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Sunday, May 8, 2011
I'm back from a fabulous short break in Pisa, home of beautiful food, beautiful weather and beautiful people!! Totally relaxed and refreshed and ready to start blogging again:)
Need to start dieting again too after eating too many of those lovely pizzas like this funghi porcini one from Friday... ;)
The Pisa Diaries, accompanied by some more gratuitous food photography (!) will be published from Sunday 15th onwards. No time for anything between now and then because....IT'S EUROVISION WEEK!!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
OK so this is my last blog post before I go to Pisa. This blog will be back either next Sunday or Monday at which time I'll be catching up with all the pre-Eurovision excitement!!
See you all soon.
Laura x
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Yes I can finally reveal our next holiday destination....Pisa! This will be our first ever Italian holiday, although it won't be our first time on Italian soil as we took a day trip to Ventimiglia whilst on holiday in Nice back in 2003.
We are really excited about this forthcoming short break and of course The Pisa Diaries will be making an appearance on this blog before the end of May!! Expect lots of gratuitous food photography....
(The above picture is courtesy of Wikipedia)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Well, I lost some weight. http://europecrazysrandomramblings.blogspot.com/2011/04/goooooooooooooaaaaaaaallllllllll.html
"Get You" is still my favourite Eurovision entry this year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J4-T22p0y4&feature=relmfu
Although I will also be supporting Blue. Supporting my own country's entry at Eurovision is a very unusual and unfamiliar thing to do, but there you go. Tonight BBC1 screened "Eurovision: Your Country Needs Blue" (you see what they did there?) which, although screening the by now prerequisite ESC clips of Fredi & Friends, Jahn Teigen, Nicole & Hugo (where can I get one of those on-trend purple catsuits?) and inevitably, 'Sámiid Ædnan', for once it went beyond the usual BBC 'let's all laugh at Eurovision' stance and actually acknowledged that WE. HAVE. BEEN. GETTING. IT. SOOOOO. WRONG. And you can forget a key change cause you're not getting one. Apart from the usual suspects (Cliff, Lulu and the mighty Bucks Fizz), Radio 1's Scott Mills talked a lot of sense and I got the feeling that, finally, the post-Wogan era is kicking in and maybe, after all these years in the wilderness, Royaume-Uni may finally be getting the concept of 21st century Eurovision. During the show my mum commented on the 'political' voting but I immediately jumped in with my own theory - that the 'new' (as in 1993 & beyond) countries had no previous experience of what is expected from a Eurovision entry therefore have been able to drive the contest in a whole new direction. Anyway the show was well worth watching and if you missed it, check it out on BBC iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b010n381
/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2011_Your_Country_Needs_Blue/
Finally, I'm going on holiday in just over two weeks and I'm sooooo excited! Location to be confirmed in the next few days - news to follow on here very soon. For a while I wasn't sure if I'd be going on holiday or not, but it's looking good to go. Anyway what this means is that this blog will probably not be back to 'normal service' till Eurovision week i.e week commencing 9th May, however I may sneak in a few blog posts over Easter weekend, you never know ;)
Monday, October 4, 2010
Oooooh....bit of a headache this morning - self-inflicted :(
At least it's an uninterrupted night's sleep, which is just as well as it'll be a long time till the next one, thanks to the night flight.
After breakfast we headed out to buy some more last-minute purchases. A couple of days ago we discovered a little shady spot, outside the town hall, next to the local taxi rank so all the taxi drivers hang out there too, staying out of the direct sunlight. We stopped here to drink our water and enjoy the shade. We also spotted the arrival of a wedding party going into the town hall. Lunch at another one of the marina restaurants, where they all compete for business. Things were a bit different today as we took a mid-afternoon break back at the hotel and I snatch some more sleep before doing last-minute packing.
In the early evening we went out for dinner then had our last Turkish coffee of the holiday :( before venturing down Bar Street for one last time, dodging the hard sell. Darkness has fallen by this time so we take in my final view of the coastline and I even dip my toes in the Aegean. It's a distinctive night-time sight, with the castle, the coastline and the catamaran (nightclub) all lit up.
