The last leg of my latest tour of Adelaide was to McLaren Vale – where the vines meet the sea and life for those that live there seems blissful and amazing. We arrived late on a Sunday afternoon, and whilst walking to the main street to find some cheese, it dawned on me that I had a tough decision to make. If I ever get to return home where would I live? Whilst I dream of a cottage in the Barossa with a couple of acres I also contemplate life in McLaran Vale - being so close to the sea and wonderful little towns like Willunga, it is a stunning part of the world and not a place you can miss if your in Adelaide for a visit.

We stayed at ‘The Marlene’ one of the two 3 Diva’s holiday accommodation choices – very relaxing and cute, The Marlene is perfect for a weekend escape.

 ’The Marlene’ 3 Diva’s

Enjoying our cheese from the wonderful store Blessed Cheese and drinking our complimentary wine – bliss!

The Marlene (3Diva’s) has two bedrooms, one of which is loft style and there is a gas fire as well as a lovely little kitchen. Breakfast provisions included local yogurt, cereal, fruit and crusty white bread plus there is also complimentary wine and port for you to consume as the sun goes down over the vines.

d’Arenberg winery

Unfortunately for us, d’Arenberg’s restaurant, d’Arry’s Verandah, was closed on this occasion but it is known for being one of the best restaurants to dine in the Vale so it is a must try for next time. Some wines we tried here and loved were -  The Derelict Vineyard & The Cadenzia.

Coriole Winery

Coriole Winery has been a favourite of mine for a long time. I love the gorgeous cellar door, the wines and their olive oil! On my first day back in Brisbane after this trip, I was having Adelaide withdrawals and sat in my old recliner dumping crusty bread into my Coriole extra virgin olive oil, sipping wine and watching a re run of McLeod’s Daughters on tv and feeling mighty sorry for myself and homesick. Wines I liked – Fiano & The Dancing Fig.

MV Beer @ The Salopian Inn

Duck fat potato wedges

Vale Dark braised beef cheek open pie, seeded mustard mash and pea puree - very delicious on a cold day and perfect with a glass of MV dark ale of course!

Hugh Hamilton Winery

The ‘black sheep of the family’ Hugh Hamilton winery is very picturesque with a stunning cellar door. As well as the wines, they have lots of black sheep merchandise to match their wine names. Favourite – The Floozie .

McLaren Vale

Wine was very high on the priority list for my latest trip to Adelaide and with all the rushing around we missed a few too many possible gorging sessions plus giving our Brissie friend Amanda a proper tour of the Central Markets – FAIL!

We did however, have some pretty outstanding key food moments and a highlight for me was visiting the 40′s Cafe at Angaston, Barossa Valley.My friend Kate has been there before and was adamant we must go there on this trip.  Although disappointed we didn’t get time to meander down the main streets of Tanunda or Angaston and visit some of the famous German butchers and purchase some Barossa small goods I really feel that by eating the Barossa 40′s Deluxe pizza, at 40′s Cafe, I at least had a little bit of the Barossa in that one pizza as they packed a lot of local flavour on there and was just divine.

We were running severely late on the Friday we visited so were lucky enough to have the cafe nearly to ourselves at about 4pm. Next time however, I think we will need  a larger group as there are so many pizza toppings I want to try – and then there is the rest of the menu! The 40′s cafe winter menu has everything from German Hot dogs, smoked salmon parfait, kangaroo loin, to the famous pizza’s.

We had the Barossa 40′s Deluxe which included, tomato sauce, smoked chicken, cheese, Schulz Butcher’s Mallee Gum smoked pork belly (Schulz Butchers is in Angaston and has been operating for over 70 years), kalamata olives, avocado, pesto, grilled brie, basil and pepper. The price was $23 for small (9inch) and $29 for Medium (12 inch). The Barossa 40′s Deluxe was one of the nicest toppings I have encountered – they did not skimp on the topping and it was rich with a smokey meaty flavour – loved it!

Amanda had the awesome Pumpkin and Pine Nut  pizza which was super fresh and included, fresh fetta, mozzarella, caramelised shallots, thyme, roast pumpkin with rocket tossed in lemon juice and olive oil finished with shaved pecorino and toasted pine nuts. It was $19 for the small and $26 for the medium.

When I go back I definitely want to try the Smokey pizza which involves more Schulz Butcher’s Mallee Gum smoked pork belly as well as, mettwurst, lachsschinken and smoked chicken – ridiculous!!!

