Met up with another old pal today, Christian Schneider or “Sneids” as his buddies call him. He went to school with my wife, and he used to be one of the big party animals in those days – so needless to say we got along very well back then! He’s a little calmer these days, as he’s married to one of Anna Maria’s BFF’s from high school and has two young children, but he’s still a lot of fun to hang out with.

We met up and went to Bamberg’s most famous brewery, Schlenkerla, home of the original rauchbier or “smoked beer”. This beer is an assault on the senses upon the first sip and tastes very much like smoky bacon. But as you get through the first one and in to the second one, it really grows on you! I make a point to have a couple every time I go back to Bamberg. You can get this beer in many places in the United States, but it will cost you at least $5 a bottle. Here it can be had for about 1 Euro, and it tastes so much better from the keg. We had a couple of beers and I decided to try one of the few things on the menu that I had never heard of, which was a giant onion stuffed with ground beef, and it was excellent!

After the brewery, we walked around town taking in the sites of the very picturesque downtown. There was talk of more beer, but I was totally full from the rauchbier and food, so I suggested we switch to some bourbon (anybody that parties with me knows that I made the big switch from beer to bourbon about 5 years ago, but in Germany exceptions must be made). So we picked up a bottle of Wild Turkey and went to his patio and just hung, listened to some music, and chilled out until it was time to part ways. Klaus was nice enough to drive me to town and pick me up, so I wouldn’t have to worry about driving or paying for a taxi. In Germany, they take drink and driving VERY seriously, much more so than in the U.S., so it is just not worth it here.

Talk to you guys soon, and thanks again for following my blog!