Aussie Roadtrip: Seeing the Sydney Siders

Last time we saw Tim and Sal (a mere 3 weeks ago), they foolishly invited us to visit.  Little did they know we'd be taking them up on it during their first week in their new home.  But before getting there, we had some old friends to catch up with, Allan, a former colleague of Kat's from her days at Deakin met us in Darling Harbour for a drink.  We traded travel stories, hearing about his lighting visit to Kuala Lumpur, booked on a whim, and telling him about our adventures in both Malaysia and Mongolia.  We also heard from him what it was like to shift from Melbourne to Sydney, a culture shock as big as they probably come!

Allan at Darling Harbour

And then the rain came, and it did not stop for the next 2 days!  We made it to Tim and Sal's although I swear it would have been impossible without Google Maps.  I've never been in a place with such confusing road signs, tolls or extreme lane change requirements.  It is also possible that we realised we now know Vienna better than we know Sydney! On arrival we spent time catching up with Tim, but also getting a full picture of the tragic attacks that occurred overnight in France.

Ged, a long time family friend of the Dashwoods joined us all for a takeaway dinner on the couch, and we spent the evening merrily talking away. Portman and Cooper, the lovely resident pet turtles also shared in the games.

Fun and games in Sydney

Catching up

On Sunday we caught up with Kat's long-time friend Courtney who, like Allan, also endured the trauma of a shift from Melbourne to Sydney (although at a younger age) and swears that it only takes 10 years to learn how to navigate Sydney in a car! 

It was fantastic to catch-up with everyone and also fit in some mario kart, monopoly and other fun and games with Tim and Sal. At some stage we will try and be tourists in Sydney but it was just the weekend for us this time and on Monday we hit the road again...

TOUR DE COFFEE: Wakey uppy juice, A cup of the good stuff!

Today, this hilarious video motivated me to get around to writing a post on coffee. 

“I'm trying to de-wank my coffee so i'll just have an International Roast. You know that powdery, instant coffee that comes in a big white tin." Kitty Flanagan on ABC's The Weekly


Currently Rob and I are enjoying coffee in Santander. One reason we are glad we chose to spend a month here, is they have a great cafe culture. It came at a time when we were really wishing we could walk down the street and simply "be" at a Melbourne cafe, even a snobby one! 

Before leaving for our trip I had a GRAND PLAN to do away with coffee for a year. Or, at least, to reduce my reliance on my morning coffee. 

This failed miserably. 


Leading up to our adventure was a very busy period that involved goodbyes (over coffee), alertness to move/sell/pack (cue caffeine), Christmas and New Years (hourly offers of coffee) and the grand event of a wedding weekend (a certain coffee scenario). 

Gilmore girls coffee-ism

It wasn't just that I kept my coffee habit way into the New Year as we inched closer to our departure date, but also that before we knew it, we were in Vietnam. The cafe culture in Vietnam is really like no other. I would live to take this moment to lay almost all of the blame the country for continuing my reliance on coffee! (This is probably more a compliment than anything else.)

...and so began our 

TOUR OF COFFEE!

Our coffee and cafe passion/habit has created a huge dent in our budget but I think it has been worth it. It is has been truly fascinating seeing just how different coffee is perceived in different places and how variable the cafe experience can be. We have found it surprisingly hard to predict when a "good" coffee will be served and when it won't. Our tastes have also evolved and we have realised just how much of a Melbourne-centric view of what makes a coffee good. 

Malaysia
Our first destination is certainly more hazy in my mind than other places. Adjusting to the humidity, trying not to get lost in our first country and still faintly clinging onto the notion of giving up the drink, coffee was not top-of-mind in Malaysia. I have previously tried the infamous Kopi Luwak (coffee cherries eaten and defaecated by a civet) which is mainly found in Indonesia but I also spotted it in Malaysia and Vietnam.

In Kuala Lumpur we did try something new (and hideously over-priced even by Melbourne standards!): coffee ice cubes that melt as you add hot milk.

Not really worth it!

Nepal
Nepal, naturally, was more of a place to sample tea. Outside of the touristy areas, cafes serving espresso coffee are scarce. Since Rob was last there in 2009, the expansion of cafes is astronomical because coffee machines now exist. Well, they might have been there but he didn't notice because it would not have occurred to him to buy a latte back then!

The tourist cafes ranged dramatically and you could not rely on first impressions! Of course, it is pretty amazing, and kind of outrageous I suppose, that a country battling with massive weather challenges, poverty, vast electricity restrictions and a range of other issues has any of these cafes at all. Our best coffee was probably at Himalayan Java (the Starbucks of Nepal) in Thamel.

