Ciao Venezia!

Hey everyone!

After spending a lush week away in the sweltering heat of Venice I've returned, ready to get my job/internship hunt on! (Wish me luck folks...)

But anyway, onto the real details. Of course Venice was just lovely, unique as it stands on its waters with beautiful, classic Venetian architecture towering above, adding to the character of this already enchanting city. Wooden shutters provided some mysticism as we wandered through the narrow alleyways of Santa Croce, a quiet neighborhood hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Venice's main attraction, San Marco.

We stayed at the Carlton on the Grand Canal, a four star hotel that came with really good service, though maybe a little over priced as we ended up paying 6,50 euros for a large bottle of water... Oops!
We mostly walked everywhere, staying away from the busy water buses, as there really is so much to see and take in- old churches with awe-inspiring frescos of magnificent detail, vacant Venetian masks haunting every "calle" from tourist shops and artist boutiques and then these grande, flaking buildings ridden with vines and shrubs.
Curious smells hung in the air from the waters of the Grand Canal soon to be overtaken by the all too familiar smell of freshly made pizza from a small risorante or the smell of freshly baked bread from an artisan bakery in the corner.

On our third night, we went on a gondola ride at a hefty price of 100 euros! Pricey it was but you just can't beat the peaceful ambiance that comes with this intimate boat ride. I mean, you've got to try everything once, right?
The food was beautiful but I have to say, I think I've had my fair share of carbs for at least a month with all the pizza, pastas and breads you can eat! Like the city, the food is Venice is rich!

I feel a little nostalgic already, it was a really great getaway!

Venice I miss you!

Summer update!

Hey everyone!

It's been a rather eventful couple of months what with my first internship, my graduation, job hunting (!) and my planned travels! It's been a little difficult to keep going with my blogging so I apologise for my terrible lack of posts- I know there's really no excuses!

Next week I'm off to the lovely Venice with my boyfriend and I cannot wait to explore this beautiful flooded city that is really so unique. I've heard that it's a great place to take long walks and just get lost in the culture there. As always I'm excited to try the local fare and get in with some real authentic cuisine. I'm going on quite a tight budget but hope to fit in a gondola ride somewhere along the way! I've heard that they can cost 80 euros in the day alone and are even pricier at night when romance can reach its peak! So I guess we'll just see what happens.
If any of you guys have any suggestions on some sights, attractions or things to do in the city please feel free to leave a comment!

I'll try my best to blog while I'm there but can definitely promise some snaps of my time there!

Post Holiday Blues: another food post.

So my last night in Lyon was mainly all about seeing the finish of the travel guide. After a long day of layout and editing the piece came together in the wee early hours of the morning, I think around 2.30am. It was a proud moment to see all the hard work of the CTR team materialized.
It was all such a learning curve and I met some really cool people who I hope to see again.
Now I am back in London Town and am trying to readjust my senses to the dull weather, the grey clouds, and work.  All reality checks are thoroughly underway; I've got loads to do.

I will blog properly soon, but in the mean time, here are some pictures from my last meal in Lyon. Me and the team went to a Bouchon in the old city, in the small time we had left, to celebrate the end of the project The food was delicious and it looked pretty good too:

A starter of chicken and lentil terrine with raspberry sauce 

Escargots!
We all tried one. They were surprisingly nice but that may have been because they were smothered in garlic and butter.  They tasted like fish. 

Duck a l'Orange with sauteed courgette, mash, and a few lettuce leaves in some vinaigrette 

Pertaining to the manner of the French palate all the dishes were pretty rich and full of flavour. The raspberry sauce surprising my taste buds on every mouthful of the terrine, the medium rare duck varnished in orange sauce... It was all so scrummy

I will most definitely miss the food!

For now.. au revoir! New post soon!
x

When in France...

French wine is right up there with French cuisine. It’s refined, it’s distinctive, and it’s famous.

Connoisseurs and wine lovers from all over the globe travel to France to discover all there is to be known about this varied substance and along the way they have probably coughed up a fair few euros.

So it’s only understandable if you take matters into your own hands.

At least, that's what me and some of the other members of the CTR team decided when we thought we'd hold our own DIY wine tasting session. Of course this was all purely in the name of research!

After putting in a modest 10 euros each (there was 7 of us) and raiding the local supermarché we came back with a rather diverse selection of wines: be it cheap or slightly more expensive, we wanted a taste. 

A table of snacks, a score board, and our taste buds ready, we embarked on the skillful task of inspecting each wine. 

In our bid to share our (novice) expertise we came up with some rather interesting assessments: 

“Buttery – it just slips down the throat”

“Smells like chicken, but tastes like a bubbly version of a sweet wine”

"Feels like it's giving me a heart attack!"

"Tastes like horseshit" 

“Sweet lord! this is smokey, but it could work with some dark chocolate”

 “Notes of fish, with a really dirty aftertaste”

“I once had a shampoo that smelt like this”

A spittoon, in this case, was not required but the fact we didn't have may have influenced our scoring.. 

1) 2010 Bordeaux Red (1.99)
2) Mercier Demi-Sec (19.65)
3) 2010 Vin D'Alsace Riesling (3.45)
...
12) Petillant de Listel Peche (4.08)

And so, with the cheapest wine beating the most expensive on the list it seems that the price of a wine may not always indicate quality. Certainly in this case it worked out to be a myth!


