Istanbul, Not Constantinople

We took an long weekend last week to visit Istanbul. For however long we live here, our intention is to take advantage of how compact Europe really is. We have an ever rotating short list of places to see and Istanbul was certainly on that list. Istanbul is only a two and a half hour flight, but it is another world. The trip itself was a bit impromptu. A few weeks ago, I called up She Who Must Be Obeyed from my office after realizing that I still have quite a bit of vacation left to take this year. (It is Europe after all). We looked at a few different places and Istanbul hit the checkboxes for reasonably priced tickets, hotel and weather. 

I am really glad that we went to Istanbul, but it is probably not high on my list of places that I would like to return. It may have something to do with the time of year. This was the off-season and consequently, the tourist numbers were down. This means that the hawker to tourist ratio was pretty high. Throughout the trip, you literally could not walk 30 feet in any direction and not encounter someone trying to sell you something, shine your shoes, or separate you from your Lira in some other fashion. Understanding that everyone needs to make a living in the ways that they can, it did not take long before the constant assault put me in a bit of a mood.

Undeterred, SWMBO planned out an epic march through the city. I really wish we had tracked all the walking we did on the first day, because it had to have been seven or eight miles. That first day, we hit all the major sites and did not use a cab or public transportation once. 

Our first stop was the Grand Bazaar, principally because it was close to our hotel. It is impressive in scale, but I am surprised that it can support so many shops selling the same items. Grand is probably overselling it in typical Istanbul fashion. Most of the shops are filled with the usual trinkets and trash you would expect. All of them with someone shouting to you “My Friend, My Friend, where are you from?” “Something to please the beautiful Lady.” 

I never knew I had so many friends in Turkey.

The Spice Market was a similar, if smaller scale experience. We did not purchase any spices while there. The open containers seemed too much of an opportunity to have your spices flavored with essence du vermin.

Probably the highlight of Istanbul would have to be the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque. I lump them together because they share a common area between them and we returned several times while we were there. The Hagia Sofia is truly amazing, largely as a result of its age. It has been there in its current form since 500AD. The Blue Mosque is a beautiful building but is 1000 years younger than the Hagia Sofia. 

Close by the Hagia Sofia is the Basilica Cistern. It is quite large and has a couple of pillars that are footed with heads of Medusa. The cistern itself is filled with large Carp swimming between the pillars. 

We visited several Mosques while we were in Istanbul. SWMBO had to wear hijab during the visits. With her Middle Eastern heritage, she can totally pull it off. The Mosques are very open and in some respect plain, except for the intricate tile-work. Unlike Christian cathedrals with statues and paintings, the Mosques are absent any of that imagery which makes the open space of these large buildings more impressive. The mosques are open to visit except during the daily prayer times. During which, the call to prayers can be deafening if you are close by. 

The food in Istanbul is pretty decent. A lot of Kebabs, Kofte, and other lamb products.I had some very nice grilled lamb hearts on raw onion near the Spice Market. We also had a stew cooked in a sealed clay pot, complete with touristy flaming presentation. My beverage of choice for these meals was an Efes, the local pilsner beer. It would not generally be a go to beer for me, but complemented the spice of the grilled food. We also did the traditional Turkish tea and Turkish Coffee. I like the former, not so crazy about the latter.

The age of cities like Istanbul always has an impact on me. The fact that you can walk down the street and see buildings that are more than 1000 years old, and see roman ruins repurposed as building materials for later structures, is really impressive. It puts your own time in the world into perspective.

Elections

Election Time

The best thing about a blog is that you are unencumbered by references or facts of any kind. Your unsubstantiated opinions and prejudices can be fully expressed. A little like the recent debate.

I have been observing the Belgian driving habits for a couple of years now. Originally, I thought the epically bad driving was the result of a lack of practice and driving instruction in general. I am beginning to question that now. I think it may be that everyone starts their vehicular experience with scooters. They dart everywhere, ignoring the rules of the road and add a level of chaos that is not to be taken lightly. I will consider myself lucky if I am able to leave this country without running one of them down.  

