Gothenburg -> London
Highlight
- Enjoyed an Ikea style breakfast, complete with your own trays, as usual, at the hotel. As usual, I couldn’t eat a lot of the stuff, but at least they had interesting juices
- Got to the Maritiman, the floating museum nice and early. Very interesting to be able to go into all the ships, especially the Submarine Nord Kaparen to see how small and narrow it was
- The huge Destroyer HMS Smaland was interesting because of its sheer size.
- We didn’t get to finish the museum, as we were rushing to get to the boat for Alvsborg Fortress, and, as I thought might happen, the boat didn’t show up, just like the bus from yesterday. It seems after August the whole place shuts down, so even though they advertised the boat, they can’t be bothered showing up. That was frustrating as we could’ve stayed and finished the Maritiman.
- Had to make do with visiting the City Museum – which had an interesting Viking display, but the bit on the history of Gothenburg was pretty boring.
- We finished early, so decided we might as well go to the Maritime Museum as well. This one is again aimed at the kids, and wasn’t very interesting, especially because there was no English.
- We ran out of things to do, so went to stock up on food at Hemkop
- Back to the hotel to have our "welcome" drink at the bar. The sun finally came out, just a little too late.
- Had so much time to spare, so wondered around the Norstrum shopping centre and the bus terminal.
- Enjoyed our food at the airport while we waited ages for the flight.
- The flight was really full so it wasn’t comfortable at all.
Food
- Novotel breakfast:
- dark bread with cucumber, cream cheese, peppers and tomatoes
- muesli with natural yoghurt and dried fruit
- scrambled egg, bacon, sausge, meatball
- croissant
- custard and jam danish
- cardamom bread
- pineapple, watermelon, orange
- blueberry, mango, rosehip juice
- Hex chocolate bar
- crayfish and potato salad
- salmon pate
- dark rye bread
- orange juice
London -> Gothenburg
Highlight
- The terravision bus driver was crazy and I couldn’t’ sleep.
- The plane ride was smooth and arrived “early” as usual
- Managed to get the Gothenburg pass at the airport
- Managed to visit H&M, where the prices were the same as London, but still managed to pick up a few things. Checked into our hotel, then headed straight to the “fish church”, where the fish market is held.
- It’s a very small place, but we picked up some yummy seafood, then sat outside for lunch…the weather wasn’t really great for that though, so we ate quickly and left.
- Was supposed to go for a Bus Tour with the pass, but the bus never showed up. So instead we did the Paddan boat tour. The highlight was going under the hairdresser bridge. We couldn’t go under the cheese grater bridge as the tide was too high. Otherwise, we got a good history of Gothenburg, together with big blasts of wind, but there was really no exciting buildings or sites.
- Off to the Salum hall, which is supposed to be the big indoor food market, but I found it small once again, but it’s all about quality and not quantity, and we found plenty of things we liked. Even though we had lunch, we couldn’t resist sitting down at the counter at Alexanders, who only sell soup and one or two other dishes, to try the famous lentil soup. It was very nice and well deserved its reputation. By 2pm they had sold out of everything except one soup!
- Off to the famous amusement park, Liseberg, supposedly the most visited site in Sweden, where we watched people scream on rides and win giant chocolates
- Universeum – again, loads of kids, especially in the interactive area where it was overloaded with them. We didn’t fight with them to try any of the displays, although they looked interesting.
- Highlight was the live rainforest and the animals that is mixed into the informative museum displays – like a mix of a zoo and a museum.
- Back to the hotel, before heading 200m to our Michelin star restaurant. They were very busy with a wedding reception. People were dining very early to very late.
- The seafood was outstanding, service was a bit slow, but the place was charming to look at with its wooden beams, and the food, when it arrived, was bang on being one star. We had the lobster degustation since it was lobster season, and it didn’t disappoint.
- Staggered back to hotel for sleep.
Food
- crayfish salad with dill
- shrimp and crayfish roll
- Alexanders:
- Greek lentil soup with roll (35 SEK)
- sjomagasinet dinner:
- smoked mackerel with chilli and dill
- dill, aprociot wholemeal, rye, Swedish cracker bread
- Lobster salad with mushroom aioli served with pumpkin,
quince apple and pickled chantarelles - Lobster soup with crayfish quenelle and lobster
- apple and cinnamon sorbet
- Butter fried lobster and cod with horse radish- beurre blanc served with potato fondant
- Brie de Meaux filled with lobster, cheddar and truffle with bread
- Crème brulée flavoured with Sri Lanka- cinnamon served with plum sorbet and apple doughnut
- chocolate truffle
Buffalo -> Toronto
Highlight
- I thought today would be an easy day, being holiday and all, but no, everyone showed up at work.