Latte art! 

Lady selling Nescafes in Durbar Square

Cambodia 

Cambodia was really more about continuing my love affair with mango shakes/juice/smoothies but we did sample a few lattes. Importantly, we got the teeniest cutest take-away coffee you have ever seen!

Baby coffee for the bus

Phnom Penh latte

Vietnam's Ca Phe
Ca phe is serious business in Vietnam. Having spent a month in Ho Chi Minh, we tried to sample the dizzying array of styles. The big Vietnamese coffee chain, Trung Nguyen Coffee, has a multiple page coffee menu offering everything under the sun. Trung Nguyen are everywhere but that doesn't mean there aren't a multitude of other cafes. (Quite like Melbourne!) 

Rob and Ann at ca phe time!

What initially makes the cafe experience in Vietnamese unique is that often the coffee is brewed slowly at your table using a gravity drip system. Even at the most basic cafes your coffee choice involved numerous factors: black, white, hot, cold, ice cubes, milk, condensed milk, ice cream, etc. The beans are from everywhere, including Vietnam. It took us awhile to get our heads around the concept of having ice with a hot beverage. The best thing about the cafe culture in Vietnam is also probably the highlight of many aspects of the country: the community atmosphere on the streets.   

We actually failed to take many photos of our coffee experiences but I did capture Rob having coffee on the Mekong so that's something! 

Ca phe sau on the Mekong!

French Quarter cafe in Hanoi (note the mopeds outside)

China
Finding ourselves in another country famous for its tea and tea rituals, we didn't have many expectations for China. However, we had recently left Vietnam so caffeine was not optional at this point! We got by with instant and 3-in-1 packets (better than nothing!) for much of the time. When we splashed out on a tourist coffee (priced as such), it was hit-or-miss. This was kind of a let-down as when we did buy it, we saw it as a luxury. 

Drinking Beijing yoghurt was really a better
idea! (On the street so you could recycle the jar.)

Not all coffee was targeted at tourists. We have to give an honourable mention to the Guang Zhou cafe: One Dollar Coffee which did not, in fact, provide $1 coffee. It did provide a huge coffee that I would not recommend. 

Looks a lot like Starbucks!

In Beijing, Sarah, Rob and I visited a cafe with a great set-up overlooking a garden. It would have fit right in at home. When we were there it was absolutely dead and I wonder how viable it will be into the future.

Japan
Oh Japan! ...I don't want to say anything bad about you...still....months down the track and many km's down the road. However, coffee is not always your strong suit. A bit unfair to say when tea is obviously the priority. (Viewing a tea ceremony in Kyoto was a beautiful, tranquil experience.) 

In an exception to the rule, in Kyoto I searched the net for a cafe with good coffee being the sole criteria. I came across a cafe with coffee that an Australian tourist promised would transport me to Melbourne*. Vermillion Espresso Bar almost got there! Rob was even confident enough to order a soy latte. This has been extremely rare!

Kyoto for coffee

Kat's sideways latte

Rob's sideways SOY latte

* Whilst writing this post I found out that the barristas/owners lived in Melbourne for many years. They say that they drew their inspiration for the cafe from Melbourne. Uh huh! 


Mongolia
We didn't have high expectations for Mongolia but inside the capital we were most pleasantly surprised. Ullan Bataar seemed to have its own unique style of cafe culture going on. Possibly it is due to the boom times of recent years, but whatever the reason, we benefited. In UB we did a fair bit of planning and I did some work so it was great to have a plethora of cafes to choose from each day! We even had a Luke's! (For those not in the know: "LUKE'S" a homey cafe; your local; the place you want to be in the morning for your cup of joe! Origin: Gilmore Girls)

This was not the best UB had to offer but not too bad!

Finland
Excited to be entering a new continent full of coffee potential, but wary of the Northern Euro price tag, Rob and I found ourselves at our first European stop: Helsinki. Initially bursting with joy at the sight of outdoor cafes and European squares, I could hardly contain myself. Then I found the Finnish knew the way to my heart: a small chocolate on my coffee saucer.

Danger: Fairly consistent chocolate
accompaniment! Pretty good coffee.

Bearded Rob and Oliver at Robert's Coffee
Chain Cafe- they were everywhere!

You might think that was the end of it. That once in Europe life was a coffee dream. No, not quite! You see, I do prefer a cafe latte and, obviously, milk isn't really the way in most of Europe. So I have been switching it up, an espresso here, a cafe latte there. Apparently there is a Parisian cafe that serves Flat White's now! 

