Ross and Michelle on Tour

Naples – are we still in Italy? (Italy Part V)

2010-09-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

From the rural tranquillity of Umbria, after a 400km drive south, we found ourselves thrust into the noise, chaos and dirt that is Naples.

Our view - a bit of a change from Assisi

Naples was a real culture shock for us. I knew it was ‘edgy’ and had a ‘rough element’, but that did not prepare us for a city which is easily the dirtiest we have seen in Europe and which feels more like a city in somewhere like Africa/Asia or the Middle East – rather than Italy. You are however constantly reminded where you are by pizza – this is after all the home of Italy’s most famous dish.

Saturday morning football

Driving in Naples is said to be something you do not want to do – and upon arriving we learned this to be true (fortunately from the backseat of a taxi, after dropping our rental off 3,700km after picking it up). Traffic lights (when working) offer guidance, but are not to be adhered to, lanes ignored (locals typically create an extra one, or just drive on the wrong side of the road), tooting is a way of life (much like Turkey) and scooters weave in and out of traffic like maniacs (sometimes with up to four people on them). Unfortunately, sporting a pink helmet and gripping the back of our B’n’B owner about half an hour after arriving I would be experiencing the ‘thrill’ of travel by scooter in Naples – crossing a 4 lane road on a red light being the highlight of the trip for me……

Parking is another story – I have never seen so many cars parked literally bumper to bumper in parallel parks – you seemingly simply gently nudge your way in and out – not sure you would maintain a no claims bonus in Naples for long.

So Naples was a place we had a love/hate relationship with. It is certainly worth a visit – highlights for us were:

La Pignasecca – Naples’ oldest street market. Although not the most famous market in Naples, we really enjoyed exploring this market. The seafood here is probably the best we have seen in any market. The range was vast – all kinds of shellfish, crustaceans and fish on offer. It was incredibly fresh – small live clams squirting you as you walked by and bags of live eels slithering in shallow tanks.
Chisea e Scavi di San Lorenzo Maggiore – under which are excavations under the city which have revealed the original Roman city which was situated here.
Cappella Sansevero – a small site which is home to some beautiful and intricate marble sculptures – the most famous of which is the ‘Veiled Christ’ – worth the hefty entry fee.
Pio Monte Della Misericordia – home of Caravaggio’s masterpiece – the Seven Acts of Mercy – but also housing a vast collection of art and antiques collected by the Pio Monte – which from what I could ascertain is a charity established by nobles which has survived for centuries, during which time it has amassed great wealth and treasures – and which devotes itself to the 7 Acts of Mercy – a number of causes such as feeding the poor, but which have evolved with time (ransoming the slave, no longer having much purpose these days, and having therefore been replaced by rescuing the prostitute).
Museo di Capodimonte – a huge national collection of art, combined with a visit to the royal apartments (which include a room with porcelain walls/decorations – if the dictionary was illustrated, you would find this under tacky – fortunately it is one of only 2 in the world… both by the same ‘artist’).
Sadly we skipped the Museo Archaeological Nazionale – home to many of the mosaics taken from Pompeii – but unfortunately these rooms and some of the other key rooms were closed for renovations during our visit. I would say something to see next time – but not sure there will be a next time for us.

While there are undeniably some great things to see and do here, the city is simply filthy – rubbish littered the streets, locals dropped litter rather than reaching for a bin, the smells were sometimes so bad they warranted a dry wretch, wandering round you never felt 100% safe (although I am sure most of the time we were) and the general chaos and noise of the traffic was a bit overwhelming. The locals on the other hand were passionate Italians – hot tempered, a bit loud and flamboyant and generally very hospitable. On balance, we were pleased to have visited, but very pleased to find ourselves leaving (except for the fact this necessitated a brief foray of driving in Naples)….

View out over Naples and the Bay

Herculaneum and the Pompeii

We visited these two sites from Naples and Sorrento respectively. Both are Roman cities buried by the massive explosion of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD – Herculaneum by a 16m sea of volcanic mud and Vesuvius by burning pumice and ash. In both cases the suddenness of the event resulted in significant casualties – and the fact that each city was buried has meant many things which would otherwise have been lost with age were perfectly preserved – mosaics, buildings, corpses, food – and so archaeologists have been able to learn much about day to day life in these once fashionable seaside villages.

Inside at Herculaneum

Pompeii is much larger and each day hoards of tourists flock here. Many of its finest mosaics and sculptures have been removed and are displayed in Naples, which is great in terms of preservation, but a shame as they look incredible in their original locations. That said – it is still a fascinating place and we easily passed about 6 hours here. Herculaneum in a smaller and less visited site. Similar in many ways to Pompeii, what it lacks in size, it makes up for by the fact its mosaics are still largely in place and you can visit it without having the navigate the huge tour groups which tend to dominate the more popular parts of Pompeii. Both offer a fascinating insight into life in these times – Pompeii even featuring a small brothel with frescos of various sexual positions, thought either to ‘inspire’ customers or be a form of menu from which they could select…..

Hmmm. Let's leave it at that huh? Next stop Amalfi Coast..... but have attached some pics from Herculaneum and Pompeii below.

Mosaic - Herculaneum

Vineyard inside Pompeii

Probably the first ever "Beware of the Dog" sign in the entrance to a home in Pompeii

Ancient pedestrian crossing and light coming into public baths

Preggie lady at Pompeii

Inspiration in the brothel?

On the Pilgrims’ Trail in Assisi (Italy Pt IV)

2010-09-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

From Tuscany we had a fairly short drive to Assisi – a small hilltop village in the heart of Umbria. Umbria is not an area we knew much about, but it was to prove to be a real find for us. Umbria was almost ‘Tuscan like’ in its feel, although the vineyards fewer in number, replaced by olive groves and fields of crops. There was still a fair number of tourists here – but a different sort of tourist – and the place was a little more laid back and ‘off the beaten track’. In Assisi, as we were about the learn, the main category of tourist is the ‘pilgrim’……

St Francis – the Friars and Poor Clares

Assisi is the spiritual home of Umbria, on account of it being home to St Francis who established the Fransican order here before his death in the 1200s. A little ignorant of this, we found ourselves embarking on a tour of the Basilica Di San Francesco, led by a Franciscan Friar (who happened to be from Maryland US). The Basilica is an immense structure with a lower (older) church and the upper church built on top of it. Below these two structures is the crypt of St Francis, where the Saint’s body was laid to rest. As we were led around it we learned about St Francis, the history of the man and the order he established and of the building and its frescos. The tour was very well done and we both found it quite moving emotionally and spiritually. It is great to see a movement of people who continue to work for the beliefs espoused by St Francis with a focus on peace, acceptance and the care of others.

Our accommodation here was a self-contained stone hut at the base of Assisi and overlooking the plains below – dotted with fields, olives and churches. Each morning groups of pilgrims, usually accompanied by a Poor Clare and/or Friar would walk by on the road in or out of Assisi.

We also embarked on our own little pilgrimage to Santuario di San Damiano – the place where St Francis is said to have heard the voice of God instructing him to rebuild his ‘Church’, taken by St Francis at first literally and later metaphorically. We were once again handicapped by the lack of signage and without a Friar or Poor Clare in tow the ’15 min’ walk took us a good hour and a half or so. Having said that, it was a beautiful day and walking amongst the olives in the countryside was magic. The Santuario itself is very small and simple – but it occupies a very peaceful site on a hill and it is easy to see how St Francis developed such a connection with nature in the time he spent in the Assisi area.

Daytripping in Umbria

Our time in Umbria was pretty relaxed, however we did explore the area a bit including:

Perugia – the main city in this area and a bustling student town (many of whom are foreign students studying abroad). Once we had our bearings, we enjoyed looking around this ancient fortified town. We saw its depths (in a well 36m deep dating to 3rd century BC, but also used during WWII to supply water to the city) and it heights (climbing one of the towers on the city’s defensive walls). Of course there were churches – this time we visited one of Italy’s oldest, dating to the 5th and 6th centuries, although before that a pagan place of worship had stood here. Perugia is also famous for its chocolate – so Michelle did not pass up the opportunity to invest in this side of Perugia….

Montefalco – in Verona we had been introduced to the wines of Umbria – so we took a short trip to Montefalco and visited a wine estate there. As it happened, another kiwi couple were tasting while we were there – pinot growers from Malborough, enjoying their quiet season in Italy! The wines here were great, with Sangiovese featuring heavily, but without the price tag attracted by many of the wines of Tuscany. One to keep an eye out for….

Spello – just down the road from us, a cute little town. Although we had a frustrating visit here (I won’t go into the detail), it was unquestionably a very pretty town with some nice restaurants and shops – it could certainly hold its own with some of the Tuscan villages we saw, albeit on a much smaller scale.

We’ll be back?

Umbria was a great region and Assisi a very nice spot to explore it from. I could certainly see me in villa here some time in the future for a week or so……

Our return to Tuscany (Italy Pt III)

2010-06-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic time in Tuscany when we travelled there a couple of years earlier and at the time wondered (wishfully) if it might be our home in Europe for a few months one day?! Although we could not make a home there, it was a real driver for the decision to travel in Italy before returning to NZ. As such the 9 days or so we had scheduled in Tuscany for this trip were ones we were really excited about and had high expectations for - it did not let us down.

The main square in Lucca - oval as it is built around the site of an ancient Roman Amphitheatre

Lucca

After a short drive we found ourselves in a new home (back in civilisation) inside the ancient walls of Lucca in the North of Tuscany. We set about exploring the labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets which twist through Lucca (like Venice, it felt like a great place to wander and get lost in - and we often did!). In an unexpected bonus the city's streets were lined with antique stalls - so we spent the afternoon multi-tasking - shopping for an antique champagne bucket while exploring the streets and piazzas. Exploring was successful, but unfortunately the search for the champagne bucket goes on (sorry Hannah/Jamie!).

Mosaic on Lucca church

Lucca is home to Puccini - one of Italy's most renowned opera composers. Having become ardent opera fans (recall Milan?) we of course embraced this cultural aspect of Lucca. This time we had front row seats, a marked contrast to our seats in the heavens in Milan. The setting was less grand, but equally dramatic - this time in 12th century reconsecrated church. Here we were treated to a number of short recitals of Puccini's works (and some Mozart). It was very raw - just a female soprano, a male baritone and a pianist at a grand piano (I like to think of it as Opera unplugged). While we enjoyed the experience in Milan, I think following it we were both dubious as to whether opera was for us - in contrast to this, we both loved the experience in Lucca - early days, but perhaps one of the Top 10 experiences of the trip.... time will tell.

Lucca is of course a walled city. The walls of the city are metres thick, 12m high and roughly 4kms in circumference. Free to all and with a track that goes right around them they provide the city with a perfect promenade come exercise area. We started each of our days here with a walk around the city wall - basking in sun there is no better way to get a flavour for the city below.

Church of Saint Michelle - who knew there was one?

Speaking of flavour - Lucca dished up 2 fantastic restaurants. The first we stumbled upon and it seemed to be one of the few open on Sunday. When we did a reconnaissance trip here in the afternoon it seemed to be hosting an Italian family birthday (Sunday afternoon) - from experience we could determine this had been a fairly long affair - tell tale signs including numerous cigar smoking, wine drinking men in all directions. When we returned a few hours later to Restaurante Olivio the party had moved on and our food was great - my lamb rack being incredible and both our pastas (seafood) were also divine. With big shoes to fill Cantine Bernardini stepped up to the plate on night two here. They pride themselves on dishing up local ingredients/dishes but with a modern twist. The food (and wine) here was incredible value and very very nice. Michelle had a crumbed loin of pork - the pork was literally melt in your mouth and when we asked about it we learned the pork was a special type from a nearby village - reared on pear, chestnuts(?), milk and other good stuff. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Beer Garden - Lucca styles

There is plenty of sightseeing to be done in Lucca - lots of big (and in some ways run down) churches etc etc. A highlight for us was the Palazzo Pfanner - a privately owned home and garden. Having been owned by an Austrian who introduced beer production to the town (and converted the garden to a beer garden!) it had an interesting history and today the gardens provide a picturesque place to pass some time (sans beer).

Siena - a city of sights

The Duomo Sienna (pretty much the view from our terrace)

From Siena we had another short (but fairly scenic) drive past Florence and south into Tuscany. Our arrival to our accommodation here will (I hope) prove to be the hairiest of our Italian drives (although we leave Naples tomorrow, so it could yet be topped). We knew getting to our accommodation would require a short (and legal) foray into Siena's 'no drive zone', but TomTom had one of her less auspicious navigational episodes taking us right into the tourist packed and narrow cobbled streets of Siena before directing us in a circle (triangle if we are being precise) route ending back exactly where we had entered the city - and announcing in her normal triumphant tone 'you have reached your destination'. Not her most glorious moment and we live in fear of a hefty fine for our little detour into Siena.

View from the Bell Tower with sloping Piazza below

Siena is a city which is crawling with tourists (lots of American students) but rightfully so, as like Florence and Rome, it has a wealth of sights worth seeing. Among the ones which stood out for us were:

Climbing the city's bell tower to look out at the beautiful Tuscan countryside or down to the Piazza del Campo below. The Piazza is the heart of Siena - a half circle in shape and downward sloping it resembles an amphitheatre (or sink from above). Twice each year it plays host to the Il Palio - a horse race dating from the middle ages in which riders from 17 local districts race around the Piazza 3 times in the hope of winning the coveted palio. There was none of this Il Palio action while we were there, but we did join in with everyone else in the square to give a standing ovation to a couple (English we think) celebrating their wedding at a restaurant bordering the Piazza. A feel good moment.
The Duomo in Siena is spectacular. Dating to the 1200s, it is most famous not for its roof, but for its floors - which are decorated with inlaid marble art - some basic, others extremely elaborate.
Santa Maria Della Scala - a former pilgrim's hospital featured large frescos each of which told a story about an aspect of the hospital's work and business - including depictions of the wet nurses being paid in cash or with grain - a nice break from the religious art work - which while impressive is a bit overwhelming in its volume!
On the subject of religious art - the collection at Pinacoteca Nazionale was really interesting - although we had no audio guide so were left to guess about much of what we were seeing - it held our attention... I am even convinced there was a 12th century depiction featuring the fairy chimneys (i.e. phallic rocks) of Cappadocia in Turkey!

Washing day in Sienna - and more evidence they love to dress-up here - Respect.

With a busy agenda in Tuscany, we also used Sienna as a base for a day trip to two famous hilltop villages in the South - Montepulciano and Montalcino. These happen to be most famous for the reds they produce - and for us these were return visits. Shoe shopping (sandals to be specific) won over wine shopping in Montepulciano with the final score being 2 pairs to Michelle and 1 to Ross). In Montalcino it was more about the wine, with a great lunch at the historic Cafe Fishetteria (again) followed by some serious wine shopping - we can't resist the Brunello here - let's hope EasyJet are lenient on their baggage restrictions.

Montalcino - It's tough- but someone has to drink it

We did however pause between shopping to enjoy these beautiful towns - most memorably enjoying fresh strawberries while sitting on a dirt track looking out over vineyards and olive trees as dusk was falling. Montalcino is certainly a place which warrants a third visit - perhaps not for some time though.

Enjoying the Tuscan view from Montalcino

What about the food I hear you ask? Fresh Porcini mushrooms fried and served piping hot at L'Osteria (a small family run sort of place) were the highlight food wise in Siena. The price was quoted per kg, but this turned out to be per 100gs - fortunately these were sensational - we'd happily pay to have them again!

Greve in Chianti - living on a vineyard (again)

It is hard to believe that Michelle knew she was pregnant when we booked most of this trip, for we once again found ourselves living on a vineyard - this time Castello Verrazzano in the heart of the Chianti region. We had visited this estate for a tour and lunch 2 years earlier and were really looking forward to returning. Greve offered a perfect base for us to explore this part of Tuscany in a bit more detail - this time detouring off the beaten track a little to some of the smaller, but equally enchanting towns in the area.

Our home in Tuscany - bliss

Embracing the concept of exploring the region we took a fairly meandering route from Siena to Greve - stopping first in Radda in Chianti for a lite snack in the sun before continuing up (in altitude) to Volpaia. Volpaia was a really cute little hilltop town - seemingly largely owned by one family who operate a farm and vineyard on the surrounding land. It seemed popular with walkers, with plenty of tracks in the areas - perhaps a good spot to stay next time for a few days. From here we took a dirt road to Panzano (this time us giving TomTom a sense of aggravation as we set off along potholed roads she didn't know even existed!). Panzano was worth the trip - another cute hilltop town - featuring a designer leather store (more on that later) and a great terrace wine bar overlooking Greve and Tuscany on the plains below.

After unpacking at the winery we were quickly whisked off to a wine tasting dinner - think 5 or 6 courses and 5 or 6 wines to go with them - what better welcome could we (read: I) ask for. We were seated with 2 young American couples who had done the tour with Jillian (that we did last time) and really enjoyed the evening. Fortunately bed was just a short roll down the hill on the estate from dinner.

So now we know where Grandma's Bambina went

Although on our previous trip we felt like we had 'done' the sights in Florence, we (read: Michelle) felt there was some shopping which warranted a return visit there. So after exploring the weekend market in Greve I found myself navigating Florence's notorious roads once again... one or two beeps later we arrived safe and sound, ready to shop. First stop was the Santa Maria Novella shop - this historic 'pharmacy' was originally established by monks in the 1600s who grew herbs etc to create various creams and remedies. While retaining much of this tradition (old formulations and marketing) it has also moved with the times - now offering a 'cat and dog' range of products! We enjoyed our visit here and the credit card came out (not for the last time that day). Florence's markets are hard to top (I think perhaps Barcelona's are better) - but I could not resist returning to Mercato Di Sant'Ambrogio (near the apartment we stayed in last time) to fill up on some deep fried salted bread I had snacked on last time. Think doughnut - but salty. Michelle still doesn't quite agree it was worth the trek across town for - but for the afternoon of shopping we were about to embark on, it was the least she could do! Thankfully the damage was not as bad as it could have been - aside from some leather gloves and concoctions from SM Novella, we left relatively unscathed.

We had not had great luck with weather prior to Tuscany, but it marked a bit of a turning point for us weather wise (fingers crossed this continues!). We took advantage of the weather to walk up from Greve to the nearby town of Montefioralle - another hilltop fortified village. While getting out for the walk was the key objective, it was sweetened by the promise of a Sunday afternoon lunch in the sun enjoying meat fresh from the grill with the local Italian's doing the same. A nice little walk - although we had to forgo the second half of the loop track on account of us not having the foggiest as to where the track went...... (don't get me started on Italian signage....)

Although we may have come through Florence better than expected, Michelle put Panzano back on the agenda and we had a quick return visit to a leather shop there. She had her eye on a handbag there (she can show you it next time you see her) and the shop was really interesting. Run by a German woman who worked in Florence to learn her trade in fashion, this small shop in a very small town had some amazing stuff. (Apart from Michelle's bag) the most interesting were products made with leather from Stingray..... judging by the price one can get for Stingray loafers, I will think twice before I cut a stingray off the end of my line in NZ to let it live another day!

