tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50766938863682531672024-03-06T04:41:56.604+00:00Richard Elliot's BlogFor friends, musings, restaurant reviews and travel news.Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.comBlogger1170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-33785069986894896212019-06-10T14:14:00.001+01:002019-06-10T14:14:26.285+01:00Should I get a home battery? A year of energy monitoring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdYVkZLfw9pz6JICOnYo5Gk4MyGfLLdCtdlHH5_tHHI73YuLZm3gq6vvzo2wxdnDw7Cu0tyrb_AEBxbxvOjP857Hv7cwI2w0HPkyrzF2gP1aGhX3Bfy1rQwxpNh-Uq0y-42L6hChey-o1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-06-10+at+14.11.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="602" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdYVkZLfw9pz6JICOnYo5Gk4MyGfLLdCtdlHH5_tHHI73YuLZm3gq6vvzo2wxdnDw7Cu0tyrb_AEBxbxvOjP857Hv7cwI2w0HPkyrzF2gP1aGhX3Bfy1rQwxpNh-Uq0y-42L6hChey-o1/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-06-10+at+14.11.13.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Around twelve months ago I was getting a bit obsessed with the idea of having getting a home battery installed to capture the excess electricity we were generating from our solar panels. As a way to stop myself from reaching for the cheque book I decided to spend the last twelve months monitoring our generation and usage.<br />
<br />
We have a 3.7kW system in London, split 50/50 between a set of east facing panels (minimal shading) and a set of south facing panels (which have a reasonable amount of shading unfortunately). We generated 2,918 kWh in the year I've been doing this analysis.<br />
<br />
I'm the first one to admit that my measurements might not be the most scientific. I also don't really know what I'm doing. One of the challenges is that we have a hot water diverter that already stores some of our electricity in the form of hot water by turning on our immersion heater.<br />
<br />
I started monitoring in June 2018.<br />
<br />
Caveats given, here is what I've learnt.<br />
<br />
<b>How many months of the year could I be off grid with a domestic battery?</b><br />
For six months of the year.<br />
<br />
In June, July, August and September 2018 we exported more than we imported. We entered positive territory again in April and May 2019.<br />
<br />
A 10.2 kW battery size would see us able to live completely off grid. A 7 kW battery would cover us for the vast majority of the time, but we have on some days imported between 7 - 10 kW. This generally happens on the weekend when we have the oven on a lot, are using the washing machine, mowing the grass etc....<br />
<br />
<b>What about if I had a really big battery?</b><br />
In the good months we export a lot more than we import, so if we had a really big battery we'd be able to take the big summer surplus to see us through the winter months.<br />
<br />
I don't know very much about district storage, the idea that there is a <i>really</i> big battery on your local network, but it seems to be an area of increasing research. The concept as I understand it, is that there is a large battery on the local network storing excess generation which can then be discharged when needed.<br />
<br />
By the end of August we could have stored 574 kWh of electricity if we had a battery big enough. This would have been enough to see us through October, November and December 2018, running out sometime in early January.<br />
<br />
I appreciate that with district storage an individual wouldn't in practice be able to get the electricity that they'd put in back three months later, but it is an interesting theoretical exercise.<br />
<br />
<b>What about an electric car?</b><br />
Over the past year I've lost my obsession with idea of a domestic battery and replaced it with the idea of getting an EV.<br />
<br />
We take public transport to work so the car would be sitting on the drive way during peak generation times five days a week, effectively acting as a 50 kWh battery. It would enable us to be off grid for six months of the year, but wouldn't really be big enough to help keep us off grid for another four as a district batter would.<br />
<br />
Vehicle to Grid and Vehicle to Home technology is in its infancy in the UK, but is already proven in other countries and is supported by the latest Nissan Leaf for example.<br />
<br />
I appreciate that it wouldn't work for everyone (e.g. if you drive to work), but for our lifestyle I don't see why you'd spend £7 - 10k on a home battery when you could put that money towards an electric car.Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-2326037520718875052019-04-13T21:49:00.000+01:002019-04-13T21:49:33.272+01:00Paddock Wood Half Marathon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog2kRUaVO7UcREB9tqNtrTHUiV_u27Wfqwjn-SCQnaRUqclNPNUJQQp-djE3qoUR-BuN0VY-m2S0eSvFmIPrIrWRemoiwiJfSdNXcS1oEBbQ9M6zixqj_P4G56TFYBpatRMtvee7RONdE/s1600/IMG_20190406_212613_467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog2kRUaVO7UcREB9tqNtrTHUiV_u27Wfqwjn-SCQnaRUqclNPNUJQQp-djE3qoUR-BuN0VY-m2S0eSvFmIPrIrWRemoiwiJfSdNXcS1oEBbQ9M6zixqj_P4G56TFYBpatRMtvee7RONdE/s400/IMG_20190406_212613_467.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting my kit ready the night before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My running has been seriously drifting for the past three and a half years, but I enjoyed <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-big-half-build-up-and-race-notes.html" target="_blank">The Big Half</a> last year so decided that I should set a spring target for this year as well. I was going to do The Big Half again, but messed up my entry so decided to do the <a href="https://www.paddockwoodhalfmarathon.co.uk/" target="_blank">Paddock Wood Half</a> instead.</div>
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I've never been a huge mileage junkie but when I was 'training seriously' I would be running six times a week. Knowing that I didn't have the time or energy levels to do that type of training any more I decided to follow a program based around the <a href="http://www.trekmanracing.com/uploads/1/9/2/7/19271545/furman_half_schedule.pdf" target="_blank">Furman Institute</a> idea of running three quality sessions a week and no easy running. </div>
<br />
I quite enjoyed the training, getting back into going to the track and joining some of the marathoners on their early Sunday morning long runs. I was really struggling to hit the target paces from the plan (no surprise really as I was coming in on off such a low base) and having never done a program like this before I had no real idea what type of form I was in. Getting a virus three / four weeks before the race which hung around for <i>ages</i> also knocked my confidence and paces.<br />
<br />
However, my last quality session ten days before the race was a really good tempo run with Len. Get rid of the doubts. Focus. Believe.<br />
<br />
I usually remember races quite clearly, but this one is a bit of a haze. However, my notes are below:<br />
<br />
Despite it going <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.com/2015/02/wokingham-half-marathon-race-notes.html" target="_blank">disastrously wrong the at Wokingham Half</a> four years ago I wanted to find a group to run with in this race as I thought tagging onto a group, at the right pace, would really help me.<br />
<br />
<b>0 - 9km</b><br />
I didn't have race pace dialled into my legs so was looking at my watch quite a bit in the first few kilometers to check I wasn't going to quickly or slowly. I was on the look out for a good group, and spoke to a few people on the road about their targets, but nothing (that I trusted) seemed to be forming.<br />
<br />
After three or so kilometers I was aware of a group of around six people up ahead that looked pretty strong. Was it possible to get across to them? Did I even want to? Were they going too quick?<br />
<br />
I was running on my own. I didn't look behind me once during the race but I had the feeling that I was probably pulling a few people along. Wasn't the free riding along with a group I was hoping for!<br />
<br />
<b>9 - 16km</b><br />
Having floated around 20 meters off the back of a group, I was all of a sudden running with them. I didn't put in a conscious spurt so I'm not sure how it happened but I'd finally joined a group which was one of my pre-race objectives. Don't do any work, just hang out at the back.<br />
<br />
They were running a nice even pace and I wasn't feeling too bad. Through this phase I was beginning to feel mentally quite tired, but my legs and lungs were ok so I told myself to suck it up.<br />
<br />
In the group was the second women on the road, Emma Navesey, and she seemed to be getting a bit of coaching as we went along. There was definitely one, and possibly two, people in the group pacing her. It gave me confidence that the group would have legs.<br />
<br />
<b>16 - 21.2km</b><br />
The group began to break up at the 10 mile mark with a couple of people pushing off the front. I found myself doing some work on the front of the group that remained for the first time and then getting into a little of no mans land. (I still wasn't looking behind me, but I got the feeling everyone had strung out a bit.)<br />
<br />
With three miles to go I was beginning to slow, but I stayed positive, breaking it down into three six minute chunks and the mile markers came sooner than I expected which was a good thing. I don't remember more than one person coming past me in this phase which definitely helped me stay more positive.<br />
<br />
With around 800m - 500m to go I did lose three (?) places as people came past. At this stage I'll admit I'd mentally given up and decided to let people go. Knowing that I had to get over a railway bridge on tired legs meant I couldn't be bothered to sprint. Weak I know!<br />
<br />
When we were over the bridge, with around 200m to go, I decided I wasn't going to let anyone further come past, but I had a reasonable gap so didn't need to worry in the end.<br />
<br />
I crossed the line in 1:22:21, at the quicker end of my expectations, and in 119th place.<br />
<br />
It was quite nice to shake hands and have a quick word with some of the group. One of them even thanked me which took me aback as I'd spent the whole time free loading!<br />
<br />
I was pleasantly surprised with how I'd performed and have found training three times a week pretty manageable so am going to try and keep that going for a bit longer and see if I can get a good 5 or 10km in over the summer.<br />
<br />
I also feel really lucky that I'd recovered from my virus just in time for the race and it was before I caught the next bug from Hope. The race was on one of the few days in the last month where I was actually able to perform!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTM4f3UhpodfOFmWTdaeam2Bpxiklhz-16p0XI7Gne1L2niEr0Q6zcZtwbP4NT5NFBVAe80EQt2QY3gyh-4hM18ozqQWcY0s9ScrlSafHLhF0dgXRaWOVbjXLVgYpg0bN2ZekAIclgNDp/s1600/00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190407160208105_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTM4f3UhpodfOFmWTdaeam2Bpxiklhz-16p0XI7Gne1L2niEr0Q6zcZtwbP4NT5NFBVAe80EQt2QY3gyh-4hM18ozqQWcY0s9ScrlSafHLhF0dgXRaWOVbjXLVgYpg0bN2ZekAIclgNDp/s400/00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190407160208105_COVER.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hope sporting my medal</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com5Paddock Wood, Tonbridge TN12, UK51.1813239 0.3847700000000031751.1415044 0.30408900000000316 51.2211434 0.46545100000000317tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-72136186918485729862018-11-03T10:17:00.002+00:002018-11-03T10:17:46.227+00:00Sparrow, Lewisham<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbeaedK0EPS1AluQ__4FX6k7cMIu4B3-DQ-PcMN4H2HVIFQQ-GFqhyphenhyphenViJxMmeybTOVbdvg2cdidyTJA9Y1H-a4r0Dt3lbWh-FwTwd0t_1HKMBl796K0S_EThBTuFCbRtPqwxLT0MC1n4G/s1600/IMG_20181101_194331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbeaedK0EPS1AluQ__4FX6k7cMIu4B3-DQ-PcMN4H2HVIFQQ-GFqhyphenhyphenViJxMmeybTOVbdvg2cdidyTJA9Y1H-a4r0Dt3lbWh-FwTwd0t_1HKMBl796K0S_EThBTuFCbRtPqwxLT0MC1n4G/s400/IMG_20181101_194331.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lentil vada, coconut chutney</td></tr>
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On Sunday night we went to Sparrow in Lewisham for Becks' birthday. We've wanted to go since they opened but morning sickness and a baby had got in the way until now.<br />
<br />
The menu is an eclectic mix of Italian, Indian and south east Asian influences with some French and north African flavours sprinkled in to. It sounds like it could be a car crash. Can one kitchen really pull off all those different flaovurs in a cohesive way? I'm pleased to say, as it was a birthday dinner, yes they can.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zFaJlDc8azeNffRH_6k3_cJLwwJXFmfih3Xlz0y_kg-YFep6CrOAeRosz8BpjolpRLWYzefNt8boek9952pPbt2wCxOkOUUt3brC4QQ9m07mpHz7CvSmg9OXRSphK0bYDkqGIeR1G23b/s1600/IMG_20181101_224327_114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zFaJlDc8azeNffRH_6k3_cJLwwJXFmfih3Xlz0y_kg-YFep6CrOAeRosz8BpjolpRLWYzefNt8boek9952pPbt2wCxOkOUUt3brC4QQ9m07mpHz7CvSmg9OXRSphK0bYDkqGIeR1G23b/s400/IMG_20181101_224327_114.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burrata, slow cooked courgettes</td></tr>
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It was difficult to pick a favourite from the mains. The green risotto still had incredible bite but there was no hint of chalkiness and the pine nuts sprinkled on top had been toasted deeply adding a great flavour. How did they manage to toast them that darkly without burning them?<br />
<br />
The vada, burrata and lamb were all dishes I'd order again too. Already being full we shouldn't have ordered dessert but did the lure of sugar drew us in. They didn't feel up to the level of the main courses but it's a bit unfair to judge them when we were so full.<br />
<br />
It took us a long time to get to Sparrow, but hopefully we'll organiser another babysitter and be back sooner next time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXGP4UTo9B0vrry3VY38s-V7hMIXWmvqB9YJeR-dgQ2aWusjkRjaq-QfR60E9B1KkcLKsEwLcsXLSumnmCd-aaMm1a9YWItGJH-bLw23mDoxyxczpxRT3gCQclDQqOXuH3Wf-1OfTrDWN/s1600/IMG_20181101_200019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXGP4UTo9B0vrry3VY38s-V7hMIXWmvqB9YJeR-dgQ2aWusjkRjaq-QfR60E9B1KkcLKsEwLcsXLSumnmCd-aaMm1a9YWItGJH-bLw23mDoxyxczpxRT3gCQclDQqOXuH3Wf-1OfTrDWN/s400/IMG_20181101_200019.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green risotto, pine nuts, perroche</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBW0qFFA9VYnZ-8TvuR_npI6ek1Gmn4OQMsiVDAX1yGZbkNYvdZO-FMprmyWYnnBmiZ_BtpUaFIgVZ-M4HRZJNicgQhBpQIFOvRE4gq7LSnMsg-AksI2vZXHIU4oLepklzwTf81oa2LXI/s1600/IMG_20181101_200921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1544" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBW0qFFA9VYnZ-8TvuR_npI6ek1Gmn4OQMsiVDAX1yGZbkNYvdZO-FMprmyWYnnBmiZ_BtpUaFIgVZ-M4HRZJNicgQhBpQIFOvRE4gq7LSnMsg-AksI2vZXHIU4oLepklzwTf81oa2LXI/s400/IMG_20181101_200921.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow cooked lamb, polenta, carrots</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhwRPaXOsPSqD6TqnhIAbTC8s9IyM_h7pMv5VD66bbFJluFW5To7higWHxFX1EYnwvadyLJCZRa9cALvftrwrTxHyMWqnf1MbVNE3xrM-sEtYCwRWGCHUXIpkdpnAbgDAs_2tUpHXow_U/s1600/IMG_20181101_203452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhwRPaXOsPSqD6TqnhIAbTC8s9IyM_h7pMv5VD66bbFJluFW5To7higWHxFX1EYnwvadyLJCZRa9cALvftrwrTxHyMWqnf1MbVNE3xrM-sEtYCwRWGCHUXIpkdpnAbgDAs_2tUpHXow_U/s400/IMG_20181101_203452.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginger loaf and butterscotch sauce</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAATsjpvFfy_d4pVnkM7S78hmF61eJt1CfnaEgLJAvL5-cLZJU_t12mA6Bapkem0NdKdYE1pABbiVftFWzgZzN0kEju3AcMWep8g-jzYaCbl7dcXO-sUk2x8IJdtudVfUMzfbneS_GAek/s1600/IMG_20181101_203457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAATsjpvFfy_d4pVnkM7S78hmF61eJt1CfnaEgLJAvL5-cLZJU_t12mA6Bapkem0NdKdYE1pABbiVftFWzgZzN0kEju3AcMWep8g-jzYaCbl7dcXO-sUk2x8IJdtudVfUMzfbneS_GAek/s400/IMG_20181101_203457.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mont Blanc</td></tr>
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Sparrow<br />2 Rennell Street,<div>
London</div>
<div>
SE13 7HD</div>
Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com72 Rennell Street, London SE13 7HD, UK51.4634516 -0.01129909999997380531.0136576 -41.319893099999973 71.9132456 41.297294900000026tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-45754245960183890932018-10-07T20:36:00.001+01:002019-02-15T21:36:51.227+00:00Raleigh Strada eBike review *Updated*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0oGEr9dmw8dlmARxm3LQ1N4NsBgbyzZ_WblcCeEVMsn08fH4swMEslbk1xupj4y0vyNp7cjC3Avi9MI31YH-5l2o8G8cuEM9w_cleiaQno5-W1rxhWr3kbcgtpHJu1_Cpms363dSLl7d/s1600/IMG_20180818_164126_622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0oGEr9dmw8dlmARxm3LQ1N4NsBgbyzZ_WblcCeEVMsn08fH4swMEslbk1xupj4y0vyNp7cjC3Avi9MI31YH-5l2o8G8cuEM9w_cleiaQno5-W1rxhWr3kbcgtpHJu1_Cpms363dSLl7d/s400/IMG_20180818_164126_622.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I bought my eBike three weeks ago to use on my daily commute into the office. My previous bike was ten years old, and although the frame was probably the only original component still left on the bike, I'd been scratching the itch for something new for a couple of years.<br />
<br />
A more immediate driver for buying the bike was my 10 month old daughter. She's a bundle of joy but has definitely meant I get a lot less sleep than I used to and cycling home after a day at work on little sleep was becoming increasingly difficult. Some days I was getting the train to work as I knew I wouldn't be able to manage the ride home.<br />
<br />
eBikes are becoming increasingly common in bike shops in London, but most places only carry a very limited range. I knew that I wanted a crank drive, but was really pushing my limited budget to get one. In my budget were a very limited number of models from Cube and Raleigh. I ended up with the Raleigh Strada largely because the Cube sales rep didn't get back to my local bike shop. Sometimes it is best to leave things to fate...<br />
<br />
So what is it like to ride?<br />
<br />
<b>Riding downhill:</b> Assistance from the motor cuts out at 25kph / 15mph which is easily exceeded on even moderate inclines. Basically riding downhill is exactly the same as on any other bike. You might get a bit of extra momentum from the bike being heavier than a standard bike, but this isn't something I've tried to measure.<br />
<br />
<b>Starting and stopping:</b> Pulling away is one of the two times when I really notice that I'm on an eBike. It takes very little effort to get going and you accelerate away from the lights up to 15 mph very quickly. Given that stopping and starting can be a real energy sapper this is where having some assistance makes a real difference.<br />
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Stopping on an eBike is no different to a regular bike.<br />
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<b>Riding uphill:</b> This is the second area where riding on an eBike makes a real difference. On my commute I only face a few undulations, but the four small climbs at the end of my ride home were a real struggle on days when I'd had insufficient sleep. The motor makes a noticeable difference and it almost feels like you are riding on the flat which is amazing.<br />
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<b>Riding on the flat:</b> Riding on the flat is the thing that has taken the most getting used to which is not something I was expecting. The motor assistance means that you accelerate up to 25 kph / 15 mph and it is actually quite hard to cycle slower than this.<br />
<br />
Going quicker: The Strada is a very easy rolling bike so it is perfectly possible to cycle faster than 25 kph / 15 mph under your own power and I frequently do on my way to work. However, I'm conscious of the fact I'm shifting a heavy bike (due to the motor and battery) and it is harder work than it was on my old bike.<br />
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Cycling at 25 kph / 15 mph: I find myself cycling at this speed quite a lot due to the electric assistance getting you up to this speed without much effort. The power delivery is incredibly smooth, but I am conscious of the motor kicking in for a couple of pedal strokes, cutting out and then back in again. I'm guessing this must be a pretty common scenario and I'm hoping that it isn't bad for the motor. As I said the power delivery is very smooth and there is no jerkiness.<br />
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When you see people on eBikes zipping past you on the flat you realise how many must have had the limiters removed / don't comply to UK law.<br />
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<b>Range anxiety / Battery life:</b> Quite simply I don't have any range anxiety. I've been charging the battery once a fortnight after covering 80 - 90 miles (at around 15% battery left). Battery charging is quicker than I expected too, taking 2-3 hours.<br />
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<b>Power Modes: </b>The Shimano system has three power modes, Eco, Normal and High. I only really ride in Eco as it really provides a significant boost and on a mainly flat commute like mine that is all you need.<br />
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If I'm feeling really lazy on the final drag home I might turn the bike to Normal and then you barely do have to pedal.<br />
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<b>Noise: </b>Something I hadn't expected, but is pretty obvious if I'd thought about it. I'm not saying the motor is noisy, in fact it's pretty quiet, but you can't escape the fact it does make a noise. In traffic you won't hear it, but on a quiet country cycle path or country lane you are likely to hear it. More importantly so will the people you cycle past, and they'll know you are cheating.<br />
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<b>Quirks: </b>The only quirk I've noticed is that you can't turn the system on while pedalling, so you need to turn it on before you jump on the bike or while you are rolling, but not pedalling. I think this is because there is a torque meter in the motor and it needs to calibrate each time you start cycling.<br />
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Overall I'm really happy with the bike. It's fun to ride and on the sleep starved nights it still makes me want to cycle to work, which was the whole point of buying the bike. The only downside I can see is that more and more manufacturers are integrating the battery into the bottom tube so I think the bike is going to look pretty dated in a couple of years with the battery so visible on the frame. It might also make me fat as I'm exercising less than on my old bike.<br />
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A quick hat tip to my local bike shop <a href="https://www.pandlcycles.co.uk/" target="_blank">Parts and Labour</a> who gave me some good advice before the purchase, sourced the bike at a great price and have given me good service since then. I have no affiliation other than being a happy customer.<br />
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<b>*Update*</b><br />
I've had the bike for around 5 months now and use it most weekdays. Overall I'm still very happy with the bike and continue to enjoy riding it.<br />
<br />
However, I thought I'd share a minor annoyance with the battery. In a nutshell the amount of battery remaining doesn't go down in a linear fashion. I've had a few instances when the amount of battery left suddenly drops by 20%, I've also seen some 10% and 15% drops. This seems to happen when I've got less than 40% of the battery left.<br />
<br />
I still only need to charge the bike around once a fortnight so I don't think the battery is failing or the capacity has noticeably reduced. It seems to be more of a battery management issue which means I never quite trust how much battery is actually left. As my lights run off the main battery I really don't want to be caught with no power left and a ride home in the dark.Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-7718661957967444122018-09-01T09:08:00.001+01:002019-06-10T13:23:24.725+01:00Domestic energy monitoring: Is a home battery worth it?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Cross posting a Twitter series I've started onto the blog.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZjoRhr75bUfmsHK6inAIJcrRWebzYXc5pnNfQgl4ayoLBKeQqODgYo7AoOSZQv_VlN-cQKmpEVvVNRk2iII3lDY_kgCf5gvJ2uMptnJ3u2OMX9SXu7SsOn0H71FspYz8OGYYptjPeM8v/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-11-03+at+09.42.51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="604" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZjoRhr75bUfmsHK6inAIJcrRWebzYXc5pnNfQgl4ayoLBKeQqODgYo7AoOSZQv_VlN-cQKmpEVvVNRk2iII3lDY_kgCf5gvJ2uMptnJ3u2OMX9SXu7SsOn0H71FspYz8OGYYptjPeM8v/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-11-03+at+09.42.51.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/richardelliot">@richardelliot</a><br />
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I love the idea of a home battery to connect to our PV system because I'm a sucker for new technology, even if I know they won't be economic until about 2030. As a way of delaying the purchase by a minimum of 12 months I've decided to collect a year of data 1/<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/richardelliot">@richardelliot</a></div>
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The measurements are complicated by a) getting good data, b) because we already store some electricity in the form of hot water via our power diverter and c) because I don't know what I'm doing. C is without doubt the biggest problem. 2/<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/richardelliot">@richardelliot</a><br />
I'm going to ignore peak loads, that can be my reason for putting off a purchase in year two 3/<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/richardelliot">@richardelliot</a><br />
June 2018: Average import of 3.5 kWh per day, stored 4.9 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 6 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 5.3 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have made us off grid. 4/<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/richardelliot">@richardelliot</a><br />
July 2018: Average import of 3.6 kWh per day, stored 4.6 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 5.8 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 5.6 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have made us off grid. 5/<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/richardelliot">@richardelliot</a><br />
August 2018: Average import of 4.2 kWh per day, stored 4.1 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 2.9 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 6.5 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have met 70% of our needs. Could have been off grid if we stored less as hot water. 6/<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/richardelliot">@richardelliot</a><br />
September 2018: Average import of 4.2 kWh per day, stored 3.9 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 2.3 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 6.5 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have met 50% of our needs. Could have been off grid if we stored less as hot water. 7/<br />
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@richardelliot<br />
Classic sunny, but short, autumnal day. Completely mismatched generation and demand for a working family. Exported 4.4kWh and imported 5.5kWh (so far). 8/<br />
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@richardelliot<br />
October 2018: Average import of 6.2 kWh per day, stored 2.3 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 1.0 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 10.9 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have met 20% of our needs or 50% if we didn't store any electricity as hot water. 9/</div>
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@richardelliot<br />
Generation continued falling in October and our electricity consumption rose significantly making it a bad month for energy independence! We have a number of electric heating sources that we use as a little top up before the central heating comes on. 10/<br />
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@richardelliot<br />
November 2018: Average import of 7.6 kWh per day, stored 0.9 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 0.3 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 9.7 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have met 4% of our needs or 20% if we didn't store any electricity as hot water. 11/<br />
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@richardelliot</div>
The stats this month are looking pretty bad, but if we had some form of local / district storage we could still be energy independent for about another month based on all the excess generation over the summer.<br />
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@richardelliot</div>
December 2018: Average import of 7.5 kWh per day, stored 0.1 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 0.4 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 10.6 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have met 5.6% of our needs or 6.5% if we didn't store any electricity as hot water. 13/<br />
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@richardelliot</div>
The December stats look pretty bad again, but if we had enough storage we could still be energy independent based on our summer generation. This is the last month I'm likely to be able to say that though. 14/<br />
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@richardelliot<br />
In 2018 we earned £453 from our solar panels in generation and export tariffs 15/</div>
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@richardelliot<br />
January 2018: Average import of 8.3 kWh per day, stored 0.0 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 1.0 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 11.4 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have met 12.4% of our needs 16/<br />
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@richardelliot<br />
February 2018: Average import of 6.8 kWh per day, stored 0.0 kWh as hot water and exported / could have stored 3.3 kWh in a battery. Max import on any day 10.3 kWh. Conclusion: A battery could have met 48% of our needs 17/<br />
<br />@richardelliot<br />We generated 15% more electricity than we used in April. First month of the year back in positive territory. 18/Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-87960523074341024362018-03-11T18:06:00.002+00:002018-03-11T18:06:37.499+00:00The Big Half: Build Up and Race Notes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKi5CXNBzhhRqIN4V8WL0hFXGaaEGt_-ug8B7ViooQhFJ5F37WHGdDRK8sJcqxWsSSaaQQMkB-O6blNYuyk4WlFQd8P8F4qy08aHdydUhUnH5nlquCeOys4lAssVIp9mJAnAvIcGZYStK/s1600/IMG-20180304-WA0006.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKi5CXNBzhhRqIN4V8WL0hFXGaaEGt_-ug8B7ViooQhFJ5F37WHGdDRK8sJcqxWsSSaaQQMkB-O6blNYuyk4WlFQd8P8F4qy08aHdydUhUnH5nlquCeOys4lAssVIp9mJAnAvIcGZYStK/s400/IMG-20180304-WA0006.jpeg" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herbert and my Big Half Medal</td></tr>
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Prior to competing in the Berlin marathon back in 2015, running had been a big part of my life for four / five years. I've been running reasonably regularly since then, but nowhere near the same level of intensity. At one time a 50 mile week would be easy and now it feels like something that is unachievable!<br />
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I was happy to reprioritise other things in my life (house building, work & family), but at the same time I used to get a bit upset and how far my times had tumbled. Last year when I saw the Big Half announced I decided that it was finally to set myself a goal and get a race in the diary.<br />
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Even with a goal in mind, I still let my training drift as the race was a long way off, until the start of this year when suddenly it wasn't any more! At the start of January I put together an eight week training plan together for myself and have actually enjoyed the structure. I could no longer skip a run because "I was feeling a bit tired" or "I didn't fancy running in the rain".<br />
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I knew I had to be realistic and that getting close to a PB wasn't going to be remotely possible as eight weeks wasn't long enough to build a base, some speed endurance and taper. <a href="https://flow.polar.com/training/analysis/2220880201" target="_blank">Racing the Hagley Park Run</a> while I was in NZ gave me a confidence booster that I should be able to achieve something in the 82 - 84 minute range.<br />