There's also time for one last walk - or should that be running the gauntlet - past the various beachfront restaurants. We then headed back to the hotel and awaited our airport transfer. That, my friends, is another story, which I won't bore you with.... Suffice to say that there was a major c**k-up which almost resulted in us missing our flight home. Happily though, we made it, with literally minutes to spare.
Having been to Turkey for two consecutive summer holidays, you'll have guessed that we're rather keen on the place. And why not? It's got something for everyone: traditional package-holiday appeal for the sun-worshippers; history and culture for those wanting something more from a summer holiday; great food, lively nightlife for people of all ages, where you are always welcomed and included. The hard-sell may always take a bit of getting used to, but the people are always friendly and take a genuine interest in everyone who passes along their way. The best thing about Turkey is that you never forget where you are. Whether it's the sound of the call to prayer, or the ubiquitous Turkish flag flying everywhere, or the Turkish music blasting from a little bar down a side street. You are in Turkey, a different country, a unique culture, and it's just fantastic to be there.
And Bodrum? Go there, you won't regret it. But don't spend your week by the hotel pool! Get out there and discover the place - it's a real town, not a custom-built resort. It's cosmopolitan, lively, and fun. What more could you want?
The day doesn't start so well, as the combination of heat and revellers wakes me at 5.15 am. This. Is. Not. Good. Happily it gets better!
Today, in true Sunday style, is all about taking things at a very slow pace indeed, as the temperature climbs yet again to over 40 degrees. So it's apple tea, and leisurely shopping - I finally get that Mor ve Ötesi CD which I've been promising myself all week (and which hasn't been off my CD player in the last 2 weeks) and the latest Power Turk CD compilation. We also buy souvenirs and postcards and decide to venture outside of town to Bodrum's take on the shopping mall concept - Oasis.
Oasis, which is between Bodrum and nearby Gumbet, is not really like a traditional shopping mall as most of it's in the open air, but luckily there are enough seats and shady spots to cool down in. They also have a very classy food court where we have a very Turkish lunch - pide, Efes, Turkish coffee, and baklava. I didn't take many photos today, and I'm only going to publish one of them here, but it's one that really matters. Baklava!!
We hang out in Oasis for a while before getting a taxi back into town, and inevitably end up at the Mariners cafe where I inevitably have my daily, chilled, fresh orange juice. Lovely.
Before going out in the evening, it's time for faithful travelling companion to have his second Turkish shave of the holiday. Owwww!
We have a lovely meal tonight, just off the beachfront, and then it's time to hit the buzzing nightlife of Bodrum once again. There is one little backstreet, just off Bar Street, which is full of little bars and restaurants and we ended up there again tonight. (sorry I can't remember the name of the street, but if I remember, then I'll publish it!). It may be Sunday night, but every night in Bodrum is like a Friday/Saturday night! In the now classic 'last full night of our holiday' tradition, we both get very merry, stay out very late, and wallow in the deadly combination of live Turkish music and....raki :))))
Having border-crossed on holiday before - from France to Spain, France to Monaco, France to Italy - it feels as if you're just travelling to another town. The Turkey to Greece journey (and back) is something different entirely: you have to go through all the formalities which you expect when leaving the UK to fly to continental Europe, complicated by Turkey's non-EU/visa status. Baggage x-rays, metal detectors, passport checks, visa stamps, the lot. It's not easy. Prepare to queue, in both directions :(
We decided to throw ourselves into all things Greek today, which meant a lunch of moussaka for faithful travelling companion and chicken souvlaki for me. Sadly no lunch photography this time, but here's a Greek beer to wash it down with.
