With the Eagles postseason hopes dashed, ET takes up duties as Sheriff of Nottingham, UK with @Richandrew

First day in Newark. Missed out on a trip to Wembley to boo Dallas but made it in one piece!

 

Proper English lunch – Beer and a pie

 

Sneaking onto the train to London to go on holiday with us

 

On the plane from UK to Sri Lanka for some winter sunshine

First time watching cricket and joining the Barmy Army – Sri Lanka V. England In Colombo

Enjoying the beach in Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

Sightseeing in Galle

Had a good wander arond the tea plantations and hill country in Sri Lanka

Sampling some traditional Sri Lankan food in Ella

Sri Lankan cricket fans trying to get Eagles Troll to support them instead of England

On the way to help cheer on Nottingham Forest Football Club

Eagles Troll is now also a Nottingham Forest supporter, forests being green and all

Merry Christmas from England!

Winter sight-seeing in @Richandrew’s hometown of Newark, Notts.

And just like that he’s off to South Africa!

Markibay and the Eagles Troll Bring Kelly Green to Dublin, Ireland

At the start of his journey through Dublin at the banks of the Dodder. In the background you can see the Aviva Stadium (a nice stadium but the Linc is better)

 

A small detour to the small village Howth, a suburb of Dublin on the peninsula Howth Head which forms the norther boundary of the Dublin Bay.

 

Enjoying one of the rare sunny days in Ireland.

 

On a stroll on the peninsula Howth Head. Random fact: Howth Head is the location where Leopold Bloom proposes to Molly in James Joyce’s Ulysses.

 

Our Troll in his natural habitat  (He liked it there).

 

View to the south with the Dublin Lighthouse in the background.

 

Waterfall in Guinness Storehouse.

 

Enjoying his own mini pint of Guinness.

 

There is nothing like a Guinness! Poster by John Gilroy .

 

Taking a ride on the old train.

 

After his small pint he went for the real pint. Dublin (with the typical weather) in the background.

 

 

Sad to see him go, but it’s off to Great Britain!

Kingskib and ET spot some sunshine in Raincouver and march into Nawlins

Upon arriving in British Columbia, the Eagles Troll was denied a moment of rest and was whisked away to New Orleans, Louisiana.  There, Kingskib and he had a bead-filled week on Bourbon Street and tasted the the creole flavours of the Big Easy.  Unfortunately topless pictures are not suited for this blog.  If you’d like to see those, you can be put in contact with Kingskib ;-).

The little guy attended the Saints/Bucs game October 5th, still livid about the playoff upset last season.  He also survived a Swamp tour at Honey Island, eastern Louisiana.

He then returned home to cheer on the Birds on Black Sunday in Vancouver.   Looks like Rok’s Giant-hunting trip in Slovenia succeeded!

Next, the two took a trip to the local (tourist trap) Market, Granville Island, and a walk along the seawall in False Creek overlooking Downtown Vancouver.

 

On to North Carolina!

Christian drinks the Eagles Troll under the table at Munich’s Oktoberfest

ET  just missed GEagle’s visit to Oktoberfest in Munich, but luckily he still was able to tour the beer menagerie with his friend and fellow Eagles fan Christian!  It was just a giant party in celebration in anticipation of the Eagles dismantling of the Giants last night–obviously…

 

Eagles Troll excited to ride auto scooter at the Oktoberfest

 

His first Oktoberfest beer. 

 

This is the tent called ‘Ochsenbraterei’ where he’s going to have his first ‘Wies’n Mass’ (that’s German for Oktoberfest beer). 

 

Oktoberfest in Munich, 2014 here I am. Just need a proper outfit (Lederhos’n) for next year.

 

Next up, it’s time to get green in Ireland!

Eagles Troll Finds Self Between a Rok and a Hard Place in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ask many Americans where Slovenia is located and you’re likely to get almost as many answers.  The Eagles Troll knows better, though.  With Eagles Fan Rok hosting, he fit in perfectly in this gorgeous country which boasts 2% of all terrestrial creatures.  I bet you also didn’t know it’s the third-most forested country in the world, with some of the most gorgeous coastline.  To top it off, Slovenia is one of the countries with the largest number of religious buildings per capita in Europe There are almost 3,000 churches, chapels and religious monuments around Slovenia.  Sounds ripe for establishing a Church of Our Soaring Eagles.

“After quite some time the Eagles Troll finally made it’s way to Slovenia. Due to bad weather I only made a couple of pics, but better some than none.  My wife, my baby girl and I, took the Troll for a stroll around our capital – Ljubljana – here he is in front of the Ljubljana castle.

