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Abu Dhabi - My New Home

What a great place to call home -- for now, that is!

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, an oasis of peace in the middle of the most volatile region in the world. I find the city extremely beautiful with modern infrastructure and parks at every corner. It's also very safe even though there are people from probably around 125 countries living here.

Here are a few images of this wonderful city. 

The beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the biggest in the world, is gorgeous and a must-see. The mosque visit is free (prayer time allowing) but ladies must wear the black abaya and shyela, and no shorts for men. 

Corniche Road with Lulu Island and the Persian Gulf in the horizon.

Corniche Beach with Marina Mall and the Abu Dhabi Theatre across the pond.

The Sheikh Zayed Bridge is one of the 3 bridges that connects Abu Dhabi City (which is an island) to the mainland.

The Emirates Palace, probably the most expensive hotel in the world (building costs rumored to be around $3.8 billion). One night can set you back a few hundred dollars.  

Jumeirah at Etihad Towers. A new set of hotel, residential and office skyscrapers very close to the marina.

I'll be posting more pictures soon as I discover the rest of the emirate. Watch out for it. 

La Mere Brazier - a culinary institution in the heart of Lyon

Lyon has the best restaurants in the world.  It's the home of gourmet legend, chef Paul Bocuse and his legendary school, the Institut Paul Bocuse, alma mater of many Michelin star chefs the world over.

So since I consider Lyon my second home, I thought it was just right that I sample Lyonnais cuisine and have lunch at the place that started it all--La Mere Brazier, the restaurant where Paul Bocuse began his culinary training.

The place was opened by Eugenie Brazier in 1921 and was awarded three Michelin stars in 1933. Now it is helmed by chef Mathieu Viannay who has two Michelin stars notched on his belt. He was nice enough to pose for a picture for me.

The restaurant's interiors are really sophisticated yet traditionally French.

 Breadsticks before we begin a meal.

The amuse bouche

My appetizer, cannelloni de gambas et legume croquants au gingembre et citron verte (what a mouthful, literally and figuratively!).

My main course, paleron de boeuf rossini, carottes multicolores.

Fromage affines.

Macaroons and chocolates.

And my dessert, parfait a la chartreuse verte.

Candy, nougat and marshmallows after dessert.

The menu de saison costs 67 euros but it's so worth it. Best lunch I've ever had!

Florence Part II: The Food...Burp

Warning. This blog entry is going to make you hungry. 

Florentine food is probably the best in the world and I'm not exaggerating. Aside from the usual pizza, pasta and gelato that you can find in every corner, Florence boasts of some signature dishes that are oh so yummy and made of natural ingredients from the hillsides of Tuscany. If you find yourself at a loss on where to eat in this food-filled city, just follow the locals. They'll know where to go.

Here are a few places that were highly recommended. 

Best Pizza: Gusto Leo

You can find a lot of pizzas in cafeterias and restaurants around the Duomo that look like this.

One slice is 3.50 Euros and is OK if you're on a very tight budget. They taste quite good and have fresh ingredients but somehow still lack the authentic feel. 

That's why you need to go to Gusto Leo. 

 

Recommended by one of the managers of our hotel, this restaurant is frequented by locals and tourists alike. A whole pizza is not too expensive, somewhere between 8 to 15 Euros depending on the toppings. Plus, they're heaven--as in melt-in-your mouth-I-want-another-slice-and-another-and-another heaven. Don't take my word for it. Go there and  order one. 

Gusto Leo also serves salads with nothing-can-be-fresher-than-these veggies

  

And the famous Florentine trippa (tripe) dish.

And let's not forget the dessert. If their pizza is heaven, their Tiramisu is divine. 

And I cried with joy when I tasted their strawberry panna cotta.

Sigh...

Back to reality. 

A meal for 4 (with dessert and wine) costs around 60 to 70 Euros which is not bad for a great meal. Gusto Leo is located in Via del Proconsolo in the historical center of Florence. 

Best Sandwich: Nerbone

You can try sandwiches in shops around the Duomo but nothing comes close to Nerbone's boiled beef sandwich, the panino con bollito. The beef is dipped in meat juices and cooked to perfection. 

Since the shop has been in business since 1874, eating this sandwich is like taking a bite out of Florentine history. Nerbone is located at the Mercato Centrale. Come early for lunch because it becomes really crowded and you almost have to fight in order to get a table. Otherwise you have to eat standing up like the old locals that frequent this shop.  

The sandwich costs around 5 Euros.

Best in Local Cuisine: Trattoria le Mossace

This place is literally a hole-in-the-wall. If you walk fast in the Via del Proconsolo, you'll miss it. It's small, cozy and filled to the brim with locals. Managed by the Fantoni-Manucci family for 50 years, this small restaurant serves probably the best local food in Florence. 

Their pezzatino fiorentino (beef drowned in some tomato sauce concoction) tastes great.

And I don't know what they did to the spinach but it sure is delicious. 

