Glass and Lace, the Islands of Murano and Burano

Our day trip to the islands of Murano and Burano was a welcome respite from the tourist-filled sestiere of San Marco. Although the two islands get their own share of visitors, it wasn't as bustling (well, not during the time we were there anyway) as busy San Marco.

The picture-perfect colorful houses of Burano.

Venice, Italy

Our recent trip to Europe this year was extra special because it was the Big K's golden birthday treat (though his birthday isn't until June). If you are a regular visitor to our blog you already know that the Big K and I are big on celebrations. No, not the party kind of celebration but the going-away-someplace-special kind of celebration. We always try to make it a point to go somewhere to spend our birthdays and anniversaries. Uh-huh! Itchy feet we have. 

And as luck would have it or one can also say it was an early birthday gift as the Big K was given more time off from work than we had originally planned for. We were able to stretch our trip to 3-weeks adding two more cities to visit on our original itinerary. Ah! The beauty of DIYing one's trip! 

First stop, Italy.

The Venice Simplon Orient-Express

We love taking the trains in Europe. It may not always be the fastest way to get from point A to point B, and sometimes the WCs leave a bit to be desired (sometimes a lot to be desired, something the Big K and I are sensitive about. It's a thing of ours) but there is just something special about train rides. It might be the gentle swaying of the cars or the peculiar click-clack of the wheels against the rails or sometimes the beautiful scenery shooting by (and in some cases it does shoot. France's TGV does 300+ kms/hour).

The Big K and I always talked about how it must have been to travel in the early years of train rides, in particular the golden age of train travel of the 1920s and 30s. And of course there is that matter of Agatha Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot in the Murder on the Orient Express that added to the intrigue of train travel.

The Orient-Express. A name that brings to mind the luxury and glamour of train travel. We'd always promised ourselves that one day we would hitch a ride on the Orient-Express. 

And guess what? That day has arrived!
  

The distinctive blue and gold livery of the Venice Simplon Orient-Express train.

Not Your Everyday Farm

I am still hung over, in a healthy way.....

The Big K and I make it a point to always go somewhere to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Since I started blogging I was able to write about our anniversary trips in Hong Kong and Tagaytay.

This year's anniversary celebration, we decided to go on a road trip. The Big K only had a few days off so driving somewhere near the metro was preferable. 

Now where does one go for a romantic celebration that is within an hour or two hour's drive away?

Sulyap Gallery Cafe and Restaurant, A Road Trip

The big K and I were looking forward to taking Ruth out on her first long road trip. Who is Ruth? She's the big K's Royal Enfield motorcycle. Okay, just a little background on the company. Royal Enfield is a British company that used to supply motorcycles to the British War department during the First and Second World Wars. The company also manufactured guns that's why the RE's logo is a cannon with the motto "Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Definitely fast! I was hanging on for dear life the whole time.

On this trip we were joining a group of other Royal Enfield bike owners on a foodie trip to San Pablo Laguna, a city south of Manila and one of the Philippines' oldest cities. 

And we're off!

Food Tripping at Abaca Restaurant

Having booked our stay at the Abaca Resort, the big K and I were looking forward to another foodie adventure because we heard that the resort had a restaurant that was famed for its gastronomic offering. Good luck my diet!

Abaca Restaurant has been serving California-Mediterranean inspired menus since 2006. It had gained popularity among Cebuanos and local tourists because of its good food at affordable prices. It was actually the restaurant that came first followed by the hotel two years after.  

The restaurant also doubles as their reception area for guests checking in at the resort.

The Big K's birthday treat continues

The big K and I woke up the next day to a wet and foggy Tagaytay morning. We could barely see anything outside. The whole place was blanketed in thick, cold fog. No mistake here, it was not smog (as what we are used to in Manila on a bad day!) but definitely a fog. 

It was a perfect start to the day sitting at Verbena's balcony waiting for our breakfast, sipping a nice cup of strong "barako" coffee while watching the heavy mist slowly clear up and reveal the lake and its volcano.

Our stay at the Discovery Country Suites included a complimentary breakfast menu of our choice plus a buffet of different breads, jams, fruits and juices.

The Big K's birthday treat in Tagaytay

June is the most celebrated month in our family. For some divine reason several family members have something to celebrate in June. 

