Barcelona Maciatto Tour

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What, you thought I’d do all the tourist stuff about Antoni Gaudi, La Rambla, and all that Barca FC shtick? Think again, it’s in the archives back in March 2019! This was a completely unscheduled visit planned in the airport arrivals, having missed a connection onto Florence!

After a tiring day of travelling and improvising, a marina side evening stroll culminated in a visit to the upmarket Barceloneta restaurant.

The food and wine were of the expected high quality. What was unexpected was the presentation and quality of the maciatto. This was a ‘performance coffee‘ with the waiter providing the milk/foam finish with a flourish at the table!

This got me thinking, as my following morning experience confirmed my previous recollections… Barcelona is not a place that will trouble competitors in the world cappuccino stakes!

Needless to say, I had now found my pointless mission for this very relaxing visit to a stunning city. Ocana in the Gothic Quarter may not have provided the best post Flamenco gig meal, but they unexpectedly raised their game with the maciatto!

Alegoria, located neatly down a narrow side street and then an even narrower alley, so that the tourist hordes along La Rambla don’t even know it’s there… is undoubtedly an absolute gem of a restaurant. More about this one in a separate post!

They didn’t need a sugar gimmick to remind me where I was languishing, but the maciatto not surprisingly maintained the high standard I had come to expect. That wine was delicious to.

Until we speak again, if you want pictures of the photogenic place that Barcelona is… go there!

L’ile De Beaute

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Corsica is widely referred to as the island of beauty… so, let’s check out this bold claim. Bearing in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so they say. I guess it depends on what you expect when you decide to visit a place. Stunning landscapes, maybe historical legacy, culinary delights, and a place to simply relax and unwind.

Corsica certainly has an abundance of stunning beaches for the dedicated sun worshiper…

There are very few areas of flatland, with mountains rising almost immediately behind the beaches, making for dramatic visual backdrops in all directions…

And don’t expect any speedy train journeys across the island. The few trains spend most of their journeys slowly navigating the inclines and meandering through the mountainous interior. If train journeys bore you, I challenge you to try and stay scrolling your social media without becoming more entranced by the views outside…

Its history is a complicated succession of Italian (Genoese) and French control, though their widely represented proud flag is one of the head of a Moorish man representing a strong sense of freedom…

Look closely, and you’ll even witness a rare graffiti message for their more recent French overlords…

The historical architecture is dominated by seven citadels located in key places around the coast (six in coastal fortresses and one being inland at Corte)…

As for culinary delights, there is no shortage of places to sample genuine Corsican cuisine… Veal & Olives, Risotto a la Creme, Sanglier (Wild Boar) pate, a local stew, and Poulpe (Octopus) on a base of citrus confit and humus to name a few! They have a wealth of their own wine to sample as well. And, yes, that French bread comes with everything and really does taste fabulously fresh…

As for those moments of pure relaxation, just sit and listen to the boats bobbing in Marina’s in Ajaccio or Calvi with the sound of ropes knocking against masts. Alternatively, there’s the sound of waves lapping the shores of those stunning beaches. Simply empty your mind…

Until we speak again, Corsica definitely seems to have cornered beauty. Even that blue sky instilled a feeling of awe…

Wye aye, man!

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It’s time to get that British Tour of Summer 2024 rolling further north. The notoriously hospitable Geordies are always good value… with or without the Fog on the Tyne!

They also know a thing or two about dramatic architecture! When you have a plethora of great Victorian buildings and you want to sweep across your famous river with an equally dramatic bridge… just go for it!

Other city authorities take note (Cardiff in particular). Preserve what you have and be bold in enhancing it. Sorry, demolition crews, you’re simply not needed!

Great food is easily found in close walking distance at any time of day or night (Quay Ingredient, Babucho, Turkos, and Kafeneon follow)…

Trying out some music gigs is relatively easy, whether you want local jazz at The Globe or a visit to The Cluny for Hawaiian ukulele players presenting Jimi Hendrix in a totally new and illuminating light…

A good Victorian boozer will also help quench any thirst. So, why not try the Crown Posada amongst many others?

And when you tire of the hustle and bustle of the city, get the metro to Tynemouth for a combination of quaint village and seaside atmosphere…

Until we speak again, the locals will definitely be pleased to meet you in their own inimitable way… Wye aye, man.

