Category: Food & Drink

Catalan Calling..

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, TravelLeave a comment

For me, it’s always important to get my bearings in a new city – not just my north, south coordinates – but also the general layout of the land, so to speak. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get the hang of this half way in to you’re trip. At most other times, it happens when it’s time to pack your bag and head back! You then end up spending a good part of your return journey, and some of your first few days home, mulling over maps and having several ‘aha’ moments! Well, at least I do!

So, in Barcelona, I was rather pleased at our decision to make it up to Tibidabo at the end of Day 1. Sitting just shy of 1700 ft above sea level, Tibidabo is the tallest mountain in Serra de Collserola, the range that forms the city’s natural northern boundary, and expectedly so, offers the best views of the same. Once there, you have plenty of time to discern the geographical make up of the city, while savouring a chilled Estrella Damm!

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Pacifically Speaking

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Trains, TravelLeave a comment

Part 1

Seattle was the last on my list of ‘big cities’ to visit in the US. I’m happy to report that as of early May, I have been able to check it off! A few things made this trip possible, viz., a soon to expire visa to Canada, a strong desire to visit Vancouver, and the possibility of doing so from the US, by means of a train journey!

I’m also rather pleased to say that of the 12 ‘big cities’ I have visited in the US, Seattleites, in my opinion, are by far the friendliest lot! After an absolutely painless border crossing experience at Blaine, WA (on my return from Vancouver), I’ve decided to extend this proclamation to the entire state of Washington!

A good place to start discovering how friendly people are or aren’t is at a local eatery. It didn’t take me long to do so as I arrived close to lunch hour on a Friday, and on the advise of another local (via email), headed straight to Matt’s in the Market.

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A Gaijin takes in the Big Sushi

On By bratislavIn Food & Drink, Public Transit, Trains, Travel2 Comments

In 1946, my maternal grandfather, who was a PR man with the Royal Indian Air Force at the time, was posted to Japan for 3 years as a part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces deployment. His experiences there were rich and everlasting, and a few decades later, I would grow up hearing all about them. In his time there, he learned the language, made friends for life and was overawed by their hospitality, kindness and etiquette, a lot of which he came to adopt as his own.

Papaji, as us grand kids used to call him, passed away in ’89 but he left in me a fascination for a country that had greatly impacted him, and a desire to visit it some day. My love for trains helped reinforce this ever so often, what with the endearing image of the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) against the backdrop of Mt.Fujiyama, always whetting my appetite for the land of the rising sun.

61 years after his return from there, it was with some trepidation and a lot of excitement that I embarked on my first visit to Japan – the Big Sushi (local parlance for Tokyo) in particular – and set out to experience first hand all that I had heard, read and seen (from afar) about the country and its people.

First thing I did was get my timing right – be there in time for Sakura or the Cherry Blossom season!

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