Chocolate Box Country

Over the Easter break, we decided to keep it local, so we rented a car and made our way up to the Cotswolds for the long weekend.  Renowned for its picture-perfect scenery, good enough to be put on the front of a chocolate box, we were keen to take long walks, maybe cycle a bit and take in the spring views.

We arrived late in the afternoon on the Thursday and, after a brief detour through some fields to get some cell phone reception, were greeted at the recently opened Longmeadow B&B by the owners carrying a tray of freshly brewed coffee and plates of Victoria sponge...  Delicious!  That sponge ultimately constituted our dinner.

Throughout the weekend, we pottered around the various villages, ate cream tea (what is the deal with clotted cream? How is it so scrummy?) and basically just chilled out. 

Our first stop was the comparatively large Chipping Campden, just down the road.  We gave the Badger Tea Rooms a go...  but kind of wish we hadn't, and stumbled the Campden Gallery exhibiting the works of Kurt Jackson, who we both liked (!!!).  Sadly, the paintings stayed on the gallery wall - we weren't prepared to part with the 23 grand required to obtain our favourite piece!

After that, Burton-on-the-Water and Snowshill (Bridget Jones was apparently filmed here) stand out as being particularly gorgeous.  For all the villages, it seems as though there's a building dress-code.  You must be made of a certain yellow and veined type of stone, you must have daffodils planted in your garden, thatched roof optional.

nom nom NOM NOM NOOOOOM

The food was a mixed bag, but when it was good, it was very very good.  The Ebrington Arms was a particular highlight.  I still dream of my duck liver parfait starter....  Mmmmmmmm, gooooooooooooood.  No wonder we only just scored a table!

The Cotswolds also has a castle, Broadway Tower.  So we climbed it.  Turns out, its had a varied past...  Thanks to its both picturesque and remote location, it has been favoured by local artists and was used during the Cold War to monitor nuclear fall out, with easy access to its own nuclear bunker.  Two things that I'm sure don't often go together.

Other than that, we pretty much ate chocolate...  Easter eggs were delivered with our breakfast on Easter Sunday, which was brilliant.  Religious festival = observed.

On our way back to London, we thought we'd swing by Stonehenge and take a look.  The massive queue and the 14 quid entry fee kind of put us off, so we followed the other cheap skates down the nearby country lane that offered fair-middling views without the price tag.  Whatever, it's ticked off the list!

A very relaxing and enjoyable weekend, really.  A good build up to our next adventure in Italy...

TTFN
M&K

In Bruges

Melissa:  Sweetie, where do you want to go for your birthday?
Kyle:  I want to go to Bruges and drink Belgian beer all weekend.

Well, alright then.

Head over we did, with VP and Dom for a beer-soaked weekend in the Flemish countryside at the end of March. Arriving on Friday night, we had just enough time for a late meal at Christophe, before heading off to bed.

The next morning we started exploring Bruges properly.  We wandered through the (cough) four streets soaking up the atmosphere.  Having had a pretty mild winter, spring was starting to flex its muscles so it was really lovely - quiet, still and low key.

Turns out, you CAN have too much mayo

Lunch consisted of the famous frites soaked in mayonnaise.  And when I say soaked....  We needed this fortifying nourishment as we were about to embark on our first bike tour in over a year.  Four hours through the countryside with a guy who took exception to Kyle's pink shorts. 

Picturesque warfare residue

It was fantastic.  We saw operational windmills, canals built by Napoleon and a farmer herding his flock of sheep.  Randomly, we also were introduced to the local cattle, famous because they have been bred to produce offspring so huge that the cows can't give birth without surgical help.  So they all have visible scars from their caesarean sections...  Weird!  But interesting!  To top it all off, we stopped in a wee village called Damme for a beer and a real Belgian waffle topped with chocolate ice cream.  Amazing.

 

After a wee rest, we were back on the streets for some dinner. It was at this point that the birthday boy really started to see out his aim for the weekend.  Beers were sampled while food was consumed.  We roamed the streets and found a couple of bars, one which was practically underground and had to be entered via a very low, almost Hobbit-door. Eventually, one poor beer was pushed under a table to hide it from view...  but, alas, it was too late.

The next morning, we quietly rose and gently made it to a cafe for a coffee and a croissant.  We were then rudely serenaded by an idiot constantly blowing his whistle whilst strutting about with a bass drum strapped to his stomach.  Just what we needed.  Kyle especially was not amused.

Sunday morning punishment

Not to be deterred, we made our way to our lunch reservation.  Unable to get a table for dinner at this place the night before, we settled for a three course lunch instead.  VP, Dom and I had a marvellous meal.  Kyle enjoyed his half an apple juice.  

Only I found this funny at the time.

Then, there was just time for a final wander through the streets.  We made it into the courtyard of the bell tower, but none of us could really face the queue or the climb up to the top.  Thank goodness we didn't have time.  Instead, one of our party took the opportunity to have a wee power nap, which seemed to have an amazing restorative effect.  Suddenly perky, it was time to head back to train station and return to London.


Overall, a good time had by all but, sometimes, you have to be careful what you wish for.

M&K

Summer Down South

New Year's Eve 2013 was spent at 10,000 feet winging our way home to ole Un-Zud for the first time in two years.  The cherry on the top was that the flight attendants were handing out Singapore Slings.  Fantastic.

Invited to attend the beautiful wedding of one of Kyle's school mates and his stunning bride in Petone also gave us the long awaited opportunity to catch up with friends and family.  Not to mention sample some of the countries finest wares that are no longer at our finger tips.

Tip top - we love you.

After a few days of rain of the kind we'd not experienced since we'd left, Wellington thankfully put on a pearler for Dave's special day - where we took part in our first ceilidh! 

It was a jam packed 10 days.  We visited as many people as we could, saw how children had grown and met the new ones who'd arrived (all over the place - honestly, is there something in the water???).  Mum was brilliant at helping us cross all our culinary requirements off the list and we visited a few of our favourite old haunts too.  Big shout out to the pepper steak pie on the drive round the bays.

On our way back to the UK, we stopped off in Singapore for a few days to break up the trip and to have a look around at the Chinese New Year festivities.

Year of the Horse

Only our second visit to an Asian country, we got amongst the food and drink, including the eye-poppingly good, bright purple dragonfruit juice and resident dish, chilli crab.

And the sights and sounds.  We visited the Singapore Zoo night safari, wandered down Orchard Road and past the waterfront, complete with Merlion.

All in all, it was a good couple of weeks away.  Fantastic to see everyone again, even if it was only for a very short while.