Christmas Catch-Up

It's been a while since I've sat down and done a proper post so I thought it was about time! Warning - this is going to be a long, and very photo heavy one!

So Christmas is over, just the New Year to get through and then life will go back to normal. I do love Christmas, but this is the time where I start to miss my routine, and the endless food is getting a little boring..

We spent Christmas in Venice, I've been many times before and it was as beautiful as ever - because there are no roads and you have to walk (or swim! not likely!) everywhere there is a certain peacefulness that I haven't witnessed in any other country in the world, I think that's why I love it so much. I have taken thousands of pictures of Venice but it's always the more everyday things that are so special, such as the rubbish boats, fire engine boats etc that are the most interesting.. here are a few of my favourite pictures from this time out;

Furs are obligatory in Venice - it's cold!

Look at the size of those meringues!

Christmas Eve post!

I can't resist a Disney store...

I have no shame in admitting that I had my eye on this man for quite some time...

We had Christmas Day lunch in the hotel we were staying in and this is what we had;

Peach Bellini with Canapés

Corn Millefeuille stuffed with Porcini Mushrooms over melted Asiago Cheese

Risotto with Treviso's (Treviso is an area of Venice) Chicory and Venison

Valeggio's Tortellini in Capon Consommé

Yuletide Turkey and Chesnuts with Glazed Baby Onions and Duchess Potatoes

Yule Log with Egg-Nog

Coffee and Confection

It was absolutely delicious at the time, if a little filling! But the morning after when we came down for breakfast one by one we all gradually admitted that we had been violently sick during the night - so looking at these photo's now is making my stomach turn a little! Oh well, maybe next year will be better! At least none of the calories will count!

As you may have seen in a previous post, I am taking part in the Rory Gilmore book challenge. I finished my first one (before 2013 has even started!) whilst I was in Venice. 1984 by George Orwell. It's crazy that a book that was first published in 1949 is so extremely relevant to modern life. It's a great story and really makes you think about the control of everything around us. Onto Huckleberry Finn now!

Also - my sister asked me what I was doing when I wrote my name in the book once I had finished it. I didn't have an answer! I've always done this for as long as I can remember! Do you do anything strange with your books?

How was your Christmas?

Pete McCarthy - Essential Reading

I spend a lot of my time travelling or staying in hotels, so an extensive reading list is essential. These are the ones in my bag at the moment;

McCarthy’s Bar and Road to McCarthy - Pete McCarthy

These are probably my two favourite books ever, they were recommended to my mum by a family friend and have been swapped around and re-read by all of us ever since. (The state of the covers are testament to their greatness)

Pete McCarthy was a comedian, radio presenter and writer and these books (his only two before his death in 2004) are an absolute triumph of witty, endearing and relatable thoughtfulness. Pete’s two travel rules (and now my own) are; never pass a bar with your name on it, and on entering a new town buy a copy of the local paper and read it over a local brew in the nearest pub

The first book McCarthys Bar documents his adventures exploring his Irish heritage. It starts with his trip back to his hometown in Ireland and continues across the country. The second book Road to McCarthy documents his trip to the town bearing his name in the US.

Pete was writing a third book before he sadly passed away before it could be completed.
These books are an absolute must for anyone travelling, the characters and places they document are so genuinely funny it makes them extremely hard to put down.