It was much colder today so it was a good time to leave Berlin.

I had checked us into our flights online and we packed and prepared to leave by 10am for our 12:10 flight.

The share car today was an Audi and it was about a 30 minute trip to Brandenburg Airport. It was very busy and we realised that we had to make our way to Terminal 2 – the low budget area of the airport. Of course we chose the security queue that took the longest and we both had items diverted for a closer inspection. The whole process took about 30 minutes! 

We had picked up some sandwiches and a beverage for the flight and went to the gate. Ryanair is a budget airline so the whole experience is low budget. 

They made us wait for a long time inside and then we had to queue outside to get on the plane for another 15 minutes in freezing temperatures. 

I had booked seats when I bought the tickets and noticed that seat 2A did not have a seat in front of it so I put Scott in that one and he appreciated the ability to stretch his legs during the flight. 

During this flight I observed an interesting series of events. Apparently the seat belt sign has to come on when the captain is outside the cockpit. So he’s chatting to the attendant for a good 10 minutes. While the seatbelt sign is on, no one can go to the toilet… so he keeps chatting with the attendant while they are turning people away who want to use the facilities. So then the captain goes to the toilet …. with the seat belt sign on!!! There was no turbulence and  then he comes out and keeps chatting. Another person goes to go to the toilet but is turned back because the captain is still outside the cockpit.  A female attendant emerges from the cockpit where the co-pilot was and the captain goes back in. The seatbelt sign is then turned off! A total of 20 minutes denial of service!

The landing was smooth and we were piled onto a bus to take us to the main terminal where Scott organised an Uber which ferried us through the narrow winding streets to our Airbnb accommodation.

I wanted to take Scott to the restaurant Michele and I loved, across from our accommodation last January called A Merendinha do Arco Bandeira only to be disappointed that they are closed until January 6th, the day we leave Lisbon. 

There were so many people milling around as this is a holiday week for Europeans. We made our way through the crowded footpaths and found the Carmo Restaurant & Bar, hoping to enjoy some good food. This did not happen, the service was poor, the food was bland so we didn’t even take any pictures.

The next day was Monday and the weather promised to be quite mild so we made our way to the Praça do Comércio, the main square in Lisbon. A huge stage was set up in preparation for New Year’s Eve celebrations. 

We then strolled to the Timeout Market and enjoyed some local delicacies and Spicy Margaritas.

It was such a lovely day so we decided to walk around through lanes and staircases to the attractions above. 

We stopped for a beverage at an outdoor cafe and took in the lovely views of Lisbon.

On our way back we chose to have some hot soup at the Mr Cod restaurant. We ordered a Sopa de Caldo Verde each and Garlic Prawns to share, washed down by White Sangria. The food was delicious and the service an improvement from last night’s choice.

I was confident that I could find the ‘hole in the wall’ cherry shot bar called A Ginjinha where you can only pay cash for the famous cherry liqueur shots. 

The streets were so crowded and we made our way back home, picking up some supplies from the supermarket next to our Accommodation and settled in for the night.

boa noite

The weather was a predicted 7C which was quite mild for a winter’s day. We decided to take ourselves into Alexanderplatz and have some lunch at Hofbrau Munchen. Scott drove a sharecar Peugot SUV into the city centre.

We ordered the Venison Ragout each and it was delicious.

While we were eating a couple arrived with their white Shitzu, Millie from Denmark. She took a shine to us and we enjoyed patting her and giving her scratches.

The Galleria shopping precinct is next to the restaurant so we entered the department store and made some purchases at the Sephora counter. 

Back home we took it easy and Scott ordered chicken wings and bites for dinner through the Wolt food app. It was an early night.

The next morning I was still feeling sick and wanted to have a day of convalescence. I also craved chicken soup so Scott went down to the supermarket for supplies and made an awesome Creamy Dill Pickle Soup which was better than any restaurant fare.   Amazing!!

After watching episodes of the Crown and YouTube clips about Portugal we retired for the night before our journey to Lisbon with Ryanair.

Guten Nacht!

Travel on Christmas Day is always a good choice as there are less crowds at the airports. The Singapore lounge in Sydney had a reasonable selection of food and the MUMM Champagne and self made Bloody Mary’s helped celebrate Christmas.

My premium economy window seat was comfortable on the large A380 Airbus plane. I had a good view from the window with no obstruction. The chicken and rice meal was quite nice with a beverage of bubbles.

