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  • Destinations
    • Argentina
    • Belgium
    • Brazil
    • Chile
    • Copenhagen
    • Croatia
    • Czech Republic
    • England
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Mexico
    • Morocco
    • Netherlands
    • Oman
    • Portugal
    • Spain
    • Sweden
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  • Hotels
    THE PERFECT ADVENTURE HOTEL TO EXPLORE THE ATACAMA DESERT
    THE PERFECT ADVENTURE HOTEL TO EXPLORE THE ATACAMA DESERTContinue reading...
    THE WORLD’S BEST BEACH TOWN
    THE WORLD’S BEST BEACH TOWNContinue reading...
    THE PERFECT LONG WEEKEND IN CASCAIS, LISBON’S BEACHY SUBURB
    THE PERFECT LONG WEEKEND IN CASCAIS, LISBON’S BEACHY SUBURBContinue reading...
    THIS IS THE COOLEST HOTEL IN THE UNITED STATES.
    THIS IS THE COOLEST HOTEL IN THE UNITED STATES.Continue reading...
  • Restaurants
    THE WORLD’S BEST BEACH TOWN
    THE WORLD’S BEST BEACH TOWNContinue reading...
    THE PERFECT LONG WEEKEND IN CASCAIS, LISBON’S BEACHY SUBURB
    THE PERFECT LONG WEEKEND IN CASCAIS, LISBON’S BEACHY SUBURBContinue reading...
    HOW TO SPEND 36 HOURS IN MUNICH
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    YOU SHOULD EAT HERE IN PARIS
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In a Study of Contrasts, yesterday I posted about In a Study of Contrasts, yesterday I posted about a super sleek and spare modern church design. Well today I’m bookmarking the other end of the spectrum. 

Look how intense this crazy-Baroque church in Munich is. The Asamkirche. It was a private church built by two brothers, so they could build it any way they saw fit in the old 1700s. And boy did they. You can almost hear the two brothers saying “More! More! More!” I can’t imagine the dusting bill. 

It almost overwhelms the camera sensor on my phone there’s such a riot of colors and textures. It’s a tiny little jewel box, only 25’ wide, but like the other modern church, this one uses light with meaning, too. It’s super dark on the bottom, then gets lighter as you move to the heavens on the ceiling.

And then we get to my Goldilocks-choice — just right — more in the middle of extremes. The Theatinerkirche. I walked by this a dozen times thinking it was just another church, but then realized the white-on-white-on-white beauty that was inside. Amazing that this was built in the late 1600s.  It’s smack in the middle of Odeonplatz, so easy to get to.

This is the end of my papal architecture tour.
This was one of the coolest and most breathtaking This was one of the coolest and most breathtaking buildings I’ve ever seen. The original church was bombed in WWII. A replacement post-war church burned down in 1994. So they built this super modern new church and bell tower to celebrate the Millennium (remember Y2K? hahaha) 

It’s a giant glass cube that uses natural light in the day, glows at night. There are a thousand hidden symbolic details. It’s like they took every element of a church and stripped it down to its bare, modern essence: 

Inside the glass cube is another wooden cube within the cube, freestanding on its own, with a spartan entrance. There’s an outer walk that has the stations of the cross that you can follow around without disrupting the insides.

You don’t realize it, but the nave goes from dark in the back and gets lighter as you move toward the altar (cue angels singing); the wood louvers mask where the light is coming from, changing throughout the day. 

Behind the altar a special woven metal scrim causes a cross to appear when the light changes, like during morning mass (Wasn’t showing in the cloudy day when I was there, I tried to simulate with pics I’ve seen). 

In the back, a perched choir looms over the whole scene, with a tight grid of custom sleek organ pipes. Look at those pipes (!), is it supposed to mimic the face on the Shroud of Turin?  Even the organ itself was custom, stripped down to the barest details.

The greatest surprise?  The blue graphic film on the glass cube. At first I just thought it was just to block the sun. But look closely, each little 2” square is a different pattern of nails, each box unique. I read later it’s a special code (based on cuneiform script) of the passion story from the Bible, John 18-20, that repeats all around the exterior cube. I wouldn’t be surprised if they said they symbolically built the whole thing without a single metal nail.

AND THEN… big surprise…on major feast days special hydraulics completely open the front of the building, swinging the giant 50 foot, 50 ton doors wide open to the outside. 

Holy cow this was a mind-blowing experience. Like walking into St Peter’s, but different.
One day I just decided to zip around the super cle One day I just decided to zip around the super clean U-bahn in Munich to see some cool modern architecture that I’d been stalking online. 

From a really cool subway stop — why doesn’t every city design stations like this? — to a cool museum designed around Cy Twombly splats, swishes, swirls and scritches. To the Endless Staircase, which was kinda cool, but really was a bit of corporate art in a suburban office park in front of a KPMG headquarters. It was cool, but I can save you the trip. You couldn’t even climb it, don’t know if they have the same splat problem as The Vessel in NYC. 

