20 Jul 13 (Sat) - Seafood Paella

Bought a box of five sachets of paella seasoning during my recent trip to Spain and wanted to try cooking paella. I know that the rice used in paella is different from the normal rice and I had the impression that I would be able to find it in Singapore so I didn't buy the Spanish rice when my friend told me to. How wrong I was. Google about the rice used and found out that Spanish rice are not widely available outside of Spain or Europe. So I had to look for substitute. Some websites recommended long-grain rice while some recommended short-grain rice and that got me really confused. Read the descriptions of the various Spanish rice used for paella and realized that they are short-grain rice hence decided to use Japanese short-grain rice which some websites recommended.

On the box of the paella seasoning was some English instructions but they were vague while those on the sachets were detailed but they were in Spanish. Tried to translate them using Google Translate as well as searched for paella recipes online, hoping to make sense of the instructions and modify them according to my needs. Found one which looked really good and wrote down the ingredients needed. Went to Giant to get the rice, prawns, mussels, white fish, scallops, yellow onion and tomatoes after work yesterday and did my cooking today.

As one sachet is enough for six servings, I used only half to cook for three because I didn't have a big paella pan. Then I realized that I forgot to copy the quantity of ingredients needed in the recipe which I remembered was for four to six servings. So I had to use my own estimations for the entire cooking session. Made the seafood broth as required by the recipe using four mussels with shells, shells of six prawns and 750ml of water. While simmering the broth, grated half of the yellow onion, one small tomato, minced two cloves of garlic, cut the fish into thin slices, washed the rest of the prawns, mussels and rice. The instructions on the sachet stated 600g of rice for six servings, so since I’m only using half the portion so I cut the rice down to 300g.

After the broth was done, I started the actual cooking using the Happycall Pan as a paella pan. Heated up the pan, pour in some olive oil, fried the grated onion till soft and brown before adding the tomato pulp, minced garlic and rice. Fried on high heat for a couple of minutes then spread the rice across the pan before adding in the broth. Used 90ml of broth to dissolve the seasoning and added into the pan. Then went on to add another 450ml of the broth into the pan to cover the rice. Brought it to boil before lowering the heat to let it simmer, constantly shifting the pan over the flame to make sure that all sides are cooked.

Didn't keep track of the timing and added the mussels, prawns and fish in that order when the rice was on level with the broth. Didn't manage to add in all the ingredients I had prepared due to the size of my Happycall Pan. As the rice got cooked and the broth reduced, the mussels were cooked; the prawns and fish slices were half cooked. So covered the pan hoping that the trap heat would cook the prawns and fish slices but only prawns got cooked. The fish slices were still slightly raw. So in the end I had to manually flip the fish slices, covered the pan and turned on high heat for a couple of minutes. Finally the fish slices got cooked but the prawns were overcooked and they became hardened. Off the heat, covered the pan and set aside to let it stand as instructed in the recipe. Went on to pan-fry a few scallops and then topped the paella with them.

The look of the seafood paella was rather good; however, taste wise it was not fantastic. It was a little too bland, rice was a bit too soft and prawns overcooked. My guess was that firstly, the seafood broth wasn't tasty enough, meaning I didn't use enough prawn shells and mussels to cook the broth. Secondly, maybe I had used too much rice and the tasteless broth so ended up with diluted seasoning. Thirdly, the timing of putting in the seafood was not well planned. Oh well… this is after all my first attempt, I shall improve on it with those modifications on my next attempt.

At the end of the cooking and eating, I rewarded myself with loads of summer fruit. Strawberries!

A Review: Sophie Bakery (Part 2) and Promotion: Matt's The Chocolate Shop

Blog about my review on Sophie Bakery back in April and made a promise to myself to go back again to try their fruit tarts. So I went back to the shop today during lunch. It was not as crowded as it was back in April and there were more macarons this time. However, the variety of the bread and tarts seem to have shrunk which made me a little disappointed. Nevertheless, I bought a Pineapple & Berries Tart, a Pain au Chocolate for myself and two Strawberry Tarts for a colleague.

The prices of the butter croissant, chocolate croissant, eclair and so on were still the same except for their fruit tarts which went from $4.50 to $4.90. The chocolate croissant was as tasty as the butter croissant but just because of the chocolate filling, it cost $0.50 more. Personally, I feel that I would just go for the butter croissant.

As for the fruit tart, instead of the usual cream or custard filling, this has a crumbly filling and with a hint of almond-flavour, I think. It was good but for the price of $4.90, personally I find it a bit steep. So overall, the food was good but I don't think I will buy again unless I'm feeling pretty rich. However, I don't mind going back for the butter croissant thought.

UPDATE: THE SHOP HAS CLOSED.

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Extra! Extra!

Matt's The Chocolate Shop which is nearby is having their 1-year Anniversary Promotion.

• 12.5% off all Small Chocolate Cakes
• 15% off all Medium and Large Cakes
• 20% off if you order their Medium or Large Cakes at least 1 day in advance

Plus, they added Pandan Butter Cake drizzled with Gula Melaka Syrup to their product range recently

Hurry! Promotion ends 31 July 2013.

7 Jul 13 (Sun) - Cream of Pumpkin, Pan-fried Steak and Sweet Mash Pumpkin

Saw a picture of a dish called “Chilled Cream of Pumpkin with Sweet Potato” by a local chef from a well-known restaurant last Thursday and it looked really nice. It had the purple sweet potato twirled on a plate of yellow cream of pumpkin soup. Was motivated to replicate the dish and so went on to search for recipes online. Found a few recipes on cream of pumpkin and saw one that was really simple to do so copied that down in my notebook. Went on to search for recipes on mashed sweet potato but I did not have time to study them in details therefore settled to try out only the cream of pumpkin this weekend. Went marketing on Friday and bought a small portion of Japanese pumpkin, a piece of top rump and a few other stuff. My plan was to cook beef noodle on Saturday and use the balance to cook stir-fry beef on Sunday as well as to try out the cream of pumpkin on Sunday.

