Saturday, June 20, 2009

Edinburgh, Scotland

As Joelskie arrived in Dublin, we wanted to get his time in Europe rollin early and fast, so we booked a boys weekend away to Edinburgh two weekends ago. We flew out on a Saturday morning after having a late night on Friday in Dublin with his co-workers, so we weren't able to tap the Scottish beer until early afternoon. We arrived, checked into the Backpackers hostel (my first bonefide hostel in a while, but it was great and highly recommended), and hit the ground running, picking up Joel about 14 McGregor souvenirs at the kilt shop. We then began to walk the royal mile, a beautiful street that epitomises the amazing city buildings.
We hiked the mile and then up to a nearby hill with monuments and a great view of the city.
After our hike up the hill (Canton I think?), we went on the Mary King Close tour that showed us part of the underground city that was formally inhabited in the 1800's. Following the tour we went to the castle and had a nice tour with a guide who had great information and hated bagpipes! Below is the main square of the castle.
Following the castle I plotted out our Scottish pub tour (I take my job very seriously)...
We had an amazing dinner of mussels and fish and then set out on the crawl, hitting seven bars that night that started at Bow Bar as seen below. They had a really nice IPA on tap that was countered by the maltiness of the Scottish beer, one of the best I have ever had.
The next bar was the Blue Blazer, very local, good pints, nice people. Good times!
We went to a couple more and ended the night at Kay's bar, which is an old pub with great character that has old casks stacked on one side of the bar. Highly recommended as well!
The next morning (after a couple more bars and some pizza) we set out for some serious hiking, starting with Arthur's Seat, which was a nice (and strenuous hike) right outside the city center.
We walked all over town and to the harbor to this restaurant for lunch!
Afterwards, we made our way back to the city and up a really old tower-thingy that had commanding (the best views over the city). The old building are beautiful, especially with the different levels with the sunset hitting the different angles!
View of Edinburgh castle from the tower-thingy! [Writing this post at midnight as we leave for France tomorrow and I want to be caught up!]
After the tower we went back towards our hotel and stumbled upon a market at the nearby square (Grassmarket). The burgers were too good to pass up (before our tasty pulled pork sandwich from Oink (anyone in Edinburgh MUST go there, it is sooooo good!)!!!
After we picked up our luggage, we made one last pass down the royal mile, I think this is a great shot as there are virtually no cars and people in the shot.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Cala Gonone, Sardinia, Italy

