Welcome to California. First stop... San Francisco

An early morning flight from Washington DC, saw Cara and I arrive in San Francisco just before lunch time. The sun was shining, so we quickly decided to walk down to the docks and have lunch around the  San Francisco Bay area.  This small but still densely populated city is one of the most visited tourist destinations in America. It’s known for it’s artistic culture and freedom of expression.  Aside from many musicians and artists residing in San Francisco, it also well known for it’s cultural diversity as it’s become home to many immigrants. Japan town, China town, Little Italy, Korea Town all provide much variety when exploring San Francisco. 

Cara and I made our way from our hotel, through the cities bustling financial district and toward the water front, and specifically the famous Pier 39. If you ever get the chance to go San Francisco, Pier 39 is a must see place to visit. It’s a popular tourist destination full of restaurants, souvenir shops, cafe’s and bars. Pier 39 opened in 1978, and what makes it so popular for tourists (aside from the vast amount of food and drink available), is it’s prime location. It has some of the best views of the San Francisco bay area. The Golden Gate bridge is in view on one side as is the famous ‘Alcatraz’ island on the other side. As Cara and I sat down to have lunch, it was time for me to once again broaden my research on local American beers. I ordered an “Anchor Steam Beer”. A local beer which first began brewing in San Francisco in 1849. Once again like many American beers, it was created by German brewer, Gottleib Brekle and his family. The Brekle family produced their unique blend of beer until 1896 when they sold the company to another German brewer, Ernest Baruth and his son-in-law, Otto Schinkel. The beer company stopped production during the prohibition years in the 1920’s and early 1930’s, but as soon as prohibition ended, Brewer, Joe Kraus bought the brewery and started producing the distinctive german style beer, which had gained so much popularity during it’s early years of production.  In 1959, the Anchor Brewing Company, began to increase into mass production and under took and heavily marketing campaign, which has made it one of the most popular and traditional American made beers to date.  I’ve always loved a bold and full flavoured beer. Many Australian beers such as James Squire, Little Creatures and Coopers all have these qualities, which makes them all so popular.  The Anchor Steam, has a deep rich amber colour, with a soft creamy head. When smelling the beer, you can pick up a strong hop flavours with a hint of caramel. When tasted, It’s not as heavily and strong as it looks. It is light and refreshing with a dry, slightly bitter after taste.  All in all, The Anchor Steam Beer is a well rounded nice refreshing beer. If you love your German style beers, this is definitely worth a try. 

After lunch, Cara and I continued to explore Pier 39 and as the afternoon got later, we slowly made our way back to our hotel, trying to see as much of the city along the way.  The next day we set off early to visit by far one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco, Alcatraz Island.  The well known island is situated almost 2.5km from the San Francisco docks and was originally built for the US Army in 1847. But it’s most famous for being a federal penitentiary for prisoners from 1933 until 1963. During this time it was home to some of America’s worst criminals, arguably the most famous being Al Capone. It was also said that no prisoner could ever possibly escape from Alcatraz and history shows that this is true, despite 14 attempts, all prisoners were caught, except for 3 who were presumed drowned during the swim back to San Francisco, although no bodies were ever found, this still remains a mystery of Alcatraz.  Cara and I spent a couple of hours on the Island, learning about how life was as a prisoner and a worker on the “The Rock”. We jumped back on the ferry and enjoyed the short trip back to the mainland taking many pictures of Alcatraz and also the Golden Gate Bridge along the way.

Approaching “Alcatraz Island"

We spent the next day walking the streets and exploring the different cultural neighbourhoods. Of course our love for all things Italian couldn’t be ignored as we found a nice restaurant in the heart of Little Italy to have lunch. We continued walking though the 'hilly’ landscape of the city, only stopping to witness people hanging off the side of San Francisco’s well known Cable-Cars.  As we kept on moving we found ourselves in the middle of the Fillmore Jazz District, home to many jazz and blues bars and clubs in San Francisco.  The cities popular jazz scene is also what attracts many tourists every year. So we decided to head back to our hotel, freshen up and head out later that night, to listen to one of the local jazz bands play. Cara and I ended up making some new friends with the band and we sat down with them after their gig, and over a few drinks, asked them about life in San Francisco. They told us about the relaxed and laid back vide of the city and how it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, people don’t judge each other in San Francisco.  After a great night out and an amazing few days, Cara and I headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. The next leg of our journey was sure to be an interesting one. Our plans were to hire a car and tackle the American roads on an 8 hour drive through the desert to Las Vegas.  

San Francisco’s Famous Cable Cars

Looking back towards the city from Alcatraz Island

The History and Culture of Washington DC

We left Philly and continued our journey south toward the nations capital, Washington DC. Another 4 hour bus ride and we reached DC in the early afternoon. Now, Washington is not well known for its cocktail and bar scene, but this visit was not about researching bar culture in DC, it was more about discovering and learning the about history of America.  It’s a city which is full of monument’s, well known political buildings and the famous Smithsonian museums. Our stop in Washington was just for the weekend, and as luck would have it, we were fortunate enough to witness the annual cherry blossom festival which sees thousands of tourists from far and wide visit the city, as it turns pink with cherry blossoms. 

I’d booked Cara and I into a hotel, just off the National Mall, perfect location for getting to all the major sites on foot. We dumped our bags and wasted no time and quickly set off the see what Washington had to offer.  As we made our way out into the centre of the “Mall”, we could clearly see two of the most well known structures in America, and probably the world, At one end, we saw the dome of the famous US Capitol Building and at the other, was the unmistakable giant spike, which was the Washington Monument.  We decided to make our way toward the US Capitol first.  This famous building is the meeting place for the US Congress and the US Federal Government. Funnily enough, Before Congress and Government came to the Capitol Building, it had previously been held at Philadelphia’s “Independence Hall”, which Cara and I had visited the day before. It was Thomas Jefferson, who in the spring of 1792, decided to hold a design competition, for architects to propose an idea for a new home of government in Washington, as well as a home for the President. Architect William Thornton, was the winner for the US Capitol Building design. The building began its construction in 1794 and on November 17th 1800, the US Congress held its first meeting inside the new location. Construction and expansion continued until 1811. When seeing the Capitol Building on TV and movies, It’s hard to comprehend the size, but as we made our way closer, we were both blown away and amazed that something so impressive was built over 200 years ago. 