Fresh Porcini -in Florence - not sure the dried stuff will ever match up

The exploration of Tuscany continued as we set off for Umbria (our next stop). En-route we visited two more hill top villages San Gimignano: nice, with lots of towers (although less than the 72 it once boasted) but very touristy and then Volterra: most recently made famous by the New Moon / Twilight phenomenon (which neither of us have embraced). Nice to see - but not really for us. The stops in these towns did however reinforce our view that the smaller towns dotted around Tuscany are the real gems in the crown of this region.

Baby Nelson update

More importantly - how's the baby you say? It has earned the nickname 'Little Kicker' (thanks Georgia) due to its regular habit of kicking Mum in the guts. Nice of it to remind us it is there - and to let us know when a Gelatti is overdue. Michelle's belly is growing by the day - now sufficiently pronounced to award special treatment by the Italian men that notice - even to the extent a couple of cars have slowed (or just swerved) as we navagate road crossings in Naples - but more on that later.

‘The hills are alive……..’ (Italy Pt II)

2010-05-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

Lake Iseo - an overnight stop en-route to Castelrotto in the Alps

After a week or so in ‘Italy’, we found ourselves in Alto Adige (after an overnight stop at Lake Iseo in the lake region). Located in the North East of Italy on the border with Austria, it is a place which while being Italian (since it was ceded to Italy after World War I, formerly being part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) feels distinctly Swiss/German/Austrian. The geography is dominated by the steep snow covered Italian Alps, complemented by rolling green hills in alpine valleys dotted with wooden huts/houses – the sort of scene that makes you want to belt out songs from ‘The Sound of Music’ – and at times, suffering from weather induced cabin (or car) fever, I am sad to admit that we may have done just that.

The hills are alive..... (the view from our hotel)

You come to Alto Adige for two reasons – in the winter to ski and in the summer to hike/climb. We were on the cusp of Winter/Summer and due to unseasonably cold weather, there was too much snow for the hard core walkers in the area. For less adventurous walkers such as us, conditions underfoot were fine, and we took advantage of a break in the wet weather to do a short walk from an alpine lake to a clearing and back. What we did not appreciate when we set out is how suited we would be to ‘walking’ in this part of the world. After a 40 minute (fairly steep) walk up we found ourselves nestled by the fire in a wooden alpine hut/bar – me rewarded in my efforts with a large German beer and bowl of the best soup I can recall ever having and Michelle tucking into a big bowl of apple strudel with ice cream. In the summer at times they have an Oompah band up on the roof and in 2007 it beat off 359 other contenders to win the award for ‘best alpine bar’. The fact that they celebrated with a staff trip to Oktoberfest in Munich gives some insight into how ‘un-Italian’ it feels here.

That man deserves a zuppa

The other highlight here was a trip into the picturesque town of Bolzano - a pretty place with nice cafes and food markets. It is home to Ortzi – a frozen early human from the copper age found by a couple hiking in the Alps in 1991 thawing out of ice where he had lain perfectly preserved for 1000s of years. Despite the fact that this man and his belongings were incredibly well preserved and offering much insight into life at the time, much remains unknown about him – including who shot the arrow that may ultimately have lead to his demise and why. An hour or two exploring the museum largely dedicated to him here was well worth it.

Church in the Alps

The area is well known for its wood carvers. We did think we might leave with a wooden toy for the little one, but as it turns out, the carving, while undeniably beautiful, tends to feature religious figures or scenes heavily and we decided a half metre figure of the Madonna and child was not really what our nursery needed….

The blend of cultures here was intriguing and we really enjoyed the novelty of it all (in addition to the breathtaking geography!). The blend was most evident when eating with the cuisine on offer a mix of typical Germanic foods (you could count on sausage with sauerkraut) and typical Italian (pizzas/pastas) - often with a bit of one culture influencing the other. Beer drinking was more commonplace, in contrast to the sight more often seen in Italy of a table of wine drinkers.

Hills on the drive from Lake Iseo to Alps - it was pretty chilly up there...

It is not just about beer and bratwursts here though. Sud Alto is a famous wine region (particularly for whites) and Tramin (the town after which Gewürztraminer is named) is located here. I have always found this strange – that such an un-Italian sounding wine can have its home here and it was a bottle of Italian Gewürztraminer purchased in London that first sparked our interest in visiting here. On our way south to Verona we stopped to do a couple of quick tasting – at the Co-op in one town small town we were joined by the local traffic officer – strange to see him tucking into a few wines with the locals in full uniform, car parked out the front at 10am on a Saturday morning!

Verona - the home of romance

After weaving up a very narrow and winding road to the top of the hills on the edge of Verona (which at this stage we had still not seen) and being greeted by a very hippy/alternative looking young Italian guy at our B’n’B we did wonder what we had got ourselves in for – but it all worked out fine…. in fact Christian’s breakfasts, especially the fresh juices which seemed to be a mix of whatever he had which was fresh (pineapple, apple, carrot) mixed with a healthy dose of fresh ginger root, will be a lasting memory of the trip!

We spent our first evening in this area exploring some of the less touristy parts of Verona and it was a place that really captured both our hearts. Nice cobbled streets, lots of little cafes, bars and gelateria, colourful and romantic – and on a Saturday night – bustling with a mix of students and trendy young couples. We selected a place to eat, pretty much at random, and I quickly learned that this was a town in which they take their wines seriously. I asked for a glass of wine – only to have the waiter suggest that we order our food and he would then be better placed to suggest which wine I might enjoy! We ate antipasti here while people watching and I was treated to several very nice wines – with the size of the glass (but not the pour) increasing with each. Not only did they take their wines seriously – but without exception it was served in beautiful glasses.

In Verona we were also introduced for the first time to the Italian concept of the ‘aperitivo’. Between around 5:30-6 and 7-7:30 the locals seem to congregate in cafes and wine bars to enjoy a drink which comes with a small selection of nibbles – a bit like the ‘pinxtos’ concept in San Sebastian but without the scrum to reach the bar. We tried it on our second night at a place Christian had recommended – yum!

Spot the Fiat 500 in the top LH corner.....

We had one day to see as much of Verona as we could and with our Verona cards in hand (a €10 card that gets you into most of the main sights) we had a pretty intensive day of sightseeing – the Roman arena, made of pink marble and still in active use today, ‘Juliet’s house’, complete with the balcony which is said to have inspired Shakespere’s balcony scene, climbing the 350 odd steps to the top of Torre di Lamberti, which offered great views of the city and a piazza filled of classic cars below, and the Castelvecchio, the city’s main castle and the museum inside it. We also managed to see the Duomo there during service – so sat at the back as one of the many priests up on the alter delivered a very animated sermon (not a word of which we understood – despite attempts to pick up a bit of the language!).

Our short stay in Verona was great and although it was not one of the places on the itinerary which we were really excited about – it was a place that we really took to.

Experiencing rural Italy - Emilia-Romagna

A short drive south (by now having covered about 2000kms in our once brand new Peugeot 207) and we found ourselves sitting outside a house in the country with a dog the size of small bear glaring at us. After a quick call to Paola (the owner of the house we were to be staying in) we determined we were on the right driveway – but at the wrong house…. Further down the dirt drive we found another house – this time with a dog that looked more like a sheep (and which was much friendlier) to greet us.

A couple of friendly faces

And so it was we found ourselves on a farm/winery/orchard/hobby zoo which would provide our base from which to explore this region over the next week. We had hired a small house built in the top half of a converted barn situated just out of Monteveglio near Bologna. Out our back window we could monitor the activities of half a dozen pet rabbits, from our bedroom we can see small groups of school kids arriving most days to explore the farm or learn how to make bread in a wood fired oven, and from the kitchen come dining room (where I am sitting right now) we look out to trees, with vines beyond. Chickens roam free, we have two pigs (a big one and a little one) which benefit from our scraps and next to the vines live a pony, a mule and donkey (a miniature pony is expected any day now). As we drove up the drive last evening, Michelle spotted a wild young deer in the undergrowth and just further up the drive a long black snake (not poisonous we are assured) slithered across the drive in front of us. One does not get lonely here.

Slow food and fast cars

Emilia-Romanga is famous for food (it is home to Parma ham, Parmesan cheese and traditional balsamic vinegar the production of which all involve significant aging periods) and fast cars – the Ferrari factory is here as are factories making Maserati, Lamborghini cars and Ducati bikes (I am sure there are more, so apologies to any petrol heads if I have missed any).

You can't help but draw comparisons with the Yellow Datty can you?

Disappointingly we discovered that to visit the Ferrari factory one must be the owner of a Ferrari. While we will shortly be in the market for a new car, I was not sure that Ferraris would be compatible with an ‘Isofix’ baby car seat (of which we are the proud owners) and therefore we did not investigate the acquisition of one of these vehicles any further. Fortunately there is an alternative option for the 99% of the world’s population who like us do not have the pleasure of owning a Ferrari – and that is the Ferrari Gallery – located in Maranello (also the location of the factory) – administered by Ferrari and home to a mixture of historic (and recent) F1 cars as examples of the Grand Turismo roadsters. As you enter you are greeted by a shop featuring an extensive range of Ferrari merchandise (with prices pitched at the hard core of Ferrari fans), but this place proved interesting for both of us – even Michelle left with a soft spot in her heart for yellow Ferraris – perhaps there is hope for me yet that one day I will find a replacement for the Datsun and at same time qualify for entry to the factory here (which is said to be one of the best places in Europe to work).

On the food front, balsamic vinegar seemed to be our focus (although more by accident than design). We visited a producer for short tour and tasting and also a small, but very good, museum in Spilamberto which is run by the association which controls and certifies production of the ‘traditional’ balsamic. Throughout these experiences you have it drilled into you that in a traditional balsamic there is nothing but grape must (no sugar or other additives are included) and that following the initial ‘cooking’ of the must it is simply left to time in small barrels (made of various types of wood – oak, cherry etc) to give the vinegar its distinctive flavour and consistency. The aged product is delicious and can be served on a grilled piece of meat, with fresh parmesan cheese, on ice cream and strawberries or even by itself as a digestive! At about €70 for 100mls of the 25 y/o variety it has to be special – and it was.

Don't you wish we all got better with age?

We saw less of the production of Parma ham and parmesan, but did ensure we partook in trying it whenever the opportunity presented itself! It is not hard to see why they call Bologna the capital of this region La Grassa ('the fat one').

For the first time we also had the opportunity to cook for ourselves. We enjoyed the chance to buy fresh veggies and goodies from the delis in the market before taking them home to whip something up. The highlight would have to be fried zucchini flowers – something we had tried and loved at La Famiglia in London, and which, as it turns out, aren’t too hard to recreate at home. We are having another batch for our final supper before heading on to Lucca from here tomorrow!

Flower arranging in the kitchen

While exploring the foods of the region, we also took in the sights of the main towns each of which we saw on separate day trips from our ‘base’ – Parma, Modena and Bologna. Of these, Bologna stood out as our favourite – a nice historic city centred around a grand piazza, great little food markets off the piazza and plenty of nice cafes, restaurants and gelateria. The gelatti we had from La Sorbetteria Castiglione here rates as Michelle’s best so far (mine was yet to come in Rimini….).

The coast and San Marino

From the farm we did a round trip out to the coast taking in San Marino, Rimini and Ravenna.

San Marino is Europe’s third smallest principality. Set on a hill overlooking the coast it has always remained separate from Italy (and was neutral during World War II). While it was interesting to visit here (and gave our child to be another flag in its passport) it was a bit of a non-event – tacky souvenir shops lining the streets. They seemed to have a strange fascination with weapons here – with numerous shops selling large (imitation?) automatic guns and knifes of all descriptions – perhaps to appeal to patrons of the museum of torture located here.

Mosaics of Ravenna

After San Marino, Rimini was a welcome return to Italian sophistication. We saw it during the afternoon siesta and out of peak season, so it was very peaceful – although in summer Italians flock here and its beaches are said to be packed with flesh by day, with the clubs being packed with flesh by night. Our flesh featured in neither of these places, which is probably for the best, but we did treat ourselves to a great gelatti (this time my favourite) – mine being a coffee flavoured one bearing the Slow Food seal of approval!

En-route home we visited Ravenna. This proved to be a slightly unanticipated highlight from a touristic perspective – with mosaics being the key draw card. We visited 4 separate sites all of which features mosaics featuring from early Christian times. The colours and detail in these huge mosaics are incredible – even today – many of them looking as if they had been made yesterday, rather than centuries ago. Although we were a bit rushed as we tried to get around the sites here, we were awestruck by the mosaics and if you are ever in this region and have the opportunity to spend a day/half day in Ravenna we would certainly recommend it.

Parmasean aging.....

La Dolce Vita (Italy Pt I)

2010-05-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

When we started thinking about travel on our way home, a trip to Italy quickly reached the top of the list – for us it is a country that offers a huge amount of everything we look for in travel. Initially we had in mind basing ourselves in one place for a month or so – but our desire to see so much more of Italy than we had done already meant that this plan quickly morphed into a great big road trip – starting in Milan in the North and working our way down to the South (Sicily).

The trip didn’t have a huge amount of planning or precision behind it, but by the time we set out we had a 6 ½ week trip mapped out and accommodation along the way locked in.

It was quite a strange feeling sitting in Terminal 5 (for the second time that week) about to set out on this trip which had been in our minds for so long. One thing was certain – for us it would be the La Dolce Vita tour – the sweet life.

First stop – Milano

We started with two nights in Milan – carless – a chance to find our feet (and explore this famous city) before we set off.

Slightly disappointingly, our lack of planning was shown up for the first time, when on the bus into Milan from the airport we read that tickets to see ‘The Last Supper’, displayed here, should be purchased months in advance. Whoops – as Paola at our accommodation told us – ‘don’t worry – it’s just a painting’.

We did however get straight into our work in Milan. Before we knew it we had explored Milan’s huge Duomo (3rd largest in Europe) – this included climbing the 165 steps to the roof top where you can walk around on the sloping tile roof which is lined with carved spires and figures. We saw many other churches while in Milan – although probably the most memorable was our visit to Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio – which we stumbled on by accident (a momentary lapse in otherwise flawless map-reading). The church itself was stunning, but we happened to arrive as guests for a wedding were also arriving – so we spent the next hour or so people watching – admiring the ‘beautiful people’ as they arrived – if ever there was a reminder that the Italians are a fashionable bunch – this was it. We also spent some time relaxing in the sun in Parco Sempione (Milan’s vast central park) where the Italians walk, play sport, eat gelatti and make-out.

It will come as no surprise to those of you who know us well, that being such cultured beings, we quickly arranged tickets to the opera at ‘La Scala’ – Milan’s famous home of opera. OK, so the tickets were dirt cheap and we were on the 6th tier with limited view of the goings on down on the stage below – but it was a great opportunity to see this incredibly lavish building with six tiers of ‘box like’ seating in a horseshoe shape facing the stage. The opera itself was Lulu – a seemingly scandalous affair in which Lulu (a scantily clad woman) manipulated husbands (who seemed to drop off at a great rate of knots). Mich loved it – only falling asleep twice (once during the first half and once during the second half).

We also instituted a regime of regular gelatti (to keep us sustained during our rigorous sightseeing schedule). The best here was from a Gelateria called ‘Chocolat’. Late on Saturday it had a queue down the street (even though it is a bit out of the way) – we gave it a try and were not disappointed – a must stop on any Milan itinerary.

Cunningly, there was little scope for anything other than window shopping – Saturday shops were closed for May Day celebrations and there is limited Sunday trading. It was very cool however to wander down the cobbled lanes of the Monte Napoleone area – lined with huge flagship stores (and head offices) of the big Italy fashion houses - Versace, D&G, Prada. To do so safe in the knowledge we had no chance of slipping into one made the experience so much more relaxing for one of us…. and perhaps frustrating for the other.

Stylish people in the the fashion district

Piedmont – The Stomach of Northern Italy

If Milan is the heart of Northern Italy, then Piedmont would have to be its stomach! The ‘Slow Food Movement’ started here – whose philosophy centres around fresh local and seasonal produce, prepared in traditional ways, with an emphasis on quality over convenience/speed. It also is home to the famous (and very pricey) white truffle and its poorer cousin, the black truffle. Never one to pass up a good meal, it seemed like a natural next stop.

As if the focus on food is not enough to entice one to this lesser travelled region – they make some of the Italy’s best red wines here – the rich and robust Baralo and Barbarescos both made from the Nebbiolo grape. As it happened our accommodation here was out in the countryside just out of the small village of Alba in the heart of the Barbaresco appellation on a winery (Ada Nada). Our room looked out onto vines and our host Anna Lisa greeted us with a glass of Barbaresco (for us) in hand. Perfect.

Our first eating experience here was fairly comical. We arrived in Alba around 3pm on Sunday afternoon – a bit late for lunch even by Italian standards. Not dissuaded by this we popped into a little place (Osteria dei Sognatri). The owner greeted us - while we could have a main, it was a bit late in the day for entree and primi. Upon learning we were Kiwis the rules all changed – antipasti were served, primis arrived and succulent mains followed (rabbit and pork – yum!). The novelty of having ‘Kiwis’ was a bit surprising, as we didn’t really feel like we were ‘off the beaten track’, but next thing I knew I was on the owner’s cellphone speaking to ‘Jeff’ (I assume the only other Kiwi he knew) and who, in a favourable coincidence, was a winemaker at one of the area’s best wineries – and so it was we found ourselves with a visit and tasting agreed for the following day.

The comical nature of our visit to Alba did not stop there. Our visit happened to coincide with a flag throwing festival. It seems the Italians in this part of the world love an excuse to dress-up (people after my own heart) and this day they decided to dress-up in medieval kit (colourful stockings for the men). In teams, presumably linked to historic families/territories and which consisted of a marching band (lots of drums/trumpets) and flag throwers, they performed in the town square before a mock king and queen (who had also taken the opportunity to dress up). We later learned that in Alba they dress-up whenever they get the chance. My favourite being an annual donkey race (which they hold as a tongue in check response to the neighbouring and rival town’s (Asti) annual horse race which celebrates a historic victory over Alba in one of many previous times of war between the two. Alba itself was a pretty town –and our pick of the various places we visited in this area.

As agreed with our ‘friend’ Jeff, we found ourselves the next day at ‘Marchesi di Gresy’ for a tour and tasting. We never did meet Jeff (he was out working on the vines ahead of some bad weather), but Marina took us through the winery (including a huge underground cellar, which was carved under the hill where the grapes are grown) and through the wines. By far the best and most comprehensive of a number of tastings ‘we’ did in the area – and nice that the Kiwi connection had opened this door for us.

The track from our place to Treiso

Another happy coincidence was a restaurant we discovered up the road from us. From our accommodation there was a dirt track that led to a tiny little hill top village – Treiso. We visited it one day and noticed that for a small place, it had a very flash looking restaurant. We dug out an article in which top London based Italian chef’s talk about their favourite Italian restaurants (the vast majority of which happened to be in Piedmont) and noticed that the place in Treiso was a pick of Giorgio Locatelli (whose cookbook we love).

With it being just around the corner from us – we couldn’t pass up a meal at this place ‘La Ciau Del Tornavento’. I did a 7 course wine matched degustation here – due to the dietary constraints that come with pregnancy Michelle had to reluctantly settle for a la carte. Neither of us was disappointed. We were also treated to a tour of the immense underground wine cellar here – the second room of which is sealed with a foot thick ‘bank vault’ like metal door. With 50,000 wines from 1,200 producers in this collection, I guess the concern for security/care of the wines is understandable. (Left - in the cellar - something to aim for!)