Worse than the scooter riders are the motorcyclists. In  Belgium, motorcyclists drive much like the scooters, only faster and more recklessly. Today I was driving home from work, at my usual 130kph (81mph). Traffic was heavy so the motorcyclist did what they always do, which is to lane split. you see this in the US when traffic is slow, but here it is common to see it at full speed. And understand, the roads are really narrow here. I am truly surprised that the roads don’t run red with blood. It’s amazing.

In other news, it is election time here, just like home. We cannot vote here yet. We need to have lived here five years and it has been just over 2. Feels longer. Still, we can observe the process. Every night people come by and fill our mail slot with pamphlets and flyers with particularly homely people on it. I am sure the slogans are riveting, but I miss the impact because they are in Flemish. Occasionally French, but they wont get elected here.

I am proud to say that we have filled in our absentee ballots ready to be sent back to the US and then ignored or rejected because of some loophole. We can't vote here, but we are still legal there.

And In Other Beer News...

Rocky Mountain Oyster Beer?

Whoa, And I thought I didn't like fruit in my beer.

Americans are a Loud Species

Ok, to be preemptive against my science pals. I know Americans are not a species. But we are loud. I am sitting at the hotel bar in San Diego and the noise from the semi-inebriated conference attendees is deafening. This is after the dinner at the Yard House that was also tinnitus inducing.

I am not sure why this is. Perhaps Americans are just more exuberant. Like a puppy. Europeans are generally not this loud. The Belgians have an excuse. When every army has leveled most of your towns, it probably engenders a more reserved attitude. We are fortunate that way. As Americans, We like to share and think people actually care what we have to say.

I have to say, it is refreshing. It is nice to come home and be among my vociferous American Family.

Except for maybe the chick from New Jersey who's voice could cut glass.

Lagging Jets

I got about 4 hours of sleep on my flight last night. San Diego to Chicago was middle of the day, so no sleep to be had. Quick turn in Chicago, which fortunately came in two gates away from the Brussels leg of my flight. A pre dinner drink and two glasses of wine with dinner and I was out somewhere over Newfoundland. Woke up over the White Cliffs of Dover. So generally not bad as far as these trips usually go.

I really can’t complain too much. My company flies me Business Class on any long haul, so compared to my days in VC backed start-ups, I am living large. SWMBO informed me on this trip that I am less than 200K away from a million miles on United and lifetime Gold status. Considering I have about 350K on British Airways and another 400-500K on various other airlines, I have probably absorbed more than my fair share of solar radiation.

Landing in Brussels this morning, my driver was waiting for me. (Another perk of Big companies). He drove me home and I took a quick shower and headed into the office. (I drove myself. I don’t want people thinking I am losing touch.) Unfortunately I had meetings scheduled all afternoon. Normally I am pretty good with the jet lag. When you travel as much as I do, you lose some of your sense of temporal space, but you also develop coping mechanisms. As an example, rather than sleeping in and heading to the airport, I set my alarm for 3AM and worked until I needed to head to the airport. In this way, I guaranteed I would be able to sleep on my transatlantic. Right now I am trying to push through until about 9:30 so that I can be fully reset for the weekend. Which in itself is a little foolish because I will be heading back to the US next Thursday.

Hopefully, I will get a full 8 tonight and be ready to go in the morning.

More Travel Rules

As I am sitting in the Red Carpet Club awaiting my flight home from San Diego, it seemed like an opportune time to add another installment to my Rules for Travel.

• Deodorant is not optional people. Especially on international long haul flights.
• One carry on and one personal item does Not mean garment bag, duffle, purse and duty free.
• If you fly twice a year, don't be so indignant when the airline won't give you a "complementary" upgrade. No, they really don't care about your business.
• if you take a call in the airline lounge, there is no need to yell. I do not care about your "BIG" deal.
• Liquids in a plastic bag is no longer a new rule. There is no excuse to hold up security because you had no idea that your shampoo was a liquid. The corollary is that TSA does not care that your shampoo is expensive and is not available in a 3.4 oz bottle.
• To the guy surreptitiously farting in Business Class. I know it was you.
• You are flying to Brussels, not the Serengeti, leave the safari pants home.
• Take the backpack off before getting on the plane. I would appreciate not being brained in the aisle seat because you are not spatially aware.
• My headphones are on, that means I don't want to talk to you
• My headphones are off, I still don't want to talk to you

They Might Be Giants

Big Weekend in Brussels. The Annual Brussels Beer Weekend started on Friday. We had the good fortune of being joined by a current colleague who recently moved back to the US after living in Denmark for a few years. Unfortunately, her husband wound up being held up in Frankfurt as a result of a strike, so he had the travel day from hell while we headed out to enjoy some beverages crafted by monks (and non-monks). 

