Matador - beer

Words to live by.

farfromhome — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:30:06 -0500

I've been living in Halifax, Nova Scotia all summer. As any Canadian would know (especially Atlantic Canadians) Halifax is a city with plenty of opportunities to surround yourself with great music, cold drinks, and great people.

My experience lasted no more than 10 minutes but will stick with me for a...

A Whole Other Country

SCSarah — Sat, 2 Aug 2008 16:42:50 -0500

I am still amazed by how little I knew about Toronto before last week's trip. All my life I've heard about the sights in Paris, London, and Sydney, yet virtually nothing about this terrific city just a few miles from the U.S. border. Like Tim Cahill wrote in his book Road Fever, "Niceness...

Contemplating 'Culture'

Olivebeard — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:07:08 -0500

I've begun to notice that cultural anthropology has a tendency to be very external in nature. The analysis of what makes an area's "culture" is often performed by someone who has no childhood connection to that place. And yet, time and time again, experts on an "area" call upon their experience with...

El Aguelo: A Barcelona bar that shouldn't be missed

noambit — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:35:38 -0500

Once in a while you wander the streets of a European city and happen into a bar or restaurant that for years and trips to come will be "your" spot. Every time you return to that city you seek out that place, sip a glass of wine, chug a pint of beer or munch on...

Bia

shakester — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:33:41 -0500

The chairs squeak, almost bent out of shape by your weight. They are made of plastic, just like the tiny low stool in front of you that serves as a table. That plastic is worn, even a little stained. Your legs squeeze because you are low. But you could just stretch them out, resting on the edge...

Cajun-Tossing and Other Signs of Happiness

Olivebeard — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:36:41 -0500

My father embraced technology a long time ago--a fact that I'm not sure is to society's benefit. His communications from his new home in New Orleans are succint and cryptic, often leaving us to discuss their meaning for days after. One such gem:

Quote:

So, me an' Maria 'r walkin, down Decatur street,...

transitions abroad

realsoulsurfin — Sun, 6 Apr 2008 19:15:43 -0500

On Friday, my spouse visa arrived. I only submitted my application a little over a week before that. Yep, I got my visa in less than a couple of weeks, and if you ask me that would have to be a record for Japan. My last working visa took about 6 months! Anyway, I am NOT complaining. Infact, we are...

What is New Orleans without the Love?

Olivebeard — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:33:09 -0600

Dr. Love is the tuning fork I use to guage the soul of New Orleans. Today she is tuned down, maybe a little flat, and singing a sad, soulful dirge with a cracking voice.

"Come to think of it, I didn't see him out today," my mother tells me about Dr. Love, "You can tell he was sad. We talked him out of...

The best walk a Montreal park can offer

Gerard Ward — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 08:14:39 -0500

I had spent the day in Montreal walking around the main city streets, seeing the underground shopping and realised it was shopping, just underground.

It was around 4pm, and it was still nice and the sun was still giving us a nice glow to our untanned Canadian faces. I wanted to check out this park...

Jamaican Me Crazy -- Kingston

Olivebeard — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:42:00 -0500

We could not have paid for this view of Kingston
harbor that we have right now (see picture). Atop a dilapidated
building in the throes of a city we've been repeatedly "warned" about,
I can't help but reflect on the first few days of our stay here in
Jamaica. I am amazed to the point of speechlessness...

A Sad Departure

Olivebeard — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:04:54 -0500

The underlying philosophy of the
Miami-Dade driver has become clear to me; driving is not something you
pay attention to. The Toyota Land Cruiser is, by all definitions of the
phrase, on my ass. Were I going slow in the fast lane during busy
traffic this would not seem unusual, but this is not the...

Top 3 Dublin beer gardens

nzjosh — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:34:50 -0500

Whittling down the 1000-odd pubs in Dublin to just 3 is a bit like choosing the winner of Miss World, even though you haven't been inside all of them you just know they're good...so here's a summer selection to get you off on the right pint:

The Beggars Bush (Jack Ryans) - One of the best, and...

Color by Number - Not your Usual 9 to 5

Evan Thoreau — Fri, 3 Aug 2007 15:22:45 -0500

Six... ...hours until the next train arrives, I think as I watch the aging coaches slip past and continue west. As the din of the engine leaves me alone on the platform I start to wonder if my adventurous nature has gotten the better of me this time. Here I am, standing in the rusty train depot...

The Ugly American: How I Fought My Way Through Italy

hawaiibren — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 20:17:17 -0500

Here are brief snapshots of my month in Hell. This account also doubles as a most unfortunate Top Ten List: the Top Ten Reasons You Should Never Travel with an Ugly American.

Disclaimer: I continue to wear “Idiot” across my forehead for not ditching this guy earlier. Despite the tales told...

The Coulee Region for Easter

Olivebeard — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:52:58 -0500

Thomas Wolfe wrote "You Can't Go Home Again". He also wrote many other supposedly great works, none of which I've read. Thomas Wolfe quotes are rarely seen outside of the realm of the pontificating homeward-bound, and I'm not about to break that tradition here.

That being said, I went home again....

Kiss these Blarney stones...

Olivebeard — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:27:31 -0500

The Irish are an interesting breed. Rivaled only (and weakly, at that) by the poles in collective stubborness and pride, the celebration of their Christian subjugator is anything but exclusive. I don't have an Irish cell in me and yet, I felt compelled to buy a shirt that says "Guiness" and drink...

Oktoberfest

Olivebeard — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:54:59 -0600

It's a way off, but I thought I'd make an observation.

Port Royal, SC, had an Oktoberfest. Despite a decent--if limited--beer selection and a delightful time, my wife and I were horrified to find that it lasted from noon to 5.

What kind of Oktoberfest is that?

On the flip-side, if you cannot...

Pocket Guide to Western Europe

Olivebeard — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:55:12 -0600

note: File this under "failed article submissions". After numerous publications came back and said "Focus on one area," this piece fell into the pit of unused writing. "P-shaw!" I said, "People need the whole of Europe to be summed into useful stereotypes! What do you know, National Geographic...