Colmar, and the last night in Strasbourg

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Hector

Peter, of Les Freres, had recommended Colmar as a place in Alsace to visit.  It was just over half an hour on a rather expensive train.  The Ticket Office was closed, if there was a better ticket on offer, it was not offered by the machine.

The Station was a hike to the Vielle Ville.  Marg had suggested we go to the Zoo today, Hector got out of Gaol.  There was Spring Fair on, various Poultry had been caged and some found this interesting.  Marg was one of them.  In the heart of the Old Town stalls had been set up, there was much for Marg to amuse herself with.  Hector finds wandering the old streets to be reward in itself.  That people live in these places remains fascinating.  Without Tourism where would they be?

There is a building on most Postcards of Comar, could we find it?  One suspects The Planners may have had something to do with this.  Was it behind scaffolding?  Had it been relocated?  Was it now a Car Park?  We shall never know.

It was time for a Bier.  There was quite a few impressive looking Brasserie, I chose: Les Tanneurs. The MeteorPils (Hochfelden, Alsace) was recommended by Mein Host as being one of the last local Breweries.  It was not Kronenbourg.  The Bier was cold, yellow and fizzy.  Once could expect little more.

Marg had a Glass Of Wine – qu’est ce qui s’est passé hier?

The train back to Strasbourg was a farce.  A two Carriage Unit that was already full when it pulled in to Colmar.  Standing room only for the wedged throng.  It is a strange thing that there is a mass transit of people in the final hours of a Holiday Weekend.  SNCF have not impressed, Hector likes DB.

After a brief WLD, it was out on the town again.  At Bar Exils the Happy Hour was under-way.  Mein Hostess from last evening served us: the traditional Mystic Kwak (small) and a pint of Delirium Tremens.  The latter of course is one of the best Blond Biers around.  How an 8% can be this dry remains a mystery.  The due respect required for this Bier was shown, else the follow-up Kwak may have had a detrimental effect.   Having taken it easy, even Marg had two Krieks, we decided food was now highest on the Agenda.

We did not walk far, Aux Armes de Strasbourg was around the corner.  Shrouded in scaffolding it may not have been as busy as normal.  A wonderful Bert greeted us, sat us, fed us and poured Milk over Marg’s Jacket.  Hector must be stuck in Curry or Veal mode, Schnitzel in a Creamy Sauce and Pan Fried Potato faced off against Marg’s Meatballs which looked and tasted like Frikadelle.

There was an Ice-Cream follow up which kept Marg amused whilst I finished my Aperitif: a glass of Pelforth Printemps (Mons-en-Baroeul, France) Such restraint, and what happened to my follow on as this indeed was offered as an Aperitif? Well it turned out to be another Heineken buyout- Affligem (Brouwerij Affligem,Opwijk, Belgium) an all time classic and thoroughly enjoyed.

We were enjoying Strasbourg.  It was still to early to retire, it was Marg who suggested a return to Bar Exils.  A standard Kwak was the ideal way to bring this stage of the holiday to a close.  Mein Hostess re-appeared from her break: ‘Are you still here?’.  Are we now Regulars?  She stayed with is   long enough for me to be made aware that people this far south in France do not need to fly.  She assured us that it is better to take the TGV to Paris then the Eurostar onwards to London than mess about at Airports.

The final part of our Trip is really about getting home.  The last night will be in Traben-Trarbach, our second home, and a night in Saarbrücken just to break up the journey.   Saarbrücken has not been visited before, it has at least one Brewery and a Curry House.

Bars, Restaurants and Brasserie visited today:

Les Tanneurs  –  3 Petite rue Porte Rue des Tanneurs,  68000, Colmar, Alsace

Bar Exils  –  28, Rue De L’Ail, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

Aux Armes de Strasbourg ‘Zum Stadtwappe’  –  9, Place Gutenberg, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

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Day 2 in Strasbourg

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Hector

The Sunday of Pessach and also the second birthday of Curry-Heute, there would be Curry later

Today we would be Tourists, the weather was dry and occasionally the sun appeared, so one or two decent photographs would be possible.  Strasbourg indeed has an atmosphere that is infectious.    This is a far more impressive settlement than Freiburg which had not lived up to expectation. With an improving familiarity of the layout of the town we headed in a different direction away from the Station initially, before crossing over the River Ill and on to Le Petit France.

The postcard views were now discovered in their full glory.  The half timbered buildings, the canal locks, all very picturesque.  It was lunchtime, our Ibis deal did not include breakfast so Hector had worked up an appetite.

The restaurant Au Pont St. Martin looking the part from the outside.  We were given a table alongside a German couple.  Now that the smoking ban is understood and accepted in most places this is no longer an issue. Salmon on Pasta made Hector a Happy Chap, Marg was able to stomach Fried Camembert in Sesame Seeds.  How?

It was only on our departure that I managed a glimpse of the Blond Fraulein I had been sitting beside, she was the double of Emilia Fox.  Marg never said a word throughout the meal.  A Photo opperchancity missed.

After further wanderings and a Coffee we found ourselves in what felt like a stationary queue for the Boat Trip.  We caught the next departure, just and somehow ended up in the front seats.  Two Locks negotiated and we were further north than we had walked.  Here was the European Parliament/Court Buildings and the headquarters of Arte.  Fortunately The Planners had located these modernistic buildings away from Le Petit France thus maintaining the skyline and architectural style of the urban core.  I like French Planners.

By some reason that could be down to total chance, the Boat Ride ended at 17.50 at a place which was exactly ten minutes form Bar Exils and the probability of the Happy Hour.  Mein Host must have been stressed and not realised the time, standard issue was still under-way.

