by Helen | Sep 26, 2014 | Italy, Travel
Villa Mercede is a bit different to many of the hotels we choose to stay in on our travels. Personal choice, but we prefer quirky, boutique style (although not those with silly prices), old, traditional etc to modern and quite functional. Which is what Villa Mercede, set on the slopes of the Castelli Romani area in Frascati, is. However, we were only staying one night before embarking on a long drive south to Sicily and so wanted something that would enable us to have a guaranteed good night’s sleep and a big, hot shower. With a pool. And, within walking distance of Frascati.
The hotel, about 1km down the hill from Frascati historical centre, ticked all the boxes – and more. If you want something with a bit of character, first impressions as you pull into the car park. might be a bit disappointing. It looks very new (a plus point of you want modern) & does look as if it might lack character. However, once we checked in, we were delighted. Perfect for an overnight stay. Everything we had wanted was there – including a very big shower. The bed definitely stands out as one of the most comfortable on our current trip – and having travelled a lot in Italy over the last few weeks, we’ve slept in a lot of Italian beds.The hotel has a pool and an outside terrace – it was a hot afternoon in late September & we took advantage of the pool still being open, followed by an ice-cream & a vino from the bar located right next to the hotel. The gelateri had an extensive choice and is clearly a destination for locals, because as we sat relaxing, there was a steady stream of families & couples arriving, buying ice-cream & driving off. The hotel is about 1km from the centre of town – although it is uphill on the way there, it’s not steep and the compensation is that it’s downhill on the way back. All in all, a great find for a short stop over in a beautiful city in the hills above Rome.
Our stay in Frascati was made all the more special by a spectacular sunset over Rome. The centre of the town was packed with locals and holiday-makers, clearly making the most of the late summer, Sunday evening sunshine.
We found a very cool restaurant, with views down and across to Rome, which by the time we ate, was twinkling in the distance.
And then, as we were having a drink – frascati, obviously – out of nowhere, appeared a religious procession, followed by a fireworks. We’re not religious in any way, but somehow when you’re in Italy, the spectacle and theatre of religion, is just so *right*…
by Helen | Sep 25, 2014 | Italy, Travel
When we were in Italy, last year, we had an awful experience with a hotel in the beautiful Calabrian town of Tropea. We’d booked into Hotel Valemare for four nights, but it was so terrible, we left the next morning, not knowing if we’d get a refund*. We’d heard of Hotel Rocca della Sena and reviews suggested it was amazing, but as were doing a lot of travelling we thought it might be a bit too much above budget. However, lady luck was on our side, and through Booking.com we secured a room, packed our bags, left Valemare and checked into Rocca della Sena. And what a difference…
We were offered coffee on the terrace, over looking the sea as we were checked in – and then told we’d been upgraded. And, this was a real upgrade, as there’s no way we would have booked the honeymoon suite! For three days and three nights we lived in the lap of luxury – and because we’d booked last minute, bagged ourselves the most amazing deal. And after nearly two weeks on the road, this unexpected treat was much appreciated! As well as an en-suite bathroom, we had the added bonus of a huge walk-in shower, with mood lighting. (Well, it was the honeymoon suite, after all!) Plus, a beautiful balcony, with a hammock, sun-loungers and a jacuzzi. Fresh fruit was delivered each afternoon, but because the breakfasts were so generous, to be honest, this was an unnecessary luxury!
Hotel Rocca della Sena is located about 10 minutes from the centre of Tropea, which is a perfect stop-over point if you’re travelling onwards to Sicily as it’s only about 40 minutes away from the port of Reggio Calabria.The whole experience can only be described as “understated elegance” – every need is clearly catered for in this hotel, but in a way that is effortlessly unobtrusive. This was a real experience and a stay that we’ll certainly remember for a long time to come.
Tropea itself is described as a jewel, and this description isn’t an exaggeration, especially as it hugs the south west of Italy and so also benefits from glorious sunsets. Perfect to watch from your jacuzzi on the balcony.
We stayed here in September 2013 and booked through booking.com, receiving a very unexpected upgrade upon arrival.
* We did get a refund, some weeks later, but only through sheer persistence – the refund came from Booking.com, rather than the hotel who steadfastly refused to acknowledge that their accommodation was NOT as described on their website.
by Helen | Sep 21, 2014 | Italy, Travel
On our travels through Italy last year, we made the decision to explore the eastern coast of Sicily and having done some online research, decided that Ortigia (in the region of Syracuse), sounded like our kind of place. We took the car ferry from Reggio Calabria to Messina (about 45 mins) – tickets are bought at the port and a one way crossing was 41 euros for a car & 2 passengers.