Japanese Pumpkin

Unfortunately, my plan was messed up due to some unforeseen circumstances, hence had to rearrange my meal plans. In the end, I came up with a 3-course meal consisting of Cream of Pumpkin, Pan-fried Steak and Sweet Mash Pumpkin. The second was a change to my original beef noodle and because I did not want to buy a broccoli just to use a small portion of it, I used choy sum instead. And since the cream of pumpkin called for potato as one of the ingredients, boiled the balance to go with the steak. The last dish, which was a dessert, was really something that came up impromptu.

Cream of Pumpkin

Pan-fried Steak

Bought the other ingredients called for in the cream of pumpkin from the market and started cooking after breakfast about 9:30am. I thought I was going to take a long time to finish the cooking but I was done by 11:15am, including washing and photo taking. Whee! Was pretty proud of the cream of pumpkin because that turned out really well even though I modified the recipe a little by sauteing the onion with some olive oil, pre-boiling the pumpkin to separate the flesh from the skin and replacing thick cream with milk. Since I had some boiled pumpkin left, mashed them with a packet of MacDonald’s fine sugar and surprisingly I got a very smooth consistency so used that as my dessert.

Sweet Mash Pumpkin

Overall, the 3-course meal turned out quite well and presentable given that I was improvising with limited resources. Heh…

My 3-course Meal

Cream of Pumpkin (Serves 1-2)

Adapted from Bestrecipes website

Ingredients:

160g Japanese pumpkin, after boiling and skinned

50g potatoes, diced

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1/2 chicken stock cube, crumbled

160ml water

40ml milk

Olive oil

Salt

Method:

1.  Sauté onion with some olive oil in a saucepan

2.  Place all other ingredients, except milk and pumpkin, in the saucepan

3.  Simmer until vegetables are tender

4.  Add pumpkin and mash while boiling for another 3 minutes

5.  Remove from heat and add salt to taste

6.  Blend until smooth

7.  Add milk and stir through

8.  Garnish with chopped pistachio nuts

Note: The balance of the boiled pumpkin can be mashed with castor sugar while still hot/warm to be made into a dessert on its own.

Recipe for Cream of Pumpkin submitted to Munch Ministry

18 & 19 Jun 13 – Day 12 & 13 (Madrid)

Today was the last day of our trip and we didn’t have to check-out till 11am so Kim and I got up slightly later and went for slightly later breakfast before heading out to the nearby super mart. Ever since we bought the mini bottles of olive oil, Kim had been hunting for extras but no luck. Fortunately for her, the super mart had those and Kim bought a few more. Returned to the hotel and bumped into the family with the small boy. They were on the way out to another direction to check out some shops they saw the evening before. Got back to the room, did another round of packing to make sure I got everything into the luggage and those that could not be hand carried be put into the check-in luggage. Message little big sis and got to know that the haze in Singapore had worsen over the last few days. I knew about the haze when friends posted about it on FB.

When it was about time to check-out, we did one last round of checks around the room before proceeding down to the lobby. Today we were supposed to take the local coach to the airport so we had to wait for it to arrive. As the lobby was small, some of the members chose to wait outside. There were two seats in the area between the two glass doors, one connecting the lobby, the other connecting the street. Kim and I chose to sit there with our luggage. I took random shots while she used the Internet connection. Most of the members commented that we had the best seats and some of them asked us to help them look after their luggages which were placed opposite us while they waited in the lobby.

The local coach was really late and when it finally arrived, we quickly loaded our luggage and boarded the coach. While on our way to the airport, Nancee told us that those who needed to do tax refund would have to follow her to a counter to settle the paperwork before checking-in their luggage and those who didn’t need to, can proceed to check-in on their own. So once we reached the airport which was rather fast, all the members except Mr and Mrs Goh, Kim and I, followed Nancee to do the tax refund. After we had done the check-in, we bumped into Nancee who told us that we need to cater about 45 minutes to catch the airport bus to another terminal to board the plane. So we looked at the time and decided that we had some time to spare. Walked around the airport and realized that most of the shops were closed due to renovation.

We saw the shop “Loewe” and Kim went into the shop to find out the prices of the two bags that her sis was eyeing on. After knowing the prices, Kim went on to message her sister to find out if she wanted to buy. So during the time of waiting, I popped into a duty free shop to get a box of Spanish chocolate and then into another shop to get a UK edition of the Cosmopolitan that came with a free pair of shades while Kim went to get snacks from KFC. Then it was about time to get to the platform to wait for the airport bus and just when we reached the platform, Kim’s sister replied telling her to get the bags but it was too late for that.

At the platform, it stated that it would take about 30 minutes to get to the other terminal. Airport bus came and we boarded it to go to the other terminal for our flight. When the airport bus stopped, we thought it was not our stop to alight so we continued to sit because only about 10-15 minutes had passed. An older man who sat next to us told us that it was the final stop and we should alight. He then tried to help direct us to the correct place to get to our gate. While we were on the escalator to go up to the ground floor, there was another board that indicated that it would take about 20 minutes to get to our gate.

After we reached the ground floor, again, most of the shops were closed due to renovation. Within the next 10 minutes, we were in front of the designated gate so I sat to read my magazine while Kim ate her snacks and shared some with me. Soon, members came strolling to the area in front of the gate to wait for boarding. Again, Mrs Chia was complaining about the shops being closed for renovation.

Soon it was time to board the plane and I spent the next many hours either dozing off, sleeping, eating or watching movies. Touched down in Singapore in the late afternoon and I could smell the haze once out of the plane. Little big sis came with BIL to pick me up and I spent that night at her place, sorting out my things and doing the laundry.

