I'm not sure which city started the Christmas market trend, but Vienna's have been the best so far. In Vienna, there were many stalls and lots of beautiful items on sale. Unfortunately, Prague didn't cut it; there was mainly junk on sale.

The most interesting items at the markets were the Christmas food and drink treats.

• Trdelnik -- a sugary donut type item which was cooked by wrapping the dough around a wooden spit and spinning over an open fire. At the main market there were six stalls selling trdelnik. Each of stall had a line about 20 people long. Obviously a very popular item at Christmas time. Makes sense, because they were yummo.
  
  
• Grog -- on our first evening we were intrigued by a menu entry which read "Grog". In Australia, grog is just another word for alcohol. We had to give it a go. Unfortunately, we discovered that grog is a disgusting concoction consisting of rum and hot water. Only Andrew was able to finish his cup of Grog (he loves a challenge!).
  
  
• Czech Spa Wafers -- They are delicious! A very thin wafer sandwich with a sugary filling. They are delightful toasted or heated in the microwave for a couple of seconds.
  
  

We have returned from our Iberian odyssey. We actually returned a day earlier than we had planned. Someone accidentally booked us onto a flight on the Thursday instead of the Friday. (oops!) Luckily we figured this out before we missed the plane.

The extra day has been a blessing in disguise. We've had time to do some laundry, grocery shopping, plan for a dinner party and generally prepare for the arrival of the Mother (and TD). Although, the place looked tidier when we walked in the door then it does now. (I can imagine there will be some hurried shoving of mess into cupboards tomorrow.)

I'll leave you with some photos of Andrew and I enjoying Pastéis de Nata (what we call Portuguese tarts in Australia.) I think we enjoyed a little too many of these while we were in Portugal. They are delicious and are definitely worth the extra calories. Luckily Lisbon is very hilly; hopefully we worked some of those Natajoules off.

I couldn't say that I'm a huge fan of Eastern European cuisine. The ingredients of dishes on offer are usually limited to meat and potatoes. There is always a distinct lack of vegetables. After a weekend of eating such fare my system is usually in serious need of detox.

(Interesting. Several countries that used to be in "Eastern Europe" are now suddenly in "Central Europe". There aren't that many of them: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary to be exact. Maybe they are distancing themselves from the Communist connotations of the words "Eastern Europe".)

In the interests of being kinder to our tummies, while visiting "that side of Europe", we usually try to order a salad along with our main meal (knowing that our selection probably won't come with any green stuff.) Although, a few trips in, we now know that the tomato salad is just a plate of sliced tomato, cucumber salad is just a plate of sliced cucumber, etc. (Imaginative!)

After our visit to Krakow, I've discovered the secret to enjoying Eastern European cuisine. It has to be consumed in cold weather. Cold means freezing, below zero temperatures. Every meal we ate in Krakow was delicious. I love Polish cuisine! A bowl of hot soup and a plateful of pierogi was the perfect way to warm up after a few hours out in the bitter cold.

While in Krakow, I fell in love with Zur or Zurek. Zur is a Polish soup made from soured rye flour, and it comes with a side of sausage and boiled egg, which can be dumped in the soup. It was delicious and I'm now totally obsessed with it. Traditionally the soup is eaten at Easter time, but I think it's the perfect winter meal.

After doing some research on the internet, I've found several recipes for the soup. Unfortunately, it's all a bit complicated for my limited culinary talents (and patience). I'll just have to find a Polish restaurant in London to satisfy my Zurek cravings. Or I could always wait until the next easyJet sale. There is still Gdansk and Warsaw to explore.

So maybe I'm cheating a little on this one. I love living near Notting Hill because it reminds me of home. At home, every third weekend or so, Andrew and I would head out for brunch. Sometimes we would brunch with the oldies in Pyrmont. Sometimes we'd catch up with Annie and the boys at Bitton or Café Sofia in Erskineville. Sometimes it would be a fushie affair and we'd head to Succulent on King St, Newtown. We were spoiled for choice.

In March of this year, I was particularly homesick and depressed. It was mainly because of my horrible job. But maybe a tiny part of my malaise could have been attributed to the area we were living. Shepherds Bush has a distinct lack of restaurants and cafes. To be precise, we were not able to find a cafe at which we could eat brunch on the weekend. By brunch I mean fluffy poached eggs and crispy bacon. Not the greasy fried eggs and fatty bacon available at most greasy spoons.

Now that we're living near Notting Hill, all is changed. We don't have four cafes to pick from, but at least we have one good brunch spot. We have Tom's Deli which is only a 10 minute walk away. Tom's has a fantastic brunch menu. I order scrambled eggs, parma ham and roasted tomatoes and Andrew has the veggie breakfast. Their service is usually good, as long as they aren't too busy.

(Unfortunately, they are always busy. There is a reason why they are so popular. Tom's is good. It's also interesting to note that most of the wait staff are Aussies. Australians know good service.)

There really is nothing better than waking up on the weekend and wandering up Portobello road for brunch with my favourite boy. We eat a leisurely brekkie, drink coffee and catch up on the week. We stroll home, sometimes we browse the markets, sometimes we head home for a nap. It's the perfect start to a lazy day.

(I do still miss brunch with my family. I'll just have to wait until April next year when Mum and Dad can join in our London brunch routine.)


*G* this is a very dinky post, isn't it? Children are starving in Africa, global warming is going to destroy the earth and my state of mind is dependent on poached eggs. Shallow Jess! Must do something good for the world today to make up for this post.

