London -> Chichester -> London
Highlight
- Another beautiful day. We started by going to the Cathedral but as usual, there was mass on. It was peaceful to walk around the grounds outside.
- Walked around the high street looking at potential food option
- Went on part of a Town Wall walk. The walk itself is pleasant, but in terms of view there wasn't much to see
- We stopped off at the Bishops Palace Gardens near the Cathedral grounds - which was beautiful with its trees and flowers, and laid there and played for a long time
- We ventured to a car boot market while looking for food...and it was not interesting
- Nothing good to eat on the high street, so decided on strawberries on the market, M&S salad and Cook berry cheesecake
- Tried to go to the Chichester District Museum, but found out it was closed and due to move to a different location.... so spent the rest of the afternoon lying on the grass and eating (again) at Priory Park.
- Another train ride home
Food
- M&S salad
- strawberries
- Cook's summer berry cheesecake
- M&S banana smoothie
London -> Arundel -> London
Highlight
- Yeah, finally a nice day and Allie was in a good mood. We arrived at the station super early again and had to wait ages before we got on the train
- It's a quaint little town with loads of little restaurants and tea shops, and looks quite imposing with the castle and cathedral at the top forming a nice backdrop, and the river and rolling hills.
- We did a quick walk around the streets, went to the cathedral (but couldn't go in because of mass), and looked outside the castle (but didn't go in because it costs too much)
- We wanted to catch a boat to go up the Arun river to the pub, but they said they weren't running them. Not sure why as it was peak tourist season and a nice day.
- Instead, we took a very nice walk amongst trees, and then part on the road to reach the pub.
- The setting of the pub is really nice, by the river with view of the castle. There were lots of families and friends enjoying food and drinks in the fun. Alas the food was only about average and not really worth the trip.
- After our lunch we tried to enjoy a walk back along the path - it was not too difficult with a buggy surprisingly. Allie had other ideas though and didn't want to walk, so we had to push her the whole way.
- We spent about an hour at Lake watching "duck duck", eating ice cream and blowing bubbles.
- More time at the playground and Allie had a great time going up and down the stairs.
- A smooth ride home.
Food
- Black Rabbit pub
- Roast Beef (£9.95) - Perfectly roast sirloin of British beef, served with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, glazed parsnips, gravy & seasonal vegetable
-
Sussex Smokey (£9.25) - White & smoked fish, spinach & chopped tomato in a cheese sauce topped with savoury crumble, mixed salad, thick cut chips
- blackcurrant and clotted cream ice cream
London -> Littlehampton -> London
Highlight
- Weather was terrible, raining on and off all day
- It took a long time on the train, and rained straight when we got off.
- Walked to the river side to observe all the swans, then made our way to long beach.
- The beach was nice, with funky decorated benches and lots of cool play area
- Rain stopped, sun came out for a bit, but it was super windy and very cold.
- We tried to play by the beach a bit but Allie was having none of it, so we went for a walk along the seaside instead.
- Walked all the way to Rustington with bits of sun and rain, and Allie moaning in her sleep the whole time.
- Settled to have lunch at the very nice 47 Mussel Row, where the seafood was especially good.
- Had a bit of a look at the swans again, before making our way back to the station since there was another storm coming
Food
- 47 Mussel Row :
- Smoked Salmon (£5.95)Salmon smoked on the premises with Sour Cream
-
Seafood Chowder (£5.25) a classic soup with Tiger Prawns, Cod,Scallop and Smoked Cod
-
Mussels and Chips (£8.75) - fresh Shetland mussels in a wine cream sauce with triple cooked chips and dip
-
Roast lamb (£9.95) - with roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and daphinoise potatoes
-
Scampi and Chips (£5.95)
London -> Brighton -> London
Highlight
- Luckily the weather was very nice, so we went straight to the bike hire place
- Allie was super excited to see the bikes, even though she was really tired.
- The bikes were quite comfy, after plowing through all the tourists on the main esplanade, we enjoyed riding along the undercliff path towards Saltdean .
