weekly photo challenge: serenity
To show serenity, we automatically think of the countless sunrises and sunsets that have left us feeling serene.
And this one would be the clear winner.
We climbed strenuously uphill for a couple of hours. All the pain, all the hurt and all the weariness were zapped from us when we saw this sunrise over the French Pyrenees on the Camino de Santiago. This was only Day 1 of what was going to be the most amazing thing we ever did.
Happy Weekend everyone!
Welcome your thoughts as always!
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what would you order from our three-course taste of travel menu?
We were nominated/tagged by two fellow blogger pals, A New Life Wandering and Mrs Ayla’s Adventures for #atasteoftravel blogger competition. Although we are not eligible to win the prize and we are not entering this post into the competition, we thought it would still be fun to get involved in creating a three-course menu from the foods we have tried on our travels.
But we are choosing to put a “spin” on the menu – instead of one entree, main or dessert, we have decided to make it like a set menu: a choice of one of:
- three entrees
- three mains
- three desserts
Simply because we could decide on JUST one for each 🙂 – Apologies in advance that there are no vegetarian options.
So here goes the Wise Monkeys Abroad 3-course Travel Menu.
ENTREE
OPTION 1:
White Rose Dumplings from Hoi An, Vietnam
A steamed dumpling filled with shrimp bunched to look like a rose.
It is served with toasted garlic and sweet dipping sauce.
OPTION 2:
Sashimi Platter from Hakone, Japan
A selection of uncooked seafood includes tuna, prawn, squid, octopus, yellow tail .
Served with wasabi and shaved radish.
OPTION 3:
Cheese Fondue from Lucerne, Switzerland
An infusion of gruyère and emmental cheese in dry white whine.
Served in a casserole on top of a spirit lamp and a basket of bread.
MAIN:
OPTION 1:
Beef Stroganoff from St Petersburg, Russia
Sauteed beef in a mushroom, sour cream based sauce.
Served with a side of mash potatoes.
OPTION 2:
Seafood Paella from Leon, Spain
Aromatic rice cooked with seafood, chicken and vegetables over an open fire.
Served in the pan it is cooked in.
OPTION 3:
Pork Knuckle from Riga, Latvia
Slow-cooked pork knuckle.
Served with beans, fresh tomato salad and potato wedges.
DESSERT:
OPTION 1:
Chocolate Soup from Edinburgh, Scotland
A hot chocolate served in a bowl, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
OPTION 2:
Creme Brûlée from Carcassonne, France
Vanilla custard based layered underneath a hard caramel top.
OPTION 3:
Pistachio Baklava from Istanbul, Turkey
Chopped pistachios wrapped in filo pastry and held together with a sweet syrup.
What are you ordering?
Let us know in the comments.
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weekly photo challenge: shadowed
Shadowed:
– to cast a shadow on; darken or shade
– to make gloomy or troubled
We took this photo when we were in Bruges, Belgium back in 2006 at the Sand Sculpture Festival.
For other “shadowed” interpretations, see here
Happy Weekend, Folks!
We found the challenge this week, really tough! What do you think about our choice for the challenge? Tell us here
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top 5 unexpected travel gems
With the New Year almost a week in, we are back to regular blogging again. We had a festive/silly season break and it feels good to be back.
Towards the end of last year, we wrote a piece about our most disappointing travel sites and to introduce this year, we are sharing our top 5 unexpected travel highlights – places which we fell in love but hadn’t expected to.
In a world where information is so readily at our fingertips and the internet can reveal so much about a place – we avoid “researching” too much into a place we want to visit. We look for inspiration, we read about safety and basic introductory information, but we don’t read or look at everything we can about the place because we find that creates expectation and takes away some of the “unknown”. We tend to like the element of surprise. And these are our top 5 unexpected travel gems.
(5) Pingyao
Enter through the gates of Pingyao and we were transported back to centuries ago. There are no cars inside, it is all pedestrian and bicycles. Chinese history is oozing out of the walls and rooftops of this city and we LOVED it. It was our most favourite city during our time in China. As we walk along the alleyways and admire the well-preserved architecture, the only giveaway that we are in the 21st Century are the tourist shops.
(4) Lyon
Before arriving in Lyon, we did little research as we were using it more as a stopover before we headed into Switzerland, not expecting to be so blown away by it. The history and its Roman past had us fascinated for hours. We have written only about a couple of the places we visited in Lyon; the Museum of Miniatures and Cinema and the street murals. There is so much there to see and still more we are yet to share about our time in Lyon. Do yourself a favour and add it to your list for next time you are in France.
(3) Pergamum
When it comes to anything history, we love it! Visiting ancient ruins is one of our favourite things to do when travelling. Whilst travelling through Turkey, there are a LOT of ancient ruins to the point of possibly being fatigued by them. But there is no fatigue when it comes to riding a cable car and then exploring the ruins of Pergamum. The views from the top are just unbelievable across the countryside. What we found to be the biggest treat was walking amongst the columns and stones and remnants of life from thousands of years ago.
(2) Tasmania
Often left off maps and forgotten as belonging to Australia, it is one of the places in the world where we want to come back to as soon as we have left. There is just something about it that makes us just want more. There is delicious, fresh local food! There is jaw-dropping stunning scenery. There is an abundance of wildlife and there is a touch of history. Whoever comes to Australia and doesn’t put Tassie on their list is crazy!!
(1) Weliczka Salt Mines
Hands up if you thought “salt mines? – how special can they be?” We knew they were UNESCO Heritage, we knew they were important and a must-see. We knew about the history behind it but we were NOT by any means expecting to see what we saw. Climbing into a 3-storey shaft lift was only the beginning of one of THE MOST incredible places we have visited. An underground city, quite literally, that was carved out of salt.
We love having these surprises so we try not to look at too many photos of a place just before we visit!
Now it’s your turn! We would love to hear about places that you didn’t expect to be so AWESOME 🙂
wise monkeys abroad 