Deutschland, June 2013: brezels, bratwurst, and Berliner Weisse

In June we spent around 10 days in northern Germany. High school friend Melissa joined us and we were finally able to visit friend Insa in her home country, after she'd visited us in NZ numerous times over the years.

Our first stop was Hamburg, where Insa's sister and brother-in-law were kind enough to host us. We made the most of their local knowledge and explored the city together, taking in some beers in the sun on the 'beach' beside the river. 

Hamburg is a really cool city. It's relaxed and seemed quite forward-thinking. We wandered around funky little markets and cute canals, tried flammkuchen (delicious Alsatian dish similar to pizza), and walked through the tunnel under the Elbe, discovering a jazz performance on the other side. 

Next up was Berlin. We took a walking tour of the city which was really good for giving us an overall feel for the city, its geography and history. The Museum Island was really impressive - an amazing collection of buildings - although we decided to make the most of the beautiful weather and didn't venture inside. 

To me, seeing the remaining parts of Berlin wall, and all the memorials to the holocaust was so surreal. To think that these events happened so recently, and in the case of the downfall of the Berlin wall, even in my lifetime. Strange to imagine the country divided less than 30 years ago. The East Side Gallery of the wall, with it's colourful and eclectic paintings was amazing.

We also saw many other great examples of street art throughout the city. We managed to hunt out a local place for a delicious schnitzel and wandered through some really alternative, artistic areas of the city.

Kylie had read about an amazing kebab stand, and we queued for a good 45 minutes just to order one. It really was scrumptious though - lots of fresh herbs, yoghurt, and wrapped in pitta bread.

While in Berlin we were also able to meet up with some other friends from NZ over a few beers. Thinking that weisse means wheat, and that we like wheat beer, we ordered two Berliner Weisse. When the neon green and red drinks arrived we realised we'd made a grave mistake. It turns out the wheat beers have a sweet syrup added to them, and it was pretty awful. We had to order another two beers instead.

After five days in Berlin we hopped on a train to visit Insa in the small city of Bielefeld, where she was living at the time. Bielefeld is by no means a touristy town, but it was nice to visit a truly local city. We went on a number of nice walks, with plenty of greenery to be had in the city, climbed the tower and walked around the Sparrenburg Castle, visited some nice cafes, bars and restaurants, and enjoyed relaxing at Insa's flat, trying all sorts of different cheeses. 

From here, it was a brief stop in Dortmund before Kylie and I flew back to London and Melissa carried on her journey in Germany.

Barcelona, May 2013

I had always wanted to visit Spain, and in particular Barcelona.

Maybe it was watching L'auberge espagnole, or having learnt Spanish at university, and never having had the chance to practice it in a local setting, or then again perhaps it was the promise of delicious tapas, wine, and sunshine. Or, most likely, all of the above.

So we were delighted to spend around a week in this beautiful city. We were fortunate to have an old school friend who we could stay with, and we made the most of her enormous balcony and its plentiful sunshine, and her local knowledge and tips.

Barcelona is a city which lives outdoors. Many people live in apartments, meaning that people come out to squares, parks, and the streets for lunch, or evening strolls. This makes for a friendly, sociable atmosphere. We enjoyed people watching over a beer or a coffee.

Parc Guell was great. The Gaudi buildings and amazing views over the city were fantastic. It gets really busy though, so we tried to escape the throngs, and found some lovely quieter paths, managing to get entirely lost.

We also enjoyed winding our ways down the streets and alleyways of Barri Gòtic, with its amazing medieval architecture, and boutique shops. It was nice to relax on the beach, and we also sought out a few more Gaudi buildings scattered around the city.

One must-see sight is of course La sagrada familia. The outside is really amazing, with its sheer immensity and the different designs on each facade. The two hour queue wasn't particularly appealing though and we chose instead to move along - I do regret that decision, but then I'm sure we'll be back to Barcelona before too long.

The food in Barcelona is just great as well. Staying in a less touristy area, we were able to visit local shops and supermarkets and make the most the amazing produce and wine, buying delicious bottles of red (Spanish, claro) for a few euros.

A delicious restaurant we tried in the Gracia suburb cooked up some stunning dishes (if a little pricey), including clams cooked in white wine, prawn with lobster cannelloni, salmon with sake and mango.

Although chocker blocker full of tourists, we also enjoyed the La Boqueria market and enjoyed cava, and delicious chickpea dish, and more.

We took a day trip out to Sitges, a small village on the coast, where we wandered through the quaint alleys, enjoyed ice cream and some delicious pintxos and beer, and relaxed by the sea.

We also saw some random signs around Barcelona. I'm at a complete loss to explain the second one.

Straford-upon-Avon, April 2013: Shakespeare and sprinting

In April, we spent a weekend in charming Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace. We wandered around the cute wee city centre with its distinctive architecture, had some fish and chips, and even saw Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

The main reason for our visit however was for me to participate in the Shakespeare half marathon. It was a great race. In comparison to the other half I had done, where around only 20 people took part, and I managed to get lost, this race seemed huge, and very well organised. 

The day of the race, Kylie made the most of the traditional full English breakfast served up at our bed and breakfast, while I managed my specifically requested peanut butter toast.

Kylie waited to cheer me on during our first lap of the village centre, and even managed to snap a pic (already a success compared to the Hutt Valley half). After that we headed out into the countryside, passing through small settlements before arriving back into Stratford itself.

Anxious before the start

Feeling pretty fresh at this stage of the race 

It was a great atmosphere, with lots of supporters, including families and small children cheering everyone on, and a few unusual outfits, either for charity or for what seemed to be no reason at all. I'm not much of a speed freak, but was glad to improve on my previous time by around 15 minutes.

After the race, we enjoyed a well deserved pub lunch before heading back to London.