SUSPENSION of life.. Prague

As a walked through the intertwining pathways in the heat of the European sun, my tour guide rambled on about King Charles the fourth...my mind drifted and  I couldn't help but have a big smile on my face...

How good is this? I said to the Italian that had joined us... and I will never forget his words as he fumbled to find the right way to say what he felt..." It its ...suspension of life" I asked what he meant already knowing the answer but wanting to hear him explain in his slightly broken English. Its life, but the suspended one, it takes you higher, a little faster and the view is better. I could not agree more.

Life in itself is a blessing , but when life is better than good... I am suspended, and by suspended I by no means restrained, if anything I am lifted to a euphoric state, absorbing the pleasures of my state, knowing that it will settle back down and this can't last forever.

Prague was my Suspension of Life

Winding street, cobblestones creating click clack noise as the cars and hooves of horses clamber onwards, the smell of beer, the castle shadowing the city, the coolness of the air as you walk over Charles Bridge and see the shimmer on the Vltava river, you so badly want to dip into it and really submerse yourself in this jewel of a city.

The river is crossed by 18 bridges but the most fascinating would have to be Charles bridge, at each section there are sculptures, some speak of horror, others of delight but the bridge in all its glory is a tourist haven.

In the four days I was there, I managed to cram enough to walk away and feel pleased and satisfied with my endeavours but still feel relaxed.

Our first day was a walk along the bridge as the sun set, a hot air balloon sweeped the skyline, the water still, and the eve palmy...it was an exceptional start and welcome.

A delicious Italian meal with some spectacular wine set off my visit into a great culinary experience. Prague like other Northern european cities are known for their starch based meals, cabbage, pork, dumping, meat and beer. Not exactly my idea of indulgence but dig in and you will find it all too pleasing.

If I made a list of what needs to be seen and you must do: this is it

• a beautiful eve deserves a beautiful view, go up to Petrin hill by tram, pack a picnic or jut grab a beer at the garden cafe, go up Pragues baby version of the Eiffel tower and get an al round view of Prague, take a stroll down, as the walk is short
• Charles bridge; just go and maybe get a sketch done
• Vltava river paddle, grab a paddle boat in the early morn or late afternoon especially in summer for 120 czech per boat and that gives you an hour which is just enough
• Thai massage, if you are feeling the burn and your feet are crying out after all the waling, grab a thai foot massage, short but effective
• A vintage ride through the city is a must, we got a Jerry, an enthusiastic and accommodating driver. We were picked up outside our hotel in a red vintage, champagne awaiting , as we swirled through the streets our first stop was the ...
• John Lennon wall represents freedom, it was started by the youths of the city and still carries on today, Original graphic art is long gone but every few years new ones are sprayed, truly something to see
• A stone throw away from the Lennon wall is the love lock bridge, I try and find one of these every place I go, Poland, Paris and now Prague. Grab a lock, write you and your loved ones name in, try and find a spot to lock it and then throw the key in the stream, now ur in love forever
• Avoid Kampa restaurant, over priced and the service is terrible, try Minstral Cafe for their goats cheese salad or The School for an awesome Ceaser salad or Arrabiata pasta...awesome!!!!
• Try an old pub, great spots just below the castle, grab a traditional czech beer and avoid the Pilsner, you wont regret it. A meat platter is also a great idea.
• Tour of the castle and surrounding areas is  a great way to get some history behind this amazing city, we got the four hour one which was adequate by a long shot
• The castle is a must see
• All over the city you will find some great art, look out for works by the controversial, David Cerny, the revolvers are my favourite
• I tried the fruit dumplings but if you don't like doughy foods, avoid avoid avoid
• Inferno restaurant was a highlight, Angelina and Brad have been here for dinner :) Summer months it is quiet, we almost had the whole restaurant to ourselves. TRY the duck....wow, the romantic moody colours combined with the cave walls create an intense atmosphere but in a good way
• p.s Don't get ripped off by a taxi, always check there is a meter or negotiate, they are dodgy
• The astronomical clock...enough said
• A drink out, go to the James Dean bar r just wander the street, your gonna get dragged i somewhere amazing, and go balls to the wall and have yourself a absinth

Graffitti

Quite a view on the hill of the castle

Minstral cafe...fantastic

Absinth :)

Our little vintage ride

A birthday dinner at the castle

So basically what I am trying to say is GET YOUR ASS TO PRAGUE, and experience a holiday like no other. It is affordable by European standards, beautiful and well, its just gonna steal your heart.

a Meat platter at a local pub

red roses in the Kings garden

The astronomical clock

John Lennon wall

A Ceaser salad at The School

Easy Come ...Easy Go

The next little chapter in my book of Copenhagen is coming up and I am quite eager to turn that page, It has been almost and nearly a year since I landed my feet on the rainy sidewalks of Copenhagen and wondered if everyday was going to be this miserable. As I type this post, the sun is shining and life is good.