- Allie fell asleep during the ride so we didn't really stop to look at all the sea animals.
- Returned our bikes and took the track to Hove for lunch.
- The Meadow was nice and relaxed, food was good but small portioned, allowing for us to enjoy 3 courses.
- Stopped by the bike to lie in the sun and play. Allie kept looking for her ball which we didn't bring.
- Laid on the beach while Allie played with the pebbles by putting them all in her stroller.
- Enjoyed some gelato and ice-cream before making our way back on the train home.
Food
-
The Meadow:
- Crispy pigs ears with caper and lemon Salad
-
Crispy Poached duck egg, pickled girolle mushrooms, toasted walnuts and bacon Salad
-
Slow Roast pork fillet, apple and lovage stuffing, apple and pea-top salad, fennel and onion gravy
-
Sirloin of Arun valley beef with Yorkshire Pudding, Shallot Gravy and Watercress
-
vegetables - baked cauliflower, goose fat potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cougette
-
English Strawberry Eton mess with Almond praline & honeyed oats
-
Chocolate pot, Honeycomb Chantilly, Raisin Cookie
- red velvet and salted caramel gelato
- gooseberry and raspberry and white chocolate ice cream
Moscow -> London
Highlight
- Weather was slightly better today. Decided to go to the Novodevichiy Covent anyway.
- It was very nice, except that the people were all lazy and all the churches were closed and not all the museums were opened.
- Walked outside by the lake.
- Visited the cemetery where famous people were buried, except we couldn’t read any of the writing as usual.
- Sun came out so we decided to head to Gorky Park. Except Slokky totally underestimated the time and it started raining again, so spent about 10 mins there before heading back, as Slokky was being paranoid again.
- The usual hotel, crowded metro, train ride lifting up and down stairs. Got to the airport in good time.
- As usual, it took forever while we past about 4 different checks at various check points and finally made it to the Transaero lounge.
- It was quite bad, nothing much to eat, no space for relaxing. At least after all those queues we didn’t spend long there.
- Flight was fine. No entertainment available for some reason, but flight wasn’t full so we got to spread out.
- Back to the rudeness of UK people again.
Food
- Café Puskin:
- croissant
- sausage bread
- chocolate twist danish
- Transaero lounge:
- smoked salmon, eggplant ,olives, ham
- chips
- cakes
- BMI flight:
- sour cream pretzel
- beef lasagne
- couscous salad
- strawberry mousse and cream pot
London -> Moscow
Highlight
- No problems getting to the airport. Lounge was nice and we got priority tagged.
- Plane was pretty empty so we got to spread out. Allie slept a bit and I watched Midnight in Paris (very bad movie with good actors)
- We arrived a bit late. Things weren’t as hard as I thought. There was a long time at Customs, but we got through with no problems.
- Waited in line again to get the tickets for the train, but no problems on the ride
- Another long time to get Metro tickets as all the machines broke down just as we got to the front.
- Metro was very crowded due to rush hour, but the stations were very pretty. Most of the trains were old and very noisy, with hardly any poles for you to hold on (and you def need to hold on).
- Finally got to Hilton, more than 2 hours after getting off the plane. It’s one of the 7 “sister” buildings from Stalin’s era apparently.
- It was already past 7pm when we were ready to venture out for dinner. Decided to go to Uzbek cuisine restaurant. Communication was difficult but the food was delicious.
- I was surprised that there were lots of Asian looking people around so we didn’t stand out too much.
Food
- BMI Lounge:
- waffle, Danish, chocolate croissant
- bacon roll
- yoghurt with fruit
- BMI Flight:
- fruit salad
- cranberry flapjack
- potato hash, baked beans, sausage, omelette
- Restaurant Hodja Nasreddin in Khiva:
- Lagman “Uygar Style” with lamb ribs soup (490)
- Pairie quail “in Uighur”, marinated in herbs (640)
- Horse in a pot, languishing in puree of tomatoes and greens (460)
- bread (200)
Budapest -> London
Highlight
- Slept slightly better, but not much.