After a short walk we arrived at the Prešeren statue – a famous Slovenian poet, also the author of our national anthems lyrics. 

The Troll is trolling the dragons 🙂 On the Dragon bridge. 

So that was one of only two sunny days while the Troll was in Ljubljana, so the only thing left for me to do was to take it to the seaside. This is actually in Croatia as Slovenia only has about 45km of coast.

And here he is, getting ready to hunt some Giant, Cowboy, Redskin a** 🙂

If any Eagle fans are visiting Slovenia, you are more then welcome to send me a message via the author of this page, and I can get you some tips and we can meet and greet in person. #TrollEaglesTroll :)”

Daniel and the Eagles Troll “Just Do It” in Beaverton, Oregon

Nike and Oregon go hand-in-hand like Eli Manning and interceptions. You get it.  Nike was originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports and founded in the mid 1960’s by a University of Oregon track star and his coach.  You could say that at its roots, Nike also bleeds green, then.

 

Stumptown Coffee Roasters, its name a nod to Oregon’s rich logging history, was the brand and business that revolutionized the coffee industry in the mid-90’s.   Sourcing its beans to top quality coffee farmers, founder Duane Sorenson “began to develop relationships with coffee producers that evolved into their Direct Trade program–improving coffee quality through their relationships at origin, and in turn, offering incentive based rewards to the farmer, with complete financial transparency of the supply chain along the way. This concept has allowed Stumptown to not only source the best coffee grown in the world, but to also make financial and incrementally sustainable improvements in the growing communities.”  So says their website.

 

Little known fact–unless you’re deep in the donut world or watch the Food Network at all–you can get married at Voodoo Doughnuts.  Daniel officiated a wedding between ET and a luscious Mango Tango donut, but it quickly got too delicious and far too gruesome to display here.  The wedding ended quite quickly and his trip in Beaverton was cut short.  ET: the first troll to get banned from the town of Beaverton.

 

 

Off to Canuck territory in northwest Canada!

Dani and the Eagles Troll bathe in the Pearl of the Danube

Preseason is underway and the Eagles Troll is relishing the last moments of relaxation in Budapest, Hungary.  Such urban beauty.  It’s no wonder Budapest is on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.  I’ve personally added it to my list of places to visit before kicking the bucket.

 

Hungary is famous for its wines, particularly Tokaji wines.

 

Erzsébet square, the go-to place for a drink, a picnic or just some friendly chatter for the local youth.

 

Hungarian watermelon is the best watermelon

 

 

Many tourists’ favourite destination, the Great Market Hall.  Actually a popular place amongst the locals as well, once you get past the first few shops which are very expensive.

 

 

Here is the troll hitchhiking by the road after some relaxation at Gellért Bath, one of the many baths Budapest is famous for.

 

 

 

One of the most beautiful places in the city, St. Stephen’s Basilica.

 

 

Erzsébet square again, with the ‘Budapest Eye’ in the background.

 

 

My buddy and I attend two of Hungary’s best universities, they are great rivals of course. They are connected by one of the 9 main bridges of Budapest. Also note the kelly green ship.

 

 

The National Museum, preserving some great artifacts from our tumultuous history. Its stairs and garden are also popular among students in the spring.

 

 

The famous chain bridge with Buda Castle in the background.

 

 

The troll loved the view of the Danube.

 

 

Didn’t even pay attention when we showed him the tunnel at Adam Clark square.

 

So we had to go back to the river.

 

Heroes’ square, with the statues of some of our greatest kings and leaders.

 

Up close at Heroes’ square.



You could look at houses of representatives around the whole world, but you won’t find one more beautiful than ours.

 

 

Off to Dvor, Slovenia!

Paying the Troll Toll With Farid in Buchrain, Switzerland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up was Farid in Buchrain, Switzerland, to show us that everything we’ve heard about Switzerland being beautiful is spot on.

 

Watch out troll, you have been captured by two of your biggest small fans!

 

About to walk across the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrucke) in Lucerne

 

Troll at the famous Lion Monument in Lucerne, Switzerland

 

Troll enjoys a Swiss Birthday party

 

Enjoying a little liquid refreshment on vacation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every move you make

 

 

Green being green

 

 

 

Hungary, ho!

