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Europe
Swept Away by the Wadden Sea
10/07/10 18:09
NORDFRIESLAND, GERMANY – At the Wadden Sea, the wind and the waves are the kind of neighbours that would have you calling the cops: they howl, they trespass and sometimes they let themselves right in your front door.
That’s exactly what happened in 1962, when Hartwig Binge was just four years old.
“The water came inside the houses and we put the sheep in the hallway,” recalls the farmer. “My father carried me through the water to my uncle’s house, which was a bit higher.”
The phenomenon he’s describing is a “landunter,” which translates to “land under.”
Binge’s family has lived on Hallig Hooge (population: 120) for four generations. Like many longtime residents, he knows that landunters usually take place in the winter and last for a couple of days. When he senses a flood, he simply gathers in his livestock and waits.
You might think SCUBA gear is the next logical step. But for centuries, locals have built their houses on manmade mounds called warfts that become remarkable individual islands during landunters. Each house also has a reinforced “safe room”... just in case. Read More...
Screensaver, anyone?
18/05/10 16:29
Greetings readers! I’m just on my way back from a 12-day trip to the UK and Holland. Got a couple of exciting 
Sleeping Arounds (yes, I just pluralized Sleeping Around for the very first time even though it sounds awkward, and let me tell you, it feels amazing) visited the blustery seaside haven known as the Isle of 
Wight and I dropped by Holland’s famous Keukenhof gardens just before the tulips released a cumulative sigh and dropped all their petals into a rotting heap.
Thought I’d share a couple of Holland pix with you. Mostly because it would be weird to post these in November.
In other news, we’re releasing a new Ed and Jenny episode on Thursday, so be sure to check back here to see it before all of your friends do!
Thought I’d share a couple of Holland pix with you. Mostly because it would be weird to post these in November.
In other news, we’re releasing a new Ed and Jenny episode on Thursday, so be sure to check back here to see it before all of your friends do!
Sleeping Around in a Church
03/04/10 09:57
PARIS, FRANCE - I’ve just spent two nights at a hotel with a clingy curry aroma.
At first, the 30-Euro-a-night price seems worth any nasal inconvenience. But then I discover my neighbour is a communal hallway toilet that glugs like a hyperventilating swamp monster in the middle of the night.
Therefore, my next destination - Hotel Saint Merry - is a godsend.
While the intricate dark wood sconces and exposed beams hint that it wasn’t always a hotel, the presence of carved Jesuses and Marys confirms Hotel Saint Merry was far more pious than a private house.
Some 400 years ago the hotel was part of a church. Specifically, it served as the lodgings for the resident priests. Read More...
Heating up in Icy Places
16/02/10 00:05
Sometimes, you just need to kick back and chill out in order for that romantic spark to ignite. Besides, there’s nothing quite like the threat of frostbite to send you running into your honey’s arms for a good, old fashioned body heat exchange session.
Make one of these icy places your next hot destination:
Read More...
The Big Picture: Parisian Rapunzel
27/01/10 18:02
W-E-I-R-D Museums
20/01/10 20:14
By Reb Stevenson
Between The Wall and the city’s infamous nightlife, it’s easy to overlook one of Berlin’s other major tourist attractions: museums. But we’re not talking about glass cases full of ceramics or art galleries dedicated to impressionist paintings, here. We’re talking about niche museums that are – for lack of a better word – just plain weird.
Here is a peek at four of them: Read More...
Gift Idea for Bookish Travellers, Part 2
12/12/09 12:45
Good Night and God Bless, A Guide to Convent & Monastery Accommodation In Europe, Volume 1: Austria, Czech Republic, Italy
By Trish Clark
Hidden Spring, a division of Paulist Press; 264 pages; $20
Ever traipse around a city for hours searching in vain for a hotel with vacancy, then exclaim “oh thank God!” when you finally find one?
Trish Clark knows that feeling well. Especially the God part.
In 1970, she was backpacking in Rome and, finding her youth hostel of choice fully booked, reluctantly ended up at a convent near the Spanish Steps.
Would there be rigid rules? Would the sisters be stone-faced? Would fun be banned? Would she be forced to pray?
The questions clanged in her head like church bells.
But Clark’s fears were quickly hushed when she was greeted warmly then led to a former nun’s cell that was both clean and comfortable.
“I was woken by the sound of the nuns singing hymns during morning Mass. I soon learned that when the singing stopped breakfast was ready,” says Australia-based Clark.