As is to be expected in Washington, security is tight surrounding important places, so we could only go so far. After several photos and long periods of staring in amazement, we made our way back, up the Mall, toward the Washington Monument. The shape of this structure is known as a “obelisk”, which is a tall 4 sided pillar, tapering in at the top into a point. This monument, which was named after George Washington, is the largest obelisk in the world. It stands 170 metres tall. It’s construction began in 1848, but was not completed until 1884. Due to lack of funds, building was halted for 23 years in the middle of that time. The Washington monument is arguably the centre point of the city.  As Cara and I stood at the bottom of the giant obelisk, we had a clear view back toward the Capitol building. In the other direction was the famous Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool. Lastly, directly north of the monument is the presidents home, "The White House”.  Never had we seen so many different famous sites within one eye shot. 

After an amazing first day in the nations capital, we made our way back to our hotel for some much needed food and drink. We stopped off at a nearby bar, where I decided to continue my research on American brews by trying another US beer. This time it was the Yuengling Traditional Lager.  Yuengling is the oldest brewing company in America. It was established in 1829 by German brewer David Gottlob Yuengling. When David Yuengling immigrated to America, he started up a brew house, based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.  So far I’ve noticed that American beers are very heavily influenced by the Belgium and German style of brewing, and the Yuengling beer is no exception. Although It’s a lager, the Yuengling flagship beer has a deep rich amber colour. It has a light herbal aroma and when tasted, you can pick up hints of caramel which makes this beer a little sweeter than your average lager. It has a nice crisp clean finish and it’s slightly higher in carbonation, which made for a nice refreshing, thirst quenching beverage after a long day of travel and sight seeing. 

The site seeing continued the next day as we visited the Smithsonian museums, and some of the many other monuments and memorials in Washington DC. But, by far our highlight for the day was getting up close (well, as close as we could get) to the White House. The home of the US President was designed by Irish architect James Hoban, in 1792. Like the Capitol Building, Construction was completed in 1800 and it has been the home to every US President since that time. Before the White House, US Presidents would base themselves in New York City. But in 1801, Thomas Jefferson was the first president to move into the White House. As we walked around, taking many photos, we saw a nice little restaurant along Pennsylvania Avenue, which would make a perfect place for us to have dinner and a cocktail.  On an unseasonably warm night in Washington, Cara and I enjoyed the opportunity to sit outside, just near the front gates of the White House and look down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol Building whilst sipping on a cocktail. Cara was drinking a lychee and raspberry Bellini, and I decided to go for one of my favourites, a classic ‘Rum Punch’. 

The next day, the city was a buzz. It was the day of the famous national cherry blossom festival. It’s a day which symbolises friendship between America and Japan. It started in 1912 when the mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, gave Washington DC the gift of 3000 cherry blossom trees. Every year during the month of April, these trees blossom which turns some of Washington’s most famous sites into a sea of pink. As Cara and I made our way around the festival taking it all in, we were lucky to witness the annual parade which goes through the city centre which includes many of the local school groups and sporting teams. It also celebrates many other cultures and people who have immigrated to America, not just the Japanese. 

Looking at the Jefferson Memorial, through the Cherry Blossoms.

As mentioned at the start, Washington DC is not the epicentre of all things cocktails and bars in America. It is however a place full of history and culture. Cara and I both learned a lot from our weekend visit. We now have to say goodbye to the east coast of America as out next stop would be the on the other side of the country in San Francisco!

“Lychee and Raspberry Bellini”
Shake with no ice
30ml Lychee Liqueur
30ml Raspberry Puree
Pour into Champagne Flute
Top with Prosecco

Classic “Rum Punch”
Build over ice
15ml Lime Juice
30ml Sugar syrup
45ml Rum
60ml Orange Juice
Garnish with grated Nutmeg over the top (optional)

The classic rhyme for Rum Punch goes...

“One part sour, two parts sweet, three parts strong and four parts weak"

A Quick Stop in Philly

We jumped on the mega bus from New York, and headed south to Philadelphia. It’s only 3 hours from New York, which meant we would be in Philly by lunch time.  People would ask us before this trip, why Philadelphia? and the answer is simple. After a hectic 5 days in New York, we needed some relaxation time and it was also a good half way point to our next stop, Washington DC.  But don’t get me wrong there is still plenty of things to see and do in Philly.  If you ever find yourself in Philadelphia for 24 hours, there are a couple of things you absolutely must do. 

The first “Must-Do" is to run up the famous “Rocky Steps”, as seen in the movie. As cheesy as it sounds, you can’t help but laugh and have fun doing it.  As Cara and I arrived in Philly, we dropped our bags at our hotel, and headed straight for the Philadelphia Museum of Art to conquer the famous 72-step climb.  The steps have now become an icon of the city and attract thousands of tourists every year. We made our way down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and straight away we could see the steps in the distance. Once we reached the steps, we were surprised to find not to many other people were mimicking the sprint up to the top.  So we had the steps mostly to ourselves.  Cara and I took it in turns to make our way to the top, laughing and smiling the whole way. You can’t help but get into the mood and sing the Rocky theme as you reach the end of the steps. Once we conquered the climb, we had the chance to stop and take in the view over the city on a gorgeous day in of Philadelphia. 

Once we departed from the steps is was time to relax, so we headed to “Old town”, a part of Philly which is famous for Independence Hall and also being the home of our second “Must-Do”, which was having a famous “Philly Cheese-Steak”. The cheese steak was a concept which was invented in Philadelphia, but it’s now a popular meal served all across America. As we explored Old Town, we found a local bar which was advertising the Philly Cheese Steak (along with a very appealing happy hour), so we decided to set up camp for the afternoon, sit outside and enjoying the warm 30 degree day.  As you can see by the photo, the Cheese Steak is not the most attractive looking meal, and in true American style, it’s far from the healthiest. It is basically a baguette, filled with shaved steak, and diced fried onions, topped with melted cheese and served with more than your average serving of fries. Cara and I figured we’d earnt it, after our run up the Rocky Steps, so we were looking forward to this Philly tradition.  I also decided to try one of the local brews sold in many bars around Philadelphia, the “Yards Pale Ale”.  The Yards Brewing company is a local Philly company which began in 1994, when friends Tom Kehoe and Joe Bovit decided to mass produce their Ale, after having been home brewing since 1988. At first they were only able to produce 6 kegs at a time, making the beer very exclusive. When demand increased and popularity grew, Tom and Joe were forced to move to another much bigger brew house, just outside Philadelphia and began mass producing their beers.  The Pale ale is a solid well rounded beer consisting of clean and crisp flavours. It has a slight citrus aroma and after taste. It is easily one of the most popular beers in Philadelphia and you can tell that there is a lot of local pride when it comes to the Yards range of beers.  

