I hate bourbon. I don’t care if it is 51% corn, crafted with limestone water, and aged 20 years in virgin oak barrels in the unique Kentucky environment. It tastes thick and hot at first, and then it burns as you swallow. I don’t understand it, and I don’t like it.
Traveling the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, however, was pretty enjoyable. They don’t give you enough free samples of the nasty fire water to get drunk (when I imagine it doesn’t hurt as much to drink), but the bourbon distilleries we visited lived up to my romantic image of historic, classic Kentucky. We visited Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, and Maker’s Mark. There was a little something different about each distillery that I enjoyed most. At Buffalo Trace, where I learned copious amounts of information from Dr. Don in our hour-plus tour of the grounds, I loved visiting the aging warehouses. They were dark and cool, with endless rows of barrels. Dr. Don showed us the “experimental” barrels, which were small enough for me to carry right out of there were I going to the gym like I am supposed to. In a moment of foolish humor, when I was spacing out a bit on the tour, I pretended I was in The Happening and banged my head against a barrel. I was just pretending, but in typical Courtney fashion, I actually hit my head. I must have looked like a jerk to the rest of the tour. But it made Nate and Matt laugh. That didn’t really hurt so much; however, when I tasted the bourbon, I thought I was going to die from the pain.
At Woodford Reserve, all I could think about was how perfect the grounds were for a wedding. We missed the last tour, but the main building was impressive enough – it was my favorite part. A wide porch surrounded the building, perfect for a reception, complete with rocking chairs and cocktail tables. And I liked the Bourbon Balls (a chocolate covered bonbon with creamy bourbon flavored filling) here best, and the free sweet peach tea was a welcome chaser to the hell-booze. Here, they served the bourbon with ice, so I could almost sip it.
Our last stop was Maker’s Mark, which is located on a beautiful estate with a historic toll bridge over a small stream. The black buildings have distinctive red shutters, and our tour guide spun a lovely tale of the founder of Maker’s Mark and his wife. She handled the marketing; he handled the distilling. Sounds like things went her way! She picked the bottle and led her husband to the name (after the distinctive marks on the bottom of pottery) and the wax covering. In the distillery, we were able to try the sour mash. Really, we were allowed to stick our nasty dirty fingers in the giant, hundred year old wooden drums to taste the foaming brew. Gross. Here, we were also able to try the bourbon before it is put in the barrels – that was truly fire water. The best part about this tour was dipping our own Maker’s Mark bottles in their trademark red wax (thanks, Mrs. Founder). I intentionally tried to overdip my bottle (an overdipped bottle is considered special, and one is placed in each case of whiskey… but most are scooped up by distributers and never make it to the packie), but they outsmarted me. They only made the dip pool deep enough to cover the neck of the bottle. Still, my overdipping zealousness resulted in a “foot.” The ladies at the dipping station told me that this was a good thing because a stable foot would come in handy when I was tipsy. Lovely. I still kind of thought my bottle looked like a kindergartner dipped it. Before we left, Matt and I both signed up to have our names engraved on a barrel; eight years from now, we will be invited to come back down for our barrel opening.
So, I still hate bourbon, even though I now know why it is such a special form of whiskey (there ARE rules: certain about of corn, certain barrels, certain water, and aged in Kentucky). But, when my barrel comes due at Maker’s Mark, I will come back and happily dip my bourbon. Even though I will be forty, I will probably still dip like I am four. And I’ll probably sip that way too.
Originally posted at He Says, She Says (http://travel-mates.blogspot.com/). Check there for pictures of our Kentucky trip.
June 30, 2008
June 29, 2008
Baseball Novice Learns Batting Gloves Are Not Just Fashion
I like museums, but I wasn’t super-thrilled about going to the Louisville Slugger Museum with Matt and Nate. Of course, we showed up an hour before the museum even opened, which was lucky (eh-hem) because we could take undisturbed photographs of the 120 foot tall bat that decorates the entrance of the museum. We had just stopped at Waffle House for smothered and covered hash browns, but I already needed more coffee.
But, once we entered the museum, I caught a little of the bug. A wall in the lobby is covered in metal plates carved with the signatures of all the ball players who have signed contracts to carry Louisville Slugger bats. The museum has two of Babe Ruth’s bats on display, one of which (imagine this) was found in the back of someone’s closet. An interactive pitching exhibit shows what a 90 mph pitch looks like, but the thing is, you can’t see it. I admit it did make me gain a little more understanding for how difficult hitting a ball in the Major Leagues is.
