Tag: women traveling

Eats around Berlin

by toastedbunz, posted in beer, Restaurant, restaurants, travel, Uncategorized

Berlin is an international city and as such, you can eat any type of food whenever you want.  When I first arrived I was very intimidated with eating anywhere cause I had trouble understanding the menu! Most restaurants I went to did have an English menu after I asked, which I hate to be the person that needs that but it was nice and made eating out a little less intimidating.

I also found Yelp to be popular and made finding places near me to eat or drink easier. I also love to use Instagram and that is how we found this next breakfast spot, Benedict.  Every corner of this restaurant and cafe is an Instagrammers paradise!  This breakfast/brunch will be pricier than other low key spots, but you are paying for the atmosphere and I didn’t mind paying extra for the full experience.

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This next spot is a gem and could easily be walked by sans the line of people out the door.  Hamy is an affordable, fresh and delicious spot. Also situated in a fun neighborhood to walk about this is a must do spot! IMG_5222IMG_5223

A great place to stop for bread, for a picnic?… or a pastry for breakfast is Soluna. Delicious!IMG_5230IMG_5231

Sahara – I think its a chain? But soo good – fun to take to go or eat there on the patio get a beer next door.IMG_5291IMG_5293IMG_5294

Austria Das Original – Delish schnitzel and I think pickled cucumbers and potato salad… SO good!IMG_5217IMG_5216IMG_5214IMG_5213

Reccomendations :

Benedict

Hamy

Soluna

Sahara

Austria Das Original 

 

Walking around Berlin

by toastedbunz, posted in exercise, travel, Uncategorized

I enjoy walking and it is especially nice to walk about when traveling. Walking is a great way to get to know a place and acquaint yourself with the area you are staying in.

The Turkish market was a great find! I literally stumbled across it when leaving my hostel Tuesday morning. With clothing, jewelry, sweets and other food items everyone can get something they want here!IMG_5181IMG_5186IMG_5188IMG_5189

The canals are beautiful! I highly reccomend eating/drinking nearby and strolling through them!IMG_5191IMG_5200IMG_5202IMG_5201IMG_5198IMG_5203IMG_5205IMG_5207IMG_5235

Victoria Park is a great place to people watch, relax, or picnic.IMG_5233IMG_5234IMG_5239IMG_5262IMG_5274IMG_5273IMG_5279IMG_5285IMG_5284IMG_5277IMG_5287IMG_5296IMG_5300IMG_5302IMG_5306IMG_5307IMG_5362IMG_5363IMG_5365

My Recommendations :

A flea market either Boxhagener Platz or Mauerpark 

Turkish market

Victoria Park

Fat tire bike tour – Riding a bike was SO much fun and I felt safer being in a group than I would have been renting a bike alone. The bike lanes can be a little confusing for someone who doesn’t know what they are doing!

Bowling is a great indoor activity if it happens to rain! This alley has 1 euro games on Sunday.

Prater Garten

Cafe am Neuren See

A few other resources I found helpful :

World of Wanderlust  – Berlin Bucket List

Brewdogs Berlin Recs

11 tips for rainy days

Berlin Weekend Itinerary 

Must see sights according to Hand Luggage Only

50 things to do in Berlin

Drinking my way around Berlin

by toastedbunz, posted in beer, coffee, Holiday, information, Restaurant, restaurants, travel, Uncategorized

In many ways, I left a little of my heart in Berlin. It is a big city, full of diverse neighborhoods and lots of history. Despite not really understanding the language I felt right at home.  I went in May and the weather was amazing. We had a few days of rain but it always cleared up in time for a walk around. One of my favorite things about Berlin is that everyone walks around with a beer in hand. Here in California, you really won’t see that often. It is definitely frowned upon to walk about with an open container. Not so in Berlin, everyone you pass walking down the street, whether it’s parents watching their kids at the park, coworkers/ friends walking to dinner they all have a beer in hand and I LOVE that vibe, so laid back, so me.

