cuisine -

Lebanese cuisine

Gosia — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 18:42:10 +0000

Lebanese cuisine was one of the main reasons why I went to Lebanon. Lebanon has always been a culturally diverse country, and influences from Arab, French and Mediterranean cuisines are evident in everyday dishes.The secret of Lebanese cuisine is its simplicity, flavor and variety. I had the opportunity to try many Lebanese dishes in Poland, but nowhere did they taste as good as in Lebanon. The basis of the meal are mezze, various appetizers like: pita bread, hummus, grilled eggplant dips or olive oil with herbs. They can also be served for breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, it’s the meal that I remember best from Lebanon. And when I think about those prepared in the wonderful Mresty Guest House, it brings tears to my eyes. The secret to a great Lebanese breakfast at Mresty Guest House were local ingredients. It now seems unbelievable that all the products in the photo below were prepared on site. Homemade cheese, tomatoes, olives and bread had a unique taste and aroma, which can’t be find in supermarket food. Pita i Manaquish Pita is the staple of the Lebanese diet. It often goes in pair with dips such as baba ganoush, hummus or za’atar or as a sandwich with shawarma or falafel. It’s baked at a high temperature reaching almost 450-475°F (232-246 ° C). The water contained in the dough evaporates, which causes the cake to swell. As a result, even after cooling, the top layer and the bottom remain separate. Manaqish, on the other hand, is nothing more than pita with various additional ingredients, such as: za’atar, tomatoes, meat or cheese. Makodus Makodus is a very interesting item in the Lebanese menu. It’s an eggplant cured in olive oil, stuffed with walnuts, paprika, chilli and garlic. It has a characteristic taste that is sour and spicy at the same time. For its preparation, young, small eggplants are used, which appear in the Middle East around June. Larger eggplants are not suitable for Makodus as too many seeds give it a bitter taste. Eggplants marinated in olive oil can be stored in a jar for up to a year. Makodus is most often eaten as part of a mezze with pita bread. It is also a popular side dish to breakfast. Below in the photo, homemade Makodus, prepared at Mresty Guest House. Za’atar Za’atar is the thing that will probably remind me of Lebanon the most. It’s a mix of spices with roasted sesame, sumac with the addition of olive oil. This delicious aromatic dip is served with pita bread. Hummus Hummus is an integral part of Middle Eastern cuisine. It is a dip prepared with boiled chickpeas, tahini sesame paste, garlic and lemon juice. It can be eaten for breakfast, as a mezze or as a side dish for dinner. Baba Ganoush This is another type of dip. It consists of baked eggplant, mixed with tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and various spices. It can be served as a mezze with pita or as a side dish. A spicier version of Baba Ganoush is Moutabal, served with pomegranate. Makanek Makanek is a type of small sausages made of beef or mutton, with various spices. Spices such as cinnamon, cloves or ginger give them a characteristic, unique taste. What’s more, they can be cooked in wine and then served with pomegranates and pine nuts. Tablieh Tablieh is another interesting Lebanese dish. It’s grilled minced meat baked in bread. You can try it at the Tabliyit Massaad restaurant in Beirut. It’s served with pickled cucumbers and Labneh – cheese in the form of a creamy dip. Kafta Kafta is a dish known from many Balkan and Middle Eastern countries. It is grilled minced meat in the form of meatballs with onion and oriental spices. Tabbouleh Tabbouleh is almost a symbol of Lebanese cuisine. It’s a simple salad that consists of parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, bulgur and mint, with olive oil and lemon juice. It owes its unique flavor to mint, which is also a popular ingredient in other Lebanese salads. Fattoush Fattoush is the next item on the list, although in my opinion it could take the podium. It’s also called country/peasant salad. Allegedly, fattoush originated in northern Lebanon. Local farmers fried leftover pita bread and mixed it with seasonal vegetables. Currently, apart from pita, a popular salad ingredients are tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onions, lettuce and mint leaves. However, the secret of this salad is sumac, which gives it a characteristic, sour aftertaste. Hindbeh It is an interesting, simple and very tasty dish prepared from dandelion leaves, with lemon, garlic and caramelized onion. Warak Enab Warak Enab in translation from Arabic means grape leaves. The more popular name for this dish, which exists in Turkey, Armenia or Greece, is dolma. Warak Enab is made of grape leaves and stuffing which consists of rice and minced meat. Kibbeh Kibbeh is the national dish of Lebanon. It consists of minced meat (beef or mutton), onions, pine nuts and durum wheat shaped into a rugby/football ball and deep fried. The name kibbeh comes from the Arabic word kubbah meaning ball. Kaeb el ghazal Kaeb el ghazal in translation means gazelle horns, it is a traditional crescent-shaped shortbread cookie. I’ve never had a dinner dish with the addition of any cookies before, so when I saw the item with the same name in the Baytna restaurant in Tripoli, I decided to take a chance. Unfortunately, I am not able to accurately determine its composition, because the waiter did not speak any language I know. However, based on my own observation and taste, I can say that apart from cookies, it consisted of kofte in sauce with the addition of tahini paste, pine nuts and pistachios and sprinkled with cinnamon. The whole thing may look a bit unusual, but I assure you that it was a very tasty experiment. Baklava Middle Eastern cuisine is mainly associated with baklava, a cake which consists of thin layers of shortcrust pastry with the addition of honey and nuts. In Lebanon, you can try different types of baklava, in various shapes (pictured on the left). Crunchy and sweet baklava is something that I still remember from my trip to Lebanon. Namoura This is a popular cookie that can be recognized by its characteristic rectangular shape with an almond in the middle. It tastes like a sponge cake. Haytaliyeh It is a milky solid pudding that is said to have originated in Tripoli, Lebanon. It is served cold with orange blossom water and rose water. Maamoul Maamoul are shortbread butter cookies stuffed with date paste, figs or nuts. Traditionally, they have the shape of balls, but they can also be found in the form of rectangles. What I presented in this post is only a small part of what Lebanese cuisine has to offer. So I will definitely have to go back there.

