It has time to "admit defeat" and stop fighting the windmills. My "gotta-catch-em-all", Pokémon-style collection of DeKuyper - liqueur series will come to an end. Actually it has already done so (I gave a few bottles to my friends). I will no longer search and collect the vast assortment of liqueur brands the Dutch make and make more room for products that I will actually use. Given, there are some flavors I will keep collecting but let's face it; "Will I ever use a sour Rhubarb or Cranberry flavor?" The answer is quite simply: No.
Secondly, if you look at the bottle shape I have now and compare to the new design they made, I can't be bothered to collect the new series.
Thirdly, living in Finland makes it near impossible to actually get one's hands into most of the flavors available! The Finnish liquor retailer only sells a few selected items i.e. those people usually buy for parties to make punch (sour apple, apricot brandy, peach and so forth). 80% of my collection is thanks to Estonia and their selection!
So what will happen with these bottles? Eventually they will be used in drinks and after that I will have more room for rums, brandies, and whiskies. I mean, I have a "coconut" flavored DeKuyper and Malibu.
So yeah, you can call this an end of an era. The collection boom that started ~4 years ago has reached its pinnacle and I can proudly say I had about 27 different DeKuyper bottles at best. Not bad. Not bad at all!
Well not quite, but close enough! This whole Midsummer weekend has been rainy and well, quite dark! To honor that I've made a very classic cocktail (variant) called Dark'N'Stormy!
Fair enough, this drink demands the use of Gosling's rum (which I don't have) and their own ginger beer but heck, I will now cut some corners and as mentioned, make one of my own. Go ahead, Gosling, SUE ME! :D What you need:
ginger beer (go for the fiery ones)
6 cl dark rum
a little bit of lime
In a highball glass filled with ice, pour the ginger beer in. Do leave some room for the rum. Then pour in the rum to create a layer as seen in the picture (the stormy bit on top of calm waters). Squeeze in some lime and garnish with a lime wheel. (Add a straw) & serve.
Quite excellent a summer drink! Given, the use of Kraken rum (I got to say the use of Krakens and stormy drinks to fit in like a glove!) made this cocktail taste different than probably intended, but it worked well! The spiciness of both the rum and ginger beer were an absolute "wow".
A great Sunday...day to each and every one! This weekend has been very special in so many ways! Yesterday we Finns celebrated Midsummer. Food, drink, sauna, friends. What could possibly go wrong? Well, bad weather, but that didn't stop us! Last year I had a bunch of friends come over and we pretty much did all of the above. This year I had two of my siblings (older brother/sister) and while enjoying drinks and BBQ food, we also watched some football (the World Cup 2014 in Brazil).
But before we get to the drinks part, I had a reader come up with a question:
"By the way, have you ever ordered beers or spirits from any online store? Could you share your thoughts on that with us."
The answer is: I have now (and got lucky with the delivery just before the holidays). First things first; the matter seems very complicated for me to describe here because all of the regulations involved when handling alcohol. BUT in the EU there's a little something called free trade. Secondly, the Finnish authorities (customs) try to scare us Finns not to order alcohol online since for some reason they deem it illegal. I still don't understand.
Nonetheless, I made an online order from a German site, where you can buy almost everything.
"...the Gourmet dispatcher for delicatessens, gourmet, wine and good groceries since 2002."
I won't argue with that. I placed the order on the 5th of June (just before our trip to Bremen), unfortunately they didn't have one of the rums I ordered after all so the final order got shipped on the 13th of June i.e. one week later. A few days later I got the delivery company's tracking number and how grateful I am a friend of mine helped a brother out to pick up the package from the post office (I was at work when the home delivery guy rang the door bell) later that day (Thursday 19th):
The complete list of what I ordered:
Glenfiddich 12yo
Glenfiddich 18yo
Pyrat XO rum
Kraken rum
Maker's Mark bourbon
12 bottles of Bionade - soft drink
6 bottles of Fritz - soft drink try set
1 bottle of vinho verde white wine (for a friend)
In total (products+delivery) these costs ~170€. In comparison to the Finnish alcohol retailer, the Glenfiddich bottles + bourbon alone would've costs over 180€. A huge save there already (I got the bourbon 50% cheaper from Germany).
