The Summer Cold

I suppose it’s almost inevitable when you think about it.  We’ve traveled several thousand miles via Planes, Trains and Automobiles over the past 7 days and have come into close contact with thousands of other individuals.  I woke up on Friday morning with a scratchy throat and a bit of congestion.  This later turned into a full-blown sore throat and as I’m writing this 24 hours later (it’s Saturday morning in Antwerp), I’ve moved into the full congestion mode and it’s not fun.  While a summer cold isn’t as bad as the winter flu, I think they are somewhat similar in how they impact you.  Most winter flu events don’t have me on vacation trying to visit family, friends and the sights of Antwerp.  But I’ll do my best and just suck it up and move forward.  What doesn’t kill you…..right?

Apollo 11

Unless you have your head under a rock, I’m sure you’ve been hearing about and seeing footage from the Apollo 11 mission which placed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon 50 years ago this week.  While I don’t have any memories of Apollo 11 (I would have been turning 3 in October), but I do remember watching other Apollo missions and of course grew up with the Shuttle program.  I remember getting up really early or staying up really late to watch the space shuttle blast off or land.  Sometime in the early 80’s my parents purchased a VCR and that made life a little easier once we figured out how to set the clock.  LOL

Euro/UK Pharmacy Concept

This is mainly directed to my US readers who may not be familiar with how pharmacies work in the UK and in most places in Europe.   The experience hasn’t been all good, but it also hasn’t been all bad either.  Earlier last week my wife needed some Pepto-Bismol, this is something which is on every US store shelf and available to purchase just as easily as Coca-Cola.  But in the UK, you must first speak to a pharmacist before they will sell it to you.

The flip-side, the UK/Euro Pharmacists have the ability to dispense medications which would normally require a Doctor’s prescription (after a dr. visit of course).  With my wife translating, she was able to explain to the pharmacist exactly what my symptoms were and we were sold a few  items which would help ease the symptoms.  I must say the medicines we were sold were much more powerful than what we might take for similar issues (Dayquil).  So either the meds really worked, or perhaps this a mild cold.  Time will tell!

Steak Medium Please

We had an interesting experience in the hotel restaurant.  I’d like to think it was a “lost in translation” moment, but I fear something much different.  I’ve been enjoying steak (ribeye is my favorite cut of meat) for as long as I can remember.  My father and my grandfather taught me everything I know and I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a steak snob.  I’ve also enjoyed many steaks all over the world and until recently I had never experienced cause to send one back to the kitchen.  Well…until this trip to Antwerp.

On Thursday evening, my wife and I decided to eat in the hotel restaurant. We placed our order and when the waiter asked my wife how I wanted my steak, she said “Medium”.  I’m pretty sure you can order a steak anywhere on this planet and request it to be cooked “medium” and it will be done so with almost precision.  The steak temperatures are pretty universal between Rare, Medium Rare, Medium, Medium Well and finally Well Done.  Anyway…

The steak arrived at the table and from the exterior all appeared as it should be.  I proceeded to grab my steak knife and fork and carve the first slice.  My mouth had already begun to water in anticipation….(insert the sound of screeching tires)…OMG…not only is this slice of beef still alive, it’s Mooing back at me.  We quickly called the waiter over and showed him.  He asked me, “How did you want your steak”?  I stated “Medium”, he then said which medium?  I promptly answered back saying, there was only one medium and this isn’t it.

After arguing back and forth (which I should add he should have never done), we managed to get a manager over to the table.  The manager picked up the steak to send it back.  A few minutes later, it arrived once again and I’m really not sure what they did to it…but it still wasn’t cooked to medium.

The manager returned and offered to cook me another steak.  I agreed, but only if we could agree on the temperature scale.  After all, I’ve already played my cards as a steak snob.  I’m honestly not sure what the manager said to the chef, but the new steak arrived cooked to perfection and was one of the best Belgian steaks I’ve had.

Back to England

Tomorrow we head back to England via the Eurostar.  It’s been a long few days for many reasons (some of which I haven’t discussed here).  Once back in England we’ll regroup and plan our next few days.  We leave next Saturday to fly back to Denver, so the next few days will appear to speed by. But I’m a firm believer having a few good pipes will help to sloooooowwww things down.  Wish me luck!