I asked for a half litre of Paulaner (München, Bayern) plus a Mystic Kriek for Marg and the normal price was charged.  The thought of two pints of Kwak had entered my head, but somehow sense prevailed.  Mein Host departed and Mein Hostess took over.  A pint of Kwak it was then, Marg got the raw deal with a the standard fare for her modest second Kriek.

It was then Curry time at Le Penjab across the way.

Abstemious? It felt like it.  Having located the Academie de la Biere earlier in the day it should have been easy to find.  Once the bearings were sorted it was, but Strasbourg does take you round in circles.  The Academie is a small venue, only one table was free and Hector squeezed himself on to the bench seat.  Who designed this.  A Chap came over and asked what we wanted, the Bier List of course!  What is this, are we meant to be Physic (sic)?

There was nothing on draught that made me want to drink it, the choice was poor.  I asked for Andechs Weizen Hell from their list of Bottles.  They didn’t have it.  A large bottle of La Chouffe then.  He went away, a Doris came over, they don’t have any Chouffe.  I studied the list again and spotted Morte Subite Kriek at €5.00 for a 0.2l bottle.   It was all they had, this was produced and consumed in no time at all.  I decided we had better leave before I told them what I thought.  Like the similarly named outlet in Athens, this venue was Overpriced and Understocked.  I do not recommend anyone visits this, the fun is in town.

Bars, Restaurants and Brasserie visited today:

Au Pont St. Martin  –  15, Rue des Moullins, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

Bar Exils  –  28, Rue De L’Ail, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

Academie de la Biere  –  17 Rue Adolphe Seybouth, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

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Off to Strasbourg – That’s in France!

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Hector

It takes two trains to reach Strasbourg from Freiburg im Breisgau. The first was a double-decker RE to Offenburg, fine. The second was a local unit across the Rhine which was wedged. At least we had a seat for the half hour journey, those arriving at the last minute were caught out. Fancy people going for a Day Trip on the Sunday of Pessach?

The Strasbourg Gare is most unwelcoming, the twin brown canopies have seen better days. The exterior of the station is a big glass bubble which has been built to cover the original building thus extending the entrance vestibule. Like Perth, but done properly.

The Ibis was across the Place de la Gare, we were checked in instantly even though I thought we were too early, success. This was not a custom built Ibis but a conversion of an original turn of the last century building.

Le Petit France is the name given to the Island on which the Mediaeval part of Strasbourg stands.

A complex of Canals and the River Ill gives the outline a distinctive pattern which in theory should aid navigation. In the heart of this lies the Cathedral which the Dutch band, Focus famously (?) paid homage to on their album Hamburger Concerto. So why La Cathedrale du Strasbourg?

The Grenadier was the first venue that looked appealing as we may our progress along the Grand Rue towards the heart of the city. It is Sunday lunchtime, a certain football match is under-way back in Glasgow in which the Undesirables will win the Tainted League. Mein Host places a bottle of Eau Gazeuse before the Hector, you couldn’t make it up…

The Lasagne improved my spirits and we made our way onward to the magnet that is the centre of the Island.

The Cathedral is truly impressive, better than Paris I would say. There is a restaurant on the corner of the Square which looks like the tail end of an old Spanish Galleon, well that is how it looked to my eyes. This fascinated me more than the stone-masonry in many ways. On this and subsequent walks through the Square I tried to get a photo with decent illumination. Conditions remained cool and overcast , not much luck then.

Marg was in her element, Souvenir Shops, Biscuit and Chocolate shops, Fish in the Canals, time for a Coffee. La Stub met with our mutual approval and Hector’s first French Bier for some years was on its way. The Fischer/Pecheur Tradition was served in a 0.25l glass, a size I reckoned I would have to become used to. It was Blond, cold, yellow and fizzy. There was no taste to speak of, but it was not Kronenbourg, and that felt important.

We were on our way again and found ourselves at the north end of the Island. Heading back revealed a wonderful discovery, La Village de la Biere. This had a huge selection of Fine Biers, even Scottish. Marg bought me Boon Kriek, a splendid action. At least I had seen good Bier and now had one in my possession, Strasbourg would not be a Bier Desert.

Passing through the Square yet again we took a different route out. The Rue de Tonneliers proved to be a significant discovery. Les Berthom advertised decent Bier but was closed, Le Penjab Curry house was discovered and whilst Marg went into a Creperie for some reason or other, I walked the few paces along the street to Bar Exils which also had a decent range of Bieres au Pression.

Les Berthom was still not open, even as the Bells for their 16.00 opening time rang out. A small group of Desperados had assembled, finally.

A young Chap appeared behind the bar and asked what I would like. A menu was my reply. Come on. La Chouffe on draught was available, I asked about Lambic Biers, just in case, he pointed out Lindemann’s, no chance, Chouffe it was. The young Chap managed to be quite annoying. By now I had been in Strasbourg long enough to realise that speaking English is the most honourable way for us to communicate. ‘Zvei Cafe, s’il vous plait’ just does not work and it is too easy to get the languages mixed up having just crossed the border. Every street sign is in French and German, this is either very international of them or they are waiting for the German’s to take Alsace back again. Maybe they have already.

La Chouffe on draught in France is always a treat. In Aberdeen at The Harbour (a regular source) it is tasteless, why? Strasbourg was getting better with every sip.

Bar Exils had a board outside advertising the Chelsea v Wigan match at 17.00. Marg declared that she fancied watching this as we had seen no TV in the previous days. I was up for this. The game was not live but on an hour delay. Philosophical point: when Music is advertised as ‘Live’ the band are in the pub, when football…

Draught Kwak had been spotted, served in the traditional bulbous glass with wooden stand, it was Hector’s turn to be in his element. Marg does not drink Bier, with two exceptions: she in in the Hofbrauhaus, or I convince her there is a Kriek so sweet and weak that she will love it. Mystic Kriek ticked these boxes, the session was under-way.