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Armenian cuisine – lavash, apricots and the best breakfast ever!

Gosia — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 17:10:30 +0000

Armenian cuisine due to Armenia’s location combines the influence of neighbouring countries. Turkish and Iranian flavours dominate the west side, while the cuisine in the east of the country combines Georgian and Russian influences. Armenia is not a popular tourist destination, so in most places ordering food can be quite challenging. Besides Yerevan, English is practically not used, and the only option to determine what will land on our plate is Russian, unless someone speaks Armenian ? In fact, to be honest, when I think about Armenian cuisine I get back to a certain morning in the village of Tatev, in the south of Armenia, near the ′′ border ′′ with Nagorno Karabakh. It was the best breakfast in my life, prepared by the family we stayed at. All products starting with butter, cheese and ending with scones were made by the owners. Each product had an amazing, intense, natural taste and smell, unknown to me so far. It is only at such moments, that you can realize how much artificial and processed food we eat on a daily basis. Armenian food generally, is much more natural than this available in western Europe. You just need to take a walk to the local market to see the difference right away. Also, traditional bread is completely different. In fact, Armenian lavash has been listed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2014. Lavashes are baked in special clay ovens – tonirs, placed deep in the floor. Bread is baked by sticking dough to the walls of the oven. The lavash baked in this way can be stored for up to six months. Borek, especially known from Turkey, is also a popular snack. It’s filo cake, stuffed with cheese, spinach or minced beef. Lunch specials The north-eastern part of Armenia, or more specifically, the Shirak region is famous for its dish called Kash. It’s stew made of mildly speaking not so popular pieces of meat that I personally did not like. On Armenian tables you can often find, chinkali – famous meat dumplings in the shape of purses with delicious broth inside, known especially from Georgia. The best chinkali can be tried at Lavash Restaurant (21 Tumanyan St) in Yerevan. In addition to chinkali, it’s also worth ordering kupati in blackberry sauce, for example pork sausage with spices, also popular in Georgia. Ishli Kufta, which resembles Lebanese kibbeh, is an interesting item in the Lavash Restaurant menu. These are meatballs made of minced beef tenderloin with walnuts and spices with bulgur groats. A very popular dish in Armenia, also well known in Turkey is dolma – grape leaves stuffed with meat and rice. Armenian cuisine is also largely based on barbecue dishes called khorovats. Different types of meat: lamb, chicken or beef, seasoned with local spices are used. Grilled meat is often wrapped in lavash and then called Gharso khorovats. Although Armenian cuisine is mainly based on meat dishes, they are often accompanied by various types of salads. A popular vegetarian dish is Armenian vegetable stew – tourlou, which usually consists of: eggplant, onion, tomatoes and zucchini with added spices. Desserts The most popular fruit in Armenia is apricot, even the Armenian flag refers to the colour of it. Especially in Armenian markets you can see a lot of apricot products. There are numerous jams, wines, juices and special compositions made of dried fruit. Liquors The most popular alcohol in Armenia is cognac – Ararat. Apparently it was one of Winston Churchill’s favourite liquor, and Stalin regularly provided him with boxes of this alcohol. Armenia is also famous for its interesting types of vodka e.g. vodka from mulberry – tutti oghi, or apricot vodka-tsirani oghi. On the other hand, the best Armenian wines include Malishka, Noravank, Bagratuni and Karas. Among the beers, you can distinguish Gyumri, Dilijan and Ararat. Like this post? Check out the other ones! 🙂

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Podlasie – fabulous Eastern Poland, Day 2 – Girl on a Trail

