Beers in Brugge and Architecture in Amsterdam

After picking up John (Scott's Dad) and a car in Paris, we hit the freeway at top speed bound for Amsterdam with a detour through Belgium. 

Brugge is a small city in Belgium, and some would say there is not much more to do than drink a pint of beer, but this quaint little town had much to offer. We were only in Brugge for one night, but we managed to eat 163 mussels, an overly indulgent serving of hot waffles, a creamy hot chocolate and of course a few beers. Did we mention that we stopped in at a chocolatier and got a few snacks for the road? It wasn't all food, the four of us walked around the medieval village for a few hours soaking up the rich history and architecture. We were also lucky enough to stop in for an organic lunch (sorry we lied about it not all being about food! Is anyone noticing a theme?) with Numi, Ricardo, Frei and her lovely family (Ricardo is Scott's brother-in-laws brother). Frei's family live on a specatular farm 20 minutes from Brugge. Every part of our meal was hand picked from their own garden. At the end of the meal when Sara kindly asked for a mint tea, a huge bunch of mint was chopped from the patch behind her. It is a beautiful part of the world. 

At the farm - (top from left to right) John, Frei and Sally with (bottom from left to right) Scotty, Numi, Sara and Rica

Hot chocolate doesn't get much better than this... espcially on a rainy day

Enjoying a coldie with Dad 

Canals and medieval buildings of Brugge

With our bellies full to the brim, we drove across the border into The Netherlands, and stop at its heart in Amsterdam. We kept the trip G rated, although we took a sneak peak at the Red Light District, and smelt the distinct wofts walking past the infamous Coffee Shops. People in Amsterdam are crazy on their bikes (we nearly got seriously injured a few times), so we decided to join the crazy road ruling mob and hoped on a bike, which conveniently included a tour of the lovely country side. The ride took us into an artisian gouda cheese and clog farm, as well as the traditional windmill. Did you know that there are 1.5 bikes for every person who lives in Amsterdam? That's a fact for trivia next week.

We got out of the big smoke (haha), and took a day trip out to Leiden, Den Haag, Delft and Rotterdam. Theses towns are within half an hour of each other, and it is incredible how unique each one is. Leiden is a university town dotted with many windmills around the outlining canal. Den Haag is the centre of poltics and has a great mixture of the old palaces and modern architecture. Delft is like a smaller version of Amsterdam, with lots of canals and sinking buildings. Rotterdam is a modern business metropolis. A great little adventure.

Scott's bike, the tour group and a windmill

 A bike and a canal

The tower of the old church in Delft has a 2 meter lean!

Until more radventures,

Scotty and Sara

That's Amore!...

The moon hit our eye like a big pizza pie in Milan and Venice. This was only a brief pitstop in Italy (as we will return later with Sara's brother, David, to visit the family, etc), but it was a definite tease. Sara was very excited to finally arrive in the motherland for the very first time.

Our first stop, Milan, is the fashion capital of the world, and didn't we two dorky backpackers stick out like sore thumbs. To go shopping in Milan it is a must to wear high heels or suit jackets with Gucci glasess! Oops none of these were in our bags. So instead of dipping into our pockets we spent a few hours at the Duomo plaza square watching tourists being bombarded with seeds to feed the pigeons. Quite entertaining. The plaza is dominated by a stunning Cathedral - it had a beautiful gothic style. At the famous Teatro del Scala we watched a ballet from the 8th floor, marveling at the historical golden interior and elegant ballerinas. After avoiding Italian food for months in anticipation we indulged in pasta, gnocchi and pizza - none of which compares to Nonna, but still extremely tasty. Mamma mia.

Cool Cathedral

Then we cruised into the romantic island of Venice. It is such a unique place, where you can find yourself flooded amongst tourists, but also completely alone losing ourselves in back alleys crossing canal after canal. Although since we refused to use a map, and let the senses guide us, we were never lost! We glided down the Grand Canal on a gondola fittingly named Sara. Still continuing the food safari our evenings were spent enjoying delicious seafood pastas, risottos and gelati! Perfecto! Of course we managed to journey to Murano Island and purchased a few precious pieces of Venetian glass. Magnifico!

 Daydreaming

 Beautiful canals

 City of Love!!!!

Sunset gondola ride

Foux du fafa...

Foux du fafa, foux du fafa, fafa
Foux du fafa, ah ee ah

France was a lot more than blue striped shirts and berets - we delved into the rich history, cuisine and culture of a very 'confident' land.

Bon jour
Bon jour

We stopped in Marseille for a few days. Scott described this city perfectly - the port city has an underlying beauty but it is tarnished by an oily film. There were a few shady characters here and there but it didn't stop us visiting the historical sights, sandy beach (not hot enough for a swim quite yet) and our first sample of French food. The French are so proud of their country and culture, and it shows in the architecture and each spoonful of food. We were still searching for the postcard France.

Ca va?
Ca va?

Looking back at the port in Marseilee

Nice was the picture perfect French city - part of the Cote D'Azul (blue coast) it showed off it's stunning crystal beachside. Our backs got a massage as instead of a white sandy beach we had our first taste of large European pebbles. With temperatures heating up we joined the locals and spent many hours by the water. Nice also introduced us to the culinary cuisine of French food with fresh produce markets delivering bright organic fruit and vegetables which were delivered straight to local restaurants. It was here we also ate the best chocolate croissant in France. A big statement, but this small buttery flaky crisp 'melt in your mouth' pastry was to die for.

Ou est le piscine?
Pardon moi?
Ou 'est le piscine?
Uh, Splish splash

Tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes at the markets

Getting some rays beachside - don't worry we slip, slop, slapped!

Euro shorts and cards at the beach

Nice coast line - wow!

Ou est le piscine?
Pardon moi?
Ou 'est le piscine?
Uh, Splish splash.

After a brief hiatus through Italy we were back in France and this time it was to Lyon. In the heart of France, Lyon had a different feel. Not a tourist town, the people were friendly (well for the French) and combined with renting an apartment we got the chance to live the lifestyle. Loving the chance to pick up fresh food and cook ourselves up some tasty delights. A stroll around Lyon on a Sunday afternoon reveals a city full of life.

Parlez vous le francais?
Eh?
Parlez vous le francais?
Eh? Uh, no.

Everyone talks about Paris and now we know why! Beautiful, cultured, chic, arrogant, Paris was all of the above and then some... We were lucky enough to spend 5 nigths in Paris and in that time we think walked the entire city (twice!). Kicking things off with a 4 hour walking tour, it showed us the history and delights that Paris has on offer. Strolling through the the suburbs of Paris revealed the strong character this city has, we enjoyed especially the many beautiful fresh food markets, delicious fromageries (Cheese shops), very cool clothes shops, the pataseries (all like Zumbo!) and the trendy cafes where you can sit back sip an expresso and people watch. A trip to Paris would not be complete without a visit to its most famous lady (Lisa) and the spectacular museum that holds it. There is something surreal wandering around thousands of priceless pieces of art and the Lourve is easily big enough to get lost in it all.

The crowds that constantly surround The Mona Lisa

Beautiful or hideous?

A visit to Arc De'Triumph is the perfect symbol for one of France's defining characters, Napolean. That night we joined the locals and tourists alike picnicing with our artisean cheese in front of the Eiffel Tower as the sun set and the light show started. Simply perfect!

A monument for French victories (I think they are compensating for something)

Picnic by the tower

The area of Montmarte is choc full of stories and tales and it turned out home to the best baguette in the world! The local art market was unique and the surrounding neighbourhood was a good warm up for Amsterdam. On our final day we met up with Sally (Scott's mum) and after a a quick picnic lunch we began the ascent of the Eiffel Tower and the spectacular view it gives of the entire city!

Seen from afar and always eye catching

Three happy travellers

Check out this inspirational song which kept us humming all through Francehttp://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=FR#/watch?v=vRAkho2vm-A

Foux du fafa, foux du fafa, fafa
Foux du fafa, ah ee ah

Scara

Ananas!!!

Me Gusta Mucho España

Sexy, sassy, suave Spain delivered the goods with our days filled with tapas, sangria, begging Gypsies, flamenco dancers, churros, rich historical architecture... I think you are getting the picture.

The journey through Spain happened in two parts. We spent a few days in Madrid then travelled to Portugal only to re-emerge back in Seville and then onto Barcelona.

Madrid got off to a slow start. After being unscathed through "dangerous" South America, we jump on the Metro from the airport and Scott was pick pocketed within 5 minutes. Unfortunately for him, he also carried over some bug from Morocco, which left him curled up shivering in the fetal position on the bed. Still with high spirits we enjoyed our first meal in a rowdy local pub eating, drinking and watching passionately the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Madrid has a fantastic food culture, so every night we (well mostly Sara) enjoyed the vast selection of tapas including some of the classics like jamon Serrano, potatas brava, sizzling garlic prawns, paella, croquettes and churros.

Jamon Serrano at the market - restaurants carve it off the bone infront of you

Of course we also enjoyed some of the other things on offer such as the excellent art museums, giant royal palace and the classic stunning boulevards surrounded by 19th century buildings. We seamlessly fell into the routine of the afternoon siesta and enjoyed it so much we may plan on carrying on this Spanish tradition through the rest of Europe.

Huge Royal Palace

Seville is a stunningly rich city in all senses of the word. We learnt the strong influence the Moors from Africa had on this Southern Spanish city as we got hopelessly lost very quickly (the streets are as non-sensical as those in Morocco). Every street had at least 3 names, to remember corresponding local legends, unfortunately only 1 is mentioned on any map.


This city is at the heart of Spanish lifestyle. The sun goes down no earlier than 9pm, so dinners were regularly very late. The area is known for serving tapas in the most traditional sense: basic, cheap and big! Seville is the historical home and still the current soul of bullfighting, so a tour of the ring and museum was compulsory. It is crazy to think that 6 bulls a week are still sent to the slaughter (very slowly we might add) in the ring just for peoples entertainment!

The Bullring

Sara's highlight would have to be the flamenco dancer we saw that night. With front row seats we saw her swivel, stamp, clap, glower and sweat bullets in a hot small side street bar. Very cool. Whilst leaving Seville we kind of wished we planned a little more time in Southern Spain.

Front seats at the Flamenco show

That was of course until we arrived in Barcelona! With thousands of other tourists, we strolled the beach (British tourists will sunbake in a sandpit), the main boulevard, the famous markets (sampling a lot!) and the gothic area. Paella has been a popular recipe for us, so we also went to a cooking class, which turned out to be more of an eating and drinking class. After making ourselves a jug or two of sangria we signed up for an impromptu beer pong competition. Many tales can be told of how we battled through the odds (& drunkness) to come out Beer Pong Champions of Spain. Our prize? A bottle of vodka. With our prize and many new found friends we enjoyed a unique night out in Barcelona.

Delicious Steaming Paella



Beer Pong Friends/Competitors/Vodka Drinkers

The next day we celebrated Sara's birthday. She was spoilt rotten with flowers, raspberries, seafood platters, a shopping spree and a fine dining experience of Spanish Asian fusion.

One Happy Girl!

We finished Spain with an excellent taste in our mouths, and hungry for more!

Until next time,
Scara