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I started race day nice and relaxed. Bumping into fellow club mate John on the start line we decided to run together as we were targeting for approximately the same time.<br />
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<b>0 - 5km</b><br />
We settled into a nice pace pretty quickly (which surprised me as I hadn't done any training at target pace), and despite quite a bit of weaving round slower runners settled into a rhythm. I could feel my breakfast sitting in my stomach. I'd eaten three hours before the race, but that obviously hadn't been enough time to digest it fully.<br />
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Around 4km I was beginning to feel that it was a bit quick and started thinking I was going to have to tell John I needed to back it off a bit as I didn't think I'd be able to make it to the end at the current pace. However, around the 5km mark I started to feel ok again.<br />
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<b>6 - 10km</b><br />
Somewhere around the 6km I started to pull away from John slightly and found myself with a group of runners I recognised from the Assembly League, including a very good female runner called Claire. I ran with them for a bit and then started to ease away from them. I knew I was probably going a bit quick, but I was feeling good at that stage so decided to stick with it.<br />
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During this phase of the race I also passed a couple of other Kent runners, Matt and Rowan, who would usually beat me. I probably should rain this in.<br />
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<b>11 - 15km</b><br />
I don't remember much about this phase of the race. Somewhere around the 13km marker Claire came onto my shoulder, but then dropped back again.<br />
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I was trying not to be too negative, but at this stage of the race I could tell my lack of speed endurance / general training was going to catch up with me and I'd struggle to maintain this pace to the end.<br />
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<b>16km - Finish</b><br />
As predicted I detonated in this phase of the race. I was trying to keep myself positive and tell myself that it was only a Parkrun distance to go (even though it was further) and also not to look at my watch. In the past, even though it has felt like I've slowed to a crawl, my watch has told me it isn't nearly that bad. If I didn't look I could tell myself I'd barely slowed!<br />
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I started to feel a blister on my right heel. Do I stop to adjust my sock? No.<br />
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At 18km I received a huge cheer from club mate Alison. It was brilliant, even if I didn't feel as good as I was told I looked. It was at this stage that I started going backwards in the race and I was definitely the one being overtaken. I could also hear lots of "go Claire!". I didn't look round, but I knew she must be close.<br />
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Keep going, it's not far.<br />
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In the final 200m John came onto my shoulder, he'd clearly run a lot more even race than I had and had now caught up with my. I put in a sprint finish and managed to beat John by around 5m.<br />
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I finished in 1:23:17. I was 396th out of 11,598.<br />
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The data from my watch is <a href="https://flow.polar.com/training/analysis/2246165623#" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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The official results are <a href="https://www.thebighalf.co.uk/results/2018/9999990F5ECC850000279BA8/?sort=asc&first_name=Richard&last_name=Elliot&order_by=bib_number&gender=&paginate_by=25&team=&bib_number=&age_group=&event=the-vitality-big-half&page=1" target="_blank">here</a>. With some fun visualisations of the data <a href="http://www.runpix2.com/arace11/55/fo.php?id=1849&dt=21&hm=lbh18&ev=lbh18" target="_blank">here</a>.Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0King William Walk, London SE10 9HT, United Kingdom51.4828646 -0.009591699999987213231.0330556 -41.318185699999987 71.9326736 41.299002300000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-5430070105592960062018-03-10T20:54:00.000+00:002018-03-10T20:58:48.648+00:00Super Thai food: Supawan, Kings Cross<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently read Marina O’Loughlin's <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/restaurant-review-marina-oloughlin-on-supawan-kings-cross-london-rz75fz8kk" target="_blank">review</a> of <a href="http://supawan.co.uk/" target="_blank">Supawan</a>, and like many other people I suspect, decided I'd like to try their Thai food for myself. A catch up with my friend Ed last night provided the perfect opportunity.<br />
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Marina was universal in her delight at Supawan. We had two awesome dishes and two a bit more average, although the highs definitely outweighed the lows.<br />
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First, the highs. The <i>neua yang </i>(grilled beef) is described on the menu as coming with a grounded rice and mint dressing. What they didn't mention on the menu was the amazing sauce that had us both spooning it over our rice to make sure we ate every last drop.<br />
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The second excellent dish was the <i>Thai squid</i> (pictured). At first glance it looks like any other deep fried calamari, but the chili and tamarind coating took this squid to a whole different level. I could have very easily eaten another plateful.<br />
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The two dishes that slightly missed the mark were two staples that I love ordering on my visits to Thailand. The first was <i>som dtum</i> (papaya salad). In Thailand this salad is ferociously hot and it is a dish that just doesn't work without chili and our just didn't have enough. <i>Phakbung fai deng</i> (stir fried morning glory) universally comes in tasty garlicky sauce, but this one was just a little bland and without enough punch in the sauce.<br />
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The beef and the squid were definitely enough to make me want to go back. Hopefully I find some more highs from the menu. At £25 a head it was excellent value and our lovely server even tolerated my poor Thai.<br />
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Oh, and I'm pretty sure the bathroom tiles are the same ones as we have in our bathroom too.<br />
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Supawan<br />
38 Caledonian Rd<br />
Kings Cross<br />
London<br />
N1 9DTRichard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com238 Caledonian Rd, Kings Cross, London N1 9DT, UK51.5319549 -0.1205036000000063731.0821414 -41.429097600000006 71.9817684 41.188090399999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-19947328016287183822018-03-03T15:40:00.000+00:002018-03-03T15:40:30.137+00:00Summer in Scotland: Adfern and surrounding area<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxLcc5kLj8uP7NZjZxZ1uu9OZ3hueD4paxn-NF1AnnPxdHpKuviDhznV0GFKszFQOybbiA8f2G4v0xO1EhFIWszWg1EVJBfLhYZwBIQKhFYc5qBhOlvZ74XFz4I0gVf82wLlVvCnZsV1J/s1600/IMG_20170628_144022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxLcc5kLj8uP7NZjZxZ1uu9OZ3hueD4paxn-NF1AnnPxdHpKuviDhznV0GFKszFQOybbiA8f2G4v0xO1EhFIWszWg1EVJBfLhYZwBIQKhFYc5qBhOlvZ74XFz4I0gVf82wLlVvCnZsV1J/s400/IMG_20170628_144022.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neolithic burial mound in Kilmartin Glen</td></tr>
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For the final few days of our time in Scotland last summer we stayed at a B&B in the small community of Ardfern with a rather eccentric host (who has since sold the B&B). Here are some of the highlights of our time exploring the local area.<div>
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One of the first and most memorable things we did was a guided walk of the neolithic (mainly burial) sites in Kilmartin Glen. The guided walk started and ended at the <a href="http://www.kilmartin.org/" target="_blank">Kilmartin Museum</a> and we spent a couple of hours being guided round the glen by some very friendly locals. The glen is packed with incredibly well preserved neolithic remains.<br /><div>
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I can't remember many fact from the walk now, but I do remember enjoying it at the time. They take a limited number of people on the walks and regularly hit capacity so it is worth getting your name onto the sign up sheet early in the morning and then coming back for the walk in the afternoon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becks disappearing into a burial mound</td></tr>
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Not to far from Kilmartin is the small settlement of Crinan. We visited twice, once during the day to go for a walk along the canal and then we returned in the evening for dinner in the seafood bar at the Crinan hotel which is well known locally as one of the best spots in the area for seafood. Having ticked <a href="https://richardelliot.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/summer-in-scotland-isle-of-islay.html" target="_blank">langoustine off my list</a> in Islay, this time I ordered a plate of scallops which was another item on my holiday check list.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scallops at the Crinan seafood bar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knapdale Forest</td></tr>
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Taking advantage of the long summer days up in Scotland we stopped for a walk in the Knapdale forest on the way home from Crinan. The forest is the site of trial to <a href="https://www.scottishbeavers.org.uk/" target="_blank">introduce beaver colonies back into the wild</a> in Scotland. We didn't spot any of the beavers, but did see some of their dams and had a pleasant walk round the forest on some of the trials.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Arduaine gardens</td></tr>
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On another long day out and about we started of by looking round the Arduiane gardens (lovely, but we were a bit out of season) before heading up to Oban. Compared to the rest of our trip Oban was tourist central with lots of overseas visitors around. Oban is clearly a tourist hub and a gateway to some of the outer islands.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wqowpWgwOGqIhyllFNVIi4zIKqaaz3dfIF4UeSbeWl-jZItX2JOb6t3MlD6mXK9Svf8JeZ-fegXefTM0s-7IOzniQguLKqb20pdZ3g2dPKhyphenhyphenqTppQt4o91yhpky19WirWqETPHrlrwi2/s1600/IMG_20170630_144410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wqowpWgwOGqIhyllFNVIi4zIKqaaz3dfIF4UeSbeWl-jZItX2JOb6t3MlD6mXK9Svf8JeZ-fegXefTM0s-7IOzniQguLKqb20pdZ3g2dPKhyphenhyphenqTppQt4o91yhpky19WirWqETPHrlrwi2/s400/IMG_20170630_144410.jpg" width="348" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobster in Oban</td></tr>
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We had lunch at Eeusk (lobster, the final tick on my seafood wish list) on the waterfront and a quick look round the centre of town before jumping into the car again and heading to Easdale island, a delightful, if slightly odd experience. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheelbarrows Easdale</td></tr>
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The tiny island of Easdale can only be accessed by a small ferry which only takes foot passengers. When you arrive on the island, the first thing you see if an assortment of wheelbarrows that the locals use to transport their shopping from the ferry back to their houses.</div>
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The island is covered in abandoned slate mines and was clearly a hub in the activity in its day. The only thing to do on the island is to have a walk around some of the abandoned mines and through the small settlement near the ferry.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abandoned slate mines on Easdale</td></tr>
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The island was very idyllic but it must be a tough live living on the island, exposed to the weather and only able to access your home via a small very. I suspect everyone that lives there must do it because they love the island. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMVsyDt0UqjR2fOi9bGY415Zl_hWda_lnlGR_VDLqxjigRRFtXgry8z74CywpVO8Ms77ZvMCex5vu-urkncRDh710LxcxAy03fJ7_8cFQVPC3eq5qP_Lp1y5mCxpC06OfeIwUe8fwPhzo/s1600/DSC_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMVsyDt0UqjR2fOi9bGY415Zl_hWda_lnlGR_VDLqxjigRRFtXgry8z74CywpVO8Ms77ZvMCex5vu-urkncRDh710LxcxAy03fJ7_8cFQVPC3eq5qP_Lp1y5mCxpC06OfeIwUe8fwPhzo/s400/DSC_0123.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge over the Atlantic</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Ardfern, Lochgilphead PA31 8QR, UK56.18136 -5.538356000000021635.7315495 -46.846950000000021 76.6311705 35.770237999999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-51192520060513703572018-01-20T12:16:00.000+00:002018-01-20T12:16:54.662+00:00Summer in Scotland: The Isle of Jura<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQR0T-6pctVq_Ytwlk19DmIAj64xid12lMweB4yR96HxhSw4Gaa6LNH74nHbJWgS2uIkFAtg_hQg6TCI7z0Jx0dqlYOO3aEh4sa-W85HgnFjrLo9jlUYRR7-_cpVUA3UvG1LxpSVf4jadh/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQR0T-6pctVq_Ytwlk19DmIAj64xid12lMweB4yR96HxhSw4Gaa6LNH74nHbJWgS2uIkFAtg_hQg6TCI7z0Jx0dqlYOO3aEh4sa-W85HgnFjrLo9jlUYRR7-_cpVUA3UvG1LxpSVf4jadh/s400/DSC_0044.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becks looking towards Lagg</td></tr>
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My favourite day of the holiday was the one we spent on Jura, which is just a short hop on the ferry from Islay. It would be fair to say that there isn't much to do on the island apart from drink in the scenery, but oh what scenery it is.<br />
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There is only one main road on the island and we spent the day driving as far north as we could (the top of the island is private land), before turning round and retracing our steps in time for a ferry back to Islay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt-JrrtiOBcuMWtLn9X3q6NwTlmPlrnUuTL62qCYF-lq4UNic4qznqvLT9Qz-AdLq48qsxgjosOTPnaccAwVxdH0Smlo9Y_uM-jgCtlOerN2y5pq9Zq3x0nquAD7MFl5ppnoRVUOReqjm/s1600/DSC_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt-JrrtiOBcuMWtLn9X3q6NwTlmPlrnUuTL62qCYF-lq4UNic4qznqvLT9Qz-AdLq48qsxgjosOTPnaccAwVxdH0Smlo9Y_uM-jgCtlOerN2y5pq9Zq3x0nquAD7MFl5ppnoRVUOReqjm/s400/DSC_0041.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inverlussa Bay</td></tr>
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The furthest north we went was to the inlet of Inverlussa. In between the rain showers we managed to go for a walk on the beach and a visit to a converted horse box, which is now a make shift café. One of the locals puts a freshly baked cake into the horse box each morning along with a couple of Thermos flasks of hot water. You can make yourself a drink and enjoy a slice of cake and leave some money in the honesty box when you are done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_rAYgur4jJhEBp2yVaeAC_GX9EJ6SOnbrCL5BLDfEDMHFMrM_cdtI-dKIXe2S11x3Gjb6xYoymEnUXP5NmBOWoJsPoj0rkxvAAYgSF-nd8S4_OQkNA0TbzTm_YzXt7_ImFbatB5LmhHB/s1600/DSC_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_rAYgur4jJhEBp2yVaeAC_GX9EJ6SOnbrCL5BLDfEDMHFMrM_cdtI-dKIXe2S11x3Gjb6xYoymEnUXP5NmBOWoJsPoj0rkxvAAYgSF-nd8S4_OQkNA0TbzTm_YzXt7_ImFbatB5LmhHB/s400/DSC_0043.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea on the beach</td></tr>
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We were thinking about taking on part of Evan's walk, but the wind was howling a bit too much for us. Plus it looked quite a lot like rain....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigc7SvYvMLQ0atxD_NI3qwHeFMz5i32ldrpQsVe6p14UenXNTM9Zwqd7v1Wu1CtxB8jp8rv4RJAQcnK8Jz6RVsP-Xvp3CKTzVfPdIe9DCJunUniuZ6eXIkDW5wuGuw6UT5zfM-XCJnUNmn/s1600/DSC_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigc7SvYvMLQ0atxD_NI3qwHeFMz5i32ldrpQsVe6p14UenXNTM9Zwqd7v1Wu1CtxB8jp8rv4RJAQcnK8Jz6RVsP-Xvp3CKTzVfPdIe9DCJunUniuZ6eXIkDW5wuGuw6UT5zfM-XCJnUNmn/s400/DSC_0047.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evans Walk</td></tr>
