Euro Beer #30: Train to Annecy

Yeah, one of these again. We have a lot to blog about. I mean, we had Lucia. But this will do for now.  
In the fall of 2007 (yeah, I know, almost 5 years ago, but I am not ending this series until ENDS) my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Left Paris: 

 














So this is it. A little wine and a big ole sandwich from Masion Collet. You can't go wrong. We were headed to Annecy to spend a week with a friend. It was a nice train trip.
















Classy.


















Then a lot of staring out windows. We should have bought more wine. We did have a pear later though. That was good.

















Lot of this.

Euro Beer #29: Ave Maria

 In the fall of 2007 (yeah, I know, almost 5 years ago, but I am not ending this series until ENDS) my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Being cheap in Paris:

We met our friend Greg at his favorite bar in Paris, Ave Maria. But, I got drunk. It was my midnight birthday. No beer this night. A bike rental stand was right outside the doors and of course I was luckily enough to find an unlocked bike. I took Sofia for a drunk bike ride through the small twisted streets of Paris at 2 am. This was one of my favorite memories from the trip. We got lost of course. Eventually we made it back to the hotel and fell asleep dead drunk and tired from biking.

Don't know what this was, but I drank it.

Ave Maria

1 Rue Jacquard

Paris

See the bike station in front of bar in this Google pic:

Some more awesome photos from the night:

Tried on Greg's hat.

We woke up and had this the next morning:

Euro Beer #28: Un Zèbre à Montmartre

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Being cheap in Paris:



We were hanging out in Montmartre and we needed a drink. Duh. This bar looked decent. Busy with a youngish crowd. I had a Kanterbräu, which was refreshing, but nothing special. Sofia had a pleasant glass of Sauvignon Blanc. More sightseeing?

Un Zèbre à Montmartre
38 rue Lepic
75018, Paris



For more euro foodage and drinkage, go here.

Euro Beer #27: Street Life

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. In Paris:



Guess what? This Euro Beer entry is not about beer. It is about wine. Sort of.



Remember, when I first started this series, I said it was not necessarily ONLY be about beer, but everything we drank (and ate). Here Sofia is picking up a baguette for consumption in the park. We are gonna need some cheese and wine, right? This IS Paris.



We bought the cheese and wine from some corner store. It was Sunday and it was the only place open. FAIL. It was the worst wine we EVER had (still). So terrible. Disgusting.



But I was not gonna let that ruin my day. We corked the bottle and took a little trip to Montmartre. We saw the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (see top photo), which Christopher Hitchens felt was dreadful. I love it.



Later I finished the bottle with some street cart croque-monsieur. It was my midnight birthday and we were starting things off right. This was still early into our trip and saving money was paramount. I want to visit Paris again and do it right (somewhat).

Euro Beer #26: Continental

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. In Paris:



We were frustrated and a bit tired (too much touristing). We did not want to go back to our host’s apartment yet. We decided to get a drink before heading back. Easier said than done. I hate looking for a bar in an unfamiliar country . . . it’s the worst. We settled at the Continental and in the end it was ok, I guess. I have no idea where it is, but don’t worry, there are better places in Paris to get a beer. I had a Kronenburg, which was refreshing. Sofia had a red wine, not a good choice. Always get bottled beer in weird bars.

We left happier.

For more euro foodage and drinkage, go here.



Sightseeing, look at that bird. What a capture!

Euro Beer #25: Random Parisian Cafe and a German Beer

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Finally out of Brussels and in Paris:



We loved Brussels. We loved Paris. Right off the train we met a friend (Greg), who was working in Paris, for a coffee and a chat. Our meeting spot was some random cafe. It did the trick.



I had a beer. A Warsteiner pilsner I guess. Whatever. Sofia and Greg had coffee. Sofia stole some of my beer. Greg entertained us with stories of his struggles to order a double espresso in French at his local cafe.

For more euro foodage and drinkage, go here.



Notre Dame later that night. Our host took us for a night driving tour of Paris after feeding us. Too nice.



ND Rose Window (this was actually a few days later).



The next day — spot checkin' at the Louvre. Where is Rowley?

Euro Beer #24 - Brasserie Cantillon Brouwerij

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. One more in Brussels:



Ok, I lied. I forgot about Cantillon. This was where we had our last beer in Brussels. We stopped by on the way to the train station for a tour and some tastings. Love this place.



Empty coolship.





Funkin.





Brasserie Cantillon Brouwerij
Rue Gheude 56
Brussels

Now off to Paris.

Euro Beer #22 & 23: Cafe Rosasse and Host's Home

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Let's just wrap up Brussels now:



But we did not want to be disappointed by some dumb tourist trap. Brussels has many of those. So the entire time we were there we searched and searched for a suitable spot. Our last night we in town we threw up our hands and decided we would stop into the next decent joint we saw. Cafe Rosasse was were we ended up. Not bad. Those are my frites.



We both had beers from Charles Quint (Blonde and Rouge). Nice enough.

Cafe Rosasse
Rue haute 1
Brussels



Later we had a Westmalle Dubbel (so good, a constant favorite) and Grimberden Dubbel (ok) at our host’s home. He had left for Argentina (I think) and was kind enough to let us stay on another night without him there. His hospitality was one our most favorite things about Brussels.

For more euro foodage and drinkage, go here.

Euro Beer #21: A la Mort Subite (Again)

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Still tripping around in Brussels:



Golly, still in Brussels? I thought we were done here. Nope, guess not. Back to A la Mort Subite. I love this place.



Sofia had the gueze and I ordered the biggest faro available. Sofia's looks bigger in this photo, but the faro (back) was actually much larger.

For more euro foodage and drinkage, go here.

A la Mort Subite
rue Montagne-aux-Herbes Potagères 7
Brussels



Sightseeing.

Euro Beer #20: Westvleteren 12

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Still tripping around in Brussels:



Beer has come a long way (even since 2007). Westvleteren 12 was back then, and even now mostly, considered the best beer in the world. I bought one in Brussels. I should have bought more. But again, we were still being cheap; it was still early in our trip.



We drank it at our host's apartment. It was good. The photo, not so good.

Here is some other stuff we did the following day:



Coffee and croissants at Gusti D'Italia. It was quite pleasant until a delivery truck came up and idled by us for 5 minutes. That was not so pleasant.



Then we went walking in the forest. I was the tour guide.



On our walk we scarfed some of our Pierre Marcolini chocolates (do not click this link unless you want an insane web experience). So fancy.



Then Oups for soups. This place is awesome. Definitely go here if you are ever in Brussels.



My soup. I got a big bowl. Sofia got two small bowls. I win.

Euro Beer #19: La Perroquet

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Muckin' around in Brussels:



Stumbled upon this place for lunch. Looked nice, half full—good sign for a relaxed lunch. I had a Leffe Bruin, zesty and medium bodied. That's what I wrote in my little notebook. All beer reviews should be that terse. Sofia, tired of beer (silly girl), had a diet coke.



Sofia had a pressed pita of mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, ham, greens. She would have liked a side of fries, chips or salad, but it was good anyway. I had a spicy chicken pita with cheese and greens. The pitas were good, but a bit overpriced, after all we were used to the giant suvlakis from Mr. Falafel in Park Slope. But the building in which the restaurant is housed is an Art Nouveau masterpiece. That was worth the pita price.

For more euro foodage and drinkage, go here.

Le Perroquet
Rue Watteeu 31
Brussels




Some church.

Euro Beer #18 - Delirium Café

In the fall of 2007 my wife and I traveled through Europe for 10 weeks. We ate a lot of food and drank of a lot of beer (and wine). Not enough food, not enough beer. Muckin' around in Brussels:



Euro Beer #18 - Delirium Café

Delirium Café can be hard to find. But if you are really down, you will find it. When we were, smoking was still allowed inside, therefore it was super smoky downstairs. We chose to sit outside, in the alley. This place was packed, mostly young people and crazy locals. I think smoking is banned now. You can now sit safely downstairs with the masses. This is a must stop for Brussels. Not my favorite bar, but definitely worth checking out.



We split a Tremens and a Nocturnum to begin with.

I also had a Triple Moine. All the beers were terrific and in proper glassware (a nice bonus).

For more euro foodage and drinkage, go here.

Delirium Café
Impasse de la Fidélité, 4A
Brussels