Anyone for Bruges? Belgium, That Is.

If you love beer, the best place in the world to try some new brews is Belgium. There are more than 125 breweries in a country smaller than the state of South Carolina with roughly 800 standard beers. If you include seasonal and one-offs, that number jumps to 8,700.

Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is similar to any other large European metropolitan city. While it definitely possesses some charm, a smaller town like Bruges is more our speed. Bruges is a perfect place to rent bikes and see a lot in a short amount of time. Bikes range from $10-20 per day and can be picked up all over town.




There is a bike and walking loop around the old part of town that takes you through parks, old moats and drawbridges that protected the city, windmills and plenty of pubs. The coast is also only about ten miles away along a canal which connects Bruges to Zeebrugge, a village on Belgium’s coast.

Our favorite pub in town is Brugs Beertje (www.brugsbeertje.be) which has more than 300 Belgian beers to choose from in a menu that resembles a karaoke book. One of Scott’s favorites is Delirium Nocturnum, which is characterized by a pink elephant on the label. (We assume this mascot was chosen due to the fact that this extremely strong drink nearly made Scott see elephants on our walk back to the hostel after a few of these.)

Happy Birthday, Red Wine!

Red Wine Helps You Sleep on Trains has celebrated its first birthday. Our first videos were uploaded in February 2009 and since that time we have received more than 20,000 views. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of Red Wine and we hope we have helped you with your future travels.

Please keep asking questions, sending comments and posting photos to Flickr. We hope that this year will be even more successful than the last.

Cheers!

Scott and Krystin Dean

Take in the Alps (and Much More) in Interlaken, Switzerland

When it comes to picturesque European villages, Interlaken, Switzerland, is one of our all-time favorites, which may be due to the fact that it provides breathtaking 360-degree views of the Alps.

There are many free hikes to take in order to view this stunning panorama of the Jungfrau region of mountains. We took a hike suggested by our hostel that took us to the top of Harder Kulm, which looks down upon Interlaken and out toward the mountains. (You can also ride a funicular to the top if you’re short on time or short of breathe for $14 to the top or $22 round trip.) The walk, which takes around three hours, is fairly steep the entire way so make sure to bring along a snack or meal and plenty of water for each person. Also, take plenty of breaks and enjoy the views on the way up; it is very easy to get caught up in the goal of getting to the top but it’s important to look around you on the way. Nestled at the top of Harder Kulm is a restaurant and gift shop to enjoy a coffee or beer before the hike back down. We took our lunch along to avoid paying for food and enjoyed a lovely picnic before taking loads of photos and making our way back down. (We think it worth mentioning that walking down a steep mountain can be hell on your shins and calves, so it is best to take your time.)

iPod® Tours

Let us begin by saying that we love technology. Scott loves using his MacBook whenever possible and Krystin tends to hyperventilate if she realizes her iPod isn’t charged when she wants to go to the gym. However, we are very, very anti-technology when it comes to taking iPods®, iPhones®, iTouches® or other expensive cellular or MP3 devices to Europe.

We have our reasons for this blatant prejudice:
1. They can get lost.
2. They can get broken.
3. They can get stolen.

If these three reasons weren’t enough to deter you, we have more:
4. You are constantly having to charge or change batteries in hostel rooms with few to no plugs available.
5. There are way better things to do in Europe than update your Facebook status or text someone. Also, both of these things require looking down at a screen when your eyes should be roaming around the city instead.
6. Listening to the sounds of the cities and their languages is much better than listening to Lady Gaga, no matter how awesome “Paparazzi” is.

We could go on and on. But we know that despite all of these valid reasons to leave the gadgets at home, many of you will simply refuse to be separated from your MP3 player. Since we cannot persuade you to leave them behind, we will at least tell you some ways to put them to good use while you are abroad.

The Web site, www.apple.com/ipod/tours, offers many free downloadable audio and video tours that go above and beyond the tiny sign on the wall next to the painting by providing in-depth history and fun facts about works of art, specific galleries, or entire rooms at the touch of a button. Information can be skipped, fast-forwarded, or rewound at your own pace.

If you don’t see the museum or attraction you’re visiting on the iPod Web site, it doesn’t mean they don’t offer one. Try checking the Web site of the attraction you’ll be visiting to see if they offer one for free or a small fee. Some attractions let you download the audio tour on site instead of doing it at home.

Another Web site to download free walks and tours is www.iaudioguide.com which has over 50 world cities and links to other sites that offer tours like the BBC. Two pay sites you may want to check out are www.tourcaster.com and www.walki-talki.com, which provide walking tours for spots all over the world. Some have previews so you know what you’re getting into before you buy. However, these sites can charge a pretty penny for short tours - $10 to $25 for an hour or two. We suggest reading up on the locales beforehand or asking locals about the places you visit to save some dough.

Another productive way to use your MP3 player while backpacking is to learn a language while traveling or before you leave. There are many programs on CDs that you can burn to your player and take with you to brush up on a language. Check your local or school library to see if they have some that you can take advantage of for free.

Finally, if you simply insist on using your iPod for musical purposes while roaming around Europe, we suggest researching some of the popular artists in major cities and downloading some of their songs beforehand. That way, even if you are shutting yourself off from the unique sounds of the city, you can still get a feel for the culture through the music.