So to answer the question "Could you share your thoughts on that with us." I will say it was effing awesome and worked like a charm (despite the tad lengthier wait and the exciting wait should the delivery make it before Midsummer).
MAGIC
Of course with my siblings over and the grill ready for some delicious meats, I had my hands full creating cocktails for my guests. This time I stuck more to the "classical" line and towards the "night" I made easier (liquor+mixer) type of drinks. So right after I got back from work on Friday early evening, I took out the mint I had gathered earlier that morning and made three different styles of Mojitos.
From left to right: A classic Mojito, a Kraken Mojito and a Xanté Mojito.
Caipirinha time!!
During the first game I made three different style champagne cocktails. The French 75, Classic champagne cocktail and Champagne cocktail Shaker style.
In addition to those, I then made numerous Cuba Libres, Whisky&Cokes and so forth, whatever I saw fit when looking at my cabinet. Though outside it was still pretty cold. Hot Toddy's, anyone?
And of course, a delicious cold evening dessert drink, the Minttukaakao.
These were pretty much drinks from the first evening I took pictures of. Yesterday I again made a few drinks and together (me & Henna & my sister) gathered around to see the Germany - Ghana soccer game:
Tequila Sunrise
Daquiri made with the new Pyrat XO rum I got
A Watermelon drink made with watermelon, watermelon liqueur, triple sec, vodka, a dash of Midori, lime juice and Sprite
I got to say, despite the shitty (pardon my French) weather, I had a super fun Midsummer weekend with my family! What's left now is the pile of dishes, food in the fridge and taking it easy for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow I will go and donate blood so I won't be having any drinks tonight.
Germany without Weizen (wheat beer) is non-tolerable!
Welcome to the Bremen part 2 where I discuss a major issue regarding the cocktail/pub culture in Bremen. Not only for fun/hobby but also related to my work (as a bartender) I wanted...no, needed to know how things are run here. During my five day visit (I don't count the sixth since we left so early in the morning) I got to experience a broad selection of different places/quality.
Let's get a few things straight. From a Finn's drinking point of view, Bremen is cheap. When I visited the city in 2009 at my brother's wedding I really didn't have the time (or interest) to make proper observations. Now, five years later I look at the "market" completely different. Keep in mind that price != quality in Bremen. Just because it is located in the middle of the city does not automatically justify "great price great quality". Moreover, the standard measure in 90% places in Bremen is 2 cl instead of the Finnish 4 cl. I find this a good thing; you can try different products with great ease and it doesn't put a hole in your wallet. Of course you can always ask for half a measure if it is listed as 4 cl (as they did with some whiskies/liquors).
Also, it's not just a question of "wow liquor here is so cheap". It's a matter of how society is built there. That matter is completely another story which I will not (in great amounts) address.
That said, I had my notes with me and also another, smaller notebook, for journal keeping and more importantly "reviewing" cocktails/drinks I ordered at different bars/locations. But before we get to the details, let me talk about the general experiences I had while in Bremen. After that I will review a few places I visited during my holiday.
1. Having a drink with someone does not require planning things ahead
This said, meeting a friend in Bremen and deciding where to eat/drink lunch/dinner, it's really not a problem at all. Setting the "suburb" aside (where it is even cheaper), coffee/soda/beer was pretty much priced the same everywhere. Of course you always have those top-tier places with fixed higher prices but even then the difference is around some euros (with drinks). Naturally, if you decide to wine/dine fancy, prepare to pay more. But having like a gazillion coffee/"imbiss" places in downtown, tourists especially can live cheaply.
2. People smoke inside bars
This was really surprising, how smoking was allowed in almost every place! I have to say, this was and still is one of the biggest cons I had to witness. Us being non-smokers, it was not pleasant to stay in a bar for long where everyone smokes. A seriously...I can say, disgusting thing. Even after one drink my clothes smelt like tobacco smoke, which wasn't nice at all.
3. Bremen does not have a proper whisky culture
At least this is the impression that I got. Whiskies (single malts at least) are hard(er) to come by.
4. Tipping in bars
Although tipping is completely voluntary, 10% is considered "normal" but of course if service/quality does not meet, one shouldn't tip. More importantly, it is situation dependent! I had a principle to round up to the next closest euro(s) which gave me a nice sum back. I'm not a fan of super small coins, especially abroad.
