London -> Gdansk -> Malbork -> Gdansk
Highlight
- Managed another very smooth run to the airport, again timed exactly right.
- Lots of people again, but we moved quickly.
- Gdansk doesn’t have a lot of signs and definitely no English, so it was a bit of a struggle. A small percentage of people seem to speak English, so it was not TOO bad.
- We finally found our car, amid the snow, a little red Renault.
- Managed to check in early. The hotel was basic, but comfy and quite cute.
- Drove to the shopping mall to get some supplies. Their huge Carrefour certainly doesn’t pale compared to others.
- Ate our goodies in the car, on the way to Malbork Castle – but got stuck in a traffic jam, and of course Slokky stalled the car, but he didn’t actually get lost!
- The weather got colder and darker, with light rain as we drove along.
- Malbork Castle is the biggest brick castle in the world, with a river and moat around, as expected. However, it was pulverized after the war and almost completely rebuilt.
- The castle was very cool and scary, with many dark passages. And since it was dead season, there weren’t many people visiting, so at times we had the whole place to ourselves and the guards. You can definitely get lost.
- The reason for our rush was that everything closed at 3pm, so we drove to Fashion House, another one of those fashion outlets, complete with a fake lighthouse, because we needed to stock up on winter clothing!!
- Well, there was no designer brands here, just high street, but we were surprised by how steep the prices still were, after hearing that everything is cheap in Poland. Well, don’t believe it, and the people are very stylish as well!
- We spent ages looking for a winter coat, but luckily the place is quite small and the assistants are very helpful. We ended our trip with gore-tex gloves and a down jacket.
- We chose a small, hard to find restaurant with Polish only menu, with a great waiter, of which only one spoke English and great food. We also almost had the restaurant to ourselves too!
- Back to hotel for that very fast free wi-fi, since we still didn’t have Internet at home (thanks BT!), then sleep.
Food
- Muller rice yoghurt apple, vanilla custard and strawberry
- orange juice (5.79 PLN)
- Cebularz (onion bread) (2.10 PLN)
- chleb bread (195 PLN)
- Leczo (sausage stew) (13 PLN /kg)
- toffee chocolate bar (3.65 PLN for 4)
- dinner at Restauracy jka U Babuni:
- red wine (8 PLN)
- barszec ezlpiero (beetroot soup with dumplings) (8 PLN)
- Piecrony schab po (pork with apricot sauce) (29 PLN)
- Pierogi ruskie (18 PLN)
Valencia -> London
Highlight
- We checked out without any problems, unlike check in.
- Took the bus to the old town and walked around some more sights.
- Glorieta – park with lots of trees next to the Puerta de la Mer – big archway roundabout thing. Slokky took ages to take pictures.
- Went to Santo Domingo and finally found Palacio Cervello, but it was closed
- Carmen – the hippy, graffitied part of town. It’s much less buzzy than I expected, with only a few old people, but they did have a secondary market outside, before winding our way to the central market again.
- We picked up spices, ham, bread, pastries and antipasto after a long deliberation, but we didn’t get any mushrooms or fruit.
- Tried to go to <>, the only reason for going to town, but it wasn’t even open, it must be very low season, so it was a waste.
- Did manage to find another horno patissier with very good pastries and olive tarts.
- caught the bus back for more photos of the Science Centre, then spent the rest of the time, until 7pm in fact, there.
- We spent most of our time looking at the display of the complete genes, as we had seen other displays recently. There were lots of interactive displays: Amazon, space, addictions, light, wind, sports. Our favourite was the sports section with heaps of activities.
- Just had time to get to the supermarket and food shop before heading to the airport.
- Our Bono metro ran out, must be because we spent more than 1 hour retrieving the laptop.
- Ate our food on the metro, straight to airport and on plane
- Slokky didn’t get lost once today!
Food
- chocolate croissant
- empanada with tomato
- mini pastry with fish paste
- mini pastry with chorizo
- jamon
- stuffed peppers with anchovies
- palmier
- olive and tuna tart
- baguette
- marinated artichokes
- lollies
- stuffed peppers with tomatoes
- dried muscat
- white anchovies
- orange juice
Valencia
Highlight
- Sunday of course means that all the shops were closed. We walked around the Arts & Science Centre, really grand and different and magnificent, there were lots of joggers about.
- Took 20 minutes to find the Museo de Fallas. Slokky didn’t even look and it was right next to where we were going, and he took us on a big walkaround.
- We got stuck behind 2 tour groups as a result. We tried to follow the English one around, but they were too slow.
- The puppets stuff was very cool, including a few movie themes. There was no English again. We’ll definitely try to go to a festival one year in March.
- Finally, some shops were opened, we went to a bread shop for some pastries and we were actually able to buy Bono Bus.
- Bullfighting Museum – actually some English (yeah!). Very inhumane to bulls but the costume were grand and the displays were good. Unfortunately we couldn’t go into the ring because there was an event going on.
- Got metro to the seaside, but couldn’t find the Royal Shipyard – finally asked someone and made it 10 mins before it was supposed to close. A modern arts and design exhibition, but all in Spanish.
- Had to find the Museum of Semana Sena (Easter), the other of the big festivals in Valencia. Asked more people again. We did stumble upon the rice museum, so went in, as they had a repaired rice machine. We watched them prepare production rice, but as usual, everything was in Spanish only.
- Finally got to the Easter Museum, again, all in Spanish, but it was fun to look at all the floats and displays.
- Finally got to go to the beach, which was very flat with beautiful sand, some waves, a wide boulevard and a whole row of restaurants and bars.
- We did a walk through before deciding, only to find out that All of them were full and won’t serve you. There were HEAPS of reserved tables for 2:30pm, but also a lot of people leaving. Still, we tried every single one and they all said no. I guess they have enough business and don’t want more. In the end we had to give up and eat chocolate for lunch instead.