At Singapore airport, it was easy to find the Singapore Gold KrisFlyer lounge and I settled in for a couple of hours. The food at this lounge was much better than in Sydney. The highlight was the 

Laksa station which tasted amazing and I will definitely choose this on my return. So far, my Gold Velocity status has meant that I did not have to spend a cent on food or beverages until the Frankfurt stopover.

For the Singapore to Frankfurt leg of my journey, the plane was a smaller Boeing 777-300ER. On this plane, my premium economy seat was over the large wing which meant I had no view. I did mention this to the attendant and he came back with an offer to get a window row to myself in economy where I could lie across and have a view but then I would have lost the premium extras such as real cutlery and glasses of complimentary champagne so I stayed put. This made me reflect on whether premium economy is worth the extra cost. You cannot lift the divider rests between the seats if you are the only one in your row. 

United airlines last year had a better set up with their Economy Plus! 

The chicken noodle meal was not to my taste but maybe because I was that person with the cough on the plane! I had managed to pick up a sore throat before I left Australia…. but then what do you bring to Germany but ‘germs’? Boom boom!

When entering Frankfurt border patrol it was lovely to be at the end of a long queue, only to be asked who had a Euro passport and being led straight past the people to enter the country on the right side of the booths! 

I chose roaming with Optus for my phone data which costs $5 a day and is completely worth it for peace of mind and time adjustments.

My flight to Berlin was with Lufthansa and I was told that my luggage would go straight through to Berlin from Sydney. So it was a nice surprise that my bag  was already on the carousel because of priority handling so I was through the Berlin Brandenburg airport in no time. 

Scott arranged a share car (these are vehicles you book online and drive to your location in the city). 

Once home we enjoyed some champagne and a light lunch before deciding to go for a walk. I needed to stay awake all day until dark as a way of avoiding jet lag…. I find this really works. 

We walked to the Soviet memorial in Treptower Park which is a massive reminder of the war and many Russian soldiers are buried here where Germany is obliged to maintain this important icon. Even Putin has been here! It is a very large park and is utilised by many dog walkers. 

We then found another sharecar and drove to the Charlottenburg Schloss (castle) for a tour and were pleased to see that the Christmas markets were in full swing here. 

We paid €24 for the two of us to do the tour of the castle and its very wealthy opulence. 

Then it was time for the Gluwein! Christmas markets are magical because the sun sets at 4pm and you really get to enjoy the market atmosphere. After a few samples of beverages and some food we made our way to the U-Bahn train station and caught a train home. 

I had walked over 13000 steps from airport to the end of the day and sleep was easy!

Guten Nacht!

My last summer’s day until December started with the challenge of packing everything into my large suitcase, including my carry on suitcase case. It was a challenge because I had purchased items over the last few weeks, including shoes, which increased the amount of items to take home.

Scott had a late night so he spent his morning catching up on sleep.

We had tomato soup for lunch prepared by my personal assistant and then, sadly, it was time to drive to the airport.

I was having trouble online checking in for my flight and seeing if I could upgrade for the long haul one home. Hence we got to the airport early so I could sort it out.

After queuing for nearly an hour I finally got to the desk and got the last premium seat from Vancouver.

For the first part of the flight from Toronto to Vancouver I was allocated a window seat but it was right at the back of the plane. I was excited to have the opportunity to watch Canada unfold from my window but alas there were many clouds.

Once through security I investigated if I could go to the Air Canada lounge at Toronto. I was told that I could only access it 3 hours before departure time and I was early. So I found a bar and ordered my last Caesar…. They will be missed!

I was allowed to enter the Air Canada Cafe at 3:45pm and I whiled away the hours snacking on samosas and sliders and drinking Pinot Grigio.

The toilets are next level here too so it’s worth keeping Gold status! The clear skies continued all afternoon and a melancholy set in about leaving this beautiful country… and my baby. It was amazing making new memories of Niagara Falls, Montreal, New York, Cobourg and Toronto!!!

Once on board I was surprised when they were giving out earphones but charging $3:95 for the privilege. I declined and kept watching on my iPad using my own airpods.

Being up the back meant a long wait for drinks and snacks and the service was not up to standard. I asked for a white wine and got a half hearted pour of a half cup of wine. Once we landed at Vancouver after a nearly 5 hour flight, The Toronto Air Canada lounge had a lot of wraps and salads that could be taken away with disposable cutlery available. I should have brought some onto the plane because this leg of the journey had poor offerings or you had to pay for better.