It was approaching 18.00, the menu said Happy Hour at six. The Cathedral Bells rang out, a bell in the pub dinged! 500ml of Kwak would now be served at €4, as would all their draught Biers. I phoned Robin to ask permission to drink Kwak from a non-Kwak glass, under the circumstances this was approved. Marg’s Kriek refill came in a 500ml glass too, she was horrified. Tracey texted to ask why Marg was allowed to drink Kriek in this quantity when I had told her some time back that this does not work with Kriek, it becomes too sickly. By decanting into the original 250ml glass, everyone was kept happy, it was Happy Hour!

Free wi-fi gave the possibility of an even Happier Hour, it must have been to do with where we were sitting because the signal was so poor it was a waste of time.

We had to leave. Staying would have been madness. It was time to eat. We headed off in what seemed a wise direction in search of the classic Bistro. On reaching the Canal Perimeter, I knew if I crossed it we could end up anywhere. We walked along the Canal Bank and came across Le Bistrot des Copains, this was indeed charming.

I was determined to ensure that my meat was not bloody. I was served raw Duck in France two trips back. Our waiter’s English was as poor as his French, well that is my conclusion when man fails to communicate with Hector. A Romanian Chap was appointed to look after us, he was great fun. Six Snails were ordered to share, Marg was appalled, well almost, she ate one.

My meat was Veal so the blood risk was minimised, it was stuffed with Cheese, the portion was huge and somehow I had been given a bowl of Pommes Frites, moi? I cannot eat more than four Chips. Marg’s Chicken with Penne in a wonderful Garlic, Mushroom and Cream Sauce, was so good a version will make an appearance at Hector’s House one day soon.

On our departure we continued the walk along the Island Perimeter. The classic Postcard View of Strasbourg with the Towers guarding the entrances to the three canals was metres away. Ironically, so was the street back to the Gare and the Ibis. Flushed with success there was a call to celebrate. A glass of Leffe Blonde at Brasserie Le Dix, which had free wi-fi polished off the evening.  Chaps, Leffe Blonde is sweet!

Bars, Restaurants and Brasserie visited today:

Restaurant Au Grenadier – 112, Grand Rue, 6700, Strasbourg, Alsace

Les Berthom – 18, Rue de Tonneliers, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

Restaurant La Stub – 4 Rue du Saumon, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

Bar Exils – 28, Rue De L’Ail, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

Le Bistrot des Copains – 12, Quai Finckwiller, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

Brasserie Le Dix – 10, Place De La Gare, 67000, Strasbourg, Alsace

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An afternoon in Basel – and The Third Evening in Freiburg

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Hector

Basel  –  Much Travel, No Bier

The Chap at the DB ticket desk congratulated me on my communication skills (I bet his English was better than my Deutsch) and no doubt knowledge of how the Deutsche Bahn ticketing system works. In no way should one buy two return tickets to Basel from Freiburg im Breisgau, there is a Landeskarte, chances are the Badem-Wurtemeberg Ticket would be valid across the Rhein to Basel SBB. It was, total savings @€40. This would pay for tonight’s Curry. Having changed at Basel Bad to an S Bahn, I kept my eyes open for the Pillar in the middle of the river marking the borders of the three nations.  Today I did not see it.  In 1980 I did, so it must be from the French station that one crosses at this marker. Grun 80 was in full flight when I last set foot in Switzerland, or Schweiz as it is easier to write. Such a small country does not deserve too many syllables. Grun 80 was some sort Environmental or even Garden show, I was underwhelmed. I do remember taking sandwiches from Freiburg so as to avoid the Swiss rip-off prices. Today I was determined not to buy Francs and be left with the excess. A reminder of just how wonderful the Euro is. I wish we had joined at £1 = €1.75 like I said at the time, but Economists obviously know more than the Hector.

I have often speculated what it must be like for a tourist to arrive in Glasgow at 08.00 on a Sunday morning. This is how Basel felt today, it is Pessach. Following the clearly marked signs for pedestrians to the Munster and Market areas, we found the more interesting parts of the city with ease.

The first Croque Monsieur of this Trip was consumed in a Café at Rathausplatz. Marg had Asparagus Soup, always a winner. We paid with plastic and used the facilities, 2-0 to us. The Rathaus was visited and some Chap who has a statue with no obvious name stood proudly looking over us. Snap away. From the Munster (partly shrouded in scaffolding, of course) we spotted a Ferry crossing the Rhein. It was heading towards us on the south bank so down we went and timed it to perfection. Deutschland was on the other side, so was a very conveniently located Hausbrauerei.

We wandered the North Bank and then narrowed our search for the home of Euli Bier. Two adjacent premises were listed, both were closed. The main outlet did not open for another two hours.

Suddenly it felt like a Sunday morning in Edinburgh, you’ll have had your Bier! Being no more than a five minute walk from Basel Bad Bf and fifty minutes to the next train, we decided to retrace our steps to the Swiss Station. Like Venezia where all the signs point towards the major sights, the Station is not regarded as being one. Road signs took us on to the Ring Road. We went round in circles, there’s a surprise, and missed the train by two minutes. Being a holiday, it was a fifty eight minute wait to get back across. The facilities were used once more, I have flown for less than this, 2-2! Marg pressed buttons to buy a Coffee at a kiosk, half a cup of Milk and a dribble of Coffee for €3.50?, we walked away. 3-2. So much for Basel.

Minimal Travel, Some Bier

The Friday of Pessach can be a very quiet night in some parts of Deutschland. The strategy was to have Curry this evening. Changing Trams with wonderful efficiency we were almost taken to the door of Panjab. The place was stowed so we booked a table for later and retreated back to the main street and visited Der Kaiser. This building had the layout of an old traditional brewery in a compact building as say Frischheisen in Kelheim. With two rooms, the larger to the right, we went left and sat in view of the Bar.