As we spent our afternoon, relaxing, eating our cheese steaks and drinking yards beers, we couldn’t have asked for a better place to chill out after the hustle and bustle of New York City. Philadelphia is probably not on the list of must see places when coming to America, but it does have a lot to offer. It was the perfect stop-over on our way to Washington DC. 

Living the Dream in NYC

New York City... There has been no other place that we’ve been to which has carried such anticipation and exception as we arrived.  As our plane arrived into JFK airport from Iceland, we both couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces. We were in America! The land of the free and the home of the brave. Since becoming a bartender, it has been my dream to one day visit New York City and drink in some of the great bars of the world.  Cara and I quickly gathered our bags and jumped on board the NYC metro train and headed  for Union Square, located in the lower east side of Manhattan.  Throughout our travels, Cara and I have tended to stray away from the cab option when travelling from airports to city centres. We find that catching public transport gives you a better feel for how the locals live. Our first train ride in America will be a memorable one. Mid-way through the trip, a couple of dances jumped on and began to give the commuters a break dancing show. We’d seen buskers in trains in Italy and France, but this was something else. Using the trains handles and poles to perform flips and other break dancing tricks, running up and down the carriage as the train was moving. It was quite a good show and a great introduction to life and culture in America. 

We made it to our hotel on 17th Street, dumped our bags and headed across the street to a bar for frosty cold beer and classic New York style pizza.  I ordered a pint of “Blue Moon” Beer, this popular NYC beer, is a Belgium style beer which is brewed in Colorado. Blue Moon is produced by the MillerCorrs Company, one of the biggest brewing companies in America. MillerCorrs are most commonly known for the Miller Genuine Draft range along with Corrs lite (2 of the most popular beers in America). Both the Miller and the Corrs and very light in colour and are made in more of a lager style, so the inspiration behind the Blue Moon was to create a European style beer which was more similar to an ale. This unique beer has proved to be successful as I noticed throughout our time in New York, that almost every bar had the Blue Moon on tap.  After a our beer and pizza, the time was 11pm, but with the time difference from Iceland,  our body clock was telling us it was about 4am. So we got back to our hotel and hit the hay. We needed sleep as the next few days were going to be busy. 

There are so many places to visit in New York City, where do you start? Cara and I had no idea what to do first. If you had to see only one thing in New York, what would it be? After some debate, we agreed that the Statue of Liberty would be the top of the list. So we set out and made our way to the lower west side of Manhattan Island. On our way to the Statue of Liberty, we had the opportunity to visit "Ground Zero”, the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. No words can describe the feeling when visiting the World Trade Centre site. Cara and I felt many emotions during our visit. Obviously great sadness for the victims, but we also had much admiration for the people in New York. These locals have turned this tragedy and have used it to pull together and support each other and build a community spirit which can never be broken.  

Once leaving Ground Zero, we were only a short walk from the Staten Island ferry. This free ferry service, takes you from Manhattan Island, right past the Statue of Liberty, to Staten Island. Its the best and cheapest way to see the Statue up close. Once we cruised to Staten Island and back, taking many photos along the way, it was time for lunch.  As we went in search of the typical NYC diner, we suddenly found ourselves standing on Wall St, out the front of the New York City stock exchange. After more picture taking, we found a diner, and had another regular meal in a New Yorkers diet, a classic Hot Dog.  

We began to make our way back to our hotel to freshen up, as we had a big night planned. We were heading to Times Square and also popping into B.B. Kings Jazz Bar to see the band “Atlantic Star”.  As we made our way up 5th Ave, we decided to stop off in a local tavern, not for a cocktail, but for a simple rum and coke, just to get a feel for what your standard New York “watering hole” was like. We struck up a conversation with the bartender who was happy to explain to us the "do’s" and “dont’s" for tourists in NYC. A “do” was to tip well and you’ll get “hooked-up” by the bartender, by over pouring your next drink, tip poorly, and you might as well just purchase a coke, because you won’t have much rum in you glass next time you order. Another “don’t” was not to take a horse and carriage ride through central park. New yorkers see that as a bit of a joke. If you want to see Central park, walk it, or hire a bike. So we took that advise on board as our next day was going to be spent in the park.  We finally made it to Times Square and did what thousands of other tourists were doing and thats take as many photos as we could and try not to get hassled by buskers or people dressed up as movie characters trying to get you to have your picture taken with them.  This place was packed, and it was just your usual saturday night. You could only imagine what it would be like for the famous “ball-drop” on new years eve.

After an amazing night out at B.B King’s and Times Square, we needed to return to our hotel. We had another busy following day ahead.  I could go on and describe every single little thing we did during our time in New York, but it would go on forever. To summerise, The next day was spent entirely in Central park, with dinner later that night spent around the lower east side of Manhattan. The following day was jam packed with us conquering the Empire State building and going to the Ed Sullivan Theatre for a taping of the “Dave Letterman Show”, then going to some of the top drinking spots the city had to offer.

When it comes to cocktail bars in various cities we visit, It’s usually me, who does the bar research and Cara is the one who gets dragged around to the many amazing bars we’ve drunk at. But this time, Cara suggested a bar that we must visit as it was featured in “Sex and the City”, one of her favourite shows. So I was more than happy to visit a bar which i’d never heard of before but is apparently well known to many locals. It was a place called “The Monkey Bar”, a short walk past Madison Ave on 54th Street.  This bar was definitely not a touristy bar. Filled with business men and women who had just finished work. It was quite intimidating for Cara and I as we walked through the door. We didn’t let this bother as too much as we pulled up a stool at the bar and ordered our drinks. I ordered a cocktail called a “No Problemo”. I martini style drink which consisted of Reposado tequila, Celery bitters, lime juice, an egg white and Licor 43 (a bright yellow Spanish liqueur, which has a strong vanilla and herbal flavour). Cara ordered a drink called “Mule Variations”. This was exactly what the name said, it was a variation on a classic Moscow Mule. It was made up of aged rum, fresh pressed ginger juice, lime juice and spiced walnut liqueur. Both our drinks were nice and well balanced. After two years of travelling the world drinking cocktails, it now takes a lot to impress Cara and I, So despite our drinks being very nice and well balanced, they didn’t exactly rate up there with the best drinks we’ve ever had. But that didn’t matter though. We were sitting in a swanky NYC bar, absolutely loving life and it gave us a chance to stop for a second and reflect on the past few busy days in the city the never sleeps.

