Many modern photo gallery sites (as well as my own) now support geotagged photos–displaying where exactly they were taken on a map. Very few cameras, however, have a built-in GPS. For years I had considered getting a specific gadget for doing so, for $100-200 it is essentially a small GPS logging device that you later sync with software on your computer that matches up the time of each photo to find where it was taken and adds that information. But with the iPhone, you already have all you need.

PlaceTagger was one of the first iPhone apps to do this, and I grabbed it when it debuted a few years ago, but had only used it occasionally. Last month’s trip to Europe was the perfect opportunity to record the location of the hundreds of photos that I took. With the iPhone 4, PlaceTagger barely uses any battery either, about 5% per hour, and runs nicely in the background.

Typically the computer PlaceTagger app finds your iphone on the same network and works very easily to find its data. However I came across some trouble thanks to changing time zones. After some research, it turns out that PlaceTagger records time in GMT, then assumes the camera is set to the time zone of your computer. Of course that wasn’t true with my home computer. I had to export an XML file with the date range, then search & replace the times to correct for it (in my case, setting everything 5 hours ahead). Had I left my camera set to EDT, I wouldn’t have had that trouble.

So as I slowly start adding my Europe photos to my galleries, be sure to look for the Map link in most photos to see where they were taken. Of course, the iPhone does this all automatically for any photos taken with its own camera.

Our drive from southern France to Nürnberg Germany was long and tiring, but I was able to fully experience the Autobahn. Which is to say, sitting at a dead stop in construction traffic more often then driving over the standard 120kph. We were able to just reach 200kph a few times in our rental Ford Mondeo wagon. I used MotionX’s free GPS app to precache the maps and track the route which you can view here.

Last night we finally went to the new Flatbread Pizza Company in Davis Square. It took over the divey Sacco’s Bowl Haven but with a bit of brilliance, left the ten lanes of candlestick bowling untouched. I didn’t get a chance to bowl, but it certainly made a much more interesting backdrop to the bar than your typical wall of TVs.

I was here for the pizza. We have probably hundreds of pizza places within a few miles, but time and again I’m not impressed. Most are greek style take-out, the italian ones always seem to miss the mark, and in the end I keep on trying new places in search of perfection. Upon entering the door, I was hit with the strong tomato sauce aroma that you might find in only the best italian or pizza restaurants. Turning the corner, there are two giant clay pizza ovens, and wood stacked everywhere. That wood was burning underneath those ovens, as well as a giant cauldron cooking up fresh tomato sauce. I don’t think I’ve seen that before.

We didn’t have to wait long for a seat at what must be the longest bar in the area, and greeted by a familiar ex-Redbones bartender who just added to our already positive experience when she recognized us. I was then quickly impressed with the beer selection, which is not to say extensive, but more choicefully picked; plenty of local and national craft beers and a cheap Gansett as well. In fact I believe it’s the only place I’ve seen Watch City on tap other than the brewery; the Red Ale was spectacular.

We decided to try as much as possible and gorged on three small pizzas. I’ll always order a plain cheese (“Jay’s Heart”), and we also went for a Homemade Sausage, and the Carne special which included homemade meatballs, peppers and onions. I was most disappointed with the sausage, I could not even taste the meat, and we forgot to order it without mushrooms which it was smothered with. Apparently it reads well though, because not only did it fool us, but was the most common pizza we noticed served. Every week they have a veggie and carne special, and ours was good, although again I could not really taste the thinly sliced meatballs; the fresh peppers and onions reminded me of my favorite greek pizza flavor but on a much much better crust.

The Jay’s Heart plain cheese is what impressed me the most. Usually gourmet pizza places can’t do that right at all. It must be their made-in-house sauce and of course the excellent crust, but I think I can say this might just be the best plain pizza this side of the North End. I can’t wait to go back and order a large. We were full of great pizza and beer, but couldn’t resist ordering the awesome brownie sundae, warmed in the pizza oven and served with ice cream and maple whipped cream.

The restaurant just fits with the Davis Square vibe. Gourmet, all-natural food, craft beer, retro bowling. I just hope its tucked-back location keeps it from being discovered by the college kids when they return next week.

A mirror from the 1700’s at Tijauges in New Orleans, and an aweseome bartender to go with it.