Destination Highlights Archive

Contrary to popular belief, Oktoberfest is not held in October. This world famous festival actually begins in September and goes a few days into October, which is why now is a great time to book your cheap flight to Munich.

This year, the festivities begin on Saturday, September 17^th and the fun doesn’t stop until October 3^rd. What can you expect this year at the world’s most famous festival? Well, of course there is the Bavarian beer, the piping hot pretzels and throngs of people in traditional attire. There will be fun for the whole family, such as music, dancing and even rides (this includes the new “Monster Swing” which goes high into the air and rotates in one direction, giving a perfect view of the happenings at Oktoberfest)!

There will be a total of 14 beer tents, each offers their own reason on why you should visit and more tempting than the one before it. Among them are:

• Hofbräu Festhalle- this tent resembles the city’s famous Hofbrauhaus and serves Bavarian specialties and Hofbräu München beer
• Schützen-Festzelt-  where Lowenbrau beer is served along with a pork dish prepared in traditional Bavarian style, marinated in malt beer sauce and paired with potato salad
• Schottenhamel – In business since 1867, when it was just a small booth with only a 50 seat capacity, Schottenhamel now has seating for 10,000! There will be live music by the Otto Scwarzfischer Blaskapelle band and beer from Spaten-Franziskaner Bräu.
• Bräurosl – Managed by the Heide family for 7 generations, Bräurosl is one of the most entertaining tents at Oktoberfest. There will be a yodeler as well as music by Südtiroler Spitzbuam and Ludwig Thoma-Musicians. Beer served is from the Hacker-Pschorr brewery.

Don’t miss your chance to participate in this world-famous event. Pack up your lederhosen and dirndls and book your cheap trip to Munich today! Combine your flight with hotel reservations and a car rental for additional savings.

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When life hands you lemons, pick up some vodka and make Limoncello! Limoncello is an aperitif (dessert liqueur) which comes from Sorrento, Italy. It is made from the locally grown lemons, which are famously large and sweet. Unfortunately, this tasty treat is not as easy to come by in the United States as it is in Italy, so I will share a recipe with you. It should tide you over until you are able to travel to Italy and bring some of the real stuff back home with you.

In addition to the ingredients listed, you will need cheesecloth and corkable bottles, or bottles that can be tightly capped.

Limoncello

• 12-14 lemons, scrubbed well (organic lemons are best)
• 2 bottles (750 ml) good quality vodka (I like SKYY, Ketel One and our locally produced Cold River Vodka)
• 5 c water
• 4 ½ c sugar

Zest lemons, avoid leaving white pith on the peel. Place zest in a large glass jar, add vodka, cover and store in a dark place at room temperature.

Allow infusion for anywhere from two weeks to two months; the longer it steeps, the better tasting it will be.

After the period of infusion, make the simple syrup by boiling water and sugar over medium high heat until thickened. Allow syrup to cool completely and then add to mixture. Cover and store in darkened room at room temperature for a month.

After thoroughly washing bottles, strain the mixture through cheesecloth to remove peel, then pour into bottles and seal tightly.

Store in a cool place, or better yet, your freezer as limoncello is best served very cold. Enjoy!

Have you been to this lovely little town along the Gulf of Naples? How does my recipe for limoncello compare?

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As you can probably tell by my earlier posts, I love any and all things literature and architecture. That is why today’s blog post is going to be about various libraries throughout Europe.

Strahov Theological Hall – Prague, Czech Republic

Located in the Strahov Monastery in Prague is the Strahov Theological Hall which was built in the 17^th century. The library is home to more than 18,000 religious texts and various editions of the Bible in many different languages. Its ornate Baroque architecture is breathtaking, with sculpted ceilings, several frescoes and stucco cartouches.

National Library of Belarus – Minsk, Belarus

The National Library of Belarus is located in the country’s capital city, Minsk. It is set in a beautiful location in the park along the river. It is a 22 story modern building, completed in 2006. The shape of the library is very unique: rhombicuboctahedron. It has seating for 2,000 patrons and even has a 500 seat conference hall! The NLB contains the third largest collection of books printed in Russian, after the libraries in Moscow and St. Petersburg. There are nearly 10 million books and documents in the National Library of Belarus.

Danish Royal Library – Copenhagen, Denmark

The Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen was built in 1999 as an extension of the Royal Library on Slotsholmen, an island in the harbor. It is called Black Diamond due to the fact that its façade is comprised of black marble and glass. In addition to housing a huge collection of books, the library is also home to a 600-seat auditorium, a restaurant, photography museum, bookstore and roof deck.

Admont Library – Admont, Austria

In Admont, Austria is the Admont Abbey home to one of the most beautiful libraries I’ve ever seen. It is the world’s largest monastery library and holds more than 200,000 books and documents. The Admont Abbey Library was built in 1776, designed by Joseph Hueber in Baroque style, containing carvings by renowned sculptor Josef Stammel and cupolas decorated with frescoes painted by 80 year old artist, Bartolomeo Altomonte (1694-1783).

There are many more unique libraries in Europe and across the globe, too many to list. Which ones have you visited? Tell us about your experience.

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Before you know it, summer will be over and winter upon us, so let’s enjoy this hot weather while we can! A great treat for these scorching days is Gazpacho, a healthy, cold tomato-based soup. There are many varieties of Gazpacho, which originated in Spain. The history of Gazpacho goes back very far, and like many ancient recipes, theories of its beginning vary a bit, from Roman brigades to Christopher Columbus being the brains behind the recipe.

Gazpacho is widely served in the Andalusia region during summer months and there are a variety of ways it is prepared: chunky, creamy, garden style, gazpacho blanco and traditional. No matter which style you choose to make your Gazpacho, it is simple, delicious, full of antioxidants and takes just a few minutes to make!

Gazpacho

• 6 tomatoes, diced
• 3 cucumbers, diced
• 2 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
• ¼ c fresh parsley
• 3 slices of bread, crusts removed and torn into small pieces
• ¼ c extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ c red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients excluding the bread in a large bowl and mix well.

Pour half of the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Add puree back to remaining ingredients and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill for at least four hours before serving. Garnish with bread.

Next time you take a trip to Seville or Malaga, stop in one of the many traditional restaurants and try their Gazpacho. It is sure to cool you down while satisfying your hunger.

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