Oktoberfest India

Guten tag! Good thing one of my favorite holidays falls about 6 months after/before my other favorite holiday.  But for now, we are braving the heat and humidity of Delhi and going for it.

Round 1.
The American Embassy hosts an Oktoberfest at the end of September.  For about $30 one gains entry and all you-can-eat, all you-can-drink.  Lights are strung up everywhere, and many options are available: brats, beef, chicken, potatoes, apple strudel...toss in Erdinger Weiss and Paulaner Salvator and you have a pretty good night.

The band played no German music but rocks a slew of popular songs from through the decades. Dancing was inevitable with an open bar. But the real highlight was the games. Last year the AES teacher team won the beer drinking relay. This year, two members were missing, one moved on, and one "retired" (code for his wife said not this time). So we formed a new team. I got with two others and the husband of another and went to round 1. Fourteen teams of 4 lined up and at Go started with the first drinking a beer, followed but the next and so on. In a tight race we were deemed to have finished 2nd and the top 3 made the finals.

The finals came and I went first finishing among the top, our next guy bobbled the glass, gagged, and struggled to make it. The team next to us was destroying us, but our third man got it done and, from way behind, our final man crushed it, coming from way back to win it all! These games were followed by the obligatory holding of the litre of beer straight out till exhaustion game, a couples inter-linked arm game, and the dizzy izzy bat game (you can probably guess how that ended).  All in all it was a great night, though we went home probably the earliest of all of our Oktoberfest experiences.

Round 2
The Brewers of AES have been hosting an annual Oktoberfest on campus. Much more low key than the American version of the previous two weeks, although with much better music (early on). Since the brewers on campus were providing the brew, about 5 of us brought down brews of various styles and set them out, with brewery names and labels to boot!

We also bought sausages (rare and expensive here) and soft pretzels while other guests brought other foods like German potato salad. There was more food and beer than our campus could crush!

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Nepal

For some, seeing Mt. Everest is a life-long dream. Many will never hike to it, let alone climb it. In order to get our shot at seeing it, at least for now, we took a mountain flight from Kathmandu early in the morning. After waiting for a while with no signage and un-discernible announcements, we boarded a bus to a 30-seater plane on Yeti Airlines. Armed with a map of the skyline, we rose up out of the city for 50 minutes of amazing views. Crystal white snow-caped peaks soared out of the clouds from the valley below. Mesmerized by the size of these features, we stared, breaking contact only to go to the cockpit to get a panorama of Everest before swinging back toward Kathmandu. A champagne toast and a certificate before we landed celebrated up the experience.

Mt. Everest from the plane

After eating breakfast, we decided to head into Kathmandu for some shopping. We chose Thamel district, the crowded, touristy shopping area. With knock-off trekking gear and cashmere in every other shop, it was a bit much. But we found some nice posters of the mountains and shirts before stopping for a "craft" Nepalese beer and momos. Shopping and city life satisfied, we headed by car into the mountains to get to the hill station of Nagarkot.



Our next two days were spent gazing at the mountains, breathing crisp air, and hiking around the trails. We watched the sun crest the peaks, bathing the snow-capped summits in pink during the dawn.  Our favorite part was probably the celebration of Diwali at night.  We had dinner at a nice place and watched the sunset, then stopped and had a beer at this little roadside hut.  The people didn't speak English, but welcomed us in.  A family of 4 slept in one room, in a single bed (with a dog and chicken), and the main room was the bar.  We drank terrible beer on the cheap and watched the kids chase a chicken around the dirt floor.  Local children came outside and sang and played music, attempting to raise small amounts of money.  The place was lit with candles.  It was truly a unique experience.

   

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Dharamsala

From Sarah's Blog


We just came off of a three-day weekend where we traveled up into the mountains of Dharamsala, India and had a lovely time. We stayed in a hotel up in the mountainside, full of beautiful views of the town and countryside - although it is now rainy season, so the afternoons were quiet foggy and rainy. From the balcony of our hotel, we were actually able to see the residence of the Dalai Lama which was only about 150 meters away. One day we walked over the residence and walked around to see the grounds where the Dalai Lama lives, works, and prays. He happened to be in Belgium this weekend, so we unfortunately could not see him, but it was still need to see the home.

