Tag Archives: beer
A Tale of Two Cities… Uh, Counties… No, States
Check this out: we’re on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. We find a community that is split down the middle with a blue line painted through the town.It gets weirder (YAY!) — the blue line goes straight through buildings. Shops, a church, even a bar.
But wait, it gets weirder yet. The bar is also in two counties. And one of them is dry… CONTINUE READING >>
Sled Dogs & Snow Ghosts – Whitefish, Montana in the Winter
Whitefish, Montana! A quirky, friendly little town with a great sense of humor, a fabulous microbrewery, and some of the most incredible scenery in the world!Join us as we head into Glacier National Park in the snow and dog sled (!!!) through the breathtaking Stillwater State Forest with goofy grins pasted on our faces… CONTINUE READING >>
12 Must-See Festivals in the US
We LOVE a festival! Tag the word “fest” on the end of anything and we’re there!Here are 12 of the wildest, wackiest, over-the-top or just plain fabulous celebrations that we’ve seen! CONTINUE READING >>
We Had Our Heads in the Clouds in Lima, Peru
We had a BLAST in Lima!A whirlwind tour of downtown, an amazing cooking class, a visit to the most unusual gardens, a romantic stroll along the parks of the sea cliffs.
Oh, and we sailed high above the city in a paraglider… CONTINUE READING >>
Finding Germany in the Mountains of Georgia
The unexpected surprises that lurk around the next corner are one of the things that can make travel so interesting.Boy, did we get one of those in the mountains of northern Georgia when we came upon the old fashioned Bavarian village of Helen. Tucked into a valley on the banks of The Chattahoochee River, we suddenly found ourselves driving through an anachronism of epic proportions. Every building, down to the gas station… CONTINUE READING >>
A Quick Trip to (and Overeating in) Colonia, Uruguay
Like most travelers, we enjoy putting another notch on our suitcase handle by adding to our list of visited countries.We found this remarkably easy to do while in Buenos Aires, just hop on a ferry across the river to Uruguay. The delightful town of Colonia del Sacramento lies on the other side of the Río de la Plata, so after a forty-five minute ride on the Buquebus, we were adding a stamp to our… CONTINUE READING >>
Northern (Ontario) Lights
Late summer in Northern Ontario has weather that humans were meant to live in.Warm, but not hot, during the days and cool, crisp nights. A perfect escape from the heat and humidity south of the border. Yes, that’s how Canadian’s refer to The United States.
Our mission north had a two-fold agenda, enjoy the climate, and finally find a… CONTINUE READING >>
Navel Gazing in Cusco, Peru
Dubbed the Navel of the World, Cusco is an amazing blend of the very-old and the not-as-old.Join your GypsyNesters as we see the sights (and sights) – see ancient ruins, a street festival with an ornery llama, crossing guards that threaten you with whips and the weirdest rendition of The Last Supper you’ll ever experience.
At over 11,000 feet above sea level, flying in takes steely reserve and handling the altitude takes native remedies… CONTINUE READING >>
Livingston (Guatemala), I Presume
When we heard about Livingston, a tiny outpost on the Guatemalan coast with an intriguing history and only accessible by boat, we knew we had to go. So from the busy port of Puerto Barrios we sought passage north.After some difficulty trying to decipher the… CONTINUE READING >>
A Day in Livingston, Guatemala
When we heard about Livingston, a tiny outpost on the Guatemalan coast with an intriguing history and only accessible by boat, we knew… CONTINUE READING >>
It’s Un-Belize-able!
While Belize is certainly geographically very Central American, its long history as a British colony gives it a feel that we found more similar to some Caribbean islands than its Latin neighbors.The Creole tinged… CONTINUE READING >>
Tapas in Spain, the Ultimate Appy Crawl
What would a visit to Spain be without sampling the tapas? Incomplete we’d say. But then tapas are a culinary style that is right up our alley, kind of a national tradition of appy crawling.We were determined to get our mitts on every type of tapa we could during our stay in Barcelona. We believe we achieved greatness.
The tradition of appetizers in the afternoon has several stories pertaining to its origin, but they all… CONTINUE READING >>
Guild Signs of Salzburg
Our obsession with the beautiful and ornate Guild Signs of Salzburg was all consuming. As if the city itself is not charming enough, these wrought iron works of art send Salzburg over the top.The practice of creating descriptive and elaborate signs outside of businesses began in the Middle Ages, and now are featured outside established establishments, as well as the new. Even McDonald’s has gotten in on the game.
Some of the signs are so descriptive, it became a game between us to guess… CONTINUE READING >>
Just Wangen It (in Germany)
The whimsical fountains alone are reason to come to this charming Bavarian Village. But the reasons to stay are many.Sometimes dumb luck is our best tour guide. That is certainly how we stumbled upon… CONTINUE READING >>
Czech Please! Eating in the Czech Republic – A GypsyNester Guide
A big part of Veronica’s desire to see “The Motherland” was to find the origins of her childhood dinners. Generations of her Bohemian ancestors had passed down dishes and now we could experience the originals, almost all of which include dumplings.Dumplings are the undisputed heavyweight champions of Czech food and we found them answering the bell on almost every plate. Big city or small town, fancy restaurant or local dive, it made no difference, dumplings were our… CONTINUE READING >>
Czech Out Kutná Hora!
