Night out in Downtown Toronto

Now, that is why I like Toronto: small enough to get by, big enough to shine like a star during the night... After parking my "shiny" car, which was incomparably easy to Manhatan, Brooklyn, London and even Tel Aviv, I've met with the Professor (no name... right?) and we headed in search for a pub worth our presence.

The first place was a "local" dump; I don't even know its name, only that it is located at the west side of Front St., between Downtown and the Distillery District. There was a corporate event (at least we assumed it is) and some 20+ woman, after having questionable quantities of alcoholic beverages, were singing loudly Karaoke. It was fun, but...

Since we were hungry (for food), we went on in a search for a decent place and that is when we found "Le Petit Déjeuner" located on 191 King Street East. What a gem...! It is a small place (when you compare it to the typical sport bar) but with such an ambiance - high ceilings, exposed brick and soothing red and brown colours. The cafe is run by a (very friendly) Belgium owner with whom we had a lengthy chat, and it serves a good selection of European and local beers and excellent food (my mussels were fantastic).

From there (it was after 11PM), we headed back to Union Station when P.J. O'Brient got our attention. It is an Irib pub located on 39 Colborne Street, a small alley between King Street and Wellington Street, and boy... they know how to have fun! There was a live band playing Irish tunes, tough bartender (the one that has a baseball bat under the counter), a huge selection of Irish, European and local beers on a tap and a lot of good looking (all Irish) people having fun (dancing, singing, etc).

Then, even the traffic went to bed...

Long Weekend in Finger Lakes

What a joy! At the moment, I'm sitting on a sunny patio in the Liberty Village (Toronto), sipping cold cider and trying to recall all the details of the last weekend in Finger Lakes.

We left Mississauga around 6AM on a cloudy Saturday morning with 4 hours of driving ahead of us. Crossing the US border was much quicker this time (compare to previous time we drove to NY) and soon we were driving on American soil. We stopped at the very first petrol station because we were driving on fumes rather than petrol - the yellow warning light was blinking ferociously...

We met our friends on the outskirts of Ithaca and after hugs (man) and kisses (girls) headed for the Robert H. Truman State Park. The park was everything you could expect from a state park: immense and very green! We were quickly given a key to our cabin.

After unpacking and drove 5 minutes to the upper park to do hiking and take a glimpse at the Old Mill and the 115-foot Lucifer Falls (catchy name).

Later that evening, we made (vegetarian) BBQ and headed to Ithaca to explore the city. Ithaca is a home of Cornell University and the Ithaca College (according to Wikipedia, with almost 20,000 students) so there was abundant night life to satisfy even the most hardcore clubber.

The following day we walked the walk! After cooking and eating (our friends were well prepared) late breakfast we soldered the Rim Trail (2.25 miles), the Red Pine Trail (½ mile) and the Gorge Trail (2.25 miles), not without incidents.

On a way to Upper Park (that would be the Rim Trail), girls were obsessive about cameras and lenses.

They literally took picture of everything that moved, grew or just happened to be in the park, and that included a beautiful red gecko.

On a way back, they had a chance to take a photo of two fat snakes (I think those were Mississauga snakes) that happened to be on our path but instead they demonstrated their vocal abilities (yeah... screaming on top of their lungs). 

Later that day, we drove (again) to Ithaca to stroll on the waterfront promenade, quick visited Cornell University and finished our day with a very nice dinner at the Boat Yard Grill restaurant (http://www.boatyardgrill.com/).

On our third (and last) day, we have decided to rent kayaks. After a morning discussion of Russian foreign policy and whatever Latvians are too nationalistic (there is nothing like politics for breakfast), we headed to Puddle Dockers (http://www.puddledockers.com/rentals.htm).

Our friends took a single kayak each and we decided to share a tandem version. Of course, after the excitement died out, I was the only “engine” to put that kayak (which was big enough to be called a “barge”) across the lake. It was sunny and we have managed to sneak two bottles of apple cider and cherry beer... IT WAS FUN! Then followed locally sourced, organic, non GM lunch and we headed home. This time the border crossing was 2 and 1/2 hours long, but who cares...

Weekend in Venice

Ohh Venice, beautiful Venice... Venice is a city of curved bridges and canals, beautiful architecture, hidden plazas and churches... a truly unique city.

It is impossible to drive in Venice and probably unnecessary around it. From the airport, there are two options to get into the city: ATVO Express (€3.00) and ACTV 5 (€2.50). You can buy tickets at the public-transportation booth in the arrivals terminal, which also sells 12- to 72-hour ACTV tourist tickets. If you stay outside Venice, there are numerous busses going everywhere, including Rome. We took the express bus to Venice and from there line 53E to Dolo, a small town between Venice and Padova. Villa Gasparini, a hotel where we stayed, is located on the outskirts of Dolo. Luckily, the bus stop is only 50m from the hotel because there are no sidewalks in Italy. Everybody is either driving or driving...

After a quick shower, we went to a nearby pizza (what else?) restaurant for a bite. Although there are a lot of Italian restaurants in cities such as London, Toronto, Tel Aviv and New York, you cannot compare it to a real Italian pizza; it is thin, crispy and loaded with goodies! On the other hand, stay away from their beer...

The day after, we sent to explore Venice. Since we stayed outside (in Dolo), our starting point was Piazza Roma (central bus station). So, without further due, here comes John Markh “A Parfect Day in Venice” guide:

From Piazza Roma (bay 4B), walk through souvenir booths and cross the small canal. Take left, then next right (just next to Mercure hotel) across another bridge which will take you to a small plaza where you can fill your water bottle. From there, walk back in the direction of the bus station and follow signs to Piazza San Marco. Don’t afraid to be adventurous and take small detours; there are signs every couple of blocks and you might discover a hidden gem which will make your journey more special (you might as well write your own guide to Venice). The rout should take you to the Academia (bridge) where, if you have a moment, you could take right to the waterfront to get a well deserved ice cream and fantastic views. Walk back to the Academia bridge and continue to Piazza San Marco. Piazza San Marco was a centre of political and religious life in Venice for centuries and it is plainly displayed by the wealth of decorations and beauty of the place. Walk around and if the line is not to look, go inside Basilica to marvel at gold mosaics and up the Campanile (bell tower) for marvellous views.

From there, take left along Riva degli Schiavoni (the waterfront) and admire the views, crowds of people and turn nose up at all the trinket stands (you can do better for souvenirs elsewhere). When the crowd thins, take a table at one of the waterfront cafes and enjoy a slightly overpriced pizza or salad and bottle of wine (better service, quality and price the farther down you go....).

After a refreshing snack, find your way to Arsenale and either take a vaporetto (water bus) or walk the mazes of Venice to Rialto Bridge. Wander across with the incredible hordes of tourists and continue over bridge and through the mass of souvenir stalls to the outdoor markets - if you like seafood keep wandering a bit further up this main drag to the incredible outdoor fish market - quite a sight!

From here, start following (loosely) signs to Piazza Roma (bus station). It will take you through San Polo district. If you go to the far end and turn right, you should see Antica La Corte Birreria. It is a great local place for pizza, salads, light meal and dessert for a reasonable price at Campo San Polo. Also, there are number of interesting shops where you could buy souvenirs or Moreno glass for a decent price. Exit into the sunlight and go further up to Campo Santa Marguerite - very active place with lots of bars, small pubs and shops.

This was an unforgettable weekend...

Check out the photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/john.markh/20090816Venice#slideshow.

Ciao, John.

Traveller Tips: Don’t stay in the Venice itself; it is a complete nightmare to drag your luggage through all those bridges. On the other hand, don’t stay too far as you won’t be able to use the ACTV tourist tickets. If you use public transport, buy your tickets in advance (from ACTV ticket office or from snack shops). When you buy on board, it usually costs more. However, if all you have is a €100 note, the driver might let you ride for free! In Venice, plan your route carefully as there are only 2 bridges across Grand Canal itself and it could be a really long walk between those two. There are plenty of fountains with drinking water in Venice itself; all you need is a 1l plastic bottle to fill and refill when needed.

Sunny Sunday in London...

This morning, we went to see people running Flora London 2009 marathon and to cheer our friend, but unless you are a banana-man or beerbottle-man... you run as anonymous! According to the statistics, there were about ~34,500 people running and if you consider the width of London streets...
After watching people sweating their life out, we went to London bridge to meet with friends, have a well deserved lunch (we had to wake up early to watch people running) and wander through Wapping. Coincidently, we have discovered the “Wapping Project”. It is an old power station converted to a alternative coffee/restaurant place with exhibition and performance space. The setting and the exhibition itself were very original and different from the “usual” modern art (as far as modern art can be usual).
At 5PM, we had a choice of walking back to London Bridge (approximately 1 hour), or walk by the river to Greenwich (approximately 3 hours) and catch a train home from there. Guess what we choose...

Easter in St. Goarshausen by Coach

Yes, there is no typo in the title, it was by coach (bus). Isn't it exciting? NO!

Let's go 3 month back: I was on a business trip to Reading and while sitting on a bus I saw an advertisement of that trip. Since Alyona was moaning about living in Europe and not visiting Germany, I thought it is a perfect present for her birthday: a long weekend in Germany. And since the trip is going to be by coach, we will have a chance to see landscapes of Rhine valley rather than airport lounges, or so I thought...

Fast forward to the present: we were picked up on the streets of Eltham (15 minutes on a bus from where we live) at 6:30AM by a shuttle full of pensioners. At first, the driver did not want to let us in, and my guess is because we were too young compared to the rest of the passengers. Anyway, after 45 minutes drive to Dartfort, we changed to a main coach service (from New Castle). Now, don't get me wrong, going with pensioners is not as bad as it may sound. Actually, I was afraid that it will be with a bunch of drunken football hooligans or hooded yobs. Anyway, older generation tend to be more punctual, polite and intelligent, and if you play by the rules (their rule, including sing along 50s songs on a way back to UK) you could have a time of your lifetime. Anyway, to cut the story shorter, that day (14 hours) we crossed 5 countries: UK, ferry to France, then Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany. And after all that, we ended up on the wrong side of the Rhine river...

St. Goarshausen is a gorgeous, tiny medieval town on a bank of Rhine river. On arrival, we checked in to a traditional Bavarian hotel (Hotel Pohl's Rheinhotel Adler), our home for the next 3 days. The hotel is based opposite the ferry, which can take you to St. Goar, but that is quite irrelevant as the whole town can be crossed in 10-15 minutes. For those who do not know, that area (middle/lower Rhine) is famous for its wine; vineyards are literal everywhere! The town is between two hills (or mountains) where Burg Katz (some say that twin Burg Katz towers resemble ears of a cat) and Burg Maus castles are. There are hiking trails around both of castles and I suggest to pop in to the tourist information centre located next to the ferry (or the police station) for a free map, information and guidance. We opted to climb the route to Burg Maus, have a walk around it and then through a potato field to an even smaller village of Nochern.

On the next (and the last full day in Germany), we took an organised full day tour to Boppard which included boat trip on the Rhine and half a day in Rudesheim am Rhein. The first town, although beautiful, is a tourist trap. I guess it is mainly because it is large enough to appear on a map (something that can not be said about St. Goarshausen) and frequent Kohl boat service which links it to a Koblenz and Mainz. The second, although beautiful, is a tourist trap as well. There is a statue of Germania on a nearby hill, which I recommend visiting (there is a breathtaking views from there). You can get there using a cable lift from the centre of Rudesheim. Couple of hours later, on a way back, we stopped on the Loreley cliff. The legend goes that Loreley was a lovely German maid who used to comb her long, golden hair, sing and lure shipmen to their fates with her hypnotizing voice. That evening, we went to a small vine cellar in the old part of the St. Goarshausen with Fred and Florence (thank you guys for a great company!) to try local Rieslings.

