Quem nao arrisca, nao petisca

Over the past weekend, I managed to sneak in a little mini-break weekend to Portugal with Jason & Kerry. I caught up with the two of them in the capital, Lisbon. We stayed at a funky hostel (Lisbon Lounge), located in the historical centre of town. With a day head start on me, Kerry & Jason spent Friday in the historic neighbourhood of Belem, with the main attraction being the Jeronimos Monastery.

On Saturday, we spent the day enjoying the architecture rich Lisbon. It is a fascinating city, with several historical features lost & rebuilt in the 18th century following a massive earthquake in 1755 which killed 30,000 to 40,000 residents & destroyed over 85% of the city. Highlights of the day included:

• Walking around the Alfama district to visit the Arco da Victoria, the Se Cathedral and the Castello of Sao Jorge (Lisbon’s iconic castle which dates back to the 6th century). The photo on the right is the view from the castle with the monument to Christ the King (Cristo Rei) which stands with open arms, overlooking the whole city on the left foreground; and the Vasco da Gama Bridge, the longest bridge in Europe.


• Taking a charming tram ride on the number 28 tram which wound its way around the steep hills and narrow streets of central of Lisbon as well as the Elevador de Saunta Justa [right], an elevator in Gothic revival style which boasted 360 degree views of the town from the top. Below is photo of the castle from the top of the elevador.

In the evening we dined in the famous Bairro Alto district, at restaurant Cabacas. Our cheeky pre-dinner sangria was followed by a fantastic “slice on the stone”, where we cooked a slab of steak on a hot stone in front of us. A juicy medium-rare cooked to perfection if I do say so myself!

On Sunday, we took a day trip to Sintra, approx 1 hour west of Lisbon, to experience more fascinating architecture, including the Sintra National Palace (15-16th century), the Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish castle built in the 8th century) and the imposing Pena National Palace, perched on the top of a hill, 500m above sea level. This Portuguese Romanic architecture dating back to 1840 was like stepping into a fantasy castle – simply beautiful!

And finally, the weekend was not complete without tasting a few local delicacies – the infamous Portuguese tarts are a must! (Yumm!)

P.S. Kerry – this blog is for you!!! :)

P.P.S. If you are wondering what the Portuguese title says... it translates into "If you don't take a risk, you won't eat delicacies"

Les Trois Vallees

It has been a busy start to 2009 for me with plenty of travelling for work & pleasure. I welcomed 2009 in London style with a few friends. Despite sub-zero temperatures across all of Europe, we had a relaxed evening at a pub closer to town, with live music, a few cocktails, food galore & marshmellows for those willing to brave the cold.

There is no doubt that my favourite thing about winter is snow! Last week I went to the French alps for four days of playing with the glorious powder. I headed on an organised skiing long weekend with Michelle, Anne & a bunch of other eager skiers. Our chalet, in the sleepy town of Brides-Les-Bains, was a short gondola ride from the largest resort in the world.

With blue skies on the first two days, we took advantage of the speed along the long wide runs that spread from the highest peaks of Courchevel to Val Thorens. We had sensational views along the valleys including the picturesque Mont Blanc in the distance (the highest mountain in Western Europe standing at 4,810m). After our second day skiing, we headed into Meribel for a little nightlife, a few bevvy’s and a wee dancing with our new friends.

On Sunday, there were moderate snow falls & strong winds throughout the day that limited our access to the Meribel valley, however it allowed us to finesse our technique and enjoy the local runs. On our final day, the snow falls stopped to reveal a great coverage of fresh powder to enjoy. We made the most of the day, including an extra long tough run from the highest point of Meribel (at 2952m) where our thighs were certainly getting their work out!

Overall it was another fantastic European skiing experience, surprisingly very different to Austria, but just as enjoyable. With the sheer size of this resort, there is plenty more to explore!!

Christmas in a castle

It is not every day that one gets to visit a castle, let alone celebrate Christmas in one!!

