Germany - Black Forest & Berlin

A few pics from the two very different areas we stayed recently while in Germany.  Young, fashion-conscious Berlin women have taken to cycling almost as much as they have to drinking beer on public transport.  Beers and bikes are big in Berlin.  As are arm tattoos. Lots of girls with arm tats.

Definitely one of my favourite cities.

Portugal - the Honeymoon

A brief but beautiful 7 day honeymoon through Portugal's amazing Alentejo region.  We ate and drank our way to gastronomical heaven via wineries, castles, monasteries and many, many cork trees.  If you don't like pork or seafood, the typical Alentejo menu may not be for you.  Personally, I recommend the black pig washed down with a good Alentejo vinho tinto, but that mouthwatering crab (pictured) came a very close second.  No photos of the beautiful bride, sorry!

Hampstead Heath (London) - Spring

16 Days in India

16 days in India saw us travel the well worn route of Delhi - Agra - Jaipur.  We added some more kilometres by also visiting beautiful Udaipur before returning to Delhi.  I'm pretty sure we saw every temple/major monument there was to see along the route!   Then we flew to Goa thankfully, for 6 days of sunshine and to work on my Portuguese speaking.  A great trip, but a destination that needs a lot more time to explore.  I would recommend about 3 months, at least.

Autumnal Companions - London

A few strolls through Hyde Park this Autumn enabled me to take some pics of companionship amongst the fallen leaves.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - Hammersmith Apollo 23/11/11

Back in June I posted my joy of the news that Gillian Welch's new album was finally being released.  Last night I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Welch and David Rawlings perform at the Hammersmith Apollo.

Throughout the entire concert I was filled with a warm happiness, mixed with an undercurrent of sadness.  Happiness from the rare beauty of the performance and some sadness because the songs are genuine heart-string pluckers.  To witness 2 people utterly captivate an audience of that size with just their guitars and voices was an extraordinary thing.  It was as if the songs had been mellowing in oak barrels for decades, with the lucky crowd being privy to a tasting session of the finest vintage.

Get me to Dixie, I need another whiskey.