The way back was even longer! Since the tour agency had to make some money, we made a stop at the Belgian chocolate “factory” and French wine “warehouse”, both run by British. As Fred said “time is a great healer and memory short”, so looking back it was not that bad (although I didn't think that when sitting on a coach with 12 hour ahead of us). Well, maybe next time we will either drive there ourselfs or take a train (both St. Goar and St. Goarshausen are well connected).

Check out our photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/alla.markh/20090412EasterInBavarianValley.

Enjoy, John.

Weekend of Music and Wine in Paris

This weekend, we went to Paris, a city of love (yeah... right!), music, food, good wines and French language. I have to say, that the main reason we went to Paris in first place, was Pianoamatures competition where my mother took 4th place (out of more then 110 participants from all over the world). This, of course, took some of the time we had to explore the hidden corners of Paris, but we enjoyed an excellent and very unusual (at least for me) evening of music and Parisian intelligentsia at one of the best houses of Paris (with magnificent view on the Eiffel Tower). How could imagine that people play "Guess the Composer" game with classic music as well...?

Instead of staying in the (very expensive) heart of Paris, we opted for a Hilton La Defence which is only 10 minutes journey by train to the very centre of Paris. La Defence is a modern neighbourhood made of steel and glass; very different from the historic centre of Paris. I definitely recommend spending an hour or two for a quick hop there , at least to see the Arche de la Défense.

Paris is a beautiful city, but “City of Love”? It is full of tourists staring at Eiffel Tower and Algerians selling fake copies of it to them (mind you, €1 is a very good deal!), but the food is so good! I know it seems that we are on a gastronomy-trip around the world, but I have to say that Paris will hold a special place in my hart (or stomach). So... buy cheese, vegetables, fresh baguette and a bottle of local wine and loose yourself in the city!

Check out our photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/alla.markh/20090329WeekendInParis#slideshow

Enjoy, John.

Lichfield - The Gem of the Middlands

Once again, my work took me to a place no one heard or visited before. According to Wikipedia, Lichfield is a “city of the dead” where thousand Christians were martyred around AD 300, but today it is a gem of the midlands: the city has a very relaxing vibe, with quite young population (at least, that was my impression), beautiful cathedral, clean streets and numerous restaurants to please every taste.

I have stayed at the George Best Western hotel which has its own pub and carvery restaurant, but during my stay I have tried couple of places on the high street (including the amazing “The Thai Rainbow”).

For shoppers, there is a Friarsgate centre as well as traditional market. The high street is full of boutique shops and big chains.

As for transportation, there is a direct train link from London Euston, or 25-30 minutes from Birmingham.

Definitely will come back to relax for a weekend.

Cheers, John

Weekend in Stockholm, Sweden

I guess if I had to summarise the weekend in one sentence, it would be “one day in fog, one day in cold”. Stockholm is a beautiful city with relaxed vibe, but very expensive (even compare to London). Although Stockholm is built on the islands, it is very easy and convenient to get around the city using public transport. SL website (has English version) allows you to plan your journey and estimate the fare. There is also a frequent and quite cheap (150SEK one way or 249SEK return) bus service to all Swedish airports; you can find more information on the Flygbussarna website.

We have stayed at Best Western Amani, on the outskirts of Stockholm, but since the transport was really frequent and convenient, it was more then fine. The hotel has a small sauna, but we were not able to use it (because of the Russians).

The city has number of excellent attractions, but most of them are a bit on the expensive side. If you want freebies, try the Stockholm Parliament Guided Tour, hung around the Drottninggatan, Gamla Stan or the Djurgården island.

Check out the photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/john.markh/20090208WeekendInStockholm

Enjoy, John.