Ortigia is approx 170km south – factor in driving near Catania as it’s very busy, and does add to your travel time. The drive south along the coast isn’t the most scenic (we took in the very pretty – and expensive! -Taormina, on the way back north), so we headed straight to Ortigia – which is actually a tiny peninsula, connected to Syracuse by a road bridge. You get to get quite close to Mount Etna though, and this is quite a spectacular sight – especially, if as it was when we were there, it is belching out plumes of white volcanic gases & smoke.
It’s an ancient city, packed full of antiquities, beautiful historic buildings and narrow, winding alleyways. It has a completely different feel to the Italian mainland – I can only describe it as “Sicilian”. It’s a real city of contrasts – monuments, fountains, frescoes mixed in with the daily working life of the locals. It’s loud and fast and busy in places, then tranquil in others. One not to be missed spectacle is the morning market – pure theatre…
The historical centre is absolutely beautiful – the Duomo was adapted by the Byzantines (and later the Normans) from a 5th century BC temple, the Temple of Athena. You can actually still see the original ancient Doric columns on the outside of the cathedral. The cathedral is open 8am-noon and 4.00pm-7.00pm and is free entry. It’s situated in a beautiful piazza, fringed with restaurants and with cobbled streets leading off and away from the Duomo.
Piazza Duomo is a great place for people watching as it’s lined with excellent restaurants and chic bars – and given their location, the ones we visited, weren’t at all expensive. Day or night, you’ll definitely find someone or something interesting to observe.
We stayed in a fabulous mezzanine apartment – Casa Marta – right in the heart of the old town, which we booked through Owners Direct. It was a beautiful mezzanine apartment, in a traditional Sicilian building right in the heart of Ortiga, which we stayed in for a week. This apartment was perfect for us. It is well equipped with everything you would need for a self-catering break, including wi-fi – although we were also trying to work whilst out in Sicily and found that the internet access wasn’t as good/reliable as back home. But hey, we were on holiday too, so got over it quite easily.
If you have children or mobility issues, it is worth knowing that the entrance to the apartment is on the first floor, up some external stone stairs, and that the bedroom is on the mezzanine level with an open staircase. Casa Marta is perfectly located for exploring & discovering Ortiga. It is literally 2 mins from the sea, although sunbathing options are limited as there isn’t a beach as such – there is a rocky outcrop, very popular with locals, but takes a bit of getting used to if you like to sunbathe on a beach. Piazza Duomo, the heart of Ortigia where the stunning cathedral is located, is a 5 minute walk away. The morning market is also just a 5 min stroll away.
Just around the corner from the apartment (which also had a lovely little flower filled balcony), was an amazing bar we discovered, called Clandestino – not only did it become our “office” when apartment wi-fi was weak, but it also has the best Spotify playlist. It was a super cool, laid back “office” sometimes the day, and a chilled out hang-out pre-dinner, in the evening. One of those bars that you remember for a long time.
If you’re a sun-worshipper, Ortigia isn’t abundant with beautiful beaches – in fact, there’s only really a bathing platform. Very inventive though! And, so totally, Italian. I’ve never a nation of people so comfortable with rocking up to a piece of concrete, rolling out a towel and stripping off. To lie on the hardest surface imaginable. And still look unfeasibly cool…
However, Fonte Bianchi beach is just a short drive away, and if it’s white sand and turquoise waters you’re after, this is the one for you…
We had a car for the duration of our time in Ortigia, which meant we could get out & about and explore beyond the city. (Just make sure you’re aware of parking regulations – part of the centre is closed to traffic between certain hours and if you are parking on the street, it’s as follows… yellow bays = residents only, blue bays = metered parking, white bays = free).
Being mobile meant we could get out to nearby beaches and we also took in Noto, a fabulous baroque styled town, to the west – and if you like visiting cemeteries, the one here is well worth a visit! We were also lucky enough to catch the annual Buskers’ Festival in Ragusa – a real highlight of our trip!