Continuing the theme of slightly strange eating experiences, the restaurant was busy on a Monday night, partly due to the group of 50 or so PwC partners – senior partners from around the world on various automotive clients who had been bussed here (for about an hour) from Turin – the home of Fiat for a meal – testament to the reputation of this place (which on a clear day, we are told, has views to rival its food!). Slightly surreal to be so far from and yet so close to PwC. Despite the sophistication of the restaurant, we were also reminded of the fact that we were in the ‘countryside’ here, by the wild deer we encountered on the road leading up to the restaurant – if only I could have got a picture of the deer looking back at us through the vines…..

Next stop - Castelrotto in the Italian Alps.....

Turkey - Gobble Gobble Gobble

2010-05-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

We shut the door on our London flat for the last time, grabbed a quick pub lunch with Grover (who happened to be in the neighbourhood having arrived in the UK that morning) and before we had a chance to give it too much further thought, we were winging our way with Shane and Dena for two weeks in Turkey.

Itinerary

For those of you who just want an overview, the following is a summary of our 2 week itinerary (which excludes a few days which were largely spent driving):

3 days exploring and experiencing Istanbul’s sights and markets
1 day exploring Gallipoli Peninsula – a beautiful but sad place
1 day in Kusadasi a coastal base from which to explore the incredible Ephesis Roman ruins
1 day in Pamukkale – a spa town with ‘medicinal pools’ said to cure almost everything under the sun
3 days in Kalkan – once coastal fishing village, turned Turkish holiday destination – sun, diving/kayaking – you get the picture right?
1 day in Antalya – large coastal city and departure point for flight to Cappadocia
2 days in Cappadocia – phallic rocks, hot air balloons and hidden cities.

Driving

Our main mode of transport in Turkey was driving. This was far less traumatic than it could have been, but all the same, this was a road trip so figure it's worth recording a few thoughts for posterity:

Turkey has lanes, speed limits and traffic lights - none of which seem to trouble the Turkish drivers too much. Liberal use of the wrong side of the road is commonplace, passing on blind corners a local past time, speed limits are seemingly unenforced (which has its benefits) and red lights are purely optional - with running them being both tolerated and encouraged by those behind you with 'toots' to let you know they think it is safe for you to run the light now.
Be wary of the 'TomTom’ shortcut - although we would have struggled without it, TomTom did take us down one or two 'shortcuts' where she decided she'd had enough of main routes and that a dirt track would liven the drive up a bit.
Turkish drivers do not always look in their rear vision mirror when reversing - ask our buckled number plate if you need confirmation of this fact.
Beware of the black cloud - you don't really want to find yourself being battered by hail the size of large ice cubes which turned once dry roads into a slush/ice river in minutes.
Rule of thumb for Turkish driving - if in doubt: toot.

Piles of hail on the road

Istanbul - Markets and mosques

Hotel Romance - hearts for as far as the eye can see.

Blue Mosque, Ana Sofia and the Basilica Cistern - 3 amazing sights all within a stone's throw of each other. The mosaics at Ana Sofia and the cistern (an ancient underground watery oasis) were particularly impressive.
Grand Bazaar - a labyrinth of shops but less chaotic and shop keepers far less pushy than anticipated.
Spice markets - chaos and shoulder to shoulder with people - but an amazing mix of the sweet smell of Turkish delight and spices.

Ferry up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea - a relaxed adventure up this incredibly busy water link with Russia (despite the “yoghurt, yoghurt, yoghurt” salesmen on the boat). Stunning seafood lunch sitting out in the sun with the water lapping beside us in picturesque Anadolu Kavagi at the top of Bosphorus.

Raki and Beer combos. Beware.

'Sightseeing' at the Topkapi Palace - exhausting stuff (although refer Raki and Beer combo' point above).

Great food - my pick was at 360^ - a top floor restaurant with great modern food with a Turkish twist and panoramic views.

Gallipoli - Lest we forget

A beautiful and idyllic peninsula dotted with memorials, cemeteries and walkways.
Visiting Chunuk Bair (where the Turkish took a strategic hold which ultimately won them the campaign, but a site where NZ troops fought and died bravely), Lone Pine (the main Australian memorial), The ANZAC memorial (sitting on the water's edge just around the corner for ANZAC cove where the forces ANZAC forces landed and the sight of the dawn service) and many other Turkish and allied memorials. The most peaceful and private site was the 4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery - located on the track from ANZAC cove up to the front line near Lone Pine - stunning setting nestled in bush and overlooking Shrapnel Valley and the coast.

Learning about the sacrifice and waste on both sides at Gallipoli.

Gallipoli Houses - a perfect base, with Eric the perfect host. http://www.gallipoli.com.tr/

Enjoying a cold Efes in the late afternoon sun while taking in the view across to the peninsula.

Kusadasi and Ephesus

En-route to Kusadasi from Gallipoli we stopped to take in Troy (yawn, or is that too harsh?) and Bergama, which was an unexpected highlight. Bergama is a small inland town which is home to an Acropolis perch precariously on a steep mountain - complete with a 10,000 seat theatre which is built on the side of the mountain (did anyone say vertigo?) and the Asclepion - an ancient medical centre dating back to 130 AD.

You can see the theatre to the RHS of the second of the two pics above

Exploring Ephesus - the best preserved classic Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean. A booming harbour town until it went into decline as the harbour started to silt up. A real highlight was exploring the Yamac Evleri (Terraced Houses) which gave an insight in the luxury in which the ruling class lived and in which many stunning mosaics can be seen. The Great Theatre and the Library of Celus were also spectacular - the former inspiring all sorts of tourists to break into song or dance - I was even tempted to give 'Kia Whakatane Ahau' a go, but thought better of it.

Lunch and fruit wine in Sirince - a hilltop town surrounded by paddocks of fruit of all descriptions. The local dish here of fried diced beef served with garlic yoghurt and tiny fried potato sticks was a group favourite.
Stunning homemade 'local' cuisine - Turkish sausage in a tomato sauce served with authentic Turkish made spaghetti on the night of our arrival. It's all we could rustle up from the local corner store. It was however topped by delicious seafood in a local restaurant on night 2.

Turkish coffee

Pamukkale - The Ancient pool

Famous for its white terraces, caused by the calcium rich water which cascades down the terraces and pools of the ridge overlooking the town. A place of pilgrimage for Russians who come to benefit from the supposed medicinal properties of the waters. Long before us, the Roman's built a spa town here (190 BC) and the remains of this can still be visited. Shoes are not permitted on the white terraces - so one's feet are silky smooth after a long walk up and down the coarse calcium deposits.

Swimming in the Ancient Pool which sits at the top of the white terraces was a real highlight - the warm waters are crystal clear in a stoney natural pool, the bottom of which is littered with marble and stone columns etc from bygone eras.

Pretty determined touts here - with one taking a 'roadblock' type approach stopping traffic on the way into town and another taking to his scooter to pursue tourists like us as we drove into town.

Kalkan - Where did all the tourists go?

By now European airspace was closed by the eruption in Iceland - as so it came as a 'nice surprise' to the staff at our hotel in Kalkan when we arrived looking for our room - it seemed they had either a) lost our booking or b) assumed that like their other guests, we would be unable to make it. So there we were - upgraded and the only 4 guests in the hotel for the duration of our stay - perfect fodder for the new staff to practice on at the (delayed) start of the tourist season.

Kalkan was a fantastic little seaside town - although in the peak of summer its population grows to 150k, which could be a bit cramped! Thanks to ash and it being the start of the season - we saw it at its sleepy best! The coast here is stunning – crystal clear waters, dotted with Turkish (and Greek!) islands.
Shane and his ladies going on a kayaking tour - taking in the beautiful Mediterranean coast and even passing over a sunken city. Upon learning Michelle was pregnant the guide treated her like a princess - she of course lapped this up.
Meanwhile, I was the sole diver on a dive trip for 2 dives - the highlight of which was diving on a sunken C-47 Dakota plane. This WWII aircraft was formerly an allied plane, but passed into the hands of the Turkish air force before being retired to watery grave for the enjoyment of me and others!

Antalya - a quick stopover

We took the coastal highway from Kalkan to Antayla, an overnight base before our flight to Cappadocia. Not much to say really – except that the drive along the coast was pretty cool – and the hailstorm (mentioned above) was spectacular!

Cappadocia

Final stop – and perhaps a case of saving the best for last. Cappadocia, right in the middle of this surprising large country, with a mix of lush fields and vineyards with dry dessert like conditions. The geography and history here is what brings tourists flocking, but for us, the fantastic accommodation and the chance to relax and enjoy somewhere quite different to anywhere else we had been was the icing on the cake.
Cave dwellers: Cappadocia is a warren of caves and underground cities. What better way to experience this first hand than to sleep in one right? Our room was a luxurious cave, complete with en-suite, seating area and an open fireplace. While this was no doubt more comfortable than the caves of yesteryear, it was nevertheless a real cave carved into a hillside. It was amazing – especially with the fire blazing.

Phallic rocks: Cappadocia is littered with clusters of phallic looking rock formations – and in fact many of these have cave and even churches carved into them. Like many others we took the opportunity to see this incredible landscape from the air, so at some ungodly hour we found ourselves preparing for a balloon ride. We were very very lucky – conditions were prefect and we were treated to an hour or so that was without question one of the highlights of our trip. For the record – the phallic rocks are known locally as ‘fairy chimneys’, but that name never really stuck for us.

Carpets: No trip to Turkey would be complete without carpet shopping. We joined Dena and Shane for a little ‘window browsing’ at one place here, and before long we were all eagerly admiring carpets from various angles while enjoying a beer (we were only supposed to have the beers once we had chosen our carpet – but the owner decided we should have one early in anticipation of decisions he felt sure were close to being made….). ‘Shena’ (the Dean/Shane conglomerate) acquired a beautiful carpet, but Mich and I walked out empty handed (although, to be fair, I would describe this as ‘a near miss’).
We did heaps of other great things here – a walk through a valley, explored an area set up as a monastery with dozens of cave rooms and churches (including some with beautiful painted ceilings and walls) and exploring an underground city (9 levels deep – of which we visited the first 4!).

Turkey was a fantastic start to our long trip home. It was great travelling with Shane and Dena and Turkey was a country which we went to with high expectations (based on what we had heard from others) and we were not disappointed. The people were so friendly and it is a place with so much to offer. Perhaps next time we will get to explore it by boat………..

Easter in San Sebastian

2010-05-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all

31 March marked the end of our UK working lives and Easter provided the opportunity for us to slip in a quick trip to the north of Spain before we had to face the packing and cleaning associated with leaving our UK flat.

San Sebastian is a beautiful old town which sits in a bay by the ocean. It has a huge sandy beach, although while we were there it wasn't yet quite warm enough for swimming. We did however enjoy a walk around the coast and watching unsuspecting tourists get sprayed by the occassional huge swell hitting the rocks on the headland.

Swells drenching tourists

As you may expect, Easter is a pretty big deal in Spain, however while it was busy, we didn't see too much in the way of special ceremonies or celebrations of the religious festival which was a bit of a shame. So what did we get up to? Pretty much eating and exploring the wine country villages, San Sebastian and the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

Eating

San Sebastian/Bilbao and the surrounding regions are well known foodie hotspots. In fact, there are more Michelin starred eateries in this region than in any other in Europe (and therefore presumably the world!).

The streets of San Sebastian are lined with Pintxos bars. Pintxos are essentially tapas, however typically they are laid out along the bar and as you have a drink you can help yourself to any which interest you. They can be pretty elaborate and this form of cuisine has become a real art from locally. If you want to know a bit more about Pintxos, have a look at this website (http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en).

We also enjoyed a fantastic meal at this restaurant: http://www.bodegonalejandro.com/. The menu was packed with seafood options and everything we ate was incredible. This place was not Michelin starred itself, but is the family restaurant of a local culinary celebrity! Great value too!

Wine country scene

They are also pretty good at coffee and while here I circumed to their smooth, milky espresso shots - 'cortardo' - which was bit like a macchiato.

Wine country

La Rioja

The Rioja wine region is about an hour and half drive from San Sebastian. We had a great day driving round and exploring the region

Highlights here included the drive in, through tunnels and mountains until we reached the immense plateau which forms the Rioja region and exploring Laguardia (a beautiful hilltop fortified village).

In terms of wine, we didn't go overboard, but did enjoy a stop at Dinastia Vivanco (close to another hilltop village, Briones). Here they have what is reputedly the best wine museum in the world. It is impressive indeed - who would have thought you could dedicate 5 floors to wine - but they have all the bases covered and even boast a mighty corkscrew collection!

The winery also offers a wine tour which seemed to be very informative. I say 'seemed to be' as unfortunately the tour was only offered in Spanish the day we visited so we didn't really understand a word! It was however a very impressive winery and our dedication in following along was rewarded with a great tasting in the cellar at the end!

Cos I earned it

If you are ever planning a trip to Rioja (or San Sebastian/Bilbao for that matter) I would recommend the following site - it is free and has loads of detail on places to stay, eat, visit etc. http://www.maribelsguides.com/

Storm clouds in Rioja

The Guggenheim

Bibao is home to one of the Guggenheim modern art museums and en-route to the airport for our flight back we stopped in for a quick visit. The building itself is a work of art and collection inside is fantastic (although not all to our liking!). They were showing an exhibition by Anish Kapoor, who works with paint and sculpts. His works were incredible and were a real highlight for us.

(Left: Dog made out of live flowers!)

Love Ireland? "To be sure to be sure"

2010-03-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

We are into the final straight on our time in the UK now and it didn't seem right to head back without having had a chance to explore Dublin properly before we left.

It was a pretty relaxed 'city break' and from our hotel on Stephens Green and armed with recommendations from friends, we were all set for a great weekend.

Highlights included:

Guiness factory - not trip to Dublin would be complete without a tour of this - the most famous of breweries in the world. We enjoyed wandering around and our complimentary pints of black gold in the skyview bar. I managed two with Michelle (a mum to be) fairly happy obstaining.
Rugby at Searsons - 6 Nations cruch match - England v Ireland at Tickenham, so we settled into a bustling pub (thanks for the recommendation Shane) and took in the action. It was a great game, topped off by the premature celebration of the lone (somewhat obnoxious) England supporter who after a late try to Ireland had to eat humble pie.
Dublin Gaol - a fascination tour of this Gaol provided a great insight into the history of Ireland - mainly the political troubles but also other features of Irish history such as the potato famine.
Eating - perhaps it was the recommendations provided by friends, but you seem spoilt for choice when it comes to food in London. Highlights were breakfast each day at Avoca (cool stuff for kids in there too - not that we were looking....), Peploes for dinner (and great wines by the glass) and l'gueuleton (try the bar upstairs too - very retro).

A great spot for a relaxed weekend away. Not too much to see and do - but a really pleasant place to explore with plenty going on.

To top it off the people we met were friendly and open - how refreshing! In the words of the Irish - "Tanks a million Dublin"

Morocco - a sensory extravaganza!

2010-02-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

Hi all

A long overdue note on our holiday over the Christmas period, which we spent in Morocco. Not exactly a hotbed of Christmas festivities, however a welcome break from the UK's icy winter and an amazing country full of interesting sights, sounds, smells and tastes which delivered a fantastic experience for us.

Marrakesh - Merry Christmas!

Although we would be exploring Morocco as part of a small tour group, Michelle and I added a couple of extra days onto our trip and visited Marrakesh. Marrakesh is towards the south of Morocco and is the easily the most popular destination for tourism. Notwithstanding this, it retains a real charm and an interesting sight or smell lurks around every corner of its winding old city streets.

Arriving in the evening we headed out to orientate ourselves with the city. Soon enough we found the main square - a huge market packed in the evening with makeshift market restaurants touting freshly cooked Moroccan goodies. Off to the side of the square literally thousands of people, mainly Moroccan, gather and watch singers, dancers, old story tellers (some complete with their own live owl), palm readers and the occasional snake charmer. A baptism of fire for us perhaps, but the whole place had great feel to it and we were excited about what lay ahead.

We had a fantastic Christmas day, the highlight being a half day cooking class at La Maison Arabe (http://www.lamaisonarabe.com/uk_content/ateliers-cuisine.php). Along with another young couple, 'Howard' a Moroccan chef who had worked all over the world, took us through how to make a traditional Chicken, lemon and black olive tagine. We also made a char grilled vegetable salsa and a delicious dessert using filo pastry and a rose flavoured custard like mix. The tagine was incredible - the best we had the whole trip (and that's not just because we're biased!?). On a return visit the restaurant where the cooking school is we were reunited with Howard who somehow convinced us to pay double the going rate for a used tagine - but it came highly recommended and is apparently 'top quality'. Hmm. Anyway - it was good buy as we have recreated the meal in said tagine back in London and it was a delicious as ever!

The rest of our time in Marrakesh was spent exploring its markets and sights - including a great self guided walking tour of the city markets (but more on Morocco's markets below). We did also treat ourselves to an upmarket hamman (steam bath and sea salt scrub) followed by an hour full body massage - interspersed with copious quantities of mint tea and lazing around in beautifully scented darkened rooms. What a bugger of a life eh?

Casablanca - I guess the tour had to start somewhere?

We took a train north to Casablanca where we joined our tour group - another Kiwi, 3 Aussies, a US couple, a Canadian and our guide - a Moroccan whose passion was trekking and mountain guiding, but who was very knowledgeable on each of the cities our trip would take us to.

We were underwhelmed by Casablanca - it was a fairly run down place, modern in contrast to Marrakesh and it felt quite rough around the edges. Interestingly, it is quite well known for its art deco influenced architecture - a blend of French colonial design and traditional Moroccan.

The one thing Casablanca is worth visiting for is its massive mosque (the Hassan II Mosque) located right on the sea shore. Built under orders of King Hassan II this mosque can hold 25,000 worshippers inside, with space for a further 80,000 in the surrounding squares and courtyards. Opened in 1993 it has some high tech features - heated floors, a huge retractable roof and a 210m minaret which shines a laser beam towards Mecca in the evenings. King Hassan's dream was to create a place of pilgrimage in Morocco. It is one of the very few Islamic religious buildings open to non-Muslims, one example of Morocco's relatively moderate position in the Islamic world for which it prides itself. The building and the massive hammam (washing) complex underneath it was quite spectacular.

Rabat

Next stop on our tour of the 'imperial cities' was Rabat - the current day seat of Moroccan administration and permanent home of the King (although he has numerous enormous palaces dotted around the country).

Highlights here were:

The Chellah - now abandoned and overgrown, these ruins mark an ancient Roman city (taken over by storks when the Romans moved on). It was peaceful spot and overlooked the fertile riverbed below (which was in part the reason it was chosen by the Romans). The storks were interesting - especially since we'd last seen storks in Alsace - which seemed a million miles away from Morocco in all respects!? Last stop at the Chellah was a walled pool which attracts woman from far away who come here armed with hard boiled eggs to feed the resident eels - it is said to bring fertility. Michelle seemed to loiter here - but I am trying not to read too much into that....
We also visited Kasbah des Oudaias here - it is the oldest inhabited part of the city and is perched on the cliff overlooking the bay below. It has narrow winding lanes and the buildings are uniformly painted white, with a blue strip about from the group about 2m up the wall - said to help deter mosquitoes. A great spot for a mint tea (although we didn't have time for this!?).