I did head into the batting cages, but my pitches were only at 40 mph. Or was it 20 mph? All I know is that I whined the whole time because my hands hurt each time I hit the ball (yep, that’s right – EACH time I hit the ball). I only saw the gloves afterwards.
And yes, even though I thought I would have rather looked for knick-knacks with a latte in my hands, I ended up chock full of questions for my tour guide and very happily took my free mini-Louisville Slugger.
Originally posted at He Says, She Says at http://travel-mates.blogspot.com/. Check there for pictures of our Louisville trip.
June 25, 2008
China & Taiwan: My Top Ten or So, Part One
It has almost been a full year since Matt, Andrew, Kelly, and I left Minnesota for Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei last July. This week, we brought our friends Len and Brad to the airport to set off on their own adventure, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit jellish.
In honor of their departure and to ease my envy, I present my top ten or so experiences (in no particular order) from our trip to China and Taiwan... remember we were fortunate to visit Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and some of the surrounding areas near these cities, but there remains so much more to Taiwan and China that we were unable to explore.
1. The Rain
Every day that we spent in China and Taiwan, it rained. The heat and humidity was something I cannot explain to you. Stepping out of the plane presidential style (which you all know I LOVE to do), I couldn't bring myself to wave appropriately when I felt the thickness of the air on my skin and in my throat. The rain intervened every day. We had thunder and lightening over our heads in the glass-roofed pool at the Regent Shanghai, and we saw shopkeepers pack up Mao watches, Chinese zodiac mobiles, and tea sets in minutes as the sky opened over Wangfujing Snack Street in Beijing. If I were China, I would never try to cloud-bust to ensure dry days, not even for the Olympics.
2. New Foods
I love "Chinese" food in the United States, and I loved the food we had in China and Taiwan, for the most part. It was an adventure that I willingly undertook; food wimps should be cautioned. It's polite to try new things - plus it is part of the fun of traveling - and our hosts were clearly proud to share with us. I found some strange-to-me foods that I enjoyed, like lotus pods, gelatinous meatballs, pea flavored popsicles, stinky tofu, jelly fish, and tiny (thought they were noodles or sprouts at first...surprise!) river fish, native to Suzhou, I think. Of course I found plenty that I loved as well: moon cakes, steamed buns with sweetened condensed milk at Five Wheat, candied grapes, bubble milk tea, lychee tea, new mushrooms, green beer, wurst with garlic, shaved ice sundaes, Peking duck wraps, squirrel fish and other amazing whole fish dishes. There were some harder things to swallow, but Matt, Andrew, Kelly, and I tried everything we were offered. We had goose and duck feet (not so strange to my Hungarian grandmother), grilled cow stomach and intestines, duck knuckle bones, preserved black duck eggs, sea cucumber, and shark fin soup... and Andrew even sucked out the brains of a duck.
3. The Great Wall of China
Yes, we went to Badaling, where all the guides books say to avoid because it's so "touristy" and crowded. And we loved it. I loved the curving vistas of wall in the distance as well as the spectacular circus of the crowds. There is a moment of awe when you realize you are walking (sometimes climbing) The Great Wall of China. It's somewhat otherworldly, if it is possible to feel otherworldly. You know what I mean - one of those moments where you shake your head and ask yourself if you are really 
experiencing this!
And then I started to people watch. Soldiers requested photos with us, most likely because of our tall traveling companion Andrew. Shirtless teenage boys climbed the wall and posed for pictures that reminded me of a 90s boy band. Women in heels attempted to scale the steeper parts of the wall, and tee-shirt vendors followed tourists, looking for someone to haggle with. Photographers with authentic "Chinese" costumes lured sweating visitors in to take Disney-style
"historical" photos. Small children held bottles of Coca-Cola, and a "One World One Dream" billboard dominated the view in one direction. A luge ride sped down to the parking area, but I couldn't be swayed. I wanted to walk back and take in one more time the sights and sounds of this too-touristy, too-crowded, too-well-maintained Badaling that everyone told me to avoid.
4. Breakfasting with Peter in Taoyuan City, Taiwan
Breakfasting at a local little hole in the wall restaurant, sure, but who would have ever
thought that making this list would be breakfast at a 7-11 in Taoyuan?