- Went to Pio Turia park and played on equipment of a giant man, quite fun but the slide hurts.
- Walked around the City of Arts and Science again and got combo tix to museum and Imax. Walked around the outside of the Oceangraphic and to the greenhouse for more pictures.
- Saw Secrets of the Titanic, but the sound was stuffed. We had to sit up and not move, otherwise we couldn’t get English. We complained afterwards and managed to get a refund.
- Bought some xuju juice – very yum, from the cart outside.
- Had an early dinner (7:45) since we didn’t have lunch. We ate with all the people there having their pre-dinner drinks, at a chain in the shopping centre of the hotel. At least the guy spoke English and the food was decent.
Food
- beer
- orange and pineapple juice
- palmier
- mini croissant, mini brioche
- chocolate croissant
- chocolate
- xuju juice
- dinner at Canas y Tapas:
- San Miguel
- mixed cheese (Manchejan, Idizabal, Cubra) (6.46)
- croquette combo (ham, cabrales)
- grilled wild mushrooms with garlic oil sauce (4.49)
- potato in hot sauce (3.48)
- white anchovies in vinegar with natural tomato (3.75)
- pan of broken eggs and potatoes chistorra and green pepper (5.30)
London -> Valencia
Highlight
- The bus ride to Stansted was very smooth. We timed it just right again.
- The flight wasn’t full, but it was very hot, as though they make you sweat so you will spend money on drinks.
- We decided against getting the Valencia card as everything seems to be free on Sundays.
- Slokky realised he left the laptop on the plane, 20 minutes into our Metro ride out of the airport, right after I asked if he left his scarf, since he did the same thing on the bus to Stansted. Of course he said yes but he didn’t think about his laptop.
- So had to go all the way back to try to get it. Luckily it was still there as all of our stuff since we left Oz were on it and we had no backup!
- After our big delay, we finally made it to our hotel, after stopping off to buy ham and bred on the way.
- The hotel was situated in Aqua, a new age shopping complex. That was cool in a way, but it took us ages to find the entrance to the hotel.
- We had to wait 20 minutes at the check in, and then we couldn’t even get a room.
- Got the bus to the city, but we couldn’t buy the Bono Bus (a 10 trip pass), so we had to pay the full fare.
- Central market – was very good, so much fresh food and spices, but it closed for the lunch break, so we had to be quick. Managed to pick up some pastries before we were kicked out.
- La Lonja – was closed. Impression? Squarish with some animals on the door.
- Church of Sasntos Juares – pink building, also closed.
- Plaza Redonda – was being renovated. If it was not being done up, it certainly would’ve been impressive, a square with a fountain in the middle.
- We weren’t having any luck. Santa Catalina was also closed.
- Had our lunch at the park opposite the cathedral, with beautiful flowers and yummy ham.
- The Cathedral was the only touristy thing that you have to pay for (and probably why it’s opened!), but it had the “holy grail”, so we had to see it. Included with the entrance fee was an audio guide, which used some very complex English words, so naturally I didn’t really understand what they were talking about.
- Climbed the gates of Torres de Serranos for very good views – and for the clear glass floor where Slokky screamed every time he had to walk over one.
- Watched people playing football from the bridge on the way to the Museum de Belle Artes.
- The museum had no English at all, so we couldn’t really appreciate what they had.
- Observed some more architecture at Plaza de la Virgin, Roman ruins and the palace.
- Couldn’t find Palacio Cervello, so went to Plaza de Patriarca (a uni), where they have a modern art display, very cool.
- Musee de Ceramicca is housed in this beautiful historic restored Palaccio de mardhesde Dos Aguas.
- Slokky made us run to the bull ring even though it was 7:55 and it closed at 8, needless to say, we didn’t make it.
- Watched people have beers, coffee and chocolate & churros before dinner.
- Walked everywhere to try to get a Bono Bus but we couldn’t find any at all.
- We wanted to eat at restaurant Aquilia, but we couldn’t find it (probably closed), so ended up walking back to the hotel, finding a semi-full restaurant and eating there. Luckily the food was good.
- Back to the shopping centre, (now 10pm), and found it was in full swing with people eating dinner. We got some churros and chocolate before retiring to our room.
Food
- Espresso breakfast:
- croissant
- baguette with bacon and sausage
- cappuccino
- Spanish ham
- mini empanada with tomato and pesto
- milky bread
- jam filled pastries
- palmiers
- Ciencias multi-vitamin juice
- Exemari dinner(basque Cuisine):
- chorizo in cider
- Northern cockles stew
- salt cod Basque style
- orange juice
- churros and chocolate
- beer
Antwerp -> Brussels -> London
Highlight
- We started off quite early with a walk around the Grote Markt, the central square which looks like Le Grande Place in Brussels.
- Visited the Onze Lieve Vrouwekathedraal and St-Carolus-Borromeuskerk, which were painted and decorated by Ruben.
- Tried to find the Gay exhibitions but was unsuccessful.
- Started off our shopping at a few sports and outdoor shops. Couldn’t find our Camelbak valve cover, but we did manage to pick up some much needed good sports socks.
- Continue shopping on the high streets, where the shops were open for a special sales event. The main shopping street, Meir, was packed with people all shopping up a storm, so we joined them.
- Walked into almost every stop, but was successful at Jack Jones for some black wool sweaters for Slokky, Vera Moda for nice printed linen skirts, Princess for G-Star pants and a dress from Hampton Bay.
- Couldn’t find anywhere that sells Wii Fit. In fact, everywhere just seems to sell fashion related items and nothing else.
- Tried desperately to find fresh waffle, but had no luck, was even hard to find non-fresh ones. Eventually we managed to go to Belgrufia, which sells pre-made waffles, but because of the huge crowd that turned out, actually had to sell their waffle as they made them, which meant it was extra yummy.
- Grabbed lunch at the canteen style Le Plante, where I proceeded to pile my self-serve soup up with lots of ingredients.
