Skiing, Growlers, Sundance and Doughnuts

In December the Sundance Film Festival announced their line-up for 2010. I knew the mother of all film fest’s tickets would be expensive but my love of film soon had me browsing the festival passes ranging from $300-$3,000. Yea, right! I started thinking I could volunteer for the film fest to gain inside access and go for free, but the sign-up deadline had already passed. Then I noticed the individual tickets option. I clicked on it and what do you know? A lottery. Sundance is so popular you have to enter a lottery to get a chance to purchase a ticket. I said what the hell and entered in my info. About two weeks later I got the email saying I was able to purchase.

A friend of mine lives in Jackson, WY so it worked out perfectly because I was already planning to visit. Plus my friend wanted to go to Sundance so we were just a short road trip away from Park City, UT.

I flew out opening weekend of Sundance but was headed to Jackson first. My layover was in Salt Lake City and I was about to exit the plane when Bradley Cooper from “The Hangover” walks out of first class and starts talking with the guy that was sitting right next to me on the flight. It then dawned on me as to why my fellow passenger was reading scripts the whole flight. Anyways, I caught my connecting flight into Jackson and was soon in the town adorned by arcs made of deer antlers.

Jackson offered plenty of excitement for the next five days. One can’t complain when the reason for waking up early is to ski. I had never skied anything like this. Even Jackson Hole Mountain Resort reminded me of that. They have a sign before you get on the tram that says, “Safety Message: Our Mountain Is Like Nothing You Have Ever Skied Before.”

That wasn’t the most affirming message to read right before you step on a hunk of metal that takes you up to the top at 10,450 vertical ft. Best part of skiing Jackson Hole is the waffles on the top of the mountain. There is a little lodge that sells the golden brown good stuff and it shouldn’t be missed.

After a long day of skiing I recommend buying a growler. A growler is a huge beer mug that holds the equivalent of about six beers. You get it filled up at the local breweries and liquor stores. I recommend splitting one with a friend. It’s a local tradition and only costs $7. In fact the first growler refill station was in Jackson. Snake River Brewery is a microbrewery that is generous with its growler refills.

Jackson was awesome but it was time to hit the road for Sundance. The Grand Teton mountain is absolutely gorgeous. If you are passing through Jackson on a road trip try and do so during the day to see the beautiful scenery.

Being in Sundance for closing weekend was like a dream. I work in indie film because I love it and being surrounded by the cream of the crop was so inspiring.

We saw seven films while we were there. The flicks were:

GASLAND (U.S.)

My Perestroika (Russia)

Temptation of St. Tony (Estonia)

Southern District (Bolivia)

Me Too (Spain)

Douchebag (U.S.)

Shock Doctrine (U.S.)

“My Perestroika” we actually weren’t supposed to see. We were supposed to see “Pepperminta” (Switzerland-Austria) but a mix up in venues led us to learn about growing up in Russia during the cold war. I'm actually glad the mix up happened because it was an excellent film. The Director of “Southern District” took me by surprise when he unbuttoned his shirt before the screening to reveal the t-shirt of my alma mater. It was pure coincidence! “Me Too” of course made me miss Spain, especially Andalucia. The Producer of “Temptation of St. Tony” told us that after seeing this we have seen 50% of Estonia’s films for 2010. Apparently they usually only make two a year.

We stayed at a hotel in Salt Lake City to avoid Sundance’s hotel prices. The best find in Salt Lake City was Mrs. Backer’s pastry shop. We had been driving past the place every morning on our way to Sundance and it looked so inviting. We finally went in there to see the place colored in pastels with glass cases full of chocolate cake, fresh donuts, a variety of cookies, and perfectly frosted cupcakes. The owner was there that day so I asked her to tell me about the place. To my surprise this place would be perfect for a short documentary film!

Rene, the owner, told me that Mrs. Backer’s had been open since 1941 and is now owned by the third generation of family who originally started it. The “Backers” can be traced back more than 700 years. She said they still have the old German recipes and use the wooden cookie presses that were brought over from Germany when the Backers immigrated to America.

Outside of the shop I asked some customers what they thought about the doughnuts. One of the guys happened to be from Portland, Oregon home of the famous Voodoo Doughnut. I had heard of the place on the Travel Channel. He took a bite from his doughnut and said that Mrs. Backers topped Voodoo!

A lot was packed in that week. Looking back to December, with me sitting in front of my laptop clicking the submit button for Sundance’s ticket lottery, I can’t help but think "Doesn’t hurt to try!"

Forhe Feiertage aus Berlin (Happy Holidays from Berlin)

Guten Tag (Good Day),

Yesterday, I woke up in my Berlin hostel packed and ready to board my train to Prague; that definitely did not happen. But before we get to that story, let me tell you about the days leading up to it. This week, I’ve enjoyed an untraditional Christmas traveling in Berlin.

The hostel’s Christmas breakfast of cereal, hard boiled eggs, and toast was amazing! After, my friend Blake and I joined Sandeman’s walking tour at the famous Brandenburg Tor (Brandenburg Gate). We saw many of the Berlin must-sees: Checkpoint Charlie, the remnants of the Berlin Wall, the Holocaust Memorial, Museum Island, and even the Hotel Adlon Kempiniski where Michael Jackson dangled his baby out the window.







