London -> Basel
Highlight
- A relatively late start to another beautiful day, although it was colder and mistier today.
- Visited the Markplatz for the morning market – which was small and wasn’t really happening. It’s good if you want to do some basic shopping, but there was nothing on offer in terms of choice.
- Visited the Town Hall which was quite magnificent.
- Started on the green walk. Highlights were going to the peaceful and more suburban St Alban, crossing the Rhine on the current powered boat, and enjoying the scenery along the side of the Rhine.
- Stopped off for some shopping for the Basler Läckerli honey biscuit. We got a sample of it at the official store, and it was really yum, but we decided to check out the prices at the supermarket before we committed. We found a 1.5kg bag on sale for 11 CHF, which was cheaper than buying the 500g bag. There was no way I was going to buy the small bag, so we ended up with so much biscuit we didn’t bother trying to buy anything else.
- Had a very indulgent lunch at Les Quatres Saisons. We were the only ones there besides an old couple. The food was wonderful and they were very generous with the servings, so much so that I was so full I couldn’t even fit in dessert. The waiter was funny too, but I don’t think she meant to be.
- We emerged back into what had turned into a warm afternoon 2.5 hrs later. We waddled slowly through the orange walk, the highlight of which was seeing the cactus in the very small Botanical gardens and the cool Spenditor (gate). And this time we got to go inside The Cathedral afterall. It was very nice, but of course I have seen better.
- The gray walk already covered a lot of ground from the previous walks, but takes the narrow routes and stairs. It was not altogether unpleasant, and it was interesting seeing the parts at different parts of day, bursting with activities, instead of the dead town of the weekend. We couldn’t resist stopping by Gigen confisurie as we saw lots of people going in there. We picked out 3 different pastries item – palmier (comparable to the best from France), marzipan slice (yum), raisin and nut log (very Asian in feel and yum)
- The walks over, we spent the last hour or so wondering around some shops. It was quite interesting as there are some unique shops around, and not (much of) the Euro high street store you find in every city. We weren’t planning on buying anything else as our bags were loaded full, but ended up in Manor department store where they had a watch sale, so Slokky picked himself a Casio Baby-G for 50 CHF (I know it’s not even Swiss!) and I got myself a black diamante Reis for 89 CHF.
- We needed to use up our francs, so ended up getting cheese and chocolate from Coop before heading off to airport.
- A very smooth ride home, no delays and no incidence.
Food
- taste test bread
- Läckerli biscuits
- Les Quatres Saisons:
- olive puff pastry, tomato puff pastry
- bread assortment
- venison with vegetable terrine
- langoustine with asparagus
- apple, foie gras terrine
- Bouillabaisse with toast and langoustins
- saffron mussel soup with scallop
- lamb with carrot and mashed potato
- veal with parsnip mash and brussel sprout
- cheese with grapes and walnut and fruit bread: crème fraise, maulbier, Gorgonzola, Gruyere, camembert
- 3 desserts: raspberry and fig compote, chocolate crème brulee, passionfruit, mango and raspberry sorbet
- tea and espresso with petit fours
- pistachio macaroon, raspberry lemon tart, tuile, milk and dark orange peel, Läckerli biscuit, chocolate with nuts, alcoholic chocolate
- glace chestnut
- palmier
- chocolate spice cake slice
Basel
Highlight
- Caught the tram out for breakfast at Confiserie Bauchmann. The food was fine, but I was appalled at the smoking in the restaurant, especially for breakfast!!
- Went to the train station, where it was very busy, a mass of activities with everyone taking advantage of the weather and the weekend.
- The lady at the tourist office talked us into going on a cable car.
- Caught the train to Liebsel , then a crowded bus to W
- There was a fair and everyone seemed to be out and about. We didn’t hang around as we wanted to get started on our walk.
- Caught a long cable car ride, then did some walks. There was no maps and no English, so we just wandered aimlessly, but it was very nice walking, except for the cow poo and the annoying bells that kept ringing and ringing.
- There were a few restaurants along the way, but we decided to save our stomachs for dinner instead.
- Walked to Passe , the highest point, and did a loop around. Nothing in particular to see, but it was nice to get away into nature.
- Caught the cable car down, taste tested some apples, picked up some cake, biscuit, chestnuts and cheese from the fair, before a long bus ride back.
- Wandered around the the few restaurants that actually open on a Sunday, and settled on the dingy pub place near the station. As usual, dirty, but the food delivered. We were very full. I still can’t believe we ate a whole pot of cheese.
- Strolled very slowly back via the Rhine Bridge.
Food
- C Bauchmann breakfast:
- hot chocolate
- orange juice
- milk bread
- salty bread (pretzel)
- croissant with jam and butter
- bircher muesli
- milk chocolate bread
- marble cake
- taste test apples
- roasted chestnuts
- chocolate aniseed biscuit
- Steinbock dinner:
- traditional fondue with bread
- liver traditional style with rosti potatoes
- mint tea
- Feldschlosschen beer
London -> Basel
Highlight
- The weather was great, we caught lots of public transport.
- We got to our hotel at 6pm, so everything was closed, but we went on 2 of the walks (red and blue). The highlight was the cathedral, but it was under renovation.
- Faltz, overlooking the river and the cool building with funky shops, but too dark to do anything.
- Dinner was very good. Very formal but good food that you can smell. The best was the duckling. They gave us 2 pre-desserts and petit fours because they forgot they had already given us one, so bonus!
Food
- Cheval Blanc dinner:
- bon bon
- trio of bitterbollen, fish and caviar, tomato terrine
- tuna
- artichoke nad foie gras
- duck breast and mash
- duck liver and spring rolls
- petit fours:
- coconut macaroons
- raspberry tart
- passionfruit terrine
- flapjack
- chocolate cake
- iced coffee mousse
- millefeuille
- raspberry, milk chocolate
- cappuccino
- mint tea
Oslo
- green hills
- pine trees
- blondes
- harbour
- lakes
Peak District 2
- lambs
- baby lambs
- fog
- old people
- green fields
- stone cottages
Eindhoven
- bikes
- canals
- cafes
- beer
- brown
Malmo
- hairdressers
- trolls
- babies and prams
Copenhagen
- people walking dogs
- canals and boats
- colourful houses
- lamp shops
- design shops
- cafes with outdoor tables and blankets
- babies and prams
Chester
- old tourists
- old black & white buildings
- old English pubs
- tea rooms
Manchester
Rotterdam
- funky buildings
- McDonalds
- architecture
- boats
- docks
Cambridge
- tourists
- old buildings
- colleges
Stockholm
- McDonalds
- design shops
- harbour
- babies and strollers
- kids
- H&M
- hairdressers
- hot blonds
Leads
- shopping centres
- constructions
- new buildings
- young people
- restaurants, bars and pubs
- hairdressers
York
- old building
- castle walls
- shops
- tea rooms
- people
- pubs
- churches
Lille
- dog poo
- beggars
- homeless
- furniture store
- specialty beauty products
- sales
- clothing store
- dressed up people (but only from the afternoon)
- joggers
Paris 1
- food shops
- grand parades
- baguettes
- dogs on metro, in supermarkets, in baskets
- tight parking space
- grand architecture
Peak District
- lambs
- rolling hills
- people walking, decked out in walking gear
- cobble stoned streets
- churches with graveyard
- coffee shops and tea rooms
- Bakewell tart and Bakewell pudding
San Francisco
- Walgreen
- fog
- cars
- Chinese
- buses
- fat birds
- cable cars
- bagels
- information
Valencia
- garden
- pastries
- bars
- cafes
- tapas
- cool structures
- bus
1. Madrid
Summary
England
2. Ski La Plagne
Summary
France
3. Paris
Summary
Iceland
4. Newcastle & Canterbury
Summary
England
England
5. Cambridge 2
Summary
England
6. The Cotswolds
Summary
England
7. Buffalo & Niagara
Summary
USA
8. Australia
Summary
England
9. Milan
Summary
England
10. Nice
Summary
Sweden
11. Buffalo & New York City
Summary
USA
12. Kaula Lumpa
Summary
England
13. Hong Kong
Summary
Denmark
14. England Day Trips
Summary
Wales
15. Malaga
Summary
France
16. Buffalo, Niagara & Toronto
Summary
USA
17. England Day Trips 2
Summary
England - Exeter
England - Winchester
England - Petersfield
England - Bournemouth
18. Ghent and Ypres
Summary
Belgium
19. Stavanger
Summary
England
20. Rhodes
Summary
France
21. Gothenburg
Summary
Sweden
22. Turin and Alba
Summary
Norway
23. Ibiza
Summary
Wales
24. Berlin
Summary
Germany
Lyon -> London
Highlight
- We were so surprised that the sun was actually up, so we hurried our breakfast so we could have a walk around Tete d’Or
- Breakfast was the usual affair, but after indulging last night, we took it easy…and didn’t even ask for the made to order pancakes or eggs
- It seems like everyone was out in force at the park again. Everyone was either running or riding a bike or pushing a stroller around. So I guess that’s how all the French people stay skinny.
- Found out Nicola was pregnant while we were walking through the park, so that was great news.
- Off to Vieux Lyon, which goes from Saint George’s right up to Saint Paul, which was really cool. The old houses with their traboules (silk workers passageways) were still in use, and we kept going inside houses to discover magnificent interior courtyards, wells and spiraling staircases
- Up to Fourviere Hill again since the sun was up, and admired the much more beautiful city views.
- The Croix Rousse market was already finished when we got there, and it seemed the sun has also decided to call it a day. Still, we enjoyed some more views from the hills area, saw more courtyards and walked through more traboules, but these weren’t as magnificent as the ones around Vieux Lyon, and because we were getting quite cold, decided to held for some food.
- Most of the restaurants had completed their services, and there were only about 2 restaurants still opened, so we went to Le Bouchon Des Carnivores. As the name suggests they specialise in meat, but we decided to get more bouchon classics. As expected, the food was very good, and we got very filled up.
- The wind was really blowing at this stage, but we still went on the Light Tour of the city. The Notre Dame cathedral was the most lit up, and looked spectacular, but otherwise the buildings we looked at were a bit dull.
- It started snowing, so we thought it was time to call it a day… so off to the airport we went.
Food
- Hilton hotel breakfast:
- orange juice
- grapefruit juice
- pineapple juice
- muesli with strawberry pot set yoghurt and dried fruits
- grapefruit
- smoked salmon
- smoked halibut
- cold cuts
- cheese selection
- sausage, bacon, mushroom, beans, grilled tomato, scrambed eggs
- croissant
- pain au chocolat
- apple turnover
- raisin twist
- Le Bouchon Des Carnivores dinner:
- baguette
- Lyonaise salad – lettuce, bacon, coutons, egg, mustard dressing
- hot sausages in cast iron pan
- andouillette (liver sausage)
- crumbed pig trotter
- chips
- nougat with almond
- almond tart
London -> Lyon
Highlight
- The plane was very empty. We actually arrived ½ hour early, but then had to stand in the freezing cold while waiting to go through immigration.
- Took us awhile to figure out the public transport situation, but finally got to our nice new hotel with a nice balcony.
- Off to Bernachon, the patisserie, which was doing a very brisk trade…so we joined the queue and got some really delicious food.
- Picked up our tourist map, then walked around the Place Bellacour with its huge horse statue, but it was very cold.
- Window-shopped our way to the Rue de Merciere, which is filled with bouchons, for lunch.
- Picked a little place in an alleyway, but there were so many people and it was very cold since the heater went off. Luckily the food was good and we tried a few Lyonese specialties.
- After that very full lunch, it was time for some actual sightseeing, so we took the funicular up to the top of the Fourvière hill, where we visited the spectacular Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière church, with its beautiful interior, as well as exterior.
- The view from the top was not too bad, but the grey clouds meant any photos would be terrible.
- The Fourvière Roman Theatres was very large and very impressive as well. There are good signs to tell you what is going on.
- Hit the shops since we knew everything would be closed tomorrow, so caught the metro back to Part Dieu for the shopping centre there.
- Bad idea, the whole world seemed to be there too. It was so packed you can’t actually get to the shops since there will be crowds of people walking past.
- It didn’t seem like the French seem to be suffering from any recession at all. The shops were packed and people were buying up big. There seemed to be a few shops having about 20% discount, but the majority were not.
- I found some stuff I like but as usual, they didn’t have my size.
- I gave up on shopping pretty quickly and decided to head back to the hotel to relax first.
- As usual, we were the first people to be at dinner, for a long time actually. We didn’t mind as the service was very good at the beginning, and as the restaurant filled up and they got busy, things slowed down a fair deal.
- And the food…average one star stuff. I did think some of their sauce was too salty and heavy, otherwise it was a wonderful experience, and I got to practise some French.
Food
- Bernachon:
- sausage brioche (€2.60)
- coffee eclair (€2.70)
- Le Merciere lunch:
- bread with mustard potato, terrine, puy lentils and haricot beans
- head of veal with potato and garlic mayo
- crumbed stomach with penne mushroom bake
- quenelle in crayfish sauce
- cervelle de canut (chives cheese)
- gateau Lyonnais
- Christian Têtedoie dinner:
- sesame stick
- seafood foam
- vegetable tartlet
- grain bread
- coteaux languedoc rouge (€9)
- veal crumbed ball with raspberry cream with crumble mix
- Smoked Monkfish with Langoustin with Avocado dressing
- Snails in Vegetable Foam
- Rabbit Rilette
- French duck
- Grand Marnier souffle
- Chocolate tart with chocolate ice cream and cream
- fruit tartlet
- almond tuile
- chocolate biscuit
Limerick -> Shannon -> London
Highlight
- The usual hoo-ha of arriving “early”.
- Had to run for the train since Slokky lost his boarding pass.
Food
Limerick -> Adare -> Askeaton -> Tarbert -> Killimer -> Kilkee -> Kilcolgan -> Galway -> Ennis -> Limerick
Highlight
- Got up nice and early to try to fit everything in before the sun (or should that be light) fades. So drove to Adare and watched the sunrise there.
- Trinitarian monastery with its dovecot was very cool.
- Walked along the main road to the Augustinian Priory, with very nice cloisters.
- Slokky was so scared and didn’t want to cross the bridge to go to The Desmond Castle, so we went on the Riverside walk back to town.
- Missed out on the The Franciscan Friary because Slokky thought we were inappropriately dressed to go on the golf course, even though we weren’t even playing
- Had a brief wonder around the park with its orange leaves, looked around the thatched houses.
- The Franciscan Friary at Askeaton, with its fantastic cloisters.
- Caught the very expensive car ferry (€17 one way) across to Killimer. It was so windy I just tried to dodge the wind the whole way. We shared the ferry with yet more Americans doing the grand tour.
- Had a brief stop at Kilkee, another Victorian resort town, but it was quite ugly, and the terrible weather didn’t help either.
- It was very windy and foggy on the other side of the river, so there was pretty much no point trying to see the Cliffs of Mohir, as we couldn’t even see much in front of us.
- We decided to skip the scenic drive we planned to do and head to Galway instead.
- We stopped off at the Burren Smokehouse where we watched a very old video on their smoked salmon production, but more importantly, got to taste test and then buy the product.
- Off for some food. We wanted to go to Paddy Burke’s Oyster Inn but they were filled to brimming – plus they actually didn’t have oysters on the menu, so off to Moran’s Oyster Cottage instead.
- Moran’s was doing a roaring trade as well, but as now it was quite late and the cottage was huge, they fit us in. They managed to get our order mixed up, so we got to try some vegetable soup for free. The seafood was excellent, and while the oyster was tasty, I’ve had better.
- Finally made it to Galway, but the weather didn’t improve, although the whole town seemed to be filled with people shopping or eating or drinking…and they all seemed to have some sort of (non-Irish accent).
- Had a brief look around the church, with a semi-interesting Sunday craft market going on.
- The Galway Cathedral was boring.
- Nora barnacle House, wife of James Joyce also uninspiring.
- The Lynch’s Castle is now a bank, the Spanish arch had drunks around, so we took another riverside walk back to the car.
- Passing tour of Eyre Square with the curious window frame.
- Drove to Ennis through traffic jam, but it was raining very hard, so we just did the car tour of the abbey and the cathedral.
- Took awhile to decide on dinner, as the 1st 2 place we went to didn’t deliver. Finally took some pictures of Limerick (King John) castle though.
- Moll Darby turned out to be quite excellent. The duck was very good and the desserts tempting.
Food
- scone
- Burren Smokehouse smoked salmon
- Moran’s Oyster Cottage:
- brown bread
- vegetable soup
- seafood chowder
- Seafood Cocktail - crab, prawn, smoked salmon served with Marie Rose sauce.
- 1/2 dozen Clarenbridge oysters
- Moll Darby’s:
- bread basket – sun-dired tomato, toast, brown bread
- Pan Fried Breast of Irish Duck (€28) – Pan fried Breast of Irish duck set on a Crisp Pastry of Duck Confit Legg, Sweet Onion
- Braised Rump of Lamb (€26) – Slow Braised Rump of Lamb, Sautéed York cabbage, Smoked bacon, Whipped Potato and Onion Jus
- Caramelised Banana Tart - Individual Banana Tartlet served Warm with Vanilla Rum Ice-Cream, Butterscotch Sauce and a Banana Tuille (€8.50)
- Poached Pear and Chocolate Pudding - Moist Poached Pear and Chocolate Pudding served warm with Roasted Chestnut ice-cream and Vanilla Anglaise
London - > Shannon -> Limerick -> Cashel -> Cahir -> Lough Gur -> Limerick -> Garrykennedy -> Limerick
Highlight
- Usual Ryanair hoo-ha about arriving early, but nothing to it really.
- Picked up car, and because the weather was bad again, decided we would take it easy.
- Drove into Limerick to see the morning market held at the aptly named Milk Market. It was quite small and kinda dull, but we were able to see the locals at work, buying up big for the weekend. We got a few tarts to keep us going while we make our way to Cashel
- Luckily we got in early enough for lunch at Café Hans. It was extremely popular – with the locals again as they didn’t seem to be much tourists out and about at all. The food was very good café fare…not too much choice, but things were fresh and nicely prepared
- To The Rock of Cashel – which is actually the remains of an old gothic abbey and an even older chapel, which had retained some frescos. The surrounding area was very beautiful also – when it wasn’t bucketing down with rain.
- Went for a stroll around the Hore Abbey, amongst the cow poo, but you get a wonderful view of the Rock of Cashel.
- The whole place hardly had any tourists, except for a few stray Americans.
- Cahir to see the outside of the castle and a nice riverside walk.
- It was already getting dark by this stage, so we hurried along to see the Pre-historic stone circle near Lough Gur. We were met there by Tim, the local owner, who showed us pictures of his kids and told us lots of story. Unfortunately it was so dark we couldn’t actually see anything, but at least we met some Irish folks.
- Decided to drop by the Travelodge before dinner. All Travelodges look exactly the same .
- Took a long drive through some bumpy roads and in the rain to Larkins, situated in a very small town. The pub itself was very nice, small and comfy, very homely, but unfortunately the food didn’t really measure up.My steak was way past medium and the chips were really really bad. Maybe we ordered wrong but it definitely wasn’t worth the 2 hour return car journey.
Food
- berry almond tart
- pear and almond tart
- Café Hans lunch:
- warm salad…..
- open prawn sandwich on Irish soda bread with seafood dressing
- Larkins dinner:
- brown bread
- cheese tart with salad
- Prime Irish Hereford Sirloin Steak, served with Sauteed onions, mushrooms and French fries. Pepper sauce
- Larkins Steak Burger - Larkins home-made Prime Irish beef burger served with side salad and french fries.
Llandundo -> Beaumaris -> Conwy -> Denbigh -> Rhuddlan London ->
Highlight
- The weather didn’t get any better at all, but we managed to go for a drive around the Great Orme drive…and because the weather was crap/it was early, there was no one manning the toll booth, so we got to drive it for free.