I was staying in the cutest neighborhood and the best hostel, Minimal Hostel.  I chose to stay in a hostel since I was traveling alone and wanted the opportunity to meet people and hang out with them. In the neighborhood of my hostel was a cute craft beer bar, Lager Lager. I hit this spot up a few times. Always bustling with many people and a great spot to pick up an interesting beer for later. IMG_5194IMG_5193IMG_5192

Another spot close to where I was staying, O.T. Bar Und Projekt Raum was another spot with good wine and beer! Very cool interior also.IMG_5321IMG_5320IMG_5319752CEE89-4C98-4AB4-B718-09E5F173C3C9

Another fun spot for cocktails is Geist Im Glas, this is a super cool place where you can tell the bartender what flavor alcohol combo you like and she will create a drink for you! They have a great outdoor area but after a certain time, they ask that you head inside as to not disturb the neighbors. IMG_5229IMG_5228IMG_5227IMG_5224

Another great place for green juices, coffee, tea and various food is the Marheineke Markthalle on Bergmannstraße. I like going to markets cause I can point to things I want if I am not sure how to say it in German.IMG_5204

I loved the Brlo Brwhouse – so much so that I went to it twice while I was in Berlin. It is in Victoria Park which was a really cool spot to people watch, bike, walk and relax!IMG_5241IMG_5240IMG_5242IMG_5243IMG_5244IMG_5246IMG_5257IMG_5258

In Summary, a few places I really enjoyed for a drink are :

Lager Lager

O.T. Bar Und Projekt Raum

Geist Im Glas

Brlo Brwhouse

I fell in love with Copenhagen in under 24 hours!

by toastedbunz, posted in beer, information, travel

Oh, Copenhagen, I had no idea how much I would love you. An eight-hour layover was not nearly enough time to see all the sights or drink all the beer, but you can rest assured I will be back to do more exploring.

To get from the airport to the central station is so easy… easy enough that even I could figure it out and have someone ask me for help!

My first stop was the Paiperon, a warehouse space filled with local street food vendors. To get there I took the train from the airport to central station and then walked to the Paiperon. The walk was beautiful. I was enamored more and more with each step.

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The coolest built-in trampolines! I jumped for a bit and it was so fun and exhilarating. copenhagenIMG_5149copenhagenIMG_5148copenhagenIMG_5140copenhagenIMG_5152copenhagenIMG_5154copenhagenIMG_5155

My next goal was to make it to Warpigs…so again I laced up my walking shoes and headed back past the Central Station. copenhagenIMG_5158copenhagenIMG_5161copenhagenIMG_5159

At points, I felt that I must be lost… but I eventually made it to beer heaven.

I tried the Ligonberry sour = A++

The Black IPA with Cherry = Also delicious

and finally the Imperial Coffee Stout = truly one of the best coffee stouts I have ever had!copenhagenIMG_5171copenhagenIMG_5168copenhagenIMG_5173

I didn’t try the BBQ cause I was too full but it looked amazing! Also seems that people come here for the BBQ alone regardless of the beer.copenhagenIMG_5174

If you have a long layover in Copenhagen, you should definitely make the effort to leave the airport! I found it to be super easy and well worth the time!

Other Resources:

http://www.thetravelmentor.com/2015/10/how-to-get-from-copenhagen-airport-to-city-center-of-copenhagen/

http://www.layoverguide.com/2014/02/copenhagen-layover.html

 

 

Hike, Blade and Beach

by toastedbunz, posted in beer, coffee, exercise, Hikes, hobby, Holiday, people, Restaurant, restaurants, travel, Uncategorized

Our next morning started out at a newer SLO fav, Scout Coffee. They now have two locations in San Luis and we went to the shop on  Foothill Foothill. The decor is on point and their homemade almond milk will make you sing.

I tried the scone with scallions and goat cheese which was delicious. The vibe was LOUD… I don’t know how someone could study there but maybe on a weekday it would be less rambunctious. scoutcoffeeimg_3454scoutcoffeeimg_3456

After our coffee and pastries, we headed to Avila to hike the Ridge Trail. This time we parked closer to Pirates Cove… off Cave Landing.