En-route to Fes

Our trip from Rabat to Fes was memorable - thanks mainly to interesting stops at Meknes and Volubilis.

Meknes was an imperial city in the 17th century and was a nice, relatively peaceful place. Our local guide was a wealth of knowledge on the sites we visited -which included an immense ancient grain storage facility (which could stable and contain food for 12,000 horses and had underground water channels to maintain its cool temperature) and an underground prison where huge armies of prisoners and slaves were kept. We also visited a old religious school here - the architecture and design of which was reminiscent of the Alhambra in Spain.

Volubilis appears from nowhere in the countryside. It is the site of an ancient provincial Roman capital - a distant outpost of the Roman Empire. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Here we could see Roman olive presses and the original mosaic floors of stately homes. The colours and quality of the mosaics all these years on was incredible - exotic animals, dolphins, Bacchus and more were clearly visible in these huge pieces of art, originally designed more with a functional purpose in mind. Quite incredible - and relatively untouched with the mosaics etc all exposed to the elements.

Fes - a shopper's paradise

Throughout our trip we had heard that the artisans of Fes were without comparison and we were not disappointed by the markets here - which were the best we saw. I resisted the urge to tell you all about Morocco's markets until now - but the markets of each place we visited were always a real feature (perhaps with the exception of Casablanca).

Morocco's markets are like stepping back in time. With narrow bustling lanes you can soon find yourself completely lost in them (as we did on one or more occasions!). The following will be things we never forget:

The smell of huge piles of fresh mint and coriander
Beautiful sculpted piles of olives or spices - too pretty to touch!

The meat markets - live chickens on a death row of sorts, huge cuts of beef hanging, lamb (with testicles still attached) as male lamb commands a premium, not to mention the odd speciality store (apparent by the fresh camel head hanging by them). Shops selling fresh fish and snails were common.

Nuts and dried fruit. Huge piles of them wherever you went - the dried figs in particular were devine. Nuts, we discovered, were best purchased in Marrakesh in 'nut alley' a short cut between our Riad and the markets - our salted cashews and pistachios were delicious!

Old crafts and industry continuing to this day - blacksmiths working red hot iron from fires and tailors sitting behind ancient Singer sewing machines.

Leather - the stink of the pits where workers cure and dye animal skins in a liquid mix of animal urine and bird droppings (among other things?!). The colours here though were incredible - pity the guys pushing leather goods are so pushy.
Speaking of pushy - carpets! Dave Dobbyn happened to have visited a carpet store we visited and being a Kiwi who had shown just a little too much interest (while making it clear I was not there to buy) I soon found myself in a one sided negotiation with the seller starting his price for a carpet at €1,500, but talking himself down to €400 by the time I left (I was still not tempted). It was the deal the century - I wouldn't be able to sleep if I passed it up he told me. Strangely enough I slept fine that night.....

Donkeys - laden with goods or pulling their owner on a trailer work through the markets' narrow lanes.

We also visited a ceramic factory here, were we started our binge of buying the brightly coloured ceramic wood fired plates, bowls and tagines on offer in Fes.

From Fes we also visited Sefrou, a Berber township about 30kms away on the edge of the Middle Atlas mountains. If anywhere felt like going back in time, it was this place. Merchants selling dried herbs to cure any aliment and very little sign of technology anywhere. We happened to be there on market day - so fresh produce was everywhere, as were freshly harvested olives in sacks on heavily laden utes - produce of that year's harvest - Morocco is about the 7th largest producer of olive oil in the world!

New Years Eve was also spent in Fes. We had a great night - following Moroccan tradition of watching a sort of talent show before the night descended into dancing with a group of local women and their younger sons. There wasn't much alcohol floating round - but with a shisha and good dancing and a few sneaky drinks we had a hilarious night.

Full circle - back in Marrakesh

Our trip which had taken us from the north and worked back down the country finished (after a long drive on New Year's day) to Marrakesh. We were like locals here and spent the next couple of days exploring the city more and finishing off any last minute shopping tasks!?

All in all - a magic trip. With obvious similarities to Egypt, what Morocco may lack in terms of ancient ruins etc, it more than makes up for with its beautiful cities, incredible markets (which leave Egypt's for dead!), friendly people and tasty cuisine.

South Africa - Something for Everyone

2009-12-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

Our big 2 week holiday had been much anticipated, but with a busy lead up to departure I left with little clue about what lay ahead (Mich: as per usual). I knew there would be some 'game park' action, some driving, good steaks, nice wine and plenty of time on the coast - the details however were less clear to me. Fortunately for me others had it all in hand (thanks Rich/Sel).

For those of you who are just here to look at the pics, I'll summarise: we had an incredible holiday which offered a little bit of something for everyone and which far exceeded expectations. South Africa has so much to offer and I can see us returning some day to experience more of it.

Kruger National Park - 'Big 5 hunting'

Rich (our host) greeted us at Jo'burg in a large white people mover that would be 'home' for the next 4 days in Kruger (a few hours north). Stocked with food and liquid we were set for some Big 5 hunting! The next few days would be spent getting up to be on the road at 4:30a.m. (Kasabian's 'Fire' will never be the same again), driving around the park in search of game, birds (yawn), not to mention antelope (last but not least Rich).

Highlights:

By 1pm on Day 1 in the park we had 'ticked off' the Big 5: lion (3 females in the undergrowth on the side of a road), rhino (Mum, Dad and a baby on the road), water buffalo (a huge herd crossing the road around us), elephant (just off the side of the road) and leopard (on a kill about 20ms off the road). Job done. 5 shots required (whose idea was that?) - this Big 5 hunting is a piece of cake.

Sitting in the car next to (about 5m away) 3 male lion on a zebra kill while 17 hyena surrounded them and our car in the hope of a tasty snack. The lion were not backing off one bit and while the highly agitated hyena waited they decided to snack on our car - partially tearing the number plate off (try explaining that one to the rental agency?).
Brai'ing (the activity formally known as BBQ'ing). We were staying in one of the camps in the park in a self contained cabin. South Africans don't believe in the gas BBQ and so we watched and learned as Rich got the wood/coal fired brai going each night with great results (especially the butternut pumpkin done in the embers... yum!).
All the sights. We were incredibly lucky with what we saw (partly we think due to the unseasonably cold weather). To list just a few of the sights: leopard in a tree (some of you may have heard about this already as Sel announced the sight at volume that could easily be heard cross border), elephant knocking a large tree over to get to the roots, lots of hippos including some out of the water, baby giraffes, warthogs, crocs, jackal, all of the the Big 5 numerous times (more shots? whose idea was that?), lots of birds and countless antelope - including the very rare sable antelope.
Sleeping co-drivers (and driver), dissent from the backseat re: antelope, deep fried eggs for breakfast, good times with Gareth (or was it Grant, or Wayne or Graeme?), scenarios in the public toilets, the strange smell emitting from the boot of car, late night animal walks with chicken bones for props and the battle between photographers for the money shot.

Port Elizabeth to Hermanus

After saying farewell to Rich and Gareth we took a short and very bumpy flight into a stormy Port Elizabeth down on South Africa's southern coast. Here we picked up our white (all cars are in SA) Beemer (I know what you are thinking: tossers) and from here we would spend 4 days driving close to the coast to Hermanus - taking in the Garden Route as we went.

Highlights:

Our accommodation in Jefferies Bay (Supertubes B'n'B) - pure luxury with an incredible breakfast. We all enjoyed being back by the coast after being landlocked in London for so long!
An evening spent enjoying fresh wild and farmed oysters from the shell at the Knysner Oyster Company as sat in a rustic hut on poles over the water listening to live music, enjoying a drink and watching the sunset. Magic.
Exploring Plettenberg Bay - a slightly upmarket but beautiful beachside resort town just east of Knysner.
The start of the Otter Trail - a beautiful coastal walk which we did at pace, but which was great. You can do the full walk which is about 4 days (although 2 at our pace) - perhaps next time?
Arniston - my favourite of the places we stayed in and a lot like Mahia in its feel. It had great pub down on the seafront where we managed to see the last 10 mins of the ABs beating England before retiring to our accommodation for our first 'solo' brai - which went far better than anticipated.
The drive from Arniston to Hermanus - first stopping at a coastal reserve just to the west of Arniston for nice walk out to South Africa's longest uninterrupted stretch of beach. This was followed by an unexpected introduction to the South African wine industry at the Black Oystercatcher winery which we stumbled upon (and out of) en-route to Hermanus and at which we enjoyed a great tasting accompanied by a platter of local produce. Yum!

Hermanus and the wine regions

Our next base was Hermanus, famous for its whale watching, where Rich's family holiday home would be our base for a few days.

Highlights

Night one - Fever in Hermanus - Brai on the rooftop deck, catching up on unconsumed Big 5 shots, Kings, Guess the Music, too much time spent in the 'bar', and late night swimming (for those allowed). Goodbye to Rich again - its safest when he's not around anyway?!
Walker Bay and Bot River wine regions. Armed with a list of winery recommendations we set off into the nearby valley wine region to taste some beautiful reds (blends, Syrah, Pinot) and whites (Sauvignons, blends and sweets). The highlight was however Beaumont Estate in Bot River. At this family owned winery we were treated to an amazing tasting by the winemaker's wife, right through the whites, reds, sweet wine and even into the port! She took pity on Andrew (whose fever was still subsiding) and invited us to enjoy a swim in the dam on the winery while we enjoyed a chilled bottle of their rose. Probably the best experience we have ever had at a winery and one which for us summed up South Africa's hospitable approach to wine tourism.
Whale spotting from the coast in Hermanus - the South African coast is famous for South Right and Humpback whales. During our time in Hermanus we saw plenty - they come in incredibly close to the shore, sometimes gracefully easing through the water, occasionally breaching right out of the water - spectacular!
Steak at B's Steakhouse - just one of many beautiful and great value meals we ate.
We also had a great day in Franschhoek (a nearby town which sits in another wine region) the highlight of which was an incredible picnic basket which we enjoyed in the winery in warmth of the South African sun. We also took in Elgin, another wine region en-route to Cape Town) - also very nice and where we were made to feel very welcome.

Cape Town - the final leg

With a week and a half under our belts we again imposed ourselves on Rich (and this time his family) in Cape Town. Here we enjoyed a fairly leisurely final few days.

Highlights:

A drive down the coast to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Spectacular coastal roads, nice short walks, pretty coastal villages along the way. A great way to spend a day.
A trip up Table Mountain - right from the ride up this is a breathtaking experience. While warm at the base of the mountain, it was freezing on top - but the panoramic views out over Cape Town and down the coast (where we had driven that day) more than made up for the temperature.
Dinner at La Colombe - this is South Africa's best restaurant and happens to be where Rich worked part time behind the bar. We enjoyed a 6 course wine matched tasting menu which was sublime.
Constantia - as it happened we were staying in Constantia another wine region! It would have been rude not to check it out - so check it out we did. It is most famous for its sweet wines, with some wineries boasting Napoleon (and now us) amongst their customers.
The final supper - appropriately mixing the Brai with seafood (something which although not mentioned much above, was top notch in SA) and a very pleasant evening spent with Rich and family at home. A nice way to finish the trip.

As you can see, we had a fantastic time. It was great travelling with Andrew and Sel again and Rich was the perfect host and guide.

South Africa was a beautiful country. The extremes of poverty and the middle class wealth were marked and it seems will take a long time to bridge the gap. However, it came as a surprise to me how safe I felt as we made our way around the country and almost without exception, people were friendly and helpful.

The climate, scenery, food, wine, people and experiences on offer were fantastic. A taste of the lifestyle has left us looking forward to the return home to NZ even more!

Alsace in Autumn

2009-11-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

Ever since I saw a photo of a small church sitting on top of a hill covered in golden grape vines, I've always wanted to visit Alsace in the autumn. So for four days recently we soaked up the beauty of the Wine Route which runs through this region and all it has to offer with friends, Andrew and Rachael.

The Wine Route is 170kms long and runs along the valley at the foot of the Vosges linking dozens of picturesque historic villages and weaving through the region's wineries. But there is far more to Alsace than its wine - its history and culture a mixture of German and French makes it a fascinating place to visit.

Over the 4 days we explored many of the little villages along the way. Stand out villages were probably Colmar (where we were based for 2 nights), Riquewhir, Eguisheim and Ribeauville. Each village had narrow cobbled streets lined with 'ginger bread' houses all adorned with colourful flowers. Along the streets are little shops, restaurants, wine tasting rooms and people handing out samples of fresh macaroons (for some unknown reason - a local specialty?).

Wine and food forms a key part of the region's appeal and culture - lucky as they were also pretty high up on our agenda! Wines were always tasted along with a suggestion on what they should be paired with - foie gras, the local munster cheese - matching wine and food was very much the done thing here.

The food was really good - and we ate A LOT! The cuisine is a mix of German (sauerkraut, pork hocks, sausages etc) and French (e.g. foie gras, escargot, creme brulee etc). We developed a taste for the tarte flambos - sort of like a pizza and the local pies were also very good - although caution when ordering the latter is recommended as you can easily end up with something quite different to what you are expecting - something we (actually, I) learned the hard way. Not once over the four days did we have a bad meal - a pretty good track record.

It would be wrong not to dabble in the local product. Most famous is the Alsace Riesling, but we soon learned that our soft spot where the rich, spicy and generally fairly sweet Gewurztraminer. Great as an aperitif, with dessert or with foie gras (which is lucky as Michelle consumed the latter almost daily!).

The wine tasting - us and two generations of Mochel winemakers

We did a few tasting along the way - but the stand out for us was a visit on the final day to Domaine Frederic Mochel. This family owned and run estate has been passed from generation to generation since sometime in the 17th century. The son of the current winemaker (a winemaker himself) led us through a great tasting of their Grand Crus - all of which were very nice. He was friendly and informative and even took us for a little tour of their cellar and production area/bottling area.

The drives were very picturesque too. At times we found ourselves weaving through forests of trees coloured rich browns, reds and amber, the ground and road littered with colourful leaves. The Alsatians are an active bunch and the forests apparently their playground for mountain biking, walking and (my favourite) mushrooming! Sometime the forests in the hills felt busier than some of the villages in the valley below! The road would then drop down back into areas planted with grapes - which ranged from being bare, but more commonly were covered in yellow foliage. One day we came across workers harvesting Gewurztraminer for a late harvest sweet wine (called a Vendange Tardive). Next to the workers a bunker leftover from the war sitting nestled in the vines.

The harvest

The bunker was not the only reminder of the wars that have besieged this region in the past. We took a drive up into the Vosges to visit the Natzweiler-Struthof Concentration Camp. This camp was the only camp set up by the German's on French soil, the site chosen so that the workers could quarry nearby valuable pink granite deposits. Although this was not a death camp (there was a gas chamber nearby), many workers were worked to death or killed - between 10,000 to 12,000 are said to have died. It was the first of the camps found by the Americans as they advanced into Germany - so their first real insight to the treatment of the prisoners by the Nazis.

Site of the concentration camp

Outside the camp there is a very modern museum which provides a more general history of WWII and the various concentration camps that were established. What struck me most about the camp was that it seemed so contradictory to have such an awful camp situated in such a beautiful location. A travel writer summed it up nicely when he wrote "On a slope where normal people might have built a holiday complex, the Nazis established a concentration camp".

We had a great experience in Alsace - although it should be visited in small doses - I am sure we all packed on a fair bit of weight even in a short trip like ours!

Alsatian beer marketing - 'Sans Coulotte'

Old timers day out in Cambridge

2009-10-25T03:56:00.000-07:00

Punters: Please note the new cap acquired in Cambridge

One fateful Saturday morning, each nursing a cold, we hauled ourselves out of bed and onto the train to Cambridge for a day trip we had been planning to do for ages - but had never got round to actually doing.

It was a fairly grey autumn day but that didn't stop us exploring the historic colleges of this famous university town. We visited Trinity college - which is the most wealthy of all the colleges (having added the O2 Arena in London to its immense property portfolio) and can claim greats such as Newton amongst its Alumni. We also visited the King's College Chapel - reputedly one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in England.

The Trinity College library was highlight - with interesting snippets of history on display such as AA Milne's handwritten notes for a Winnie the Pooh story along side a first edition, a copy of the first bible translated into English (1 of 3 copies remaining in the world) and early works of Newton with his handwritten mark-ups on them.

We also like the 16th century gateway which features a statue of King Henry VIII. In his hand he holds a wooden chair leg - which replaced the golden sceptre which he held until a student prank many years ago

A day in Cambridge is not complete without the obligatory punt trip down the Cam. Having witnessed two punters take an unscheduled dip I was pleased with our decision to take a 'chauffeured' punt together with entertaining commentary. Very relaxing and nice to see the colleges from the water.

With a day of exploring under our belt we hopped back on train to London late in the afternoon with the Saturday paper to keep us entertained on the way home. A very nice day out of London.

Good times in Barcelona

2009-10-25T03:35:00.000-07:00

With Dazza in town, we decided (along with Heron and Ben and Rachel and Jeremy) to join him for a weekend in Barcelona.

View from hotel back to city

It was our second trip to Barcelona and continuing the precedent set in Stockholm, Michelle and I took it fairly easy on the sightseeing side of things.

We were all scattered around the centre of Barcelona - our hotel was down on the harbour and provided the perfect base to catch-up with everyone when it came time for a meal or drinkie which seemed to be quite regularly.

On the eating front we managed to have lunch at Cal Pep - a famous tapas bar which we were unable to get to last time and it did not disappoint - fresh seasonal mushrooms, deep fried aubergine, tomato bread, calamari and sensational tuna tartare (to name a few...).

We had a fantastic weekend (again with stunning weather) and were reminded what great city Barcelona is!

Self portrait: Little piggies in Barcelona

Ambling in Stockholm

2009-10-25T03:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we've updated the blog... but we have had a few trips in the past month or so - starting with a weekend city break to Stockholm in September.

We've both been pretty busy at work and as a result felt like a very leisurely weekend. Although winter is almost upon us we were treated to a couple of stunning crisp sunny days.

Stockholm is of course the city of design - so a big part of the weekend was spent window shopping in the many designer stores - which ranged from exclusive homeware stores through to small quirky design shops filled with weird and wonderful gadgets - the perfect place to shop for that person who has everything!

The main 'tourist attraction' for us was visiting the 'Vasa'. This museum is built around a 70m 1620 warship which famously sunk about 1.3km into its maiden voyage (due to it being top heavy!). It sat buried in Stockholm harbour until 1961 when she was re floated and restored. 95% of the wood on the ship is original due to the fact that the Baltic Sea is not salty enough for wood worms to thrive. Seeing this immense ship is pretty amazing and it is hard to fathom that so much hard work and labour could be lost so easily!

Stockholm as a real cocktail culture (although drinks are notoriously expensive!) and we embraced this and enjoyed cocktails in all sorts of interesting places - notable were the Gondolen (great views from this bar at the top of a historic lift) and the Icebar - where everything is made of ice... the walls, the bar, the chairs.... even the shot glasses!

View from Gondolen bar

Our hotel (http://www.nordiclighthotel.se/en/) was very cool - labelled 'designer chic' in style. They employ a 'light manager' to control lighting in the rooms and hotel and the beds are the most comfortable beds ever - just what the doctor ordered!

Sightseaing in Gozo

2009-09-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

The last few day of our leave for 2009 were spent with another summer holiday, this time in Gozo, Malta. Fortunately, the leave year starts again in October... so not long till we can start travelling again!