- Didn’t get to leave until past 4pm, and then waited 20 minutes in the shuttle for Andrew anyway.
- Went to gym, packed, and then went quite early to the bus station in case.
- Well, no need for that since the bus was running more than 1 hour late.
- Luckily, after that there were no delays. We got through customs relatively quickly
Food
- Casa di Pizza steak pizza
- Doubletree breakfast:
- cranberry and grape juice
- Fresh Fruit Cup
- blueberry muffin
- Duck curry
Buffalo
Highlight
- Had to update rules some more, but after that, got a relive from testing…etc. So got a chance to catch up on all my other work, thank goodness.
- Made it to the farmers market during a break from the rain. It was really cool. Not that big, but I managed to pick up a few things, and we sat in the sun with our hot dogs and caught the end of the daily music.
- Went inside some of the buildings, and got myself an ice-cream sundae from the Charlie the Butchers stall.
- Tried to go to Bistro Europa, but found out it was closed, so made do with Casa di Pizza across the street. As soon as I sat down and looked around, I knew I had made a mistake. Every single person eating there was severely overweight…
- The pizza I got, as expected, was really thick and loaded with cheese – but tasted really bland. Maybe I ordered wrong or something but it was so disgusting. I managed to eat about half of the smallest size I could get.
- Watched the exciting Wimbledon semi before doing the laundry and going to bed.
Food
- Doubletree breakfast:
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice ($2.25)
- Fresh Fruit Cup
- Corn Muffin
- hot dog with mustard, ketchup, pickle and onions($1.50)
- Charlie the Butcher Mexican Ice Cream Sundae($4.35)
- raspberry, peach, blueberry and cherry cream cheese cookies.($4)
- Casa di Pizzadinner:
- Steak pizza ($15 small) – light olive oil based, grated romano, fresh tomatoes, spinach, onions, thin sliced rib eye steak, topped with Monterey jack, cheddar and mozzarella
Buffalo
Highlight
- So the problems start again, and I spent all morning running around trying to solve it.
- They were celebrating Wimbledon…and I miss out on all the fun, but did get to have really sweet strawberries and cream. Could’ve had my picture taken with the Wimbledon trophy but didn’t want to line up.
- Then spent all afternoon doing stupid mapping rules and my brain turned to mush.
- Another long day because we were finally going to Mothers. I had heard such good things about it, but read reviews about how the service was crap. Well, the place was so weird! The waiters were really bad, they just ignore you all the time, and don’t deliver. The restaurant has an intimate setting, but they turn the music up really loud and the tables are really close to one another.
- The food – appetisers were good, the soup was so,so, and the mains had nice potatoes. The lamb was tasty, but was really fatty, and wasn’t cooked to order. I ordered medium well, but it was much closer to medium. Good thing they gave you a lot, so I could leave all the red bits.
Food
- Doubletree breakfast:
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice ($2.25)
- HC Baked Blueberry French Toast: 2 slices of French toast baked with light cream cheese, blueberries, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, light sour cream and fat-free yogurt. Topped with confectioner sugar and maple syrup ($8.95)
- salad with roasted vegetables, Asian dressing, cucumber
- strawberries and cream
- Mothers dinner:
- bread with butter
- St Louis ribs with mustard sauce and coleslaw
- Sausage stuffed portabello mushroom
- mushroom and asparagus soup
- 8 oz lamb chops with masala wine sauce, green beans and roast potatoes
Buffalo
Highlight
- Wow, a day without any major problems! Amazing.
- Spent all day doing admin work and it went so slowly.
- Decided to eat healthy today after feeling so sick from Subway.
- Andrew decided he wanted to go out afterall, so we sat outside, while the weather was nice, at the Saigon Café. The food was not as good as last time, I found both the soup and the duck sauce too sweet, but the duck itself was very flavoursome.
- Got a call back from the GM about my “problem”. They just apologised and said it won’t happen again, but didn’t offer me any sort of compensation.
- Watched Family Guy on Andrew’s recommendation and then to bed.