Having spent some of this year’s trip visiting part of the west coast, we can heartily recommend the east coast of Sicily. And, as an aside, I think Ortigia still holds the title for the best pizza, I have ever had. The simplest of simple – bufala mozzarella and cherry tomatoes – in a small. family run trattoria, on a Sunday afternoon. And, if hadn’t been raining, we’d probably have walked on by to look for something a little more trendy looking. So, thanks to having no umbrella, the memory of the Sicilian pizza lives on.
by Helen | Sep 13, 2014 | Italy, Travel
Trapani (or Birgi Airport, located about 19 km south of the city) is accessible by Ryanair from the UK. Once in Trapani, the Egadi Islands – Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo – to the west, are as easily accessible by ferry. We chose to spend six days on Favignana – the butterfly shaped island. Were we right, and would we recommend that you do the same?
Ferry tickets, with Ustica Lines, can be bought from Egatours, located on the Trapani port road, right opposite the ferries to the islands. One way is approximately 10 euros. If you’ve checked out of your hotel and need to store your luggage before crossing, they also have a secure baggage storage room (3 euros per item) – worth knowing as it hot in this part of the world and dragging around all of your worldly belongings is not good! The crossing is about 45 mins on a hydrofoil – all inside seating, so again, worth knowing so that you can bag a window seat.
FAVIGNANA PORT
It’s very small, so can get very crowded, in peak season. Like the port, the island is very small (about 33kms all round the coastline), so the main form of transport is either bicycle or scooter, although a jeep is handy for less accessible beaches. We hired a jeep for two days from Noleggio Plaia, just out of the port road to your right – the guide prices suggested 70 euros per day, be we got it for 100 for 2 days, so worth asking. Turn right out of the road from the port & this will take you into Favignana “town” – although, all told, the parts you’d want to visit are no bigger than Didsbury village. Turn left, and you’ll still end up in town, it’ll just take a couple more minutes to get there.
When you leave Favignana, you buy your ferry ticket from the port – last office on the right hand side. Might be an idea not to turn up as the ferry is there – they tend to off load & onload pretty quickly, and the ticket office people do like chatting as they sell you your ticket…
THE TOWN
Favignana has the feel of a town that is just emerging as a destination. Although it can get very busy, with people coming over from Trapani & people staying, as we did, it still feels a very authentic Sicilian town – so, don’t go if you’re expecting full on amenities and a wide variety of upmarket bars and restaurants. Because it is a very traditional Sicilian, it also beautiful and very charming. The town is “T” shaped, with most located on the main road up from the port (although none are located in the port area) and then in the square the top of the “T”. If you’re there for any more than a night, there’s a large(ish) supermarket on the fringes of town, and a mini market on the main strip. Again, fairly basic – and you’ll definitely need a fridge wherever you’re staying, as we never found any white wine/beer that had been pre-cooled.
EATING & DRINKING
Being an island, as you’d expect, fish dishes are king, closely followed by pizzas. Food was generally good, but quite pricey – and no meal was a stand-out. Just under a week was probably enough time to discover the ones we wanted to discover – any longer & you’d be making a few return visits. If you wanted to cut down on costs, a tip would be to have a drink in one of the more trendy looking bars – they usually offered a “complimentary buffet” (drinks priced around 7 euro mark), & so you could quite easily fill up on small buffet plates. This food again was OK, but nothing remarkable. The one that was consistently pleasant was the Sicilian white wine (dry) – often the house wine, but we didn’t have one that disappointed. However, the fact that most of our food & drink photos, feature drinks, says quite a lot about the lack of restaurants, when we last visited…
ACCOMMODATION
I struggled finding somewhere that I liked the look of when booking online. I always find that putting in “boutique” as a search term will bring up something, and I did find what I was looking for, but there was no availability. We tried this cute fisherman’s cottage, found online, but sadly, and with hindsight, unsurprisingly – all booked. In self-catering terms this was a stand-out property – check for yourself. Not many properties seem to have had an overhaul and many are really dated, decor wise – but definitely very authentic. The island does boast one boutique hotel – Cave Bianchi Hotel – although full when we were there. We found it when out driving – you would definitely need transport as it is in the middle of nowhere, but looks beautiful.
