moopy02

[moopy02]

Spain

3/13-on the way to Spain with a layover in Paris.  Only managed to get a chocolate croissant which tasted like a Safeway croissant from CDG since the lounges I could go to were not in my terminal.  Terminal 2 has no priority pass lounges and nor would security let me go into the other terminals.  Glad they prevented me from doing so though, CDG has a lot of checkpoints and is a maze.

3/14-Hilton Barcelona

Took the Aerobus to the Plaza Catalunya for 6.50 euro and then took the metro to the hotel for another 1.50 euro.  Got into the Hilton Barcelona by 2 PM and checked in.  Took a shower and a nap then went to evening hour for free tapas and wine.  They had potato croquettes with bacon inside, spinach quiche and egg quiche as well as tomato gazpacho and three types of sandwiches, one with cheddar and turkey, another one with just turkey.  They had butter spiral cookies, biscotti and another one I forgot about.  I got to try Cola Cao for the first time in my life and it was definitely caffeinated.  Tasted like Nestle Quik though. ��Hit up the Tickets bar for tapas.  

They allow you to choose how much you want to spend based on the chef’s choice.  I chose to spend up to 95 euro for everything which got increased to 112 euro because I wanted to try the quail in place of the lobster since lobster would be way over budget.

Got served the Vora La Mar Alta Alella vineyeards Pansa Blanca Barcelona Organic Wine 2016 then my molecular gastronomy spherical olive, which there were two of that were filled with olive juice.  It was impressive, but I also know that I can make it at home with my gastronomy kit.  

Next was the Tickets pizza with a crunchy outer shell and layered with a green powder on top.  All I remember is the crunchiness.

Then came the Airbag and Airbaguette.  I loved the Airbaguette more than the Airbag.  So light and crunchy with Iberico ham wrapped around it.  If I knew how to make it, I would make so many to just munch in front of the tv or at the movies.  The Airbag was light and airy with manchego cheese foam and the hazelnut caviar added a further hint of nutty and slight saltiness.  Afterwards was the eggplant nigiri called the Crunchi Nigiri which looked like unagi but it wasn’t.  I thought it tasted cleaner than unagi, but still I love unagi this wasn’t a replacement for it.  Then came the Nordic Landscape on a rye cracker and had a bit of salmon with smoked cheese on it.  Nice hor’d ovre but still not super impressive.  

What I loved though was the Foie gras with a wrapped in nori smoked eel in the middle.  It was a small thin slice but totally worth it.  Sooo creamy and rich but not too big where it’s too filling.  Tahiti oyster with wakame and a green apple pearl was next.  Was very refreshing.  Next was the octopus with picles to eat afterwards that was covered in panko crumbs.  Was very tender and worth every penny.   CRUNCHI SUCKLING PIG TACO with hoisin, X.O sauce and pickled cucumber in a special leaf.  Then the quail was next.   Bresse quail stuffed with eggplant and anticuchera sauce and quail egg.  Was tender and juicy, but got really salty towards the end.  Would not order again.  Ended the dinner with the rose with lychee and raspberry sphere with rose water gelatin and chocolate mousse with steamed coffee cake and crunchy with praline.  Loved the smell of the rose, but didn’t care too much for the sphere.  The chocolate mousse cake reminded me of the crunchy chocolate cake I had at the Conrad Tokyo.  Met another tourist named Elysy who gave me suggestions on where to eat next, Quimet and Quimet next time I were to come to Barcelona.  Walked home with no problems.

3/15:  Barcelona to Valencia and sprained foot

Ate the executive floor small continental breakfast because eating at the restaurant would cost me another 27 euro.  And then took the blablacar across the street from the hotel to get into Valencia.  Learned that Valencia is the birthplace of paella which the Valencia paella has chicken, rabbit, white beans and green beans with a certain color from saffron in the rice.  Got dropped off in city center rather than at my hostel because the roads were closed off due to Las Fallas.  Walked to the City Center because of the Mascleta which is when fireworks are set off to create a symphony of fireworks.  Just sounded like a bunch of noise.  Then went to the hostel where I got my basic bed with a shared bedroom of 5 others.  Went to get tapas at Bar Botalla where I got garlic shrimp, patatas bravas and calamari.  I liked the patatas bravas best and the shrimp second.  Afterwards went to find the horchataria place I had passed by earlier, but found out that the bunuelos with hot chocolate were the hot sellers so I got those instead. It was sooo good!  Went to pub crawl for 10 euro.  Got to see another hostel and got to drink sangria.  Got to see the fireworks afterwards and then went to a Las Fallas party.  I tripped over a curb I didn’t see and the Viet guy in the group lifted me up and ran off.  I got a free beer and a handkerchief and thought I could walk off the sprain.  I went clubbing later by taking a taxi.  Got a bindi and then stopped dancing when my foot hurt too much.  The girl who was at my hostel got her phone jacked.  Fortunately she managed to take the taxi back with me instead of walking 45 min.

3/16:  Valencia 

Saw the various statues and met up with Joan and her bro.  Took them to the mascleta and then we went to the supermarket where I bought iberico ham and an orange.  Got Montarraz variety pack of iberico cured meats to share with everyone including the two most expensive iberico de bellota in the supermarket to share.  Got to try the tomato relleno spread on baguette and it is amazing how tomato and olive oil as a spread go so well together.  Then afterwards went to the event where the women dress up in their fancy dresses and have their wigs all done.  It was nice for a while until everyone looked the same.  We then took the metro to the beach to get to the famous paella place, but it was closed since we found out that paella is a lunch dish, so we went to a beachfront place for paella.  It was overpriced and had a huge piece of chicken but no rabbit even though the waiter said it had rabbit.

Went to the main square afterwards to try to watch the wooden torch burn down, but that didn’t happen at midnight.  While we were waiting though, I got some tapas from Lizarran, a tapa chain of a forgettable croquette and fries with a fried egg on top.

3/17-walking tour/Central market

went on a walking tour after breakfast and got more history behind Valencia especially of the masturbating gargoyles.  We ditched the group when they were heading to the mascleta for the Central market since the mascleta is at 2 PM and the Central market closes at 230 PM.  Got some Josecito iberico ham of acorns as well as another ham from Salamanca.  I got 4 pieces of each.  It was the best thing I had had ever.  Got a couple of pastries from a nearby bakery in the market.  It was a lemon meringue and a pumpkin caramel cake. Also got some tiger nut juice with a pastry which was slightly sweet and very airy and baguette shaped.  Joan and her brother got olives and paella.  Also got a turron wafer ice cream sandwich which was filled with little pieces of nougat in vanilla ice cream for 1 euro.  Got churros and chocolate nearby the Valencia train station at night which was oh so good!  Firework show was better than the night before.  This time with hearts and smiley faces.

3/18-Central market--Central Bar

Skipped Mascleta to eat at Central Bar.  Got the Richard Camarena sandwich with a side of sangria with a side of meatballs, 3 crawfish and an oyster.  I also got to try the calamari sandwich.  Loved the crawfish with olive oil and garlic.  Oh sooo good!  I also got 10 pieces of the best iberico ham de bellota from Mangiano.  Got outside and watched the placing flowers into the Virgen which the women who were fancily dressed brought flowers to pass on to the rest of the group to place into the wooden structure.  Also, got a pumpkin donut and a fig donut while on the way to the Consum where I got 60 mini toasts for 1 euro, iberico ham de bellota, 3 different cheese and 1.5kg of oranges for juicing (39 cent euro).  Then when I invited Joan and brother, got to meet others such as Ben and Zach as well as Brooke who invited me to eat more food with them with the same stuff including tomatoes and olives.  Went to the fireworks and jumped over the fence to watch the final show.  

3/19-Fall of the las Fallas

Le Bernarda for paella that was freshly made.  Had pieces of rabbit but I couldn’t tell if there was any chicken inside.  Went to Santa Catalina for some horchata as well since I was thirsty.  It was very light and refreshing.  Went back to the hostel and took a nap to get ready for the fire festival at 6 PM, where people dressed up as devils walked around with sparklers and even created structures like a cow or turtle to display the amount of sparklers as well as holding umbrellas.  Afterwards went to the Trumpinator statue that was made of styrofoam, wood and filled with gas to watch it light on fire as well as the Star Wars statue light on fire as well.  Then at the end we got to watch the torch in the middle of the square be burned down. 

3/20-head over to Toledo via blablacar

I got picked up at the Plaza de la Virgen and dropped off nearby the Oasis backpacker hostel, which was nice and had a beautiful view of the city from the communal room.  Got some marzipan from Santo Tome which I drank tea and ate it with.  Also beforehand got venison sandwich with white sauce.  Afterwards went to the Museo de Jamon to get more iberico ham.

3/21-Toledo

Met a guy named Nick who was from Chicago.  Went to Nuevo Almacen for some cheap breakfast.  I got the churros and it was cold, but came with coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice for 2.20 euro.  Learned that infusion refers to tea. and went on the walking tour and later to the supermarket to get some iberico ham and manchego cheese.

Went to a Michelin recommended restaurant called Coleccion Catedral where we got venison carpaccio and pork belly.  Both executed very well.  Loved the skin on the pork belly.  Also made another pit stop at Santo Tome and this time I got the fruit filled marzipan which has jam in the middle of a chocolate center.

