cheers to all who celebrate

The Last Hurrah

Having cleared up our travel plans by mid-day we had precisely 15 mins to get to the bus station to catch a bus to a local beach. Weather pretty windy and Christos at the hotel had recommended this beach which would be sheltered given the wind direction. We made the bus with 7/8 mins to spare and by 12.30 or so were at the beach. It was a pretty nice cove but obviously half the island had the same thought. It was quite crowded and all beach chairs and umbrellas were taken. We had not considered this would be the case so had not brought our hotel issued umbrella. Liz headed for the sea and we sunscreened up but it soon became apparent that this had a touch of the Saharas even for the beach babe. After an hour or so we reluctantly headed back for the next bus back to town otherwise the wait would have been a further two hours and we might have been a bit crisp by then. Still pretty windy by the time we got back and we headed for the local beach of yesterday. Now around 2.00. Hard to believe but all beach chairs and umbrellas taken there too. Possibly because there was a cruise ship in town which had disgorged the masses. We decided a floppy afternoon on the hotel balcony was in order. Still very windy though and alternated in and out from the balcony. I nipped along into town to grab some lunch at the bakery. Spanakopita for Liz and zucchini pie for me . Spanakopita was oily and tasty, zucchini pie a cross between savoury and sweet with the odd currant in there. Tasty enough in a strange way, I certainly demolished most of it. We washed it down with a bit of oozy/syrupy lemon cake and some baklava. After early evening drinks on the balcony dinner that evening was pretty informal too. Found a table at a restaurant mostly sheltered from the breeze right in the Port area opposite fancy dan billionaire boats and had more grilled sardines and stuffed peppers which we shared. Both very tasty. Pretty much reprised the previous night with drinks at the cocktail bar though I also bought a pair of shorts. After that a slow stroll home though no booking to do apart from pickup by car/ taxi from the ferry terminal. Liz commenced sussing out. We did also book a table at the fish restaurant we ate at on night 1 on the way home. Noticed Panos from the hotel sitting there in full flight chatting (his favourite restaurant). Next morning some consideration of trying the same beach we had failed to secure a seat at the previous day but Liz a little zonked so she had an hour's sleep post breakfast. We decided it would be easier just to go to the local town beach we had been at on Day 1. This turned out a good decision. Weather warm and good, wind pretty low. Secured front row seats and umbrella and whiled a lazy and pleasant afternoon away only interrupted by lunch. I managed to persuade the guy who delivered toasted sandwiches from his taverna to the beach, and that was pretty much all they offered on the beach in the way of food, to let us have his Briam (roasted zucchini and tomatoes in oil) with bread while sitting under the umbrella. Very yum and very relaxed. Liz also spent a couple of hours snoozing in the beach hammock. Headed home around 6.15. Dinner was exceptional. We went for fish. Never heard the name before but Liz did her eye and gill inspection as well as chatted to the host and they cut the mustard. Fresh as daisies and superbly cooked. We went for a stroll into town after dinner and looked in a few shops. No more purchases though we did have a look at a couple of monster private boats which had rolled up. One of them (called Zeus) made the others look a bit like dinghies. Apparently boat worth about US$50m. A real floating palace. We headed home mulling over our stay in Milos. It had been enjoyable. Perhaps not as quaint as Folegandros but still characterful. As already mentioned our hosts were excellent, professional and friendly and Panos in particular always up for a chat with all guests. Hotel room spacious, clean and handy to town. We found the main road into town which we were just off very busy so not quite harmonious when you headed along it. You had to watch yourself a bit in terms of traffic as footpath minimal in places. It had been windy so that curtailed things a little and also we didn't have our own wheels which might have assisted exploring some of the more out of the way places. Still as we headed home from the beach earlier that day in very pleasant temperatures we felt a little sad to be leaving Greece. Fabulous experience we've really loved every bit. Bring on Italia (and/or Croatia).

Pinxtos (Spanish Basque country tapas) have landed in NOLA at the new @estanonola! Tried the tuna, sardine, and of course my favorite thing to cook & eat: CROQUETAS (stuffed with jamón y manchego). Great food & wine. Super cute space. Loved it!! . . . . . #eatenpath #nola #foodphotography#neworleans #foodie #foodies #foodblogger #comida #eat #delish #eaternola #nomnom #eeeeeats #foodiegram #foodpics #nolafoodgramotw #yum #instafoodie #foodiefeature #foodism #neworleansfood #followyournola #myfab5 #foodgram #delicious #tasty #igfood #zipkick #hungry #dinner https://ift.tt/2O3xxY8

LISBON ・fish, art, tarts and beer!

From the title, your first guess was probably Amsterdam's Heineken experience right? Wrong! Lisbon is home to the Museu da Ceverja - museum of beer! Only €5 entry and including a half-pint, it's good value; you're pretty much buying yourself a drink and getting access to a few rooms of hops history. There's also a mock up of a medieval beer-making cellar that doubles as a kind of horror house (without ruining the surprise for readers, the layout and placement of items will probably make you jump) and actually whilst I was there, a temporary art exhibition too so I definitely got my Euro's worth! It was only a four day trip but advanced planning plus early starts meant that I still managed to do quite a bit: the highlights being the Oceanarium, cycling along the coast of Cascais, stuffing my face at the world's first Time Out food market and check out a few galleries. I ate gelado and pastéis de nata along the way, of course.

Things I planned but ultimately missed are:

- A Ginjinha - ginjinha is a liqueur made from a "ginja" berry that's very similar to a sour cherry and apparently this place is where all the rage's at. There are other places selling this stuff - some in chocolate cups, yum -  all over Lisbon though, so you won't miss it.