We finally plumped for Hotel Aegusa – just be aware that there is an annexe, about 50 metres away from the main hotel. We were allocated a “triple room” here. Whilst it could be a lovely, it just seemed a bit, well – unloved. The room was big but again, very basic. The bathroom, whilst not awful, had seen better days and at just over £100 per night, I wanted something nicer. Reception were extremely helpful – and not at all surprised that we were requesting a room change. Unfortunately, they were fully booked too, but it turned out that they do have a sister hotel, Insula, a short distance away and a room would be available for three nights. Upon viewing it we swapped. Hotels are in short supply in Favignana, so we’d recommend this one – not amazing, but more than adequate. Breakfast in both hotels was good – staple Italian choices of bread, cheese, ham, eggs, croissants and cakes with good coffee. We did spot a hotel right by the port – perhaps not the best location, but it did look as if it might be setting a new trend in contemporary styling. Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten its name…
THE ISLAND
Having a jeep for two days meant we covered most of it. The town beach was right under our noses – to the left of the port as you stand facing out to sea. The entrance to the beach is interesting, to say the least – a huge pile of abandoned wooden fishing boats and anchors, looking like an Antony Gormley sculpture. However, the beach over towards the old tuna canning factory – an absolutely beautiful building – is sandy and slopes down to very shallow, azure blue waters. Perfect that a little lone fishing boat, in the colours of the Italian flag, was bobbing on the water…
Sandy beaches are in short supply around the island. In fact, beaches are in short supply. Many “beaches” are actually rocky outcrops – so do like the Italians do & take a beach towel and claim your rock! However, there are some stunning coves – notably Cala Rossa & Cala Azzurra to the south east of the island and Cala Rotondo to the west. The colours are spectacular – but be warned, these are very popular destinations!
So, would we go back to Favignana? On balance, probably no – but glad we’ve done it. For me, the east coast of Sicily has the magic, but each to their own. And, you can’t knock the sunsets on the west coast…
by Helen | Aug 7, 2014 | Italy, Travel
On our travels in Italy last year, we were so lucky to find some real off-the-beaten-track places. We’d hired a car and had no real plan, apart from having a couple of weeks to get from Rome to Ortigia in Sicily on the first part of the trip. So, with trusty road map – I like paper maps, not satnav – off we set after a stay in Frascati. The idea was to meander down the west coast, stopping off wherever took our fancy. If the truth be told, I wasn’t really enamoured by this route. Industrial in lots of place, down-at-heel in others and for long stretches, the really sad sight of prostitutes hanging around, clearly wishing they were somewhere else. It’s not the prettiest of routes which really disappointed me, as I thought that the whole journey would be sort of Amalfi coast-like. However, we did drive right through Naples on a Friday afternoon – and lived to tell the tale…
So, when we did find places we loved, we really loved them. Stand-out stays were in Sperlonga and Castellabate and then probably our favourite, Tropea. Apart from the first night, spent in the utterly appalling Hotel Valemare (still shudder about this place, but if you scroll down to my review on Trip Advisor you’ll get the picture), Tropea absolutely lived up to its reputation as the “jewel in the Calabrian crown”.
And, if you’re a fan of red onions – cipolle di tropea – this is the place for you. These Cipolle Rosse di Tropea are often dubbed “Calabria’s red gold” and are said to have more health benefits than regular onions – and are often eaten raw, because of their amazing sweetness. They can be seen strung outside shops, adorning doorways and piled high on market stalls and produce trucks by the side of the road. And, in every restaurant, you can be absolutely sure that the Tropea red onions will be in abundance…
by Helen | May 16, 2014 | Spain, Travel
Easter may be well over now, and it’s a couple of weeks since we returned, but memories of Seville are still burning very, very brightly. We were lucky enough to be there during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and, oh my word! What a spectacle! The week features the processions of pasos – floats of life-like wooden sculptures of individual scenes of the events from the Passion, or of the Virgin Mary. The processions are organized by hermandades and cofradías, religious brotherhoods. During the processions, members precede the pasos dressed in penitential robes, and conical shaped hoods. The processions work along a designated route from their home churches and chapels to the Cathedral, the ones from the suburban barrios taking up to 14 hours to return to their home churches. The processions continue from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday morning. The climax of the week is the night of Holy Thursday, when the processions continue throughout the night, into Good Friday morning – the madrugá. An astonishing display of theatre…
The MADRUGA begins on the evening of Holy Thursday and continues through the night, into the small hours, often still going on Good Friday morning. It is a real test of endurance. The processions of local brotherhoods – endless rows of nazarenos, or penitents, who slowly walk carrying candles, torches, wooden crosses, and lavish “Pasos”, or floats – wind their way through the central streets of Seville, accompanied by the haunting and hypnotising sounds of drums and coronets from the marching bands. Considered as one of the main elements of the Holy Week processions, the elaborate floats, carried at head height, are decorated with religious statues that depict scenes from the gospels related to the Passion of Jesus Christ and the Sorrows of the Virgin Mary. They march, slowly, from their neighbourhood churches to the cathedral and the whole night is a real test of endurance. A mesmerizing feature of the processions is the wearing of the penitential robe – the nazareno. Although similar to those of the Ku Klux Klan, they’re completely unrelated – these long purple robes with pointy hoods (capirote) were widely used in medieval times.
