Voltron

I was beat yesterday but today felt good and my son was in heaven on the Segway. Fun stuff. Ok, another Becherovka coming up! And I would have told you I was in Cinci, by the way.

Just got back from a 4.5 hour Segway tour of Prague that I did with Alden and it was a blast, even though it was supposed to be only 3 hours. Ric would have loved it because it was a movie tour of Prague and it featured movie clips on a portable DVD player of many movies filmed in Prague, although more often than not it was supposed to be other European cities: Amadeus, Van Helsing, XXX, Europtrip, Bourne Identity, Mission Impossible, Bad Company, and The Prince and Me. We also stopped in a micro brew pub inside the old monastery, where I had an IPA! and a nice hoppy dark beer. Pics tomorrow, especially if the Czech Internet cooperates. Colin, I will send you a link because you would enjoy it. The guide was a Brazilian guy named Renee and the woman from the office, Misha, joined us as well. They were great. I just drained the last of a mini bottle of Becherovka from the minibar and I may just have another. na zdraví!

Bell's Oberon is win. Arctic Panzer Wolf is Blitzkrieg Win!

I've been loving the Red Oxx bags on my trip, except for the strap. I had meant to buy Tom Bihn Absolutes but forgot. With the Sunchaser crammed with heavy stuff (museum books, camera stuff, etc.) the rubber strap leaves a lasting impression -- in my flesh! I should have done a shirtless pic during the manathon just to show what I mean. Anyway, the bags are great and the few times I have to transition from place to place are just a bit more of a little workout when you have no wheels. The Gator has been a fantastic day bag for camera, guide books, umbrella, water bottles, hat and sweater, and I like it way more than I expected. Red Oxx Rules!

Congrat on the successful class and Hawaii sounds great Shelly! I've only been once also (Kauai) but it was a blast. Glad you figured out something for a summer vacation.

Tomorrow I will try the Budweiser Budvar but I failed to sign up for that awesome package you linked...

Awesome BHSE news Stretch! I really love my BHse version.

Sorry I am not in Germany any longer to toast you with a German beer, but a Pilsner is as close as I can get. Happy cycling, wine drinking, music listening and rattlesnake hunting to you Greg! Prost!

Finally have a wifi connection on my phone and computer so I will update with pics. We arrived in Prague and immediately were fleeced by a taxi driver who charged us a ridiculous price for a 10 minute drive. Oh well, I hadn't read the guide book on that exact location and issue, and I didn't know the exchange rate even remotely so these things happen. Had a copule good beers to dull the sting. First a Pilsner Urquell (empty one on the left) and then a dark Kozel Cerny sitting along the river outside our hotel just under the Charles Bridge. Tonight with dinner, I had a Beton (concrete) cocktail made with Becherovka and tonic. That was very tasty. Then I had a "half-dark" beer by Staropramen. Also tasty.

Did a solo expedition today to give the kinder and Claire a break, I ventured out solo to see the Saxon Switzerland National Park with it's high sandstone bridge at the top of a ridge and a Saxon fortress castle ruin built into the top of the ridge itself. Good stuff. I had a Radler half beer half lemonade thing that I did not mean to order at the top of the hill but it was nice anyway. Tonight we went to see the Historic Green Vault of Augustus the Strong, and all four of us were amazed by it. We had a great Saxon meal of many porks and potatoes along with a couple large Radeberger unfiltered Pilsners, special to the restaurant. I'm having a couple of nightcaps of German liqueurs now. The first was Radeberger Bitter Original Krauterlikor, which was great, and then Withener Gebirgskraute, which is good but not as good. There are a couple others in the hotel bar I mean to try tonight. Pics updates later. Prost!

Crappy Birthday, Crappy! Cheers

Major congrat Bryan! Happy it worked out for you to stay in Chicagoland.

Essentially a small store owned by a Ramones fanatic with a lot of memorabilia. It was lots of fun to take in and I would recommend it if you are the neighborhood.

Ramones Museum Berlin t-shirt and a bottle of Opaline Absinthe that tastes divine.

Continued due to picture limits. We also walked through the Tiergarten, embassy row, split up to see an art museum (Claire & Sophie) and the Museum/Memorial to the German Resistance (Alden & me), and finally KaDeWe, Eurpope's largest department store! Well, before I visited the Absinthe Depot, bought a bottle of Swiss absinthe, and then we all had dinner at a cool Asian restaurant, that is.

First, we went to the Ramones Museum Berlin! Hey, Ho, Let's Go! Then we took a double decker city bus to the Tiergarten and ascended the Victory Tower, all the while thinking of Peter Falk in Wings of Desire. We even walked the 285 spiral staircase steps to go up and see the angel close up and check out the panoramas of Berlin.

Oops, Jim called dibs already. Looks nice.

I like the one with the brown leather, Mike, fwiw. Like Jim, if you keep the Stowa but want to sell this one let me know.

I might just take off my shirt for my last night in Berlin at some point. Not on camera of course. Lunch beers: Afternoon snack at KaDeWe, Europe's largest department store: Evening snack beer after tasting some absinthes at the Absinthe Depot down the strasse. Hadn't had a Berliner Pilsner yet, and it is meh like I expected.

^wut? Did MPI finally come out for Scott and other Justin's birthdays?

And no awesome two-handed sawfish sword like like they have in the German History Museum, neither. Weak.

I'm watching Top Gear dubbed in German right now. Weird.

Lunchtime beers along Unter den Linden today Havana Club aged rum & Fritz-Kola with lime. Das ist bueno!

Nice looking eats, Stretch. I have avoided pigs knuckle until now, but that looks tasty. Here was my snack in the Casa Camper lounge this afternoon

Have a Pico-free birthday Justin! Cheers!