We had one more day left in New York, so we decided to head out of Manhattan and visit Queens. After spending a gorgeous afternoon in Flushing Meadows Park we had one last thing to do in Manhattan. I mentioned earlier about the classic New York hot dog which we had at a local diner, and as delicious as the diner hot dog was, no visit to NYC is complete without a visit to “Grays Papaya” probably one of the most famous chain of hot dog stores in the world. So just before we returned to our hotel for the last time, we made a stop off at Grays Pappaya, just near 17th street.  It was our last night in New York and it has been a visit we will never forget. We tried not to get to upset about leaving, we still had much left in America to see. As we chowed down on our “Papaya” hot dogs we looked ahead to our next stop... Philadelphia.

“No Problemo”

In a Shaker,

45ml Reposado Tequila

15ml Licor 43

A dash of Celery Bitters

30ml Lime Juice

1 x Egg White

Shake and double strain into a Martini Glass

“Mule Variations”

In a Shaker:

60ml Aged Rum

30ml Lime Juice

5ml Ginger juice

15ml Walnut Liqueur

Shake and strain over ice in a short glass

The Amazing New York City, Looking out from the top of the Empire State Building.

40 hours in Iceland

So we're finally on our way home back to Australia. On our way, we'll be making stops in America and New Zealand. But before we arrive in the USA, we are making a quick stop over in Reykjavik, Iceland. As we stepped off our flight and made our way outside of the airport terminal, we instantly noticed the crisp clean air. Something that you don't get very much of in the massive metropolis that is London. A light mist sat just above the rocky landscape and as we boarded our transfer from the airport, we were both excited for the next 40 hours in Iceland ahead of us.

Reykjavik, is the worlds most northern capital city. It has a population of approximately 200,000 and the entire country of Iceland only has a population of just over 300,000. The island is built almost entirely on top of black volcanic rock, which makes the landscape look like something from another planet. Iceland regularly have minor earthquakes and also tend to have volcano eruptions every 5 - 10 years.

So what can we do in just 40 hours in one country? As we arrived very late on our first night, it was important we got as much sleep as we could, as our first full day involved us touring the country's famous "Golden Circle". The Golden circle is a route which takes you to some of Icelands most breathtaking sites. We were starting our tour at the Gullfoss waterfall. Also known as the Golden Waterfall, this popular attraction boasts a giant 3 step waterfall which ends with gallons of water falling into a deep crevice spanning 20 metres wide and 32 metres deep. What blows you away with the Gullfoss Waterfall is it’s sheer size. From the viewing point above the falls, it’s an impressive sight, but once you make you way down the footpath and closer to the waters edge, the loud sound of the falling water and the depth of the crevice is a breath taking sight. Photos really do not capture the magnitude of the waterfall.

After several photos and much gazing at the beautiful Gullfoss Waterfall, our tour continued to the Geysir geothermal field. This site was filled with little boiling hot springs all dispensing steam into the air. This trail of steam looked like somebody had lit little spot fires, but as we approached each spring we could see the bubbling water bouncing around like you would see when boiling a kettle. The most popular sight in the field was the “Strokkur” hot spring. Known for it’s erupting water, Strokkur blasts boiling water up to 40 metres high every 8 - 10 minutes. These hot springs and eruptions of water have been happening for the past 10,000 years. They are caused by the build up of water and gas pressure deep in the earths core. Depending on the position of the earths plates, these hot springs have been know to only erupt very rarely, but due to an earthquake in 1935 the Strokkur Geysir now erupts very frequently making it one of the most popular attractions in Iceland.

During our days travels we also had the opportunity so visit an Icelandic greenhouse, which is used to produce some of the countries finest vegetables. Their main product is tomatoes. This completely organic tomato farm, harnesses the geothermal energy created to heat and maintain the greenhouses at exactly the right temperature, perfect for growing vegetables. We were lucky enough to taste some of their natural tomato juice which they produce and sell. This juice looked nothing like any tomato juice i'd seen before. It was not the usual red colour which you come to expect. It looked more like carrot juice. But when we tasted it, it was amazing. No artificial flavours, just 100% natural tomato juice. Bloody Mary's will never taste the same again.

After a long day of sight seeing around Iceland, it was time to head back into Reykjevik and relax. As we set out for a short walk through the town centre, naturally we had to check out the popular beverages sold in Iceland. We could clearly see that the most common drink which was being ordered in bars and pubs was a beer called “Gull”. This locally brewed lager is extremely popular with the Icelandic people. In 2011, Gull won the award for worlds best standard lager, something that the locals are very proud of.  It’s marketed as a working mans beer. It’s clean and crisp taste makes it a favourite and is stocked in almost every bar and pub in Iceland. After some food and a couple of pints of the local brew, we headed back to our hotel with only around 14 hours left until we had to be back at the airport and head off to America.  The next day we were up and out early again keen to make the most of our last few hours in the country. Fortunately one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland, just happened to be on the way to the airport. So we wasted no time and jumped on to our tour bus and made our way to the famous "Blue Lagoon". The lagoon is widely considered the best natural medical spa resort world wide. Guests have the chance to bath in the natural hot springs which stay at a constant temperature of 37 -39 degrees. The spring holds over 6 million litres of geothermal seawater, which is renewed every 40 hours. A dip in these hot waters was just what Cara and I needed before heading to the airport. So after a relaxing swim, we boarded our bus and were off the airport and bound for the USA. At the start of our travels 2 years ago, we never thought that we'd ever get the opportunity to visit Iceland. Some times we had to pinch ourselves as we were seeing some of the most beautiful and amazing sites on the planet. Our 40 hour stop over was well worth it and we both would recommend anyone to make the journey if given the chance. For now though it's off to America. First stop… New York City!

“Whats the Craic" in Ireland

Spending time in the UK would not be complete without taking a short trip to Ireland. We could not think of a better time to visit the 'Celtic' country, than St Patricks Day. But in Ireland, it's not just one day, Its a week long St Patricks festival. We decided to catch the ferry across to Dublin, leaving from the Welsh coast line town of Holyhead. Once in Dublin, we took a train to the south of Ireland to spend the famous Irish holiday in Cork. We would later finish out the festival in Dublin, but for now it was on to Cork.

