what happened today in 1889?
It feels like a while since we have been on the blog… (a week to be exact) and it’s thanks to wifi at home being unavailable 😦 But we are up and running again! YAY!
To celebrate and mark the significance of TODAY: March 31 – we will be honouring the Eiffel Tower which officially opened 126 years ago (back in 1889).
And here are 5 random facts to go with our photos of the Eiffel Tower.
Did you know…
- It took 2 years to build the Eiffel Tower?
- The Eiffel Tower acted as a radio antennae in the early 1900s?
- It was originally described as a “monstrous eyesore”?
- The Eiffel Tower is covered in 60 tons of paint, which needs to be touched up every 7 years?
- It attracts almost 7 million visitors a year?
A beautiful Parisian icon or an eyesore?
Have you been and what did you think?
Leave us a comment.
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malta through our eyes: a photo essay
It’s been a LOOOOONG time since we were in Malta, 9 years to be precise.
It was a last minute add-on for our trip to Europe, tossing up between Malta and Morocco and we chose Malta.
And were we happy with our choice? Most definitely! It’s another country we want to go back to.
Malta was such a little surprise package and today we were just reminiscing about it. Subsequently, a little photo essay ensued to be shared. Hope you enjoy it!
Have you been to Malta? Tell us about it!
Please feel free to leave us a comment.
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weekly photo challenge: fresh
We experienced plenty of “fresh” moments on the Camino; freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh morning dew, fresh morning air and fresh faces!
Our interpretation of fresh for the challenge this week: fresh rain water flowing along the path.
This was our second last day on the Camino and we were faced with horrendous rain. In some parts, we were wading through ankle deep water.
By the end of the day, we emptied about half a cup of water from our shoes and could wring water from our socks.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Please feel free to leave us your thoughts.
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a swiss folklore experience in lucerne
“Off-the-beaten-track” is a commonly used phrase when it comes to travel writing. While, “tourist trap” places are often shunned by travellers because it is gimmicky, tacky, overrated and usually overpriced. Then comes the debate about tourist VS travellers etc etc etc.
But this post isn’t going to be one of them, we won’t be going into any persuasive writing piece about what is right or wrong. We just want to share our experiences at what some might call a “tourist trap” while others might call a fun experience. (We are the latter, in case you were wondering).
There we were in Lucerne, and the weather turned UGLY. The winds were blowing, the grey clouds were looming and the raindrops were appearing. And our stomachs were growling because it was lunchtime.
Scurrying through the streets in not enough layers with temperatures in the low teens. We desperately wanted to find somewhere to eat. Like a sign sent from… somewhere, we turn the corner and feast our eyes on Stadtkellar; a traditional Swiss restaurant with a four-course meal and a cultural show about to start. See? It was meant to be!
As we walk in, we were the only patrons under the age of 40 and we were the only two that were not there as part of a tour group – we were entering willingly 😉
Our first course was a Swiss cheese fondue followed by a garden salad. Our main was the choice between strips of veal in mushroom sauce or a homemade sausage, both came with a side of rosti. To wind up the feast, we were served a neringue with applesauce and strawberry ice cream.
The food was delicious, might we add. Especially the fondue…. we usually try to avoid eating too much bread, but in this instance… the basket was emptied VERY quickly!
While we satisfied our bellies with some traditional Swiss food, we were entertained with folk music, yodelling, alphorn blowing, flag throwing and cowbells. All of these performed by an ensemble of 6.
Much to our amazement, one of the performers was particularly talented – he was able to make music from slapping the backs of two wooden spoons together which we’ve seen before. What had us in awe was how he produced music from what looked like a double-handled tree saw …
And percussion music with a wooden broomstick.
Of course, we couldn’t forget the random cow that was released into the audience towards the end. We are still scratching our heads over the purpose of this….
It was a fabulous way for us to hide from the rain and the cold winds for a couple of hours so we weren’t complaining.
Are you an “off-the-beaten-track” type of person? Or would you give restaurants like these a go?
Feel free to leave us a comment.
wise monkeys abroad 