Morocc and roll

Surprisingly enough, the 45 minute ferry ride which takes you from Tarifa, the tip of Spain, to Tangier, the top of Morocco, was actually the easiest part of our trip. Immigration is done aboard the boat (which we found out as we disembarked, so had to run back onto the ferry and get our stamps) and money exchange is also done on board. We get off and are overwhelmed by the sea of taxi drivers ... there are little petite taxis, which certainly would not carry the 4 of us including H & Io as well as our luggage so negotiating a Grand Taxi is in order. We settle on 20€ to the train station. We could have of course spent 20 minutes negotiating our way down, but it's 5€ each which is still pretty damn cheap! The ride is scary ... we all have white knuckles by the end of the trip but we do make it in once piece. It's quite early, and we have an hour before the first train. The station is just beautiful, there's even WiFi ...



We check our mail, and have a quick snack before boarding the train. The little counter is bustling with people, we start the day with a couple of pastilla - crispy pastry filled with a spiced chicken and slightly sweet nut mix. I have a can of Hawaii, which is a fruit & coconut fizzy drink that is not to sweet.



We arrive at the platform a few minutes early and are ready for our journey to Fes.



The train journey was pleasant, we did of course splurge on a first class air-conditioned cabin. There was a little food cart that just went up and down the isles, which had drinks, snacks, yoghurt, delicious pomegranite juice & bread rolls filled with spicy roast chicken & garlic sauce which kept us amused for the train ride. The scenery went from picturesque to grotesque - quaint little villages with children kicking soccer balls, filled with beautiful colors & intricately designed buildings but on the outskirts just piles of garbage. Garbage that was decomposing in the sun, ferral goat's & dogs picking through the trash. Until you hit the next quaint little village ...

We arrive in Fes mid-afternoon, and are greeted by a member of staff who has come from our Riad to meet us at the train station. We say goodbye to Io & H for the day, with plans to meet them tomorrow afternoon after our solo adventures in the medina. We pile into a little petit taxi with our guide, and head to the Riad. We are welcomed into Riad Fes Yamanda as it is our own palace for the coming days ....



Upstairs to freshen up, we know we won't be going far tonight.

Tapaç24, Barcelona

On our first visit to Tapaç24 (yes, there will be more posts to come) it was our first realization that Easter weekend in Barcelona means not to many places will be open ... We headed over the the L'Example district with our maps marked of coffee shops, providores and lunch spots. It was early, but upon wandering around it looked as though the whole town had closed up shop for the entire weekend ... After about half a dozen failed attempts at finding anything, we decide to try our luck over by Paseo de Gracia. As we turned the corner, the big glass doors plastered in the words "TAPAS 24" were open, and lights were beaming through onto the street.



It's here my walk turned more into a skip, the excitement to much for me to handle ... I know we were probably only wandering around for an hour and a half, but the prospect of not finding somewhere to eat, let alone have a coffee was frightening. We run in and perch at the counter and order 2 cafe solo before you can even say Beunas.



It's not even lunch time yet, so this is just a mere mid-morning snack. I pick a flauta with chorizo from the counter.



and we also order the Bikini24. This is perhaps one of the finest examples of a toasted ham & cheese sandwich. Spanish jamon, cheese & a hint of truffle sandwiched in slices of crustless white bread that has been lathered with butter - cut in little bikini triangles. Yum!



We're still going on our cafe solo's, which have to be a whopping 60-70ml, so choose a pastry from the counter as well. Not to sure what it was, but am certain it was delicious. Crispy sweet pastry with a custard cream in the centre doused in icing sugar.



At least if nothing else opens over the Easter Weekend we know we can come back here ...

TapaÇ24
Open 8am-Midnight
Diputacio 269, Barcelona 08007
(near Paseo de Gracia)
Tel: +34 934 880 977

Saint Eustachio, a coffee institution in Rome

Saint Eustachio is a coffee instutition in Rome, and known the world over. It was started in 1938 - with the current mosaic's and furnishings still original. It is now run by brothers Raimondo and Roberto Ricci. They carried on the tradition by selection the best coffee varieties that are prepared with a legendary secret blend. There are 6 tables outside, where you can sit and watch the world go by.



Then inside, you can perch at the counter if you just want to drink on the run.



On our first of many visits, we try a the signature Caffè d'élite which is the Sant’Eustachio coffee. We also order a Gran Cafe, which is Sant’Eustachio Coffee, only larger and creamier. It's not known exactly what they do to the coffee, but I heard rumors that these mentioned brews see the first few drops of espresso whipped with sugar, and the remainder of the espresso drip then added. All of this is sheltered, and quite secret, so I can't tell you ... They are both definitely sweet though, and have the presence of sugar crystals.



We return most mornings for our coffee and pastry fix while staying in Rome, and mostly enjoy just being a part of everyday Italian life, which always starts with a pastry and a coffee.



Sant’Eustachio Il Caffé
Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82
00186, Rome, Italy
T&F: + (0) 39 06 68802048

Sunday to Thursday 8.30am - 01.00am
Friday 8.30am – 01.30am
Saturday 8.30am – 02.00am

Firenze; A tale of four breakfasts: part 1

We had jumped the early bus from Greve into Florence for the day. With a long list of possible eats it was straight off the bus and onto the streets, oh yeah, and if we had time maybe see some art or history stuff. As we wandered we passed an alley way with a giant pig sticking his head out, how could we not go down and investigate?





The pig led us into a paved courtyard eclectically set with bright red plastic chairs sofas and tables. No idea where we were but we knew what a coffee shop looked like so a quick decision was made to stop for a wee coffee and maybe a pastry or two.
The small shop was just as funky as the exterior, we ordered our espressos ( 50 cents up till three pm then a staggering price rise to 80 cents) and our pastries and had a look around, discovered we were in the Casa della Creativita or house of creativity, part school, part gallery, part performance space, all cool.



A sweet little find and totally set the tone for the rest of the day. Yeah for walking down strange alleys.