It is always interesting seeing a festival like this through the eyes of friends who have never been there before. We always have a good time at the Beer Weekend. It is crowded, but there are always quite a few locals mixed in with the tourists. And with more than 300 beers available, there is always something interesting to try.

The big winner of this visit for me was the Ter Dolen Triple and SWMBO really liked the Ter Dolen Blond. The triple had both some grassy notes as well as some sweetness and real depth. For me, a solid 4 Drunk Monks. The Blond was also quite good. Lighter than the triple with a bit more hop. I would happily drink it on a hot summer day (If we ever had any of those here.). Three and half Drunk Monks.

The most unique beer of the evening was easily the Strubbe Grand Cru Oud Bruin. This is an aged beer with some lambic sourness and a strong depth of flavor. While not a kriek, there is a hint of cherry and prune in the finish. Very complex and not as harsh as some others that I have tried. Three and a half Drunk Monks.

SWMBO also tried a Keyte Triple. This was a very classic triple. Some grassiness and yeasty flavors. Not as deep in flavor as the Ter Dolen, but crisp and quite enjoyable. Three and a half Drunk Monks.

We finished the evening off at Chaloupe d’Or in the Grand Place. You pay for the scenery here, but the food is usually decent and this evening was no exception. SWMBO had a steak frite while our guest and I had moules frites. The moules were plump and very tasty and complimented an Afligem Blond quite nicely.

Saturday and Sunday we stayed in our little town. It was Reuzenfeest, which is basically one day of vendors followed by one day of massive yard sale. Both closing down the town center. Saturday evening a very nice fireworks display was on offer and the whole thing culminated on Sunday with a Parade of Giants. As we live in the town center, we were basically locked in all weekend, which is not a bad thing with so much going on.

In the middle of all this, SWMBO broke out some cheese, wonderful bread and some saucisse for a little afternoon snack. Inspired by the Beer Festival the night before, it was a perfect opportunity for a Leute Bokbier. This is a dark beer with a creamy mouthfeel and some light caramel flavor. It went spectacularly well with the nutty 12 grain bread that SWMBO selected. 

I have commented on this before, but it always amazes me, how much is always going on in our town. Every month there is some festival or event. And living in the middle of it all is quite a change from the suburbs where we were in the US. I am not sure why this is. Perhaps it is that many Belgians do not move too far from home and so are very connected to their community. Maybe they just like a big party. I am not sure what it is, but is fun to be a small part of.

Bringing Back the Blog

She who must be obeyed has been giving me a little grief about not blogging in a while. Truth is, other demands on my time have taken precedent. But, SWMBO has provided me with several new beers to review and there is a lot to catch up on, so hopefully this will be the first of a few catch up posts.

It has been quite a busy Summer although it hasn't felt much like Summer.  The weather in Belgium has been crap. We went from rainy winter, to rainy spring, to cold and wet summer. This week is the first nice weather we have had all year and it is supposed to get into the 90's this weekend. Work has been the usual craziness with long hours and lots of travel. The big news of the year is that  the Sun Devil graduated Magna cum Laude from ASU and is starting graduate school. Makes you feel quite old but proud at the same time.

Since graduation, we have been trying to keep our travel pace up. I have not slept many weekends in my own bed, but that is the reason for living here. We have been traveling around mostly Northern Europe, trying to take in events as they come up. We have visited Versailles, attended a Tour de France stage, Flew back to the US to see the Sun Devil and some of the family again, spent the weekend in Normandy and have had a bunch of day trips stacked in there as well.

