Three-Course Meal at the Airport Lounge and Flight Experience

Stepping into the Air Canada Signature lounge, we immediately noticed it bore little resemblance to typical airport lounges. Rather than the sparse buffet tables and limited offerings we’d encountered elsewhere, this space offered full meal service – a complete three-course dining experience with attendants who actually served courses, paired with a selection of beverages.Beyond the seated service, a small buffet stood available for those who wanted seconds or something different. When our flight was delayed, we had no complaints – it meant more time in this pocket of calm before the journey ahead. We were comfortable, well-fed, and far removed from the chaos of the terminal.

I finally got to sit in seat 1A. All the time I flew, the seat would be something like 22F or something. Not this time. I got first seat on the plane, positioned at the absolute front. Settling into a lie-flat bed on an overnight flight, I enjoyed the solitude and space that seat 1A afforded, soundly falling asleep and waking up on the other side in the morning.

Arrival and Immediate Pleasures

We touched down in Málaga, Spain (a coastal city in the Andalusia region, known for its beaches and proximity to numerous white villages) in the early evening. Rather than heading directly to our accommodation, we sought out something to satiate our hunger. We found a Georgian restaurant and ordered their grilled prawns – the proteins had developed a charred exterior from high-heat cooking that added a complex, smoky layer to their natural sweetness. The meat remained tender inside whilst the exterior had taken on deep caramelised notes.

We also tried khinkali, which appeared enormous compared to what we expected. These Georgian dumplings are traditionally filled with spiced meat and wrapped in dough, but what makes khinkali special is the broth sealed inside. We ate them by hand as tradition dictates, and when we bit through the thin dough, the warm, savoury liquid inside spilled out. The meat filling was generous. We endearingly referred to them as “dalongbao” (a reference to their size compared to their Asian dumpling cousins).

Morning Light of Málaga and the Drive South

The next morning we walked along Málaga’s beachfront, where the Mediterranean stretched to the horizon under clear skies. After grabbing brunch at a seaside café, we headed south, driving towards our next destination: Tarifa.

Driving in Spain quickly proved to be an unenjoyable experience. The roads are peppered with roundabouts, which require constant attention and adjustment. Speed limits switch suddenly – from 60 km/h to 100 km/h and then down to 80 km/h within a short span of 30 seconds. This made it tricky on highways where some drivers slow excessively to keep within limits, while others try to accelerate but are thwarted by the frequent changes. It felt like an exercise in patience. It went on like this pretty much all the way from Málaga to Tarifa.

The Windswept Town at Spain’s Southern Edge

Tarifa sits at the southernmost tip of continental Spain, positioned precisely where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. This narrow geographic point creates something unique: the Strait of Gibraltar (the 14-kilometre-wide waterway separating Spain from Morocco) acts as a natural funnel for wind. When pressure systems align on either side of the strait, the air accelerates through this bottleneck with a phenomenon called the Venturi effect – wind speeds intensify dramatically as the air is forced through increasingly narrow space. On good days, wind speeds exceed 30 knots, which is precisely why Tarifa has become a destination for windsurfing, kitesurfing, and other wind-dependent water sports.

Our hotel embraced Moroccan design throughout its interiors. Ornate metal lanterns cast filtered light across the room, and swirling geometric patterns decorated walls and archways. The hotel even stocked the minibar complimentarily, an unexpected gesture that meant we could enjoy local beers, wines, and snacks without additional charges. This thoughtful detail transformed what could have been a standard hotel stay into something that felt genuinely hospitable and welcoming.

The town itself carries centuries of strategic importance. During AD 710, a Moorish officer named Tarif ibn Malik led an expeditionary force here, and the town was renamed in his honour, becoming the first Moorish settlement on the Iberian Peninsula. The most impressive remnant of this period is the Castillo de Guzman el Bueno, a Moorish fortress originally constructed in AD 960 on orders from Caliph Abderraman III of Córdoba to defend against raids from Africa. Its trapezoidal shape follows the contours of the hillside on which it stands. The castle’s name comes from Alonso Perez de Guzman, who famously defended it during a 1294 siege by the Marinids (North African invaders) in an act so selfless it became legendary. The castle now operates as a museum, and from its ramparts, visitors can see across the Strait to the Rif Mountains of Morocco.

We spent time walking through Tarifa’s old town, where narrow streets wind between whitewashed buildings. The historic centre still carries the imprint of its Moorish past in its layout and architecture.

One distinctive structure caught my eye: a tower by the waterfront resembling Lisbon’s Tower of Belém. Although visually similar, this tower is actually the Castillo de Santa Catalina. Its location offered strategic views over the Strait of Gibraltar and surrounding seas, serving various military and meteorological purposes through the decades. Beneath and around the castle, 20th-century bunkers and coastal defences are visible, highlighting the area’s long-standing importance in maritime security.

Beyond the town itself lies a remarkable feature: a man-made causeway connects Tarifa to the Isla de las Palomas (also called the Isle of Tarifa), a small island at the continent’s southernmost point. What makes this connection extraordinary is that on one side of the island, waves roll in from the Atlantic, whilst on the other side, they arrive from the Mediterranean. Walking across that bridge puts you at the official dividing line between two ocean basins.

Final Thoughts

The hotel stood out for its combination of good food and warm hospitality, making our stay comfortable and inviting. As for Tarifa itself, beyond the wind sports that define its character, I didn’t get a sense of a vast array of activities. The town serves largely as a launching point for those heading across the Strait to Tangier, Morocco, making it a practical gateway more than a standalone destination for exploration.

Photo albums here: Málaga, and Tarifa

Waitomo Ruakuri Cave is a remarkable underground world filled with stunning rock formations and bioluminescent creatures. Waitomo Caves offer various tour options, including adventurous ones where visitors can go tubing through underground waterways and waterfalls. We opted for the dry tour at the Ruakuri Cave, which still provided an impressive cave experience without getting wet. The name Te Ruakuri, translates to “The Den of Dogs” (by the local hapū), and refers the surrounding area when wild dogs were discovered at the cave entrance.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling like icicles frozen in time, while stalagmites reached up from the cave floor.

Some formations resembled delicate curtains, while others took on a broccoli-like appearance. We were insructed not to touch the rocks as the oils on our skin could obstruct the flow of water and impact the erosion process.

Adding to the cave’s geological interest, some sections of the rock still contain visible fossils, offering glimpses into the area’s ancient past.

Glowworms inhabit parts of the cave. These fascinating creatures, actually the larvae of a type of fungus gnat, create a display with their bioluminescent glow. The glowworms use this light to attract prey, creating sticky threads of saliva that hang down like a spider’s web to catch small insects. The guide instructed us to cover our mouths because the force of our breath could tangle up the saliva strands, negatively impacting their ability to feed. One of them was even in a cocoon.

The life cycle of these glowworms is quite remarkable. Before entering their pupal stage, glowworm larvae only need a couple of bugs throughout the several months as a larva. After pupation, the adult glowworm emerges but lives for only a few days, during which time it mates and lays eggs to continue the cycle.

The cave’s delicate ecosystem has been impacted by human activity. In the early 20th century, visitors were allowed to take pieces of stalactites home as souvenirs. This practice has since been banned, as it takes an exceptionally long time—approximately 100 years—for just one centimetre of these rock formations to grow.

Te Puia: Geothermal Wonders and Maori Culture

Te Puia, a geothermal park in Rotorua that offers a blend of natural wonders and Maori cultural experiences. Owned and operated by Maori people, Te Puia serves as both a tourist attraction and a school for preserving and teaching Maori arts and culture.

Here, students learn traditional Maori arts such as wood carving, which played a crucial role in preserving Maori history before the introduction of written language. Students don’t pay to attend the school, but the work they produce becomes the property of the school. The intricate carvings and tattoos served as a means of storytelling and passing down cultural knowledge through generations. The school at Te Puia has faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With international travel still recovering, some classrooms have had to close temporarily. However, the revenue generated from visitor entrance fees continues to fund the school’s important work in preserving Maori culture.

The geothermal area of Te Puia spans approximately 60 hectares, featuring an array of impressive geysers. While several geysers erupt at various intervals throughout the park, the largest geyser typically erupts once or twice an hour. We didn’t witness this display during our visit though. An interesting aspect of Te Puia is that local Maori tribes still reside in the area and have the unique privilege of freely accessing the geothermal areas. Visitors, on the other hand, must adhere to safety regulations due to the potential dangers associated with the geothermal activity.

Scenic Drive Through New Zealand’s Countryside

Between our cave and geothermal adventures, we had the pleasure of driving through New Zealand’s picturesque countryside. The landscape unfolded before us in a series of rolling hills, creating a patchwork of green pastures that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The countryside is home to vast numbers of sheep and cows, which dot the hillsides and valleys. Whenever we stopped at vista points, the cows would turn their heads and stare at us with what seemed like genuine curiosity.

