Vieux Montreal and Hotel Le Saint Sulpice

I had been to Montreal once before in 2007 for the Canadian Grand Prix (separate post here), and one of  favorite things to do during my earlier visit is to walk around Old Montreal exploring all the little shops, cafes,galleries and trying out great dinners at the fabulous restaurants there.  As the name would suggest, this portion of the city is very old. One-lane cobblestone streets criss-cross between classic landmarks like the Place D'Armes and the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal, there are street performers, horse and carriage rides.. Like stepping into a time machine, a trip to Vieux Montreal allows you a glimpse at an older world.  It is only a small section of Montreal but it has that Old Paris/Amsterdam feel to it.

This time I was really looking forward to staying at the Hotel Le Saint Sulpice and surely my wife and I weren't disappointed. Surprisingly located in the same block as the  Notre-Dame cathedral in old Montreal, couldn't be in a better location to explore this beautiful city

Warm, cozy and inviting are the words that come to mind when I entered the hotel. The lobby was grand and had a European charm to it and our room was a three room suite (BR, LR/Kitchenette and Bath) that was like having our own apartment. It was spacious and well-appointed. The furnishings and style were very modern, yet very cozy at the same time.This boutique hotel is located in Rue St.Sulpice in the most historic spot of Old Montreal just steps away from the famed Basilica de Notre Dame and is an ideal spot for sight-seeing, shopping and strolling along the cobble stone streets exploring all the shops and sights.

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Street food in Amsterdam

But before we go on, let’s get oriented a bit. A couple hundred years ago, in what is now Belgium, some genius decided to slice up some potatoes and then deep fry the slivers. The Brits call them “chips,” the French call them “pommes frites,” and for some reason the Americans call them “French fries.” But in the Netherlands and Belgium they call them “Vlaamse frites” and they eat them like there is no tomorrow. Vlaamse frites literally means “Flemish fries,” correctly attributing them to the northern Belgium region of Flanders.

The fries are probably the most famous single food item in Amsterdam. Famously served and eaten by the locals smothered in a rich mayonnaise, are served nearly everywhere. From what I heard, the best place for fries in Amsterdam is the one called "Manneken Pis".

This one is right on the main street if you head directly away from Centraal Station, so every visitor is bound to pass it at least once. There always seem to be a line out front, even when nearby places are empty.The sign out front says the place was “Voted #1 Holland’s Fries”, and as dubious as claims like that often are, this one might be correct. There is no seating at all, just couple counters facing the street, with the fries being the only main course on offer.

The fries are served in a paper cone with a tiny wooden fork which comes in handy during the later part of your meal. The fries are also served with different variety of sauces including ketchup, incase your stomach cannot handle the mayonnaise. As you can see from the picture,  I opted for ketchup instead.

The fries are hot, crispy and tasty. The locals definitely love them, so this isn’t one of those things that solely exists for the tourists.

The other popular food eatery is FEBO.  It is a street fast food chain with shops all over Amsterdam selling Dutch food in a huge walk in vending machine. They have all their selections in an automated wall like vending machine style slots. You basically drop a euro or two in the slot and the door opens. You can eat the typical dutch croquette here.

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Amsterdam's flower market (Bloemenmarkt)

The Bloemenmarkt, or Flower Market, in Amsterdam city centre is the World’s only floating flower market. The market sits along the singel canal with the flower shops held in berges forming a row of fantastic displays of flowers, orchids, tulip bulbs, seeds,etc.

If you're a flower lover or not, this place is a must see for its colorful spectacle even if you are not intending to buy. Not too big...you can wander it in an hour quite easily. The flowers are so bright and healthy looking, and the displays are typical dutch...nicely laid out and organized. Also a good place to look for wooden shoes (clogs) and other gifts. A simply charming experience.

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Amsterdam visit

I happened to visit Amsterdam during Feb this year. Was able to squeeze couple of afternoon off my schedule to do some sight seeing to get the feel of the city.

Of course you may all know that Amsterdam is surrounded by canals. But I was quite surprised by the number of canals, I didn't expect Amsterdam to have so many. The other thing that stood out about Amsterdam was the number of people riding bikes...they were EVERYWHERE and even more so were the number of bikes parked around the city. I had never seen so many cyclists in one place.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city and well worth a couple days of your time.  The central Amsterdam is very compact and full of picturesque canals, cobblestone streets,  trams, bikes, and tons of unique and very nice buildings along them, plus cafes and shops everywhere.   I wanted to walk to take in the vibe and the features of the city as much as I could. So, I decided to skip  the very touristy  canal cruise, instead decided to Stroll along the canals by foot .The streets of Amsterdam were a treat to eyes with buildings lined along the neat streets all in .

