Following in the footsteps of my esteemed colleague and friend Andrew (Senshi), I have been persuaded to create the Great Germany Tobacco Odyssey. So this is the first installment of a long overdue project. I have been in country for almost 4 months, and I hadn't started this thread yet. For that, I am truly sorry.
Away we go:
Today, my wife and I went to Heidelberg. First off, if you don't have to drive in Heidelberg, don't. In fact, if you don't have to drive in Germany, don't. Now Germany isn't as bad as Italy or the Middle East. But it can be challenging. What should have taken one hour took us almost three. It is great not having speed limits on parts of the autobahn. That is, if there isn't road contruction (there is always road contruction), or the rubber-neckers aren't slowing things down. But I digress.
Heidelberg is a gorgeous town. Judge for yourself.
This shot was taken from the Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle). It is a fantastic place. Make sure you wear walking shoes. The cobblestones can be murder on the feet.
On the way to the castle, I spied two pipe shops. TWO! On the SAME STREET! Yeah, I love Germany. The first one is Tabak Scheuring. It was established in 1890. I imagine that in 1890 it was a better pipe shop that it is today. Now don't get me wrong. They had a great selection of pipes. Vauen, Winslow, Savinelli, Stanwell, Butz Choquin, etc. There were some very pretty pipes in there and I almost walked out with a Savinelli. It was gorgeous. There was a very small selection of pipe tobacco in there. They mainly cater to the cigarette smokers. There were a few Dunhill blends, Mac Baren, and of course Reiner. In a pinch, this is a good shop. Not my go to.
Further down the street, and much to my surprise is Durninger's. Now I first visited Durninger's in Stuttgart, where I live. I had no idea there was one in Heidelberg. This place is awesome. It is actually a bit bigger than the one in Stuttgart. A wonderful selection of pipes. Dunhill, Castello, Caminetto, Savinelli, etc. They have a walk in humidor with just about every marque of Cuban cigar you can think of. To top it all off, there is a huge selection of single malts. Plus their own blends of pipe tobacco not to mention most of the European brands available. Lots of Peterson blends too, but no Peterson pipes. Weird, I know.
All in all it was a great day. A bit chilly, about 66 F. But still a great day. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to sit in the castle gardens and smoke a bowl. But I will make sure to make a concerted effort to do that soon, and often! Oh, I also picked up a bottle of some local Peach Schnapps. And let me tell you, this stuff is awesome, and dangerous. Too good.
Right now I am sipping on some South Carolina Swamp Water that a friend of mine "made".
You can take the boy out of Carolina, but you can't take the Carolina out of the boy!
Happy Smokes, brothers.
Away we go:
Today, my wife and I went to Heidelberg. First off, if you don't have to drive in Heidelberg, don't. In fact, if you don't have to drive in Germany, don't. Now Germany isn't as bad as Italy or the Middle East. But it can be challenging. What should have taken one hour took us almost three. It is great not having speed limits on parts of the autobahn. That is, if there isn't road contruction (there is always road contruction), or the rubber-neckers aren't slowing things down. But I digress.
Heidelberg is a gorgeous town. Judge for yourself.
This shot was taken from the Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle). It is a fantastic place. Make sure you wear walking shoes. The cobblestones can be murder on the feet.
On the way to the castle, I spied two pipe shops. TWO! On the SAME STREET! Yeah, I love Germany. The first one is Tabak Scheuring. It was established in 1890. I imagine that in 1890 it was a better pipe shop that it is today. Now don't get me wrong. They had a great selection of pipes. Vauen, Winslow, Savinelli, Stanwell, Butz Choquin, etc. There were some very pretty pipes in there and I almost walked out with a Savinelli. It was gorgeous. There was a very small selection of pipe tobacco in there. They mainly cater to the cigarette smokers. There were a few Dunhill blends, Mac Baren, and of course Reiner. In a pinch, this is a good shop. Not my go to.
Further down the street, and much to my surprise is Durninger's. Now I first visited Durninger's in Stuttgart, where I live. I had no idea there was one in Heidelberg. This place is awesome. It is actually a bit bigger than the one in Stuttgart. A wonderful selection of pipes. Dunhill, Castello, Caminetto, Savinelli, etc. They have a walk in humidor with just about every marque of Cuban cigar you can think of. To top it all off, there is a huge selection of single malts. Plus their own blends of pipe tobacco not to mention most of the European brands available. Lots of Peterson blends too, but no Peterson pipes. Weird, I know.
All in all it was a great day. A bit chilly, about 66 F. But still a great day. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to sit in the castle gardens and smoke a bowl. But I will make sure to make a concerted effort to do that soon, and often! Oh, I also picked up a bottle of some local Peach Schnapps. And let me tell you, this stuff is awesome, and dangerous. Too good.
Right now I am sipping on some South Carolina Swamp Water that a friend of mine "made".
You can take the boy out of Carolina, but you can't take the Carolina out of the boy! Happy Smokes, brothers.