From a small group at 40′s Cafe, we had a large group of people the following day in the Barossa, for Ben’s birthday bash –  wine tour. As part of Bender’s Bus tour we stopped at Barossa Valley Brewing, who are local craft beer produces. The brewery and restaurant is based at Tanunda and it is a great experience for beer lovers. We got a full, in depth run down on all the beers, with tastings plus a quick tour. The Bee Sting beer which, is brewed with orange blossom honey, was a highlight as was their Organic Ale which, is made from organic hops and malt. We had a tapas lunch at BVB in our own private room and the food kept on coming for our leisurely, boozy lunch. Food included –  squid, haloumi, pizza, pasta, chorizo…. that even a certain vegetarian was getting into – it was all very fresh, varied and in the plenty. BVB is a great place to stop after long (but not so hard) hours of wine tasting and relax with one of their beers in hand out on the deck – I am looking forward to visiting again in Summer!

St Hallets winery at Tanunda is where I had my favourite port that I have tasted in a while (their anniversary port), and am kicking myself for not buying a bottle on the spot – The GST and Blackwell wines were favourites also.

Grant Burge winery  is always a favourite destination of mine – just so I can stock up on some Tawny Port! I was rather excited to see that I could buy a 5 L plastic cylinder for a bargain price but realising I was flying home decided against it.

Pindarie wines at Tanunda was simply stunning. The building and view of the valley are so beautiful and they make the most of their grassed area with visitors being able to relax in the sunshine with a glass of red. Inside the cellar door there is a restaurant with plenty of room for larger groups. We all have to thank Kate (again) for this one, the girl is in the know, and she was right – Pindarie was well worth visiting and, drinking Shiraz in the late August sun was a delightful way to end a boozy yet informative afternoon!

Lastly, a trip the Barossa wouldn’t be complete without a trip to two of my favourite destinations Maggie Beer’s and Rockford’s. Maggie Beer’s is a must – no matter how many times you visit the Barossa, as you always need condiments and sauces so go and stock up! My new favourite this time was the Raspberry and Pomegranate jam – Buy HERE. As soon as I bought it home to Brisbane I had it on crumpets, croissants and even a rack of lamb (no quince paste could be found so I adapted the marinade and it was delicious)!

Rockford’s is well known in S.A for its Alicante (Rose) and we were excited for our Brisbane friend Amanda to try it – it is just the perfect wine for Summer and so cheap at the cellar door! Another favourite from Rockford’s which I finished way to quickly was the White Frontignac- oh so smooth and dry yet also sweet.

Leaving the Barossa is always hard. As the sun is going down and its gets a little cooler, and us non-locals have to go home, I can imagine living there –  cosying up in my little cottage after NOT having to commute into city after a long day of work, andjust enjoying being home by the fire and looking forward to another day living in the Barossa. I’m hoping that isn’t just a dream for much longer.

My latest trip to Adelaide was all about the wineries…and the boutique ones to be exact. I often visit the big names, Wolf Blass, Yalumba, Penfolds etc and although all offer fantastic experiences, it is very easy to get focused on visiting the big wineries which we all know rather than venturing out and about and seeing what else the Barossa and McLaren Vale have to offer.

The reality is, unless you live in Adelaide and can go back and forth as you please – you really need to spend a couple of days in each region to fully experience everything – PLUS fit in all the meals – a weekend just doesn’t cut it. Plus, if you really like your wine and want to explore all the South Australian wine regions then you can’t forget the Adelaide Hills where you will  find more Pinot’s due to the cooler climate, the  Clare Valley where the Riesling trail is a lot of fun provided you don’t attempt it in a heat wave or the Coonawarra located on the Limestone Coast.  However, for this trip I am just focusing on the Barossa and McLaren Vale.

I do not claim to know much about wine. I know what I like and try and swirl my glass with the best of them but on the whole I need a lot more knowledge on wines to uphold an intelligent conversation of wine banter but I am very eager to learn more and have a better understanding of the whole wine making process – from start to finish.

On day one in the Barossa our first stop was to Murray Street Vineyards (MSV Wines) at Greenock. MSV Winery is a collection of stone buildings with a stunning deck looking over the vines. What was most impressive with this set up was that we were greeted as we would have been at a restaurant and asked where we could like to sit and try the wines. After choosing the table out on the deck in the bright August sunshine, their super friendly tasting room manager Sally, came out and served us the wines with thorough explanation of each.  This effortless vibe at MSV was a breath of fresh air. Sometimes it is quite horrid to have to stand at the bench at a cellar door while people are (sometimes) impatiently waiting their turn, edging their wine glass forward. Also, having the staff come over and explain the wine then leave us to sip and appreciate the view allowed us time to discuss and enjoy the wines.

By the end of the trip we had agreed that this was our favourite cellar door experience and a definite must see. We were not there for lunch, however, they do have some amazing looking regional food platters available (all sourced from local artisan producers), so next time we will definitely head back around lunch time to enjoy the good food and wine.

Here is my top five (in no particular order) favourites from MSV winery and which I highly recommend you try. Plus I have included their recommendations (from their website) for food matching as we are all about the food….

1. 2008 The Barossa – 68% Shiraz, 15% Grenache, 15% Mataro, 2% Cinsaut.  $35

Match it with – Smoked meats, savoury pickles, mild cheeses, crusty bread

Buy here

2. 2010 Viognier Marsanne – 58% Viognier, 42% Marsanne.  $35

Match it with – Asian Salads, Shellfish, Spatchcock, Quail

Buy here

3. Benno – named after Andrew Seppelt’s great, great grandfather this is a Shiraz and Mataro blend.  $75

Match with – Red meats, mid-eastern spices and legumes 

Buy Here

4. Sophia – Benno’s wife – this is a full bodied Shiraz and could just have been my favourite. $75

Match with – Beef Carpaccio, Slow cooked red meats, Game meats

Buy here

5. Gomersal – Shiraz – another must try – I was definitely in Shiraz heaven at MSV wines. $55

Match with: Truffled mushrooms, risotto, lamb cutlets

Buy here

Final Word: If you’re off to the Barossa then do not miss out on visiting Greenock and MSV winery. The scenery, hospitality and the stunning wines are just too good to bypass. We were there in August so we missed out on seeing the lush green vines however, August is still a great time to visit the Barossa as everything but the vines are green so the scenery is still stunning. Although with spring around the corner (and now here) it is still perfect weather for a wood fire and nice bottle of Shiraz if you’re staying somewhere overnight in the Barossa.

MSV winery

Murray St, Greenock

Open daily from 10am – 4pm

http://www.murraystreet.com.au/home.html

Part 2 of the Barossa – including Roaring 40′s cafe, Maggie Beer’s and Rockford’s winery – coming next week…

On a recent Sydney trip a large group of friends descended on Red Lantern in Surry Hills for a night of Luke Nguyen brilliance. Being the organised freak that I am, I booked before Christmas and having paid my $100 deposit for the tasting menu banquet, was eagerly anticipating what was in store for us at the well know haunt.

Red Lantern is a very modest - walk too fast and you will miss it restaurant. The walls inside are painted dark red and we sat out the front of the restaurant just off the street which made it feel like we were having dinner out the front of a friends cool terrace house.

As mentioned, due to the size of our table we had to get the tasting menu (for 6 people or more). I say hadbut really – who I am I kidding? Helloooo more food!!!!! With so many items on the shared dining menu it was awesome value and you get to try so many more amazing flavours than you normally would.

Another great part about the tasting menu – is if you have vegetarians in your group – they won’t miss out and either will you if you’re worried about meals being altered! Vegetarians are bought out their very own meals – all of which looked just as delicious as the meat versions.We took the cheaper tasting menu option – $60 per head and we had more than enough food and had people actually thinking it was all over when just the first round had been served!

Goi Vit Cuon – Rice paper rolls with roast duck, enoki mushrooms and Vietnamese herbs

Muc Rang Muoi – lightly battered chilli salted squid served with a fresh lemon and white pepper dipping sauce

This piled up mass of squid was very delicious. The squid was very light, cut into thin strips and came accompanied by the very powerful dipping sauce that was a instant BAM hit of sour yet ended with a addictive sweetness.  A few of us couldn’t decide at first if we actually liked the sauce however, we couldn’t stop coming back for more and the squid would not have been as awesome without it.

Goi Ga – master stock chicken with jelly fish salad, cabbage and mint. I can’t say I have ever tasted jelly fish before and was slightly apprehensive especially paired with chicken (sometimes seafood/meat or seafood/poultry combinations make me feel a little odd) but this time there was no oddness. The crushed peanuts added a crunch to the relatively wet salad and it was a set of flavours that I really enjoyed.