Weekend in Edinburgh

After 4 and a half long hours on the National Express East Coast train, we are finally in the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. We have stayed in Best Western King Manor hotel on the outskirts of the Edinburgh (15-20 minutes on the bus from Princes street), close to the Portobello promenade. The hotel has all the facilities you can expect from Best Western (including pool, sauna and steam room), affordable and quite easily reachable. The only (minor) downside is that the interior and the toiletries are a bit worn down.
I did not expect Edinburgh to be that different from other cities I've been to: the architecture, the weather, the culture and the people. The first shocking discovery was that buses: they are clean! After using London buses for number of years I have used to food leftovers (fish and chips and fried wings are the most common), crazy drivers and loud people, but in Edinburgh the buses are clean, frequent and drivers are helpful and polite. Then, it is the whiskey they don't export! We've been sampling number of locally (by that, I mean Scottish) produced whiskeys and liquors (based on whiskey) and they are exquisite (we've bought a bottle of Old Pulteney Liqueur to enjoy at home)! As for the sightseeing, we've been to Portobello promenade (had a lovely breakfast at Beach House café), the castle (everybody goes to the castle and there is excellent panoramic view of the city), Royal Mile street (for whiskeys and tartan scarf/kilts) Princes street (high street shopping), Omni Centre (cinemas and restaurants), Scottish Museum of History (7 floors of museum dedicated to Scottish history – free) and White Hart Inn pub (for good selection of local beer, live folk musics and the best Haggis in Edinburgh). I've been told, that we should have climbed the Blackford Hill, but it was only 1½ days visit and didn't manage to do that.
Check out the photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/alla.markh/20090131Edinburg.

And as the saying goes, not everything that starts well ends well. When we came back, we were in for a surprise...

Enjoy,
John.

Madrid, The Perfect End of a Hectic Week

What a week! 3 countries with in 4 days! Belive me or not, it involves a lot of air miles and CO2 emission...

Now, it all come to an end in Madrid (the last city of this European tour), the city of sun, chorizos and wine...

I won't bore you too much except mentioning that is was damn hot, 42C during the day and 33C during the night (half past midnight), but then again, what else would you expect in Spain during a summer?

So, adiós my friends and enjoy the photo album: Madrid- The Perfect End Of A Hectic Week.

John.

Easter in New Forest

Ohh… what a bliss to spend Easter far, far away from metropolitan…

We went to a New Forest for 3 days, to enjoy the wild life and coastal towns around it. I think that the best way to pass on the experience is to share our photo album. You can find it here (<-- click on the “here”)

J.

Happy “Hanukkah”

Good morning my dear readers.

I have just returned from absolutely smashing week in Rotterdam. I've been working in Dutch office of Comsec Consulting and they have a pool table they call “Meeting Room”. Isn't it amazing?

I also had a chance to meet with Richard and Rob, whom I didn't see for ages...

Anyway, now I'm back in UK and there is so much going on. First, My friend Rob (another one) came over from Carlisle to dine on a dead chickens bodies at the morgue, ooops... Nandos. We had an excellent Saturday night together when Alyona went to a BP Christmas party. Nothing fancy, just Chinese takeaway, beer, whiskey and a very violent action movie (Die Hard 4.0).

Another thing that occupies me is upcoming Christmas. I need to get Hanukkah bush (it is also known as a “Christmas” tree) and some decoration for it. I was thinking of using doughnuts leftovers, you know, the one with strawberry, chocolate, maple, etc. coating, but my wife want to have some glass made balls.

Merry Hanukkah to you all, John.

Weekend in Windsor

Once again we woke up early to headed to another beautiful, historic location in UK. This weekend destination: Windsor.

We already been there couple of months before, and Windsor landscapes and small streets featured in our art gallery on the wall (http://jmarkh.blogspot.com/2007/01/weekend-in-windsor.html). This time, we wanted to visit famous Windsor castle.

Windsor castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world (yes, yes... the queen still lives there) and is as often used for state banquets and official entertaining.

We are not allowed to take photos inside the castle, but the impressive gardens and fortification should be enough to imagine the majestic beauty of the state rooms inside. Check out the photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/john.markh/20070916WindsorCastle.

Enjoy, John.

Pink Floyd Concert In... Rochester

Let's start by saying that it was Australian Pink Floyd show, but they are as good (or even better) then the original band. Sure, they didn't write the songs and the lyrics, but they are performing them hell good! So, last Saturday we went to Rochester (again) to a Pink Floyd show at Rochester Castle. The place gives amazing atmosphere for this kind of concerts. Everything was right...