- We shopped until the shops kicked us out, so we didn’t even have time to have a meal, so had to make do with chips.
- Really hot ride home on the Eurostar, laden with all our bags of shopping.
Food
- Goossens breakfast:
- chocolate bread
- apple and sultana strudel
- sultana bun
- plain bun
- Frittur No 1 on Hoogstraat chips with mayo
- La Plante lunch:
- Thai chicken soup
- curried chicken bun
- coffee filled chocolate from sweertvaegher on Groendalstraat 8
- orange peel from sweertvaegher
- Bagulfia waffle with cream
- frites with curried tomato sauce
- tropical smoothie
London -> Brussels -> Antwerp
Highlight
- Another uneventful ride on the Eurostar, then sprinted across the station to catch the connection to Antwerp.
- Weather was quite grey and even rained when we started, but improved steadily as the day wore on.
- Checked in to our huge hotel room in Hotel Euro, then wondered around the streets. Very much like Brussels but without the tourist traps, so it seemed like we were in the “real” Belgium. There were only a few chocolate shops which you have to hunt down, and not many a waffle place in sight.
- Started hitting the shops in the high-street, and got really caught up there, picking up a few accessories from H&M, and a new handbag at Fossil.
- Made it to the popular vogeltjesmarkt in Theaterplein, where all the usuals were out in force. It was very nice as it wasn’t too large and they had all the stuff we wanted to eat (snails and chips!!).
- Spent some good times wondering around, taking in the sights and smell, and of course, people watch the fashion conscious Antwerpians.
- Spent the rest of the day hitting the designer districts. Slokky even managed to pick up a 55% cashmere sweater for €29, and I decided to get some Belgium designer wear with a skirt from designersremix.com by Charlotte Eskildsen.
- Kammenstraat for the "cool" edgy stuff, including Fish & Chips with their live DJs.
- Walked into Yohji Yomi and Het Modepaleis (Dries Van Noten) to see how expensive everything was.
- Delighted ourselves in the Walter Van Beirendonck design studio.
- Wondered around the same square while the light was good, before heading to the harbour to see the Gay festival in full swing. Unfortunately you needed a ticket to go in, so we just watched from afar.
- A great, casual meal at Docks Café, before a slow stroll back to the hotel, catching the sunset by the harbour and the rest of the gay parade.
Food
- Jabba Dabbe Doe chips with mayo
- escargots in celery soup
- taste test dried fruit and olives
- Pierre Marcolini chocolate
- taste test Philip's Biscuits
- dinner at Docks Café:
- fisherman’s platter (grey shrimps, snails, perwinkles)
- Besse lamb with caramalized fennel and onion
- mussel in white wine with chips
- dame blanche
Brussels -> London
Highlight
- It was really quick to get through all the checks at Eurostar
- Saw Wendy and Joelle on the way back.
Brussels - > Bruge -> Brussels
Highlight
- Our train was delayed by ½ hour to Brugge, so ended up having breakfast at the station
- A comfy but long train ride.
- Weather was cold and overcast, but at least it didn’t rain.
- Brugge looks just like Amsterdam.
- Walk vai the park to the tourist area.
- Simon Stevinplein for the chocolate shops Stephan Dumon & The Chocolate Line, we didn’t bother with anything else as they all looked tacky and we were a bit over the chocolate thing.
- Markt for the Belfort, but aunty couldn’t walk up the stairs, so we didn’t go up.
- Saw all the horse drawn carriage and tourists around the main square.
- Burg to the Heilig-Bloedbusiliek to see and touch the relic of the holy blood. This was a v big deal as they don’t always bring out the blood for you to touch. I don’t know what benefit you get from touching it, but it was fun nevertheless. The church itself was plain and boring.
- Went on the canal stroll as recommended by Lonely Planet, but the Vismarkt (fish market) wasn’t on today
- As soon as we started, it was time for lunch. We saw a few Michelin star rated restaurants on the way (unfortunately closed), and we mistakenly went to Kaffe Pergola, thinking it had a star (it was the hotel) . Fortunately, the food was good, and good value at €23.50
- Back on the tour, passing famous bridges, then to Jan van Eyckplein to see the statue.
- Begijnhof for the convent, to see the lovely houses, which reminds me yet again of Amsterdam.
- Lots of swans by the canal.
- Onze-Lieve- Vrouwekerk for the Michaelangelo Madonna ( have been better in Italy)
- Went on a canal cruise, which we had to pay €6 p.p for, which was totally boring and absolutely not worth it.
- Stopped by for awful (hard) waffle at a waffle place.
- Started back home because aunty was tired, after we virtually have to stop all the time to find toilet stops, and because Slokky didn’t bring my printout, so we couldn’t find the places that were the setting for In Brugge, and all the chocolate shops we were supposed to go to.
- Went to supermarket to buy dinner as we didn’t feel like another heavy meal. Used the facilities for dinner at home and chocolate for dessert.
Food
- waffle with strawberry jam
- frangipani pie
- orange candied chocolate and fish from Stephan Dumon
- The chocolate line – lemongrass, chilli and lavender chocolate
- lunch at Kaffe Pergola:
- bread with olive oil
- gazpacho with shrimp and foie gras, capaccio with foam and daikon
- smoked salmon and asparagus soup
- smoked fish, fish tartare with apple and foam
- grilled mackerel with aubergine and tomato vinaigrette
- pork with asparagus and tomato vinaigrette
- mentoes mint
- Neuhaus truffle
- chocolate waffle
- paella with chicken and squid
- fish soup
- raspberry beer
- sugared fruit and chocolate
Brussels
Highlight
- Finally picked up a transport map, so no more excuses for getting lost
- Couldn’t sleep because it was too hot and noisy.
- Walked around the market at Gare du Midi, but because it was too far to our hotel, we didn’t buy anything. There were lots of clothes and fresh cheap food.