Facing his impending high school graduation, Peter was clearly reminiscing about the good old days (much like I do each time I visit Cambridge, Amenia, Middletown, and Attleboro) and Matt and I were quite content to follow the breakfast tour! We started with a local place, where our host Peter tells us he used to stop for breakfast on his
way to elementary school. The restaurant is literally a stone's throw from his home and for just a couple dollars, we sampled all of his favorite dishes... egg pancakes, steamed buns, breakfast burgers, sweet sandwiches. A young girl flipped her gaze back and forth between us and the television; commuters on scooters outside parked quickly to grab a bite. It was clearly the neighborhood spot.
Around the corner from his house is one of the many 7-11s in town; to Peter, it is a beloved institution. When he wasn't breakfasting at our first stop, he breakfasted here. So we did, too. Here's the pre-elementary school menu he recreated for us: more steamed buns (white and brown), a hot dog, iced Starbucks lattes, sticky rice "sandwiches" filled with chicken, stuffed buns, sweet breads, and more of those warm breakfast burgerlike
sandwiches. I think Matt and Peter had icees with their breakfast. The best part about 7-11 was the souvenir potential... I found Chien-Ming Wang and Daisuke Matsuzaka cell phone charms for my two favorite baseball fans. Our breakfast was so cheap, but these official MLB charms were $10 each! You can eat breakfast for 10 days (less the iced latte) for the price of a MLB charm.
5. My Taiwanese Peach
This is simple. Eat the fruit in Taiwan. Have a peach. Wash it, relax, and enjoy it. Durian fruit, sure you can skip that, but eat the peach. Have dragon fruit and lychee while you are at it. I loved that peach.
In honor of their departure and to ease my envy, I present my top ten or so experiences (in no particular order) from our trip to China and Taiwan... remember we were fortunate to visit Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and some of the surrounding areas near these cities, but there remains so much more to Taiwan and China that we were unable to explore.
1. The Rain
Every day that we spent in China and Taiwan, it rained. The heat and humidity was something I cannot explain to you. Stepping out of the plane presidential style (which you all know I LOVE to do), I couldn't bring myself to wave appropriately when I felt the thickness of the air on my skin and in my throat. The rain intervened every day. We had thunder and lightening over our heads in the glass-roofed pool at the Regent Shanghai, and we saw shopkeepers pack up Mao watches, Chinese zodiac mobiles, and tea sets in minutes as the sky opened over Wangfujing Snack Street in Beijing. If I were China, I would never try to cloud-bust to ensure dry days, not even for the Olympics.2. New Foods
I love "Chinese" food in the United States, and I loved the food we had in China and Taiwan, for the most part. It was an adventure that I willingly undertook; food wimps should be cautioned. It's polite to try new things - plus it is part of the fun of traveling - and our hosts were clearly proud to share with us. I found some strange-to-me foods that I enjoyed, like lotus pods, gelatinous meatballs, pea flavored popsicles, stinky tofu, jelly fish, and tiny (thought they were noodles or sprouts at first...surprise!) river fish, native to Suzhou, I think. Of course I found plenty that I loved as well: moon cakes, steamed buns with sweetened condensed milk at Five Wheat, candied grapes, bubble milk tea, lychee tea, new mushrooms, green beer, wurst with garlic, shaved ice sundaes, Peking duck wraps, squirrel fish and other amazing whole fish dishes. There were some harder things to swallow, but Matt, Andrew, Kelly, and I tried everything we were offered. We had goose and duck feet (not so strange to my Hungarian grandmother), grilled cow stomach and intestines, duck knuckle bones, preserved black duck eggs, sea cucumber, and shark fin soup... and Andrew even sucked out the brains of a duck.3. The Great Wall of China
Yes, we went to Badaling, where all the guides books say to avoid because it's so "touristy" and crowded. And we loved it. I loved the curving vistas of wall in the distance as well as the spectacular circus of the crowds. There is a moment of awe when you realize you are walking (sometimes climbing) The Great Wall of China. It's somewhat otherworldly, if it is possible to feel otherworldly. You know what I mean - one of those moments where you shake your head and ask yourself if you are really 
experiencing this!And then I started to people watch. Soldiers requested photos with us, most likely because of our tall traveling companion Andrew. Shirtless teenage boys climbed the wall and posed for pictures that reminded me of a 90s boy band. Women in heels attempted to scale the steeper parts of the wall, and tee-shirt vendors followed tourists, looking for someone to haggle with. Photographers with authentic "Chinese" costumes lured sweating visitors in to take Disney-style