Food
- Aroma cannoli with chocolate chips and pistachio
- Doubletree breakfast:
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice ($2.25)
- Fresh Fruit Cup
- Kellogg’s Smart Start flakes and oat cereal
- Vegetable Lo Mein, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Beef & Broccoli
- Saigon Café dinner:
- Tom Yum Goong ($3.75) - Fresh shrimp & shiitake mushrooms in hot and sour broth, garnished with scallions and Thai basil
- Thai Duck ($13.95) - Grilled marinated duck breast topped with stir-fried onions, red and green peppers, pineapples, fresh ginger in our tamarind sauce served with steamed asparagus
- young coconut juice
Buffalo
Highlight
- I had a very good sleep so wasn’t that tired, ready to face another day.
- Luckily didn’t have too many issues today so got a bit of work done.
- Had Subway again because nothing in the canteen appealed, but bad mistake. I felt so bloated and so sleepy I couldn’t concentrate all afternoon.
- Didn’t need to entertain for dinner again, so went out to try the Italian…I was actually a bit stuffed full of carbs, but what the heck, the pastas all sounded very appealing.
- Food was ok, not anything special, but I did managed to score myself a free cannoli since they had run out of ingredients for more so they gave me one for free.
Food
- Doubletree breakfast:
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice ($2.25)
- Pancakes: Stack of three buttermilk pancakes served with fresh berries and whipped cream ($7.95)
- Subway sweet onion chicken teriyaki ($5.20)
- Aroma dinner:
- bread with olive oil and balsamic
- Rigatoni with pulled pork, sweet corn and peas in a cream sauce ($17)
Buffalo -> Niagara Falls -> Buffalo
Highlight
- The sky looked clear this morning when I looked out, so I decided to risk it and go to the falls…maybe it won’t rain until the afternoon.
- Caught the 40 bus again, and arrived by 10am. Pretty much as soon as I got there, the skys opened, and started raining pretty much non-stop the whole day.
- Walked across Rainbow Bridge to the Canadian side. It was really easy, and no problems at all.
- Well, the Canadian side definitely has better views, and better facilities set up for tourists…but it was also more gimmicky and lacked the natural appeal of the US side. I think it’s good to go to both sides actually.
- Bought myself an adventure pass, which included the excellent Maid of the Mist, where you board the boat and go under the falls, and get really wet. It was really fun.
- The Niagara Fury was a 4D movie experience, aimed at kids, but was entertaining and told you a little about the falls.
- Journey Behind the Falls was really crap. You go into these tunnels and end up, yes, behind the falls. But you wait for ages to peek behind this little hole, and all you can see is a gush of water, not really something you want to pay a lot of money for.
- Whitewater walk was also stupid. It’s basically for a chance to view the rapids up close – as in you can catch a lift and walk on a boardwalk, instead of having to rough it if you want to do the same thing for free on the US side. I guess since I was being careful, it was a better choice.
- Spent ages walking around doing all the different stuff, took a load of photos, even though the weather was gloomy and mostly wet.
- Had a nice frozen yoghurt for lunch, because I couldn’t really face pizza or burger after that big breakfast.
- One of the nice things I did visit was the Floral display, which was pretty much in full bloom at this time of year.
- Even managed to visit the gimmicky tourist stores to try some fudge at the Herseys store.
- Spent about 1.5 hrs on the US side, while waiting to catch my bus back. Quickly caught all the views from last time, and it was certainly a lot more busy, but after all the time on the Canada side, the view was not really anything to be wowed over.
- In the end, had to run for the bus, and only just made it.
- Decided to eat some meat, so went to Nektar, which was very quiet, as usual, on a Sunday night. The food was very good though, the meat came pink…which on other occasions I would love, but I didn’t get to eat it all. Which was probably good since they gave me so much food.
Food
- Doubletree breakfast buffet:
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
- Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, potatoes
- Asiago bagel with vegetable cream cheese spread
- Yogen Fruz raspberry, mango and pineapple frozen yoghurt ($5.60)
- Nektar dinner:
- bread with balsamic and olive oil
- Pork tenderloin in mustard sauce with cabbage, smashed sweet potatoes ($19)
Buffalo
Highlight
- The weather was beautiful today. Did some research in the morning, then headed to Ambrosia for a break from the Doubletree breakfast.
- Walked along Elmwood Street, but not all the shops were opened yet. There were a few quirky and interesting gems, but otherwise nothing special.