The Hefe Weizen of Ganter had to be tried. The Waiter repeated Weissburgunder. Now how many syllables is that? Hector wants Bier, not Wine. Marg ordered an Apfelsaft and was still offered Apfelschorle. Pay attention, Dear Chap. The Weizen tasted a bit thin, had a slight acid flavour with a reasonable Banana hit. It was simply not a distinctive as the Urtrunk. We went back to Panjab for a Curry.

Being expert on the Tram network by now, we then jumped on a Tram back up to the Centre and walked the final metres to the Munsterplatz and the Ganter Ausshchank.

Two staff were on from last evening and we gave mutual nods of recognition. The Doris came over and served us as if we were regulars. The Urtrunk was again impressive. Very near closing time Doris asked if I wished another Bier, as if…. There were only two customers left apart from us, it would have been ill mannered to order another and be last out by half an hour. The Hector would never do that. And so back to Martin’s for a final Bier in Freiburg. Last night’s waiter intercepted us with the order: ‘A Baileys and a Dunkels!’. He was corrected and for the final time, maybe ever, I asked for a Pils in Germany. Due to the minimal intake today, the Pils once again impressed as it had done on the first evening.

The Olives had to be re-sampled too, I still do not know what the Sauce was, but it is highly commendable. The Bier Saga of Freiburg im Breisgau now ends. Tomorrow it is Strasbourg, France, the home of the Kronenbourg Brewery, well, Man was born to suffer…

Breweries and Bar visited today:

Der Kaiser –  Günterstalstraße 38,  79100, Freiburg im Breisgau

 

Ganter Brauereiausschank – Munsterplatz, 18-20, 79098, Freiburg

 Martin’s Hausbrauerei – Erste Freiburger Gasthausbrauerei, Kaiser- Joseph- Str. 237, 79098, Freiburg.

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Freiburg im Breisgau – Three Breweries In One Day

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Hector

Hector had next to no sleep. A combination of a lack of air in the room, a continuous heavy downpour and Chaps moving Barrels early in the morning. I heard it all but still I was not a grumpy old Hector, I am on vacation!

Daytime on holiday with Marg is very much letting her think she is setting the pace. How many Coffee Shops can we visit, how many Shops can we go into that sell the sort of crap, sorry interesting trinkets which Ladies enjoy perusing. Hours of endless fun interspersed with moments of Kultur like the interesting Architecture, Historic Buildings, and when is the first Bier?

We took Tram 1 from our Hotel, the Bischofslinde, to the Ganter Brewery, it was an advertised stop. The largest of the Freiburg Breweries, it was certainly factory-like, the Ausschank was located in the Zentrum, Hector would find it, soon. We crossed the river and found the Panjab Curry House, and kept going. Hector has not been kidnapped by Aliens, there is a plan.

The first purchase of the day was a Panda which Marg felt matches her eyes, well they do at present. This gave way to a lunch of Soup. By now, in the persistent drizzle, Hector had realised that Freiburg im Breisgau is not that interesting in terms of German Architecture. I only had a vague memory of the previous visit and one photograph of a red building adorned with flowers. I found the likely candidate in the Munsterplatz adjacent to the Ganter Brauereiausschank, serendipity once more. The Market was being held today in the Munsterplatz, with the continuing Drizzle, not a lot of fun.

By 15.00 the Bier was calling. The Hausbrauerei Feierling was in a modern building metres beyond where we had our Night Cap last evening. We chose a table upstairs overlooking the Coppers. Doris approached and asked what we wanted to drink. Having no idea I asked for the Karte. A seasonal Bier, the Fruhlingshopf was advertised on the table, this sounded ideal. No Doris, eventually she presented and took the order, promising to return soon. We saw a lot of her in the next ten minutes, Faffing here, Faffing there, but nothing for us.

Eventually the drinks arrived, the Fruhlingshopf was darker than Amber, not quite a Dunkels. Hops really? Fruit was evident. This was the most Banana flavoured Bier I have encountered in a long time. Had I been blindfolded I would have easily mistaken it for a Weizen. The only drawback was the killer home-made Yeast after-taste, however it was almost  masked by the Bananas.

Trying to get the Bill was a continuation of the above Saga. Marg eventually gave up and stood at the till, still it took an age. This young lady would fit in well in any Wetherspoons.

It was Marg’s turn for fun, Ice-Cream was calling. The Eis-Cafe Capri was in our path, Mein Host was still on duty. He gave us the warm welcome associated with faces he recognised, we have that effect on people. One of us had a Banana Split, the other a Cognac Becher, you decide.

Freiburg has many Museums, the Augustiner was the one which we considered possibly worth a visit. Augustiner, now would be be Bottles and Barrels or Statues and Bleeders? We left, ten seconds after crossing the threshold.

Our Tram Stop was seconds away, it was at this point I realised that the five Tram Lines all have their vehicles converge simultaneously at the central point of the City enabling people to change if necessary and continue their journey as required. Five Tram Lines, luxury. Joined-Up-Transport, unheard of in the UK.

After a much needed WLD it was back out on the town. The Ganter Brauereisausschank was the venue in Hector’s mind. The Market had been dismantled, we entered Ganter. Every table was occupied, we were offered a raised seat until one became available, by the time it did we felt at home on our Dais.

The Bier

The Urtrunk was an unfiltered Helles, the dryness was perfect, there was even a Citrus flavour, this was s superb and remained the Bier of choice. In the past I would have tried the Dunkels and the Export, but not tonight. The Urtrunk was so good I had negotiated the purchase of the Polo Shirt before I had finished my first.