Gosia — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 16:56:31 +0000

Heading from Bialowieza to northern Podlasie, it is worth visiting the ruins of the church of St. Anthony in the village of Jalowka. Arc vaults, high columns and huge windows, give the idea of the former glow of this place. The temple was ruined at the end of the war in 1944. At that time, the German army, for fear that this place was an excellent observation point, blew it up. In front of the ruins there’s a special altar where mass is celebrated every year on St. Anthony’s Day. Just 12 kilometers from the ruins of the church there’s a closed border crossing with Belarus, Zubki Bialystok – Brestowica. It’s close to the gravel road leading through villages located along the border with Belarus, and in some places such as the Mostowlany village, Belarus is literally at hand. Zubki Bialystok-Brestowica border is actually a closed railway crossing, hidden among the fields and hills. Although the passage no longer works, watch out for the green booth, which is located exactly in the place of the border. It is equipped with a laser sensor informing the Belarusian border guards about the illegal crossing of the border. Personally, I admit that I stayed away because my last trip to Belarus almost ended in deportation, but I’ll write about it another time 😉 However, if someone looks for excitement, violating this space may be an interesting experience 😉 Following further northward, it’s worth vsiting Tatars’ village – Kruszyniany. In the 17th century, this village was given the Tatars’ community as a gift from Jan III Sobieski – Polish king. Currently, you can see here the oldest green wooden mosque in Poland and a Muslim cemetery where all gravestones according to tradition are turned towards Mecca. My culmination point in Kruszyniany was a visit to the Tatarska Yurta restaurant, which specializes in Tatar cuisine. You can try here kryszonka – beef with stewed vegetables and potatoes, and cheburek – baked dumpling, stuffed with cabbage, plums and honey, it’s a real discovery! It’s worth visiting the restaurant at the full hour from 12 to 15, then you can try an excellent pierekaczewnik – multi-layer cake with perfectly seasoned turkey meat with onion. I also recommend homemade sea buckthorn compote, which is a rich source of vitamin C. An interesting place of a religious character is the Skit of Saint Anthony and Theodosius Pieczerski in Ordynki village. This place is unique as it used to be a hermitage. What’s more, is the only Orthodox hermitage in Poland. This is an atmospheric place, far from civilization, in the middle of meadows. During heavy rainfall, when the level of the river Narew rises, this place seems to be an isolated island. Another interesting place related to Orthodox religion is a church in Narwia which has characteristic blue colour. The Church in Narwia is actually a gateway to the so-called Land of Open Shutters. The Land of Open Shutters is a fairytale place located mainly in three tiny villages: Trzescianka, Soce and Puchly. The unique atmosphere of this area is created by an original colorful architecture, which resembels former Russian settlement. The main motive are obviously richly decorated shutters, but the facades of buildings have many more interesting details. Many houses use old wells. There’re also a lot of old shrines and crosses and stork nests. First of the towns – Trzescianka. It owes its characteristic layout, to Polish queen Bona, who decided to bring architectural order here. It is also worth visiting the green church of St. Michael the Archangel. On the other hand, in the next town – Puchly you can see beautiful blue church. Beautiful, decorated houses and well-groomed farms can be seen in Soce. Its architectural layout is quite surprising because this village extends along two parallel streets. Entrance to the village can be recognized by roadside crosses. As a farewell to the Land of Open Shutters and Podlasie it’s worth visiting two additional towns: Wojszki and Plutycze. They are officially not included in the Land of Open Shutters, but the colours and decorations of buildings are as fabulous as in the previous places.

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Russian cuisine – what and where to eat in Moscow?

Gosia — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 17:45:53 +0000

Russian cuisine consists of many different dishes. A large number of nationalities in the area of both the former Soviet Union and the current Russia have contributed to the culinary tradition of this country. Russian cuisine is influenced by European, Siberian, Caucasian or Asian traditions. Therefore, in the traditional set of recipes we can find simple potato pancakes or Uzbek pilav. Appetizers Appetizers are mainly composed of cold cuts, herrings, salads, caviar and pickled vegetables. Russians are well-known for pickling everything. I suspect that it’s no longer a surprise that they “pickle” even their former dissidents. But can you imagine, for example, a pickled tomato? That’s the idea! Soups Soups play an important role in Russian daily menu. The most popular soups are:– shchi – soup made of either fresh cabbage or sauerkraut, served with cream and rye bread,– borscht – served with vegetables and meat, mostly beef or pork,– solyanka – thick, spicy soup with cabbage, pickles, olives and meat. It’s usually served with sliced lemon,– rassolnik – boiled on water with cucumbers, with meat and vegetables,– kholodnik – cold soup made from beets, served with egg and cream. Meat dishes Russians eat a lot of meat. The most popular are:– beef served for example in Beef Stroganoff, – pork and poultry served mainly in the form of meatballs or chops and game. The best place to taste game meat is Chemodan Siberian Restaurant. Personally, I recommend a yak steak. Chemodan is more expensive restaurant, for the steak and tea I paid about 30€. However, it was a unique experience worth its price. Among restaurants serving very delicious food at affordable prices I can recommend Varenichnaya No 1*. Dishes cost around 200-400 RUB, which is around 2-5€. Furthermore, in canteen called Stolovaya 57 in the GUM shopping centre on the Red Square you can eat budget traditional meals. Prepare for long queues and hearty portions. Flour dishes and desserts Flour dishes are often found on Russian tables and include a wide range of meals. Most popular flour dishes are: pelmeni – dumplings stuffed with meat, blini – pancakes with various filling, and pirozhki – small buns stuffed with meat, cabbage with mushrooms or mushrooms. Desserts are made with fruit in season. Russians bake excellent cheesecakes. I recommend delicious cheesecake in the previously mentioned Varenichnaya No 1*restaurant located in Old Arbat district. Very good confectionery can be tried in the Volkonsky Cafe, I recommend very good croissants with fruit. Popular drinks, besides vodka, include: kvas and delicious tea with various ingredients. In some places, such as the Siberian Restaurant – Chemodan, tea is served in an interesting way, under a traditional cover to maintain a suitable temperature for brewing. However, the best, dense pear tea you can drink in KK12/10 Cafe, located at Krivokolennyy Pereulok 12/10 street. In front of the cafe there’s a shop – Chay-Kofe, where you can buy excellent tea. The choice of tea in the store is impressive no less than its decor. A unique place to try Russian cuisine or just a simple beer is restaurant Petrovich (Myasnitskaya Ulitsa, 24/3). It is worth going here, as it’s a popular spot among local residents. You can watch them dancing to old Russian hits. It’s highly probable that you won’t spot any foreign tourist there. It’s really difficult to find this restaurant, most tourists probably miss it without even realizing it exists.Below the photo of the entrance to the restaurant. The restaurant has an interesting decor, the main room contains various souvenirs from the previous USSR era, while the other two look like cosy living room or kitchen. Traditional Russian cuisine and delicious horseradish vodka are served here. I can give you a tip: ask the bartender for a real local vodka and don’t be surprised when he starts opening a plastic bottle 😉 Don’t have much time to eat? Forget about Mcdonalds! In Moscow you’ll find many Teremok restaurants – the Russian equivalent of the famous American fast food chain. More importantly, instead of hamburger or fries you can try there traditional Russian food like solyanka, Ukrainian borscht, potato pancakes or syrniki – excellent cheese pies and instead of coke, drink kvas! On the streets of Moscow you can also find many food trucks with snacks. Some stands have a typical Russian character. An ideal place to buy local products is Danilovsky market, located a little further from the centre, right next to Tul’skaya metro station. About 20 years ago, it was the main shopping place in Moscow, and even now it’s eagerly visited by residents, due to the large selection of food and its quality. The market itself is a kind of tourist attraction not only because of its authentic, slightly old decor, but also in view of the opportunity to explore Russian cuisine and Muscovites’ everyday life. In addition to vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, fish and seafood, you can purchase here pickled vegetables, honey and excellent bread. There’s also a flower stand and a variety of food trucks, serving local and foreign dishes. Many food fairs are also organised on the streets of Moscow. My visit to the Moscow capital coincided with Easter. Near The Kremlin, opposite the Bolshoi Theatre a big Easter fair, with local food and products, was organised. More demanding customers will surely be satisfied with shopping in the Eliseevsky Gastronomy. The shop attracts crowds of tourists due to its splendid decor. Spacious interior, crystal chandeliers, golden decorations, marble columns and paintings resemble rather a ballroom than a regular “grocery”. Here you can find luxury products, which aren’t available in ordinary stores, although Eliseevsky has a very rich offer of canned products 😉 Are you interested in Moscow? Check out other posts!