Anyway, loved the whole day. And saving up the coolest spot for its own stand-alone post next.
Some Classic Standard Munich Shots (CSMS). Some Classic Standard Munich Shots (CSMS).
I’d read great things about Theresa Grill. I was I’d read great things about Theresa Grill. I was Schnitz’d-out and was longing for something different.

When I asked the super-cute front desk woman if she would recommend it, “Oh, yes yes. I love that place.” Done.

It’s crazy, looking at review pics online it looked like one place, then I’d see another and it looked completely different. Then another. It was like a shape-shifting beast. The place I walked into was different than the place I thought I was going in to, but I still loved it. I’m guessing that they are constantly changing the interior design, from dark browns to this super mod look now that looks like my mom’s scarves.

But the place was spectacular. The service outstanding and friendly. “Do you like tartare?” he asked. Bwahaha. “YES!” “Gut, ours is one of the best.” 

Soon, a different waiter brought a large tray of jars, each with a special topping. Capers. Egg yolk. Pepper. Chopped onions. Worcestershire and all the Love. “Would you like all of these?” “Definitely!” 

Standing in front of a large wooden bowl at a long island in the center of the room with his back to me, he mixed together All The Things, using his special alchemy and flourish. Delicate sprinkles, precise grinds and Just-Sos that only he was privy to. It was like watching an orchestra conductor, back to me, hands, arms and elbows all moving with precision

Funny, like a restaurant running a fajita sizzle plate through the dining room, all the new tables ordered the tartare.  Each time a different guest conductor would come out to quietly perform the same quiet ballet, back turned to the audience. This wasn’t the Schnitzel-Schnitzel place, this was Tartare Heaven. 

As the name implies, Theresa specializes in wood-grilled meats and seafood, not just the raw stuff. Already exceeding my annual beef intake in just a week, I still ordered a hanger steak, plump as a rabbit, drizzled with a demi-glace so thick you could shellac a table. OMG it was decadent. But one of the best parts was the silky pureed cauliflower with heaps of truffles, melt in the mouth good. 

Bookmark this one, too. Okay, bye.
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The next day, I made a dramatic improvement in the The next day, I made a dramatic improvement in the Schnitzel Situation™️. READ MORE

I found it in Munich’s oldest wine bar, operating for over a hundred years… in a three hundred year old townhouse. 😮  But the decor was clean and crisp,  like a nice Riesling, not a museum. And the oompah band replaced by a hip soundtrack that would make a ChipMix jealous (IYKYK). 

I didn’t come for the schnitzel, though. I came because the chef is known for doing updated versions of German classics, and figured they had the wine part down after a hundred years. 

I was going to get something else, a venison back in a cool sauce, but when I asked the adorable server what I should get instead, she said without pausing “zee schnitzel.” Huh. 

But when I saw the wise wine-drinking group of six at the other table all get the same thing — Schnitzel. Schnitzel. Schnitzel. Schnitzel. Schnitzel. Schnitzel — I decided to get the Schnitzel. 

They were all correct. And those ladies polished off their plate-size portions like me on a Friday night. 

Had an amazing Wachau Grüner Veltliner from Austria that made me weep. And a Bavarian salmon (!) app that was as lean as tuna sashimi, with a cranberry horseradish sauce that made my gums giggle. 

The drink cart. My god, it was a thing of beauty. If there is a heaven, this is what they serve happy hour from. 

Goddamn this place was perfect. Bookmark it for when you come here. Thank you.
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On Boxing Day, December 26th, in Germany almost ev On Boxing Day, December 26th, in Germany almost every single place is closed. Shops. Restaurants. Most museums. Even grocery stores. They call it Second Christmas, a second day to spend with family. So plan accordingly. 

Luckily a couple of museums were open and just a few famous breweries. Like this one. Full of oompahs and schnitzel and schnapps. And characters right out of Central Casting out celebrating the day. 

I’d planned to spend part of the day walking the closed city streets and parks but the rain had other plans. And so here I was. Wolfing down the schnitzel and inhaling the potato salad. It was rain antidote. 

But I did share a table with a giant dude who had two pints and six schnapps in 47 mins and was coughing and drooling so much I coulda sworn he got Covid for Christmas.  Every few minutes “Ein schnapps, bitte!” as he coughed a lung into his hand. I think it was medicinal. 

I was silent and 😳 and tended to use my napkin over my face an excessive amount until he got up and stumbled out, wheezing as he wove between the tables. 

I cleansed in the rain on the way back to the hotel. 😬
With only an hour’s sleep on the plane and a 42% With only an hour’s sleep on the plane and a 42% blood/caffeine ratio, I powered on thru a rainy afternoon at the fantastic Deutches Museum. Which is a technical, design, science and engineering museum. One of the world’s best. And all the things Germans are best at. 

It was the December 26th, Second Christmas here, so nearly the entire city was closed. Every shop, church, restaurant, grocery story, spa and hardware store. Everything but a handful of hotel restaurants. 

I’d made reservations beforehand because it was too crowded last time I was here. But found my inner 11 year old and spent hours amongst all the models of bridges, dams and planes. Pure heaven. 

