Food and more food!

Food is an integral part of travel. It teaches you most about culture of the place. Here are a few of my lovely travel food memories.

Basque Country Creme Brulee, Granja Viader, Ramblas, Spain (Very popular sweet shop, had to wait for 15 minutes to get in)

Strawberry Cheesecake

Patatas Bravas and Sangria, Barcelona, Spain

Baby Squid - Pinotxo Bar, La Boqueria Market, Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain

Basque Country Cuisine - Pintxos and Montaditos at Sagardi, El Born, Barcelona, Spain

Fresh Sea Food at La Paradeta Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain (You buy the fish and then they cook it for you)

Pierogis (Traditional Polish Dumplings) in Warsaw, Poland

Zapienkanka - Warsaw Poland

Chocolate cake at E Wedel in Krakow,Poland. One should not miss this.

Gofry (Waffles) with apple and blueberry sauce in Gdansk, Poland

Belgian Blond Beer in Bruges, Belgium

Cranachan in Edinburgh, Scotland

Traditional smoked salmon in Gdansk, Poland

Cherry Beer in Ghent, Belgium (My favourite)

Traditional Pasta in Florence, Italy (Was indeed very fresh and no frills)

Belgian Fries with Samurai Sauce in Bruges, Belgium

The strongest beer I have ever had. Guinness in Dublin, Ireland. Next on the list is O' Harris :)

The best Vietnamese food ever! In Warsaw, Poland.

 Flemish Cuisine at Bruges, Belgium

Flavoured Vodka Shots in Warsaw, Poland

For one of the biggest unsolved art thefts, visit Ghent

We had very little time as our trip to Belgium was a very short one. To stop or not to stop at Ghent was the big question. Since it is mid-way between Bruges and Brussels we decided to make a quick stop at the St.  Bavo’s Cathedral. I was so eager to see the ‘Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by Jan Van Eyck since the time I had seen the movie ‘Monuments Men’. It is the first greatest oil painting.  I had already seen a few works on Jan Van Eyck in the Groeninge Museum in Bruges and was very impressed with the detail. The beauty of Flemish art lies in its detail and the tiny brush strokes. The ‘Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ is a spectacular oil painting depicting the ‘A to Z’ of Christianity. It is very much in the league of David, Mona Lisa, Sistine Chapel, La Primavera, Birth of venus and other italian masterpieces.  There is a 45 minute tour which explains you everything about the painting so it wouldn’t make sense for me to explain the painting here. However, there are many fascinating stories associated with the ‘Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’

 

·         It is regarded as one of the most important paintings in history

·         It is one of the most stolen art pieces. It was stolen seven separate times.

·         A part of the painting ‘Just Judges’ is still stolen and what you see in the St. Bavo Cathedral is a duplicate. I have highlighted the part that is a duplicate in blue and red stars.

·         The piece remains stolen for over 80 years now and till date a detective from the Ghent Police works on this case.

·         Hitler was obsessed about this altar piece and stole it during World War II. It was later recovered in a salt mine in Germany by the Monuments Men along with Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child.

·         The last thing heard about the missing panel was that it rests in a place where no one can take it away without arousing the attention of the public.
 

There is a book about this as well called 'Stealing of the Mystic Lamb'. It is on my reading list. Who would think that you would get to learn about an art heist while traveling? Can't wait to know what story my next travel destination unravels.

Cranachan - Whipped Cream and Whiskey is delectably lethal!

On a lovely Sunday evening, I decided to skip my tea in search for the perfect dessert in Edinburgh. And as luck would have it I found the perfect Scottish dessert which wasn't a sugar overdose. No offense, but it is hard to have more than two bites of the tablet. Here is a lovely travel tip, skip the tablet, even the haggis but you must try the Cranachan. It is a traditional Scottish dessert made with whipped cream, whiskey, fresh Scottish raspberries, honey and toasted oats. I have no clue of the whiskey they use, but the combination of whipped cream, honey and whiskey is delectably lethal. And surprisingly not many Scots know of this dessert. I get a 'crazy, ignorant woman look' when I tell them that I love the Scottish dessert Cranachan :) And if you really like the cranachan, try the cranachan ice-cream. It is my favourite ice-cream flavour along with rum raisin (which you get a lot in Italy).

