Berlin: The Hippest City in Europe

Since I arrived in Brussels, everyone has been telling me to go to Berlin. Word is it is the coolest city in Europe ... crazy art, hip bars and clubs, and dirt cheap to boot. I finally had the chance to go this weekend and was super excited to be going with my fabulous friend Kathrin, a born and bred German and woman obsessed with Berlin.

We had a fantastic time. Really fantastic ... we laughed and laughed and laughed all weekend long. Too much fun and too many things happened to relay in this space, so I'll just post some photos with captions to give you a sense.

And we're on the train from the airport to the city center. Check out the stylish seat covers.

I'm just a girl from the Midwest. Pass me a Jagerbomb, please.

Apparently, German girls like their Jagerbombs too!

Mmmm ... schnitzel sandwich.

Brandenburg Gate!

Reichstag! I was hoping to see Angie, but no.

See the line in the road? That's where the Wall was.

The Holocaust Memorial

Two things Germans love ... wurst and emoticons.

Berlin is very cool. My camera died half way through the trip, so I don't have anywhere near as many photos as I'd like to have. We played in Christmas markets, went to some very hip bars, walked all over the place. It definitely deserves the hype ... I can't wait to go back.

Roadtrip in French Wine Country

So Kathy came to visit for a week and we went on a lovely roadtrip to French wine country. We began with a day and night in Champagne (yes, this is my third trip to Champagne ... wouldn't you go as often as you could if you lived in Brussels?) and then we headed south to Burgundy. While it was extremely cold and harvest had passed, it was still a stunning place to visit. After a quick Croque Madame in Dijon, we hopped on the Route Des Grands Crus and toured through some lovely little wine growing villages.

There's Kath in the vineyards!

We visited a cool chateau called Chateau de Clos de Vougeot where we learned about how delicious Burgundy wine ... mostly pinot noirs ... are made. The Chateau is the home of a decades old wine club that meets 17 times a year ... they just happened to be meeting the night we were there and most of the guests in our tiny little hotel were attending the celebration that evening.

Making delicious wine is backbreaking work.

The town we stayed in, Gevrey-Chambertin, could not have been more dead. We had a before dinner glass of wine at the only bar in town (I think it was actually called "Le Wine Bar") and then we had dinner at a gorgeous little bistro where we were the only people there for about 45 minutes, when another pair arrived. And that was it ... no one else. I had a fantastic coq au vin and the woman running the restaurant could not have been sweeter, chatting with us and giving me some good French practice! After dinner, we went home, put on our pajamas and sat by the fire at the inn and drank some wine. It was really a lovely evening.

The best part of the trip though was waking up early on Sunday and going for a run in the vineyards. I got to watch the sunrise over Burgundy ... quite amazing. I can't wait to return when it is warm, the sun is more brilliant and the vines are still full of grapes.

Always happy to be on a wine road ... one of the best things in life!

Lucky Number 33 in Brussels

Such a treat to spend my 33rd birthday with my new friends in Brussels. Rebecca, Kathrin and Sheila made sure I had a wonderful day. Rebecca brought me breakfast, Sheila sent me beautiful flowers as she was in Seattle and unable to participate in person, and Rebecca and Kathrin planned a really special night for me.

Kathrin, Rebecca and I began the night with cocktails at the Metropole. Hotel Metrople is one of those Brussels establishments ... a gorgeous fin de siecle space that is totally classy and over the top.

The beautiful Ms. Eichel at Metropole.

The sexy and mysterious Ms. Rebecca Brown.

And that's me, laughing my ass off in my beautiful Josep Font dress. Love it!

After drinks, we had a really lovely dinner (not at La Manufacture as planned, but at a nice little Italian joint). The girls made me a huge birthday table and gave me my gifts and a little cake. Rebecca gave me a very "me" ring and Kathrin gave me a Berlin city guide (we are going this weekend!). I'll admit it, I cried. I love my Biscuits and Dr. Eichel!!!!