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No visit to Jura would be complete without popping into the distillery. We'd missed the daily tour, but one of the people working in the shop kindly took us into the distillery to see the stills and also to the barrel room. Once back in the shop I asked if I could do a tasting and much to my surprise they don't do paid tastings but they were very happy to give me a free dram instead!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9Y9iBuEZWHWFIjyt-TV-GgLjZc4KKqY_CGbpojcQpiYSzkZwjrP69o19mIRZcTeZ-UfEELxcXR0sIey7KWUVFTaYefKaNVOn6vbhn_xeB_6n7Ejwgp1z2cnKdPiL3D51YJ9sCPKb3ltF/s1600/DSC_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9Y9iBuEZWHWFIjyt-TV-GgLjZc4KKqY_CGbpojcQpiYSzkZwjrP69o19mIRZcTeZ-UfEELxcXR0sIey7KWUVFTaYefKaNVOn6vbhn_xeB_6n7Ejwgp1z2cnKdPiL3D51YJ9sCPKb3ltF/s400/DSC_0054.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jura distillery</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Jura, Isle of Jura PA60, UK55.904179799999987 -5.941420900000025555.335466299999986 -7.2323144000000257 56.472893299999988 -4.6505274000000254tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-87965156629657532392018-01-13T16:51:00.000+00:002018-01-13T16:51:15.332+00:00Summer in Scotland: The Isle of Islay<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXlgCfVO_PqQsGYNP-rlvAStB1VMJZFKLrfTrWb50umEVTKWDyTKb2JWcgMC-NgtV-KT3xHPy7AmEov84lkIWF98zI_FOTuIzE2CiF0ROdUGnUxzu9CfHipHD2ZHO1wsnqzrEMf9LkW_o/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXlgCfVO_PqQsGYNP-rlvAStB1VMJZFKLrfTrWb50umEVTKWDyTKb2JWcgMC-NgtV-KT3xHPy7AmEov84lkIWF98zI_FOTuIzE2CiF0ROdUGnUxzu9CfHipHD2ZHO1wsnqzrEMf9LkW_o/s400/DSC_0029.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portnahaven on Islay</td></tr>
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Islay has to be <i>the</i> most famous whisky producing venue in the world. The more attentive readers among you will notice a complete absence of whisky in this post, but never fear I have a dedicated Islay whisky blog coming up!<br />
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On our first day on Islay we headed down the western side of the island. Our first stop was at Port Charlotte where we visited the Islay National History Centre and the Museum of Islay life, both of which were charmingly stuck in a bit of a time warp but interesting to look round none the less.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzfkgGnYIGQJsJ7Bp3DANvqLmY2m5-Hay-ZSQ82HoNnQCgva7Zn-0pMeJIawpS8sMn358Cn3OQ1Kbs-x8V37cqiSqapy0AdT3bF-S4qWsmlhanjX_N0-3TX4zz25ifb8rCOi5Uao8Zfg6/s1600/DSC_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzfkgGnYIGQJsJ7Bp3DANvqLmY2m5-Hay-ZSQ82HoNnQCgva7Zn-0pMeJIawpS8sMn358Cn3OQ1Kbs-x8V37cqiSqapy0AdT3bF-S4qWsmlhanjX_N0-3TX4zz25ifb8rCOi5Uao8Zfg6/s400/DSC_0032.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machir Bay</td></tr>
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After Port Charlotte we headed to Portnahaven (top photo) at the tip of the western peninsula which is a quaint, and exceedingly quiet, little fishing village. On the way home we stopped for a walk on the almost endless beach at Machir Bay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jbPrsBcyCx5YcmY3XMDlLRY55D3KBjqZHtu2PVP0E7mYVcuqRTSurxDQ8RvPSL7oovh0GpXpj-f9QX12xC-B3J48Cc4Jf8rIihcZ3_I9tn2P7tTvBQM7lOcTi-NN1BJopR7iwNVDFAU8/s1600/IMG_20170623_185936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1084" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jbPrsBcyCx5YcmY3XMDlLRY55D3KBjqZHtu2PVP0E7mYVcuqRTSurxDQ8RvPSL7oovh0GpXpj-f9QX12xC-B3J48Cc4Jf8rIihcZ3_I9tn2P7tTvBQM7lOcTi-NN1BJopR7iwNVDFAU8/s400/IMG_20170623_185936.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Langoustine at The Lochside in Bowmore</td></tr>
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Our best meal of the holiday was at <a href="http://lochsidehotel.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Lochside Hotel</a> in Bowmore. From the outside it looks like a slightly rough pub, but looks (or my prejudice) is utterly deceptive as inside is a modern bar and a large dining room looking out to sea. I ordered an enormous place of sweet langoustine that I enjoyed devouring and Becks had some equally excellent scallops. We were lucky to get in without a booking, so make sure you reserve a table if you are in Bowmore.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highland cow on The Oa</td></tr>
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While on the island we also did a walk round The Oa peninsula which is a huge RSPB nature reserve. The reserve is home to the American Monument which commemorates two troop ships that were sunk in 1918 during WWI. Unsurprisingly we saw quite a few American tourists making a respectful visit to the memorial.<br />
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During our walk I took the above picture of a highland cow which made it to the final of the photography exhibition held by the <a href="https://www.islaybookfestival.co.uk/" target="_blank">Islay Book Festival</a>!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American memorial on The Oa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becks at the lighthouse near Port Ellen</td></tr>
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In the afternoon of our walk round The Oa, we also walked around the headland from Port Ellen to beach known as the 'Singing Sands' (below). The sun came out while we were at the beach and it looked almost tropical, but looks can be deceptive as the water was absolutely freezing! I lasted a matter of seconds in the sea, but did manage to find a shallow rock pool which had been warmed by the sun and made for a much more pleasant paddle.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singing sands</td></tr>
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On the blog I generally follow the principle that if you can't say something nice, it's better not to say anything at all. However, I'm going to break my own rule to say that I was unimpressed by our stay at <a href="https://www.bowmore.com/stay-with-us" target="_blank">The Harbour Inn</a> in Bowmore. The staff were lovely, and the breakfasts were very good, but the rooms were just not up to standard. The impractical layout and the fact they were a bit tatty round the edges were a minor annoyance, but worst by far was the fact the mattress was shockingly worn out and sagging, completely incompatible with a good nights sleep. If you are thinking of staying check they've replaced the mattresses.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Ellen beach</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Islay, Isle of Islay, UK55.7362535 -6.177066999999965455.164427999999994 -7.4679604999999656 56.308079 -4.8861734999999653tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-20280338062384713272018-01-07T14:41:00.001+00:002018-01-07T14:41:17.045+00:00Summer in Scotland: The Isle of Arran<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEMRcSPrBSOaOBvmMX1UP7U9R7ZRdos82zlKhyphenhyphenzdKAxdRqdCX5vMaEad32bvhmcXhEnCHHqiwxf1u9UKeuewg9vz9BpvL4fpeEPvXbun4cWSgVBljJZA-3GoDMkOL9a8sUD4ldHx6VBHG/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEMRcSPrBSOaOBvmMX1UP7U9R7ZRdos82zlKhyphenhyphenzdKAxdRqdCX5vMaEad32bvhmcXhEnCHHqiwxf1u9UKeuewg9vz9BpvL4fpeEPvXbun4cWSgVBljJZA-3GoDMkOL9a8sUD4ldHx6VBHG/s400/DSC_0003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor standing stones</td></tr>
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Back in the summer we spent ten days travelling round Scotland, starting off with a couple of nights on the Isle of Arran.<div>
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On our only full day in Arran we did a lap of the island in our dinky little hire car. We started off by visiting the standing stones at <a href="https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/machrie-moor-standing-stones/" target="_blank">Machrie Moor</a>, a neolithic site with multiple sets of standing stones within a relatively small area. We had the area almost completely to ourselves and saw lots of pink foxgloves on the walk to and from the stones.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3DSIFEsYZyDK0Ixb0Oeq54O5Zzh9Q-0SXe2oRdFo3yzzEoO2dXvUcEnxiY9HVlWHXuitksfP4McIEj74w8Lz9ZXy6rwDbbmEwHD9uhsJyrUN1Cz2ohWElBUA7uqLywPwoknSC9_lajhr/s400/DSC_0009.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink foxgloves</td></tr>
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Continuing round the island we saw a new distillery being built (which we learned the following day was owned by the Arran distillery) and then stopped for a walk along the beach in Whiting Bay. We parked opposite the <a href="http://www.arranartgallery.com/" target="_blank">Arran Art Gallery</a> and decided to pop in before we continued our drive round the island. I didn't have much hope for the gallery, but it was actually really good with lots of pictures and prints that we wanted to buy. We ended up buying four pictures that the shipped back to London for us at reasonable rates. I'm pleased to say we still like the pictures several months on!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LERN6muLM4fTgMQOZABhevzu61ewjaQGI5T8BlF7dooGG3d-COMTb4scnD6Y2o7a4FCu3xqMRI4xm89qaknSMCHu3mE9lt3xHDUFjXPOrgTHTaFgSRUoDvBIEkFFMK6Vj4SdJpZ0umwu/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LERN6muLM4fTgMQOZABhevzu61ewjaQGI5T8BlF7dooGG3d-COMTb4scnD6Y2o7a4FCu3xqMRI4xm89qaknSMCHu3mE9lt3xHDUFjXPOrgTHTaFgSRUoDvBIEkFFMK6Vj4SdJpZ0umwu/s400/DSC_0010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arran distillery</td></tr>
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On our final morning on Arran we took the tour at the Arran Distillery. Having tasted one of the first bottles that the distillery produced I have to say that I don't hold their whisky in particularly high regard. They seem to be doing really well so you probably should take my opinion with a pinch of salt! Their tour was very interesting and they gave me a dram to take away (which I still haven't tried).<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJtcPTl2fxl2VrvbQHRwK-_-1UYB6ZWrVwUkRtAu1YThiLjVJ2d1_PmoSBIGNRjrBzO86_Q-fR6FZ5vqoKFMrEhUXiHcj9WgwSX98LUp4A7_yNNgAdtF7W3Axin5cdEbOjLnosPE7YXdJ/s400/DSC_0019.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper stills inside the distillery</td></tr>
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The distillery make a big thing about being independent and making non-peated whiskies, so it gave me a wry smile to learn that the distillery we'd seen under construction was owned by them and was being set up specifically to make peated whisky.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOg9xmXo1EkfCIlQ162ErCz7fsZVCWTPGpcFiSUVmanxiOb9BarFU5jNAh7J95yEQjflZ7yBAI1xh0A9fV1DfY53RQKmGhf0YsEXbcHusPCGB9D8-RRh55dc5t_DA2b_GI5Xns5TYdm8p/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOg9xmXo1EkfCIlQ162ErCz7fsZVCWTPGpcFiSUVmanxiOb9BarFU5jNAh7J95yEQjflZ7yBAI1xh0A9fV1DfY53RQKmGhf0YsEXbcHusPCGB9D8-RRh55dc5t_DA2b_GI5Xns5TYdm8p/s400/DSC_0022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lochranza Castle</td></tr>
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From our short time in Arran, I'd say the food was a bit mixed. We had a nice evening meal at <a href="http://www.stagspavilion.com/" target="_blank">The Stag's Pavillion</a>, but the most pleasing surprise was discovering <a href="https://thesandwichstation.weebly.com/" target="_blank">The Sandwich Station</a>. They make really good sandwiches on locally baked sourdough bread and using interesting local ingredients. I think the sandwich bar would holds its own in any city in the UK and was not the dry white bread and soggy lettuce I was expecting!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3UamqSYF0JFXV2DIbO2MbNeAWN3XAFLd7Nd1RySt1LImxizrvT9xYCpwv6pKLCa_uyHu8_7fapPpflyQ21imRiS1vYDdg8k9lU_1tuMp47yXg6eg7udIRbm1nu3iTE6u4ifDAkY9y7_4/s1600/DSC_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3UamqSYF0JFXV2DIbO2MbNeAWN3XAFLd7Nd1RySt1LImxizrvT9xYCpwv6pKLCa_uyHu8_7fapPpflyQ21imRiS1vYDdg8k9lU_1tuMp47yXg6eg7udIRbm1nu3iTE6u4ifDAkY9y7_4/s400/DSC_0024.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lochranza sandwich station</td></tr>
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One of the strangest things about Arran, in a nice way, was the number of red swings that were dotted around the island in completely isolated locations. Why build a swing where there are no nearby houses to make use of them?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vP245kywf4RhYXCsbA9TKuUzTBN9hnFgaLrtJD9cS5YM6UjgIw6D8CmFvtm08fgLhwvvdK8v3lXf64h9m2Fs-3Ij7PCLGYDGWPB0MjMh2gaeTFPCbFs73rQhgyJrIKV3nbOzWTWJWnaL/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vP245kywf4RhYXCsbA9TKuUzTBN9hnFgaLrtJD9cS5YM6UjgIw6D8CmFvtm08fgLhwvvdK8v3lXf64h9m2Fs-3Ij7PCLGYDGWPB0MjMh2gaeTFPCbFs73rQhgyJrIKV3nbOzWTWJWnaL/s400/DSC_0026.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were swings all over Arran</td></tr>
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We left Arran on this small ferry heading towards the Isle of Islay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bgD8SXq06a6JGlDhZQPn7x2v-4iuqt9qLx8ayEbTBMDcES3qyhP_DgjweneJ_ZwhhPW9Duh-6m26VGtKAGm9KuaNqn9YhjYoHUsD4KORmcfuUjzzUov_HGJD133IncGG3kAtQwMCchie/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bgD8SXq06a6JGlDhZQPn7x2v-4iuqt9qLx8ayEbTBMDcES3qyhP_DgjweneJ_ZwhhPW9Duh-6m26VGtKAGm9KuaNqn9YhjYoHUsD4KORmcfuUjzzUov_HGJD133IncGG3kAtQwMCchie/s400/DSC_0027.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Lochranza by ferry</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com1Isle of Arran KA27, UK55.5806165 -5.210857300000043355.293381 -5.8563043000000432 55.867852 -4.5654103000000434tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-13106872062960907712017-10-21T21:18:00.000+01:002017-10-21T21:18:08.702+01:00Antwerp weekender<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPSWiCqyi-ErODy0QIrYXPzlc9UriDJGOovFvugajrc3llOJA6RoaBa5FF_3SzvCQtCngdPJUJ6d3wBQr5jtY-tDLiCce7FLJbPK00S-274geK7e3ljc792BU20gZk9WHFhGTmq5YldWp/s1600/IMG_20170713_181853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPSWiCqyi-ErODy0QIrYXPzlc9UriDJGOovFvugajrc3llOJA6RoaBa5FF_3SzvCQtCngdPJUJ6d3wBQr5jtY-tDLiCce7FLJbPK00S-274geK7e3ljc792BU20gZk9WHFhGTmq5YldWp/s400/IMG_20170713_181853.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crane on the banks of the Scheldt</td></tr>
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Back in July we hopped on the Eurostar and headed for Antwerp, a city that is pretty perfect as a weekend break destination. Historic architecture, interesting museums and markets, high walkable, friendly, vibrant regeneration and some decent food were all in evidence.<div>
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So what did we get up to?<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Anna's foot tunnel</td></tr>
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We started our trip with a wander by the riverside heading through the St Anna tunnel across to the west side of the Scheldt river. I was expecting the foot tunnel to be a bit like the Greenwich foot tunnel, but it is a much, <i>much</i> bigger brother.</div>
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We got a free pedestrian and cycle ferry back to the eastern side of the river after a short wander.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mix of Antwerp building styles</td></tr>
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On the second day in the city we walked from our hotel to the excellent <a href="http://www.museumplantinmoretus.be/en" target="_blank">Plantin-Moretus Museum</a>. The Plantin and Moretus families were some of the most influential printers in Europe, who had one of (the?) first automated printing pressed in the world four hundred year ago.</div>
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The museum is a clever presentation of how their house and offices looked at the time and was very enjoying to look around. All of the daughters in the family were taught to read, uncommon at the time, so that they could help proof read in the business!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plantin-Moretus Museum</td></tr>
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From the old to the new, in the afternoon we headed to the ultra modern <a href="http://www.mas.be/en" target="_blank">Museum aan de Stroom</a>, slightly to the north of the city in an area of the docks which is now being regenerated. There is a gallery space on nearly every floor and we bought a ticket which allowed us to wind our way up through the building looking at each exhibition. I have to say that some were more interesting than others.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Museum aan de Stroom </td></tr>
