All posts filed under: Gardens

Garden Picnic with Uber Eats

The Parnell Rose Gardens are just a stone’s throw away from my house. A favourite spot of mine during summer for its beautiful roses, Pohutukawa trees and close proximity to Judge’s Bay and views overlooking Auckland Harbour. A bonus is that you can lunch right next to the roses, making it the perfect spot for a picnic! Thanks to the Uber Eats app for making this possible! Last weekend, the weather had cleared and the sun was shining, so my sister and I headed across to the Rose Gardens for a picnic. I opened the Uber Eats app on my phone, and was excited to discover the many eatery options available for a picnic. We chose Bird on A Wire. Their aim is to simply feed the world with handmade and sustainable food – their menu includes free range rotisserie chicken, fresh salads, sandwiches and sides. Sounded like the perfect picnic food to me! We ordered a Chicken Feed For One – a quarter free range rotisserie chicken and a medium salad of Raw Beetroot and Japanese Slaw, plus a Small Salad …

Barcelona Travel Diary

Barcelona is my favourite city to date. It is located on the northeast coast of Spain and is the cosmopolitan and vibrant capital of the Spanish Catalonia region.  I have been twice now and both visits have been fabulous. I love the language, the rich culture, the beautiful scenery and stunning views from attractions all over the city, the relaxed lifestyle (and those siestas come afternoon) and of course, the cuisine! Check out my list below for my favourite things to see and do in Barcelona. In a separate post, I will share my favourite eats in Barcelona, along with a recipe – stay tuned! La Sagrada Família From the age of 13, La Sagrada Familia has been at the top of my travel bucket list. If you are visiting Barcelona, then this is definite MUST do. La Sagrada Familia is the famous basilica designed by the Catalan Spanish architect, Antonio Gaudi, and it is still in construction today, for some 135 years. The estimated completion year is 2026-2028 – wow! Visiting this basilica was a dream. I was …

Paris Travel Diary

What feels like only yesterday, but in fact was this time last year, was an experience I will never forget. My sister and I embarked on a one month trip around Europe. We had a stopover in Tokyo, and a week in London (where unfortunately I was unwell), Paris, Barcelona and Berlin. We wanted to get a real feel of each city, and spending a week in each place meant that we could do a lot, and re-visit places that we became to love. Starting with Paris, I will share our top things to do, along with photos and in a subsequent post, our favourite eats and recommendations on what to order…because obviously food is the most important! [That tiny frame in the above picture (and below) is the Mona Lisa…] Top 10 Highlights: Walk everywhere! Paris is predominantly flat, so being able to get to places by foot was ideal for us. We loved putting on our walking shoes, filling a backpack with necessities and walking out of our apartment, with no plan for the day. The best part …

Sydney Travel Diary

Sydney is one of my favourite cities. I love it because it is alive and vibrant any time of the day, it is very multi-cultural (think a vast range of delicious foods and products to buy) plus the views are always stunning, whether you are walking through Sydney National Park or are standing on top of Sydney Harbour Bridge. I also love that there are so many things to do, and everyone is catered for, whether you are into shopping, being out on the water, trying new foods, keeping active or just relaxing on a beautiful beach (I love Bondi and Bronte). Check out the list below of my favourite foodie places (with recommendations), shopping, and activities in Sydney: EAT I haven’t actually been to many restaurants, as we usually eat at food courts or markets, but there is one restaurant that we always revisit, namely Mama’s Buoi, a modern Vietnamese restaurant in Surry Hills. We love the rice paper rolls, vermicelli noodle salads and they also serve T2 teas. 116 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills On our most recent trip to Sydney, we planned to …

L’Eclair de Genie, Paris

I find it hard to believe that I had never tried an eclair prior to visiting Paris a few weeks ago! I have definitely been missing out because eclairs are wonderful – choux pastry on the outside, and a mousse filing inside. One bite and you’re in sweet foodie heaven. This is how I felt when I had my first eclair at L’Eclair de Genie. The shop is small and selling only one thing – eclairs. There are many to choose from and all have different toppings, such as fruit, chocolate or gold flakes. I ended up choosing a double chocolate eclair with gold dusted dark chocolate – delicious! My eclair was then boxed and put into a cute bag. Nearby are the Luxembourg Gardens, which is the perfect place to devour this work of art! It was a great first experience and it might become my new obsession! I loved L’Eclair de Genie and will definitely re-visit next time I’m in Paris! L’Eclair de Genie 13 rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, Paris Open: Monday to …