"historical" photos. Small children held bottles of Coca-Cola, and a "One World One Dream" billboard dominated the view in one direction. A luge ride sped down to the parking area, but I couldn't be swayed. I wanted to walk back and take in one more time the sights and sounds of this too-touristy, too-crowded, too-well-maintained Badaling that everyone told me to avoid.4. Breakfasting with Peter in Taoyuan City, Taiwan
Breakfasting at a local little hole in the wall restaurant, sure, but who would have ever
thought that making this list would be breakfast at a 7-11 in Taoyuan?Facing his impending high school graduation, Peter was clearly reminiscing about the good old days (much like I do each time I visit Cambridge, Amenia, Middletown, and Attleboro) and Matt and I were quite content to follow the breakfast tour! We started with a local place, where our host Peter tells us he used to stop for breakfast on his
way to elementary school. The restaurant is literally a stone's throw from his home and for just a couple dollars, we sampled all of his favorite dishes... egg pancakes, steamed buns, breakfast burgers, sweet sandwiches. A young girl flipped her gaze back and forth between us and the television; commuters on scooters outside parked quickly to grab a bite. It was clearly the neighborhood spot.Around the corner from his house is one of the many 7-11s in town; to Peter, it is a beloved institution. When he wasn't breakfasting at our first stop, he breakfasted here. So we did, too. Here's the pre-elementary school menu he recreated for us: more steamed buns (white and brown), a hot dog, iced Starbucks lattes, sticky rice "sandwiches" filled with chicken, stuffed buns, sweet breads, and more of those warm breakfast burgerlike
sandwiches. I think Matt and Peter had icees with their breakfast. The best part about 7-11 was the souvenir potential... I found Chien-Ming Wang and Daisuke Matsuzaka cell phone charms for my two favorite baseball fans. Our breakfast was so cheap, but these official MLB charms were $10 each! You can eat breakfast for 10 days (less the iced latte) for the price of a MLB charm.5. My Taiwanese Peach
This is simple. Eat the fruit in Taiwan. Have a peach. Wash it, relax, and enjoy it. Durian fruit, sure you can skip that, but eat the peach. Have dragon fruit and lychee while you are at it. I loved that peach.
Memories of Road Trips Past: An Homage to the United States
~ falling in love with a guitar player outside Cafe du Monde and a tour guide named Thom at Fallingwater ~ the knife stabbed into the table in the grocery on Grande Isle ~ Alfredo, with his catfish on a leash on the Rio Grande ~ those biscuits in Texas ~ being surrounded by bison in South Dakota ~ frozen ice at Niagara Falls ~ a room with no clock, no windows, no lock in Pennsylvania ~ a collapsed bridge detour that led to Hog Trough Liquors, Arkansas ~ the Spiral Staircase Store, Maine ~ spending Spring Break indoors ~ the red road ~ abandoned hot springs ~ lonely national parks with Senior Ranger Programs ~ sneaking pictures of signs, with eyes peering out from behind the curtain ~ local fabric stores ~ burros in the car window ~ watching Babel in bed instead of gambling ~ bathtubs and boats after a hurricane ~ the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, closed 20 miles in ~ sunsets in the badlands ~ hiking to an oasis in Joshua Tree ~ ice cream-offs ~ peanut butter chocolate shakes at Sonic ~ stepping on seal bones in Newfoundland ~ perfect stones ~ driving across northern Maine with no gas ~ searching for moose ~ Matt on a horse named Panther ~ rafting between the US and Mexico ~ coffee in Moab ~ walking a ridge in Utah ~ fearing mountains lions called javalinas ~ Hannah, the little girl who swept the camp and cared for her big sister ~ the French Creole family ~ getting spooked and ditching camp in Perdido Bay ~ masa ~ bookstores and bagels in Savannah ~ Miss South Carolina walking the wall in Charleston ~ Innervisions ~ trivial pursuit ~ inevitable snow on Colorado highways ~ that fried chicken sandwich in Memphis ~ never stopping at Graceland ~ Black Mesa Winery ~ hail in Canyonlands, Utah~ Cadillac Ranch and the giant cross ~ spying mountain goats ~ taking an egg up the Arch ~ HaHa Cemetary ~ risking the storms at Green Gardens, Gros Morne National Park ~ Petites ~ the floral b & b ~ abandoning the tiniest car ever ~ spotting the Stanley Cup in D.C. ~ mooning a nonexistent crater, reminiscent of the Alhambra ~ sidewinders by the car ~ traffic in Arkansas ~ ~ falling in love over a bottle of wine that you could keep in Maine ~
Road Trip - July 2008
This Saturday Matt and I depart on another one of our road trips! Our plan is to leave Faribault and head to Kentucky, with a stop perhaps in Chicago to see the Pipers. In Kentucky, we will meet up with our good friend Nate, a corn-holing, disc-throwing, beer-drinking Michigander. We've got our eyes on a few bourbon distilleries, a few wineries, a famous bat museum (but rumor has it the bat making will be closed down during our stay), maybe a mammoth cave or two, and a stop at the Louisville Bats, the AAA team for the Cincinnati Reds.
