Local Music And Brew In Belfast, Northern Ireland U.K

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Northern Ireland, Driving The Coastal Causeway Route

 

 

 

The howling wind makes for great scenery and white capped crashing waves as I begin my early morning drive from Port Stuart to Belfast along The Coastal Causeway Route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dunluce Castle

 

 

With stops at Dunluce Castle, The Giants Causeway along with a fun bouncing adventure at Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, this is a drive everyone should get the opportunity to make.

 

 

The Giants Causeway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge

 

 

 

 

Northern Ireland's coastline is beautiful and a visit there is one trip you won't soon forget.

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Africa, Pretoria Nice B&B

 

If you are looking for a nice place to wind down and relax with a local flavor while you are visiting Pretoria then I would highly recommend Friends B&B.

 

 

Located in a quiet neighborhood that is easily accessible, Friends B&B has a nice charm that will make you feel right at home in South Africa.

For R$460, about US$60 a night, the owner Yolanda will treat you like a king.

 

 

 

 

Although you will probably need a travel adapter for your electrical equipment, the rooms have hot showers, are nicely decorated and come with a set up for you to enjoy a good cup of tea.

 

 

Let Yolanda know what time you will be waking up and you just might be greeted with the sweet smell of bacon, sausage or eggs being cooked in the nearby open kitchen which has a tree growing thru the middle of it.

 

 

 

 

 

Yolanda offers a wide selection of items for breakfast including breads, fruits, pastries, juices and my favorite Rooibos Tea.

 

 

 

 

 

If you able to stay awhile you can also enjoy some time lounging around the pool that is tucked away in the corner of a nicely landscaped yard.

 

 

 

Friends B&B Back Yard Pool

 

 

Friends B&B 124 Lange Str Nieuw Muckleneuk Pretoria 0181

Tel: 012 460-4576

Great Restaurant In Cape Town Wine Country

 

With just a few hours left in Cape Town, I plan one more brief visit to the nearby Stellenbosch wine region. A cellar tour and lunch would be nice before flying back to Johannesburg.

 

 

My first stop is at Zandberg Winery home of the award winning The Winelands Restaurant. This becomes my only stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a private cellar dining room available, the ambiance and menu here is impressive.

 

 

 

 

.

For starters, The Trio Of Puglia's Mozzarella Pin Wheels is ordered. Traditional mozzarella, grilled vegetables, basil pesto, Italian anchovy, olive tapenade, Parma ham and sun dried tomatoes make taking these wheels for a spin tons of culinary fun.

 

 

 

Trio of Puglia Mozzarella Pin Wheels

 

 

While waiting for my starters to arrive, slices of a fresh warm sweet bread is served. If this bread is available in the prisons here then I am ready to start serving a life sentence. It is so, so delicious.

 

 

Next it is a bowl of Roasted Red Pepper soup that is so flavorful I am already scheming a way to steal the recipe.

Who knew a soup and red peppers could be so palette pleasing.

 

 

 

Even before my main course arrives this is turning into a 5-Star dining experience. The Winelands not only offers great food but Zandberg is also where was the first white Merlot was produced in South Africa. This wine makes a nice compliment to my meal and I can already tell one glass of it is not going to be enough.

 

 

Angels are singing when my main course, Lamb, Rosemary and Garlic Kofta is presented. Organic pasture lamb, homemade linguine with an olive, anchovy tomato sauce and I am in culinary heaven.

Sing Angels, Sing!

 

 

 

 

With such excellent starters and main courses, I have no doubt that a desert selection would not be just as spectacular.

Three different servings of Italian ice cream topped with a peppermint leaf finishes off a perfect lunch time meal.

 

 

 

Just above my table is an autographed wine crate to the owners of The Winelands that states “To the best little restaurant in the world!”. The signer, Martin Meinert is unknown to me but I would have a hard time disagreeing with his sentiment.

If you dine at The Winelands Restaurant (www.96wineryroad.co.za) you just might too.

Port Of Miami Cruise Ship Parking

 

 

Having just sailed from the Port Of Miami, I highly recommend Premier Parking Ventures ( www.premierparkingusa.com).

If you want secured parking and to pay less than the ridiculous $20 per day plus taxes that the Port Of Miami charges then this maybe a viable option for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Premier Parking Lot

 

Premier Parking is located at 701N Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33132 which is less than a 15 minute drive to the cruise ship terminals. It is a fenced in open parking area with easy access to and from I-95 North and Southbound.

We took a 7 Day Cruise on Carnival Valor and paid only about $65 for parking.

 

 

Drop off and pick up is convenient with a less than a 20 minute wait time.

Be sure to get your “Smiley Face”.

 

 

 

 

 

If you do not chose Premier there are a lot of other parking services nearby that can save you over $100 compared to parking at the Port Of Miami. Enjoy Your Cruise!

 

 

Technorati Tags: Port Of Miami Parking,Cruise Ship Parking,Premier Parking Venture,Carnival Valor

See Antarctica With Quark Expedition

 

 

I have just returned from Quark Expedition, The Antarctica Explorer. A 12 day trip that starts and ends in Ushuaia, Argentina.

 

 

 

 

Although, I learned during my trip that Quark Expedition itself is going through some internal changes, from start to finish my trip was operated by a fun, professional and safety conscious group of individuals.

 

 

 

Akademik Ioffee

 

 

From the Expedition Leader on down, they all worked diligently to make our trip adventurous and enjoyable.

 

There were about 107 passengers on board and the only disappointment expressed was by a handful of the 30 passengers that took the camping excursion.

Not quiet the experience most of them expected.

 

 

 

However, this can be dependent on the weather which can change in the Antarctica rather quickly.

I would not hesitate to recommend or take another trip with Quark Expedition if given the opportunity.

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Antarctica,Quark Expedition,Antarctica Explorer,Akademik Ioffe,Ushuaia,Argentina

Flip And Philips, My New Travel Companions

 

As primarily a solo backpack traveler, I must chose my travel companions, if any, very carefully. Any travel companion must add to my travel experience, be slim for the most part and a light weight with good looks getting a few extra points.

Usually, I have nothing against having a few extra pounds but if I must hang out with or carry my travel companions around then I don't want to be weighed down. My two new travel companions meet and almost surpass my rigorous requirements.

 

Flip, who I am just getting familiar with, will allow me to easily capture and share videos on YouTube and my travel blogs.

I found Flip at a local Wal-Mart for just $79, 20% off the regular price, so far he is not a bad travel companion.

 

 

 

Now Philips on the other hand does not like to travel alone and tells me he prefers to hang out with Sony Earbuds.

Since Philips came at a reasonable price $39.99 and allows me to enjoy a few of my friends like Hank Williams Jr, Abba, Barry White and 4 Non Blondes, I agree to take him and Sony along.

 

I am headed to Antarctica and so far my new travel companions have been a lot of fun. Flip has been capturing and Philips has given me a good Vibe. I hope they can stand up to the rigors of a 12 day Antarctica expedition. It will be a true test of our new friendship and whether they will remain my travel companions.

 

Technorati Tags: Flip,Philips,Vibe,Son,Earbuds,WalMart,YouTube,Antarctica,Hank Williams Jr,Abba,Barry White,4 Non Blondes