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Hike, Eat, Live

October - November 2021
1st trip since Covid came about. It's been awhile, there's anxiety, there's nervousness. There's also vaccination, face masks and hand sanitizer. A whole new level of appreciation and taking care. Read more
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  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 11

    Day Trip - Ronda

    October 19, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Couple of days exploring Spain on our own. Today, we're off to Ronda and taking on our 1st set of trains in a long time. To get there from Malaga, you can either take the bus or the train.

    Ronda's most known for its iconic bridge Puente Nuevo that spans the El Tajo gorge, connecting New Town and Old Town. The beauty of the day is that aside from the bridge, it's a relaxing stroll through the town, taking in what it has to offer without needing to rush.

    From the train station, we walked through new town, checking out the bullfighting arena and a viewpoint overlooking the landscape, before settling into Don Miguel for lunch. This restaurant over looks the gorge and was a nice spot to be as our other choice Tragata wasn't open. I tried their sea bream and it was delicious, giving me energy to trek down part way through the gorge for our bridge photos. You can go further, but given how much we'd hiked so far, we were happy with where we stopped and came back up.

    As a friend of mine headed off to do some shopping, her friend and I set off to sightsee (mostly from the outside) in the Old Town, and part way down the opposite face of the bridge as well. We wanted to see the botanical gardens, but sadly, the heat and fall weather didn't leave much to appreciate, though we did get good photos of the Moorish palace.

    Shortly later, we were back at the train station, this time, our 2nd train was the slow train, and it was late. The wind picked up so we were actually quite cold.

    Back in Malaga, we headed to El Tapeo de Cervantes for some tapas before leaving the city the next day. This was by far, the tastiest meal I'd had on this trip. It was a late one, but we ordered 6 items between us (half raciones) and all was amazing. Duck breast, 2 orders of Argentian steak, baby squid with crunchy black rice, meatballs, a cheese plate and grilled octopus leg! I would definitely recommend and go back =)    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 12

    Day Trip - Cordoba

    October 20, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    I feel this day's been 9 years in the making. Ever since I heard my roommates talk about it back when I was in Seville, Cordoba has been on my list. Now that I'm finally back in Spain, it was nice to work this into the itinerary. This can be done as a day trip, but I'm glad we spent the night. If you have more time, maybe even 2 days, you'd get a better sense of this city.

    Today's agenda included some covid testing for my friend and I. Her, a PCR to go back home to Canada, and me, an antigen that I'm not sure whether I'll need to get into Italy (spoiler - I didn't need it). Despite that, we were still able to make a full day hitting all the major spots.

    First up, Viana Palace for their gardens and hanging balconies. A gorgeous place I would love to revisit when it's quieter. We happened upon the day it was free entrance, so for the 1st time in our Spanish journey, there were hordes of people. It felt like bus load after bus load of tourists were unloaded and it was a struggle to try to keep distance (even though we were outdoors) and get photos that there was nobody in.

    Our lunch stop was the Mercado Victoria, a bit of a trek, but a cool spot that reminds of me Tel Aviv's Sarona Market, but smaller. It's hip and modern, with a good selection of food stalls to order from. We went a little overboard with the amount of food we ordered, but some of the portions were bigger than we thought.

    After checking in at the hotel, we went our separate ways for a bit. Myself, it was off to the Mezquita to check out the mosque/cathedral's candy cane arches. It was a little underwhelming, but if you go, make sure you see the current altar space. The Alcazar is also nearby, and my second stop to join my friends. Nearing magic hour, it's great for photoshoots. I think spring would be a better time to go when the gardens are in bloom and not too hot. They were setting up for a concert as well, and the sound checks sounded great. I wish I knew who was up and that we could get tickets.

    Another bridge on the agenda, this time, the Roman Bridge of Cordoba. Some might recognize it from the Game of Thrones. I didn't get a chance to walk across it til after dinner, but it was a pleasant stroll and I got to check out the Calle de Flores as well. It's a cute little alley that looks even nicer during the day =)    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 13

    A Much Needed Lazy Day

    October 21, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Our last stop in Spain, the capital Madrid. As my friend and I had both been here before, today's theme was churros, spa and do nothing, except maybe shop. It was a bit of a city shock, arriving at Puerta Atocha, Madrid's main train station. We'd gone from a chill seaside city to a cultural city to a modern metropolis. We miss the former already, but hey, we're here to transit onwards.

