Fly-fishing during the autumn of England

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Marcus

Well, it’s time for round 3 of fishing in England with this time frame being in the fall where the temperatures have dropped, the sun sets earlier (less sun light as well), and the fishing conditions have changed quite a bit. I could definitely see and feel the difference compared to the summer time when it was a lot brighter, warmer, and longer sunny days. I already knew that it was going to be a tougher “fish, hook, land” challenge this time around. But you never know with fishing as I could land a supreme monster-sized fish and even then I’ve been maintaining my body through my workouts so I will be ready should I win the world-envious-sized-ogre-of-a-fish lottery for a chance to fight and land it.

But autumn presents a different situation, a different challenge, as it’s colder and the days are shorter with the sun setting earlier in the day rather than later unlike in the summer where it seems all days in June, July, and August are just sunny-side up long. That’s why I wanted to see if I could fish it up like it were summertime because autumn is the best time for fishing (especially in Mexico for big game fish) and hunting (most hunting seasons occur during this time). The targeted fish species for this trip was brown trout, preferably a big one because I’ve came up blanks during last trip to England as well as in Scotland and only caught tiny ones in Iceland. So it was time for a biggun’, a big brown trout. Anything else big would be acceptable as well.

I would have to say the fishing was a lot harder and requires more patience. I actually had two huge brown trout but I lost both of them! The first big brown trout came in the beginning of the day, on my 5th cast, and bam! I got a hit! A big bite, grab, and take off. Unfortunately, after seeing a huge tail on that big one, he somehow came off of the fly after a 2 minute fight and took off. I wondered if I had a 10+ lb brown trout on there….

And of course, trout lightning hits twice as I lost another one. Not that big but about 4-5 pounds. And I lost another one. And then I lost another huge again, another possibly 10+ pound brown trout. That’s the kind of stuff that creates nightmares for fishermen especially after getting by brown trout thunder and lightning 4 times! But that’s where patience and continued determination come into play because on my fifth trout, I finally hooked up and landed it! It wasn’t a big one but still, it’s a nice consolation prize to get a 4, 5 pound brown trout and officially lay hands on an English Brown Trout and say that I caught one outside of the US and one biggun’ in Europe!

brown trout 4 5 pounds libras lbs fly fishing cold weather sunny cloudy hard difficult

My guide, Thomas, helps me un-hook the Brown Trout by playing his secondary role as a fish dentist. My first Brown Trout in England!

gold spotted brown trout English fishing tourism reservoir lake fresh water agua dulce pesca

My first brown in England! A lot of gold on this one.

release catch atrapar liberar librar pez peces fishing angeln UK

A quick picture before I release it back to the water. Brown trout are usually released, not eaten in England.

reviving revive survive trout catch release trout fish again

Sometimes these fish need help getting some oxygen back in their systems otherwise they float and die. Whitewater works best on reviving them.

After a quick drink and food, I went back at it again. And bam! I hooked another one! This one had more energy as it actually took some of my reel line out since it was fighting like crazy as it had jet fuel in its veins. But I wasn’t giving this one away and reeled in my second trout of the day.

brown trout silver plata color gris grey trucha la pesca con la mosca

My second brown trout of the day! This was one was a little bigger and had a more silver color to it.

release brown trouts fish fishies hatchery tourism nature water lake london

The fly came off easily so thank god we had the net otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten pictures of this one. This brown trout had no problems with reviving as it just blasted out of the gates like a rocket.

The rest of the day was difficult as I did get more bites and a few small Perchies to get them hooked and a few were actually landed, it was still a great day. I admit that it was cold and wet as the rains came in pouring all over me, but I still hung in there. I will have to return to catch a much bigger brown trout some day. Not sure when that will happen, but hopefully soon!

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While traveling, maintain your strength!

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Marcus

People have asked me how do I maintain my strength and ability to fish, hunt, hike, scuba dive, work out, play sports, etc. as I’m traveling? It’s not hard but it requires discipline of having a regular workout, sleep, and meal schedule. So while I was traveling in Poland, I made sure to go find a gym or book a hotel that had a gym as well as find great food to eat but at the same time eat proportionally so as to not turn into raging hungry pig mode and eat too much to where I can’t workout because I am too full.

Polish ribs

Looks good doesn’t it? Tasty polish ribs where the meat comes easily off the bone.

pato carne Ente bueno tasty duck meat poland cuisine

Potatoes, salad, and duck meat cut into medallions. I couldn’t even tell if the duck was wild or farm-raised because it was cooked that well.

Polish sirloin steak meat done well bisteck cut food meats

Looks like a volcano, doesn’t it? It’s actually mushrooms on top of a sirloin steak that is on top of greens and mashed potatoes.

pescado lago agua dulce pez peces carne polonia cena almuerzo comida polaca polaco polish meal food

I’ve caught Zander in England before but I never ate any of them as I practiced catch-and-release on them. But this Zander was local and it was cooked well and served with an egg tortilla and greens. But the key is that I ate enough (not too little and not too much) to fuel my workouts.

So you need to set yourself through your own personal method of motivation that you WILL maintain discipline in your own life for YOUR own benefit. You have to remember that no one will do it for you. You have to do it for yourself! I mean, if you think about it: What is the standard operation procedure for anything? Especially when you are traveling? Do nothing. So it’s best to break down that invisible wall and not eat stupid or inject stupid into you. Unless you don’t care and you plan on guzzling down all the food and booze that you can get your hands on.

There is nothing wrong with that but however, I don’t have any plans on being a regular consuming tourist. For me, I have goals, a life mission to execute upon and accomplish rather than go through way wanderlessly with no aim or end goal in sight. So that’s why it’s best to have goals and write them down so that way you know what you are going for. For example, I’m big on fishing so I make sure that I workout so that I can fight, reel in, and catch fish much better than other people. I’ve seen other people lose fish because they were not physically strong enough to handle the extra girth and ferocity of a bigger fish which might have been a once-in-lifetime monster! That’s why when that shark in Spain took my bait, I was ready for it. And landed it!

So it’s imperative to understand that if you really want it, then you have to force yourself to get better.

old feudal lord home now hotel renovated present nice simpatico bonito hotel en el campo de Polonia

While going through Poland, I stayed at this nice old estate hotel which probably belonged to a Polish feudal lord. The owner converted the stables into hotel buildings and completely renovated the main building to make it really nice.

gimnasio Fitnessstudio im Polen gym in Poland polonia pequeno en el campo

One of the stables was converted into a physical training/recovery building where there was a swimming pool, sauna, massage therapy room, manicure room, and of course, a gym. I only used the gym as it wasn’t the best in the world but at the same time, not the worst in the world. The key, however, was using the gym to maintain myself rather than do the standard procedure of “letting myself go.” I can eat the great meals in moderation and then workout to burn the calories.

Get fat and lazy? Me? No.

I got plans to catch more fish and hunt more and scuba dive more and whatever else out there that I must do. You must be a rationalization fly that thinks, “Do I land on poop? Or do I work harder to land on my goals?”

Categories: Cuisine and Drinks, Europe, Life enhancement, Outdoor activities/Working out | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wroclaw, former capital of the defunct kingdom of Silesia

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Marcus

Wroclaw, pronounced “Vrotswaf” is a fairly big city in Poland with a lot of history as it used to be the capital of Silesia, an old country which changed hands with many countries/empires such as the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia, and even Germany which saw its name changed, probably for easier pronunciation, “Breslau.” The city had a significant German/Austrian population but however, after World War II, the majority of the German-speakers were forced out leaving it mostly Polish, despite its history (and architecture) having deep German, Austrian, Bohemian (Czech), and even some Soviet influences.

Old town hall built from the 13th to 16th centuries, now housing the Museum of Bourgeois Art Muzeum Sztuki Mieszczańskej Stary Ratusz

At the old town square, there is a building that stands out which used to be the old town hall but now, it’s being as a local museum.

Market Square Rynek we Wrocławiu wroclaw silesia

Plenty of things to see and much more to eat!

Katedra Kościoła Polskokatolickiego pw św. Marii Magdaleny

There is a grand catholic cathedral in the area and it just sticks out at you.

The place looks more colorful during the day due to all the artistic colors used on the buildings that give it a more lively appearance but night time is also a nice time to check out the city with all of its bars and restaurants offering delectable delights of the Polish cuisine or even imported ones or perhaps a fusion of Polish and international foods.

old town square stary rynek wroclaw

It’s definitely a different look during the night compared to the day.

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Poznan – an underrated city in Poland

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Marcus

The city of Poznan… likely to be completely unknown to the common tourist/traveler since they probably think of Poland and the first cities that come to mind are Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, etc. Auschwitz Prison is probably another possibility as well. However, Poznan is one of Poland’s oldest cities and used to change hands frequently in history between various smaller countries back then. Nowadays, it’s one of Poland’s bigger cities where commerce, education, and many fairs take place in. So it’s been having a cultural revival in that city in addition to the old parts of the city which still remain such as the churches, buildings, and old town square.

square poznan poland polish college campus university

This here is Adam Mickiewicz Square which is between the Adam Mickiewicz University and the Imperial Castle which featured in this picture.

Poznań 1956 uprising, Poznań June or Polish Revolution of 1956

While at the square, you can see the crosses in the background which are the Crosses Commemorating The 1956 Protests. This was the result of people holding massive strikes throughout Poland against the communist government since Stalin passed away and revolts started to fest with his absence.

poznan church train tram public transportation transporte

You can see the mix of the old and new in Poznan as tram cars operate near churches like this one.

Poznan Catholic Church red white rojo blanco iglesia colores

Here’s the Poznan Catholic Church, probably the most decorative and colorful of them all.

old town square city poznan poland la plaza

It’s kind of odd, but at first glance, the old square doesn’t look like much…

polish plaza with church in middle mitte kirche religion order plaza

Once you’re in the Old Town Square (Stary Rynek), you can see old buildings (some which have great restaurants!) which surround this church in the middle.

One interesting thing that happened when I was there which was a fire broke out in one of the buildings in Stary Rynek which is in the old town square. The building’s open windows were smoking in black fumes heavily and I also  remember the firefighters got there promptly while one guy showed up tried to force his way into the building. I presumed that guy was the owner of the building and very upset that his building and all the possessions inside were either on fire or damaged or would be damaged by smoke, fire, or water that going to be sprayed in there. Outside of that fire, the food is great in this city due to all these restaurants competing for tourist and local money. So if there are no fires during your visit, then go to the restaurants at least!

fire at old building of Stary Rynek fuego flame old town square

FIRE! The firefighters showed up to save the day considering the buildings are basically right next to each other so putting them is highly required so the blaze does not spread.

periodistas en la accion journalist news reporters camera cameraman poland polish polaco

Even the news crews were out to tape something for its evening news in a sleepy town like this.

bomberos fire fighters department hose water manguera agua

The ladder is up and firefighters were spraying to control the fire and prevent further damage.

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Hertha BSC vs RB Leipzig in Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Marcus

This was a clash between two of the better teams in the German football league, Bundesliga, so it’s better to get tickets prior to the game even though Olympiastadion has one of the most seats in a stadium in Europe. I still think that going to this stadium is still more enjoyable than the other parts of Berlin although it is nice to go see the Berlin Wall (the remnants of it) and Checkpoint Charlie.

bright lights at night stadium game football soccer eastern germany derby east est este alemania noche nacht

Back to Olympiastadion in Berlin! In time for a night game of Hertha BSC vs RB Leipzig.

Unlike the last time that I went to a RB Leipzig game, there was a bit less police this time around which was nice to see. I think diehard German football fans have slowly and begrudgingly have accepted Leipzig as a mainstay within Bundesliga despite the team’s connections to the Red Bull company through its colors, name, logos, etc. But the team has done well to separate itself from the energy drink that it promotes as FIFA (governing football association) allowed RB Salzburg to play against RB Leipzig one time in the Europa League. Someone in a funny way called it Red Bull Lite (the RB team in Salzburg, Austria) vs Red Bull Normal (Leipzig) because Leipzig ended up winning the game. I’m sure the shareholders and owners of Red Bull didn’t care who won since it was a win or win scenario for them.

rb leipzig red bull redbull fans aficionados hinchas en Berlin Alemania viajados al estadion

Like in all Bundesliga games, even the opposing team fans have their own section that they can sit in. It makes it for obvious security reasons but to also be loud and proud. They were a lot louder than what the Hertha fans could muster.

 

But in Berlin, it was a different story as the Blues (Hertha BSC) and the Reds (RB Leipzig, not Union Berlin which is another football team) went head to head with each other in a sort of East Germany Derby since no one other team in East Germany is in the first league. The stadium was quite packed probably because both teams were still in the chase to make it as a top 4 or 5 Bundesliga team in order to qualify for Champions League or Europa League, which means more games, more ticket and concessions sales, more TV showings, more prestige, and overall more money for the club to spend on. That’s why even if the team doesn’t win the League Championship, it’s still important to get a top 4-5 finish because it sets the club up for next year. For example, Atletico Madrid finished third place in La Liga in Spain but still played and won the Europa League trophy. They ended up playing against the Champions League winners, Real Madrid, for the European Super Cup in the following season and Atletico won the trophy. So it meant that their season, which only begun, was already a success because they won a major trophy.

That’s why it’s a critical juncture in the season right now as we’ll see who are the pretenders and who are for real as we’ll see on the standings who is good and who is not. The reason why I say this is because I’ve seen teams do well in the beginning of the season and then falter as the season goes as well as teams that struggle in the beginning but slowly regain their form to win the league, kind of like what Bayern Munich did in the 2017-18 season. Well, in this case, it was clear cut who the better team was: RB Leipzig. They easily had more possession, control, dictated the majority of the game, and most importantly, had 3 goals to none against Hertha BSC.

rb leipzig fussball futbol marco un gol scored a goal celebration celebracion festejar despues party

Their best player in my opinion, Timo Werner, scores the first goal of the game to open up the scoring for RB Leipzig.

Timo geht zu fuss im Stadion walking confidently after goal in form

After celebrating with his teammates, Timo Werner does his slow confidence walk which was evident because he scored another goal en-route to a RB Leipzig 3-0 win.

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