Third Time's a Charm at Bairaktiros, Athens

Marcia Adams' Tuscan Retreat in Tagaytay

Let me just begin with this: these are two of the best pork dishes I've had in a long time, and I had to escape tall the way to Tuscany to taste them.

After the holidays, I just wanted to escape. Pass through these gates and be transported to a completely unique realm outside Manila, and outside the country.

This is Tuscany hidden between Tagaytay and Cavite, Marcia Adams' vision of Tuscany, that is.

EuroCruise 2010: Carpets &The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul

Gooood Morning Istanbul!

After a long day of trekking Istanbul's delectable sights and spices, I woke up to a breakfast of fresh cherries from Turkey. Super sweet, and readily accessible at our ship's Buffet line.

Day 2 in Istanbul isn't as long as the entire day... but it did involve a lot of walking... and shopping. Clearly, ToT is NOT a morning person.

EuroCruise 2010: Istanbul's Spice Bazaar is Spicyyy

 

Next stop in the Istanbul tour is every Filipino's wet dream: Shopping! For spices, that is.

Located at Cami Meydani Sok, it's close to the exterior walls of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Museum. It's one of the must-visit places in Istanbul. Why?

It's the hub for exotic spices and other ethnic culinary delights.

EuroCruise 2010: Food Finding in Istanbul

Back in Istanbul after visiting all the important mosques and palaces in the Old City, which is both an Asian and European city. After all the sight-seeing, everyone was a bit hungry, but didn't have the luxury of time to sit down for a proper lunch. I was on the hunt for the next best thing that Istanbul is known for:

Kebab!

EuroCruise 2010: Istanbul is an Eyeful

After our sunny stop in Mykonos, Greece, our cruise on the Celebrity Equinox ventured to a different country to visit what is consistently rated as one of the most beautiful and enchanting cities in the world... Rich in history and a unique atmosphere, it will definitely take your breath, and attention span, away.

Catch an eyeful of Istanbul, the original Constantinople.

 From the view on our cruise ship, it felt as exotic as stepping into a spice market, literally because Turkey is a single country situated in two continents. Istanbul is the only city in the world  located on 2 continents. It's the nearest Asian city to Europe, and the nearest European city to Asia.

EuroCruise 2010: Mad for Mykonos

Back to the beautiful Greek Island of Mykonos, home to blue & white homes, hot sunny beaches, and major midnight beachparties.

If there's another thing Mykonos is most remembered for... it's not wide open spaces like the Chola Town Center.

 

But for the tight and tiny alleys and streetways that zigzag like a labyrinth all around town, albeit stunning with its white and blue exteriors. As the mythical town of Troy, Mykonos is one puzzling map of roads.

EuroCruise 2010: Munching on Octopus at Antonini's, Mykonos

Next stop on the EuroCruise lineup is the tourist-favorite Greek island of Mykonos, infamous for its bright Mediterranean sun, endless beach parties, and enigmatic blue & white buildings.

A tiny 33 square miles, Mykonos is one of the smallest islands in the Cyclades group and is inhabited by only 5000 locals, yet gets flocked by over 900,000 visitors a year. Bars, nightclubs, and beaches...  Think Santorini, but not on a mountain. Ahh... ToT Heaven!

As I was walking towards Chora, or center of Mykonos, I spotted a man by the shallow water, literally, spanking a live octopus on the rocks, paralyzing the tentacles and readying it for consumption. Bro and I looked at each other; we knew what we were having for lunch!

EuroCruise 2010: Wine Tasting at Santo Winery, Santorini

After our walking trip to the town of Oia, our tour guide Arthur took us to Santo Winery for some Greek Wine tasting.

Located at the village of Pyrgos in Santorini, SantoWines sits at the edge of the Caldera. Hence, the awesome view!

I'm all for liquor consumption, and tasting the unique flavors of Santorini wine is more exciting because of the sulfur content in the soil due to the volcanic presence and the eruptions, giving their grape juice extra oomph.

Sphinx in Santorini: Resto with a View that Tastes Like Heaven

Let me take you out of Manila and into the gates of heaven, visually.

 

Upon stepping inside the salmon colored doors in the middle of the town of Fira, you enter the restaurant with the best view of Santorini, Greece and the Aegean Sea.

Welcome to Sphinx Restaurant. Welcome to Santorini

EuroCruise 2010: The Celebrity Equinox

OK, enough of cooking at home, and going out to eat! Must stop noshing even just for a week. 

Meantime, let me go back to the summer that was and show you the continuation of our EUROTRIP experience on the Celebrity Equinox.

Yes! 11 nights on a humongous ship to travel around the Eastern Mediterranean. As usual ToT and her Bro became designated roommates & travel buddies, because the rest of the fam already has their own S.O.

Love, Lamb and Lull at LU

This is ZE classic case of a much needed Hail Mary pass.

For those not into the whole Football lingo, a Hail Mary pass is one you attempt when the clock is about to run out, when you know that all hope is down the drain, and whatever pass/kick/maneuver you do is nothing more than some movement doused with prayer in hopes to score/win/accomplish the impossible. This was a major Hail Mary pass moment.

After a long hiatus, the girlfriends met up for some drinks and dishes at LU. Much lauded by the media, from ANC to Rogue magazine, Our Awesome Planet, to other media and lifestyle reads, LU is the brainchild of Luis de Terry, Terry's Selection's son. Terry's is one of my fave Spanish haunts.  Noted as a Moroccan resto, LU serves up dishes from around the world, leaning towards the spice laden, exotic cuisine of Eastern Europe. I was excited. I really wanted some Moroccan.

The interiors are sleek and sharp, lending a modern canvas to the very colorful and varied menu. I arrived early, and started my night early with cocktail #1: