food – Travel Memories

Welcome to the country of the sweetest kitties

we are in Romania now, our favorite country in the east, after having passed the Hungarian border we found a hotel. The last time we were in Romania was in 2015 when we visited all places linked to Vlad Tepes. As soon as we arrived in the hotel, we drank some Romanian beer and ate something. Soon we got the company of a very sweet cat, to be honest, both of use are dog lovers, but it was hard to say no to our feline companion

The second day a family party kept our kitty outside, the next day she was back, but it was time to say goodbye. More far horizons were awaiting us.

The risotto incident

The day afterwards, we found ourselves at the shores of lake of Bled. This is the most picturesque place in Slovenia. The Viking quickly announced he was not going to have lunch, since he was not hungry at all. Luckily, the waiter thought otherwise and brought a big portion for both of us.

In the blink of an eye, Lars had devoured his portion. It was indeed a very delicious risotto (SEAFood risotto) Since I know how to make a risotto, I decided to make the same risotto when we were back home. That was a success too!

In the previous post , I forgot to mention the address oh the hotel?restaurant:

Vila Planinka

Zgornje Jezersko 67, Zgornje Jezersko, 4206 Slovenia

The experience of a lifetime

After our memorable lunch in Arles, we spent the rest of the afternoon, doing some sightseeing. Coincidence or not, we found ourselves in an area not far from the Gorges du verdon, a very beautiful but also expensive area. Lars decided it would be a good idea to cross the border with Italy and then head east to Slovenia. It was already past midnight when we crossed the aforementioned border, and we actually passed the night at an Italian gas station. WE had taken our bed linen with us, in case we couldn’t find a cheap hotel or camping place. Late in the afternoon the following day, we crossed yet another border, we had arrived in Slovenia! We drove to a small village where Lars knew several cheap places to stay. We started with high hopes, but that soon changed. All the places were completely booked or were closed. Finally, we stopped at a place called Vila Planinka; the price was quite high, but the owner luckily proposed a discount, which we accepted. Since it was late in the evening, .we decided to have dinner in the restaurant. Lars immediately discovered it was a one Michelin -star restaurant. I convinced him to give it a try, after all we were foodies, and we deserved this.

In general, this was the experience of a lifetime. The food was delicious, we tasted food combinations we were not used to, the service was impeccable. For Lars, it was the first time in a Michelin restaurant, and he was simply overwhelmed. And the adventure went on…

The first Border crossing

Another another drivethis day brought us to the province of ZaragoZA tO the townof Zuera. Upon arrival we started looking for a pension, one street further away we founda nice place where we had dinner. We kept things yummy and simple.

The Best of the Spring Odyssey

10000km and we are back! With many happy memories, today we show you some highlights of our trip. Unfortunately, we also have one very bad memory. Lars and I have become the victims of phishing and have lost a great deal of money. We decided to make the best out of a bad situation. Enjoy!

Soon I will provide more pictures and text. What a ride it has been!

Dinner in Paradise

So far we have had a very cold winter here in Spain. But fortunately, a couple of Sundays ago, temperatures started to rise again. We decided to celebrate this event and go to the Costa tropical. Our favorite place there is Calahonda, but it turned out that most restaurants were still closed. Instead, we went to the smaller town of Castillo de Baños. One of the biggest attractions is the restaurant El Paraiso. The restaurant specializes in fish and seafood and is located right next to the sea. It’s not the cheapest place at the Costa, but the food is excellent!

The restaurant was full when we arrived, so we had to wait inside and half an hour later we couldto our greatest joy sit outside. Having dinner and observe the waves at the same time turned out to be a lot of fun.

Lars chose the escalope and I had the gambas with pil-pil sauce (a very aromatic and spicy sauce!). The food was very delicious; we really felt in paradise!

Chocolate cake for dessert and a brandy; in the meantime the waves got bigger and bigger!

Our GPS had one surprise in store. Instead of going home via the motorway, she sent us through the mountains of the Alpujarras. The landscapes were a real treat!

No matter what you are celebrating, restaurant El Paraiso will always be an excellent choice!

Castillo de Baños Abajo

A weekend in Freiburg

When Lars and I still lived in Brussels, we sometimes jumped in our car on a Friday evening and drove abroad. Waking upon a Saturday morning in Freiburg im Breisgau is a real treat!

We celebrated our arrival with a breakfast with some champagne.

If it had been warmer we could have had breakfast outside! The Main church is worth a visit!

The loca lmarket was cozy as well

And what about tasting some wine?

In the footsteps of Lawrence

I grew up with my grandparents and when I was six my grandmother introduced me to Lawrence of Arabia. Although I didn’t really understand the movie, thanks to the landscapes, the soundtrack and the enigmatic Peter O’Toole, this was the start of a lifelong affair with movies. Furthermore, When I saw the movie again in the fall of 2018, I discovered that part of the movie had been filmed in Spain! The next day we found ourselves in Tabernas for some exploring:

Tabernas

This small town is located not far from a desert, as you can see from the surrounding mountains:

Last Summer, we were back in Tabernas, for some further exploring.

On top of a hill, you can see the ruins of an 11th century castle. The local church is also worth a look:

There are picturesque villages nearby:

And there is of course the desert:

Top 10 travel experiences of 2021

Let’s start with the bad news; our travel plans of last year mentioned a number of destinations, outside Spain. Although we got vaccinated pretty quickly, it was the growing list of extra safety measures that demotivated us. In other words: we stuck to Spain.

10. Booking an accommodation and upon arrival discovering that not only the pension, but basically the whole village is one movie location! Have a look here. 2021 has been a year of astonishing movie locations. Just look at this one!

9. Diving around in the Pyrenees. If you love majestic mountains, put this on your bucket list!

8. The most romantic location of 2021. It didn’t take us long to decide which one made our hearts beat faster; la Isleta del Moro.

7. TheMost Beautiful Monastery. The first trip of the year took us to the north of Spain, the land of El Cid This monastery was the highlight of this trip.

6. A plce of history: the Birthplace of El CID .

5.A Warm Welcome in Murcia. We spent midweek in Murcia, during which San Pedro del Pinatar was our home, not the most picturesque of Spanish towns, but with its beaches, bars and restaurant, it has a relaxing vibe

a yearly event we always look out for: the first snow in the Sierra Nevada

3.And even in our Sierra Arana, there are still places to discover

2. In the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia; I still have to write this post, but since i have so many pictures to edit,Ihope you will be patient with me

Our meal in the pyrenees was the best travelmoment of the year!it’s another reminder that the Spanih can with humble ingredients create magic!

Returning from the Pyrenees – Ciudad Rodrigo

It was time to return home, This time we had a stop in Ciudad Rodrigo, where we stayed in hotel Yoanna. The big advantage of this hotel is not only that it’s cheap, it also comes with an Irish pub! When we arrived, we were not only tired, but also very hungry and thirsty! The Pub was therefore the first place we checked out! And we were not disappointed, because the pub sold Belgian beer!