Gaststätte, or inns, are rustic, warm, cozy and usually located at smaller streets. These places have a unique feeling to them. This place, Kleeblatt or Four-leaf clover, was the closest one to our hostel we could find. I can never forget the look on their faces (there were about eight people inside when we entered the place) when I opened the door. As if a "I am a tourist!" sign was beeping right on top of our heads! But impression-wise it was very nice. People got interested in us, who/where we were from. In addition, when I ordered for a captain morgan + coke, the barkeep didn't even measure anything; just poured the rum into a class, added one ice cube and filled it up with coke!
Restaurants
Bremen Ratskeller restaurant
There are plenty of restaurants of all sorts of cuisine at one's disposal. Kitchen's from all over the world, it is really a matter of taste/opinion where one wants to eat/drink. The picture above is from the Bremen Ratskeller, where we had a glass of wine/ local eau de vie during our Saturday night bar hopping. These places were high(er) tier (price-wise) when it came to fulfilling one's belly.
Coffee places
Countless amount of coffee shops! Cappucinos, espressos, lattes, you name it! These places also serve wines, liqueurs and from what I saw, alcohol assortments that fit for a cafeteria i.e. sambuca, baileys, brandy, grappa and so forth. Ordering a Sambuca con la mosca without having to explain what it is and actually getting one really warms my heart. These places were very nice in general.
Happy hour
Happy hour. In Bremen. Nice. A lot of these places (at least in my opinion) had customers first during happy hour and after. Why pay 8-9€ for a cocktail when you can get that same for 4.5€! This includes every cocktail in the list. Most places had a comprehensive booklet filled with different cocktails; from the classic ones to variations of different coladas, fruity ones and a massive amount of shots.
These places varied the most in quality. I mean, ordering a beer (Beck's since we're in Bremen) tastes the same but ordering a Manhattan or a Caipirinha, and it always tastes different. And it should. Of course each bar makes their cocktails with their style and recipes differ according to the source/measures but during my Bremen tour I had my best Manhattan ever and my worst Moscow Mule ever. Quality varied, a lot.
Cocktail bars
How do Cocktail bars differ from Happy hour bars? Quite simply; time and well, no happy hour (at least from what I experienced). Happy hours can sell Caipirinhas costing only 3.7€ (seriously, less than 4€! (4$)) but cocktail bars don't do that. Also, some Happy hour bars have to cut corners to achieve the quantity with selling < 5€ drinks to the customers. Cocktail bars need time and those three places I visited, their range of liqueurs/liquors was huge. I'm not dissing happy hour bars here, but you'll understand what I mean when we get to the review part. Just because I pay 10€ for a Manhattan instead of 4.5€ isn't the whole truth; Both gave me a positive experience and just like in any restaurant you don't just pay for the drink; you pay for the overall experience. I'll get to that too, but later.
REVIEWS
To keep things interesting, I shall instead review cocktail bars in the order I please, keeping the #1 last.
EDITOR'S NOTE
During my (cocktail)time in Bremen, I gave my blog address to some bartenders and told them to visit the site in ~1 week so I could finish these blog posts about Bremen. As a colleague from another country, we all share the passion for good cocktails and customer service. So if you read this Claude, Daniel (it was Daniel, right? Right? :D), Sara and the bartender(in) at Rosso Bar/Cocktailbar Watch, please give me a holla! You did a good job! Networking is great, your drinks were top tier!
When I reviewed these cocktails, my criteria was (order of priority)
taste (how the cocktail tastes like)
appearance (how the drink looks like)
working style (If I could see how the bartender made the cocktail)
price (is the drink worth the price?)
other
My system isn't the truth as we know it but my personal experience. And as we all know, taste is a matter of personal preference. Here goes.
B1
Moscow Mule
Behind the Bremen railway station there's a restaurant/bar called B1. But answer me this; would you consider this is a Moscow Mule? Me neither when I first saw it. This pretty much was everything a Moscow Mule isn't. I have to say that in every drink list I looked at different bars too, a Moscow Mule had cucumber in it. I'm not sure what's the deal with cucumber here, but I admit,it gave the drink its desperately needed positive note as overall it didn't taste gingery nor zingy. As a long drink it got mild super fast. Cheap, not good.