Until next time…

Happy Piping!

Jerry

July 20, 2019 by Pipe Smoking 0

Cutting Grass on Vacation?

On Thursday, 18 July…we entered our 6th day of vacation and the 2nd day in Belgium.  We’re in Belgium to visit my wife’s family (father, sister and nieces/nephew etc.).  My father-in-law is in his 80’s and can’t take care of his yard any longer.  So I did what any good son-in-law would do and cut his grass.

I’ve been cutting grass since I was in my pre-teen years.  This was one of my teenage jobs which I maintained about 3-4 yards and cleaned some swimming pools between my jr. high and high school age years.  There’s really no telling how many miles of grass I’ve cut.  However, while I’ve cut grass using push mowers, self-propelled mowers, small garden tractors and even larger tractors for mowing grass/hay etc.  But this was the first time in my almost 53 years that I ever cut grass with an electric lawn mower.

After the grass chores were completed, my wife and I enjoyed a short walk to a nearby cafe for a coffee.  I enjoyed a pipe of some Mac Baren Vanilla Creme Flake while enjoying the cool weather.  Things are due to heat up later this week.  For my readers who are not familiar.  Most homes in Europe (including UK) don’t have air conditioning.  In all honesty, it’s really not needed as the number of days where the temps break the upper 80’s and 90’s are rare.  But when they do, it can be miserable.

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My father-in-law smokes Schippers brand pipe tobacco.  I tried a bowl and enjoyed it.  I really don’t know much about it.  I got a chocolate/nutty taste with it, but it burned well.  As my father-in-law can’t get out, I went down to the local newsagent and purchased him a half dozen packs.  So between what he had on hand, what I purchased along with the two tins of Lane 1-Q, he’s set for a few weeks of pipe smoking enjoyment.

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For the next few days we’re visiting family and friends in Belgium.  We depart for England via the Eurostar on Sunday and will head back to Tunbridge Wells.  While this vacation has not been everything we planned, we’re making the best of it every where we can.

Until next time…

Happy Piping!!!

Jerry

July 19, 2019 by Pipe Smoking 0

Belgium Travel Day

With the wife about as cured as one can hope for, the day began at 0400 hours.  Actually, truth be told…the day actually began much, much earlier.  I fell asleep around 9 PM and woke just before midnight.  I’m honestly not sure I ever went back to sleep.  That’s jetlag for you. But I did enjoy my first cup of coffee (actually a double-shot of espresso) around 4:45 AM.  Coffee Count = 1.

Our taxi arrived promptly at 5:30 AM for the one hour drive from Tunbridge Wells to Ashford International.  After a brief wait in the passenger lobby (and enjoying a cup of coffee) we proceeded to the platform to wait the arrival of the Eurostar train.  Coffee Count – 2.

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Once onboard and pulling away from the station, we enjoyed a hot breakfast served in the First Class coach.  This included a full English breakfast and two cups of coffee.  Coffee count = 4

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Apparently the tunnel is 21 miles long and runs approx. 150 feet deep under the English Channel.  It seemed to take just 20 minutes or so to complete the underwater/underground portion of the trip and we soon pulled into the station in Lille, France.  Since I had not yet had the opportunity to ever visit France, I asked one of the crew members if I could very briefly step off the train and onto the platform.  She agreed and actually escorted me in doing so.  She didn’t want to take the risk of the train leaving me on the platform.  How very, very nice of her.

Once back on  board, we pulled away from the station and were soon served an official (so I’m told) French double espresso.  At this point I can pretty much see sound waves.  Coffee count = 5.

Brussels –> Antwerp

Our final destination after all this was Antwerp.  After arriving in Brussels, we changed platforms and manage to get to Antwerp, drop bags off at hotel and get to my father-in-laws house before high noon.  Oh…I had one more coffee this afternoon around 2 PM.  I believe this makes coffee count = 6.  But in all actuality, when you count the double shots, it really increases the count to 8.  But really..who the heck is really counting.

What about the pipe?

Oh yes….I almost forgot (not really, after all what is the main focus of this blog?) my father-in-law absolutely loved the Lane Limited 1-Q.  I brought him two tins and within 5 minutes of walking in the house, he wanted to crack the tin open and smoke a bowl.  Which we did just that.  We then enjoyed a second bowl each after lunch.

Tomorrow we have some family business to sort out and as a result, there may not be much fun information to share with you all.  However, I do have a article I wrote earlier in the week that will publish tomorrow about the Tin Society.

Finally, I do want to thank those of you who have helped share my blog site on Twitter.  Things have begun to take off nicely and that’s certainly encouraging to keep writing.  So please keep it up.  If you enjoy my content, please share with your Twitter followers.  I really appreciate it.

As the clock is about to chime 8 PM here in Antwerp, Belgium…I think I’ll head down to the outdoor bar for a nightcap and the last pipe of the day.  Good night to one and all.

Until next time…

Happy Piping!

Jerry

July 19, 2019 by Pipe Smoking 0

The Tobacconist That Is No More

Our “home away from home” is a little town in western Kent, England about 30 miles southeast of London called Royal Tunbridge Wells.  We’ve been vacationing here for more than a dozen years and I believe this is our 6th visit.  We typically spend 7-10 days here and usually on the way back from visiting family in Belgium.  This year we planned to spend a few days here before and after the Belgium visit.  Of course, we had a last minute changeup due to my wife’s sudden illness, but as I recently blogged…this too shall pass.  And the good news is, she is recovering and we still plan to travel to Belgium tomorrow via the Eurostar.

When we began planning our trip, I began researching any tobacconists in the area and was pleasantly surprised to learn there was a small tobacconist located in the Pantiles area of Tunbridge Wells.   For full transparency, the last time we visited this area I wasn’t smoking and didn’t realize they were in business.  In any event, I imagined walking into this shop, walking to the back counter and having a wonderful conversation with perhaps an older English gentlemen about his best selling aromatic blends.  While I have plenty of tobacco with me, I still planned to pickup a few ounces.

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Fast forward to the present day/time, my wife felt strong enough to walk down to the Pantiles for breakfast.  I enjoyed a Full English breakfast (because that’s what one does when visiting England) and on the way back to the cottage my wife needed a brief break on a nearby park bench.  Just opposite was the Pantiles News shop.  As it was open, she suggested I stop in and see what all was on offer.

Now let me backup just a bit.  Before leaving the US, I had researched this shop and this was the wording they used on their website:

“Additionally we are one of the last surviving tobacconists in the area, stocking a wide range of pipe and rolling tobacco, pipes and accessories.”

As one might can imagine, after reading that above statement, I imagined that older English gentlemen standing behind the counter which I discussed above.  Instead I found an older Chinese lady and when I asked about pipe tobacco, she offered me rolling papers.  Once again I asked about pipe tobacco and then she offered me a cigarette. I realized something was clearly wrong and promptly exited the store.

I proceeded to the park bench where my wife was resting and she said “That was quick!”, clearly she knew something wasn’t right as I would have needed more than 60 seconds in the store.  I explained what happened, we double-checked the address and to my disappointment the address was correct.  I went into the shop next door to inquire, and was told that the business had recently changed owners and they were no longer carrying any pipe tobacco.

Sad, Sad, Sad

I realize pipe/cigar smoking is often lumped into the same category as cigarette smoking and therefore is all just bad, bad, bad.  I also realize it might be difficult for a small tobacconist to still make a go in todays business atmosphere.  But I believe Royal Tunbridge Wells is just the type of small English town that needs a tobacconist.  I think this is an important reminder that WE ALL need to do our part to support our local tobacconist and their B&M establishments.  We should also (when available) support the local tobacconist where we travel.

Eurostar to Belgium

Tomorrow morning we’ll depart England (finally) for Antwerp, Belgium.   I’m looking forward to the visit with my father-in-law and hopefully sharing a few pipes with him.  As a gift, I have a few tins of Lane Limited 1-Q for him.  Most likely this will be a bit on the mild side for his taste, but he had never heard of it and he wanted to try it.  We’ll see what the outcome is.

And Earlier Today…

While the wife had a snooze (nap), I walked up to The Pantiles for a coffee.  I needed a little afternoon pick-me-up and she needed the rest.  The cottage we rent is less than a 1/4 mile walk away so I grabbed my “ready to go” pipe roll, a wordsearch book and my pack and off I went.   By the way, the pipe roll is from the Northwest Gentlemen.  I’ve provided a link to his Etsy shop if you are interested in ordering your own.  The version I have is American Bison/Buffalo hide and I absolutely love it.  I’ve received several compliments on it from individuals on this trip.  Anyway…

I must admit, we smokers don’t get the second class citizen treatment in England and Europe like we do in the US (especially parts of Colorado).  The Ragged Trousers has ashtrays on most of the outdoor tables and kindly welcomes smokers of all varieties.   I spent a half-hour enjoying my coffee, pipe and wordsearch puzzle.  I even received a compliment on the room note from my tobacco.

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And with that, I’ll wrap things up.  I going to head out to the courtyard for a glass of wine and a bowl of Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake in just a moment.

Until next time…

Happy Piping!

Jerry

July 16, 2019 by Pipe Smoking 0

This too shall pass…

Change of plans.  Late Sunday evening my darling wife began feeling ill.  I’ll save you the gory bits, but she either developed food poisoning or contracted something like the Norovirus.   At this time we’re really unsure, but needless to say…we had to make some last minute changes to our trip schedule.  There’s just no way she can travel in this condition.  We’ve changed our Eurostar and Antwerp hotel reservations and will travel on Wednesday and back to England on Sunday.

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I think the worst is over and I’ve done all I can do to make her comfortable.  She’s sleeping and I’m enjoying the nice, sunny British weather with my Savinelli Roma, some Lane Limited 1-Q and some word search puzzles.  Yes, even at almost 53, I need the BIG print versions of these types of puzzles.

As I’m sure most will agree, the effects of smoking a pipe offers relaxation…and to me, I often combine this with either reading or these types of puzzles.  The fact I can do this in England is just even better.  My only regret is my wife is in the cottage sleeping.  But rest can only do her good.

I’m hopeful and prayerful that my wife recovers by Wednesday and hopefully sooner.  But it is, what it is and yes….This Too Shall Pass!

Until Next time…

Happy Piping!

Jerry

July 15, 2019 by Pipe Smoking 0

Sunday Roast, A Geocache and a Pipe

Day two of our 15 day British/European vacation starts off like any other day, especially on the second day after traveling over 4,000 miles by plane.  Yes, with a cup of coffee.  Technically, this was cup #2 as I had my first cup before ever leaving the cottage.  But this one came in handy for the short train ride between Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.

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Day two actually tried to begin at 4 AM.  Both my wife and I woke up, but managed to fall back to sleep and finally rise just before 9 AM.  I think we both needed this late sleep (about 10 hours according to my Fitbit tracker). Day three is scheduled to start at 3:30 AM as we need to be in Ashford to catch the Eurostar.  But I’ll save this for another report.

After arriving in Tonbridge, we had a short 2 mile hike along a public footpath which went through a few parks and a nice wooded area.  The wife had made our reservations (many weeks ago) for 12 noon which also happened to be the time they opened for business.  While clouds were in the sky, we opted for a table outside and that gave me time to pack and smoke a half-bowl of MacBaren Vanilla Cream Flake.

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The Sunday Roast was one of the best I’ve had (and I’ve enjoyed many over the years).  This was (I believe) my 12th trip to England since I made the first trip in 2001.  Doesn’t that just look delicious?

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After lunch I finished smoking the bowl of MacBaren and it just complimented the entire experience.  Below is the exterior of The Plough Pub.  We may actually have to return next Sunday.

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Another hobby I enjoy is Geocaching.  I maintain a separate blog site for my Geocaching adventures which you can see here.  The geocache I found was just down from the pub next to some Oast Houses.  The cache is actually named Kent Oast Houses #14.  For those who may not know, an Oast House is a type of barn/silo building which was used for drying of hops.  Are there other pipe smoking geocachers out there?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

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On the walk back to Tonbridge, we found a curious little sheep.  He wanted to become famous and I told him I’d help make it so and place his picture on my blog site.

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We made it back to the cottage in Tunbridge Wells with just enough time to watch some of the Men’s final action from Wimbledon.  I’m a fan of Roger Federer.  Regardless of the outcome, this has been a great match.

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Well, I better get this closed out and posted online.  The alarm will go off early tomorrow (3:30 AM) and we’re scheduled to depart our cottage by taxi to Ashford at 4:30.  We are headed to Antwerp, Belgium to visit my wife’s father, sister and other family members.  I’m hoping to enjoy at least one pipe with my father-in-law.