The biggest highlight of the trip was our hike to the Baragsunag Waterfall. We walked for about two miles through the winding mountain roads and up a path to get to the site. Along the way, we came across lots of stray dogs, monkeys, and enormous cows. Once we got the pathway, a couple of goats walked alongside us, and the girls were able to pet them as they went. We finally made it to the waterfall, and it was beautiful. We all took off our socks and shoes to stand in it, and the girls even wore their bathing suits and attempted to swim. The water was absolutely freezing, so there wasn't much swimming involved, but Taelyn was daring enough to go under for a second. After drying off, we hiked up to the top of the falls and then made our way back to the hotel.

During our last morning in Dharamsala, we also hiked to St.John's of the Wilderness - an old, gothic-style Catholic church tucked into the mountains, surrounded by the forest. On the church grounds was a very old cemetery with graves covered in moss. The entire property felt like it was straight out of the beast's castle in Beauty and the Beast.

When we weren't hiking and seeing sights, we spent the rest of our time shopping and hanging out on the balcony of our hotel restaurant. The shopping was amazing: lots of small tourist shops with jewelry, scarves, Tibetan-style items, and outdoor gear. We ended up buying a lot of North Face items at a fraction of the cost in the US. The girls also got some very cute sweater tops and hats. After shopping, we went to the restaurant balcony for meals and played a lot of Farkle as we looked out over the beautiful mountain view. It was a lovely weekend!

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Jordan

Our last hoo-rah in the Middle East was marked with a trip to Jordan, which is on nearly everyone's list here. Although we are more than capable of going it alone, this time, like our trip to Egypt, we opted to go with the full-service package and have a driver and a guide at every site. In this region that is sometimes very worth it. We don't speak the language, we want to learn the history, and we avoided local hassle.

Arriving in Amman we headed right to the Kempinski hotel for, what else, bowling. The next morning was a full-day trip starting with a visit to the ancient city of Jerash. We walked the Roman ruins among sheep and learned of the way of life from 2,000 years ago. An amazing amount of the city still lay underground.  And while it is all a sight to see, nothing quite compares to Arab men in traditional costumes playing Scotland the Brave on bagpipes in a two century old amphitheater.  A drive back saw camels on the sides of the road before when arrived in the city again and up a hill to the Citadel. Much of it was like Jerash, but these ruins have a history of 6,000 years and a museum. We then hiked the Roman theater at the bottom of the hill before calling it a night.

The next day we rolled out of town to Bethany on the River Jordan, the site of Jesus's baptism.  A long wait for the tourist bus finally got us to the river and we walked a half-maintained trail to the site. It has clearly been kept up for tourism as the river naturally doesn't flow though this location any more. But we did climb down to the river and dip our feet in, 6 feet from the opposite shore of Israel. Armed gunman stood on either side of the creek to secure the boarder.  We next headed up to the top of Mt. Nebo where Moses saw the Promise Land. While the misty air made seeing clearly impossible, it was still an impressive layout.

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The next morning we awoke in Petra with a clear day and cool air and started a walk down into the canyon. The winding dirt road soon narrowed into almost a slot canyon (The Siq) and we were met with amazing tall walls with light jetting in when possible. The curvy walkway continued and within 20 minutes we were at the famous site of the Treasury.  All fans of Indiana Jones know this as the shot for the final segment of the Lost Crusade.  It was a site. At 2000 years old, it was still well preserved, minus the bullet holes. Since we arrived early, our photo is without obstruction, save the two camels lying in front.

Our guide took us down toward the canyon and to the Roman road, but instead of following the obvious path, we jetted hard right into the foothills.  It was the best thing we could have done. Caves (former tombs and homes) were our playground as we hiked and climbed all over the mountain. The rocks were splashed with brilliant purple and pink coloring. And the carvings continued, just as impressive, along side of the canyon.  Near the end we rented mules and proceeded down near the Roman road and onto the track.

An often overlooked piece of the Petra landscape, but not to be missed, is the Monastery. Our mules took us up a precarious ridge, risking life as a small slip of a hoof would have spelt disaster. But they were sure footed (the guide just said, "Do not ride them down!") and we made the top. The Monastery was also as impressive as the Treasury, if not more so due to its height and obscure location.  Our kids had lunch and a drink and we turned to hike out.  By now, hoards of tourists coming up from Aqaba on buses had been let out and were swarming the sight. As we walked the road back against the flow of tour groups I couldn't help but look to the hills and realize just how special this place was, yet how horrible it was down on the canyon floor. Propositioned for a mule, donkey, or camel ride back up about 1,000 times, I hated the tourist trinket crap shops that had no place in a historic site. Once we hit the Treasury, I was done. That peaceful morning picture I captured would turn into the scene of a rock concert, with hundreds of slobs unable to appreciate this view.  We hurried up the Siq, again fighting foot traffic, dodging ignorant folk with stickers with numbers on their chest so they could identify their group.  It was a poor way to end what I otherwise consider one of the most amazing places in the world. Just don't go at mid-day.

A nice dinner and ice cream greeted our family that hiked 8.5 into and out of the canyon. The next day we were off again, this time to the desert of Wadi Rum.  Made famous as the filming site of Lawrence of Arabia, the sandy plains meet the towering masses of rock in a landscape not duplicated elsewhere in this world.  We popped into the back of a pick up truck and bounced around the area for two hours, stopping to climb sand dunes and run down or overlook a valley from on high. After we got back to the tents, we decided to do some rock climbing on the mountains behind camp.  Then we boarded camels and did a leisurely walk at sundown on the backs of beasts.  A dinner of meat (buried deep in the sand with a fire on top all day) filled the void.  Our beds for the night were in tents permanently pitched in the sand.  Needless to say, breakfast was cold.

Off again to the coast where we parked in Aqaba on the Red Sea.  Looking across, one can see Egypt and Israel, and to the left, Saudi Arabia, all while in Jordan. Our view was spectacular (though the Radisson Blu hotel left a lot to be desired).  Our afternoon consisted of a boat ride.  With its glass bottom we were carted along over a shipwreck and across a reef, sighting fish and jellyfish along the way.  Taelyn and Justin snorkeled a bit, but the water wasn't too warm.  Back on shore, a BBQ lunch awaited.  The next day was a full beach day, though the water proved a tad too cold to enjoy. The girls played with kittens and we stayed warm in the sun. Our final day took us from Aqaba up to the Dead Sea where we went down to the water and floated.  The girls were reluctant and stings from the salt water proved to be too much for them to enjoy it, but we did get to cover ourselves in the mud.

Jordan proved to be a wonderful place to visit, full of history, and very different than the rest of the Middle East. 

Barcelona

Not many trips have been as hyped up as Barcelona for us. Every time someone asked where we were headed, they said said. "Ohhh, you are gonna love it!" And we did.

Opting to stay in El Born, the cultural neighborhood of small alleyways, bars, museums, and just steps from the Picasso Museum, we were in a great location.  The beach was a short stroll away, and while the water was too cold for a swim, the beach was full of sea glass and the girls wadded in anyway.  This beach would be amazing in the summer months, full of eccentric people and lots of sun.  We also were next to a great park and the Barcelona Zoo, which made for great walks.