Sign of the Apocalypse: Oranje people bleeding green

The following is the true story of what you get when you mix orange and green.  Eagles fan 1n_pla1n_s1ght took our beloved Eagles Troll all around The Netherlands, from Blokker to Kaatsheuvel to Amsterdam and sights in-between.  Warning: you will see some pictures of cows and empty streets.  Do not be alarmed.  This is because the country was pretty much shut down during the World Cup.  Warning #2: it being The Netherlands, there were a couple photos I took out for propriety’s sake, but you can find the imgur album…here.  As long as it’s visited every so often, the album should remain up.

 

De Efteling

 

This is a big amusement park in the Netherlands which is basically a big fairy tale book come to life.

 

 

 

 

 

Troll House in De Efteling

The park is filled with “troll houses” so we though it was appropriate to bring the troll along.

 

At the Dairy Farm

The Dutch are known for their cheese so we took the troll to a dairy farm.

 

Need to Wear the Right Footgear on the Farm

They conveniently had some clogs that were the right size.

 

A Dairy Cow Was Curious What Could Be Green But Not Grass

I ran in and saved the troll just as the cow was opening his mouth to take a bite.

 

The Troll Found the Destination

 

 

This Google destination point was just hanging out on the side of the road and we thought it was funny.

 

Netherlands vs. Mexico

One of the many World Cup games that basically shut down the country. Also, the Netherlands won every game until I sent the troll on his way. Coincidence? We may ask for him back for the next World Cup!

 

Completely Empty Streets During the Game

This street is usually pretty busy, but during the game it was a ghost town.

 

Empty Red-light District Window

You can’t take a picture of the girls in the windows without the threat of a bouncer beating you up and smashing your camera. Fortunately, we found an empty window to show you what it looks like.

 

Full Red-light District Windows

A customer buying the goods. As you can see, these streets aren’t just for men. Everyone walks through to take a look at the famous red-light windows, even families with children.

 

Canal in Amsterdam

One of the many canals in Amsterdam. A popular activity in the summer is cruising around the city with a cooler full of beer and sometimes a charcoal grill in the back of the boat.

 

You Need to Ride a Bike in Amsterdam

Biking is really the only way to get around. It’s faster than walking and it’s a pain to drive in Amsterdam since there are so many bikers everywhere!

 

Regular Souvenirs

The souvenir shops were full of Dutch football (soccer) jerseys for the World Cup. The color that the Dutch always wear is orange which is the name of the royal family. Seriously, the kings official title was the “Prince of Orange” before receiving the crown.

 

Looking at His Options at the Bulldog Coffeeshop

This is the red-light version of Starbucks. Bulldog Coffeeshops are all over the place in Amsterdam and offer some fine green (although mostly to tourists as the locals don’t like to pay the high prices). You can see the sign to the coffeeshop above the troll in the bike picture.

 

Keeping it Green

My wife thought it was funny that green in the pro-marijuana sign matched the troll.

Sitting on a Terrace Drinking a Beer and Eating Bitter Balls is Typically Dutch

Bitter balls aren’t bitter, they’re actually like ragout which is basically, meat, flour, and fat balls rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried. They are crazy delicious and served mouth-burning hot. I’m definitely bringing these to the states in December for game time snacks.

 

Authentic Windmills That Can Still Be Used

These old-fashioned windmills are all over the place. Some are even still used to pump water and mill flour, although this is mainly for the historical appeal rather than necessity. It’s still cool to see the blades spinning in the wind!

 

On the Dyke

This is one of the infamous dykes in the Netherlands. Without this these the see would come rushing in and millions of people would be under water. You can see people enjoying the sunny weather by biking on the dyke. It really doesn’t get much more Dutch than that!

 

On to Switzerland!

With the help of Ryan, the Eagles Troll sees the light in Portland, Maine

See what I did there?  Ryan smuggled ET into Patriots territory before our teams practice together this summer.

Fun Fact: In 1787, while Maine was still part of the state of Massachusetts, President George Washington engaged two masons from the town of Portland, Jonathan Bryant and John Nichols, and instructed them to take charge of the construction of a lighthouse on Portland Head. Washington reminded them that the early government was poor, and said that the materials used to build the lighthouse should be taken from the fields and shores, which could be handled nicely when hauled by oxen on a drag. The original plans called for the tower to be 58 feet tall. When the masons completed this task they climbed to the top of the tower and realized that it would not be visible beyond the headlands to the south, so it was raised approximately 20 feet.

During the American Civil War, raids on shipping in and out of Portland Harbor became commonplace, and because of the necessity for ships at sea to sight Portland Head Light as soon as possible, the tower was raised twenty feet. The current keepers’ house was built in 1891. When Halfway Rock Light was built, Portland Head Light was considered less important and in 1883 the tower was shortened 20 feet

 

Off to Omaha, Nebraska!