After staying in Hellerup since I got here, I have been fortunate enough to wander a forest, walk the promenade, dip into the ocean and run sand through my hands, the area has hosted us well, but now it is time for change and a bit more of the city life and hustle and bustle I am now so ready for (and for shorter commutes)

Finding an apartment in Copenhagen is no easy task, especially when you reply to a posting in english, the lack of response almost gets to you a bit more than it should. After lots of potential apartments but very few viewings, we opted to go for fully furnished even though we have all our own furniture, simply because these kinds of apartments cater for the expat community.

So my new apartment overlooks a beautiful park with a lake, I can just see my lazy Sunday mornings taking place there

So here is to some change, a new home, a bigger social life and a LOT LESS WALKING and commuting.

Three Sisters

I am blessed to have two sisters in my life, we are all five years apart and due to the big gaps, my middle sister and me (the baby) had more of a childhood together than me and my older sister, by the time I was  ready to be of age to have a drink, my sister was already far away.

So, when the opportunity to live in Europe arrived, all I could think of was that my sister would be a short flight away in the UK, many trips to London later...my sister booked her flight to visit me...excitement!!!

This was my first and probably my last visitor in Copenhagen ever. (Not exactly on everyone's top list destination list even though I beg) I even have a spare guest bedroom in my apartment, and while I  have a tTV dinner every night on my couch, for lack of a dining room table, the guest bedroom with the double bed gathers dust. So finally I have a visitor!!

So in the weeks leading up to my special guests arrival I made a list of what to do see, and eat. It wasn't very long. I thought I had seen quite a bit but knew I must be missing a few gems, yet when I went on travel sights , well there really was nothing I had not seen in Copenhagen.

So the Friday started off the the Saviour church for a view of the city , a fallafel in Christiana, and a hotdog along Stroget, with a drink to wash it all down in Nyhavn (and the weather behaved itself)

Friday night we ate at Spiseri, not the best neighbourhood, but worth the trek. Food is fresh, and made with love and passion, strongly recommend it.

Saturday we were up with tired bodies, and swollen feet but eager to start the day, and we did it grandly... shopping on Stroget started us off till eventually we had to sit down. Sale time here is great and some great bargains can be found.

(My necklace in the pic above was 20 dkk, and my hat 45dkk on sale)

We had a light lunch at Cafe River, and made our way to Rosenborg castle

Saturday night we were back at the apartment and eager to all have a catnap but we had a dinner booking and so we were off again, Dinner at The Cave...delicious!!! Just before we arrived there was a tango class and a man on stilts just above Kongens Nytorv...very entertaining

.
Just round the corner, there was jazz playing (Jazz festival week in Copenhagen)


After dinner we took our bikes, well my sister took mine ad I grabbed a ride on the back like a lady (two legs on one side) and we rode through Kongens have, to the mermaid, saw the canons, crossed the moat...perfect eve.

back home it was a midnight delight with cupcakes from Serenity

And the Sunday morning, we woke up (of course) bacon was in the pan and french toast buttery golden and deliciousness all ready on the plates, bellies filled and minds alerts..we were off for a cycle along the beach to Klampenborg.

A cappucino and pecan pie at cafe jorden rundt put a smile on our faces, and we cycled back through the forest home.

An excellent weekend, beautiful weather, me and my sister...and so many memories made, all in a weekend.

Hello Sweden

I always dreamed of living in Europe, the ability to pack a bag and see a new part of something incredible in just a train journey  or quick flight. I'm living in that world right now.

I have lived in Denmark for nine months now and not yet seen Sweden which some would say is an embarrassment seeing as the journey is literally a ferry ride away.

So a beautiful Sunday morning prompted our journey and off we set, we cycled to Hellerup station, tied Wix and Mustang Passion tightly together promising our return. We caught the regional train to Helsingor, and passed a country side I am eager to explore. (We bought a 24 hour pass which worked out to be the cheapest option)

At Helsingor we boarded a ferry for Helsingbor - Sweden.

The ferry took 20min to cross over, it was quick, efficient and quite stylish inside with some tempting duty free treats. I hadn't even finished my cappucino when we had arrived, walked off the ramp and there we were; Sweden.

We went up to this castle looking structure where the view from the top was exquisite, the sound of the water gushing really set the scene, I bounded down the steps, super eager to see more new things. The streets were quaint and more alley like compared to that of Copenhagen, they had that unique charm that makes you want to go into every single coffee shop.

We passed by a big square where I found these adorable granite bunnies, I took a photo of every one of them (of course)

After the bunny killing re-inactment ended, we were off along the promenade to breath in some sea air. This side of Sweden is really beautiful, people out and about absorbing rays and chatting in the park. We walked quite far down, saw some magnificent yachts and boats; i love reading the names on the side of boats and trying to figure out why they called it that. There was one boat; black as the night screaming luxury.