We have arrived a "bit" earlier, 3 hours before they start, to check out the town, castle and to get good seats. Surprisingly, we were not the first. After having some sandwiches and water (wait... wait a few more lines) the show has started and boy, they were as good as we expected.

Me and the girls (my lovely wife and Marina) started to drink (vodka Smirnoff for them and beer for me) and eat burgers (vegetarian), smell weed (couldn't help it) and sing loudly till we couldn't take it any more. Later on, we abandoned our sits in favor of "rocking" closer to stage with another hundreds of people.

It was absolutely amazing, if a bit cold. As always, check out the photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/john.markh/20070714AustralianPinkFloyd and don't forget to comment.

Weekend in Ashford

This weekend we went to visit our friend Natasha in Ashford, Kent. One hour on the train and we were there...

There is nothing really special about this place. It probably has some piece of history, but we were not able to discover it (maybe it was because we didn't try?). After hanging around with Natasha in Sunday market and then in local park (check out the fountain in the photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/john.markh/20070708Ashford), we went back to Natasha's place to play with Alyona's nails.

It was just like in the movies. The girls chit chat about nails while Natasha made some very impressive decoration on Alyona's fingers (butterflies, flowers, etc.) and I had one hour of sleep on a couch. Isn't life amazing...?

Weekend in Prague

What a beautiful place to be!
We have just came back from Prague, the most beautiful place on this planet. The weather was not too good, but the charm of Prague make up to that.
We stayed not far from the centre of the city, in Arpacay hostel (near Angel station). The hostel was clean, breakfast was good and stuff was friendly.
On the first day, we arrived at 13:00 to Prague, went to the hostel to check in. Following that, we took a metro to the centre to have a good dinner in our favourite restaurant.
The day after, we went to see some old synagogues and Jewish places (where they charge you for "air" you breath) and then for a nice walk along the Vltava and old Vysehrad castle. We finished that do by doing small shopping, some beer and a movie (Sunshine).
Our last day in Prague was dedicated to shopping. After a quick breakfast and tour to Staropramen brewery (it was closed), we went to a Ziclin shopping mall.

Check out the photo album .

Weekend In Colchester

Halua my dear readers...!

Just two days ago, my cousin Lenny came to this great country with his friend Kon (Konstantin).

As every person who wants to educate himself in the ways of world, he came to UK to look and feel the ancient culture of this great country, and to have a decent pint of ale...

So, we decided to renew our tradition of going to differente cities in UK and spam you the day after... so, this weekend we went to Colchester.

It is about 90km from London (50 minutes on train). The town is not large, it has a population of 104,390 and, as the oldest recorded Roman town, makes claim to be the oldest tow in Britain. Check out web photo album (http://picasaweb.google.com/alla.markh/10032007Colchester)...

Weekend in Windsor

Last weekend, we have in Windsor, the winter residence of our beloved queen.

Let me start by saying, the place is absolutely gorgeous! I can compare it, maybe to Canterbury. The city sits on the Thames river, it is very clean and picturesque. I just enjoyed walking the streets, window shopping and breathing clean air (something you can't get in London).

Check out the photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/john.markh/20070128Windsor.

Weekend in Canterbury

Finally, finally, finally!
Last Sunday we finally made it to Canterbury, the capital of south east UK. Every time (3 times) I tried to buy tickets there, I had to cancel it.
So what can I say about the city of my dreams?
It is an amazing and ancient city (check out the photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/john.markh/20061217Canterbury).
We went to Canterbury cathedral, one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. After couple of hours there, we went to West Gate Gardens which we really beautiful and finished our short visit in local restaurant (Waivers).

Preston

This weekend we were in Preston. It is about 3 hours on a fast train to the north, so were where there in no time.

To tell the truth, it was not one of our famous “UK Explore” trips, but to visit Ira (Alyona's sister).

So, what can be said about Preston ?There is nothing special about the city and most of the time we were shopping. Actually, it was my wife who was shopping when myself and Ira were trying to drag her out of shops.

The only thing we managed to see expect the shopping malls (and Preston High Street) is Preston park. It is huge and beautiful, with amazing virgin nature.

Enjoy!