Okay let's see now, there are the birthdays of my beautiful mother who unintentionally named me after an infamous French queen that probably influenced my love for anything French, two grandmothers who have long been celebrating their birthdays with the good Lord, the gorgeous H's adoring and long suffering husband, Dr. A. and his equally engaging dad, Dr. Z. who portrays the jolly good guy come Christmas time (the gorgeous H is the perfect foil as the sidekick elf), then there's the wedding anniversary of my big little brother and charming sister-in-law (got to be in the good side of the in laws!). 

And of course last but not the very least, the big K and I celebrate both our birthdays in June.

Surprise dessert treat for the big K from Verbena restaurant. Not as artistically done as Antonio's but good-tasting nonetheless. I just wished it came in a bigger slice! 

Paris: Cheap Eats

Knowing my love for Paris and France in general (I guess I can thank my Mother for naming me after one infamous French queen who was actually Austrian that probably influenced my love for anything French), I have often been asked for tips on the best way to see the city, where to eat, what transportation to take, etc. 

So, I thought I might as well make a series of blog posts on some of the tips I dispense to my loyal subjects, I mean, my family and friends. I already have an earlier post on how to get around Paris that you may want to check out. 

The City That Never Sleeps: New York City!

For the next few days the gorgeous H and I will be exploring some of New York City's famous landmarks and attractions. Not to mention completely forgetting our diets as we eat our way through some of the Big Apple's much raved about eats.  

First things first though, we needed our caffeine fix. One of the things my sister and I have in common is that we have to have coffee first thing in the morning.  Wait! Let me rephrase that. My sister and I are walking zombies before our first cup. Good thing we didn't have far to go to get that cup o'java as the hotel provided free coffee (and breakfast). Surprisingly, the coffee wasn't the watered down variety but was really quite good. Just enough caffeine to wake us up in the mornings.

And off we go!

Eating our way through Alsace

As Napoleon Bonaparte famously quotes, "an army marches on its stomach",  so goes true for the big K and I as we eat our way through Alsace. 

Our week-long tour of the Alsace Wine Route in France was a wonderful experience of sampling the region's local cuisine and at the same time a great challenge trying to fit into our pants after each delicious meal. 

My Childhood Playground, Bohol!

Bohol, my Mom's hometown. I have been coming to this beautiful island ever since I was a little girl. Childhood summers with my siblings and cousins were spent on the beach until we were all toasty brown, days running around the corn and kinampay fields, digging up those fragrant purple yams. Or, just simply lazing around in my Mom's ancestral home.  

If you're wondering where Bohol is, it is one of the 7,000+ islands in the Philippines located in the middle part of the archipelago. More famously known as the home of the Chocolate Hills (a group of limestone hills that turn brown during the summer months) and the smallest primate with the biggest eyes this side of paradise, the Tarsier. Oh, and of course there are the white sand beaches scattered all over the islands. The once sleepy province of Bohol is fast becoming a popular tourist destination.

The province of Bohol actually consists of 70+ islands and islets (depending on the tide). The main island, Bohol, is where Tagbilaran (capital city), Chocolate Hills and the airport are located. While the second largest island, Panglao, is where the famous white sand beaches can be found. Panglao is connected to the mainland by two causeways, one as seen above (squint a little and you'll see it or better yet come closer to the screen).

Bang Namphueng Floating Market, Bangkok

We found the perfect place to stay. Now it's off to market! 

Getting ourselves bicycles from the hotel, we were happily pedaling our way to market. Well, almost.  

Now, I do not want to reveal my age, but suffice to say that it had been more than twenty years since I'd been on a real, live bicycle. Stationary exercise bicycles don't count. Now who said that you never forget to ride a bicycle? Apparently they didn't know what they were talking about. 

So, here you have a long-time, no-ride rider, combined with raised, narrow walkways, lizards, locals, dog droppings strategically placed in the middle of the path. You now what's going to happen next, right? Let's just say I had to quickly remember how it is to ride a bike!   
  

See what I mean? The pathways only had railings on one side while some didn't have any at all.

Sweet Sixteen at Antonio's, Tagaytay

The big k and I just came home from a wonderful lunch at Antonio's Restaurant in Tagaytay to celebrate our wedding anniversary. While last month's Hong Kong trip was our pre-anniversary celebration, today was the real thing. Sweet sixteen!

The last time we were at Antonio's was when they were newly opened. That was ages ago! Still, the big K and I remember the pleasurable experience we had. Good food, good service. So, we decided to go back.    

