09 September 2009

By the numbers: midpoint report

Days on the road: 20
Days left: 20
Cities visited: 5 (Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Munich)
Cities left: 5
Current city: Munich
Frommer-recommended item I am most hoping does not still exist: "liver-cheese" at a place in the Munich train station
Amount of time left until we head out, with dread, to find it: approx. 30 minutes
Pre-emptive Pepto-Bismol tablets I am going to take momentarily: as many as I can fit in my mouth
Times I have consumed the Pope's favorite beer (Augustiner): 2
Truly bizarre nightclubs Frommer recommends in Berlin: at least 3
Number still open: 0
Entertainment-district bars we patronized in a valiant attempt to discern how nightlife has changed in Berlin in the last generation: 2
Interior design style of the first bar: Neo-Steampunk-Hobbit-Junkyard-Beach Hut Revival
Rank of the first bar among the most sketchy I have ever entered: top 3
Rank of second bar among the most classy I have ever entered: top 3
Times Lee has made me consume weird foods/drinks out of "spirit of adventure": at least 4
Languages mangled (not including English): 4
Average number of languages used in each of my typically-flustered attempt to order pastries: 3
Example of such ordering: "Deux croissant und ein jugo de naranja, please."
Walking tours taken: 3
Pastries consumed: approx. 42
Best pastry so far: chocolate croissant at Melly's Cookie Bar in Amsterdam
Worst pastry so far: Beignet at an incredibly pretentious, fancy-looking place called Paul, just off the Grand Place in Brussels
Waffles consumed in Belgium: 2
Number of said waffles that had toppings other than sugar, and therefore marked me as a tourist: 2
Level that I cared, given that the chocolate sauce and ice cream were so damn delicious: 0
Disappointing statues that I really can't believe are tourist landmarks: 2 (Little Mermaid, Manneken-Pis)
Museums visited: approx. 8
Maximum number of museums visited in one day: 3
Number of the museums on that day that were free: 3 (hell yes!)
Miles walked per day: approx. 6
Total miles walked so far: approx. 120
Pirate bars patronized: 1
Mexican restaurants patronized: 1
Minimum number of non-Mexican cultures mistakenly represented in the ostensibly-authentic decor: 4
Quality of nachos there: appealingly mediocre
Quality of tacos: unspeakably foul
Rank of the Glockenspiel in Munich among most overrated tourist attractions in Europe, according to a recent poll (per our tour guide): 2
(Location of most disappointing: Prague)
Age of the New Town Hall in Munich, relative to the Old Town Hall: older

3 comments:

  1. Doug, where would we be without a spirit of adventure, eh? So what if eel may or may not be deadly when raw...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice list, yo! I require more details about the one pirate bar, please.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The only Mexican restaurant I've been to in Europe also fits that basic description: tacky decor and questionable food (and filled with Americans). And our London-based friend is always looking for Mexican food when he comes back here. Is there a potential business plan here, filling a tortilla-wrapped European void?

    ReplyDelete

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