Make Each Day Count

The first time I backpacked Europe my travel buddy and I saw everything at the speed of light and took little time to hang out in towns longer than a single night. We wanted to see as much as possible because we both had the mindset we would be back one day and know where we would want to visit again. I think our grand total of cities visited was 34 in 32 days. When it was all over, I felt like I needed a vacation after my vacation. But I wouldn’t have changed anything about that trip.

This method of seeing Europe is not for everyone, but for those of you who have a limited amount of time to spend overseas or happen to enjoy speaking a new language every other day, I highly recommend it. Some smaller towns will require only a single day to see the main sights before heading back to the station for an overnight train to the next destination. Most cities will need more time to truly savor each landmark, although you will be shocked by how familiar you can get with a city in just a few days.

Many people wonder how long they should stay in each city, and the truth is that there is no right answer because it depends on what each backpacker wants to see. I lived in England for two years and I still didn’t experience everything the cities I lived in had to offer. Every day will bring a new adventure regardless how long you stay in a place. A stay of more than a day will bring a couple things – familiarity with the area, more chances to meet locals and other travelers, and the opportunity to learn more about the language, food, and culture.

When deciding how long to stay in each city, think about the sights you want to see. For instance, if you want to visit the Louvre in Paris you will need to budget half a day if you want to take in even a quarter of the beauty that building houses. And that is only one of the sights Paris has to offer. Another aspect to consider is how large a city is. London not only has loads of places to visit but is spread out and requires public transportation, which means it will take more time to get from place to place.

It is also important to budget a few days for relaxation to make sure you aren’t spending every day running from tourist attraction to tourist attraction. We chose some of the most beautiful cities in Europe like Interlaken, Switzerland, and Cinque Terre, Italy, to hike and sunbath and not worry about what time it was. Once you have been going nonstop for a week, or two you will be so happy to recharge your batteries and slow things down for a bit.

Before you make the trip across the pond, sit down with all the people in your group and make a list of all the cities and villages everyone wants to see, including the sights that you deem crucial to visit. Find out what pace everyone feels comfortable with and how much relax time you want. It’s best to cover these items before you leave so that arguments don’t arise when one person wants to spend five days at each stop while everyone else is bored by day two.

Hostelling International (HI) Hostels

Hostelling International (HI) (http://www.hihostels.com) is the brand name of the non-profit International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) and more than 90 Youth Hostel Associations in 90 countries that operate 4,000 hostels around the globe. HI hostels can be easily recognized by a blue triangle sign.

Let’s get something straight first. Around 90 percent of all hostels in Europe do not require a membership card; however, HI hostels do. A membership card can be purchased from your nearest HI office in your home country, or from the first HI hostel you stay at for around $15.

We have only stayed in a couple HI hostels due to the membership card fee. If you do not purchase the card up front, it will cost around $3 or $4 extra per person for each night you stay. We make sure to only stay in HI hostels that have prices that are comparable to others in the city, even with this extra charge. For each night you pay the extra fee, you’ll be given a stamp on a card that holds six stamps. When the card is full, it is just like having purchased a card for $15, although purchasing the card for the initial fee up front saves around $3 to $5.

According to HI’s Web site, the main reason to become a member is to have access to safe, clean hostels. You may also receive discounted member prices in other hostels, discounts on activities, reduced admission to museums and cultural centers, savings in retail outlets, and reductions on some travel services. When we stayed in HI hostels, no one made us aware of these discounts so it behooves you to ask the reception staff what discounts you can get with the card.

HI hostels generally have the capacity to cater to large groups so they might be packed with people from school trips or tour groups when you’re there. Every HI is different so it is hard to categorize them – some have kitchens, some have lockouts, some have curfews, some offer free breakfast, some charge for bed linens.

It is important to be aware of HI hostels when you are booking rooms. The easiest thing to do may be to steer away from them in order to avoid paying extra for a membership card or an additional fee for each night’s stay. However, you may find that some smaller cities only have HI hostels, which means you will be paying the fee whether you want to or not.

No matter what kind of hostel you are staying at, here are some things to look for:
-Kitchen
-Free backpack storage
-No lockout (Some hostels lock their doors for a few hours during the day to clean and no entry is granted for a nap, meal, shower, or to grab something from your backpack during that time.)
-No curfew
-Free bed linen
-Co-ed or female-only rooms (depending on your group)
-Distance from train station

Hostel Tour in France

Enjoy this short video tour of a hostel in Tours, France. This is one of very few affordable places to stay in the city center of Tours, a pleasant city located in the heart of the Loire Valley. This town is a great home base for day trips to the surrounding vineyards and chateaus or to take nice walks and bike rides along the Loire River.

Read about the hostel and view more photos at http://www.hostelz.com/hostel/9959-HI---Tours-Hostel

Be aware that this hostel, like some others in Europe, do not offer online reservations, but must instead be contacted by phone or e-mail to make a booking.

Red Wine's Christmas Gift

We often get questions about when our book is going to be published, and we are happy to say that we are one step closer to that goal. The magic of the holiday season must have given us a little luck, because Santa brought Red Wine a book agent! We are currently signing a contract with Writers House Literary Agency in New York City. The search for an interested publisher will begin after the New Year. We will keep you posted on our progress and thank you so much for your support!

You can view information about our agency at http://writershouse.com/.