This beauty was called Infinty; i figured they called it that because for the average bloke, well thats how long it would take to pay off.

Nasty owners these people are :)

Saw an awesome restaurant, comfy chairs, awesome view, but the timing was all wrong and they only opened up round 12:30 which was a bit late for us. Apparently the best restaurant Sweden has to offer this side; Sillen

By this stage tummies are grumbling and we decided to head back to the ferry and cross over as the day was pretty jam packed in terms of the itinery we wanted to achieve.

Crossing over was a breeze. we got out and wandered the streets of Helsingor, took some pics of hamlets castle, didn't go in...I had other priorities like finding food.

Streets were pretty empty and a little bit of  a  ghost town on a sUNDAY. We managed to find a little pizza place in a garden at the back of the buildings and munch down.

We had heard that the most incredible, homemade-fantastic-unreal-best you'll ever have-ice cream was in this area and it was a must to try it. Being a Lover of the Gelato, i knew I would need to test and analyse this highly exaggerated MUST DO.

We asked a few locals; no one knew what we were speaking of, we then googled it and found the address, down some street that looked like all the others, we saw a little crowd (three or four people) outside an ice cream shop and knew that this WAS IT! I walked in, it was very rustic, I checked the menu on the wall, it was very simple, four flavours;;;;that's it. I thought to myself, they must be that good, that they don't even need to diversify their flavours. Now I was hyped up and psyched to try this ice cream. I saw pictures on the wall; Prince Charles had been there!!! I selected chocolate on a cone, a cup would not cut it as I needed to get the full experience.

I took a nibble of my cone; good start and then i twirled my tongue around my gelato and savoured it in my mouth like a fine wine connoisseur.

Yuck!!!

What an average bloody ice cream, what was Charles thinking of coming here for. So average, i mean just below average was a far more better opinion. It tasted so home-made, like some powder and milk and been stirred really quickly and frozen. So dissapointed.

So...don't go to that ice cream shop in Helsingor that everyone else raves about, not even going to tell you the name or street in case you feel tempted, and if you do stroll in, and see prince Charles licking a cone in a picture frame...walk straight out and save yourself some kroner for a real popsicle.

Back on the train we headed to the place where Louisiana is, this is the museum people have strongly recommended to us on numerous occassions in Copenhagen.

Firstly, the setting of this little Gem is picture perfect, green sprawling lawns, ocean view, and the building winds and surprises you with all its curves and angles, letting light and glass speak for the surroundings it nestles itself in so beautifully.

My favourite was the Pink Caviar section, so creative and unique.

 felt drunk looking at this

 loved the concept of this

 My favourite, so calming

 A microphone cloud

 We are all connected

An amazing poem that I really took to

So, what a day, Helsingor, Helsingbor, Louisiana and beautiful sunshine. What a day of blessings, really felt connected and alive in Copenhagen on this day.

Slept like a baby that night ( a good baby)

IBIZA

The preparation, packing, flights, customs, passport checks, lugging big bags, sore backs and all the finer details...well at some point you wonder if the holiday is even going to be worth it, ...and then you get to your destination and it is.

This was our first stop, we arrived in the evening, and the music was already pumping...clubbers paradise was ready to go into full swing, the last thing I felt like hearing was some doof doof music when all wanted to do was get into a comfortable bed. After waiting at the Barcelona airport for 8 hours I was ready to hit my pillow.

Ibiza is great if you are young or old but young at heart, ready to rock out and drink yourself into an oblivion, you love loud obnoxious music that sounds like the same tune has been playing for the past 3 hours. So I wasn't really that sure why I was there in the first place but when I saw that ocean, the sun and the beach... I knew I would make the most of it.

Highlights:

Tanning

Old Town

Relaxing

Pina colada at the Ibiza Rock diner

Buying a lilo and wafting away on the ocean surface

Fatboy Slim at Yushia

Deck chairs on the beach

Lowlights:

Loud drunk guy two rooms down banging on the door to get into his girlfriends room, basically tearing the hallway to pieces at three in the morning.

Essex barbie dolls in the room next door deciding to turn their room into their own private club and pumping monotonous music till our walls shook.

Club promoters harrasing you when all you want to do is walk down the beach

The ample nudity in your face

Overall, I really enjoyed going into the old Town and taking some amazing pics, I would definitely stay in a more secluded area on the island and get away from the thumping night life of Playa de BossA.

Overall I great time was had, we experienced a bit of everything, if I had to do it over again, I would stay in a different location, rent a jeep and travel the island to the secluded spots one rarely sees.

I also wouldn't buy a hat because it just got crumpled in my bag and had to thrown away.

***********************************************************************************************************8

Left with an awesome tan and eager to get on in to Barcelona for the rustle and bustle of Las Ramblas.