At the table, she was joined by other travellers who shared stories and tips as they dined on fresh bread rolls, homemade jam and “delicious, steaming hot milky coffee.”
Read More...
Sleeping Around in Paris
07/12/09 15:12
We interrupt our regular Christmas programming to bring you the latest in the Sleeping Around series...would you stay here?
You can see the other videos in this series (Berlin and Arizona) on my YouTube Channel! Don’t forget to subscribe!
You can see the other videos in this series (Berlin and Arizona) on my YouTube Channel! Don’t forget to subscribe!
Homepage for the Holidays!
30/11/09 12:46
Let’s not mince words here: I heart Christmas.
I love the scent of a real tree, the look of lights twinkling against the snow and the possibility of eating sugar plums, even though I don’t have a freakin’ clue what those are.
I even sorta, kinda, maybe like Wham’s Last Christmas - even after the 100 billionth play at the mall. (Pretty much the worst video ever though...I can’t believe the edited out the orgy scene)
To indulge my love of this gloriously excessive holiday, for the month of December I will be dedicating this blog to all things XMAS - cooking, crafting, decorating, obnoxious carolling, movie watching, weight gaining, some travel, gift ideas and general merrymaking! Follow me as I make my way from Toronto back home to Vancouver Island, where I vow to add to the dysfunction by assaulting my family with my camera and compulsive need to blog!
Here are a couple o’ pics from “Last Christmas” - my bros and I giving our mom a human sleigh ride, and my dad simultaneously playing the keys and cutting the turkey.
I love the scent of a real tree, the look of lights twinkling against the snow and the possibility of eating sugar plums, even though I don’t have a freakin’ clue what those are.
I even sorta, kinda, maybe like Wham’s Last Christmas - even after the 100 billionth play at the mall. (Pretty much the worst video ever though...I can’t believe the edited out the orgy scene)
To indulge my love of this gloriously excessive holiday, for the month of December I will be dedicating this blog to all things XMAS - cooking, crafting, decorating, obnoxious carolling, movie watching, weight gaining, some travel, gift ideas and general merrymaking! Follow me as I make my way from Toronto back home to Vancouver Island, where I vow to add to the dysfunction by assaulting my family with my camera and compulsive need to blog!
Here are a couple o’ pics from “Last Christmas” - my bros and I giving our mom a human sleigh ride, and my dad simultaneously playing the keys and cutting the turkey.
Most importantly, I want to hear from you! Got a favourite holiday recipe, craft or tradition you’d like to share? Just email me a photo of yourself with said cake/wreath/game of naked holiday twister along with the instructions and I’ll post it here!
As Emilio Estevez uttered in Young Guns: “I’ll make you famous.”
(Of course, then he shot the person. I wouldn’t do that, not at Christmas.)
To kick things off, I offer you this look at HOLIDAY DESSERTS FROM EUROPE, a little story I penned for aol.ca.
~Hark, what is yon sound? 'Tis the sweet tooth singing "Hallelujah!" For between the sugar plums, the candy canes, the gingerbread and the chocolate oranges, Christmas is a veritable blizzard of granulated sugar. Looking for some new ideas to enliven your table this year? Try some old ones. Check out our gallery of traditional European holiday desserts.~
(Click this link for descriptions and recipes from England, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Denmark!)
Sleeping Around: Berlin
25/11/09 14:00
Here it is, the first installment of my monthly travel column, SLEEPING AROUND. If you have suggestions for a future destination, please leave them in the comments area below!
BERLIN, GERMANY - “Are you going to put the lid down?!”
That’s the first question friends and family lob at me when I mention that I’ll be staying in room #31 at Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin.
They’re not talking about the toilet seat – they’re referring to my coffin.
Just for the record, I don’t have a cloak collection, I get my fair share of UV rays and I’m not attracted to steak done blue rare. I’m just a regular gal who loves an imaginative hotel room.
In fact, devout goths reject room #31.
“They say it’s not dark enough,” says manager Valentina Gennadis.
Perhaps they could make do with #16, a tubular room with concrete walls that evokes a mine shaft, or #42, home to two cage-beds propped up on 1.5 metre stilts.
Each of Propeller Island’s 27 rooms is so different, so surprising and so fundamentally bizarre that it’s hard to imagine anyone failing to find inspiration in the lineup.
You can barely call this joint a hotel. Propeller Island offers none of the trappings of your average Ramada. Room service, televisions and coffee makers? God no, that would wreck the illusion that you’ve just overindulged at the hallucinogen buffet. Read More...
