Dear Rome,

Dear Rome,

 Have you forgotten we have a date on my birthday? Of all years, you choose this year to do your renovations? And of all months, you choose August?

I’ve been dreaming of you for the longest time. I’ve dreamed of seeing this.

By Diliff (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

And this

By Diliff (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

But all I will ever get to see are these??

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/colesseum-restoration-begins-in-rome-after-3-year-delay/

Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/fendi-unveils-suspended-walkway-over-romes-trevi-fountain.aspx?pageID=238&nID=68511&NewsCatID=385

Oh, but what is Rome without the Colosseum? And what Roman Holiday would it be without my wish at the Trevi? I’m devastated.

Oh well.

 

not so cheery,

Santorini to the tune of “Best Day of My Life”

Since we were already in Greece, we thought it best to visit Santorini as well.

Santorini was just as we expected. It was breath-taking. It reminded me of Batanes, the northernmost part of the Philippines. It was a rocky mountainous island surrounded by a clear blue sea.

Typical of us, our first order of business after settling in was to eat. After a bit of wait for our identical white cars, we headed to the town proper for a late lunch. We had lunch at this place called Mama’s.

clockwise from top left: (1) Aegean salad; (2) Stuffed Pork Fillet: (3) Mama’s spaghetti; and (4) stuffed vegetables

After that, we headed to Oia to catch a view of the sunset. We had to drive to get to Oia. At first we didn’t know which way to drive. The maps we had indicated opposite directions for Oia.  Its a good thing we have patient drivers.

Driving around Santorini.

Oia was our favorite part of Santorini. It was such a favorite that we decided to go back on our last day for our Firm photo.

We made sure to visit Atlantis Book Store, an english book store. It was so cute inside. I wanted to stay in one of its nooks and just read all day.

We stayed until it was dark

A Day with the Gods!!

Our third day was reserved for the Acropolis. We wanted to go to Acropolis on our first day but we decided to wait until we were complete. Hiking is my least favorite activity in the world so I didn’t really enjoy the hike up to the Acropolis. But, of course, like most of my hiking experiences, the view was worth it. We were greeted by the Theater of Herodes Atticus. Today it is still being used for concert performances.

The Acropolis is a complex, composed mainly of three different temples. First, near the Propylaea (the entrance), the Temple of Athena Nike. It’s the smallest of the Acropolis complex but looks like the most preserved.

clockwise from the bottom right: (1) the Theater of Herodeos Atticus; (2) view from the top. the distinct building amidst the see of green is the Temple of Hephaistos found at the Ancient Agora; (3) the Propylaea, the gate; and (4) the Temple of Athena Nike

Second, the Erechtheion, a temple dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. Although not as popular as the Parthenon, the south side of the Erechtheion has become a visual icon. It is called the Porch of the Caryatids, consisting of 6 draped female figures.

Finally, at the middle of the Acropolis, the Parthenon. The Parthenon is what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. You see this iconic building all around Athens and everytime you do, it would literally stop you in your tracks.

Say Greece!!

Who knew having a friend named after the Goddess of Wisdom and War would lead me to a whirlwind vacation in the ancient city of Athens. Well, I didn’t.

This year, for our annual firm junket, my friend, Athenie, was the boss. She got to pick our destination and Athens was her obvious choice. (We went to Santorini as well, but that’s another story)

We arrived in Athens in the middle of the afternoon. It was already a bit late for sightseeing so we just opted for a late lunch and some pasalubong shopping.

We ate somewhere around Mitropoleos, which happens to be very near our hotel (lucky lucky us!!). We were very hungry and were so happy they had fast service. Before arriving in Athens, we were worried because our trip to Greece falls during lent. We were scared that the restaurants would all be close. And for us, the idea that we would not be able to eat anything is very scary.

We had the usual Greek fare — greek salad, saganaki (fried cheese), grilled meat in yoghurt sauce. The works. It was yummy.

Clockwise from the top left: (1) saganaki; (2) greek salad; (3) souvlaki with yoghurt sauce; and (4) tzatsiki

After lunch, we all trooped to Melissinos to buy our custom-made leather sandals. I was looking forward to this because sandals from Melissinos have become a favorite Athens token. They custom fit the sandals so I was more excited.

featured in the picture is Stavros Melissino’s son, Pantelis, as he was making adjustments on my sandals 🙂

The highlight of our trip was the sightseeing which started on our 2nd day.