- Slokky being stupid.
- St Michel Guddale for a long mass in French and Dutch with all the old people.
- Metro to Heizel to see the Atomium. It started raining as soon as we got near though.
- There were a old/classics car festival on so there were lots of cars on display.
- Waited ages for the bus to go to the Place Fernand Cocq – XL to watch a traditional dance as part of the Jazz Fest, but it wasn’t on!!
- So we had lunch at Volle Gas instead. It was definitely a starch experience. We watched as the people before us wait forever for food. They must have been waiting a long time as some of them were very annoyed. The food that came out was in really huge portions, so lucky we only ordered two to share.
- By the time our lunch was over, it was around 3pm. We relaxed in the sun to Room Service, who were actually very laid back and cool.
- walked around Palais Royal, Eglise St Jacques sur Coudenberg.
- Listened to this circus troop (huge group of people) doing a practise/performance at the Parc de Bruxelles, doing huge flips, bobbing along to music. It was surreal and very enjoyable.
- Marvelled at the MIM’s architecture.
- Walked down from Place Royale back to wonder around the back streets of Grande Place, including the beautiful Galeries Royales St-Hubert.
- Visited our 1st and only chocolate shop of the day, Daskalides, and only because they have sugar free chocolate. We also managed to bump into Helen again.
- Down Rue des Bouchers, got hackled by all the restaurants packed into the tight street, before another excellent dinner. The chips were not as good, but we had beautiful seafood at Aux Armes de Bruxelles and finally got to try a waffle, which was hot and moreish.
- More jazz at the Grande Palce, listened to the more formal Brussels jazz orchestra, performing music of Michel Herr, and had fun watching people fight for chairs.
Food
- chocolate croissant
- chestnut pastry
- Frederic Blondel chocolate
- lunch at Volle Gas:
- Jupiler 25cl (€2)
- Stoemp Royal (lard saucisses, boudin, oeuf au plat) (€13.50)
- waterzooi de volaille a la mode gantoise (€13.50)
- bread with butter
- chocolate from La Grande belgique
- dinner at Aux Armes:
- tomato soup and bread
- croquette with tomato sauce
- fish in cream bake
- mussel in casserole with chips
- eel in green sauce with chips
- waffle with cream
London -> Brussels
Highlight
- Another uneventful and on time ride on the Eurostar, a lot more holiday people this time instead of the seasonal traveller because of the long weekend.
- Our hotel was very far away from the Gare du Midi.
- Caught the tram to St Catherines place, bypassing Chinatown and its cheap groceries. We will definitely come here to stock up next time.
- Walked past cool seafood shops and restaurants, including our first chocolatier, Frederic Blondel, which actually turned out to have the best chocolate for the whole trip, but we didn’t know that at the time, so me picked up only 100g of it (5).
- Lunch at La Mer du Nord, a stand up seafood bar with cool waiter,s a barbie and a deep fryer, lots of tourists drinking wine and having fun in the sun.
- After our light lunch, immediately got some fruites from the cart and ate it in the shadow of the blackened church.
- Walked towards the chocolate shop, stopped by carreFour to check out the chocolate prices, which are indeed very cheap.
- Leonidas was the second stop. This is really expensive o/seas, but here, is dirt cheap. We got some fruit jellies and a gift box for work.
- The cool St Nicolas church, with shops built into its walls.
- Walked past the touristy area, filled with lots of chocolate shops.
- 3rd chocolate shop, Neuhas, where we bumped into Joelle and Wendy.
- Lots of people were in the central square because of the jazz festival, the Grande Place was filled with tables and chairs.
- A few doors down was Godiva, our 4th shop. We got some free samples and aunty stocked up on a few boxes.
- Weaved through more tourists, with waffle and lace galore, ducked into a lot of shops for samples and to compare prices.
- Our 5th stop, La Grande Belgique, but only because the chocolate was cheap in comparison. You can get 100g for €2.90.
- Visited the market to get some quirky beer candle.
- 6th, Chocopolis, because we got free samples, felt obliged to buy something. However, their supermarket variety chocolate was quite cheap so we ended up having lots and lots of stuff to carry around.
- Went on the mural walk to see giant murals painted on random walls around town. There was a big difference in qualities in this mural, some were awe-inspiring, others faded and graffitied over.
- Walked past the cool district with cool t-shirt and bag shops, but didn’t think they were cheap enough to buy any.
- Past the ethnic area where we picked up some cheap breakfast.
- Walked past Le Grande Place again for a brief jazz stop, but there were so many people you couldn’t even stand.
- Walked pass Brussel’s famous pissing statues: Manneken Pis and Zinneke Pis
- Back home to drop off chocolates before dinner, where Slokky got lot on the way and we ended up being 15 minutes late.
- The host was funny and kept telling us that we had booked for four when I had clearly booked for three (toptable can attest to that). Nevertheless, she was still very nice to us, just kept mentioning that fact to us though.
- The food was too salty but otherwise quite nice.
- We bumped into Helen and Oliver at the restaurant as well.
- We were going to stay afterwards to listen to some more jazz, but it started raining, and aunty was tired, so we retired back to the hotel to watch Eurovision.
Food
- A lot of chocolates from:
- Frederic Blondel
- Neuhas
- Chocopolis
- Godiva
- Le Grande Belgique
- lunch at La Mer du Nord:
- soup of the North (€3.50) with toasties and grated cheese
- tuna steak with salad (€12)
- frites with mayo (€3)
- fruit nougat from Moeder Babelutte
- dinner at Le Clef du Champs:
- olvies and dip
- bread with French butter
- asparagus with messel sauce
- chicken livers
- lamb shanks
- boudin blanc
- orange and ginger soup
- profiterole with ice cream and chocolate sauce
- feuillate of Camembert from Normandy
- apple schnappe with speculoos
Paris - > London
Highlight
- Got kept up most of the night by the aunties talking so really really tired.