3/22-Toledo to Madrid

Took the high speed train from Toledo to Madrid since no one was responding on blablacar to pick me up and I heard that the train station was beautiful.  The train station was nothing to write home about.

Got to the Way hostel that gives out free churros.  Waited for my cell phone to charge and then went on my way to find El Corte Ingles to see what groceries to get including the iberico ham.  Got some Penguin peanut m&ms and then went on my way to meet up with Leigh.  Bought a 10 trip ticket on the Madrid metro to visit Leigh. Got to the business center to find the OHL company and caught up with Leigh over water.  Turns out the views in the building were great including the chapel inside the building.  

Went to the Prado Museum for the last two hours before closing for free.  Got to see paintings by Goya.  

3/23-Madrid, move to RC Miguel Angel

Ate churros minus hot chocolate.  Went with Corinna who is a WSU student studying overseas in Germany to Cafe and Te where we both ate an Iberico ham sandwich with potato chips and tomato with olive oil.  Hit up some souvenir shops where I got 3 postcard for 1 euro and then went to eat calamari sandwiches.  Stopped by Chocolateria San Gines for churros and chocolate which was delicious.  They even have a separate room where they send people down just to eat churros and chocolate.  

Went to Museum of Reina Angel during the last two closing hours.  Ate at Mercado de San Miguel to eat tapas.  Loved the burrata tapa with balsamic vinegar and sundried tomato.  Was like eating a fluffy burrata cheese on top of a toast.  I wasn’t a fan of the microwaved bacalao fritter because it wasn’t crispy and the fried shrimp on a stick wrapped in potato string.  Also got a white fruity sangria with a turron and almond crispy cookie.

3/24-Madrid, La Cornada for the 1kg steak

Got from Ron a list of mercados to check out in Madrid so I hit up the Mercado Anton Martin and then Mercado de San Anton where I got a tuna baguette sandwich and then hit up another upstairs restaurant for a sandwich with bacon and latte for 2 euro.  Went to the Mercado de Maravillas to get a soup called callos, but they only sell it on Weds.  This market is the biggest but I was tempted to buy the truffle burratina, but the guy kept talking and at the end I realized that I would need to head to the hostel right afterwards, which I wasn’t ready to plus I had a steak to look forward to.  Instead, I went to Platea afterwards and got a glass of wine with callos egg rolls for 5 euro.  Loved the ambience.  Was mainly black and gold while playing ambient chill in the background.  Got the salmon burger with a glass of red wine.  Hit up Arturo Sanchez for some more food.  Got the tapa with iberico ham finished with acorn with toasted baguette topped with olive oil.  Met up with Paloma and Leigh to meet Altemira.  Also, they are having a daughter on the way called some sort of valley.  Anyways, finally took the subway to La Cornada where they knew who I was since I contacted them via fb.  Even the waiter asked to take a picture of me.  Got the 1 kg Rubia Gallega steak with half an order of padron pepper and the red pepper as well as a side of bread.  I liked the padron peppers more since they had more of a chewier bite to them.  The steak itself was very tender and moist.  I asked for it medium rare and it was topped with sea salt and already sliced for me to eat.  I somehow managed to eat 850g of it and stopped at the slices of fat.  I also ordered two scoops of ice cream:  a chocolate one and a blueberry cream one.  They waived my ice cream so I scored free dessert!!  Then I took the Cercanias home since the metro had closed so I had to pay 1.70 euro to get back to the hostel.  I couldn’t sleep for two hours, but managed to at the end.

3/25:  Madrid to Bilbao via blablacar

It took 4 hours to get there, but I didn’t mind since I usually used that time to sleep.  Met a spanish teacher who taught in a school in Nebraska with a black class and they were surprised he wasn’t a white guy.  He wouldn’t go into details about how it was.  The Ford focus had a bit of a controller light problem so we went on a brief stop to the mechanic and then were on our way to Bilbao.  Once we got to my hostel which I had to navigate the streets to find because they didn’t want to drive within the narrow streets, I found my way to Quartier Bilbao hostel and got into my room with 8 others.  Loved the comforter blankets.  They were down and I just wanted to curl up while it rained outside.  Then I went outside to get some pintxos.  First stop, Gure Toki and I couldn’t believe how beautiful the pintxos were!  Got the foie gras with red wine.  Also got the fried iberico ham with fried egg.  Soo good!

3/26:  Bilbao to San Sebastian via bus

Tried to find my way and found the Lurralbus station.  It took me a while to realize that the ticket counter was behind the building and that San Sebastian is called Donostia.  Stayed in Pension Joakim and was shown a bit around to where I would get pintxos.  Went to Goiz Argi for their gambas a la plancha.  Went to Bar sport as well for their sandwich which I remember as being big and greasy.  Not really my thing.  Walked around their beaches and a flea market.  Then went to Gandarias where I got their gambas a la plancha and pork cheeks.  Met the chef (Jill Vedaa) of Salt from Cleveland and her gf.

3/27:  San Sebastian to Bilbao

Went to Barrentxe for their almond crusted cupcake that they’re known for with a cup of coffee and orange juice for breakfast.  Took bus back to Bilbao

Ate at Gure Toki.  Had their mushroom truffle soup and a crispy one.  Stopped by a restaurant that was bib gourmand for their prix fixe menu, but nothing really stood out.  

3/28:  Bilbao to Barcelona

Took plane back to BCN.  Checked into Hilton Diagonal Mar and then went on my way to find tapas.  Stopped by Quimet y Quimet  I got the medlar with anchovies to see what medlar was. It is a quince that had white cheese and topped with an anchovy. It was recommended by the restaurant staff. Definitely recommended! The beef cheek was cold served with a side of chips and white asparagus. There wasn't anything to write home about on this one. Don't bother with it.

Got my churro and chocolate on at a nearby cafe.  Wasn’t impressed with the churro or chocolate.  Then decided to spend the rest of the day at the hotel, loading up on tapas and Brut Cava.  As well as coca cola with Havana Rum.   This is a nice hotel and I like the executive lounge view!  It has a beautiful view of the ocean.  There's evening happy hour from 1800 hr to 2000 hr that has tapas, pastries, fruit, juices and small desserts.  They even have an all you can drink white and red wine as well as a Brut cava.  If you love olive oil, they have premium extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping or whatever you want to do with it. However, for Diamond members or anyone with executive lounge access, free breakfast is only available in the executive lounge.  Eating at the Indigo restaurant for breakfast costs 27 euro.   Sending postcards through this hotel costs 2 euro if you're gonna send it to the US.  I found out later that just the stamp alone is 1.35 euro, so it may be better to go to the post office yourself.

3/29:  Barcelona-stayed in hostel to catch the night bus

Went to breakfast in the executive lounge.  Breakfast is a small basic continental breakfast which includes powdered scrambled eggs, various juices that are bottled and in the dispenser, an espresso machine, cold cuts, and bread in baguette and sliced bread form as well as plain croissants and chocolate croissants.  Had my last fill of iberico ham for free.  Checked out and sent a postcard.  

Checked into a hostel which I forgot the name but also couldn’t sleep due to drunk guys who were loud and tripping over stuff.

Did get into Bar Canete where I had their lobster croquette which was creamy, crispy and good as well as their anemone which tasted like tempura battered snot.  Tried to wash away the taste with the Catalina custard, but failed.  Then got a Valencia orange that was 1 euro for one and that failed.  Got to the airport bus stop earlier than usual because I couldn’t stand my hostel.  

3/30 AMS airport and then SEA

Got to raid the BCN lounge one more time and got their chocolate milk, passion fruit yogurt, iberico ham and juice.  

At the AMS priority pass lounge, got the Kinley bitter lemon soda, soup with breadstick as well as their sprinkles for toast to take home with me.

[moopy02]

Europe trip

11/1:  Headed to London via Icelandair.  Got to raid two different lounges at Seatac including getting my pancakes on.  

11/2:  Didn’t get anything at KEF, but when I got into LGW, I had to buy a ticket to go by train to Central London and then got a day pass to go to Fornum and Mason which had refillable tea time.  I loved the scones and the clotted cream with the lemon curd and the strawberry jam.  I only had enough stomach to get another refill of the tea sandwiches and then couldn’t finish it.  It also came with an extra dessert from the dessert cart.  Got their famous checkerboard cake boxed with the top tier of the desserts.  Then went to my Hampton Hilton Hotel in Stansted where I took a shower and redeemed my snack and drink for chips and ginger tea.  Ate the rest of my desserts and went to sleep.

11/3:  STN to TRN

Got the Hilton breakfast which also had baked beans, bacon and even Marmite as well as the essential continental breakfast items.  Also raided the STN lounge where I got the rhubarb vitamin C hydration drink as well as yogurt and chocolate cereal.  Made friends with Francisco and Nadia who are natives to Turin and they gave me info on where to go.  