Yorkshire Gold

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It’s time for a British Summer Tour 2024. Why go travelling the world in search of summer sunshine and exotic experiences? Yes, I know, that question has probably already answered itself.

In times of undoubted climate change, we can thank the mindless emitters and evidence deniers for the cooler and even wetter British June & July of 2024. Ducks need not engage with this previous sentiment!

However, we Celts do occasionally need to acknowledge that our English neighbours might just have some interesting places to visit. No, not London. For historical value, there are few better places to spend a couple of days in than York.

After years of conquest and occupation, the Romans finally decided the Mediterranean climate was more to their liking. It seems their departure was accompanied with a distinct middle finger to the Yorkshire locals…

However, their latter-day Italian ancestors have a lot to be thanked for when it comes to certain culinary twists on good British ingredients (particularly lamb)…

Conquests and posh nosh aside, when it comes to extending a welcome to neighbours across the street, where is better suited than the Shambles in York?

The most infamous Shambles also contains a few sources of mystery. Though I’m sure some questions don’t really need an answer…

Until we speak again, no visit to York is complete without breakfast at the famous Betty’s Tea Rooms for a dish of kedgeree and some properly presented English Breakfast Tea…

Why go to Faro?

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You have the whole of the Algarve to be soaking up rays in… so why bother taking the other direction out of the airport into the city?

For a start…the rays are here as well! No, not just on the other side of the track…

It’s got a genuine Old Town… not just something that’s about 30 years old, which the sun worshippers already consider to be uncool and out of date…

There’s a restaurant with a well in the middle of it that’s over a 1000 years old…

Your safety isn’t just guaranteed from falling down unexpected holes in your eating joint… it’s also a matter of 24-hour vigilant surveillance. With a nest like this, do you really think the occupant has any other intentions…

The food elsewhere may claim to come from the sea, but here, the smell of the sea leaps off your plate (believe it or not, there’s a salmon filet residing beneath this roof of shells and veg!)…

The local residents are so chilled they can’t even raise the effort to flutter a few feathers…

And did I mention the much sort after rays can be found here as well. Why not take a boat out across the nature reserve to find beaches in the shadow of a 170 year old lighthouse…

Then, there’s the matter of the Smoke Tiki. After a couple of these, your trusty correspondent struggled to remember what an Algarve was supposed to be used for… an implement for sun worshipping… possibly? Who needs the sun when your drink comes with a blow torch accompaniment, anyway?

Until we speak again, you’re welcome to go to everywhere else on the Algarve in search of your rays. Me, I’m not venturing far from Faro! Just maybe, those Smoke Tiki misdemeanours are rendering movement a bit more restrictive!

Dying is no longer required!

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If you’ve heard the saying… I died and went to heaven… well, dying is no longer obligatory! The good news is that you just need to go to Portugal!

If proof of heaven were needed, then Mensagem Rooftop Restaurant in Lisbon puts forward an application based on a starter of Veal Carpaccio with a Syrah red wine from the nearby Beira region…

Not yet convinced? Faro quickly steps up with a main of Arroz Negro (black rice with cuttlefish ink, and crispy squid) accompanied by a robust Tomato & Roast Pepper Salad. The local Algarve wines provide an extremely dry white, aptly named ‘So Blanc‘…

What do you mean, where’s the dessert? This is Portugal, where the best dessert is widely available throughout the day. Pasteis da Nata are what Portugal was invented for, didn’t you know? Best taken with a proper cappuccino side…

Until we speak again, whatever your version of heaven is… I’m sticking with this one!

Essential Lisbon

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Just going is essential… nuff said! But if you need tempting, there’s always the al a carte cuisine…

Not to say the futuristic transport…

Modern music to make Beyonce sound retro…

The oldest bookshop in the world…

A fabulous range of wine way beyond that headbanging fortified stuff…

Shocking pink theatres…

Lady’s of etiquette…

Even provide a monument to lemmings and cliffs…

A never-ending supply of work for anyone interested in tiles (and more transport weirdness!)…

Aching sadness and melancholy through a word that is pure Portuguese with no translation…

Until we speak again, Lisbon will surprise, enchant, and provide some stunning vistas while you’re resting weary legs…

National security

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Say what you want about the diminished size of the British Armed Forces. But, here in Cardiff docks, the Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) is ensuring its own security against foreign invasion in this increasingly uncertain world.

