Spritz at bar number one…Campari Spritz for something different at bar number two…prosecco at Trattoria…
Team Intrepid 3…Last Night..Venice…
30 May 2013 Leave a comment
To the Italian coast…
20 May 2013 3 Comments
in Coffee, Culture, Environment, food, People
Took a regional train trip from Lucca to La Spezia, a port city and a short ferry ride to Porto Venere which was just lovely….windy…but lovely! Explored the church built on the cliff and enjoyed my favourite drink “Aperol Spritz” in a waterside bar before returning to a meal of Gamberino at a local seafood restaurant…accompanied by the regional white wine of Cinque Terre.
Dinner at Riad Al Moussika…
09 May 2013 1 Comment
Di and Mal from Team Intrepid 2 met me at Jama El Fna and I brought them back for a wonderful dinner at the restaurant..lovely food, nice bottle of Rose’ and we were hoping the Moroccan sweets piled on 3 plates were not all for us!!!
Coimbra nightlife…
25 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
Dinner tapas style at a lovely little bar ( gorgeously ‘retro’ style packed sardines lining the walls) followed by a very professional Fado concert in an old chapel….
Start of Intrepid tour…
08 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in Culture, Environment, food, People, Society
Met the group..Phil and Gina from Sydney on their Honeymoon, Kisane from Byron Bay, Louise from Sydney and the leader Jaime from Spain. We had a good dinner at a local french restaurant after our meeting and everyone is getting along well. Our train to Tours was rescheduled so we didn’t depart Paris until 5:30pm on the Sunday so more time exploring Paris. Of course my luggage is the largest and heaviest…this proved very interesting on the Paris Metro and then the train itself so I’m posting stuff back to Roseannes and the homeless people will do well from the older clothes I’m discarding! You live and learn I guess. Anyway, train trip good and we checked into the nice old style Hotel Europe in Tours. We went for a stroll to the Cathedral which was impressive and the streets and square of the old quarter where we dined on French food together. Not much English here so deciphering the menu was tricky…Filet Mignon in france is pork fillet…confusing!? Didn’t get to bed until 11:45 ..late for old Vic! 
Pink Paris!
03 Apr 2013 1 Comment
in Culture, Environment, food, People
Pink Bird and all things pink!
Streets of Paris…
03 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in Coffee, Culture, Environment, food, People, Society, Time
Explored the historic Marais, Ile St louis and St Germain…
Back to Leigh-on-Sea…
25 Mar 2013 1 Comment
Flew from Newquay to Gatwick to land in a very snowy scene.The white stuff was everywhere and still falling! Snow ploughs were all out on the tarmac ready to go to work. Got my little bus transfer to Roseanne’s and I was the only passenger so sat up the front and chatted to the driver. Everyone was waiting for me including Floyd when I arrived back at the house…a pot of bubbling soup, more snow and then a lovely roast chicken dinner (a Roseanne specialty!). The next morning we met Jenny and James at their regular Sunday breakfast place …a real British style Caf! We all had the ‘all day breakfast’ with eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausage, beans, bubble n’ squeak and a slice!(of bread and butter). It was actually very good, especially with loads of ‘brown sauce’.
Last day in Cornwall…
22 Mar 2013 1 Comment
in Coffee, Culture, Environment, food, People
Explored Newquay which is a bit of a surfing mecca…ripcurl shop, quiksilver, surfing schools and lots of ‘surf’ and ‘beach’ cafes although the main shopping area is a bit dowdy and not atmospheric. I resorted to Costa for a coffee which was actually really good but maybe I’ve been in Polperro too long! I was looking for somewhere for lunch and was getting desperate so gave up and drove around the town and started heading out into the countryside when I came to a tiny cove called Watergate Bay. I parked in the paid parking lot ,as you have to absolutely everywhere here ,and saw a sign near the path to the beach saying “Fifteen” so in I went. It turns out to be Jamie Olivers Fifteen Restaurant, very funky and with a spectacular view of an almost perfect surf pumping in from the Atlantic ocean…no wonder I had seen the surfers in the car park hurredly kitting up with wetsuits, booties, hoods and gloves. It was on! The restaurant was booked out so they sat me at the bar where I had the best, friendliest service with a glass of prosecco and fresh cornish crab bruschetta. I decided to lash out and the barman made me a sensational flat white and I had a blood orange chocolate piece of decadence.
Any Rick Stein fans out there?
20 Mar 2013 1 Comment
in Culture, Environment, food, People, Society
Drove from Port Issac to Rock and caught a passenger ferry across the Camel River Estuary to Padstow. Some beautiful sunshine and lots of lovely golden sand that reminded me of home. Rock was amazingly quite an upmarket place!
Padstow Harbour was quite nice and the shops and restaurants definitely upmarket. Rick Stein’s restaurant was there and he has ‘cashed in’ with a merchandise shop next door and a patisserie down the road…nice stuff though I must say. I didn’t do lunch there as I had it waiting for the ferry…fresh sea scallops just pan seared to perfection. I did actually lash out and have a sweet sensation..classic English Victoria Sponge with a pot of tea. it was moist and delicious and so worth it!
pinkbirdflies 