TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

One of my side trips when I was holidaying in Girona, Spain last month was Besalu, a very pretty mountain village in the province of Girona in the Catalonia region. On my next post about Besalu, I will show you the beauty of this medieval gem of a village. While walking around town I came upon this big square with a church in the middle. Sant Pere Church on Plaza Prat de Sant Pere Plaza Prat de Sant Pere. Sant Pere Church (Saint  Peter's Church). The church interior is looking rather austere devoid of glam that we know of Catholic Churches bearing the name of St. Peter. Tapas Lunch: Tuna + Peppers + Mushrooms The plaza is ringed with cafes and restaurants so I elected to have my lunch here. After a thorough survey of the area and the restaurants, I settled for lunch at this Tapas Restaurant that I forgot to take down the name or even take a picture of the restaurant's signage. It is located across the church. I ate here because of a few reasons: (1...

Whenever I am in Spain, I am always hankering for Paella. One evening in November (last month, oh why, time flies!), I was strolling along Rambla de la Llibertat, the main pedestrian walkway of Girona in the old centre looking for a place to have my Paella. TRIVIA: Did you know that the best restaurant in the world for 2013 is in Girona, Spain? The restaurant: El Celler de Can Roca . It has 3-Michelin stars and was voted as the best restaurant in the world by The World's Best 50 Restaurants . Their waiting list is going for MONTHS, and as of last month November they were taking reservations already for April. I have no chance! Last year it was Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark that won the title. They placed second this year. I was in Copenhagen last year as well but unfortunately no chance in getting a table at Noma. Paella at Restaurant L’Arcada No Website. Address: Rambla de la Llibertat 38 So with that I just settled looking for restaurants in town, in touristy places, ...

Last 14 December I went to the Charles Dickens Festival (Dickens Festijn in Dutch) in Deventer in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is a two-day event held yearly every second weekend of December. You can find some background information about this event and tips from me in my previous blog entry: Charles Dickens Festival (Dickens Festijn) in Deventer Part 1: The 3 hours wait Yes, we queued up for THREE FULL HOURS. That is an amazing feat for someone impatient like me. Finally, Bru and I are inside the Dickens Route! So happy we need to pose for this milestone achievement of waiting 3 hours, haha. Charles Dickens Festival Route (Dickens Festijn Route) Route in PDF: Route Dickens Festijn And so Bru and I, like little girls were so giddy to follow the route filled with a chock-full of Dickensian characters along cobbled brick-stone streets adorned in festive Christmasssy atmosphere. It is so gezellig here! The route is through the Bergkwartier, a very picturesque qua...