- 4:30am start to head back home, a very uneventful trip, but at elast we weren’t delayed.
Food
Paris
Highlight
- Started off very leisurely, with a visit to the local supermarket to stock up. We decided to hold back, and only got one cheese (my favourite mobier), some spread and some pate.
- Off to the local market, which pretty much looked like all the other markets we have been to in Paris, with the difference being we can actually buy stuff to cook! We admired all the parts of the animals, marvelled at the cake displays and took lots of photos, before picking up a feast for lunch.
- Tried out some of my French at the stall, could understand the numbers, so getting better.
- Had a nice nap after lunch before being driven out to Paris proper again.
- Walked down towards the streets of Pont Neuf, around Rue Saint Louis, for all the quirky art and food shops, and past store after store of ice-cream, before we got to the recommended one (Berthillon?). The ice-cream was absolutely stunning, the flavours were really innovative and so nice.
- There was a bread expo on right in front of Notre Dame, got to watch them make baguettes and a few Bretagne specialties, after which you got to taste and buy.
- Lined up for some fresh milk and fairy floss as well.
- We stayed home during the rain, so the weather was glorious again when we came out. Finally ventured inside Notre Dame (the line was so short!). There was a mass going on, but the stained glass and the really high ceilings were both very stunning.
- Strolled slowly towards the Metro to go to Chinatown!
- There is no cliché to this one, a big ugly shopping arcade, built in the style of HK style government housing complex, with a few shops spilling over.
- Our aunty was so excited to show us around, pointing out all the little knick knacks, and all the Vietnamese stuff you can get.
- We picked up a few Viet items we can’t get in London, and Slokky actually carried a box of Mee Goreng back!!
- Dinner at one of the many Vietnamese restaurants. The pho had wonderful stock, but the noodles and the beef (which was too thick and too thin) was a letdown. My grill pork was the reverse, the pork was too fat and it wasn’t grilled nicely. This was so disappointing as I was really looking forward to having good Vietnamese again, but it least it tastes better than any of the Vietnamese in London.
- Shopped for our own won ton and war tip to take home.
- Back home for more chatting, photos and strawberry tart.
Food
- apple tartlet
- palmier
- puff pastry with creamed filling
- vinegar pork
- dutch sausages
- tomato and mozzarella salad
- beetroot salad
- mixed salad leaves
- pineapple
- praline, lemon and coriander ice cream
- banana sorbet
- taste test bread
- prune tart
- Brittany sugared pastry
- milk
- fairy floss
- dinner at Viet place:
- 3 colour ice
- Vietnamese coffee
- rare beef pho
- grilled pork
- strawberry tart
London -> Paris
Highlight
- Very quick at Eurostar check-in so had ages to wait at the station.
- People behind me kept kicking me so I couldn’t get any good sleep.
- Caught the metro (4) and then the bus (128) to Aunty’s cool stone house, which still manged to be very typical Chinese.
- Had a nice Chiense meal at home before heading out to town.
- First stop, St Germain des Pres, to the Aigle to buy a cool shoulder bag (€32).
- Then to the cheapest pharmacy in town (it was packed!) to get some face cream and deodorant. Will do more research next time to what stuff to buy, there were so many choices!!
- The weather was on and off rain and sun, but we decided we were going to attempt to go up the Eiffel Tower anyway.
- Had a brief glimpse at the church of St Germain des Pres, then window shopped our wap towards the Eiffle Tower.
- Past the impressive Musee de l’armee and La Dome.
- I wanted to go to the free museum night that night, but we couldn’t because of the aunties. Oh well, next trip.
- The queue was so much shorter than last time, and it only took around 40 mins to get the the 1st set of lifts.
- I wanted to walk the stairs but we didn’t since we were with the aunties.
- When we got ot level 2, the weather had cleared up, so took some quick snaps before another time to get in the lifts to go up to the top.
- The wait was long, and by the time we went up the very cool lifts, the weather had turned bad. Still it was cool, as you could see sun shining in one area, and rain in another. The view was clear, even if not sunny, and we could see all different parts of Paris. Definitely a worthy trip.
- waited another 40 minuts to come, then waited forever for the aunties to go to the toilet since the lady was cleaning it.
- Total spent, 3 hours. Time spent looking at things, around 40 minutes, the rest was waiting time. Next time I will try and come at night and eat at the restaurant.
- Down via Palais de Chaillot on our way to the Arc de Trimphe.
- There was a ceremony going on with uniformed people, a speech and a brass band, but we didn’t bother going close enough or staying long enough to find out exactly what was going on.
- Went for a brief walk down the Champs Elysee, but it started to pour again, so we hopped on the metro on the way to Montparnass.
- Dinner at an old style bistro, which aunty knew the people well. They conversed in Chinese and French, which was so funny. The chicken was very good and the milk dessert. All the other dishes were very passable indeed, so it proves that food is just good in Paris.
- Drove home, observed the sunset while going around the Arc de Trimphe roundabout. So beautiful, and so crazy with the traffic.
- Detoured to the Bois de Boulogne and watched all the transverstites/prostitutes standing around. They were much uglier than their Thailand equivalent though.
- Home for tea, chocolate and chats about the past and view more photos of Slokky.
Food
- toffee waffle
- won ton and wor tip
- dinner at Bistro de la Tour:
- duck mousse with baguette
- escargot
- fillet of bef in mushroom sauce and spaghetti
- African grilled chicken with green sauce and roasted banana
- steamed milk pudding with strawberry sauce
- profiteroles with chocolate sauce
- coffee ice cream
- hazelnut chocolate
- orange peel chocolate
Brigend -> Caerphilly -> Yatterdon -> London
Highlight
- Coity Castle – quite big, a site that’s free for you to roam around, and you can climb to the top, where you can see the cool cemetery next to the church.
