Category Archives: Hotels

Jan31

Grab A Beer – Shiner, Texas

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shiner sign

The Flying Monkeys were restless and wanted to explore some new place, so off we went to Shiner, Texas

Shiner is located in Lavaca County.

It all began in 1887 when Henry B. Shiner donated 250 acres of land for a railroad right of way.

As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 2,069.

shiner old

To our amazement there are no hotels in Shiner!  So we booked a room at the Shiner Country Inn..

Not the lap of luxury, but clean

Shiner is the home of the Spoetzl Brewery,  the oldest independent brewery in Texas.  The brewery is most well known for producing Shiner Bock,  a dark German/Czech-style beer that is now distributed in 41 states.

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………..but more about that later.

We explored the entire town to plan our itinerary………okay that took 10 minutes,

so we went to Snowflake Donuts for breakfast…

 

Upon entering we found a table of about 20 locals, all of whom ceased conversation and stared at us the entire time we were in the place…….okay weird!

………..now back the the Spotzl Brewery……

A group of businessmen incorporated Shiner Brewing Association

and placed Herman Weiss in as the company’s first brewmaster.  

In 1914 a German immigrant brewer named Kosmos Spoetzl co-leased with Oswald Petzold

with an option to buy in 1915.  

kosmos

Spoetzl had attended brewmaster’s school and apprenticed for three years in Germany, worked for eight years at the Pyramids Brewery in Cairo, Egypt, and then worked in Canada.   He moved to San Antonio in search of a better climate for his health, bringing with him a family recipe for a Bavarian beer made from malted barley and hops.

During Prohibition in the United States,  Kosmos Spoetzl kept the brewery afloat by selling ice and making Low-alcohol beer  “near beer.”   After Prohibition only five of the original 13 Texas breweries were still intact.   When the Prohibition laws were repealed, larger beer plants, such as Anheuser-Busch, moved to Texas making life harder on the smaller independent breweries,  but Spoetzl kept things small and simple,  never going more than 70 miles for business.

The owner’s daugher, Miss Cecelie took over operations in 1922

and became the only woman in the United States to be a sole owner of a brewery in 1950.

In the 1970s and 1980s the brewery’s ”Shiner Beer” and ”Shiner Bock”  had less than 1 percent of the Texas market.   In 1983 Spoetzl produced 60,000 barrels of beer;  in 1990 only 36,000.   Sales improved after Carlos Alvarez of San Antonio acquired the brewery in 1989:   Production grew to 100,000 barrels in 1994,  and over the next ten years,  production nearly tripled.

As of 2012,  it was the fourth-largest craft brewery and tenth-largest overall brewery in the United States.  Spoetzl currently produces eight beers year round and four seasonal brews per year.

shiner beer sign ending

We were so lucky to have the Brewmaster, Jimmy Mauric, conduct a personal tour!

brewmaster

The brew house was so very beautiful with the copper brew tanks…

The view of the bottling room was amazing……..many thousands of bottles whirling around…..

The tour over it was time for a late lunch……….where should we go…..oh yes the only restaurant in town….

The Shiner Restaurant and Bar..

The place was empty!  The bar was quite beautiful and ornate

The dining room sported wonderful old cabinets…

The food was great….we began with the Shiner Beer Bread and Shiner Black Butter

…..then on to the Pulled Pork Sandwich and the “World’s Best Sandwich”……that was really the name!

It was a Club Style BLT with a Chicken Fried Steak thrown in for Good Measure…….don’t tell my Cardiologist about this post!

Well that was Shiner a quiet, quiet, quiet little Texas Town

So until next time…………PROST!

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Feb14

Savannah, Georgia

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Since the day “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” was published and throughout the movie ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_in_the_Garden_of_Good_and_Evil ), I have been in LOVE with Savannah! Being an early fan I was able to meet many of the real people involved in the story and hear all the details …………. oh my, I just looooooooovvvvvvvvvveeeeee Southern Intrigue! The people of Savannah are the most kind, gracious, genteel, elegant and eccentric on the third rock from the sun. I have sooooooooo many stories about Savannah, I could fill this entire blog with just those. But, as with the reason that Dorothy misses the Scarecrow the most, they would blow your mind! suffice it to say that if you have not visited Savannah and walked the parks and visited with the lovely people of this city, you have missed a wonderful, incredible, marvelous time. You MUST go to visit! I suggest the Hampton Inn in the Historic District ( http://www.hotelsavannah.com/ ). The staff is marvelous, the hotel comfortable and fun and so well located that most things to do will not involve a car.