- The view would’ve been excellent on a nice day, but that huge storm cloud that kept getting into our pictures, and the really strong wind, not to mention the call of breakfast, meant we didn’t stay long.
- The brief stop at the top, with the really strong and cold wind was fun though.
- The breakfast was slow, and quite disappointing. From the way it was described you expected it to be really good, but the food was pretty tasteless and there was not much variety.
- Off for the first drive, back to Beaumaris Castle. The weather was absolutely horrid, with really strong winds, that my umbrella did nothing, but it was eerie wondering around the castle in darkness though, especially through the many corridors of this castle.
- Then back to Conwy, which was a cute little town, but we didn’t stop to browse the shops, as we were in a hurry. A brief look at the outside of Plas Mawr Elizabethan Town House, then onto Conwy Castle, which was my favourite of all. Still retaining its crumbling charms, but with lots of towers to climb, for views towards the sea. There is a nice display about chapels in castles, but most of all, because it has retained its grand structure, it was the best.
- It was already getting dark by this time, so we went to Denbigh Castle, which was a very different sort of castle. It was not built by Edward II and was not concentric, instead, everything was on a grand scale. Unfortunately the castle is now in quite a bad state, but the view of the surrounding town and farmland was beautiful, with the autumn leaves.
- Off to Rhuddlan Castle, which was closed, but we got a good picture from the outside.
- Hit a series of small monuments, which we shouldn’t have bothered, as the weather got progressively worst (from the already terrible to start with), and it was getting too dark to see anything.
- Started our journey home, but was pretty much stuck in traffic only after about 20 minutes in. We took a detour, which cost us 30 minutes, so we arrived at dinner at the Kinfe and Cleaver at 8:30pm.
- The place was not a pub at all, but a small hotel with a bar/restaurant attached. Apart from another couple, who were obviously staying the night there, we were the only ones there. The food was cheap and very nice, and very generous, and the service was homely too. Read the reviews here.
- We were a bit afraid as the weather was absolutely mad while we were eating, we could hear the wind making a lot of noise. Luckily, the weather improved as we drove towards London, and the traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought, so we made it back before the last tube closed, although we did get soak walking to the tube.
Food
- The Lindens breakfast:
- pineapple juice
- tea
- coffee
- yoghurt with dates and grapefruit
- full breakfast with poached egg, sausage, black pudding, bacon, tomato, mushroom, fried bread, hash brown
- toast
- digestive biscuit
- Knife and Cleaver dinner:
- Prawn ball, relish on toast
- seed bread and foccacia
- Smoked Haddock Chowder (£5.25) With parmesan cheese straws
- Deep Fried Whitebait, Gremolata (chopped parsley, lemon, garlic olive oil) (£6.00)
- Gourmet Steak Burger (£9.75) Home made bun, crispy pancetta, chunky cut chips with tomato relish
- South Coast Dab baked whole with an Anchovy and Shrimp Butter (£12.25)
- ratotouille, potato gratin, buttered leek
- coffee cafetiere
Oswestry -> Llangollen -> Harlech -> Criccieth -> Caenarfon -> Bangor -> Colwyn Bay -> Llandundo
Highlight
- Very bad weather yet again, rain and wind.
- Llangollen was a small cute town, pity not much was opened. We picked up some welsh cake from the bakery.
- To Plas Newydd – nice garden with shrubbery by the river.
- Valle Crucis Abbey – was very much like Tintern, but abandoned and very muddy due to the rain.
- To Llangar Church, which was a long walk and probably not worth it since the weather was crap.
- To Harlech Castle, but it was raining really hard, and there were a lot of places to climb, which were muddy and slippery, so not a good idea.
- Criccieth Castle – was mostly in ruins but the view was very nice, when it’s not overcast.
- To Caernarfon, but unfortunately the castle was under renovation, so we couldn’t get a good picture.
- People actually speak Welsh here! What a difference to Cardiff and the south.
- Stopped off for too long a lunch at Black Boy Inn. Read the reviews here.
- Finally made it to the castle around 2:30. We climbed several towers while the rain held out, then headed down to see the various exhibits: Princes of Wales and The Royal Welch Fusiliers, but we didn’t finish the displays as we got kicked out early. It wasn’t that interesting anyway so no loss there.
- Tried to go to the Segontium Roman Fort, but it was getting dark, so we couldn’t see very much.
- A brief stop at Bangor, but the weather was so bad and it was so dark, we couldn’t see the Menai Suspension Bridge or Victoria Pier.
- Our hotel was very nice. Cosy and a bit old, and very hard to open the front door. Our room was beside the road though and the road noises were quite bad.
- We didn’t know this, but Pen-y-Bryn is run by the same company who ran The Armoury. So the décor and menu were pretty similar. We didn’t mind though, and ate more great food. Read the reviews here.
Food
- Welsh cake
- Black Boy Inn:
- traditional Caernarfon lob scouse (£8.95) – chunks of steak cooked with onions, root vegetables and potatoes in a great stokc, served with chunky bread
- Sardines with Salad
- Snowdonia Ale from Purple Moose Brewery
- Pen-y-Bryn:
- Braised half shoulder of Welsh lamb with dauphinoise potatoes, vegetables and rosemary sauce (£13.95)
- Slow roast belly pork with roasted apple, sage & onion mashed potato and vegetables (£11.45)
- Eton Mess (merigne with fresh raspberries, strawberries and cream) (£4.95)
London -> Shrewbery -> Oswestry
Highlight
- hertz mucked up, there was no meet and greet service at st Pancreas. So we had to catch a taxi to the Russell Square branch after arguing for a long time with the employees there.
- The problem eventually got resolved (or so we thought), and we wasted the 45 minutes advantage we had over the weekend traffic.
- As a result, we were truly stuck in traffic, so took over 1 hour to get out of London. It was very quick after we got out, and all the speeding helped of course.
- Shrewberry was a charming, rich town, with cute timber houses and a nice riverside vibe.
- The Armoury was very good and also very busy. The desserts were a bit of a disappointment. Click here for reviews.
- Finally arrived at our cut-price Travelodge, which was not bad at all for the price.
Food
- The Armoury dinner:
- Pigeon Breast, bacon and black pudding salad (£6.25)
- Spicy Moroccan lamb shoulder with olive and almond cous cous (£14.95)
- Belgian waffle with honeycomb ice cream and chocolate sauce (£5.25)
- Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream (£5.25)
Belfast -> Hillsborough -> London
Highlight
- The weather was absolutely horrid – grey rain and lots of strong wind, so it was no good for walking.
- We drove up to Belfast castle on Cave Hill, but didn’t walk up the hill because of the weather.
- had the whole castle to ourselves. It was kinda scary as we could wander everywhere. The visitor centre was tacky.
- To St Anne’s Cathedral and that Quarter. Dongall St had some fine architectural buildings, but looked a lot like England.
- Down to Maggie May where all the students seem to be eating. Read the reviews here.
- Spent awhile at Queen’s university. It was a very nice building, and did the “tour”, which was not that interesting.
- The botanic garden had a nice glasshouse.
- Back to the city to see the Albert memorial Clock and City Hall.
- Actually did some shopping. It is pleasant here, nice shops, wide space, plenty of things on sale and not too many people. We managed to pick up some Levi’s for Slokky for more than 50% off. Unfortunately there was nothing for me.
- went to see the viewing tower/platform at Victoria Square…the view was kinda obstructed but it seemed to be a popular passtime.
- Toe ht doem of Waterfront Hall to see the Big Fish.
- Resisted visiting the Titanic Docks.
- To Shankill Road and Falls Road to look at the Loyalist and Republican murals. It is still very bleak area and the huge high fence to separate the two region is still in place, reminding you of the ominous past.
- Hillsborough – seems to be a small posh town. We visited the lovely tree-lined church and graveyard, but the castle and fort were already closed.
- A lovely dinner at The Plough Inn – great service and very busy, read the reviews here.
- Forgot we couldn’t carry the jam we got at St Georges Market on the plane as we only had hand luggage, so had to give it up at security.
- It was a very rocky plane ride with lots of shaking.
Food
- cherry tomato foccacia
- Maggie May’s breakfast:
- fried Irish soda bread with sausage and fried egg (£2.99)
- Traditional Fry Up – bacon, sausage, tomato, mushroom, soda bread, potato bread, pancake, fried egg (£3.99)
- cappuccino
- Plough’s Inn dinner:
- Dundrum Bay Mussels, served with a garlic and white wine cream (£6.25)
- Deep-Fried Whitebait with Asian Salad and lemon and parsley mayo
- Grilled Langoustines, with avocado and rocket salad (£15.95)
- Succulent Roast Sirloin of beef with creamy champ, chasseur sauce and Yorkshire Pudding
- Roast potato, creamed cauliflower, carrot, squash, peppers, beans
- Trio of Asian Brulee, passionfruit, pear and coconut (£4.95)
London -> Belfast -> Ballymoney -> Bushmill -> Dunlace -> Whitepark Bay -> Carrick-a-Rede-> Cushenden -> Carnlough -> Belfast
Highlight
- Smooth airport ride. Even got our free KK, and we arrived 10 minutes early.
- Slokky forgot his paper license, but luckily we were still able to rent our car.
- Got given a card by the girl at the Budget rental, very cute.
- St George Market was excellent- just like Borough but with much less people. There were lots of tastings and Northern Ireland produce. Excellent cakes.
- Decided to go to the Giant Causeway today because the weather was going ot be worst tomorrow.
- Stopped off at Balymoney on the way, with nice rolling hills, sheep and cows. We drove through the cool Dark Hedges, a series of trees forming these tunnels.
- The Giant cuaseweay was very cool, hexagonal rock phenomenon. There were lots of visitors.
- Luckily we got a bit of sunshine when we started climbing on it, like steps…but unfortunately the weather turned while we were around, and got caught in the huge downpour with nowhere to shelter, and got absolutely soaked.
- We wanted to stay longer ot enjoy the scenery and the nice walks, but gave up because of the weather.
- It cleared up again for some nice coastal shots.
- Bushmill Distillery, where I managed to score a free tasting…I think whiskey is still an acquired taste.
- Dunluce castle was crumbling but in a beautiful location right by the sea.
- A quick stop at Whitepark Bay
- Carrick-a-Rede Roe Bridge was kinda scary but the scenery wasn’t worth it as big sections of it were closed off.
- Started the drive on the Causeway Coastly Route, with some spectacular scenery, stopping at Cushenden, Carnlough on the way. All very nice, but it was too dark to really fully enjoy.
- Day’s Hotel was very busy. They must’ve had some big party there as all the rooms were full and we had to wait ages for service.
- Walked to Deanes via the pretty Crown’s Inn pub with its too cool tiles and closed booths.
- Deane’s was nicely decorated, the food was great but the service was shocking. Read the full review here.
Food
- krispy kreme chocolate glazed ring
- hog roast with apricot stuffing (£4.50)
- taste test at St George market: cheese, cake, yoghurt, sausage
- Greek yoghurt with granola and berries
- taste test Old bushmill original whiskey
- cherry tomato foccacia
- Deane’s dinner:
- sun-dried tomato bread
- black olive bread with oil oil/ tapenade and balsamic oil
- Celeriac Veloute with truffled ricotta dumplings
- Slow Poached Breast of Pheasant with pickled carrot and watercress salad, aniseed emulsion, nibbed cocoa
- Pan-Fried John Dory in Crisped Couscous with Baked Piedmontes red pepper, olive Polenta & Basil Tapenade Crisps
- Breast of Irish Duck with Warm Config Leg Terrine, Savoy Cabbage, Vanilla, Pear & Chestnut
- Ardi-Gasma with Fig Chutney and Crozier blue ice-cream
- Homemade Vanilla Yoghurt with Poached Blackberries and Ginger Biscuits
- Milk Chocolate and Orange Custard Cake with Milk Chocolate & Tea Ice-Cream, Citrus Reduction
