The apartment I had booked sent a driver to pick me up from the airport last night, however he went awol. Instead I found my own taxi (only 10 euro), and the universe sent me another awesome individual. Jorge has lived in Lisbon his whole life and he LOVES it. He looks a bit like Danny De Vito and speaks pretty good English, and he picked that I was from down under because I tried to lift my own bag into the boot (apparently that’s a dead give away ha). On the drive into town we listened to the football on the radio (his team was losing), and he gave me a running commentary of the city of Lisbon. ‘That castle on the hill was built before Christ’, he said even though I could see nothing in the dark. Oh cool. ‘And that building there, before Christ. And over there you see the outline of that bridge?’ Before Christ? I asked. ‘Yes!’ I asked him if he was religious. ‘Of course, but you know before Christ there was Portugal and we are magnificent’. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Jorge then gave me a run down of tips for restaurants, places to visit, where I could get my hair done (???) and what time the sun sets into the water. I love meeting these quirky people who love where they are. Today I followed some of his tips, and hiked up the hill and through the maze of streets in the old town, to find the castle on the hill – the Castel Sant Jorge. He was so right about its age, although the one standing has been rebuilt the original ruins are from 700 BC. And the best view across Lisbon is from there. As the weather was so nice, I headed to the beach and soaked up some vitamin D, and wandered around. Lisbon is cool. Similar to Spain but a little less refined. I can’t master the Portugese language yet, but everyone speaks very good English so that’s not a problem 🙂
From the top of Sant Jorge Castel
Best views are from up here
🙂
lunch
sand artist, so clever
i want a feather hat
made from egg yolk and sugar (that’s it) not trying so soon after food poisoning
Portugal is home to the egg tart, or pastel de nata, which is one of my favourite things. Like a small crème brulee in pastry. Oh my. I walked past three bakeries in the airport selling them before I had even collected my bag. And once I was checked in to my apartment and out for a wander, they are everywhere. I bought 2 to sample, one tonight, one for breakfast. Yum.
The sun was out in force for my last day with Helen and Rob, and we got up early to shop with the locals at the farmers market in Vilanova. So much fun 🙂 Spanish flying thick and fast around you, everyone with their shopping trolleys hunting out the best fresh produce. And socks. There’s always socks at a market! ha 🙂 Quince, baby leeks, tomatoes, rainbow chard, eggplants, oranges and strawberries are all fresh at the moment, plus broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and bitter greens. I managed to buy a purple broccoli (broquil lila) and a handful of strawberries in Spanish and it made me so happy. Having skipped through multiple countries and languages recently it is all starting to blur into an unintelligible new dialect, so when you nail it, it’s like scoring a goal. Vilanova is cool, very hip and full of people enjoying the sunshine today. Helen prepared an amazing platter of food to enjoy on their patio before we left for the airport and it was divine. I will miss their easy company, but will return again sometime. Next stop for me is Lisbon, Portugal. Bon dia x
My friends Helen and Rob moved to Sitges (pronounced seetjis) in October last year, and it is so nice to see the lifestyle they are creating in their beautiful villa surrounded by bougainvillea, vines and blue blue sky. At their farewell drinks in Auckland in August they were both so excited to be heading off on their new adventure, but nervous about how it would unfold. And I was weeks away from leaving NZ on my travels. Now here we all are! What a slice of paradise they have found, 45 minutes south of Barcelona, in the village of Sant Pere de Ribes, 10 minutes drive (or an hours wander along dry riverbeds) from Sitges beach which is truly beautiful. In the middle of winter the temperatures are so mild, I have been in a t shirt or lightweight layers every day, and rain is a rare thing. Wow. I arrived with some really bad food poisoning after eating dodgy mussels in Barcelona, and I am so pleased I was not traveling far, and that my hosts are angels, as they bundled me into their car and drove (swiftly) to their home, aimed me at a very comfy bed, and looked after me over the next couple of days while I slept it off. Once I felt more normal we have had such a lovely time, wandering into their village, and around Sitges, watching the sunset from their roof terrace, chatting, laughing, sharing meals, walking Asha (their gorgeous dog), spending time by the water, and chilling out. Magic. I feel topped up with goodness, and so lucky to know such lovely people. And while I love New Zealand, this would be a close second choice as a wonderful place to live. My friends are going to love it here so much.
My good friend Claire came to visit me in Barcelona and we had a cool weekend catching up on news of the past four months and mooching around the city. We’d spent a weekend here together in 2016 and really liked it, so this time was about us hanging out more than seeing the sights. Although the one thing we did not do last time was see inside the Sagrada Familia basilica, designed by Antonio Gaudi in the late 1800s as a homage to the city and to celebrate his love of architecture, nature and religion. Several designers have been involved in completing the building since he died in 1926, and it is expected to be finished in 2026. Different to other cathedrals, the outside is ornately carved, and the inside has very few statues. But what makes this place worth a visit are the huge stained glass windows that cover most of the walls, spilling light in every colour onto the walls and floor, giving the feeling you are walking in a rainbow. I have never seen anything quite like it. Both Claire and I looked at each other with mouths open when we stepped inside and had a giggle that we had not come in last time. Highly recommend the guided tour when you do go, it’s only 45 minutes but really worth it to get the full history, and you can stay after for as long as you want. And of course we sampled some of the amazing food that Catalonia is known for, including a rooftop tapas dinner for our last night. After so much time traveling alone (which I do love), it was super nice to spend time with a wonderful friend and have normal conversations. I spent a couple of weeks with Claire in the UK before I left for Iceland and have a stash of clothes at her house waiting for me to pick up before I head home. When she arrived Claire was like, ‘I didn’t know if you were going to be super chatty, or annoyed to be sharing your space :), but you’re just normal Merran’ 🙂 🙂 so its good to know that I haven’t gone mad. I’ve known Claire for ages (maybe 17 years), and am also good friends with her sister Alex in New Zealand. They both have the same mannerisms and voice, and it just makes me smile. Big kiss CB xxxx thanks so much for coming to visit.
It is very rare to get a photo of yourself when you are traveling solo, at least one that isn’t arms length from your face 🙂 So in the wind-down to Christmas in Strasbourg I booked a photo walk experience (with Anastasia through Air BnB), to create a record of my travels. It was a really rainy day, but that creates good mood for photos and I’m not put off by a bit of water. I met Anastasia in a café where she was huddled over her laptop editing photos from a previous tour. She is a bundle of smiles and chatter, and we spent 45 minutes or so sharing a drink, and talking about holiday plans (she was leaving the next day for a long journey back to Moscow with her partner and their puppy to see family for Christmas). I told her I don’t like being in front of the camera, and that I prefer natural shots rather than posed. ‘That’s just perfect’, she said. Then we went walking and it was a really enjoyable couple of hours. I almost forgot I was being photographed because we were talking and laughing; until she asked me to twirl or turn around. This morning she sent the photos through (there are 90, but I have saved you from seeing the full set 🙂 ). Such good value for around $120 NZD. Highly recommend if you are traveling by yourself or with others that you check out some of these photo walk opportunities. There are several in every places I have visited so far. You’ll meet lovely people, they know the best spots to take great pictures, likely have better gear than you, and will edit and send them to you a few days later.
I flew from Florence to Barcelona this afternoon to spend time catching up with friends. I prefer train to planes generally, but as France is still on strike (longest strike ever!) and all trains from Italy go via France (and a 14 hour bus or 22 hour ferry didn’t appeal); flying it was! I really like Barcelona and spent time here in 2016 during a month -long wander through Spain. Once I was checked into my apartment I headed out for a walk, and into the El Born area where I had stayed last time. Turns out my memory for food places is as good as my recall of jewelry store locations 🙂 and I soon hunted out a favourite restaurant and ordered the meal I have recreated so many times at home in NZ since I was here last; beetroot carpaccio with raspberries, pistachios and goats cheese. The Spanish version also has king prawns with a green sauce which is YUM but I leave that out when I make it at home. So easy to make, just wrap a beetroot in tinfoil with some olive oil salt and pepper inside the parcel, and bake in the oven, cool, slice, and arrange on a plate with the other ingredients. The other dish is pan con tomate (day old bread rubbed with garlic and raw tomato so the juice soaks in and becomes a tasty wonderful thing plus a drizzle of olive oil); also so easy to make. You just need to be sure the bread is not too fresh and your tomatoes are extra fleshy rather than juicy and rub them in hard until only the skin is left in your hand. A Roma tomato would be perfect. Tomorrow my friend Claire from the UK arrives for the weekend and I’m so looking forward to seeing her. We have planned some small adventures, but otherwise will mooch around the city and have fun catching up. And she will hopefully take a few of my winter clothes back with her to add to the pile of things I have left in her house 🙂 and the clothes I have already posted to her 🙂 🙂 Then on Sunday I will go to stay a few days with friends Helen and Rob who have moved from NZ to Sitges, just south of Barcelona. I’m really looking forward to spending time with these awesome people, and will plan my next destination as I go. I have Portugal in my sights as I have not been there before and Jen sent me a voucher for my birthday to enjoy a food experience there 🙂