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Jordanian cuisine

Gosia — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 19:04:09 +0000

Jordanian cuisine belongs to Levantine cuisine which is characteristic to countries like: Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. In addition, Turkish influences can be seen in the traditional way of preparing Jordanian dishes. In a word Jordan is an interesting place on the culinary map of the world! Traditional breakfast is very nutritious and consists mainly of hummus (chickpea paste with lemon and garlic), excellent white cheese of cream consistency, called labaneh, ful madames – paste made from fava bean with cumin, chili and lemon, as well as eggs and excellent halva. What’s more interesting, no matter what time of day is on the table there’re always pickled vegetables, usually olives and carrots, but you can also find cucumbers, radish or cauliflower. It’s without doubt that this snack is a culinary hit in this country. Jordan is one of the largest olive producers in the world. Great olives can be purchased on many stands, however personally I do not recommend the vinegar version. The main meal begins with an appetizer, here called mezze. Of course, there’s excellent hummus among the appetizers. In addition, various types of cheeses, paste and salads are also served. Jordanian cuisine offers a wide variety of dishes among which you can list:– kofte – perfectly seasoned meatballs, which may be served in tomato or sesame sauce, – kebabs,– zarb – so-called Bedouin BBQ,– dolma – vine leaves stuffed with meat and rice,– baked meat in dough,– falafels. Being in Aqaba it’s also worth to try local fresh fish and seafood. I recommend sayadiya – grilled fish served with rice, the best you can eat in Syrian Palace Restaurant. The main course goes with variety of salads. Olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and eggplants are common ingredients. One of the most interesting dishes in the Lebanese menu is known as Lebanese salad – tabbouleh, which includes tomatoes, bulgur or couscous, parsley, mint, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. The basis of every meal in Jordan is bread, most commonly known as pita. An interesting type of bread is Bedouin abud – it’s covered with ash after baking in fireplace. Another is taboon – thin bread made in a traditional oven For dessert, baklava and halva are served. Very popular delicacy is kunafa – honey-soaked cake with a filling of cheese similar to mozzarella. Personally, I didn’t like the connection of these ingredients. A tasty souvenir from the trip can be butter sesame cookies with honey and pistachios, called Barazek. The main beverage in Jordan is tea, usually served black with mint (na’na) or sage (meramiyyeh), which is actually black tea with added sage. Although I am not an admirer of herbal teas, I honestly admit that the taste of this tea was so distinctive and tasty that I will always associate it with Jordan. Very popular is coffee. In addition to famous coffee in Turkish, you can taste Bedouin coffee with added cardamom. Although Jordan is a Muslim country, there’s no prohibition. Alcohol is available, but only in a few stores and costs quite a lot, so the best solution is to buy it in duty – free. Want to know more? Check out the other posts: -Jordan how to organise a trip– Jordan – seven worders

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Belarusian cuisine – homely food!

Gosia — Sat, 09 Mar 2019 14:55:28 +0000

Belarusian cuisine is based mainly on products available in Belarus like: potatoes, cereals, pork, mushrooms and forest fruit. Dishes are prepared with simple ingredients and easy to cook. Due to the long and harsh winters and the nature of the work of the majority of the population, the traditional cuisine in Belarus consists of nutritious meals. However, the most characteristic is the preparation process. Dishes are mainly roasted, cooked and stewed and very rarely fried. Belarusian cuisine uses a small amount of spices while the mandatory element of almost every dish is cream. Restaurants in Belarus have a distinctive, homey look and offer numerous traditional dishes. There is no problem to find places where you can try local specialties, which often happens in Western European countries. On Belarusian Embassy site you can read: The implementation of the dishes of the Belarusian national cuisine is one of the requirements for catering facilities (except facilities, specializing in the preparation of national cuisine of other countries). That’s why Belarusian cuisine is on the menu of all restaurants and cafes. Breakfast For breakfast you can eat scrambled eggs or omelette served with bread and vegetables . The meat option includes bacon and homemade sausage with fried potatoes. In a sweet option, there are most often pancakes with cheese, cream and jam. You cannot miss fluffy cheese pancakes called syrniki served usually with cream, homemade jam, honey or apple mousse. Syrniki are very delicate inside, while from outside they are very crispy. While being in Belarus, don’t forget to try them! However, if anyone wants to bring back memories from childhood, he can always order ordinary porridge 😉 Dinner The perfect proposal for winter is aromatic soup, usually served with cream. In restaurants you can try slightly sour soup called soljanka? It is a traditional soup with addition of water from sour cucumbers, sausages, spices and cream 😉 Modern version can contain olives or capers. The perfect proposal for summer is chlodnik- soup with beetroots and cream served with cucumber, egg and dill. Among the meat dominates pork, although in Belarus you can eat also: veal, beef or poultry. Dishes are served with mushrooms or vegetables: mostly carrots, cabbage and beets. The staple are potatoes, which are also called “second bread”. Due to the large potato consumption Belarusians are called “potato people”. Personally I’m not a fan of potatoes due to their popularity in Poland. However, in Belarus, potatoes are rarely consumed simply boiled as it takes place in Poland. Potatoes are subjected to various processes like: grating, mashing, roasting or frying. It seems that the basic potato dish is draniki, known to us as potato pies, served with cream. Draniki is an universal dish, you can serve them with pork fat, mushrooms or meat. The popular potato dishes are also: potato casserole with bacon and onions, bliny – potato pancakes, potato sausage and kliocki (noodles) – potato cake served pork fat or bacon and fried onions. Flour dishes are also very popular. In Belarus, you can try kolduny – small dumplings served alone or as an addition to soup and pelmeni – dumplings stuffed with raw meat. Dumplings can be served from water or oven. You can also try sweet pierogi stuffed with various forest fruit. Belarus is also famous for excellent drinks and not necessarily just alcoholic. Popular are homemade compote, kvas, or tea with honey and spices. My number one was tea with orange, cranberries, sea buckthorn and rosemary. In Belarus there’s a wide selection of alcoholic beverages. In addition to vodka, very popular is also Krupnik and Zubrowka. I can recommend also : cranberry, horseradish and horseradish with honey vodka. Especially the last one is worth a try. However, in the middle of winter, after all-day sightseeing, I was most fond of mulled wine. Desserts Belarus also produces excellent chocolate and marshmallows called zefir. They resemble big meringues. In cafes you can try a variety of desserts and cakes. Try dates with mascarpone cheese served in restaurant La Kave in Brest Restaurants and prices: Recommended places to eat:– Vasilki and Kukhmistr in Minsk,– Karchma in Grodno,– La Kave in Brest,– coffee and cakes in Centralny Univiersam Snack Bar in Minsk. Food in Belarus is relatively cheap even in very good restaurants .For soup you have to pay around 2-3€ The cost of dishes – dumplings, pancakes or cheese cakes is also about 5-7 rubles. The cost of the second dish is about 6€. Coke costs about less than 1€. In elegant restaurants in the centre of Minsk prices are higher. For the second dish in the restaurant I paid 10€, while for dessert 6€.