Landed in Turin.  Got the bus to Ron’s hostel.  Then headed to Eataly Torino to get our grub on.  F got a proscuitto pizza, I got a pumpkin pasta and R got a seafood pasta.  I loved the pizza the most.  The olive oil was also great too!  Afterwards, we headed to Alba by train, got some gelato from La Romana.  Awesome chocolate gelato and one with hazelnuts and then found our booking.com.  I got to claim the full sized bed and R got the sofa bed.  Went out to a church which had an awesome ceiling light.  Went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant with a prix fixe meal that came with potato vegetable salad, veal with horseradish and beef tartare, agnolotti del plin, rabbit and a chocolate dessert.  It was ok, but the whole meal was 35 euro.  Stopped by a nearby bakery for some meringue covered in hazelnuts and chocolate as well as some cookies with chocolate/hazelnuts/peanut butter and hazelnut/nutella.

Alba is known for their hazelnuts and white truffles.

11/4:  Alba truffle festival:  Foodie moments-white truffle egg gelato with airy hazelnut cake

Went to Cignetti for breakfast of an espresso and chocolate croissant for 2.10 euro.  Was nice because the waitress let me choose the pastry I wanted.  Came with a sweet focaccia as well.  Got to drink Ron’s white wine and champagne which they also refilled.  Afterwards, went back to the exhibition hall and ate at the “Oltre al Tartufo” where we got tajarin with cheese fondue, tajarin with bolognese sauce, salami with truffle and the Piedmont cheese plate.  Loved the bolognese.  

Afterwards went to Mara Del Boschi for the white truffle egg gelato and the chocolate egg gelato that is covered in chocolate.  They told me to wait a few minutes for it to warm up at room temperature before eating.

Then went to truffle sensory to learn how truffles are grown and evaluated.  

11/5:  Foodie moments:  awesome tajarin truffle dish from the I hate cooking chef of 21.9

got the best dish of my life.  Tajarin with moss salt mixture.  Tajarin was cooked in a nebbiolo/beef reduction broth of 3 hours and then cooked in cream.

Went to Oltre al Tartufo to get the tajarin bolognese and also got the raw sausage with hazelnuts.  Also went into the design exhibition which had the various truffle slicers as well as the various prints since Alba was famous for that.

Next foodie moment was of truffle cream with cat tongue crackers and a wafer truffle cookie.

11/6:  Milan:  Ate at a cafe after checking out the Duomo

Got the spaghetti with ham with tiramisu and an aranciata soda.  tasted like jarred alfredo with ham.  Tiramisu was ok.  Afterwards went to Cioccolat Italiano with the chocolate dipped wafer in milk chocolate.  Got the house chocolate and the region’s cream gelato.

When checked into the hostel, was offered either breakfast or a free drink..  Chose breakfast.  Got my cereal with milk on as well as crostini with cheese.

Went back to the hostel at Ostello Bello Grande for free dinner.  Had no meat, but had cheese pizza and green beans as well as quinoa salad.

11/7:  Second day in Milan.  Train to Modena for Osteria Francescana

-went to go get the airport bus ticket.  I got a ginseng espresso and chocolate croissant at the train station.

-took the train to Modena for Osteria Francescana and got the full tasting menu.  Had the seafood salad which had four different colored chips inside:  green, black, red and white.  Had pieces of octopus and seaweed inside.  Waiter had also spritzed a spray of a scent on the salad.  The dessert called Oops I dropped the lemon tart was the highlight..  Had different oils and gelees to eat with the lemon tart.  Forgot passport so had to turn around and pay 20 euro for train and taxi.  Came back in time for the end of dinner and a quiz contest.  Didn’t win.

11/8:  MXP to Zagreb

Raided Sala Monteverdi which had ginseng espresso machine as well as pastries and yogurt and champagne for any mimosas.  Also got another fill of gelato before taking the Eurowings to Zagreb.  

Took an uber to our hostel.  Stayed at the Swanky Mint for two days.  Found the kitchen to store our stuff.  Went to go eat lunch at a place that Ron wanted to go to that was known for fish.  We got the fish soup which is salted fish in a fish consumme with carrots.  Ordered the fried Adriatic fish plate (mackerel, red lined trout, sardine and two others) and a side of spinach with potatoes that were fried with onion and garlic.  Went on the hunt for Croatian ice cream and stopped by Zagreb creamery for sage ice cream and their house chocolate ice cream.  Was thicker than the Italian gelato and very similar to American gelato.  Went back to the hostel and got my welcome shot which I dunno what it was.  Ate cevapi at PLAc Kitchen and Grill  for dinner which is meat sausage in between fluffy pita bread with a side of onions (turns out they didn’t give us the red paprika sauce with garlic to save money).  Then went to Duck.  Got the pepper dish with mashed potatoes, beef cheeks ground up and stuffed into the red pepper and with sundried tomato puree.  Second dish was a duck croquette with bechamel sauce and tomato pepper paprika puree.  Loved the crunchiness of the croquette.  Dessert was called  sweet pig which was their signature dessert with raspberry sorbet, white chocolate cookie crumble that’s fried in duck fat and white chocolate shavings.  Felt very smooth and fruity.  Was very nice.

11/9:  Zagreb

Next day went to Dolac to get food.  Hit up the Dubravica bakery for baked goods such as the burek with meat and a burek with cheese.  A burek is made of phyllo dough and fried  with fillings inside.  Got krafne from mlinar (pronounced Molinar) which is open 24/7.  Tey had a marmalade one filled one and a berry jam one.  Ate it with the hot chocolate at the hostel.  It wasn’t as soft as Krispy Kreme but not as dense as Top Pot.  They’re also known for their yogurt so I got one from the yogurt stand and it was liquidy and tart.

Got strukli from La Struk which had truffle oil in it.  Tasted like a phyllo dough type lasagna minus any crispiness.  It has cottage cheese and cream cheese mixed in.

Went to McDonalds and got the deluxe strawberry sunday which was ok.

11/10:  Plitvice city

Went to a nearby espresso cafe and got an espresso from a Darth Vader bar.  It rivaled Seattle.  Also got a burek ffrom Pekarnica.

Stayed in Plitvice to explore the national park which would open at 8 am the next day.  It closes at 330 PM and we didn’t get into the city until noon.  

Stopped by a restaurant and got the meat and cheese platter.  Loved the creay cheese.  It also came with proscuitto.  Got a beef cheek platter with mashed potatoes.  Went to Radno to explore and got to see the waterfalls.  Hit up a grocery store for food since there wasn’t anything Plitvice was known for.  Got a bolognese sauce with pasta as well as a croissant and butter.  Ate the grisini with the truffle salami.

11/11:  Plitvice national park-->Zadar

Took path B to the main waterfalls and lakes.  It involved crossing a lake with the public boat.

Then stopped by a N1 for food.  Got the Pljeskavica which is a hamburger patty on top of mashed potatoes.

Got the maraschino liquor (called marashkino) and with three types of fried fish (sword fish, crawfish, and another type of fish) with a side of spinach and potatoes fried in garlic and onion.  

Got to see the sea organ and the lit up colored tiles.

11/12:  Zadar-->Krka--->Split

Breakfast went to a Mlinar to get a strudel and meat burek.  Strudel wasn’t flaky but was thin and had sour cherries in it.

Then took the roads and the ferry to Split.  Stayed at the Backpacker’s Fairytale which required me to lug my luggage up at least 6 flights of stairs.  Went to Diocletan’s castle and the tomb.  Got a kobecki (sp?) basically a cevapi with the correct red sauce on fluffy lepinje.

Got the mini donuts covered in nutella and strawberry jam.  Then got the sour cherry McFlurry at a nearby mall.  Since Ron didn’t want to walk to a restaurant for dinner, we went to a nearby grocery store where I got the topljeni Sir which tasted and packaged just like the Laughing Cow cheese.

11/13:  Split to Mjlet (pronounced Millyet)

Got some red wine for about 2 USD at the dock cafe.  It was decent and not dry.  When we got to our booking.com, we were in the national park, but we were 40 min away from teh supermarket and everything was closed.  We went to the small lake and then went back to the apartment where we just ate snacks since none of us wanted to pay $22 USD to eat dinner with the host.  

11/14:  Mljet to Dubrovnik

Went to Konoba Pizzeria after checking into the Cocoon hostel.  Got the fish soup which had pieces of salted cod, but Ron’s only had beef consumme with noodles.  Got the mixed meat plate which had cevapi, chicken, sausage and antoher meat with the red sauce and onions and fries.  

For dinner we went to a restaurant that started with a B that was recommended by the hostel guy for seafood.  Got bread with a tuna like spread and then ate spaghetti that had been cooked in butter and white wine with shrimp, mussels and clams as well as a mixed meat platter with chicken, beef, cevapi, hot dog and beef on a skewer.  Got my Dubrovnik flan which had maraschino liquor in it.  Was a nice touch.

11/15:  Dubrovnik with the one day museum pass

Hit up everything on the one day pass which also came with a one day bus pass.  It is cheaper to buy online than on site.  I liked the science museum and the fort the most.

Went to the Michelin rated restaurant called Bistro Tavulin which came with a 3 course tasting menu for $30 and this was after the 10 euro discount with the one day pass.  Came with creamy barley with Adriatic shrimp and octopus with ragout on a bed of polenta which was cooked well.  Dessert was the Dubrovnik flan which was thicker than the one beforehand, but the whipped cream was thicker and had a flavor of maraschino.  