Enchilada
Caipirinha
Here we have a classic Happy Hour bar. Located at the Schlachte, this place cuts corners to make many cocktails in quick succession. This Caipirinha only cost 3.7€ (+1€, which I got back when I returned an orange coin-like token at the bar). They had a big machine that, according to my understanding, gave the "juice-mix" for each drink and all the bartenders had to do was to add the alcohol + stir/shake. Quick and easy, just like the two women before me ordered Sex on the Beaches, they got them pretty fast.
I understand the mentality. You're operating at the busiest place next to the river and especially during the warm summer days people don't want to wait for their drinks. Taste-wise, the cachaca was clearly distinguishable, but in the drink there was clearly some non-desirable side taste to it. The cocktail doesn't look really pretty at all but gets the job done. Also, the drink got a bit better towards the end.
ESPRESSO IL MIO BISTRO RESTAURANT
Zombie
Here we have a coffee/restaurant/cocktail bar located in the middle of the city. We ate lunch here, but you could have different coffees, eat sweet/salty or have cocktails (when happy hour starts). I ordered a Zombie. It's a cocktail that has a lot of rum (white, dark & high-proof), apricot brandy, fruit juices and what-nots. A strong and spicy drink, this cocktail has one big flaw; the high-proof rum they use. The list said "73% rum" and I am 100% sure they use Stroh for this. I recognized the flavor from the Hot Toddy I made some time back. This rum didn't work at all. It overpowered everything else and summa summarum, the Zombie tasted like a Stroh + nectar juice.
Jumbo Caipis during Wednesday from starting at 19:00 à 6.5€. Not bad.
ROSSO BAR
Manhattan
Here's another Happy Hour bar called Rosso Bar. Easy location, cheap prices, good cocktails + a special mention to the bartender for knowing a cocktail out of the list that tasted exactly like supposed. So above is the Manhattan. Visually good looking, the garnish was stunningly executed (and how he rimmed the glass first) and If I'm not mistaken I saw this cocktail being made with Canadian Club. Taste-wise, both the whisky and vermouth were easily spotted + notes of spices, the vermouth did overpower this drink just a little bit too much, though.
Japanese Slipper
Here's an example of the Japanese Slipper; one of my great all-time favorites. This I ordered from the waiter outside and as said earlier, I didn't have to tell them how it's done. If you look my version of it, they're really the same! And boy did this cocktail taste good! Just how I imagined it! It was fresh, sour and strongly melon-flavored.
Eisfee, "Ice fairy"
Here's another example of an awesome cocktail, the Eisfee. I had no idea what it was, I just looked it up from the menu. The main ingredients were sambuca, lemon juice, lime juice and regular sugar. You could see the little heaps of sugar in the bottom of the glass with this one. So how did it taste? Quite exciting, actually. Strongly aniseed and combined with the citrus notes, it worked! For some reason I could always imagine a German candy called Nimm2 when I took a sip of this.
Rosso Spritz
From all of the cocktails I had at the Rosso Bar, this worked the least for me. Made with aperol, cranberry juice, prosecco and mint, it was not only a tad too bitter for my taste (fair enough, this is meant to be drunk as an aperatif), but visually the least appealing. It seemed as if the drink was only half-finished for some reason. With only one small bundle of mint in the glass it looked very lonesome. In its essence, this kind of spritz just wasn't my thing after all.
COCKTAILBAR WATCH
White Russian
Here's a cocktail bar located I believe I'm not totally wrong if I say near or next or at a hotel close-by the main railway station. This place had a real cocktail bar atmosphere to it and the list was comprehensive. I ordered the White Russian and just look at this cocktail! Not only did it look better than any White Russians I've ever had, it tasted just like one! The glass makes it even better. I can easily applause to this piece of work!
French Martini
This is a cocktail I spotted from the little advertising add you can see right behind this drink. Made with chambord, vodka and pineapple juice, this cocktail hit the spot. With a dark rosé color and a mild-ish pineapple nose to it, the pineapple did dominate this drink a little. The raspberry flavors were rather "hidden" in the background. Also, this cocktail didn't taste strong, which did only well. I have to give this a special mention too, because of the fresh berry garnish! The redcurrants on the side of the glass gave this cocktail its well deserved extra! Another great innovation!