The view from our room

The plan - go diving. Gozo is said to have some of the best diving in Europe and after 4 days of diving there we can't disagree. We had a great based in Xlendi Bay with a beautiful view out over the bay and the dive shop and dive boat literally on our doorstep.

Highlights for us were:

Michelle finishing her Padi Advanced Diver qualification - now certified to 30m! Yee ha!

Blue Hole

Bluehole, the Chimney and Coral Cave - a beautiful dive into a deep hole with underwater arch/window just off the coast, up a small tunnel from 24m to around 7m, then over a wall back down to 24m and into a large cave filled with beautiful coral. Stunning dive (I was lucky enough to do it twice).

San Dimitri Point - a boat dive where we swum out off a reef which ran out from the Point midwater in 24m in search of Barracuda. We were lucky and came upon a huge school of them - long sleek silver fish cutting through the water. Once they dissappearred we swum in closer - through a horizontal tunnel before surfacing at the boat. As with all our dives - the visibility was incredible - 30m+.

The P31 wreck - 52m Maltese Patrol ship sunk about 4 days before we dived on it in 18ms on a sandy bottom (pic above is obviously before it was sunk!). Quite a novel dive - both being on a wreck where you could do what you like without damaging the wreck or sealife on it and also because it is shallower than most wrecks so we had tonnes of time. There were a lot divers on it - all of us playing the fool a bit. Good fun!

The boy wonder - this kid could handle a boat while eating an ice cream like no other!

Living in Xlendi Bay - they say the pace of life on Gozo is much slower than on Malta and everyone in Xlendi was very chilled out - 'Island time' prevailed. There were lots of waterfront restaurants lining the bay and food and local wines were pretty good. The highlight for us was the prawn and squid risotto at Ic-Cima restaurant - so good we had to go back to have it a second time!

Exploring Malta - having spent all of our time sightseeing underwater in Gozo, we decided we had better see some of the sights above the water. We had day exploring the main island guided by Godwin. We visited the war museum in Valletta, had a seafood lunch in Marsaxlokk (a fishing village on the south of the island), explored the historic city of Mdina and Mosta church - one of Malta's many huge Catholic churches famous partly because its huge dome survived a bombing raid during the WWII when Malta was a target of bombing more intensive than the Blitz in London due to its strategic importance (for which the inhabitants of Malta were collectively awarded the George Cross - Britain's highest award for civilian bravery).

The colours - boats and buses were all brightly painted up - very cool.

The weather - sunny everyday, temperatures in the early 30s and very balmy in the evening - perfect for a relaxing summer break!

Anchors aweigh! Dubrovnik and Croatia

2009-07-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Our first trip to Croatia under the careful watch of Willy back in our first year here was a real highlight. That trip was in the north of the country though and so we had always intended to return to Dubrovnik and the South - which was our latest trip away.

Dubrovnik

Arriving at a reasonable hour on Friday night, we have 2 full days to explore the old town of Dubrovnik. Highlights included:

Walls and Wars walking tour - we spent much of our first hot sunny morning on top of the large stone walls that surround the old town. From the walls we got a great sense of the old town and its key buildings/features. Our guide (a local student) shared the history of the wall (built to repel Venetian invaders) and some insights into life in Dubrovnik during the war of the early 90s. He spoke of the Serbian and Montenegrin solders positioned high on the hill overlooking the town to the south firing rockets with the prime aim of destroying the old town an iconic symbol of its independence and a key centre of tourism. For 9 months the city was completely cut off from the rest of Croatia without its own source of power or water and around 70% of buildings hit or destroyed by shells. The mixture of dull 'old' roof tiles and the 'new' brighter orange tiles testament to the extent of the damage.

Lokrum Island - a 20 minute ferry ride from the old port, Lokrum had been recommended as a great spot to enjoy some time in the sea and soak up some sun. Croatian 'beaches' can either be sandy, rocky/pebbles or low flat coastal rock. In this case our beach fell into the last category - a coastal beach with ladders providing access to the surging sea a short drop down. The water was beautiful and warm (much warmer than we had experienced in Greece a couple of weeks earlier) and our new stripy towels performed well - providing some comfort as we lay on the rocks.

Rocky coastal bars - it didn't take us long to discover the small bars dotted along the coast on the rocks outside the city walls. Their entrance is through small non-descript openings in the historic wall, but once you find them you are treated to incredible views of the sea, sunset, locals and tourist cliff diving and the slightly surreal feeling of being at a bar in such a novel location.

Lopud Island - our second day was spent on Lopud Island which was about an hour and half away by ferry from Dubrovnik. We had a very relaxed day here, crossing over the island on track by foot to a large sandy beach with deck chairs and beautiful swimming. Fresh fish on the grill washed down with some local white wine made for an even more relaxed afternoon.

Fireworks - our stay in Dubrovnik coincided with the opening of their summer festival. That night we noticed a sea of people heading for the old port and naturally we joined them to see what all the excitement was about. We were treated to a spectacular fireworks display against the beautiful backdrop of the Croatian coastline. Strangely we got chatting the the couple next to us, who it turned out were staying in the apartment next to us. The town really filled up for the opening as was evidenced by 'people-jam' at the main gate to the city as the post fireworks exodus ensued.

Korcula Island

After a brief stay in Dubrovnik we took another ferry to Korcula, around 2.5hrs north of Dubrovnik. Tony (our host) ensured that we had an amazing stay here.

Tony and babies - Our accommodation here was a small basic apartment close to Lumbarda and overlooked a beautiful clear inlet. The apartment was run by Tony, a Croatian chef who used to have a restaurant in Belgium. Tony was a fantastic host and went to great lengths to ensure we had a good time. His home cooked meals using local ingredients were sensational - prawn salad, young goats cheese salad, grilled garlic prawns and some fish/potato/tomato dish - Yum! He also took pride in his 'prohibition liqueurs', home made flavoured brandies dished up as a digestive - we tried the pear and rose flavours. While we were there, Tony also had 2 older ladies from England staying with him, visitors for 2-3 weeks every year. Tony referred to the ladies as his 'babies' and we had some hilarious conversations together on the terrace over meals. The 'babies' were very well travelled and seemed to love antipodeans and NZ and we enjoyed there company very much.

Anchors aweigh - a day out in Tony's boat

With diving ruled out due to it being Sunday (go figure?) we decided to take Tony's small boat, with an even smaller motor, out for the day. Equipped with a chilly bin of food and a bottle of wine (Tony wouldn't have it any other way) we set off and had a fantastic time exploring the nearby islands and beaches - stopping close to islands for a swim whenever we fancied it.

It was one of these stops that resulted in a bit of excitement.... We had ventured to the most distant island on the itinerary set by Tony and chucked the anchor over, intent on spending the rest of the day enjoying the sun and swimming. As I put the anchor over the rope suddenly felt very light - which years of anchoring boats told me was not a good sign..... Sure enough, I retrieved the rope and there was no sign of the anchor. Not keen to cut the day short and face Tony, we puttered over to a nearby larger boat - we had seen a guy snorkeling and thought we might borrow his gear. The guy turned out to be Croatian and having communicated the problem was happy for me to set off with his gear on a retrieval mission.

Meanwhile, Michelle tied up to the back of his boat and was treated to a meal of raw sea urchin (which he had just got from the sea) washed down with local red wine. Nice for some! After an hour or so, I finally found the anchor and my hard work was rewarded by a glass of our friendly Croatian's wine (the urchin having all been eaten already!?). This small interaction was typical of our many great experiences meeting friendly locals along the way.

With anchor safely reattached and enjoyed a beautiful day in the lee of the island before a slightly slow and wet putter home into a slightly blustery breeze - but that is a story for another day.

Coming hot on the heals of some great recent holidays, Croatia had big shoes to fill. We had a fantastic holiday here. Added to our earlier holiday - our experience in Croatia will be very memorable and, for us, it probably tops the Greek islands as a holiday destination.

A morning coffee - Willy styles

It's all Greek to us......

2009-07-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heals of Portugal it was time to pack the bags again and head for warmer weather. This time the destination was Greece – Athens, Santorini and Naxos for 9 days.

Athens

After arriving late on Friday night we had the weekend to explore Athens. We took it pretty easy here (as we did everywhere actually) and with beautiful hot days you would not want to have been trying to squeeze too much in.

Of course we took the time to explore the Acropolis and the various ruins which can be found in the surrounding area. The Acropolis is quite spectacular – sitting on a craggy rock outcrop overlooking the city. Our hotel had a roof top garden bar which also offered spectacular views of the site which is lit up at night. We also really enjoyed exploring the grounds of the Ancient Agora (market) which sits on the flat below the Acropolis.

We also spent some time on the coast in one of the marina areas which are dotted along it – Mikrolimano, took the cable car up Lykavittos Hill for an amazing view of the city and the surrounding region and enjoyed many beautiful meals. The stand out eating experience was probably at ‘To Steki tou llia’ a small local taverna in a residential street where we sat outside enjoying the balmy evening weather and a large serving of BBQ’d lamb chops and a nice red wine. Yum.

Santorini

After an early start we navigated our way to Piraeus – the main port for ferries which service the Greek Islands. The port was very busy – many huge ferries being loaded with hordes of travellers dragging bags, while cars and trucks were being loaded next to them.

After a 6 hour journey calling at various barren Greek islands along the way we arrived at Santorini. Santorini is reputedly the most spectacular of the islands, with its steep cliffs running down to crystal clear water - the result of massive eruption many years ago. After disembarking from the ferry we were driven slowly up the road which zigzags up the cliff to the island above.

As well as being spectacular geographically, Santorini is also a ‘picture postcard’ Greek Island, with its white terraced houses perched perilously on the cliff-top overlooking the sea below (of which our accommodation in Firostefani was one).

We wasted no time here and equipped with our trusty quad bike (25 euro for 24hrs) we set off exploring the island. First we headed the southern coast where the best beaches are located. We spent some time swimming and sunning on Perissa Beach – a nice beach lined with trendy cafes/bars and restaurants. After a beautiful fresh fish meal in a small port West of Perissa we made our way to Red Beach – a stunning beach a short walk around the rocky coastline. More sunning and swimming here in water which was crystal clear, although a bit nippy! Finally – after a wrong turn which took us to the highest point of the island (where it was just us and the goats) we raced to the far north of the island to try and catch the world famous sunset in Oia – which we did. It was great fun exploring the island – dotted with white churches, vineyards and rocky beaches it is undeniably a picturesque place.

The following day we went out to the islands in the bay off Santorini for a day of diving. We did two dives – one along a sheer wall which dropped from 12m to 300m, and other in a shallow bay where a small cruiser lay upright on the seabed after being accidentally sunk while moored here. The visibility on both dives was spectacular, and while not a spectacular as our Red Sea diving, it was nevertheless well worth doing.

Our accommodation was in Firostefani which was a very nice spot to be based. Firo (the main commercial centre) was a short walk away along a coastal path. Firo can however be a bit hectic during the day with cruise ships delivering 1000s of tourists daily – on a bad day there can be up to 15 cruise ships stopping at Santorini, so it was nice to be a bit out of the way of all of that activity but still in walking distance of lots of eating options. When we weren’t exploring, plenty of time was spent reading by the pool and looking out over the Mediterranean below.

Naxos

Before we knew it we were on the slow ferry to Naxos, a couple of hours north of Santorini. Naxos is a larger island than Santorini and while it is less well known to tourists, its fertile soil and abundance of white marble stone mean it has always been an important island for the Greeks.

Small cars (rather than quad bikes) seemed to be the vehicle of choice and we spent the next 2 days exploring the island in our Fun Car!

The first day was spent exploring inland areas and villages. Highlights were a pottery workshop off the main road were we had a bit of a spend up, Halki – a quaint village with some designer art/pottery stores, Panagia Drosiani – one of the oldest and most revered churches in Greece with small cavelike chapels, Dimitras Temple (where ancient Greeks once worships the Gods of Fertility) and the ‘kouros’ - huge half finished marble statues found abandoned in ancient marble quarries.

The next day we spent on Naxos’ beautiful beaches – firstly on a small secluded beach near Mikri Vigla and later on the larger more populated Plaka beach – where full nudity seemed to be the look of choice for most – however we went with a more conservative approach.

Special mention has to be made of our accommodation here – Hotel Grotta - where the staff where incredibly friendly and were never short of some good tips or eating recommendations, not to mention the breakfasts!

Naxos had a totally different feel to that of Santorini. It was far more laid back and didn’t suffer from the passengers brought by visiting cruise ships. While we don’t regret for a minute including Santorini on our itinerary, it was nice to have experienced Naxos, which felt a bit more like a ‘real’ Greek island experience.

All in all a nice holiday – the only thing which underwhelmed us was the wine!

Off the beaten track - Douro Valley and Porto

2009-06-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Michelle normally plans our holidays, but in moment of rashness, I decided I would plan a trip. When reality of what this entailed dawned on me, I did what any shrewd traveller would do - outsource the planning. So that is how we found ourselves embarking on a week long self guided walk in the Douro Valley in the North East of Portugal.

For those of you who want the abridged version - we had a fantastic week, kicking off exploring Porto and its Port Houses and then meandering on foot through the vineyards, olive groves, hills and valleys in the heart of the Douro Valley, while soaking up the Portuguese sun. Magic!

Porto - Getting our Port education

Our trip started in the city of Porto - perched on the coast in the North of Portugal where the Douro river reaches the sea. It is home to the historic Port houses, who are based on the other side of the river in Vila Nova de Gaia, the place where regulation once stipulated all Port must pass through for bottling and aging.

We had a very leisurely weekend here and wasted no time in up-skilling ourselves on this town's most famous attribute - Port. In fact, Michelle had purchased her first bottle of port within an hour of our arrival.

While here we visited both Grahams and Taylors and from tours and tastings developed our understanding of the distinction between the Vintages ports, LBVs, Tawnys and also the history of this famous wine.

It wasn't all about the Port though (well it sort of was actually), we also explored the historic centre, enjoyed tapas by the beach in the nearby coastal area of Foz and a beautiful meal at the Bull & Bear restaurant (not a English pub as its name might suggest, rather one of Porto's finest restaurants).

The train into the heart of the Douro

The starting point of our walk was Vesuvio, a tiny settlement in the far north of the Douro valley not far from the Spanish border. We took a train from Porto to Vesuvio and the journey itself was one of the highlights. The old train weaved its way along the banks of the Douro and at times it felt like you would reach out the window and touch the water (although this is not encouraged!).

View from the train window

We were the only people to get off in Vesuvio - at what could not really be described as a train station, rather a small shelter in the middle of nowhere on the bank of the river at the foot of Quinta do Vesuvio - one of Graham's most prestigious vineyards.

View from our window

After an anxious wait (our hotel forgot about us!) we were put in a small dinghy and taken across the river to our accommodation. There was very little English spoken here but our hosts were very hospitable and treated us to a meal of BBQ lamb which was incredible and superb local red wine to wash it down.

Let the walking begin - Day 2

Thankfully we were eased into the walking with just 11.4km of flat or downhill ground to cover on the first real day. We walked along a dirt track with the river (teeming with fish) on one side and steep terraced vineyards and olive groves on the other. We were spared an incredibly steep walk up to the top of the valley ridge by getting a lift and then took an ancient roman track back through cork trees and more vineyards and olive groves as it circled back to our lodging.

The panoramic views of the Douro were breath-taking and it was a great introduction to the region. It was just us and the lizards as we wandered along the dusty tracks as I constantly reminded Michelle..... "not many tourists make it this far into the Douro Valley". We ended the day with a real sense of excitement of what lay ahead of us over the coming days.

At the end of the day we took the train back to Pinhao - the centre of the port trade in the Douro and were then driven high up on the ridge to Casal de Loivos - a small village overlooking Pinhao and the Douro valley. Our accommodation here was a complete contrast to the night before - we were greeted by Richard a butler like Portuguese chap who spoke impeccable English complete with toffy accent (although he did throw in a "You shit me well" here and there!?). We were staying in a house owned by the same family since 1658 and who make their own award winning table wines from the vines around the house (http://www.casadecasaldeloivos.com/uk/casa.html). The view from this property has been rated as the 6th best in the world (by BBC) and as we sat by the pool enjoying a white port and tonic it was hard to disagree.

Dinner that night was also a contrast to the previous night - this time sitting around a large dining table with the other guests being entertained by the owner (who kept planting seeds in our mind about giving up the walk and staying with him for the balance of our trip!).

Do you think we are lost? Day 3

We awoke to another perfect day - blue, cloudless skies (as it turns out, each day would be the same in this respect). Day 3 was about a 12km walk - scheduled for 4 hours but we blitzed it (less stops for photos perhaps?). Our route ascended very gradually along mainly dirt tracks through plots of wild cherry trees (yum!), through small settlements (where we acquired a stray dog who joined us for about an hour of the walk) and across yet more areas of vineyards (this time rolling terrain, rather than steep terraced hillsides) before ending in the town of Alijo.

For while there we did have some concerns we were lost and the maps and compass out, but as it turned out we were on the right route all the way. Thankfully, this was the only time we felt a bit lost and was a good reminder to pay attention - a tough ask when there was so much to see around you!

Alijo was the largest town we stayed in - in fact the only place that really felt anything like a town. We rewarded ourselves with a glass of chilled red wine and bag of crisps at Martin's Cafe on the way into town (the bill: EUR2.20... cheap cheap!). The afternoon was spent relaxing, complete with a visit to a local wine museum where we tasted the Moscatel aperitif grown from the white grapes through which we had walked that day.

Stuck in traffic - Day 4

Favaios

We got an earlish start this day - with 16kms ahead of us. The first point of interest on the walk was the beautiful nearby village of Favaios. After exploring this cute village we headed out of town before stumbling upon an abandoned Quinta. Exploring the Quinta was quite surreal. A once grand manor house and buildings used on a vineyard, now derelict and overgrown (although still surrounded by a working vineyard).

Abandoned Quinta

We continued our walk passing workers in the vines, tending to the new growth - stopping as we passed to wave, pose for photos and (we think) encourage us to join them to help out!? We resisted the temptation to join them.

We sheltered from the peak heat of the day at a tiny local cafe in the middle of nowhere. The owners produced two chilled handles of red wine - they were enormous (I reckon close to 300mls!) for the grand sum of EUR1 each. Having slowly worked our way through these we set off up hill in the heat - unsure that our lunchtime refreshment would serve us well for the balance of the day!?

It was this day when we met our only fellow walker - and got stuck behind her for a short while. She was a local woman carrying a bottle of water on her head as we assume she made her way from one village to her own.

About 5 hours after setting off we arrived at our destination in the tiny settlement of Vilarinho de Sao Romao (north of Pinhao). Our accommodation that night was once again stunning (http://www.casadevilarinho.com/) - a restored manor house, complete with its own semi-functioning chapel built in 1462. After lounging by the pool and another tasty meal, we slept very soundly indeed.

The big day. Day 5

The walk this day was the toughest - but great fun. We covered 17kms (opting out of an optional transfer) and even though we had an early start, towards the end of the day the temperature was well into the 30s.

Our route took us through Provesende, the oldest settlement in the region and a world heritage site partly due to its abandoned manor houses, testament to its former glory. The church in the centre of the town had incredible gothic interior and music was being played over a PA system across town - our visit coinciding with a festival it seemed.