The June bank holiday has brought us back to Italy for the third time since we moved to Dublin now almost 20 months ago...my time flies. This trip is different however, as we are off of mainland Italy on the beautiful island of Sardinia, a rugged landscape in the heart of the Mediterranean, boasting relaxation and the some of the most beautiful beaches and glowing blue waters in the world. Below is the beautiful village of Cala Gonone.
Our base for the 3 nights is Cala Gonone, a small fishing village that doesn't cater to the mega-yachting type that the Emerald Coast does about 2 hours up the coast, but a village that caters to many Sardinian's and Italians looking for a peaceful escape along with those in the know of these amazing beaches you are about to experience. We did the trip with our friends Katie and Rob, who have been good friends during our time in Dublin; this was also a trip celebrating their move back home to New York as their stint in Dublin is coming to a end later this month. Erin is especially sad as Katie and Erin got each other through the dark Dublin evenings waiting for the hubby's to get done with work. We arrived on Friday night near sunset and had a great dinner at the restaurant on the roof of our hotel, eating fish that was brought in by the fisherman earlier that day...it was dee-licious, especially washed down with some fresh Sardinian wine!
The following morning we woke up to an amazing morning with only a few clouds in the sky and the sun shimmering off the waters, bringing an amazing glow to the shallow waters near the shore. We rented a dingy for the day from one of the boat vendors and immediately set out to explore the beaches and confirm the rumors of these beautiful beaches only accessible by boat (or seriously strenuous hikes over mountains...we choose the more relaxing route). Erin was our boat captain and did a great job, especially as our first stop was to navigate the caves below and park inside to check out the grotto which boasted some pretty sweet stalactites and several kilometers of hiking into the caves. We made it in unscathed...good work Er!
There is the captain herself, with the beautiful cliffs and waters setting an unforgettable background.
Below was our first stop of the day, as we were driving along and spotted waters that honestly looked fake with about 10 feet of deserted pebble beach between the two hundred foot cliff and the idyllic blue waters.
Following a refreshing dip at the first beach, we went all the way down past several other beaches. Cala Luna is a popular beach that has the shape of a crescent moon (Luna is moon in Italian), next was Cala Sisine, set among two rock ridges whose high walls give the place a mountain-like atmosphere, Further on was Cala Mariolu where the seabed is incredibly transparent and two creeks are separated by a white rock promontory. Below is the coast line looking back at all the beaches.
It was really really hard to not stop at these, but we wanted to survey all the beaches before we choose the best one to settle in to. The last beach is Cala Goloritzè whose main characteristics are a small natural rock arch and a 400 foot high rock. This was the one. There were actually climbers scaling the rock, amazing but a little too extreme for me.......so we stuck to the water and found a nice rock to jump off. Please take note there was no photo-editing on this, just a filter to minimize the glare on the water. Pretty beautiful!Staying cool in the blue water. I didn't realize my colorful trunks would be drowned out by the amazingly blue water. This was without question the most beautiful beach I have ever been to, with just the white pebbles, the crystal electric blue water, with the natural rock arch and rock peak defining the landscape, we were very close to heaven. The beach itself was worth a flight to Alghero and drive across the island.
After all the swimming we returned back to the town and tooled around for a while, trying to find a place to have a nice dinner. The answer came to us when we went to a cute little spot and asked the host (and owner) if he had a menu and he laughed and said the fisherman catch different things everyday, so there is no menu. That was the place! It tuned out to be a great dinner on the terrace with the sounds of the ocean just down the hill from the restaurant. We washed down our fresh fish with a special local Sardinian wine called Noriolo, it was perfect!The next morning we were ready to do it all over again but the weather wasn't cooperating with us, with the overcast not creating the shimmering waters of the day before. So we hit the road and went to a couple small villages more inland. Below are the streets of Oliena, a cute town that has a wine coop where locals bring their grapes and make their own wine. Unfortunately it wasn't open on Sunday (not much was!). We then went on to Nouro, let's just advise not to go to Nouro, the town that is basically on a mountain has nice scenery, don't get us wrong, but driving in the town is more of a death wish than a relaxing excursion. We quickly went back to the hotel and had a good pizza before hanging out on the hotel terrace all day reading with an occasional coffee or gelato. Around 6pm we started our evening with a nice bottle of Prosecco.
The following day was a little nicer than the first, but after breakfast we said goodbye to Cala Gonone and made our way past Oresei and to Bidderosa beach, a welcoming beach that reminded us of a more beautiful Asseteague (Maryland) with beautiful white sands with dunes and rugged landscape setting the backdrop. We had about an hour of sunshine at the beach so Erin and I took advantage and did some body surfing in the cool waters.
We left the beach when the dark clouds rolled in and made our way to Alghero, a medieval fortified town that was really nice to walk in around and through. We had a last pizza dinner and walked around before saying goodbye to Sardinia, a trip we will never forget!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is a very dynamic town complete with history, community, culture, great architecture, food, and of course, nightlife! The capital is made up of several different neighborhoods built on seven hills with quirky streets, streetside cafes where locals and tourists rub elbows and exchange cheers. Our hotel (la Florescente) was located in the Chiado neighborhood (between the Barrio Alto and Alfalma) located on a pedestrian street called Restauradores near the main square (great value and highly recommended). The first night we grabbed dinner at a guidebook recommended place in the Barrio Alto that was average (I don't remember it so I won't mention it). However, it gave us a good idea as to the vibe there and we determined we'd spend out last night on the trip there.

The next morning we woke up bright and early and Erin and I set off towards the Alfama district and our first stop was Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, with amazing cloisters, tiles, and even this cool underground water-thingy!
We basically had the place to ourselves as it had just opened so we wandered aimlessly for a while in the 12th century monastery (the current church dates to the 17th century).
The monastery also is the site of all the Portuguese kings tombs as seen below. When we went into the tombs we saw this site and we literally thought the statue that looks like a monk or nun praying at one of the tombs was real until we approached the side. Definitely eerie!
Following the church we went to the Castle of Sao Jorge, which occupies an amazing commanding position in the city and helped protect the city from the Moors in the middle ages. Walls surround the castle and date to 1375. You can walk along hundreds of yards of old walls and enjoy amazing views of the city. After that we did our favorite thing to do in Europe, walk the old town streets. Lisbon are some of the best we've experienced, with tiny alleys and whitewashed walls winding throughout the main hill in the town. It was great being able to observe the women in the district drying clothes between the buildings while talking to their neighbors about current events, the weather (always sunny), or maybe the tourists wandering in their backyard. These remarkable old women really added to the flavor in the district.
One of the other great features of the town are the old trolleys which aren't only for tourists and really add to the character of the city. We actually tried to pick one up but didn't realise it was closed at the stop we wanted. So we were subjected to taking photos from the outside (which was fine).
After grabbing some lunch we wandered to Belem, an area with a great monastery and monument to the sailors of the Portuguese exploration area. Vasco da Gama is in the front (Columbus is 3rd I think). Its a massive statue by the way.
Jerónimos Monastery is a historic monastery that is home to Vasco da Gama's tomb, along with a famous Portuguese poet whose name escapes me. The hermitage was founded by Henry the Navigator in 1450 and Vasco Da Gama spend the night praying here before departing to India in 1497. The church and cloisters were beautiful and we enjoyed strolling along the beautiful architecture.
Following the monastery we went to an amazing little pastry store for a local delicacy before meeting back up with Jeremy and Lissa for a pre-dinner drink in the Barrio Alto before having a nice little pizza dinner to wrap up a week of gluttony. Afterward we found a great bar with a celebrated bartender who concocted some amazing flaming shots for us that I never knew existed. Following some more drinks, dancing, a celebratory Cuban cigar and some port, it was time to say goodbye to Portugal, and close the book on one of the best trips yet!