For our sightseeing expedition, since we were a big group, taking the public transportation to go around the city would be a logistical nightmare. So we embraced our being tourists and took the Hop On Hop Off Bus instead. We did the entire route of the HOHO Bus on our first ride just to get an orientation of the city.

Ballet at the Palais Garnier

I’ve always been a fan of live entertainment, be it concert, play or musical. So when Jenny asked us if we could catch a show at the Palais Garnier, I immediately said yes.

We were originally planing to see an opera at the Palais Garnier. But all the shows during the week we would be in Paris were already booked. So, we opted for the ballet.

Before the show, ticket holders were allowed to go around Garnier. I’ve never been inside and I’m glad that I got to go there at night because it looked so beautiful when lighted.

Visiting Franck and Patrick

My new found favorites. Artisan chocolates.

During our trip, we promised to visit as much chocolate shops as we could between our food trip and occassional sightseeing.

The first shop we visited was Franck Kestener‘s. It was a few steps from our hotel so we decided to stop by on our first day. The window display was so cute. I think  it was inspired from the popular game, Angry Birds.

x X Septime X x

Arianne told us about Septime, a small and relatively affordable bistro  which is included in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

The thing is, tables for this resto, even for lunch, are booked fast. So a reservation within our 5-day vacation proved to be very tricky. Thanks to Arianne, who had to wake up very early the day the reservations were open, we were assured a fancy schmancy lunch!

Tucked in the unassuming and quiet Rue de Charonne, we would have missed Septime had we not seen its blue exterior. It has no signboard and the only clue of it being a restaurant are the copies of the menu taped at the windows.

Inside, the restaurant was simple and a bit on the rustic side. I loved it. The open kitchen where you could see the crew in action was a nice touch.

The menu changes everyday. When we got there, copies of the day’s specials were handed to us. Ava and I arrived early and since we were no French speakers, we politely ordered a bottle of water and told our waiter that we would wait for our friends.

There were 2 options for lunch at Septime. First is the three-course menu where guests have a choice from among the entrees, plats and desserts in the day’s menu. We chose the second one, the carte blanche five-course menu. It’s a degustation of some sort. The chef gets to choose which among the dishes from the day’s menu he would include.

For starters, we had salad. It had Dourade Royale which is a a type of fish, carrots and horse radish. It was so colorful and delicately plated. I think it has a Japanese influence. It reminded me of a sashimi salad. It was simple and refreshing.

Breaking fast in Paris

Paris is not wanting of places to go to for breakfast. Just within walking distance from our hotel, there’s Paul, a well known boulangerie chain. A branch just opened at SM Aura so we were excited to try the real deal.

It would be my first meal in Paris for this trip. So I decided to order the traditional croissant. I threw in a cup of hot chocolate in the mix. The croissant was just so heavenly. It was flaky, it was soft. It was simple, so divine. The hot chocolate was nice too. Not too sweet.

Chocolates, waffles, beer and everything Belgian

We took a short break from our Parisian adventure for a day trip to Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Belgium is not really included in my bucket list but I was glad the ladies were able to convince me to go.

Brussels is just a train ride away from Paris. Boarding the 7am train, we arrived at our destination in about 1.5 hours.

sights around Brussels

It was still early and almost all the stores are still closed. Good thing we found a cafe where we had our breakfast.

My breakfast, mushroom quiche with white chocolate coffee. Yum

After breakfast, we immediately proceeded to the Grand Palace for some photo session.

Two picnics, One day

If there was one thing I wanted to do in Paris, it’s having a gourmet picnic at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

So while the others went on their day trips (Arianne and Miles, to see the Chartres Cathedral, and Jenny and Kimy, to Versailles), Ava and I decided to stay put for a laid back day.

First, we stopped by Le Bon Marche’s Grand Epicerie to pick-up our picnic items. We were on the lookout for foie gras sandwiches. I don’t know if they just didn’t understand us or the place was just chaotic because of the ongoing renovations but our search was a fail. Boohoo.

We just picked up some roasted chicken, mushrooms, salad and baguette. For dessert, we got fresh strawberries. For our drinks, Ava got red wine and I got champagne.

It took us a while to finish our shopping. We were so hungry by the time we got out of the epicerie. We decided to stop a bit at the nearby park and have an impromptu picnic there.

Our lunch by the bench at a park near Le Bon Marche

After our first picnic, we headed to Trocadero for a view of Eiffel.