Perhaps the pinnacle of the trip (or the underlying purpose) was to hit up the absolutely phenomenal brew pubs in the city.  Brewdog (the UK brewery) has a home here and served up many exciting brews for mom and dad and provided fun games for the kids to stay busy.  Best of all, the bartender will pour you a shot of Tactical Nuclear Penguin, a brew clocking in at 32% ABV. For the price of a bottle, you will be glad to just try this in small doses.  Another fine establishment is the all-vegetarian food-serving place called Ale & Hop. With a nice combo of Spanish products and imports, the friendly staff was always ready to find the next gem.  But the star was BierCab which we frequented multiple times. Delicious tapas backed up 30 beers on tap from some diverse and unique places.  But the real plus was the bottle shop tied to the pub. For takeaway, one can purchase a wide-range of beers from some of the world's best breweries, including The Lost Abbey, Mikkeller, Stone, Rouge, Ale Smith, and The Bruery.  The catch was Westvleteren 12, often rated the world's best beer, and to my knowledge, sold only at the Belgian monastery where it is brewed in small packs with an advanced reservation.  They also had Samuel Adams Utopias, but at 300 Euros a bottle I just couldn't pull the trigger. The staff was amazing, took great care of us, gave our girls shirts and key chains, and me a bottle opener. It is the best beer place we have been to.

With the beer done, we move on to the rest. Of course, there is sangria a plenty here, and this interesting drink called tinto verano which is red wine with a mix of soda, like orange pop. It that doesn't tickle your fancy, have a Gin Tonic, which the city is passionate about. Forget about that garbage you pull out from the dusty cabinet once a summer, blow off, splash with something you bought at Wal-Mart, and add lime to. No, this is an art form. You must select your gin and your tonic, and the varieties of each are overwhelming, and the two are mixed delicately and deliberately. It is quite refreshing, and had it been warmer out, we may have had them all of the time.  But what we did frequent many a time was Ma Mai Ne in the Passeig del Born. With 40 kinds of hand-made mojitos on site, you cannot go wrong, Certainly have the traditional lime and mint, or roll with a Kiwi to try something new. But if you want some fun, try the Spicy Mango or, the absolute best of all time, the Cookie. Ya, that's right. Cookie mojito. Amazing.

By now you are seriously lubed up but don't forget, this place is passionate about food.  With some top-end restaurants, you can't go wrong, unless a budget is in your vocabulary. Tapas are everywhere and I must say that most places are reasonably priced.  The menu del dia will greet you with a main, beer, and desert for about 7 Euros, a steal.  Recommended to us was Tlaxcal in El Born which served up beef tongue tacos that were the bomb. Then we caught wind of a Mexican place named El Pachuco, a hole in the wall place with epic drinks and the best food outside of Mexico, though you wouldn't know it by looking.  The nachos are extreme and should win some kind of award.

We didn't just eat and drink the whole time. There were some sites spliced in. The free-to-visit 13th century Cathedral of Barcelona is a splendid site but everyone knows nothing holds a candle to La Sagrada Familia. 120+ years in the making, this shrine to the heavens continues to climb higher in the image of Gaudí. Like the Taj and Angkor Wat, you can see as many pics as you want, but this site cannot be felt until you stand in its shadows.  And while the outside is unarguably spectacular, the inside is amazing as well. The colors of stained glass reflecting off the walls cannot be duplicated.

Speaking of Gaudí, we headed to Park Güell, though we opted not to pay to walk among the artistic benches. Rather, we hiked up the mountain for a gorgeous view of the city from on high. Great trails lead up the peak and it was amazing to be free in nature in the middle of a modern city. This was, perhaps, our most enjoyable day, though we walked more than we probably ever have there.

Justin headed to the famous Camp Nou to see FC Barcelona, probably the world's best soccer team, win a game. But to complete the tour, the family all came back to visit the stadium during a non-match day as part of the Camp Nou Experience. With everything from Champion's League trophies to fake pictures with Messi, this place has it all. You can spend as long as you like admiring all of the awards this club has garnished or you can move on to see the visiting locker room, press areas, and the field. For fans and non-fans alike, it is a really well-done production worth spending an hour or two of your city trip. 

While the nightly Magic Fountain show did not appear to be a thing when we visited, we did spend some time on Montjuic to see the 1992 Olympic venue. A trip into the stadium and around the grounds offered some unique architecture and views of the city. It is amazing that the Olympics took place on this hillside. 

Barcelona did not disappoint. We hope to be back, perhaps in the warmth of summer. 

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