Or perhaps the biggest lesson learnt of all is to not to actually consume the wine when wine tasting. After all, the spittoon is included for a reason. 


Au revoir! 

Je suis fatigue

I have had such a busy week trying to cram in as many activities in my days as possible, aside from my work. I don't want to miss a thing, I don't want to sleep. I just want to explore, and to explore, and to see as much as I can while I still have time.
To be fair, I am supposed to have an "authentic experience" of the city for the guide.. But this enthusiasm probably comes from the fact that I haven't had a holiday in about 4 years. I'm just happy to be away for a while.
Alas, I can't believe my second week here is over. The production of the travel guide is coming to a close and hopefully it will be produced within the next week if all goes to plan. I'm so excited to see the end product!

For now, here are some highlights from my week:

LOVE crepes: banana and nutella with cafe arabica icecream

The towering walls of the Cathedrale St. Jean

At the Musée miniature et cinéma

The set of 'Perfume' 

Cute little miniatures 

Sweeties! 

Awesome film props!

Travel guide layout planning

More crepes!

Breakfast omelette= proud self 

Beautiful tapestry in the making at La Maison des Canuts (The House of the Silk Workers)

A screaming Medusa at the Musée des beaux arts

 Gros bises!!

Je ne parle pas très bien français

So my first week here in Lyon is officially over.
What have I learnt so far? Well, apart from the fact that Lyon is a pretty underrated city, I have managed to discover a bit about its culture and cuisine. This city is really very beautiful and I actually think I've fallen in love with the place, especially the old city.  

Walking around the city I noticed a lot of cafes and restaurants with the sign 'Bouchon' imprinted over their signs and windows. After inquiring about it I learnt that Bouchons are traditional bistros that are unique to Lyon culture, serving up a range of classic local dishes which are based on the snacks of the silk workers during the 18th century.

Most of the dishes are centred around meat, especially pork and offal, and whilst the second choice might not sound all that appetizing, the meats are often cured, or infused with herbs and spices, which, in the long run make a delicious meal. Some typical dishes include, andouille (grilled chitterlings sausage), saucisson de Lyon (sausage made from pork leg), tripe, cervelle de canut which is literally translated as "brains of the silk-weaver" (cream cheese mixed with garlic and herbs), and quenelles (flour, egg, and cream dumplings).

So yesterday I decided to try one out and went to a Bouchon in the old city. It had a rather rustic and traditional interior with a lovely terraced area for outside seating which is what attracted me to this place. I sampled the salade lyonnaise as an entree which is a mix of lettuce with small blocks of bacon, croutons, and a poached egg, all topped with a mustard based dressing (I'm not actually sure of the name). The mix of flavours complemented each other really well, what with the refreshing taste of the lettuce against the saltiness of the bacon and the spiceyness of the dressing. Next I tried the Saucisson de Lyon in a Beaujolais (red wine) sauce which was served up with dauphinoise potatoes. The sausage was sliced up pretty thick which made it quite filling but all in all it was a nice and flavoursome dish. Whilst the food wasn't too bad, I heard some nasty rumours that the food at this particular diner is pre-prepared and then microwaved. So I'm definitely keen to try another place and another dish! 

If you're wondering why I've been talking about food so much I've taken the role of the food critic for this project I'm currently involved in. This isn't a food blog, I'm just sharing my experiences! 

Thanks for reading!
x

beaucoup de nourriture

I found this cute little artisan boulangerie whilst walking back from the metro station today and couldn't resist buying lunch. There were all sorts of lush looking savoury tarts and sandwiches but I thought I'd stick to a light lunch and get a salad. Despite my efforts to stay away from the carbs I received this complimentary bite-sized loaf. I think it may be a custom to eat bread with most meals in France.  

I love sun-dried tomoatoes!  This is cute, no? 

I also received complimentary dressing in this little sachet. Awesome, right??

un pizza aux champignons

Hello!
Just a quick post from France!
Today I arrived in Lyon ready to start a 3 week project on making a travel brochure about the city. It's a project with 12 other members so I'm really looking forward to getting to know them all as well as the city! I will try to blog about stuff I've learned or have picked up during my time here and I will also try and get as many snaps of the place as possible!

But overall, today has mostly been about getting here and meeting everyone. The weather is lovely here, a definite pleasant change from the miserable London weather (although I hear the sunshine is back?!). From what I've seen so far, the city is also quite lovely. As there was no food in the apartments a couple of us went for a walk to see what was available. Because it's a Sunday there wasn't much open apart from a few fast food places and small grocery shops. I managed to catch the boulangerie just in time before it shut and bought a bag of six croissants for 2 euros! How awesome is that! I also bought a pizza on the way back and gobbled it down, 'cause, y'know, it just had to be done!


Just off the top of my head I'm aware that Lyon is located in the east of France and is one of the largest cities, alongside Paris and Marsielle, and is very well renowned for its gastronomy and culinary heritage. I am very excited about this part and cannot wait to try out some of the local cuisine.
I've also read that the city has a strong Roman heritage as it was one of the former capitals, Gaul, during the Roman empire. The ruins of an ancient roman theatre is located somewhere in the centre of the city so I really hope we get the chance to check that out!

But for now, I'm really looking forward to climbing into bed! I believe I have an early start tomorrow with group orientation and stuff, so that's all I have for now folks! 
Thanks for reading!
x

Just some (slightly) overexposed photos