Wroclaw, Poland - A beautiful city and so yummi

A while ago I have been to Wroclaw, Poland. It's a beautiful city, especially in June, when you can sit at the 'Rynek' (the market place around the town hall) and get lovely traditional food and very good beer. At the picture you can see the entrance to 'Karczma Lwowska' a nice local restaurant at Rynek.

When strolling around town you should definitely watch out for the little gnomes, they are busy, rolling stone balls, offering flowers, eating piroggi, resting in a pizza pan at Pizza Hut, taming pigeons, climping laterne posts. Some are in prison or at the swimming pool. So don't miss them. Go to www.krasnale.pl for latest updates where to find them (Polish only) or look up beautiful pictures of them and the city here.

Why are there so many gnomes in Wroclaw?

They say the gnomes are in town since 8th November 780 and only speak German, Czech, Latin or French. However, the ones you can see are sculptures by Tomasz Moczek. The gnomes have a serious background connected to the Orange Alternative movement in the 80s.

2 nice walks through town

Check out the Wroclaw website. Sightseeing the oldest parts of Wroclaw and Around Old Town.

Here is my alternative (not visiting all the sites at once).

Starting at the Rynek/Ratusz (Market Square) walk up North taking the Kucnicza street to the University, turn right to Uniwersytecka street and walk until the end, cross the tram line and you will find the Market Hall (Hala Targowa), built in 1907 (open Mon-Sat). From here you can take the tram to Jahrhunderthalle (Hala Ludowa / Hala Stulecia), buit in only 20 month, finished 1913, the building from Max Berg is now listed as a UNESCO world heritage site and afterwards take a nice walk at the Japanese Gardens.

Or you can stroll to the Cathedral Island, the oldest part of the city. When leaving the Market Hall turn right over the Piaskowy bridge, on the island turn right again over the Tumski bridge to Ostrów Tumski the Cathedral Island. From here you can easily visit the Botanic Gardens via Henryka Sienkiewicza street.

Another route leads you South of the Rynek. Take the Swidnicka street, see the Opera building and pass the Kosciuszki place,walk further down and you will find the Anonymous Pedestrians, a memorial for the people who dissappeared in the middle of the night on 13th December 1981, at the junction Piłsudskiego and Świdnicka.

If you walk further down the road, passing some very plain concrete buildings, built to accomodate lot's of families, long lasting and cheap, but very hard to demolish as I have seen once in a documentary, you will come to a roundabout, take the Sudecka street (left) and walk up until you see the Water Tower, built between 1903 and 1905, that also hosts a restaurant.


Getting hungry after all the walking around town?

Try some of the following dishes while in Poland:

Pierogi: a deep fried or cooked kind of ravioli, filled with meat or sauerkraut or quark (light cheese).
Bigos: Sauerkraut with meat and potatoes (cooked together).
All the yummi meat dishes, often with seasonal mushrooms, where I forget the names, but they can easily be spotted at the menus of the restaurants around the Rynek.

But don't worry, if your are not into traditional cuisine, there is a very good Greek restaurant at Pl. Solny called Akropolis. You also can get Sushi, my colleagues say the best place to go for it it is Sakana. Although, I haven't been there myself I trust their judgement as the have a weekly Sushi dine out and probably tried every place in town. I tried Maru restaurant at the Rynek, where I tried a Korean dish of beef marinated in a sweet soy sauce with rice with kimchi. I loved it. And if you fancy some ice cream (like the ones you get in Germany at an Italian Ice Cafe) go to the top floor of Galeria Dominikanska a shopping center and enjoy ;o) or try the Ice Cafe at Solny place.

When going to Wroclaw, have a look at InYourPocket Guides for the latest reviews. You can download them beforehand or get them at your hotel.

Enjoy your trip.

Jordan - A surprise

In May we where invited to a wedding in Jordan. While I was looking forward to the wedding, I wasn't sure about going to Jordan so I searched at Google. The first idea was just to go to the wedding and then stay for a week or so at a nice resort at the Dead Sea. Boah, what we would have missed out if we had done this. Second idea was to find a group travel around the country. I am sooo happy we didn't do this either.