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On our third day we started by checking out one of the large weekend markets that was right next to our hotel before strolling Stadspark and the diamond district (very much closed on a Saturday) to the main train station. It truly is a very impressive train shed.</div>
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We also spent the day doing quite a lot of meandering round the historic parts of the city, popping into chocolate shops and visited the Sint-Pauluskerk church.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antwerp City Hall</td></tr>
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Having had enough of the old, we walked back up to the docklands area around the Museum aan de Stroom to see some of the new. The regeneration is slowly creeping northwards and we found ourselves at the De Panick bar. Located in an old warehouse it was definitely a hipster bar and the type of place that will probably be flats in ten years time as the, but we enjoyed it!<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">De Paniek bar</span></span></div>
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For all the good things about Antwerp, one thing we didn't really work out was the dining scene. The Europeans all eat really late, right? Lots of places seemed to close early and the ones that were open seemed to stop serving relatively early. We never did figure out what the locals did, but we did stumble into De Arme Duivel / The Poor Devil at just the right time one evening to have a lovely café meal.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steak tartare at The Poor Devil</td></tr>
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On our last morning we visited the <a href="http://www.rubenshuis.be/nl" target="_blank">Rubens House Museum</a> before making a last minute decision to try and fit in the <a href="http://www.redstarline.be/nl" target="_blank">Red Star Line Museum</a> before our train. The Red Star Line museum was a fascinating account of all of the emigrants that passed through Antwerp on their way to the New World. The guidebook was correct that there isn't a lot of English in the museum, but it was still very much worth while a hurried visit.</div>
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<br /><br />Buying a Eurostar ticket to Brussels includes a free transfer to Antwerp, but you did have to change trains.<br />
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We stayed at the Theatre Hotel which we thought was a pretty good choice as it had a central location, large but dated rooms and a big continental buffet selection.</div>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Antwerp, Belgium51.2194475 4.4024643000000250.901475500000004 3.7570173000000198 51.5374195 5.0479113000000195tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-60899624366756484122017-10-15T17:16:00.000+01:002017-10-15T17:16:02.083+01:00Freak Scene, Farringdon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUgwENl4W7oLeUg9hm7TTwbqDlZbsv7n_ImvMvc_pBw0PmdkxOiBdJj1kHpd7_DC3zK3pBr12dpEhQ_ZY05SAOTNylnpEjQUc6YYEDm4egI0taFPtRUAl4hsIlsOUPZ2eWbbar4dWmSZ_/s1600/IMG_20170901_182456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1294" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUgwENl4W7oLeUg9hm7TTwbqDlZbsv7n_ImvMvc_pBw0PmdkxOiBdJj1kHpd7_DC3zK3pBr12dpEhQ_ZY05SAOTNylnpEjQUc6YYEDm4egI0taFPtRUAl4hsIlsOUPZ2eWbbar4dWmSZ_/s400/IMG_20170901_182456.jpg" width="322" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chilli crab with avocado wanton bombs</td></tr>
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Back in early September Becks and I had a quick after work dinner at <a href="http://freakscene.london/" target="_blank">Freak Scene</a> in Farringdon. The restaurant is run by Scott Hallsworth who has some serious pedigree having been head chef at both Nobu in London and Melbourne.<div>
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Freak Scene was originally being billed as a pop-up but has since become more permanent (I'm pretty sure). When we went, presumably thinking they were only there for a short time, they'd barely done anything to decorate the interior since the previous tenants of the building had left and the seating was canteen style complete with plastic red plates. This isn't meant criticism, Sydney gave me a love of rough around the edges Asian eateries with tasty food and keen prices. Which is exactly what Freak Scene serves up.</div>
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Writing this I'm not quite sure why I haven't been back yet...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFH05c35_oBsJ_eVt9uyTCekKijNalaJo7OGy-11OlW9D2IGFM_wbQuNRIXSrRBUVI43AKsnMz6jGtuuL2a62Q36jGFKi6N3ehl5SQm34DEAI4boHOU3nWU6iSQxK-FDG_B6b95Sqyv6T/s1600/IMG_20170901_183244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFH05c35_oBsJ_eVt9uyTCekKijNalaJo7OGy-11OlW9D2IGFM_wbQuNRIXSrRBUVI43AKsnMz6jGtuuL2a62Q36jGFKi6N3ehl5SQm34DEAI4boHOU3nWU6iSQxK-FDG_B6b95Sqyv6T/s400/IMG_20170901_183244.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black cod tacos (top right) and Seared beef salad with pomegranate, onion-peanut ponzu and garlic crisps</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miso grilled aubergine with caramelised walnuts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib28fpH3a-mVraXLeWNDcSrtj06wxl3RrbDMflODqqZps1GWVyuZpLSaKEXhz9NdWFlZypSBoz0DcrH7R8a5Z-FPS8PAOX3iJIh5CM8eKu0dBGnPkUP68BMmTKaPRc8myYdx_gxC1xJLRe/s1600/IMG_20170901_184910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1224" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib28fpH3a-mVraXLeWNDcSrtj06wxl3RrbDMflODqqZps1GWVyuZpLSaKEXhz9NdWFlZypSBoz0DcrH7R8a5Z-FPS8PAOX3iJIh5CM8eKu0dBGnPkUP68BMmTKaPRc8myYdx_gxC1xJLRe/s400/IMG_20170901_184910.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red duck curry with lychees</td></tr>
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Freak Scene<br />91 Cowcross St<br />Clerkenwell<br />London<br />EC1M 6BH</div>
Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com091 Cowcross St, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 6BH, UK51.5199119 -0.10228340000003331.070098899999998 -41.410877400000032 71.969724899999989 41.206310599999966tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-73110678274470656212017-10-11T16:51:00.000+01:002017-10-11T16:51:10.502+01:00Afternoon Tea at the Langham Hotel<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgu2jnujwPnaN4OkNM1paJqWkkfeW3aAtd9HnCgVLgBIFylv459XbJr7y9a-H-rC9iLeeJ2pQ1voIzhN5EEWLV5FXj8DWPoujK6Eff4oiMGXY9iOS2KAcJwB5X_81BIFjwVOTUpWJLRJz/s1600/IMG_20171001_152429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1230" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgu2jnujwPnaN4OkNM1paJqWkkfeW3aAtd9HnCgVLgBIFylv459XbJr7y9a-H-rC9iLeeJ2pQ1voIzhN5EEWLV5FXj8DWPoujK6Eff4oiMGXY9iOS2KAcJwB5X_81BIFjwVOTUpWJLRJz/s400/IMG_20171001_152429.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm Court at the Langham Hotel</td></tr>
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Last weekend we decided to go for afternoon tea at the Langham Hotel. It is one of the more expensive options in London, but not excessively so and it also gave us the chance to try some of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2jkkzHzp72Qg0g2jNRmgcgk/cherish-finden" target="_blank">Cherish Finden's</a> baking. Considering how brutal her judging is on Bake Off Creme de la Creme, surely it must be good?<div>
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We spend a very pleasant three hours sitting in their afternoon tea room, listening to the piano being played and being well looked after. Pro tip, ask for a cushion to put behind your back as their seats are quite deep.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvRiSV4JS5Kwt0QNbuLAiwo8Jc69sJOAz7vSUsdJZ1hsSrWobRpz7r-SGcBv5X-QJt5B7VOR77wsBp32w3QVE_GoOwA_N1tv2lKZVfsYa4UzuaVOXtZJlUDH8n7NQ1Z9_1-v0YVLA8UVo/s1600/DSC_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvRiSV4JS5Kwt0QNbuLAiwo8Jc69sJOAz7vSUsdJZ1hsSrWobRpz7r-SGcBv5X-QJt5B7VOR77wsBp32w3QVE_GoOwA_N1tv2lKZVfsYa4UzuaVOXtZJlUDH8n7NQ1Z9_1-v0YVLA8UVo/s400/DSC_0213.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selection of sandwiches</td></tr>
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Rather than being given a tiered cake stand and letting you get on with it, you are each served a plate of sandwiches, followed by warm scones and then a plate of cakes. We were offered additional sandwiches and scones before our plates were cleared at the end of each 'course', but there was no way we could fit any extras in.</div>
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I'm only a very occasional tea drinker, but it appears they take their teas seriously with several exclusive blends. They brew the tea before bringing it to your table, which has the upside that you don't get an over stewed pot, but the downside that your tea can take quite a while to arrive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCldP4QVV_ZrX6IiQKkxzPRgEaKbrUSA64WRrRldcF0vsiCbYdz39qbAjjuWV_r68w9xGUUmsGQl4mlh6UpbUZmVqCVmDny3gXhrsKUK9v9RLeSXLULD56HDAumkPWSPolBmnJRsi503_P/s1600/DSC_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1130" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCldP4QVV_ZrX6IiQKkxzPRgEaKbrUSA64WRrRldcF0vsiCbYdz39qbAjjuWV_r68w9xGUUmsGQl4mlh6UpbUZmVqCVmDny3gXhrsKUK9v9RLeSXLULD56HDAumkPWSPolBmnJRsi503_P/s400/DSC_0220.JPG" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plain and fruit scones</td></tr>
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From the sandwiches the <i>classic ‘prawn cocktail’, iceberg, potato bun, tomato powder</i> was my favourite. Becks isn't a big prawn fan so I got to have two.</div>
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For me the stand out cake was the <i>Rikakaka - Crunchy sable, tonka and orange cream, fresh cherries </i>(bottom centre in the photo below).<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSjV_DcNzWyOc72uVDIeNF5yYfFn2yJxOZ-Bz2J3LY-aPoVPdVRTpSa99aEuq-D4m2y_NWHDIbi_Mj5B2QNAqXUcYCLPL1knU7RsvCGO2yvjzP-IADNEbIfycPYVPOPk_IkwCvwy-mTtA/s1600/DSC_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1309" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSjV_DcNzWyOc72uVDIeNF5yYfFn2yJxOZ-Bz2J3LY-aPoVPdVRTpSa99aEuq-D4m2y_NWHDIbi_Mj5B2QNAqXUcYCLPL1knU7RsvCGO2yvjzP-IADNEbIfycPYVPOPk_IkwCvwy-mTtA/s400/DSC_0222.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake selection</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com01C Portland Pl, Marylebone, London W1B 1JA, UK51.5175761 -0.1438752000000249631.0677631 -41.452469200000024 71.967389099999991 41.164718799999974tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-60246857519701279172017-10-07T11:57:00.002+01:002017-10-07T11:57:25.291+01:00Our last two days in Japan: Yanaka, a final bit of shopping and possibly our best meal in Japan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_Iu9tT3vHVyMbn5JuIPKd7d2LKQzMIgLfscUH8jwSUWZ0LeZI29fb9xdXC10DelHJkY_2NQfZ1V590VNDOxMlrSxnESi0hqzzLlvKtDBDhq4e51nmqALc_eyFzXOdIpcDUcyd4ZOruhs/s1600/IMG_20161016_142644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_Iu9tT3vHVyMbn5JuIPKd7d2LKQzMIgLfscUH8jwSUWZ0LeZI29fb9xdXC10DelHJkY_2NQfZ1V590VNDOxMlrSxnESi0hqzzLlvKtDBDhq4e51nmqALc_eyFzXOdIpcDUcyd4ZOruhs/s400/IMG_20161016_142644.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becks outside the Tokyo National Museum</td></tr>
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It was our final two days in Japan and we were both suffering from a bit of fatigue and the sad realisation that we weren't going to be heading back to the UK as refreshed as we would have liked. The fatigue spilled over into a general apathy towards taking photographs so there aren't many!<br />
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Our first stop was the Tokyo National Museum. I could no longer tell you anything that we saw inside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuyMlHuwlQ_p8NdqAMFeugcTqO0m4D-vklw28LQ0vHRQJ9ytKIEXt5zkskUip6GFb_T0XeeA7prAt-vtmo2pMRLWBqkhIFJ514mBu28vHmAlQYe1p-mh3q0tFNsvVFGRROcWYtOYM_78s/s1600/IMG_20161016_144325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuyMlHuwlQ_p8NdqAMFeugcTqO0m4D-vklw28LQ0vHRQJ9ytKIEXt5zkskUip6GFb_T0XeeA7prAt-vtmo2pMRLWBqkhIFJ514mBu28vHmAlQYe1p-mh3q0tFNsvVFGRROcWYtOYM_78s/s400/IMG_20161016_144325.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A traditional sake house in Ueno</td></tr>
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We then drifted over to the suburb of Yanaka where we saw the above traditional sake house and stopped for lunch in the <a href="http://www.kayaba-bakery.com/index2.html" target="_blank">Kayaba Bakery</a> (I think). Refuelled we walked through Yanaka cemetery which was recommended in the guide book although was a little bit underwhelming for these two tourists as we didn't understand who any of the famous people buried there were. We did see some of the cemetery cats though.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUAX3EQHF5kztrTXF4FWzH85XHzptw5Ea2uFcwvGug4bwlQMVupvQS4Aa6CD7AQV860kjwJ1IaRk9UCZCtvVIKdtZ6lYWDsfNcrleYX09v73aj-X8ofCs2sMiKn-PC2SlJJiC8musNR9W/s1600/IMG_20161016_155340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUAX3EQHF5kztrTXF4FWzH85XHzptw5Ea2uFcwvGug4bwlQMVupvQS4Aa6CD7AQV860kjwJ1IaRk9UCZCtvVIKdtZ6lYWDsfNcrleYX09v73aj-X8ofCs2sMiKn-PC2SlJJiC8musNR9W/s400/IMG_20161016_155340.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokyo tower from Yanaka cemetary</td></tr>
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We came out of the cemetery near the top of <a href="https://www.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp/kanko/kankojoho/spot/nipporichiiki/yuyakedandan.html" target="_blank">Yuyake Dandan</a>, which is a pedestrianised stepped street which has beautiful sunset views and lots of gift shops and eateries. It is was mainly full of Japanese tourists with a fair smattering of internationals like us. We picked up a few ceramic gifts in one of the shops and generally enjoyed looking around. Things that are overtly touristy usually put me off but I liked Yuyake Dandan.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjVVN5moSVYJ8m0M2P4O43RNVU5lKnto89R541SxWl5rUxKwze5D-ae7q3SKbsSf1HWkykXrULkP-tqlHGQdAIx60sYAymd7y1B-BM3U-C8MUEloSmIS5XBGruSyiXw0WfnfbtPvXsd-F/s1600/IMG_20161017_133634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="1600" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjVVN5moSVYJ8m0M2P4O43RNVU5lKnto89R541SxWl5rUxKwze5D-ae7q3SKbsSf1HWkykXrULkP-tqlHGQdAIx60sYAymd7y1B-BM3U-C8MUEloSmIS5XBGruSyiXw0WfnfbtPvXsd-F/s400/IMG_20161017_133634.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pear caramal flan cronut from the Dominique Ansel bakery</td></tr>
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On our final full day in Japan we caught the train over to Shibuya and started with a look round the <a href="http://www.hikarie8.com/en/" target="_blank">Hikarie 8</a> building which is connected to station and contains a few small galleries, exhibitions and arty shops. None of the galleries were very big but we did see a few cool pieces. Nothing had a price on and was too scared to ask home much anything was!<div>
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After our short spot of culture we headed over to the <a href="http://dominiqueanseljapan.com/" target="_blank">Dominique Ansel Bakery</a> to try a world famous cronut. I was very grateful to discover that the bakery itself was nothing like the stories I've heard about the version in NY with huge queues and everything sold out by early in the day. When we arrived the bakery was reasonably full but we were served almost immediately and able to get a seat relatively easily.<div>
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The cronut of the month was 'pear caramel flan with cinnamon sugar'. All I can remember was the overwhelming sweetness and it really wasn't that pleasant. Much nicer was the pistachio and raspberry dream that we also bought and looked as pretty as a picture.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcE2piJ4mh2v41gPPgvyGvk7gKOYxUYuxmbW2HM9ZMLn5oS75yXigQ6T1bNeELn9OWMSqUgSd2ruBt10xEH_FTfCdzrXAK2_1CjKpBSUOGlYNU9NCeVm2MLwbF7_bU0rVFQE9NzyMNQBt/s1600/IMG_20161017_133737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1586" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcE2piJ4mh2v41gPPgvyGvk7gKOYxUYuxmbW2HM9ZMLn5oS75yXigQ6T1bNeELn9OWMSqUgSd2ruBt10xEH_FTfCdzrXAK2_1CjKpBSUOGlYNU9NCeVm2MLwbF7_bU0rVFQE9NzyMNQBt/s400/IMG_20161017_133737.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pistachio and raspberry dream</td></tr>