Check out more of Waitomo Ruakuri Caves and Te Puia Geothermal Park!

Driving on the “Wrong” Side of the Road

Our journey began with renting a car in Sydney. It had been over ten years since my last experience driving on the left in the UK. As someone accustomed to driving on the right side of the road, I was excited to try it again, and now with more driving experience under my belt, I felt more confident in my abilities. That’s not to say it was totally smooth. The blinkers being on the opposite side of the steering wheel led to a few accidental activations of the windshield wipers. Gauging space around the car was a little more difficult too, and it took me some time to get used to centering myself in the lane.

A Bird’s Eye View

Upon arriving at Scenic World, I was immediately struck by its similarity to the Sea to Sky Gondola in Vancouver. Both attractions offer visitors the chance to ascend a mountain by gondola and explore the surrounding forests and vistas from above.

The highlight of our visit was undoubtedly the gondola ride across the Jamison Valley. As we glided over the treetops, we were treated to a spectacular view of Katoomba Falls cascading down the cliff face.

The Three Sisters, an iconic rock formation that has become synonymous with the Blue Mountains, stood majestically in the distance, their weathered sandstone faces a testament to millions of years of erosion.

Descending into the Valley

One of Scenic World’s unique attractions is its railway – but this is no ordinary train ride. Descending at a 45-degree angle, this former coal mining railway is now used to take visitors down to the valley floor.

It feels like sitting in a rollercoaster, but it descends at a piece that would cause a bit of uneasiness. As we headed down into the lush Jamison Valley, the steepness of the descent provided a thrilling experience that was both exhilarating and slightly unnerving.

Exploring the Valley Floor

Once at the bottom, we took the opportunity to explore the valley floor on foot.

The ancient forest, with its towering eucalyptus trees and diverse understory of ferns and wildflowers, provided a stark contrast to the expansive views we had experienced from above.

A Race Against Time

When our day started, the car rental agent advised us to return the car by 4pm as the location did not support after-hours returns. We left razor thin margins for our drive back and found ourselves racing through the streets of Sydney, navigating unfamiliar roads while driving on the opposite side. We pulled into the rental car parking lot at exactly 4pm.

Initially, the rental agent was hesitant to accept the car, as we weren’t at the counter precisely at closing time. However, after some discussion, he graciously allowed us to return the vehicle. This last-minute dash added an unexpected element of excitement to our day, capping off our Blue Mountains adventure with a final burst of adrenaline.

See more of the Scenic World in the Blue Mountains National Park here

The drive to Porto took three hours, and for the entire time, we struggled to sleep off the fever from the food poisoning. I slept literally the entire ride. Our friend who felt the least worst ended up driving the whole way. Poor guy.

Porto is a historic city located in the north of Portugal, on the banks of the Douro River. It is the second-largest city in the country after Lisbon and is known for its port wine.

Church of Saint Francis (Igreja de São Francisco)

We started our walking tour along the riverbank, and then headed to the Church of Saint Francis (Igreja de São Francisco).

Construction of the church began in the 14th century, and it was completed in the 15th century. The exterior of the church is notable for its Gothic design, with intricate stone carvings and a rose window above the main entrance. The interior is even more impressive, with an ornate Baroque decoration that covers almost every inch of the walls, pillars, and ceilings.

The interior of the church hosts a display of gilded woodcarvings and intricate plasterwork. The nave of the church is divided into three sections by rows of pillars, each of which is decorated with an array of sculptures and reliefs depicting biblical scenes and saints.

The catacombs, which can be found in the lower level of the church, are known as the Crypt of the Franciscan Order, and contains chambers that were used to bury the monks who lived and worked in the church.

Ribeira Square (Praça da Ribeira)

Ribeira Square is a picturesque area with colorful houses, narrow streets, and lively cafes and restaurants, and is a great place to walk. The square is also home to a number of restaurants and cafes, serving traditional Portuguese cuisine and drinks.

Cathedral of Porto (Sé do Porto)

Getting to the cathedral from the waterfront required navigating a series of stairs. A walking tour around Porto is no easy task for people getting over food poisoning.

Construction of the cathedral began in the 12th century. The exterior of the cathedral is characterized by its fortress-like appearance, with a large square tower and battlements along the roofline.

The interior features Portuguese tiles, also known as azulejos, a distinctive form of decorative tilework. The designs are known for their intricate patterns, vibrant colors, and the use of repeating motifs such as flowers, birds, and geometric shapes.

The inner cloisters consist of a square courtyard, surrounded by a covered walkway with arches supported by slender columns. The columns are decorated with intricate carvings.

The altar is surrounded by a profusion of ornate decoration, including twisted columns, garlands of flowers, and cherubs.

The roof offers a panoramic view of Porto and the surrounding landscape, including the Douro River.

São Bento Station

São Bento Station is a train station and is famous for its facade decorated with azulejo tiles. The 20,000 plus hand-painted tiles depict scenes from Portuguese history and everyday life. It’s still a fully functioning train station. As someone not really educated in the history of Portugal, I couldn’t really follow the story.

McDonald’s Imperial

The McDonald’s Imperial is still a McDonald’s but its uniqueness comes from the beautiful Art Deco building it’s housed in, which was originally built a coffeeshop.

In the 1990s, McDonald’s acquired the building, but retained some of its existing features. The inside mostly looks like a regular McDonald’s though.

In a weird way, eating McDonald’s was actually a break from the seafood that made us sick and while the food is not considered healthy, we felt safer eating it.

Livraria Lello

Livraria Lello is considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. It’s gotten so popular that entry into the bookstore costs money.

Though for the 5€ it costs, there’s not much to see except for the main atrium and the upper floor. However, the ticket price can be redeemed against any purchase.

Mercado do Bolhão (Bolhão Market)

Bolhão Market allows visitors the opportunity to see and purchase a wide variety of fresh and seasonal produce, including locally grown fruit and vegetables, fish caught locally, and various cuts of meat. In addition, there are also artisanal products, such as cheese, bread, and wine.

It’s really clean compared to other food markets (like the ones in Asia) despite them also handling produce and raw meat. We ended up buying some cans of sardines here too just to give them a try. We also got a complimentary sardine pate too. Though like I mentioned in the other post, I later found out that the sardines here weren’t as good as I expected.

Fado Music

Fado is a traditional form of Portuguese music that is characterized by its melancholic tone. The word “fado” comes from the Latin word “fatum,” which means fate, and the music is often associated with feelings of longing, saudade (a Portuguese word for a deep sense of yearning), and a sense of resigned acceptance of life’s ups and downs.

Fado music is typically performed by a solo singer accompanied by a Portuguese guitar and a classical guitar. The singer sings songs that often tell stories of love, loss, and the struggles of everyday life. Fado music is usually performed in small venues, such as restaurants and cafes, and the intimate setting adds to the emotional impact of the music. I can’t say I enjoyed a lot, but I could definitely feel the emotion in the singing and it’s pretty consistent with the style.

Port Wine Tasting at the Vila Nova de Gaia

Across the Dom Luís I Bridge that spans the Douro River is the neighbouring district of the Vila Nova de Gaia, which hosts a number of port wine houses.

Kopke is one of the oldest Port wine houses in Portugal, and located in the district of Vila Nova de Gaia, across the Douro River from Porto. The Kopke family has been producing wine for over 400 years, and the winery is known for its exceptional vintage Ports and aged tawny Ports.

We got to take a tour of the Graham’s Winery. The guide explained to us the difference between tawny, ruby, white, and vintage Ports. Tawny Ports are aged in oak barrels and have a smooth, nutty flavor, while ruby Ports are younger and have a fruity, sweet taste. White Ports are less common but offer a refreshing, citrusy flavor. Vintage Ports are made from the best grapes from a single year and are aged for a long time, resulting in a rich, complex flavor.

As a part of the tour, we purchased three different tastings of port, a combination of tawny, vintage and ruby ports. My preference is definitely the aged tawnys, though I found it tough to distinguish between a 20 year, 30 year and a 40 year tawny – so I guess that means spending more on the extra years of age isn’t worth it for me. But at least I could tell between the tawny and the other ones and now I know what I like.

Bota & Bira

This definitely one of the best meals we had in Portugal. We ordered a 1.2 kg aged T-bone steak to share. Combined with the aging process and the seasonings they added, the meat had a rich, beefy, earthy flavour.

We felt bad that we made our friend drive the whole way from Lisbon to Porto while we just slept so we treated him to this meal.