    Our hotel was located near the palaces, and some of the sites we passed brought up memories of times past. After checking in, it was off to San Gines for churros. This chocolateria was founded in 1894 and the decor is still dated. You almost feel like you've travelled a bit back in time.

    At 5pm, I set off to Hammam al Andalus for a little spa time. I'd read about this hammam before, and it's a great way to wrap up this leg of the trip, especially with all the hiking and backpack lugging. Perhaps not the best idea to hoist the backpack the next day, but I'm still glad I went.

    These are contemporary Arabic style baths and the decor transports you back in time as well. Old brick walls are the feature and candle lit lanterns add a soft light to peaceful atmosphere. I wish they had a little more music though to add to the relaxing space. They have 3 pools of water to soak in before heading to your treatment. The cold water one I could only manage to dunk my legs, before returning to the warmest pool where I spent most of my time. No photos of the inside of course, but the ones on the website definitely matches.

    I chose the Midra 30 package with includes 60 minutes in the baths, followed by a 15 minute purification on a hot stone bed and a 15 minute massage. The purification is a scrub using a hand mitt and you get to take it home. Most of the staff don't speak English, but we managed fine. My masseuse picked out the oil as I couldn't decide, and it was just right, not strong at all. In hindsight, I should've booked the Midra 45 instead, which would give me 45 minutes in the bath and a 30 minute massage instead. 15 isn't quite enough, and really only time to do the upper body. With all the hiking we did, I'm sure my legs could've used some work as well. Also, I'm not that good with sitting still and ended up leaving a little before my session was over, as I didn't want to get back in the baths after the treatment.

    Last dinner in Spain - La Barraca for one more paella and grilled prawns.    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 14

    From Espana to Italia

    October 22, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Travel day today, so that means not much done. Let's start with my arrival into Rome and then to Palermo. I'd taken an antigen test a few days ago, uncertain if I needed it to enter Italy. The IATA says passengers from Spain are exempt, but I wasn't sure if they actually meant residents. Turns out it was passengers, but I'm still glad I had the test as a peace of mind. The covid testing in Europe has been more invasive than the ones back home. Instead of swabbing the front of both nostrils, it's one swab up one nostril. Ah travel in covid times. At least they don't swirl too.

    Landing in Palermo was an interesting process. Travellers to Sicily are subject to a PCR test, and I feel it's a bit of an honor system. After grabbing my bags, I exited to the arrivals zone, and read a sign about travellers from certain countries to check with the Covid info desk. No one is checking, I suppose I could've skipped it, but I didn't.

    What ended up happening was a questionnaire that generated a test code that would send me on a trek with my backpack out of the airport to get tested. And it felt like a trek with 12 kg on my back and more with my day bag. The signage is almost very clear, but coupled with an evening arrival, I kept wondering how much farther I had to go, and noticing practically no one else headed that way.

    On the bright side, the PCR was free, though it was another jab up the nose. The interesting thing is that results were ready in 10 minutes. Huh, go figure. Back the way I came and down to the train station for a ride to Palermo Central Station. It's a bit far, 50 minutes, and then another trek to the my hotel in the historic centre.

    Suite Quaroni is beautiful small hotel (6 units in total) right off Via Maqueda. It does get noisy, but the AC drowns out the street noise that goes late into the night. Great location though for exploring the Old Town, so no complaints.

    1st order of business was to find some pizza! Easy but not as I had a few places on my list. One was booked out, and another had a long line. I ended up back on the main street to randomly pick a place that looked good, oh and got some gelato as dessert. Hard to say no when you're stuffed, but it's right downstairs of where you're staying.

    The streets were bustling, but it is a Friday night. I've definitely noticed less people here wearing masks, and more people. Italy has a green card system so if you want to sit down at a restaurant or go into a sight, you have to show proof of vaccination. For me, that's my vaccine card, so far so good.    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 15

    Palermo Old Town

    October 23, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Some people say you only need one day in Palermo. I think maybe you need 2 (or more if churches and meandering is your thing). Or you could completely Robert Langdon and spend days here church hopping. My focus for today was Old Town before moving hotels to join my group tomorrow. After settling the laundry, I met up with a walking tour to learn a bit more about the city and get myself oriented.

    The Four Corners is probably where you'll want to focus on the sites. The spot itself has 4 facades representing Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter while dividing the old town into 4. You'll want to check out the Pretoria Fountain (citizens used to be ashamed of it hundreds of years ago as the statues are pretty much naked). The best view is from above, on the roof of the Santa Caterina D'Alessandria. This church used to be a convent for the nuns, and there's a confectionary on site you can get some sweets as well. I got a minne di vergine to try as it's Sicilian. The hemisphere shape is like a breast, and it's outer shell is hard, you have to "crack" it open and inside is a pastry shell covering the filling of sheep's milk ricotta and jam. It was a bit too sweet to finish, but I'm glad I tried something local.

    Back to the roof, as you head upstairs, you can also get views of the church inside, similar to the Malaga Cathedral, so if you want to save a euros, just pay the roof entrance and not the entrance to the church.

    Off to Chiesa Santa Maria Dell'Ammiraglio. Can't remember why this was on my list, but the inside is beautiful. A wedding was actually taking place today, so we couldn't go too far in. Next the Cathedral, the church area is free, but you'll have to pay to visit other areas like the tombs. Church hopping to Santissimo Salvatore, the dome was on my list, another good spot to get city views, but not as good as Santa Caterina. This church is in the round, and reminds me of a theatre. There's no pews, but individual chairs with a bit of theatrical flair.

    A much needed nap at the hotel before venturing back out for dinner. The streets are getting busier and busier. For a moment, it almost seems like Covid did not exist. The feeling is a bit bizarre considering how careful we've been at home and trying to be careful while away from home. I'm glad my hotel is close so I can escape the crowds and when the weather gets a bit muggy, that and my feet could use a rest.

    Weekend nights here are hopping. It's late, but the crowds aren't quite thinning yet. I head to Il Salumaio for dinner. My other options weren't quite panning out and I'd spotted cuttlefish ink pasta on their menu while passing by earlier. What drew me is the decor of the restaurant. Inside and upstairs is brick and a dome-ish shape so you kind of feel like it's you're in a cave on underground cavern. Bonus, it wasn't that far from the hotel, and close to Capadonia Gelato for another night of gelato. This place won best gelato in Sicily again.    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 16

    Lazy Day Again

    October 24, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Seem to have a few of these in the last little while. Tonight I'm off to meet my new group for the next week to explore Northern Italy. After trekking to the new hotel, I wandered off, no place in particular. Having spent much of yesterday traversing via Maqueda, I headed to the water to make my way back to old town and the neighborhood of Kalsa.

    My new hotel is by the port, but there didn't really seem to be a walkway. As I got closer to the small marina, there became a road to walk and I even happened upon a small park where local families were out.

    From there, I cut back on Via Emanuel to get back to the Old Town. Weaving my way around after entering for the Felice Gate, I happened upon a 2nd hand market where locals brought goods out around Garibaldi Gardens.

    Lunch was a simple affair of foccacia from Antica Focacceria San Francesco. They've been around since 1834. The entire menu is in Italian, so it was a bit of a pick and point. I did manage to snag a freshly pressed orange juice which was absolutely delicious as well. I realized a little too late I could've tried the local spleen sandwich, so perhaps another time.

    Wandering back up Via Roma, it was less a shopping street than I imagined. I would later find the shopping streets I was expecting is further out in the city, and we only barely scratched the surface of Palermo.

    Back at the hotel and finally checked in, it was nap time til meeting the group and our first dinner.    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 17

    Andiamo around Sicily!

    October 25, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Another lazy morning, just grabbed some arancini for a quick lunch and pomegranate granita. I think I prefer the blood orange from the other day, but I'm open to continue trying more flavors as the time here passes. Some of the group went on an orientation walk, but I was happy to just wander and do a little pokemon go hunting at the request of my sister.

    In the afternoon, we set off for the beach town of Cefalu. I'd recently read about this town, that it was one of the prettiest in Italy, so I was excited to visit. We arrived in the mid afternoon and had just enough time to climb up the citadel for views over the town, before a stop at the cathedral, the waterfront and just overall exploring.