Living here certainly comes with it's challenges, but the opportunity to spend real time off the beaten path in Europe is really special. On that note, SWMBO and I will be heading to Amsterdam to avoid the heat and lack of aircon in Brussels. Tuesday I head back to the US for a few days and she is planning our next trip.

Geneva

I think Switzerland was what really convinced me that I wanted to try being an expat. A few years ago, I had to go to Lausanne and Geneva after a trip to (interestingly) Belgium. I was flying through Heathrow for some reason and bumped into a friend of mine from when I worked for a Norwegian company. He is a Swede, who married a Brit and of course, they live in Switzerland. They were in the UK visiting her family and I bumped into them on the jet bridge to the airplane. It was one of those small world moments that you could never expect. I had planned on flying to Geneva to spend the weekend and then have my meetings before heading onward to France. My friend would hear none of it and invited me to stay with them for the weekend. He would drive me to Lausanne Sunday night so I would be ready for my meeting.  I had a really wonderful time with them and seeing their lifestyle,  it made me want to expereince the same thing. I literally came home and said to SWMBO, "I could live in Switzerland, no I want to live in Switzerland". Well, we don't live in Switzerland, but that trip definitely played a significant role in our being in Belgium.

We decided on Monday at the spur of the moment, to use our three day weekend by taking a short trip to Geneva. It is an hour from Brussels and the cab from GVA to central Geneva is 15 minutes. So it is really feasible to do for a long weekend. The weatherman predicted fair to rainy weather but true to form, he was wrong and we had beautiful weather the entire time.

Geneva is an interesting place. It is a bit of a government town crossed with big business, with a bit of resort town mixed in. The one common denominator however is money. There is a lot of it as evidenced by the Ferrari / Lambo quotient, the jewelry and high-end watch stores for which the area is known and of course very pricey looking people. It is possible however, to visit on a reasonable budget. SWMBO searched out a very nice hotel a little further out than we would have ideally liked but still within a fairly easy walk to the center and old town. Mostly we wandered the city on foot. Stopped in the occaisonal museum and enjoyed some of the many cafes throughout the city. We did stop in a few watch shops on the first day but thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and we did not come home with any new bling. Although the gentleman at IWC did try to close me on a $38,000 Portugese Perpetual Calendar. Maybe next time.

I did try two new beers while in Geneva from the same brewery. The Calvinus Blonde and the Calvinus Blanche. Both were excellent, bottle fermented artisinal beers. The Blond had a crisp hoppy character with a creamy mouthfeel, while the Blanche was an unfiltered wheat beer with a nice fruitiness. Both were refreshing after climbing the many hills of old Geneva and worth paying the extra couple of francs for if you happen to be visiting.

Roma

Just returned home from 4 Days in Rome and I am conflicted. I really do enjoy history and Rome has a ton of it. It seems like every turn reveals more ancient ruins or something of more recent historical signficance. I think there are few places in the world where you can go that have the density of this many historical sites. It is probably because of this however, that I am conflicted. With all of this history come epic crowds and tourist traps everywhere you go.

I like to think of myself as a pretty experienced traveler. I do it for a living. And I have a few rules that have served me well over the years. The most useful rule has been 'Never Eat on a Main Road'. The principle here is that the best stuff, the stuff the locals eat, is usually in some small out of the way side street away from the tourist traffic. There are few places in the world where this is not the case, like Asia, where you are better off not eating in a restaurant at all and get the good stuff from a guy pushing a cart restaurant on the side of the road. Rome seemed to be a bit of an exception. Dinner the first night we employed our logic and we did find a place with excellent pizza, but also a bunch of tourists. Every other meal though, the food was mediocre and certainly not like what we were able to find in Venice. We finally surrendered our last evening and went back to the first restaurant where we started because we knew that at a minimum, the pizza would be good. And it was.