After our eventual return to Bodrum, it was time to recharge our batteries before going back out for yet another evening of dining at the water's edge. And where there's a restaurant, there's a cat. Tonight's feline companion stayed with us for an hour and completely melted my heart into a big squishy mess. But she (I think it was a girl) only stayed with us as long as the food was on the table. So much for loyalty! Anyway it's Saturday night, and Bar Street is buzz, buzz, buzzing. Bodrum is lively and great fun for all ages, and there's no age-discrimination as young and old and everyone in-between are made welcome in the bars. We even get asked if we want to go into one of the ultra-trendy discos - there's hope for us yet :)))
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Following lunch, there was one thing on our holiday agenda which we had to do. It's not every day that you get to see one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, so being in Bodrum presents you with the opportunity to see one of them: the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus - the tomb of the ancient ruler Mausolus. The Mausoleum is just a short walk back from the Marina and it was fascinating to get so close to so much ancient history. Many of the Bodrum guidebooks don't give very favourable descriptions of what's left of the Mausoleum, but despite all that I still felt that it's well worth a visit. More background information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Halicarnassus
It was great fun tonight, although we didn't expect to be part of the entertainment :) anyway that's the joys of audience participation in Turkey, and you really don't have a say in the matter!!Sunday, September 26, 2010
So, today it's snowing and a polar bear's just walked past our room window....no only kidding folks, it's the usual - hot hot hot!
After breakfast we book for a trip to Kos on Saturday - here's a good chance to add yet another country to our growing list. More to follow...
Then it's off to a local record shop for the first CD purchases of the week: new CDs by Tarkan, and Emre Aydin - I wasn't really familiar with the latter until I heard his new song on Power Turk TV - "Alıştım Susmaya" and was impressed enough to buy his latest album. Reviews of both albums to follow on here, eventually....
Another day of hanging out in town. The high temperatures dictate just how far you can walk or how much you can do, but there's nothing wrong with hanging out in town. Earlier in the week I thought there was less of the hard sell than last year, but as I previously said, first impressions can be wrong! It's great fun trying to dodge the power-selling which goes on.
You always get more when you bargained for when shopping in Turkey....and today was no different. Faithful travelling companion bought a Turkish national team football top - and I got a marriage proposal from the young man selling it! Sadly I had to decline as I told him I couldn't move to Turkey because the weather was too hot ;)
One of the things you must do if you go to Turkey on holiday is: Turkish Night! These evenings usually consist of food, drink, folk dancing - talking of which....
...traditional music, novelty/specialist acts and of course the highlight of the evening - belly dancing. Not only female belly dancers - but a male one too! You don’t believe me? Here’s a picture of a male belly dancer. Sorry it’s a bit blurry, but you get the idea, and it’s very hard to take a photograph when all that...belly dancing is going on.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
There's a pattern developing here already: hot weather, hotter weather, even hotter weather etc etc. But there is a lot to be said for the power of factor 50+ sun protection, which manages to fight both excessive sun damage and repeated plays of "We No Speak Americano" at the pool bar. It's all good.
Above: the Bodrum Mariners' Cafe at the Marina: popular with locals and...us.It's hard to feel the magic after only two hours sleep, the unavailability of hot water in the mornings, an uninspiring breakfast, and the traumatic sight of some sunbathers (too horrific to mention here!)
But the sun is shining, and we're centrally located in Bodrum, so let's explore. "Bar Street" is the main street in Bodrum - actually a mix of two streets which run from the beachfront to the marina - and is a mixture of bars, restaurants, clothes shops, souvenir shops and the legendary 'genuine fakes' although there are less immediate bargains to be had here than in İçmeler - none of that "two for a tenner" stuff here! On our first day it felt like there was less of the 'hard sell'...first impressions can be deceptive though!
The immediate and lasting impression is of a cosmopolitan resort, attracting tourists from many countries and also from Turkey itself. That's probably the first difference I notice between Bodrum and İçmeler, which seemed to attract more British tourists. The other difference I notice is that Bodrum is a real, working town and not just a holiday resort.
