Going Commando!

Ah....there's nothing like the warm climes of summer that lends itself to this one lack of detailing! Gone is the buttoned up approach to direction and dress and a certain nuance of freedom rules the day which swings into action like an over-zealous schoolboy. Yes, life is sweet in the summer, and breezy.

Alas, a commando approach to traveling is often a dangerous undertaking, especially with our fellow travelers in tow. The VFH mooch crew has swelled to eight today as we are all to travel on the same aeroplane to Manchester, England. We have rented a van and driver and got beer for the ride and we're charged and ready to go, but because a few details in Europe are not in our control, say the "caravan" of drivers picking us up in England, some of our lot are a bit nervous. Remember, the Vacations From Home credo is to do things as cheaply as possible. So, if you're unwilling to allow certain minutiae to pass, to go Commando as it were, then be prepared to pay top dollar for everything. That being said, as an honorary member of the mooch crew, be prepared to be asked if we could tag along for the ride.

Today is the beginning of a two week adventure for VFH to England, Scotland and Belgium. We take off from Newark this evening.

preparations...

Traveling my way is usually haphazard; I hit the ground running and spin in many directions. Whatever catches my fancy, when a left turn is much more appealing than a right turn, I take it. Sadly, lots of time is needed for such capricious travel and we have none of that in this impending trip to Europe. Every day's slate of events has been honed and tinkered with so that we can get the most bang for our time in England, Scotland and, especially Belgium. If such details were left to me though the Vacations From Home team would run around like headless chickens. But, my counterpart is a very detail oriented soul, of which I am extremely thankful for. She is NASA to my John F. Kennedy. Kennedy proclaimed the U.S.A. will send a man to the moon by the end of the decade, but NASA is the one to do it. I threw a lot of ideas against the wall and some stuck, but most dripped sadly to the floor. She made everything work. We are, I mean, she is, a well-oiled machine.
Nothing has been left to chance with her. She has made the air, train and hotel arrangements, and although I contribute by figuring out what beer to drink in Belgium, she has made maps of the bars that seem to be the best. So, attached, I am sharing some of her work. Click the links and see what we're going to do in our fleeting time in both Brugge and Brussels. Feel free to write to us if you have suggestions, but be aware Janet has done her research. Without her input we would be languishing at a train station somewhere, getting nowhere

beer map of Brugge:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=203125618653178581127.0004a5ad35c36c806be42&msa=0

beer map of Brussels:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=203125618653178581127.0004a59adfac9a0d86048&msa=0

The Triple Crown Finished? Hot Dog!

Today's entry may not cut the mustard with you racing enthusiasts, but now that the Triple Crown is finished and the Breeders Cup isn't until autumn you may relish the opportunity to take in the sport of kings even if it's a little race. So, this weekend we at VFH suggest you seek out a Wiener Dog Race. Yes, those furry tube steaks compete and they look just plain silly and cute doing it! Your favorite traveling companion, Vacations From Home, has discovered there is a whole circuit for these little Daschunds and there are organizations devoted to the racing wieners. Also, it's Father's Day this weekend (don't forget to call him) so what better way to celebrate with Dad then sharing a Hot Dog and watching a hot dog.


Now, racing these little critters seems to be a more frivilous activity and done mostly for charity or part of a bigger celebration. Daschunds don't suffer the same fate as Greyhounds when their racing days are over. Although there are concerns that the racing puts added strain on the spine of the dog, the races are approximately 25 to 50 yards in length and they are well attended and popular events even if condemned by some animal rights groups and opposed by the Daschund Club of America.

Some of the races to be held this weekend:

In the Texas Hill Country where a lot of Germans settled over a century ago (and where the climax of my latest book takes place ....The Music Made Me Cry on Amazon Kindle), this weekend is the Boerne Berges Fest. As well as all the beer drinking and lederhosen wearing that comes with a weekend like this, Daschunds will be racing throughout.
http://www.bergesfest,cin/

Oh...they're so cute! (Not like my frikin dog....)

At Paws in Huntington Beach, California there is a summer of racing Wieners including this Sunday. You can enter your wenig liebe, buy stuff for the little scamp and help a worthy cause as donations are made to animal rescue organizations.
http://www.wienerdogstore.com/

In Charleston, West Virginia there is the 5th annual FestivALL Charleston West Side Wiener Dog Races with proceeds benefiting the local animal shelter.
http://www.charlestonwestsideweinerrace.com/

The Georgia Daschund Races are being held in the metro Atlanta area this weekend. Winners of this event are invited to go on to the National Daschund Championship Races!!!! Georgia's website claims they don't race for profit, but only for "the thrill of watching your Doxie participate in challenging other Doxies". I'm getting the lingo and the depth of the devotion to these dogs bred by the Germans to hunt badgers and other burrowing creatures.

http://www.georgiadaschundraces.com/

Yes NDR is big time for the little wieners. It seems to be a more official sounding than other events around the country and their website looks official enough, but several other organizations claim the title of "national champion." It may be a good source of information of some races, but google daschund or wiener races and you can find something to watch this weekend maybe even in your neck of the woods.

A couple of quick clips of wiener racing:
(you will have to cut and paste them in your browser to see)

youtu.be/NCSuUJFsohM

youtu.be/IASE1Gu6vMc

Remember to call your Dad this weekend!

a solemn quest

Yes, yes, yes....we have been doing things here at Vacations From Home.... We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend at our friends' house in Delaware where we had to "dance off our alcohol" (yes, it was that bad....), and we traipsed about the area for Philadelphia's beer week... http://www.philadelpiabeerweek.org/ Although we avoided going into the city, several of the area bars had specials going on. We visited Isaac Newton's in Newtown and Iron Hill Brewery in Phoenixville. But recently we just cohabited and cooked and lounged about and basically laid low. We saw a couple of films, Hangover II ...don't bother .... and Super 8... it was entertaining.... like ET on crystal meth. We did spend a lot of time researching our travels in Europe and we stumbled across this article in USA Today:
www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2005-10-03-beer-usat_x.htm
Hopefully we'll be lucky enough to sample ourselves.