BLAUER FASAN
"Blue Pheasant"
A cocktail bar at the end of the Schlachte and well renowned for their cocktails, this place I had as one of the bars I wanted to visit. Actually at the next bar I will soon introduce you to, they suggested I'd visit this place as well. The bar itself was rather small, a big oval-shaped counter with bottles everywhere. People were around it very casually and while I was ordering a drink for me, my brother and a juice for my wife, they went outside (it was rather stuffy inside) and I had a little chat with a guy on the counter.
A Manhattan, the bar can be seen in the background right
Yes, I love my Manhattans! Ordered one from here. As I put in my order the bartender asked whether I wanted the orange or cherry as a garnish. I opted for the cherry. Perfectly smooth and balanced, this drink had some berry-notes to it. The aftertaste was nice and overall it was a great Manhattan. But...not the best in Bremen.
It was funny drinking on the other side of the street. Figures though, inside wasn't too pleasant and right outside people were smoking. :D
Daquiri
Here's a Daquiri I ordered and I wanted to made as per Jeffrey's Method. My choice of rum was the Angostura 1919. I can only remember this being pretty much as desired, full of taste with a great combination of sweet & sour with notes of vanilla.
And finally, the very best cocktail bar I visited while in Bremen. There's a funny story to it as well. Actually two. First, I had the address to this cocktail bar. I got to the place just to see an Italian-style restaurant and people eating outside. I didn't want to disturb the customers so I walked by them a little dumbstruck. Eh? I walked to the next intersection and turned into the smaller streets in hopes for seeing someone I could ask about this bar. Another intersection and on my right I now see a place that looks like the back"yard" area of a movie restaurant (you know, those places people get beaten up?). But there was one waiter-looking dude sitting on the curb. As I approached him I saw a big sign of this bar and right at the man I asked "You know where this place is?" He replied and told me just to head up the stairs as much as possible. After the first steps I saw the restaurant terrace in front of me! Apparently the place is rather "well-hidden", so to speak, but let's not keep you waiting...
THE LEMON LOUNGE
Picture taken by my brother (as we left)
Guess which cocktail? Yup, the Manhattan!
These guys knew their s#&t. I ordered a Manhattan, the asked which kind. Classic (traditional), made with rye. Here I had the best Manhattan. Not too strong, perfectly smooth and a properly (read: from the freezer) chilled cocktail glass, this drink made me say the following:
Absolutely perfect.
Oh, by the way back to the "funny stories" I mentioned earlier. So as I sat there with the Manhattan in front of me, I pulled out my notebook. The bartender asked me about it and when I said "Yeah I'm a colleague from Finland", the barkeep chuckled, acknowledged it and another worker sitting in the corner actually said "I could tell by the looks." Around my second cocktail my brother called me (he was still "home") and asked me where to meet up. He said "Yeah a few friends of mine actually know a good cocktail bar, have you heard of the Lemon Lounge?" I replied: "I'm there right now." The situation was overly funny :)
Sidecar
Here's another cocktail I prefer, the Sidecar. The barkeep asked whether I wanted brandy or cognac in it and I chose the brandy. A dark peachy color, semi-bitter (it got stuck in the palate) and the taste of brandy was noticeable (not so smooth). I have to say this cocktail would've needed a double strain, the little ice shard particles were floating on top of this drink making the drink look sloppy. Not their finest work.
An Old Fashioned
Here we have an Old Fashioned, a drink I enjoy thoroughly. The bartender did a kick-ass job. A good bourbon (Maker's Mark), a lovely scent of orange, full of aromas and for some reason I spotted notes of cocoa...? Anyhow, this was the cocktail. Drunk from a sturdy glass with mass, I could only tip my imaginary hat at the barkeep. Bravo!
My brother & I
Well, this...was it then. As you can (hopefully) see, quality varied a lot in different places. I had an amazing time in Bremen and I'm sure I'll visit it again and a big thanks to the new people I've met!