BERLIN, GERMANY - “Are you going to put the lid down?!”
That’s the first question friends and family lob at me when I mention that I’ll be staying in room #31 at Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin.
Just for the record, I don’t have a cloak collection, I get my fair share of UV rays and I’m not attracted to steak done blue rare. I’m just a regular gal who loves an imaginative hotel room.
In fact, devout goths reject room #31.
“They say it’s not dark enough,” says manager Valentina Gennadis.
Perhaps they could make do with #16, a tubular room with concrete walls that evokes a mine shaft, or #42, home to two cage-beds propped up on 1.5 metre stilts.
Each of Propeller Island’s 27 rooms is so different, so surprising and so fundamentally bizarre that it’s hard to imagine anyone failing to find inspiration in the lineup.
You can barely call this joint a hotel. Propeller Island offers none of the trappings of your average Ramada. Room service, televisions and coffee makers? God no, that would wreck the illusion that you’ve just overindulged at the hallucinogen buffet. Read More...
Remembering the Wall and The Fall
08/11/09 18:46
Story and photos by Reb Stevenson
On November 9, if all goes according to plan and no klutzes intervene during the set-up, a two-kilometre chain of giant dominoes will tumble in sequence from Berlin’s Reichstag to the Brandenburg Gate and on to Potsdamer Platz. Then an orchestra will play, kicking off a two day “Festival of Joy.”
Far more than a publicity stunt touting the joy of dominoes (though, lord knows, they could use a boost), the spectacle marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
If you can’t make the party, there are plenty of ongoing events and exhibitions taking place throughout the city to solemnly note the 28 years that the wall stood and celebrate the day that it toppled.
Here are some of the options: Read More...
Let Them Eat Macaroons!
08/11/09 13:04
Patricia runs several classes out of a stylish little kitchen that is situated right in the heart of Versailles. The one that is best suited to tourists starts with a guided visit to the old market followed by a traditional french cooking class.
The market definitely delivered in the culture shock department: apart from the expected baguettes and cheeses, I saw chickens with their heads still attached, furry rabbits strung up and a whole arsenal of gamey terrines, mousses and other scary blended meats.
Unfortunately, the macaroons were a multi-step process that took well over an hour so I doubt I’ll be making them anytime soon in Canada. Besides, Marie Antoinette’s openly verbalized passion for desserts certainly didn’t help her get ahead (pun intended).
Take it Home...Bavaria
20/10/09 17:53
Where is it? Bavaria, Germany
Describe it? Breakfast is a big deal in Germany, usually consisting of farmhouse favourites like cold cuts, cheese, bread and a hard boiled egg. It is of course especially crucial to stock up on breakfast if you’re going to be suiting up in Lederhosen and getting hosed at the beer hall in the afternoon. Bavarians traditionally chop it all up on one of these cutting boards and don’t bother with a plate.
How much? These novelty breakfast boards, featuring typical Bavarian images, are €7.90 each at Obacht (Ledererstrasse 17, Munich - www.obacht-web.de).
FROM MY FOOD AND SOUVENIR COLUMN IN
Sleeping Around in Berlin
16/10/09 10:11
Just Another Day At Work
30/09/09 11:19
Into the Deep, Dark Woods
28/09/09 15:27
This being the Fairy Tale Route, I have been thinking a lot about The Brothers Grimm and why their stories were so captivating. For me, it wasn’t the nubile Princesses or those evah-so-clevah talking animals. Nah, it was the scary bits. Namely:
1. Getting eaten up (you can’t just say “eaten,” you must say “eaten UP” in a fairy tale).
2. Having a terrible spell cast upon you.
3. Ingesting poison.
4. Administering poison.
5. Listening to the ’80s hair band Poison (well...I think that’s frightening).
6. Being given the old heave-ho from your loving dad, who has shacked up with a warty new wife.
7. Good news: you’re getting a new bedroom. Bad news: it’s a child-sized oven.
Hamelin’s old town is delightfully picturesque, but today I went off in search of something a little moodier than rat toys and McDonalds’ in Tudor houses. The air was thick with moisture, lending a nice gloomy touch to the area (yes!). I was headed up the mountain that overlooks Hamelin - possibly the very mountain over which the Pied Piper led the children, never to be seen again (double yes!). As soon as I started up the steep footpath, I felt so very alone. And vulnerable. And - what the HELL was that leaf noise!?!!!! - jumpy.