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After the bakery we walked a different way back to Shibuya along a street that I'm pretty sure I also walked down on my only other visit to Japan, a work trip back in 2007. In Shibuya we did a bit of shopping, picking up some mementos for ourselves from the homeware chains Tokyo Hands and Loft.<br /><br />For our final meal of the holiday we decided that we'd just go somewhere local to our apartment in Gotanda. We did our usual indecisive meander, ruling out lots of places, but failing to make a positive decision until we inexplicably decided to head into a small place that we couldn't see inside and only had a Japanese menu outside.<br /><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKjxhskLystMVPko9dWgzLf4XoRrNEu1wnIUUS14r7Fz6fxqoFZ882nlEDEmETY3hlo4l25NF28SCuLjn1s-O7Esh_5Zoo8PvJ7m-V5E6QQ09p2XVZfX4tBkisqdJCj9bKyz4tqWR7BNg/s1600/IMG_20161017_210107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKjxhskLystMVPko9dWgzLf4XoRrNEu1wnIUUS14r7Fz6fxqoFZ882nlEDEmETY3hlo4l25NF28SCuLjn1s-O7Esh_5Zoo8PvJ7m-V5E6QQ09p2XVZfX4tBkisqdJCj9bKyz4tqWR7BNg/s400/IMG_20161017_210107.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our final meal, somewhere in the Gotanda back streets</td></tr>
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It was the first place that restaurant of the whole trip where there wasn't either an English or picture menu. Our waitress spoke as little English as we did Japanese, and I was getting very negative vibes from the other side of the table. Thankfully, another waiter came over with his phone and used Google Translate to help describe a few words from the menu and help us order a little less randomly. It turned out to be one of our best meals in Japan and the first dish to arrive, whitebait just like they have in NZ, got me out of trouble with the person opposite.<br /><br /></div>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-48907797958098256552017-08-26T18:23:00.001+01:002017-08-28T10:13:02.962+01:00Tokyo: Odaiba Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKN1rGDexsFTY2EypOMOTT-Mn1Yj69nx8xt_8bp78lal-xlqv64m3JoZwSnqg1f6WSbl7HCQEJZMEgNMysCN7UYqBaZRBvnBMylVDJZVLAgxPW4qcFF-PWmUuV5eH999IkyGtxLJvZgMv/s1600/IMG_20161015_131356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKN1rGDexsFTY2EypOMOTT-Mn1Yj69nx8xt_8bp78lal-xlqv64m3JoZwSnqg1f6WSbl7HCQEJZMEgNMysCN7UYqBaZRBvnBMylVDJZVLAgxPW4qcFF-PWmUuV5eH999IkyGtxLJvZgMv/s400/IMG_20161015_131356.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random Transformer on Odaiba</td></tr>
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The previous day (unblogged) we'd travelled up from Kyoto to Tokyo on the bullet train and checked into our Air BnB apartment in Shibuya. The only tourist thing we'd done of note was to visit the Tokyo local government offices which has a free observation floor at the top of their building.</div>
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As much as we were loving Japan, we were both beginning to feel a bit oppressed by the large cities that we'd been living in for the last ten days. Heading out into the countryside felt like a bit of a slog, so we decided instead to head for the man made island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay in search of some greenery. It would be completely over selling it to say that we found the lungs of Tokyo, but there was enough open space and leisure activities to keep us interested.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUf6brvpsGLiWZJ_kLtHapfffXcab3S8pqm3LPW9xk0fxvt-6vL3ekrzYsuSeoV-Mosmz6zY4K7gkGBQIfWYKuCYPDXcfTdhd2IlxAIiVttHi-6ERIwDeXk-LU-FI3MevbyriL9QAtHdrH/s1600/IMG_20161015_133106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1010" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUf6brvpsGLiWZJ_kLtHapfffXcab3S8pqm3LPW9xk0fxvt-6vL3ekrzYsuSeoV-Mosmz6zY4K7gkGBQIfWYKuCYPDXcfTdhd2IlxAIiVttHi-6ERIwDeXk-LU-FI3MevbyriL9QAtHdrH/s400/IMG_20161015_133106.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becks checking out a Toyota GT86</td></tr>
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We took the monorail (?) out to the island and started by aimlessly drifting round the green edge of the island. I vaguely suggested popping into a couple of places, but Becks was quite firm that she wanted to spend some time outside. I was therefore shocked, and absolutely delighted, when Becks suggested going into a building that contained a huge Toyota showroom.<br />
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The showroom had every production car they make in Japan, some of their vehicles from the American market, a mobility section, some race cars and also future concepts type area. I've always fancied a GT86 so made a beeline for those first. Sadly it was a bit uncomfortable to sit in. It's a bit annoying when boring practicalities get in the way of your dreams.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8F4wjW6arolpW7LIXQFaXjAbH1rDYj54fppZhxNk6n5X7aSwGcugH7r99J76H5v2HZmevX-pHsMemTkx7aO-B8gMAMjqgGdeanfvAQ3auXGCPW1rGzmSDouEbWVwyL42hW9nITNdtNDL/s1600/IMG_20161015_134726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1366" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8F4wjW6arolpW7LIXQFaXjAbH1rDYj54fppZhxNk6n5X7aSwGcugH7r99J76H5v2HZmevX-pHsMemTkx7aO-B8gMAMjqgGdeanfvAQ3auXGCPW1rGzmSDouEbWVwyL42hW9nITNdtNDL/s400/IMG_20161015_134726.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying out an oculus rift</td></tr>
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Next up was the future zone where I had a go in a safety simulator wearing a virtually reality headset. The virtually world I entered wasn't that cool, but I'd never tried an Oculus Rift headset before so that was a definite win. In the future zone I <i>really</i> wanted a go in one of their one person electric concept vehicles but there was a very prominent sign up saying that you had to be able to understand safety messages in Japanese so I wasn't allowed to give them a try.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx1WBqd49X-oWY79mCHju6M1k0N9y3UABxpROGHRLgByBIF_yFN3bktFPHi5372wylBeLNRF3ZRUO_RCIP0Yqo1V8dfuTRlhxphaEPrrsEHyUAeoo20KaAzBJsTK8F-1s4u0u1YVrBBpt/s1600/IMG_20161015_144621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1093" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx1WBqd49X-oWY79mCHju6M1k0N9y3UABxpROGHRLgByBIF_yFN3bktFPHi5372wylBeLNRF3ZRUO_RCIP0Yqo1V8dfuTRlhxphaEPrrsEHyUAeoo20KaAzBJsTK8F-1s4u0u1YVrBBpt/s400/IMG_20161015_144621.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Bills Odaiba</td></tr>
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As well as wanting to escape the big city for the day I had a hankering for the familiar so was looking forward to lunch at Bills, one of my <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/restaurant-review-bills-sydney.html" target="_blank">favourite cafés from Sydney</a>. It didn't have exactly the same vibe as Sydney, but the interior of the café was definitely more Australian than Japanese.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJOR34092vO0vYTryvSYchw5Noddlc1Q4ww8E7fEw2JDfREz8PxtbIWEOYDXdaMVSHa5OQtpgl1gLsqKttmEGcPmTq1p0SDh_xbTQSvvS47JWBnUDUMm68d28Ahd_WaXDsmS2AoFJoT3L/s1600/DSC_0396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJOR34092vO0vYTryvSYchw5Noddlc1Q4ww8E7fEw2JDfREz8PxtbIWEOYDXdaMVSHa5OQtpgl1gLsqKttmEGcPmTq1p0SDh_xbTQSvvS47JWBnUDUMm68d28Ahd_WaXDsmS2AoFJoT3L/s400/DSC_0396.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Aussie breakfast</td></tr>
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The menu was broadly familiar to anyone who has been to one of the Sydney restaurants. I had the 'Aussie breakfast' which isn't on the menu back home, but their famous scrambled eggs definitely are. Rebecca had the ricotta hotcakes which definitely are one of signature dishes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLSOgAH1I_-LErCZ3NGwDnsj68AoHjVnVeptqdPu3Or_D-5czqe9whvZqfxi4VrBd2F7M9ShNyYFd_UlUwmrP4NsUUrb5GFTVjnDJ-IpQ2tgv_o00AKNcjIxJkFVAVs9mwBuFez3qw-ZU/s1600/DSC_0397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="1600" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLSOgAH1I_-LErCZ3NGwDnsj68AoHjVnVeptqdPu3Or_D-5czqe9whvZqfxi4VrBd2F7M9ShNyYFd_UlUwmrP4NsUUrb5GFTVjnDJ-IpQ2tgv_o00AKNcjIxJkFVAVs9mwBuFez3qw-ZU/s400/DSC_0397.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ricotta hotcakes</td></tr>
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After lunch we headed to the western side of the island to promenade up and down and to enjoy being beside the water. The pavement was <i>absolutely packed </i>with people who were glued their phones playing Pokemon. It was near the peak of the global craze, but I was still shocked at how many people there were playing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volleyball competition on the beach</td></tr>
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I'm not quite sure what put the idea in our heads, but rather than catching the light rail back into the city we decided to walk over the Rainbow Bridge back into the city as the sun was setting. It was worth it for the sunset views of Tokyo Bay though.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking back over the rainbow bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuji TV building as the sun began to set</td></tr>
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Before heading back to our apartment for the night we decided to swing by Akihabara. This was one of the first suburbs I visited on my previous visit to Japan with work some ten years ago and I remember it being a really intriguing place. Maybe we didn't quite chance upon the right streets this time, perhaps it was because we arrived late in the day and some places we already closing down, but I wasn't particularly impressed by Aki this time round.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akihabara</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com1Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan35.6247918 139.7767099999999835.5989778 139.73636949999997 35.650605799999994 139.8170505tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-23523729777358543652017-08-20T18:46:00.001+01:002017-08-20T18:46:47.635+01:00Sourdough in a Day at Brickhouse Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TSN4-0xl3Ym86TZXsHQYcuYPgG-lHE9vxCgv_cJiN9SeSvY-x4eCVDeA07rpFx5ww1oLbeK2AVM9-qrBRJR_q_HHiBUp4vWDXPZ5db_TEH17d_LcXJBVRyYC3RxZV_PJakcTW8jhPUrX/s1600/DSC_0518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TSN4-0xl3Ym86TZXsHQYcuYPgG-lHE9vxCgv_cJiN9SeSvY-x4eCVDeA07rpFx5ww1oLbeK2AVM9-qrBRJR_q_HHiBUp4vWDXPZ5db_TEH17d_LcXJBVRyYC3RxZV_PJakcTW8jhPUrX/s400/DSC_0518.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>
Back in May I went on the '<a href="http://www.brickhousebread.com/baking-classes/" target="_blank">Sourdough in a Day</a>' baking class at the Brickhouse Bakery in East Dulwich. It was a course that I enjoyed a lot more than expected and in a year that has been so busy, it was great to take some time out for myself and do something that I enjoy. Even though I spent the whole day on my feet I came away feeling recharged which was nice!<br />
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Everyone on the course had been enrolled as a birthday present and for most people it was their first sourdough experience. I haven't baked in a while but did go through a pretty serious <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Sourdough" target="_blank">sourdough phase</a> back in Australia so was the most experienced person on the course.<br />
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The course was run by bakery owner Fergus and we discovered pretty early in the day that we both had a connection with Sydney and we had visited some of the same bakeries there. For someone that is periodically tempted by a career change it was also pretty inspiring to hear that Fergus quit his corporate job a few years to learn to bake and then set up his own bakery in a garage. Do they do apprenticeships???</div>
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Despite it being a bit of a beginners course I definitely learnt a lot during the day (plus it was good fun to play with some dough after a while out of the kitchen). The method we were taught isn't one that I've tried before and I liked the simplicity of it. There are quite a few stages, but none take more than a couple of minutes and it felt like a method that you could fit into a routine at home.<br />
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I liked that I got to bake a loaf in a deck oven for the first time too as well as having the chance to discuss how to get the best results from a home oven. Although the loaf that I baked in the below photo (mine is back left) came out a little under-baked, showing that the professionals can mistakes too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7RXir0Nt0k7EiFDbIBOYocgir3D2RZ7Cq3vuct8Ioi-QZAV8Y_KWaz92GvG_sH7jjZ81KWTXrU8O82FysWTG51Tskoxxbm9RIdWr3FzW61YplmKrSuenFtHszaSwKnVpn2s_7cERoFxR/s1600/IMG_20170514_155600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7RXir0Nt0k7EiFDbIBOYocgir3D2RZ7Cq3vuct8Ioi-QZAV8Y_KWaz92GvG_sH7jjZ81KWTXrU8O82FysWTG51Tskoxxbm9RIdWr3FzW61YplmKrSuenFtHszaSwKnVpn2s_7cERoFxR/s400/IMG_20170514_155600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
We cooked three different loaves, plus a pizza for lunch, over the course of the day. My only criticism of the day was that it felt a bit flat during the 40 minutes while our loaves were in the oven. Fergus was happy to answer any questions that we had, but I think most people were quite tired from a day on their feet and tea or coffee and the chance to sit down would have good. However, overall it was a great day!<br />
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My haul of goodies for the day.Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-30601260532153432922017-08-03T16:42:00.000+01:002017-08-03T16:42:09.767+01:00Nara, Osaka and our only duff meal in Japan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tōdai-ji in Nara</td></tr>
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We took a regional train to Nara from Kyoto, which was a bit of a crushing disappointment having solely zipped about on bullet trains up to that point.<div>
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Nara was the capital of Japan and in the 8th century and contains some pretty amazing gates and concentrated in Nara Park just a short walk from the train station. There are some reasonably tame deer wondering around the park too and I can't forget the modern park offices, the toilets of which I was very pleased to avail myself of not finding any other loos in the park!<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todai-ji close up</td></tr>
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There is no doubt that there were some incredible sights in Nara, and if you were looking for a 'best of Japan's temples and shrines' day trip you'd struggle to do much better. I know it will make me sound incredibly uncultured, but I didn't feel as awed by Nara as I feel I should have been. It was probably a bit of fatigue of having already seen so many temples already and spending quite a few days on our feet.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ReTbB12mwbBzdlslw2sazIfrLvO9-tOG_ycdv5t-qAe7QscsfuPHvSQE4SXaUA0iqvrjefJUm5dK-fAKKm95mcDJHJr53Xkpyar8cWFDxfeo_LH8KfJusRTFOdRLEWY5SFRiHF8PfSij/s1600/DSC_0372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ReTbB12mwbBzdlslw2sazIfrLvO9-tOG_ycdv5t-qAe7QscsfuPHvSQE4SXaUA0iqvrjefJUm5dK-fAKKm95mcDJHJr53Xkpyar8cWFDxfeo_LH8KfJusRTFOdRLEWY5SFRiHF8PfSij/s400/DSC_0372.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15m high seated Buddha</td></tr>
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Nara was also the location of our only duff meal in Japan. There seems to be nowhere to eat inside Nara Park. We walked to the nearest exit we could find, hoping to find a line of restaurants catering to all the tourists. Sadly there was nothing around and when we did find a café it was the only duff thing I ate during our entire holiday. Not bad considering.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy statues inside the temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bells? Laterns? at Todaiji Nigatsudo</td></tr>
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Rather than get the train back to Kyoto, we headed to Osaka for dinner, because with the Japan rail pass you can go a bit crazy.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donburi </td></tr>