March 17th every year is the day that the Irish honour there most well known patron saint, St Patrick. Before the day became more about singing, dancing and drinking Guinness, the day was a religious holiday to celebrate St Patrick bringing Christianity to Ireland. The culture of eating and drinking to excess on St Pats day all stemmed from the church lifting lent restrictions and allowing people to consume as much as they wanted on this one day. In Ireland, many parades and church services take place to honour St. Patrick. Countries all over the world now celebrate the holiday, but I doubt many people celebrated it for the same religious reasons. Cara and I soaked up the atmosphere in Cork. Everyone was in high spirits and excited to get the party underway. We explored the city and waited for the parade to start. After the local parade, which included schools, sporting clubs and other community groups, we set off to check out some of the local pubs and celebrate with a Guinness or two and have a sing along with the Irish. All the pubs and the streets were packed. It was a sight that we’d never seem before, and probably will never see again.  

After a crazy St Patricks Day in Cork, We decided to venture back to Dublin, where we would visit the famous Guinness Brewery, to learn more about the most popular beverage over the St Pats festival, not to mention, It's also the most popular stout in the world to date.  The St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin is the birth place of Guinness. It was founded by Arthur Guinness in 1759. Over the next 10 years Arthur Guinness brewed his secret recipe of Irish Stout and sold it to the locals in Dublin and throughout Ireland. Ten years after first founding his brewery, Arthur began exporting his brew. He sent his very first shipment,  of 6 and a half barrels, to England.  It was an instant hit with the British. The beer continued to expand and grow and Arthur Guinness passed on his secret recipe on the his grandson, Benjamin who has continued to pass it on, keeping the secret within the family even today. 100 years after Arthur founded his brewery in 1859, the value of the company was estimated to be worth over 1 million pounds, which made Guinness the largest brewing company in the World. Although today, Guinness is no longer the largest brewing company in the world, it is still by far, the most popular and biggest selling stout in the world.  So after a quick history lesson and a tour through the brewery, It was time for Cara and I to go up to the famous "Skybar" where everyone receives 2 free pints of guinness to enjoy whilst gazing over the Dublin city skyline. People have told us that the further this beer travels away from the brewery in Dublin, the worse it tastes. I can confirm this, as i've never been a guinness drinker in Australia, as I've found the quality to be quite poor. But certainly in the UK, I've had the odd pint or 2 of guinness and the taste has improved considerably. I can safely say that drinking this beer at the brewery itself, the flavour improved even more. It's creamy texture and rich flavour, makes it by far the best pint of guinness i've ever had. Even for Cara, who is not a massive beer drinker, could appreciate this stout. It was truly delicious. 

After our tour of the Guinness brewery, we continued to explore Dublin. Many of the pubs and bars had live Irish folk music and Irish dancing. There was something special about being in Ireland for the St Patricks Day Festival. The people love to celebrate their national holiday and they're all very welcoming to the many tourists, like ourselves, who make the trip, especially at this time of year.  We returned to London the next day with fond memories of an unforgettable trip to Ireland.

Going to see an Angel

So we're off again and our next stop on our travels was the city of Newcastle. The main reason for our visit is to see the famous “Angel of the North” sculpture which is featured heavily in many tourist advertisements when promoting the north east of England. Aside from the Angel, we’ve also heard Newcastle is a bit of a ‘party town’ for many students who live there, so we were excited to explore the city and see what it has to offer.  

The “Castle” of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

We arrived in Newcastle early afternoon. There was thick layers of snow still set on the roads and pavements from the day before. As we made the trek to the hostel we were staying in, trying not to slip over on the icy paths, we noticed the city was packed and there were herds of people all making there way in the same direction. We were a little confused at first, until I quickly relised that Newcastle was playing Southhampton in the football. The people were all heading toward St James Park. This made the city and all the pubs quite a buzz. We dropped off our bags and set out for an afternoon of exploring and possibly a few cheeky pints whilst watching the game.  As we explored Newcastle, we found ourselves standing in front of “The Castle” of Newcastle.  A fort which originally dated back to Roman times. It was built for defence purposes, protecting the bridge, which crosses the River Tyne. In 1080, the castle was rebuilt, upgraded and referred to as the ‘New Castle' upon the River Tyne, hence the name of the city.  From the Castle we made our way into the centre of town and came to a monument which appeared to looked similar to Nelson’s Collum in London’s Trafalgar Square, but it was actually “Grey’s Monument”. A monument dedicated to Lord Charles Grey. The reason for it’s similarity to Nelsons Collum, is it was designed by the same man, Edward Hodges Baily in 1838. The monument was designed to honour Charles Grey who was the prime minister of England from 1830 - 1834. He is most famous for instigating the Great Reform Act of 1832, which changed many things, including the way the electoral system and voting worked in England and Wales.  The Reform Act also included the abolishment of slavery in the UK. 

After exploring some of the history of Newcastle, we decided to find a local pub and watch some of the football. A visit to Newcastle is not complete without having one of there signature beers, the Newcastle Brown Ale. The "Newkie Brown” (as it’s affectionately known) first began Brewing at the Tyne Brewery in 1927. It was created by Lt. Colonel James Herbert Porter. The locals instantly took to this ‘working mans beer’ and it grew in popularity over the years, mainly in Newcastle only. It wasn’t until the 1970’s when Newcastle Brown Ale, took over the UK and peaked in sales towards the end of the 70’s. It died off a little in the 1980’s, but had a resurgance in the late 90’s. Today, Newcastle Brown Ale is not as popular in the UK as it once was, but it is still popular with the locals. It now seems to appeal more to the American market, where they export over 100 million bottles to the USA every year. America is now they primary buyer for the “Newkie Brown”. 

After a nice roast dinner and a couple of Brown Ales, we made our way back to our hostel. The next day we got up early excited about visiting the famous “Angel of the North”. As we made our way toward the site of the ‘Angel’, it didn't take long for it’s giant wings to come into view.  When we arrived at the sculpture, we were blown away by it’s sheer size. It was designed by Antony Gormley, who first began the planning and designing of this piece in 1994. The project cost around one million pounds. It took 4 years to design and build, as it needed to withstand 100mph winds with it being in an exposed location. A man made hill was built around the Angel’s feet to hide the 600 tonnes of concrete used to fix the sculpture into place. The Angel is not just an icon for Newcastle, but it is also an icon  for the north of England.  For Cara and I, the visit was definitely worth it.

The famous “Angel of the North"

As we departed from Newcastle, we reflected and were both happy that we took to time out to visit the city and pay a visit to the famous “Angel”. 