Another rule that SWMBO and I like to apply is plan as little as possible. There is nothing I dislike more than an agenda on vacation. I don't mind planning a couple of outings or a visit to the theater, but I do not want to live on a schedule. I do it when I work, I don't want to do it when I am relaxing. The best part of this approach, is that you are open to a little travel serendipity and this trip was a great example of that. The lines at the Vatican were miles long so after wandering around the square in front of St. Peters, we bagged going in and started investigating the surrounding neighborhood. While we doing that, we came upon a bunch of people setting up for the Mille Miglia. This is a race of classic sportscars that runs 1000 miles from Brescia to Rome and back. It is something that we have always wanted to see and we had no idea before we made the trip that it was going to be in Rome at the same time as us. Because we hadn't planned anything, we had the opportunity to attend and it was worth the price of admission (free). We saw about 100 new and vintage Ferraris in the Celebration of Ferrari that kicked the event off and then the parade of the Mille Miglia participants. It was a great evening.

So Rome was a mixed bag. Beautiful scenery, lots of History, and some awesome sportscars. Food was just alright and the crowds were insane. The company was excellent and we had a really nice time. Will I rush back, no. But I am glad I went. Now four days until we leave for Geneva!!

Long Time, No Blog

It's been a while. No other excuse other than the usual. Work, travel etc.

The biggest recent event was that the SunDevil graduated from ASU. It is so hard to believe that her college career is over. It seems like yesterday that I was flying out of Sky Harbor wondering what the hell I was doing leaving my little girl behind to fend for herself.

She did me proud though. Magna Cum Laude. No troubles. And a cute Grand-dog. She is now going to start graduate school, which again, makes me really proud. Her fitness regimen may be a little extreme, but it is hard to argue with the results. She could probably kick my butt.

It is times like this that make me wish I was back in the US. 20 hours of travel time to see my girl is a little much. Then again, I have made that trip 6 times since January, so I guess I should be used to it by now.

Golf in the Land of Oily Fishes

Just returned from a golf trip to Portugal. For those of you inclined toward a golf trip, you would be hard pressed to find a better location. The courses were great. The food was excellent (who can argue with grilled meat products?). And everything was cheap.

For me, this golf trip was bitter sweet. I have been going on golf trips with a core group of guys for almost ten years and have a ton of great memories from all of them. About three weeks after I moved to Belgium, I lost one of my dearest friends and the best golfer in our little group. Understandably, we did not go on a trip last year. None of had our heart into it. Over the last year however, we decided that Chris would not want us to stop. He was the guy who always connected everyone. The glue of our team and often the comic relief on the trip. So it seemed fitting that we try to continue the tradition.

We played four rounds in four days, which is a little less golf than normal. The golf itself was our usual mix of hero shots with a solid collection of hacks and laterals. We did a lot of ball-breaking and reliving past glories, but there was a definite hole in the trip. Golf is a game for four and three isn't quite the same.

Say what you want to about golf, but it is a great opportunity for friends to get together, enjoy the outdoors, talk a little trash, and enjoy one another's company without distraction. For us, I think this trip was also a little bit of healing. We will almost certainly do the trip again next year, and I hope for many years thereafter. Our fourth will also be there in the stories we tell and in our hearts.

Out of Synch

I have had two trips to the US  since the year started and am about to head back for a third. It is apparent that I have been living outside of the US for a while.  Nothing major has changed in the year and a half that we have been in Belgium, but there are small things that you miss. A good example of this is television shows. Living here you get a pretty constant stream of the Kardashians and Mythbusters, but of course the new seasons of shows on the major networks or HBO do not exist here.  So we settle ourselves with re runs, and BBC. Not all bad, but I know when we get back to the US we will miss cultural references that everyone else is familiar with.  I see references to Breaking Bad or other shows and honestly, have no idea what they are about.

On the TV front, She Who Must Be Obeyed has begun watching an Australian version of St. Elsewhere. It is called All Saints and could not be more over the top. Essentially if you think of the most extreme thing that could happen in the scene, it will be that with some sort of left field embellishment. That being said, it is in Aussie-English, which is close enough, so is the go to show at 8PM.

Recently, we have been following the election coverage far more closely than we ever did in the US. What is interesting is contrasting the coverage from US media sources with the coverage from the European outlets. There is no other way to say it, The Republican Primaries are making the US look ridiculous. In Belgium, our Prime Minister is openly gay and the Belgian News cannot understand why gay marriage is an issue for the primaries when there are so many other topics that should be at the top of the issue list. I have to say, I agree. The content of the debates has been absurd.