- Hotter again today.
- Started at St Stephen’s Basilica. There seemed to be a funeral on so we couldn’t see much of it.
- Walked down a bit of the Vaci utca. Buildings were nice but shops not that interesting.
- Great Synagogue – nice but you had to pay to go in, so we didn’t bother.
- Walked down Andrassy ut, admired the embassy and mansions, before reaching Hero’s Square – nice statues, which led to the very nice City Park. As usual, Allie slept through it all and missed out on all the green space and all the cool art on the lake.
- Did the rest of Adrassy Ut, more fine building including the foyer of the State Opera House.
- Walked some of the Jewish quarter. It was actually quite run down. The run down synagogue also costs money . All did have a pre-war atmosphere about it.
- Last stop, the Nagyesarnok (the Great Market). A bit touristy and all the shops were selling the same thing. Got some paprika sausage but that was the extend of it.
- Upstairs at the market they have food stalls. Lots of Hungarian specialties, but the quality was disappointing.
- We shopped at the supermarket instead, where all the Paprika tubes were all much cheaper.
- Back to hotel for the usual pick up, then metro and bus ride to the airport, which was smooth again.
- Can’t believe I am saying that BA is much better.
- Had to put up with crap on return to London - >we had to circle twice at Heathrow, then had to catch a bus, then had to line up at Immigration with no speed up for kids.
- Ended up being 9:30 by the time we got on the tube.
Food
- Hilton breakfast:
- salmon, herring, cheese cold cuts
- bircher muesli, fresh fruit
- scrambled eggs, goulash, mushroom, hash brown, bread, croissant
- bean soup
- langos – jam and poppy seed
- stuffed cabbage
- plum tart
- poppy seed and cream cheese tart
- BA flight:
- prawn, rocket and mayo roll
Budapest
Highlight
- Couldn’t sleep because of snoring. Had a leisurely usual Hilton breakfast.
- Weather was much cooler today. Walked to admire the Hungarian Parliament.
- Took a long time to figure out how to get up Gellert Hill by public transport.
- We managed to walk past the Gellert Hotel with its thermal bath and nice architecture
- Finally go to the top to see the Citadella (ugly but the views were good). The liberty monument (monumental). We walked down instead of trying to catch more transport – couldn’t avoid all the stairs though.
- More public transport to Castle Hill. Lots more tourists milling about. 1st stop, Royal Palace, but only for the beer festival. We couldn’t choose the free beer so didn’t get to try any Hungarian brews.
- There were not that many people there yet, so we got some food and chilled with the music.
- Walked to Mathius Church and Fishermen’s Bastion. Very good view across to Pest.
- Back to the beef festival, now there are lots of people. Returned my mug and ate at 21 Hungarian Kitchen.
- Enjoyed the simple well-cooked food. Allie didn’t really enjoy the paprika goulash.
- Went to enjoy the lighted scene after dinner – even nicer with less people about.
Food
- Hilton breakfast:
- salmon, herring, cheese cold cuts
- bircher muesli, fresh fruit
- scrambled eggs, goulash, mushroom, hash brown, bread, croissant
- Beer festival:
- Heineken
- Z beer
- roll cake
- fresh potato chips
- 21 Hungarian Kitchen:
- Goulash soup
- Hungarian fish soup
- cold potato and cod soup
- roast duck liver with cabbage slaw and fried dough
- duck foie gras with raspberry and brioche
London -> Budapest
Highlight
- Smooth bus and train to the airport.
- Plane was delayed, there was no explanation. The air hostess didn’t say anything at all. Probably one of the worst airlines I’ve flown.
- After a bus and train ride and then a long walk to the hotel in the heat. We had to wait for the room also. By the time we could go about, it was getting to 3:30pm.
- Walked to get some food, but ended up visiting a local market/festival with music and free bread, free water and cake!
- Had a very nice Hungarian Jewish cake.
- Went on a long long walk to Margaret Island. Could’ve caught a bus but Slokky was too stupid.