As the evening progresses, the crowds grow and the atmosphere is palpable. There’s a heady mix of religious fervour and curiosity and awe. Some people are clearly there to have a full on religious experience, but some – like us – wanted to experience it for the first time. I can honestly say I have never witnessed, or experienced anything quite like it. It really was quite intoxicating and we followed the processions for hours, into the early morning of Good Friday. Luckily, bars and restaurants are mostly open for the duration, so weary feet can be rested…
Good Friday sees Round Two, and as we were there, we did the whole thing again. Seeing it all in darkness is a spectacle but you did miss lots of what is going on, so doing it in the day time, gives you the opportunity to everything in its full glory…
Easter Saturday is a little more subdued, but if you want your fix of processions again, you can do the whole lot again. Fair play to the people participating – although they do apparently rehearse all year round and it is considered to be the greatest honour to take part.
Easter Sunday itself, is perhaps the quietest day of the whole of Semana Santa. I’m not sure how many processions we could have actually taken, but there are none on this day itself, as this is the day when the pesos are carried back to their churches and the statues brought home, for another year.
All in all, one of the breath-taking weekends we have ever experienced. And, on top of all of the Semana Santa excitement, we still were able to experience and explore Seville. And, what a city…
by Helen | May 1, 2014 | Spain, Travel
Staying in southern Spain, with a hire car, meant that we could get out and about and really explore the region of Andalucia. One of our trips was across to the west and the amazing city of Seville. All the more amazing because we visited over Easter and this was totally mind blowing. A true spectacle that we will never forget. However, on the way to Seville, we couldn’t not stop and take in Ronda, the mountaintop city in the Malaga region, that’s set dramatically above the deep El Tajo gorge, which separates the city’s 15th-century new town from its old town, dating back to Moorish times. It was mid-April when we arrived, and already hot. It seemed as if summer was in full swing, with cloudless sky, bright sunshine and wide esplanades, filled with orange trees, bursting with fruit.
When we arrived, the town was vibrant and full of locals and tourists. Bars and restaurants were buzzing. But, as we continued to explore, the streets started to empty as siesta time kicked in. And, although it was very, very warm, we decided to stay out and about, as we were only there for a short time and wanted to see as much as we could. And, without throngs of tourists, this was much more bearable in the early summer heat.
Although not small, Ronda retains much of its historic charm, particularly in its old town. Elegant, pastel and cream coloured buildings, with elaborate facades look onto tree lined roads. The trees are beautifully manicured and clearly looked after, all year round. During our very short visit, we couldn’t even really begin to take in the buildings and the architecture, as there was just so much to see and savour. So, we had whistle stop tour of the area around the gorge – as that was what we had come to see on this occasion.
The Gorge : El Tajo
This area, an Andalusian Natural Monument, has two distinct sections. The first is the 500-metre long, 100 metre deep, gorge goes to the Guadalevín river. The other part is a large scarp that opens onto “La Caldera”, a circular hollow. It dates back 5,000 years, a seismic movement created two plateaus separated by the gorge, known as the Tajo de Ronda.
The Puente Nuevo connects two parts of the city known as El Mercadillo and La Ciudad (the old and new towns), which are otherwise separated by the El Tajo gorge. It’s dizzingly high, and if you suffer from a fear of heights, it may be an idea not to lean over the edge and look down…
Had we not been determined to experience Semana Santa in Seville, I think we’d have made a booking for a couple of night’s accommodation, there and then, but the pull of the processions was just too great. So, Ronda is bookmarked for a return visit, and we’ll get to explore a whole lot more.
by Helen | Feb 1, 2014 | Italy, Travel
In my book, a “cool” place to stay doesn’t need to be hip and trendy and cutting edge. It just needs to be somewhere that isn’t bog-standard. And this place we stumbled upon – quite literally – in Castellabate, Campania is very cool, if like us, you like things that are a little bit different.
We’d taken the coastal road south from Sperlonga – and although only 136 km it was a long drive, as the road isn’t straight. We stopped off in Salerno hoping to get a room, but unfortunately had arrived in town when the Italian postal workers were holding a national conference. No room at the inn, so on we carried. Paestum was the next obvious stop – and I remembered the name from history lessons – but it was difficult on a dark October night (it was after 9pm by this time) to summon up any enthusiasm for the town, simply because we couldn’t obviously find anywhere to stay. This is a big regret of our trip to Italy as I’ve since really looked into Paestum and the history geek in me WILL be returning. The upside though of not finding anywhere on route, meant that we discovered the next place – Castellabate.