At the restaurant's foyer one is greeted by the bright red wall filled with old photographs and a Klimt-inspired painting.  

West Side Market in Cleveland, Ohio

One market the big K and I enjoy going to every time we go visit my lovely sister in the north east United States is the West Side Market in Cleveland.

The West Side Market is the oldest publicly owned market in Cleveland. It started out as an open air market in the 1800s. Today, it is a big market house with over 100 vendors selling all kinds of foodstuff. 

What's great about this place is not so much the food that are sold here but the people who sell them. You have vendors who baked the breads, made the sausages or grew the fruits and vegetables themselves. You can definitely feel the pride they have in the stuff they sell.  

The main arcade of the market was recently renovated to include heating. This picture was taken from the balcony where one can have a picnic while watching the hustle and bustle below. 

Paris: Marché Richard Lenoir

One of the things the big K and I love doing every time we travel is to check out the local markets of the places we visit. We enjoy looking, more so eating our way through one. On our recent trip to Paris the big K and I went to the Marché Richard Lenoir, sometimes also referred to as the Marché Bastille since it is located right across the Place de la Bastille. 

The open street market is open every Thursdays and Sundays from 7AM until 3PM.

Hong Kong Anniversary Trip Part 2

Two of the things we look forward to every time we go to Hong Kong is the food and the shopping. Not necessarily in that order. This time was no different. Once again we had our fill of traditional Hong Kong chow. We also discovered a new store that sells quirky, novelty items.

Flaky, gooey egg tarts and pork pies, still steaming from the oven, from our favorite bakeshop in TST.

Prague: Jewish Quarter and the Thirsty Deer

Arriving at the Jewish Quarter, the big K and I were wondering why there weren't too many people around. Seemed like we left everyone at the Prague Castle. Or the place was just not popular with visitors. Anyway, it was quite a relief really after having to deal with the crowd at Prague Castle.

Heading straight to the Old Jewish Cemetery, we saw that the gates were closed. Uh-oh, now what? "Closed for the Holiday" a sign said. Really? It was a holiday? We later found out it was Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. Just goes to show how little we know of the Jewish religion.

So, the big K and I ended up just walking around, admiring the beautiful buildings and browsing the shops that were open (obviously they weren't Jewish).

I love the sunflower door on this apartment building. And it comes with a clock too!

Prague: Choo-choo trains!

While in Bangkok with the big K in one of his company trips, I saw this restaurant featured in one of the travel shows on TV. It had a miniature railroad running around the restaurant. It was a complete railway network with tunnels, draw bridges, ponds, rock formations, houses and trees. Nothing out of the ordinary you'd say, right? But, wait until you see the trains! What makes this place one of a kind are the miniature trains that chug along the tracks, carts loaded up with drinks and serving them straight to your table. Now how cool is that?  

And, where is this unique restaurant? In Prague, of course!  

Tot Ziens Amsterdam, Till We Meet Again!

Our last day in Amsterdam, the big K and I decided to splurge a little bit for dinner. Read: find a local restaurant that will serve good food, cold beer and not cost an arm and a leg. But where?

In the meantime, we went to the nearby cheese shop to look for some  good ole cheese (we did get to buy a four year old Gouda) that we could snack on on the night train to Prague. 

Cheese heaven!

They say pigs can fly, apparently so do cows.

Found a four-year old Eden cheese in our fridge but it wasn't as good as this four-year old Gouda.

The cheese shop also doubled as a cheese museum.

As luck would have it, we overheard the cheese guy recommend to another customer apparently in the same boat as us, a local restaurant that served good food. Trying out my best impersonation of a spy, I took notes of the restaurant's location. "Go around the back, make a left at the flower shop then hang a slight left, right by the dead tree which isn't there anymore, pass the parked van whose color is tan, look for Dan who'll be talking to Fran holding the golden AN...." Huh?

Actually, it was just down the street from the shop. 

The De Reiger (The Heron) we later found out is one of the oldest pubs in the Jordaan district. It still had its original interiors from the late 1800s, high-beamed ceilings, old lamps and paintings in the Art Deco style. The pub was later transformed into what it is today a cafe-restaurant primarily serving Burgundian cuisine. Hmmm..... No Dutch food? Nevertheless, the food and beer were good!  

The sign is upside down and it is for beer. The two may be connected. 

Our bellies content and our hearts filled with wonderful memories of our visit, we bid Amsterdam Tot ziens! Until we meet again!