11/16:  Dubrovnik to London with stop in BCN

Raided the only lounge there which was filled with ice cream, chocolate milk, starwberry milk, chambpagen, wine, baguettes, grissini, meats and croissants.  I was in heaven.

Landed in Luton where we found the hostel which was the #1 hostel in London.  Got Nandos which is a South African chain.  Got it with a side of superfood and I forgot the other side.

Got to try Eugene’s pistachio cronut which was actually less sweet and better than Dominique Ansel’s matcha pineapple cronut.

11/17:  London--changing of the guard, Clove Club and Lurra.

Changing of the guard was interesting because the soldiers would say good morning to the crowd and then the calvary would come out at the end.

Went to Clove Club, but was stuck with the full tasting menu since it was the only way I could try the Orkan scallop dish.  Got a spiny crab amuse bouche served in a wonton like fried shell.  Then a takoyaki type ball which I have forgotten as well as a buttermilk fried chicken on a bed of pine.  It was well seasoned and I wouldn’t mind a box of it, fried chicken skins with chicken liver on top.  Got the grilled mackerel with lemon gastrique which was nice.  Orkan scallops was pretty with the mushroom slices on top, clementine, hazelnuts and the black truffle puree underneath.  Cornish sardine sashimi and Worcestershire sauce, roasted seabass with sunchoke and malted barley oil, hot smoked partridge/beetroot//cherry blossom, pheasant / ginger consomme with hundred year old madeira, roast fallow prickett/celeriac/blackcurrent/smoked bone marrow, burnt clemntine granita/buttermilk mousse, caramel ice cream/warm potato/coffee as well as alcoholic bonbons

Lurra: got the Rubia Gallega steak with red peppers.  Could barely eat much since we were still digesting from the previous meal.  Met up with Donny and went to the legoland and walked around London’s Soho and posh areas then ended at the American Bar where we got our drink on.  I loved the St. Mary’s cathedral which had a bottom layer of cocoa nibs.

11/18:  London to KEF

Raided all three lounges and stayed at the one with the full english breakfast.  Got a double upgrade from Sixt to a Landcruiser then went on our way to our cottage nearby the ice cave tour.  Got 5 types of Skyr.  Like the blueberry one the most.  Made it to our cabin.  Got to stay in the loft which had two beds.  Also got a hot dog for dinner.

11/19:  Diamond beach and glacier walk.

The place was 90 min from where we were staying.  Took one of the super Jeeps into the glacier where we just walked around and the glacier wasn’t completely empty, turns out the best time is in Feb to go glacier walking.  Got to pet some Icelandic horses with the plums Eugene had bought. Afterwards, stopped by a restaurant and had the best lamb of the trip.

11/20:  Headed to Selfoss

Went on a random road trip to see Vik the waterfalls and stopped by a frozen one.  Got to see the black beach with the hexagonal steps.  Ate lunch at the Lava buffet.  We got a lot of seafood, but none were remarkable.  Our booking place was deep in the snow and off the beaten path.  The owner was very nice and provided us with an extra bed as well as pantyliners for me.  Saw the Aurora even better than before.Got to meet the Dutch couple who the next day taught us that Dutch people are very strict with their cheese rules.  

11/21:  Selfoss and out to KEF

Got the breakfast and she had a good spread of cheeses.  I loved the garlic herb one and the mexican cheese.  She also made fried eggs or gave a hard boiled egg with a stamp of a kitty on it.  

Got a cinnamon roll and fish and chips on the way back to KEF.  It was good especially with the onion rings.

[moopy02]

Third Korea trip

3/12--SEA to YVR to ICN

Raided the Club at Sea in the A concourse as well as the Alaska lounge for pancakes.  Got Jon’s granola bars.  

3/13:  Landed in ICN and went to the Ekonomy Hotel in Myeongdong and then went to get street food nearby since Namdaemun wasn’t popping.  Got some egg bread which was covered in egg, pumpkin seeds and cheese.  Also, got the hotteok which has a brown sugar filling.  Autumn got the tteokbokki which was just rice cake and was the spiciest out of our trip.  Ended the night with a cheese hot dog which was just a jumbo mozzarella stick and a premium strawberry sulbing which is the korean shaved ice at Korean Dessert Cafe.  Not sure what made it premium, but it was the best instagram pic even without a filter.  Had a piece of plain cheesecake that was hard sticking out.  The shaved ice had the light taste of milk and strawberries were flavorful.  Had syrup on the bottom.

3/14:  Flight to Jeju

Went to Migabon for abalone porridge since there was a long line outside.  Loved it, especially with the omija (Magnolia berry) tea at the end.  It’s a dessert tea.  Got a strawberry and cream drink from Starbucks which tasted just like the American version but it wasn’t mixed.  Checked into T’way airlines online.  Got the Lotte rental for 119k at the airport and then went to the Jeju R Guesthouse to drop off our stuff. They had a free parking lot which was cramped, but still ok.  Went to Heukdonga for their black Jeju pork.  They had the crab banchan, as well as well as the coleslaw.  We got the samyeopsal as well as the marinated soy sauce galbi and pork neck.  Loved the galbi and samyeopsal.  So flavorful and crispy.

3/15:  Day 2 in Jeju

Ate our breakfast which was a fried egg (yolk broken) on a piece of toast, with a piece of ham and a slice of processed white cheese.  Then headed to Monsant, which I later learned was G dragon’s cafe, but he pulled out.  At first, we thought Monsant was closed, so we went to Bomnal where we watched the waves while drinking Hallabong juice and a hazelnut latte.  Afterwards, we walked around Monsant, only to realize that it was open.  Got their white chocolate cake with Hallabong, which wasn’t fresh, but was also chilled.  Glad we got our drinks elsewhere because hallabong juice would have costed me 10 USD instead of the 6 USD.  Then drove to Osulloc, where we got the green tea froyo in semi freddo and regular, green tea roll cake slice with white cream as well as a macaron and a pot of their famous sejak tea.  Loved the sejak tea.  Was very smooth.  I liked the semi freddo version of the green tea more because it was creamier.  Checked out the Innisfree next door, but it was disappointing.  Was very small, even though it did have a small cafe inside, none of them looked appetizing after the green tea we had just eaten.  Went to the green tea farm next door and took some pics.  Afterwards, went to Jeongbang waterfalls and then Seogwipo Day market where we got the hairpin fish stew and fresh mackerel.  Very delicious!  Didn’t like the hairpin fish very much because it had too many bones.  I loved the anchovy with peanuts banchan since it was crispy and slightly sweet and salty.  Got some hallabong juice for 3,500 won then we headed back to the hostel because it was getting dark and rainy.

3/16:  Day 3 in Jeju

Went to the haenyeo museum to figure out where to eat next after our hostel breakfast.  Got to see a view from their observatory and then went to an octopus specialty place where we got octopus ramyeon as well as purple rice with boiled pork and octopus sashimi.  Was very chewy tender.  Owner was nice enough to show us via instagram the stuff on the menu.  Went to Seochong Illsabong which is an UNESCO site.  It was very windy.  Had to go up soo many steps and then stopped by a Starbucks at the end of the parking lot to get my Jeju only stuff on.  Got the Jeju Hoji latte as well as the Jeju green tea tiramisu.  The tiramisu had more of a sea smell which turned off Autumn.  Loved the Hoji tea tho.  Went back to Jeju City and went to Donsadong where we got 300 grams of black pork (since that was the minimum size) where the guy cooked the pork and even taught us how to eat it.  First with salt and then dipped it in the anchovy based sauce which he had put on the fire earlier.  Got it with some beer.

3/17:  Last day in Jeju ---> Busan

Flew out using Air Busan.  Couldn’t check in online.  Had to only do it in person.  Raided the KAL lounge which had cheese and chocolate cake bars as well as muffins.  Binged on hallabong juice and their sikhye in a can.  Landed in Busan.  Navigated our way to the Centum Premier hotel which had just opened in 3/6/18.  Still had the new smell to it.  Had no free breakfast.  Went to Haeundae for food.  Got the best hotteok of the trip which was called Bambam which had pumpkin seeds/honey and cheese for only 1,500 won.  Also found a place which a lot of people were going into so we got their vegetarian gimbap which had a perilla leaf and daikon, tteokbokki which had thick rice cakes and slices of fish cake, one stick of fishcake and their blood sausage which came with intestine and pork liver pieces.   Afterwards, went to a restaurant for sannakji which was 30,000 won.  Tasted squirmy.  Wasn’t super sticky.  Kept chewing it with my back molars.  Loved the sesame oil with salt sauce with it.  Was very chewy and tender.  Went back to the hotel and then went to Spaland for 4 hours.  Was 3 floors of spa.  Had a pyramid room, yellow ochre room, Moroccan room, body sound room and even a room that was 71.2 C.  Couldn’t walk in the 71.2 C room at all.  Loved the SEV room which had mood lights.  Went to Gwangalli beach to see the bridge.  Found a place with soondubu, but was quickly changed to bibimbap and I got the pork hangover soup.  Was mainly bones for mine.  Went to Cafe Pascucci for their honey mixed berry toast, which was a thick piece of toast topped with honey and mixed berries.  Was tasty and cut into 9 squares.  Afterwards, went back to the hotel.  