We started at the hill of doom, much better going up than down.hillofdeathavilaridgetrail

Once we caught our breaths… well once I caught my breath we selfied 🙂bestiesavilaridgetrail

SO amazingly beautiful and vast. Once we were leaving we noticed that it had gotten a lot more crowded. We were lucky that we had so much alone trail time.avilaridgetrailwildflowersofavilaridgetrailavilaridgetrailpeace

After our hike, we put on our blades and rolled down the Bob Jones Trail. bobjonesbladeseash

Once in Avila, we stopped for lunch and brews and then headed back on the trail to finish our 5 mile round trip blade sesh.midbladelunchatcustomhouseavila

Saturday Night, we had plans to camp at Montana de Oro State Park.   This is probably one of the most beautiful places you will ever go in your life. mdomdosunsetmdoimg_9237montanamdoimg_3499sunsetbestiesmdosunsetatmdoyummysunsetatmdo

Is this real life??? Views and Brews?!! On this somewhat stormy Saturday Night Libertine Pub in Morro Bay was pretty empty but a live band came on at eight that brought in more of a crowd. We enjoyed dinner and a few brewskies. libertinepub

What a fulfilling day!

(SLO)ME

by toastedbunz, posted in beer, coffee, exercise, Hikes, hobby, information, people, Restaurant, restaurants, travel, Uncategorized

Last weekend my friend and I took a trip from the Bay to the Central Coast. We lived together in SLO during college and were looking forward to a weekend of all our favorite SLO area things.

First stop Firestone, dinner and a flight were a must after nearly three hours in the car. Have really been loving the sours coming out of Firestone. firestoneflight

Next morning up and ready to go early, gotta get our Black Horse and SLO Donut Co. fix.  They even have gluten free donuts these days… so no excuses not to go!blackhorseandslodoco

Chels and I both had work to do in the morning but once the afternoon rolled around we were raring for a hike!  We found the Cuesta Ridge Botanical Hike and couldn’t believe we hadn’t done it before. Equal parts up and downhill but filled with epic views from start to finish!cuestabontanicalgardenimg_3387cuestabontanicalgardenimg_9152

Even waterfalls! cuestbotanicalgardentrail

A well deserved summit Brew! cuestabontanicalgardenimg_9155cuestabontanicalgardencuestridgetrail

Wooooweee does life getter better than these views! So amazing.cuestaridgetrail

What is my favorite thing to after a bunz busting hike? Drink a brew or two of course…

We headed to Bang the Drum Brewery. Great space, indoor and out. Really friendly staff and most importantly great beers!bangthedrumbbangthedrumbbrewingimg_3439

We went back to the hotel to freshen up before heading downtown for the night.

On our way DT we stopped at Central Coast Brewing for a couple baby beers.centralcoastbrewingimg_3444centralcoastbrewingimg_3443centralcoastbrewingimg_3445

Next stop, Barrelhouse Speakeasy. This is one of the coolest spaces I have ever been to. A fully functioning barbershop and then a full on taproom downstairs.

Super crowded on a Friday night but really fun.barrelhousespeakeasyimg_3446barrelhousespeakeasyimg_9202

Looking forward to sharing the rest of our weekend this week!

Top Favs in Kota Kinabalu

by toastedbunz, posted in beer, exercise, Hikes, Holiday, information, people, Restaurant, restaurants, SEASIA, talk, travel, Uncategorized

During our adventures last Spring in Indonesia we decided to spend about five days in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The truth is … you always need more time, but our few days there were filled with adventure. Making new friends, trying new foods and scuba diving for the first time to name a few!

We took boats to different islands and brought our own snorkel gear. Sapi was gorgeous and it was amazing to float in the water and see all the fishes swim by. islandlifeindo

KK has so many markets! Seeing Mango flavored cotton candy was a real dream!mangocottoncandymalasysia

We got bit by the Scuba Bug! Sooooo crazy/scary/coolscubadivinginmalaysia

Delicious meal – no silverware required! malaysiacurry

Frolicking in the Mangrove Forrest and sweating through our clothes.mangroveforestsabah

Sunset viewing with a beer in hand… no matter where you are it feels good to get these little moments.kotakinabalu-malaysia