The Food

As neither of us were flying tonight, we both had Fish. Marg had the Tuna Salad from Hell which soon disappeared into the Abyss. Hector cannot resist the Zanderfillets, when available. This was the best Fish I have had apart from Yadgar, in some time. Great Bier, great Food, Great Service. Marg even had Schwarzwald Kirchetorte, or Black Forest Gateaux as some may call it.

As the venue was closing by 23.00 we decanted to Martin’s a few minutes walk away. We resisted the Olives, but Marg could not resist another Baileys, two on one trip? The so-called Pils was the night cap. Interestingly, it did not impress as much as the Urtrunk, however, two fine Biers in a town of this size? Some people have all the luck.

Breweries and Bar visited today:

Hausbrauerei Feierling – Gerberau 46, 7909, Freiburg

Ganter Brauereiausschank – Munsterplatz, 18-20, 79098, Freiburg

Martin’s Hausbrauerei – Erste Freiburger Gasthausbrauerei, Kaiser- Joseph- Str. 237, 79098, Freiburg.

 Eis-Cafe Capri – Gerberau 30, -79098, Freiburg 


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Three Nights in Freiburg, via Basel

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Hector

The Travelling

The departure gate at Edinburgh Airport for the Basel flight was quite chaotic this afternoon caused by a combination of strange decisions made by the easyJet staff and the most bizarre set of would be passengers Hector has encountered in some time.

Passengers were invited to check-in their hand luggage at the gate free of charge as easyJet somehow believed there would be an excess of hand baggage on board. It was not quite a frenzy at Gate 3, but the semblance of queues for Lines 1 and 2 was now disrupted. ‘There will be two queues’, Doris then informed us pointing to where we should assemble, I counted three. Doris repeated her offer, this time with Speedy Boarding as the Carrot. A bigger frenzy, almost. I now counted five queues by the time she separated those with children.

An attempt at restoring order

We were then informed that passengers should only have one piece of hand luggage and those with more than one would have to check it at the gate and pay the extortionate fee which in the case of Ryanair, one might think becomes the staff bonus, such is their manic enforcement of this rule. But not easyJet, and certainly not today as nearly every female, except Marg had a hand bag (!), hand luggage and maybe even a polybag too. Not one person was challenged. Which part of one piece of hand luggage do people not understand?

Aboard the ‘plane, the emergency exits were free so Hector secured his usual seat. The people in front nearly panicked when the Swiss Steward told them they might have to open the door. During the safety Demo, some stupid female stood up and started waving too, very strange. But not as strange as Basil Airport.

Basil-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport is located in Basel, most of which is in Switzerland, or France. The Airport website gave no information I could find about getting directly from the Airport to Freiburg, our destination. Instead, it was made clear that one took Bus 50 to Basel SBB and then a train back north. EasyJet normally offer transfers from Airports to the named destination, but not Freiburg.

On arrival in the baggage hall there were signs as to where to buy the tickets for Bus 50, good, so no need to purchase Swiss Francs. There were signs too of a bus to Freiburg, yee ha! One can exit the baggage hall in two ways, to Switzerland or to Germany and France, yes both, or is that all three?  There was a bus due to take us to Freiburg, at €23 each not cheap, but it saved an hour. We checked in to Hotel Bishofslinde and were back in the Zentrum by 21.00.

The Bier – at last

The Martin’s Hausbrauerei was discovered right beside the Martinstor, how sensible. This was the first example of simplicity in practice observed today, but this is Deutschland.

We found the only comfortable seats beside two young Chaps who were drinking what looked like a Pitcher of Unfiltered Helles. When Bert brought the Karte it turned out to be a Pils. I checked with the Chaps and they confirmed that indeed they were drinking Pils. Hector does not drink Deutsche Pils, it is an unspeakable Bier on a par with any Euro-Fizz and usually tastes of Perfume. The sign above the tanks said ‘Bottom Fermented’, this suggested Lagering had occurred. Instinctively I took the chance. Just as well, this was cool, refreshing, tasted dry and hoppy and is by far the best Bier I have tasted since the Bradford Beerfest in February. Marg had an Apfelsaft, or two. I have not been kidnapped by Aliens.

 Time to Eat

On my last visit to Freiburg in 1980 I was treated to a mass of Pork. This was significant having spent five months in Israel. A Pork Fest indeed. As a tribute to that memorable evening I ordered two Schweinesteak with Bratkartoffeln. Marg, who fancied nothing too heavy, had the local version of Liver – Cheese with the same Side. The Pork was minimal, but the Krauterbutter made it a worthwhile experience. I ended up helping Marg finish her German Spam.

Then there was the Olives

As a Nibble we ordered a portion of Olives. These came, small but excellent Black Olives with a coating of nothing we could identify. Whatever it was it made the meal. Neither, dry nor sweet, not Spicy either, something new and we have no idea what it was.

Time for another Bier

Enjoying the Pils so much, there had to be more. I then turned to the Export Dunkles, this was excellent too. A dark Bier Tony would hate, still dry, hops to the fore and like the Pils absolutely no sign of the home-made Yeast flavour that can spoil the Micro-Brewery experience.

 Time to move on

We went a wandering, found one or two places that Mr Google had suggested, dismissed these, then finished the evening in grand style at the Eis-Café Capri. An Ice-Cream Shop, perhaps, by day and a Jazz Café at night. Time for Marg to have a Baileys. They had another new Bier for Hector, but only in bottles and it was served on the warm side.

The Alpirsbacher (Alpirsbacher, Baden-Wurttemberg) at 5%(?) was advertised on the bottle as Hoppy. Sadly it did nothing after the splendour of the Martin’s experience. What made the visit was Mein Host who discussed Jazz Artists of my era, the 1970s and 1980s. He knew about Terje Rypdal, Weather Report, Rainer Bruninghaus, Eberhard Weber, Charlie Mariano, the peopleI grew up listening to. I pointed out that back then people looked back to the 1940s and 1950s as the great days of Jazz. I was doing the same thing from a now perspective. I also had to accept that since the rebirth of Progressive Rock, I have not been an active explorer in the Jazz scene. Curry and Bier, I think I do well.