In other news, SWMBO’s Flemish is improving. We went on a Valentines Day “Wandel” through our town. Essentially it was a pensioner who led a group of about 15 people on a walk describing all of the debauchery that has occurred in our town over the last few hundred years. To look at it now, one would never have guessed that it had at various points been full of brothels, sexual intrigue and bastard children. I would never have known any of this had SWMBO not been able to translate the proceedings. So obviously she is getting more fluent by the day.

Car Shows and Free Beer

She Who Must Be Obeyed combated my cranky, jet-lagged self this weekend with a trip to the Brussels Auto Show. I really like cars, new and old, so SWMBO figured that it would be a good way to deal with me after a 9 hour time change and 14 hours on an airplane.

 European car shows, as compared to their US counterparts, are different. There are a lot more car brands on display, most either lacking the market appeal or ability to meet the safety regulations in the US and so are not marketed there. So you get to see a lot of interesting brands. Obviously the French brands are big players Renault and Peugeot being dominant. You also see Skodas, Dacea, Seat, Abarth, and a host of other mostly small cars that few self-respecting Americans would take a second look at. By contrast, a really striking absence from the Brussels Auto Show were pick up trucks. You hardly ever see them here, but in a US show they make up a substantial part of what is on offer. This also extends to whole American brands. Ford had a medium sized display principally focused on the Fiesta and the new concept Ford Evos but Chevy/GM/Cadillac was a complete no-show.

As I covered in my last post, driving and parking here is a nightmare, not to mention fuel costs. Consequently, scooters and motorcycles are very popular alternatives. Fully a third of the auto show was dedicated to scooters and motorcycles in al of their forms. I frankly, had no idea there were so many manufacturers of scooters. I was familiar with Vespa and the kawasakis etc. but there are a huge number of other manufacturers from all over. Lambretta, Neco and a whole host that I cannot remember. On the motorcycle front, I think my favorite was the Triumph Steve McQueen edition. It looks great and is very old school.

Car shows wouldn't be car shows without the extreme high end. Lambos, Ferraris, Maserati Etc. were all represented. The Rolls Royce display really stood out however just because the cars are so large. By American standards, these are big cars, but when you spend all day looking at cars the size of a Mini or Fiat 500, they look positively enormous. One would assume that they are all rain forest and endangered species on the inside, but you need an invitation to get close to them, so obviously we were left outside the velvet rope. It seems positively ridiculous to me to show a car like that in this country. The roads are not wide enough, or good enough and the socialist leaning of the country would make you beyond conspicuous. You would truly need to be an enormous walking talking rectum to want one.

Finishing up with the luxury autos, we decided to leave the Expo and find some lunch. Back at our car, we experienced a typically Belgian parking situation. Parking is tight at the expo and we were wedged into a very small space. The result was that I had to inch forward and backward about 15-20 times in order to get out of my space. I wish that was an exaggeration, but it is not. Thankfully, my parking sensors have two tones so I could tell when I was less than 6 inches from impact on both ends. Most of the time however, they were both going off at once. Thank you BMW.

Returning to this blogs roots, I am reviewing a new and highly limited beer. The Charles Quint Ommegang Limited Edition Beer. Each year Charles Quint makes a special beer for the Ommegang Celebration. It is only available in Belgium and is a very small batch. Ours was bottle 498 out of 11,000. This is not to be confused with the beer produced by Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown New York. Charles Quint is a Belgian brewery with limited international exposure but a fairly large presence in Belgium and are a sponsor of the Ommegang festival. They give away a substantial amount of the beer as part of the celebration and as is typical, SWMBO won a 750 ml bottle. We received it over the holidays and I decided to give it a go this evening.

The Ommegang is a very pale golden beer. It is a bit more hoppy than a typical triple and less sweet, with some sourness and herbal notes. It is quite crisp and I think would be good as a summer beer. It is good, not great, but flavorful and interesting. Three Drunk Monks!