Goi Du Du – Tiger Prawns with Berkshire Pork salad, green papaya, and mint

Mi Vit – Burrawong Peking Duck – served with noodles and Asian greens. This was my highlight of the meal. The picture speaks volumes. Perfect duck beautifully cooked, perfectly tender on a bed of simple greens and noodles keeping the duck and its flavour as the centre piece of the meal.

Thit Heo Man Ruoc – Black Berkshire Pork Shoulder caramelised with lemongrass, chilli and shrimp paste. This dish was the first of the meal that moved away from the lighter salad style meals and it packed a warming winter punch of strong flavours and melt in the mouth pork portions.

Ca Sot Dua Ca – Blue Eye Trevella poached in prawn, tomato and coconut broth.

Bok hu – Wagyu Beef braised in tomato with cinnamon, cassia and star anise. The finale of the meal packed a strong meaty flavour  – the large chunks of tender beef in a robust sauce were to die for.

Lastly – here is one of the Vegetarian meals that was a standout – it represented the meat dish for vegetarians and seemed to be thick mushrooms with a sesame casing. It had a extremely odd texture but tasted superb and was nice and filling for the vego’s.

 I recommend if you have a large table to book in advance – the website recommends at least 2 months – you don’t want to be caught out -kicking yourself for not being organised! The website is also worth a look for those of you who won’t be going to Sydney any time soon- there is an online store and you can buy some cool items – www.redlantern.com.au

This week I would like to introduce special guest blogger – Marbles who recently returned from a trip to Malaysia and is lovely enough to share her foodie experience with us. Marbles has her own fab blog – http://passthebrownpaperbag.blogspot.com/ so check it out!!

Kuala Lumpur is a stark contrast to the clean, highly Americanised streets of Singapore. I liken KL to Rome. Hustle, bustle, with a very strong undercurrent of sleaze, grime and grease (at least that’s what I experienced in Rome – I just remember the tube ride in the city being decidedly scary). I walked past markets with stall owners practically pulling on my arm to drag me towards their knock off LV bags, Gucci belts and Burberry wallets. It was really very intense.

So after traipsing through the markets, trying to get an authentic feel for the city, we felt ravenous. We strode past street hawkers that had cooked mountains of food and left it by the side of the road, cooked, to be covered in road dust and pollution. I was fairly convinced my delicate constitution wouldn’t be able to handle that, so we continued our search and found a shopping centre, called the Paragon, where all the food outlets were shiny and new. I didn’t want that either. I wanted authentic! After 30 minutes of walking up and down streets trying to find something real, I developed hunger pains and a need for an ice cold beer.

We finally decided on a little place called The Heritage that we had walked past several times that day. It had red and white checked tablecloths and deep, rich wooden interior and four big Malaysian Mafioso types hanging out the front, dripping in bling. I thought I was in an Italian Taverna, not some hot spot along Bukit Bintang, KL.

We were the first in the restaurant and were the centre of attention for the Italian knock off heavies until a passionate, loud and arguing young couple entered who were seemingly from Brazil. Finally, we felt more at ease and ready to relax into the evening.

Being more native to the region than my husband, I ordered for both of us to share a variety of dishes that included the beef satay, Nonya prawns (my mother is Nonya), and the Penang Keow Teow (pr. Kway Chow).

Satay from Malaysia is well known and an absolute must have if in the region. Some people believe that satay is from Thailand. It is not. It does in fact originate in Malaysia and they do it so well. The satay sauce was rich with big chunks of peanuts, coriander, chilli, drenched in oil and tamarind juice and was a perfect accompaniment to the succulent beef skewers. Husband and I drooled as the plate was put down in front of us and then furiously stuffed our faces with so much peanut sauce that it dripped from our chins!

The Nonya prawns were another stand out for me. A dry chilli flavour was impregnated into them through the cooking process that clearly took place on a grill or a BBQ. Each giant prawn was delicately cooked to tender perfection, yet had crispy tails that practically begged for the meat to be sucked out of them. I think I could have eaten those forever.

The Penang Keow Teow  (Keow Teow means flat noodles) was divine. The only difference that I could see from the Penang Keow Teow to the ordinary Char Keow Teow was the missing fish ball (like reconstituted fish into perfect, round balls – a little plasticy), which was fine with me, since it is my least favourite part of the meal. I was so incredibly full by this stage, but I continued stuffing and stuffing and stuffing, until I could stuff no more, shovelling as much as I could as fast as my little chopsticks would allow.