 

We also ordered their ribollita (vegetable and bread soup) which I failed to take a picture of. 

A meal for 4 with wine at Trattoria Le Mossacce costs around 50 Euros.   

And lastly

The Best Gelato: Vivoli

There's a gelataria (ice cream shop) for every five steps you take in Florence. Some of them serve very good gelato, others are just OK, but they all pale in comparison (even the famous GROM) to Vivoli.

Since the best ice cream in the world is in Florence and the best ice cream in Florence is Vivoli, then Vivoli must be the best ice cream in the world. And I totally agree. There's nothing quite like it.

Located in a small alley (a bit hard to find), the Via Isola delle Stinche, close to my favourite church, the Sta. Croce (more on that in a later post), Vivoli has been making homemade gelato since 1930. They make it in the morning and try to sell everything (which probably they do) before they close. So the gelato that you get is as fresh as can be. 

My favourites are the peach and dark chocolate flavours. And you should try the rice (yes, rice!) ice cream.  It's quite yummy and not what you expect it to be.

And it's cheap, too! The smallest cup (with one, two or three flavours) costs 1.50 Euros. 

It's been a month since I've been to Florence and I still crave for Vivoli gelato. Any gelato that I eat now will never be as good. You can ignore any of my food recommendations but please go to Vivoli. Otherwise, your Florence experience will never be complete. 

On to the sights of Florence in my next post.     

  

Florence Part 1

There's a famous French saying that goes, 'Visit Florence and die'.  If the inhabitants of the country that has the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame think so highly of this Italian city, then it must really be one hell of a beautiful place. As I have found out for myself, the French are totally right. Florence is bellissima indeed.

But before I wow you with the pictures, let's start with the logistics first, where to stay. I recommend the Hotel Medici Florence, a quaint 2-star hotel that charged us 55 euros a night. It's cheap, comfortable, clean and comes equipped with just the basics.    

Our room was on the 5th floor, which has a small terrace shared with other rooms. We didn't have any air conditioning and it was quite hot (we were there during the summer) but the terrace had this view. 

The Hotel Medici is just a corner away from the heart of Florence, the Cathedrale Sta Maria del Fiore, which you probably know by it's more famous name, the Duomo. 

So who needs aircon when you have this location and this view?  


There's also a rooftop terrace where you can eat your takeaway pizzas and gelatos while swooning at the Duomo

Or at the Palazzo Vecchio

The staff--Mauricio, some dreadlocked guy and a young guy in his early 20's--were really nice and made good recommendations about where to eat. The only setback is the parking. If you're going to Florence by car, be prepared to pay at least 20 euros for 24-hour parking. We stayed there for 3 days so we paid almost 100 euros (sigh). The hotel will arrange to have your car towed to a parking garage. You don't need a vehicle to go around Florence since everything worth seeing is within walking distance. 


Now that we're done with where to stay, I'll move on to another logistics in my next post, where to eat (mmmmmmm). 

A must watch - Beautiful Islands

Being a travelbug makes you appreciate the Earth more.  After seeing some of the natural and man-made wonders our world has to offer, I told myself to make an effort to save our planet even in my own small way.  


This movie caught my attention because it focuses on 3 islands that are already sinking because of global warming --Tuvalu in the South Pacific, Venice in Italy and Shishmaref in Alaska. It features mainly the people who live on the islands, their peaceful lives, festivals and traditions, as well as beautiful landscapes, all in danger of being wiped out once the sea water rolls in. The director, Kana Tomoko intentionally did not put any narration or music in the film in order for viewers to be more enmeshed into the island life.    


I don't know when they are showing this film in the country where I live (or probably on DVD). But I definitely want to watch it. 


Our world is such wonderful place.  I'm very thankful that I'm lucky enough to have the means to travel and see so much of our beautiful planet. But if we keep up our destructive habits, there, eventually, won't be anything to see. So let's do our part and take care of our Earth.  

A Traveloka must have a great camera

My husband and I finally said goodbye to our old Canon Ixus and bought ourselves the Canon S90. Although our old camera served us well (bless its mechanical heart), we were getting a bit tired of having just a few options when it comes to shooting pictures. And if you're an avid traveler, that's not really cool.  

We were deciding between the S90 and the G11, but eventually size won. We loved the fact that the S90 is a small, point and shoot camera that has almost all the features of a pro. So you get the best of both worlds. After all, I don't want to walk around lugging a pound of metal that once I haul out of my bag whatever I wanted to shoot has already gone away. Plus, reviews of this camera are crazy. People are raving about it. And now I'm raving about it, too!

Here's a picture of my meditation pillow and mala beads in color

and in black and white.

Close-up of a donut. 

Portrait shot at night.

Changkat Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur at dusk

and at night.

Indoor shot of Pavilion Mall in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur's famous Jalan Bukit Bintang during noontime.

Jalan Alor, the famous food street in KL. 

Pictures are not that great yet. Still experimenting with the S90 so expect better travel pictures soon!