From here we had steep climb until we reached the highest peak in the region. Up there it was just us and a sole fireman manning the fire watchtower - positioned here to take advantage of 360 degree view of the region. Following a slow and rocky descent through fields of flowering lavender we arrived at Chanceleiros - which would be our home for the next two nights.

By this stage of the week the days were getting incredibly hot. Even the dogs took the opportunity to cool off in the pool before we enjoyed dinner looking out over the Douro river once again.

The taper. Day 6

With the temperature hitting 25 degrees by 9am we were thankful that today's walking constituted a 5km walk down the road followed by a winery visit at one of the Port houses Casa de la Rosa (most well known for its table wines).

Pinhao Station

After exploring Pinhao we also had a memorable visit to Quinta do Panascal (the flagship estate for the Fonseca Port label - part of the Taylors family of wines). Here our visit coincided with a visit by a large Portuguese family event. We were befriended by one of the family and he generously gave us a glass of the 1985 Vintage port he had just purchased for EUR120?! Just one of many examples of the friendly and generous nature of the Portuguese we met along the way. They could not do enough for us.

By the afternoon it was 34 degrees in the shade and thus the only sensible thing to do was relax in the shade by the pool, jumping in to cool off from time to time. The chef decided it was too hot to cook inside, so we were treated to an incredible meal of BBQ meats which we enjoyed on the al fresco terrace under old olive trees. A magic end to the trip.

This holiday will be one of our most memorable in Europe (and I'm not just saying that because I 'organised it'). We would thoroughly recommend the company we booked this through - InnTravel. (http://www.inntravel.co.uk/walking/guides/PO_douro.htm). We will always remember the incredible scenery and views, amazing food and wines, unique and exceptional accomodation, experiencing this rustic region steeped in history - and most of all the friendly and hospitable people we met along the way.

Our trip to Mecca....

2009-05-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

.... well, Mecca for Syrah lovers anyway!

It had been ages since we'd been in France, so we took advantage of a Bank holiday weekend and snuck off to Lyon. Lyon is reputedly France's second largest city - although it didn't feel like it. It is however a foodies' paradise, and snuggled between the bottom of Burgundy and the top of the Rhone Valley it's not a bad spot if you like your red wine. Bonus points were awarded by Michelle (1 per Airmile she racked up on her credit card) for the abundance of boutique designer clothes stores!

Best of all - there isn't actually that much to do in Lyon - so it was a perfect spot to relax and enjoy some time off.

The trip to Hermitage

Out of character for us we did some last minute research on the flight over. This was out of character for Michelle - because it was last minute and also for me, because I was the one doing the reading, something I usually don't get round to until the flight home. Anyway - we discovered that Hermitage - the home of Syrah was just to the south - a short train ride away.

So we jumped on the train one afternoon (with picnic bits fresh from the market) and headed south to Tain d'Hermitage. This small village sits at the base of the of a hill on the edge of the Rhone river - overlooked by the tiny appellation of Hermitage which covers a small steep hill. The hill gets its name from a religious hermit that lived at the top of the hill, hence the small chapel that stands there today. Locals maintain that vines have grown on this hill since 600BC - making the hill one of the oldest vineyards in France - and at just 320 acres - Hermitage must be one of the smallest appellations in France.

We had a fantastic wine tasting at M'Chapoutier (a large commercial estate who own a quarter of Hermitage) and then at a large local Co-op where independent growers on Hermitage and in the surrounding regions supply their grapes. Then... to the disbelief of locals.... with 10 bottles of wine in tow..... we set off for the top of Hermitage hill.....

The mission up the hill was successful and the views out across the Rhone were very cool. Well worth the walk - although the track confirmed that this was not exactly on the tourist route. To lighten the load we enjoyed view at dusk while enjoying a bottle of 2001 Hermitage Syrah from the Coop and the leftovers of our picnic. A random Aussie winemaker dropped by - he'd had also climbed the hill (in jandals - making him crazier than us) as it was his 'Mecca'. [We'll have to visit Geoff at some point... http://www.mcphersonwines.com.au/ ]

Bouchon

The other great thing about Lyon (leaving aside the shopping) is the food. There are great markets, delis and everything else food related. Best of all though are the local 'bouchon'. These great little local restaurants are a real experience - they seem to worship pigs and serve up all sorts of delicious treats - many of which are very tasty - but it pays not to think too hard about what you are eating - I think our entree may have included raw marinated veal... My main was pig's cheek in a casserrole and Michelle had fish pie with crayfish sauce - yum!

All in all - we had a great trip to Lyon. We left well rested, well feed, well watered and very relaxed.

Head over heals in New York!

2009-04-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

We had 4 days to pack in as much of New York as we could over the Easter Break. Michelle had done plenty of research and we ticked off all the main attractions like a well oiled machine (and no, that is not a veiled reference to us over indulging in NY's cocktail bars... although it would have been rude not to dabble in them a bit......)

So here is our 'Best of New York' summary:

Best semi-naked guy - The Naked Cowboy

Best tour - and probably the highlight of our time in NY was a walking tour we did, run by the WTC Tribute Visitors Center. The tour took us around ground zero and to key sites in the surrounding area. What made this tour so incredible was that the volunteers who led it were both directly involved in the events at WTC on 9/11. We heard about WTC before it was destroyed, the events of that day, what they saw, what they did, what they felt and experienced and how it has affected them. The most moving moment was when one of the tour leaders, a survivor from the South Tour explained what she experienced, the confusion of the day and how she just made it out of the building before the second plane hit - something 175 other people in the business she worked for did not.

Best restaurant - has to go to Peter Luger Steakhouse. This place is like The Sopranos meets Cheers - predominantly Italian American male waiters hurry round the restaurant, while cool friendly barmen tend to the crowd waiting at the bar for a table. You really don't need the menu - it is basically steak for 2, steak for 3, or steak for 4. A beautiful meal and a great experience. Michelle fell head over heals in love with the place (see below). A close second goes to Il Bagato - a busy neighbourhood Italian restaurant - I still can't get the mushroom fettuccine I had here out of my mind.
Best fall - Goes to....... Michelle for her grand entrance to the restaurant at Peter Lugar Steakhouse. There was legs and arms flying not to mention spilt wine and a broken wine glass. It sent the little male waiters into a flurry of activity and before she knew what had happened she was surrounded by at least 6 or 7 of them checking she was ok, replacing and refilling her wine glass and dusting her off. Fortunately the only damage to Michelle was dented pride and we went on to have a great meal (with complementary wine - a tactic to mitigate the risk of being sued we think?).

Best shopper - No prizes for guessing here - Michelle but the credit card did get off more lightly than I had feared it would.

Best cocktail bar - Flatiron Lounge (http://www.flatironlounge.com/) - a trendy art deco cocktail bar, smooth barmen, dark cosy interior and sublime cocktails. We only had time for one - but would definitely go back if we ever find ourselves in NY again.

Best architecture - The grand old and new skyscrapers of NY are incredible and give this city a feel quite different to any other city we have visited and is in stark contrast to London's skyline. Our favourite buildings were the Chrysler Building with its external detail, the Flatiron Building for its 'bow like' appearance and for being one of the first 'skyscrapers', although it is now dwarfed by the buildings around it and finally Grand Central Terminal - a very grand railway station indeed.

Best band - The Blue of Vipers of Brooklyn (you can check them out on Youtube - and see them below). This was one of the bands we stumbled on while exploring Central Park on our final beautiful sunny day. Complete with a 'wash board' percussionist these guys were great to listen to as we took some time to relax, soak up the sun and enjoy the surroundings.

Best gallery - To be fair, we only did one, but this prize goes to MoMA - the modern arts gallery. A great gallery with something for everyone - sculptures, photos, modern industrial design and art, including by the likes of Van Gough, Matisse and Picasso. The building itself is quite incredible inside - very open and it provided a great shelter from our one day of rain in NY.

Best queue: New York must be the city of queues. You queue for everything - especially tickets. security and Starbucks (although we got reasonably lucky in this respect). It was not uncommon to see a queue stretching right around block. Best queue award goes to the queue to MoMA which stretched for blocks on Friday evening when entry is free from 4pm.

Best view - There were a few - from the Statute of Liberty, from the Empire State Building, from the Brooklyn Bridge, from Central Park - but the winner is New York city by night as viewed from the Rockerfeller Center Tower. We took in this view from the 'Top of the Rock' 70th story viewing platform. If we had our time again (and had plenty of cash to spend) we might have considered taking in a similar view from the Rainbow Lounge a cocktail bar, also located high up in the Rockerfeller Center Tower.

New Zealand

2009-04-25T09:45:00.001-07:00

Krakow Days

2009-04-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

The second instalment of our Eastern European foray took place in February with a 3 day trip to Krakow.

After a 15 minute intensive Polish lesson by our crazy taxi driver, we arrived just in time for a coffee from our host (Magdalina - at http://www.crackowdays.com/, a fantastic B'n'B) and then to be bundled off on a tour of the salt mines.

We had heard quite good things about the salt mines - miles and miles of tunnels carved deep under the ground, interspersed with the odd chapel, lake, carved statutes - all apparently carved by the highly religious miners over the years. The mine goes down some 330m, but on the tour you get to about 135m - that's still quite a few steps! The salt mines were ok - but we far preferred the more rustic type of mine tour experience we had in Bolivia! (http://rossandmichelleontour.blogspot.com/2006/11/death-road-dynamite-and-deserts.html)

Chapel carved underground in the salt mines

Day 2 was largely spent on a tour of the Death Camps located not far from Krakow - Auschwitz and Birkenau. This was an incredible experience and something we are unlikely to ever forget. I had not appreciated the scale or nature of the atrocities carried out here - the harvesting of human hair for use in textiles, the fact that most people arrived with the belief that they were being relocated to a new life, but were put straight in gas chambers and killed. Those selected to live were housed in appalling conditions and usually worked to death.

The famous gates to Auschwitz - 'Work sets you free'

Auschwitz buildings in the snow

It was also interesting to understand why the camps were built where they were - essentially because the location was fairly central in the then occupied German territories, had an established rail network (allowing for the easy mass movement of people) and was an industrial area so prisoners could be put to work in factories.

Auschwitz was an old army barracks and so the multi-storied brick buildings were originally built for the Polish army and were not what I had visualised a concentration camp would look like. The nearby Birkenau (built as a death and concentration camp when it became apparent that Auschwitz was too small) however did match the 'Great Escape' or Hogan's Heroes depiction of a camp - rows of stable like wooden huts.

Birkenau - the chimneys are all that remain of wooden huts

The most airy moment for me remains standing in a gas chamber at Auschwitz into which new arrivals at the camp were put under the pretense that they would be showered there (hence false shower heads on the walls). Instead they were gassed and burnt in furnaces located in an adjacent room. As I stood there, I looked up to see that I was standing directly under one of the small holes in the ceiling through which the gas producing chemicals were dropped and for a moment a sense of the horror that 1000s before me must have felt as they stood there naked to see something being dropped into the room above them.

Birkenau - brick huts for women in the background

The balance of our time was spent exploring the historic centre of Krakow, Wawel Hill (with the Castle), a few of its (literally) 100s of churches, shopping (lots of great wooden toys!) and eating dumplings (more on them below).

We had a couple of great eating experiences - so cheap! Top marks go to the dumplings (pierogi) - they are sooooo good! Filled with meats, vegetables, cheese - steamed and serviced with a light sauce kinda like soya sauce. As with Prague, we were impressed with the range and quality of restaurants on offer. The pick for us was probably a place called Nostalgia - food was quite local and very good - a big hunk of pork for me and half a duck for Mich!

A great weekend to mark the end of this little Eastern European spell.

Exploring Prague

2009-03-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

View of Prague from Petrin Hill

The start of 2009 marked a brief flurry of forays into Eastern Europe for us - a chance to see this great part of the world in the midst of the Winter, while saving other travel destinations until the Summer months!

At Prague Castle

Our hotel was right in the middle of Prague and provided a great base for exploring this beautiful city, all of which we could explore by foot. We easily filled a weekend, spending time exploring Prague Castle on the hill overlooking the city, taking in the most animated changing of the guard ceremony we had ever seen (with trumpeters popping out the window of the castle), walking through a nearby icy hillside park which offered panoramic views of the city, passing the time in small smoky beer halls enjoying a Pilsner Urquell with the locals, waiting for the cheesy 'astronomical' clock (complete with little figures which pop out on the hour) and meandering around the small cobblestoned streets.

Changing of the guard - note the band in windows to right

View of the river at dusk from the Charles Bridge

Prague was once a stag capital, but we saw little of this. For us it was a city filled with beautiful buildings, squares, statues and bars, restaurants and cafes everywhere. We had an incredible meal at Monarch (www.monarch.cz) a French, come Spanish, come Italian restaurant with a huge wine list and a great sommilier who was happy to recommend a great wine and a smooth cigar to follow the meal - just one example of what a cosmopolitan city this is. We had a fantastic relaxing time here - just what we felt like after a fairly busy start to the year.

Funky interior design in the tube station

Gargoyle in action during a brief shower of rain

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

2009-03-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

(For you non-Spanish speakers, that's Spanish for 'Happy New Year')

The bags were hardly unpacked from our Christmas holiday when time came to repack them - the destination this time Seville and then Granada for a few days each with travel buddies Andrew and Sel.

Our hotel in Seville was located in the heart of the old town and it was a great base for the next couple of days which were spent exploring this beautiful place. The cobbled streets are lined with orange trees which gave the sense of a warm summer town - notwithstanding the fact it was the middle of winter!

The main attraction in Seville is the Alcazar - a fortress palace and reputedly the best example of Moorish architecture outside of the Alhambra (see below). While the building is beautiful, the highlight for us here was exploring the huge garden grounds which are filled with ponds and fountains - symbols of power and wealth in this dry southern Spanish environment. On the sightseeing front we also ticked off the bullring - although unfortunately there are no bullfights at this time of the year, so we had to settle for a tour instead.

Grounds of the Alcazar

Fountain at Alcazar

A local at their window in Seville

We also celebrated New Year in Seville. We had an interesting night - our expectation of lively bars and parties in the streets was not quite met - it seems the Spanish tend to spend New Year with their families and as a result most bars were shut. We did manage to settle in with some locals in a small bar by the river - complete with an ancient free pouring barman!!! We managed to find a restaurant for the countdown - and in Spanish tradition marked the New Year with grape filled mouths and cries of 'Feliz Ano Nuevo'.

Mich, Sel, Andrew and Malaga Virgin

We embraced the tapas culture and enjoyed the odd tipple of the local sherry - the Malaga Virgin proving particularly easy to drink! One afternoon Michelle and I were befriended by a local couple in a tapas bar and passed the time exchanging tapas and buying each other drinks while trying to converse in pigeon English/Spanish!

Typical Tapas Bar - Hams lining the roof

Our new friends......

From Seville we went by train to Granada (2 hours). In Granada we were again located in the heart of the old town, this time in a beautiful old house converted to a B&B.

On the hills over Granada
Cave homes in foreground, Alhambra in the distance

Pomegranate - the symbol of Granada

We enjoyed the next two days exploring the steep cobbled streets of Granada. In some ways it was similar to Seville but overlaid with a more diverse cultures - the influence of Gypsies who lived in homes built in caves on the surrounding hills still evident as well as a Moroccan influence with shisha bars, lots of mosaics and Moorish influence. For us - Granada was the pick of the two cities.

Me!

The main attraction in Granada is the Alhambra - Spain's most visited attraction, and rightly so in our opinion. The Alhambra is a complex of buildings located on a hill overlooking Granada. It started life in the 11th Century and was home to various rulers over the years that followed. In around 1830 Washington Irving stayed there and wrote about his experiences -following which the Alhambra had cemented its reputation as a must see attraction.

Fountain - Alhambra

Alhambra

Our 5 hours here flew by, exploring the main building attraction (the Palacios Nazaries), the impressive Palacio de Carlos V (which was built later) and the incredible gardens, ponds and fountains - particularly those which surrounded the Summer Palace.

Palacios Nazaries - Pond

Palacios de Carlos V

Palacios Nazaries - Fountain

There were lots of great eating experiences and nights spent in wine and tapas bars. We had a very relaxed time exploring these cities, and while due to the time of the year we did not get the benefit of the Spanish summer, we also avoided the crowds of tourists which would pack the streets in the warmer months. It was great holiday - with a nice mix of tourist sights and relaxing with friends.

Grounds of the Summer Palace

A not so white Christmas.....

2009-03-01T04:13:00.000-08:00

It has been a fairly busy start to the year and we are a bit behind on the Blog. Here are a few words and pics from our holiday in the North of Scotland over Christmas.

Sky reflecting on Loch in Bonar Bridge

Unsure of whether we would have our passports back from the Home Office, we decided a domestic holiday for Christmas would be a good move. We were keen to explore the far north of Scotland so booked flights to Inverness and started planning the trip. We quickly discovered that not many other people travel to the North of Scotland in the depth of winter and as a result pretty much everything up that way was shut (including accommodation) making a road trip somewhat problematic. Plan B - hire a cottage on the coast and hunker down with friends, a few bottles of wine, lots of food and a fireplace for a few days.

Dena, Shane and Mich in front of MacKay's Cottage

We had five days in Durness - a small village on the northern coast of Scotland - population 353 (or 358 including us). Durness comprises 2 stores, a petrol station, a restaurant, a beach (award winning) and a pub. With the important exception of the pub, all of which were shut for the duration of our stay.

Durness' Award Winning Beach - there is no disputing it

Days were spent sleeping in, playing board games, eating, drinking and reading. We occasionally ventured out to explore the coast - including the award winning beach and the nearby Smoo Cave. While the days were short (with darkness falling around 3-4 in the afternoon) it was surprisingly mild and snow was never on the cards for us. Nights were spent - hmm.... doing the same really.

Exploring the coast

Christmas Day was marked by a visit from Santa and lots of laughter as we shared our Secret Santa presents with each other. We ate (and drank) even more than usual to mark the occasion with a beautiful roast of lamb and chicken served up in the evening (just 5 hours later than originally planned). Topped off with charades it was an action packed day.

Santa!

Shane's present for Pubs and Pub's present for Shane - a strange conicidence?

We also explored the pub and befriended the locals (especially Shifty - a local labourer and drummer in the band which played Boxing Day night). We soon learned that one could byy a beer for someone even when they has one on the go - with the Barmaid simply noting that there was 'one in the pipes' for you.

Shane with one in his pipes

The drive back to Inverness was picturesque. We took the scenic route back down the west coast including a detours along coastal lanes as we went. As we drove south the temperature dropped considerably - minus 5-6 degrees celsius and completely frozen landscapes in places.

A lonely sheep on the Scottish West coast

Reflection on a little pond

We had a fantastic experience and enjoyed lots and laughs with good friends for this orphan's Christmas.

A frozen landscape

The day London turned white!

2009-02-02T11:38:00.000-08:00

So its been a while since our last post (Scotland, Seville and Grenada and Prague still to come......) but today London was white with snow! In true London fashion, everything shut down and so we were treated to a day at home. Although some of the day was spent working - we did find time to get outside before hunkering down in a pub to shelter with the locals.....

Here are some pics from around the neighbourhood.....

View from the kitchen window at 6:15 a.m.
A good day to stay in bed?

View of the neighbour's backyard.... BBQ anyone?

That's ice!!