Back at Vancouver airport I was directed to the Canadian International Lounge. I chose a Pinot Grigio to drink and a chicken curry with rice and a loaded potato for supper while charging my devices. Cream of broccoli soup was also on offer and delicious!

They even do awesome spicy Caesars!!! So I snuck another one in before leaving the country.

So it was a great trip and once again I never saw a bank note… just phone or card payments for the whole trip.

Next stop Sydney!

Good night.

After cold brew coffee provided by my personal assistant we walked down to my salon on Ossington Street for my hair appointment. The weather was stunning again and we played some games of Backgammon.

We decided to go back to Gloria’s for brunch. It had such a lovely French atmosphere and the menu is good. We started with Bellino Prosecco,

Eggs Benedict with Crispy bacon for me and Eggs Florentine for Scott.

We loved the atmosphere in this place and melted at the meeting of the oodles on the footpath outside.

We lingered for an espresso martini each and then Scott needed a groom so he went the the barber while I enjoyed another Bellino watching the Torontorians go about their day on Queen Street.

We had arranged to meet Scott’s work colleague, Michele who has a brother named Scott at 3pm for the Ossington festival.

As we walked past the police, I had to get a photo with the law! They thought it was very funny.

We met Michele and found a table to have a chat and a drink while people milled around and live music was played from the nearby stage.

We met up with some friends of Michele’s and were guided into a building which was an office with a rooftop terrace. The fridge was fully stocked with all sorts of beverages and we discovered that Sarah, Michele’s friend, ran a foundation for indigenous issues and the office we were in was a marketing firm who worked with her.

We moved on to Sweaty Betty’s next, a popular bar that is very narrow and well attended. We enjoyed their Caesars and met another dog called Miso.

There was talk of going to see a band and partying into the night which I left to the young ones and I went back to the apartment for my last night in Toronto.

Good night.

The weather today was spectacular. My delivery boy brought me coffee while I completed the blog. The King George Inn was comfortable but the pillows were not the best. Also there was only streaming services on the TV and no real time local news.

We headed back to the lake, walked along the harbour and saw large fish in the water (fishing is prohibited here) with ducks sharing the area.

Then we finally got to walk on the sand and put our feet in the water. It was the perfect temperature! There were no waves and the lake glistened beneath the blue sky.

I realised that the RV park is called a trailer park in this part of the world.

We made our way to the main street and saw another black squirrel who posed for us!

Needing a drink, we grabbed a refreshment at Cafe Lalies. I chose the frittata and an Americano coffee, which is a long black, but I thought it was a long black with milk. It was no problem to get extra milk.

We needed to buy some items and decided that Walmart would be a good place to get these! So off we went to our very first visit to Walmart.

It was an enormous store with just about anything you need – clothing, groceries, homewares, fast food, cosmetics etc. I bought some typical American candies to take home for my students to try! Scott bought a hat.

It was after midday so we tried the Maccas McCrispy Chicken Burger just to complete the whole Walmart experience.

Back in the car park, Scott’s key would not open the car and after a few minutes frustration we realised that it was the wrong Honda! Ours was in the next row!

We took a different route to drive back to Toronto which was more picturesque and less hectic than the Highway 421.

Back in the apartment Scott went out for supplies while I organised my luggage for the flight home in two days. Since I had purchased some items over the last few weeks, I may have to take my carry on bag separately instead of packing it inside my larger suitcase. A challenge for Sunday!

We took it easy for the rest of the day and ate dinner at home, care of my personal chef!

I made an appointment for a wash and dry in the morning at the hair salon I went to last week. Tomorrow is my last full day in Toronto.

Good night!

The day started with coffee from Tim Hortons care of my delivery boy. While in the elevator, Scott met a Cavoodle called Miso – the same name as one we know in Melbourne.

A small overnight bag was packed and Scott drove the car to Port Hope.

It was a very small town with industry on the lake shore and the Main Street was being completely renovated … so lots of construction.

We asked about where to have lunch and Olympus Burgers were recommended as the best. So I ordered the Olympus Poutine and Scott ordered the Ares burger. They were very tasty and washed down with beer.

We decided that we would not stay here and a town called Cobourg looked promising. We didn’t have to travel far to find the lovely region of Cobourg and we decided to investigate for somewhere to stay. After checking out the Main Street, we made our way towards the lake and found that the King George Inn had rooms we could stay in.