Most of the museum was undergoing reconstruction so there was a lot I couldn’t see. Defiantly go here if you like 🤓🚜🚠✈️🚀⛴️🪝🏭💽⏱️🪤🔭🔬📐
This hotel is so perfect. [sound up] This hotel is so perfect.

[sound up]
Finally made back it to Munich! After flights we Finally made back it to Munich! 

After flights were snow-cancelled and rebooked out of a different city the next day, I was surprised to see DC a balmy 50 F and zero snow, while NY was getting pummeled. 

We had a 109mph tailwind so the 777 was going close to 700mph!  We were actually an hour and a half late but still arrived on time. 🤯  Made for a very short flight and only slept about an hour on the plane. So, SSS, a hit of coffee and off to the museum. 

All last week and up to Xmas eve I saw tons of posts of the  giant snowstorm and freezing temps here, it was a snow globe. So packed almost all bulky ski gear. Now it’s a balmy 50F and not a stitch of snow. I have nothing but hot stuff. 
 
My travel sense is all outta whack…
Ohboyohboyohboy. A day late but all systems GO. ( Ohboyohboyohboy.

A day late but all systems GO. (Finally)
Man oh man, I just love this place in Kansas City. Man oh man, I just love this place in Kansas City. Haven’t been able to get back in for months — always booked up for months — and finally bit the 4:30pm reservation. Totally packed, inside and out. So good.
If you’re traveling thru Denver airport, or tran If you’re traveling thru Denver airport, or transferring thru as I was, the new @mercantiledenver is something else.  How often do you find a James Beard award winning chef in an airport?  Worth going early or hanging for a long layover.  Way to go @bigaseidel and @alex_astranti 
Pro tip: get the Turkish Eggs. 👹 

Worth a stop on the train at Concourse A. To paraphrase Kramer in that Seinfeld episode on the subway “We’re at Concourse A?? This is the Turkish Eggs stop!”
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Between locations, we decided we needed to eat. We Between locations, we decided we needed to eat. We totally lucked out by finding @thefrenchpresslafayette in a very cool part of downtown Lafayette. 

I tell ya, this place made me giddy, it’s the coolest place I’ve been since spring. Such a fantastic experience and stunning design.  A husband and wife with legit Nola experience (Stella) decided to move back home and open this gorgeous place and cook for their people. 

They moved into an old print shop and kept all the lovely decay, adding one thousand special little touches. Old school cold-type memorabilia hung all over, little surprises every few feet. (As a former printing press salesman, that alone was a joy)

We were waiting for our table and saw what arrived at the table in front of us 😲… I poked Jeff in the ribs I said “holy shit, did you see that roux?” 

We sat at the sunny bar with the delightful Chloe and just couldn’t decide what to order, so we ordered all that we could. 

Beneath a back bar that looked like a welded I-beam altar, my head was swiveling left and right to notice all the intricate details and marvel at what a tight ship this was. Every time someone got up, the constantly-roving GM (their brother) was first to swarm in with two others and bus the table in seconds… so’s we can eat quickah. 

With sun streaming through the windows, out came thick chicken & waffles, shellacked with the thickest,
Steen’s Cajun pure cane syrup… so bubbly, dark and viscous it coulda been leftover tinted varnish from the printshop, but tasted like heaven. 

Holy sweet baby jesus everything was so amazing.  We were swapping plates like a shell game in The Quarter. 

Fluffy truffled scrambled eggs and clouds of crème frâiche. Piping hot cheesy grits on the side to keep ‘em company. And a Cajun Benedict in a big bowl, swimming in the deepest, darkest, brackish water-looking  roux of chicken and andouille gumbo. OMFG. I cried. 

It took me about halfway thru the meal when it dawned on me that the name The French Press wasn’t about coffee at all, but a twist on the old Cajun printshop. Brilliant. 

I’d fly back to Lafayette just to eat here in the morning sun. Looking at the calendar right now…
#chloe4president
So perfect. With Swamp Tours heading home in the b So perfect. With Swamp Tours heading home in the background.
They got the shot 🙌 They got the shot 🙌
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And two hours and six gators later… We had to wa And two hours and six gators later…
We had to wait for the sun to drop below the clouds and give us a light show right before dark, with one-eyed gators circling… waiting for one of us to drop something and fall in. 

Can confirm: DEET works for swarming ants up the pants leg. Never have seen such a thing. No matter where we walked, the second you put your foot down, a hundred ants were scrambling up your leg. (Luckily not 🔥ants 😬.)

You really get to know one another when you’re standing around for two hours, staring at the same patch of clouds and praying for the sun, while looking like a bunch of emus, lifting one leg at a time off the ground to prevent the swarm. 

I understand flamingos now🦩.
How it was when we got there… How it was when we got there…
We’ve been shooting an origin story video for a We’ve been shooting an origin story video for a client all across Louisiana this week. Hence, all the oystahs, gators and swamps.
Wait for it. Wait for it.
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Went to Church. Went to Church.
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