Thoughts: The whole trip was so-so compared to my previous two Europe trips. I guess it was because this trip focuses more on big cities rather than small towns and country sides which would have provided nicer sceneries. 

Will I go back to visit Spain and Portugal? Maybe. Maybe not.

Click here for more photos of the trip.

17 Jun 13 – Day 11 (Toledo and Madrid)

This morning we set off to Toledo, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage and place of coexistence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures. We stopped just outside of Toledo to appreciate the city as whole from afar where we could see the Tagus River. Took photos and walked over to the Puente de San Martín or St Martin's Bridge in English, which is a medieval bridge across the river Tagus to get into Toledo.

After that, we continued on by coach to get to a Damascene workshop where a staff showed and explained to us how damascene was made. Shortly after, we were brought to the showroom where there was lots of damascene jewelry of various levels. The first level is mainly factory made and as the level progresses, it indicates that the piece of jewelry has more workmanship. I bought a level one bracelet for M while I bought a pair of level two earrings for myself. There were also wrist watches and pocket watches for sale but because the shop is more on damascene artwork and not on watches so I didn't see the point of getting one.

We were supposed to leave by certain timing but some of the group members were still busy choosing their pieces while some were trying to made arrangement for the tax refund. Finally we left after much delay and go further into Toledo and along the way; we passed by the Puerta de Bisagra. Then we had to go on foot to the Toledo Cathedral. It was a cloudy day and so I had a hard time getting the perfect photo on the cathedral. Inside the cathedral were many chapels and we were only introduced to a few. We saw the Retable of the Cathedral, the vaulted ceiling, high altar, and reja of the main chapel, in one of the chapels, we saw the grand stand that was used to hold the bible and there were two levels of chairs with different carvings. Also saw painting in the ceiling and the El Transparente of the Cathedral. Unfortunately, the dark lightings didn’t allow us to appreciate these in full. Done with the cathedral and we went to the souvenir shop just across the street for some of us to use the toilet and while waiting, I managed to get another pair of damascene ear-studs. Cut through more small alleys and then we were back to the coach to go back to Madrid.

Reached Madrid and we were driven to the restaurant where we had tapas for lunch. There were altogether 8 dishes which consisted one on seafood; one on salad, one on Tortilla Española, one on sausages, one on mushrooms, one on squid, one on paella and one on creamy potato (I think) and finally end off with a small bowl of ice-cream. After lunch, we headed to the Royal Palace of Madrid and saw a street performer dressed in uniform pretending to be headless. Went into the palace and local guide said that big haversacks had to be put into a locker and so Mr Goh and I followed the local guide to the locker place where I put a 1 Euro for a big locker enough for two haversacks. The local guide pushed the door to the upper locker closed so that I wouldn’t knock my head after collecting the key. So happened that a 1 Euro coin dropped out from that door and she handed it to me, saying it was my lucky day. After that, we joined the rest at the entrance to the palace. A tourist took a photo at the entrance and was told by the security guard that no photos allowed. Apparently, no photography is allowed inside the palace and not even near the entrance of the palace. So this was one of the palace tours where all of us paid full attention to the local guide’s explanation.

After the tour ended, Madeline and the local guide reminded me to collect the haversacks from the locker. So I hurried over with Mr Goh to collect the haversacks and my 1 Euro coin which I had deposited earlier. Then we were given time in the souvenir shop to use the toilets and to do some shopping. Nothing to get so went outside to the Plaza de la Armería to take photos of the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Almudena Cathedral. It was a day with nice blue sky and white clouds and with the black and gold street lamps at the plaza, I took many shots. So glad with the invention of the digital camera, otherwise, multiple shots would be impossible.

Then we made a trip over to the Plaza de España (Madrid), where we saw the Cervantes Monument dedicated to Spanish novelist, poet and playwright Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. The tower portion of the monument includeed a stone sculpture of Cervantes, which overlooks bronze sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Next to the tower, there were two stone representations of Don Quixote's "true love", one as the simple peasant woman Aldonza Lorenzo, and one as the beautiful, imaginary Dulcinea del Toboso. There was a fountain behind the monument and so Kim and I hurried over to the back to try to snap a few shots. However, we could get far back enough to capture the whole monument with the fountain and also we were facing the sun, thus getting that perfect photo was impossible.

After we boarded the coach, Nancee told us that driver has kindly agreed to take us to see the Madrid Stadium, which was also called the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. This was to satisfy some of the die-hard Real Madrid football fan. We alighted outside the stadium and again, all of us tried to take photo of the stadium. But because we were too close to it, the best we could do was to take a photo of the name of the stadium and the logo of the Real Madrid F.C. Then we continued our journey to the Plaza Mayor, passing by the Puerta de Alcalá. After we alighted, Nancee told the group to gather back at the pick-up point at 8:30pm sharp because it was the driver’s last day with us and if there was going to be any delay, it would be against the law or some sort. She was pretty firm about punctuality this time, saying that if she didn't see us at 8:30pm, the driver would just drive off. After having said that, she also assured the group that they would have plenty of time to shop at the airport the next day.

The local guide then led us to the Plaza Mayor and along the way, we saw the Kilometre Zero of Spain, which was in the centre of the Puerta del Sol of Madrid and we also saw the Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree which the local guide told us has since became a representation of Madrid. Reached Plaza Mayor and there was the Casa de la Panadería. We also saw three street performers at the plaza pretending to be three heads on a dish on a table. From there, we were given free time to roam around till 8:30pm.