Our most recent trip was with our great friends, Larry and Margo, we were there for the Christmas Season. We had promised them a very interesting trip and told them to be ready to be invited into homes as we strolled the park…………..it wasn’t 30 minutes and a lovely lady invited us to tour her beautiful mansion and have some tea.

I tell you the people of Savannah are MARVELOUS!

We so enjoyed the fountain in Forsythe Park with the Christmas decorations.

So I find out that the most famous, lovely and wonderful Lady Chablis  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT_BxSuSVVU ) is going to be performing while we are visiting. We make plans to attend, it is a fund-raising event for underprivileged children and we must bring presents for them. Off we go shopping and arrive at the club early to get a good seat……….FRONT ROW CENTER!!! I can’t wait. I have not seen Chablis in several years. Well the girl can still put on the show. We had such a grand time!

We took wonderful walks along the beach and picked up sea shells. Oh, how easy it is to get lost in this charming place. It does not take but an hour and one forgets about the rest of the world.
I love to just sit around the Waving Girl Statue and relax.

We ALWAYS go to the Pink House (  http://www.plantersinnsavannah.com/menu.htm ) and sit in the basement bar and listen to the piano player. He was the piano play at Jim’s (you know the main character from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”) parties and can tell you many a great story! The Pink House is another “must” when visiting. Make sure you go to the basement bar and have dinner there……..the piano man is wonderful!

Of course we had to run off to Hilton Head. While we were in the Pink House bar a young man began to sing and he had the voice of an angel……….turns out he was in a production of “My Fair Lady” at the theatre in Hilton Head and gave us GREAT comp tickets. We made a day of it and went to see the beautiful wet lands.

 

Of course we HAD to stop and eat at The Crab Shack  ( www.thecrabshack.com ) on Tybee Island


Well Larry and Margo fell in love with the beautiful, elegant lady of the South, Miss Savannah. I have a funny feeling we will all be going back some day!

Feb11

Munich, Germany

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We are on the train to Munich!  This is probably our last train trip on this voyage.  We are  still so amazed at how comfortable and efficient the transportation system is here in Europe.  We are mesmerized by the beauty as we travel through the mountains — may with snow!  This has been one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  The homes all have the typical German architecture and the forest is dense tall pine trees.  So lush and green as compared to our parched Texas.  We pass through village after village of quaint gingerbread houses surrounding a grand church whose steeple towers over the village, all nestled in the mountains of pine trees with clouds tucked in the crevices and clear pristine rivers running by.

We arrive in the city of Munich with the weather clearing and the sun shining!  Our Hotel Ibis is located near the old section of Munich and all that lies between us is the botanical garden — not a bad walk!  We just finished dining on schnitzle and spatzel with mushrooms and gravy.  We sit and review our plans regarding the sites to visit while we are here.  Our room at the hotel was rather small, so we met with the manager Karina Nolle, who moved us to the top floor of the hotel in a lovely room overlooking the entire city……what a wonder person she is!

We had a grand breakfast at the hotel of some of the most wonderful smoked salmon I have ever tasted with horseradish and sour cream with chives and onion —— ooohhhh my!  Of course I visited my new friend — the European coffee machine — several times for wonderful rich cappuccino.  We then ventured out to the subway and off to Marionplatz, home of the famous glockenspiel.  The glockenspiel is basically a life-sized coo-coo clock in the tower of the town hall built in the 1500s.  The figures that spin and dance re-enact some royal wedding and they are all life-sized and carved of wood.  It is a marvel to behold.  unfortunately it is Sunday and all the shops are closed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have dinner at a wonderful German Restaurant, Rechthaler-Hof.

We sit near a beautiful harvest crown make of wheat.

Our first course is beef broth with a large liver dumpling– oh delights this is so very good!

The main course is a pig leg baked to crispy perfection, served with fresh sauerkraut and a huge potato dumpling. I am reminded of Botin’s Restaurant in Madrid and the Cochino al Horno.

The meal was so marvelous. The skin of the pork was crispy and the dumpling was so very, very good. We had to skip the beer and desert, the meal was so rich and filling.

We walked back to the Hotel Ibis, the temperature is below 40 degrees and there is a slight rain and strong wind. We discussed what an adaptation we will have to make when we return home to Texas.

It is time to visit a traditional Beer Garden and enjoy one of the true gifts of German society. We pick the Augustiner-Keller, which was established in 1812.

It is a very large beer garden nestled under dense trees. When we left we found out how dense the trees were…..it had been and continued to rain! We remained dry the entire time we ate our meal under those trees! I would estimate a half an acre of food and beer. We enjoy a plate of assorted Bavarian sausages with the most delicious sauerkraut and potatoes. We drink the beer that is brewed on site and served out of ancient wooden barrels — another amazing treat.

We have such fun spending a day in the ourdoor market and marveling in the sounds, smells, sights and tastes of this wonderful city.

When we awake to leave for the United States, we find a beautiful moon over Munich and almost decide to stay………..

Feb11

Salzburg, Austria

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A very comfortable train ride through the Austrian countryside.  I keep hearing Julie Andrews singing “The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music“  We are on a train that will continue off to Zürich and I think of the families that escaped the Nazis by traveling through these very hills.  We are hungry upon our arrival in Salzburg and run directly to the Restaurant Mundenhamer, one of the oldest and very typical Austrian restaurants. 

Our first course is white asparagus soup with a breadstick wrapped in crisp prosciutto.  It is asparagus season in Austria and special menus and dishes appear everywhere.  The soup was creamy and silky –ssooooooo good!

The second course was a typical Austrian Goulash with spicy sausages and potatoes — so wonderful. The people here are so friendly and smiling all the time, such a difference from Prague where they were so sullen and unfriendly.

We just toured Mozart’s home — how incredible to walk the same floors as the Master himself. Many of his original works were on display along with his instruments. The steps going into the home were red marble and worn down through the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walk the streets of the old city and gaze in amazement at the castle on the hill overlooking us. How grand life must have been during the height of the courts.

We walk about the town square and enjoy the open air market and stop here and there for a snack of weiss wurst and coffee. The surrounding architecture is so beautiful and everyone seems to have a smile on their face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking across the bridge over the Danube affords such majestic views!

It is raining fairly heavy now so we decide to relax in the Hotel Ibis, dining on wonderful breads, meats, cheeses, yogurt and granola. The hotels all have the most wonderful coffee machines that by the push of a button make espresso, cappuccino, hot foaming milk and all sorts of various assortments of coffees, all made to perfection.

We ponder our next stop …………….Munich!

Feb11

Vienna, Austria

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On the train to Vienna — what a chaotic scene — a group of loud — (yes and ugly) women have claimed the first class car as their own.  It is apparent they belong in second class car and here come the conductors to remove them.  Immediately the smell and general atmosphere improve.  We decided to move to the dining car and had a marvelous time sitting next to a couple from Kansas (Dorothy’s home planet).  The chef and waiter just had a wonderful shouting match in Czech!  I loved it and could not help myself.  The dining car was full of English speakers so I pretended to interpret and said such things as: “stop bringing me all those orders, I want to sit down and have a cigarette!  I can’t be cooking all the time!”

We have arrive in Vienna!  We check into the Ibis hotel and rest a bit and off we go into the center of Vienna to the Hotel Sacher so that August can have one of his favorite things on the planet — Sacher Torte!  We decide to have complete dinner here, rather than just the Torte.

We begin with Pikante Gujasuppe Czardus Furstin for August and Sacher – Gaseleber Torte for me with a bottle of Grurer Veltliner Kemser Regl.

That is a spicy beef soup for August and a liver pate cake for me with some wonderful dry white wine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our main course consists of Wiener Schnitzel with turmeric parsley potatoes and salad for me and Edward Sacher’s Tafelspitz for August – a boiled beef steak with veggies and a fried potato cake.

