Yes! I have had too much wine to drink!
 

:D Actually, I have. But it brought to mind, drinking when on holiday. Most people seem to enjoy drinking wine and spirits more when on vacation. I find that when I do not have to clean up after dinner, I might have more wine, relax a little more, have an after dinner drink after my wine and go back to the hotel in a nice daze.
Do you enjoy drinking more on holiday?
What do you like to drink?
How do you like to drink?
I especially remember a chilly night in Mayfair, walking over to the Dukes Hotel and having a glass of Port in the hotel bar. I felt ever so sophisticated:)
Tell me about your drinking experiences~
Cheers~

I like drinking the wine of the region--for example, the apple wine in Frankfurt. If there are certain spirits of the region that are supposed to be exceptional (like grappa in Venice), I'll drink that instead. In my old age I can't mix wine with hard alcohol, unfortunately. :(

The only thing I don't enjoy is beer, which is why I'll go to a weinstube in Germany any day.

I like to sit at the bar if possible, so I can socialize with the people there. My favorite experience was at Sancerre in Paris on Avenue Rapp. I stopped in for some wine and a light meal one evening before leaving for Frankfurt, and had a fun time with the guys at the bar and the bar owners (who didn't speak English but made amusing gestures). I had to rush out to catch my train, which was a bummer since I was having so much fun....but upon paying my bill, I gave kisses to all the guys and ran out. :* I boarded my train very exhilarated, feeling somehow very French. :X

Hmm, come to think of it, I think I did something similar in Munich. I guess I'm too free with my love! :D And free-er after a few glasses, apparently.

LOL, Good story Melissa, Thanks~ :D

I seem to remember crazymina telling a story about the guys in the pub in Ireland that was similar and quite amusing~

Hi, Scarlett. I wish I had time to tell you all of my drinking stories while travelling, but it is now 9pm here in Austin and I plan on going to bed around midnight, so there isn't time for me to tell you all of them. Therefore, I'll give you an overview and share one of my favorite stories.

Yes, I tend to drink a lot more on vacation. When I am travelling, I have a very different attitude toward food, money, and alcohol. Before going on, let me state I would NEVER drink while driving, especially in Europe. Having said that, I will continue and tell you my favorite vacation drinking story.

I enjoy independant travel, but I decided to go to Russia with a group, as Russia doesn't have the tourist infrastructure that most of Europe has. We had been in Russia for about 6 days and we were to drive from St. Petersburg to Helsinki. We drove about an hour and a half from St. Petersburg when the bus broke down. The tour guide called for help and they said they would send a new bus and driver. As this was Russia, it took them 6 hours to do this. So there we were, stranded in the Russian wilderness for about 6 hours before being able to continue.

Here's where the fun began. About an hour after the bus broke down, a car pulled up in front of us and a strange-looking man got out. Our tour guide became very nervous because he thought we were about to be robbed. Instead the guy popped open the trunk of his car and put up an umbrella. He had several cases of vodka and champagne. He wanted $2.00/bottle for the champagne and $3.00/bottle for the vodka. We all got out and bought booze, and spent the next 5 hours doing vodka shots and sipping champagne. We got so blitzed that nobody cared that we were stranded. We kept having to go into the woods to pee, which isn't easy when you are female, and not much fun when mosquitos are swarming. But somehow we didn't feel the mosquito bites, well, until the next day anyway.

Our new bus and driver eventually came and we slept until we arrived at the Finnish border. Our Russian visas were expiring at midnight and we got to the border around 11:45 pm, so it was a close call getting out by midnight. We learned later that we would have been fined $100 each if we arrived after midnight for overstaying our visas. We first had to get out of the bus and go through Russian customs, and needless to say, we didn't look or feel too good at that point. We finally pulled into Helsinki around 3am. Nobody ever complained or blamed anyone for what happened, in fact, we all remembered it as the most fun day of the trip.

As for what I drink, I enjoy trying the local drink of choice. I drank vodka in Russia, ouzo (sp?) in Greece, and wine in most of Europe.

Scarlett, you always post the most entertaining threads!! I hope this one turns out to be the same.

Don't tell my doctor, but I drink more in Europe than at home in the US because Europe doesn't have the web of licensing laws that we have. I enjoy a glass of white wine with a pastry for lunch; that's hard to find in the US.

I also like to sample the local wines wherever we go, so we always have wine with dinner.

I also like to sample local brandies, or the equivalent. I found calvados in Normandy; it was wonderful, but is hard to find where I live.

Of course, it helps that I don't drive in Europe because of their excellent public transportation and very walkable cities.

LOL, PLMN, that is the BEST story that I have heard about a Tour Bus Breaking Down!! I cannot imagine the headaches the next morning though, champagne & vodka :O

My husband loves drinking wine with lunch, a glass in the late afternoon when taking a break/tea for me.
Wine during dinner and sometimes after..
We do not drive in Europe either, sometimes I think we are lucky to be able to walk~~~~

I'm glad you liked my story, Scarlett. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a drink now. :-)

My dear Scarlett, you are kind and funny, and you come up with the most unique ideas for threads. That's why you are by far one of my favorite posters on this board. Because I like you so much, I started not to say anything, but here goes. PLMN is another poster. PLMN seems like a nice person, but it's not me. But that's cool, just don't confuse me with M_K. :-)

....only kidding, M_K, I enjoy your posts too, they're just a little different from Scarlett's....or anyone elses, for that matter. ;-)

Drink too much when on a holiday? Well my last trip to Italy was from SFO to Amsterdam. Flight to Venice was delayed because Italian flight controllers were on strike. I had got acquainted with flight attendants on flight from SFO to Amsterdam because a woman on the flight had evidently had a bit too much to drink (hic) and consequently managed to spill her glass of red wine all over my dress. First time I had not worn black clothing (and last time). Had on a celery green outfit which, believe me, does not work well with red wine! Anyway, at Amserdam airport the flight attendants from my flight invited me to go to the bar with them which I did and had a fun time. Of course a bit jet lagged coming from SFO. And hours and hours later finally got the flight to Venice (as travellers to Italy know their strikes are usually for a duration of eight hours). Was met at the Venice airport by friends and went to the small town in Veneto where they lived. Quick shower, change of clothes etc. and to their house for dinner. Except of course before dinner bottles of their wonderful wine, and wine during dinner and wine after dinner. Yes, I think I remember going to bed. I am sure I do - or do I? I next morning met another friend for espresso for an hour. And at 11:OO AM met another friend. Oh no, we went to a darling cafe and she ordered us wine. At 1:00pm went back to the original friend's house for lunch. Of course first there was wine. And wine with lunch. And wine after lunch. I do sort of remember taking a two hour nap before a shower, change of clothes, meeting another couple for dinner which consisted of wine before dinner, wine with dinner, wine after dinner. Would anyone believe the next morning I cancelled all plans and stayed in bed???
When I did come to, got ready for the day, went to first friends house for a beautiful lunch first there was wine, than wine with lunch and than meeting another friend at 4:00pm for a glass of wine at a cafe and than going with another couple to their cousins house in the country for dinner which of course meant wine before dinner, wine with dinner, wine or lemoncello after dinner and than arrangements we set up to get together the next morning for espresso, a cafe for wine at noon before lunch with the original family which of course meant - well you get the idea. And somehow I survived!!!! Just glad I didn't have a medical problem where my liver had to be checked. But the strange thing was (as I have always found it Italy) the wine is not as strong as in the US. And guess all the good food helps. Sooooo, I did feel for three weeks a bit hazy (hic) but not really and had wonderful trips to Firenze, a small family home in a small village in countryside in Tuscany etc. etc. If this drinking had been done at home I think I would have been passed out. Is it the lighter wine, the lack of stress or what? Anyway Scarlett, for sure have drank a lot more on a holiday. Just thinking about all this makes me want to go pour another glass of wine.. Mama mia!

P_M how stupid of me! :O
I like your postings too!
I apologize for the mistake, could it have been because of drinking too much wine last night ? :)
PLMN, I like your postings too, I feel like I should be packing for Italy now :D

I had way to much Smithwicks in Kilkenny one night with dinner. I was with my very well behaved husband and two daughters, then 9 and 11.
After we ate a wonderful meal, I was so "happy," I ordered a second dinner and the family watched in amazement (empty plates in front of them) as I chowed down for a second feast.

Quite all right, Scarlett, and you are NOT stupid. I'm glad to know I wasn't drinking alone last night. :-)

Oh you are all making me laugh soooo much!!

Melissa, now I know what you were up to when I was trying to fight my way to that crowded bar counter in London..... it seems you may have been sharing a few kisses around ...... mmmmm...... we'll have to keep a sharp eye on you if you ever make it to SA :-)

Yes, we have an apero,(or more) one or two bottles of wine and a digestif, always the local.
No one can top P_M's story.
So My little tale happened here. I was single, my boyfriend was a Harvard student and one week-end we went to chinatown to buy the ingredients to add to his absinthe. After his buddies and dates arrived we served dinner, wine and later opened the bottles of absinthe.I thought Great, it tastes just like the anisette my dad makes.
that's all I remembered. I woke up not knowing if I were Martha or Arthur to find everyone asleep on the floor where they were last sitting, but they were all asleep.
That's how I became a pastis addict!!!
About last night!!!
I had a few friends over to cheer my brother-in-law whose wife left him. I served several bottles of wine whose labels I covered, asking my friends to quess which one was the home-made one.
No one guessed. That's how BUDMANS wine is.
High winds heavy rain here and cold, amazing to think how hot it was dining outside last night!
Scarlett, so I don't forget:
TO WISH YOU BON VOYAGE TO PORTLAND ON MONDAY.

Scarlett,
I thik it is also a bit of the "when in Rome" thing. I've noticed that in European cities the office workers usually have wine w/ lunch. In the US, that is the exeption rather than the rule. For some reson we (Americans) are under the delusion that having a glass of wine with a full meal at lunch will somehow render us incapable of being competitive. Or perhaps our cuisine is better complimented by soda pop and iced tea.

Vevey, Switzerland 1999 for the Fete des Vignerons! This is a HUGE festival honoring the winemakers that happens only every 25 years and has been celebrated since the 1600's. We planned our trip especially to be able to be a part of it.

There is wine EVERYwhere in town. People set up little 'caveau' bars in their backyards, basements, apartment courtyards with tables, chairs, wine bars, maybe a little food, decorations, and open them to the public. This goes on morning until night. There is an absolutely amazing show that takes place in the town square where an arena is built especially for the production (something like 17,000 in the audience and 6,000 singers, actors, musicians, animals in the opera extravaganza - again same play done every 25 years). In addition there are various stages for live music all over town with rock bands, orchestras, etc. from all over Europe, playing at all hours of the day and night. I remember ~3am one morning, laying in bed drunk, and listening to a version of "Jumping Jack Flash" being done on the stage next door to where I was staying by a band who obviously did not speak English~ it was hysterical. Vendors set up in the streets serving sausages, sandwiches and wine, wine, wine. I do not believe I was sober for even one minute for at least a week!!!!!

p.s. We always drink a LOT of wine in Switzerland, but this went over the top even for my crowd!

Oh I forgot one funny part... when I started singing loudly from my bed along with the above mentioned band and their version of "Mustang Sally" my hosts kindly yelled from their room next door to "shut the f- up" :-)

hahaha...Oh, Mischka, I was trying to make a good impression on you! Although I guess if we had ventured to that Wine Wharf that we passed on Park Street & Stoney, I may have started looking for more men to kiss.... hee hee! :D

Well Melissa, you did make a good impression on me, but now I see that you may make an even better impression on the guys. oooohhh I just had a good idea, I know a few wine estates with a few nice young single men .... now that would be useful if we could hook you up with a wealthy wine farmer, and with your lucky lips there should be no problem! hehe! I promise to visit OFTEN! :-)

OOPS! Sorry for hijacking your thread Scarlett.

<i>Gasp!</i>
I think a wine lovers' Fodor GTG in SA should be next on the agenda.
:B

Now you talking :~)

OH yes a wine lovers get together sounds like a fun time! I will put it on my agenda!! where is SA?
I like to try regional wines, apertifs, etc.. when traveling. I widh I had a funny story,..... I will think on it.
Anne

Hi Anne,
SA is Cape Town, South Africa and now you're number three on the list for the wine lovers GTG :-)

I see you moved from chocolate chips to vino last night, eh Scarlett?? What better way to ride out the tail storms of that beast, Ivan!!

Oui! I do like to drink more when overseas. After all, I'm on vacation. :) And kidless. And responsibilitiless!!

When in Paris I like to drink Sancerre wine (ros&eacute;s, reds, whites), Kir &amp; Kir Royale (naturellement!) and champagne! What I really love about drinking champagne in Paris is the little dish of nuts &amp; olives that goes along with it, it just seems so very, very French, definitely not done in Cincinnati, my dear. So when at home I create a little dish of nuts/olives to drink with my asti spumante or champagne to help bring me to a Parisian moment.

Another new favorite is cidre. Mmmmm.

Anyway, on my last trip to Paris based upon the recommendation of JOdy and the numerous mentions of Sancerre in the Bistros of Paris book, I decided to try as many varieties/versions of Sancerre I could find (because each trip seems always to be in a quest for something and invariably lends itself to a theme). So my first meal in Paris I dined at Le Vieux Bistro. Le Vieux Bistro does not DO glasses of wines. Nor do they do 1/4 carafes, nor 1/2 carafes, nor indeed whole carafes. One must order a bottle of wine. When one is dining alone, one feels the need to DRINK said bottle of wine all by ones little lonesome because one does not feel like lugging about a half-bottle of wine around Paris after lunch! SO, what I thought would be a (quick) one-hour lunch in Paris stretched to an enjoyable 3. I chit-chatted with the lady next to me, the family across the way and with the ma&icirc;tre d'. Anywho, it appears that wine has a higher alcohol content than what I'm used to in the US, hence that nice little buzz I had going while I walked from Notre Dame to the Place Vend&ocirc;me (steady, girl). Sweet!!

I think next year's theme will be the quest for St-Emilions and some of the vin jaunes I've been reading about and, of course, pastis!



When at home I love amaretto sours, ((D)) Asti Spumante, shots of Bacardi Black and Merlot.

I've tried to buy Sancerres here, but alas, they are too expensive. ((U))



Well, lovies, I am off to see Before Sunset (again!) in Dayton. According to imdb.com it is still playing in 45 cities across the U.S. The closest one to you, my dear Scarlett, is the Altamonte Cinema 8 in Altamonte Springs, FL! Go to imdb.com, type in the movie you wish to see, click on &quot;Showtimes&quot; (next to &quot;Photos&quot;) and up pops a map with little triangles indicating a city where your movie is playing!! Quite useful if you've missed a movie and are just curious as to where it's still playing.

tchao,
MaryC

What exactly are amaretto sours? I LOVE amaretto. mmmm.... think I'll have a little sip now :-)

i guess we're a little more alcoholic than the rest of the crowd...

upon landing in europe, i immediately go to the duty free shop and buy a litre of jameson irish whiskey to keep in the hotel room (it is oh so cheap over there).

our usual MO is breakfast (early), tour around, catching a street vendor snack until about 3pm and go have a couple of beers in whichever local cafe we intend to frequent (we have developed favorites in different cities over the years...we're known by name at the one in paris).

returning to the hotel, we have a couple of drinks while transfering photos to the laptop. normally we take about a 2 hour nap, shower and dress for dinner at around 8:30 pm.

dinner will consist of one aperitif, one bottle of wine with dinner and either a sautern or cognac after (depending on the type of meal and whether i'll be smoking a nice cuban cigar).

at about midnight, we'll return to said favorite cafe, have a night cap and sleep up for the next day's outing.

Mischka, it's like a whiskey sour but with Amaretto instead. Generally, it's Sweet sour mix and Amaretto. OR:

1 1/2 oz. Amaretto
1 1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. orange juice
Shake with 1 cup of cracked ice, pour into an old-fashioned glass or strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange slice and a cherry.

Mmmmmm!

Oh Good Lord, an Amaretto Sour!!
I cannot wait to try it. I don't like whiskey, so this might be just great for me :D Tanks, Mare~

Also- that part of Florida is near Winter Pk/Orlando, a wee bit too far to go to the movies :) Thanks for thinking of me though..when we are in Portland, I plan on a foreign movie orgy also :D

In Prague I had some Becherovka, can't remember if I enjoyed it.. ;-)


Muck

LOL, Mucky, how many drinks might we have tasted and enjoyed too much and have no memory of it :D

Mmmm ameretto Sours - they are a pretty popular drink in St. Louis, but haven't had one in ages! My mouth puckers up after 1/2 of a glass and then I switch to a glass of Pinot or Chradonay.

I did think of some funny stories, but they are from my years studying in Scotalnd, and they are a bit,hmmm riske
(ris-kay!)
Just returned from the big Hot air Balloon Race, and I am going to fix myself a big glass of local water!

Thanks for your kind words, cigelachanta, I liked your story too. And thanks to everyone else for all of these funny stories. I just love threads like this when we are all having a good laugh together, instead of throwing tomatoes at each other over silly issues. Now let's hear some more drinking tales. Anyone else?!?!

Years ago my husband and I and another couple went to Spain. The night of our arrival in Madrid we went out looking for something to eat, not being terribly aware of Spanish dining hours and, of course, being jet-lagged. We went from bar to bar over a period of several hours tippling little glasses of rioja and occasionally having some tapas. By the time it seemed people were going into restaurants to dine (10:30 or so, if I recall), we were too wasted to even consider food, so we kept up our bar-hopping, eventually ending up in the wee hours of the morning across the street from our hotel in a bar where the last thing I remember is the bartender offering us a free pitcher of rioja.
Next morning was a killer. I went into the bathroom to take a shower and encountered one of those rectangular hard plastic shower stalls. Try as I might I couldn't open the shower door (I was trying to push it in instead of pull it out, but the latter option apparently never crossed my mind in my stupor), so I just ripped it off its hinges and continued with my shower. My husband came in a few minutes later after hearing the crash, and was horrified. Me, I was completely unconcerned - amazing.
The four of us spent the better part of the morning retrieving a jacket, a ring, a hat, a guidebook, and various other items from several bars where astonishingly, people had kept them for us. If it hadn't been for one member of our crew who was diabetic and did not consume anywhere near as much as the rest of us did, we wouldn't even have known where to go to get our stuff back.
I framed some of the photos of us wandering around Madrid the next day in a stupor - GOD, did we look terrible!
Ah youth :)
As to the original question, I enjoy my wine equally on both sides of the occean, but I've sure cut back since Spain!

Thanks Beatchick, I'm going to have to try that.

I obviously don't drink enough on trips because I can't think of a single drinking story, will have to remedy that on the next one :-)

We do tend to drink more on vacation, mostly local wine.
In May we had a house in Le Bugue in the Dordogne for a week. There were 5 of us, my husband and I , our two adult daughters and a friend. The first night as we were reading our garbage instructions, including bottle recycling, one of our daughters suggested we save our wine bottles and put a rose in each at the end of the week and take a photo. The house had many beautiful rose bushes and we were frantically cutting and filling the house with flowers.
I look at that photo now and wonder how we managed to accumulate all those bottles, as we were also consuming at restaurants....it is a REALLY COOL picture though!
We are now in training for our October trip to Paris &amp; Burgundy.

Judy,
How lovely, roses in the wine bottles ~
I remember one year in the islands (St Martin) where we had these precious tiny birds having coffee with us every morning for our sugar..At night when we would sit outside on the terrace, I would have my drink and put a few sugar cubes on the wall, just so they could enjoy cocktail hour with us too :)


StCirq, that is always the problem with having a fun night drinking . . .The next day :(

Drinking is the opium of the masses.
May we read more stories, please?

Way back in October, 1958 I visited Paris for a few weeks to renew my courtship (lovely oldfashioned word) of a young woman I met when she attended a UN session with the British Foreign Service. She had been reassigned to the OEEC (forerunner to the EU) and lived in an apartment on the Rue de LOngchamp. In the same building were two mid-20 American woman who were spending a few months before returning to the US after teaching at an airforce base in Germany.

My friend was working most days as was one of the Americans and so we would all meet after work. Because the two Americans had worked for the Air Force they had visiting privileges to the Air Force bar and the cafeteria which I think was on the Champs-Elysees,

One evening three of us were in the bar drinking martinis and were talking with an Air Force colonel who suggested we go out together to eat. We squeezed into his Jaguar convertible and went hell-bent to Rogers Madhouse. I don't think Dodi's and Diane's driver could have kept up.

Roger's was a very casual place with long communal tables and I had my first froglegs there along with much wine. As the evening wore on the Colonel began to get obnoxious and very attentive to the ladies with suggestive remarks as to their careers while I got more drunk. Things got out of hand when he told the rest of the table I was a white slaver (his words) and threatened a duel in the park if he didn't get his way.

The girls had had enough by this time and said we should leave. The Colonel said I should pay the bill and we would all go elsewhere for dessert, coffee and brandy. We would, he said, square up the bill then.

As we left he stopped at one of the other tables to talk with some friends while the girls and I continued outside. When we did get outside, the girls got on either side of me and pulled me as fast as I could stumble to the Metro.

That was the last we saw of the Colonel.

I have a few memorable drinking tales, however my favorite one is as follows:
We were on a bus tour through Italy...When we got to Rome, we went to this large restaurant with many rooms in it..There was about 50 of us..We were all seated and ordered our wine...IN the next room, it was so noisy that I thought, god, are we ever boring..Nobody in our group was barely making a sound..My husband was taping the whole evening...
The bottles of wine kept a coming,(it was all the wine you could drink)..And then the entertainment came out and the singing started, and more wine and suddenly people were dancing and singing and you name it...
When we got home and watched the video, it was just hilarious to see a totally quite group one minute become totally wild after a few bottles of wine..It really was hilarious!!

Send us the tape!!!!! Very funny. I've seen that in other situations.