Hello again everyone! So yesterday (Monday 9th) I came back from Bremen! Now when I look at my "material" I have to work with, I really don't know from where to start. As mentioned in my earlier post, I had a few things I wanted to do in the five days there but yesterday while walking to the bus stop I was pondering how to reasonably put everything I experienced into words without making this post too long. So I came to the decision to cut this summer vacation roughly into two parts i.e.
Part 1; Bremen/locations/friends
Part 2; the cocktail/pub culture in Bremen
From both I have much to say and squeezing all of this into one post will simply be too long. Moreover, cutting this in half makes a more structured post for both topics. Let's go, shall we?
Bremen in general
First things first, I didn't take too many pictures of scenery or landmarks, because quite frankly I didn't think it would be interesting, anymore. I've been to Bremen a few times now and I have no reason taking pictures of e.g. the Town Musicians of Bremen. Okay fine, I took one from Schlachte;
(and it's not even that great a picture, the other side of this was much more filled with restaurants/people)
Secondly, this vacation made me understand how exceptionally lucky I really am. Not only is there a direct flight from Tampere to Bremen that lasts practically nothing, last weekend really impressed me wholly; Bremen is my second home. I only needed 27 years to realize that.
One of the "artsy" pictures I took. I've been keeping this piece of ear ring (?) around ever since I found it a few months back on a train. It makes excellent travel pictures
Thirdly, I find Bremen just a beautiful city. The city center is large (enough), everything's at a walking distance and people are friendly to each other ("fun" fact; speaking German really helps, otherwise things & people might feel "stiff"). I feel like having "honeymoon goggles" on every time I visit there but as soon as I take them off, the feeling is still there! Even now with a baby on the way, I don't feel like my days of visiting Bremen have ended. "It'll just take some more time."
Okay I lied, here's a picture I took from a restaurant where we ate more than enough, at the Schlachte#arewestillhungry#yolofoodie#suchdeliciousness #ireallyhatehashtagging.
Our hostel was a stone throw away from the city center. Well, a tad longer but we could easily walk to town, shop/eat/drink and take the tram back. Fun fact, our hostel was located about two blocks away where my brother & family lived some years ago!
We also visited Weserpark, a big shopping center ~30 minutes away from the city by tram. It was big, but I came to the conclusion most of the square meters were used by one big supermarket. Of course they had stores for clothes, shoes and other more or less interesting things as well. Next to the mall was a big cinema; since they dub everything in Germany and didn't have anything with subtitles at the moment (my wife can't understand German per se), we never went to see a movie.
On a side note, unfortunately I never got to see my acquaintances I was talking before; they had to work late and although they suggested us taking a day trip there (as did one other at FB as well), our plans got so tight (explained later) we never could've made it. :(
My brother & his family
One of the single greatest surprise was the meeting of my oldest brother and his family! On the evening of our flight to Bremen, my sister-in-law messaged us via Facebook and told us that they were thinking of taking a weekend trip to Bremen themselves as well! This event actually turned out to be bigger than I initially thought. It got huge. Not only finding out more about my past/history but understanding why it happened. About that a little bit later. We had a big BBQ with my brother's best friend at a community garden and went rowing a boat in a big park on Sunday as seen in the following picture (taken by my brother):
My sister-in-law's turn to row it!
Also, on Saturday evening I went to have a drink with my brother. Of that on my 2nd part of my Bremen blog. You would think that it couldn't get any better than that. It did. I won't say "life-changing-better", but it's a close second. Keep reading.
My Father
Like I wrote, the last time I saw my father was in 2007. Now before we get any further, there's something you need to know, it helps understanding my life a bit better. (It's still very complicated but hey, at least you get a sense of who/what I am). Imagine a family tree. Usually it's pretty straightforward, sometimes you have a few quirky branches here and there and sometimes you have something totally whack.