The sun was out in force for the last day of 2019, and it was so nice to be out walking in it with no agenda other than to enjoy the day. I had a tip from the staff at my hotel that the best views across Florence are from the Bardini gardens and museum, on the other side of the Arno river. It is closer than the Piazzale Michelangelo, from the museum terrace you are not fighting with tourists for a great spot, and there are no towers to climb 🙂 Everyone was out enjoying the day, or looking for something sparkly to wear that night. 2020 had already arrived in New Zealand and I had connected with Jen and others to wish for a happy new year. The experience I booked for new years eve through Eatwith.com started at 9pm – and billed as a Secret Supper and House Concert it did not disappoint. Hosts Valeria and Andrea had prepared a wonderful Italian celebration feast with wines for the 30 people who came to their small apartment, the food coming out slowly to be tasted a little bit at a time before the next dish arrived. Half of the guests were their friends, and such lovely people. As usual I was the person who had traveled the farthest; other travelers were from other parts of Italy, Germany, and the USA. Everyone spoke in English (or tried to), and I had the best time. It is a shame that pretty much all of my photos are blurry from the night, but sometimes you have to put your camera down and just enjoy the experience, and be in the moment. So I did. And when I looked at the time and saw it was 3am I was so surprised ha 🙂 The food was delicious. I find it hard to pace myself with Italian meals and am usually full after the primi piatti (first course), and this night was no different. For starters there was cheese with honey and cured meats, olives, shrimps fried with zucchini, lamb skewers with yogurt sauce, breads, and my favourite fried cheese balls with tomato sauce. I asked Valeria how she makes these because they are so delicious and I will try to recreate them at home. If you Google bread and cheese balls from Abruzzo Italy you will see a few different recipes, but Valeria uses a family recipe that has been passed down (but not written!), using some pecorino (salty sheep cheese), parmegiano, and ricotta, mixed with stale bread that is crumbled and some egg, then fried in olive oil, and cooked again in a tomato ragu. Wow. Following this was a lasagne, then pappardelle with mussels and shrimp, a Bolognese meat sauce, a cheesy tagliatelle, sliced grilled pork, and orange slices with salt/pepper/chilli and sliced fennel salad. Just as everyone was groaning and loosening their belts, several of the guests headed for the area set up with instruments and started to play some jazz and blues. Another guest stood and surprised everyone as a singer with an incredible voice. Another emerged from the kitchen with a guitar and joined in. Another stood and with the host Valeria belted out some professional dance moves. All while the wine flowed and people were relaxed and having the best time. I bloody loved it. A young guy from Texas (we’ll call him H because I cannot remember his name 🙂 ), was also traveling solo and he was very curious about how I have been traveling alone for a few months. ‘How do you like plan everything when it’s just you?’ he asked. Ummmm….I decide what I’d like to do and do that. ‘But what if you miss something out?’ Ummmm then I guess I miss it. ‘But what if you get lonely?’ Ummm well I haven’t been lonely so far, but there are always people around if you want company you go find it, like tonight you’re here and with people. ‘I really want to travel more but this is my first time overseas and it’s just me and I don’t know if I’m doing it right’, he said. Does it feel right, I ask him. ‘I guess yes it does’. Well then, you’re sweet. Then he asked if I would dance with him because he really loved the music and wanted to dance, so I said if he danced by himself for 10 minutes and still wanted me to, I would do it. After 4 minutes he smiled at me and said ‘I’m good’ 🙂 🙂 🙂 Then he called his mum in Texas while he was dancing and made me say hello to her and tell her he was ok 🙂 🙂 As it came close to midnight the band stopped and everyone ran to open bottles of prosecco and fill glasses, then the countdown started, and then it was hugging and kissing and clinking of glasses, and laughing, and the sound of fireworks outside. And then dessert. Chocolate hazelnut torte, jam torte, pistachio cake with chocolate mint icing and raspberries, nougat (three kinds), clementines, grapes….oh my word. I wish I could have tried it all. But the point of the meal is to taste a little and have a choice, so it was enough to see it and enjoy what I did eat. The band drifted back to their instruments and played their way through the next few hours, and probably longer as I left just after 3, yawning and ready for bed, and farewelling new friends. H was jamming with the band as I left (so funny) and I gave him a thumbs up 🙂 As I walked home the city was still full of people enjoying their night, and some who had enjoyed it a little too much. Today the shops are closed, and only a few restaurants open, so when I finally got up and out, I headed to one recommended by friends (San Michele All’Arco) that has a farm to table menu. I didn’t think I was hungry, but after reading about their Cinta pigs which have a happy life roaming the farm I really wanted to try the pork 🙂 So I did. And it was so delicious. The waiter came to top up my water and I was like wow this is amazing, I love it, it is so so good; to which he shrugged (conveying the typical Italian yes of course I know it is amazing) and walked off 🙂 🙂 This region is also famous for the florentine steak, which comes from a cow that is as big as a horse! Literally. If you’re a big lover of meat I suggest you come to Florence and go to this restaurant and try it. No new year resolutions from me, I don’t believe in setting goals just once a year. I will continue to live in and appreciate the moment I’m in. Happy new year everyone xxxx
Never too cold for gelato
Just buy sleeves!
So cool
new year supper feast
home from the party wth my new year earrings 🙂
new years day lunch is pork with chard and potatoes 🙂
