gotta love me some Lisbon

"chicken... beach... clams..."

The beach, the breeze, the chicken and the clams... boy is Lisbon the way to go. It's just a super chilled and relaxing place to be. My family and I stayed at our good friend's house in Estoril just outside of Lisbon and boy does he have nice view. You can see the sea and the houses on the beaches. There is plenty to eat and to do. The night we arrived we decided to eat at Frango's, who is famous for their rotisserie chickens... AMAZING. The fries are to die for and sitting outside was wonderful time with a pitcher of Sangria (deprival of sangria since we had just left Barcelona.)

We decided to take a drive up to the Penha Palace, Sintra and my was it quite a steep drive. We kept going up this mountain to a point where we parked it at the mid lot and walked to get the shuttle to take us to the palace. Super colourful, very eccentric looking, this castle was built in the 1839 and was inhabited by many royals. This was quite a fairytale looking palace.  You can find out more here.

We then went to lunch at one of uncle Calvin's favourite restaurants: Al Fresco (we have been witnessing many dishes from this restaurant via Facebook and we just had to go and experience it for ourselves.) Dining outside on the patio, with the view of the casino in Estoril, the sun kept us in the mood for more sangria. Pasta was a big thing and you could order it to your liking (example spaghettini with a light tomato sauce) and were quite filling. The Zabaione was to die for, super rich and super sweet but if you have never had this dessert, Al Fresco makes it the best.

My sister and mum went to the beach, while the rest of us relaxed at home and enjoyed the sea breeze. The ice creams were to die for - classic cornetto and a new vendor from Austria, Moo Moo, served handmade and organic ice cream. Try the hazelnut and the pistachio - absolutely and super nutty! We also bought the best IN THE WORLD (not joking) portuguese egg tarts.  A line up worth waiting in, Café Pastéis de Belém make the best egg tarts.

The next day we took a stroll in Lisbon, paid a visit to the Hard Rock Café for some souvenirs, to Pinóquio for the best clams ever seasoned with pork, and postcard shopping. We had been sending postcards constantly throughout the trip for friends who'd appreciate the thought; we love sharing our experiences. We went up and down the city and went to the waterfront where we saw a bridge like the Golden Gate in San Fran.

Before the evening was to begin, we went for a walk on the beach and took many photos with my sister. We chased seagulls, pigeons along the beach and looked forward to having drinks on the shore. For dinner we went to Casa Verde right beside Frango's, where they served very warming dishes such as seafood stews and a lot more. The clams were once again delicious and the service were real nice. Our time in Portugal was about to end and we really enjoyed ourselves in Europe, but it was time to finally head to the motherland. England here we come!

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Barcelona

"lots to do, lots to see, lots to eat..."

Barcelona was by far my favourite stop on the Europe part of our trip. The food was absolutely delicious wherever we went. The Boqueria (market) on the Ramblas was really fun and neat to walk through, as we saw eggs of all sorts, Iberian ham, a whole cow for sale (all its parts) and a lot more.

When we first arrived at our hotel, Ohla, we entered the rooms and found a 360° glass windowed shower... now how on earth were we supposed to shower?! We found a way - by steaming up the shower first. There were two restaurants in the hotel, one a tapas dining room and the other 1 Michelin star restaurant, Sauc. We got the luxury of enjoying both restaurants and the food was delicious. The prawns from the tapas room was so good we were obsessed! We had an a la carte menu from Sauc that proved to be superb for a restaurant that was in the hotel; absolutely no disappointments.

We definitely went sight seeing in this city: the Van Gogh museum was very large and filled with tourists - it was such a busy day that it was simply exhausting after the second room we had been into. We also went for a bit of a walk... that turned into a hike... towards the Muro museum. Unfortunately we went on the wrong day as they were closed. So after having walked up this mountain for half an hour in the scorching heat we were most upset. We also found out that there was a funicular that we could have taken... what a day huh.

That same afternoon we decided to find somewhere for lunch and boy did we ever! A hotel and its restaurant, The DÖ hotel and restaurant. A pitcher of sangria, an amazing tomato gazpacho, giant gambas or prawns, and we were set. The anchovies were delectable... overall the food was impeccable that we ended up going for lunch again the next day!

On our second evening we were reserved seats in the Abac restaurant, just 10 minutes away from our hotel by car. This restaurant was two michelin stars and we were set up with a prix fixe menu of about 12 courses and wine pairing... man was there a lot of wine to go around. It was a delightful experience and the hosts were very accommodating. Food was a lot but the portions were perfectly weighted.

The following day we visited the FC Barcelona stadium where we got to see the many cups the team had won in the past years of football, and the pitch itself. It was quite the tour as we got to see various archival objects and the champions, super champions and other cups in their museum. We were also taken into their change rooms where they had a jacuzzi and massage tables, lockers and such. The press room was on the tour too. We also had a chance to sit in the press box up top where the commentators would guide tv viewers, radio and such throughout the games that were played. The stadium was quite far from where the center of the city was so we took the subway and it was easy.