- Checked out Bidwell Parkway farmers market, which was excellent. There weren’t too many stalls but at least they were different. I managed to pick up some jam and apples, as well as Buffalo wing sauce for souvenirs. Also taste tested some sorbet and had a yoghurt drink.
- Joined the free housing tour, which was very boring because the people on it kept asking the most boring questions. Who wants to know about painting techniques and marketing about a nusery.
- If they had kept to the itinerary it would have been good – visiting old house conversion, an old school conversion, as well as an alternative café was just up my alley really, too bad the execution was bad. Oh well, can’t complain since it was free.
- Spent the afternoon walking down the rest of Elmwood, to Delaware Park. Walked by the river a bit and watched the canoes as well as all the weddings taking place.
- Asked to get picked up by the shuttle, stupid Garrett at the front desk made a mistake, so I got stranded there for 1.5 hours.
- Afterwards I wanted an apology, but the manager in charge, Donna, and Garrett were both really rude.
- I got so mad I went back and wrote loads of complaint letters and left messages for the GM. Unfortunately it was Saturday, so no one was working, also, couldn’t change hotel either.
- Andrew piked again for dinner, so I went to Wasabi, seeing he doesn’t like fish. I couldn’t eat the raw stuff, but I did manage to get some nice cooked sushi. Certainly much better, and cheaper, than eating at the hotel.
Food
- Ambrosia breakfast:
- gyro, scrambled eggs, pita, feta cheese and smashed potatoes
- orange juice
- white cow diary lemon drink ($2.25)
- taste test sorbet, chilli sauce, jams
- Sweetness 7 Café:
- raspberry, strawberry and banana smoothie ($4.15)
- Wasabi dinner:
- Miso Soup ($1.75) Tofu, seaweed and scallion in light soybean paste soup
- Age Tofu ($4.50) - Crispy breaded tofu fried to perfection.
- Spider roll ($9.50) - Fried soft shell crab, avocado, lettuce, cucumber and tobiko topped with mayonnaise and sweet eel sauce.
- Scorpion roll ($9.50) - Broiled eel and avocado on top of a shrimp tempura roll.
Buffalo
Highlight
- Another problem filled day at work, and wanted to relax because it was Friday as well!
- Got held up at work, and then had to wait ages for the shuttle again, so didn’t make it to Albright Knox until very late, about 8:15. There were a few people dining at Muse still, but unfortunately, it was also the day for the NHL draft party, so the menu was hockey themed, which I didn’t liket at all.
- Nevertheless, the food arrived super quick, so I was able to finish dinner before 9pm and still have some time to browse the gallery.
- There were a few gems, along them good pop art and 60s album cover display, and a small selection of Modern classics from the Masters. I also enjoyed the exhibition on Frida Khao.
- Managed to almost finish the whole gallery before I got picked up, only having to rush the last few pieces. So all in all, a good visit.
Food
- Doubletree breakfast:
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice ($2.25)
- Fresh Fruit Cup ($3.25)
- HC Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal ($2.25) with banana
- fish sandwich, coleslaw, carrots and broccoli
- Muse dinner:
- Buffalo chicken Wing Chowder ($6)
- Fresh P.E.I Mussels steamed in Canadian Beer with crispy bacon and cheddar, caramelized onion ($10)
Buffalo
Highlight
- Tired again after the late night last night, so didn’t get up and go to gym.
- The weather started turning bad, with bad storm.
- Lots of issues at work, so worked like a dog.
- Managed to not go into the canteen – which was a good thing.
- Finally got out of there before 7pm, went to the grocery store and picked up some Palmers stuff and also got some chips and chocolates that are only available in America.
- Didn’t go out for dinner as I wanted to go to the gym and also do my laundry.
- Since I was so full from Subway I didn’t eat until 9pm, so had to eat at the hotel again. The food was so-so, but I really need to get out!
Food
- Doubletree breakfast:
- Breakfast Wrap: Scrambled eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese in a flour tortilla($6.25)
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice ($2.25)
- Subway lunch:
- 6” meatball sub
- lemon iced tea
- white macadamia cookie
- oatmeal and raisin cookie
- Doubletree dinner:
- bread with butter
- Mediterranean Salad Chicken Scallopini – Grilled Chicken Breast in a Lemon Caper Sauce, with Rice Pilaf, Asparagus
Buffalo
Highlight
- Slept relatively well, nearly 8 hours.
