Voltron

I cannot keep up with him after our 25 hour travel day yesterday, but at least I can be like Mike for a bit.

Just started Clash of Kings, the second book of the Game of Thrones series. Happy to be reading something I haven't already seen on TV. A little suspense doesn't hurt.

That's a great moment, Todd! Congrat again on the big win. We got to take a pic with the World Series trophy but we could not touch it.

Sweetwater 420 in the Atlanta Sky Club. Back in the USA! Ooh, Dusty, good to hear because I still have a Victor & Victoria pair i have yet to try.

Damn, Andy does not fuck around! Looking good.

I'm thinking about it and it would be great to link up. Sorry that it doesn't work for you Mikey.

Hanging in the British Airways lounge in Munich waiting for our Air France flight to Atlanta operated by Delta, and wondering what I should have for breakfast... We're also doing a lot of Grahame and Joanne impressions rather poorly to pass the time. Cheerio! ps, beautiful B&R Jim. Glad you liked it. I sometimes drop the Cointreau a bit to make it sharper. Keep us informed of Bonal recipes you like.

Claire popped the last beer in the fridge, and we split it while letting our feet rest before dinner. I haven't walked this much on a daily basis in a long time. I was tired enough to forget to take pics of our last drinks at the hotel restaurant, but they were good ones. I had a rye sour and Claire a sidecar. A glass of Austrian white wine with the meal was the closer. This has been a fantastic trip and I absolutely love Germany. People were right when they said the tourist invasion takes a lot away from Prague, but I could move into the Ameriky Bar for a good long while. Thanks for all the well wishes along the way folks. Auf wedershen.

Self service bars are fun! Looks like a great day all around, Ric. I got up and headed out for a tour of Dachau concentration camp. It was five hours or so with train/bus rides and three hours of tour and short film. Incredibly interesting and moving to be in a place as notorious and disturbing as that. Never Forget and Never Again, indeed. After that sobering experience, I needed a drink, so I am watching the Tour de France in my hotel with a snack and a Franziskaner Dunkel Weiss.

Not sure, Shelly. They haven't been used in my presence but I will let you know.

Nice Mike! I am having an Aviation Cocktail in honor of my vacation coming to an end and the flight home on Saturday that I dread. Aviation made with The Duke gin, Luxardo maraschino, lemon juice and Bitter Truth Creme de Violette, which I have never seen before. One if the two owners of the Bitter Truth used to work at this bar and is good friends with the bartender/waiter who had been taking such good care of us.

Claridge Cocktail with The Duke Bavarian dry gin, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, Bols apricot liqueur, orange bitters and an orange twist. Dry and fruity and tasty. I was curious about The Duke so the bartender said he would give me a bit to taste. (still waiting--he's busy) I should have asked for these bitters.

Havana Club white rum, Luxardo maraschino, lime juice, grapefruit juice and maybe a tad of simple syrup. It was excellent. Going back to the bar soon after a nice dinner at Brenner restaurant, where I had a beautiful glass of rose champagne and a nice glass of riesling. Just before we were done, the weather turned on the outdoor terrace and we watched dark clouds roll across the sky as the wind kicked up. Eventually, the wind was really gusting and as many patrons fled indoors we stayed outside until a giant potted oleander had fallen on me twice. It was comical and the management was nervous but we were having a ball.

Nice recovery Chris. Riding in Munich today was a times challenging but no dramatic incidents like that one, thankfully. We didn't rent helmets and it made me nervous about the kids at times.

Hemingway Daiquiri for the road (until I come back later tonight--the kids can go to public universities...)

Believe me, the imminent return to the real world and especially work has me wanting to go rogue right here in Munich. Get to Maui Shelly!

Morning Glory perfectly executed, for me. And a Taj Mahal Mule for Claire. Just now making my first Munich memories but I think they will last. Including the well hung portly old gent in the nudist meadow.

Good luck with the bar and the spontaneous trip Ric!

Weiss is neiss indeed. Nice cocktail pics up above, too. Good work and glad to see the torch is still burning! I've lost track of the masses of Hell but here is one of the biergarten liters I have consumed in Munich. We are loving the chill lifestyle here and had a fantastic dinner outdoors at Der Schorr, which is somehow related to the Hacker Schorr brewery. Spaetzel and schnitzel and bratwurst and other Bavarian wonders. They have their own special lager and the typical Hacker Schorr pilsner and a few other options, including an unfiltered weissbier. They are pictured in that order below: I was too full to go to the bar last night after that feast, so Claire and I are headed there now that the Tour de France is finished for the day. I keep getting back to the hotel to see the last 10K or so of the races, but it is better than nothing. We rented bikes today and did our own tour through the Englischer Garten, with the requisite biergarten stop. Anyway, more pics later.

Just picturing that robe on my Fire Island Santa in Munich and getting the creeps. Alden keeps singing "he knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, . . ." and freaking everybody out, so I might be a tad sensitive. No offense, looks good on you though, Wayne! /Dangerfield voice Great haul, Jim. Blackwoods, Bonal and Tuaca, oh my! Look up the Bonal & Rye recipe by Regan if you haven't had it before. I really like it. And of course I like the Munchen theme book-ending your beer selections! "Stroller system" made me lol.

This picture doesn't provide the full effect of Santa in the off months wearing hot pants lederhosen, a tube top dropped down below the nipples, and a weight lifting hernia belt, but that is how he looked six hours earlier when he walked into the shop we were in. He did adjust his tube top up a bit to chat with the shop keeper, but otherwise he was quite the same vision. Rockin' good times in Munchen!

Hopefully I can join you for some of the cocktailing parts. Kids love the Jelly Belly tour but I don't know of any castles nearby. We can connect later to discuss. Munich was filled with 2018 Winter Olympics dreams and all kinds of outdoor events relating to their candidacy. Their hopes were dashed this afternoon when South Korea won the bid. The city is deflated, but I'm carrying on! Biergarten at the viktualmarket for a mass of Hell. And then a Tucher denkelweiss with a late snack. Looking forward to cocktails at the hotel bar later.

Thanks Grahame, I will keep this suggestions in kind. I forgot to mention that the cocktail menu starts with alcohol free beer and wine and has a page of alcohol free cocktails entitled "drivers' drinks" that you might enjoy. Thanks Gene! I need Weiss wurst and pretzels tomorrow for sure!

Interesting. I will start with two Absolutes and see if I like the Gator better with the Claw.

It's the Cortiina, Jim, and I recommend it highly so far. The cocktail list is awesome in that they start with a summer cocktail list of their own signature drinks, which are variations on classics, mostly. Then, they have a page each of forgotten classics (most of which WE have not forgotten), special versions of classics, champagne cocktails (including the Seelbach!) then pre-dinner drinks, sours, fizzes, daiquiris and other rum drinks, and After-dinner drinks. Impressive in it's scope and a challenge for me to take in these last few days of vacation.