Christmas Food Around the World

Ah Christmas time again. The time of stuffing your face and suffering from heartburn. When you watch TV, it is all about the food at Christmas time. Having lived in a few countries, I have had Christmas dinners in different shapes and sizes consisting of lots of different dishes. A good time to

Growing up in the Netherlands, Sinterklaas was a bigger event than Christmas, but it didn't really come with food. Unless you count candy as food, there are the spiced biscuits also known as pepernoten, the taai taai or ginger biscuits and lots of marzipan. Christmas dinner was usually a cook your own in the fondue pot. Lots of fun guaranteed especially when the bits of meat got lost in the grease.

Photo by Thomas under Creative Common Licence

24 Hours in Philadelphia

When I flew back from Florida about a year ago, I got stuck for 24 hours in Philadelphia due to massive dumpings of snow. Thanks to US Airways/ American Airlines (who offered the rudest service ever and no accommodation or any form of food or drink) I was put on a flight the next day, so I thought I'd make the most of my additional holiday day. Here’s what I got up to.

Betsy Ross Museum in Philadelphia

Americans love their flag. I don't think there is any other country in the world that pledges allegiance to it every morning. Heck, there is even a museum dedicated to its maker, Betsy Ross in historic Philadelphia. Of course I went to see it.

Coffee Spots in Philadelphia

Last weekend on my way back from Florida to London, I found myself looking for coffee spots in Philadelphia. I had missed my connection and got stuck there for 24 hours. (Boohoo USAirways!) However, I made good use of my unexpected layover and went for a wander around town.

Having been to the City of Brotherly Love many times, I never really took a fancy to it. I always found it to be one of those American cities with a soulless centre. Except for the historic part of course. But this time one thought kept running through my mind: When did Philadelphia become cool? I found lots of trendy brunch places, cool coffee spots, indy shops and stylish eateries. 

Since brunch and coffee were the only meals I consumed that day, here's my little roundup of where I went.

The Tenement Museum in New York

The Tenement Museum showcases the history of New York immigration through the real experiences of people who settled on and around Orchard Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Photo by Adam Fagen under Creative Common Licence

New Year's Eve Around the World

If you like to travel then chances are you've probably spent a few New Year's Eves under foreign skies. I know I have.

In 2001 I spent it on Times Square where after hours and hours of braving the extreme cold, we finally got to see that infamous ball drop at midnight. The atmosphere was great and there was lots of entertainment throughout the night, but one New Year's Eve in numbing temperatures is enough.

Photo by Anthony Quintano under Create Common Licence

Socrates Sculpture Park Astoria, NY

As a New Yorker living in Astoria I never bothered to check out the Socrates Sculpture Park. So all the more reason to go and have a look as a tourist.

Sinterklaas in Rhinebeck

Everyone in Holland knows that after having left presents in every Dutch child's shoe on the 5th of December, Saint Nicolas quietly returns home to Spain. However, not many Dutch people know that he does this by making a little U-turn to Rhinebeck in New York. Having grown up with this utterly Dutch tradition, I thought that was something I needed to check out.

Review of The Jane Hotel NYC

I'm in NYC and staying at The Jane Hotel in The West Village. Nothing to write a blog post about, you might think, if it wasn't for the fact that I stayed at the same hotel about 20 years ago.

View from the Queensboro Bridge in NY

                       This photo of Manhattan Skyline is courtesy of TripAdvisor

A new month means a new bloggers' link up with Runaway Kiwi, Adventures of a London Kiwi and 80 Pairs of Shoes and this time the topic is what was THE moment you needed to pinch yourself on your travels.

Now with the risk of sounding blase, the more you travel, the fewer these moments get. So for my travel pinch me moment I have to travel back in time. For me it happened in New York City. It wasn't really a holiday and it wasn't even the first time I was in the Big Apple, but it sure counts as a 'pinch me moment'.