Drawn to this part of the Czech Republic – like a prepubescent girl to a Justin Bieber concert – by the legend of a church filled with decorative bones, we were served up an unexpected treat when we stayed in the nearby town of Kutná Hora.In a bygone era, Kutná Hora rivaled Prague as the main city of Bohemia, the traditional name for the western half of Czech, and several kings… CONTINUE READING >>
Do You Believe in Magic?
As usual, we never know what we will find or how we might stumble upon it. Overhearing her hair stylist planning her weekend, Veronica learned about the big Magic Week Festival in Colon, Michigan.
Seemed strange to us that this little burg of 1,200 people would host a world renowned magic festival, but as we pulled into town a welcoming sign informed us that Colon is “The Magic Capitol of The World.” Oh. Still we couldn’t help but wonder why.
Well, there are reasons.
Back in 1926, the famous magician… CONTINUE READING >>
Windy City Whirlwind Tour
Join us on our whirlwind tour of Chicago, home of America’s Tallest Skyline. View the Windy City’s grandest buildings, catch a reflection in Cloud Gate and see the beautiful (and huge!) Buckingham Fountain at Grant Park lit up in red at night! Did you know that Chicago has a building so large it has its own zip code?… CONTINUE READING >>‘Hog Wild in Punxsutawney
Are they crazy about groundhogs in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania? You betcha. The place is lousy with them.Groundhogs adorn homes and businesses like the Baby Jesus does at Christmastime in most other places. We landed in the “Weather Capital of the World” in mid-December and found the good people of “Punxy” also know how to inflate a holiday decoration — and park it next to a giant fiberglass woodchuck. Not counting groundhogs (real, wooden, fiberglass, bronze, or welded metal) the town of… CONTINUE READING >>
San Antonio Riverwalk Appy Crawl
After an all day tour of the missions of San Antonio that ended with a proper remembrance of The Alamo, we had biked up quite an appetite. Good thing that the famed Riverwalk was only a block or two away.Restaurants of every variety, along with nightclubs, hotels, bars and shops, line the banks of … CONTINUE READING >>
Pleasing the Palate in Puerto Peñasco
A huge part of how we acquire knowledge about new locales is by exploring their culinary fare. On our expedition to Mexico’s Puerto Peñasco we continued in that tradition.As is often the case, we found that the typical food of an area is not what we Americans expect when we think of “ethnic” food. Italian pizza is not even remotely comparable to the Dominos version and real Mexican food ain’t no Taco Bell. In fact, “real” Mexican food varies drastically depending on the region in which the meal is prepared. In Puerto Peñasco real means … CONTINUE READING >>
Making a Rocky Point About Mexico
Everyone in the United States has heard the horror stories about Mexico, especially the border region, but the idea that our southern border is an open, unchecked thoroughfare for illegal activities is patently absurd.Driving along the US-Mexico border from California to Texas, we never went more than a few minutes without seeing the United States Border Patrol doing what they do best, patrolling… CONTINUE READING >>
Keep Portland Weird
P-Town, Bridgetown, Little Beirut, Stumptown, Rip City, The City of Roses, Beervana or Beertown, what is this all about? Let’s see… it starts with the letter P, has a lot of bridges, protested the visits of the first President Bush so much that his staff compared it to Beirut, grew so fast that the cleared trees left stumps everywhere, had a play-by-play announcer named Bill Schonely who used odd phrases, has a lot of roses and a ton of micro breweries… must be Portland, Oregon.So with all of these informal handles, how did the official name come about? How about a flip of a… CONTINUE READING >>
The "Cottages" of Newport
It was called the Gilded Age, a time when robber barons and their useless offspring built excessive tributes to their self-proclaimed awesomeness. Newport, Rhode Island is the epitome of this unbelievable excess, aptly dubbed Conspicuous Consumption.
Newport is chock full of gaudy mansions erected by the “more money than class” club. In an embarrassing effort to one-up each other with their “summer cottages” these iconic American families of railroad, mining and steel fortunes, threw ridiculously lavish parties for their pets, sat atop carriages every afternoon to show off their new outfits, had notorious affairs, harassed their overworked… CONTINUE READING >>
The Maple Leaf Spangled Banner
The rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air…. YEAH CANADA! What? Turns out Independence Day is not the only patriotic fireworks-laden midsummer festival in North America. Canada Day is on the 1st of July and celebrates Canada’s “birthday” with familiar cookouts, picnics, parades, fireworks and a communal cake. Cake? Of course, it’s a birthday party! We found ourselves a beauty of a celebration by the banks of the River Thames in London… Ontario that is.
We found ourselves a beauty of a celebration by the banks of the River Thames in London… Ontario… CONTINUE READING >>
Of Tulips & Fat Balls
Eight decades of tulips and fatballs. EIGHTY years. This is no amateur operation. This is serious stuff. It’s Tulip Time in Holland (Michigan), and when it comes to festivals, these people don’t mess around.
It would seem that the six million tulips alone would be more than enough for any small Midwestern town, but not so for Holland. They take it to the limit — right up to the edge of crazy– creating a veritable Tulipalooza. That’s why Tulip Time was named Best… CONTINUE READING >>