Finborough Rd - once they'd cleared it

Bromptom Cemetery - Angels

Bromptom Cemetery - Angels

Mich and her little friend -
to be fair she only had a minute to make him......

Mich with someone else's friend.....
bigger - but not as fasionable.

Berlin by foot

2008-11-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

After a late night arrival we woke on a cool clear morning in Berlin with two days ahead to explore this historic city. There are so many ways to explore Berlin by bike, by hot air balloon, in convoy in little cold war era cars - or by foot. We kept it simple and spent most of the day on a walking tour.

The tour was lead by a German born history student and was a great way to see the city's main sites, get a historical perspective as well as hear some of the more comical trivia associated with the city. Highlights of the tour were:

The site of Hitler's Bunker - notable by the absence of anything significant marking it due to a desire to ensure it does not become a place of piligrimage for Neo-Nazis.

The Nazi Air Ministry - a huge building built by the Nazis despite the agreement for Germany not to rebuild its airforce after WW1 and the site of an uprising by the workers in the cold war era.

Unter der Linden - the tree lined boulevard and home to many historic buildings.

The Brandenburg Gate - the iconic symbol of Berlin.

The Memorial to the Jews murdered in the Holocast.

Other memorials, including an empty underground library in Bebelplatz with enough shelves to hold 30,000 books - symbolic of the Nazi book burning that occurred here.

Checkpoint Charlie - sight of many ambitious escapes during the cold war era.

Into the tube system, closed off to East Berliners during the cold war era but which still ran under East Berlin enabling West Berliners to travel to/from work on lines that crossed into East Berlin.

After the tour we returned to the Topography of Terror - an open air museum on the site of the SS and Gestapo headquarters which features many photos and descriptions of some of the atrocities of the war. The photo that sticks in our mind is of 3 Jews on their knees infront of a shallow grave they had dug. Nazis stand behind them with pistols to the Jews heads and others watch in the background - one of the Nazi executioners is clearly laughing at what is about to happen. Incredible to think that such things could happen in such recent history.

After a long day on our feet we enjoyed a beautiful meal at Lutter & Wegner Gendarmenmarkt - an old restaurant featuring Austrian cuisine and the place where German sparkling wine (sekt) is said to have been invented. Great food, an extensive wine list and a great ambience made for a very enjoyable evening.

Day 2 was a little less action packed. More walking - this time exploring some antique markets, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche - the tower ruins which are now a memorial to the war and finally the Jewish Museum - which explores the persicution of Jews throughout history.

Packing the sites of a city like Berlin into 2 days was a challenge, but we enjoyed our time here and felt like we left with a better understanding of Germany's history, the wars and life under Soviet rule in the cold war era.

The Gooners Day Out

2008-10-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

One of the plans for 2008 (and in keeping with our new found Britishness), we have decided to get into the football scene a bit more.

Thanks to some gentle encouragement from Crumpy and with the added attraction of their young star Cesc Fabregas we have become Arsenal fans - or 'Gooners'. So what better way to kick off our football watching season with a trip to Emirates Stadium to see the Gunners play Everton.

Aided by a detailed plan of attack (thanks Crumpy) we hit the day in true Gooner style. Here is a brief summary:

Step 1: Arrive, locate Arsenal merchandise store, be marvelled by wide array of Arsenal branded stuff (chocolate, wallpaper, toasters, undies, baby clothes ... you get the picture), acquire matching his and hers Arsenal scarves and leave with wallet a little lighter.

Step 2: Now looking like Gooners (scarves doned), head straight for the Arsenal Tavern to enjoy pre-match drink with your fellow Gooners. Note: warning to woman a) not many Gooneresses seem to frequent the Arsenal Tavern and b) the white house wine tastes like 'cat pee' (so bad Michelle didn't finish her glass - so that tells you something).

Step 3: Arrive Emirates Stadium, stand infront of large stadium sign with scarve over head looking ridiculous while you get the obligatory photo above:

Step 4: Find seats, watch game and soak up the clever Gooner chants, some of our favourites listed below (click links if you too want to hear the magic and wit that is the Gooners in full song):

'Stand up if you hate Tottenham' (http://www.fanchants.com/football-songs/arsenal-chants/stand-up-if-you-hate-7/)
'We've got Cesc Fabregas' (http://www.fanchants.com/football-songs/arsenal-chants/weve-got-cesc-fabregas/)
'Oooh to be a Gooner' (http://www.fanchants.com/football-songs/arsenal-chants/oooh-to-be-a-gooner/)
'Are you Tottenham in disguise' (http://www.fanchants.com/football-songs/arsenal-chants/are-you-tottenham-disguise/)

Step 5: Relish the 3-1 victory over Everton and celebrate with a very greasy bag of hot chips liberally doused in salt and vingar cos a Gooner wouldn't have it any other way.

Sardinia -

2008-10-12T02:23:00.000-07:00

Michelle in a new job and me having been flat out at work - a week in Sardinia could not have come at a better time. London days getting shorter and nights getting colder - a bit of time relaxing in the sun is just what the doctor ordered!

Cala Ganone

We flew into Cagliari (in the South of the island), picked up a car and headed north to Cala Gonone which sits on the east coast about halfway up the island. In the 1930s this fishing village was popular with Italian society people and slowly has developed into a tourist spot, but retains a 'village' feel. We had arrived at the start of the low-season - so it had a fairly sleepy feel to it - a perfect spot to recharge our batteries.

The focus of the first two days was on diving. It was great to be back in the water - especially the crystal clear waters of the Orosei Gulf. The real highlight of the diving was the KT12 wreck. This WWII German transport ship was sunk by a British sub and sits upright in the sand in 30m of water. With visibility of over 20ms the wreck looms out of the blue as you descend down to it. To its side are trucks (it cargo) sitting on their side half buried in sand. We swum around the wreck - and into some of the more open parts of the boat. The boat is in great condition and it was a real experience to dive on this little piece of history. Words don't do justice to describing this experience. Here is a link to someone's video of diving the same wreck for those who want to see more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB4aGvVu0i0

Cala Mariolu

Along the coast north and south of Cala Gonone are limestone cliffs which are dotted with caves, beautiful coves and white sandy beaches. So, for the next couple of days we spent a bit of time exploring these - in search of a nice spot in the sun to read a book.

View from room

Villasimius

The second half of the week we drove back south and out to the coast to Villasimius - a slightly more 'resorty' area of Sardinia.

We were again lucky with the weather, so it was time for more of the same here (less the diving). The nearest beach to us was nice, but full of guys trying to sell stuff. Fortunately, unlike Cala Ganone where the beaches could typically only be reached by boat, the beaches around Villasimius were accessible by car. So a short drive up the coast was rewarded with a nicer beach and freedom from the hawkers.

Through the holiday we were treated to incredible food. There was an emphasis on seafood - with mussel and clam pastas and scampi and red cabbage pasta being two of our favourites! The pastas were simple but tasty.

Hummingbird

Sardinia is also famous for its suckling pig. This must be ordered ahead of time - so on our last night we asked our hotel to help us with this (English is not widely spoken in Sardinia). We were in for a fairly authentic experience.... the restaurant they sent us to was out of town near an industrial estate. We asked for a taxi to take us there - and when it arrived it was driven by a young Italian girl and in the passenger seat was another woman and a baby. When we arrived at the restaurant we were relieved to see another car in the carpark - but slightly confused when the 'taxi' would not accept any money. Fair enough we thought - perhaps we pay on the way home? Inside it was just us and two other tables. After some incredible antipasti the main dish was served - beautiful crisp, lean spit roasted suckling pig. It was melt in the mouth - Yum! After dinner - bloated with pork, we asked for a taxi to take us home. The chef nodded - pointed to himself and we were soon being driven home by him. Turned out our 'taxi' out there had been his daughter picking us up?! Again payment was politely refused - seemingly all part of the service as this small family run restaurant?!

You are what you eat - a couple of piggies

The wine in Sardinia was very nice too. The whites were Vermintino (a nice crisp white to be enjoyed in the sun at lunch!) and the reds mainly either Cannonau or Carigano - the latter being our preference. It is generally very cheap to buy - but the most famous Sardinian wines can get very expensive - up to 300 euro for a bottle of its most famous called Turriga.

We had a fantastic trip and came back thoroughly rested and relaxed. We really love travel in Italy and it has cemented itself as our favourite holiday destination.

Best of Britain

2008-09-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well, its coming up to our 2 year anniversary in London, so we decided it was about time we unleashed the 'Britishness' that has slowly been developing within us. What better place to come out than 'Proms in the Park' - a true British traditional experience of singing and flag waving in Hyde Park.

In an unusual turn of events (befitting the unusual nature of the evening), London delivered a cracking evening, a rare event this summer - so the scene was set for a great night in the park. An added bonus and another fortunate twist of fate was that Uncle Bruce, a finely tuned singing machine, was in town... so conditions were therefore perfect as we lined up with 39,997 others in orderly fashion - being British, we would have it no other way.

Before we knew it, we were in - and as we popped our bubbles and poured ourselves a glass each, we were informed by friends that we had met up with, that unbeknownst to us, this was in fact a 'no glass event'. Despite much security, cueing and bag checking at the gate - our various glass objects had made it through..... very British... lots of fuss, but, fortunately for us, no real substance.

Its fair to say we all went into this night knowing very little about what we should expect. The real Proms were going on in the Royal Albert Hall nearby - the orchestra and singers performing for the well to do for the final time this year. And then there was us, and our 39,997 friends, spread out in Hyde Park soaking up the sultry tones of Bjorn Again - the world famous Abba revival band. Bruce showed initial promise here, and for a moment I thought we might have dance moves displayed, but in the end we settled for simple, but effective, flag waving - the Union Jack of course.

That is something not yet covered - you are no one at Proms in the Park unless you have a flag. Fortunately we had twigged to this and shrewdly purchased 2 Union Jacks on our way in. We therefore fitted in perfectly -however it did result in us being disowned by the kiwi friends we had met up with...... a small price to pay in the wider context of our display of British nationalism.

The night was characterised by good nibbles, nice wine (albeit contraband), great company and a significant amount of flag waving. The highlight for us all was the last half hour, where the traditional side of the Proms comes through. Flags waving and the crowd standing, we joined in and sung British classics such as Rule Britannia, Jerusalem, Auld Lang Syne and of course the National Anthem. Happy, happy times - and a defining moment in our British adventure.

In all seriousness, we had a great night - and it was great to be part of this tradition, which I gather has been going on for over 110 years now.........

Lake Como - Clooney country

2008-09-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

With the non-existent summer drawing to an end in London - it was time for a dose of vitamin E before heading into Autumn. We arrived into Milan late on Friday night and with a slight sense of trepidation set off in our little rental, armed with TomTom, to the small village of Lezzeno on the shores of Lake Como in the north of Italy.

Apart from the obvious (the lake) Lake Como is probably best known for being host to George Clooney who has a house there. Ever since his arrival it has been a popular destination for woman to spend weekends Clooney spotting. Usually this activity is a woman only sport - but Michelle and Sel were kind enough to let Andrew and I tag along.

After a number of 'turn lefts', which were actually requests for me to 'turn right', we arrived at our destination. Despite the narrow winding roads which twist around the lakeside and through villages with old Italian houses forming the curb on either side of the road, a quick check revealed that we had managed to retain both wing mirrors - success!

Day 1 - on the set of Star Wars.............

We woke the next day - opened the curtains and stepped onto our small balcony. It looked across the lake which is surrounded by step mountains. It was a beautiful day, without a cloud in the sky, and we knew we were in for a great couple of days.

The view

As you know, we are of course huge sci-fi fanatics, so the other big draw card at Lake Como was Villa del Balbianello - which of course provided the backdrop of scenes in Star Wars Episode II. After a nice hard boiled egg (thanks Andrew), we ran to catch a boat across to Lenno, home to the villa. The vlla was built in 1787 by a Cardinal from Milan - he sounds like a bit of a dodgy guy, as he built a hidden passage from his dressing room and into the guest room.... hmm. Anyway - the villa changed hands a number of times - before its final owner, a famous Italian explorer purchased it. Following his death it was bequeathed to the State and it is now open to the public to explore its garden and tour the rooms of the villa, which are filled with furniture and collectibles he purchased at auction and on his travels. Although the prospect of looking around a garden didn't really light our fires before we arrived here, it was an interesting spot and garden and villa were pretty incredible.

Villa del Balbianello

After a short spell spent rehydrating with a cold beer in the sun, we again jumped on a boat - this time to Bellagio - the main tourist town on Lake Como. Bellagio is filled with cafes and restaurants, art and craft shops and the other sorts of things you would expect in such a place. It was fairly pretty and an easy place to kill a few hours wandering round.

Dinner on the balcony

Dinner was to be had at a restaurant near Bellagio. After a 20 minute walk we stumbled upon it - sitting on the water's edge in a quiet village it looked like the perfect spot for dinner. Unfortunately, while you could not fault the vista from the restaurant - the staff were probably the rudest we had ever encountered. We didn't let this get us down though and before long we had given up trying to befriend them and decided to enjoy and be bewildered by their complete lack of interest in making our time there enjoyable. The food was pretty good though - and we embraced our outdoor lakeside location by trying fish from the lake in all shapes and forms - big ones, small ones, salted, dried, fried, grilled... you name it.

Day two - The paddle-steamer

We awoke again to another beautiful day and set off across the lake again - this time on a genuine paddle-steamer. Andrew and I were clearly showing too much interest the the inner workings of the ship and before long we had been invited down a small ladder into the bowels of the ship and into the heart of the engine. It was scorching down there, with four jets of fire providing the heat to keep the boat steaming along. The crew can't see what is going on above, but the captain provides instructions via a brass listening funnel. After a few photos and time spent with our new friend, we rejoined the rest of the passengers and relayed our experience over a freshly brewed coffee. I guess this was the historic equivalent of being invited to sit with the captain on a 747 nowadays.

After a brief stop in another of the lakeside villages we headed to Varenna - in search of a picnic lunch. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as it turned out), we couldn't pull together a picnic - so ended up at a lakeside restaurant (Milug Bar?). We had a fantastic meal here, washed down with a glass of local white wine - Yum! Varenna was a really pretty little village - probably our favourite of the villages we visited.

Varenna

The afternoon was spent lazing on our sun deck down by the lake. The locals were wake boarding and skiing and it was very reminiscent of summer afternoons up at the lakes in the old days in NZ. While we didn't try our hand at skiing, we did manage a couple of swims in between sunbathing, and the water, although crisp on entry was beautiful once you were in. After a few drinks we enjoyed dinner at our hotel restaurant (again overlooking the lake).

The sun deck, with restaurant and hotel in background

Day 3 - a lakeside picnic

Our last day, so we set off for Milan but with a stop in Como - the main town of the lake. Unfortunately most of the shops were shut, but we did some window shopping and managed to find a supermarket to get some stuff for a lakeside picnic. We found a nice spot on a ledge by the lake and with the company of the nearby local drunks, enjoyed our snacks in the sun. We had a slight incident when the lake decided to join us (due to the wake of a passing boat), but fortunately the sun dried us out in no time!

We managed to get back to Milan without incident and this trip reinforced Italy's status as a favourite travel destination for us.

Tour de Bourgogne

2008-08-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the Tour de France, we decided it was time that we also got a bit revolutionary and did some peddle pushing ourselves. So as the Tour de France was finishing in Paris, we were setting off on a short cycling circuit through the vineyards of Burgundy. I appreciate we are perhaps in a different league to the real Tour de France - but you have to start somewhere right?

The destination for our latest holiday was Beaune a small town in the heart of Burgundy's wine country about 20 mins south of Dijon. So after a nice journey from London by train we were all set for what would prove to be 4 very relaxed days filled with shopping, wine, food and relaxation.

It didn't take us long to work out that in Beaune they are big on wine. Shortly after arriving we were sitting down to a 5 course dinner matched to wines. The restaurant had over 70 wines available by the glass (http://www.bernard-loiseau.com/). For us the food was the highlight here though - two standouts being the truffle and asparagus and an incredible dessert - complete with local sparkling wine poured over it at the table. Yum!

Saturday morning in Beaune is market day - so it was a great chance for us to explore the village properly. The food market was very good - lots of colour - fresh fruits, vegies, cheeses, meat and sweets. Something we hadn't seen as much of elsewhere were stalls with giant spit roasters loaded with whole chickens, small pigs and even rabbit. It all looked soooo good! You would think you were in heaven if you managed to stumble on one of these on your way home from a big night out!?

We also managed to do a bit of shopping picking up a bargain vintage coffee grinder (yes - another one) and a very cool vintage Champagne ice bucket (perhaps a belated travel momento from our trip to Champagne).

Continuing the theme from the night before, the afternoon was spent in a nearby Chateau - Domaine Senard (http://www.domainesenard.com/english/premiere.html) with a three course lunch matched with 8 wines... that's our kinda approach to wine and food matching!? With a fierce thunderstorm raging outside we were treated to a great introduction to the local wines - the whites Chardonnays and reds Pinot Noirs. The evening was spent sitting outside enjoying a balmy Beaune evening.

Sunday - time to get on our bikes. We used a local hire company who were great and lined up a couple of routes for us to cycle round (http://www.detours-in-france.com/). We chose one which went out to the north of Beaune and took us to 5 small villages nearby - including Savigny le Beanue (most famous for its reds) and Aloxe Corton (where we had been the day before). We had a great day cycling along small lanes surrounded by green vines between the villages. The fields of vines were occasionally broken up by spectacular fields of sunflowers in full flower - an amazing sight. Of course the Tour de Bourgogne would not be complete without a spot of wine tasting and so that took us to Chateau l'Ange Gardien (http://chateau-langegardien.com/).

We had a great time here - with Pierre the owner taking us through his whole range - 4 whites, 5 reds, 2 sparkling wines and his cassis. The champagne cocktail - Kir Royale originated in Burgundy, so Pierre also insisted we try one of his here before we left - very nice. He was a great salesman - with claims that each of the wines had some spurious magical qualities which ranged from them being slimming to another which was said to be an aphrodisiac. His wines are made for aging (40 years for the reds) and his whites included an 'Aligote' which is a white variety almost wiped out by phylloxera. Having finished this - we took a break and sat in the sun and enjoyed a picnic in the grounds of the Chateau.

Our time here wasn't all about wine though - so while in Beaune we also checked out the other main tourist attraction of the town - the Hotel-Dieu des Hospices de Beaune. This grand Gothic building was originally built to provide care and shelter to the sick and impoverished. Given its purpose it seems ironic so much was spent building this ornate place, but the building and its colourful tiled roof (common throughout Burgundy) is quite a sight.

After 4 days it was time to pack up our shopping, wine and things and hop back on the train to the hustle and bustle of London. Beaune was very pretty place and we could easily spent a few more days cycling around the region if we had the time. Perhaps we will make it back here some day - fingers crossed.

Random wedding - French bride in hot pink wedding dress - different

A week of sporting firsts

2008-06-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a week of London sporting firsts......

Wimbledon

On Tuesday I was fortunate enough to go to Wimbledon entertaining clients. It was all very flash - a corporate suite for the day and tickets to great seats on Centre Court. We saw 3 games - Venus Williams, Raffa Nadal and Andrew Murray. Andrew Murray was a crowd favourite (being a local) and his match was the best of the day.

Here is a pic of the Murray game....