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Milan – one day trip

Gosia — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 16:01:05 +0000

The airport in Bergamo is an excellent hub for farther travel across Lombardy and other regions in Italy. If you have a free weekend, no plans and around 40€ in your pocket, I invite you for a short one-day trip to Milan! In order to save on accommodation, it’s best to buy tickets for the morning flight and return in the evening. I flew from Warsaw early in the morning, while on the way back I took advantage of Ryanair (departure at 9.20 pm to Warsaw – Modlin Airport). Total cost ticket was around 20€. From the Orio al Serio Airport you can get to Milan by bus. There’re many operators like: Autostradale, Oriosuttle and Flixbus.Tickets can be bought online even for € 4 and 9 € for return ticket. Latecomers can buy tickets at the desks located in the main hall. Bus stops are in the front of the entrance to the airport. Most buses go to the Central Station in Milan, and the journey time is less than an hour. The first tourist attraction is the Central Station – Milano Centrale, located in a beautiful historic building. It is perfectly connected with other cities in Italy, so travel to Milan can be extended for example with a trip to the beautiful Lake Como or even farther to Verona, more you can find here. The train station is located right next to the Centrale Fs metro station, where a yellow metro line runs towards the famous Duomo Cathedral. Metro in Milan is one of the most modern in Europe and the ride is a tourist attraction itself. It’s worth sitting in front of the car, which is driven automatically by a computer. Regular ticket costs 1,5€ and is valid for 90 minutes. At the price of 4,5€ you can also buy a 24-hour ticket, for all modes of transport in Milan (data from 2018, full price list you can find by clicking here. Travel you can plan here. Public transport map is available here. Metro station is located in Piazza Del Dumo right next to the famous Duomo Cathedral. The Duomo enchants at first sight. It’s one of the largest sacral buildings in the world. Indeed, it’s not that big like famous Basilica in Lichen in Poland but it’s unique due to the amount of decorations and marble figures on its facade. Anyway, it’s not surprising, it was under construction for about half a century! The construction of the facade of the cathedral was speeded by Napoleon Bonaparte himself, who wanted it to be ready for his coronation. What’s more, Napoleon’s figure was located on one of the towers of the Duomo. Duomo cathedral has over a hundred towers, but there is no bell tower at its peak. In fact, there’re bells inside, but they’re used only for special occasions, because vibrations could damaged the fragile decorations The amazing towers of the cathedral can be admired from the top terrace. Admission to the terrace is quite expensive as it costs 12,5€ but it’s worth it. A more expensive ticket includes admission to the Cathedral. However, the interior of the Cathedral can be seen after getting off the terrace, that’s why you can only buy a ticket to the observation deck. Tickets can be purchased here. Next to the cathedral is the most famous arcade – the Gallery of Victor Emanuel. Milan is considered the capital of fashion right after cities like New York, Paris or London. The famous Fashion Week is organized here. The Gallery is said to be the oldest shopping centre in Italy, here you can see boutiques of the most famous fashion designers. An important point on the tourist map of Milan is Castello Sforzesco. The castle is surrounded by Sempione Park – the largest park in Milan. Here you can take a rest by the lake, go to the viewieng tower and Japanese garden. Park ends on the Arch of Peace. A visit to Milan can be the opportunity to try local dishes. Contrary to popular opinion, pizza and pasta are not typical dishes for Lombardy. The most popular dishes are for example: ossobuko (stewed calf’s foot) or busecca – sliced tripes with beans. I’m not a fan of offals, so I ordered a safe option – Risortto Milanese – rice with saffron. While my friends were served crispy, aromatic pizzas, I received something like this… Tour cost:– flights around 20€– bus on the route airport- Milan – airport around 10€– urban transport tickets 3 €Usefull maps and applications are available here.

