laandal

Never has so much custard been consumed on such a brief trip; during 5 days in Lisbon we consumed our body weight. We ate it three meals a day, sometimes a little more, in all different forms. We sampled the national custard tart, pastel de nata at every opportunity and never had one that wasn't delicious, in fact we rarely just had one. Supermarket custard will never be adequate again thanks to the deliciously subtle differences of custard dishes throughout Lisbon. If the Portuguese had stopped at custard we may have been okay, but the food and drink on offer in Lisbon is impossible not to appreciate. Every meal had us trying different delicacies in such a variety of venues, from local takeaway bars to fado restaurants. It was lucky our hotel was slightly outside of ... read more

At night, even in these dead months of the year, the city is never wholly dark. Its shadows twitch with a harsh orange light that glows and fades, fades and glows, as the pulse of electric power courses through its body like dreams. The sour air, breathed in and out by eight million lungs, stained by exhaust pipes and strained through ventilators, is never clean, although, after a time, you no longer notice its bitter taste and smell. The dust of ages swirls and falls, staining walls, darkening glass, coating surfaces, clogging lungs. Bricks, leaves, paper, food, bones and skin all decay, reduced to almost invisible specks that accumulate into the eternal dust of London. The only times the city can breather freely is when a wind blows in from a far-off place, bringing with it ... read more

If you were to believe the news reports, Greece is falling apart. There is constant rioting in the streets, and no one trusts the banks so you can't use the ATMs. That wasn't exactly our experience... We did have a few bets with friends whether we would be spending Drachmas or Euros when we finally got there (I lost, I bet Drachmas) but we mostly wondered if the weather would be hot enough to quench our thirst for some actual summer weather. We needn't have worried about any of it, everyone was going about their daily lives just like anywhere else in the world, and 38 degrees is plenty hot enough thank you very much. It’s quite frustrating to watch news reports about the European economic crisis, there is so much negativity from the media I ... read more

...pound the cobbled streets and crowd the ferries zig-zagging their way up and down the Grand Canal in Venice. Everywhere you look there are tour guides holding up their umbrellas, shops selling Venician masks and gelati, pizza restaurants, museums and throngs of people speaking every language imaginable. During our long weekend as part of the throngs, we contemplated the draw of Venice. Why do so many people see Venice as an essential European experience? There are so many wonderful cities in Europe with a rich history, beautiful architecture and picturesque canals. But it is hard not to be enthralled; the numerous waterways and bridges and the beautiful gelati-coloured buildings, along with the museums and art have lead to it being a World Heritage site and the warmer weather (at least compared to London), the ability to ... read more

It has been quite a long time between drinks as far as blog entries are concerned. Our last entry was almost a year ago, there have been a few reasons for this - and all will be explained in later blogs, but with the list of unwritten blog entries and unedited photos mounting we thought it might just be best start reducing the back log, starting what is most fresh in my mind: 8 days in Jordan in the middle of winter. Jordan is almost completely desert, but not the rolling sand dunes type desert everyone pictureswhen someone says the Middle East (no? Just me?). It’s a mountainous rugged landscape with amazing seas and ravines, and of course that valley that hid Petra from western eyes for so long. As a matter of fact, there are ... read more