3/18:  Busan to Seoul

Checked out of the hotel after getting breakfast at Paris Baguette which was half an egg salad sandwich with ham.  Got to the Busan airport too early so had to wait around for Air Busan people to come man their booth.  After landing in GMP, went directly to Philstay Myeongdong Cheonggye.  Was the smallest room we ever had.  Couldn’t move around our room to the bathroom without having to rearrange our carry on suitcases.  I ended up having to move my suitcase to the door.  Headed to Itaewon to get the KFC at Ungteori Tongdak where multiple K pop celebrities have eaten including Big Bang.  Had to wait until 3 pm, so got hard cider at Namsan Chemistry.  Loved the airy crispiness of the whole chicken.  To eat there, you have to order a beer at 4,000 won per pint.  Cost only 14,000 won for the whole chicken.  Came with a side of cubed daikon and coleslaw (didn’t care for it).  Dinner was at Bo reum Soei where we got the outside skirt steak (best cut) and the sirloin for 156,000 won total.  Loved the Jeju tangerine iced tea at the end.  Didn’t care for their mushroom banchan.  Also loved the yukhoe and the beef sashimi topped with wasabi and daikon.  

3/19:  Day 2 in Seoul.  La Yeon, Shangpree Chungdam spa and Reggae Chicken

Went to the Lotte Young department store where I got Katherine’s 50 Dr Jart blue hydra masks for 100,000 won with a 6,000 won tax refund.  Went shopping for skincare products in Myeongdong at Holika Holika got 100 face masks for 46,000 won, Etude House for more face masks, Innisfree got a red lip tint and two green tea skincare sets which came with a Jeju skincare set for free as well as a green tea face mask.  Went to Lotte Duty Free where I got the 4 different types of Banila Co Clean it zero.   Went back to the hotel to drop off our masks

Went to the Shilla for La Yeon for lunch.  Got the 3 wine pairing at 47,000 won with the 5 course menu with an additional 45,000 won for the beef and 60,000 won for the royal hot pot.  Loved the chestnut dish as well as the beef dish.  Got the galbijjim and Autumn had the ground sirloin.  I actually preferred the ground sirloin better.  Ended the lunch with strawberry sorbet and a chestnut shaped dessert with omija tea.  Then went to Apgujeong on line 3 to go to Shangpree for our facial appointments.  Got the S facial which came with an ampoule and a mask.  They had a water massage machine for our legs.  Our faces came out all dewy which is basically oily but very moisturized.  Afterwards, went to Hapjeong on line 2 to meet up with Jon where he took us to Reggae chicken, which their curry fried chicken is popular.  They also batter and fry big pieces of potato.  The curry they used was the box japanese curry.  Didn’t really care for the batter even though it was light and airy.  Gave him the granola bars.  Apparently his kid came first and then the marriage.  Been teaching for 10 years in Korea.  

3/20:  Chungdeokgung Palace with secret palace and Mingles for dinner.  Transfer to Millennium Seoul Hilton. 

Ate some seafood ramen at the hostel as well as toast with butter and strawberry jam.  Headed to the Palace which was bright green.  Secret Garden had to be a guided tour.  Didn’t see much flowers at all.  Was bigger than the general admissions to the palace.  Went to a nearby place for tofu soup with gimbap and tteokbokki.  This place was slightly spicy and slightly sweet.  Afterwards, went to Insadong where I got some honey butter squid and Ghana chocolate for Christine and Anita.  Also bought honey butter cuttlefish from a 7-11.

Mingles for the 7 course meal with the Korean traditional pairing which was mainly soju and honey wine.  Loved the doen jang trio better than the peachcimi which looked pretty and had a nice bottom layer of meringue and was covered in the sweet/salty/chili powder hawaiians love, but it tasted weird. I loved the Jang trio'dessert of Doen-Jang crème brulee, Gan-Jang pican, 'Gochu-Jang' grains and vanilla ice cream because it was lightly salty with crunchy bits on the top.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the strawberry by itself.  It is very flavorful and I do realize that America does have that type too, but it requires growing it myself or finding it at a farmer’s market.  I liked the lobster tail dish as well.  Was served mulberry leave tea at the end with omija tea with some sesame treats.    I missed out on the Mingles bansang though.  Totally forgot about it.  It’s usually offered during lunch though.  Took a taxi back to the hotel.  Packed.

3/21:  ICN to YVR to SEA

Had breakfast at the hotel.  They had more than just mozzarella, thank god.  Got fresh french toast, korean pear and juice, watermelon, bacon, XLB and shu mai, bulgogi and Belgrase cheese.  The cheese tasted just like the Laughing Cow cheese.  Headed to the airport early, only to find that we couldn’t check in for another hour since the flight attendants would only be there three hours before.  I had to buy food outside of the lounges, so I got sul lang tang, which was actually quite good and Autumn got the pork cutlet with a side of udon at Flavor6.  Once we got past security afterwards, I was dragged to the Line store to find the BTS21 stuff, but they ran out.  Then we went to raid the Skyhub and Matina Lounge.  Skyhub lounge had a DIY bibimbap station where I loaded up on perilla leaves and other banchan  as well as purple rice.  I liked their honey butter fries which was still crispy after the honey butter coating McDonalds fries.  Matina lounge had more seafood stuff so I had seaweed with clams soup as well as naengmyeon.  Autumn had their beer and liked it.  Raided the premium lounge in YVR which was small and sad.  Had some chicken soup from a can as well as hot milk chocolate.  Got Popeyes when we got back to SEA.  I had the surf and turf for $5 which was 5 pieces of shrimp with 2 pieces of chicken and they gave me the biscuit and drink for free since two people needed to get their orders in before me and I was totally fine with it.

[moopy02]

Pantry roll call

The longer I temp the more I pay attention to food waste and food inventory (less hours during low season).  Even though I do randomly buy things for my airbnb (wash towels for $5 and an updated USB/plug charger for $25) which the demand rate is low because it is low season and I refuse to lower my prices further.

Bought garlic yesterday and will buy popcorn from the Dollar store today

Fridge roll call:

Made chimichurri sauce.  Not sure if to use it for just a marinade or as dipping.  It’s good either way.

5.5 heads of romaine lettuce.  Good for 11 servings.  Make them all salads?  or just use them for wraps or even sandwiches (cheapest)

2 apples.  1 cut.  Can replenish supply at clearance in HT mart of bags of 6 for 99 cents.

Half a watermelon

2 cans of salmon for sandwiches or eating by itself.

2 servings of oxtail ragu

3 servings of chicken broth.  Plan on just putting either the diet noodles or just having it by itself with green onions

2 servings of quinoa boiled in chicken broth.

1.5 containers of greek yogurt.  Good enough for 17 days +

4 cup noodles from PAX.  4 packages of instant laksa noodles.

2 servings Annie’s mac and cheese

2 kraft singles for grilled cheese sandwiches

1 loaf of Wonder bread

5 frozen oxtails (will make pho)

4 pieces of chicken.  1 is thawing in the fridge.

Housemade marinara sauce for last min spaghetti

1 can of black beans, 1 can of chili beans and 1 can of diced tomatoes for chili

2 cans of chicken quinoa soup

Dried Garbanzo beans for hummus as well as tahini.

Looking at this list.  I will definitely be good especially after November hits.  Got to make sure I don’t waste food.

[moopy02]

Second half of Tickets bar meal (at Tickets Tapas Bar)

[moopy02]

Sorting out my life

So last week HL came over to my house for what I thought was hugs because he was distraught about Trump, but he made a few moves on me including a frontal massage, waist hug, wanting to move to my bed x3 and then referencing that my patch besides the fact that I am using it to move my period, that it is used to prevent pregnancy.  Yep, he definitely wants to get into my pants.  

I called him out on it on Thursday and his response was.. “I’m not that sly.” while avoiding eye contact.  I can tell he was BSing.  Also I made a point in telling him that I don’t do casual sex and I don’t do friends with benefits as well as addressing the fact I’m not using him for his broken cantonese skills because I can navigate just fine in English and have four other people who are there that can translate for me.  He mentioned that he wasn’t going with me because of my hotel status but because he wanted to spend time with me.  I mentioned I only invited him because I understand how crappy it is to travel with parents because mine weren’t fun either.  We ended up hugging on his bed.  He made sure to put me on top of him, but at the end told me that he was a stomach sleeper even though he was grabbing my butt and I told him that I’m not a stomach sleeper so I haven’t been able to sleep this whole time.  So weird.  I’m an emotionally wounded bird and if I’m too vulnerable, he will take full advantage of it.  He’s been lusting after me for the past few years.  Gotta keep my guard up while in HK and Macau.

So again the talk about residency has happened.  The applications are due by the end of Dec and then matching occurs in March.  This gives me 5 months to figure out what I want to do with my life.  I want to go back into managed care because of the cushy hours and possibly more stability than retail, but it looks like retail is gonna be more stable for the next 4 years.  I’m chasing the clinical pharmacist dream in hopes of not being pigeonholed into retail and hopefully gaining more stability, all to fund my dreams of travelling more and eating more.  However, the surplus and my lack of political skills hasn’t served me well in the clinical realm.  Now I face risking it again with a residency in hopes of getting a clinical job afterwards or going back to retail and staying there until just by chance another clinical opportunity pops up.  I definitely don’t find it worth it to do a toxicology fellowship.  Yea, the niche is fascinating, but in the end it doesn’t pay well and the benefits are shitty.  Not worth it.  Now to muster the effort into putting residency applications in.  Managed care or hospital residency.  Let’s see where the cards fall.

