city break

16 October 2018

Swayed by the promise of sunshine and cheap flights we found ourselves back in Italy for the second time this year. Rimini has the best of both, miles of beach to attract sun worshippers and a cultural centre with Roman remains and a Renaissance cathedral.

We stayed at Hotel Bahama, a little dated in decor but we couldn’t fault the hospitality of the staff. I don’t like to make a fuss with dietary needs but they clearly had their eye on me, eventually asking if I was Vegetarian. I explained I was in fact Vegan (for ease of communication) and next morning at breakfast was presented with a carton of soya milk and vegan croissants. The only downside to our location was we hadn’t realised that some areas of the resort closed down for winter, this meant we had to go slightly further afield to find restaurants open for dinner.

Rimini city centre is typically Italian with narrow cobbled streets and piazzas. The town’s Roman past is still visible with the Tiberius Bridge and Arch of Augustus. Soaking in the Italian architecture is lovely but I’ll openly admit I’m here for the food. If you’ve been following our Italian adventures over the years you’ll know that I can usually sniff out Vegan food relatively easy. In Rimini old town we had an evening meal at Loving Hut (a vegan cafe) and I grabbed Vegan gelato at La Scintilla and Cuor di Cioccolato. Near to the beach the restaurant called Newport had a small vegan menu but I will say my vegan burger wasn’t quite to my taste. We ate twice at Chi Sburoun but by far the best Marinara pizza of the holiday was at Rossopomodoro, although the service was a little patchy, our waiter seemed bored of work, not that I blame him having to deal with tourists.From Rimini we took day trips to San Marino (by bus) and Bologna (by train). San Marino is situated up on a mountain top, is the world's oldest republic and Europe's third smallest state. It’s a beautiful place to amble around the steep streets, taking in spectacular views the higher you climb. We stopped for lunch in Palazzo Pubblico after I spotted the magic word “vegan” on a menu and I had a delicious meal of chickpeas with vegetable gratin and swiss chard.
In June we had flown into Bologna but didn’t stop before making our journey to Florence. It’s a decision with hindsight that we regret. Bologna is beautiful and exactly as you would expect from a busy Italian city. It’s easy to amble around on foot and lunch is a must whilst taking in the wonderful architecture. We didn’t have much of a plan and basically got lost whilst possibly walking around in circles. When our tummies grumbled I was scouring restaurant menus. Traditionally Bologna is known for its Bolognese (Ragu) which is a meat based pasta sauce so I felt super lucky to spot a blackboard advertising Vegan food alongside Vegetarian and gluten free options. I’m pleased to say I had the most delicious lentil soup at Brusce and would recommend this little bistro.

If you image search Rimini you'll see images of miles of beach jam packed with sun loungers and umbrellas. I’m not sure that would be my idea of heaven in the height of summer but for a cheap last minute autumn getaway it was pretty perfect. We still have so much more of Italy we’d like to see so maybe we will be back next year. If you'd like to catch up on our Italian road trip that we took earlier in the year, then follow this link - Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, Cinque Terre and Genoa

Sarah x

15 June 2015

Sugarpuffish holiday in Porto, Portugal
For those not following me on Twitter, I’ve spent the last week on holiday in Porto, Portugal. You may remember we visited Lisbon last year and Portugal is fast become one of my favourite countries. Like Lisbon you need a comfortable pair of shoes, a sun hat and some sturdy legs for walking the hills. I’ll admit it was tough going at times and my love of chocolate was ever telling when I puffed my way up the steepest staircase.

9 June 2014

Lisbon PortugalView from Castelo de S.Jorge

You may have noticed things have been a little quiet around here, that's because I just spent the last five days in Lisbon. I knew very little about Lisbon before booking our trip but I quickly fell in love with this beautiful city.

Our Hotel, Olissippo Saldanha was out of the main hustle and bustle but within easy reach of public transport, with a metro stop on the corner of street and on the same line as the Airport which was handy. It’s a newly opened, modern and clean hotel. I could not find fault and they even offered soya milk at breakfast. A large supermarket across the road was great for stocking up on snacks and water, which saved a bit of money instead of paying tourist prices. My jaw dropped at the impressive selection of soya milk and the variety of flavours, for instance Alpro Red Fruit (aka Mixed Berries) and Vive Soy in Peach, Orange & Papaya Mango *mind blown*. The free from selection looked great for gluten free products.

You need a sturdy pair of shoes for walking the streets of Lisbon. I would say the hills give San Francisco a run for their money. Despite the aching feet and creaking knees you are rewarded with the most amazing views. A cool beverage in a local cafe is a must before making the trek back down. If you want to do things the easy way, there are old and new trams to help you up the hills and three funiculars. Be prepared to squeeze yourself onto the older trams as they are popular with tourists. On one ride we were treated to an impromptu Portuguese sing-a-long, two old men with guitars and a lady belting out traditional songs. We visited some of the sights - Torre de Belem, Elevator de Santa Justa, Museu Calouste Gulbenkian and Castelo de Sao Jorge but mainly, we just wandered the narrow streets stopping to people watch, soaking up the sunshine and admire the views. 
Lisbon Portugal
Portuguese food mainly consists of cheese, meat, seafood, sweet pastries and more cheese. On our first day my pizza was served up with cheese but wait staff were extremely apologetic and the situation was rectified. Vegetarians are catered for but you have to seek out places for Vegans. I had found an excellent blog post on Vegan Lisbon by Radiant Flux which I had as back up but we didn't end up using it. We did attempt to find one of recommendations but ended up getting lost and hungry. 