After a lot of searching, negotiating and calculating, we choose to travel alone with a driver/guide, as it is highly recommended not to drive on your own through the country ( I absolutely agree as they drive like maniacs with a strong death wish). Jordan Direct Tours customized a perfect trip for us, including hotels in Amman, at Dead Sea, Petra and Aqaba, a cooking class at Petra Kitchen and Petra at Night excursion etc.

The day after the wedding we went to Ajlun to visit the castle. Unfortunately, I got sick after lunch on the way to Jerash (a Greco-Roman city) and we decided to go straight to the Dead Sea. Arriving at the Mövenpick Resort (beautiful) the only thing I did was going to bed and die a little, while my partner had his first dip in the Dead Sea and took some shots of the sunset. Beside all the sickness (my partner was bitten by the same bug later on) we enjoyed our stay and I also had a short dip in the Dead Sea the next day. Very funny feeling, it feels like a thick soapy bath and you really can't swim.

The next day should have been a trip to Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Kerak but again (this bug was mean) we decided to cut it short and went straight to Petra, where we stayed at the Mövenpick Hotel (you can't get closer to the entrance to Petra) and took our Petra at Night tour. Could have been wonderful, if we would have been on our own, but they put so many tourists through it, who where chatting along the way (although the guides have asked for silence), that is was merely a walk in the dark with a chatty school class, illuminated by some lights and a smell of thousand year old camel and horse dung.

But apart from all that we enjoyed it anyway ;o) and went back the next day to get a real view of Petra. Although the smell stayed the same and after a while there are lot's of tourists again, so we went early in the morning. Petra is amazing and if you have ever seen the last scene in the 3rd Indiana Jones movie, you get an idea of what the Treasury and the Siq. But believe me, that is nothing compared to the real thing. Petra is a Nabatean City entirely craved in stone and was hidden to the Europeans for centuries.

In the evening we took our cooking class at Petra Kitchen. We like to cook and although we didn't learn so much, except for the upside down dish, we loved it anyway and had a great time with the the staff and the group of Americans we met there. All the best to Laura and friends in San Diego.

The next day we went to Wadi Rum for a jeep safari in the desert and amazing place, with lots of red! sand, stones, and a spring. Laurence of Arabia has been here and the movie was made here.

In the afternoon we drove to Aqaba, the only access Jordan has to the Red Sea. As it is the only harbor for Jordan, it is mostely business or travel that brings people here. However, if you are not into diving or snorkeling and not there for business, I wouldn't go there.

Back on the road to Amman, our last stop. In Amman, we decided to go to Mecca Mall first, to find out if we could find some bargains. We didn't really find some bargains but lovely food, kebab style and so yummi. The next day we had our city tour, visited the Citadell and the Roman Theatre.

Although we catched a stomach bug, probably due to a lot of stress and being at the wrong place at the wrong time, we loved our stay and the food we got in Jordan and we are looking forward to go back. I tried dried figs for the first time in my life and loved it, we tried grapes that where pressed/dried and spiced up with anisseed and other spices in a flat layer (a bit like chewy gummi bears), yummi, we ate salad that tasted so good, you can't get this quality and taste in Europe, we had tea at a Beduin tent in Wadi Rum, lovely food and Arak at the wedding (be careful with the Arak, it is strong!), great fun and very good food at Petra Kitchen and Kebab (although it was called differently) in Mecca Mall and many more...

Jordan - we will be back to taste and see the things we missed out on this time!

Favorite Places in Germany

Hamburg - Most beautiful city in Germany

One of my favorite places to go out and find some interesting restaurants in Hamburg is the 'Schanzenviertel' close to the U-Bahn Stop 'Sternschanze'. You can choose between Portuguese, Persian, Turkish, Greek, Spanish restaurants (just to name a few) and they are all good.

Whenever you are hungry on your way out of town (heading North with the S1) stop at 'Rübenkamp' and visit the Schach-Cafe. It's set in an old train station has a wonderful 'Biergarten' in as soon as it's warm enough, serves hearty food in huge portions and has very long opening hours (all around the clock on weekends). Try 'Bauernfrühstück' a huge omlett with potatoes, or 'Debbies Texas-Pfanne', or whatever their treat of the day is - yummi.