    Dinner was at a great spot overlooking the sea. I ordered bruschetta and spaghetti al cartoccio which is seafood spaghetti cooked in an aluminum pouch. It was delicious and the portion was generous and loaded with seafood, not leaving much room for dessert. Apparently Indiana Jones was scheduled to shoot here but they cancelled in the end =( Would've been very cool otherwise!    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 18

    Off to the Islands

    October 26, 2021 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    One of the challenges being the last trip of the season is weather. Our visit to the Aeolian islands was looking a little iffy, especially with a Medicane brewing over eastern Sicily and sending rain our way as well. The group 2nd prior to us actually got stuck on Lipari and had to spend an extra night on the island. Our guide didn't want to get stuck, so we only ended up spending one night here. Thursday will tell if it was the right call, as our change in plan meant we wouldn't get to do the boat tour tomorrow night that would take us to Panarea and Stromboli before holding for sunset.

    Today was pretty much a travel day, by bus to Milazzo where we got a hydrofoil to Lipari, the largest of the Aeolian islands. It was a bit rainy to start, and the water was a bit choppy. Arriving in Lipari, it felt a little bit like a ghost town. Many of the shops were closed and there wasn't a lot of other people around. Because of the bad weather from the past 2 weeks, it seemed a number of shopkeepers decided to call it for the season. It would be nice to have come a few weeks earlier to feel the energy of the place.

    We wandered around some of the archeological ruins and main pedestrian area before returning for a rest at the hotel. For dinner, I had the swordfish pasta, a specialty of the region, and my first cannoli. I've usually avoided cannoli at home, thinking it might be too rich, but these mini cannoli were just right.    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 19

    A Day in Lipari

    October 27, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The sun was up today when we awoke, and I was hopeful we'd be able to go on our initial itinerary, but it looked like we were still leaving the island tonight so we wouldn't get caught in the storm. Apparently, they've cancelled all the bots tomorrow, so it was the right call to leave this afternoon.

    In the meantime, we were able to go on a short boat ride in the morning to see more of Lipari, as well as parts of Volcano Island. The volcano on Volcano Island is also active (like Stromboli), so we did get to see an active volcano, albeit not up close. As there were recent eruptions, we were also not allowed to hike on it. The scenery otherwise was gorgeous, everything you'd expect in the Mediterranean, and a nice relaxing morning.

    Right after the boat ride, a couple of us got dropped off at a trail head to get a little hiking in before meeting the rest of the group on their van tour of the island. Definitely great to stretch the legs and get some beautiful views of Panarea and Stromboli as well. The hike itself was pretty easy, one small slope and the rest flat and downhill. It was probably the most "trail" trail I've been on this trip. The downhill section was rocky and the path literally cut through the bush as you almost had to move the vegetation apart to go forward. A fun little adventure and we got to check out the beach in Aquacalda.

    Couple of nice viewpoints on the drive to wrap up our day, including a spot where you could see five of the Aeolian islands lined up in the horizon. Despite not being to visit Stromboli, we were grateful for the nice weather and having been able to see something.

    Tonight, we stayed in Milazzo at Hotel La Bussola, a last minute change. Compare to the other 4 star hotel from Palermo, this was really nice. Just a simple dinner nearby, including my first tiramisu in Italy (delicious!), tomorrow, Taormina! Fingers crossed the rain stays away, especially since we also have to make it into Catania. There's been reports of flooding and deaths the past few days, so we'll just have to see.    Read more

  • Rita YeeHike, Eat, Live
    Day 20

    Taormina Afternoon

    October 28, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Following a scenic drive through some villages on Sicily's northeast coast, we arrived in the hilltop of town of Taormina. Overlooking the water, we saw beautiful coastlines. The part of the town we went to was very cute and touristy, and for most of us, our 1st stop was at the ancient Greek theatre. While not overwhelming large like others I've seen, this was had the ocean as the backdrop so if you sat up top, you'd have a wonderful view. After that, it was just meandering the main shopping street and checking out the public gardens.

    Though I initially thought it'd be nice to stay the night in Taormina, an afternoon was really all I needed. We ended up having an evening transfer to Catania for safety reasons as parts of Catania had been flooded recently due to a Mediterranean hurricane in the area. Apollo is his name.

    The hotel in Catania though through us all in a bit of a shock. Our first hint was entering through a non descript door and up old steps in an old building. The rooms were even more shocking. Some had mold in them, while one person wasn't quite sure if the look and feel was supposed to be a vibe or just a little ghetto. In the 4 people decided to move hotels, and I'll admit, I was close to it myself as well. Given what we'd paid and the level of the tour, this hotel was definitely not up to snuff. While we understand what the city was going through and our original hotel was closed, there were still better options, and the company should've had a better back up plan.    Read more

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