Purely by accident, we came across a wonderful little Vegan cafe, Princesa do Castelo Restaurante, whilst stumbling down the hills of Alfama on our last day. I stopped for a rest, turned around and spotted the green flag on the door – homemade, allergen free dishes. Despite the sign promoting Vegetarian cuisine, I was informed everything was suitable for Vegans and noted Gluten Free & Diabetic options. I had hoped for ice cream but it was tangerine flavour so I passed it up for a slice of chocolate peanut butter cake with whipped soya cream. I instinctively asked without fruit but the gentleman who served me gave me a puzzled look so I explained about fruit allergies. He must have thought I was the weirdest person as I rattled off a list of fruit I have to avoid and we settled on banana and apple. The menu wasn’t large but reasonably priced and a friendly service. Sadly, as it was our last day we didn’t have time to go back and sample more dishes.


We did fall into the tourist trap with restaurants as I find my dietary requirements difficult to manage in the smaller places that are off the beaten track. Rua Augusta is the main pedestrian street. In some ways it reminded me of Las Ramblas in Barcelona because sadly it had a slightly seedy side which detracted from the beauty. You had to be aware of pick pockets, beggars and we were even offered drugs in broad daylight! I’m not naive but I was still shocked at how blatant these people are. We had a bland meal at Romans on Rua Augusta and we should have known better than to follow the Tourist trail. Amorino, the ice cream/gelato store was frequented twice by my other half. It’s a modern store not in the slightest rustic and authentic but he enjoyed his waffle and ice cream. We found the best seafood restaurants were on Rua das Portas de Santo Antao which was a recommendation in our guide book. Although be warned restaurant staff pounce on you with menus, something I’ve experienced in other places but I do find a little intimidating. I would recommend the restaurant which I think was attached to the hotel Residencial Florescente. We also stumbled across Brio Supermercado, natural and organic products galore, a bit like Wholefoods on a smaller scale. I would have loved to explore the skincare but I only had cabin luggage allowance so that limited me to 100ml for liquids. You’ll probably hate me for this but we found two Starbucks. A Very Berry Hibiscus drink went down very nicely on a hot day and I have another mug to add to my collection. This also inspired my blog title; our drinks were labelled Sara & Andre. I love the way our names became translated by locals.

I have visited Saville, Granada, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Brussels, Amsterdam and Rome but I have to say Lisbon was my favourite place, second to Rome. You must pay it a visit sometime and say Hello from me.

Sarah x

27 October 2012

Travel Rome Italy
Travelling is one of my passions and once you get the bug you really can’t stop. I am fortunate to have seen many cities around the world and this week I visited Rome, Italy. I guess this blog post is the modern equivalent to popping over to my place for nibbles and a holiday slide show.

Let me start with a few basics details which could be useful for planning your own trip. We ended up catching a bus from Fiumicino airport to Termini Station. There were a number of shuttle companies competing for our Euros. You simply buy tickets from booths in the terminal. We paid €5 each with TAM and on our return journey we picked up the Atral coach for €4 each. 

We stayed at The Blue Hostel which is “a hostel with hotel style rooms”. It is situated near the Termini Station in a typical Italian apartment block. We were in a flat that had been converted into a couple of double rooms. I can not fault the accommodation it was clean, modern with en-suite, TV, free WIFI and air conditioning. There were a couple of minor issues which I think are worth mentioning. You have to be prepared to trek up three flights of stairs not an easy task after a day of sightseeing and we had a couple of power cuts during the night. It only became a problem for us because it kept tripping a burglar alarm which woke us up several times. I would advise taking a torch we did return one evening and had to climb the stairs in the pitch dark. 

Our Hostel owner suggested we buy Roma Passes for €30 each. It allows you free entry to the first 2 museums or archaeological sites, reduced ticket prices at other museums/sites and free use of public transport. It was worth every cent when it came to the Colosseum as you get to jump the long queues. Like most cities in the world, Rome has a petty crime problem. Unfortunately, pick pocketing is common place along with beggars and peddlers. You just need to be sensible. Be aware of your belongings; don’t carry valuables or large sums of cash and a money belt is definitely advisable.

That’s the practicalities now on to the fun part. We had four days in Rome and the weather was amazing, a very sweaty 26 degrees. My feet were very sore and I gained a few blisters but I still enjoyed myself. We visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Vatican City (Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica), Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. The food was delicious and I found it relatively easy to follow my dietary requirements but I shall do a separate post about my experiences. 

Until next time - Arrivederci

Sarah x

Instagram

Sugarpuffish. Theme by STS.