So Kim and I roamed around, trying to be systematic in our roaming. Along the way, we saw more street performers who pretended to be floating on air. Then we went to the Kilometre Zero spot for photos before doing more shopping. There were a lot of people everywhere and so we didn't really pop into any shops, only randomly popped into one souvenir shop to do some last minute souvenir shopping. After we were done choosing and paying for our purchases, there was only about 45 minutes left before 8:30pm and we were not even half done with the Downtown, plus we still needed to hunt for dinner. Kim still had one more cup noodle to finish, so again I had to get snacks as dinner. In the end, we decided to go to the traditional pastry shop recommended by the local guide to get some pastries and then to KFC to get more snacks. The pastry shop was so traditional that they used paper and string to wrap our purchases instead of using paper boxes.

Slowly made our way back to the pick-up point and stopped by at the Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree for some photos. There were 15 more minutes before 8:30pm, so Kim and I just wandered around the place and took some random shots just to keep ourselves occupied. Finally, the rest of the group gathered back and surprisingly, all of us came back. Got back to the hotel, Nancee told us there was a small super mart near the hotel and so a few of us followed her there. As Kim and I had nothing to buy, we went off on our own after knowing the location of the super mart.

Once we got to the room, we quickly checked the floor. The visible tag was gone but Kim said the one at the side of the bed was still there. It seemed that the so-called housekeeping was only to clean what was visible. The only consolation was that the floor wasn't dusty anymore. I bought three pieces of pastries and one of them was so sweet that I didn't finish it. Fortunately, the other two were quite nice and tasty. After eating, did some packing so that we didn't have to rush through the packing the next day.

Thoughts: Toledo was a nice place and I was very interested in the art of damascene. It would have been great if we were given more detailed explanation of the art and also a demonstration of it. I supposed it was such a fine art that workmanship is high so much so that the finer pieces are very highly priced. If little big sis is still working and one who likes to wear jewelry, I would have bought a nice piece for her. The weather was not good enough for us to appreciate the Toledo cathedral. If possible, I do hope to return there for a visit again.

I was really happy about picking up the 1 Euro. Strictly speaking, I didn’t pick that up; it was the local guide who did. Still, it was really nice to be told that it was I who did and that truly made my day. Madrid downtown was really crowded and unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to plough through those people to explore the place.

16 Jun 13 – Day 10 (Salamanca and Segovia)

This morning we had the Salamanca city tour and we started off with visiting the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca. It was considered as the most beautiful plaza in Spain. Then we went to the New Cathedral and the Old Cathedral, which exist just next to each other. The local guide told us about the astronaut and the ice-cream eating gargoyle that are hidden in the carvings of the lateral entrance of the cathedral. It turns out that both the astronaut and the gargoyle are details added by the craftsmen in charge of doing some restoration work on the Cathedral in 1992.

Breezed through the cathedral and we moved on to the University of Salamanca, passing by the Church of the Clergy. We were brought to small plaza to see main piece of the University: La Puerta de Salamanca, the University’s façade. It is carved out of stone, with a highly decorative style and intricate carvings. Of the numerous carvings, we saw the Catholic Kings and were asked to find the frog on a skull. Only a couple of us managed to find the frog. It was said that whoever finds the frog will be able to graduate from the University. The local guide also told us that people choose to come to this university to study Spanish because it is cheap and also it is more authentic without the heavy accent. Nearby we saw the Statue of Fray Luis de León facing the University and the building behind the statue used to be a hospital.

We saw a lot of red writings on the walls and it turns out that students would write the 6-letters VICTOR on the wall to celebrate their graduations. It means Victory. Some were simple while some were elaborated and in very nice fonts. Moving on we saw the Casa de las Conchas and through some small alleys, we passed by some souvenir shops where they sell a lot of earrings, rings and accessories of a design called Charro button. The local guide said that in olden days, people used to wear accessories of this design. Made a mental note of it and decided that I would come back to this shop to get rings for M and myself. Finished off the city tour by returning to the Plaza Mayor where we were given time to explore.

Told Kim that I would like to go back to that shop to get rings and we tried to trace our steps. Unfortunately, we got lost half way because we couldn’t remember which alley to take. So in the end, we just popped into a random shop that sells accessories of that design. Compared to the other shop, this had a smaller range of accessories. Browsed through the rings, tried them on and selected one for M. Then looked through the pinky rings and basically there were only about one to two designs so I was just trying on for size. The shop owner tried to help but again due to language barrier, he just left me to try the ring. Quickly paid for my purchases and went back to the plaza to meet up with the rest. While waiting, Kim asked Mr Chia to help us take a photo together with the modern bronze statue of Architects who redesigned the Plaza Mayor. The rest of the group came back and we set off for our next destination, Segovia.

After we reached Segovia, we were hurried to the designated restaurant for lunch. While walking, we saw many vintage cars passing by. Apparently there was a vintage car event going on. Got to the restaurant, we were told that we need to pay for the drinks. Therefore, each one ordered their own drinks which means I had to drink a bottle of coke on my own. Lunch was cochinillo, Spanish suckling pig, specialty of Segovia. They brought the roasted pig out for us to take photos before smashing a plate to cut the pig to be distributed. Unlike the one that BIL bought during Chinese New Year, this was really juicy and tender and the meat just came off from the bone with the slight push of the fork.

Towards the end of the meal, our local guide came to meet us. He spoke very good English and we started the city tour with the visit to the Aqueduct of Segovia. We had to climb a flight of stairs to get to the top where we got good view. After the aqueduct, the local guide pointed out the The Dead Woman Mountain. A mountain range that separate Segovia from Madrid. Next, we saw the House of the Picos, which reminded me of Toblerone chocolate. Saw the city's old prison which has now been converted into public library, St. Stephen's Church, Roman Catholic Church in the city of Segovia and ended off at Plaza Mayor where we were given time to take photos and do some shopping. Popped into a souvenir shop and bought two magnets depicting pigs before taking photos of the Segovia Cathedral and Teatro Juan Bravo, which is the city’s theater.