We promised to return for an Ice-Cream.

En route to the Tram was an opportunity to sing the National Anthem, which of course we did.

 Brewery and Bar visited today:

Martin’s Hausbrauerei – Erste Freiburger Gasthausbrauerei, Kaiser- Joseph- Str. 237, 79098, Freiburg.

Eis-Cafe Capri – Gerberau 30, -79098, Freiburg


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The Larbert Ale Fest

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Hector

March Madness was how Scotrail described their offer which let our group of mostly Glasgow CAMRA members take the 15.18 from Glasgow Queen St to Larbert at half price.  We need more discounts like this in our fair land.  We hoped that somebody in the group knew where the Ale fest was being held.  The Dobbie Hall turned out to be a five minute walk from the station, perfect.

CAMRA members were allowed entry at 16.00, one hour before the general public.  There was a bit of an annoying wait at the door for The Casketeers, we were two minutes early, nobody was there to process us.

Yvonne had her personal snack of Sushi, well somebody has to support this strange industry.  More importantly she had Communal Olives and had also brought along a fresh bottle of Tabasco, a wee kick.

George, The Duke of Hamilton, sat on Hector’s right, Howard was on my left with Robin, and [Stan.TB] was squeezed  in the corner so that he could be a the spill over table behind us too.  Alan and Dr Robin were opposite with Craig and Yvonne. Mr Boyd and Jonathan propped up the end of the table.  We were assembled, time for the off.

The Ales

The first half pint of the day was a guaranteed cracker, Dark Star’s (Partridge Green, West Sussex) American IPA at a surprisingly low abv of 4.7%, ticks all the boxes.  Gold in colour, dry and well hopped, this could easily be regarded as a good session Ale of for the Fest, but that is not the true spirit of attending such days.  So Hector had to give this pleasure up and consult Robin, the Guru, and the others to find which way to go next.  Harveys (Lewes, West Sussex) Sussex Best Bitter at 4.0% was a step down in flavour.  This Amber Ale was dry but did not pack the flavour or punch of its predecessor.  As Robin said, it is rare to see Harveys Beers in Scotland and so it was worth the try.  It also meant that it was time to text Lord Clive of Crawley who was most certainly at work and knows these first two ales well.  It is not enough that we enjoy ourselves; the motto has always been ‘Others must suffer.’

How come Robin always gets a larger half pint than everyone else?

Clive took the opportunity of booking a room at Hector’s House for March 2015 when there will be a total eclipse visible in the Faeroe Islands.  There must be a direct ferry from Clydebank to the Faeroes, or maybe there will be by then.  Strangley this is the second time in my life that Solar Eclipses and Larbert have been connected.

By now the cry was we should all be tasting Crouch Vale’s (South Woodham Ferrers, Essex) Amarillo at 5.0%.  Back in the true style of Gold, dry and hoppy this indeed is a fine brew outdone today only by the American IPA, so far.

This was the Larbert Ale Fest so it was certainly time to try the Ale from the local Brewery, Tryst.   At 5.5% the Raj has had its praises sung in the past.  The Ale did not feel as if it had the body of a Beer of this strength, dangerous, but it was only a half pint.  Although pleasant and in our preferred style, it did not compete with what had started the day.

A few years back at an Alloa Ale Fest, the William’s Bros (Alloa, Clackmannanshire) Joker at 5.0% won us all over and became the session Beer of the day.  Hector has not regarded as being that outstanding in sampling since then.  That the keg version that is popping up everywhere is an abomination.  It was worth a try and so I took the plunge.  Sweeter than what we look for these days, but not excessively so, this full bodied Ale won me over once again.  Singing its praises I decided to try their Seven Giraffes at 5.1% which of late has been drier than the Joker.  Today it was declared sweeter, everything is the wrong way around.  By now, Howard and Craig were on board with the Joker and this remained our tipple until the end of the day.   Meanwhile, George, The Duke of Hamilton, was extolling the merits of the American IPA.  At the Glasgow CAMRA table, these were the two Ales of choice at Larbert.

My New Bestest friend

George spent the afternoon scoring the Beer whilst I updated the Bier Database on the trusty HTC.  Good crack.  We were joined by one of the staff whose white beard matched Mr Boyd’s, we had CAMRA stereotypes in abundance.  By 20.00 the table was thinning out, Robin had gone, Alan must have gone with him.  We were joined by two Chaps in matching tops, what’s going on?

The Music

Mein Host that we know from the Alloa Fests came over for his usual chat welcoming us and appreciating the fact that we travel en masse to support their events.  He promised us no music today, so why did a disco start playing by 18.00?  And did the light show really enhance the taste of the Ale?  Again I wonder why we have to endure this nonsense at British Beer Festivals, the music is irrelevant, takes money straight off the profits and annoys the majority of the attendees.  Is it to get women to go along?

The Food

The Pork Pies with Black Pudding, not in the Todmorden style, and Mushy Peas were going down a treat.  Dr Robin had to eat his with two knives; Howard returned baffled to find he had two forks rolled in his napkin.  I am told the food was good, but the queue was always longer than I would wait.  In time the idea of a Larbert Curry was bubbling up in my mind.  The Gulnar Tandoori it would be…

As ever, this was a good event run by the Forth Valley Branch of CAMRA.  It remains a pity that the Glasgow Branch cannot organise anything these days.

