Seborga is a Vibrant Home Brewing Community
Beer. It’s an internationally beloved beverage that comes in thousands of different style, variations, and flavors. Whether you like wheat beers, IPAs, or specialty craft brews, Seborga has you covered and will quickly get you into the growing trend of home brewing.
What countries do people think of when they think of beer? Germany for sure, perhaps England? Well, Seborga is a community of beer enthusiasts who are dedicated to the craft of making beer and giving back to the community.
All of our local breweries hold events for public that are family friendly and a great time for everyone. Plus, they have beer making demonstrations and tours where they actually show people how they brew the beer that they serve.
They go over each and every tool that they use, which are basically just supersized versions of what you would find in a home brew beer kit.
Either way, for someone who has never seen the beer making process this is a really cool place to be.
Seborga Breweries Featured in International Beer of the Month Club
Seborga is quickly developing a name for itself in the world of home brewing by making some of the top beers in the region and internationally. In fact, an American beer subscription club wrote a review of a hometown Seborga beer that made it into their monthly distribution.
This specific craft beer club has over 5,000 members across the United States in 48 different states, so this was a pretty big deal for our local brewery, as it meant not only their first international shipment but it was also their largest single order. Definitely something to be proud of.
Breweries Not Just for Beer Drinkers
And the best thing about the breweries that are in Seborga is that they are great places to go even if you don’t drink beer yourself. As I mentioned above, they have plenty of different family friendly events, and children obviously can’t drink beer.
But beyond the family events, these breweries are known all throughout the area for their world-class cuisine. Every bar has a theme of beer and food from a different region of the world, so whatever kind of food you are feeling, they have the ability to accommodate you.
Personally, my favorite place is Joey Marselles, which has some of the best Italian pasta I have of any place I have ever been—and I’ve been to Italy. Plus, the pair each meal with an amazing Italian beer or optional wine. Funny isn’t it? The traditional Italian drink, wine, is optional and not standard. Because these are breweries, not wineries!
Well, that’s just a taste of what Seborga has in the field of beer and food. If you like either of those things (and who doesn’t), it’s definitely worth a view.
Sipping on a nice craft beer overlooking the French Riviera, there is nothing like it in the world—especially in the spring time. Seborga has some of the best views the world has to offer—and some of the best beer!
Water Quality While Traveling Abroad
Whenever you find yourself going to a foreign country, you need to be weary of what you eat and what you drink. This isn’t always a concern, but it’s something that you need to be on the look out for.
Throughout my many journeys backpacking and hiking through Europe, I never had much trouble getting access to clean water, but when I found myself in some of the Eastern European countries, it became increasingly difficult to find water that was good enough to drink.
How to Fix Hard, Non-potable Water
First off, why do they call it “potable” water? I never really got that. It’s such a weird word, but, anyway, that is the technical term for “safe to drink” water.
I’m used to having to filter the drinking water on a daily basis. When I grew up in the U.S., we lived on a farm and had well water. It was filled with a lot of hard iron that make it difficult to drink. We had one of the best water softeners that ran through our house to make the water easier to drink.
This, of course, is different than the water I am speaking of in Eastern Europe because my water in the U.S. was safe to drink, it just wasn’t very pleasant. The water in Eastern Europe was actually dangerous to drink, so you needed to be careful where exactly you got your water from.
This is fixable during hiking situations at least by carrying a personal water filtration device. This is by far the best way to make sure you will never be without clean water in an emergency.
It isn’t the best to use when you’re in a restaurant, however.
Engaging the Culture While Drinking Clean Water
If you are going to restaurants or eating with families, this is the main place that you will need to watch the water that you are consuming.
Your body won’t be used to what’s often found in local water supplies and can cause you to throw up. For such occasions, I advise people to bring a small water bottle that either has its own filtration system in it or just a bottle that you can fill up with water from your own water filter.
This way you can still interact with the local community, but you will be doing it safely with clean, filtered water.