From Kentucky, Matt and I will leave Nate behind to his quiet midwestern summer plans of beer and brats and head on to Atlanta for a taste of Classic Coca Cola and other liquid confections.
From there, our plan is to drive on to the perfect July destination.... Florida... where we will explore the Everglades, visit family, drive the Keys, indulge in Miami (Little Havana, Art Deco, and people watching), and maybe stop at Disney World. From Miami, we leave for the Bahamas for a few days to snorkel and sunbath and collect Matt some new currency.
Then we'll keep driving north to see our families in my beloved northeast. I'm sure each of these stops will provide excellent fodder for blogging, just as our trips have in the past.
From Kentucky, Matt and I will leave Nate behind to his quiet midwestern summer plans of beer and brats and head on to Atlanta for a taste of Classic Coca Cola and other liquid confections.
From there, our plan is to drive on to the perfect July destination.... Florida... where we will explore the Everglades, visit family, drive the Keys, indulge in Miami (Little Havana, Art Deco, and people watching), and maybe stop at Disney World. From Miami, we leave for the Bahamas for a few days to snorkel and sunbath and collect Matt some new currency.
Then we'll keep driving north to see our families in my beloved northeast. I'm sure each of these stops will provide excellent fodder for blogging, just as our trips have in the past.
June 24, 2008
June 23, 2008
Husavik, Iceland
Somehow I knew I would love Husavik before I even got there but writing about it has been difficult. I partially blame this post for my stalled blog. I loved Husavik; it is like Moab and Terlingua - those perfect little towns where you could sit happily with a journal and a cup of coffee for days. You know what I mean -- you plan one or two days to visit these little places, and then you don't want to leave. So I can't figure out why I couldn't write about it back in April when I started this post. Everything I wrote seemed lifeless and didn't do justice to Husavik, but it is time to finish and move on.
This small, northern Iceland town sits on a harbor filled with small fishing boats, whale watching vessels, and dinghies. A lovely turn of the century wooden church with a distinctive blue and green roof sits up above the harbor. Whale watching is a major attraction in Husavik, and The Whale Centre is located in a former slaughterhouse adorned with a bright but simple whale mural; it’s a lovely museum but it is overshadowed by another museum in
town… Next to whale watching, Husavik is probably most famous to tourists as the new home of the Icelandic Phallogical Museum, a slightly disturbing collection of male genitalia. I think I’ll leave that there. No more needs to be said, but you can discover for yourself at www.phallus.is.
The truth is I think I love Husavik because I loved the cafe in town, the Skuld Cafe. I spent most of my time here, where a kind red-haired woman
poured delightfully strong coffee in white tea cups and entertained my questions about Icelandic culture and history. The café had plenty of outdoor seating and bleacher like seats built into the hillside that looked out over the harbor. Matt and I read and drank... here, coffee came served with chocolate and a free refill.I adore whales, and the cafe was perched perfectly over the whale watch boats. The whale watch
Matt and I joined WAS amazing, and with our fancy new camera in tow, we have proof. There was a chill in the air and more than a chill in the water that splashed over the sides, so we bundled up in insulated, waterproof jumpsuits and wool mittens & hats. I saw more humpbacks breach that evening that I have seen in my entire life, and you all know how about me and whale watches. Give me some Earl Grey tea or coffee and I am ready
to go whether is is 6 am or 9 pm (which you can do in the summer in Iceland!) I love them all: big boats in Boston or Hyannis, little boats in Nova Scotia, or sail boats in Iceland. The Husavik trip didn't disappoint, and I would have happily gone several more times.Iceland is chock full of idiosyncrasies & fairy tales. It's a hard place to write about, and it is difficult for me to find words that capture it at all. Go there, but skip, or at least don't stay too long in, Reykjavik. Drive the Ring Road instead and search out the coves & geysers, icebergs & elves, waterfalls & lava flows, and herding dogs & lounging sheep. Drink coffee and sit and be content.
June 21, 2008
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