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Portugal – fabulous Sintra

Gosia — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 14:21:14 +0000

Less than 30 kilometres from Lisbon, far behind the seven mountains, and seven woods, there’s a fairytale realm – Sintra. Colorful palaces, mysterious gardens, underground mazes and high fortifications, are just a part of the reasons why Sintra deserves to be called Disneyland for adults! Sintra is one of the oldest cities in Portugal that magically takes visitors back to past times. The Moors’ Castle The first point of my trip was the Moors’ Castle, located high on the one of the Sintra hills. It was a cool April morning when I got off from the bus line 434, just in front of the entrance to the complex. To my surprise, there were no tourists on the spot, so I didn’t have any problem to buy a ticket and go straight to explore this place. Curved and quite steep path led me to the top of the fortress. Partially dense forest limited the access of sunlight and the thick morning fog, rising over the ground, made an amazing mysterious atmosphere of this place. I won’t hide that I didn’t feel quite comfortable traversing this path alone, while on the other hand I must admit that it was also an interesting experience 😉 When I reached the highest point of the fortress called The King’s Tower, I saw the old, fortified walls, located on hills, which reminded me the Great Wall of China. In the distance, I could see the Atlantic Coast, while on the other side the most beautiful view of the Pena Palace – the main attraction in Sintra. Pena Palace After the peaceful Moors’ Castle, it was time to face hordes of tourists sieging (above mentioned) Pena Palace. The palace is located on a hill with panoramic views of Sintra. The road to the castle leads through the beautiful park – Parque das Merendas, abundant with numerous unique plant species. The palace itself looks like straight from the fairytale. Its architecture is an interesting combination of European and Islamic themes and above all, various colours. Every part of the palace has a different colour: red, yellow, purple, tu name but a few. Inside you can see rich decorated chambers and old monastery with the red clock tower, while from the tarrace you can admire amazing views of Sintra. The entrance to the park and the palace costs 11.50 €. The best option is to buy tickets via the Internet, otherwise you must be prepared to wait in a very long queue. Quinta da Regaleira Quinta da Regaleira was the place that immediately intrigued me during the browsing attractions in Sintra. The moment I saw pictures of the garden surrounding the mansion, looking exactly like from the Alice in Wonderland , I knew that was the place I had to visit. The main attraction of the garden is the Ininitiation Well. What’s interesting, it wasn’t built as a source of water for a nearby residence. According to the legend it was the place where Masonic rituals were organized. During these rituals the participants were going down the spiral staircase to the bottom of the well. Even nowadays characteristic star can be seen on its floor. The architecture of the Initiation Well is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. A few floors of winding stairs, covered in moss lead through the interior of the well. They symbolise the particular levels of heaven, purgatory and hell. What was happening inside we can only guess. But it’s not over! The garden is a maze of the underground corridors, interspersed by small creeks. Inconspicuous entrances between rocks, or secret corridors behind the waterfall look like the place was purposedly designed to hide some mystery. The system of underground crossing and stairs probably symbolises the journey between light and darkness, or life and death. To get to Quinta da Regaleira, it’s best to get off at the stop:National Palace and from there take a short walk. In Sintra, there are many other interesting buildings like the National Palace, or the Convento dos Capuchos. What to eat? While a visit to Lisbon district – Belém cannot be “ticked off” without trying iconic cupcakes – pasteis de Belem, yes in this case, you cannot leave Sintra without trying queijadas and travesseiros! Queijadas is a kind of round, cheese cupcakes that taste more like marzipan than cheese. Supposedly a local variety of these cupcakes called: queijadas da sapa is baked according to the recipe, passed from generation to generation, known only by one family in Sintra. Travesseiros is an oblong cake stuffed with almond and egg cream. The best are warm with a cup of coffee. The most famous place where you can try them is the Piriquita cafe, located near the National Palace. How to get there: Sintra is an excellent option for a day trip from Lisbon. It is only 30 km from the capital of Portugal. Trains towards Sintra leave from the Estação do Rossio station, every 10-20 minutes. One way ticket costs 3,8 €. The Pena Palace and the Moors’ castle are pretty far from the train station. Unless you have time for a long march uphill, the best option is to use the bus line 434. Route of this bus includes following stops – National Palace, Moors’ Castle and Pena Palace. One way ticket costs € 5 while, day ticket – € 12 and also includes a ride to Estoril (bus no 418) or Cascais (bus 403). Tickets can be bought from the driver. The stop is right next to the train station. More information you can find on the page of carrier Scotturb.

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Belarus – 10 reasons why you should visit this country!