- New Castle was closed, so I told Slokky to skip the next few, but he didn’t listen, and insisted on driving to Ewenny Priory, which was of course closed.
- I told Slokky to go to the seaside for breakfast since he didn’t skip the priory. As usual, he didn’t listen, and insisted on going to the farm, which was, of course, also closed. We couldn’t have breakfast anywhere as a result.
- Castell Coch – a restored castle with elaborate décor. A bit gimmicky, but you don’t need your imagination to see what it used to look like.
- To the scenic lookout, where we climbed a “mountain” to see the views over the valleys, town and Caerphilly.
- Walked around the very pretty park of Caerphilly Castle, with its cool leaning tower and everyone out and about, enjoying the sunshine.
- got some more Welsh cakes, this time from Tesco, which, of course, was not as nice.
- lunch at The Courthouse, where the food was bad but the view was excellent.
- Drove around the town of Caerleon to see a few roman remains: amphitheature, barracks and baths.
- With some time to spare, we paid a quick visit to the National Roman Legion Museum for more Roman collectables.
- Brief wonder around Coldicot Castle.
- dinner at the famous foodie Berkshire, where, taking advantage of the weather, we dined out in the garden.
- A long drive home where we were stuck in traffic. So it doesn’t matter what time you drive back to London, you’ll just be stuck in traffic.
Food
- tea
- Welsh cake
- lunch at The Courthouse:
- Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Potatoes & Gravy
- 8 oz Beef Burger (£4.69) - two 4oz beef burgers, served with barbeque sauce
- blackcurrent juice
- lemonade
- toffee
- Dinner at The Royal Oak:
- Homemade Smoked Cods Roe Pate with Toast (£7.50)
- Whole Sand Sole with Herb Butter & Rosti (£16.95)
- Calves Liver and Bacon with Rosti (£17.95)
- vegetables
London -> Chittingham -> Keysham -> Chepstow -> Monmouth -> Newport -> Brigend
Highlight
- We set off ½ hour late already because Slokky for some stupid reason decided that it was a good time to call his grandma!!
- Then we got a flat tyre. We went to Chittingham to try to get it fixed, but they didn’t have the spare we needed.
- We called around everywhere, and in the end, had to go all the way to Keysham to get it fixed.
- Needless to say, all my plans went out the window, we were supposed to be at the Chepstow markets for lunch, but by the time we got everything fixed, totalling 4 hours, costing us a bundle too, it was past 2 pm, so we had lunch at Keysham, by the river with some swans.
- We finally did arrive at Chepstow, but we didn’t have time to walk around the town.
- The country side was very nice and the weather was actually warm.
- Chepsow castle was veery impressive, a large imposing castle over looking a river.
- Tintery Abbey was very tranquil, also stopped by the very small and charming town.
- Monmouth castle – the museum was closed, the ruins were very small, so that was good in a sense, so we could move on swiftly.
- Monnow Bridge’s claim to fame was one of the first toll collecting bridges, it was definitely very cute.
- Went to Waitrose to buy yummy Welsh cakes.
- By the time we had finished, all the other shops were closed, but the town was still charming.
- A quick stop at Newport, just to look at the outside of its castle and bridge, before dinner after a frustrating day.
- The Chandlery had very affordable and generous food, and the staff were first rate, so we left happy.
- We had heaps of trouble finding our hotel, and had to ask for directions, so it was very late by the time we got to sleep.
Food
- West Cornwell Pasty Co traditional and wholemeal vegetable pasties
- Neal’s fine food pork belly sandwich.
- Dinner at The Chandlery:
- cornbread with butter and tomato chutney
- Loin of Welsh Mountain Lamb (£15.95) - Lamb and potato torte, cumin infused swede, rosemary jus
- 8oz Welsh Sirloin Steak (£16.95) - Tomato, mushroom and green salad with a choice of chips, new potatoes or mash potato
- Banoffi Tart (£4.95) - Banana, toffee, fresh Jersey cream and shaved chocolate
Schipol -> Amsterdam -> Schipol -> London
Highlight
- Another beautiful day, but after the outing of yesterday, we couldn’t get up in time to explore.
- Another breakfast feast, then off to get our bikes from Central station.
- First stop, the Rijksmuseum. This was not really what I expected. Besides having a lot of Rembrand, and the highlight being The Night Watch, the rest was quite boring.
- Checked out the Liberation Day festival at Museumplein. Slokky tried to win a prize by kicking a soccer ball at a target, but of course he missed all 5 goes. Never mind, we got some soccer whistles as a consolation. The rest of the festival seems to be all these human rights or animal rights or other sorts of activists projecting their cause, so it wasn’t very interesting at all.
- Quick stop at Albert to stock up on the waffle
- Rode to Tempo Doeloe to try to get a reservation, and luckily, they have space!!
- Returned our bikes, walked through the Red Light District (and the girls work all hours) to Museum Amstelkring Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic). This is known for having a church built inside a house, in the period where practising cathelics in the open was illegal.
- With some time to spare, we decided to go to Museum Willet-Holthuysen, which was the most on the way place. This was basically a rich person’s house, complete with their period furnishing. The garden was a highlight, otherwise it was quite boring.
- Walked around the funky shops along , including some very cool clothing stores.
- Finally the kitchen was open, so we could eat and still make it back in time for the plane.
- Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to sample the menus, but settled on trying their “very hot” beef rendang (which was, as they said, very hot) and a delicious array for the ricetable. I couldn’t believe it, but this was about 10 times better than the food I had yesterday. Finally, some heat in the food.
- Unfortunately, we were to find out later, we would get indigestion from eating the rendang, but it was worth it!
- Plane delayed for about 30 minutes, otherwise another uneventful trip home.
Food
- Sheraton breakfast:
- smoked salmon
- pancake
- pastries
- croissant
- cheese
- cold cut
- shrimp
- pate
- fruit
- muesli
- yoghurt
- scrambled egg
- bacon
- baked beans
- mushrooms
- sausages
- Dinner at Tempo Doeloe:
- Rijsttafel Stimoelan - Small ricetable consisting of:
- Sawi Toemis (Chinese cabbage with Indonesian herbs)
- Daging Semoor (beef with tomatoes in a mild soy sauce)
- Gadon Dari Sapi (beef in creamy sauce with coconut cream and fresh coriander)
- Ora Arie
- Oerapan (dry, ground coconut mixed with fresh vegetables)
- Sambel Goreng Boontjes (string beans in tasty sauce)
- Sambel Goreng Oedang (tiny shrimp in tasty sauce)
- Kelia Dari Sapi (beef in medium sauce with cream of coconut, tjabeh, kemirie)
- Sateh Ajam (skewers with chicken, charcoal broiled, with a tasty peanut sauce)
- Petjel (various fresh vegetables with a tasty sweet and sour sauce)
- Emping (crispy chips from belindjonuts)
- Seroendeng (grated, fried coconut with peanuts)
- Atjar Tjampoer (sweet and sour Indonesian salad)
- Kroepoek (crispy shrimp bread)
- white and yellow rice
- Daging Rendang - beef cooked in tasty, hot sauce with cream of coconut
Schipol -> Amsterdam -> Schipol
Highlight
- Had so much trouble trying to get a bike. The ones at the hotel were mountain bikes and I couldn’t adjust the seat. Our normal hire shop had nothing my size, in the end, I had to get a kid’s bike.
- By the time we got to Museum Het Rembrandthuis, it was almost 12pm, which meant the whole city of tourist has come out to play. The weather was glorious again, quite hot really, so we had to avoid all the tourist who accidentally step into the bike lanes.
- The house itself was very boring, there aren’t even any famous Rembrandts there!!
- Bumped into Joelle and Wendy on the way to the Van Gogh Museum.
- Just like last time, the VG was excellent. There were lots of people, so I had to push through the crowd to see anything, but I really like the exhibition, especially John Everett Millais, of Ophelia fame.
- There was still sunshine left, so rode to Vondel Park. Yet again, filled with people enjoying the sunshine. Makes me miss BBQs.
- We stopped to have a lie down and to listen to some music.
- Pass the very small Remembrance Day silent march.
- We wanted to go to Tempo Doeloe for dinner, but it was packed, so we went to the offshoot place instead.
- Food was ok, a little sweet, but the rice table with all the different varieties was fun.
- Also observed 2 minutes of silence at 8pm.
- Tried to go to the coffeeshop De Dampkring, where scenes from Oceans 12 were filmed. The place was packed, with tourists and locals alike. They had the scene from the movie on rotation, and I actually remember the scene.
- So yet again, we had to go to an offshoot, Abaxus, which was relatively empty.
- This place was definitely for beginners, with muffins and brownies available, as well as spiced drinks. I decided to start off easy by getting 1 spiked milkshake and having 1/3 of a muffin (they were out of brownies). You have to wait for the stuff to get to your bloodstream, but I felt nothing, so we went back to the hotel instead.
- Tried to use the spa and sauna but it was already closed, so that was a waste.
Food
- Sheraton breakfast:
- smoked salmon
- pancake
- pastries
- croissant
- cheese
- cold cut
- shrimp
- pate
- fruit
- muesli
- yoghurt
- scrambled egg
- bacon
- baked beans
- mushrooms
- sausages
- apple
- banana
- dinner at Indo:
- prawn crackers
- yellow rice meal
- chicken satay
- goat fried rie
- vegetable
- spiced caramel milkshake
- cappuccino
- hash blueberry muffin
London -> Schipol -> Keukenhof -> Amsterdam -> Schipol Amsterdam
Highlight
- The flight was very uneventful, we got there on time, but couldn’t check in yet. Never mind, we had some breakfast before joining th huge line to go to Keukenhof.
- Waited ½ hr for the bus, and had to stand the whole way.
- There were so many people, there were cars blocking the road from trying to get in the target and general traffic everywhere.
- Rented some bikes and went on one of the 5 bike trails you can do around Keukenhof. No 3 goes to the sand dunes, the beach and around the bulbfields, around 25km.
- Highlight of the trail included:
- watching people doing karate by the river
- looking at everyone tanning themselves in the not very good looking beach
- the sand dunes with grass growing over it
- the flower fields with most of the tulips already harvested except for a few strips of colour
- parade of classic cars
- Ride over, time to enter the actual flower park. It was, as expected, very beautiful, with all kinds of tulips everywhere. I would’ve liked a bit of variety however, as you can only look at tulips for so long. We had to hang around though for 6pm, as we wanted to ride our bikes through the park, which is only allowed today as part of a special biking festival.
- With time to spare, we pushed through the crowd to walk through the maze, look at the sculptures and took lots and lots of photos.
- Had an afternoon nap by the lake.
- It was such a rip off, you have to pay €.40 to use the toilets, but I sneaked in when the guy wasn’t around.
- 6 o’clock came, and nothing happened. Eventual, the line of eager bikers were lead through the park by a brass band. It wasn’t as cool as we thought, as there were still a lot of people around, and we had to cycle at walking pace. Still, it was an experience.
- Back to hotel, shower, then off to our Michelin Star.
- The food was excellent, classic French fare cooked by a British chef. The sauces were a highlight and the wait staff were delightful.