Porto compared to Lisbon

Compared to Lisbon, Porto was a lot hillier. The whole city is built on hills, which made it challenging when recovering from being sick. Though the city itself was much more well maintained than Lisbon

It was a lot less grungier too, but there were still people in the street hustling their fake purses or selling marijuana (though to a lesser extent).

At one restaurant in particular, when the host led us to the table, mentioned that we were lucky to get a table as there was a reservation no-show, even though while we ate, there were several tables that never got filled. It just made them look dishonest.

Though on the whole, we definitely enjoyed Porto a lot more than Lisbon. The food was better, the sights were more interesting, and we felt safer.

See more photos of Porto here

On the day we had to check out of our accommodations was the day that we felt the worst from the food poisoning we got the day before, so we couldn’t just stay in the room to sleep it all off. Instead, we had to continue on our itinerary as before and went on a day trip to Sintra. The entire day at Sintra was a struggle, trying to walk around with a light fever.

The drive to Sintra look way longer than expected because of some road closures that required us to take the long way around to get to the parking lot. To make matters worse, Google Maps was showing all the wrong directions – roads that appeared on the map were actually narrow unpaved access roads that were not publically accessible. We ended up driving all the way around the mountain, through narrow small town roads with steep corners up and down hills until we lucked out and reached the parking lot. It felt a lot like navigating in Antibes. From the parking lot, we took a tuk-tuk to the palace since we were going to be late for our visit reservation. On our way out, we even saw a group of tourists in a van that got stuck trying to make a multi-point turn because they ended up facing the wrong way on a one-way street.

Sintra is a picturesque town located in the foothills of the Sintra Mountains in Portugal, just a short distance from Lisbon. The main attraction for us there was the stunning Pena Palace, which boasts a colourful exterior, Gothic turrets, and an ornate interior. The exterior of the palace is painted in bright, vibrant colours, with shades of red, yellow, and blue standing out against the green backdrop of the surrounding forest.

The palace was built in the 19th century by King Ferdinand II, who was inspired by the Romanticism movement and wanted to create a whimsical and exotic castle that reflected his tastes. The result is a stunning fusion of architectural styles that incorporates Gothic, Moorish, and Renaissance elements, among others.

Inside the palace, we explored a series of ornate rooms, including a courtyard, a banquet hall, a music room, and a throne room. The interior is decorated with intricate carvings, frescoes, and tapestries, and is a testament to the wealth of the Portuguese royal family.

Interior decorations feature Portuguese tiles, also known as azulejos, a distinctive form of decorative tilework that originated in Portugal in the 13th century. Azulejos are typically made of glazed ceramic and are used to adorn the walls and floors of homes, public buildings, and places of worship. The designs are known for their intricate patterns, vibrant colors, and the use of repeating motifs such as flowers, birds, and geometric shapes.

Sintra is unlike the other castles I’ve visited before. The architecture style is completely different from the typical European castles like Neuschwanstein, Hohenzollern, or Carcassonne. This one is a lot more colourful and dynamic – there’s a combination of ornate carvings, vegetation, and overall structural beauty.

See more photos of Sintra here

Andorra is the 6th smallest country in Europe and its capital is Andorra la Vella, the European capital with the highest elevation. It’s a principality like Monaco, except that it’s headed by two co-princes: the bishop of Urgell, Catalonia, and the president of France. Even though it’s not part of the EU, it still maintains open borders (there’s no way to get there except by land) – so no extra passport stamp for us.

Its official language is Catalan. In fact, Catalan originated here and spread outward to Barcelona, the place more commonly known to speak Catalan. Initially, we thought Andorra was a Spanish-speaking country until we saw welcome signs at the border saying “benvinguts”. I don’t know Spanish, but I at least knew their word for it was “bienvenidos”, so I deduced that Andorra would be Catalan-speaking. There are other words like “obert” means “open”, and “xocolat” means “chocolate”. Even though Catalan is the official language, Spanish, French, and Portuguese is also prevalent. Luckily, I knew a tiny bit of Spanish, so getting around there wasn’t a huge struggle. I didn’t really know much about Andorra before going there – I figured I’d just be going to a new country.

The lady at the tourist info center was really nice and gave us free postcards. She also noted that Andorra doesn’t have its own postal service. The let the Spanish and French postal services set up shop there so people can send letters “locally” to these respecive countries. She also taught us how to say “thank you” in Catalan – “gracie-es”, as opposed to the Spanish “gracie-as”.