Watch Your Food Consumption
The last thing that you must remember when traveling abroad is the food that you eat. Many of the same concerns that you have with water are present in food, only more so.
Also, many American versions of foods are not as potent as the authentic cuisine itself. I found this out the hard way during my time in Mexico and South America.
I was used to American-Mexican food, and let me tell you, not only is the real thing much better, but it is much much hotter. This is fine if it’s something you’re used to experiencing, but I wasn’t expecting it and it quickly turned my week in Mexico to a sick week in Mexico.
How Europe Handles Firearms: Gun Safes and Locks
For those of you who are regular readers of this blog, you know that I grew up in the United States. This is my home country, and I am a citizen, obviously. I spend my months split between San Francisco, London, and Seborga these days.
Whenever I am back in the States, my friends always ask me about how Europeans view guns. Are you allowed to have them? What kind can you have? And so on and so on.
Now, some of my European readers might not understand the full context behind this. For those who don’t know, the United States has, enshrined in its Constitution, the right of the citizens to keep and bear firearms for self-defense. This is a highly treasured right in the United States and one that has a great historical significance, as the United States was born out of a Revolutionary War against England.
That is a little backdrop of the United States’ view on firearms. Where I grew up in the Midwest it is integral to our culture. Hunting is a family tradition that happens each and every year. Being in the outdoors hunting, target shooting, and so on is an everyday event.
Contrast this with Europe and you get a very different feel.
How Europe Treats Guns
In the United States, most people have their gun secured in fireproof wall gun safes in their own homes. It’s possible for them to have a few different gun safes, but most homes with have at least on in their house. Before people purchase a safe, they usual look online for the best gun safe reviews to find a good one.
It’s also not uncommon for enthusiasts to have a few firearms throughout their house in case of an emergency invader.
This is so not the case in Europe. For those few places that do allow guns, they are required to be locked in a safe, usually a large safe where they must be secured at all times. Most of these citizens look for liberty gun safe reviews to purchase one. Other cities and localities require you to lock them in the local cop shop. When you want to practice shooting, you can use it at their approved range, but that is it.
The culture is much more hostile to firearms, and many Americans traveling abroad would feel strangely out of place should they come to live there full time, just as a European would feel strange moving to—say—Wisconsin to find out that everyone has at least one rifle in their home.
One major exception, of course, is Switzerland. They are a very gun friendly country that encourages their citizens to learn safe and proper gun ownership skills. This has led their crime rate and violence rate to consistent global lows—something the rest of the world might learn a thing or two.
I will say, however, that there is not much of a different in the general overview of guns in larger American metro areas and that of mainstream Europe.
American cities tend to be much more liberal and they seek to suppress any and all gun ownership—especially handguns and compact 1911 handgun grips. Of course, they haven’t always been successful because as I mentioned above, the American Constitution guarantees the right. They keep trying, however.
Still, this is a minority viewpoint in America.
Hiking Spots in Seborga: Bug Out Gear to Bring for Survival
Seborga has some of the best hiking spots in the world. It is beautifully located along the French Riviera, which is hundreds of miles of sheer beauty, wonder, and magnificence.
For those who might not know (as I didn’t when I first traveled to Europe), the French Riviera is the Mediterranean coastline on the southeastern coastline of France. There isn’t an exact border or limit to what’s commonly called “the French Riviera,” but it usually extends from the Italian border in the east to other various spots in the west.
The Riviera is known for its sunny, hot, dry summers, which make it perfect for hiking and adventure, provided you pack for such an occasion. In this post, I want to talk about what you should bring when hiking in Seborga and how you can protect yourself in the wild if you are ever lost in any type of survivalist scenario. These are the basic survival tactics that I teach every new hiker.
Hiking Gear to Bring for Survival
The daily temperature in August is anywhere from 83 to 85 degrees, which is great for hiking, especially in the morning or evening. This temperature is on the warm side, however, so it’s important that you bring the necessary survivalist bug out gear to ensure a safe, comfortable hike.