Ending with one of the most famous dishes on the planet…………..The Sacher Torte!

We go back to our hotel after strolling through the streets for an hour or so. We are tired from out travels, but exited to be here. The architecture is so extravagant and beautiful. We look forward to our exploration tomorrow.

We wake early and prepare for our day. After breakfasting at the hotel (Ibis Hotels offer the most amazing breakfast buffets) Our first stop is the most wonderful and breathtaking Schonbrunner Palace (www.schoenbrunn.at). We tour and are humbled by the history through which we walk. We stand in the concert room , where at the age of 6 Mozart had his first public appearance with the Royal Hapsburg Family — amazing!

As we walk the palace grounds the majesty and beauty dwarf our very presence. The day is warm and we venture into a cafe on the grounds for sme refreshment and rest.

Back onto the metro to venture to the heart of the city to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The stone of the cathedral so finely carved that it seems to be lace stretched into the sky.

We wander the streets of old Vienna and visit the Hofburg Imperial Palace and enter St. Michael’s Church — we marvel that outside the doors are hundreds of people from all over the world walking the streets as like ants on a slice of sweet bread — inside this grand church built in the thirteenth century, filled with the most incredible huge marble carvings and so many chapels, I do not bother to count them, there are no people.

As we exit we move about the streets and stop at many a sidewalk cafe to watch the people go by and to take a refreshment. The buildings that surround us are works of art all in themselves.

We stumble upon the famous golden Strauss statue just 40 meters away from the Kursalon Wien.

The following morning we forego breakfast and hop the metro to explore the Danube. First we cross to the island to the marina area, which we find quite charming. We have arrived too early and all the cafes are closed.

We make our way, by metro, to the station in the center of the bridge over the Danube and disembark to admire the beautiful river.

Back onto the metro to the Naschmarkt, the largest of 26 permanent street markets in Vienna. We meander among the booths offering all varieties of fish, fowl, cheese, olives, produce, nuts and spices.

We stop at the sausage hut and enjoy some very fine sausage, bread, mustard and olives. We are surprised to find so many Asian and Turkish restaurants and vendors here.

We have an early dinner at the Vietnam Bistro and enjoy our spring rolls and pho. The owner is a very nice man who visits with us often during our meal.

We spent the evening sitting on the back patio of the hotel Ibis, enjoying a great Chardonnay from Venice that was only 2 euros at the grocery store! It has been a great stay here in Vienna, but now it is time to head off to Salzburg!

Feb10

Gent, Belgium

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In Gent at our hotel, the Ibis, next to the grand cathedral on the town square — our room on the corner with two windows facing the square.  We have found a new hotel chain that we love.  As a member of the Accor Hotels, which include Le Sofitel and the Ibis, you are guaranteed a room if you book within 24 hours, this is perfect for our unplanned travels and allows us so much freedom.

The cafes around the square are brimming with people, all of which have a beer in hand. We have moved from the land of wine to the land of beer. We stroll through this lovely city admiring the architecture.

We are wanting to eat something interesting and find a local to ask about fun places in which to indulge our culinary senses.

He suggests a portion of the city know as “Little Turkey“….yeah we both love Turkish food so off we go….

We find Restaurant Ornek and sit outside.

The waiter comes and August begins to speak to him in Turkish, he gives out a yelp and claps his hands, we are ensured a wonderful meal.

We order a most delicious plate of a combination of all sorts of salads and a beer. Oh my, the food is fantastic! We wander by all sorts of wonderful buildings on our way back to the hotel.

We awake on the second of May to find that it is a holiday and most shops are closed. We enjoy the necessary Belgium waffle…

Based upon the recommendations of our bartender at the hotel we now venture into the cathedral and find the entrance into the catacombs which she promises hold great and beautiful treasure. It is a bit creepy, as we are the only living humans in the building; however, down into the crypt we venture. It pays off! We are surrounded by beautiful art and incredible artifacts of the church. All of my favorite things: chalices by the dozen, so many monstrance the I begin to salivate, beautiful brocade robes with heavy threads of gold, mitred hats — oh my, I could live here!