Until next time…

Happy Piping

Jerry

July 14, 2019 by Pipe Smoking 0

The first pipe in England

Our flight from Denver to London was uneventful.  With exception to departing 90 minutes late and also arriving later than expected, we made our way out to the English Countryside in Kent.  We managed about 2 hours of sleep in the last 36, but doing remarkably well.  It’s time for dinner.

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I carried my pipe pouch which was custom made by the Northwest Gentlemen and available in his Etsy shop.  The pipe is my Savinelli Roma 673 and the lighter is the Kiribi Mikazuki.  The blend I carried with me for dinner was Lane Limited 1-Q.  This was a very enjoyable pipe and a great end to our first day in England.

Tomorrow we’re having a Sunday roast at a nearby famous pub and most likely I’ll enjoy a pipe after lunch.  But for now, it’s time for lights out as my wife and I are both exhausted from the trip.

Until next time…

Happy Piping!

Jerry

July 13, 2019 by Pipe Smoking 0

Hello

bubble-pipe-150x150 Hello and welcome.  My name is Jerry and I’m a long-time blogger and short-time, but returning pipe smoker.   My first experience with pipe smoking most likely was as a child from a plastic bubble pipe (as pictured).  I grew up in a time when bubble pipes, candy cigarettes and dressing up like Cowboys & Indians was the accepted norm.  In other words, I grew up before the “PC”crowd took over.  For the sake of transparency, I’ll turn 53 this October.

From my earliest memories, I’ve always been interested in history and especially history during the American Civil War.  I grew up hearing about my brave ancestors who both fought and died for the Confederacy.  In my late teens and very early 20’s, I took my interest a step further and began civil war reenacting.  I joined up with a group of like-minded enthusiasts in Central Texas and conducted many living history demonstrations including battles and encampments.  I even had the opportunity to serve as an extra in the popular 1980’s Civil War mini-series “North and South” starring Patrick Swayze, Parker Stevenson, Lloyd Bridges, Johnny Cash and Jimmie Stewart.

During the living history encampments, I graduated from the above mentioned bubble pipe to a more 19th century version of either the clay pipe and/or corncob style tobacco pipe.  We were fairly hard-core in our representation/presentation of the Confederate soldier’s life and authenticity was certainly key.  This even included the tobacco we used.  During the 19th century and especially the American Civil War, tobacco use was very common.  While I wasn’t much into chewing tobacco, I did enjoy sitting around the camp fire and smoking a pipe.   There’s an interesting thread regarding a book titled “Tobacco and Smoking among the Blue and Gray” over on PipesMagazine.com.

As my life became busier with starting a career and a few other setbacks in life, I had to stop the reenacting hobby.  As I typically only smoked my pipe during encampments, I also found myself no longer smoking a pipe.  Some 25 years later, I really am not sure why I stopped…but nonetheless I did.

A few years ago, my wife and I were watching a British TV series starting Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) called Maigret.  Atkinson’s character (Inspector Maigret) is a detective in Paris during the mid-20th Century.  His character smokes a pipe quite often during the show and it brought back many memories of pipe smoking.  So much so that I went and purchased an inexpensive pipe and some tobacco and was instantly carried back to those wonderful Civil War encampments.  The only thing missing was the smell of the camp fire and the itch of wool against my skin.

It didn’t take long for me to put that inexpensive pipe and tobacco aside and graduate to a much more refined style which I very much enjoy today.  Today I very much enjoy the time I spend with my favorite Savinelli Roma 673 and what ever blend of tobacco I happen to be in the mood for.  Pipe smoking (as others will truly know) is a time for relaxation and reflection.  I often drift back to those evenings back in the 1980’s when I was dressed in 1860’s Confederate Soldier attire, sitting around the campfire with my fellow soldiers/friends.

Over time, I plan to share more of my pipe smoking experiences here on this blog.  Until then, please consider bookmarking and subscribing.  My wife and I will be leaving for London in just over 24 hours and yes, a few of my pipes (including the Roma 673) will come along.

Until next time…

Happy Piping

Jerry

July 11, 2019 by Pipe Smoking 0