The King George Inn is the old gaol/jail and the decor is very British. There were no prison cell rooms available so we booked a Queen room each but they were not ready so we wandered down to the beach.

There were many people taking advantage of the lovely weather at the beach and along the walk showed a harbour full of yachts and a holiday park full of RVs. The area also felt like the place you would retire to because of its beauty and infrastructure.

It was time for a drink and a snack, so the Cucina Urbana looked inviting. The Sangria was very refreshing and the Shrimp Diavolo with Classic Brushetta were delicious too!

We checked into our rooms while Scott had a rest and I went back to the Main Street and contributed to the local economy.

Scott had found a restaurant which had good reviews not far from our accommodation so we walked the 2 minute walk to George & Orange. We were lucky to get a table outside without a reservation and ordered drinks – a Manhattan for me and a white wine for Scott. From the menu we chose the Pico de Gallo & Guacamole, Panko Breaded Coconut Shrimp (we wanted oysters but sadly they were not available) plus we shared a Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich which was a burger in our eyes.

On the way down the path a black squirrel ran in front of us and we were taking photos while a couple of locals walked past – I told them that we only have koalas!

We then wandered down to the lake shore and enjoyed watching the geese and ducks in their element. The cool breeze was perfect for enjoying the outdoors.

The sun was setting so we retired to our rooms.

Good night!

We had a 12noon checkout so we took our time to pack and finalise our affairs. I decided to order breakfast. When my omelette arrived, it was enormous- served with breakfast potatoes and extra toast. I ate what I could and it was very tasty.

Once checked out, we walked to the Port Authority on 8th street from our hotel which took about 25 minutes. There was a bus preparing to leave but we could not pay by phone like in the subway. We needed to buy a ticket in their office or as we did, scan the bar code and buy the tickets online. It was a straight forward process and completed within the 5 minutes before departure. Tickets for seniors pay half the price for adults. The bus was air conditioned and quite comfortable.

The bus ride took under the expected hour timeframe to Newark so we were making good time. When we went to check in, we were told that we could catch an earlier flight and we accepted as Scott thought that we were flying at that time anyway, hence the early trek to the airport. I was not asked to pay for my carry on this time, go figure!

Security was easy as there were very few people here but my bag was swept into the checking zone. I forgot that I could not bring the rest of my duty free vodka back to Canada on my carry on… duh!

We settled in to the Usual Times bar in the airport and ordered drinks and food. We only ordered drinks and food until the nonchalance and disorganisation of the service. We had our drinks and went to the Belgian Bar but realised that we did not have time, so we just had beers.

I bought a bottle of Smirnoff White duty free (in case there was still a strike in Toronto of the local liquor stores). Once purchased, I wasn’t allowed to walk the 20 feet back to the Belgian Bar with my sealed bottle and was asked to return and show my receipt when we again made our way to the gate. When the time came to collect my duty free, she actually escorted me down to the gate to ensure that I went to the right place.

The weather was cloudy and thunderstorms were about so the flight had some turbulence to the extent that service was stopped just as they got to our row.

The landing was smooth at Billy Bishop airport and customs was fuss free… mainly electronic except for the final check.

We followed the escalators down to a tunnel which is a walkway under the canal and then elevators took us up to the other side of the canal where there was a car park for us to meet the Uber. It was peak hour traffic so we asked to be dropped off a few blocks before our destination as it was easier to walk than wait in traffic.

We walked past the Gloria Cocktail bar and noticed Escargot on the menu. Our bags were small enough to tuck under a table and we decided to have dinner here.

We started with Pear Martinis and ordered Escargot to share, French Onion soup for me and Scott chose the Gloria Burger.

It was Martini Happy Hour so we also ordered Dirty martinis.

The food was delicious and the experience was enhanced by watching a couple of women sitting outside having cocktails with their cute dog -Theo the labradoodle!

We continued to walk the 2 remaining blocks home and unpacked and set about settling in for the night.

New York was fabulous and now only a memory!

Good night.

The day started out drizzly and we purchased some umbrellas from the hotel shop and embarked on our latest adventure.

First destination was Lincoln Square where John Lennon was tragically killed.

This meant that we walked parallel with Central Park until this point and then entered the park to see the Imagine memorial. There were many people milling around but we managed to get ahead of the pack for my photo.

Onward through the park we spotted some squirrels and stopped to watch their antics.

Central Park is enormous and our next destination was the MET (Metropolitan Museum for Art). It was drizzly but pleasantly cooler for this part of our walk.