Lord's Cricket Ground

Thankfully the sun shone on Saturday and we headed off to Lord's to see the final 1 dayer between the Kiwis and England.

The Kiwis played well and smashed plenty of boundaries - including 1 six that landed right up in the upper tier of the Grand Stand next to where we were sitting - incredible. We had great seats looking down over the ground fairly square of the wicket. We were in the 'Debenture holders' area - so we also had use of the facilities for box holders etc... no lining up for beers or toilets with the common folk down below?!

It was a fairly convincing win for the Kiwis after the English got a fairly good start - but couldn't maintain the momentum. More pics below:

How big is Oram?

One for Ma and Pa - the weather vane

Another 4 for Oram

Lunch in the sun.... the Kiwi contingent

Strange sights in Barcelona

2008-06-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Before we get into our impressions of Barcelona, I have a question for you. Take a close look at this picture and see if you can spot what's wrong with it:

Using Michelle's birthday as an excuse for a holiday, we headed off to Barcelona for a 4 day weekend. It was our first trip to Spain and it was a country that we had both really been looking forward to visiting. Barcelona was great introduction and we enjoyed a very relaxing few days there. Here are are some of our reflections.

Gaudi's Barcelona

To be honest I hadn't really heard of Gaudi before I found myself visiting one of the many buildings he designed in Barcelona - 'Casa Batllo'. To be fair, I don't know much about most of the places we visit before I get there - but fortunately Michelle is all over it.

Anyway - Casa Batllo was probably the highlight of the trip for us. Designed at the turn of last century for a wealthy Catalonian family, it is bizarre, beautiful, modern, functional, lavish and incredibly kooky. A 'sea' theme runs throughout the building, so there are many curves, swirls and blues - it is said there are no straight lines in the building.

The house and its architecture looks very modern - even though it is now over 100 years after it was built. Many of the imaginative features are not just aesthetic but also have a real functional purpose. For example - strange hoods on the roof top terrace that form part of the dragon's body (yes - the roof looks like a dragon), also have the functional purpose of shielding the chimneys to ensure greater airflow. It is hard to describe - you have to see it for yourself to really appreciate it.

(Right - the fireplace, together with a double seat and single seat in the alcove either side of it - the double for a couple, the single for their chaperon).

Below: Casa Batllo from the outside - known by locals as the 'The house of bones' due to the balconies, said to represent the skulls of the dragon's prey.

There are many other Gaudi attractions in Barcelona and we also visited some of these:

La Pedrera - An apartment block which was the last of Gaudi's civil works. It is probably his most famous building and was worth visiting, but for us, although it was impressive and again, very unusual and unique, it was slightly more conservative and therefore not as interesting as Casa Battlo.

Chimneys at La Pedrera

La Sagrada Familia - A temple, the construction of which started over 100 years ago and is still very much a work in progress now. Gaudi spent the final 40 years of his life working on this incredible structure.

Its facades are incredible and in Gaudi style, nature pervades every aspect. The huge columns in the temple look like great kauri trees, with branches forking out at the very top to support the roof (yet to be built). You could also take a lift to the top, and wind your way back down a very narrow, spiralling stone staircase similar to a snails shell.

Parc Guell (Gaudi's Park) - a public park which Gaudi designed. It features a huge public area surrounded by a curving mosaic bench. This overlooks two Hansel and Grettel like gate houses, and is supported by a forest of stone columns underneath. The mosaic work here, like in Gaudi's other works, are a bright mishmash of colours. A mosaic lizard guards the park. A great spot - and we were fortunate to see it on a beautiful sunny day.

Gaudi's legacy is apparent all over Barcelona and although I've never been huge on architecture, it clear that he was a real innovator and a key part of the modernist design movement.

We also saw some other incredible buildings (not Gaudi's) - a large Cathedral with an open cloister complete with pond and white geese. We also visited the Palace of Catalan Music - a building surrounded by glass designed by one of Gaudi's contemporaries and which was intended to look like a flowery fantasy land inside.

Lively La Ramblas

La Ramblas is a long pedestrian avenue and is said to be one of the liveliest streets in Spain. It is full day and night with an incredible array of street performers.

Nowhere have we been and seen such an array of painted people eager for you to have your photo taken with them - warriors, guys sitting on toilets, monkeys in cages, people on bikes, cowboys, indians, fruit stands, tango dancers, creatures reminiscent of Lord of the Rings - you name it. Elsewhere in the city talented bands and buskers are scattered around squares and small courtyards - it is a city with a real buzz.

There are also a series of markets here including a pet market. At the pet market you could buy almost any small fluffy animal you care to think of - rabbits, mice, rat, Guinea pigs, gerbils, stoats, hamsters... and birds and frogs and turtles and iguanas and fish...

Just off La Ramblas was a large market area with fruit, vegie, meat and deli food and the most impressive seafood market we have ever stumbled upon. There were things in the seafood market I had never seen before and have no idea what they were. The fish was beautifully presented and looked like it was fresh from the sea. It was an amazing place and I could have wandered around here for hours and hours. Below is a fish market photo - but for those who get as fascinated as I do by fish markets I have attached a few more fish/seafood pics at the end.... extra for experts if you like?

The lifestyle

Much is made of the late night lifestyle of the residents of Spain. We enjoyed many good meals sitting out in the balmy evenings and drinking cheap Spanish reds. The wines were great - and waiters were more than willing to suggest good wines to try (and refreshingly, they didn't try and up sell you to something flash - more commonly we were advised to downgrade to something cheaper!?). I think we may have got a bit tapa'd out by the end of the weekend, but we did enjoy a great meal at a tapas place Andy and Sel had recommended to us - well worth a visit(http://www.lavinateriadelcall.com/). We did manage the odd late night - but didn't go crazy but we certainly had a few sleep ins!

The Beach

On our last afternoon we sat in the sun and enjoyed a great seafood meal at a seaside restaurant (Agua). Bacelona's beach is a great asset, accessible to the city and full of guys and girls with their assets also on display. Wandering back along here in the sun to our accommodation in the Port area of town was nice way to end a relaxing few days off.

Oh - just about forgot. Did you work out what was not quite right in the photo at the start? If not, here is a closer shot that should help:

More fish pics........

If you can tell me what these are and how you eat them I would be grateful?!

He looks scary?

A couple of oldies checking out dinner

Water logged: Bath & the Cotswolds

2008-06-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

More travelling with Mum and Dad - this time in Bath and the Cotswolds. But before we get into that, I have finally got round to writing up our trip to the South of France at Easter. You can see what we got up to here: http://rossandmichelleontour.blogspot.com/2008/04/family-fun-in-south-of-france.html

Bath

Bath (as the name implies) is centred around its famous Roman Baths. The natural warm water here has been used by different cultures throughout the ages. The Roman's made good use of them - but after a visit by royalty in Edwardian time the town and their Baths had a renaissance and became a popular holiday destination for Britain's high society who came here to soak and spa, gamble and parade for a wealthy partner.

We spent a few hours on a free guided walk around Bath. This was really interesting and great thing to do if you are ever in Bath. It gave us a sense for the history of Bath, the key people in its history and an insight into how life would have been like in Bath at various stages in the past.

We also spent some time exploring the Roman Baths - which have been excavated from under layers of building which had developed over them over time. It was a fascinating place both for exploring but also just a nice spot to sit in the sun and take in the green thermal waters. We forgot to try some of the spring water that you can have at the baths. It is said to have healing properties.... Mum and Dad tried it, and it is fair to say they didn't rave about its more tangible properties (e.g. flavour).

The other main feature in Bath is its 15th century Abbey. It is quite a striking sight - and its facade has quite unique features, such as Angels climbing ladders to Heaven. Some of them climbing down head first... just like something straight out of the horror 'The Ring'!?. It is also features a lot of stained glass and so inside is quite a light airy place. Worth a look if you are ever passing.

Angels on ladder

Angel - close-up

Chipping Campden - The Cotswolds

From Bath we drove into the Cotswolds - quintessential, picture postcard rural Britain. Lush rolling paddocks, small cottages with thatched roofs, tree lined lanes, cute villages, burbling creeks, old churches and historic pubs.

We were based in Chipping Campden a classy little town - and a bit less touristy than some of its neighbouring towns. We passed the time here driving around and exploring the many towns dotted around. Unfortunately the weather was pretty awful so we were unable to get out and do any of the walks that the Cotswolds are known for. The weather also put a bit of a dampener on some of our planned sightseeing - but the upside was that it gave us a good excuse for sleep-ins, early nights, afternoon soaking in the spa and general catching up on some sleep!

Tuscany - our home in Europe?

2008-05-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

After a good dose of coastal life in Cinque Terre it was time to move onto Florence - the heart of Tuscany and home to great art and architecture - not to mention a food and wine lover's paradise.

The unobstructed view down the coast from our Cinque Terre terrace was replaced by a terrace with Florence's Duomo looming over it - testament to the central location of our apartment and home for the next week.

View of the Duomo from our balcony... no zoom.

I guess our stay in Tuscany can be divided into several categories:

Exploring Florence - its art and architecture

Florence is full of art and architecture. We're not huge on these things, but even for the unconverted like us, it was impressive. Most imposing was the Duomo... in the heart of the city. This is the world's 4th largest cathedral and took around 150 years to complete... a bit mind blowing for a couple of Kiwis from a young country like NZ! Its most impressive feature is its huge dome - 90 odd metres high - and after a steep and winding climb, it offers a fantastic view across the city of Florence and the sea of tiled roofs and terraces (including ours) below it.

Florence is also rich with sculptures - including many by Michelangelo. Obviously, the most famous of these is David. You see this iconic sculpture in many places - including the replica in Piazza Michelangelo on the hill overlooking Florence - but for some reason, when you see the real thing on display in the Galleria Dell'Accademia it is quite captivating. The detail and balance in this sculpture is incredible. As you walk around its expression changes - from a peaceful expression deep in thought, to something more like controlled anger. For the record - Michelle was most impressed with his butt - which apparently is pretty special.... she has photos.

We also did quite a few other galleries, churches and famous sights - all of which were interesting and impressive in their own way - but none of which could top David.

A wine experience in Chianti

After our first driving experience in Florence - it is fair to say that driver, navigator and passengers were ready for a drink - but it was only 10am. An hour to kill before our wine experience would commence - so we detoured to Greve in Chianti, a small town just 20km out of Florence - but which felt like it sat in the middle of the Tuscan countryside. Greve has two claims to fame: the local butchery (world famous in Tuscany - which was pretty cool) and as home to Giovanni da Verrazzano - the local boy who sailed from Europe and into what is now the bay of New York. More notable however (and particularly relevant to us) was that his family castle just out of Greve was then making table wine and now is a respected winery.... so it would have been rude not to take a look around......

We had lined up a tour and 5 course wine matched lunch at Castello di Verranzzano. We arrived at the castle to be greeted by Jillian our host. Upon realising we were Kiwis, she was excited to tell us that during WWII, the castle had been home to Allied forces - most of whom were from the Maori Battelion. Upon learning that wild boar roam the forest surrounding the castle - it made sense that they would have been happy settling in at this spot for a while.

The tour was very interesting - a good mix of information, history of both the castle and its owners and background on how wine making has changed from when it was first made at the site of this castle in 1100 to the 'Supertuscans' of today. The tasting and lunch were sensational.... Course after course of food - prepared mainly from the Castello's land - wild boar salami, pasta, roast pork, aged cheese with home made 15 yo balsamic vinegar and more, each matched with a wine.... all red, until the dessert and coffee when the local sweet white dessert wine and grappa appeared. A brilliant introduction to Chianti Classico wines - and some of the peculiarities and regulations the winemakers must adhere to - no irrigation, only planting on sloping land, just to name a couple.

Driving in southern Tuscany - Montepulciano and Montalcino

Not content with one (mainly) successful driving experience in Florence/Tuscany, we set off again - this time to the south of Tuscany and the two neighbouring towns whose names are synonymous with good Italian wine - Montepulciano and Montalcino. Building on our experience the day before, we managed a faultless departure from Florence and (thankfully) that theme continued for the day.

Montepulciano is a small hilltop village around 2hrs south of Florence. Its wine is very well known and highly regarded.... although I think our first taste of it was back in NZ when it took the form of a '1.5L Dirty Italian'.

We didn't get too caught up in the wine here - rather spent an hour or two exploring the hill top village, its narrow winding streets and practicing with the new camera.... even stalking an elusive pigeon which lived in the side of an old building.... the results... unimpressive... but we try. It was a nice place - obviously on 'a' tourist trail - but by no means 'the' tourist trail and certainly a good mix between tourist and locals going about their daily business.

From here we went on to Montalcino - home to the Brunello wines... famous, grunty and expensive Italian reds. Once again we explored - although here there was eating and a bit more of a concerted effort to explore the wines as well.

In between the towns we got to see first hand the Tuscan countryside - wild red poppies, flowing long grass waving in the wind, Cyprus trees, oil groves, grape vines, terracotta red buildings... everything you picture when you think 'Tuscany'.

Food and wine... mmmmm

Tuscany is known as a foodies paradise. There is no denying it - it is. A visit to the local market near Piazza Ghiberti (not the one for tourists) quickly evidences this.... all the normal stuff - fresh fruit, veges etc - but head inside and you are greeted by an incredible array of cuts of meats - many of which have been prepared to be cooked - chicken's necks stuffed ready for cooking (head still on), rabbit, the list goes on and on and on... so I won't.

We also enjoyed some fantastic meals, which we had at all sorts of different restaurants - swanky joints, small family run local affairs, deli come restaurants, small hole in the wall baguette bars. Too many good meals to mention - but here are some links in case you ever visit Florence.....

- Ross' favourite: A bit on the swanky side, but we ordered off an extensive menu, very little of which we understood (since it was in Italian) - but with some shrewd recommendations from the waiter ("Whose favourite response to questions about his recommendations was.... "You should" - in a tone that made you sense you would get your butt kicked if you didn't go with what he'd opted for)..... Anyway - I got lucky with a great meal. Bonus points for the complementary bottle of Lemoncello left on the table at the end of the night... my kinda place: //www.ristorantelagiostra.com

- Michelle's favourite: The Rick Stein/Jamie Oliver/Gordon Ramsey of Florence is Fabio Picchi. He is famous for not offering pasta (the Florentines believe that their mother's cook this best - so why eat it when you are out?), but this place shares a kitchen with his top restaurant - but you pay bistro rates... the food was the most interesting with items such as tomato jelly, stuffed chicken's neck, raw tuna etc........ delicious: Trattoria Cibreo.

- Hole in the wall bagels: Two guys in a shoe box of a 'kitchen' (more like a cupboard which opens onto the street). Choose your choice of fillings (I'd recommend the fresh roasted pork or fennel salami) and get it stuffed into a fresh warm bagel. Get yourself a glass of Chianti and sit in the gutter and enjoy. 3.50 euro for the pleasure: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/florence/D53840.html

- Family run place - Yum: Stumbled onto this place. Run by a wife (the waitress) and her husband (the chef) you know you are at a local favourite as you walk into this place. Starting from the complementary nibble (deep fried bread dough - a Tuscan favourite) through to the tiramisu the food was very very good - and incredible value. Bonus point for a limoncello to end: Its called - Icche C'e C'e.

- Castello di Verranzzano: the food on our wine matched lunch was amazing - but I have rambled on enough about this place already... so I will give it a miss now.

To sum up

We are enjoying a bit of a focus on travelling in Italy this year - and Tuscany is a real highlight so far. Like Argentina, it is definately a place that we can see ourselves returning to - perhaps for an extended stay at some stage. Fingers crossed, we'll be back.

Cinque Terre - The 5 Lands

2008-05-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

More travel with Mum and Dad - this time we flew in to catch up with them as they made their way around Italy.

Michelle and I flew into Pisa and had a night there before we headed up to Cinque Terre. Although we had heard mixed (and mainly uncomplimentary) things about Pisa and its leaning tower - it seemed wrong to be in the city and not visit the tower - so we did.... twice. Once that night - to see it lit up at night - and again the next day as we killed some time before taking the train north. We did so with low expectations - but I think we were pleasantly surprised. Although we didn't go up the tower - it was an interesting sight and quite an unusual design (even leaving aside its angle). And with a small outlay of effort we have now earned the right to say 'we've been there' whenever we eat some tacky Leaning Tower branded pizza or pasta - priceless.

Coincidentally Sanjay and his ladies were also in Pisa also en-route to the Cinque Terre - so we managed to catch-up with them and sample Pisa's nightlife - which seemed to largely revolve around students milling about drinking in piazzas and on the river wall. Like any good student town - Pisa's kebab's did not disappoint - so after a bite and beer it was time to call it a night.

Cinque Terre is about an hour and a half north by train. We met up with Mum and Dad at the train station (where they had come in from Sienna). Unfortunately our train was 'retard' (late), but eventually we got there.

Cinque Terre is a great part of the world. Five old Italian fishing villages perched on the cliffs overlooking the Ligurian Sea. These days the area is a national park - there is not so much fishing and tourism is the main life blood. Having said that the area is still home to old Italians who work the step terraced hills growing artichoke and other vegetables - and most impressively.... wine!

Manarola - our place is the bright yellow one on the cliff

We were based in the second village in - Manarola. It was probably one of the smaller and quieter towns - but I would highly recommend it. The directions to our accommodation were to walk to the end of the street and our house was the 'last one before the sea'
(http://www.arpaiu.com/english.html). The instructions were no exaggerations - we were perched right on the edge of the cliff with spectacular views and an great terrace from which to enjoy a glass of wine and the sunsets in the evening.

"This retirement caper is not so bad after all"

By the time we got settled in we really only had 2 1/2 days in the area. Days were a mix of walking along the coastal walk that joins the 5 towns and relaxing and soaking up the sun. Despite the decline of fishing here, there was no shortage of great seafood - so dinners were protein packed seafood extravaganzas - washed down with a little bit of the local white wine.

On the walking front, our most notable achievement was to do the walk from our village to the 5th village (a fairly easy 4 1/2 hr walk). The track hugged the coast and took us in and out of each of the villages - giving us a chance to see them first hand (not to mention sample the odd gelatti here and there). Although we enjoyed the walk - we declined the opportunity to make it a round trip - instead opting for a short ferry ride back down the coast to Manarola. We also did some shorter walks - including one back up into the hills behind Manarola which took us through the olive groves and grape vines being tended there - with wild red poppies flowering between them. The walks were great - and a good way to work off a bit of the last night's dinner.

The Cinque Terre was a very spectacular place with its colourful houses perched on rocky cliffs, the clear sea below and the step terraced hills behind them. Although we avoided the summer peak, the track was busy during the day - but early in the day and in the evening it was fairly peaceful and for people like us staying in Cinque Terre there was an opportunity to see it at its best when all the 'tourists' had headed home for the day. A very pleasant spot..... and not a bad destination for a week of rest and relaxation.

Unfortunately - before we knew it, it was time for us to move on - so the week of R&R would have to wait. Fortunately for us - the holiday was not over yet..... next stop Tuscany.

New Camera...... Yay!

2008-04-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well the Ricoh has died...... so it was time to go shopping!!! We've joined the world of the digital SLR. A stormy summer's day in London today - but managed to get out and have a play..... fair to say we still have a lot to learn, but looking forward to it.

Ducks on the Thames (x2)

Storm clouds over the Thames

Liz Hurly and Hugh Grant's street (we're neighbours)