Then we headed off to visit the Alcázar of Segovia, which was the inspiration for the castle at Disneyland. There were many rooms with different designs and decorations. I guessed all ancient castles have the same kind of concepts; different rooms have different designs and decorations to represent the different functions of the rooms. Tried to take some photos while following the local guide and listening to his explanations but as usual, I could only catch here and there. Soon we were done with the place and we had to leave for Madrid. The local guide led us back to where the coach was and while walking, Kim made small talks with the local guide, asking questions here and there. Finally, we reached the car park where we passed by a statue depicting a Candido cutting the suckling pigs with a plate, showing how tender the meat was. We boarded the coach, waved goodbye to the local guide and we were on our way to Madrid where we checked into a hotel called Foxa 25.

It was a rather old hotel with rooms that came with kitchen and living room. After settling down, we went down to the restaurant for our dinner before retiring back to our room for the night. Upon closer inspections, it seemed that the room was not properly clean. The floor was dusty, we even saw label tags on the floor and the bathroom shower facility was rather shaky. Lucky for Kim, she brought bathroom slippers while I had to endure the dirty floor. 

Thoughts: Both Salamanca and Segovia are considered small towns so I like them more compared to bigger cities. City tours were too fast to really appreciate the beauty of the small towns. Hopefully I will get to visit these beautiful towns again. The hotel was a big disappointment. It would have been really nice if the housekeeping was done properly and the facilities well maintained.

15 Jun 13 – Day 9 (Fatima)

Today we left Lisbon to go to Fatima to visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima. Read about it before the trip and was kind of looking forward to the visit. Before we actually went to the Shrine, we made a stop at the main souvenir center where one can get things like magnets, small bottles of holy water, rosaries, and figurines of Virgin Mary and so on. We were each given a slip of paper when we alighted from the coach. Turned out that it entitled us to a free mini figurine of the Virgin Mary each. 

Left the center and got to the Shrine. There were a lot of people when we got there. Nancee told us that we should try to go and see The Chapel of Apparitions because that is the place where Virgin Mary was said to appear before the three children, the Blessed Francisco Marto, Blessed Jacinta Marto and Sister Lúcia. The exact location of the apparitions is marked by a marble pillar which holds a statue of the Virgin Mary. Tried to get a photo of that but I couldn't get near enough. Walked towards the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and took photos along the way. Kim and I went into the Basilica but subsequently we walked separate ways because I took a long time to admire the surroundings and followed the queue to see main altar and the tombs of the three children.

We then went to look for the section of the Berlin wall which Nancee was telling us about. Finally found it, took a picture of it and walked on to the Church of the Santíssima Trindade also known as the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in English. Outside of the church was a tall cross by Robert Schad of Germany, Statue of Pope John Paul II by Czesław Dźwigaj of Poland and few other artworks. Didn't go into the church to see and just walked around to snap photos of the exterior of the Basilica and the surroundings while Kim walked her way. Saw some pilgrims approaching the shrine along the designated path on their knees and one of them was carrying a baby in her arms.

Then it was time to gather so I hurried to the meeting point, worrying that I was late. Fortunately, I was not the last one to arrive. The restaurant for our lunch was just behind the Church of the Most Holy Trinity. While walking there, I saw many other structures and monuments. We were told lunch was Bacalhau, salted codfish, a Portuguese specialty. I had that while I was in Macau a few years ago and I remembered that it was really salty that KC, SWT and I left that dish untouched after tasting it. So I thought this time round it was going to be that one whole salted fish again.

We were served soup first which was tasty. Then came the main course, to my surprise, the way they prepared it was to cook the shredded bacalhau with mashed potato. This greatly reduced the saltiness of the bacalhau and hence I actually asked for second helping of it. We ended the lunch with a piece of cake each before continuing our journey back into Spain, Salamanca to be specific. During one of the rest stop, Nancee bought a big box of cherries which was in season to share with the members. I took a few while Kim turned down the offer politely because she only eats strawberries. 

Got into Salamanca and we headed for our Chinese dinner. Compared to the last two rounds of Chinese dinner, this had got to be the best. At the end of the dinner, we had cherries again and since most at the table were not into cherries. Nancee suggested that I packed them back to eat in my room. Great idea! Finally we reached our hotel. Nancee told us that there was a Carrefour nearby and so went over to get water as well as some Spanish chocolate as souvenirs. Returned to the hotel to settle for the night and after my shower, I sat down to relax and eat my cherries.

Thoughts: Finally got to visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, which so many people told me about. A pity I didn't get to explore the place thoroughly due to time constrain again. Will I go back again? I hope to if it is along the way if I do go back to visit parts of Spain and/or Portugal. I am not a Catholic, I am a free thinker. But I studied in a catholic school before and so I like singing hymns but not attending mass. 

I like the way the bacalhau was prepared but too bad I can’t find bacalhau in Singapore, otherwise, I would probably try to re-create the dish on my own.

14 Jun 13 – Day 8 (Lisbon)

As usual, I messaged little big sis while waiting for my turn to wash up. Got down for breakfast and Kim said that we should check with the reception counter how to get back to the hotel from Rossio Square in case there were not enough people to form the optional tour. So after eating, we collected our stuff from the room and proceeded to the lobby. The lift took very long to reach our level and so we decided to take the stairs where we saw this interesting phrase “The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” when we reached the lobby. Approached the reception counter and the friendly receptionist gave us the maps and explained to us which station to board and alight as well as the direction to walk back to the hotel.

This morning we went on the city tour and our tour guide spoke very good English. She explained to us that the Portuguese speak pretty good English because of its geographic location. Portugal is located at the end of the Europe continent, is nearer to the United Kingdom and so has good relationship with the UK. Spain, on the other hand, is nearer to France and so is influenced by the French which explains why the Spanish tends to use more of their own language rather than converse in English even with tourists.