A regular family tree
My family tree
And I am not even kidding you. So I really wanted to know more about my father. As said, in 2007, it lasted ~45 seconds. I still had the address given by my "half-brother". My wife tagged alongside as we took a cab to the address I had. As many could think, seven years is a long time. It was such a long time that no-one answered to the door bell. I asked a person at the street whether "they know if an Italian lives here anymore. (yes, my biological father is Italian (hey you got to inherit the good looks from somewhere, don't you? :D))" I was then told that "yes, but he has moved a long time ago." So that's it? Closure? I semi-accepted my fate as never talking to my father again as we headed back to town (and I got myself a drink). Who knows where he lives by now? Henna said that there must be officials who know where he lives. At the Bremen main railway station I went to the tourist information where they directed me to the population register which luckily for us was right in the city center! We headed back to town and what do you know? It's Friday, too late for today, the register is closed during the weekend and Monday is the 2nd Pentecost. This means I could ask them by mail, it costs me 6€ and I'll get the answer via post later. At this point I was ready to call it quits. Enter my brother. While I was on my "crusade", he had been txting/calling my "half-brother" (whom I've never met but knew existed) before and what do you know...On Saturday morning I meet my bro, he explains what he's done and said he tried to organize a "face-to-face" meeting with my half-brother so we could talk and he could explain things to me. My half-brother's answer hadn't come yet and we went back to our hostel. My bro met up with my wife and we discussed that day's plan (the BBQ mentioned earlier). My brother leaves and I take a shower. So while we were heading to their place (my brother and his family had a place very close to our hostel), I get a call from my bro; he's panting and says "We might have 30 minutes, where are you now? We'll take a cab straight to your half-brother!" The next 10 minutes felt like a movie of some sort. We were at a street where little stalls and veggie markets had opened shop. Me & my bro run to the "nearest" taxi stand. My wife can't really run in her condition so she stayed behind. As we get in the taxi, my brother tells the taxi driver "We still need to pick up a pregnant woman from the street!" The cab picked Henna up and we drove to my "half-brother's". I keep using quotation marks because he hasn't really been part of my conscience life unlike my other siblings. We get to the place and I meet my half-brother face to face. We stayed there for a good 40 minutes and he explained the situation of our father. He also explained that he had shut the door in front of others as well so I wasn't the only one (explaining 2007). That discussion really opened my eyes and made me understand my life better once again. I can't thank enough my brother for setting this thing up. I really can't!
Me and my brothers. The one on the left set this whole thing up. A big thumbs up!
Those who know me probably have a "bigger picture" of my family relations. To those who haven't...well, this is the tip of the iceberg. So yea, another reason why I wanted to visit Bremen. Summa summarum. These events were about 50% of my holiday in Bremen. There's so much to talk about more and I hope I got everything (hopefully at least the most) covered regarding part 1. Keep waiting for the next part where I discuss a matter of great interest and not just hobby-wise but work-wise as well; Visit a few cocktailbars and local pubs and how the drink culture is/works in Bremen.
Today's is going to be a special day and it'll stay amazing for the remainder of this week. I have my summer vacation and I will be spending one week (out of two) in Bremen, Germany, with my wife. I kind of created a checklist of what (at least) I want to do there. Okay, here goes (the list is not in any alphabetical/priority order):
Visit my father
I've seen him once in my conscious life and that was in 2007. That moment was a brief one. Well I was young and didn't know better. This time should he try to close the door again, I'll get my foot in the door and actually talk with him. Given, if he lives in the same address I still possess.
See two German acquaintances I met ~ half a year ago
They stopped by for a drink at the bar and to make a long story short, the following day I had one drink with them me being a customer myself. I got to know them better since and hope I can meet them again "on their turf" during this week. Have a drink or two at least and catch up.
Visit a few cocktail bars and local pubs
I've googled down a few names/places that interest me. I want to experience the cocktail/pub life in Bremen. I even bring my notes with me so I can have new tastes + write them down. Local drafts and so forth.
Shopping
Well who doesn't want to shop in Bremen? See the Schlachte, Schnoor and other areas in the heart of the city. Well this is probably the part my wife does more, but I can live with that :)
Have an awesome time with my wife
Of course it's not just a holiday for me, it's our holiday abroad. Eat & drink well and hopefully enjoy sunny days while we're at it. Oh and while in Bremen, I kind of want to keep some sort of journal/diary of the time we spend there so I can later reminiscence on it. Be assured, a blog post at least :)
Well, that's pretty much it. Since I'm gone for roughly one week, I won't be posting new material but instead, gather and absorb it in a different country. Auf wiedersehen, biss dann!
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