Until we speak again, a special thanks go to the Spanish Armada surplus stores for the loan of Galeon Andalucia. What, you thought the British Navy had anything more viable? 🤔🤣

500!

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Who’d have thought it back in the summer of 2013… as a cat deep in thought, pondered nothing but good intentions towards a swan on the canal beneath Chez Juno? Wind forward nearly 11 years, and the 500th post on Juno’s View has arrived.

How best to celebrate this milestone… when you just happen to find yourself in Dublin? As the previous post pondered… what are you going to do? Perhaps a quality control review of the city’s finest is in order… after all, it’s Guinness time!

First off, it’s The Stags Head… and yes, that first pint really does hit the spot while surrounded by the trappings of a well-preserved Victorian pub.

Then there is The Brazen Head… for some genuine history. It just happens to be the oldest pub in Ireland dating back to the 12th century and serves a cracking pint of the black and white stuff. What’s more, a traditional Irish band seems to be celebrating the 500 with me!

Then a call into Darkey Kelly’s just happens to combine all that’s good about visiting Dublin, including tasty Irish beef stew and great music…

Don’t be flagging, as there’s a load more celebrating to be doing. Kehoe’s might just provide that much needed pint… in between pints!?

Not forgetting The Temple Bar… so good they named the whole neighbourhood after it…

If bands are a bit full-on at this stage, try The Auld Dubliner for a Guinness with a solo guitarist/vocalist backing soundtrack…

And you lucky old soak, you, as there is only a few yards to stagger to The Oliver St John Gogarty across the cobbles. You might even have a horse-drawn carriage waiting outside for you to finally be poured into as you head off into your drunken stupor!

And when you wake up the day after the day before, there’s always a visit to the Guinness Storehouse  Brewery Museum itself as a reminder of why your head’s not feeling like it did 24 hours earlier! A fabulous educative tour across several floors culminating in that hair of the dog pint in the Gravity Bar… complete with a 360-degree view of all you’ve forgotten you did before!

Until we speak again, that quality control review is published in full as follows… Wow! Here’s to the next 500… wherever they may be. Juno may be long since passed, but Juno’s View continues!

Why go to Dublin?

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Is that even a real question? Ask any random selection of pissheads… sorry, tourists, and you can be sure that none of the most familiar reasons for visiting will be liquidated. But is there anything that can seriously interrupt the flow? 

Quenching that religious thirst that draws so many of us when on holiday is well served in this capital city of a Catholic country. Here, there are two cathedrals, neither of them Catholic in persuasion! However, both are very capitalist in nature. You don’t need to wrestle your conscience when staring at the donation box… you’ve already paid a compulsory admission fee to get anywhere near the box.

Christ Church Cathedral comes with a fully accessible crypt. It’s a great place for hiding that most worshipful of gift shops…

Half a mile away sits St Patrick’s Cathedral dedicated to a Welshman who possibly decided his own homeland wasn’t wet enough! Meanwhile, the organist clearly buys into the more regular reasons for visiting Dublin…

Apparently, the General Post Office was a site of much spillage back in the early 1900s… blood in particular. Once you’ve purchased your commemorative stamp in the cathedral-like main office, splash out some more dosh next door and educate yourself about the 1916 Easter Uprising, leading to Irish independence from British rule.

Still got that need for surfing local history? On the north bank of the River Liffey, you really should set aside an emotional half day to learn more about the impact of the 1845-52 Potato Famine. The EPIC Museum details mass emigration, as the national need to install the Irish Pub into every other part of the world officially began. Further connection with the horrors of the day can be found in the statues making up the Famine Monument. Also, a must visit is the 45-minute guided tour of the Jeannie Johnson tall ship, which made 16 journeys carrying human cargo across the Atlantic.

Finally, if you’re apprehended for any misdemeanours, there is a large and empty place of interest waiting to accommodate you. Kilmainham Gaol is another highly rated tourist attraction. Closed down in 1924, it’s still a fine source of social and political history and became something of a blueprint for subsequent prison layout… including crosses to identify the places where executions by firing squad took place!

Until we speak again, Dublin Castle provides less depth of interest. But, who would’ve known it was the blueprint for tall cranes?