Gosia — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 20:06:32 +0000

I’d been planning to visit Belarus for a very long time. Even though this country is located very close to Warsaw, it always seemed to me very distant. Before visiting it I heard many warnings about corruption, negative attitude to Poles or problems with crossing the border. How did it really look like? Check out 10 reasons why it’s worth visiting Belarus! 1. The Stalin Line Just 35 km from Minsk, there’s s a place where time has stopped. Bunkers, underground tunnels, trenches, weapons warehouses, command stations and large exhibition of military equipment, literally takes one back to the WWII times. This is the largest military museum in Belarus. It’s the part of fortifications, built in the 20’s in the 20th century. The line was built to defend against the attack from the west, however, during the WWII, it played exclusively an auxiliary role. As a consequence of the signing of the Ribbentrop – Molotov Pact, a new Molotov line was built along the “new” Western border of the USSR. Most of the equipment form the Stalin Line was moved there. It turned out to be a grave mistake because when the Germans attacked the USSR, the Molotov line was not yet completed, and Stalin’s line was not able to perform defense. In the vast area of the museum, you can go along the long trenches or exploring bunkers and underground tunnels and see helicopters, combat planes, tanks and radar systems. An interesting place is also a graveyard of old cars and a replica of the house destroyed during the war. However, the true attraction in the winter is the visit Father Frost. His cottage is located right next to… a range 😉 2. Inverted house – the world has stood on its head! About 40 km from Minsk in Dukora town, you can visit an interesting place where you can challenge your sense of balance. In the area of the open-air museum you can find the Inverted House. The architect recreated in detail every element of overturned building, well except curtains… 😉 There’s a real test waiting for you inside. Like the outside, also and inside everything is reversed, and in addition, the building is a little tilted which makes it difficult to walk. 3. Belarusian Village – let’s make the world colorful! Belarusian villages are one of a kind and when travelling by car, it’s worth to turn a little from the main route to see at least one. Villages in Belarus are poor, it seems that the further from big cities, this financial situation of people is worse. In a typical village, usually there’s no store and you can’t see cars, the water is taken from the wells, and the houses are mainly wooden. However, what surprised me the most was the amount of colours. Every house had a different shade, every gate had another painted pattern. The gardens were very well groomed and in the windows you could see various decorations. 4. Castles, smaller castles… There’re a lot of interesting castles in Belarus. According to the legend in the tunnels of the famous castle Mir, were hidden the treasures of the Radziwill family. In the Lida Castle you can see how life looked like in the times of the raids of Teutonic Order. There’s also a beautifully located castle in Kosava. 5. Where is the bison? While travelling in Belarus I felt like the national symbol of this country were bisons and storks. Despite winter, storks in Belarus were present everywhere, on my way or on the market stalls 😉 However, you don’t need to go Bialowieski National Park to see bisons, as you can see one close to the highway from Minsk to Brest! 6. Like home! I couldn’t believe that I found a lot examples of Polish relationships with Belarus. Before leaving, I didn’t actually know what to expect. I was wondering how the Poles were perceived by Belarusians. I had a number of stereotypes in my head. I must admit that I treated this trip as a verification of the universal impressions of this country. Once again I checked that reality differs a lot from the way as its presented or we think about it. I am surprised by the culture and openness of Belarusians, the state of roads and safety. During the stay I wasn’t felt bad because of my nationality, on the contrary a lot of people were very helpful I didn’t see any militia, on the roads (I covered around 1200 km in Belarus), I didn’t encounter bribery and was impressed by the way the Belarusians drive. 7. Urban exploration – urbex There are also some interesting abandoned buildings in Belarus. One of the most interesting places is certainly the Belarusian exclusion zone – Belarusian part of the contaminated zone, after the Chernobyl power plant explosion. Unfortunately, due to a small amount of time, I wasn’t able to visit this place. As a consolation, I chose to visit an abandoned palace in Ruzhana. What is true this complex has years of greatness behind it, while its skeleton and location on the high hill is still impressive. 8. Brest Fortress The Fortress in Brest was the last place in my journey to Belarus, and at the same time the icing on the cake. But first, a little bit of history, the fortress was built in the first half of the 19th century and to the outbreak of World War II was within Poland borders. Then, it was included into the USSR. The Fortress In Brest is also called the fortress of heroes and it’s a symbol of the heroic fight of its defenders. 9. Potatoes and cream! The staple in Belarus are potatoes and cream. The choice is wide, for example from many potato dishes you can taste: Draniki (potato pies), potato casserole and mashed potato in a shape of sausage. Belarusian cuisine also consists of aromatic soups like: borscht, soljanka or mushroom soup. Very popular are also dishes like: dumplings, pies, pancakes, pelmeni or kolduny. Belarusians don’t use a lot of spices while thick cream is mandatory to every dish. More about Belarusian cuisine soon 😉 10. Journey to the past… Surprising that after just a few hours of driving you can land in a completely different reality. A reality remembered perfectly by our parents or grandparents. The monuments of Lenin or Stalin, and the symbols of hammer and sickle are the most visible element of political system. However, the real fun starts when you need to do some formalities. Bureaucracy, countless quantity of documents and signatures, constant backlogs in procedures make the journey to the past, even more authentic! 😉 More details soon 😉

Artykuł Belarus – 10 reasons why you should visit this country! pochodzi z serwisu .