Rhine / Mosel / Ahr - Fancy some good wine?

If you are visting the Rhine / Mosel area, for wine tasting or walking, don't miss the Höreth-Alte Mühle in Kobern-Gondorf (close to Koblenz). They resently added some rooms, so that you can try their wine without regret or sorting out who will drive you home. The Höreth's restorated an old mill. You can either eat in the front or orleander garden or in a cozy niche. Its beautiful and romantic and the hosts give you a very warm and friendly welcome. It feels like coming home after a long journey.

You haven't had enough wine yet? I highly recommend some tasting along the river Ahr, especially if you like red wine. Try the red wine hiking trail so you don't need to worry who will drive you home ;o) and visit the old towns of Ahrweiler or Bad Neuenahr. In August and September/October there are lots of wine festivals in the wine regions, where you also can try Federweisser and Zwiebelkuchen (be careful, Federweisser tastes like berry juice but you will get tipsy at least).

Tired - you can stay here at this little gem. A cute apartment, where the hosts speak English and a bit Spanish. It is also a good starting point for a visit at the Nürburgring or the Monastry at Maria Laach or the cities of Bonn, Koblenz or Trier. (Sorry, a few links are in German only).

Eating out in Dublin

No holidays in sight - so I tell you a bit about the restaurants we have visited in Dublin, Ireland (not all in Temple Bar though ;o). For traditional Irish Food you can try nearly every pub or go for a cavery lunch. If you just want a quick bite, the vegetable soup and the seafood chowder is always a good choice. Yes, the quality or style differs depending where you go, but I never had a really bad one. And don't leave without having tried an Irish Breakfast - I think it is a very good start for a long day in Dublin.

Thai
We have just been to 2 Thai restaurants recently and they couldn't be more different. We loved Baan Thai in Leopardstown (there is also one in Ballsbridge), as it has a nice atmosphere, very friendly staff and exeptionally great food, with lots of flavour (even when you only stick with the medium hot level), spicy. If you like Duck, try it here, it was fantastic.

A week later we have been to Siam Thai in Dundrum. While conviniently located at the shopping centre, and very comfy seats and posh atmosphere, the food (at least what I ordered) was bland. My partner had a bit more luck, when he choose the Chicken Satay and the Beef Salat dish, but the Spring Roll and the Sweet & Sour Shrimps was kind of boring.

Seafood
I like seafood and I don't mind some good Fish&Chips, that you can nearly get everywhere in town, just ask some locals where to go. The travel guides will send you straight to Beshoffs Bros. or Leo Burdock, you can't go wrong with them, but don't worry to try the others as well.

If you are in Howth, try The Oar House, I loved their Surf&Turf with Shrimps, and the dishes I saw at other tables looked delicious as well. It can be a bit crowded so book in advanced or go early on a rainy day ;o).

Pizza/Pasta
When I came over to Ireland, I really missed some decent pizza (Italian not American style, the last one can be found everywhere). Back then I didn't know about Milano's - a chain you can find at different places in town, who do a good job. One of the best places for fresh pasta and very good pizza is Pasta Fresca, just off Grafton Street. Just try the Agnolotti (Pasta filled with red pepper and goats cheese in a creamy spinach sauce) or the Pizza Pasta Fresca - lovely (as the Irish would say - awesome for the Americans ;o).

A little update on the Agnolotti at Pasta Fresca - they just changed the menu and they are now filled (boringly in my opinion) with cheese or spinach (can't remember) and served in a mushroom sauce - not the same as it has been.

Chinese/Korean
There is a new place in Stillorgan, where they serve Korean and Chinese dishes and let me tell you it is delicous. Go to Gong and you will experience a very nicely decorated place, friendly staff and dishes full of flavours. I love Kimchi, so I tried the Kimchi Pancakes and wasn't disappointed. I also tried the Spring Roll my friend ordered, delightful. As a main course I sticked with Korean and had a Seafood platter while my friend choose some Chinese Chicken dish with Garlic Sauce - everything was just yummi.

