Greeceward Bound

Well, I didn't know at all I would be going on a trip to Greece and Turkey 13 days ago, but here I am and I made it.

There is nothing to report that is significant, we flew a long time, had a long layover in Chicago and one in Munich and arrived in Athens at nearly 7pm (Athens is 8 hours later than Central Time in MN).

My first view of Greece from the window of the plane.

We drove to the hotel in our big touring bus. There are 28 women in this group and we could have probably all fit into something smaller, but it feels more touristy in the bus...which is just what we are after.

So far, I have seen the site where the 2004 Olympics were held...it is run down and many of the storefronts we passed on the way here were shuttered or plain empty...economic downturn?  We saw the Aegean, met our tour guide for the next three days and she told us lots of interesting facts.  I retained very few, but definitely heard that I should pick up some olive oil while I am here...twist my arm.  Although, not sure how I would get it home.

We stay at our hotel in Athens just one night and then we drive several hours to Thessaloniki tomorrow

, leaving in the morning.

There is the promise of delicious Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts for breakfast tomorrow.  I better head to bed, even if I am not tired, I don't want to sleep through that!

Dinner tonight at the hotel, I was so excited for Greek food, I had to try it all, although I had more plates than anyone, which was sort of embarrassing.  It was fine, good tabbouleh, but nothing to write about.

The Franklin Effect

We had no idea that our trip to Texas ended the minute we finished eating at Franklin BBQ.  We didn't realize that the energy had been sucked out of us.  All motivation was gone - smoked out of us like the connective tissue in a 22 hour smoked brisket.

It is hard to explain what happened to us after eating the best BBQ in the world - and perhaps the best meal I have ever partaken.  Janna and I were shot.  All our chips were in and we had even used up the house money.  Franklin BBQ was so good, that nothing seemed worth eating.  We had no desire to eat anything after that, much less some other variant of BBQ, which would surely be kindergarten compared to Harvard.

Kreuz and Smitty's were of no interest.  In fact, we couldn't eat at any more restaurants.  We instead walked to Whole Foods on Friday after stopping by Book People (bookstore).  We got salads and sandwiches. We went back to the hotel and sat by the pool.  It was cool, sunny and windy.  We tried our best to come out of our food coma from the day before, but nothing seemed worth it.  We were basically depressed.  It is like the feeling I have dreamt of when I envision the Vikings winning the Superbowl - that feeling of realization that there is no better feeling.  The day after winning the Superbowl you are not winning the Superbowl anymore - that was yesterday.  But not only that.  The journey is over.  Now what?  You can't win your first Superbowl a second time.  I have heard hunters say that the hunt is better than the kill.  Well, when you have hunted for good food for 20 years and then you, perhaps, stumble upon the best food in the world, is the hunt over?

No.  It's not.  I know that.  Deep down inside I know that there is better food out there.  But that doesn't mean I shall soon forget Franklin.  His BBQ imprint on my soul was branded with a hot iron.  We just need a couple of days to let that brand scar over.

The Franklin Effect changed our plans.  No more attempts at good food.  In fact, no more Texas.  We needed to get out of Texas ASAP.  And it wasn't just me and Janna.  The kids had been in there pajamas as much as possible since Franklin.  It seemed that our Texas journey had come to a ceremonial end - either that or the smoke put some kind of spell on us.

I called Delta and changed our flight.  We cut our trip short.  Lockhart would have to wait.  We hopped on the earliest flight out of Austin - Saturday at 6:30am.  We were on the ground in Minneapolis by 9:15am.

Spring Break was over.  We saw San Antonio, the Hill Country, and Austin.  We ate delicious meals, spent good time with family, and saw some of what Texas has to offer.

And we ate at the best BBQ in Austin - perhaps the best BBQ in Texas.  Maybe in the USA.  Perhaps in the world.

Oh. My. Heavens.

Best meat I have ever had.  Hands down.  No doubt.  Insane.

Sorry.  Getting ahead of myself a bit.

Woke up relatively early to work out, shower, and then walk to Franklin BBQ.  I was walking thru Austin by 8:35 and reached my destination at 8:55am.  Once there, I stood in line…for 3.5 hours.

Line stretched around the back of the building.  My rental chair is the pink one.