- Sol E Pesca - a "low-key, fishing-themed nook with a patio serving a vast array of canned seafood" - canned tapas essentially, plus lots of beer & wine. You're probably wondering what the hype over canned goods is; canned goods - especially fish (sardines, tuna, cod etc etc.) are the city's spirit! Usually preserved with olive oil, herbs or brine, you'll also find lots of specialty canned goods shops around.

- Sintra - this is the popular resort town in the foothills of the Sintra mountains, just above Cascais by the Atlantic ocean. The National Park and Palace are the key things to see - fairytale-escque scenery, colourful architecture and whimsical design. A lot of people say Sintra is a must-visit and to be honest I agree - choosing Cascais for its beach and Paula Rego Museum (!!) over Sintra was a personal choice mostly due to time constraints!

Anyway, let's get onto the things I did do. I can see why they dedicatedly called it an Oceanarium: the permanent exhibition really does go above and beyond that of an aquarium. The layout is designed in a way that slowly shows you the true extent of the water tanks - bit by bit. You see the Atlantic sea life, the Pacific, the penguins in an open-air environment, the sharks; you catch the otters feeding on bits of salmon and octopus whilst lying on their backs (extremely cute!) and towards the end, you see the underside of the water and realise it's all one huge tank connecting most of the sea life on show! There was also a temporary exhibition looking at underwater forests; an installation by the late Takashi Amano, it's resolutely serene, the calmness palpable as you walk across the exhibition space.

What really struck me over the days in Lisbon was that it's a great place for a fancy AF brunch without the London price tag. Delicately beautiful smoothie bowls, açaí, smashed avocado toast, fresh orange juice - it's all there in great variety, fresh and relatively cheap! I was so impressed, I ended up ordering two breakfasts at a place called Flora and Fauna. I'll do a separate post on Lisbon brunching - it deserves it.

Another admirable thing about Lisbon is its dedication to a better environment by reducing emissions. There are dedicated cycling lanes everywhere, an abundance of pick-me-up-and-go bike and electric scooter companies and these are cheap enough that actually, you see locals and tourists alike zooming around on them! I tested out the Lime scooters - I'm a little too short for them and found it a bit uncomfortable on the mostly cobbled streets of Lisbon but everybody else seemed to love them. My personal preference is the Uber bike - sturdy with solar panelled electric assist, they were great even uphill and only at €0.15/minute, a great alternative to the underground. That said, the underground was pretty reliable, more on-time than their buses but they are deeep underground and you'll often have to walk three or four flights of escalators/stairs to reach the platform. Fares are also cheap and cheerful - the Viva Viagem (their equivalent of our Oyster) costs only €0.50.

If you're into art, you'll want to check out the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego in Cascais. Dame Paula Rego grew up and is based in London but Portuguese-born; her works are dynamic and as badass as she is. She was an influence to a bunch of my art modules back at school, so it was almost surreal catching some of those pieces in real life. €5 entry, lots to see.

Cycling along the coast of Cascais, you'll come across Hell's Mouth - Boca do Inferno, which is a series of beautiful caves and arches. I read a post somewhere about free bike rental available in Cascais - we rented from the first place in sight in Cascais station for €10/bike for a day (until 6pm), including basket, locks and a map of the cycling path and other tourist tips - pretty good deal. The cycling lane is distinct from the road for about 90% of the route but a lot more narrow than lanes in the UK; it's manageable though and it is such a free feeling cycling with the sea by your side! Don't miss Guincho beach along the route - a cosy sandy beach with car park, surf school and restaurants nearby.

Now Pastéis de Belém comes up on every blogpost and article on Lisbon travel as the place to eat pastéis de nata - Portuguese egg custard tarts. It's actually quite out of the way from the city centre but if you're going to Cascais... it's one of the stops en route! Top tip from a colleague of mine, skip the winding queue for takeaway outdoors and walk straight into the restaurant seating area - they have 400+ seats for table service and you're expected to find a seat and sit down. The tarts are great but in my opinion, not really that distinguished from other popular places (e.g. Manteigaria in Bairro Alto, Pastelaria Versailles - below R) - if I'd travelled specifically into Belém for them, I might even have been disappointed.

To give a fair review, I've had lots of these (all delicious, including those freshly out the oven from Lidl bakery for 39 cents each!) before in Quarteira, Algarve, so I guess there wasn't any novelty in there for me either. At Pastéis de Belém (see L), they do get the flaky but ever so slightly chewy tart pastry spot on; for a place so popular, my tart was actually not as warm as I'd expect but it was still delicious. I just don't think it's worth going completely out of your way to visit, that's all.

I didn't catch tram 28 for the up and downhill views of the city but I think I caught a lot of this trekking to Frangasqueira Nacional for their peri peri chicken anyway - will give you the lowdown in the Lisbon food post I promised. I visited one of the popular miradouros (viewpoint) - Miradouro da Graça, where you can see spanning views across Lisbon (below R). The sea in the distance, St George's castle and many, many  distinctly red-tiled roofs. Reminded me a little of the view from Dubrovnik's city walls, actually. It's next to a church and a cafe, so another thing to explore and a spot for refreshment too.

Even with the few things I missed out on this trip, I had a fulfilling four days exploring the highs and lows of Lisbon (literally); I ate to my heart's content trying age-old Portuguese delicacies but also international cuisine, whilst soaking in the sun and also the sea! I'd definitely plan a return trip at some point to tick off those last few things, so send any tips my way! M x