2. Having a terrible spell cast upon you.
3. Ingesting poison.
4. Administering poison.
5. Listening to the ’80s hair band Poison (well...I think that’s frightening).
6. Being given the old heave-ho from your loving dad, who has shacked up with a warty new wife.
Hamelin’s old town is delightfully picturesque, but today I went off in search of something a little moodier than rat toys and McDonalds’ in Tudor houses. The air was thick with moisture, lending a nice gloomy touch to the area (yes!). I was headed up the mountain that overlooks Hamelin - possibly the very mountain over which the Pied Piper led the children, never to be seen again (double yes!). As soon as I started up the steep footpath, I felt so very alone. And vulnerable. And - what the HELL was that leaf noise!?!!!! - jumpy.
CRUNCH! CRACK! CREAK!
The forest has its own voice, you see. It tells you this: there is most certainly a hungry wolf lurking around the next tree. Or, if not a wolf, it’s a big fat Wildschwein that smells pork sausage on your breath and wants to avenge his cousins. No - it’s a cursed woodsman who hasn’t seen a woman for a hundred years, and boy oh boy is he ever “amorous.”
(Let us keep this blog PG rated).
Moreover, the forest reveals this secret: out of fear, humans walking alone through the woods develop wild imaginations - so wild, they start inventing stories that aren’t true. You might even call them fairy tales.
A piece of the Pied Piper
27/09/09 16:34
Oh wunderbar, nobody speaks English
26/09/09 16:18
German may well be related to English, but when you are already hangry* and receive a menu that contains about 900% more letters than you are used to, those shared linguistic roots aren’t enough to get you fed.
I’ve been travelling in the North of Germany for five days now and have come to the conclusion that English is as scarce as green vegetables ‘round here.
Now, when you go to Germany, a dozen or so know-it-alls will probably say: “don’t worry, they speak English better than Americans.” Little do you know, your sources probably WERE talking to Americans, but were so drunk** they mistook them for Germans.
In any case, I strongly urge you to bring a phrasebook. Conveying “just a minute” with your index finger and flipping through numerous pages in order to find the translation for “one” is character building. Especially when you realize that you were ALREADY expressing “one” with that very finger.
Failing that, here’s a list of some phrases you might find useful:
Hello. Hallo.
I don’t speak German. Ich spreche kein Deutch.
Do you speak English? Sprechen sie Englisch?
Yes!? Ja!? Thaaaank you. Daaaaanke.
Which way is a public toilet? In welcher richtung ist eine offentliche toilette?
I have diarrhea. Ich habe durchfall.
Seriously man, don’t look at me with that confused face we have approximately six seconds here. (Just go pale and flail arms wildly).
.......
I had an accident. Ich hatte einen unfall.
Sorry. Entshuldigung.
Goodbye. Auf wiedersehen.
*so hungry you’re prone to angry outbursts, especially when debating directions or walking really, really far.
**Oktoberfest, naturally.
This is Hooge!
24/09/09 15:08
Nick Nolte, you may be the Prince of Tides, but the residents of the Halligen - a series of ten islands in Northern 
Germany - are collectively the king. For centuries, these people have been putting up with the sea as they would a demanding live-in mother-in-law. Five or so times a year, the sea level rises and floods the islands (an event they call “Landunter”), sparing only the houses, which are built upon metre-high hills called Wafts.
Landunters last one to two days and the residents simply wait them out in their homes. Are they worried? Nope. I look at the photo to the right and think: “Sweet Jesus, the apocalypse has come, where are my water wings?!” They think: “Great, time to catch up on my knitting.”
But in 1362, the flood DID spell disaster. Back then, there were tons of Halligen and they were well populated...until the sea rose and swept most of them away. The death toll was in the thousands.
Landunters tend to come in the winter, though the island I visited (Hallig Hooge) just experienced one three weeks ago. A one-hour ferry ride from the Schleswig-Holstein mainland, Hooge registers 120 year-round inhabitants. 
It seems awfully quiet, except for the wind that screeches in your ears. But in actuality, it’s a thriving tourist destination: would you believe there are seven restaurants and some 500 guest rooms for rent on this tiny speck? There are nine Warfts on Hooge, the busiest of which is Hanswarft (see how cute it is, left).
Many of the houses have thatched roofs and the oldest (like Königspesel, below, which dates to 1760) are full of Dutch tiles. There’s also a museum, little cinema, several cafes and souvenir shops on the island.