[moopy02]

Worries

It isn’t to the end of the 6th month training period, but I’ve already irritated one of the pharmacists.  I’m not picking up as quickly as the other new pharmacist, but I really like toxicology.  Just not sure how much of a say that irritated pharmacist will have on my duration at work.  The only thing I can do now is just study the materials and do my best to sound confident by taking out any ums, uhs and deadspace.

I know that in my heart, that I love learning toxicology, so my fate lies in the hands of the director who wants to make sure I’m a fit for the poison center.  At least Curtis has assured me that no one has gotten fired during their first 6 months on the job.  I’m on month 2 going on 3.

Worrying is a waste of time and energy, plus the BCACP is coming up on Friday.  Good thing I got Thursday off before the test because I’m having a hard time adjusting to 230-1 am shifts so today I’m gonna stay up until 130 to get used to these shifts.

The scheduler didn’t give me the full 70 hours for the next two weeks... instead I’m off by 20 hours, but oh well, I have two weeks unpaid.  Just need to make sure I hammer in and retain as much info as possible.  If not, then I have rxrelief to fall back on and then will possibly end up doing retail again, as much as I don’t want to.  Just need to keep as much info as possible by printing them all out before I get eliminated.  I’m in an at will state so I can be taken out at any time even though they’re paying me a low salary.  A salary fit for an RN.  I need the experience.. hopefully it will lead me to another clinical job.

Ugh, everyday I keep asking myself, why don’t I think things through?  Especially with HL and inviting him to HK with me.. I hope he doesn’t try to make any moves on me.. his sister is a big mouth and has connections in the pharmacy community so anything I do will follow me back to Seattle.  It adds more stress in making sure everything goes smoothly.

[moopy02]

Goals

1)  pass the BCACP

2)  Take on 10 pages per day of BCACP studying, enough for 1 chapter a week

3) Go to at least one networking event per week.  Sunday will be the Golden Gardens fundraiser at 6 PM and OmCulture fusion dancing 830 PM

4)  only eat out once a week

[moopy02]

Miami/Cuba

Day 1:  land in Miami/El Palacio de los Jugos for mamey juice and chicharrones/Bachour for the passion fruit bon bon with crisped rice and guava cheese croissant/Urban Beach Week/CVI.CHE 105

Landed in Miami and went to El Palacio de los Jugos for mamey juice and chicharrones which were whole crispy pork belly that’s deep fried and it was too salty for me after a few bites.  The mamey juice was too sweet for me.  Checked out Bachour and got their passionfruit bonbon with crispy rice dipped in chocolate and got their guava cheese croissant.  Headed to Wynwood where I saw the local graffiti, but there was barely anyone on the street so since it was hot, I went to the hotel in South Beach.  I pleaded my case to have double beds either that or a pillow wall and they told me to go around Miami and they would call me when my room was ready.  They bumped me up to a double queen bed room with ocean view on the 10th floor.  I also parked across the street for $16 for overnight parking.  After walking around Collins and Lincoln Road, they called me at 130 and then I went to my room, took a shower, and napped in my robe.  Then I noticed that there was a private beach I needed to hit up before 6 which was included in the Hyatt Centric hotel which included two private chairs and towels.

South Beach

Watched exotic cars from the hotel pool while waiting for everyone to arrive

chifa fried rice but minus the pork

ceviche sampler of four types including ganador (most popular)

Went around Ocean Drive with Brandon to see what Urban beach week was about.  The party was around 10th ave and Ocean drive.  Lots of people in bikinis with guys trying to get with the women and being aggressive about it.  Some people were twerking.  Couldn’t go into Loew’s hotel because Brandon was afraid.

Day 2:  land in Havana/get to airbnb to meet Manuel who gives us a map with a list to see/La Guarida/Coppelita

sunrise from the Hyatt Centric

pastries at El Biky

croissant from El Biky

guava croissant.. was super sweet

tacos at La Guarida

oxtail at La Guarida

lobster risotto

guava mousse with cheese

Copellita ice cream with coconut base and chocolate chip

opera and ham and cheese croissant

Day 3:  Di Tu Pollo/Almacen de San Jose/Havana Rum museum/Old Havana/Palace/Revolutionary museum/San Cristobal/Cafe Laurent

4 of the students who died in the penthouse building.

Di Tu pollo sausages

di tu pollo chicken patty

ropa vieja

flan and coconut ice cream

hotel Ambos Mundo

San Cristobal

Cafe Laurent tres leches

Day 4:  bacardi/Partagas cigar factory/Revolution museum/paella place/local pharmacy/Ernest Hemingway house with guarapo and rum/Old Havana for the Pharmacy museum and ate honey phyllo pastry and cornbread shrimp as well as churros/Star bien/cannon show/Interactivo concert

Day 5:  Pinar del Rio, Miramar/El Campesino for lunch/ Vinales for a tobacco and coffee plantation with horseback riding/El Cocinero/Fabrica del Arte Cubano

where I got the mamey milkshake

Miramar

Recommendation from the guide for the day

Vinales local drink:  trago de amanecer.  It was minty and had pineapple juice with rum 

Day 6: Almacen de San Jose, pharmacy, el Biky for pizza/Tropicana

Day 7:  back to Miami/lost driver’s license/Trulucks/then airbnb with no free residential parking

Day 8:  

[moopy02]

Caffeine intolerance

During my night shifts that I was prepared to be up until 4, one mug of gyukuro imperial kept me up until 3 AM and I could sleep at 4 AM. I drank the green tea starting at 10 PM and drank it at the beginning of my shift at midnight. 

However, I now have HK milk tea from Enjoy 1+1 seeping through my system since 830 PM today and even though I felt a bit of a crash back at 130 AM, I am now wide awake since 240 AM and I’m dehydrated to the point that I have a minor headache in the back of my head.  From reading about HK milk tea, based on how much they seep the tea, there is most likely 130mg of caffeine (equal to a double shot of espresso), which exceeds the amount in a Red Bull (80mg).  I know from Austria, the espresso they had which was a double shot lasted me until 2 AM and that was after a few shots as well of alcohol.  

Now to Cuba, they are known for their cafecito which is really thick coffee with lots of sugar.  The fact I’m so dehydrated right now from 130mg of caffeine at least, I realize I cannot drink the whole thing of cafecito, especially since it will be very hot and humid in Havana.  I can only drink 1 spoon of cafecito at this rate, otherwise I cannot survive the rest of the day.  Therefore, I need to be really hydrated throughout the day because of the caffeine.  Also, I still haven’t tested out my rum tolerance, but it will be less since the weather will be hotter there.  If anything, I can only drink one shot of rum, maybe two (if they put it in my mojito) but that’s it.  I know that when I was in Brazil, I avoided alcohol except when they put it in my calpirinha but I drank two huge 12 oz glass of water so I didn’t get dehydrated.  Knowing this, I now know to just take a spoon of ultra caffeine for hot and humid climates and equal out a shot of alcohol with 2 glasses of water.

[moopy02]

Goals for tomorrow 3/19

-go to gym

-finish neurology unit

-visit cherry blossoms and get Americanized cherry blossom frappucino

-finish off the leftover chicken and beef

[moopy02]

What is in Columbus, Ohio?

My mind is all over the place, especially since I’m dehydrated.  I need to get my water on and refocus.

Day 1:  landing in Columbus

Came in at midnight, only to find out that the Dollar rental car which I had paid for on expedia had run out of rental cars, so I called up JL to pick me up.  I also called Expedia to get a refund and they also issued me a $50 credit for hotels/hotel package for having an inconvenience.  Got a tour of her house and then was shown to the giraffe room (Elizabeth’s room) which was my bedroom and also forewarned about the alert signs such as “turtle” because of overstimulation as well as mentioning that she turns to her cat Eries for awkward moments.

Went to bed at 2 AM and then woke up for breakfast of bananas, tea and peanut butter with whole grain toast.  First stop, Northstar Cafe in Easton Village for some American grub. I got the chicken breast with avocado and smoked gouda on a sesame seed bun with mayo and it was good!  I even got it with a side of tortilla chips and Azteca style salsa (not chunky).  What really impressed me though is the fact they offer three types of water:  ambient, cold and bubbly at the fountain.

Afterwards, went to the Observatory to look at the plants in the area.  The onlly thing that stood out was the macaw and the fact there were Chihuly sculptures everywhere.  We went to the candle lab to make our own candles.  I got one with awapuhi, olive blossom and yuzu (in fact I’m burning it right now and I don’t mind the strong floral scent. 