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

The Duoro Valley and the Road to Lisbon

Sorry the blog took a little break here, we were away for the weekend in Sardinia! Stay tuned for the post on our trip there! Upon leaving Porto, we headed west to the Douro valley, which is the oldest recognised wine region in the world, with documentation regulating the production of wine here since the 1700's (note that doesn't mean its the oldest wine region in the world as they have been making wine since early Greek times (or even earlier). As you get more towards the heart of the valley, the terrain starts looking like it does below, with countless levels of vineyards on each bank of the Douro river.
Our first stop was Quinta de Cotto (http://www.quintadocotto.pt/), a beautiful area that produces Douro reds and whites. One of the wine makers gave us a tour of the property (Rosa), who was very friendly and had a wealth of knowledge about the process. She took us around the property (the manor house behind is where guests can stay and is beautiful), into the wine making area where they were labeling bottles for a nearby vineyard, and on to the stainless steel tanks and oak barrels (Portuguese oak) that the wine ages in. We moved on and grabbed lunch at a little local spot in Regua, one of the main towns in the region. When we walked by the owner asked us to come in and eat; we replied that we'd love to eat, but we don't speak Portuguese if its okay; he poked his head in the restaurant where a bunch of locals were eating and said something like "they don't speak Portuguese, they speak English, should we let them in?" The place roared with laughter and we ended up having a great lunch!Following lunch the view became even more spectacular and with the river snaking through the hills and the vineyards more pronounced. Our second stop was Quinta do Pacheca (http://www.wonderfulland.com/pacheca/), a beautiful Quinta with an amazing cellar. The tour guide was really nice and friendly and let us try as much wine and port as our hearts desired (too much). The Quinta was beautiful and the owner was there and she made a point to come introduce herself to us. The wine maker was in the process of bottling the most recent vintage as you can see from the pic below. We also were shown the area where the Quinta still crushes its grapes by foot on an annual basis. While the bigger Quinta's and port houses have reverted to machines, these guys still have the annual crush where families, neighbors, and tourists participate in the crush.
Following the second tour, we continued down the river to the town on Pinhao to Quinta de la Rosa (http://www.quintadelarosa.com/), where we had our last tour of the day! The wine and port here was amazing and we got a couple bottles that made it all the way home without breaking!
We yet again had a great tour guide and especially liked the old barrel room with its crooked beams and musty smell. It was an absolute fantastic day of wine tasting, definitely the best we've ever had!
On the way to our casa we stopped for some pics!
After only one (long) wrong turn, we made it to Casa Cimeira (http://www.casacimeira-douro.com/), where Paulo and his parents charm their guests! When we arrived they led us to their cool bar to try their homemade port (1999 vintage) and snack on some goodies. Let's just say Erin and I should've sat this one out and taken a break before dinner....but you know what they say, "When in the Douro!" Our aperitif was followed by an extraordinary dinner family-style on their big dining room table (with homemade wine) that was delicious! Dinner was followed by going to the patio and drinking some of the casa's 70 year-old port...definitely the oldest I have had and it was great! Before leaving the following morning Paulo sent us a parting gift of a bottle of small barrel aged port that had almost no red due to the amount of contact with the barrel. Hopefully Lissa and Jeremy haven't drank it all yet!
After leaving the Douro (sadly), we stopped at Conombriga, an old Roman town that has perhaps the best preserved Roman mosaics outside of Rome. We toured around the amazing ruins, picturing how life was back then!
We then made it to Obidos, a walled village about 45 minutes north of Lisbon. It was one of the most impressive villages we have ever seen. The medieval walls still completely intact and the white-washed village as beautiful as one could imagine. We walked around the walls, then around the village itself before making it to Lisbon.