A little backstory is probably needed here.  Austin is known for its BBQ.  The process of smoking meats is something that people take very seriously.  It is an art and a science.  It is also a religion.  In 2008/9 a dude in a food truck started pumping out BBQ that quickly gained local star status.  People would wait in line for hours to get some of his meats.  Aaron Franklin's BBQ was special and he soon opened a brick and mortar restaurant.  The store is open from "11:00am till gone" and the line forms as early as 6:30am, according to local lore.

For a newcomer to impress Austinians is impressive.  But to impress the nation is insane.  Franklin's is the best.  After eating there, I truly believe that.  I just don't know how it could be done better.

Sorry, I will slow down.

Duder's clipboard.  B is for Brisket.

Finally the front door.

I got in line behind a couple that had driven straight thru the night from Isanti, MN.  I was in front of a guy from Melbourne, Australia.  This place is famous, and everyone knows the drill.  I stood for about a half hour before renting a chair for $5 (a local entrepreneur, not Aaron Franklin, rents out chairs to people standing in line).  At about 9:30, the employees start milling around outside, chatting with the people in line.  At about 10 a dude with a clip board canvassed the line to get an idea how much meat was going to be ordered.  They get a good idea and tell the end of the line the good or bad news regarding the brisket.  The brisket rarely makes it all the way to the end of the line.

I was told by the dude with the clipboard that I would make it to the door by 12:00 or so.  He was right.    That is when Janna and the girls met me after they had done a tour of the Capitol.  From the door it was a half hour before we hit the counter where you can order.

Inside.  Only 25 minutes to go!

Let me just say that the employees were over the top friendly.  It made the experience even more entertaining.

We over ordered as always.  Brisket, Pulled Pork, Ribs, Sausage, and Turkey (made into sandwiches - good choice).

Out.  Ra.  Geous.

The meat is so tender and so perfectly seasoned (only salt and pepper!) that I could not put sauce on it.  I hope you heard that correctly.  No sauce.  Sure, there is sauce on the table, but I could not do it.  And I LOVE sauce.  Love it.  But I couldn't do it.  The meat was falling apart and every bite was seasoned perfectly.  Every meat I tried sucked me in.  I could not stop eating the ribs (with no sauce!), but then I tried the brisket again.  My mouth is watering just rethinking it.  Then the pulled pork.  Oh, and that turkey sandwich - I only got one bite because my kids devoured it.


Confession: I ate with my hands.  A fork seemed out of place.

It would be very difficult for me to think of a better meal that I have had.  Certainly there has never been a meat that I have eaten that could compare to this.  The 3.5 hours I waited in line did not seem enough.  I would have waited 24 hours - easily.

I could go on and on.  Totally insane.

On campus at UT.  Quinn is smiling!

From there we went on a walking tour of the University of Texas campus.  Quinn was in heaven.  She so badly wants to go to college, and now she has a new favorite school.  Students were milling around between classes.  It was fun.

After that we hopped in the car and went to Allen Boots - a local, famous boot shop.  We bought some stuff and then decided to make Shelby's dreams come true by going to a mall and seeing the new Muppet movie.  I slept thru most of it.

Waiting for the bats.

We then raced to the Congress Ave Bridge so that we could see the bats.  They fly out at dusk by the hundreds of thousands.  Kinda cool (I was expecting more).  After some crepes from a food truck (love the food trucks!), we headed home.

A good day.

Crepes.

Enchanted Rock

Climbing Enchanted Rock.

We checked out of the Y.O. by 9am and headed toward Fredericksburg.  North of Fredericksburg is Enchanted Rock, which is a large granite mound of rock that is bursting out of the earth - very much like Stone Mountain in Georgia.  We were there by 10am and started hiking immediately.  We had been hoping to do more hiking in the hill country, but, quite frankly, there are not really many hiking trails.  It makes sense, tho.  This is Texas, the land of horses and oil.  Hiking would have a tough time surpassing cars and horses in this state.  That said, if this beautiful land was in Switzerland, there would be countless marked trails criss-crossing the region.

Bluebonnets everywhere.

But Enchanted Rock offered to scratch our itch.  We put in a total of 6.5 miles over 3+ hours, including a hike to the summit.  It was awesome and the girls were all in.  Quinn and Shelby led the way.  No one complained.  Everyone finished strong.  I was very proud of them.