My favorite stop was an empty parking lot. Underneath the cracked pavement were the remains of Hitler’s bunker. According to our tour guide, the same man who designed Hitler’s bunker also designed Berlin’s Metro. After Hitler’s death, Berlin’s local government tried to blow up the bunker; it took several attempts to make any real damage. “So you know Berlin’s metro is safe,” the guide said.

Sandeman’s New Berlin tour was very entertaining and I considered the guide more of a story-teller than the typical “historian” tour guide. Not only was the tour FREE, but I also walked-off Christmas Eve’s beer and schnitzel.

Forget Mall of America, if you have any left over Christmas shopping, Berlin is the place to do it. Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas markets) have been around for centuries. With starry lights, bratwurst, and unique hand-made gifts, these are great places to get a taste of Berlin during the holidays. There are about 50 Christmas markets located throughout the city’s 12 districts.

We went to the most beautiful market Gendarmenmarkt. While shopping we drank glühwein (glow wine) and no, it’s not made of glue. It’s mulled red wine, served in a coffee mug, spiced with cinnamon, sugar, and cloves. My advice: add the extra shot of amaretto if you really hate shopping.

Berlin is notorious for its club scene. Our favorite venue was Club Week-End. Dancing to techno beats on the 15th story of a skyscraper (with floor-to-ceiling windows) is an awesome way to end your night and start your morning. Even STA rates Berlin as number one on its list of the Top 10 Party Cities in the world.

On the “last day,” we awoke ready to go to Prague; but a mix-up led us to another adventure in Berlin! So we took the U-bahn (metro) to Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Palace), the largest palace in Berlin.

That evening, Blake and I went to a classical music concert at the Schloss Charlottenburg and struck up a conversation with two med students, Gia and Michael. Gia was from Ohio and Michael was from South Africa. After the concert, the four of us went to a bar called Kleine Kneipe. We started talking to a bunch of locals and they started playing Berlin folk songs for us. We had no idea what they were singing, but somehow we were all singing along! The bar had a great Berliner atmosphere; you should check it out on your trip. We all had a great time. This was the best memory from our stay in Berlin.

Have you ever woken up with an itinerary and a strange string of events led to a totally unexpected day? If so, I want to read about it.

Until New Years in Prague, tschüss! (see ya later)


The Berliners and us

A Sound Bite from the Night

Operation Botellón

Anybody who has lived in Spain (or has been lucky enough to stumble across it as a tourist) has probably been to the famous (or infamous for some) botellón. If you haven't been...you took way too many siestas, even by Spain's standards.

For those of you who haven't, what is a botellón you ask?

Botellón is the activity of young people (usually 16-24) gathering in a public spot to drink alcohol that was most likely purchased on their way over to the botellón. Most of us in the U.S. "pre-game" or "pre-party" before we go out to a club. If you are in college, live in L.A., and drinks cost $10-$22 each, the "pre-party" is necessary. Think of a pre-party at your place, but taking it outside, and maybe adding 2,000 more people...that my friends is a botellón.

Many places in Spain have banned botellón (i.e. Madrid) because of the noise, trash that is left behind, etc. However, the place I lived last year (Granada) actually has a designated, legal spot to have a botellón.

If you have been to Granada, and to the botellón there, then you know it's at the Hipercor.

What is a Hipercor? Okay, imagine this: A Super Wal-Mart or Super Target (the one's with a full grocery store) but with the quality and in-store design of a Macy's or Dillard's.

Hipercor is the super version of the store El Corte Ingles. Think of it this way:

Macy's quality + Target = El Corte Ingles. Macy's quality + Super Target = Hipercor. I don't know why they just don't call it Super, or Macro, El Corte Ingles.

Anyways, last year Granada had an outdoor campaign to promote Hipercor...

Simply stated...even if you don't speak Spanish I think you get it.

Now being the marketing major I am (and with somewhat of a creative mind), I really just couldn't contain myself.

So this is what happened...

First, I had to make it.

Second, all my hard work had to be shown off. I decided I didn't want to risk it alone...so I recruited the roommates.

The taxi ride over was amusing to say the least.

The taxi driver thought we were c-razy when we told him what we were doing.
"Que loca esta güerita!"

I just smiled like I didn't understand what he said.

Once we left the taxi, we found our first target.

Here we go...

Almost done.

First one finished.


This is too fun...adrenaline pumpin' where is another one?

Here we go again. You think anyone can see us?

and...

Voilà!
Operation botellón complete.
The end.

First botellón photo courtesy of: http://especiales.ideal.es/anuario/fotos/2006-media/botellon-granada.jpg

What motivated me to create this?

I have been wanting to start a blog for a while, but as a college student we all know how busy one can get. Easy life? Hey 19 units, a part-time internship, and being involved in two student organizations and a community service group can get pretty busy! "Toto I don't think this is freshman year any more..."



I write hard copy but have never put any of it on soft copy. Well working in corporate communications at my internship definitely reinforces how popular, relevant, and necessary social media is today in our lives. C'mon if full-time, pre-computer era employees are hosting their own blogs...I figured my time was long past due.



Pues bienvenida al blog (Is blog masculine of feminine?) de Eileen Street.