Diary: Weekend 19-21 September 08

Oktoberfest!

Fri 19 September

• A quiet one in preparation for a loud weekend...

Sat 20 September

• Got to Heathrow about 14:00, snuck in a quick pint before boarding the plane
• Arrived in Munchen about 18:00 (local), train to the hotel, checked-in and met the crew (10 of us) for dinner
• Grabbed the first stein at Augustiner Keller about 20:00, and followed it with an awesome roast pork, another stein, and another 2 pints downstairs in the (very cool) cellar. Unsurprisingly, the night decended towards farce quite quickly (see Facebook photos for proof) and stumbled out just after midnight. A quick Burger King run before bed (but made the mistake of not downing any water)

Sun 21 September

• Up at about 07:00 and felt like death-warmed-up
• Breakfast was an apple. That was enough...
• Dozily wandered down to the festival grounds, and grabbed a table about 09:30.
• Very quickly succumbed to peer pressure and grabbed the first stein of the day pretty much straight away, and the fun began
• Such a weird, surreal, random experience. Brass bands, strange singing, cheeky waiters and waitresses, odd people everywhere and, of course, a shed load of beer. Merry...
• After the 3rd stein, our table needed to be vacated, and I very strangely broke out in hives. Feeling worse-for-wear, we went back to the hotel room for a 2-hour nap, and returned to meet the crew about 19:00. What a mess!
• Goodness knows why, but we ended up at some Chinese restaurant for dinner...

Mon 22 September

• Got a decent lie-in, thank god
• Visited the "new" art gallery (the "old" one was closed on Mondays)
• Met the crew for lunch, again at an Augustiner hall (this one in the city). More beer, more roast pork. Sated...
• Boarded the plane in the afternoon, and walked in home about 21:00

Diary: Weekend 12-14 September 08

J wandered off to Phuket, leaving me by my lonesome for the weekend. So, apart for the standard cocaine and hookers, the only thing of note was Sat 13 September:

• Watched Bledisloe Cup decider at a classy joint with a bunch of kiwi mates. Cracker of a game, even if the end result was disappointing
• From there, went looking for somewhere showing Liv v Man U. Rafa's first win over the neighbours up the road, but didn't get to see enough of it due to time spent in transit
• A late lunch at Queen's Head Brook Green. Nice mackeral salad in the sun in the beer garden (possibly the last of the summer...)

Diary: August 15 - September 10

A f*cking awesome trip...

• V-Festival Stafford for 3 days
• Istanbul for 3 nights
• Skopje, Ohrid and Bitola, Macedonia for 4 nights
• Thessaloniki, Greece for 1 night
• Santorini, Greece for 4 nights
• Mykonos, Greece for 2 nights
• Belgrade, Serbia for 2 nights
• Sarajevo, Bosnia for 2 nights
• Mostar, Bosnia for 1 night
• Hvar, Croatia for 3 nights

See Facebook for pics. Unforgettable experiences.

Diary: Weekend 08-10 August 08

The last weekend before our big trip...

Fri 08 August

• Can't remember...

Sat 09 August

• Can't remember...

Sun 10 August

• A lazy Sunday, so much so that we couldn't even be bothered cooking dinner. We had the bright idea of finally going to one of the places on St John's Hill that we pass every morning on the bus. The best laid plans...
• Il Cantuccio di Pulcinella was closed for renovations
• The Cuban had closed down
• Out of the Blue looked a little imposing with a Jazz night going on
• We didn't feel like any of the Thai options, so caught the bus to Battersea Rise, Clapham Junction, and went to Say Pasta, a failsafe we'd been to before. Nothing spectacular.

All in all, a pretty quiet weekend, which suited us fine, given the month we had coming up!

Diary: Weekend 01-03 August 08

Fri 01 August

• Can't remember...

Sat 02 August

• L's brother and gf were in town, so we met them in Soho. A quick pint at a typical Soho pub, then a couple more at Waxy O'Connors (which is still a great place for a visit, even if it is tourist central)

Sun 03 August

• Can't remember...

Diary: Weekend 25-27 July 08

J's Birthday Weekend

Fri 25 July

• 2 months later, can't remember!

Sat 26 July

• A great night with a crew of about 10, celebrating J's birthday
• Firstly, tapas at Salvador & Amanda. Set menu, but still good. Plenty of chorizo, gambas, meatballs, wicked Sangria and, when we were all full, paella
• From there, moved to Lab, a cocktail bar we've enjoyed before. Tasty cocktails for everyone. If anything, most of them were a little too sugary and juicy (and not alcohol-y enough), but I moved onto the "man-tails" like Manhattans and Classic Martinis.
• Got kicked out at closing time (thankyou Westminster), and we went looking for a minicab. This turned into an extraordinary exchange where the driver completely flipped out when we tried to arrange a 7-seater for us all. Faced with the possibility of being driven home by this speed-freak, we opted for the night-bus - which was hilarious as always!
• Top night

Sun 27 July

• Late to rise, which timed perfectly for brunch at Konnigan's on Old York Rd, Wandsworth. First time we've eaten there, and was pleasantly surprised. Excellent poached eggs.