Happy Christmas

One effcient Christmas Eve

We went to Aachen because we heard they have some amazing Christmas market. The train got us there around 1 or 1:30, so we walked to our hotel, just steps to the Church where Charlemagne is buried, and we dropped our stuff off to go enjoy the holiday magic.


Our hotel view.

We got sidetracked in a bakery, and, once inside, I could tell that something was wrong. Erica walked right in and the woman behind the counter began yelling at Erica in German. Erica didn't notice, so I grabbed her and we left the bakery as they closed the door and locked it.

Weirded out by that experience, we walked to the town square to dive right into the Christmas markets, only to find them all boarded up. It was closed. Over. No one was about. Hungry, we went to a nearby Subway, only to be told that they were closing. Everyone was! The only place open was Starbucks, who were total rebels and stayed open until 4.



Apparently, Christmas Eve doesn't stay open like it does i n the States, and once again, we were subject to learning about Europe the hard way. We walked around Aachen as if we were the only humans left. We walked through a shopping area, and looked at their bright displays.



Christmas was happening somewhere, just not here.

We ended up getting sushi at some hotel restaurant, and then walked back to the hotel. We decided to go to the bar across the street from the hotel for a drink. We stepped in and found life. That's where everyone was! We drank beers and talked with our bartender as much as he could deal with the English.

Overall, it was a pretty great Christmas Eve.

is this what food likes like?

In Dover, England, on a corporate gig, and taking advantage of our respite from Dutch cuisine. Amber, Dan, Paddy and I flew into Dover, and went right to the location even though we had plenty of time before the show. We headed to a nearby pub for lunch and chowed down, taking advantage of our unusual per diem.

After the show, we returned to our hotel pretty and, after Paddy worked with the desk to get our hotel rooms straightened out when they weren't in their records, we managed to get into their restaurant before they closed. We all ordered the three course meal special (mine was a Thanksgiving dinner), and chowed down, taking breaks only to mention how delicious everything tasted.

Dan and I shared a beer before we went to sleep and awoke early the next day to take part in their breakfast buffet. At the airport, Dan and I stuffed ourselves at a sushi bar, piling up our plates next to us like badges of honor.

Only when you live in Holland can you appreciate English food.

Dam holidays...

dam square 12/14/05
Originally uploaded by talfulano

Erica and I walked around Dam Square, enjoying the holiday cheer. They had a carousel and rides for kids, plus sugared waffles and oliebollen (basically a big round donut). It's hard not to miss home, especially around the holidays, so we loved walking around and seeing all the holiday decorations.