We have had such a grand time exploring the city of Gent. The people here are so kind and helpful. Last evening we found an antique shop, filled with beautiful treasures and today we returned and now many of those treasures belong to us! The elderly gentleman who owns the shop was so pleased to have customers appreciate his items, which were simply amazing. We spent the evening enjoying wine and snacks in the hotel bar, chit chatting with our new friend the bar tender who guided our exploration.
We awoke early the next morning and dined on all sorts of wonderful local meats, cheeses and yogurt. Off in a cab to the train station, our cab driver a very pleasant young man who is getting ready to holiday in the Congo! How exciting! We are now on our train to Amsterdam. I hope the journey continues to be so pleasant…………please no poison poppies!

Feb10

Paris, France

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We took the early (ONLY) bus out of Penalver, Spain, to Guadalajara and purchased tickets to Madrid  Once in Madrid we spent 3 hours in lines only to find out that we must take a train to another station, Chamartin, in order to purchase our Eurorail passes.  We take the train and spend another hour waiting in lines and finally purchase our passes and our tickets on an overnight sleeper car from Madrid to Paris………….the city of lights.

We are in a sleeper car that will hold four persons, upon arrival we find there will be only one other occupant.  His name is Trakhed, a very nice man from Morocco.  He speaks French and a little Spanish, we leave the station at seven in the evening.  We have been lugging suitcases, standing in line and fretting since eight in the morning!  We go off to the dining car and enjoy a light dinner and some wine.  At nine in the evening the attendant lowers the beds and I promptly climb into the top bunk and our Moroccan friend leaves the quarters.  I fall asleep immediately and sleep rather well throughout the rest of our 14 hour journey across the Great Pyrenees Mountains.  Before the sun sets we enjoy the sites of the Spanish Country side filled with castle after castle.

 We arrive in Paris at 9:30 A.M. and find the weather to be cold and rainy. We stumble upon a most wonderful cab driver who takes us to hotel after hotel as we find no rooms at any inns! He then suggests a chain of hotels called the Ibis, off we go. The hotel is walking distance to Notre Dame and has a very large room with a comfortable bed and full bath — a bath we desperately need after now 27 hours without one! We wander the streets of Paris, just enjoying being here again…………..and being clean!

Saturday, we awake to the city coming to life. The streets are being set up with the Farmer’s Markets throughout this beautiful city. The stands full of fresh meats, herbs, cheeses, flowers, vegetables and even socks and underwear! We so enjoy strolling about and tasting all the delights.

Off we trot to Notre Dame and marvel, once again, in her magnificent art and architecture. We sit in her shadow and enjoy a coffee and parisesane hot dog.


We purchase metro tickets and off we go into the belly of Paris — our first stop the Eiffel Tower, where we stop and help young lovers by taking pictures of them in front of the tower. A young Russian couple returns the favor and takes a photo of August and myself…..how fun!

We rest at the Museum of Modern Art and dine on the patio. Soon back to the metro to continue our exploration.

Our day ended at the Arche de Triumph on the Champs de Elysees

We visited many of our favorite places in Paris and so enjoyed dining at the outdoor cafe with the gracious and fun French wait staff. It seems that whenever we are in Paris that we have returned to Oz.

Sunday May First………..May Day!
The streets are full of flower vendors celebrating this day! We feast upon local meats and cheeses accompanied by croissants — of course and then venture off to the North of Paris for the next leg of our journey…..Belgium! Oh, my mouth waters for the rich beer and a plate of local mussels – and one must not forget the chocolate!!!

The train station is a true representation of all the cultures of the world. People from Africa, in the most beautiful clothes, Germans, Russians, Indians, Pakistani. I found a delightful woman in the tobacco shop who assisted me in purchasing stamps for our post cards and located a postal drop for me.

I am amazed that in the midst of all this chaos and activity when someone stops to be so kind and patient. Our train comes in 45 minutes and we are anxious to be on our way. On the train now in our first class seats, so comfortable and ready to see the sights on this next leg of our voyage. I so marvel at the efficiency of the transportation system here in Europe. Should we have this in the U.S., I believe many more would engage in exploration of our beautiful country. We change trains in Brussels and move on to Gent — watching the charming countryside as we move along.