                        This photo of Manhattan Skyline is courtesy of TripAdvisor

 In 2001 I left Amsterdam to live and work in New York as a rep for a touroperator. The company had put me and my co-workers up in an apartment in Astoria, just across the East River from Manhattan. My daily commute usually consisted of a subway  ride to and from work, but my first night out turned into a late one I decided to take a cab home.

Now normally a tax ride home after a night of cocktails is nothing to write a blog post about, but this one took me across the Queensboro Bridge that links the island of Manhattan with Long Island. The ramp onto the bridge is hidden between towering high-rises on 59th street and when you ascend the bridge here it almost feels like your soaring between the tower blocks. The minute we hit the top level of the bridge I turned around and watched the most famous skyline in the world grow wider and wider. I sat there back to front in the backseat in that cab till we turned off the bridge into Long Island City and the skyline disappeared behind Queens' urban sprawl.

                        This photo of Manhattan Skyline is courtesy of TripAdvisor

But really, if I'm honest, my 'pinch me moment' should actually be plural as I probably took that ride about a hundred times and every single time I would turn around in my seat and take in that view. For as long as I was living in Queens that taxi ride home never got old.

My Most Memorable Trips

What do you do when you are not going away for a while and the weather at home only makes you want to crawl into bed and sleep till spring? You go through old boxes of photos from trips gone by. Yes, my travel adventures predate the digital era. Reminiscing about past trips is the perfect remedy to forget the wind and rain, but I won't bore you with listing all of the trips that passed by over the weekend, so here is my top 5.

St Maarten

Buenos Aires

Working for American Airlines ten years ago, allowed me to travel to exotic places for next to nothing. Now when you have cheap tickets at your disposal, you tend to go on whirlwind. I went shopping in NYC for one day, travelled to Tokyo for a long weekend, but my most memorable airline staff trip was when I flew to Buenos Aires for a friend's birthday party. It was only a three day trip, but besides showing up at the party dressed as Super Woman, we managed to see the grave of Eva Peron in the Recoleta cemetery, go out in the  Santelmo area and taste empanadas and dance a little tango in La Boca.

Tokyo

Another one of those memorable staff trips was a round the world in one weekend trip to Tokyo. Three of my friends flew out on ANA across Asia and discovered the weird and wonderful Japanese culture, before flying back home on American Airlines via Chicago. We did get some weird looks from fellow travellers when they asked us how long we were travelling for.

Cuba

There was a nomadic life before my travel career and when I was a student I was looking for a holiday as a newly single girl and decided to learn Spanish in Cuba. I stayed with a Cuban family and enjoyed private lessons in my teacher's home, which allowed me to see what day to day Cuban life is really like. Something you don't normally get to experience when staying in a 5 star resort.

Northern Ireland

When I was living in Ireland I went on a three day tour of Northern Ireland. We saw a few natural and urban gems, but what made this trip one I still remember vividly was the visual division between the two religions wich really came to life during a tour of Belfast in a black cab tour. You only realise the segregation in cities such as Belfast and Londonderry/Derry when you see it with your own eyes.

NYC

Number 5 maybe doesn't count as a trip as I was living in NYC at the time, but I will not forget the summer of 2001 any time soon. I was living in Queens, working a season as a holiday rep for an inbound tour-operator on 11th September. Luckily I was at home and none of my friends and colleagues were hurt, but those days were probably the most scary and uncertain of my life.

So there you have it. My 5 most memorable trips taken over the past 20 years. Happy ones and shocking ones, but memorable either way.