- After 45 mins of walking we finally reached Palatinus Strand. Took forever to get tickets, then we couldn’t figure out the locker system. Turns out you have to go upstairs, men and women have separate buildings, and you have to ask an attendant to lock your locker for you.
- By the time we were ready to swim, we only had half hour left.
- With Allie it meant we could really only go to 2 of all the pools since only these were the warm ones. It was fun, but we didn’t get to use the wave machine, the water slides or the play equipment. It was getting colder anyway as we had to leave.
- After changing, headed to Onyx for dinner. Very formal and attentive, and nice décor. The food was def on par with the décor and was excellent.
- Walked along the river to observe the night scene.
Food
- Hungarian airlines flight:
- salami sandwich
- cheese sandwich
- Festival:
- Hungarian Jewish cake – apple, poppy
- cream cheese strudel
- cream cheese cake
- paprika and onion bread
- baked bread with sour cream, salami and pickled onions
- Onyx:
- cucumber soup
- fish tartare, brown breadcrumbs
- Goose liver torte with raspberry gelée and caramelized goose liver parfait, brioche
- Lamb soup with loin, tongue; green bean purée and tarragon foam
- Tenderloin and confit shoulder of beef with slices of marinated goose liver served with celeriac purée
- Veal Variations: medium-rare roast tenderloin; tripe with harissa and sugar peas; crispy leg with green pea purée
- 21st century Somló sponge cake
- Cherry, white chocolate, olive
- mojito, cake and cream
- raspberry and apricot , dark chocolate and macha choc crunch
Brussels -> Mechelen –> Brussels -> London
Highlight
- Had a nice breakfast at the hotel before heading to Mechelan on the train. Caught a fast train so we were there within 20 minutes.
- It didn’t help that Slokky got us lost so we walked for ½ hour in the heat in the wrong direction.
- When we finally figured out the way, we managed to make it to the centre.
- We didn’t climb the 500 steps of the Sint-Romboutskathedraal tower because of Allie.
- Managed to see the Grotmarkt again and numerous churches. There was a service on at Sint-Janskerk and Begijnhofkerk was closed.
- There was another Beguine area with a nice church which we toured.
- Not much else to do so we went to the Grotmarkt for their rock concert, Maanrock.
- Got some gelato before heading back to Brussels, and it started to rain.
- Brussels was in full swing with the Brussels Summer Festival. We wondered the various stores and got some fresh waffles and free Duvel beer.
- Went to the park next to the Grand Palais as part of the festival was on there, and let Allie run free on the play equipment for awhile.
- Had dinner at what we thought was the Michelin bib La Brouette. After we had the first few bites of food we figured we must have the wrong one, as the food was mediocre at best.
- Had time for some last minute chocolate shop browsing, including a nice cornet for Allie at Neuhaus before we headed back on Eurostar, where luckily there were 2 spare seats we had a relatively comfortable ride back.
Food
- Carrefour d’Europe breakfast:
- cold cuts, cheese, bread
- pain au chocolate
- cucumber, tomato cream cheese
- scrambled eggs, tomato, bacon, sausage
- fruit salad, banana
- apple
- Mojito gelato
- yoghurt, strawberry gelato
- waffles
- Duvel beer
- La Brouette:
- Grilled endives and ham with cheese sauce
- Fish Plate with potatoes and fish and shrimps
- Neuhaus chocolate: nuts, cream,
London -> Brussels -> Leuven -> Brussels
Highlight
- Lots of people at Eurostar and no free seat
- Checked in our hotel, which has free chocolate tasting at reception
- Waited ages to buy tix at the train station, so it was quite late when we got to Leuven
- Slokky split his pants (again!), so we had to go shopping. He couldn’t fit into anything at the Specials surf shop, so ended up buying some expensive shorts .
- By the time we were done it was time for lunch. Browsed the Muntstraat, and had some nice mussels and chips (is it just always nice in Belgium?)
- Just made it to the Gortmarkt for the Stadhuis tour. Managed to see it for free as we were too late to get tickets. That was good because even though the tour of it had some interesting features, it wasn’t anything we hadn’t seen before and wasn’t worth the money.