Barcelona is a great place to shop, party and celebrate. The Ohla hotel had a bar with Spain's number one bar tender, Max. On our last night we decided to go for drinks and enjoy such great tasting cocktails. The Gin and Tonic was served in a fishbowl like glass and was super potent. Although the cocktails took about 5 minutes each to be made, it was so worth it. After three beverages, it was time to go off and party - why not? The clubbing scene in Barcelona was quite safe where we went. There was a Cabaret show before the clubbing began at midnight, and it was a lot of fun to watch. A pitcher of sangria and we were set.

The next morning we headed to the airport to leave for Lisbon, Portugal. Barcelona had much to offer and I hope to visit again someday.

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Provence... Fayence... South of France

"Kick back, relax... enjoy the sun"

After having driven through three cities, we finally arrived in the South of France. We drove up to large gates leading into the Four Seasons Terre Blanche Resort and my was it a grand entrance. As we drove into the resort, we passed the spa which was its own property and hidden by the french trees... very private. Then we pulled into the driveway of the main building and we were welcomed by the super, friendly staff. After having checked in, we were driven on golf carts to our own villas - absolutely fantastic (including the ride there as we were passing the bushes of lavender and the many flowers, making the scenery quite something.)

Our first night for dinner we stayed in the hotel to eat and had a tasty  meal. Accompanied with a cocktail of lavender juice, the first dish was an anchovy tart followed by a dish with king prawn and pea soup. It was very simple but deliciously unique at the same time.

The next morning, breakfast was brought to us and set up in our room - eggs your way, bacon, mushrooms, assorted patisseries, jams and ketchup, and a hot pot of tea. It was a great way to start the day. We then headed to the market in Fayence, the town just next door to our resort. With myself only able to speak the french language, I had to order a roast chicken and pork (with crackling of course) from a kind woman who was manning the rotisserie truck. As we walked by we could not stop the aroma of pork, chicken, and ham that were laid out. Bringing everything back with us, we opened a bottle of champers (as you do) and had lunch in the room. Brilliant.

We spent the day at the pool which had an amazing view of the town of Fayence. The hills were covered in old houses and villas, and the sky was clear of clouds... it was a hot day! We were offered drinks and ice lollies throughout the time we were poolside. The infinity pool was great for where we were as you could see the hillside and everything below. The afternoon was perfect.

That evening, we were booked to go to Eric Maio's Restaurant, a 1 star michelin chef out in Fayence, and had a set meal. We started off with an olive hors d'oeuvre - olive tapanade with breadsticks, cones of salmon, cucumber, chives and an olive pate on crouton. For the amuse bouche we had Creme of Girosoll, next Red Mullet with an exotic fruit salad, and finally Roasted Maigre with giro mushrooms. The start of the desserts was a deconstructed lemon tart and it was a great tasting one at that! And the final dessert was a fruit dish with a sort of crème brûlée topping. The Petit Fours were homemade marshmallows and nougatine, white and dark chocolate truffles. A fun night and a unique experience.

The next morning we were leaving to Barcelona, a long six hour drive... we passed by a large lake and notice pedal boats and paddle boarders. We got out of the car to take some photos of the lake, we really didn't want to leave the country.

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Monte Carlo

"life of the rich and famous"

Monaco is super small (actually one of the smallest countries in the world) but filled with many tourists and well those who want to be seen. Monte Carlo and its infamous casino, is always surround by many and few play in the decorated building. There is a balcony where serious customers play as they overlook the sea... quite fancy.

We decided to stop by in Monte Carlo for lunch and had a delicious meal at Cafe Paris.

The quick stop in Monaco let us drive past Cannes and Nice right afterward, before we would hit the South of France to Provence. Enjoy!

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Milan darling...Milan...

"Shop shop shop... shop 'til you drop!" 

Milan was quite a small city but filled with fashion. This city had people dressed up and dressed down. We were lucky enough to be staying at the Four Seasons in Milan (this was the start of the Seasons tour)  and the service was superb. Although my ankle had been twisted at this point, I still hobbled around to Jimmy Choo, TOD's, Versace and more... I ended up buying shoes (how ironic!) The food was absolutely amazing - the pasta is to die for and the pizza APPARENTLY is to die for as well (yes that's right... I never had any pizza whilst in Italy and that's because we went to the same restaurant for lunch twice by the name of Bagutta because it was that good! Paper Moon is the name of the pizzeria just up the road from Bagutta.) 

Ermenegildo Zegna is a huge hit in Milan too with the men's fashion (with 6 floors of suits, shirts, ties and more!) The streets were mostly cobbled and plenty rode on vespas to get to and from. We met up with a good friend of the family's, known through the wine business, Marchesi di Grésy's own Alberto. We went to dinner at a small restaurant on a corner with jazz music being the entertainment for the evening. Sitting outside meant getting bitten alive but for the food and ambiance, it was definitely worth it.

Once in Milan, we knew we had a long road trip to get to Provence and from there a six hour drive to Barcelona... but we were excited and could care less of what there was to come for the rest of the trip.

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