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The Bradford CAMRA Beer Festival 2012

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Hector

It is possible to leave Glasgow at the end of the working day and still reach Bradford in time for the end of the middle day of this festival.  Ricky had everything in place when Hector entered the Victoria Hall, Saltaire at 20.50.

A glass of Ale was thrust in my hand, half full I may add.   The contents were indecipherable and not outstanding.  On entering the main hall what are the chances that in surveying all before me, I purchased a pint of the said Ale?  It turned out to be Kirkstall’s (Leeds, Yorkshire) Dissolution IPA at 5%.  A Yorkshire Ale at 5%, an IPA, it should have ticked the boxes, Ricky was along the right lines; however this Amber Ale was not to my taste.  It was bitter but not as dry as my favourite Hops would have created.

By now I had found ?Stan! who had come down earlier in the week intent on working at the Festival.  Working with Dr Stan in the Foreign Bar at Paisley in the late 1990s is when I first really became more than an acquaintance of this Quiet Man.  A stalwart of GBF and Bieres sans Frontieres, here he was selling wine!  Is this not the final proof that Dr Stan was kidnapped by Aliens?

Having sampled the best Ales on offer for the last day or so, ?Stan! told me to have the Quirky Kiwi (Offbeat, Crewe, Cheshire) at 4.6%.  With New Zealand Hops this was certainly in the land of Ales we like.  An extra 0.5% on the abv and this would have been perfect.

I took his advice again for my next sample: the Diamond IPA from Prospect (Wigan, Lancashire).  I was assured that this 6% Ale was along the lines of Thornbridge’s Jaipur, as it used to be.  The aftertaste may have been dry but it was far too sweet on the palate for me.

And then I spotted a familiar face, and then another one…

Olaf Schellenberg, the man who legally brings our German Bier supply to the UK, and from whom we purchase our domestic consumption, was working at the Foreign Bar.  If Olaf is at the Foreign Bar then the Bier is guaranteed to be the very best.  It was straight into the Schlenkerla Urbock (Heller, Bamberg, Bayern).  Served through a cooling system, so not quite gravity poured, it was still immense, the smokiest Bier on the planet, by far…

Having caught up with Olaf, we have not chatted over a Bier for some years, and why is that?  I then went along the bar to reacquaint myself with Mr Garrett.  Ian was on Dr Stan’s 60th Birthday Bash in Bamberg et environs a few years back.  I have not seen him since the sad departure of Mr Tony Taylor whom I also met on that trip for the first time.

I was permitted a sample of Caulfield (Koln-Ehrenfeld, NRW) at 10.5%  This is the first Imperials Stout to be brewed in Deutschland.  They must be joking.

The final Bier of the evening had to be Andechs Weisse vom Fass (Andechs, Bayern).  Normally I would finish on the smoky Bier as little can follow but this is a Bier of the utmost pedigree, the full Banana and Vanilla knock-out flavours.  A wonderful way to the end the evening before our 23.30 booking at the Sheesh Mahal, Mr Holden had other ideas.

So Haigys it is then

My first pint was sent back, warm, flat, undrinkable.  After the wonders that had preceded it is was not a surprise.  Pipe Dream  at 4.3% (George Wright, , St Helens, Lancashire) was offered by the Barman as a replacement.  This was still a tad warm but at least the dry taste started to reveal itself after some sips.  Not too bad at all.

The Hector then had to make a phone call to the Sheesh Mahal, we would be delayed by some minutes, or so.  Haigys tends to stay open to meet the demands of the customers.  What sort of pub is this?

The Beer Festival and pub Visited today:

Victoria Hall, Victoria Road, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, BD18 3JS

Haigys Bar, 31 Lumb Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD8 7QU, UK

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Athens Day 4 – A feeling of Home

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Hector

This would be a day of relaxation.  We set off to find the Beer Academy in daylight and found that we had been on the right street twice already, they are no more it appeared.

There was a lengthy walk up Athinas towards Omonia passed the burned out buildings.  This also gave Marg the opportunity to visit every pet in every pet shop.  Playing with the rabbits, almost left to wander off from the premises, provided her with hours of amusement.

Ten minutes later we continued our journey beyond Omonia to discover the Bierhof.  Thankfully these premises are exactly where Google Maps say they are, but of course they were closed!

Time for lunch

We found a couple of authentic looking restaurants across from Bierhof and the prices were reasonable.  By now we were convinced that Athens is a much cheaper venue than Thira/Santorini where the prices hurt last summer.  Marg had a Chicken Soup which was full of Chicken now there’s a novel idea.  Hector had Sardines, a plateful, joy!

Just in case

As an hour had passed I thought we had better walk back down Stounari, Bierhof might be open, it wasn’t.  Once again serendipity came to the fore as we found where the Beer Academy is now located, it was closed too.

We made the long walk back to our neck of the woods, Plaka. A walk around the Acropolis, well that’s what couples do, revealed just how small the park surrounding this mighty Crag and Tail actually is.  The light was improving all the time, so we went for a ridiculously expensive Ice-Cream at a venue called Chocolat.  Four storeys of indulgence, how will they survive?

As the sun set we headed back towards the land of Bier.  The Beer Academy was open, the Bert told me he had two draught Biers. Warsteiner was one, no way.  The other was a strong Belgian, too early.  I asked for the Bier Menu.  Marg disappeared for a moment, Doris supplied the menu.  By the time Marg returned I had established that the number of Biers available was minimal and the prices were nonsense.  €4.40 for a bottle of Paulaner Weisse, (which they did not have) versus €6.60 for the equivalent Weihenstefan, why?  The Belgian Bier was way over-priced, the choice was bog standard.  I made my displeasure known, we left.

Bierhof was closed.  I asked at the kiosk opposite if it was in business.  ’18.00’ was the reply, it was now 17.57, there was hope.

The shutters came up, we went in.  The new Bert and Doris cleared up some of the mess left over for the last session, no ashtrays, things are looking good.

