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 🙂
I caught the train to Bologna today which is 40 mins east of Florence, so an easy day trip. It’s a less polished city, but full of charm and famous for being one of the best food destinations in Italy (think mortadella sausage, tiny tortellini, prosciutto, parmigiano Reggiano, Modena balsamic and Bolognese sauce among other things). There are also several kilometres of covered porticos everywhere, so even if the weather is bad you will be dry, or cool if it is a hot day, and you can enjoy walking off the food 🙂 It’s about a 20 minute walk from the central station to the Piazza Maggiore where you’ll find the San Petronio cathedral and Neptune’s fountain. The cathedral is so so inside, but around the back you can access the roof terrace and get awesome views across the terracotta rooftops for only a few euros. Well worth it, and much less scary (and less busy) than climbing up the leaning tower across town. From the piazza I headed for the area around Via Draperie where the best food can be found. The pizza from the mercato is amazing. I’d had a look online at different blogs about Bologna and where I could head to for a decent walk (always good to see what other people have loved about a place). The Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca sits on top of a hill looking over Bologna, and you can walk the whole way there under the covered porticos which is cool. It’s a 7.5km round trip up and back and a really nice walk. You can pay to go up to the top of the cathedral dome when you’re up there, but today it was foggy so the views wouldn’t have been great. Tomorrow is new year’s eve and the trains are FULL of people heading to their families or holiday destinations. Florence is also bristling with shiny happy people. I’ve organised to join an Eatwith dinner experience tomorrow, which is basically like booking a seat at a table and other guests do the same, and you all have a cool evening. I’ve done it in other cities and it has always been amazing, and it will be nice to be in the company of good people as the new year arrives. Might need an afternoon nap so I don’t nod off 🙂 🙂
I love Florence, it is a gorgeously compact city and it’s so beautiful. I had a few days here in 2015 on my tour around Italy and it made a big impression. I’m not normally much of a shopper, especially for girly things, but Florence unleashed a beast 🙂 In the department store Rinascente, a lovely salesman had decided I needed an hour long perfume exploration to find just the right scent for me (such an Italian thing to do, walking backwards and forwards through wafts of scent laughing and enjoying the moment), and to this day I still wear the Versace perfume he recommended. I bought beautiful cast bronze earrings from a local jeweler. I discovered the Desigual brand and bought a denim jacket that I still wear and love. Leather bags. Lovely underwear….in fact on that trip I bought so many things in quick succession that I had to take myself for a time out 🙂 About a year after that trip I lost one of the earrings at an outdoor movie night and was gutted! So I tracked down the jeweler online and asked if she had more of them and she did! But paying for them and getting them shipped was tricky, and ultimately too hard. SO….when I was thinking about where next and Florence came up in my search I thought ha I can buy myself another pair! Which, in truth, is the real reason I decided to come here for the new year. The fact I love the city is a wonderful bonus 🙂 My train arrived late afternoon and there were even more people than in Milan, in a much smaller space! Getting to my hotel with a suitcase was like navigating the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course 🙂 but as soon as I was checked in and freshened up, I was out on the hunt for my jeweler. Maps and directions I am completely hopeless with, but my memory of places and navigating is apparently bang on. I knew exactly where I was, and once on the right street it was just a matter of hoping the shop was still there. And open on a Sunday night. And it was! And there was one pair of my earrings there! I picked them off the wall and took them to the counter with a huge smile on my face and launched into a long explanation to the man about my previous visit, the lost earring, my attempts to get another set and finally being here I could replace them. ‘Buona sera signora, prego’, he said (not understanding a word I had said). So I shook his hand and said grazie mille, paid and left. I know from my previous visit that his wife makes the bronze jewelry from wax casts, and that he is an artist, but he could see I was happy, and he was happy that I was happy. I spent the next few hours revisiting some of the places I had loved when I was here last, and they are still the same, nothing much has changed in 5 years. Which is kind of nice. Strange to be so far from home but be in a place that feels so familiar and no need for Google maps. I’m going to love my few days here 🙂 Va bene 🙂
I spent a month in Italy in 2015 but didn’t make it to Milan, and only booked a night here this time on my way from Switzerland. What a cool city. What huge crowds of people! Milan is all lit up from Christmas still, the Christmas markets are in full swing, carols are playing, EVERYONE was out walking and enjoying the evening when I arrived. After a few hours on trains I was up for a decent walk and spent three hours walking around before finding a table for dinner. Being in the fashion capital of the world is a bit dangerous for someone who is bored with her suitcase of clothes 🙂 but I managed to leave without buying anything except some limoncello nougat. Although if the shop with the amazingly beautiful boots (pic below) had been open I would have probably sold a kidney to buy them 🙂 and the skirt they were paired with. Milan also seems to be the cake capital. And the source of the rubber ducks I’ve been seeing everywhere on my travels. I would come back here again, it’s a cool city to visit and wander in. Everyone I met was super nice. The taxi drivers were awesome. Stay in the city center if you can and walk everywhere. Taxi from the central station is only 10 Euro or you can take the metro. And eat in trattoria down the side streets, the food is good. Buona sera.
The downside to booking things on the fly is that sometimes you can’t take a direct route to your destination. To reach Italy from Zermatt I had booked 3 different trains, and had a lot of switching. Which is how I came to have a couple of hours in Spiez, a pretty Swiss town on the shores of Lake Thun (pic below). The sun was shining, I had a custard square, and looked at the view. When it was time to catch my train to Milan I felt very rested. Until we stopped at the station I had switched trains in to go to Spiez 🙂 🙂 and realised I could have been in Milan hours earlier 🙂 Anyhoo. The train ride to Milan from Switzerland is just stunning, from the dramatic snowy mountains to the northern Italian lakes (Maggiore and Lugano). Wow. I’ll come back another time to explore that area, and Lake Como as well. Put them on your list.