We managed to inhale the whole meal in about 15 minutes. Once finished, I wanted to eat everything again, but knew that the next day we were going back to Singapore. The price of the meal was extraordinary. For the two of us to eat and have a Tiger beer, the total came to what would equate to be $24. Unbelievably good value.

Overall ambience was great –including arguing tourist couple in the mix, so I give it a three out of five.

Food was a sensational five out of five

Service was also a five out of five.

 ** Go the Recipes tab to see Marble’s Penang Keow Teow recipe

On our third day on Santorini we decided to check out some of the wines so we stopped in at Santorini Winery for some taste testing. For only 5 euro you can taste 5 wines and also get food to match the wines as they come out. With the two white wines bread was served, and with the reds a platter was bought out with cheese, salami, olives and sundried tomatoes. The finale was the impressive Vinsanto – a sweet red wine which has aromas of cinnamon, honey and vanilla along with citrus fruits. The Vinsanto was accompanied with the most simplest of dessert but we were left fighting with our spoons for the last dollop. The dessert was yoghurt that had been flattened out on the plate and then covered with sweet grapes and their syrup. Heavenly!

On the last day in Santorini we went on one of the many sunset cruises which takes you to the volcano that could erupt in 60 years, the hot springs (that weren’t that hot) and then to lunch on Thirassia island. Straight of the boat on Thirassia there was a row of restaurants on the water all offering similar souvlaki’s – we settled for Kamapa which seemed to have the biggest seafood souvlaki’s we could see. The seafood mixed grill was huge and had on it; lobster, prawns, oysters, crab, octopus and shrimp plus it came with the most succulent lemon potatoes and Greek style rice. We also had some rather tasty cheese balls and a prawn souvlaki to share.

The end of the cruise landed us in Oia – the magical end of Santorini where all the postcard pictures are taken. We noticed a restaurant that stood out from the rest – it looked older and breathed quality so we booked a table for later that night. We made our way back to Oia around 9:30pm that night to end our Greek trip on what we hoped would be the most memorable meal of the trip. We were not disappointed. The interior of 1800 was very old world and charming, the  service faultless and not pushy like down town Thira. At the time we had no knowledge of the place – now reading their website, the history of the building is remarkable and I cannot wait to go back there one day.

For entree Lauren and I shared The Rabbit (that is how they name dishes) which came with eschalot and orange juice sauce, warm brioche with fresh herbs and rhubarb sautéed with warm eggplant. This rabbit was simply the best rabbit I have ever eaten. For mains Amelia and I had The Pig which was pork belly rested in the oven with chocolate cereals, lime sorbet and with extra sauce filled up in a plastic burette that was inserted into my pork belly. Back track. Yes I did say Lime Sorbet. Yes when I cut through my luscious pork belly I did spoon some sorbet onto my meat and yes it was delicious. Who thinks of this stuff?? Magical. I am a massive pork belly fan and this was up there with the most delicious – 9.5/10. I would have given it 10 out of 10 if I could have one more piece!

Lauren had The Fish which was Sea bass stuffed with prosciutto and cooked in a artichoke broth along with artichoke cream and vegetables. This was exquisite also, cooked to perfection with creative flavours and according to Lauren 9/10. For dessert I had the Ivoire chocolate which consisted of white chocolate mousse flavoured with lime on a chocolate biscuit.

The charming Oia bought our Greek trip to a memorable end. I was so glad we made the effort to get out of Thira and have an amazing evening – it was definitely one to remember.

Arriving at Santorini at dusk we were amazed by the sheer height of the island. The view of the ocean as we winded up the road in the bus was simply ‘amazing’ (amazing was our key word for the trip and although I should use other words for the purpose of the blog I really feel it continually sums up everything)!

We were staying in Thira at the Sunrise Hotel. It was very quaint – not quite what we were used to after our Mykonos accommodation but with Santorini being a bit more expensive then Mykonos if you’re on a budget it is a good place to stay.

We ventured into Thira and after having a few pesky men telling us to go into their restaurant we settled on Argos which had a good view of the sea and seemed to have some good old fashioned Greek food like moussaka, stuffed capsicums and an array of platters.