 

How beer saved lives?

Well, while travelling you come across interesting stories. This one is particularly good and deserves a mention. My knowledge about beer is extremely limited but you can’t help acquire some interest in beer when you are in Belgium. They have the largest variety in beer and a glass for each type of beer. Do a brewery tour and you get to know the most interesting part about the popularity of beer . 

Saint Arnold is the saint of all Belgian breweries. Around the 16^th century, plague was widespread in Europe. Saint Arnold urged people to drink beer instead of water. The water is boiled at very high temperatures during the preparation of beer thus making it hard for any bacteria/virus to survive. He thus saved a lot of lives, was proclaimed as the saint of Belgian breweries and has a day named after him (St. Arnold's feast day is 14th August). Pretty interesting, right?

Talking of Beer 101, a local explained to us the thumb rules for trying different types of beer. I have listed them below:

1.       You shouldn’t mix different colors of beer. So either stick to blond, amber, brown or black

2.       The alcohol content increases as the color darkens. This one is pretty obvious.

3.       For people who love breaking rules and are planning to break the first one mentioned here, if you wish to mix beers, start with the light colored one and then progress to the dark one.

Also if in Bruges, I highly recommend Cabrinas. They have an amazing selection of beer.

We tried the award winning Flemish golden blond beer ‘Brugse Zot’ which means Fool of Bruges….I love how the Flemish name things. A street after a donkey and now a beer after a fool.  Extremely creative!

And I save the best for the last, the beer that I loved the most.  “Cherry Beer” it is. I had almost three of them. And I typically stop at two. Among all the fruit beers I have tried, Cherry Beer tops the list. Can’t wait to have it again :)

In Pictures - Why Bruges should be your next travel destination?

Bruges is the quintessential medieval Disneyland with a main street named after a donkey J.  The latter part is very bizarre. It is a very gorgeous city and thankfully not as touristy as Venice. Click a picture and even a photographer as bad as I am, manages to get a pretty picture. It is a perfect destination for couples. It is inherently romantic. Most locals here are Flemish. For those like me who don’t know what Flemish is? It is a language closest to Dutch as explained to me by one of the locals. 

When you step into the main market square in Bruges, a lovely bell tower greets you.

Climb 366 steps of this gorgeous tower and the view is totally worth it. The below pictures stand testimony to it.

Aimlessly stroll around and admire the houses here which are colorful and have a fairy tale like quality to them.  

Take a boat cruise and see the spectacular city.

On the boat cruise you can also see Marilyn Monroe’s house

And even say hello to the over fed ducks J

See the gorgeous Church of our Lady

A visit inside is recommended because it has Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child. It is the only structure created by Michelangelo that left Italy. The way it is placed it looks smaller than it is unlike the David. Also, if you have seen Monuments Men, it was referenced as one of the key art pieces that Nazis stole and it was eventually recovered in a salt mine in Germany. 

Take a brewery tour at De Halve Maan Brewery and taste some heavenly beer (This one won so many awards as well). I have taken other brewery tours and I highly recommend this one. I will write a separate note on beer. Too much to explain in this one :)

The Belgian art is very detailed. See some paintings by Jan Van Eyck in the Groeninge Museum. For his ultimate masterpiece (Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) a visit to Ghent is needed.

From picturesque landscapes to a boat cruise to seeing a Michelangelo and enjoying Belgian beer, Belgian waffles, Belgian fries (they have it with mayo, I prefer the ketchup or the curry sauce) and Belgian chocolate (available in the most bizarre flavors like tobacco), Bruges is a vacation destination that is very hard to resist. 

In Pictures - Does the Grand Place in Brussels (Belgium) live up to it's name?

I was in Brussels, Belgium last week and was really excited to see 'The Grand Place'. After all it is rated as one of  the best squares of Europe. Having seen a number of squares in Europe, I rarely get impressed immediately. And same was the case with Grand Place. I was a little underwhelmed when I saw it during the day. But luckily I decided to give it an another chance at night. I am extremely glad that I did so, as it is indeed one of the most beautiful squares at night. So a travel tip would be to visit the Grand Place at night, the pictures below might give you an idea whether it is worth it or not?