Selah Lou Who goes to Helen for Christmas
For Selah’s very first Christmas in the continental United States, we decided to leave the continent and fly to Bavaria, Germany… well no, not really, but she’s not even two-years-old so we took her to Georgia instead. She didn’t know the difference.
Alpine Helen, Georgia only has a population of around 430 residents, yet it is the state’s third most visited city. If you visit this charming little town, you will see why it so good at packing a crowd. Helen is a recreated Bavarian Alpine village with the Chattahoochee River flowing gently through its center. Helen first began as a home to the Cherokee Indians before European settlers eventually arrived for the gold and the timber. When Selah Lou Who came to town, she was simply there to see Christmas.
(more…)Posted in Adventurous Places, Great Dining, North America and tagged christmas in dixie, Georgia, Helen by Big John with no comments yet.
Fantastic Food Trucks and More Scenes from the North Shore
Anybody who has spent more than a few days on Oahu will tell you that some of the best food on the island is found inside food trucks on the North Shore. These colorful restaurants on wheels first began springing up around Honolulu in the 1970s. Back then it was mainly burgers, hotdogs, and the traditional Asian cuisine. Now-a-days, a person can satisfy any cravings whether it be from zesty street tacos to wasabi-flavored poke bowls.
Some of the best food trucks on Oahu are found on the North Shore, directly across the street from Shark’s Cove. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Great Dining, North America and tagged food trucks, Hawaii, North Shore, Oahu by Big John with 4 comments.
The Spirit of Aloha at Germaine’s Luau
Just recently, Rebecca and I had the pleasure of attending Germaine’s, our first luau on the island of Oahu. Finding my knowledge of Hawaiian culture a bit lacking, I first read up a little on the history of these fascinating, food-centered events. It may be of interest to some to know that in ancient Hawaii, men and woman ate their meals completely apart. Furthermore, commoners and women of every social class were forbidden by the ancient Hawaiian religion to eat certain delicacies. When I first read this, I thought it made a whole lot of sense. The last time I had breakfast with Rebecca, she ate all of the blueberry waffles. I went to work that day with a cold hard-boiled egg and one of those crummy end-pieces of toast. If I had eaten first, or if she had been forbidden to eat such delicacies, I would have enjoyed a really tasty breakfast. I shared the idea with Rebecca just this morning, and for some reason I didn’t eat any breakfast, nor did I get any lunch.
Big John at Germaine’s Luau
Separate meals between the sexes continued all the way up until 1819, when King Kamehameha II finally abolished the practice by throwing a feast where both men and women could attend. The king’s symbolic act forever ended the religious food taboos on the islands and the Hawaiian luau was born. Had Rebecca been around back then, and the king had been forced to share waffles with her, it’s highly doubtful that he would have been in such a festive mood. For that reason alone, I hope the Hawaiian people are truly thankful that Rebecca did not come to share a meal with them until some 200 years after the food ban was lifted…. and also thankful they weren’t serving any blueberry waffles. (more…)
Posted in Great Dining, North America and tagged Germaine's Luau, Hawaii, Oahu by Big John with 1 comment.
Cruising the Mediterranean Aboard the Celebrity Reflection
In June of 2017, I became the luckiest guy alive when I married Rebecca – my best friend and love of my life. To celebrate our joyous occasion, I planned a honeymoon that would be second to none. So, the day following our ceremony we boarded a plane to Rome, Italy and then found our way to the Italian seaport of Civitavecchia. Docked at the port was the Celebrity Reflection, the luxury cruise vessel that would carry us around the Western Mediterranean. The Celebrity Reflection is the largest their Solstice class ship in their entire fleet. The vessel has a 3,046 max occupancy, is 1,047 feet long, and boats an impressive cruising speed of 24 knots. These are just some of the amazing memories we captured while underway.
Big John and Rebecca go cruising the Mediterranean aboard the Celebrity Reflection. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Europe, Great Dining and tagged Celebrity, Celebrity Reflection, cruise, honeymoon, Mediterranean by Big John with no comments yet.
Cologne and Dusseldorf: Rivalry on the Rhine
Situated on the Rhine, and separated by a mere 27 miles, are the heavily populated cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf. These two German metropolises, while essentially neighbors, are completely at odds with one another. If you ask any resident of Düsseldorf which city is better, he or she will tell you that their city is definitely the best. Not surprisingly, if you were to ask somebody in Cologne that very same question, you’re likely to get a similar response favoring their own neck of the woods. Not only is the architecture and various attractions in each city distinctive, the type of beer consumed in each city differs as well. As you may very well know, when it comes to matters of beer drinking, there are very few things in the Rhineland of greater importance!
Rebecca in the cobble-stoned courtyard of Alter Markt (Old Marketplace), Cologne.
Not to be easily persuaded one way or another, Rebecca and I decided to take a self-guided tour of both Cologne and Düsseldorf to assess the situation ourselves . We would explore the varied sights, dine in the various restaurants, and sample each of the city’s distinct beers. Perhaps then, after some toilsome and extensive research, we could offer our own unbiased assessment and settle this long-winded debate once and for all! (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Europe, Great Dining and tagged Cologne, Dusseldorf, Germany by Big John with no comments yet.