We asked for the Greek Salad and instead we were persuaded to have the more expensive (but I have to admit delicious and well worth it) Santorini Salad. It had lettuce, raisins, cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts and parmesan- it was super fresh and even I (I try to like salads but I generally don’t love them) LOVED this salad.

We were also presented with fresh bread with olive dip -which we found out at the end of the night we were actually charged for. It isn’t a big deal – and if the service had been attentive and friendly we probably would not have blinked but the vibe set in that we weren’t in our beloved Mykonos anymore. For mains, Lauren had the vegetarian moussaka, Angela had the mushroom risotto and Amelia and I had the Greek Platter for two. It had veal, roast potatoes, stuffed capsicums, moussaka, tzatziki and hummus. Everything was perfect – the veal was extremely tender and fell away easily and the moussaka was very delicious.

 On our first full day in Santorini we hired our quad bikes and rode down to Kamari beach. The beach at Kamari has black sand and a huge cliff to the right where old Thira once stood. For a fee you can take a look around and see the ruins of the old houses that once stood there. Back at Kamari we stopped in for lunch at a funky little cafe called Mamma Mia’s where our host was super friendly and the place had a cheerful vibe. We ordered our Gyros for only 2 euro (bargain) and tried a Pork one as they seem harder to come by back in Australia.

We were invited to come back that night and we probably should have as our meal that night in Thira was a bit of a disappointment so much so that we didn’t eat dinner in Thira again and I’m not even going to write about the meal.

The next day we got up super early to watch the AFL grand final at a little pub with an amazing view – at 7am we were already drinking beer and loving our Spanakopita’s from a little bakery down the block.

 After that we had some awesome crepes and a pistachio milkshake then got ready for our next big day.

On the last night in Mykonos we ventured down into town and went right along the waterfront looking for seafood. We ended up at the last restaurant on the water’s edge called Little Venezia. Aptly named as this area of Mykonos truly does look like a miniature Venice. For entree we had the grilled octopus which was deliciously flavoured with lemon and also the mussels with white wine sauce. I have had a few dreams about these mussels since our visit . There had been discussion over the trip with the other girls how they didn’t really like mussels – well I’m fairly certain these ones changed at least changed Lauren’s mind for good. It was just a shame when there were no more Mussels left – I don’t put licking bowls and seafood together as the most normal thing to do but I sure could have slurped up that sauce with a spoon – actually I’m pretty sure I did.

For mains Lauren and I decided to share the 65 euro plate of lobster with Bavette (flat strands of pasta – like linguine). I can only describe this as sensational. The pasta was simple with a modest tomato sauce – they are always the best as I always wonder about the sauces that are so simple yet so rich with colour and flavour. Then the lobster was halved and put on either side of the plate…ridiculously generous and plain awesome. Along with the food, the service at the restaurant was very warm and we made good friends with the waiters and owner – proof of the good nature and time the people on Mykonos give to newcomers.

On our last day in Mykonos we were determined to have pasta at a restaurant that Angela and Amelia had already been too – it displayed all its homemade dried pasta out the front and the girls came back with stories of mouth watering brilliance. Unfortunately they didn’t open until 2pm, and our ferry to Santorini was before then so we kept walking and ended up at a restaurant near the edge of town called Ristorante Casa di Giorgi. We were informed by the waitress that all their pasta was home made. Least we were ticking that box. The menu was lengthy with so many varieties of pizza and pasta. All the pasta’s sounded so nice but I settled on the simple Gnocchi Pomodoro e Basilco ( I have this thing where I must try Gnocchi at a restaurant when I know its home made). I get so angry when I ask if its home made and then it comes out and it clearly is not – how can they blatantly lie!!! This was homemade and the Gnocchi  was melting in my mouth and was delicious. The sauce was fire engine red – was simple but very tasty. I was satisfied. Lauren had pasta with porcini mushrooms, pine nuts, cherry tomatoes and pesto. It was a mountain of heaven! Ang and Amelia both had pizzas and these were an impressive size with super thin bases.

After that we were off to the ferry to begin our last leg of our Greek Odyssey – four nights in Santorini – at this stage I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face – what would Santorini bring???