The girls at the summit.

From there we made it back to Fredericksburg for a late lunch.  Hondo's on Main.  This place is great.  First of all, they have menus on a table outside with sign telling you to pick what you want before you come in and give your order at the bar.  At that point, they give you a buzzer and tell you to grab a table.  When your food is ready, the buzzer goes off and you go to "the window" and pick up your food.  Not a lot of hand holding here.  Just a lot of figure-it-out.  Hondo's looks like it rocks in the evenings.  It smells like a yeasty fraternity house and has a stage where I can only imagine live music plays often.  There was also a second stage outside.  

Death Burger.

Tortilla Soup.

The food was great.  Tortilla Soup, Ham and Cheese sandwiches, Spicy Chicken Sandwiches, Frito Pie, and my favorite, the Death Burger - a perfectly cooked half pound of ground beef, onions and peppers, topped with more peppers.  Delicious.

After some window shopping (Fredericksburg really deserved more of our time, it is a very cute town with lots of shops to hit on Main Street), we headed East to Austin.

It was almost 5 by the time we got to our hotel.  A DoubleTree that is super nice.  The creepy Y.O. is a distant memory now (oh, when I checked out, I asked the person at the Y.O. why it was so quiet there.  She just smiled and assured me it gets really busy on the weekends.  I asked when the busy season was - she said it's always the busy season, except for November and December.  ?  I dunno, I am extremely confused.  The Y.O. mystery will go unsolved for now).

We drove to dinner at 6:30.  Destination: Via 313, the hottest pizza joint in town.  We were surprised to find out that the Via 313 is actually a food truck.  It is in a part of town where other food trucks are "permanently" parked.  It is something out of a State Fair meets Iron Chef meets circus carney.  I guess this little corner of Austin teams with people during the lunch hour, when downtown workers descend on this area for a quick and decent meal.  The Via brags about it's "Detroit-style" pizzas (new to me), which are really akin to a Little Caesars or Rocky Rococos (Via is similar only in shape and style, not in taste or quality).  The pizzas are square panned, and have a thick, airy crust, a rich sweet sauce and quality toppings.  Enough people want these pizzas that we got ours 30 minutes after we ordered.  We ate them on a picnic table covered in bird poop right next to the truck.  Crazy, but fun.  Via 313 was well worth it.

BTW, if I lived in Austin, I would hit each and every food truck on this corner.  All looked awesome.  Something to come back to, I guess.

Are you kidding me?  Who wouldn't eat that!

From there we drove to the Central Market, which is similar to Whole Foods, but less presumptuous.  We picked up some stuff for breakfast (we have a full kitchen in our DoubleTree room, yeah!) and some coffee and desserts.

Central Market cheese isle.  Better than Byerly's,

Austin is so cool.  Obviously very different from San Antonio.  The Mexican/Spanish influence is gone.  In its place is an artistic feeling dominated by music.  The entire town feels like more like a Dinkytown and Uptown mix.  Hipsters, college kids, yuppies, foodies and live music on every block.  Quinn is in heaven.

Hill Country

We hit the road by 9am.  It was supposed to be cloudy today, with the sun coming out around noon.  Since Quinn is very concerned about getting her sun in, we agreed to do a morning tour in the hill country and get back in time to see the sun.

Bandera feels like Nisswa, MN.

Bandera, Texas is a mere 25 minutes from Kerrville.  It is a cowboy town.  Though we didn't see any horses on the road, rumor has it that you will.  Lots of pick up trucks and cowboy hats in this rugged little town.

We parked in front of our destination: a restaurant called the OST (Old Spanish Trail), which is pure Texas.  The waitstaff was sassy but polite and the patrons were all regulars.  Lots of cowboy hats or curled baseball caps.  We sat ourselves just outside the John Wayne Room.  The OST is a dirty spoon where eggs taste like eggs anywhere in America.  But they did have a couple of unique breakfast items.  I got the Bandera Omlette which has jalepenos, ground beef, and onion in it and is smothered in Chili.  Janna got the Migas (eggs, cheese, jalepenos, and crushed tortilla chips).  None of it was great, but then again, when I want a good breakfast, I stay in Minnesota and go the Original Pancake House.

Bandera Omlette

By then it was just past 10 and all the little shops had opened.  Great town to walk around in.  Lots of antique stores and general stores.  Our favorite was a leather shop owned by a former Marine - the Bucking Pony.  He welcomed us into his tiny workshop and showed us all the cool stuff he is working on.  100% custom leather work.

From Bandera we drove to Medina, which didn't offer much, so we went back to the hotel.  Quinn was getting antsy and the clouds were just starting to burn off.

Of course, there is no rush at the Y.O. Hotel to get your lounge chairs by the pool.  There is no scrambling and planning required to claim the best real estate.  For the second day in a row, not a single human being could be found anywhere near the pool.  1pm, 85 degrees, sunny and the pool area was empty.  We all hung around in the sun till 5pm before cleaning up for dinner.

1:00, 85F, mostly sunny, zero people.  Redrum?

Next stop: Fredericksburg, the grand daddy of hill country.  Only another 25 minutes away from Kerrville (in the opposite direction).  I must say, Janna did right by Kerrville.  Sure, it isn't the quaintest of the Hill Country towns, but it is in a great location - a great home base.

Jagerwurst

Our goal is simple, we want to eat in a good German restaurant.  Why German?  This part of Texas took in a lot of German immigrants and that has influenced much of their local culture, including the food.  So we hit Otto's, and boy was it good.  Jagerwurst and Schnitzel and Quail and a crispy flatbread.  This one is going to be tough to beat.  The kids loved it too.  It was a cross between food we ate in Switzerland with a Razz's in Phoenix.  For example, the schnitzel had a curry sauce and the Quail had a paprika sauce.

Curry Schnitzel

We stopped for a quick DQ before getting to bed.  This is our last night in the Y.O.  I will miss the creepy quietness.  I keep wondering if I am in some kind of reality TV show and no one is telling me.  Where are all the people?  How does the Y.O. stay in business?  What does the guy at the front desk do all day long?  Is this an episode of the Twilight Zone?

The Shining

A natural bridge from San Antonio to the Hill Country.

We checked out of our hotel in San Antonio by 10am and headed Northeast to the Natural Bridge Cave.  Juju's flight wasn't until 5:30, so we figured we had enough time to do something touristy.  After a Starbuck's breakfast on the road, we made it to the cave around 11am.  The girls got on their hiking boots or running shoes and we bought tickets to the cave walk.

Quinn smiling.

I am not going to go on and on about a cave.  I am not saying it wasn't cool - it really was.  But it is just one of those things that you can't really describe.  Maybe if I was Faulkner or Twain I could pen something in 30 pages or so.  But I ain't.  I am Jeff.  So you will just have to go to a cave yourself and see something that you don't see everyday.  All the stalagmites and stalag-whatevers.  It is so bizarre and awesome and majestic and forbidden - all wrapped into one.

We took a total of about 200 pictures between us.  It is a different world down there.

G, A, and S are up there at the top left.

The cave had a good supporting business around it.  The buildings around it all appeared to be new.  We didn't do the second cave tour - we didn't have time.  But we did do the Zip Line and the Obstacle Course - well, at least, three of the girls did (remember, Quinn is only interested in sun tanning).  Which reminds me of the trip we did when I was younger.  My mom and dad brought all five of us kids on a three week tour of Canada and California.  Jasper, Banff, Redwood Forest, etc.  It was incredible.  On that trip what I remember most about my oldest brother, William, was that he had his headphones on the entire time.  He didn't smile much and he wanted to be alone.  He was 15.  Hmmmmmm.).

Shelby

From there we drove to the airport and dropped off my mom.  Juju was fun to be with.  She is up for anything, is funny, and loves the girls.  I am a lucky son.

Off we drove North and West to the Hill Country.  Kerrville was our destination.  We made a quick stop at a grocery store for some snacks to substitute for a formal lunch.  The girls listened to music from one of their iPhones as we enjoyed the rolling hills of Texas.  We got into Kerrville at about 4pm.  The Y.O. Ranch is our home for the next two nights.  We got a great deal on a suite, which means we are all bunked in together.  This is the first time I have had all my kids in the same hotel room since they were very little.  The biggest issue?  One bathroom - five girls.

The hotel is dated and reminds me of the hotel in the Shining.  No, I have not seen any twin girls in blue dresses.  In fact, I haven't really seen anyone.  Not a single person was at the pool when we were there.  Every chair was available.  There is maybe one or two people behind the front desk in a lobby that is about the same size as the one Jack tended.  And you remember how the hotel in the Shining has a western decor?  Well, we are in Texas.

It is a cool looking place, but we are pretty much alone in this compound.

Rails.  The restaurant in an old train depot.

Panino

After some sunning by the pool (Quinn's addiction), we headed off to dinner.  Our destination tonight is an old train depot that has been turned into a foodie restaurant.  Think Pane Vino Dolce crossed with Bluebird.  Solid.  Great waitstaff and great food.  I got the Axis Burger (yes, another burger.  But I am a sucker for an out-of-place burger on a menu of mostly light Italian cuisine.  And this one is a venison burger from the Axis deer that is local to this area).  Janna got a pesto linguini with shrimp and the girls all got Paninos (which is either the plural or singular for Panini - not sure).  Dessert was very good too.  We all enjoyed cake.

As we left the restaurant, we saw something that I would have never thought you could even dream up.  A Drive Thru Liquor Store.  Yup.  Maybe they are common down here.  I have no idea.  But like they say about Texas: its like a whole 'nuther country.  Here is the photo.

Drive Thru Liquor.

Mission: Missions

We all hopped in the car around 10am this morning and headed south about 20 minutes.  Down on the San Antonio River was the Southernmost of the famous San Antonio missions, Espada.  We had already hit the Alamo and it was now time to see the rest of these historic and iconic landmarks.

Let me just say: well worth it!  What the Alamo lacks in reverence and awe, the other missions more than make up for.  They are all different.  All in different stages of (dis)repair.  All uniquely integrated into the present day San Antonio world.  For example, Espada has a tiny and active church and a working parish.  But the rest of it is just shells of ancient buildings.  San Juan has a white stuccoed church and a working parish.  San Juan has a few more intact walls and structures.  San Jose has high walls and an ornate church.  The entire walled permitter is intact, as is the ancient store house.  San Jose is simply amazing.  Because the exterior walls were actually little apartments for the Indians, there were little three feet tall cooking huts that looked like tiny igloos with smoke stacks every 40 yards or so.  You could just see this place as an active, bustling community 200 years ago.  Mission Conception was fully integrated into a San Antonio park.  Kind of like having an ancient building on one of the lawns at Lake Harriet, or, not unlike Fort Snelling.  It is hard to tell where the city, the houses, and the Mission boundaries are.  

And each church had a Sunday service underway when we visited.  And, much to our fortune, this Sunday happened to be Mariachi Sunday.  Some of the sermons were in Spanish and ALL of them had Mariachi bands playing in them.

The only Aqueduct in the entire USA helped supply water to the Missions of San Antonio.

San Antonio has such a strong Mexican presence.  It is very comforting and peaceful.  The Missions bring an element of history that is lacking in most of America.  And the Mexican, Indian, and Spanish influences bring a sense of culture.  San Antonio is unique this way.

Puerco at Rosario's.

Mission Conception is not far from Rosario's.  Finally we get to eat at this local gem and it did not disappoint.  Janna had fish and shrimp tacos.  I had the Carne de Puerco en Chile Cascabel - tasted similar to the Pork in Adobo that I loved at Cafe 28.  Janna also had the Sopa Lidas and we all shared, Albondigas, Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas and Flautas.

After that we went and sat by the pool for a while and chilled out.  My Mom had us in stitches telling us stories about family lore.  Quinn is totally consumed with not smiling and sun tanning.  She was able to do both to her hearts (dis)content.  Gillian was lost in a book.  And Shelby and Aubrey chummed it up in the pool.

Juju entertaining at the Tavern.

Dinner was at the Esquire Tavern on the River Walk.  We were looking for something other than Mexican and BBQ at this point.  The Tavern was perfect.  A small menu (which I appreciate), good food, and a quaint, dark atmosphere.  Everyone pretty much got either a burger or beef tenderloin.  All good.

A quick trip to one of the River Walk ice cream shoppes and we went to bed.  Another good day.

I must say, I will miss the River Walk.  When I come back to San Antonio, I will stay on the River Walk.  Maybe it is my childhood fascination with Pirates of the Caribbean.  I don't know.  But when I asked Aubrey what her favorite part of the trip was so far, she said: the River Walk.