We walked a bit too far so we did see the Guggenheim Museum building and finally found the MET.

The MET building was impressive and we were keen to see the Sleeping Beauties Reawakening Fashion exhibition which Scott had bought tickets for …….. yesterday….. apparently this happens often and it was not a problem to change to today without extra cost.

We queued up outside a row of Rodin sculptures and any artworks. The fashions were impressive and inspirational.

We then viewed the European paintings including Monet, Cezanne and Degas to name a few.

Once we had reached our cultural limit we made our way to find a meal which took us down Park Avenue, a very nice area!

We found Luke’s Bar and Grill on 3rd Avenue and noticed That it was patronised by the locals. We chose fish tacos, meatballs, guacamole and salsa plus beers. The meal was finished with cocktails we call espresso martinis but were on the menu as Cafè Noir Martini.

We entered the subway at Lexington and 77th, changed at Grand Central, alighted at Bowling Green and then walked to the Whitehall Terminal to catch the Staten Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty. This ferry was free and was used by many people as we made our way across the waterway. Everyone has to alight at Staten Island so we explored a little with the intention to catch the next ferry – they leave every 30 minutes.

There was an outlet precinct at this end so we looked around and made some purchases. Then decided to taste our first chilli dogs New York style. They were OK.

We took the ferry back and caught the subway to Grand Central where we alighted and explored the terminal. It was a spectacular building with impressive stonework.

The station also housed an Oyster bar where we decided to have dinner. We had a range of natural local oysters and finished with a clam chowder each. The oyster crackers served with the soup was disappointing and we found out that the sourdough they usually serve it with had run out.

It was only about a 20 minute walk home so we made our way back through Times Square and its craziness! It was very warm and humid so the air conditioned lobby in our hotel was a nice place to wind down, enjoy a refreshment and look at the view for our last night in New York.

It was a big day so rest was welcome and we return to Toronto tomorrow.

Good night.

Scott was horrified to find that he had been charged the full amount of money for the disputed Tuktuk ride which he suspected might happen. He found the local New York Police Department (NYPD) and reported the con to try and get some justice. Do NOT fall for this tourist trap!

Meanwhile, I grabbed a coffee in the lobby to kickstart the day.

We walked with purpose down 5th Avenue to see the sights like the Empire State Building and the Flat Iron.

We then stopped at a Pret A Manger to get some cool drinks and escape the humidity for a while. Looking out of the window revealed the Empire State Building was in sight and just a block away.

Once we got to Greenwich Village, we walked past Joe’s Pizza and met Scott’s friend Scotty at John’s Pizza, the oldest pizza store in New York.

It was nice to be in air conditioned comfort as it was very hot and humid. We chose the Picante pizza, zucchini fries and a house salad! It was not the enormous slices that you see but this place has been host to people like Bruce Springsteen and Jack Black. The food was delicious and the company was Scottish!

We then made our way to a new landmark called The Island at the Hudson River Park. This was developed by reclaiming land and renovating meat packing establishments. We could see across the Hudson River to the other side and enjoyed the views.

Scotty was an excellent tour guide who worked as stage manager for many Broadway musicals. He then led us to the high line of which we could only access a small part of it due to construction happening in both directions. This used to be a railway to deliver goods across the city which has now been turned into a nice walkway for locals and tourists.

Once back down on the streets we walked back to the Madison Square Park, opposite the Flatiron building and decided to catch the Subway to Ground Zero. We used our phones to pay for subway tickets(like we do in Sydney), it is flat rate of $2:90US for each trip. It was noisy until we entered the carriage and welcomed the air conditioning on such a warm humid day.

There was a Westfield Shopping complex across the road from the Ground Zero memorial with an eye catching building which looked like a giant fishbone.

We walked across to the memorial with so many other people, the water feature was not operating but it was somber to see all the names engraved into the stone around the structure. We then decided to make our way back closer to home of which I was grateful for after over 19,000 steps.

We caught the subway again and went back to the hotel and I blogged while Scott and Scotty caught up. I noticed that the artwork in my room is the same as in the rooms at the Melbourne Movenpick Hotel. There were no coffee facilities in the room but I did notice, too late, that you can have a coffee machine delivered on request.

For dinner we decided to eat in our Hotel lobby and take in the Times Square scenery again. The Coney Island Chicken Bites, Beast Burger Sliders plus Spinach and Avocado Dip with flat bread were delicious.

It was a big day so we were happy to retire to our rooms to recuperate.

Good night