Let's stop for a Turkish coffee, shall we? ;)
After lunch we do some more exploring, and walk to the other end of the beachfront, as far as the famous Halikarnas open-air nightclub (tagline: "You can not say you've been in Bodrum if you haven't been to Halikarnas"), take a back-street wander and then back via the many beachfront restaurants all competing for trade. Aah yes....the hard sell. But in this heat (a boiling 33 degrees) you need to stop for a cool drink in the afternoon.
Imagine the scene: you're sitting at a beachfront cafe-bar and a guy who is the double of Eddie Razaz is sitting at a nearby table...it suddenly becomes very hard to concentrate on the other sights of Bodrum :) anyway, dear readers, I just know that you'll be wondering about the eye candy. Well I can reassure you, the eye candy is very, very appealing indeed, and continued to be very appealing over the rest of the week :))) Lots of lovely girls for faithful travelling companion too ;)
On return to the hotel we discovered the Power Turk TV channel - a music channel playing all the latest hits. For a fan of European music like myself, this was like striking gold. We discovered so many new songs and artists thanks to this channel, and it also helped to inform my CD purchases in the coming week.....! Catch up with the latest Turkish top 40 at http://www.powerturk.tv/.
In Bodrum, Bar Street is the place to be, morning, noon and night. There are many restaurants between the beachfront and marina, some of which are quite upmarket, but all of them have one thing in common - you enter the restaurant on Bar Street but you dine at the seashore. Just don't lean over toooo far....oops! Man/woman overboard :))) We had dinner at one of these restaurants tonight - very nice. One particular thing which appeals to me about Turkey is the wide variety of dishes available in restaurants, which cater to all tastes. That is certainly the case in Bodrum - there's something for everyone, although less of the set menus found all over İçmeler.
We round the evening off with a seafront drink - it may only be a Tuesday night, but there's a lively party vibe going on. But not too much partying for us tonight - need to catch up on sleep!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
....got back this morning from a fabulous holiday in Turkey, had a brilliant time although the daytime weather was just a bit too hot, so I'm cooling off now! Spent most of the day catching up with the sleep I didn't get thanks to that night flight, and tonight I've been catching up with everything else that I've missed in recent days.
In the great tradition of this blog, my holiday diaries will be published over the weekend, with lots of very nice pictures of beautiful Turkish scenery and equally beautiful Turkish food :)
Anyway, I go away for a week and come back to discover that last year's X Factor winner Joe McElderry has only gone and covered Donkeyboy's "Ambitions", the original version of which has been one of my most loved and most played tracks of this year. I'm pleasantly surprised by this, as it's a pretty decent version and a vast improvement on the usual r'n'b-influenced dross being churned out at the moment. I recently read that he's been working with Darin too - could Joe become the nearest thing that we have to a Swedish boy-pop star? I hope so!
What else did I miss? Well, Lena Philipsson got married, Reinfeldt got re-elected in Sweden, and 5% of the Swedish voting public are very sick, sad people indeed.
I'm off to bed (again) now for tonight's sleep. Goodnight!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Regular readers of this blog will know that I haven't been posting as much on here, and unfortunately that's set to continue for a little while so please bear with me. It's a very, very busy time at the moment - having a new central heating system installed, and then I'm off on holiday!
Yes! It's that time again...on Monday I'll be heading off to Turkey - along with faithful travelling companion - for our second annual summer holiday there. Can't believe it's been a year since our first visit to Turkey and we hope that this holiday will be as fun and memorable as that last one. Hopefully I'll be home with some new Turkish music among my many purchases!
All things being well, this blog should return on the evening of 21st September. If there's any important news I've missed when I'm away (I won't be near the internet during that week) please get in touch and leave your comments and I'll get back to you on my return.
This blog will be back in action for the last week of September but will then be taking a break for most of the month of October - although there will be the occasional post, but there's lots of things I'll need to catch up on outside of blog-land so I've made the decision to have another blog break. (I will still be reading all my favourite blogs though!)
