The Little Mermaid that's not in Copenhagen
This little mermaid is not in Copenhagen. Can you identify where it is located?
Hints:
Where is this “Little Mermaid” located? Be the first to post your answer in comments.
Enjoying dinner at the Straits Kitchen in the Singapore Grand Hyatt Hotel
Last week we were in Singapore. Before our trip, we had done a little advance research, so we were looking forward to visiting one of the Hawker Centers and trying the variety of Chinese, Malay and Indian food that Singapore is famous for like chili crab, chicken rice and satay.
Our only obstacle was the sweltering heat and humidity. We set out for a Hawker Center, hungry to try new foods. Between walking outside, then into a blast of icy air conditioning on the subways and underground mall walkways, then back outdoors into the heat , we arrived to miserable to enjoy eating outside.
Luckily, we remembered that on his show No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain had eaten in a Hyatt hotel restaurant that was created like a Hawker Center. A quick Google search and we found The Straits Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt was just around the corner from our hotel.
What a discovery.
The Straits Kitchen is a Singapore-inspired restaurant showcasing an endless parade of hawker favorites from Chinese, Malay and Indian open kitchens.
It’s air-conditioned to a perfect temperature with comfortable seats, white linen napkins, and attentive wait staff. In a city packed with great places to eat, it’s a tourist hotel restaurant packed with locals. We knew were on to something good.
As soon as we were seated, our waiter, Kok Sing, came over to greet us and take our drinks orders. The dining is a fixed price ($45 Singapore dollars/person) for all that you can eat. Kok Sing patiently explained the eight or so different food stations where chefs make different styles of food to order. “Only take a little bit of each dish,” he said, “or you won’t be able to try it all.”
It was overwhelming; where to start? The satay grill, with chicken, beef and mutton and all of the accompaniments was closest to our table.
A sample of the diverse foods of Singapore like chili crab
At another station, the famous Hainanese chicken rice, or roasted duck. There was the Laksa and Nasi Goreng. Seafood delights including spicy chili crab. Fish in banana leaves. Watching the Indian chefs grill the fresh hot Roti Prata, along with dozens of curries and cumin-roasted prawns. It was incredible. The best of the Hawker Centers and food courts, in a comfortable hotel atmosphere.
Once a plate was finished, it disappeared and new fork and knives and/or chopsticks appeared by an army of waiters. Finger bowls of warm lemon water appeared to deal with the stickiness of chili crab.
And small bites or not, there was too much food. Various chefs and waiters encouraging us “you have to try this.” We couldn’t try it all. Desserts appeared anyway – how could we resist the restaurant manager saying, “I brought you a special dessert.” It was tapioca with a brown sugar cane swirl of sauce with a tiny scoop of coconut ice cream.
After we stumbled out into hot humid night back to our hotel, stuffed and happy, we knew we had to return another night, to try more of the specialties of the Straits Kitchen.
The Straits Kitchen Grand Hyatt Singapore Hotel, 10 Scotts Rd, Singapore 228211
Have you experienced Singapore cusine? What you’re favorite dining experience in Singapore?
More than 400 years old, this grape vine is reported to be the world’s oldest.
The World’s Oldest Grape Vine at the Old Vine House in Maribor, Slovenia
Up close, this grape vine looks mature, but normal.
But this isn’t just any grape vine. It’s more than 400 years old and the oldest known producing vine in the world (according to the sign beside the vine and Guinness’s Book of World Records).
It’s in Maribor, Slovenia’s second largest city located about 7 miles from the Austrian border.
The Old Vine grows on the Old Vine House in Lent, the oldest part of Maribor, along the River Drava.
About the wine
The old vine produces Zametovka grapes, one Slovenia’s oldest domesticated noble wine varieties. The vine annually produces between 75 and 130 pounds of grapes, which are hand-pressed and bottled into bottles designed by Oskar Kogoj. The vine produces up to 100 small bottles of wine each year, which are used as protocol gifts from the mayor of Maribor.
Getting to Maribor
We visited the Maribor and the Old Vine on a day trip via from Ljubljana during the Lent Festival in 2007. Read about our visit here.
Wine tasting opportunites abound on the Maribor wine-tourist road — beginning at the Old Vine. The area is known for white wines, with Laaiki Riesling the leading variety. Other grape varies in the area include Rhine Riesling, Chardonnay, Rulandec, Green Silvaner and Muscatel.
grapes on the oldest vine in Maribor, Slovenia
We enjoy wine and exploring the world’s wine-producing regions. What’s your favorite wine destination?
Follow us on Twitter @travelinjones
Or interact on Facebook : Traveling With the Jones
Every Tuesday is Travel Tip Day
Today: 7 Tips for Researching a Travel Destination Before You Go
Are you a spur-of-the-moment, go-with-the-flow traveler? Or one who tightly schedules their travel agenda in 15-minute increments to not miss anything?
We tend to be go-with-the-flow travelers and enjoy discoveries as they present themselves. Yet we’ve learned – that a little advance research and homework before departure — ensures that we make best use of our time in a new destination. After all, if you really want to see the Mona Lisa in Paris, you don’t want to go on a Tuesday, only to find the Louvre closed. Or, on August 15, when it’s closed for Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – a French holiday.
Advance research helps traveler’s uncover a destination’s unquie charms. Online research lead us to an invite-only climb of Big Ben in London.
Plus, advance research can help uncover unique events or discoveries that you would otherwise miss out on. One of our best memories of London will always be climbing the tower that houses Big Ben, to watch the bell ring 12 times at noon. Mr. Jones discovered this event, and how to get an invitation, through an in-depth online search.
Here are 7 tips for “getting in the know” on a destination before you go:
1. Rent travel videos and/or movies shot in the destination. From Netflix, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations inspired our dining choices on our recent trip to Singapore. Watching Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday inspired our pre-cruise Rome stay during our honeymoon. To find travel movies, search Travel Adventure Documentaries on Netflix. Programs by Samantha Brown, Rudy Max, Rick Steves and National Geographic our some of our favorites.
2. Attend a travel lecture. If you live in the Seattle area, Rick Steve’s Europe Through the Back door offers free travel classes every Tuesday and Saturday in Edmonds, Washington. Click for schedule and topics. Travel shows generally feature destination speakers, and travel classes are frequently offered through community continuing education.
3. Search online. Google and other search engines deliver massive amounts of information on most destinations. Start with broad key words, but then get very specific, such as “walking tours in Singapore”, “local favorite foods in the Mosel”, or “shore excursions in Malta”. Don’t let language limit your search: enter phrase in the local language of the destination, and then convert results to English.
4. Look for travel and foodie blogs. Blogs have helped us find unique experiences that our favorite travel memories. Divina Cucina helped us find an in-expensive 5-table restaurant for a fantastic food and people-watching near the Central Market in Florence. Our positive experiences from other’s blogs were the inspiration for us to start this blog three years ago.
5. