One big list

[Magnifico]

This summer marked my first visit to anywheres outside of los Estados Unidos. Our school sends two groups of guys (and I say guys, of course, because it's an all boys school) to different locales. Ours went to France and Spain (because France and Ireland filled up so damn fast). I, including the places I went after I split off with the school group, went to Paris, Nantes, Châteaubriant, Bordeaux, Saumur (for a homestay at my french teacher's home, La Giraudière), San Sebastian, Pamplona, Madrid, Bilbao, Munich, Dresden, Prague, and Vienna. I think it goes without saying that a bunch of American highschool kids were in it to win it when it comes to drinking, but as a rule, we seemed to catch almost always the best pubs, cafes, bars, and restaurants wherever we went. There were a few particularly noteworthy ones, though;

Café Absinthe, Loiret
I'm hoping I'm getting this right, because the day-trips we took from my French teacher's were, there is no doubt in my mind, meant to get the desire to drink out of our systems. It's entirely possible this wasn't in Loiret, but it's in the right area of France. I don't recall this one, because the bartender was goddamn generous. Our bartender was putting two-three shots of tequila in each "margarita." Either he was bored and seeking entertainment from stupid foreigners, or they were doing damn well for themselves, because it was by no means watered down. The downside to this bar: we tried playing soccer a few hours after visiting.


Josselin, Paris, Montparnasse, 67, rue de Montparnasse
We had a crêpe dinner here one night. It was a bit pricey, but they have some amazing food. The Provençal crêpe was really, really, really good, if'n you're a carnivore.

Cafe Luis, San Sebastian (Donostia)
I really wish I could give an adress for this place, because it was so great. A bottle of rioja wine was in hte range of two euros, a beer was maybe 70 eurocent, and they had great, cheap tapas. I went there two or three times every day I was in San Sebastian except for the last day (they were closed), it was that good. Señor Luis is also responsible for the best damn cappuccino (sp?) in Donostia. I'd come by once in the morning for his cafe con leche as a pick-me-up, and I'd have another cup in the evening as a sober-me-up. It's very close to the Hotel San Sebastian, a stone's throw from the Ondarreta beach. If you're ever in San Sebastian and you've got time to seek it out, I swear it's worth your time.

The Marquis de Sade, Prague, Old City, 8 Templova
An expat bar that rocked my damn socks off. It's a poet's dive and a nouveau-bohemian's wet dream. The beer is cheap but good, the drinks are well-made and relatively inexpensive (unless you go for something like their Go To Hell). The two bartenders I dealt with were fluent in English, most likely because one was born in Pennsylvania and the other in Dublin. Hill's Absinth flows like water, and there's always a conversation to overhear, whether you're involved in it or not.