The West Brewery

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before in previous posts, Glasgow has a massive beer and pub culture. Scottish ale’s feature heavily in many places as well as well as many local lagers. One company that is beginning to break into the Scottish market (and with huge success) is the West Brewing Company.  I’d heard about West from a few of the locals. This little microbrewery is within walking distance from where we live, so I’m surprised I’d not heard of it until now. So one afternoon, Cara and I decided to take a walk down the road and check out the range of West beers, which seem to have everyone raving. 

The West Brewery Company was only founded in 2006. Their aim was to create the best boutique beer in the UK. West brewers have drawn on inspiration from German beers and brewing styles. They even went as far as importing the copper chimneys and brewing control systems from Germany. The end result… West Brewery is one of the most technologically advanced microbreweries in the UK.  West are also one of the few breweries that run a “Low emission recycling system”, which allows them to recycle the steam produced and convert it to water which can be used on the next brewing cycle. 

West produces 6 distinctive German style beers; all made using traditional German recipes. In fact, West is first brewery in the UK to produce beer following the “Reinheltsgebot Law”, which translates to the “German Purity Law” of brewing.  The signature of the 6 beers is the “St Mungo “ which (in their words is, “A homage to Glasgow’s patron saint and fellow brewer”.  The St Mungo is what we ordered on our visit to West. This was a good choice. I’m not a big fan of some German style beers; I find them to be too heavy. After drinking just one, I’ve often felt like I’ve had a three course meal.  The St Mungo however, is lighter. It still has those distinctive malt and hop flavours, which are synonymous with German beers, but it’s not to over powering.  As I finished my first pint of St Mungo, I could have easily have ordered another… So I did. 

West offer many other beers for you to choose from, such as Dunkel, a special beer that is brewed using 5 different types of malts. Another is, Munich Red, which is a little sweeter, taking on a more caramel like taste. There is the Hefeweizen, which is the more traditional German beer. There is also the Oktoberfest brew, which is made with only German sourced hops and barley.  Lastly is the limited edition, Weihnachtsbier, which is a brew that is only sold during Christmas time. The qualities of this festive beer change every year as a new recipe is written every Christmas. 

Microbreweries seem to be getting more popular around the world. Despite West Brewery only being a young company, they’ve already managed to stock their signature, “St Mungo” in many different pubs all over Glasgow. Which says that the company can only keep growing. 

The Wild Hibiscus Project: Part 2

A little while back I got asked to create a drink for the Wild Hibiscus company. I created a variation on the classic sidecar and I simply called the “Hibiscus Sidecar”.  Well the challenge has been set again by the people at Wild Hibiscus. This time the task was to create a beer cocktail.

When creating this drink, I decided to take some inspiration from living and working in Scotland. So I began playing around with mixing beer with scotch whisky.  Choosing your whisky to mix beer with can be tough as there are so many different varieties of malts around. I needed a scotch that would work well with the sweet hibiscus flavours. I decided to go with the Laphroiag 10 year old malt whisky. The Laphroiag has got strong bold smokey flavours, which is needed when mixing it with the sweet hibiscus syrup and strong flavours of the beer. This mix alone was not to bad, but I felt that there was something missing. The cocktail needed a slight spicy kick. But not chilli or pepper, something which would go well with the scotch and still not over power the other ingredients. The answer was ginger. A pinch of ground ginger mixed in with the hibiscus syrup was exactly what I needed to give this drink the a spicy after taste.

I named this concoction “A beautiful hollow by hibiscus bay”.  The name Laphroiag is a gaelic word meaning “A beautiful hollow by broad bay”. Laphroiag whisky is arguably one of the most well known of Scotland's whiskies world wide. So it seemed appropriate to base the name of this drink around the famous Laphroaig name.

So now we’ve gotten our ingredients, we’ve gotten a name for this drink, It’s time to make it. Start with your beer glass and add a pinch of ground ginger. Then add 25ml Wild Hibiscus syrup. Stir this mix together, making sure that all of the ginger has been dissolved in the syrup. Now add 25ml Laphroiag whisky. Give this a quick stir too. Now add your favourite Lager. I’ve left the choice of beer open, as certain beers can be hard to find depending on where you are from. I’ve chosen to use Tennents Lager, a local beer brewed in Glasgow. But any lager will do. The beer is not meant to take centre stage in this drink, it’s mainly about the combination of Hibiscus and whisky. The beer is just what binds it all together. Once you’ve topped your glass with your beer, the garnish (which is entirely optional) is a slice of ginger and a hibiscus flower (you’ll need tooth picks to hold them together on the rim of your glass).

If your not a big scotch whiskey drinker, then this drink is probably not for you. But I’ve made this cocktail without the scotch and beer with ginger and hibiscus syrup is quite sweet and refreshing.
Enjoy!

“A Beautiful Hollow By Hibiscus Bay”

In a Beer Glass:
A Pinch of Ground Ginger
25ml Wild Hibiscus Syrup
Stir until ginger is dissolved
25ml Laphroiag 10 year old
Top with Beer
Garnish: Slice of Ginger and Wild Hibiscus flower

What to do on a cold Scottish Day?

After our amazing adventure to Italy and Spain, It was time to get back to reality. We said goodbye to the warm weather and returned to Glasgow, where the weather was turning cold and grey as winter was soon upon us.  It was time for us to knuckle down and get into the day to day life of living and working in Scotland. After a busy few weeks, the day finally came when I had some free time, and wouldn’t you know it, It was pouring with rain and quite cold. So what was I to do on my day off?  I decided to look into some traditional Scottish pubs. The ones which were cosy and warm, the perfect place to be on a winters day. As far as Glaswegian pubs go, they don’t get any more traditional than “The Scotia”. So I braved the wet and went for a short walk to check it out. 

The Scotia was established in 1792. It’s Glasgow’s oldest pub. It’s located a short distance from the famous River Clyde. At the time the river was a thriving waterway for many sailors travelling through the area. When boats ported in Glasgow, The Scotia was the nearest pub. By 1862, the pub had already established itself as one of the most popular pubs around, but this was boosted even more when the 'Variety and Music Hall’ opened up right next door. This attracted a new cliental of performers and theatre goers to the Scotia. This influx of new patrons helped influence and shape what the Scotia is today, a music venue.  The pub is now one of the cities most popular live music venues. 

