From a trip to Cal wine country last week. A heavenly recovery from The Calif International Marathon the previous Sunday. Time of 3:00 and 11th in AG. Most importantly, a clean healthy race, the first fully healthy one in over a year. Grateful for this and to finish the year on a high note...
Introducing Kev, a seasoned musician with an extraordinary track record, having shared the stage with iconic artists like Ricky Mae, Spectrum, Renee Geyer, Ross Wilson, James Reyne, Russell Morris, and more. With an impressive repertoire that spans collaborations with Carlos Santana, Joan Armatrading, Chris Issack, and appearances on popular TV shows like Countdown and Hey Hey It's Saturday, Kev is a musical force to be reckoned with.
As a pivotal member of renowned bands such as Grand Wazoo, Yogi Goes Bare, and Strumpet, Kev brings unparalleled expertise to the forefront. Whether it's the soulful vibes of The Australian Madonna Show or the electric performances with Hey Sister and the original music touring band "Strumpet," Kevin's versatility and talent shine through.
Instrumentation: Vocals, Guitar
Music Genre: Jazz, Country, Pop, Rock & Roll, RnB, Funk, Dance, Reggae
Size: Solo
Hire For: Weddings, Parties, Corporate Functions, Themed Events, Wineries, Night Clubs, Pubs
Equipment Supplied: Yes
Covered by the Artist Bookings 100% reschedule/replace/refund guarantee
Friary, Francesinha, and Fun Port Tasting - Porto, Portugal
We had grand plans for today, we were going to take in all of the bridges of Porto....but I quickly discovered that not all of the bridges allowed pedestrians. So we decided to walk across Ponte Infante over to the Monastery of Serra do Pilar and then walk along the river on the Gaia side of the Douro River. The view from the middle of the bridge was awesome (pictured above).
Monastery of Serra do Pilar - I took this picture yesterday from the Porto side of the river.
Amazing view up the Douro River from the plaza at the monastery.
Luis I Bridge from the monastery plaza.
We descended to the river from the monastery, planning to walk up to a viewpoint for the two bridges upriver from the Infante Bridge. Unfortunately, I had a blister issue and we had to climb back up and get that resolved. Back up we climbed to find a pharmacy and a bandaid! Once we got that resolved, we decided to find a place for an early lunch. We found a great little place for some local cuisine and they served vegan versions - Francesinhas Al Forno La Baixa.
Doug had a local beer - it was delicious, along with a traditional francesinha.
I had a vegan version of the francesinha and a glass of white wine, both were lovely.
After lunch, we walked back down to Cais de Ribeira to the meeting point for our port tasting tour. The riverfront was so busy - it was amazing how many people there were!
Our meeting point for our tour was near the base of Luis I Bridge on the Porto side of the river - great photo from the promenade of the bridge.
We had a great experience tasting the different ports from three different places on our tour: Calem Caves, PIANO Douro Valley, and Vasques De Carvalho. Below are photos of all the ports we tasted:
I think our favorite was the fine white from Calem, but to be honest, they were all lovely to experience and we had a wonderful tour guide. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.
An interesting work of art on the corner of a building during our port tasting tour.
Half-way up our climb back to our Airbnb - needed to stop for a breather and to enjoy the view.
Ugh! Still a bit of a climb left!!
We had to weave our way through a small protest going on near our Airbnb - apparently, a group of musicians were being kicked out of a building that they had been renting. Lots of police presence and plenty of chanting and drumming going on until about 11:00 that night. Luckily, it dissipated without any major confrontations:
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Melbourne's FUN-kiest Event Band! Marmalade is a band with a huge repertoire, ready, willing and able to provide quality music entertainment whenever required for: Weddings, Corporate functions, or any special moment or Themed event you can dream of.
They are a professional group of musicians and singers who not only look good and sound good, but know how to please a crowd and have them begging for more!
Music Genre: Jazz, Country, Pop, Rock & Roll, RnB, Funk, Dance, Reggae
Size: Quintet to 10 piece members
Setlist: Marmalade
Buy Music: Soundcloud
Hire For: Weddings, Parties, Corporate Functions, Themed Events, Wineries, Night Clubs, Pubs
Equipment Supplied: Yes
Languages: English, Italian, Irish
Covered by the Artist Bookings 100% reschedule/replace/refund guarantee
"Marmalade made the day even more special. The music and song selection were outstanding. I am already looking forward to our next party with Marmalade providing the music." -- Adele K.
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I had the pleasure of attending this year's Great Wines World event hosted by none other than James Suckling, American wine aficionado, who rates some of the best wines in the world.
It's not often that I get to experience an event that brings together the greatest wineries in one place to share their unique flavorful creations, so I was delighted to be invited to try the best of the best.
Check out my event recap on Resident Magazine that includes a quick video of my experience...