Mykonos was full of surprises – we assumed we would just party in Mykonos and soak in the beauty of Santorini.  If you are older and feel your partying days are over - don’t be fooled into thinking Mykonos is not for you…it has some beautiful beaches, wonderful restaurants and the people are truly charming.  In Mykonos, they bend over backwards to ensure you have everything you need and will not try and make you buy the most expensive thing on the menu by telling you that the cheaper one is not available (this happens in Santorini) or provide you with bread only to charge you 7 euro (this also happened in Santorini). Don’t get me wrong – we found some amazing places in Santorini also, but the facts are we are tourists on a tourist island and unfortunately in Thira especially (the main town on Santorini) we didn’t have the same nice vibe as we did on Mykonos or in other areas of Santorini.

On Mykonos we stayed at the Grand Beach Hotel  and we were completely  awe struck when we arrived. Simply divine, the hotel is situated at Megali Ammos which is a five minute walk from town and was so lovely. Our rooms were not ready so we waited by the pool and had some food from the pool menu. Greek Salad and yoghurt and fruit with honey. Very fresh and very yum.

On our first night, we went to a jam packed restaurant  called Restaurant Alefkandra. We decided to get two seafood platters for 75 euro each and it was ridiculously fresh – we knew we had landed in Greece. The platter had lobster, calamari, fish, prawns and cuttlefish – the pictures still make my mouth water – it was a great start to our Mykonos experience.

Of course during the day, whilst weaving through the picture perfect white streets of Mykonos (they paint the trunks of the trees white too) the best thing to have is a Yiros, or Gyros to be exact. They are even more awesome with hot chips inside which more Australian Yiros shops should really get involved with. A Gyros along with a Mythos beer and you are in Greek heaven.

The second night we ate at Joanna’s Nikos restaurant which is literally right on the beach. The restaurant is just down from the hotel so it was quite pleasant and relatively quite being away from the main part of town. There was a barbeque around the side of the restaurant and a lot of the meals seemed to be cooked off that.  For entrees we had the fried cheese and Taramasalata and Tzatkizi dips with bread along with seafood courgettes. My main was the grilled Swordfish – I found this to be a bit dry but my friend Angela was very happy with her Carbonara pasta – very simple but amazingly tasty. The restaurant is worth a visit just to sit by the water and feel like you are far far from home.

Athens in 6 hours. The old me would have been panicking as we flew in to Athens – concerned that we only had the afternoon to explore and would we see everything in time? Would I eat everything in time? Luckily, for my sanity I chose to not do any research on Athens – all I asked of the travel agent was to find accommodation in the historical centre so we didn’t have to go far in our limited time. She did just that. On the 26th September four  friends flew into Athens around 4pm, checked into our perfectly central and cheap hotel – The Attalos Hotel which, had perfect views of the Acropolis, downed the small bottles of complimentary Ouzo waiting for us and took off on our own mini Amazing Race. It turns out we didn’t have to rush – it’s Greece! Who rushes there! We decided the walk up to the Acropolis was just too much without a Yiros in our bellies to fuel our path up there. So after having a little look around at the busy restaurants in the Plaka (the oldest section of Athens, it lines the base of the mountain), we settled on one that looked simple and had what we wanted – delicious Yiros. The amount of chicken on the plate was scary but we all managed to finish it off and I really needed a nap after basically inhaling our first Greece meal!  In the Plaka there are loads of restaurants to choose from as well as many souvenir, jewellery and sandal stores but we continued up the mountain keeping in mind we didn’t know for sure when the gates of the Acropolis shut.

Being a Sunday, it was free entry to all the historical sites in Athens  so it was quite busy when we got to the top. The view was amazing from all angles and truly remarkable seeing the Pantheon as the sun was beginning to fade.

As much as I wanted to finish the wonderful afternoon on a mind blowing dinner we were all so full from our late lunch -so we stopped in at a restaurant with a pushy Maitre de and informed him we just wanted a light appetiser and some wine nothing more. This was fine and we settled in to sip our red wine, have our olive oil and bread with olives and listen to the live Greek music, utterly exhausted but so happy to be in Athens and excited with our plans for the next day. After we had outstayed our welcome ( there was some money slapping on the table when they realised we really weren’t ordering any mains!) we weaved out way back through the Plaka looking in all the shops that obviously stay open quite late.

Before going to Athens we were told it was dirty and that it wasn’t worth staying there too long. We found the opposite – apart from the usual city mess – I found Athens to be far more cleaner and charming then Rome – I absolutely cannot wait to go back and spend a few more days there – seeing what I missed, eating way more food, and just spending time soaking in its relaxed energy.