My Travel Wish List for 2014

Photo by Patrick Mayon off Flickr

Wow 2013 has flown by and I am sure 2014 will be no different. Looking back at all the places I went to last year, It’s been a good year. I started the year in Amsterdam, went to see the ruins in Pompeii, got washed off the beaches in Spanish Basque country, toured Andalucía, Eurostarred it to Lille, climbed Ben Nevis in Scotland, explored Hong Kong and China, visited friends in Berlin and finished the year eating Christmas dinner with my family back home in Holland. Not bad, if I say so myself. But a new year calls for New Year’s resolutions and since mine always seem to be travel related, I thought to join in with Emma from Adventures of a London Kiwi and Kelly from 80 Pairs of Shoes and create a travel wish-list for 2014. So here goes:

Newcastle in Feb

Not the most exotic of places, you might think, but I will be attending a bloggers conference here organised by Travelmassive. I’ve never been to Newcastle, so I’m very curious to explore a bit of this Geordie city. And time permitting, perhaps take in a chunk of Hadrian’s Wall while I’m up there.

Seoul in March

I've heard it is very much like Japan, and since I loooooved visiting Tokyo, I can’t wait to explore this quirky Asian metropolis.

Europe or Britain some time this year

This one is still up in the air, but since I’m a newby at Trafalgar Tours, I will be going on a famil to somewhere in Europe. Watch this space.

Lake District April or May

Having climbed Snowdon in 2012 and Ben Nevis in 2013, 2014 I shall be climbing Scafell Pike. It should be a piece of cake given that it is the lowest of the UK’s three peaks, but let’s see.

Hudson Valley in December

I love the Hudson Valley, especially when taking a train from Albany to NYC. But this year I would like to go for a different reason all together. I’d like to attend the St Nicolas celebrations in Rhinebeck, New York. Dutch colonists left many traces in the Hudson Valley and these St Nicolas celebrations are an example of that. I’d really like to see how this traditionally Dutch holiday is celebrated across the pond.

Kerala in August

This will be a trip of firsts: My first time to India and my first press trip as a travel blogger.

I’m sure this list will look a lot different when I look back at 2014 on the 31^st of December, but wherever I will end up going, 2014 will be a fabulous travel year. Just like 2013.

Trainline along the Hudson River

My favourite mode of transportation has to be the train, but my all time favourite train line is the Amtrak  ride along the Hudson River from Albany to NYC. It's a great alternative to a flight

I don't need to bring a book or have to be entertained by an on-board entertainment centre, I can just sit back, relax and spend the full 2-3 hours watching the changing landscapes pass by my window while the train meanders along the east bank of the Hudson, through the Hudson valley. Whatever the season, whatever the time of day and no matter how many times I've seen it, it still keeps taking my breath away. The rippling water of the river, the bobbing boats and of course the mesmerising backdrop of the rolling hills of the Hudson Valley.

Photo by Joseph a off Flickr

The train passes by several historical sites: Across the river you can spot the famous West Point military academy, you whizz by islands and national parks with intriguing names like Bear Mountain State Park and Storm King State Park. The villages and towns perched on the banks of the river bear names that the Dutch settlers left behind a long long time ago. Places like Stuyvesant, Cortlandt, Dutchmans Landing Park.

Photo by Randy OHC off Flickr

Just before the train reaches the Big Apple you can see the skyline of NYC popping in and out of view while the train moves around the corners of the bays and coves. The tunnels lined with rubbish thrown down from the streets in the Bronx, Harlem and Manhattan are a bit of an anti-climax and have their way of abruptly dragging you back into reality again, but they're also my cue that we're about to roll into Penn Station, the end of the line.

Photo by JMS2 off Flickr

Art Deco Tour in South Beach



Art Deco Tour in South Beach

On my last holiday to Miami I was ready to slip into my brand new bikini and soak up some of those Floridian rays; however when I woke up. Rather than moping around in the hotel lobby, I decided to go on an Art Deco Tour in South Beach.

Ceiling at post office

At the Art Deco Welcome Center I was told that the guided walking tour was not running that day so my other option was the self-guided tour which at USD15 was a good alternative. So with IPod in hand I started the tour.

It’s a very informative tour that tells you a lot about the history of South Beach, from its heyday in the 1930s to its decline in the 70s and 80s to the popular beach holiday destination it is now. Rather than walking around checking out the trendy bars, restaurants and local talent at eye level, it forces you to look up at the inspiring facades and appreciate their splendid heritage.