More updates - Gong is only serving Chinese food now, that's a real pitty as the Korean food was so delicious.

Lebanese
I was very happy that a friend told us about the Lebanese Restaurant in town, Byblos. We went there on a Saturday for lunch. As we weren't that hungry, we sticked to the Lunch menu, they have great mezze platters and we will definitely go back for more.

Moroccan
Two weeks ago I was at El Bahia, a Moroccan restaurant in town. The food was very good. I had the Chicken Bastilla, chicken with different spices wrapped in filo pastry. All the others in our groups were happy as well. However, there are some downsides on the service or let's say business policies they have. First, everybody needs to order a meal for at least 16 Euro, I found that astounding as we have been a group of 14 and not everybody was super hungry, the next thing they told us, that the room we booked was only available until 9:30 and when the time approached they rushed us out. So don't hope for dessert there, you might be rushed out well before that.

Japanese
My personal favorite is Wagamama (altough Yamamori my friends say is good as well). I love Ramen dishes at Wagamama, particularly the Chili Chicken Ramen. Their noodles are also good, I often go for the Yaki Udon or Yaki Soba here. And to drink I always get one of their fresh juices. Afterwards you feel like new from all the 'positive eating' ;o).

Nepalese (not Indian)
Go to Monty's of Kathmandu, their Naan bread (I like the one with garlic) is to die for and goes well with every starter. You can't do wrong with any of their main courses either, we mostely go for something with lamb and/or chicken. Yummi.

Spanish
I love Salamanca, not because it is most authentic, it is probably not, but it is pretty close and very good. My favorites here are Pimientos Rellenos (oven baked peppers stuffed with minced lamb), and berenjena Gratinada (Aubergine layered with rocket salad and goats cheese). You defenitely can go with two dishes to have a full meal, my partner often chooses three, but then you are really full. I am not a fan of there dessert though, I love crema catalana or creme brulee, but their version is way to heavy with lots of cream in, a bit more like cheese cake than crema catalana.

Come back for more or just try these:

• Indian: Saagar, Maloti,
• American: Elephant&Castle, Bad Ass Cafe
  
• Georgian: Nikala
  
• Steak: FXB and my friend says Roly's bistro does a mean steak too
• Malaysian: Langkawi (a bit pricey but nice)

If you are in Cork - try Cafe Mexicana - cute little place to go to.

Don't forget your Wellis, it can be wet ouside ;o)

If you have tips where else to go, just send me a line, where and why we should try it out. Thanks!

Spain - Seafood, Paella & Tapas

Barcelona
What a wonderful city! Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the restaurant we (stupidely enough) had only a small bite. Stupid, because when I saw the huge plates of Langostinos or Paella the Spanish guests had I was very disappointed that I haven't been hungry enough to try their 7 course Christmas menu for nearly no money at all. If you ever come to Barcelona, try the restaurant that you can find at the corner of Carrer de Guiter and Carrer de L'Almirall Cervera, I will definitely when we go back again. The place we have been twice was El Posit, what a way to indulge in seafood, we had paella, assorted seafood for starters and some traditional seafood dish that was cooked in a broth (I can't remember the name). Yummi.

Madrid
What should I say, I can't remember being to a great restaurant there (oh, sorry, I forgot the hotel restaurant at Bauza's - especially remember the chocolat with olive oil dessert - sounds strange, but works very well). For me Madrid is a great place for tapas and churros con chocolate at some traditional breakfast bars.

Ronda
Andalucia in Ronda, we stayed at the Alavera de los Baños, a bit tricky to find at the beginning, but a beautiful place to stay and if you like Morrocan influences dishes, definitely go and eat there. Ronda has many nice restaurants and tapas bars, especially when you are not in the main city, but going through the gates of the town towards the lower level. If you can't get a room in Ronda or like to taste something different, try Molino del Santo, not in Ronda itself but close enough with a great garden and also fantastic food. I could die for their 'leche frita' dessert and the 'creme catalana' with raspberries, lovely. I just found this very nice blog digging into a bit of food history Andalucia. I really need to go on holidays soon...