Afterward, we took a short break at a local chocolate shop and had some drinking chocolate. It was like being Aztec royalty. But it was very very rich – to the point it was difficult finishing the entire cup.

Because of all the mountains, there are a lot of hikes and viewpoints in the area. Even the city itself had a short 20 minute hike to get a view of the city. The city itself is very quiet, and hotels are everywhere – all there to handle thewinter skiiing/snowboarding traffic. Traffic must be bad in the winter – most of the roads in the country were single lane per direction.

We visited the viewpoint of Mirador Roc del Quer to see mountains in the day. Interestingly, even in the summer, there are no snowcaps on the mountain tops.

After visiting Andorra, we headed to Toulouse where we’d spend our last night before we returned home. We had only momentarily escaped the heat and humidity of southern France – it came roaring back when we reached Toulouse. We spent the night walking around town to see sights like the Pont Neuf (“new bridge”), which lights up at night. There’s also the beautiful and ornate city hall, which also lights up at night.

Dinner service was very slow – maybe it was just from the place we ate at, but it also fit the stereotypes we knew of southern French culture. We thought we could eat quickly and spend the rest of the time walking around, but we spent a good portion of time waiting for our food. We did get to try the Touloussian style cassoulet, but felt the one from Carcassonne to be better. The one from Carcassone had a richer duck flavour. We also got to try a chicken medallion with mushroom stuffing inside, which was really good. I still found the majority of the bread served in restaurants that we tried to be quite underwhelming – I could do better.

We had a great time here and am grateful that we got to explore more new places! It was great to get a broad view of the south of France but it was a shame we couldn’t stay longer.

Check here to see more photos of Andorra and Toulouse

I’m not a real F1 fan and I don’t have the patience to watch the cars go around the track 50 times, but I do like the idea of cars doing that. I’ve seen bits and pieces of the Monaco race – how they navigate the tight Monaco streets, especially the famous Monaco hairpin. All the souvenir soups all over town sell postcards that outline the Grand Prix track, and since it’s all on public roads, I got to do my own lap around Monaco. They even left the red and white racing lines on the road!

Monaco has a reputation of being a place for rich people, and we felt it. Every mall had all the luxury brands, hundreds of yachts were parked on the harbour, students in private school clothes walked in the street, and plenty of people drove fancy cars.

We wandered around town and eventually made it to the Monte Carlo casino. It looks really fancy outside with Rolls Royce cars parked outside, and it looks fancy on the inside too, but only people who actually gamble can go into the gaming rooms. The AC was a nice temporary escape from the heat outside though.

I saw two parts of Monaco: the rich posh part, and the traditional part. The traditional part is a small old town known as the Rock of Monaco. It’s also the location of the prince’s palace. I think the tradition is that if the flag is up, it means the prince is home. As we walked around the old town, there’d be motorcades going through, so I assume there were some local big shots going in and out.

We walked through a garden nearby the palace and saw an assortment of locale vegetation: tall/short, succulents/lush greens, flowers/trees with the bright blue ocean as the backdrop.

The toughest part about today was not only that the weather was super hot, but also the mosquito bites from the day before had swelled up and was itching me constantly. It almost felt like every 5 minutes I’d have to apply the anti-itch cream. Once we got back in the car and I started driving, I could at least distract myself from it while concentrating on the road. Later in the afternoon, we reached the small town of Èze.

It’s a picturesque town extending from the base of the hill to the top, with a view of the ocean. It was super tough finding any parking and I didn’t find any publicly accessible car roads leading up to the top – I mean that makes sense since the place was built before cars were invented. The only parking was at the local Fragonard perfumerie, but even then we couldn’t park there too long since they were about to close and we didn’t want them closing the gate on our car. We didn’t have time to visit both the hilltop and the perfumerie, so we opted to get a factory tour since that’s what we were there for. I figured we didn’t miss out on the hilltop – the view of the hill was probably better than being in it.

The factory tour itself was interesting. They showed us the giant vats for perfume distillation, how there are professional “noses”, the top top tier of perfumers, the different levels of perfume (it goes parfum, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and eau de cologne in order of most concentrated to least concentrated). An interesting thing I noticed was that the perfumerie had two Chinese salespeople, whom I assume were placed there to interact with the many Chinese tourists that come through, but since at the time we went, China was having it’s Zero-COVID policy so the only Chinese tourists had to come from elsewhere.