Although to be fair, we didn’t realise this until the next day. We were shattered, and a bit lost to be honest, so pulled into a car park in a what seemed to be a typical old, Italian hill town. By sheer coincidence, where we’d parked the car, we saw a sign, half covered with ivy, which seemed to say “Albergo” – and although it was now quite late, we thought we’d at least make an enquiry. And, wow – how glad are we that Salerno was full of postal workers? This was a GEM and we simply cannot recommend it highly enough…
Despite the lateness, and our lack of Italian, Franca, the lovely owner, immediately came to our rescue! The albergo is quite literally a “castle” – very old, beautifully furnished and just stunning. We were shown the most incredible en-suite apartment – a huge bedroom & bathroom, with exposed ancient stone walls, mosaic tiled floors, beautiful furniture & the most comfortable bed, with crisp white bedding. Although not modern in terms of furnishings, the bedroom & bathroom were spotless. We took it without hesitation.
If you are looking for a real get-away-from-it-all, we couldn’t recommend this gem highly enough. It is family run, and run with obvious love. Breakfast was amazing – fruit, breads, cheese, meats, juices, coffee, preserves – and all made with produce from the gardens where possible. The terrace where we had breakfast, even in late September, was full of flowers and foliage and with a stunning view down to the sea & across the countryside. (There is also a roof terrace with loungers).
The hotel (although as it’s far removed from a “hotel” as you can imagine) is just stunning – as is Castellabate. Another find, highly recommended by us. But, keep it quiet – we don’t want everyone going there.
update : november 2023
It’s over ten years since we stayed at this beautiful castello in Castellabate and I recently checked to see if was still open. It looks as if the owners who had it when we were there sold it in 2018 and it has been completely refurbished by the new owners. It looks bloomin’ amazing – even better than in 2013, when we found it to be magical – so I guess it’s back on our list of places to revisit…
by Helen | Dec 28, 2013 | Travel, UK
We’re big fans of Anthony Gormley’s sculptures and whenever back in Formby, visiting relatives, we take a trip over to Crosby Beach and walk amongst the Iron Men statues, when the tide is out. So, on our recent Christmas trip back to the north east, we decided to get up close and personal to The Angel of the North, having only ever seen it from the motorway. And, wow, once underneath it, it’s immense and pretty awesome!
Viewed against the brilliant blue winter sky, the coppery metal is just beautiful – red and rusty and earthy. Just like the surrounding land. Sitting on top of the hill, the statue is just beautiful, with its outstretched arms. Everything just seems to be engulfed. A very powerful, in every way.
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England (Durham Rd, Low Eighton, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE9 6AA). It is a steel sculpture of an angel, 20 metres tall, with wings measuring 54 metres across. There is a free car park, no admission and is accessible all year, including Xmas & New Year.
by Helen | Nov 23, 2013 | France, Travel
Although Paris is packed to the gills with the most gorgeous places to eat, sometimes its the unexpected ones you stumble upon that are the most memorable. We recently stayed in Montmartre and Saturday morning was cold and grey – much like a home from home, so it was decided that breakfast was much needed to set us up for a day of sight-seeing. Having had two months of sweet Italian breakfasts, we were craving a savoury fix – and Restaurant Marcel just ticked those boxes perfectly.
Inside it was as achingly cool and cute as you like, and clearly a hip place for Parisiens to hang out on a Saturday morning. The decor was beautiful – greys and dark wood and low slung bare light bulbs. If Amelie had walked in, I wouldn’t have been surprised. For the first time, in a long while, we had a hot, savoury breakfast – with two BIG cups of coffee. Bliss! And clearly, these breakfasts go down well with the locals too, as most people in there were having what we were having. After nearly three months on the road – and it feels ungrateful even saying it, as it was all spent driving around beautiful Italy – you could not under estimate how good this breakfast was! Sausages, bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, vine tomatoes and toast. Just delicious!
Another breakfast find was Le Pain Quotidian, situated on the corner of Rue Lepic and Rue des Abbesses, Montmartre – a perfect location to while away an hour or so, over a delicious breakfast.
Not only super Parisien, effortlessly cool – but with boiled eggs, on the menu. Another blissful start to the day…