 

Amsterdam has lots of museum, some famous and must-see and few not so. I couldn't visit the Van Gogh Museum, but was able to visit the equally famous Rijks Museum.


This building is enormous and quite beautiful. Its worth the visit just to checkout the building from outside even if you don't care about glancing at some of Rembrandt's or Vermeer's work.

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Sydney Day Trip - Blue Mountains

After spending the first week in Sydney's hustle & buzzle, we decided to venture our way out of the city and into the Blue Mountains. Blue Mountains is about 2 hour drive west of Sydney.This area of New South Wales is well worth a visit as you get a different perspective of the australian wilderness. And so there we were back out on the highway driving on the left side of the road. 

The Blue Mountains is a range of sandstone escarpments, canyons, rivers, rock formations and waterfalls kind of like our Grand Canyon.However the sandstone canyons in Blue mountains are all covered by a thick carpet of eucalyptus scrubs creating bluish hue, I guess hence the name Blue Mountains.


The main attraction is the Three Sisters which are primarily three large rock formations overlooking the immense valley. After seeing the main attraction we decided to take a walk around to the other side of the blue mountains. Just kept following the trail with steep steps leading us deep into the forest. Walking round we got so see some other great views of forest and Katoomba falls .

The Three Ladies

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Bondi Beach, Sydney

Bondi Beach is probably the most famous beach in Australia. Its crowded, pretentious and very touristy, not necessarily the best beach that you might have been to, but it still should be on your bucket list when visiting Australia. Since everyone has a different take on what makes Bondi Beach so unique, it's definitely a once in a lifetime experience to check out.

That said, Bondi is the nearest ocean beach to Sydney, located around five miles from the city center, and easily accessible by bus.It is a nice rocky beach with pretty coves and I really like how there is somewhat of a lifestyle surrounding the beach which I'm sure attracts a lot of people to the beach in the first place. There's markets, cafe and restaurants nearby to keep you occupied when you're not near or in the water. The shops along the boardwalk are nice. There is also an outdoor saltwater pools that were right on the beach

The best part of Bondi Beach is the nice coastal walk along the ocean cliff. The 3.5 mile cliff walk leading from Bondi beach, up and over the rocky headland to Coogee Beach is amazing and very picturesque!  It was a great way to check out the coast.This walk gives you a perfect feel for the coastal and beach area around Sydney as well as the typical neighborhood.here are stairs to climb and some slight hills, but  The walk is not too demanding.The walk has plenty of stairs and hills to give you an excellent work out. At any time of day there is always people getting their daily fix of sea air and exercise. This is a must if you visit Bondi and surrounds.

 

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Visiting Down Under – Sydney

I was lucky enough to take a 10-day vacation to Sydney, Australia. My flight from San Francisco down to Sydney was a travel highlight in itself. I had the window seat on the upper deck of a B747. As we came into Sydney around 6am, I got a birds-eye view of Sydney Harbour and it’s two famous sites the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

Exploring the city by foot in my first choice. Since this is the first time I was visiting Sydney,I spent the first few days just staying in the downtown area and just walking the area around the Opera House, Botancial Gardens, Circular Quay and the Darling Harbor.  All the major attractions are within walking distances among each other - the botanical gardens, Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay, Sydney Harbour . Being in a foreign city generally means I walk for miles and miles. I didn't use any public transportation...just walked, and walked, and walked.

There are many restaurants around Circular Quay and you can catch ferry to other parts of Sydney from here. The amount of shoreline in Sydney is quite large, and taking ferry to places little outside Sydney seemed to be the norm.

When I was walking around the ferry terminal in circular quay, there was some aboriginal music and performance. Everyone seemed quite excited to watch.

The next day I visited the Bondi Beach. You can read about it here.

Outside Sydney, we took a day trip to the Blue Mountains. You can read about it here.

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Eating in London - Wagamama & Masala Zone

I have visited London many times and my trips to London tend to be rather spontaneous and pressed for time. Still,  when in London, nothing beats a great meal. This post is about my two favorite restaurant chains in London - Wagamama & Masala Zone!

The restaurant scene in London can be overwhelming, especially for a visitor. These two restaurants,  with a casual vibe and service will make you feel relaxed and content.

Wagamama is a popular noodle bar chain in London serving pan-asian dishes. The food is amazing, the service is spot on and the price is resonable (ofcourse only if you are earning in pounds, but still reasonable compared to London standards) . Anyways I just love this restaurant and would eat here every night if I were living in London.

If you are looking for fine dining this is defenitely not the place for you. Its a casual restaurant with a real buzz about it. We have been to the Wagamamas in Soho, Kensington & Earl's court and they are all very contemporary and bright with long tables and wooden benches where people sit together. As there are no smaller tables, the seating could be a problem if you like your privacy, but if you are nosey and wondering what everyone else has ordered and what else looks good then I think the concept is brilliant !! The restaurant tends to be packed during lunch hours with business people and tourists alike and you may have to wait in line to be seated.

The menu is laid out in categories such as noodles, soups, rice dishes ,etc and clearly explains the dishes which is helpful if you are a new customers. The service is great, and the waiters always help you with the menu and make sure to come by your table to check that you are satisfied with your food. The only complain I have is that each dish is brought to the table as soon as it is cooked. While this is great for the freshness of the food, but if you are in a group and your dish is brought out first, then your friends will have to watch you eat while waiting for their food to arrive. Depending upon who your friends are, this situation could be good or bad!


My wife and I love this restaurant so much that we ended up eating here three times during our last visit to London and my wife even has a Wagamama T-shit to prove it. I’d say to anyone you should at least try this place once, cuz you never know, you might just love it as much as we do!!

Our other favourite restaurant is "Masala Zone" in Soho. This is again a casual restaurant chain serving Indian food, the atmosphere and service is similiar to Wagamamas. The Indian food joints in London is amazing and one can find an Indian restaurant in every block. If you're interested in Indian food but not sure where to go, I wouldn't hesitate to steer you to a Masala Zone.

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New York in a non-touristy way

It was my third visit to new york city. This time we decided to stay in Chelsea area to avoid the tourists and we ended up getting a great deal online for a nice hotel in Chelsea right next to the flat iron building.

It was the weekend after christmas so all the main streets were packed with locals and tourist shoppers looking for the after christmas discounts. We started our day with breakfast at Anthony Bourdain's French restaurant - Les Halles on park avenue. Anthony Bourdain is a celebrity chef who is on Food network and Travel channel, so some of you might know him if you are into that kind of stuff ( I mean food & wine freak). If you don't , the restaurant is still very reasonably priced if you are looking for just great food.

After filling our stomachs we walked few blocks up Park avenue to Grand Central station. It was pretty crowded inside with tourists ogling at the walls rather than actual train passengers. If this is your first time at the grand central, take couple of pics of the ceiling and get out. Few blocks east to it is the UN plaza buildings, even if you don't plan on doing the tour of the UN plaza, its still an awesome sight to just walk in front of the massive buildings and their security details (atleast 30-40 NYPD cars parked in front).

We walked further up to Rockefeller center, it was so crowded that you could barely move, decided to skip it and walked to Time square.Times Square was jam packed and was worst than the Rockefeller crowd. All the pretty lights and one of the "big" sights to be seen here. Well it did have all the bells and whistles but thats it. Take the obligatory photo and move on.

By now, we started hating people so thought it was a good idea to head towards Central park. Central park was nice. Lots of trees, paths playgrounds and such. 843 acres! Wandering through we almost forgot that it was in middle of a very crowded city. We walked almost 3/4th of the central park before turning around. We exited the park right in front of the famous Plaza hotel.  We sat in one of the benches in front of the hotel and did some people watching for a while. 

We had walked about 5 hours and were exhausted, it was time to head back to the hotel ( its another hour walk to the hotel). We get back to Hotel foot sore and too tired to go out again, we picked up some authentic NY style pizza and retired to bed to watch NFL playoff game.

Next day, we decide to explore the Greenwich Village, SOHO, and Chinatown areas by foot. Funnily enough Greenwich does have a nice village atmosphere and is very easy to walk around. SOHO area is a lot more commercial, tons of cafes, restaurant and shops. We move on down to the Chinatown area which is just crazy with street stalls selling cheap bags, watches, t-shirts & sunglasses and touts asking if you are looking for knockoff bags & watches. Few more blocks down you end up at the financial district.

First couple hours and we saw Wall St, City Hall, the Court house, Statue Of Liberty ( from afar ) and on our way back, Ground Zero. I wasn't sure how i'd feel coming across the big hole , but
everything was fixed up and there was no evidence of anything actually happened here. It just looked like a massive construction site. All the memorials have been taken off the fences, and its just business as usual. Time to move on and we started walking back towards our hotel, but this time we walked thru NYU campus.

I guess it was lot of walking on our last day in the Big Apple, but it was all totally worth it

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