Along the way, we passed by The Column of Pedro IV and saw the 25 de Abril Bridge with Cristo-Rei on one end. Finally, we got to the Belem Tower or the Tower of St Vincent where we also saw the Monument to the First South Atlantic Aerial Crossing. From there, we could see the 25 de Abil Bridge again. Took many photos of the bridge, the Belem Tower and the surroundings. Walked around the place and saw a street artist selling his paintings. The Sim family stood around him and finally bought a small artwork from him.

Near to the designated meeting place, there were some souvenir shops where I bought a couple of magnets made of porcelain and cork as well as two postcards made of cork. I was sure that M will appreciate those. We boarded the coach to the next stop which was actually not very far. It was the Padrão dos Descobrimentos also known as Monument to the Discoveries in English. Near the monument was the Compass Rose Square with the world map on the floor. From there, we could see the Jerónimos Monastery which was our next stop. The local guide told us that next to the monastery was a shop that came out with the first original Portuguese egg tart recipe. From then on, many other shops try to imitate the recipe and thus resulting in so many shops selling Portuguese egg tarts.

Boarded the bus again to go to the monastery and it took quite a while to get there even though it was actually just across the streets. Along the way, passed by the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, a place where researches for cure to cancers take place. Got to the monastery and the local guide gave explanations while we walked through the place. Didn't catch a lot of the details because I was taking photos. Only remembered the place for the confession. Unlike the others where confession takes place in a box-like room, the priest sits inside a room with a door with a few holes arranged in the shape of a cross, the confessor then knee outside the room and gave his confession. Kim and I were puzzled; won’t the other people see the confessor and hear the confession?

After the tour inside the monastery, we were given time to explore the 2-storey claustro as well as to grab lunch before gathering again to go for the optional tour. Kim and I spent a long time at the claustro taking photos, trying to get the best view and eventually left with only just enough time to get lunch. We walked along the street which the local guide pointed out earlier where we could find food. Couldn't decide what to eat and then a waitress called out to us and explained the menu. Food looked good and since she spoke good English and explained the dishes in details, we decided to eat lunch at the shop. We were seated outside under the big umbrella and I ordered the Codfish in cream and cheese while Kim ordered the Calamari with fries and rice. Then we saw Mr and Mrs Chia eating in the next restaurant.

Our food took a long time to serve and when they were finally served, we took photos and the nice waitress helped us took photos with our food. Gobbled our lunch quickly and asked for the bill. Kim offered to settle the bill first while I went to the loo in the shop. Quickly got back to Kim and walked back to the meeting place. Along the way, took more photos with the pretty flowers and park.

Boarded the coach to continue with the optional tour and Nancee said the whole group opted for the tour and so the local guide was able to follow us through. It was also decided that after the optional tour, we would be dismissed at the Baxia for the free evening. On the way, we traveled along the Alantic Ocean and saw the beaches. The local guide explained to us about the different colored flags with regard to the condition of the sea for that day.

Started the optional tour with the Cascais and we passed through centre of Cascais to reach the fishing pier. Beside the fishing pier was the Fisherman’s beach called Praia dos Pescadores. Walked pass the fishing pier and we saw the Cascais Citadel which consists of Fort of Nossa Senhora da Luz and Torre de Santo António Cascais. Nearby was the Statue of Dom Carlos, King of Portugal in 1826. We were given some time to walk around and take photos before continuing on. While on the coach, the local guide told us about the rooster that was commonly found on magnets. It turned out that legend has it that a pilgrim was on his way to pay pilgrimage and a young girl took a fancy on him but he paid no attention to her. The girl became furious and decided to steal the money from the church and hid it beneath the pilgrim’s bed to frame him. He was caught and brought to the mayor who was having roasted rooster for dinner. The pilgrim said that he was innocent and just then; the rooster came back alive with feathers and all and started roosting. The girl was then caught but the pilgrim forgave her. So the rooster is now a symbol to ward off people who envy the others. 

Traveled along the Atlantic Ocean again and we were given a photo stop. Before we alighted, the local guide told us that it was going to be extremely windy and chilly so she advised us to wear a light jacket and hold on tightly to our stuff. Got down and sure enough, it was extremely windy and I was almost blown off my feet. My first thought was that small Lynda would probably be blown off if she was there. Took photos while trying to hold on to my bag and my hair. At the end of it, all of us looked like mad men and women with all our wind-blown hair.

We continued on to the westernmost of the Europe continent and the local guide told us that we could get a nice certificate for an amount of Euros from the tourist information center to certify that we were at the westernmost of the Europe continent. Reached Cabo da Roca, Kim and I quickly took photos with the monument that declares Cabo da Roca as the westernmost extent of continental Europe before the group came crowding. We also saw the Cabo da Roca Lighthouse from afar and the local guide told us that we were not allowed to go up to the lighthouse. Walked around the surroundings, took photos before going back to the designated meeting place to board the coach to go to the Baxia. The local guide told us that because Portugal is near the sea, their cuisine is mainly seafood and they don’t do frying, mainly baking and grilling. Salted codfish is their specialty and it was said that Portuguese cook codfish in different styles 365 days. Also sardines happened to be in season and the way they eat is by grilling without removing the insides. 

Got to the Baxia, Kim and I wandered around, taking photos of the street performers, the Santa Justa Lift and did some shopping. We were done with shopping about 8+pm and went to look for dinner. Kim wanted to finish up her cup noodle and said she will only get some snacks from MacDonald’s. So I had to get my own dinner. Didn’t want to eat fast food and so suggested that I would get egg tarts from the café Nichola and shared the snacks from MacDonald’s. Bought nuggets and Chicken MacBites before heading to café Nichola. I ordered an egg tart and a custard tart while Kim ordered another egg tart.

