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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Scarpetta

Owned by celebrity chef, Scott Conan, this delectable restaurant brings joy to foodies out there. Of course most would agree that being at the Thompson Hotel could mean some $ signs, but totally worth having the pleasure of eating their handmade-fresh pastas. Thanks to uncle Bryan I was able to try many of their pastas - including the special of the night: Rabbit Ravioli, which was superb. Cannot forget their creamy polenta served with mushrooms served in truffle jus. Enjoy the food through these yummy photos! [gallery]