One Last Cup of Chowder, Please

Vancouver was left behind after one more yummy breakfast at Bâtard Boulangerie. The drive down to Seattle was uneventful. Before returning the car downtown, a quick stop was made in Fremont to see some of the statues the area is known for, such as the giant troll under the bridge and a statue of Stalin …

North Across the Border

A new week meant heading for a new country, but before leaving Portland a quick visit was made to the Upper Macleay area in Forest Park to see the Witch's Castle, a stone building built in the 1950s but abandoned only a decade later, leading to quite an interesting looking ruin deep in the forest. …

They Don’t Call Portland Beervana by Accident

Portland, the craft beer capital of the US and possibly the whole world. What a place for microbrew fans! The car was dumped at the Park Lane Suites and Inn as the travellers headed out on foot towards the trendy Pearl District and Deschutes brewery for the first taste of Portland beer flights served up …

Exploring Oregon

The only logical choice for breakfast in Twin Peaks country was cherry pie and coffee (not very damn fine though) at Twede's Café, which served as The Double R Diner in the series. Then it was time to head southwest on the road towards Oregon. The weather was rainy which just made the winding roads …

Seafood, Brews, and an Underground Adventure in the Emerald City

Jetlag with a ten hour time difference = waking up without an alarm at six am after only three hours of sleep. That just meant a whole long day of exploring Seattle, beginning with coffee and a hefty breakfast of biscuits, grits, eggs, and gravy at Biscuit Bitch. It happened to be Memorial Day and the …

Northwest Pacific, Here We Come!

Although The Epic Journey covered many parts of the US, a lot still remains to be seen. One such area is the Pacific Northwest, that upper left corner of the States known for coffee, grunge, and nowadays copious amounts of craft beer, but also renowned for its majestic mountains and beautiful coastal areas. Sounds like …

The Dalmatian Adventure Begins!

Summer was just ending in the homeland, but a little warmth and sunshine were still needed. What better reason to go and explore the Dalmatian coast and islands of Croatia? Business class tickets in hand, a flight to Split was boarded on a Tuesday evening, ready for a week in the sun. After dropping the …

A Belgian Weekend

What do tasty beers, steaks served with fries, and a giant iron atom have in common? Well they can all be found in the heart of Europe, Brussels, Belgium, which is where Hattivatti and friends headed in the beginning of June for a long weekend. A 2.5 h flight and about 35 minutes in a …

Saigon Shakes and Hanoi Rocks: Time to Tour Vietnam

Time for a proper winter vacation! To make life easy, Hattivatti and friends decided to try out a tour of Vietnam fully organized by a travel agency. Two weeks, 5 flights, six cities, and one overnight cruise is the plan. Let's see how this goes 😎 First stop: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) Good morning …

Ireland, the isle of giants, pies and a few dark pints

A long weekend in Dublin! What a nice way to cheer up a the autumn. An early evening flight brought Hattivatti and friends to the south side of central Dublin. After dropping the bags off at the O'Callaghan Mont Clare hotel, a proper pub dinner was in order. Some seafood chowder and a steak and …

Alooooooha!

The final stop of the Epic Journey was finally at hand, Honolulu. After a short flight from Kona and 20 minutes in a cab, the travellers was transported into the heart of Waikiki, a totally different type of island paradise, a much less quiet and calm version. The amount of people and traffic was a …

Can you say humuhumunukunukuāpua’a?

It took a full day of flying to get from San Francisco via Los Angeles to Honolulu, where the night was spent at an airport hotel with a small lounge bar and quite a nice pool. Dinner was Domino's Philly cheesesteak pizza, unbelievably cheesy and soooooo good! Then on to the Big Island, where the …

Last days on the continent

San Francisco was reached in the early evening. The surprisingly cool weather and strong winds led to jeans and jackets being pulled out of storage before heading out for a Friday night on the town: it was Midsummer's day after all. The first stop was a little brewpub, Woods Polk Station, which served nice little …

Mountains, ghosts and a few microbreweries

The first stop in Colorado was Colorado Springs, where our travelling bunch had a nice break from long days of driving. Three nights were spent in the welcoming home of a local friend, who was also nice enough to act as a tour guide. After a long day of driving, it was great to just …

Rainy days in NOLA

Three nights and two full days filled with sudden torrential rains passed by incredibly fast in the heart of Southern partying, New Orleans. The first evening was spent at the Avenue Pub, where good local beers and interesting versions of chili cheese fries were heartily enjoyed. The first full day started off with some cajun …