- Slokky managed to step on dog poo every day of the holiday. This time he
Food
- Sheraton breakfast:
- smoked salmon
- pancake
- pastries
- croissant
- cheese
- cold cut
- shrimp
- pate
- fruit
- muesli
- yoghurt
- scrambled egg
- bacon
- baked beans
- mushrooms
- sausages
- pate with bread
- apple
- Vermeer dinner -Menu Compagnons (€70):
- beetroot gazpacho with chopped almond
- poached cod with olive oil
- sourdough and brown bread
- “Robert Blanc” Green Perthuis Asparagus, Onion tart – Jura wine sabayon – Comté cheese – crab sauce
- Monkfish “meunière”, Spinach – celery – ricotta – mussel sauce
- Poached Anjou Pigeon, Stuffed cabbage – duck liver – artichoke puree – kohlrabi
- crème brulee of fennel
- Chocolate, Sorbet – chiboust – meringue – mint sauce
Lower Whitley -> Chester -> London
Highlight
- Had a very restless night, there were people making noise and banging about.
- Met the same people at breakfast, so had a bad start to the morning, coupled with the fact that breakfast was crap.
- Lost an hour because of daylight saving, so got to Chester around 10:30am.
- The weather was great, really sunny and not too cold, and Chester looked absolutely beautiful, charming little houses, a river, trees, boats.
- Took a walk around the Roman Walls, reading all the interesting little signs alone the way.
- Observed Roman era remnants such as the Amphitheatre and Roman Gardens.
- Visited the ruins of St John’s Church, including a tomb that was stuck on the wall. It was very interesting indeed, and a bit eerie.
- The vistor centre had some info about the Amphitheatre
- Back on the wall to see the famous Clock, which, according to the sign, was the 2nd most photographed clock after Big Ben
- Chester cathedral can’t compete with York Minster or Ely though.
- To finish, we continued along the wall to the Racecourse and Castle.
- Lunch at the historic Katies Tea Room, which contained some remnants of a <> century house. The food was surprisingly good and value for money, although we were feeling the effects of 2 weeks of indulging food, travel, and no rest.
- We did manage to tour the Historic Rows, the distinct and unique black and white timber framed, two tiered shopping arcade, the medieval version of today's shopping mall.
- Shan felt sick so went back in the car, while Slokky tried to do The Notebook by trying to hire a rowing boat down the river.
- It did start to rain, but alas, his plan was ruined by the river, which was flooded, so no boats were allowed to go out.
- Shan was still not better, so we headed back early.
- The food didn’t end there though, we had a relaxing dinner at the Wet Fish Café, chilling with the West Hampstead crowd.
Food
- Tall Tree Lodge breakfast:
- white bread with marmalade
- muesli with milk
- Lunch at Katies Tea Room:
- Traditional Roast Beef served with Yorkshire Pudding
- Pork Loin Steak (£7.50) - Grilled Pork Loin Steak Served on a Bed of Mashed Potato with a Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce
- Apple Pie served hot or cold, with Custard, Cream or Ice Cream
- Dinner at Wet Fish Café:
- Cabernet-Malbec, Finca los Prados, 2007, Argentina £4
- welsh lamb cutlets with jerusalem artichoke mash and lamb jus (£14)
- spicy slow-simmered mutton with aubergine, dates and wild rice (£13)
- rhubarb, ginger and almond crumble (£5)
- warm soft chocolate cake w red berries & cream (£5.50)
London -> Manchester -> Nether Alderley -> Lower Whitley
Highlight
- The weather wasn’t too bad when we started, but we were definitely worst for wear after the late late night and the early start.
- Got stuck in a traffic jam because of an accident, so only made it to Old Traford at 11:30, not enough time to visit the museum (yeah!)
- Caught the tram out to the city for sightseeing. The tram was efficient, but so crowded!
- First stop was…lunch of course! Decided to visit Chinatown as all the food markets were not available, disappointed to find the place nearly abandoned, there was no one in any of the restaurants.
- We chose Yang Sing as it was recommended by a friend and also because there were at least some Chinese people eating there. The food was quite good, not good compared to Oz or HK or Rotterdam of course, but better than anything I’ve had in London.
- Off to the tour proper. There wasn’t that much to see, briefly viewed the Town Hall, with the square and the statues.
- The John Rylands Library was interesting, but I found it more for its architecture and the “historic toilets” rather than the oldest known piece of the New Testament, the St John Fragment it holds.
- Weather was starting to become very bad, so paid a visit to the Cathedral, which had very good notes and explained everything you can see. The Angel Stone – oldest object in the building and the Misericords – early 16th century wooden carvings were the highlights.
- Walked past the Manchester wheel but didn’t get on because of bad weather (so I guess they must not get any business then!!)
- Walked past the 500 year old house, which is now a pub (of course)
- Spent some time browsing Triangle shopping centre, with its cool design and the metal ball Café Nero, and had a drink there to pass the time before it was time to brave the rain and head to the stadium.
- Got soaked on our 8 minutes walk to the stadium, but the atmosphere from the away Villa fan was electric. They were so vocal, and even though there were only about 200 of them, they completed outshone the 70,000 Man U supporter. And they needed to be vocal too, considering Villa lost 4-0.
- The match itself was one sided, but the game was definitely worth it for the atmosphere and watching the people in front of us sing at the top of their lungs and try to use as many swear words as possible.
- We left the game early, but not early enough, ended up being stuck in the car, trying to get out of the car park for 1 hour.
- We got to dinner at 8:45pm, so we were ravenous. I didn’t really like the sound of the menu, but I was hoping my doubts would be proven wrong. I was very disappointed with the food, it wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t Bib standard.
- We skipped dessert before finally able to crash at the hotel.
Food
- pancake
- Lunch at Yang Sing:
- Chau siu
- Vegetable dumplings
- Prawn dumplings
- Pan fried Meat bun
- Steamed meat bun
- Sticky rice
- Café Nero latte
- Dinner at The Wizard:
- brioche with butter
- Pan fried chicken livers, griddled bruschetta, Madeira cream (£7.95)
- Pressed ham hock & asparagus terrine topped with a poached egg (£6.50)
- Wizard shepherd’s pie with cheese mash & fresh vegetables (£11.00)
- Oven baked fillet of hake, rocket & parmesan salad, balsamic dressing (£14.50)