I’ve noticed many things about the Glasgow pub scene. One being that the city is littered with tiny (what they call) “Old-Man Pubs”. The type of pubs which are often quiet with a half dozen old men, hunched over a pint talking about football.  These are the types of places which can be quite intimidating to foreigners like myself. I’ve been into a few of these places already and have not felt welcome. I have to be honest, as I made my way to the Scotia, I expected a similar type of 'unwelcoming' atmosphere. I could not have been more wrong. As I walked in, I was instantly greeted by the man behind the bar. It was just the sort of pub I was hoping for. It’s low ceilings made for a cosy feel. The typical pine wood interior is exactly what you’d expect from a traditional pub. Around the bar was a collage of labels from previous beers that they have sold. Usually I’m not a fan of tacky signs or label behind the bar, but here it seemed to suit. It all added to the charm of the pub. As I pulled up a stool, I decided to try something new. I couldn’t go past the “William Wallace Scottish Ale”.  I’d tried traditional ale’s in London, and even though I could appreciate the flavour and I understood why people loved them so much, for me personally, It’s not my cup of tea. However, I love being adventurous, So I ordered a pint of the William Wallace. 

The William Wallace Ale is brewed by the TSA (Traditional Scottish Ale) Brewing Co.  They specialise in many different hand crafted Scottish beers. The William Wallace, is a pale ale which was made for people like me, who don’t usually drink ales. As I sipped on my beer, I could taste the hop flavours, but they weren’t too over-powering. Dispite it’s dark chocolatey colour, it was very refreshing.  It’s probably a bit to bland for your hard core ale drinkers. But for me it’s perfect. It’s advertised as having a fruity taste, but when you hear the description fruity, you may think citrus, which I don’t think this beer is.  If I was to pick any kind of flavour, I’d say nutty with a dry bittersweet finish, but overall quite refreshing.  The William Wallace was a good choice for me. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it has converted me to ales, but it was a nice change. I’d recommend it to any non ale drinkers. 

It’s was difficult to leave the warm and cosy atmosphere of The Scotia and make the walk home. But I’m sure I will return again on another cold and wet day in Glasgow. 

Only Real Scot’s Eat Haggis

If you were to ask most people ‘What is a classic Scottish dish?’, more often than not, the answer would be haggis. Now we’re living in Scotland, I was looking forward to finding some good haggis to sink my teeth into. Many people have said to be careful when you order this Scottish cuisine, as the quality of haggis can vary from place to place.  With Cara’s parents visiting from Australia at the moment, we decided to take a day trip to beautiful Edinburgh, and I decided to take the opportunity to seek out some good haggis for lunch.

The last time Cara and I were in Edinburgh, it was a gorgeous warm sunny day. This time we were not so lucky. But even in the wind and rain, Edinburgh is still very picturesque. As we walked toward the famous Edinburgh castle, the weather took a turn for the worse and we found a nice little Scottish pub to stop for lunch.  They were offering a traditional style haggis dish, served with mash potato and mashed pumpkin. Trying something new is always a gamble, but new foods don’t scare me anymore and I was looking forward to what would be presented before me.

It’s probably best not to speak about the contents of haggis, as it can sound quite off-putting, but i suppose it’s good to know what you are about to eat.  Haggis is a mixture of sheep’s offal (heart, liver and lungs), along with onion and oatmeal. It’s then well seasoned with spices and salt and pepper. Stock is then added to the mixture and It's left to simmer for 3 hours.

No one knows for sure where the idea for haggis came from. There is no definitive proof that it even comes from Scotland. However, the first recipe for haggis in print was around 1430, in a cookbook from the north west of the United Kingdom.  One of the theories is that haggis was offered to the workman in the slaughter houses. After all the prime cuts of meat had been cut and sold, the leftovers were minced and seasoned and given to the workers

When my meal arrived, It looked interesting, but quite nice. It tasted even better. The mixture of flavours worked well together. The use of herbs and seasoning is a huge part of the overall dish. Without it, it would be extremely bland. In this particular dish, I could also taste strong onion and garlic flavours. You could argue that the use of the garlic, onion, herbs and spices are there to disguise the taste to the offal, but what ever the reason, it works.  I washed it all down with a local beer brewed in Edinburgh, “Innes & Gunn”. This independent brewing company was established in 2003. It’s popularity in Scotland is largely due to it’s unique brewing style. It’s brewed and fermented in white oak whisky barrels which gives it an after-taste which is unlike any beer I’ve had before. Together with the haggis, I felt like I was having the full Scottish experience.

After an amazing lunch, the rain eased and we continued exploring Edinburgh. I thoroughly enjoyed my first haggis meal and I’m sure it won’t be my last.

The Tower of London

One of the things we love about London is the long and interesting history that the city has. We’ve been to a few castles and palaces now, and they all have an interesting story to tell. The more places we visit, the clearer it becomes to put the historic jigsaw together. Another piece to the puzzle is a place we’ve talked about visiting for some time, the Tower of London. 

Our travels through the UK don’t always involve drinking and cocktails. We are always interested in learning about the vast history that Britain has to offer, and the Tower of London is certainly a major part of it’s history. The Tower dates back to 1066, after victory at the battle of Hastings. William the Conqueror completed the construction of the tower in 1078. It served many purposes aside from being the royal residence for such Kings as King Richard, Henry III and Edward I. It was also used as a prison for intruders who were caught trying to infiltrate the towers walls.  The main section of the palace is the “White Tower”.  It is the strongest structure of the castle. It was built with such precision, so much so that the main centre stairwell had the ability to be easily discarded in case of an attack.  By the end of the 11th Century the Tower was described as being the most advanced fortress in Europe.

As I often do, I can’t resist picking up a souvenir for the day’s trip. This time I picked up a bottle of the “Tower of London’s, Kings Table Real Ale”. With Britain being such huge ale drinkers, I thought this would be an appropriate memento of the day.  This traditional English Ale has been brewed by hand. It’s golden in colour, As well as being light in hops, which make it’s flavour not to overpowering and easy to drink.  Most ale’s tend to be heavy and I personally have found them hard to drink. This however was different. It was heavier than a normal lager, but it was just as refreshing.  I realize that this Ale is meant to be served at room temperature, but it’s against everything I stand for as an Australian, so I couldn’t help but pop it in the fridge just to chill it down.  

So another tourist attraction is ticked off the list. Who knows what we’ll see and learn about next. 