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When we arrived in Osaka we took the metro from the main station to the Donburi district to have a look at all of the lights. Needing some dinner we fell into our now customary routine of walking past perfectly good looking places and finding some reason to dismiss them, until we found ourselves in an <i>izakaya</i>, a Japanese pub.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IPSu0EvnuLHUA2A0t0-o2bV3-3s0fp6H6MKuLsYulaIP5tDdMHjbcupzAlDSEjjnaH4Y69LNE4t5d3-WoglSj80lh8XHXFtAfWzRIkVJffGLA94Ph_v3Mh7T0xtjw4K_ln-jjfY2b8Y9/s400/DSC_0388.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="267" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donburi II</td></tr>
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We pulled up some seats at the bar, ordered a beer and selected some random bar snacks. All of which were absolutely excellent. I think the bar staff quite enjoyed having two <i>gaijin</i> in their bar too. I was really pleased that we'd had a good <i>izakaya</i> experience during our holiday.<br />
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Full we headed back to the main station in Osaka to catch the bullet train back to Kyoto. A train ride which ONLY TOOK SIXTEEN MINUTES. I know that the cities are practically one continuous conurbation, but which other country in the world could you travel 55km from city centre to city centre in sixteen minutes?<br />
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Back in Kyoto we had a quick explore of the amazing station building and then caught a bus back to our hotel. We jumped on the same number bus that we'd used the previous day and new went close to our ryokan, only for it to start heading in completely the opposite direction. Once we were sure it was just a minor detour we hoped off at a random stop, with another couple of westerners who had made the same mistake.</div>
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We walked through the darkened Kyoto fish markets, which in any country other than Japan would have felt mildly threatening, up to a main road where we were able to catch another bus back to our ryokan.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36h-jrTozcu-VXkzhOLDUoklsah-VIyOI_kK_Hu3WZuFddRVYWuzROWvhD5RVOVwB8-4h3M9eiGN8eNiB4bk4PzkWevoDsg2KcM38Rapcub6A-FgG9wESo8KqVQvTK_2eSiYVlGW_FcRs/s1600/IMG_20161013_202332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36h-jrTozcu-VXkzhOLDUoklsah-VIyOI_kK_Hu3WZuFddRVYWuzROWvhD5RVOVwB8-4h3M9eiGN8eNiB4bk4PzkWevoDsg2KcM38Rapcub6A-FgG9wESo8KqVQvTK_2eSiYVlGW_FcRs/s400/IMG_20161013_202332.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan34.6850869 135.805000234.4761079 135.4822767 34.8940659 136.1277237tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-19171490899495822862017-07-30T15:54:00.002+01:002017-07-30T15:54:31.672+01:00Hanging out in Gion and eating buckwheat noodles Arashiyama Yoshimura, Kyoto<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoRLJ-vWj4wJoi1wEjHNYLhC0fm0fAHIdJGKNKxEIf88Cmsz2wvQYLfMM9QQdUdQSxkO8Kafj1DgVyXi7glt5wd2_5B35vpR4dmV-zUEdP9KaTu4Hh1WYtANesozzQBK4fU7LBeux2dIV/s1600/IMG_20161012_140015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoRLJ-vWj4wJoi1wEjHNYLhC0fm0fAHIdJGKNKxEIf88Cmsz2wvQYLfMM9QQdUdQSxkO8Kafj1DgVyXi7glt5wd2_5B35vpR4dmV-zUEdP9KaTu4Hh1WYtANesozzQBK4fU7LBeux2dIV/s400/IMG_20161012_140015.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gion back streets</td></tr>
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A quick photo blog of our day slowly drifting around the traditional houses in streets of Gion, along with a lot of other tourists. It was a pleasant and relaxing drift not really caring where we went (which led us to go down at least one dead end street).</div>
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For dinner we went to a recommendation from our ryokan, Arashiyama Yoshimura. It is a restaurant which specialising in making their own buckwheat noodles and was probably the smartest restaurant we went to while we were away. It was a bit of a tourist trap with a sprinkling of Japanese businessmen as well.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five tiered pagoda in Gion</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A garden in Gion</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sashimi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cold soba noodles and tempura</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warm soba noodles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice cream dessert</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Japan, 〒607-8167 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Yamashina Ward, Nagitsuji Fushikawacho, 23−134.9738328 135.8114520000000314.524019799999998 94.502858000000032 55.423645799999996 177.12004600000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-84269707655625139922017-06-17T18:18:00.000+01:002017-06-17T18:18:14.025+01:00Fowl Mouths at Noak<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsft4G9PRsVt_hj17FNZmdgb9lZQUePdSlszZAUyyYleBvfrpELKY-hiQZ8K3GTpxs-GtsGfPxIVmcRZcown_VzeQgO0HsDB_fMDTeEOo2LApuB-8vhRhPuUY7Ho2Ip-vq2BILlef5TR9y/s1600/DSC_0508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsft4G9PRsVt_hj17FNZmdgb9lZQUePdSlszZAUyyYleBvfrpELKY-hiQZ8K3GTpxs-GtsGfPxIVmcRZcown_VzeQgO0HsDB_fMDTeEOo2LApuB-8vhRhPuUY7Ho2Ip-vq2BILlef5TR9y/s400/DSC_0508.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asparagus with hollandaise and wild garlic bombs</td></tr>
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I was really pleased to be able to try the recent <a href="http://www.fowlmouths.co.uk/" target="_blank">Fowl Mouths</a> residency at Noak in Brockley, going twice while they were open. The first visit was on my birthday with Ed and the second trip was with Becks on the last night of their extended run.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Togarashi Crispy Squid </td></tr>
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There was a lot to like, with the kitchen working quietly and efficiently to produce some beautifully plated food. From my first visit the chargrilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce and wild garlic bombs was definitely one of the standouts with the wild garlic pods provided a real hit. I also remember the chargrilled broccoli with ponzu from my second visit being almost as good.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miso aubergine</td></tr>
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The Togarashi crispy squid was an exciting roulette with the some pieces of squid more well coated in the seven spice blend than others. Ed and I also both enjoyed the side of kara-age chicken, which brought back memories of <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/miyajima-island-japan.html" target="_blank">eating the same thing in Hiroshima station</a> after jumping off the Shinkansen from Miyajima.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side of kara-age chicken</td></tr>
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Both dinners could have been elevated to one of my highlights of the year, but were sadly held back by a couple of dishes that didn't quite work so well. On each occasion the pork from the slow cooked pork belly was a little dry. The miso aubergine was beautifully cooked, but there was so much miso paste on top that it stuck to the roof of your mouth as you ate it. On the second visit when I ordered the vegetarian miso garlic mushrooms, the yolk of the crispy panko egg was over-cooked too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gojuchang beef ribs </td></tr>
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It may sound like I'm quibbling, but the disappointment when something potentially brilliant falls short, is somehow worse than just having an average meal. I will just whisper that the pricing felt a touch too high for the portion sizes as saying it out loud would make me sound like I'm being unnecessarily mean.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow cooked ginger and sake pork belly</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0209-211 Mantle Rd, London SE4 2EW, UK51.4637812 -0.03897319999998671831.013955199999998 -41.347567199999986 71.9136072 41.269620800000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-10044215437842162292017-06-11T19:43:00.000+01:002017-06-11T19:43:22.853+01:00Palma Pintxos, Mallorca<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pintxos at Tast Union</td></tr>
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We checked out a few restaurant options for the Saturday night of our trip to <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Mallorca" target="_blank">Palma</a>, but with none of them appealing, we decided to do some bar hopping instead.<br />
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The first place that we visited was <a href="http://tast.com/es/restaurant/tast-unio/" target="_blank">Tast Union</a>. Grabbing some seats at the counter we were a little unsure of the etiquette, but the form seemed to be that you helped yourself to plates from the pintxos counter (that either came in single or double servings). We also ordered a couple of dishes from the tapas menu.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prawn, whitebait and salmon</td></tr>
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The pintxos at Tast Union were really, really, good. Not only did every plate look amazingly appealing but there were also so many tasty combinations of flavour in every single bite. I particularly remember the courgette, jamon and garlic mayo pintxos (photo below) and an anchovy and jamon number with basil oil.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chorizo in cider and cured sheep's cheese</td></tr>
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Slightly less successful than the pintxos, for me, were the tapas that we also ordered. The chorizo in cider wasn't a patch on the version from <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/loculto-slice-of-spain-comes-to-brockley.html" target="_blank">L'Oculto</a>. I'm usually a big fan of manchego style cheeses, but here it was easy to be eclipsed by the pintxos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhgkOxixEb88TN4E7JY0n8IOGkAjBg95GG-uBqnCjkf-bGO5q7Z1NgH0ScnN55lnwPJnJ8CXZ6HaU1vgLKT4vUFuObNFANTQrVtuhc94mlHRw63c2XmLJx-1UJS5msH_LUVR-Iyt752Rt/s1600/DSC_0493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhgkOxixEb88TN4E7JY0n8IOGkAjBg95GG-uBqnCjkf-bGO5q7Z1NgH0ScnN55lnwPJnJ8CXZ6HaU1vgLKT4vUFuObNFANTQrVtuhc94mlHRw63c2XmLJx-1UJS5msH_LUVR-Iyt752Rt/s400/DSC_0493.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courgette, ham and garlic mayonaise</td></tr>
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Realising that we were somewhere very good we had a couple of extra pintxos rather than moving in case we ended up somewhere disappointing.<br />
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<i>Tast Union</i><br />
<i>Calle Unio, 2, </i><br />
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<i>07001 Palma, </i></div>
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<i>Illes Balears,</i></div>
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<i>Spain</i><br />
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When we did finally tear ourselves away we crossed the road and headed up a small side street and straight into La 5a Puñeta, which was equally great but in a completely different way. Where Tast Union on the main drag was polished, this place felt a lot more like an authentic local bar that hadn't changed a bit in the last ten years,<br />
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The small restaurant was filled with families and young locals looking to get their pintxos hit. Plates of food were brought out from the kitchen and placed on the bar. The crowds then descended to help themselves and if you didn't get in quick you were likely to miss out!<br />
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I remember trying the tortilla from the photo above which was really salty, but it worked very well.<br />
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Payment seemed to almost be on a honesty system where you went up to the counter on your way out of the bar and showed them the number of cocktail sticks that you had and told them how many glasses of wine that you'd drunk. Proving that honesty system do work when I realised I couldn't have paid enough, in my faltering Spanish I asked them if they'd charged us for the carrot cake (which they hadn't).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2elUOdnwpgoGvjx2e-sYMUaswYHXoEl4Qf_PIzBjBKMe0cGGU4fcnUGuv_PNqnCv3jL9bnBqExryM0EXTiiIbdGC9CfH8pH_zMWXcAf_ov4A9UZHW08MSevzrLhYdQSQk9Vi456dncSPI/s1600/DSC_0497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2elUOdnwpgoGvjx2e-sYMUaswYHXoEl4Qf_PIzBjBKMe0cGGU4fcnUGuv_PNqnCv3jL9bnBqExryM0EXTiiIbdGC9CfH8pH_zMWXcAf_ov4A9UZHW08MSevzrLhYdQSQk9Vi456dncSPI/s400/DSC_0497.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrot cake</td></tr>
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I was pretty surprised both places charged the same for their pintxos at 1.75 EUR a pop. They are absolutely both worth a try. Tast Union won on presentation and just edged the flavour combinations for me. La 5a Puñeta wins on atmosphere and the fun factor.<br /><br /><i>La 5a Puñeta</i><br /><i>Carrer de les Caputxines, 3</i><br /><i>07003 Palma</i><br /><i>Illes Balears</i><br /><i>Spain</i></div>
Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Calle Unio, 2, 07001 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain39.57142 2.647619999999960819.121606000000003 -38.660974000000039 60.021234000000007 43.95621399999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-30201681949064044492017-05-29T15:15:00.000+01:002017-05-29T19:52:18.146+01:00Hopping round Kyoto with a bus pass<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-v33geMyF7OFTY3Pwk9VcanYFlEqlFUeT6QojtML_Bj52fFhKVVw0Jro9p-Qa1QjO8wWVmKiWQErKEBisHvPZz4Hw-U2r_wMQJgkpp0bLUH9IIhwLOKpoypArtOVn86-PfSCwd8-5OTdu/s1600/DSC_0331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-v33geMyF7OFTY3Pwk9VcanYFlEqlFUeT6QojtML_Bj52fFhKVVw0Jro9p-Qa1QjO8wWVmKiWQErKEBisHvPZz4Hw-U2r_wMQJgkpp0bLUH9IIhwLOKpoypArtOVn86-PfSCwd8-5OTdu/s400/DSC_0331.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock garden at the Daitoku-ji temple </td></tr>
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On our first full day in Tokyo we decided to purchase a one day bus pass, and coupled with our Japan rail pass, try and tick off as many of the major tourists sites as we could in a day.<br />
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Our first stop was the walled Daitoku-ji temple complex in the north of the city. There are twenty two temples inside the walls, with several open to the public to visit. All of the ones we saw had an entrance fee so we only went inside the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisen-in" target="_blank">Daisen-In</a> zen garden. No photos are allowed inside the temple. It was a very tranquil and relaxing place and I have never seen such manicured gravel in all my life. Surely they can't have placed all of those pieces of gravel individually. Surely?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The golden temple</td></tr>
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It was then a second hop on the bus to get across to the far more popular golden temple, Kinkaku-ji. The ancient looking temple was actually rebuilt in 1955 having been burnt down by a novice monk five years earlier. The temple and lake were beautiful but it wasn't particularly tranquil with the crowds of tourists filing round with us.</div>
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In stark contrast to all of the other temples we visited there were hoards of stalls positioned so that you had to walk past them on the way into / out of the temple. They all felt quite out of place.</div>
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I'd been suffering with a streaming nose for a couple of days (pleasant image for you I'm sure) and as we walked past a pharmacy Becks convinced me that I should go in to buy a decongestant. Unfortunately the pharmacist didn't speak any English, and with Google translate letting me down, I attempted to act as having a cold with very little success. I was sold a nasal spray (Japanese pharmacies are expensive!) which I later discovered was a hay fever medicine. However, it had some positive effects even if it was a placebo.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the bamboo garden</td></tr>