Ireland
During our road trip of Ireland we found the coffee to vary greatly. Our first Irish coffee (actually invented for tourists apparently) was absolutely horrible. Not at all what Mum had remembered from the past. Luckily those that followed were better. 

The best part coffee-wise in Ireland for me was that Mum gave Rob and I Keep Cups! (From an Australian company but sold in Dublin!) They have been brilliant, especially whilst we were on the road in Ireland and then on our various camping expeditions.

On the "interesting" side...

Keep cup coffee!

Mum with her Irish coffee!

Scotland
Still flummoxed at my discovery that "Lemon, lime and bitters" is not a drink found commonly in the UK (or Ireland) but actually a beverage of Australia invention, I took awhile to assess the coffee landscape in Scotland! When I did, I found some great coffees and some average ones. 

One of the better coffees was at Loch Lomond at Cafe Street Mocha or maybe I was influenced by the clever handle at the entrance!

Loved this door handle 

Latte art! A side of toffee!

The Netherlands
We were welcomed to the Netherlands by a sunny street-side picnic lunch and coffee with my friend Ilir and his housemate, Jackie. A fantastic way to kick off our time in a beautiful country....until Jackie mentioned that he had his coffee with milk- "the WEAK way". Thus we were welcomed to mainland Europe! Really, it was about this time that I put a bit of extra effort into embracing the espresso. (Rob was ahead of me on this one!) Regardless, I did have some good lattes in the Netherlands and not much beats a coffee on a pretty canal in Utrecht.

A cycling pit-stop for coffee

Mini stroop waffle!

Coffee along the canal

France
During our first half of our short time in France we were spoilt by relatives, in all ways including coffee! We weren't in France long enough to visit a huge amount of cafes however, given the fact that we sought out the French quarters in many other cities does give some indication of what we expect from French cafes. (Refer to Vietnam above for example.) That said, we had an absolutely disgusting coffee in Montmartre!  

In Bordeaux we visited the Medoc region for a chateau tour. Apart from the wine tastings we were presented with a beautiful picnic that included a great coffee and the regions celebrated Caneles de Bordeaux. 

Bordeaux style

Spain
So far Spain is right up there in the coffee stakes! Not only is the espresso good but they make a great cafe con leche- finally I've hit the jackpot. The price tag is also much more condusive with our coffee habits. So far my favourite cafe is el museo de la musica which perhaps doesn't really sound like a cafe at all. I actually want to eat here at some point.

First coffee in Santander

"TAKE-AWAY" POINTS

• You really can't really generalise about a country's coffee: surprises abound
• Noone seems to serve coffees in latte glasses like at home! 
• We are coffee snobs...but only a little bit. Nothing gets in the way of us and caffeine, even a lack of latte art or a 3-in-1 packet.
• Coffee is an adventure!

Brilliant Bordeaux

I've wanted to visit Bordeaux and its surrounds for many years now, especially once I heard more about it from my friend Lorène. She sent me some amazing postcards over the years. 

Arriving at Bordeaux we were welcomed by a random lady sitting at a bus stop. That felt kind of nice! Then we were greeted by our friendly Airbnb host, Marc. He made us a coffee and gave us some excellent tips for seeing the city. His apartment had some nice views over the city and a great hammock on the balcony. Coffee and hammocks...what a place! After only one night Marc was off to Nice for a short holiday so we ended up having his whole apartment to ourselves.

Bordeaux is an interesting town. We used the city bike scheme to get around initially but it ended up freezing money on our credit cards for a few days which was annoying. (It seems like most cities don't quite have these schemes quite right, for tourists at least.) Anyway, it was a pleasure to walk through the streets of Bordeaux and along the Garonne river. You can tell a lot of work has been done (and was being done) in restoration of buildings and public facilities. The city is apparently the largest urban World Heritage Site and is recognised for the unity of its architectural heritage.

Rue Vital Carles and Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux

Bordeaux town

Monument aux Girondins

Amazing sculpture "Sanna" by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa.
Really jumps out at you in the right light

A lovely garden of Bordeaux

Am I the only one who sees a dragon face on this?

Turtle: a popular meeting point

One of my favourite parts of Bordeaux was walking and picnicking along the quay. The Miroir d'Eau de Bordeaux (Water Mirror) is a huge reflecting pool in front of Place de la Bourse. It produces fog every fifteen minutes. It was so much fun watching people of all ages splashing about and a nice relief on a hot day. I found it a rather artistic use of water and light and would love to see it in different seasons.