There’s only one downside to this self-guided audio tour; you do look a bit silly standing still in the middle of the pavement, mouth open, gawking at the historic art deco hotels. After two days of rain, the sun finally started peeping through the clouds and my bikini made it out of the suitcase and onto the beach after all.

A Sex and the City Tour in New York

A visit to a sex shop, power shopping on Bleecker Street, sipping on a cosmopolitan at a trendy East Village bar. It almost sounds like I am spending the day as an extra on the set of the upcoming second Sex and the City movie. The truth is not far off. In fact I am on a Sex and the City bus tour in New York. We are cruising around the city spotting locations from the TV series and the movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker as designer clad columnist Carrie Bradshaw who is trying to find her Mr Right.

Photo by  Kaysha under Creative Commons Licence

The tour is operated by a company called On Location Tours which was founded by Georgette Blau back in 1999. ‘Georgette started with a credit card and an idea’, as Lou, our tour guide puts it. They also run a Sopranos and a Gossip Girl tour.

But I picked the Sex and the City bus tour. As we drive by the first location which is the Plaza Hotel, I can’t help but wonder if hopping on a tour like this was a big mistake and that it’s going to be like a cheesy hen party on wheels. But all the ladies on the bus, which is pretty much everyone on the bus, are brimming with excitement. One young woman from the UK looks at her boyfriend, whom she obviously dragged on this tour against his will and says:’ I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see Buddakan, the restaurant where Carrie had her rehearsal party the night before she was supposed to get married to Mr Big. The place where she had the last single girl kiss.’ (Boyfriend rolls his eyes.)

Photo by Anthony Quintano under Creative Commons Licence 

Lou shows us numerous locations, such as the New York Library, where Carrie almost got married to Big, expensive designer shops that feature on the show, trendy bars, hip restaurants etc, etc. In between locations Lou throws out random SATC trivia and tests everybody’s SATC knowledge by asking questions to which the whole bus eagerly belts out the correct answers. These diehard fans really know their stuff. Before we get to a specific location, Lou shows us the accompanying scene on overhead monitors. But she doesn’t need to. Some of the girls on board the bus could probably talk along with the characters’ lines.

The power of the show was and still is incredible. Women all over the world want to copy the famous foursome; they want to buy, eat and drink the same things they did. Lou tells us when we get off the bus at the Pleasure Chest sex shop, that when Charlotte, another main character, bought The Rabbit here, the pink vibrator sold out instantly and the shop couldn’t keep up with demand for months on end. The same goes for stores such as Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik, two of Carries favourite shoe designers.

Photo by pietroizzo under Creative Commons Licence 

Or take the Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village where we are treated to a frosted cupcake. The bakery featured in an episode where Carrie and her friend Miranda sit outside the shop on a bench eating a cupcake while talking about Carrie’s new love interest Aidan. Ever since that episode aired, the cupcake bakery has a queue of eager customers that goes around the corner. Oh and don’t forget the Cosmopolitan? Who had heard of this drink before the show ever existed? Now anyone and everyone is drinking it.

Photo by Larry under Creative Common Licence

The same goes for the girls on this bus tour. They shop for vibrators, devour cupcakes and sip on a few cosmopolitans in the pub that staged as the bar that Aidan owned. And even though the girls on the bus tote fake Fendis and wear Gap instead of Gucci, they savour the experience of seeing these locations for real which is making them feel like Carrie and her friends for one afternoon.

It’s a very agreeable and different way to go sightseeing and it beats the generic open top city tours you see everywhere around the world these days.  This tour shows you many great shops, bars, cafes and restaurants you normally wouldn’t be able to find when you’re a tourist in New York.However, it might not be for everyone and one of the men on my bus actually said he would rather have sex in the bed than be on a Sex and the City bus tour. All in all, it’s a fun way to explore New York City. And if you’ve got one of those unwilling men on your hands, there is always the Sopranos tour.