While waiting for our candles, we went to Graeters where I got my buckeye ice cream and hazelnut gelato.  It was alright, but a bit too sweet for me after the first scoop.  We also went to the nearby french bakery called Le Chantelaine where I got a fruit tart and got JL a strawberry tart.  To be quite frank, the crust wasn’t as crusty as I thought it would be and there wasn’t enough lemon custard to make me happy, but the fruit was good.  Afterwards went to Bibibop for Americanized korean food.  I got it with everything which included sesame oil potatoes, corn, gojuchang kale, shredded cheese, with purple rice, pieces of egg, and pieces of steak (not bulgogi) and gojuchang sauce.  Oddly they had the option of using teriyaki sauce.  I felt clean, but also was kinda confused on the Chipotle factor of bibimbap.  It cost $8, but I realize I could have gotten the same stuff even in a stone pot that was more authentic than this for $8 as well and felt, well.. kinda jipped.  I guess if there wasn’t anything else available, I would eat it.

Then, got back to JL’s place and went to sleep.

Day 2:  Zencha/white castle/club seats at the Columbus Blue Jackets game

After breakfast, went to Zencha to get the matcha red bean pancakes with syrup and masala chai waffle with cherry blossom green tea from Kyoto as well as lavender mate.  

I loved the waffle more than the matcha pancakes because it was crispy.  The Kyoto cherry blossom green tea had a fake sweetness to it, so I thought it was ok, but the lavender mate was really good even though it had more caffeine than I’m used to.  We then walked around the area for shops and even stopped by an artsy place where I got a pin from the fake egg chicken dispenser thing and got a pin of a man’s face which was made by one of the workers.  Stopped by a White Castle and got a cheese bacon slider which had onions and was in a soft squishy bun.  It was nice, but nothing to write home about.  Then we went to the hockey game.  We got our t-shirts on the way in and then took a picture with the cannon which frequently goes off during goals.  I went to go get my Skyline chili, which I found out has chocolate and cinnamon and isn’t very thick, rather thin.  I got it on a coney hot dog, which is half the size of a regular hot dog with chili and cheese for $4.50 instead of the chili nachos for $9.  I got to see Jaromir Jagr from a distance with his mullet. Club seats were in the middle and away from the Fan Lounge, where most of the t-shirts and prizes were given away.  Apparently the first 5 rows of the hockey game is more expensive than the club seats.  I got a hold of the Papa John’s pizza box with a coupon for a free large pizza, but since there was a little girl who’s birthday was that day, I gave it to her instead.  Got some Timbits (only three types:  chocolate, vanilla and something else) as well as garlic hummus with fresh pita chips.

Dinner:  went to Royal Ginger, a asian fusion place for food.  I got the chirashi bowl and the non-rice sushi roll with jalepeno, blueberry sauce, lobster and king crab.  It was alright, but I was thrown off with the fact my chirashi came with carrot shavings.  JL was very stoked about her seaweed salad (which I could get at any H-Mart) and her yasai which was a stirfry of asparagus, fried tofu, okra and anothers in a soy sauce/fish sauce base with sugar and garlic and onion.  Watched two episodes of Elementary (since JL wasn’t up to exploring the nightlife) and then went to sleep.

Day 3:  Banana Leaf South Indian restaurant, 

Anthony-Thomas for buckeye candy, meeting JL’s parents and the two super fluffy cats:  

Alfie and Gattix and going around Creekside, then Penn State Eastside Subs for a Philly Cheesesteak 8″ and got a free large fresh squeezed lemonade, TSA took only 15 min to go through the whole airport including inspection of my bag again due to my candle.  Missed out on Bayless’s Tortas Frontera place because Butthead told me it was closed down, which actually wasn’t the case...

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Iceland 2/2 to 2/6

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Sesame cracker with dried cod and dried citrus. Fridrik v

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Iceland trip

Day 1:  Got my banh mi x 2 and then was picked up by Autumn’s dad to go to the airport after I did my errands.  We then boarded the plane and didn’t land into Iceland until 645 AM.  Mind you, Icelandair’s economy class doesn’t offer food, rather you have to buy it.  The only time you don’t have to pay for food is when you are in economy comfort.  Good thing I had my banh mi.

Day 2:  Landing.  

We land in KEF to be whisked away in a flybus to our hotel Klettur.  They wouldn’t let us check in until 230 PM and therefore we were free breakfastless, so we went to Rekjavik Roaster’s across the street.  Autumn got a croissant with a mocha and I got a chai with a chia pudding in a jar with strawberries and sliced almonds.  Then we headed to Rekjavik cars, only to find out that they had moved and the rental place tried calling them and they were not picking up.  Instead he referred me to another side of Rekjavik, which was bluecarrentals, but even though the hours were posted as 800 hrs to 1800 hrs, no one was there.  Thank goodness I had my internet on my phone, so we went to the other side of Rekjavik which was 50 minutes away where our car was, only to find out that the Subaru I had reserved was replaced by a Mitsubishi Outlander which was a 4WD instead of an AWD, but I took the car anyways and started driving to Geysir as part of the Golden Circle.  It was very windy and snowy when we drove over.  It was kinda like driving on waves of snow. We drove thru Mosbeller, Laugavatn and even Thingvellir, but we also stopped by to take some pics..  We ended at the Strokkur geyser where I got to see it explode.  Instead of heading to Gulfoss, we headed back to Rekjavik before it got too dark.  Got to Fridrik V for the prix fixe menu.

First amuse bouche:  dried lime, sesame crackers and orange slices with dried cod.  The cod was plain, the orange was lightly sweet and the lime... well.. was the least liked especially since it was bitter.

Second amuse bouche:   Free range Egg from and neskaupsstratur herring with a chive and dijon mustard.  We both liked this amuse bouche the most since it had various textures. 

Third amuse bouche was carrot with Danish organic apple in a soda bottle.  It was light and refreshing and somewhat lukewarm, however it didn’t stand out as being super delicious.

Icelandic bread is awesome btw.  We got some Icelandic beer bread with salt and garlic also another bread with garlic and thyme with a butter/skyr/seaweed/citrus oil/garlic spread.  Very creamy when combined with the Skyr yogurt and I love anything with garlic.  The citrus oil also came out as a slight hint

First course was served with Vino capo Chardonnay from Chile with a fruity crisp flavor with salmon done three ways:  salmon smoked in heather, cured in heather and salmon tartare from ranga with beets and salmon caviar with mini dill pickle, brown savory powder, beet salted chip, and parsley.

Second course was served with Saint Bris white wine from 2014 Cod and cod roe, orange zest marmalade, red spinach Balsamic vinegar streak, parsnip puree and olive oil,  Sorrel, red pepper sauce, Red onion overpowers the fish and cod, cod roe is like a sausage and cod is flaky.

Amuse bouche and third course:  Lobster cappuccino with nutmeg. Reminds us of chicken noodle soup with Chilean wine called Casa de Torque Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (red wine).  Served with Slowly cooked filet, sheep sausage, rack of lamb, lamb sherperds pie, carrots, beets, carrot puree, rhubarb jam, sauce sheep meat and lamb from husaviak

Fourth course:  wine pairing Gustrum Riesling and Rye bread, feta cheese, fig sauce, pomegranate seeds, Eucalyptus leaf and balsamic vinegar

Fifth course:  wine pairing with Triviso Brisa de April with Chocolate pudding, chocolate and olive oil ice cream, licorice meringue which was all really great.

We had 5 courses with 5 glasses of wine and they were very generous to the point where we went to the 10 to 11 supermarket to buy Skyr and snacks.  Vanilla Skyr was thick like greek yogurt but sweeter.  Got a Florida bar as well.

Day 3:  Rental car day 2 and snowstorm

Drove on the green colored roads to Akranes where we first went to a black beach called Langisandur to take pictures.  I was sooo windy and cold.  Good thing I couldn’t feel the coldness between my toes.  The sand is very fine and if I were a clam, I would love to live there. stopped by Galito for Icelandic pizza and minke whale.  We got the 3 cheese pizza with icelandic camembert, maribo and blue cheese served with a side of strawberry jam.  Jam went well with the sharpness of the blue cheese.  We also got a langostine with rocket (less bitter version of arugula) and topped with parmesan cheese pizza.  The langostine were like little shrimp, but less chewier.  

Next stop was the Old Lighthouse where we looked around and saw the waves crashing in.  We had missed the hours to see inside the lighthouse, which is between 10 and 1200 hours (we came at 1 PM).  So after looking around, we headed towards Borgarnes where we sat in a cafe that was the bottom of a house which also housed a flower shop.  I got my swiss mocha on and it came with a creamy square of chocolate.  Then we headed back to Reykjavik in hopes of beating the snowstorm, but we ended up in the snowstorm.  Had to keep my speed between 60 and 80 km/hr (speed limit was 90 km/hr) as we came across perpendicular rain, lots of wind and snow.  We managed to get back to our hotel unscathed.  No one was hurt, nothing was damaged, it was a good day.  However, our tour for the Warms Springs, cool nights was cancelled due to the snow storm. That evening, we met up with Anika who dropped by our hotel and we showed her our hotel room.  She suggested we go to  Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur for the best hot dog in Iceland and Danska Krain which is a bar that locals frequent.  First stop was the hot dog place with everything on it.  By everything that means it has ketchup, a yellow sauce that isn’t quite mustard and a remoulade that is mayo based with fried onions and raw white onions all for 400 ISK.  I loved the crunchiness of the fried onions and the give of the hot dog casing.  However, the rest of the sauces just melded together to be a savory creamy sauce blob to me.  Kinda like a chili dog minus the chili beans and meat.  Very nice though.  I was tempted to get a second one, but realized that I should be hunting down more food, so we went to Te and Kaffi, which is everywhere like Starbucks (there is no Starbucks in Iceland, btw).  We got a salt Karamellu mokka and a matcha latte. Both executed well and the matcha latte tasted like matcha. Then to Danske Krain, where I got a shot of Brennivin aka Black Death.  It’s a shot that is cumin flavored.  I also got a shot of the Reyka Icelandic vodka which is best served shaken, not stirred, while my friend had an Icelandic IPA.  They serve no food there only drinks.  The Reyka shot was very clean tasing like the Icelandic water.  And then afterwards to the 10 to 11 supermarket to get more snacks.  I decided to get the Ostepop chips since they looked like cheese puffs and they were!