Went to Rossio station and tried to buy tickets from the machine. There were English instructions and we followed through. We indicated and paid for two tickets but only one came out. We figured that perhaps the “two” refers to round trip and so Kim agreed to take that while I get the correct ticket. Went to the platform and waited. There were some passengers on the platform but they were standing towards the other end of the platform. The train came but it only had a few carriages and we had to run to the other end of the platform to board. Unfortunately, the door closed when we reached the last carriage. So had to wait for the next train and this time we stayed put at that end of the platform. Boarded the train and it only took about 15-20 minutes to get back to the station near our hotel. Alighted, figured out the correct exit but had a bit of a problem navigating back to the hotel. While reading the map, we saw the father and son of the Sim family and we asked them for directions. 

Thoughts: Cannot complain too much about today since I got the best of both, the optional tour and going back to the Baxia, and also got to do some shopping. 

13 Jun 13 – Day 7 (Lisbon)

Left Seville behind and we entered into Lisbon of Portugal. The journey took up the whole morning and part of the afternoon and we got to the Baixa which is the Lisbon Downtown in the late afternoon. Along the way, we passed by a couple of monuments such as the Monument to the 1st Marquess of Pombal and the Monument to the Restorers.

The coach then drove through a stretch of road which Nancee said is the place for branded goods. Then it continued down another stretch which is for the more average goods. Finally we were let off at Rossio Square for the free evening and were to report back promptly at the stated time because coaches were not allowed to park at Rossio Square.

There were many small streets leading away from Rossio Square so Kim and I decided to take one of them and thought at the end of the street we could turn right and it would lead us to the next street in a systematic order so that we could cover most if not all of the Baxia. While walking to that small street, we took photo of the Statue of King João I in Figueira Square.

That small street we chose seem rather deserted except for the traffic and it was a rather long street with up slope. Decided to make a right turn to get to the next street and we seem to be lost. Wandered around the different streets and most of the shops were closed. So Kim and I assumed that they were closed for siesta.  Then we saw many people opposite of the street we were at and thought maybe there was a bazaar there so we crossed over to check things out.

There were lots and lots of people crowding both sides of that street and they were holding flowers and candles in their hands. They looked like they were expecting something to happen. We walked further up the street and it got more and more difficult to get through. It was then we saw the Santo António Church, the place where Saint Anthony was born and very close to it is the Lisbon Cathedral. It was then we realized that there could be some religious things going on.

Squeezed our way back to where we came from and along the way saw some stalls selling candles, flowers and figurines of Saint Anthony. Took a quick snap and hurried along. Bumped into Nancee at one point in time and she was telling us that a café called Nichola, which is near the Rossio Square, sells very good Portuguese egg tarts. Finally got to a wider street with more shops and eating places but still most shops were closed. Saw a café called Sao Nicholau and remembered what Nancee said. So popped into the café and happily bought two mini egg tarts each. While taking photos with egg tarts and the café, we saw the old couple, Mr and Mrs Goh. They were sitting outside that café and Mrs Goh was eating a big box of fruits, commenting how cheap it was.

We ate our egg tarts as we walked and went into those shops that were opened. Went into Mango and a couple of other shops and Kim managed to get an item or two while I got nothing. I think the problem with me was that the style didn't suit me. Popped into another shop and we walked separately again. Went to try on a couple of clothing and after I came out, I couldn't find Kim. I walked around the shop a few times and still no sight of her. So instead of waiting around in the shop, I decided to just go ahead and ventured around Baxia on my own. Saw an elevator structure called the Santa Justa Lift in the middle of Baxia and took photos of it. It was interesting to see that in the Downtown of Lisbon. Due to time constrain, I didn't go nearer to check it out. Walked a little bit more and tried to find my way back to Rossio Square. Along the way, saw a café called Nichola, I then realized that perhaps that was the one that Nancee was talking about because she said it is near Rossio Square. 

Crossed the street to Rossio Square and took photos of the fountains and the surroundings which include Theater D. Maria II. Then Kim called out to me and I explained to her that I couldn’t find her in the shop that was why I left, thinking that maybe she went off on her own. She said that she was actually in the fitting room and told me that next time if we went off separately, we would get back to the designated meeting place at the stated time. Agreed. When the rest of the group gathered back, Mrs Chia complained that she wasted time walking over to the stretch of branded shops because most if not all were closed. Some other members were also complaining that a lot of shops were closed. Nancee came along and then explained to us that she only found out that today was a religious holiday. That explained why many shops were closed and traffic was light because many people took leave to get long holiday given that last Monday was their National Day. The coach came; we boarded the coach and went for our Chinese dinner. Compared to the other Chinese dinner we had, this was by far the best. There was a playground outside the restaurant and the group members occupied themselves with it while waiting for the coach. What an interesting sight.

Returned to the hotel and did the usual routine. Asked Kim if she wants to join the optional tour or go back to Baxia on our own and her answer was to join the optional tour because going back to Baxia means we have to figure out how to get back to the hotel on our own. I hesitated to agree with her but she has a point so reluctantly I set aside the sum of money for the optional tour.

Thoughts: From maps, I know Spain and Portugal are next to each other, little did I know that traveling from Seville to Lisbon would take so long. Lisbon Baxia was another lively place to be with many shops and eating places. It was just so unfortunate that today was their religious holiday and we didn't get to shop a lot. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed myself immersed in the sight and sound of the Baxia.

12 Jun 13 – Day 6 (Seville)

Today we left Granada to travel to the south of Spain to Seville. Had one rest stop where I bought a small bottle of Malaga wine and another glass bottle of olive oil for €3.50 since this was a slightly bigger bottle at the same price as what I had paid for in Montserrat. We got to Seville in the afternoon, checked in to Novotel before going out for lunch. We were told that there was a shopping mall at the corner of the hotel and so Kim and I walked over to look for food. The shopping mall is called Nervión Plaza with two levels and shaped like a “U”. Entered the mall in one corner and there were mostly shops selling clothes. Got to the other side and that was where the restaurants are. We couldn't decide what to eat and I didn't want any Asian food.