Me and my Biscuits at my birthday dinner.

After dinner, we headed to Zebra Bar to meet up with other friends. The night went on and on ... I believe I arrived home at 4:30 am with a kebab from the Sultans of Kebab in tow. It was a blast ... and I don't feel a day over 25!

John and Dragan were there to celebrate.

So was Filippo.

And my crazy friend Eva!

And the adorable Zoe!

Paris: Third Time is a Charm

Ms. Kerry O'Brien graced Europe with her presence a few weeks ago and the main event was a long weekend in Paris. For years, Kerry has been talking about visiting the Rungis market. Rungis is a huge, huge, HUGE market on the outskirts of Paris that is the main purveyor of meat, fish, vegetables, and flowers to the restaurants and shops of Paris. They only are open to the public on the second Friday of every month for 6 am tour. Yes, I said 6 am. After waking up at 4:45, taking a cab to the bus depot, and taking a bus out to the market, we joined our tour at 6 am. I wish I had photos, but I can tell you that there were massive amounts of cows hanging on hooks, entire buildings of gorgeous looking vegetables, and a dead rabbit or two to keep you awake throughout the tour. While it wasn't totally my thing, it was a cool experience (especially when our French tour guide tried to blame Kerry and I as the Americans on the tour for ruining the Camembert industry) that I'm happy to have been a part of. Glad Kerry got to do Rungis.




As it was her birthday, I wanted to make sure Kerry and I did something memorable in Paris. So I booked us a table at the Moulin Rouge.

If you've never been, do yourself a favor and go. Not because the dancing is so great. And not because the girls are scantily clad (if you are into that sort of thing). Go for the live ponies. Seriously people, they bring live ponies on stage during one of the numbers. It is awesome. Plus, they have these bizarre intermission acts with bad ventriloquists, poor magicians, and the best acrobats you've ever seen in your life. The half bottle of champagne you get helps with enjoyment of the show. But really, Moulin Rouge is awesome. Definitely something to see ... and not that bullshit movie with Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor I've fallen asleep during three times.

In addition to Rungis and Moulin Rouge, I had a great time during my last weekend in Paris. Galleries Lafayette and Le Printemps already had done there windows up for Christmas. I shopped all day in the 5th, bought a lovely coat and contemplated (but wisely decided against) buying something at Catherine Malandrino. And on Sunday, I hung out in a cool flea market and the Marais. Ate a delcious strudel-type thing from one of the Jewish bakeries and generally fell in love with Paris all over again.

Warning to everyone who cares ... I am definitely moving to Paris.

The World's Biggest Beer Festival

Oktoberfest ... for people who like to party, it is a must-do. The drinking starts at sunrise, the beers are huge and nobody bats an eyelash if you take a nap at the beer hall.

Even the Germans take a break from their beer for a few minutes.

Oktoberfest was actually much different than I expected. If you are from the Midwest, you've probably been to your fair share of county or state fairs, and that is pretty much what Oktoberfest is like. There are lots of rides, midway games ... oh, and gigantic beer "tents" where thousands of people are drinking liters of beer, eating sausages and pretzels and singing drinking songs.

Me and Mandy at Oktoberfest!

I'm a bit late in writing this recap so instead of giving you a play-by-play, I'll let you know the key takeaways my trip to Oktoberfest with Mandy, Molly and Nicole left me with. In no particular order ...

1. "Spaetzel" and "pretzel" sound very similar to a waiter whose native language is German. Don't be surpised when you get one when you think you've ordered the other.

2. There is a reason that Hofbrau House is the most famous beer hall in the world. It is one of the most fun places I've ever been.

3. Amanda Gaeta Shields is the funniest person I know. I already knew this, having been friends with her for 15 years, but this trip just reconfirmed it.

Mandy G-S, playing coy with the camera

4. It is perfectly acceptable to drink (drink, not eat) at a Hard Rock Cafe in a foreign country if all other bars are closed.

5. Clooney wins 99.9% of the time in a game of "Would You Rather." (This may not hold true in a game dominated by 20 year olds ... but it is true of the 30 and over set.)

6. Molly Monentaro does a GREAT Irish accent. Also, it is astounding how many f-bombs an Irish man will drop in a conversation. But since "feckin" isn't a bad word in American English, you start to overlook it after a while.

Mother of two and champion beer drinker.

7. Italian men like two things -- shiny shirts and making an entrance.

8. Sometimes there really are only two choices ... chicken or duck.

9. It is perfectly acceptable to have inappropriate thoughts about men in lederhosen. In fact, it is expected at Oktoberfest.

10. Never drinks 3 liters of beer on an empty stomache!

Show us how it's done, Nicole.

Bottom line, if you ever have the opportunity to roadtrip to Munich for Oktoberfest with 3 of your best friends from college, do it.

Return to Champagne

This past week saw the arrival of my girlfriends from college. After a few cancelled flights and lost luggage, Amanda, Molly and Nicole were prepared to take Europe by storm. Their itinerary was a harrowing one for one week -- Brussels, Paris, Champagne and the coup d'etat, a road trip from Brussels to Munich to experience the one and only Oktoberfest.

As I only have so many vacation days left, my plan was to see the girls off on their day trips to Paris and Champagne and then join them for Oktoberfest. But who am I kidding? I may be able to resist another trip to Paris, but if you dangle Champagne in front of me, my will power collapses. On Wednesday morning, we set off for Champagne to tour a couple of champagne houses and most importantly for me, purchase more bottles from the petit maisons of the region to experience all Champagne has to offer.

Me, Nicole, Amanda and Molly sampling the goods at Pommery

We didn't get on the road as early as expected (a combination of jet lag and wine tasting that warranted extra sleep) so we only had the chance to visit one champagne house -- Pommery. While I am a big fan of Pommery (especially their Bland de Noir), the tour can best be described as odd. Apparently, Madame Pommery was quite the art enthusiast. Therefore, they've turned the cellars into an extensive modern art exhibit. Pommery = short on detailed information about the champagne-making process, long on progressive, interactive art pieces. If the tour represented Madame Pommery's life, I can't help but believe it was pretty idyllic.

164 steps to the bottom of the cave. Good thing they only gave us one glass of champagne prior to the tour.

So we toured Pommery, visited the Cathedral at Reims (see my previous post on Champagne for pics), and did a little champagne shopping. I should be able to host a few nice champagne tastings in the coming months.

When leaving Champagne, buckle up for safety! No drink driving allowed!

I'm still alive ... Brussels hasn't done me in yet

A month? Really? It has been a month since my last post? Apologies to those of you who've been following Mogo A Go-Go. Things have been hectic here in cold, rainy northern Europe this September, with lots of visits from family and friends from the States and my general dedication to having as much fun as possible while I'm here. I've been here almost 4 months. Yikes! Only two more to go ...




So where did we leave off? After meeting Mom and Dad in Paris the first weekend of September, I got to host them here in Brussels the following weekend. We had surprisingly good weather (most of the time) for their visit. We did the hop-on, hop-off bus tour of Brussels, visited the medival wonderland of Bruges, and had some really delicious meals everywhere we went. For those of you who've seen In Bruges ... yes, I climbed to the top of the tower in Bruges' town square and lived to tell the tale. Fortunately for me, there were no British gangsters trying to kill each other on the very narrow, very winding staircase up the tower. [Note to those you you haven't seen In Bruges: Put it in your Netflix queue tout de suite. Highly entertaining flick and one of Ralph Fiennes most surprising roles.] Anyways, it was awesome to have my parents come visit and cool to know that they've now gotten to visit Europe!



One of the highlights of September in Belgium is that muscles are now in season. I'm eating them as often as possible. And yes, they're way better here than they are in the U.S. Of course, I am looking forward to re-testing the muscles at Brasserie Beck once I'm back in D.C.

My lovely pot of muscles serves as both dinner and a refreshing steam.