But really, we all know what the main attraction is. If I could do it over again, I’d take a month off, bring a few books, maybe a dvd or two (NOT the Prince of Tides), hunker down and take a “wait and sea” approach to my visit.
Cool, hey? If you’ve got questions or comments about Hallig Hooge, please leave them below!
But in 1362, the flood DID spell disaster. Back then, there were tons of Halligen and they were well populated...until the sea rose and swept most of them away. The death toll was in the thousands.
Many of the houses have thatched roofs and the oldest (like Königspesel, below, which dates to 1760) are full of Dutch tiles. There’s also a museum, little cinema, several cafes and souvenir shops on the island.
Cool, hey? If you’ve got questions or comments about Hallig Hooge, please leave them below!
Where the Heck is Macedonia?
24/08/09 14:58
This Pearl is Fishy
31/07/09 13:02
Where is it? Macedonia
Describe it? One of the oldest lakes in the world, crystal clear Ohrid is a popular holiday spot and a source of major pride for Macedonians. It is also a source of the unique Ohrid Pearl, which is crafted from the scales of the endemic Plasica fish. But buyer, beware: only a handful of local families sell genuine Ohrid Pearls, so we’re thinking it’s best to bypass the makeshift souvenir table near the McDonalds. Just a hunch.
How much? This silver ring cost $32.
FROM MY FOOD AND SOUVENIR COLUMN IN
Their Tragedy, Tourism's Triumph
01/07/09 14:51
Here’s what I wrote:
Why people ignore it: Because it's a departure from the predictable Venice-Florence-Rome track and you have to go through big bad Naples to get there.
Why you shouldn't: Until you experience it for yourself, it's hard to grasp the sheer magnitude of Pompeii, which was frozen in time when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and dumped a lethal storm of hot ash upon the unlucky community. Yearn for time travel? It doesn't get better than this real Roman city, complete with streets, restaurants, baths, an amphitheatre and its own impressive colosseum. The site is so large that you might find yourself alone inside an ancient home, admiring 2,000-year-old
Info: Pompeii is open year-round and entry is $17 for adults. Get there by taking the Circumvesuviana train south from Naples (which isn't that bad. Try their margherita pizza, you'll see). Budget an entire day to see it properly and don't bypass the excellent audioguide or the circular walk around the perimeter. www.pompeiisites.org
Monastery in Macedonia Provides Heavenly Peace
24/06/09 19:22
By Reb Stevenson
KRIVA PALANKA, MACEDONIA–With all due respect to singer/songwriter Eric Carmen, sometimes you do want to be all by yourself.
Maybe you've been jostled by too many crowds. Perhaps you've just learned – the hard way – that a cruise is not your bag. Or you're just a crusty old grump.
For me, it's the cigarettes. In Eastern Europe, where there are people there is a corresponding haze of smoke. At first, it's a novelty in a "remember the '90s?" kind of way. But after a week of swatting the air at coffee shops, restaurants and hotels, I long to retreat into a lung-friendly isolation cell.
St. Joakim Osogovski Monastery, therefore, is a godsend. Tucked away in the Osogovo Mountains near the city of Kriva Palanka, it is one of the most picturesque monasteries in Macedonia.
READ MORE....
The Big Picture: How 'bout dem apples?
04/06/09 10:06
“Stop!!” I squealed at my driver, as we sped wildly through rural Macedonia.
It took a fair bit of effort for him to do so, since our average speed was about 120 kilometres per hour (a Sunday drive by Macedonian standards).
Out of nowhere, half a dozen women had appeared by the side of the road, each manning one of these identical apple stands. I simply HAD to photograph them, which means I was obligated to buy their wares ($2 got me enough to keep the doctor at bay for a good week or so).
Gotta be honest: the fruit was mealy as heck. But what a juicy photo!
...and nothing but tripe in the food court.
26/03/09 05:08
The Onion (a MOST reliable news source) reports that Prague’s Franz Kafka International Airport is the most alienating airport in the world. Love this.
Prague's Franz Kafka International Named World's Most Alienating Airport
Around Italy with My Little Bro
21/09/08 20:16
The Terminal: Naples
08/09/08 17:01
BY REB STEVENSON
Facing a layover at Aeroporto Internazionale di Napoli? Entertaining yourself is no sweat. For starters, there are thongs in the vending machine...
Read More...
Facing a layover at Aeroporto Internazionale di Napoli? Entertaining yourself is no sweat. For starters, there are thongs in the vending machine...
Read More...