So we popped into one of the Spanish restaurants that sell tapas. Fortunately the boss knew how to speak a little English and he started recommending the food. I was a white meat person and so went for the fish dish that he recommended thinking it was a main course from a menu. Kim was more of a red meat person and ordered from the tapas menu. We both knew that tapas means small dishes and so we had the impression that the small dish would be the similar portion as those presented in Korean meals. The boss was afraid that we couldn't understand him and he brought us to the front of the counter to show us the food. In the end, Kim ordered one with chicken, one with pork and one with potatoes.

Waited for our food and soon they came. It turned out that our food came in the same size portion and they were not exactly small dishes nor big as main course. We took photos of our yummy food before digging in. The fish tapas that I was recommended was pretty good with the fish having quite a good texture. After I was done with mine, took some of Kim’s food to taste. The potato dish was good because the sauce was made using salmon. While we were eating, we saw the Sim family of four sitting outside the restaurant trying to place their order with one of the non-English speaking staff. It seems that it took them quite long to finally place their orders. Paid the bill and then we went to shop around Nervion Plaza.

Returned to the hotel to meet up with the rest to leave for our city tour. Our local guide is called Ms America, ironic. Our first stop was to the Plaza de Espana. It was a very big place with many tiled alcoves, each representing a different province of Spain. It also has a nice fountain named the Vicente Traver fountain and many other impressive buildings. Over there, we saw some street vendors paddling their ware such as the wooden clappers and hand fans used in the Flamenco Dance. We spent some time in the Plaza de Espana taking photos before going on to visit the Barrio de Santa Cruz, a former Jewish quarter. There were a lot of small alleys with interesting shops and cafes and I think it would be really nice to hang around or laze in one of the café to enjoy the lazy afternoon. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time and I think I would probably get lost in the quarter. Then we were given some time for toilet break in one of the small square in Santa Cruz, so I bought a small hand fan and a magnet from one of the souvenir shops. Kim was tempted to get the Flamenco shawl which comes in different sizes. Given the price and workmanship, actually it was worth considering. I was tempted myself, however, the rational side got the better of me and I abandoned the idea.

From one of the many small alleys, we came out to Plaza del Triunfo, where we saw more buildings such as Casa de la Provincia, the Giralda, the General Archive of the Indies and others. There were also horse carriages to bring tourists around. From the Plaza, we headed on to the Seville Cathedral, which is largest Gothic cathedral in the world and has 80 chapels. We were shown only a few main ones, the big boxlike choir loft as well as the Tomb of Columbus. The tomb somewhat reminds me of Lord of the Ring, maybe because it was carried by the four kings of Castile, Leon, Aragon and Navarre. The Giralda is just beside the Cathedral but it was under maintenance so we were not able to climb and we didn't get a good photo of it because it was partially covered. Coming out from the Cathedral, we saw some drain-like things on the ground and Ms America explained that because the Cathedral was actually built on a Muslim mosque structure. In the past, Muslims had to wash their hands and feet before entering the mosque hence those drains.

Ended the city tour and it was time to proceed on to the venue for the Flamenco Dance show. As we could only go inside the theater at 6:30pm, we were told to walk around the neighborhood to kill time. But the weather was really unbearable at about 41 degree Celsius, so most if not all of us, went into the nearby supermarket to kill time instead. We only left the supermarket when we saw Nancee making payment at the cashier. While waiting for Nancee at the entrance of the theater, another group of tourists entered the theater so they managed to get the two front rows with tables and good view while we had to settle for the rows at the back. There was another section that is nearer to the stage with no tables and really good views but we were not allocated those because ours include dinner.

The staff from the theater went around taking photos for the guests on each table and I knew that they were likely to sell those back to the guests at a cost. Soon starter came and it was prawn salad. Shortly after the show started and I was busy trying to film some video clips knowing that my camera would have problem capturing moving objects in dark settings. The position that I was at was not ideal because I was either constantly blocked by the big guy on the front row or by moving waitresses. Then main course came and it was roast chicken. Fortunately the chicken was very tender and I was able to tear the meat from the bones easily with fork and knife. I gobbled up my food quickly so that I had more time to do the filming. The dancers were really good and some were really impressive with their footwork. The ladies performed in colorful Flamenco dresses with props such as wooden clappers, hand fans, shawls, walking sticks and so on. Then dessert came and I also gobbled that down. Towards the end of the show, I tried to take some photos and out of the many, only a handful was viewable while the rest were just a blur mess.

Video Clip on Flamenco Dance

After the show ended, we were herded off to the outside of the theater and onto the waiting coach. Along the way, I actually saw a table displaying merchandises such as hand fans; shawls and photos taken earlier before the show. It was really a pity that we had to hurry back to the coach because the driver couldn’t do OT. I was hoping to browse through the merchandises and maybe make a purchase.

Thoughts: Seville was a very lively place and I liked the hotel that we stayed in because it was near to shops and restaurants. Finally I got to eat tapas and I got to say, that was the best meal I had so far other than those at the rest stops. 

Amongst the places we visited today, I like the cathedral the best because it was big and has a lot of chapels. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see all of them and also we didn't get to see much of those introduced in details. Flamenco Dance show was good but would have been better if we were given good seats. Kim and I agreed that we could have done away with the dinner and be seated in the front rows with good views. My impression of the Flamenco Dance was just female dancers dancing with wooden clappers and shawls; I didn't know that there were hand fans and walking sticks too.

Hopefully I can go back to Seville for visit again.