- Even managed to do a quick session at the gym beforehand, so it meant that I can go out late tonight.
- Was going to go for a walk since the weather was so nice and hot, but got piled with a whole bunch of work to do, so couldn’t go out, and even had to eat lunch at the canteen again.
- Had to stay at work v late again since going to Manav’s for food so had to wait…don’t want to work such long hours.
- Finally made it there – he has a big house with a big backyard, like most people in Buffalo.
- It was nice weather to have a bbq, Indian style actually.
- They were so rowdy, and drank so much and danced, and all tried to force me to drink as well. It was difficult to refuse.
- Ended up being the first to leave but still didn’t get back to the hotel until 11:15, and didn’t get to bed until 12.
Food
- Doubletree breakfast:
- Raisin bagel with cream cheese
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice ($2.25)
- Fresh Fruit Cup ($3.25)
- turkey, tomato lettuce and cheese sandwich
- apple juice
- chicken gumbo soup
- BBQ:
- chicken tikka kebab
- capsicum and mushroom kebab
- Angus cheeseburger
- chickpea salad
- tacos and dip
- orange juice
Buffalo
Highlight
- Worst jet-lag ever, but probably because I slept so early the night before, so I woke up at 3am.
- Ended up going for breakfast very early (omelette was so bland, maybe I chose the wrong stuff) and going to work early.
- Got the shuttle to work, which was nice and convenient.
- Work was a bummer…food was not appealing at the canteen as usual.
- Worked until 7pm, then Andrew told me he didn’t want to go out.
- So I tried to book a shuttle to drive me out, but they somehow mucked up, so I ended up having to wait another 15 minutes.
- By that time I was so hungry I really didn’t want to have to travel out, so I ate at the hotel instead.
- The front desk guy felt sorry for me so my meal was on the house – which really didn’t benefit me at all…and I couldn’t complain when my food arrived so slowly since my meal was already free.
- Good thing though that the food was very nice, as opposed to breakfast.
- This also meant that I wasted enough time and was able to get to bed at 10pm instead of 8pm.
Food
- Doubletree breakfast:
- Mushroom & Cheese Omelet with Swiss cheese ($7.95)
- Wholemeal Toast with Strawberry Jam
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice ($2.25)
- pitta bread with chicken, cucumber, tomato, artichoke, olives and pepper on raita sauce
- grapefruit juice
- Doubletree dinner:
- clam chowder with bread
- Mediterranean Chicken Salad marinated chicken served atop a bed of greens with feta cheese, black olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and greek dressing
London -> Toronto -> Buffalo
Highlight
- Well, very happy with the new journey into Heathrow, around 50 mins door to door, can’t complain about that.
- Not very impressed by BA, as usual. Believe it or not, they now have even less food than their already sorry state! No more bacon or mushroom rolls, no more muffins, instead there’s only toast. The massage therapist was different again, a woman this time, and she was the best yet.
- Another v old plane, just my luck. Of course there was no entertainment on demand and I had seen just about every movie they had on offer. I only watched Anvil, the story of Anvil (it was good!) and that was it.
- At least they changed the wash bag and the menu though, so I got to try something different…although it wasn’t tasty. I left half my fish as it tasted like cardboard.
- Didn’t manage to bump into Andrew until we got off the plane, thank goodness.
- We had Joe again to drive us. I like him. We had to wait 45 mins to get across the border though.
- Doubletree is worst than the Hilton Garden Inn…but the shuttle service will be useful. The walls are so paper thin I can hear everything, and I mean everything, from next door.
- The in room dining menu was terrible, and I wasn’t hungry anyway, and was really tired from only getting 5 hrs sleep the night before, so I retired very early.
Food
- BA lounge:
- grapefruit juice
- yoghurt with cereal and dried fruit
- cherry fruit cake
- BA snack:
- BA lunch:
- Lobster with Pink Grapefruit and Mango Salsa
- Fresh Seasonal Salad Served with Vinaigrette
- Fillet of Sole with Baby Carrots, Gem Lettuce and Lemon Cream Sauce
- Chocolate Cherry Trifle with Strawberry Sauce
- BA snack:
- Artichoke and Asparagus Salad with Classic Vinaigrette
- Fruit Scones served Warm with Clotted Cream and Strawberry Preserve
- Strawberry and Pastry Cream Tartlet
- Green Tea
- chocolate chip cookie