Garden along the esplanade near Place de la Bourse

 Children playing in front of Place de la Bourse 

Me (just a bigger child) enjoying Miroir d'Eau de Bordeaux!

The Hermione, a replica of the French frigate which transported General Lafayette to America, arrived in Bordeaux on the Garonne river whilst we were there

The things you do in London

Another highlight was catching up with my friend Lorène and introducing her to my new fiancé! We had a picnic lunch in a nice garden and it was great to find out what she was up to with her translating business and more about her life in Bordeaux. She gave us some tips for Saint-Émilion, a place she is very passionate about. It was funny because we had a conversation about how sometimes taking too many photos means you can miss a moment because you are behind the camera, but then later I was sad because we didn't manage to take a photo of us;it is usually nice when someone lives across the other side of the world! Instead here is one I love from London in 2010:

WHAT ABOUT THE WINE? (I hear you ask.) 

Just a small local selection!

Château d’Agassac vineyards

Bordeaux is after all the world's wine industry capital. We had a lovely private tour of two château (Château d’Agassac and Château Paloumey) in the famous Médoc region followed by a picnic amongst the vineyards. Rob, knowing full well what he was doing, asked our tour guide about whether there were any good breweries in the area. The look on the guide's face was absolutely priceless!

The most interesting thing about d’Agassac, a 16th century château  was that a Dutch expert had come to the area to advise on drainage of the site. Paloumey also had a long history but the vineyard was abandoned for around 50 years with the new owner building a tennis court instead! Of course we also learnt a bit about the French appellation system and tried a few drops. Both vineyards were beautiful and a lovely place to spend the day.

Inside Château d’Agassac

Château d’Agassac

Lunch at Château Paloumey

Cycling Adventures 1: Utrecht

A bus from Edinburgh, a ferry from Newcastle, another bus from the port and a train from Amsterdam saw us to Utrecht! At the train station we were met by my friend Ilir whose huge smile seemed to have grown since I saw him in 2011 in Bolivia. It was great to see a friendly, familiar face. Ilir kindly hosted us at his place in lovely Utrecht for a few nights.

Love this guy. Torch or cigar?

Along the canal

We weren't in the Netherlands long before Ilir had procured a handful of bicycles from friends for us to borrow. Cycling along, Ilir gave us a tour of town and introduced to us to some important local cuisine: Frikandel, a minced meat hotdog. Whilst Japan excels at drinks and coffee vending machines, the Netherlands appears to be winning at 24/7 hot snack vending machines. Pretty handy, but I was definitely more excited about my reunion with the Stroopwafel. (Back in Bolivia in 2011, Ilir and the stroopwafel had saved us from a Sunday morning without breakfast!) Fresh stroopwafels are the best. Someone really needs to start selling fresh stroopwafels regularly in Melbourne!

As well as enjoying a picnic lunch at Ilir's apartment, an afternoon drink in the sun, stroopwafels and fried snacks, we had some Vietnamese street food in Utrecht! Not exactly what we expected but it was great and we had a few of the things we fondly remembered from our time in Vietnam back in February. 

Reunion with bubble tea

From Utrecht we also took a half-day cycle to visit areas outside the city. It was great being on a bike in the sun, cycling past farms and windmills and, of course, goats on backyard tables. 

Cyclists

Goat's castle

We also dropped in to see Rob's family friends, Neil and Margot. Neil and Oliver were old family friends, and were at school together in England.  There was once  an actual fight between Oliver & Neil where fists might have been involved, a fight that has been re-enacted on each reunion between their families!  

Neil and Margot were in the middle of moving house.  The fact that much of the Netherlands is built on reclaimed land is not lost on their house, where the first level, is kind of ..shifting at each corner, and not all shifting in the same direction.  They're moving out while renovations/rebuilding is happening, and then they'll be back!

Rob stood in for this reenactment 

Confused about what happened to his mouth!

Resident duck at Neil and Margot's

It was amazing how many windmills we saw in a short amount of time. The Netherlands is surely the country with the most bridges than all the other places we've visited, well per capita anyway. Our short cycle was a good way to get an initial feel for the Netherlands and warm up for the days to follow.

Windmill

Cycling on grass and water

Windmill and the clever Dutch water system

After a 6-day cycling loop around the Netherlands we returned to Utrecht for a final day before heading to Amsterdam. We enjoyed a coffee, did some shopping and met up with Ilir for a canal swim. We actually failed to take many photos in Utrecht so you will have to take our word for that it is a beautiful city. (Or you could go yourself!) Ilir has certainly chosen a great place to live. 

Bicycle love

Ah! Coffee on the canals

Taking a dip!