Shopping with the Rich and Famous

It's funny to think that a shopping centre could become a world wide tourist attraction, but Harrod’s Department store is exactly that. People flock from around the world just the walk through looking at things that most of us can’t afford. I guess it is also a glimpse of what high society is like. Granted, visiting Harrods was not high on our priority list of things to do, but when you are living in London it’s a visit that you need to make, just so you can tick it off the list. Cara was more excited about the exploring Harrods than myself, but I was also intrigued in what all the hype was about. As we jumped off the London underground, the first thing we noticed was the amount of people walking towards us, all with little green Harrods shopping bags by their side. A little affordable souvenir to remember the day by. When we came up from the tube stop, the second thing I noticed was the cars parked around the store and in the area. You know you are in a fancy part of town when the streets are lined with Aston Martins and other high-end sports cars. It really was a place that you felt under-dressed going too.

The history of Harrods began with Henry Edward Harrod. A business man who started his first store at age 25 in 1824. He began selling haberdashery in a store in Southwark, south of the River Thames. From there his empire grew moving into other areas, such as groceries, medicines, perfumes, etc. In 1849 it was relocated to the the site that it currently has today. Over the years the store has made many owners after Henry Edward Harrod. His son took over in the late 1800’s and when his son retired, the company was sold to the “House of Fraser” department store holding company. In 1985, business man Mohamed Al Fayed purchased the House of Fraser company, therefore becoming the new owner of Harrods. The sale cost Al-Fayed a massive $615 million.

As we walked through the store, I did spot a little souvenir which I couldn’t resist. It's the Harrods 1849 Premium Lager. A Specially brewed and bottle beer which is only sold at the Harrods store. This lager is brewed and stored for 90 days to ferment before hitting the selves. It has a deep colour and rich taste. The sort of qulities you don’t usually see from a lager. It’s favour was full bodied and if you had just one, it would go down nicely, but I think two would be to heavy to take. A nice all round beer, presented in a sophisticated style which suits the Harrods style.

Cara’s highlight for the day was the chocolate shop which she spent some time in picking which sweets to buy. The chocolate shop consisted of some of the tastiest and most expensive sweets in London. So our day ended with both me and Cara making our way back to the tube station, both with our little green Harrods bags in hand. It was a day in the life of the rich and famous.

The Love of Antipasti

Michelangelo’s, “The Creation of Adam”, inside the Sistine Chapel.

Next on our list of famous sights to see in Rome, was the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. We followed the masses of tourists who were also heading toward the Vatican and once we were there it was truly amazing. The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is probably the only thing we’ve seen that compares to the sight of the Vatican City. As we made our way inside the chapel, we decided to tackle the 551 steps to the top of the dome which over looks the square and Rome. When we reached the top, the sight was everything that we had hoped for. A 360 degree view over all of Rome. After taking many photos, we made our way back down and took a short walk around the Vatican City to the Sistine Chapel. We were excited about seeing the famous paintings by Michelangelo, and by far the most famous, “The Creation of Adam”. As we made our way through to the Sistine Chapel we were amazed at the size and volume of all the paintings, every inch of the chapel was painted to depict many famous moments in time. As we made our way through the crowd, we got to the centre of the chapel and looked straight up, and there, in the centre of the ceiling was the painting we’d all come to see. So after a busy afternoon, it was that time again, time to eat and have a cocktail. After having lots of pizza and pasta on our first day, we were keen to explore some other Italian food, particularly antipasti.

Aside from the amazing pizza and pasta that there is to eat in Italy, it’s important not to forget about the other classic Italian dish, Antipasti. Usually before any meal, it’s normal to order a selection of cold meats, olives and cheese. When Cara and I went out to eat, we were sometimes served these dishes without even ordering them, free of charge. Prosciutto is by far the most popular of the cold meats featured on a standard antipasti dish. Prosciutto is the ham of either a pig or wild boar. It usually comes from the thigh or the hind leg of the animal. The meat is finely cut, cleaned and well salted, then left to age for a time ranging from 9 months to 2 years. The result is a delicious, soft, salty and chewy meat which falls apart and melts in your mouth.  Along with the cold meats, often come a selection of olives, cheeses and lots of bread. Every meal we ate we nearly lost our appetites due to the amount of antipasti dishes served before the main meal.  After our busy day, I was keen for a nice refreshing beer to go with our antipasti. I decided to order one of the beer cocktails that were on offer. The “Peach Lager” was a beer cocktail which consisted of fresh peach puree, peach schnapps and cointreau and topped up with Peroni. Peroni lager is by far the most popular beer in Italy. This beer concoction was sweet and refreshing. The puree made the drink quite heavy in texture, but it was still a definite thirst quencher after another long day exploring Rome.

“Peach Lager Beer Cocktail”
In a pint glass:
30ml Peach Schnapps
15ml Cointreau
45ml Peach puree
Topped with Lager

The Mysteries of Stonehenge

Our adventures around the world involve much more than just good eating and drinking. For a long time now, even before we left Australia, I’ve always wanted to see Stonehenge. It amazes me that in an age where we can find scientific answers for everything, there still remains no clear answers for why this amazing structure of rocks exists and what it means. Of course there are many different theories, but none of which can be proved. It’s most likly that Stonehenge is going to be the oldest structure that Cara and I will ever see. It is said to be over 5000 years old.

Stonehenge is located in the english county of Wiltshire, about 2 hours drive from London. It is a mystery as to how the tall carved bluestone was able to be built and lifted into position. People say that stonehenge is an Ancient burial ground, others say it is a place of worship, maybe it was both, no one knows for sure. I’ve read many myths about stonehenge, and there are too many for me to go through them all, but one which I heard of, is the stones were carefully selected by King Arthur, who employed the help of the wizard Merlin to use his magic and place the stones into a circle arrangement. It was said that King Arthur wanted a place of worship and to morn the death of other knights who died in battle. Many theories like this is what makes Stonehenge a mystical place to visit.

During our visit, I managed to pick up a local souvenir, a beer made by a nearby brewery called, of course, The Stonehenge Ale. The ale’s are brewed by The Old Mill Brewery at Netheravon, Wiltshire. The mill was built on the River Avon in 1914 to generate electricity for a near by air field. Once the mill had closed, it remained vacant until 1984, when a master brewer from Denmark, Stig Anker Anderson, who came to England with the dream of creating an old fashioned English beer. The Stonehenge Ale was the result. A deep amber colour, It has strong refreshing fruity taste, but with a bitter after taste. Because the beer is an ale, the beer contains a strong malt and hop flavour to compliment the fruitiness.

Our experience at Stonehenge was unforgetable. It’s another thing which we can tick off our long list of things to see in England.