooked over-the-counter food there. Wine, veges, baked deserts, whatever was all available. While all of that (and samples) were a feast for the eyes, the breads were a big thing for me. Whatever kind of fresh baked bread you wanted, they had it..for cheap.
Okay, enough for now about food. It’s time for fun. While in Antwerp, Tim and I found a kids park with a fantastic, enclosed metal tube, slide. It was very tall and we had to squeeze our way to the top of a funky wooden slide tower built for small kids to go down this slide. Time went first after letting his backpack go down the slide first. I did the same thing, pack first then me. Tim said (and I saw the distance) that it was fun to watch my pack “jet” out of this wild slide to a distance of about 10 feet. I came flying after it. I’ve never been on a park slide that fun or fast before.
The coolest bar thus far was Szimpla in Budapest, Hungary. Imagine an old, derelict warehouse/apartment complex almost ready for demolition. Rotting bricks on the walls, graffiti in lots of places (and being added to by customers), a person could imagine the place being torn down next week. Now, keep that “feel”, add total mood lighting lamps with cool lampshades, kitch and cool furniture, longtables, a whole bottom floor of a warehouse, some more rooms on the second floor, Wi-Fi and at least 2 long bars and cool nooks and crannies with seating. It was fantastic. No, I didn’t think the whole place would fall down around my ears and it wasn’t “dirty” at all, just run down. It was extremely popular with the locals. We were there on an “off” night and it had many people in there. We had a great time.
Near our hostel in Berlin was a small Indian restaurant. Pictures of plate combo’s were displayed outside so we didn’t have to translate the menu with the help of our little German translation book. We think the place was open if not 24 hours a day, then close to it. The cool thing about this basic food, basic decor place was 1-the food was tasty. 2-the food was very cheap. Loved it.
Although we covered the hike up to the Shilthorn in Switzerland, I must stress the sheer sense of conquering accomplishment elation both Tim and I felt when we reached the top. We did it! It was tough but worth it!
Imagine Sunday morning, waking up at about 9am to the sound of bells. Not just 1 bell or even 2 or even 10. How about an orchestra of big, bonging bells ringing for about 20 minutes. I’d bet you’d think “shut them awful bells up!” But when you are in London for the 1st time and have NEVER heard bell song like this or even halfway like this, it’s worth every bit of no sleep you get. (we did get enough sleep. We konked out the previous night fairly early because we still had jet lag).
Thusfar, of all the memorable moments Tim and I have had, I love the Nightime photo walks we take throught some of the cities. The top 3 cities, I think, for night-time photos are…Edinburgh, Scotland. The castle and many neat buildings are all lit spectacularly. Brugge, Belgium. The mood is a quiet, private, intimate feeling given by dramatic lighting in dark, almost secret, areas. Budapest, Hungary. I thought Prague, Czech Republic was good. This was better (to me). Amazingly beautiful and sheer huge, ornate buildings, reflections in the Danube and lots of history to back it up. Awesome!
That’s it for memorable moments and cool discoveries thus far. Don’t get me wrong, I have lots of others, but I thought I’d fill you in on a few.
Write more later,
Dan
Tags: Europe
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