Red Corner: The Beer Trails of Bohemia and Moravia

by Neil Woodburn on

Czech beer is some of the best in the world–or so claim the experts.

One such self-described authority on the subject is New York Times writer Evan Rail who recently traveled to the Czech Republic to imbibe his way through a tour of the country’s finest beers. And what a beer-loving country it is! The small nation, according to Rail, is blessed with 100 breweries producing 450 types of beer. If this seems excessive, consider for a moment that the Czechs consume more beer per capita than any other nation–a whopping “320 pints annually for every man, woman and child.”

As you might imagine, a trip to the Czech Republic is something of a pilgramige for beer aficionados.

Rail’s journey takes him to Ceske Budejovice where the original (and far superior) Budweiser was first brewed. Although the Czechs are currently locked in a legal battle with their American imitator and can only release their product in the States under the Budvar name, the real stuff can be had for less than a dollar back in the homeland.

Rail also visits Plzen, the home of the Czech Republic’s most famous beer. Pilsner Urquell has been brewed since 1842 and is credited as being the world’s very first Pilsner. Its taste is impressive, award-wining, and expertly captured by the words of Rail who writes that its “unique bittersweet taste” is “a combination of the town’s soft water and regional ingredients like Moravian malt, Zatec hops and proprietary strain of yeast.”

If this is making your mouth water, check out the rest of the fine article as Rain discovers microbreweries, brewery hotels, and a variety of tasty beverages strewn across the Czech landscape.

Red Corner: Happy Birthday Fidel

by Neil Woodburn on

Today is Fidel Castro’s birthday.

Love him or hate him, the resilient bastard has thumbed his nose at nine American presidents during his tenure and continues to rule the island nation with an iron fist. Sure, brother Raúl might be stepping in to help out now that the octogenarian is wavering in health, but this is still Castro’s Cuba. His stamp of authoritarianism is all over the island, hermitically sealing it in a bygone era of socialist slogans and hammer and sickles.

The clock is ticking, however; Fidel doesn’t have too much more time left on this planet. Raúl may take over, but he will not be able to continue suppressing the people with the same overpowering strength as his older brother. Something will have to give. Civil war, peaceful revolution, abdication; in some manner or another, Cuba is going to implode, explode or roll over and expire. And then Cuba will no longer be Cuba–or, perhaps more accurately, it will no longer be Castro’s Cuba. This Caribbean time machine will quickly be overrun by developers, casinos, McDonalds, and every manner of western consumerism imaginable.

So, take advantage of Fidel’s waning longevity and pop on over to the island before el jefe goes belly-up and the whole place becomes a Starbucks-infused mini-mall.

Red Corner: Bangs does Bosnia

by Neil Woodburn on

Having just returned from my own Balkan Odyssey, I was very pleased to discover another traveler who has also recently spent time in the region and has put together a wonderful webpage over at Yahoo Adventures.

Richard Bangs (this has got to be a porn name–and, I’m sure I’m not the first to make this dumb joke) explores the wonders of Bosnia & Herzegovina and takes us along with him via well-written articles, great photographs, and even video. It makes my effort chronicling my own adventures through the region a comparatively sophomoric attempt.

One of the more fascinating locations I learned about from Mr. Bangs was Lukomir, the “remotest village in Europe.” The above photo of the village was downloaded from Bangs’ Flickr site and gives a feeling for the wonders which Bosnia has to offer the adventurous traveler.

Red Corner: Tirana Slandered

by Neil Woodburn on

Every once in awhile I run across a travel article that completely gets it wrong.

Having recently spent a very enjoyable time in Albania, I was very disappointed to read A.A. Gill’s unfair rip on the country that was recently published in The Times (UK). Sure, the country has some shortcomings and challenges to overcome, but instead of accepting this and embracing the differences found there, Gill attacked with far too much glee and, perhaps even, xenophobia–hardly the attributes one normally finds in a travel writer.

For example, what responsible journalist would ever pen, “The Albanians are short and ferret-faced, with the unisex stumpy, slightly bowed legs of shetland ponies (sic).” Even if such a description were true, and it’s not, why the need to piss on those far less fortunate? Indeed, Gill gets many of his facts wrong (There aren’t “millions” of bunkers) and speculates about others: “Albanians, I’m told, have taken over the crime in Milan.”

Personally I found Albania a great country and disagree with almost every one of Gill’s outlandish and inaccurate slams. By the way, I sure hope A.A. Gill is a pseudonym because the “quarter” of Albanians who work abroad performing “mostly illegal” services (in places like London), won’t take kindly to such a write-up.

(Thanks to the well-fed folks at Our Man In Tirana for pointing out this article)

Red Corner: Mongol Rally Continues

by Neil Woodburn on

We posted a few weeks ago about the Mongol Rally, a charity event in which 157 crappy cars set off from London to try and reach Mongolia. Currently two cars have made it across the finish line; they’ve apparently missed the point of the race, however, which is to enjoy the travel, get lost a bit, perhaps break down, and eventually arrive in Mongolia in one piece.

The remaining cars are scattered across the continent. The race’s webpage has a series of maps showing locations of the various teams and text messages they’ve sent en route. Most messages are short but revealing, such as this one from Mongol Mocha:

“Camping in random russian field. what i learnt today- how to make a bbq out of a shopping basket.”

Check it out. It’s a great charity event and one that really gets that travel bug chirping.