Food – Page 4 – SteveWhittythoughts1965

October 28, 2012

City Walks: London – Greenwich

This walk starts at the DLR station Cutty Sark. Once you leave the station the Cutty Sark comes into view immediately. The former tea clipper was famous for being able to sail to Australia in less than 80 days. It has recently reopened after being damaged by fire in 2007. Admission is £12.00 for adults and £6.50 for children under 15 years of age. It is advisable to book online as entrance is only by timed ticket. In the autumn sunshine the Cutty Sark looks impressive.

From the Cutty Sark I made my way towards the Visitor’s Centre which is housed in part of the old Naval College. It is interesting to spend some time in there as it tells the story of Greenwich. There are plenty of interactive exhibits inside.

From the Visitor’s Centre I made my way to the Painted Hall. The impressive painted ceilings took 19 years to complete. It was also where Lord Nelson laid in state until his funeral.

I crossed the Romney Road and made my way towards the National Maritime Museum. Free to enter the museum tells the story of Britain as naval nation over 500 hundred years. Britannia did once rule the waves. One of the highlights is the uniform Lord Nelson wore at the Battle of Trafalgar. You can see the bullet hole in the left shoulder. It was the bullet that would eventually kill Nelson. Sadly, I was unable to photograph the uniform. There are several other items worth seeing.

Upon leaving the museum I made my way towards the Royal Observatory. I stopped to look at the site of the Equestrian Centre that was used for the Olympic Games. It looked an impressive sight. The surface was being removed but the grandstands remained intact.

It is a steep walk to the Royal Observatory. However, once you reach the top of the hill you are rewarded with great views particularly of the O2 Arena.

The Royal Observatory is London’s only planetarium. It is also famously the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the World. The Astronomy Centre is free. Tickets for Flamsteed House and the Meridian Courtyard cost £7.00. If you do not want to pay but wish to experience crossing the Meridian Line there is a spot outside the courtyard where this can be done. I warn you that it does get crowded.

From the observatory I made my way back towards Greenwich down The Avenue. I passed the Greenwich Royal Park Herb Garden. A haven where you can rest your legs as your sense of smell takes in all the odours of the herbs.

Back in Greenwich I passed the Fan Museum which is dedicated to fans and fan making. Admission is £4.00 and the museum serves afternoon tea from 3pm.

Passing the Spread Eagle bookshop I made my way to Greenwich Market. At Sunday lunchtime the market was packed with people enjoying the autumn sunshine. There were stores that consisted of locally made handicrafts and clothes. There is something for everyone. Towards the end of the market my sense of smell took me towards the food section. Here, one could eat the world. In fact it was too popular and the queues were just too much.

Feeling hungry I made my way towards a coffee shop called ‘Red Door’. So called because it has a red door. A small coffee shop it had a cosy atmosphere which was what I needed after the bustle of the market. My ham and tomato toasted sandwich tasted delicious, mainly of the olive oil used instead of butter. The scone, jam and clotted cream also went down well. From the ‘Red Door’ I made my way back to the DLR station for the train back to Central London.

The walk came from ‘City Walks: London’ by Craig Taylor. This was the first in a series of 50 walks.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

October 26, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 10, 19/09/2012

I think I may have booked too many days in Bratislava. I had seen everything that I needed to see so it was a case of finding things to do. This was a chance to do some laundry. This will kill the morning for me. Also the weather had turned cooler and there was a hint of rain.

Once my laundry was finished I ventured out to a couple of places that I had not visited. To be honest I just ended up walking around the streets. It seemed so quiet. I ended up back at Shtoor for another sandwich, coffee plus the delicious cheesecake. It was there when I realised that I had not made my way to the Presidential Palace as shown to me during the walking tour. I made my way to the palace.

The weather not getting better and by this time all I wanted to do was to go back to the hostel.

When I arrived back at the hostel I noticed a lot of activity in the kitchen. When I enquired about what was happened I was told it was the communal cooking night and on the menu was potato cakes. There was about twenty of us getting stuck in preparing and cooking the cakes. What was great to see was the mixture of nationalities getting involved. There were Americans, Australian, Mexicans, New Zealanders and Canadians. I was the only Brit. We all helped also helped with the washing up afterwards.

It was an ideal way to spend the evening. Eating good food, drinking beer and wine and playing silly games which usually ended up with a forfeit of drinking plum brandy. This is was staying in the a hostel is all about and I want to experience more of this.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

October 21, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 9, 18/09/2012

The weather today is simply beautiful. What shall I do with myself? I asked the hostel receptionist for suggestions. Without hesitation she suggested Devín Castle. Ever helpful she pointed out which bus I should catch and how much it will cost. Also included in the recommendation was a coffee shop I should check out when I returned to the city centre.

So off I went to the bus stop. The bus journey like most was uneventful but once I arrived I was totally blown away. Devín Castle is a castle ruin, but I feel it is much more than that. It dates back to the 8th century. It was destroyed by Napoleon Bonaparte. There is currently a lot of archeological work that is taking place. The views from the castle ramparts are simply stunning. There were plenty of opportunities to take great photographs, even for me.

As well as the castle there were plenty of paths to walk along. It was a pity that there was nowhere open to hire a bicycle. Today would have been a perfect day for cycling. The nearby village was beautiful and peaceful. To live in a place like this you would have been a winner in life’s lottery. The River Danube looked beautiful and powerful in the countryside.

I made my way back to the city centre feeling hungry. I remembered the recommendation of earlier today, so I made my way to Shtoor coffee shop. As much as I tried to find it I was not getting too much success. Just when I thought about giving up I noticed that I was standing outside the shop. This is what a coffee shop should be about. Good coffee, good food and a good ambiance. My pork and caramelized onion sandwich tasted divine. The berry and chocolate cheesecake went down even better.

When I left Shtoor I found myself caught in a demonstration outside the British Embassy. It was interesting to find yourself caught in something like that. The demonstration was in support of a Slovak woman Ivana Boorova who came to the UK for work. Her two children were taken into care two years ago and nothing appears to have been done about the situation. This seems so unfair. I mentioned that I was British and I would offer my support when I got home. So if you feel that something needs to be done contact the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and let’s see what we can do.

Back at the hostel I was unsure what I was going to do. I did not fancy the pub crawl but wanted to go out for the evening. So I decided to go to the British Rock Pub. It was open mic night. I enjoyed the music even if I did not understand what they were singing about. The pub crawl ended up in here. Somehow, I do not think they expected to be there. A good end to a perfect day.

October 3, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 4, 13/09/2012

I should have not got out of bed so early this morning to make breakfast. Should have stayed in bed instead. I would have recovered from the previous evening’s excesses. Instead, I attempted to go for a walk Had to turn back as I was not in a fit state. After a further couple of hours sleep I was ready to take on the world again.

I thought that I would make my way to Charles Bridge. It was early afternoon and it was packed. Too packed with tourists. I was told that September would be a quiet month. Glad I was not there in the height of summer. I crossed the bridge and then decided to turn straight back and return to the hostel through Prague city centre. I ended up taking the route of yesterday’s walking tour though I was not aware of this at the time. The brain was not functioning properly at the time.

Back at the hostel for a quiet night, except it would not turn out this way. Met up with the gang from the pub crawl. There was a Man vs Food type challenge. Who could eat the hottest chicken wings and spare ribs. I could feel the heat from here. It was a good job that I did not join in.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve