one month (awards)

bon jour,
one month in: hundreds of pictures taken, multiple pounds gained, our lives richer for the experience. are we closer to some elusive epiphany than we were 30 days ago? doubtful. our biggest feat? 0 starbucks in 30 days -- the caffeine withdrawal headaches are worth the satisfaction.

today, we remember the places and experiences that have made this journey: wacky, tasty, (occasionally) unnerving, and formative.

the honors:

biggest city (in the world?) without a starbucks: ghent, belgium
best free toilet: the louvre (paris, france)
best coffee: le cafe (ghent, belgium) *we actually just can't remember the name. Eva? Help us out!
best beers:
1) sint-bernardus abbey ale (belgium)
2) trappistes rochefort 8 (belgium)
3) meantime wheat ale (england)
best free tourist attraction:
1) eiffel tower sparkling light show (paris, france)
2) the saatchi gallery (london, england)
3) arthur's seat (edinburgh, scotland)
best cheap (under 5€ ) activity: the wimbledon dog races (london, england)
best expensive activity: the eiffel tower summit (paris, france)
best pub:
1) "the two pigs" (corsham, england)
2) "the turf tavern" (oxford, england)
3) "de trollekelder" (ghent, belgium)
best street food: the burrough market (london, england)
best sweet treat:
1) cream cake (bremen, germany)
2) eccles cake (england)
3) chocolate ecclair (paris, france)
best bakery purchase:
1) dark bread (oldenburg, germany)
2) pain au chocolate (paris, france)
3) brioche (paris, france)
best native dish: stoofvles (a meat stew made with a bottle of beer to which a piece of bread with a spread of mustard is added at the end of cooking to thicken, usually served with frittes. Genius)
best new, strange food: speculoos spread (intended to taste like ginger cookies dipped in coffee - the winner of a reality show featuring Flemish inventors.)
most scenic landscape:
1) castle combe vicinity (england)
2) stonehenge (england)
3) paris (from atop the eiffel tower)
best wireless internet: TGV from brussels to paris
best museum: the saatchi gallery (london, england)
longest wait for ladies toilet: the british museum - almost 20 minutes!
shortest wait for ladies toilet: bristol city football match
biggest waste of money: the 8 euro mango (to be fair, it was quite good, but still)
most loved hosts' pet: 3 way tie - Emile the hamster, Chippy and Buffy the pups
biggest celebrity sighting: Yannick Noah (a famous french tennis player, seen at the royal oak, Edinburgh)
strangest moment: watching Jon's 14 year old cousin Doug learning how to skin a rabbit from local butcher, Billy Baxter
best muesli: Jon's - from the corsham natural foods shop (though Bob's home-made in Oldenburg is a close second)
top 5 things we wouldn't have done without guidance from locals:
1) The Wimbledon Dog Races (london, england)
2) searching for the elusive artwork of banksy (everywhere, europe)
3) countryside walks (rural england)
4) private art collection (zelzate, belgium)
5) chinatown (paris, france)

special thanks to our kind hosts - past, present, and future. without you we'd be completely lost.

Yes, we are weary, but it's the good kind of weary. We're going to keep it up for at least another three weeks. We're looking forward with excitement. Stay tuned.

ok,
jared and steph.