Category Archives: Out in the world

What to do on a week end in Dublin

I had been wanting to write about Dublin since my earlier post about Montreal at the beginning of this year as I also spent a few days in Dublin that Christmas. Dublin is a special city to my heart since I consider it home. I decided to go for a long week end to Dublin last week to re-energise. Luck was on my side, I got a flight for less than a 100 euros with Aer Lingus with less than two weeks in advance. Great! I am on my way…

I arrived in Dublin at 22:10. I usually take the Airlink, the special Dublin City bus that goes from the airport to the city center. 6 Euros one way, 10 Euros return. It leaves you right in the center, it is cheap and fast. They also run until 23:30. In the city, I headed straight away to the Grand Social, a pub\bar to meet up with friends. It was busy but there was a nice buzz. We stayed for a drink then went home. I discovered a new found interest for Bulmers, the irish cider brand, known as Magners outside Ireland.. I never fancied it since I prefer French cider but for some reasons could not stop drinking it during the week end. It is one of those things that you don’t like while living in a country and that you suddenly crave for once you have left.

I was staying with friends in an amazing apartment in the heart of Temple Bar. So from the Grand Social to Temple Bar, we crossed the Ha Penny Bridge, a landmark in Dublin. It got its name from the fact that Dubliners had to pay half a penny to cross it. On the way home, we stopped for food at El Grito, a small mexican place in the alleyway and ordered one burrito and some tacos. Super tasty meat and I love mexican salsas so I generously pour them on my tacos. They were really nice although I am not a big fan of hard tacos. Then it was time for bed. It has been hard to sleep with all the people partying in Temple Bar, laughing out loud and chatting way too loud for 3 o’clock in the morning. I can tell you that some neighbourhoods in Barcelona would share my feelings here.

In the morning, we went for breakie to Caffe Italiano at 7 Crow Street, in Temple Bar. The first time I had been to this place, it was a tiny coffee shop. It is now a fully developed restaurant. I believe the success of the owner Luca lies in the quality and the deliciousness of the products he is offering. I remember a very yummy chocolate cake that apparently came directly from Sicily. Alas, his vendor is gone so no more chocolate cake for T!!! The breakfast here is nice and affordable for Dublin’s standards. Indeed the italian platter is 7 euros and it is huge. After breakie, we went for a walk in Grafton Street, the posh commercial street of Dublin. I love this street, the shops’windows especially Brown Thomas’ (they usually have a special xmas display that is converted in to an attraction in the street) and all the buskers. They are really talented. One of them, Ryan Sheridan, used to sing below my window (not for me haha) and became famous in Ireland. I can still hear him singing “oooh ooohoooh, your sex is on fiiiirreee!!!” from the Kings of Leon. I was happy he became famous, he could finally stop singing in my street. I could relax quietly.

Then it was time for my next meeting. I used to have marathon week ends were I was having non stop meetings one after the other. I stopped that. I came to a point when I was not enjoying anymore. I think everyone who lives abroad feel the same when going home. I met with my friend Iva for brunch. Yeah, I do eat a lot when I come to Dublin. The plan was to go to the VCC (Vintage Cocktail club). I like this place a lot, the decor is vintage indeed and glamorous and the cocktails are amazing, really!! And yeah, they do serve brunch. The menu is quite small and to be honest, I love the place for an evening out, I don’t recommend it for brunch. Food was so so and the restaurant was too dark. This intimate atmosphere is great in the night not at 1 pm.

Then it was time for some activity. I met with a group of friends to go to an escape room. It was outside the city so a car was required. The themes were interesting, we picked jailbreak since one of us had already done the Curse of the mummy, the most interesting one. I won’t talk too much about the escape room not to ruin it for you in case you want to try in the future!

In the evening, I met with more friends at a bar in Temple Bar, the Crow Bar. This is a new place for me. I like it. It is cosy and the music is great. Drinks are a bit expensive, 6 euros for a pint of Bulmers but this is Temple Bar. Pints prices are higher here. Everyone got their rounds in. This is an Irish custom I like a lot although it does not really work for me as I don’t drink much. But it is still a cool and convivial gesture.

On sunday, it was more of a “family” day. I went to visit my Irish families. I like a lot (as well) the importance Irish people give to the family. It is a nice feeling especially for me who is living abroad, far from mine. It also helped me feel more integrated in Ireland. So I am grateful for knowing them. I had Sunday lunch at Aqua (1 West Pier, Howth) in Howth. Howth is a small village 30 min away north of Dublin on the coastline. It is reachable by Dart, the return fare is around 6 euros. There are a lot of fish shops and fish restaurants like Aqua in Howth. Aqua is an elegant restaurant with a magnificent view on the sea. It has a very Irish style, not sure on how to describe it and it also has classics of Irish food like (crispy) fish cakes, fish and ships with a pea puree…The other interest of going to Howth beside the seafood is that you can do a cliff walk around Howth. You just need to ask around how to get to the walking path. There you get an amazing landscape with a rugged coastline.

Monday was not really a day off since I was working from home. I had a nice lunch at Musashi (15 Capel St, Dublin 1).with a friend though. Musashi is a very busy japanese restaurant in town. The food is nice and very cheap, perfect for a business lunch. After work, I went for a milkshake at Murphy’s ice cream (27 Wicklow St, Dublin 2). Yes it is November and cold but there is no season for a good ice cream, my favourite is the dingle sea salt flavour. A calorific treat but so worth it!

So that was my week end in Dublin. I have many many more addresses to share about Dublin as I lived there many years but it would be too long a post if I start listing them here. You can contact me for advices at [email protected]. As an insider tip, I recommend you to visit the Love Lane though, a lane full of street art with a “pink” wall dedicated to love on one side and murals on the other. The City Council decided to undertake this project to improve the state of some alleyways in Dublin that were used by drug addicts.

Airlink timetable: http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/7471/

Impromptu week end in Vic, Catalunya!

Last September, Catalunya celebrated la Diada de Catalunya, the national day of Catalunya.

This day commemorates the defeat of Catalonia during the War of the Spanish Succession. The Catalan troops that supported the Habsburg’s claim to the Spanish throne were defeated at the Siege of Barcelona by the army of Philip V of Spain (a Bourbon king). As a result, the Catalans lost their constitutions. That was on 11 September 1714. Suppressed by Franco in 1939, the Diada has been reinstated in 1980 and since then the 11th of September is a bank holiday. This year as a result, we had a 3-day bank holiday.

I can’t let that opportunity go, I have to go somewhere…So after some researches, it revealed to me that most interesting places in Catalunya require a car. Ah… difficult when you don’t have a valid driving license. So I looked up for a place easy to reach from Barcelona and picked Vic. One of my colleagues was often talking about this town and without knowing anything about it, I decided that we will go and will spend our Diada week end over there. That is what I like about my life: to be able to just go on adventure.

You can reach Vic with the Rodalies train from Plaça de Catalunya. There is a regular train all day long and the trip lasts 1h20 more or less. There is a timetable accessible here. If I recall well, round trip ticket is 12.5 Euros. So pretty cheap and not far! As it was a bit of a short notice, only the Hotel J. Balmes, Carrer Francesc Pla, 6, Vic had a room. And we had the last one available. It is a bit out of the town but still within walking distance. The good part is that it is close the Anella verde, the walking path that goes around the town.

Once arrived in Vic, we dropped our bags in our room. Then had lunch in the restaurant close to the hotel but it was not amazing. Funny anecdote, desserts were “homemade”. “Homemade” indeed they were. We saw the waitress taking the box out of the freezer and cutting the ice cream to put it in glasses. I can make that kind of homemade dessert too :). After lunch, we headed to town but we did not stay very long as it started raining. When the rain stopped, we went out again for a walk in the countryside around the hotel and walked a part of the Anella verde as mentioned above. It is a nice countryside with cow farms and ricks and it is really quiet… We spent the evening in the hotel to relax.

On D2, we had breakfast in town at the terrace of La Plaça on Plaça Mayor for a traditional Spanish breakfast: churros con chocolate, two ham torradas, orange juice and tea. Well, for me that is traditional spanish breakfast… Once our breakie over, we visited the market on Plaça Mayor that is happening every Saturday. We were really impressed by the array of mushrooms that were sold in the market. I have not seen some of them before. Alas, we cannot bring them home to try. Too delicate and we were not back to Barcelona before another day! While checking activities to do in Vic, I saw that there is a Medieval market in Vic in December. That could be interesting!

Our next stop was Vic’s tourist office to get the map with the walking paths. I usually am a big fan on doing my own research and do what I want but the tourist office in the case of Vic had been very useful. We chose the walk going to the Pont d’en Bruguer (En Bruguer Bridge), an easy walk, 5.1km. It starts at the Parque de Xavier Roca y Viñas. It is not easy to spot the beginning of the walk but there are indications. You just need to be attentive or else talk to the by-walkers. It is a very nice stroll following the river Gurri. It is also possible to observe life on the river with ducks, crayfish…yeah crayfish…I promise I saw one.

Then there are two points of interest on this walk or should I say two “ponts” of interest hahaha!!!! Indeed, it is possible to see on the way, an iron bridge, the puente del Ferro built in 1930 and the En Bruguer bridge, a gothic bridge from the 14th century. And guess where this way leads to? To the part of the Anella Verde close to our hotel….Great! We have a light picnic with things we bought in the supermarket also close to the hotel. The weather was perfect for that. The surroundings also.

For dinner, we went to a Spanish caterer to try escalivada and other Spanish delicacies. We also got some longanissa de Vic and I fully recommend you taste it because it is very nice and you can tell that it is a product of quality. I can understand why they are so proud of it.

On D3, we went back to town to follow the touristic circuit of the city. I would have gone for breakie to Barmutet had I found it earlier on. The place looks lovely and the menu interesting. That was just a parenthesis. You can actually see slabs everywhere showing “ruta turistica”. This circuit links 30 places of interest inside Vic and can be done within one hour. You would not think that such a small city can actually harbor so many architectural gems and historic places. My favourite is the Casa Bayes.

We had our sunday lunch afterwards in Divicnus as our first choices: Okashi, El Jardinet, Magda Subirana were closed. The place is elegant, chic and immaculate. So chic that we got intimidated entering. We chose a table at the terrace. The food was just alright though. My cannelloni were nice but my duck was undercooked. They did not ask me how I wanted it. So given the overall food experience, I won’t recommend a lunch there. In addition, the service was so-so. So really try somewhere else.

I think Vic is an amazing place. I did not expect much going there but had a lot of fun exploring the town, trying out dishes and walking in the nature. Vic is also a good base to discover the Osona region I think. Next time, I will visit the forests and natural parcs around. It looks magnificent. Hopefully by then I will have my driving license!

Our itinerary: Alrededores del río Gurri – Puente d’en Bruguer

Vic’s tourist office: http://www.victurisme.cat/

What to do in 6 days in Naples and Sorrento

I have a “tiny” backlog with updating the blog. But now I am going to catch up on a few posts. This is the second part of my trip to Italy, the one who started in Roma (find the link below). Enjoy!

Day 1 – From Rome to Naples

After 3 wonderful days in Rome, we took the train to Naples with Trenitalia. The trip lasted 2 hours and cost 19 Euros each. Quite good value if you’d ask me. It is a pretty nice trip also especially with a game of Monopoly cards and fun company. At 11:30, we arrived in Naples Central Station. Here starts the chaos! Naples has nothing to do with elegant and classical Rome. It is dirty, full of people and disorganized. During my trip planning, I had been warned by my Naepolitan friend that Naples is not always safe especially because of pickpockets. So we were very careful coming out of the station. Then we walked to our apartment, situated in Via Duomo. An excellent location close to the old city center. The apartment was very modern, beautiful and design. And the owners… they were wonderful to us but you will find out more about them later on…

When you go travelling, you need to prioritise and know what you want. And at 2 pm in the afternoon in Naples, you want to have PIZZAS! Once our bags are dropped, we head straight to Di Matteo, on Via dei Tribunali, 94. Di Matteo is one of the best pizza places in Naples. There was a queue outside but fortunately for us hungry folks, they had free tables upstairs. It took a little while before they took our order but when the pizzas arrived, they were the best pizzas I have ever had in my life. Each one cost around 7 euros each. They were incredible, tasty and some of them were award winning.

On that first afternoon, we walked around the city and went up the Castel Sant’Elmo for a view of Naples. The funicular was a bit hard to find. We climbed up the stairs instead, up and up and up and up until we found out that on Tuesdays, the castle is… closed. A bit of an amateur mistake to not have checked opening hours… We can still admire the view from the surroundings. On our way back to the metro, we stop for granitas. They are similar to slushies with several flavors: strawberry, coconut, café…. My favourite is mint. The sweet crushed ice is more than welcome in the summer heat. And we all enjoy are own little glass of coloured ice. Afterwards, we headed home to have a rest after such a long walk. We dined in the apartment with tomatos, mozzarella di buffala, basil and Italian wine and ham. Simple things of life bought in a local deli shop.

Day 2 – Naples to Pompeii and back to Naples

The day after, we got ready to head to Pompeii. My Dad’s long life dream. Close to the train station, a man on a scooter snatched my mum’s handbag… I thought as well that he was a bit dodgy trying to cross the zebra crossing while the light was green for pedestrians. His face was fully covered by a helmet. The most unfortunate part of all of it was her passport inside….The worst thing that can happen to a globe trotter and non European citizen in Europe… To make a long story short, we spent the whole morning at the police station accompanied by our landlord who has been kind enough to leave work and be our official translator. His wife lobbied our home embassy to convince them to help us. They were so nice…That day I found out that there were two types of Naepolitans: the very nice and friendly ones and the pickpockets\criminal ones. I must say an experience like this kind of ruin your holiday… If you let them. We decided to not let the thief win by going to Pompeii as planned anyway.

The toughest part was to come back to the crime scene, the train station. But eventually we took our train. Naples to Pompeii is around 30 mn and is very cheap. I don’t remember exactly. It is crowded though. The entrance to the Pompeii site is 11 Euros for one day. If you want to keep on travelling, towards Sorrento for instance, you can leave your bags at the luggage lockers. What a good idea to save time! For going around, I recommend you to get an official audio guide from the site and not from outside providers. It is easier to follow the different points of interest for just a few euros more. As a very ancient ruin, Pompeii is very well conserved and you can well imagine how life in the city was. I was really impressed. One of the most interesting remains where the mummified bodies. They have been petrified by lava. I was a bit sorry for them as they looked very much in pain.

Food in Pompeii was alright. Too expensive and not authentic enough if you go to the places between the train station and the main gate. At the end of the day, we went back to Naples.

Day 3 Naples to Sorrento

On day 3, we left for Sorrento which is a very charming seaside town. Nothing to compare with Naples. It was so relaxing to wander around the streets and do some window shopping. We stayed 10mn walk away from the city center. We had our first lunch at La Tavola di Lucullo, Via Rota 51 Sorrento. I had very nice pasta there and the staff was hyper friendly and fun. There is not much to see in Sorrento. The city is more for soaking up atmosphere and relaxing.

Day 4 – Sorrento to Amalfi Coast

The day after, we took the bus to visit the Amalfi Coast. We bought full day tickets from the SITA bus, the public bus for 7 euros. The plan was to spend the day travelling from Sorrento to Salerno and stopping by each town in between. The coastline is dramatic. The landscape beautiful but the road follows sheer cliffs. Honestly, it does not look so safe even if the drivers were really skilled. In addition, there are many many many curves along the way. If you are prone to road sickness, abstain. I spent the whole trip eyes closed praying not to let my stomach’s content escape. My neighbour was not so lucky. I could hear him vomit until Positano… We decided to stop at Positano, went around the town, had coffee and lunch there. I won’t recommend any special places as they were not that outstanding.

The highlight of the town was for me the cathedral. You would not expect such an imposing building on a seaside town like Positano as charming as it is. We bought there lemon pasta to cook at home (it was super delicious with a bit of olive oil and garlic).

You must think that I don’t sound so excited about visiting the Amalfi Coast, considered to be one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. It is beautiful indeed but I prefer Cinque Terre…

Day 5 – Sorrento to Naples

At that point, we had not seen much of Naples. Our misfortune disgusted us a little from the city. I cannot understand how the local authorities knowing that there is a plague hitting the tourism industry do not do anything about it. For that I don’t really recommend Naples. You want to feel safe and relaxed on your holidays not worry at each second that someone on a moto or a pickpocket steal your belongings. Funnily enough, our owners said that their Dad got his wallet snatched in Valencia. Haha! As soon as we arrived back in Naples, we went to Da Michele, Via Cesare Sersale, 1/3, famous for having the best pizza in the world. The restaurant did not fail to its reputation: there was a massive queue outside. You arrive and you get a number, like at the butcher. Then you wait for your turn. Finally, ours came. The restaurant looked like a canteen, no real décor just tables and seats. It took our waiter a while before taking our order. There were only two pizzas served in Da Michele: marinara or margherita. We ordered both. They don’t serve wine, only coke, beer and water. The pizzas were very simple but I found them really delicious and subtle in flavor. I can understand why they are so popular. The service and the waiting staff on the other hand were another story. Towards the end of our meal we noticed a group of people standing and watching us eat waiting for the tables to free. It is quite stressful all these pair of eyes…Finally, one waitress chased our neighbours out and pushed our table against the other one while we were still seated. Surreal experience! Then when I went to pay for the bill: 25 euros for 3 pizzas and two drinks… unbeatable!!!!, our waiter planted himself in front of me and demanded a tip. Sorry Mr, you have nice pizzas but the service definitely requires improvement.

Honestly, I prefer Di Matteo’s pizzas (they also offer more creative and varied pizzas) although Da Michele did not leave me indifferent. At that point, we had recovered a bit from our unlucky adventure and decided to explore more the city. Naples old town is beautiful with its main square and multiple narrow streets. There is a nice vibe coming off the place in the evening and it had been nice to finally appreciate being there. We stayed in a hostel in the city center that last night.

Day 6 – Naples to Barcelona

The day after, it was home time. Our last gourmet stop was Sfogliatelle Attanasio in Vico Ferrovia to try the best sfogliatelle in town, recommended by my Naepolitan friend. What is this Sfoglia thingy? It is a Neapolitan pastry. It is a crisp pastry with many layers filled with a custard like mixture with cinnamon. In Attanasio, as there is a high turnover, they are always fresh and hot straight from the oven. The best way to eat them. In the culinary area, I must say that I have been quite surprised to see how baba-au-rhum where so popular in Naples. It seems that this pastry is one the sweetest symbols of the city with sfogliatelle. I had two mini classical ones. And I licked each one of my fingers to clean them up afterwards. Does this make you think that they were delicious??? One last thing I will mention here is to not forget to drink lemoncello, the Italian lemon liquor that is very popular especially in Sorrento. In Sorrento, there is a lemon tree garden in the city where you can also taste their homemade lemoncello.

That Italian trip had been full of adventures and emotions. Not sure in the end that we got this relaxation we really needed but we definitely did not get bored… We also managed to arrive at home, in Barcelona, safe and sound, and are recovering to get ready for the next trip!

To read my post about Roma, click here.

Ciao Bella Roma or what to do in 3 days in Rome!

So I am at the end of my italian journey starting with 3 days in Rome. “Ciao Bella Roma” is a wink to my Italian friends’ favourite italian restaurant in Dublin where I lived for a while.This is my third time back to Rome and I remember having not been impressed at all before. It was too hot, full of ancient ruins and Romans were unfriendly. But you always need to give a second chance and I am glad I even gave a third chance to Rome because it is a really enchanting city.

I travelled with my parents who I suspect did not want to go around with me for my highly entertaining personality but because they need a tour operator\reservation agent\translator\tour guide\official photographer…haha… Alas, I have no real proof of this outside the fact that I booked all the flights and train tickets, the hotels and apartments, that I spoke to all “external” people the whole trip and also took quite a few pics of my dad everywhere…mmm…- feeling dubious…To feel more homey, we rented out one apartment located 10 mn walk from the Vatican museum and 25 mn from Piazza Navona.

D1: Our first stop was the Vatican and St Peter’s square, given the long, long queues, we have skipped the Vatican Museum\the Sixtine Chapel as well as entering the Vatican itself (I have been here before anyway). A good tip though: we came back on sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock to see the Vatican and only waited 15mn to get in. A pity that my two shoulders decided to reveal themselves to the eyes of the public that day. I was too indecently dressed up so the staff did not let me in. Damn… (Don’t forget to bring a wrap to cover yours, no hot pants or miniskirts allowed either!)… This time round, I was not into chasing monuments and art anyway but more about chilling and soaking up the atmosphere on the numerous piazzas.

In Piazza Navona, we sat down on the kerb for a bit of a rest, to admire its fountains and great buildings and to watch people walking around. I enjoy these kind of moments, all the more when a great jazz street band is playing at the same time. I could have sat there the whole morning but I only had 3 days in Rome so I had to make the most out of it. Then we headed to the Pantheon – 10mn from Piazza Navona.

In Rome, there are fountains dispensing fresh and clear water all the time. It is almost not needed to carry a bottle around. The freshness of the water was more than welcomed in the heat of the summer. And luckily, there is one on the way to the Pantheon from the bottom of Piazza Navona. Life saver… Again in front of the Pantheon, there was this amazing electronic guitar player filling the air with his melodies. Wonderful! I could sit here again, watch the people and listen to the music but it was lunch time. We decided to walk back on our steps to go to Pizzeria Da Bafetto, located near Piazza Navona. This place was highly recommended for pizzas and to be honest, they were quite nice but the service was awful. We sat down in the restaurant but as there was too much noise from the works outside we decided to take our pizzas away. The waiter ousted us not very politely and told us to wait outside then… This is my third trip to Rome and as far as I remember I have not really been impressed with Romans’ attitude sometimes. I thought the customer was king…

After lunch, we headed to the Fontana di Treviso. It was without water as in repair. Funny enough, even dry, whoever is in charge of the fountain was still inciting the tourists to throw their coins in from a specific spot…ahem…interesting way to get funding…Legend has it that tossing a coin will ensure a return to Rome. Tossing two coins that you will return to Rome and fall in love. Tossing three coins means you will return, find love and marry. There is a proper technique to tossing a coin as well: use your right hand over your left shoulder. My mum informed us that they used to collect 3,000 euros every night from the fountain. As for me, I was disappointed. I have prepare my own remake of Anita Ekberg’s Trevi Fountain scene from Dolce vita. It will be for another time…sigh…So we went to Piazza di Spagna, sat down again to admire the spanish steps. It was too hot to climb them up though. Then, we went for a bit of window shopping on Via Dei Condotti. This is the street of the luxury shops in Rome. Jimmy Choo Shoes? Prada suit anyone? Via Corso, a popular shopping street, is not so far either with more affordable shops. That was our last stop of the day.

D2 is the ancient ruins day. Our first stop was Trajan’s market, a large complex of ruins on the way to the Colosseum. We also passed by Piazza Venezia with the impressive monument to Vittorio Emmanuel II. Again, I can hear one of those talented street musicians that Rome seems to be full of. It feels like in a movie. Then we headed to the Colosseum. Afterwards, we passed the Forum and went to the Boca della Verita. I remember on our first roman trip, my sister and I looked for this place after seeing a romantic movie where during their romantic walk, the soon-to-be-in-love couple romantically put their hand inside the mouth. The belief is that la “Bocca della Verità” bites off the hand of anyone not telling the truth. Hehe, I am very innocent then since I am still typing this post with my two hands ;).

Now it is time for lunch. We head back to Piazza Navona and after a few inquiries, choose la Taverna Parione. The terrace was empty but there were laughters and happy voices coming from inside. In addition, they did not sound touristy. No offense against the tourist, I am one myself but if I can get an authentic experience, I will take it with no hesitation. I really like the menu. They offered varied bruschettas and homemade pasta dishes. I chose for the table: lard bruschetta and tomato & basil bruschetta. Also fried zucchini flowers. I got obssessed with them after reading “Eat, Pray and Love” where the protagonist was raving about fried zucchini flowers. They are treated like a real delicacy in Italy. Ours had a cheese filling inside and a thin batter outside. Not sure that it was identical to Julia Roberts’ but they were very nice. Then the first course: pasta and more precisely Tonnarelli carciofi e guanciale – homemade pasta with artichokes, bacon and parmesan. The best pasta dish I have ever had accompanied with a glass of chianti (ooohh, that glass of chianti…). Exactly what I needed: simple and delicious italian food. I fell in love with good pasta that day.

After lunch we went for dessert to the Gelateria del Teatro. The place is hype and gourmet (and quite pricey, 6 euros for 3 scoops), I tried different new flavours: white chocolate and basil, red peach and passion fruit. The scoops are definitely full of flavours but I prefer more classical tastes. I was happy with the experience though.

D3 is a Trastevere and shopping day. Trastevere looks more bohemian with the same kind of narrow cobbled streets and ancient houses as Rome’s historical center. It also has a more vibrant feel. It must be nice to dine or come for an aperitivo here. We did not have time for one aperitivo but I would definitely plan one next time I come back. After a walk around, we sat at a terrace for a spritz, an italian cocktail with prosecco wine and aperol.

Then it was shopping time: shoes and bag. Italian leather is fine and cheap. There are also the clothing shops, the gourmet food shops and the italian design shops. I got a necklace from a design shop. It is from an italian brand, Whiteleaves. I love it but it got stolen in Naples…That is another story I will tell you in my next post on Naples. Keep in touch! That evening, we went to La Fiorentina in our neighbourhood on Via Andrea Doria. I liked the place because it looked more local. The decor was also nice, the food on display looked tasty but I would recommend this place for ice cream (1 euro a scoop and super delicious) and breakfast, 2 coffees and 2 pastry for 4,80 Eur – tasty and at a decent price.

My top experience of Rome? Wandering in the narrow streets of historical Rome with their colourful houses. At each corner, you make a new discovery: a nice facade, a white marble building…Everywhere you look, it is a feast for the eyes, up, right, left, back…I would endlessely get lost in the streets of the Eternal city!

Mingalabar Myanmar or what to do in 13 days in Myanmar – Part two!

Day 9 and day 10: Dawei

On the first part of this trip tale, I had the whole night on the bus to think about my next destination.

I decided to go for the Myiek Archipelago to enjoy the beach and find out about the Sea gypsies. So at the last moment, I headed to the airport to get a ticket. It was too expensive to get to Miyek so I got a ticket to Dawei, a city closer instead. I was hoping to get the speed boat from there to Myiek. It had been quite difficult to find out information about those places: if the boat was running, how much it was (25 USD), if it was possible to visit the Archipelago since some areas in Myanmar are still closed to travellers, if it was safe… I was actually taking my chances going to Dawei not being certain of what will happen then. I flew with Air Myanmar for 72 USD and I bought my ticket at the airport desk, in cash. Myanmar is still a cash country and it is very hard to use a credit card in here.

I had a small apprehension about flying with the national airline from a safety viewpoint but I am writing this post today so I am still alive ;). In Dawei, I stayed at the Zayar Thet San on the first night. It is a very modern hotel, quite expensive for what they offer but comfortable and the staff is friendly. In the same road, there is a very nice restaurant with a big terrace and where the food was amazing – a bit pricey but very nice. The name was written in Burmese but I am sure you will find it.

I met a new friend in the streets of Dawei. We admired the architecture of the houses and walked around together. Dawei looks more like a tropical town in my opinion. It was greener with more vegetation and wetter. It has rained the two days I was there. There are plenty to see around Dawei especially if you like beaches. The best to go around is riding a motorbike.

The weirdest thing about going around Dawei was people staring at us. It is difficult to keep contenance with all these pairs of eyes fixating you. So is this what stars feel when meeting with the public? It is uncomfortable but after a couple of hours, you don’t pay attention anymore.

During my second night in Dawei, I moved to the Dream Emperor Guest house. It has a completely completely different standard from Zayar hotel as it was a place for backpackers. It is 20 USD for a double room. I decided to do so to be with my friend as we planned to get the 5 am bus on day 11.

Day 11: Bus trip from Dawei to Hpa an and night in Hpa an

On day 11, we woke up at 4 to be ready to get to the bus station for 5. Yet again, we found out that following schedules are not Myanmar people’s forte. We waited until 6 to hop on our bus. And again, it was so uncomfortable: broken leather chairs, old bus and no aircon. I forgot to follow my own rules of choosing a bus and did not ask for a picture!!! At least, it was a day trip so I did not miss a good night sleep.

There, I had my unique dodgy moment as a man in uniform asked us for our passports to check our visas. I handed him mine and regretted it straight away because he could have run away with it or refuse to give it back to me. Who knows? Thankfully after seeing I was ok, he gave it back to me. There my friend told me that sometimes these guys in uniform could just be curious taxi drivers. So do not hand your passport!!! Difficult situation to be in though.

Anyway we had 9 hours on the bus, 45 mn of which we used sitting under the tree as our bus stopped because it broke down. Don’t make plans in Myanmar… That stressed me out a little as the last bus for Hpa an – my next destination – was meant to be at 4 pm. Luckily, there were a boy and his mum travelling with us also going to Hpa an so I followed them. My friend was staying in Malawmine and I wanted to go east. The bus change at Malawmine was not easy. We had to get a moto taxi ride (500 Kyat) to the bus stop and then wait for the bus to Hpa An (1,000 Kyat). Without Victor and his mum, I would not have made it. So I was quite grateful to have found them on my way.

Also despite the stern look of the mum, she was actually very nice and friendly. Another testimony of Burmese legendary kindness. Her son took me to the Soe Brothers guest house where I got a more basic room for 7 USD – with just a fan. With all the heat there was, OMG! But I did not want to look for another place because this kind of guest house is used to provide services to travellers so I was sure to find whatever I will need from the staff.

Day 12: Tuk tuk tour around Hpa An

And I was right… I booked a tuk tuk day tour with them to go around Hpa An for the day after. The price of the tour depended on the number of people. We were 9 in a tuk tuk for 10 and we paid 5,000 Kyat each at the end of the day. I don’t know if it was cheap or expensive for the country but it was more than acceptable for me.

The first amazing sight in Hpa An are the karst mountains in the background. It reminded me of Halong Bay without the ocean. Then there are the different caves: my favourite one was YatheByan, the first one I saw. It had a lot of Buddha statues. The most famous cave is Sadan cave which personnally did not impress me much. The boat tour (1,000 Kyat per person) to get out of the cave was nice but nothing too amazing either especially that at some part there was too much plastic floating in the water. Oups, have I become blazé? After the caves, we went to Kyauk Kalap, a pagoda set on top of a rock formation in the middle of an artificial lake. Beautiful. Then, we went to the bottom of the Mount Zwegabin to visit the Lumbini Garden. This place is a mystery: who placed those 1,000 Buddhas here? What are they smiling for? For what purpose were they sitting here so serene? I have no answer to give as nobody knows.

For dinner, I had my last traditional burmese food in San Ma Tau. There you get 10 free side dishes and 3 desserts with your meal!

Day 13: Back to the airport

On day 13, I left Hpa An to go back to the airport of Yangoon, on my way back to Europe.

I had then my last bus trip of 8 hours. I will miss them….Joking…

In Yangoon bus station, I got a taxi to take me to the airport for 10,000 Kyat, including a lunch stop at Lucky Seven, a tea house. They had an english menu with pictures so it was easy to pick something. I had sticky rice with pork and a chicken roll. Quite tasty! All the staff was young and there was a cool vibe about the place. As soon as you sit down, they bring you loads of snacks (not for free) I guess to entice you to eat them. There, I noticed for the first time the buckets under the table.

You see, Burmese people have this habit of chewing betelnuts. It makes their teeth black. Young, old, men and women chew it. They also spit it everywhere. At first I thought the red stains on the streets were blood. After all Myanmar is meant to be under military ruling so there must be fights and deaths all the time in here….Nooo000, these were… betelnut spits. I have seen them being prepared: first a betel vine leaf, then white lime paste, then tobacco and betel nuts most of the time. It did not look appetising. I would not try it for a world but Burmese seem to be crazy about it. Anyway, back to my story, in this very Lucky seven under the tables, there were buckets in which every now and then betelnut chewers were spitting into…yew…Well, this is part of the culture I guess.

I made the airport 3 hours early and my plane got delayed but in the end I was happy I left from Hpa an instead of going on another night bus that would arrive in Yangoon at 3 am. And that was my entire 13 days in Myanmar.

For more details on my trip, do not hesitate to contact me.

Mingalabar Myanmar or what to do in 13 days in Myanmar – Part one!

There are a few posts available online about travelling to Myanmar. However I did think that finding up-to-date information was not always easy so I wanted to share my experience and my tips with everyone along with the tale of my amazing trip! I travelled on my own but all along the way I met a lot of friends.

Day 1: Arrival in Yangoon

I arrived in Yangoon airport at 1 pm. Mingalabar Myanmar (hello Myanmar)!

I got an e-visa prior to arriving to Myanmar through www.oway.com.mm and paid 60 USD. I wanted no administrative hassle at the airport. In this way, I just joined the queue to the immigration desk upon arrival. The official who spoke with me seemed so severe that I felt a bit intimated. But then he wanted to take my picture and asked me to smile with a big smile himself. That had been a bit of a shock! Is this my first glimpse of Burmese people’s legendary kindness? Agreeable surprise anyway.

Then I went to change some money. I got the best exchange rate of the whole trip at the airport (1 Euro for 1,140 Kyat). That was pretty cool! I would like to note for any traveller wanting to go to Myanmar: it is still a country where the dollar is widely used. As such it is a good idea to have some while going around. I did not and wished I had it a few times.

After changing my money, I picked up my bag and I looked for my airport pick up. I booked my room with a guest house recommended by the Lonely Planet, Motherlandinn 2 and they provided free aiport pick up and drop off. Perfect for a hassle-free first contact with the country. The double room was 35 USD. Motherlandinn 2 is a basic guesthouse. But I really liked the place because the staff was very very nice and friendly and really helpful: they are used to deal with foreigners so they can advise on a lot of things. Motherlandinn 2 also has a travel agency service and a restaurant. I had mohinga there for the first time. Mohinga is THE breakfast dish of Myanmar. It is made out of rice noodles and fish soup. It is quite tasty and must be tried at least once!

Practical info: before leaving, I wondered about which plugs they use in Myanmar. The answer is: all hotels are equipped with universal plugs. So no worries in there.

That afternoon, I did not do much as I was tired from my trip so I rested and only went out for dinner. My taxi driver drove me to Aung Thuka for some traditional burmese food. At the restaurant, since I didn’t speak burmese and they didn’t speak english, I pointed out what I wanted from the counter full of meat dishes and veggies. I felt like in a silent movie, it was funny. The waitress then brought me rice and several (free) side dishes – among them fermented tea leaves with a very strange taste – and a soup. I also had some bitter leaves I could not identify. Really interesting flavours.

It is very hard for me to tell if I overpaid or not my taxi but I probably have overpaid since a return trip from and to my guest house cost me double my dinner, beer included: 9,000 kyat.

Day 2: Day in Yangoon and night bus trip to Bagan

The next step of the trip would be visiting the temples of Bagan. As I planned too late to book a flight I opted for the night bus. So while waiting for the night to arrive, I visited Yangoon.

I firstly went to the Schwedagon Pagoda which is meant to be the oldest pagoda in the world. The main entrance is a big staircase with loads of shops on the side. You need to take your shoes off at the bottom of the stairs here if you don’t want to be given out to. Every foreigner has to buy an entrance ticket of 8 USD – my guide later on told me that locals don’t have to as they make a lot of offerings. If the staircase had been impressive, the pagoda itself is even more impressive: all those golden roofs and huge statues… I leave it to you to discover by yourself so no point in me describing it. As soon as I hit the top of the stairs I had been approached by a guide who offered a visit for the modest sum of 5 USD. I learnt quite a lot about buddhism with him. One of my most burning (and I mean literally burning) memory of that day were the burning hot stone floors. The best technique to survive them is to run from shadow to shadow. Alas, it is not possible to wear neither shoes nor socks in temples, so it is better to come early in the morning or later in the afternoon. I would have like to do the night visit to observe all the precious stones on top of the stupa (included in the entrance fee) but I did not have the time.

After the pagoda visit, I went to the Bogyoke Market. It is 2,000 Kyat by taxi from the Schwedagon Pagoda to the market. It is a market for souvenir, jewels and gemstones. I did not stay too long but it is a very large market so you can lose yourself in there. There was a lady offering fresh fruit juice with “no water no ice” (she knows travellers so well….) but it was the beginning of my trip and I did not want to get sick so I passed. It was probably safe though. I met two ladies who loved it!

Afterwards, I ended up accidentally in front of a street restaurant called Ingyin Nwe that served south indian food. I saw foreigners eating there so I decided to try it out. That is what happens when you visit a foreign country without a guide book. It was one of the tastiest food I ever had: I had a dosa and they served me several sauces – the tamarind one was to be damned for. So delicious…

After lunch, I did a walking tour of the city. The map of the walking tour is available on my Facebook page under the “Mingalabar Myanmar!” pictures. Then I finished the day seeing the reclining Buddha at the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda. The entrance is free but I offered some money. This reclining Buddha was huge! Afterwards, I headed back to the guest house to prepare for my night bus. From Motherlandinn 2 to the bus station, it is 8,000 Kyat by taxi and the trip lasts 45 mn.

My night bus trip was all an experience! The bus was not comfortable at all and was old. The road was so bumpy, I could not sleep either. Plus the driver was driving so fast… It was crazy. These are my free advices to follow when booking buses in Myanmar: 1. Don’t let your taxi driver book it because all he want is for you to hire is services to the bus station. He does not care about your comfort so he will take the first available ticket. 2: ask for a VIP bus first and moreover ask for a picture of your bus and ensure this is what you get. 3. Get the right arrival time. My night bus cost me 15,000 Kyat, the same price as a VIP bus and the comfort was nowhere close. In addition, the aircon mysteriously broke midway and that was the selling point of the “comfortable” bus. The worst thing? My bus arrived at 3 am in the morning instead of the promised 6 am which meant I had to look for a place to stay for the night in the middle night. Sweet! For information, it is 8,000 Kyat from the bus station to Nyaung U, the main town, by taxi. Double when you arrive in the middle of the night and you are taken advantage of because you have no choice. Fortunately, there were three other foreign ladies travelling on the same bus so we shared the taxi and the night adventure. As of today, Burma is a safe country to travel to so don’t be worried if something similar happens to you. It should be fine.

Fortunately, our taxi driver found us a place: Pyinsa Rupa guest house on the Main Road of Nyaung U. 20 USD the night in a double bedroom which I shared with Helen an English girl I met on that bus. In Bagan, foreigners have the right to pay 20 USD entrance fee… For this kind of things it is useful to have dollars on you because the conversion rate is sometimes a bit random.

Day 3 and 4: the temples of Bagan

In the morning, we rented out electronic bikes to go around the temples. We paid 3 USD each. My friend originally tried to ask for an e-bike for two. The owner blankly looked at her saying “No, you are too fat!”. Bewildered, she asked “what?” and he obliged “You are too fat”. Funny moment…Anyway depending on where you are, you can get them cheaper. I know two girls who got a shiny new red scooter for 2 USD between the two of them. E-bikes and scooters are the best option to go around the temples under the april heat. I felt like a real adventurer going around at 30Km an hour. Youwou!

The temples are magnificent. There are more than 2,200 temples in Bagan but my favorite one is Ananda temple with the standing buddhas and its corridors…Behind Ananda, there is another small temple with the best wall paintings in the whole Bagan (shhh this is insider information!). My other favorite ones are Sulamani and Dhammayan Gyi temples. I also visited the only hindu temple of Bagan situated around Ananda. It is small but interesting although the women who are selling souvenirs over there are quite annoying and pushy. We watched the sunset on the edge of another small temple across this hindu one, away from the crowd. Again, do not forget to take your shoes off as soon as you start entering temples. Also women should were long skirts and show no skin: no hot pants, no spaghetti tops. Myanmar is still a conservative country. And if you happen to have a siesta in a temple because it is too hot outside, don’t ever ever point your feet at Buddha. That is a sacrilege! While writing this post I found this website that looks quite interesting: Temples of Bagan.

I spent the next two nights at the Winner guest house. It is situated between Nyang U and Old Bagan. Again, it was a basic hotel but it was clean, comfortable and the staff was very nice. I paid 20 USD per night for a double room.

If you go to any hotels in this area, don’t forget to ask your hotel for shortcuts to the temples. We followed the road but it was possible to use side roads especially with bikes.

On day 4, I wanted an easy day so I rented a car with a driver. He was charging 35 USD for the day. I probably should have negotiated but since I did not want too much hassle I settled for it. The car is a good option as it allows to visit longer distances. As such, I could go up to the Pagoda on the river and even visit New Bagan. New Bagan looked cooler atmospherewise than Nyang U or Old Bagan but I bought my minibus ticket (15,000 Kyat) from my guest house where they were supposed to pick me up the day after. So I did not want to move there. To party though I think staying in New Bagan is better.

I had some really thai food of my whole trip around the Winner guest house at the Little Thai Kitchen Restaurant (No 7 Main road, Wet Kyi Inn Quarter).

Day 5: Minibus trip to Inle Lake and evening in Nyaungshwe

The day after, the bus left Bagan at 10. We were supposed to leave at 8. They were late. This is Asia. Everything is to be taken easy. And it is better not to make plans either because not only we left late but then we had to go to someone’s house to pick up I don’t know what, then to the bus station because they needed to talk to the office, then we went to inflate the tyres and finally, eventually we really left Bagan.

We were on a minibus, the road was quite good but the driver was really slow so a trip that was meant to take 6 hours took us 9 hours. However, the view was scenic and the guys were really nice and funny. So I forgave them.

At Inle Lake, there was another mandatory 10 USD fee to get into the area. Jeez… What is it with Myanmar and mandatory visit fees?

I checked in my hotel. I had decided while planning the trip from Barcelona to spend at least a few nights in a very nice hotel. So I booked 3 nights in the Hotel Amazing Nyaung Shwe: very nice and in a handy location. The rooms were super comfortable. However, the breakfast was not that amazing and the service was good depending on who you were dealing with. Wifi was also bad but it was the same in the whole Myanmar. Anyway, after 4 nights of night buses and basic guest houses, a touch of luxury was more than welcomed.

In Inle Lake, we were a group of four. For dinner, we went to Lin Htett Myanmar on Yone Gyi Road for some more traditional burmese food. I had a potato and beef curry with the usual side dishes and rice. The meal was quite cheap. I paid 3,000 Kyat for my dinner. Now if I had to go back there again, I will try the avocado shake of the menu. I had them once and they were so yummy. Alas, my quest remained fruitless in my later destinations.

Day 6, 7 and 8: Visiting Inle Lake

On day 6, we rented bikes to go around. One day rental costs 1,5oo Kyat. Inle Lake is quite a big lake so it is not possible to visit it in one day cycling. So on the first day, we went to visit the Red Mountains Vineyard. A surprising site, I did not expect to see a vineyard at all in Myanmar. It had a wonderful view and was quite a climb on the bike too! I did not taste the wine but it could have been nice to come back in the evening, sip a glass of Chardonnay while admiring the sunset.

We kept on cycling afterwards looking for an entry to the lake and discovered by chance Main Thauk village, a floating village on Inle Lake with a floating garden of tomatoes. There is a wooden bridge connecting the village with the main land. We arrived just when a strong rain started to pour down so we waited with the villagers until the rain stopped. The lights and colours after the rain were amazing and so beautiful. But the most interesting part was observing the villagers going about their daily lives: crossing the bridge towards their home, fishing, taking boat trips to the floating houses, transporting goods. It was such an enjoyable moment!

In the night, we decided to change restaurant and went to check out Sin Yaw across Lin Htett. The restaurant is specialised in Shan, Inle and Chinese food. Shan food is reputed to be the best in Myanmar. The menu was so vast, it was difficult to choose but almost everyone went for the sticky rice noodles with chicken for 1 USD – a local specialty. Yummy! We also ordered their ginger tea made with fresh ginger for another 1,500 Kyat. This place will turn into our dinner HQ during the remaining of our stay in Inle Lake. The quality of the food spoke for itself and the staff was so attentive.

On day 7, the 4 of us took a boat trip on Inle Lake. We woke up early so we could enjoy the sunrise (5:30 am). Our boat trip was 18,000 Kyat and left from the bridge in town. We had to insist so that our salesman did not send his 10 year old cousin to take us around. He was so small!!! In the end, his dad did. A really cool old man. He was wearing a hat, the traditional longyi (like a long skirt), was chewing tobacco and smoking cigarettes in the corner of his mouth at the same time. Our first stop was to visit a market then a tofu making place that made tasty fried tofu. Then we visited all the different handicraft workshops around the lake and on the way observed the life on the lake. Notably, the famous Intha fishermen who are paddling around with one leg wrapped around the paddle while fishing. The only one negative note was maybe the part where we went to see the Long Neck Women. I thought they had their own workshops but the two ones we saw made me feel uncomfortable. Not them but the situation: they were weaving in a corner of a souvenir shop and people were coming in to look at them and take pictures. They looked a bit like a fair attraction, they could as well be a pair of monkeys… I did not like it. Other than that, it had been an amazing day!

On day 8, we went around cycling again. We found a new place were the bikes were better and cheaper (1,ooo Kyat): Ms Mu Kyi shop, a few minutes on the main road passed the Amazing Hotel, towards the lake direction. That day, we visited the thermal baths. They arranged the place nicely in the foreigners space: with nice pools and a wooden terrace with view. A bit dear though: it was 10 USD for 2 hours. There was also a high viewpoint pagoda across the hot springs. It is a pity that the place was surrounded with trash and plastics. Afterwards, we cycled to the opposite way to the Tea Wood Monastery after a lunch to Sin Yaw. The Tea Wood Monastery is a beautiful wooden monastery at the entrance of Inle Lake.

Then the day was gone. I bought my ticket back to Yangoon on a VIP night bus (18,000 Kyat). I asked for a picture and followed all of my advices in choosing buses. Alas, I missed the best one which seemed to be JJ Express. But I leave the tip here for future travellers.

They told me to be ready at 4:30 which I was. A tuk tuk driver picked me up along with the other tourists taking this famous VIP bus. It took us a while to get to a cross road with our tuk tuk and we had to wait for the bus on the side of the road for at least 1h30mn. Then finally our bus showed up, a hostess came out all dressed up in her uniform. She verified our tickets and gave us a tag for our bag. Funny. Then high up on her heels, she started to serve us coffee and cake after the bus started. Surreal! Anyway I had my dinner on the bus, a shan dish I took away from Sin Yaw: minced meat with rice topped with an egg. No surprise there, it was yummy again!!!

This is the end of “Mingalabar Myanmar or my 13 days trip to Myanmar” – Part one! Part two will come very soon….

Day trip in Catalunya: wine and oil tasting in Priorat

One thing I would do differently if I had to go back to each country I lived in would be to visit them more. I have always been keener to explore faraway destinations and neglected a bit local places.

Now that I live in Barcelona, I have decided that I will take every opportunity to go around Catalunya in particular and Spain in general. It makes all the more sense as Catalunya has some really stunning and diverse landscapes. This leads me to tell you about my day trip to Priorat.

Priorat is a region in the south of Catalonia that produces wine and olive oil. The route we took was spectacular: hills, cultivated terraces… From what I have seen anyway … the road was so sinuous, I had to focus on a point because of travel sickness. Bring your pills if you are as sensitive as me.

Our destination was the village of Scala Dei. This village is particularly interesting because in addition to the wine cellar and the oil tasting, it is also the home of a Carthusian Monastery, “the” first carthusian charterhouse of the Iberic península. It was constructed by French monks at the foothills of the Montsant mountain range. The monks built mills and taught different farming techniques including planting vineyards on the steep slate-based slopes of the region. Thanks to these monks, the Priorat became famous for its wines. In the charterhouse, we learn that the monks spent their lives in silence. They were also living a solitary life as testifies the reconstructed monk cell that can be visited. Other than that, only ruins are left of the monastery. In Pretty Woman, when describing the hotel room where she was in to her friend, Julia Roberts said that the bathroom only was bigger than the Blue Banana…Well this monk cell is as big as my apartment…. Colder though I assume because of its location and the tiled floor. Anyway… these monks might not be speaking but they were pretty well set and the place is beautiful. I highly recommend this visit. A full photo gallery is available on my facebook page.

After the charterhouse, we went for some wine tasting further up the village towards La Conreria d’Scala Dei. We were a group of 20 people and I understood that the wine cellar specially opened for us. Someone told me that Priorat wine was pretty bad so I could not fully understand why we bothered visiting this wine cellar. That was until we entered the showroom and saw all the award winning bottles they had. And they were international prizes, beware! The confusion was cleared during the visit: the Priorat wine was not of a great quality beforehand. These products have nothing to do with the new generation of Priorat wine that is now in the rise. Priorat wine is now meant to be one of the best in the world… No more talking, let’s taste the wine and make up our minds. We tried one white and 3 reds. We are in a small winery. These were the only wine they produce. The emphasis seems to be put on quality (hence the price as well). I like the white one. The reds won’t let leave you indifferent. I will say no more. It is better for you to go and taste them yourselves.

Afterwards we had lunch in one of the local restaurants. I tried there a dessert called menjablanc made out of almonds, cinnamon, lemon zest and sugar. It is a traditional dessert, a specialty in Reus, a nearby city. It is quite nice, a strange texture though not quite like a mousse more like a dense cream. After lunch, with my tummy so full again, I would have been happy to go for a siesta. But we had our third activity of the day: olive oil tasting! When we arrived at the shop, the place was all set up for us: tables full of food and oil of course! And guess what? This place has also won awards!!! Each one of us grabbed a covered cup containing oil. Until that day, I did not know that there was a special ritual for oil tasting too. It consists of warming up the recipient, a tapped cup, with your hands, rolling the oil into the tapped cup then smelling it like with wine, drink it and swirl it in a certain way in your mouth. This one was spicy in the throat. It is such an interesting experience. The owner of the shop who conducted the visit also had local cheese and sausages for us to try in addition to 4 olive oils they were producing. It was all yum! We were so happy most of us bought something from her. To be honest it was not difficult. She had a range of branded artesan products from biscuits to olive oils that were screaming “I am delicious, buy me…”

That was another great day I had here in Spain. If I had to do it again, I would do the oil tasting before lunch because after two hours drive, the visit of the Charterhouse as well as the countryside walk you are so hungry. It will be like an aperitive. Plus you won’t have a full belly getting into the shop, you will appreciate better the delicacies.

The Carthusian charterhouse:

Cartoixa de Scala Dei

The wine cellar:

www.vinslaconreria.com

The olive oil tasting:

www.molideloli.com

Sitges Carnival 2015

Sitges Carnival happened between the 12th to 18th of February 2015.

I have never really celebrated Carnival as in most countries that I have lived in , Carnival was not a big thing. Eating pancakes on Pancake Tuesday is maybe the only celebration I have had during these festive times. So I was more than happy to plan a short trip to Sitges for the famous Sitges Carnival.

I have seen many brochures and heard a few friends talk about it and say it was great! I decided to check it out by myself, with a friend. So we headed to Sitges on Sunday 15th to watch the adult parade (as opposed to the children one that happened earlier) at 8pm.

The streets were not as busy as expected at first. So we walked around the town quite freely. It was full of dressed up people and dressed up tourits and there was a nice atmosphere. You know the kind of atmosphere that takes over a town when a party is about to happen. It reminded me of Saint Patrick’s day in Dublín: happy people, drinking in the streets, waiting excitedly for the parade to come. Then, we saw a bunch of people lining up for a seat in the tribunes. “Errr, sorry, where can we get tickets too?”…”You just need to queue”…Great! One hour and loads of life analysis later, we finally got to sit. And what seats! The thoughtful organizers got us blankets from a famous houseware brand. Nice….So while people were envidiously watching us comfy and warm, we watched the parade like VIPs. I queued for one hour in the cold, I deserve this!

And so we saw: tinkerbells dancing with Captain Cooks, troups of unicorns, every famous English person from the Spice Girls to Prince Charles and Freddie Mercury, characters related to Priscilla, Queen of the desert and many more to name them all to be honest! The costumes were great and looking at this parade, I wouldn´t think that Spain was in recession as they keep on repeating to each other over here. All the participants were very motivated to bring out the best of themselves. It was a feast for the eyes and for the imagination to watch them marching and to try to name and place each group to a period, to a story, to a region. I particularly like that all age groups (except for kids) were represented in this parade. I assume these were inhabitants of Sitges that were selected to march.

I would have stayed longer but the voice of wisdom, in this case, of my friend’s called for a way home around 10. It was sunday night and monday was a schoolday. So we left. And then there was the second part of the carnival, the one behind the scenes. All the bars full of party people and happy Drag Queens dressed up with fabulous dresses and heels so high I wonder how they can walk. We did not have much time to really hang out though. If I come back next time, I will spend the whole night to enjoy partying in the streets not only watch the parade.

The only negative and it was a big one: we found out that the train to Barcelona was stopping between 10h30 and 1h30 am. After the first minutes of disbelief, we went to look for the bus. A few buses dropped by, vomiting tens of drunken students each time but we had to wait a while for the ones going to Barcelona. By the time it was our turn to hop on, it was 1h15 am :(. We have been waiting almost 2h30 in the cold. At least, we bounded with our fellow passengers, waiting desperately for transportation. So this is a warning! If you go next year, get psychologically ready for the cold wait!

One day in Bruxelles

Yes I know…. I promised a full article about Dublin and Ireland but I made a little change of plans.

Yes, life is full of surprise :). And so today, I will talk about my day out in Bruxelles.

Bruxelles was a stopover on my way to Liege to visit friends who just got a pretty baby girl. Since I have never been to Belgium, I decided to spend a full day in its capital famous for chocolate and frites…So I booked two nights in a hotel located 15 mn from the city center, the Van Belle hotel at Chaussée de Mons 39. It is a hotel without pretension and perfect if you want to spend the night without splashing out on accomodation.

My day started hunting for waffles. There are many cafés and places that served waffles. Bruxelles is actually famous for chocolate, for frites and for waffles…On the way, we encountered the Manneken Pis. He is very tiny and dressed up like a soldier. I can understand him. It is pretty damn cold in Bruxelles in february. Better cover up especially if you intend to pee in the street, he he. Anyway, focusing…My waffle was covered with white and black chocolates. It was delicious though I gave out a bit about the way it was cooked: it was half cooked. I learnt later that this is the way to eat them…Oh…Well I prefer my waffle well-cooked please. Medium-rare is only for my steak.

Bruxelles is a small city with the Grand Place and its buildings at its heart. For me, the best activity on a day out in Bruxelles, besides eating, is wandering around the city. First, there are all the comic paintings on the wall. Just the other day I thought it was funny that my very first picture about Bruxelles is the same as this-lady-who-wrote-the-same-titled-article-on-another-blog. I am referring to the picture on this post here. Then there also are loads of chocolate shops, modern or vintage but all full of chocolate, in all sorts and all shapes and flavours. Shops for furniture and modern home gadgets. I love those! Anyway these were my interests and there were plenty of them in the city. Happy day! I bought a silicon jam spoon and a wall sticker in the shape of a heart. I am so full of love…

Then it is time for lunch. The restaurant we originally wanted was closed. So we picked one that appealed to us with a trendy decor and jazz music in the same Street (Rue des Chartreux, 32), Publico. The menu is also very appealing. We picked one jambeanneau (knucke of ham) with mustard sauce and potatoes, a belgian specialty that is really delicious. Thanks to my belgian colleagues for the recommendation. And the bill was not bad at all either: 15 Euros for a soup, very nice bread, a main dish and one drink. That was an amazing lunch. After lunch and a little rest, we went out hunting again for some frites this time.

Well, for a city famous for potato fries we had a lot of problems finding one friterie. Our first experience has not been fulfilling so I leave the address out. We kept on exploring the city and decided to have a specialty beer in the Delirium pub. It has a nice vibe and a multicultural clientele (French speakers on our left and English girls on our right). Aaaah…Belgium is famous for chocolate, frites, waffles and …beers. And then on the way home, guess what we found: a friterie and more particularly the “La friterie du café Georgette“, address: rue de la Fourche. And it was like expected: with a few people lining up in the street waiting to be served. We waited our turn with excitation until we realised that this place does not take credit card. Yeah, for an European capital , Bruxelles seems a bit backwarded in some areas: no free WI-FI in our hotel, numerous signes of “no credit cards accepted” and not so many cash machines it seems…Anyway, after getting some money in our pocket, here we are again happily queuing in the streets and in the cold again. Finally we place our order: one cone of fries with a samourai sauce (spicy) and a big meatball. Mission accomplished…

I would go back again to Bruxelles. It is a laid back city. And when I come back, I will have two missions: visit Pierre Marcolini’s shop and the comic museum.

10 days of Chrismas in Montreal

After debating with myself for a few weeks about where I was going to spend my Christmas holidays, I finally decided to visit my family in Canada. Montreal to be precise.

The choice had been hard: going to Asia, going to South America, remaining in Spain, going to Ireland or choose a completely different plan… Well, I have a solution for tough decisions to make and it never failed me :). I assign a number to my options and get a friend to randomly pick one. That is my answer. Another friend confirms that the first answer was the good one by picking a number again. And so on until I realise that no matter how many people I ask, the random outcome surprisingly remains the same…

Of course, it only works on non death or life matters…Don’t use this technique to decide if you should get married, get a mortgage, buy a house… in summary, for anything that involves heavy investments… You might lose a few feathers along the way. In my case, the outcome turned out pretty ok and I happily purchased my ticket to go and freeze in Canada.

Highlights of Montreal

The happiest moment of the trip was the reunion with my family and nephews on Day one: two adorable and very energetic boys also going under the nicknames of Terrible Two (a two-year-old) and F**ck**g Four (a four-year-old). These are real educating terms as it seems.

We visited Montreal on Day 2. The Underground City really intrigued us. It was underground alright but turned out to be disappointedly just another extension of the shopping malls. So nothing too exciting there! We did try a local Quebec specialty: the poutine, a dish of fries served with gravy and cheese curd. It’s quite nice although heavy on the calories. We walked it off in the streets of the city. 3ºC is not that cold if you get your layers sorted. Well kinda…In the open, if you keep moving you are fine.

From my perspective, it is difficult to get a feel of Montreal as the city is quite spreaded out. However, it has some highlights. The main one was the old town with its charming streets, St Paul being my favourite. The winter lights are also very nice. And I have been impressed by Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal, its stained glasses and altar (5CAD the entrance fee). My second favourite thing to do was walking around the Plateau Mont-Royal, the French district and its colourful houses and external staircases. It is pretty cute.

Canadian table topics

We had Christmas celebrations with all the food, drinks, fun and gifts they involve. In Montreal, as dinner conversations, you can talk about how expensive alcohol is. And the fact that it can only be bought in state owned shops called SAQ. You can also ask for separate checks for the same table in restaurants. Whether you are two or twelve, everyone can have his own bill. In Spain, that is something unthinkable. Once in a café, the guy at the till asked us to make the calculations. It was too complicated for his brain. So he said…

In Montreal, sex change is legal and perfectly accepted. You can announce to your employer that you want to turn into a man if you are a woman or vice versa. Your employer informs all your colleagues by letter about your “transformation”, ask them to be nice to you and voilà, your new “you” can show up on monday without being afraid to be judged or rejected or both! That is pretty cool.

Of course, also come the eternal debate of misleading prices showed without taxes and the tipping policy. Why do I have to pay a mandatory 15% especially if the waiter has not been particularly nice to me? And why does it have to be 15% anyway? And I tell you, the pressure is high around tipping. Sometimes the waiter turns around you like an eagle around its prey until you give in. You are then rewarded with an appreciative smile if you have been generous. It turns out afterwards that going out in Montreal and I suppose in Canada altogether can be really dear.

Winter activities around Montreal

Although dreading the cold, I hoped for a real white Chrismas. I prepared for it, invested in good winter boots and fleece and thermal clothes and it turned out to be the warmest winter in many years…

We still got to do winter activities though: a day trip in Mont Tremblant, a ski resort at two hours drive from Montreal and its Disneyworldy air with colourful houses, loads of decorated Chrismas trees and enchanting squares. We also tried snow tubing at Les Super Glissades Saint Jean Matha. It actually looks more impressive than it is. You hop on a tube that looks like a big tyre and you sled. Much more fun when you are a big group as gravity makes you go faster! And we rode snow motos in the Laurentians.

We also spent one afternoon at Le Spa Finlandais, a finnish spa in Rosemère, half an hour outside the city by car. I come from a tropical country and live in a warm country. I wore 5 layers of clothes during my trip to Canada and here I am in bikini by -12ºC heading to the sauna, out in the open. Then diving into the hot open air bath. But the most crazy thing I had done that time was to dive into icy water, by -12. I could not believe I did it! And I did it again. It was refreshing and energizing. And now that I think of it, I will do it again (after 15mn spent in a hot bath)!

A top brunch

Quebec’s gastronomy did not impress me much. However, we had a top Brunch at L’Avenue in Le Plateau Mont Royal. It is a very popular spot. We queued in the street for 30mn by -12ºC before getting a table. Well, it was all worth it. I got the most complete brunch of the menu. It had one fruit skewer, some reallyt nice potatoes (they know how to cook their potatoes in this place), french toast and pancake with some really good maple syrup, eggs and bacon, cheddar and cretons (another local specialty, a kind of pork spread). The mocha was so creamy and one glass of it so filling that I could only have it for breakfast. One of us tried a smoothie of strawberry, raspberry, litchi and basil served in a big cocktail glass and it was very tasty and refreshing. We were so stuffed after that…

I had a very enjoyable moment in Montreal with my family and all the nice people I met. I have opened up to new experiences and enjoyed going beyond misconceptions and personal limits. You can go around in swimming suit by -12ºC and appreciate it. Not too long though. We want to try something new not die of it! The most ironic part of the trip? On our last day, it started to snow…I am dreaming of a white Chrismas…

To find out more about Montreal, click here.

Adresses:

Les Super Glissades Saint Jean Matha: 2650 Route Louis-Cyr, Sainte-Émélie-de-l’Énergie, QC J0K 2K0, Canada – Phone: +1 450 886 9321 – For tariffs, check the website: https://www.glissadesurtube.com/

Le Spa Finlandais: 124 Boul Labelle, Rosemère, QC J7A 2G9, Canada – Phone: +1 450 971 0005 – Website: http://www.spalefinlandais.com/

Snow mobile in the Laurentians: https://www.laurentides.com/en/snowmobile-laurentians – check the website to choose a place

L’Avenue: 922 Mont-Royal Ave E, Montreal, QC H2J 1X1, Canada – Phone: + 1 514 523 8780 – Website: http://restaurantlavenue.ca/