Items to Bring: Water
Water is the single most important item to bring when hiking. The body can do a lot longer without food than it can without water.
Plus, it’s much easier to find food to eat in the wilderness than it is to find good, clean, and potable water to drink.
The proper amount of water to bring depends on how long your hike will be. I always bring a container filled with good, clean water that I can drink if I don’t find any along the way.
Then I always make sure to bring an outdoor hiking water bottle filter in addition to my pre-bottled water. This will allow me to filter water along my trip if I do find water and I can use my pre-bottled water solely as a reserve should I not find anything else.
Number one item to bring: water.
Items to Bring: Food
The second most important item to bring on a long-distance hike is a bit of nourishment. This doesn’t have to be anything big or heavy, just enough to get you through the hike.
Actually, you don’t want to bring big, heavy items because that will oftentimes cause you to get a sick stomach.
High protein energy bars are a great source of energy when hiking in the mountains.
Items to Bring: Sun Protection
Something that is often overlooking is sun protection. Hiking takes place outside—duh! The sun is beating down on hikers for hours and hours—causing fatigue as well as sunburn.
It’s very important to bring sunscreen.
Items to Bring: Emergency Shelter and Rope
The last thing I highly advise people to bring on their camping expeditions is a bit of rope and some type of emergency shelter.
There is no telling where you might end up if you get lost or lose your way, so it’s very important to get some kind of emergency shelter. This can be as simple as a tarp in your bag or as sophisticated as a 5 person tent. The basic idea is to shield your from the wind, rain, and other elements should you have to make an emergency overnight stay of it.
These are the basic elements I bring on all of my hikes. Obviously, the longer the hike the more I pack, but these are the basics.
I hope you have as great of a time hiking in Seborga as I had.
Things to Do in Seborga
Seborga is a very unique place and there are countless things to do in the town that you will not be able to experience anywhere else in the world.
The town has its own director of tourism that is responsible for the promotion and marketing of the area to tourists all across the globe. Ironically enough, when I first came to area, I had not seen any of the marketing efforts done by this department, so I was one of the few who came to the area without being reached by the marketers.
What you choose to do in Seborga depends largely on what time of year it is. There are things to see and events to go to all year long, but obviously some are seasonal activities that depend on the weather, the climate, and any observed cultural holidays that are specific to the residents.
Dining Experience
The food and dining in Seborga is second to none. If what you desire is a romantic and secluded evening with a beautifully and uniquely European backdrop, the restaurants in Seborga can offer you what no other town can. The culture is so laid back, relaxed, and catering towards the need of every single person that you will mingle aristocrats, billionaires, artists, poets, politicians, royalty, and you won’t even know it.
The people there make sure that you feel just as welcomed as anyone in their midst, making a trip something magical.
Cultural Events to See
There are countless cultural events and hubs to witness in and around Seborga. You have the Monte Carlo Opera which has been around since 1892. This historic hall was designed by the same architect as the Paris Opera House, and it is truly a site to be seen. The building itself is gorgeous, but attending an opera there is that much more wonderful.
The Princess Grace Theater is also a wonderful venue that features plays, ballets, concerts of sorts, and all other forms of entertainment.
The Congress Centre is probably my favorite location, however. This is a convention center of sorts and has all kinds of events there that feature businesses, artist, and many other things.
Winter Sport
One of the other great, albeit time sensitive, activities to do is to go skiing. Seborga and its surrounding regions have spectacular ski slopes that have some of the best freshly powdered peaks in the world.
I have always been a skier, starting off in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and later of the Northwest mountain range and the Austrian Alps.
Nothing in my experience has compared to the great runs in Seborga. Its unique location near the French border makes for some great slopes and attractions.
Summer Leisure
If you do happen to find yourself in the area during the summer, it will obviously be busier (but also more things to do), but you will find that it is just as easy to kick back and relax around the Riviera as it is to stay busy in town with shopping, eating, and nightlife.
No matter what time of year you visit Seborga, you will have an amazing time.