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Our third stop of the day was one of the sites I was most looking forward to in Kyoto, the bamboo forest at Arashiyama having seen so many stunning photos of the place over the years. Sadly it was one of the most disappointing places we visited during our time in Japan. There was definitely a lot of bamboo but I saw none of the <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=kyoto+bamboo+forest&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB740GB740&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjo3ZmAoJXUAhXEDcAKHRtQD50Q_AUICigB&biw=1276&bih=680" target="_blank">vistas</a> that inspired me to visit in the first place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fushimi Inari-taisha</td></tr>
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Our final stop of the day was Fushimi Inari-taisha. The main shrine was built in 1499, but the site is probably best known for the thousands of <i>torii</i> gates which line the paths on the mountain behind the main shrine.</div>
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I was already beginning to approach dusk as we arrived at the shrine so we didn't have long enough to explore the whole mountain and discover the inner shrine. However, we still managed to drift along quite a few of the walkways and up part of the hill.</div>
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Foxes (to can be seen in the photo above) are regarded as messengers and there were quite a few of them in and around the temple. Becks bought herself a small ceramic fox as we descended from the hill in the fading evening light. Sadly it got crushed in her bag on the flight home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torii gates</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner at Ootoya</td></tr>
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For dinner we went to Ootoya, which is a chain of restaurants that we saw from time to time on our trip round Japan. It was a <i>teishoku</i> style restaurant meaning the food is served as set meals. I really liked the place as it was one of the view set meal places we visited during our stay and I think we picked a pretty good one to try. It was simple, clean and efficient and I was a happy boy with my katsu, rice, cabbage, pickles and mustard after a long day sightseeing without a lunch stop!</div>
Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan35.0116363 135.7680293999999334.595911799999996 135.12258239999994 35.4273608 136.41347639999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-23847109055758512372017-04-30T10:13:00.000+01:002017-04-30T10:13:45.315+01:00Palma eats: three places to try<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d-hQ-g-wpis/WOixdkDd1sI/AAAAAAAAtdg/DTa391HYlaMWLKTzTcI0JuIvKyNxzKiYwCPcB/s1600/DSC_0479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d-hQ-g-wpis/WOixdkDd1sI/AAAAAAAAtdg/DTa391HYlaMWLKTzTcI0JuIvKyNxzKiYwCPcB/s400/DSC_0479.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ca'n Joan De S'aigo</td></tr>
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Here are three places we discovered on our <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/palma-mallorca-civilised-boys-weekend.html" target="_blank">weekend in Mallorca</a> that are worthy of a mention.<br />
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The first is <b>Ca'n Joan De S'aigo.</b> We stumbled on this café on our first afternoon in Mallorca as we were waiting to meet up with the host of our Air BnB apartment and returned three times during our stay.</div>
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Open since 1700 this place has gone through the phase of looking faded and has come out as a classic with tiled floors, marble tables and some interesting pots and mirrors dotted around the place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tmeN0h3KJXw/WOixdi0JDmI/AAAAAAAAtdg/Wbzm-UOciOwQZcAxEosBMjuTigQnqrPkACPcB/s1600/DSC_0484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tmeN0h3KJXw/WOixdi0JDmI/AAAAAAAAtdg/Wbzm-UOciOwQZcAxEosBMjuTigQnqrPkACPcB/s400/DSC_0484.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ensaimada</td></tr>
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On our second visit we all tried the <i>ensaimada,</i> a traditional Mallorcan pastry made with an enriched dough. The pastry has a layered quality like filo but was much softer and less brittle. I've seen some recipes say that <i>ensaimada</i> are made with pork lard, but I never would have guessed based on the taste.<br />
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On our third and final visit I had a cup of the strawberry ice cream. Incredible value at just over 2 EUR this was the taste of summer with a beautiful strawberry flavour. Having seen other tables try the ice cream I'm definitely pleased that I got to sample some before leaving Palma.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWbksPagsH8/WOixdkzlJkI/AAAAAAAAtdg/jiThtps-lDoGmhj89SQhqavg3D-nBrH-wCPcB/s1600/DSC_0505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWbksPagsH8/WOixdkzlJkI/AAAAAAAAtdg/jiThtps-lDoGmhj89SQhqavg3D-nBrH-wCPcB/s400/DSC_0505.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberry ice cream </td></tr>
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<b><i><br />Ca'n Joan De S'aigo</i></b></div>
<i>Carrer Can Sanç, 10, </i></div>
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<i>07001 Palma, </i></div>
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<i>Illes Balears</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamon y queso</td></tr>
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On our first night we visited the nearby <b>Molto Barra</b> and were the first people through the doors as they raised the shutters at 19:30.<br />
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We ordered a bottle of Mallorcan red wine. We thought we should try a local wine and the barman commended us on our choice saying that Mallorcan wine has been going through a bit of a resurgence recently.<br />
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I was keen for my first taste of <i>jamon</i> so we ordered a plate of <i>jamon y queso. </i>What appeared was a plate of thick sliced Serrano ham, a sheep's cheese similar to <i>manchego</i>, toast rubbed with garlic and then covered in fresh tomato, olives and a few pickles. It was bloody brilliant and it only cost 9 EUR. I still think that must be a mistake, but as it was an off-menu item we've got no idea what it should have cost.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Punt, Mallorcan Red</td></tr>
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<i><b>Molto Barra</b> </i><br />
<i>Carrer del Pes de la Farina, 12,<br />07001 Palma,<br />Illes Balears</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike and Ed outside Mercado Gastronómico San Juan</td></tr>
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On our Sunday stroll north of the city centre we found ourselves at the <b>Mercado Gastronómico San Juan.</b> The former abattoir which has been converted into a cinema, supermarket and upmarket food court.<br />
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(I was a bit surprised at how upmarket the place was. The prices were higher than several restaurants we'd visited in the centre of the city and while not being in a bad area, it wasn't the most well heeled either. However, it was definitely popular with the locals who arrived en masse to enjoy Sunday lunch.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the mercado</td></tr>
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I started with a chorizo tortilla which came with a skewer of padron peppers on top. Padron peppers were a staple <i>tapa</i> when Becks and I were in Madrid and Seville so I was pleased to be able to taste some on this trip too.<br />
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The tortilla wasn't quite filling enough, and tempted by lots of people with boards of <i>croquetas y rebozados </i>I decided to order six to try. My Spanish isn't the greatest so my selections were a bit of a shot in the dark but I went for flavours I recognised as 'cheese', 'chorizo' and 'squid'. The tastes were a bit 'acquired' for me but the locals seemed to be hoovering them up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1B0em6ZZEA/WOixdrDBWfI/AAAAAAAAtdg/jq9DHe0kvksWM5xFPQmwqVCXvJf0IndswCPcB/s1600/DSC_0504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1B0em6ZZEA/WOixdrDBWfI/AAAAAAAAtdg/jq9DHe0kvksWM5xFPQmwqVCXvJf0IndswCPcB/s400/DSC_0504.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tortilla</td></tr>
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<b>Mercado Gastronómico San Juan</b><br />
<i>Carrer de l'Emperadriu Eugènia, 6,<br />07010 Palma,<br />Illes Balears</i></div>
Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain39.5696005 2.650160300000038739.47168 2.4887988000000387 39.667521 2.8115218000000386tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-45308015665173133122017-04-23T20:29:00.000+01:002017-04-23T20:29:48.440+01:00Curry noodles, somewhere in the Gion backstreets, Kyoto, Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-duC-DKUK0LU/V_wVCkdLCHI/AAAAAAAAqWM/1Vbr_7qkLO8sp9HdqkT3hDL_gkvdxXLWACPcB/s1600/IMG_20161010_195708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-duC-DKUK0LU/V_wVCkdLCHI/AAAAAAAAqWM/1Vbr_7qkLO8sp9HdqkT3hDL_gkvdxXLWACPcB/s400/IMG_20161010_195708.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Dinner on our first night in Kyoto was on of my favourite meals during our two weeks in Japan last year.<br />
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Before we went on holiday Becks bought me a copy of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rice-Noodle-Fish-Travels-Through/dp/0062394037" target="_blank">Rice, Noodle, Fish</a>, a book about the food culture and unique dining experiences of Japan. One of my memories from the book is the stories of small restaurants run by individuals striving to be the best they they can. They frequently only serve one dish and spend their careers perfecting their craft.<br />
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Dinner that night in Kyoto felt like one of those places.<br />
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The small restaurant only sat 8-10 people along a single counter and was run by a friendly man who took our order, served us drinks and most importantly cooked for us. He only cooked two things, noodles and tempura.<br />
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I ordered the curried udon noodles. The handmade noodles still had a touch of bite and the curry sauce was the perfect consistency to coat them on their way into my mouth! I really enjoyed the balance and subtly of the curry sauce.<br />
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Becks ordered the aubergine noodles which slightly to my surprise came served as a whole deep fried aubergine. Everything came served in some beautiful hand made pottery.<br />
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While we were eating a few locals popped in and out for a bowl of noodles. Another person bought in a friend to watch them eat a bowl of noodles. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but I got the impression that they were getting their friend to try a favourite place.<br />
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More than just the food that night, which was good, it felt like we'd had a cultural experience and were starting to get under the skin of Japan a tiny bit.Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Japan, 〒607-8167 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Yamashina Ward, Nagitsuji Fushikawacho, 23−134.9738328 135.8114520000000314.524019299999996 94.502858000000032 55.4236463 177.12004600000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076693886368253167.post-83020861736591749162017-04-15T16:37:00.003+01:002017-04-16T15:31:03.373+01:00Palma, Mallorca: a civilised boys' weekend<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palma's cathedral</td></tr>
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A few weekends ago Ed, Mike and I jetted off to Palma for our first boys' weekend since our adventure in <a href="http://richardelliot.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Lyon" target="_blank">Lyon</a> at the end of 2015.<br />
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Friday was a complete washout with torrential rain all day. We made the best of it by hopping between a few nice bars, but I was beginning to wonder what we'd done. Had we chosen a dud destination?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parc de la Mar / Lagoon in front of the cathedral</td></tr>
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Ed and I woke up early(ish) on Saturday morning and headed out for a run along the coast. The sun had come out and a beautiful walled city was revealing itself. Any thoughts that we'd come somewhere duff were completely dispelled.<br />
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Palma has a compact centre with lots of narrow streets and small squares. It was perfect for exploring on foot and we were never far from somewhere that we recognised so it was easy to get back to our apartment any time that we wanted to.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the merchants hall</td></tr>
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We started Saturday off by walking down to the cathedral and then doing a loop of the <i>Parc de la Mer / </i>lagoon. We continued our drift west and stumbled across the <i>Lonja de Mallorca, </i>the beautiful merchant's hall with its spiralled columns and high ceilings. I saw a sign saying that there were great views from the roof, but unfortunately none of the corner stair cases were open to enable us to get up there.<br />
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After a coffee stop in a pleasant little square near the merchants hall we found ourselves in the Santa Catalina area and when we saw the local covered market I immediately wanted to go inside. There were lots of locals shopping at the stalls selling meat (fresh and cured), fish and fruit & vegetables. There were a few places to stand around and eat and drink at stalls preparing some of the fresh produce.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mercat de Santa Catalina</td></tr>
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After a lazy, and incredibly good value fixed priced lunch, we spent the afternoon drifting round more of the historic centre of Palma and checking out the few bits of Gaudi architecture that we stumbled across (below).<br />
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On Sunday morning Ed and I repeated our run along the coast on an equally bright and sunny morning. We saw people setting up for what we guessed was a local 5km or 10km race and quite a few other people out exercising on the path along the coast.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaudi designed opticians</td></tr>
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Having pretty thoroughly explored the centre of town on Friday and Saturday we decided to head north from the centre. We had breakfast in <i>Plaça d'Espanya</i> and then continued north through the <i>Parc de les Estacions. </i>We were drifting without too much of a plan and came across the bull ring in the backstreets. There were high fences all the way round the ring and it had the look of somewhere which might be abandoned, but it was a very impressive structure so hopefully it doesn't fall into disrepair.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bull ring</td></tr>
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We made our away across to the San Juan Gastronomic Market for lunch before making our way back into the centre to grab our bags and then to take the bus back to the airport for our flight back to London.<br />
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Thanks Palma for the great weekend!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colourful streets of Palma</td></tr>
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Richard Elliothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00565380446421416586noreply@blogger.com0Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain39.5696005 2.650160300000038739.47168 2.4887988000000387 39.667521 2.8115218000000386