Day 4:  Meeting with Goodie (native Icelander) at Grai Kotturin (Grey cat) and then the Blue Lagoon and Fontana spa

We stopped by the hotel breakfast to get our fruit on, or at least I did.  I found myself addicted to their green/yellow melon that tasted like a mildly sweet version of honeydew.  We went on our way to the Grai Kotturin, which was also Bjork’s favorite breakfast place.  I got the pancakes with tuna salad, which oddly enough was salty pancakes with bland tuna salad, but the swiss mokka was good :-).  Goodie got the pancakes with jam and cheese and Autumn got the bagel with a fried egg, bacon and cheesy goodness.  It was weird because the fried egg was sunny side up with the yolk in the middle.  I didn’t really like my pancakes because even though they were the typical American pancakes, I’m not used to such high salt content.  I had a bite of Autumn’s bagel sandwich and it was dripping from the egg, but the bagel was crispy and same with the bacon.  It was the best out of both of our breakfasts.  Goodie is apparently studying for her Ph.D in Anthropology at the University of Iceland.  We learned from her that coffee breaks are essential and more relaxed than in America.  Also, instead of eating ice cream outside, they actually drive to an ice cream place and then eat the ice cream in their heated cars as a pasttime.  We had also come during the Winter Lights event in Rekjavik, but it was supposed to start yesterday which was the day of the snowstorm.  However, since we were going to be out to spas until midnight, we were not able to partake in any winter events.  

First stop, Blue Lagoon for the luxury experience.  We got on the flybus and took it down to the Blue Lagoon in Grindavik.  We had reservations for 1 PM at Lava restaurant where we were handed a glass of Asti champagne from Italy and their awesome multigrain bread which was very crusty outside and soft inside with their creamy Icelandic butter on a lava rock.  I ordered the 3 course seafood prix fixe menu and Autumn got the fish of the day which was haddock with bacon.  

First course was  Langostine with garlic, white chocolate foam and dulse.  It was creamy and very light with a chunk of langostine in the bottom.  It was light and I could see dulse pieces, but couldn’t taste too much of it.

Second course:  Cod with potatoes in a light brown sauce.  Very flaky and loved the potatoes

Third course:  was very rushed since it took them over an hour for the whole meal (don’t make reservations for an hour before your spa treatment.. rather 2 hrs due to slow service) which was a citrus creme brulee which only tasted like super sweet lemony goodness as I engulfed it due to time.  We were 20 min late to our room.  Our reservation for the exclusive lounge was from 2 to 5 PM.  We got fresh sliced fruit, a room with a shower and spa kit and then in the community area, there’s a fireplace and tea and coffee as well as chocolates. What we loved the most is that there was a private entrance into the Blue Lagoon so you don’t have to freeze your tush off when walking outside.  Luxury package also comes with a free drink so we got the Skyr smoothie.  I got the blueberry and Autumn got the strawberry.  The most expensive drink was the Prosecco or the Asti that was served earlier at the Lava restaurant.  We also had to walk from one side of the Blue Lagoon to the other to get our silica mask.. walked to the smoothie bar on the other side of the lagoon and then back to the silica mask place, rinsed our faces off after 5 min since it has the same minerals as the lagoon for anti-aging and then got our algae mask on for 10 to 15 min and then walked back to the lounge since we needed to catch the bus to the Fontana spa since our tour from yesterday was cancelled due to the snowstorm.  Oddly, even though we did have the salt scrub and massage (which they did in the water which was warm, but put on floating mats and tried to warm us up with warm soaked towels in the Lagoon), it didn’t increase our time in the lounge, rather it took 100 min away from the 180 min we had the lounge.  Next time I will not get any services.  Even our personal assistant, Brandon who was supposed to show us to our room and then check us out, didn’t show up to me until I was stuffing my face with fruit and Autumn had run into the shower so we could rush to Fontana spa.  He was also late in checking us out but we were able to catch our bus on time.

Reykjavik Excursions had sent a shuttle out to a nearby hotel to pick us up and transport us to the BSI (bus station) where everyone gets a shuttle to and then has to transfer to another bus.  We finally got on our bus to the Fontana hot springs and had an awesome tour guide who had a soothing voice and told us about how the Icelandic language was morphing to the times and the people get to vote on what the new words are.  When we got to the hot springs, we got to eat first by having the best rye in the country.  They apparently make the rye bread and then put it in a tin box to bury underground for 24 hours.  Summer sausage sticks were also served with pickled herring, strawberry smoothie, green beans with tuna, cous cous, oat and jam dessert (marriage cake), smoked salmon and salmon with dill as well as mashed yam, meatball and boiled eggs.  There was evenly freshly made tomato soup or a curry ginger soup.  I liked the bread the most.   Then we got to go into the hot springs for an hour.  The two warmest ones were the huge one on the left as you go inside with lots of rocks and if you go to the right, you will find a chlorinated hot tub with no thermal water.  We chose to stay in the warm thermal water.  We also got bracelets with the corresponding locker number with a key, kind of like Olympus Spa.  After leaving the spa, we stopped for 45 min to try to take a picture of the northern lights.  My settings were off, so none of my pictures came out, but oh well.  After going to two spas, we had to crash at the hotel because it was midnight and I didn’t want to venture out by myself.

Day 5:  final day in Rekjavik, Kolaportid flea market

Anika has a thermal product stand in the middle of the market so we went to visit her.  We went to go explore a Bonus beforehand, which had really reasonable prices.  I managed to get a guava strawberry smoothie and a goji berry juice box for $4.  I can see why it is popular among Icelanders.  They even had chocolate for cheap!  Then we went to the farmer’s market which is nearby the hot dog stand we went to earlier in the trip.  While on the way, we did stop by a bakery place that had samples of the various breads.  We really liked the rye bread which we got for 250 ISK.  I should have bought 2 (it costs 490 ISK at the airport).  We also got to try rotten shark sample, which I thought was ok, but Autumn hated.  It was like eating pickled herring, with a slight stinky tofu taste.  We also got to try dried cod, haddock and catfish.  I liked the catfish since it had more chewiness to it.  We also got some German thermals from Anika.  I got a graphite medium sized one and Autumn got one red and one black one.  Apparently Anika has the largest collection of colors of thermal leggings in Iceland as well as offering leather pants of various styles and decorative leggings as well as massaging leggings.  After a hug, we went around the flea market to see what else was there.  There were a lot of second hand clothing shops where you could buy the Icelandic wool sweaters or even books written in Icelandic or English.  We stopped by a Dunkin Donuts since I wanted to try the Iceland donut which had caramel in the middle.  It tasted just like a custard donut, but with a caramel middle and covered with a white chocolate top.  It was too sweet for me.  Autumn got some fried donuts that she put powdered sugar on from a food truck which tasted just like Native american fry bread, which was good.  Then we caught the flybus to the airport. After walking around the airport, we ended up getting the hot dogs nearby gate 30, which was just like the ones we got from downtown Rekjavik.  On the flight, I caved into the Skyr strawberry, spicy red chicken curry (which was like a 1 or 2 star spice), the spicy chicken foccacia (which wasn’t spicy at all) and water.  Man, I think I spent at least $20 on airplane food because we chose plain economy and not economy comfort.  Not sure if I would get about $50 worth of food/drink to justify upgrading to economy comfort.  The movie selection was old, so I settled for the Lego Movie and the Martian as well as some Dennis Quaid movie called Frequency.  They even had music, such as Icelandic rap. It was so weird hearing the guy say “motherfucker” or “bootay” in the song because it was the only English words he used.

We got Popeyes on the way back to our homes.  Next day I went to Winco to load up on groceries, so now I’m good for at least a week, but ugh, I still feel dehydrated and can’t focus too much.  At least now I’ve gotten some super easy overnight shifts through another temp agency.  I’ve started to try to do vlogs and will meet with a guy friend to figure out how to edit my gopro vids.

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Hot yoga and Iceland

My brain is feeling not so good.  I can’t focus and I’ve been doing my best to not eat salty food because I think I’m dehydrated.  Need to write out my thoughts about what to bring to Iceland.

Need to get:

-vietnamese food since there’s no food being served on the plane, even though I should have eaten all my meals before going on the plane (it will be 11 PM Iceland time when I board)

Packing list:

-snowboarding pants

-contact lenses/sunglasses

-boots

-turtleneck shirt day 1

-toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, sunscreen

-black pants/pretty sweater with cami day 2

-Benadryl

-swimsuit (day 2 and 3)

-towel

-spare battery pack

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Dab material