- Listened to the band on the main square while we wondered around the roof level of the Stadhuis and toured the cellar.
- Had a wonder around St.Peter's Church – lots of paintings as well as an awe-inspiring interior.
- Stopped off for some excellent gelato before heading to the UNESCO site Beguinage. Very bumpy grounds and some nice big trees and old style buildings.
- Back to Brussels to check in the hotel before a nice seafood dinner.
- Had a brief walk around the Grand Place which was lit up with people and activity.
Food
- Mykene:
- Rabbit with Prunes
- Mussels with dill and Hoegarden
- chips
- t’Galetje:
- melon gelato
- speculoos gelato
- La Belle Maraîchère:
- King crab and skate terrine
- Northern bouibaisse
- eels with green sauce
- Valhona chocolate: peanut, earl grey, salted caramel
Hong Kong -> London
Highlight
- Checked out without any problems….so expensive.
- Bought cakes for the team but lots of people aren’t here, plus I forgot to get the receipt so I can’t claim it back. Good thing it was only $39 HKD.
- Lunch at yum cha with the reporting team. Food was good – I miss yum cha.
- So sleepy and bored in the afternoon. People just keep asking me EMQ questions.
- Uncle insisted on coming to send me off, so I couldn’t go to airport early.
- I managed to get a room for shower and changing back at the hotel (such good service and they carried all my luggage up and down.
Food
- Maxim cake – red bean lamington, pineapple cake
- Ming Garden Restaurant:
- taro duck
- rice paper roll with turnip and fried dough
- rice paper roll with prawns
- har gau
- shiu ma
- runny custard bao
- rice noodles with pork
- wok-fried noodles with fish
- ginger taro soup
- Hot chocolate
- lemon cheesecake
Qantas lounge:
- steamed pork bun
- prawn dumplings
- pork dumplings
- nasi goreng
- egg tart
- potato salad
- mango Haagen daaz
BA dinner:
- Laurent Perrier Brut Millesime 2000 champagne
- roasted hot nuts
- Lemongrass and Basil panna cotta with tropical coulis
- Maison du Chocolat chocolate
- breakfast smoothie
- pastry
- Traditional English breakfast of scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, pork sausage and bacon with bubble and squeak
BA Lounge Concorde Room:
- orange juice
- fresh fruit
- eggs benedicts
London -> Hong Kong
Highlight
- Got to Heathrow very early and managed to buy all of Darko’s stuff.
- The Lounge was relatively busy, I tried to get a facial but they were already closed and only doing chair massage. The service was so bad no one even greeted me when I left.
- Ate a bit, but then had to up and go as transiting from B.
- Upper deck was fun. No one was sitting next to me so it was like my own little hub.
- They served me the wrong thing for dinner but it was quickly fixed.
- I didn’t manage to get much sleep because of the turbulence, I kept waking up and falling back to sleep.
- Watched Hanna and most of Kung Fu Panda 2.
- It was so quick to go through the airport, the longest wait was for my bag, which was still quick. The airport express was also very good.
- Had to walk a bit of a way to get to the Hotel, but check in was smooth.
- Room was very nice (no harbour view though), I got tea, fruit and a toy as welcome gift.
- Headed out to try to get a phone card and eat, went to a couple of shops to see if I could get a handbag.
- For some reason, walked into a glass door and smashed my front teeth.
- Couldn’t get it repaired as all the dentists were closed, so also cancelled all my dinner plans.
- After sorting out all the insurance and what to do the next day, went out to dinner. It was not as difficult as I thought to eat, but I stuck with cold stuff. Food was good but I was too stressed to enjoy.
- Couldn’t sleep at all,
Food
- BA lounge: curry chicken, daal, rice, shaved ham, pasta salad, vegetable soup
- BA dinner:
- Chilled Main course salad of Smoked Duck
- BA breakfast:
- orange juice
- fresh fruit
- pastry
- English breakfast of scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, Cumberland sausage, tomato and sautéed potato
- Ye Shanghai
- Chicken with Bean Jelly in Peanut Sauce ($55)
- Cold soy milk ($29)
- Cold eggplant with soy sauce and chilli ($48)
Berlin > London
Highlight
- Leisurely breakfast.
