Too Cold. I'll need cloudy, 14-18% ABV Belgian Farmhouse Ales to keep me fortified. Is anyone up for a side-trip to Bruges during the DO? It's a UNESCO World-Heritage Site, and one of the best examples of a preserved Medieval City in Europe.

Will need to use *A miles for this New Year's, otherwise I would use the far more convenient SkyTeam options to Europe. Thankfully, LH is showing 2x C award availability for the dates I need. However, I may just see whether LX has any F availability, as I haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Bruges is near the top of my list of places to visit while I am there. ^

EDIT: We need to get more names on the "definite" list for this trip! I'm counting on The Box members to come through! :)

I am an unabashed fan of Princess Cruises, and one of their cruisetour land/sea packages starts in BUD and ends in CPH.

This trip as linked is on my personal bucket list.

Re: BRU - while I would love to, I'll be in wedding savings mode by then. I get the feeling I won't have the chance to be self-indulgent pretty much ever again.

Definitely up for a Bruges side trip. I spent a night or two there back in '99 and it was a great little town to ramble around and drink heavily in. Some canals, a brouwerij and small side streets made for a very good time.

:mad::mad::mad:
No to Chile Wines
I have some good Malbecs in my wine refrig all from Argentina

You should add a link to the DO thread in your signature

I follow wine happenings slightly more than I follow beer, and without getting into geographical biases, I thought I had read that the Chileans were starting to get it right when it came to wine. They had a ton of issues in getting good grapes, but a few places finally did and the country's reputation for production was rising. True? No?

I am also not a huge fan of Chilean reds.

Recent wines that I have enjoyed include a 2005 Saison Des Vins Syrah L'hiver from Mendocino County, CA and a 2006 Bragato Tocai Friulano from Italy. The Tocai is easily one of the best whites I have ever tasted and at ~$18, it's a great deal.

In my experience/opinion, this holds true for the whites but not the reds. Of course, everyone will have a different opinion.

Had a fabulous Malbec last week ^. I don't remember the last time I bought Chilean. I was amazed how good the wine selection was on my short Dragonair flight tonight. Not that I'm comparing them or anything ;)

I have my Hong Kong frequent traveler card and if ever there is a time I am happy to have it, it is now - the lines are CRAZY and no waiting (okay, there was one person in front of me).

As hard as I've tried to like Dunkin Donuts coffee, I've just never seen what all the fuss was about. Every time I get it it's too hot to drink and once it cools down to a point where I can drink it without burning my mouth and esophagus, I've just not found it to be anything special. But they do certainly have a very loyal following from the fans of their coffee, especially on the East Coast.

Dunkin has a unique flavor, as do many of the convenience store coffees up this way: I'm a Wawa guy myself (either the Dark Roast or Kona labels) but on the few occassions I've partaken of Dunkin, I also found it to be way too hot to enjoy quickly. Wawa comes out of the pot just as hot, but it cools much quicker. The part I dislike about Dunkin is the lack of preparation control...I don't want someone else measuring out my half and half. At Wawa (or "The Wa's" as I've started calling it) it's total self-service. My morning coffee sets the tone for my day, and if it's screwed up I don't feel quite right.

Never mind that it's almost 1pm and I'm going to leave the house and more than likely go to Wawa for lunch and get coffee instead of soda. I'm down almost 20 pounds since starting at Borgata (2 months on Saturday) and at that rate, I'll take all the caffeine I can get to push the metabolism along.

I just had a Diet Dr. Pepper out of the vending machine down the hall. I have my caffeine fix now and my brain is functioning much better.

Almost lunch time! I may have to get a Whataburger fix today. I've been seeing adds for that patty melt on TV the last few nights and after ALCO's review, it's very tempting.

I wondered why I never received a Stimulus Check or a Refund this year. Just found out the IRS never received my tax return this year. :mad:

Wasn't your refund intended to pay for your L lens?