See you later in September......!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
You probably didn't expect this one so soon, but we've decided to return to Turkey for our summer holiday in four weeks' time. After some intensive searching and consideration given to various alternatives, we finally settled on Turkey again, as we loved it so much last year. And after a couple of hiccups (notably the possibility of airport strikes, which thankfully have now been averted) we finally got booked up tonight!!
We are going to a different place this time - Bodrum - but I'm sure the famous Turkish hospitality will be overflowing from the beginning to the end of our holiday :) of course there will be a full report to follow!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Ever felt like a tourist in your own country?
I might be a bit of an expert on European travel by now, but when it comes to my own country that's another thing entirely. So it's about time I checked out some new places...!
Yesterday, faithful travelling companion and myself "took the high road" and headed for Balloch, a village on the south banks of Loch Lomond.
Of course the main obstacle stopping you from discovering this country will always be our horrible, wet weather but if you wait for a dry day you'll probably wait forever. So, umbrellas at the ready, we arrived in a wet (but mild) Balloch, a nice little place with more than enough dining options but not much else really. (Although there is a shopping centre called Loch Lomond Shores, but that's for another visit).
The prime draw here is of course Loch Lomond itself, and we took the opportunity to take a one hour cruise which takes you as far as Inchmurrin (the largest island on the loch) and then back. It was all very lovely and scenic and serene, which was just what I needed after a turbulent week! We also took a little stroll through a woodland trail down to the edge of the loch, where we dipped our toes in the water.
The rain went off, the sun came out later on, but by that time we had to make our way back for our connections home. As you know, my definition of the great outdoors is usually the bit between the restaurant and the shopping mall, so this was a nice new experience for us. We really enjoyed our day out, and would like to do something similar again in the future!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Here's one of the reasons I put on so much weight in Bratislava...
0 comments Posted by ai at 12:10 PM
Yes, it's that Slovakian gastronomic treat bryndza halusky.....
And so to the last full day in the "Brat" as we like to call it....
Monday, June 7, 2010
Some business to see to first: we headed off to book tickets for a couple of trips on the Danube: this afternoon's trip to Devin Castle, and tomorrow's outing on the Twin City Liner to Vienna. The sun briefly shone before the more familiar clouds descended later this morning. But Bratislava is beautiful in all weathers, and one of its best-known buildings is St Martin's Cathedral, pictured above. This morning we retraced our steps through the old town, bought some souvenirs, and I spotted possibly one of the most gorgeous men I have ever seen - think a 10 times more gorgeous version of Bret from Flight of the Conchords :))) anyway our thoughts soon turned to lunch which involved a variation on bryndza halusky, only with fried onions rather than bacon.
It wasn't long before we were heading off up the Danube to Devin Castle, one of the most significant buildings in Slovak history, dating back to the 8th century. Its position on the Slovak-Austrian border gave it strategic historical significance, and in more recent times the confluence of the Danube and the Moravia rivers formed the Iron Curtain.
After we walked off our lunch on a very high climb, we arrived at the castle ruins in what felt like a Force 10 gale. It may have been freezing cold, but I was so overwhelmed by the surroundings that frostite didn't matter so much :)) The castle overlooks some very picturesque views of the Slovakian and Austrian countryside....
...and here's a part of Devin Castle. 
Eventually we had to leave and make our way back down to the bottom of the hill. As we are both fascinated by recent history, we vistied this monument which commemorated all those who had been shot and killed when attempting to cross the river to Austria during the years of Communist rule. (The one thing which has surprised me during our Bratislava trip is that there is very little commemoration or acknowledgement of that era, unlike in Prague or Riga which both have museums dedicated to the subject).
Tonight we had dinner at an Argentinian restaurant. Bratislava has such a cosmopolitan choice of eateries. And afterwards we end up at a bar which is full of students and sells bargain-priced beer, and we feel very old!! We have an early night, as there's the small matter of a day trip to another country tomorrow. Sunday, June 6, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
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