Last week, I joined a Haggis adventure tour for the Christmas period with my friends Beth & Jase. On Christmas Eve we departed Edinburgh before the sun was even up. In our little 30 seater bus, our trusty driver Kenny weaved our way through the highlands of Scotland towards Carbisdale Castle. After dinner and a good chat with our new friends, we tried our hands at a little ceilidh - Scottish folk dancing.

I did have high hopes for a white Christmas, but instead we awoke to glorious sunshine on Christmas morning. There is no doubt that it was still cold, but the sun did make it that little more exciting. Instead of going to the mountains, we headed to Durnoch beach for a little fun in the sun. As you may have already noticed by my previous posts, I enjoy making snowmen. Without snow it was a little difficult to build a snowman, so I settled myself with a sandman instead!







In the afternoon we spent a wee time in the local pub – Aye, Jase & I dressed ourselves in replica traditional Scottish outfits. Yes, your eyes have not mistaken you… Jase is wearing a kilt… the real question is, however, what’s underneath??? Anyway, moving right along... in the early evening we dined in the castle with a Christmas feast including brussel sprouts… I still cannot fathom how people can eat them, but they are apparently all part of the tradition. (Mum, you’ll be pleased with me – I had two and only squirmed a little!) After our meal, we again danced the night away with some more ceilidh with a hundred odd other fellow travellers.








On Boxing Day, although I did have a fleeting thought of the cricket, it was quickly replaced as we explored more of the Scottish highlands, including a drive past Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Scotland) and a stop at the mysterious Loch Ness. We did not catch any glimpses of a monster in the waters… except perhaps for the girl on the left in the photo below. Let me tell you that that smile is because I had no sensation from my shins down!

For the remainder of the weekend, we stayed at Edinburgh and did a little more sight seeing around town – I managed to see the Queen’s official Scottish residence this time round!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Tradition with all the trimmings...

This weekend I enjoyed a traditional Christmas meal (with all the trimmings) with my London friends, before we all head our various ways over Christmas. We even had my Grandma's special Christmas pudding which has been maturing over the past few weeks in the kitchen.

A special thankyou must go to Katrina for my apron - classic!! In the photos below we have: Jase, Michelle, Dwane, Ivan, Belle & Anne.

Fröhliche Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas!)

The year is almost over and Christmas is just around the corner. I love the lead up to Christmas and everything that it involves. In addition to the Christmas parties, fairy lights & the Christmas cheer, I have had the opportunity to experience the lead up to Christmas German style. Last weekend, I headed to Berlin with Anne. We had a great time achieving our two objectives: Firstly, it was to enjoy the German Christmas market experience, and secondly to understand a little more of the history of Berlin by visiting the sites.

Highlights of our weekend include:

• Christmas markets - The German markets were amazing and the vibe contagious, despite the zero degree temperatures. With over 50 markets located in and around Berlin, there was plenty to keep us occupied. We checked many stores which stocked handicrafts, decorations and scarves to name a few. At one market we even slid down a snow ramp on an inner tube!! The best thing about the markets however, was the food! Anne & I tasted many delights including currywurtz (a curry snag), schlumpf (marshmallow wrapped in chocolate) and schneeballen (broken pieces of biscuit joined with chocolate & coconut to make this huge ball). And of course we kept ourselves from freezing with the occasional mug of gluhwein.
  


• A walking tour of Berlin which included a comprehensive recount of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Wall and the unification of Germany. We visited many sites within the city of Berlin including part of the Berlin Wall that remains standing; Hitler’s bunker; checkpoint Charlie; the Brandenburg Gate, which stood alone in the Death Strip for 28 years while Berlin was separated into the East & West!; and Reichstag, Berlin’s Parliament building.

One of the bizarre things that I did not know about Berlin was the amplemann. You may not know what I’m talking about, but trust me, everyone knows the amplemann! They are the traffic light men. East Germany had their own traffic light signs which controversially remained post the German reunification.