See more photos of Monaco and Èze

Initially when I turned on the car, I couldn’t even figure out how to drive it. The car turned on, but I didn’t hear any engine noises, not even the noise of the engine starting. I was so confused and we had to ask one of the attendants, who told me that the car was actually a hybrid, and if the electric engine was being used, there’d be no engine noises. I’d never driven a hybrid car before, and certainly didn’t know a Renault Clio had a hybrid version, but now I know.

Since it was our first day and we needed to adjust for the jetlag, we took the day easy by walking along the beach, and the windy cobblestone streets of the old town.

We met our AirBnB host who showed us into the underground parking garage of the building. I mean underground parking garage very loosely. The spot itself had maybe about 30 cm of clearance on either side, and barely any space to setup. I knew driving in Europe would be more challenging than in North America, but this isn’t what I expected. I was more so expecting narrow streets and parallel parking, but not this. I’d say this was the toughest parking spot I’ve had to navigate in recent memory. Luckily I had help from the backup cam and people standing outside to guide me.

Our AirBnB host was super nice, asked us where we’re from and told about how she used to live in Montreal, but moved back to France because it was too cold there. As a greeting gift she gave us a bar of artisanal soap from Fragonard, a local perfumerie. After dropping off our bags, we took a brief nap to get over the jetlag, and then walked around town. For lunch at Le Bistrot de Jennifer, we had a giant bucket of grilled/smoked oysters, an octopus salad, and a truffle pizza with a panaché to drink. We walked along the beachfront and then up to the top of Château de Nice.

Walking through the old town of Nice, there are colours everywhere. There’s blue from the water, the green from the trees, and the buildings have all sorts of assorted colours. Even the street signs have colour – the signs aren’t always even in French – sometimes they’re in the local dialect called Niçard.

It’s a pretty big city and very very hot even when visiting in September. The sun is relentless, yet people sunbathe on the beach. People here refer to it as “bronzette” in French. Surprisingly, the beach itself is rocky instead of sandy – not what I expected.

The annoying part in Nice, like many cities in Europe, is how much people like smoking in public. We have this imagery in our minds of visiting the Mediterranean and feeling a nice breeze of fresh sea air, but this isn’t what happens. The heat is filled with cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and the occasional whiff of urine and it can be quite suffocating. At times, we just want to dunk heads in the water for some relief. However, the people have been very nice to us (they don’t have the stereotypical snobbiness of Parisians) and there is lots of things to see.

Along the beachfront, there are blue metal chairs (so called les chaises bleues) for people to sit in and soak in the sun. They’d be nice to sit on if there was a breeze to cool us down.

The blue chairs are so iconic, to the point that they’ve become part of its identity – to the point that there’s a monument dedicated to it.

That’s about it for the first day.

More photos of Nice here

Heidelberg

Heidelberg probably has the most picturesque old town in the entire Germany. Out of all the views I’ve seen in Germany, this is one of the best.

The view is from the ruins of a castle that was destroyed during the Thirty Years War (17th century). I believe the old town is mostly in the Baroque style.

For breakfast, we had a very traditional German pastry, known as a Berliner. It’s similar to a doughnut, but without the hole, and it has a jam filling on the inside and powdered sugar on top. They’re super delicious and not insanely sweet like a lot of American doughnuts.

For lunch, we had more traditional German street foods. The top of the bottom image is currywurst, cut up sausage with curry ketchup on top. The flavour is a very savoury sausage with a slight sweet and spicy zing of curry. The bottom of the image is a bratwurst in a breadroll with mustard. Everything about this is better than the American hot dog. Better sausage to bun ratio, better bread, better sausage, and better mustard. And of course, fries are seasoned with mayonnaise instead of ketchup.

After lunch, we drove up the hill across the river from the old town and visited an old ampitheatre. Why is this amptitheatre interesting, you might ask? It’s actually a relic of the Nazi period for holding propaganda performances.

The main allure of Heidelberg itself is its picturesque views both in the old town and up on Heidelberg castle. Visitors can easily enjoy this by strolling through the old town and making their way up to the castle (there is also a tram), which are main attractions of the city.

Zweibrücken

From Heidelberg, we drove to Zweibrücken. It was a slight detour from Luxembourg, where we were actually trying to go, but we had read about a cool observatory decorated like R2D2, so we thought we’d check it out! It would have been cool to look through the telescope – after all the sky was completely clear of any clouds.