Bert’s English was not wonderful, his Bier was, and the prices were even better.  Maisel’s Weisse vom Fass (Bayreuth, Bayern) was the choice of the two draught Biers, Paulaner Weisse being the other.  The other taps were off, a pity.  The fridge was stocked with a reasonable array of Deutsche Bier: Andechs, Tergernsee and especially Hacker-Pschorr.  A Tegernsee Spezial Hell (Tegernsee, Bayern) was my companion Bier, by now Mein Host was doing his best to make us feel at home.  The place was also warming up.  More customers entered, we were no longer the Desperados.  I by now had calculated that the Bier price translated into Sterling was exactly what we pay for a 0.5l bottle of Deutsche Bier at the Allison Arms, Glasgow.

I could have stayed, I shall return, but it was time to eat, again.  Last evening at Monastiraki we found a Taverna with live music and Stifados.  Greek food at last!  We ate heartily, the musicians began and so did the inevitable smoking, we left.

Beer Time

For the final Biers it had to be Our Local.  The welcome was even warmer than last night, Marg once again chose the Timmerman’s Strawberry, the Chocolate came too.

Augustiner (München, Bayern) Edelstoff and Schlenkerla Marzen (Bamberg, Bayern) could be the only Biers to complete this Greek trip.  Deutsche Bier? Well why drink the Greek inferior Bier when this is available?

There’s more

Mein Host once again stood us a round of Ouzo, Marg does like Aniseed.

The Pubs visited today:

(Beer Academy  –  Stournari 29, Athens, 10682)

Bierhof  –  Stournari 6, Athens, 106 83

Beer Time  –  Iroon Square, Athens, 10551

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An afternoon in Aegina, without Bier, Athens Evening 3 – with

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Hector

Today was forecasted to be the warmest and sunniest day of our Athens stay, it is also Valentine’s Day.  I offer the Lady a Greek Island, she accepts.  Aegina is just of the coast in the Saronic Gulf, it is the closest island to Piraeus.  We bought day tickets on the Metro and arrived at Piraeus just on 11.00 to discover we had missed a Boat.  No matter, there are regular Boats going to Aegina my research had shown, well not in winter.  A long cup of coffee passed the time until our 12.50 Hydrofoil  What I also expected to be a ten minute crossing was actually forty.  Trust this website, no other.

I will not tell too much of Marg’s desire to board the first Flying Dolphin she spotted in the harbour, ours was XV111, it had yet to arrive but did not hang around too long when it did.

We arrived on schedule in Aegina in time to have missed a heavy downpour.  The back-streets were awash, good timing, perhaps it is just as well we were not earlier.

I was in the mood for something Greek to eat, last night’s grilled Pork was not my idea of Greek Food.  We searched every open Restaurant/Café and could find nothing.  We even walked out of one due to a lack of meat and an abundance of smoke.  The Chap followed us out and tried to entice us back in with offers of Chicken and Pork, I want Beef!  I asked for Stifado in our next conversation: ‘What is

Stifado?’ I was asked.  This was getting me down, we passed a Doris bringing a healthy looking plate of Spaghetti Bolognese to a customer, this won.  Marg had Carbonara, she was well well stuffed.  Some of this appears also in the partner website Curry-Heute, I will tell the world how frustrating it is to find that so many Greek food outlets are simply Grill Houses – in others words, Fast Food outlets.

Now for some Bier

Back in Athens we took the Metro up to Ambelopiki and the Craft Brewery.  Having been a couple of times before we both recognised the direction to take after surfacing from the hole-in-the-ground.  We sat at the same table as we did on our first visit, in front of the Copper Tanks, we were the only customers.  I had two Biers in mind but the young Bert insisted that I have the sample tray and so I bravely tasted each of the six/seven glasses set before me.  My mind was not changed, the Athens Lager stands out, and the Smoked Lager would follow.

Craft have been in business since the mid 1990s, it is quite an outlet.  The blurb says they are trying to replicate Bier in the authentic Bamberg style. I found the Athens Lager to be very good indeed, better than I had remembered it.  Has it improved?  The body was sound and felt the full 5%.  The blurb described it as having a slight sweetness and minimal Hops.  This is not how I would describe it at all.  I would call it dry, hopped and a bit on the rough side.  It was a well made Lager, the only disappointment was the 450ml glass.

The Smoked Lager is only slightly smoked.  It is nothing like the genuine Rauchbier brewed in Bamberg and its environs.  There is a hint of smokiness, just a hint.  If one wishes to experience smoke in Greece, just walk into any Bar/Restaurant/Cafe with a No-Smoking sign.

Other customers were by now arriving for Bier and Food, we departed and took the Metro to Omonia, the Curry-Heute was calling.

Making full use of our Metro ticket we jumped back down to Monastiraki and walked around the corner to Beer Time.  Our Host was happy to see us back.  Hector was straight into the Augustiner (Munchen, Bayern) Edelstoff.  Marg surprised me by having the Timmerman’s Strawberry for the second time.  In order to keep her amused whilst I contemplated a final Bier another plate of the Chocolate and Nut delight that had been generously supplied last evening was arranged.  And now for something new.

There was a Bock I had never heard of, a Weinachtsbock.  At 7.1% the Mittenwald (Mittenwald, Bayern) would be a fine way to end the evening, it was also a good way to wind up Howard (& the rest of The Chaps back home) who failed to take the bait.  Pleasant, but not stunning.

As with last evening, Mein Host stood us a round of Ouzo, Yamas!

After a very shaky start, Athens is becoming a fun place to visit once more.

The Microbrewery and Pub visited today:

 Craft – 205 Alexandras Ave. Athens, 6462350

Beer Time  –  Iroon Square, Athens, 10551

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