Euro Travel & More

A friend who was heading up to Paris asked me where he should go eat – a must eat – in Paris and I recommended an outdoor cafe in Paris called the Au Petit Sud Quest – located at the  Avenue de la Bourdonnais.  If you can’t find your way there – check with your hotel concierge.   The prices range from $50 – $90 per person but it will be one of the best meal you’ve eaten anywhere.

What so special about this little outdoor cafe?  first you can sit indoors if you wished but I always choose to eat outside because of the beautiful scenery and all walks of people come by here.  The service is awesome and they have a very well stocked cellar in the cafe.  I loved the way they are so personable – while everyone says that in Paris – the french just don’t want to speak in other languages – but the owner of the cafe is very nice.  I speak very little french – but they were very kind to us. The best part was that they took time to explain to us about the dish and how it was cooked.  This place is about wine, duck and foie gras  and because I loved mushroom so much – they made a nice crepe with mushroom for me.  For dessert we had the creme brulee – what else!  so if you are headed out to Paris – check out this little cafe/restaurant.

One can choose to take a scenic flight on this small planes or a helicopter ride if you don’t want to spend hours on a bus tour – which was what we did.  We figured a helicopter ride would be more fun  we were traveling with kids – but a planer ride was just as good – according to my cousins who went up in a 4 engine plane with Scenic.We chose the Grand Canyon Deluxe and it was worth every penny we paid for. They pick you from your hotel and there were quite a number of people waiting for the same tour but of course different planes and helicopter – then they showed us some safety video and we were on our way.The Scenic flew us over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and finally the Grand Canyon – so if you are in Boulder – make sure you take book a tour to see the Grand Canyon.

Many years ago before I migrated to Canada – I used to do a lot of traveling for work – little did I know that when the spouse came to visit me in Asia – he too was not really having a vacation – he was traveling to find distributors and suppliers for his business.  Looking for gadgets, bearings , games and any electronic suppliers in Asia wasn’t easy at all, but we did walked the factory streets and went to the more remote factory distributors looking for them – not with a lot of success though.  I wasn’t prepared for all the walking that’s for sure – I was in heels, but if we were to travel for work now – it would be different altogether – for I would be wearing the best flats I can find.   So if we ever go on vacation with the spouse, you can be sure his interest is only to find distributors and suppliers for his work and not for pleasure.

A yoga retreat once a year is the best gift anyone can gift to their spouse/partner or even girlfriend and boyfriend.  The Horizon Ocean View Hotel and Yoga Center is heavenly.  The owners are very friendly and they really took care of us when we were there.  Food was great and it really revitalized us completely – I remembered telling myself that we will be back – the day we checked out.

This was our cabin during our vacation – we noticed a lot of couples and some honeymooners.

This is the tea cafe – we’ve enjoyed many daylights here.

Yoga room at the Horizon.

And our own personal pool that we dipped in a couple of times a day. The resort was huge and we were fed well – in different places every evening after our surfing classes, massages and yoga classes.  We also had horse riding sessions if we chose to and surfing was another sport we tried while we were there.  The meals were provided by the resort – you just use the meal vouchers.  This place is absolutely beautiful and definitely cheap – so cheap that I want to book my next trip even before I left.  Check out their website for more info.

Some of the best food in Hong Kong are found on the street – someone told me before I first visited Hong Kong – that you can forgo any kind of food in Hong Kong – but you have to taste all the street food in Hong Kong.  Not only are they cheap they are darn good.  Don’t be mislead that street food in Hong Kong isn’t clean – in fact – they are just as clean – or more than the high class restaurants that you go to in Hong Kong.   I loved the curry fishballs on skewer  and the octopus on skewer – and not forgetting the siew mai on skewer and sweet chilli sauce as well.

Made of flour and eggs – this is a local delicacy – for all Hong Kongers – it’s like an afternoon snack for them.

Fried Hor Fun may not be exactly street food – but you can find them in small chinese cafe in Hong Kong – they are definitely a must try – loved their dry hor fun.  Try the ones with sambal -  it’s in a pretty high class restaurant in Hong Kong – taste different but only if you like it hot.

Polo bun is a must when you are in Hong Kong – yummy to the max.

And my favorite red bean ice dessert – also another must eat and drink.

During the summer – a few girlfriends and myself with our kids were up in Shelburne, Nova Scotia for a visit – we’ve heard a lot about the pre-historical war re-enactment in the area and know that it is a loyalist settlement in Shelburne – so together with our kids – we headed up for a great afternoon of history lesson.

Shelburne, is but a little town in Nova Scotia – but it’s a charming little town with lots of scenery and historical charm and many historical building as well.  The people are very friendly – we soon found out and welcome us with open arms.

Everyone were dressed up like they were in the 1700s and they were even cooking like it was back those times – you can see children all dressed up and playing or snoozing.

We were invited for supper – which we politely declined – while watched how they prepare their food in the olden days.

And yes – they do sleep in those tents in the night – and camp out during the re-enaction period.

The children had fun playing with hay.

And this tent is their common area where they hang out after supper or for just resting.

All their clothes were sewn by themselves and the shoes were specially ordered.

They had real guns as well.

Roasting of meat here.

Showing how the gun works and cleaning it.

A very friendly lady all dressed up and doing kitchen duty for the day.

And a game of  tomahawk  – throwing a small axe.

Another little boy giving the axe a throw – we had a lot of  fun and would have stayed longer if not for the rain – that started pouring.

Yokohama’s Chinatown is huge – plenty of Chinese restaurant and they even have a store that can read your palm – some sort of feng shui master.  You can take a train from Tokyo to Yokohama – it’s like 45 mins if i remembered correctly. Chinatown in Yokohama opens at about 10am in the morning right up to 10pm in the evening – most stores and restaurants I am told are opened everyday.

The Chinatown here in Yokohama is as busy as the one in San Francisco.

Folks lining up to buy BBQ Pork bun – are they better than the ones in Japan – yup!! very yummy ! very smooth !

These sesame balls were so yummy! and as you can see – they were unlike the ones we get back home in Asia – where they are so oily – these were absolutely delicious without feeling sinful at all.  But there are more than just food in Yokohama’s Chinatown – there are gift stores, clothing store and even a food court if I remember correctly.  Find a shrine in yokohama chinatown and make your wish come true as well.

Another souvenir store – selling all sorts of panda.  They weren’t kidding when they said the Japanese loved their pandas.

We stayed at the Westin Hotel in Halifax during our last trip up to the city and since Westin was rated as a 4 star hotel we were actually looking forward to checking out the hotel.  Located at the South end of Halifax – near the waterfront – it’s not as convenient as the Barrington Delta or the Sheraton Four Points but it was still a pretty decent place to stay at.

The Westin had a huge lobby and it’s especially great for businessmen since they need to receive their guests here – over here is where you can find the bell hop/concierge desk – but as you can see here – no bell hop or concierge is in sight.  But that doesn’t mean that they are not around.  The bell hops are friendly but since the hotel was running on full house – they were in and out of the hotel.  I would have thought that there would be a permanent concierge for such a big hotel but we didn’t see any during our 2 days stay there.

The front desk area is large and usually there are a few front desk clerk available – either on the phone or checking in their guests.  Our check in was prompt and we were treated with respect but unfortunately, they did not hear that we need a room with a cot in it since we had a 7 yrs old with us.

The lobby is inviting as you can see here. There were several restaurants in the basement and a lounge area with free wifi – unfortunately, the hotel was so packed we didn’t get a chance to check it out.

Our first room was too small for a cot – so we asked for a change of room – the second day – which they did.  Unfortunately, they gave us a handicap room – with no tub – so my poor kid did not bathe the night before we went home.   Everything was just weird for us in the handicap room.  The bathroom was small and had no counter top space and the heater didn’t really work right at all.

They brought the cot up after we spoke to the housekeeping maid on the floor – unfortunately, they didn’t have the right sheets for the cot – and we had to ask again for them.

We didn’t even get to go to the pool because the kid got sick from sleeping on the floor the first night and the second night the heater wouldn’t come on.  But service was good – they did try to help but if given a choice we won’t stay at the Westin because it is a old hotel – grand but dusty to max.

While the rest of the world are planning for a winter vacation during Christmas – can you guess where I will be heading for this Christmas?  I’m definitely not having a white Christmas – because I’m going somewhere sunny and with sand and the beach.   You really can’t blame me for wanting to be somewhere warm this winter – for I’ve been here for 12 years to-date – and had been spending Christmas in the freezing cold.   My christmas stockings may not be near a fire place – but it will be filled with goodies like always – so if you are planning a Christmas vacation away from home – now is the time to start looking.

There are many great destination during Christmas time – and Cancun plus Havana are always crowded with Canadian and American tourists this time of the year.  We are booking earlier this year – because we are bringing our extended family with us for a week long vacation – just sipping mojitos and margaritas  with massages and sun.  I had thought about going back to Asia during Christmas time – but i figured Asia is best when it is the coldest here in Canada – in February.   We are not going to be opening our christmas stockings or bringing any presents with us during Christmas – but when we get home – we can all open our presents.  Time to go look for a travel agent.

I was looking for a hotel to stay in the city for next week – for a few days – when all the hotels that I wanted to stay in downtown Halifax was completely booked.   I usually booked thru’ Hotel.ca – but this time – they didn’t have the right offer for me – so I went searching for another alternative and came across this unique set up – called the Airbnb – and you can get rooms or the entire apartment at the price range you like – and the location that you are searching for because – they connect the people who have a room or house or apartment to spare – to people who like myself are looking for a specific kinda place, locality and price to stay in.

What’s unique about this arrangement is – you get to connect with the people who really owns the place and it’s pretty casual – or private if you choose to – and most of the places I’ve viewed are awfully unique – the decor of the place – and the hospitality shown online – is pretty incredible.  I loved the setup and am going to try airbnb out soon and let you know how everything worked out – so stay tuned.