- Tried to look at Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedachtmiskirche but it was all boarded up.
- The Carnival hadn’t started when we arrived, so we could look at all the stores
- Only managed to catch the end part of the parade. It was very crowded, but the parade was pretty much like the London Mayor’s parade.
- Back to the carnival and it was now in full swing. Lots and lots of people everywhere.
- Allie complained whenever she was put in her stroller.
- Escaped to Schlossgarten Charlottenburg – very peaceful and beautiful garden.
- Flight was good – check in was crap but we all got in the lounge.
- We were delayed one hour at Heathrow thanks to the stairs again and had to catch a taxi home.
Food
- Hotel Pastena breakfast:
- sausage, ham, bacon, egg, pretzel, liverwurst, smoked salmon, tartare
- yoghurt with kiwi fruit
- apple
- bratwurst with bun
- currywrust
- mojito
- handbrok – mushroom, cheese
- Lufthansa Lounge:
- sausage, potato salad, anchovies, herring, pretzel, beer, peanuts
- BMI flight:
- orange panna cotta
- goats cheese and radicchio salad
- tortellini in tomato sauce
- basque chicken with tomato and olives
- potato bread
London -> Berlin
Highlight
- The BMI Lounge was much better than the BA one, we all managed to go in as well.
- The hotel was pretty nice for the price.
- Topographie des Terrors – excellent museum, Allie was naughty though so we didn’t get to stay for long. I managed to read a bit and saw the pictures.
- Walked and read the info boards around Checkpoint Charlie.
- Stasi Information – Und Dokumentationszentrum, very interesting but small display.
- Stopped off for our wrust Groupon, and to wait out the rain.
- Stocked up on gummy bears and other gummies.
- Gedenkstatte Berliner Mauer – probably the best Berlin wall viewing we have been to in Berlin – you can clearly see the 2 wall system and the land in between. We didn’t get to read everything as we had to go to dinner.
- Very good food and service. Veal was extra tender, hollandaise sauce superb. The food took a long time to arrive again – is this the standard for Berlin?
Food
- BMI Lounge:
- waffles, chocolate croissant, raisin bun
- yoghurt with berry compote and grapefruit
- BMI flight:
- cheese omelette, tomato sausage, potatoes
- peach yoghurt
- chocolate roll
- currywrust and fries
- Restaurant Neu:
- soba and kimchee
- rhubarb juice
- asparagus, potatoes, hollandaise with veal
- monkfish, melon, apple cornbread
Acquidolce -> Palermo -> London
Highlight
- Woke up early for our drive. The weather was still crap
- Flight was delayed by one hour, otherwise uneventful.
- Caught the train home since we cancelled our car. Slokky complained about the train and the bus again, but it really wasn’t that difficult.
Food
- leftover artichoke, mandarin, bread, cheese, salami
London -> Palermo -> Corleone -> Prizzi -> Acquidolce
Highlight
- Going to Gatwick was not smooth. We got charged £4 extra for our hand luggage, then had to go to the slow baby line, then forced to drink all our water and couldn’t sit together on the plane
- Loads of babies on the plane, luckily Allie behaved – the “priority” boarding was stupid with about 10 families going forward.
- The slow Italian way – impractical shuttle bus (only able to take about 10 people at a time and no room for luggage) to the rental car, then took ages to pick up the car.
- A long drive to get to Prizzi, passing the mafia town Corleone
- The scenery was very nice – wild flower, mountain, townhouses
- Got to Prizzi – parade hadn’t started yet, so we ate at a local bar (it was about the only thing that was open on Easter Sunday.
- The Parade turned out to be 6 people dressed up with a band – kinda stupid but interesting to watch the crowd.
- Drove on to the villa. The owner/housekeeper didn’t know English but they showed us around and cooked some welcome pasta for us.
- Had dinner outside enjoying the view
Food
- Gail’s carrot cake
- proschuitto and mozzarella bun
- ring pasta and tomato sauce
- peroni and biscuits
- bacon and mince pasta bake
- olive oil and bread
Seoul
Highlight
- Stocked up on some last minute food and Slokky insisted on having his last bibimbap before boarding the plane.
- Good seats, no drama
- Allie slept well, and plane was on time
- Watched Easy A, Going the Distance, Eat Prey Love
Food
- cake and rice bread
- bibimbap
- kimbap and sushi
- Lufthansa dinner:
- bibimbap
- meat salad
- pork and rice
- fruit
- instant noodles
- Lufthansa dinner:
- rice and noodles
- rice drink
- kim chee
- black forest cake
- cream cheese bun
London -> Seoul
Highlight
- Flight was fine and on time.
- Allie got a big bassinet and was happy playing. The air hostesses loved her and I watched Despicable Me and Life as We Know It
- Seoul reminded me a lot of Japan.
- We didn’t venture too far once we got there, but wondered around near the hotel – Lotte department store, Lotte World (we didn’t go in because it costs money), the shopping centre
- Had fun taste testing and eating at the department stores
- Lots and lots of people commented on Allie
- Ate at a small bibimbap specialist store. We didn’t know what to do though, so we observed other people eating. You are supposed to pour water onto your stone pot and scrap at the rice. Still, it was yummy.
- Early night back to the hotel.
- Allie had a bad night and stayed awake for 2 hours.
Food
- Lufthansa dinner:
- green leaf salad
- pretzel
- chicken in hot sauce with carrot
- beef, peas and carrots
- kim chee
- fruit salad
- Lufthansa breakfast:
- sausage with sauce
- rice drink
- breakfast egg and spinach
- strawberry yoghurt
- fish paste skewers with soup (odeng)
- bibimbap stone pot (dolsot bibimbap)
- stone pot soup bibimbap
- kimchee
- pineapple cream bun
Lisbon -> London
Highlight
- Decided to head to Belam, and so did all the other tourists, so a mad scramble for the tram
- There was also a line to go to the Jerónimos Monastery
- Was definitely worth the wait, and didn’t hurt that it was free on Sunday morning.
- Wondered around the beautiful cloisters, taking pictures all around.
- Managed to bump into PJ and co there as well.
- Off to the famous birthplace of the pastéis de nata, Antiga Confeitaria de Belém. Service was like all the other teahouses, we were ignored for a long time, but at least the tarts were worth waiting for.
- Walked around enjoying the squares at Balem.
- Visited the Coaching Museum because it was free on Sunday – relatively interesting, but once you’ve seen about 3 coaches, you really didn’t need to see them all.
- Watched all the people enjoying Al Fresco lunch along the Rua Vieira Portuense.
- Walked down to see the Monument to the Discoveries, then enjoyed a lovely stroll on another beautiful day along the seaside, with the Ponte 25 de Abril in the background, to the Tour de Balem. We didn’t bother going in because of Allie, instead decided to head back so we are not rushed.
- Well, so much for that. The ride back to town was not as crowded, but still bad. We managed to have one more custard tart and one more port before heading back to our hotel
- Waited at the bus stop for an airport bus for over 40 minutes. It turned out 2 buses didn’t come so we had to squish onto a bus when it finally came. We were the last people able to get on, everyone else on the stops after us we didn’t stop for.
- This didn’t give us that much time at the lounge. We had to eat really fast and didn’t really get to relax.
- The flight back was very full, but at least it was on time, and Allie got some crayons to play with.
Food
- Eleven almond cake
- ham and cheese roll
- orange juice
- Pastesis de Balem:
- custard tart (€0.90)
- duck pie
- meat pastry
- Ginja berry port (€1.20)
- Air France Lounge:
- ham and cheese sandwich
- fish pie
- seafood croquette
- lemon tart
- almond cake
- BA flight:
- turkey and cranberry roll
- apple juice