Everyone loves Italian food. What's not to love about a delicious bowl of fresh pasta, or a crusty pizza, or antipasto. (I'm drooling just thinking about it.) In Italy, at every meal, when the food was delivered, cameras would suddenly appear and the experience would be thoroughly documented by everyone at the table. It's what happens when you eat out with other bloggers.

I thought I'd nominate the three meals I enjoyed most while in Italy. Not just the best tasting meals but the best overall experiences.

Pizza in the home of Pizza
Everyone knows that Pizza is an Italian dish but did you know that it was invented in Naples? Poor people in the 18th century used to supplement plain flat bread with tomato. Voila! Pizza! We were lucky enough to eat pizza in Naples.

Day 1 -- we arrived in Naples, parked the car and decided that pizza was our priority. We were in Naples, we were hungry and luckily we had some time to spare before meeting up with Sue and J. We turned to the Lonely Planet for direction. It nominated Da Michel as the best pizzeria in Naples. They are famous for asserting that there are only two types of pizza: the Marinara and the Margherita. They stand for what they believe in, as these two pizzas are the only two items on their menu. Unfortunately, we arrived at Da Michel to find a crowd standing outside. Not a queue, but a mass of around 30 people. We were limited for time so we opted for another LP recommendation, Trianon, which was just down the road.

Day 3 -- Back in Naples to catch a train to Rome. J and Sue were yet to try authentic Neapolitan pizza. We decided to give Da Michel another go and drove by to suss out the situation. Sadly, it was not to be; closed on a Sunday. Trianon was due to open at 11. We dropped off the hire car and headed back to Trianon, timing it perfectly. We crossed the threshold at exactly at 11am.

Obviously, turning up at opening time is not the done thing. When we entered the restaurant the staff looked at us incredulously. Our waitress rudely directed us to tables and gave us some menus. We ordered and then watched, as the rest of the staff, including the pizza chef, turned up. Obviously the opening time really means 11 for midday.

We ordered several pizzas including the Margherita DOC. The DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata and means that the product is made by set methods and that it satisfies a certain standard. (I love that DOC is pronounced dok-ah. It's impossible to be monosyllabic in Italy.) It was an authentic Margherita. It was gooooooood.

My favourite pizza from our order was the 7-cheese pizza. I love cheese so much. (But being slightly lactose intolerant it's a love/hate affair.) Nobody else really liked the 7 cheese pizza as a blue cheese was included among the seven. I scored a few extra pieces this way. It was gooooooood.

Was it the best pizza I'd ever had? It's hard to say. Even when pizza is bad it's good. While I can't pinpoint it as the best, our meal at Trianon certainly ranks among the finest pizza I've ever eaten.

Lunch at Dino and Tony's
After our visit to the Vatican museum we were in serious need of sustenance. We were very exhausted from standing in queues, hiking through the museums and also from gazing upwards in wonder.

Unfortunately, our designated lunch spot was closed. We should really learn to read the guidebook carefully. After a flurry of text messages between the sightseers and the slackers, we finally managed to meet up another LP recommended restaurant, Dino and Tony's.

Unfortunately, Dino and Tony's didn't have a menu. Unfortunately, the waitstaff didn't speak much English. Unfortunately, we don't speak much Italian.

Our waiter arrived to take our order, a conversation of sorts followed, more hand gestures than words, and our waiter left. Apparently we had ordered. We know the important words: birra, antipasto, pasta.

Our antipasto arrived and after the meal was properly documented, we tucked in. Our waiter returned and conveyed that he was going to bring two types of pasta out for us to try. We agreed, "sure, why not!" Little did we know that he meant that we'd actually get two rounds of pasta. First, a bowlful of spaghetti carbonara. After the dishes had been cleared another plate of pasta was delivered. This time a bowl of penne matriciana. By this stage we were struggling.

Plates were cleared and our waiter returned. "Carne?" he asked hopefully. Sue replied, "no no no Carne!". We were already full to bursting. Another round and we may not have fit out the door.

A traditional Italian meal has several courses. Antipasto, Primi (usually pasta), Secondo (usually meat) and Contorno (a side dish of salad or veggies), Formaggio (cheese), Dolce (dessert), Caffe (coffee), Digestivo (liquers). We only made it to Primi (although we did have a double helping). We'll have to practice being Italian before returning to Dino and Tony's.

Dinner with the cousins
I prefer to have my family close by, but there is one benefit of having overseas relatives. It's a floor to crash on when you head abroad. My mum's cousin Rosyln lives with her husband Antonio and two daughters, Elide and Daniela in Rome. Although, we weren't lucky enough to stay with the Gravina family, we did manage to dine with them at their apartment in Rome.

At Rosyln's, we were able to enjoy a bona fide, home-cooked Italian meal. Six courses in all: antipasto, risotto, a pasta (bolognaise and an unidentified noodle), a meat course. A fifth round consisted of some Aussie lollies we'd brought along as a gift. Fantales were the favourite. They weren't sure want to make of the chicos (Andrew's favourite.) In true Jess style, we were able to squeeze in a sixth course, another round of dessert. Daniela and her boyfriend Claudio dropped us back at our accommodation via a gelateria. It was the best scoop of pistachio gelato I had while in Italy.

It was lovely to catch up with my Italian family. (Someone needs to invent a teleporter so we can hang out with the Italian cousins more often.)

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And that's it. It's time to say arrivederci to Roma, Sorrento and Italy. Until we meet again!

Shall I sum up? Allora, Good -- Neapolitan pizza, Pompeii, Raphael, Pantheon, Catacombs, pistachio gelato, caprese salad... Bad -- driving in Naples (bad but fun), queuing, pushy Italians in queues, not checking the guidebook.