Driving to the place was super scenic! Nice rolling countryside hills with towering wind turbines.

From there we continued our drive to Luxembourg.

Luxembourg

We crossed the border into Luxembourg at dusk and stopped by the town of Schengen. This is the place where the Schengen Agreement was signed – the agreement that removed the hard borders between its European member states.

Normally, it’s possible to walk across to the island to see the small exhibit that discusses the Schengen Agreement, but we were super surprised to see the river at such a high tide (it did rain a lot the past couple of days). On the right of the picture, there’s a little shrub, street signs and flagpoles poking out of the water.

By the time we reach Luxembourg City, it was nighttime. To our surprise, the city looked deserted even though it was only 19:00. People walking on the street appeared drunk. There was even a guy taking a leak in the street without even trying to do it in an alley!

We walked around a bit to check out the town, but otherwise, there wasn’t much to do at that hour on a weekday.

We didn’t stay too long in Luxembourg, and we continued our drive to Bastogne, where we’d stay the night.

Photos:

• Heidelberg
• Zweibrücken
• Luxembourg

Vaduz

Vaduz is the capital of Liechtenstein, a country that some people have probably never heard of before, and people who have heard of it probably don’t know where it is on the map. In fact, it’s a tiny country that’s sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria. Miraculously, this country, originally a part of the Holy Roman Empire, never got conquered. It survived empires rising and falling around it, namely Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon’s French Empire, Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, and Nazi Germany, just to name a few. Because it survived the political upheaval around it, it is still ruled by a prince (i.e. a principality) like it always was.

The above image shows the residence of the prince. It feels like some strange anachronism – a prince living in a castle on top of a hill ruling over his subjects, but in a modern time.

Even though it’s the capital of Liechtenstein, it only has ~5000 inhabitants – by no means large at all. Its vibe is quite different from other European cities – it doesn’t have a fancy old town or anything, but there are several museums of art and history, as well as the Princely Wine Cellars, which is a vineyard where guests can do wine tastings.

I jokingly asked the fellow at the tourist info centre if he’d ever met the Prince of Liechtenstein, and he actually said yes! He said that everyone who turns 18 gets invited to an event called the Young Citizens Celebration (Jungbürgerfeier) to meet the prince.

Hohenzollern Castle

From Vaduz, we drove into Germany, to where the House of Hohenzollern began, Hohenzollern Castle. These are the same Hohenzollerns, whose family members once ruled Prussia and the German Empire, among other places. Even the last Kaiser of the German Empire, Kaiser Wilhelm II, is a Hohenzollern. Today, the castle is still privately owned by the family,

The only way to see the interior of the castle is to pay for the guided tour, and on that guided tour there are no photos allowed. The coolest part of the guided tour is the room showing the entire known family tree of the Hohenzollerns. It even goes into detail as to which branch of the family is part of the Catholic Swabian branch, or the Protestant Franconian branch.

Today was the first day of the trip that actually snowed! The last several days were a bit windy and cool, but still above zero centigrade, but suddenly today, the weather dipped and it started snowing!

It’s kind of nice driving while it’s snowing as long as it’s not a total blizzard.

Stuttgart

In 2011, I spent eight months in Stuttgart for an internship while I was in university, and since then I went back again in 2013 and now again in 2020. I remember in 2013, it still felt pretty nostalgic, but now nine years later, I found that I’ve forgotten a lot of places and barely knew my way around. The feeling was totally different. It felt a lot more distant – like a place I used to know.

Before we left, we planned to eat at Sophie’s Brauhaus, the brewery that my friends and I used to go a lot to. I knew what I wanted to order before we even went – spaetzle with lentils and sausage. Spaetzle is a German pasta with eggs (as a opposed to other types of pasta which may not have as much egg in it). It’s easily one of the most Swabian dishes there is (Swabia is a region in Germany with its own culture and language). And of course we ordered beers, because after all we were at a brewery. I even ordered a bananenweizen – a wheat beer mixed with banana juice (yes, it’s a thing).

When I ate the dish, it didn’t connect with my nostalgia at all, I just remembered having nostalgia for it. Same with the beer I had. This was the place I had my first real German beer, and now there was zero connection between what I tasted now and the nostalgia. I mean the food and the beer was still delicious, but in my head, I definitely was looking for that emotional connection.

Photos

• Vaduz
• Hohenzollern Castle
• Stuttgart