Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory for Grown-Ups

Ask nearly any tourist on their way back from Dublin if they visited the Guinness Brewery and 9 times out of 10 they certainly did. Well I'm here to tell you, there's a much better brewery right here in London! I know what your thinking "I love Guinness, it's one of the best beers around!" well I'm not here to argue about the actual beer, but if you're going to spend 10 euro on a brewery tour, make sure your actually visiting a BREWERY and not some unsightly beer "museum".

This afternoon I hopped the district line over to Turham Green Station and took a tour of the Fuller's brewery. I had been planning to visit the brewery for awhile and what better time than right after final exams.

My main objective for the tour was to see an actual working brewery and learn about the delicicies inherent to producing an ale as opposed to the more commonplace lager. My tour started off in a proper "english" pub and we headed off to the original storage room to pick up some safety vests. Throughout the tour we had to make way for employees as they picked up massive bags of hops, managed the malt mills and monitered the "coppers". Even though the brewery started in 1845, the process was an interesting mix of new age automation and old-school elbow grease. Not much has changed in the actual process since 1845, and after the tasting the product, I don't see any need for modification.

[Modern Day copper still (still referred to as copper, even though technically stainless steal)]

The tour opened my eyes to the beverage with a reputation that has suffered due to poor handling and a global preference for lager. Many people believe English ale is flat, warm and tasteless... the truth of the matter is the pubs are to blame for this misconception. The first time I tried an ale I wanted my 2.50 back. "Real Ale" is 100% natural and by definition has no preservatives. The beer has a limited shelf life, and requires delicate handling procedures. If pubs and bars ignore those rules, they end up dispensing expired, rank, and flavorless liquid that has given the English beer world such a poor reputation. As for the temperature, turns out ale is not supposed to be served room temperature, or as cold as a lager but somewhere inbetween. This generally means if you plan on drinking real/cask conditioned ale the only proper way to do it is at a pub. Also for the stateside readers, if you encounter Fuller's you better believe it's pasteurized and thus technically not "real ale".

[Kegs on their way to the pubs]

So give ale a chance, and if you get the chance pay a visit to the Fuller's brewery, it will not dissapoint!

~RSL

Marmite, eww

People often label British food as worse than it actually is. Something I've learned is that this is not entirely true at all. London is an absolutely massive city that offers up cuisine from everywhere around the world and finding a decent meal is really not all that difficult especially if your living in the city.

So here are just a few of my favorite places to eat in the U.K. capital just in case you ever find yourself over here.

• Hummus Bros - A rather different concept, this small cafe offers meals based entirely on hummus spread. This isn't your cold grocery aisle pasty peas hummus, this place offers a warm plate of well-seasoned hummus, olive oil, pita and your choice of chicken, beef or pork to top it off. It's simple, filling and making me way to hungry just thinking about it.
• The Hawksmoor - Feeling a little spendy? Want to try London's juiciest steaks and self-proclaimed "best chips (french fries)?" Then the Hawksmoor is for you. I've only been here once, but this posh but quaint steakhouse delivers piping hot cuts of meat, generous salads and some of the oddest desserts I've ever encountered.
• Cafe Rouge - This is a French chain of restarants all over London. A bit pricey, but a good selection of fish and meats in generous portions an wonderful side dishes.
• Brick Lane - This is not a restarant, rather a street filled with Indian restarants that I can't say differ that much from eachother. So gather some friends, head down the street, negotiate a dinner deal with the doorman and enjoy. Did you know Chicken Tikka Masala is widely thought of as Britian's national dish??
• Tortilla - So you miss chipotle? Go to Tortilla.
• The Greenwich Union - Hands down my favorite pub. They brew their own beer, and serve a delicious assortment of gastropub dishes. Try the salmon, it's out of this world.
• 24 Hour Beigal Bake - On Brick Lane, this 24/7 bagel shop serves up some some wonderful sandwiches and the best corn beef in London (referred to as "salt beef"). Make sure you go to the one with the white sign, it's the original beigal bake the yellow beigal bake is a knock-off. Wash it all down right nextdoor at Brick Lane Coffee. They get all their wonderful coffee roasts from Papua New Guinea.

One last thing, if your looking for something more... traditional, do not I repeat DO NOT try Marmite (also known as vegemite). It's disgusting. Stay away from this tar like substance.

~RSL

21 in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Just as any birthday, turning 21 years old begs the question, "so how did you celebrate?" My celebration was anything but your average bar night.

My last day in Dubrovnik our tour group took an island hopping tour. This all day trip included 3 islands, on-board music and oh yeah... all you can drink wine all for 150 Kune ($28 USD). The small boat held our group of 12 students from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and 2 British group leaders (I will explain why I was part of this group in a later entry). Dubrovnik is settled along the Adriatic coast and the surrounding area is simply gorgeous.

The day started with a bit of vino on the boat, stopping at the islands to chill out on the beach or check out the gift shops. At the last island my group surprised me with "The Super Waffle"


This waffle was not your average ego, it was a lush, rich piece of deliciousness topped off with cherry ice cream, whip cream, pears and strawberry syrup. Out of this world.

Following a toast to yours truly, we headed back to the boat for the last leg of our journey. Our group was sharing the boat with a group of 60-65 year old Bulgarians and a couple of Irish people. I'm not sure what came over everyone, but the wine started to get passed around and the music cranked louder. After 15 min my group leader yelled out "Let the birthday boy drive the boat" I didn't think it was possible for my face to get any redder after all the wine I had enjoyed but somehow that did it. Before I knew it I was piloting the vessel with the supervision of our half drunk, sketchy looking captain (don't worry I could have rowed faster than this boat). So I've got everything under control at the wheel, when the other crew member hands me a plastic cup and pours me half a glass of Grappa . For those who've never had the opportunity to enjoy Grappa, it smells like windex, tastes like windex... and its 86 proof, it should come with a Mr. Yuck sticker on it. Before I manage to take down the toxic fluid, the captain stops me and asks "how old I you?" I respond "21"; "oh that's no good (takes my cup and fills it to the top)." So everyone on the boat starts in with the birthday song, I somehow manage to take down the grappa and not crash the boat in the process.


Soon afterward, one of the Bulgarians (who had his fair share of grappa) started dancing. Before long the whole boat was on their feet, dancing to "It's Raining Men"

What a day!

[This Bulgarian could groove.]

Special thanks to everyone who made this day so well... unique!

~RSL

Miss me?

Hello everyone,

I know it's been awhile since my last post. What I've learned about blogging is that once you stop for awhile it's tough to get back on track and you start to think about all the blogging you'll have to do in order to make-up for it. So I'll strike a deal, I've done a lot of traveling and have a range of fun stories I wish to share with everyone.

From here on out I pledge to write at least one thing a day, nothing will be necessarily chronological and I'm not guaranteeing it will even be worth reading. I've fallen way behind in this whole thing, so hold me to my word and expect the entries to come reeling in soon.

Also I will be returning May 29th at 5:30 to MSP, I know my arrival will cause quite a stir in Minneapolis.

You'll be hearing from me soon.

~RSL