Pis & Giggles

I'm convinced now more than ever that Belgium is one if Europe's best kept secrets. French is the dominant language although half of the country speaks Flemish, which makes me laugh because I have unfortunately come down with a wicked head cold and I'm producing phlegm in record volumes. I'm certain if I introduced Puffs w/lotion over here I would be filthy rich. What passes for tissue has the look of a fast-food chain napkin and it feels like rubbing pressed sawdust under your nose. Thank god they have the most wonderful beer in the world to ease my pain! The city also has various statues of peeing babies (manneken pis, and the lesser known jeanneken pis) which proves they don't take themselves too seriously around here. I have pretty much had a smirk on my face every time I step outside. Fromage je t'aime!

Brussels

Chocolate, Chimay Bleu, cheery tourists, I love Brussels! Not to mention they make the best fries I have ever had in my life. This is the view from our hotel room. So far, this is my favorite city we have hit this trip!

Kölner Dom

Considered to be the perfect expression of Gothic architecture, the Dom is at the city center of Cologne. When you get off the train in its shadow, its hard not to be impressed by its magnificent size! I knew immediately that I was going to have to climb to the top of the cathedral tower.
Before the Eiffel Tower came along, this dwarfed all buildings in Europe. The 522 steps totally kicked my ass, but the sense of accomplishment I felt when I reached the top was worth it, and the view of the Rhine and the T-Mobile tower were pluses too.

Wiesbaden Recovery

This is what the day after Oktoberfest looked like to me. Well, actually I saw bits and pieces of the autobahn as I drifted in and out of consciousness on the ride from Munich to Wiesbaden. The "no speed limit" is true and they are (pardon the term) Nazis about slower traffic keeping to the right. When passed by a car that's doing 130-140 its shakes your hair follicles, at least it did mine, although the 7 liters of beer I had the day before could have been a factor. The schnitzel I tried in Wiesbaden wasn't bad, but I could only have a few bites due to the grease. So far the bread and the beer have been the most impressive things about Germany's food scene. Weight when I left Seattle = 74kg, lets see what this trip can do to me!

Oktoberfest

New amigos: Diego y Raul from the Canary Islands

I don't think I will EVER be able to drink another Lowenbrau in my life, but Oktoberfest was pretty damn amazing! We got there at 9AM, it opened at 10AM, so we were able to get a prime table in an awesome tent! Aside from all of the German songs, they love singing that "Hey Baby"song from Dirty Dancing so I was able to join in at the top of my lungs! The waitresses are capable of carrying 8+ liters of beer with nothing but their bare hands! No small feat considering I could barely lift mine with one hand. I was surprised that the festival is more than just beer tents (there are 12 large tents and probably 10 smaller beer gardens in total) but its a full on carnival complete with roller coasters and all of the various fair attractions, not that I wasn't in any shape to get on a ride. If you love beer, brats, and BMWs, Oktoberfest should be on your bucket list, but consider the before and after shot below as fair warning.

Schwabing!

After missing our connection in Amsterdam, we finally caught a flight to Munich to start our beer drinking adventure. The parking lot at the Munich airport was pretty impressive. I have never seen so many Audis, BMWs, or Mercedes in one place in my life! We finally got to our hotel and hit the city for a little sightseeing. Just a low-key night with beers and pretzels in the Schwabing neighborhood. I managed to find a pretty cool Land Rover that was willing to pose with me. The Schnellbahn (their subway) is very easy to use, although its pretty old and it smells. Next stop > Oktoberfest!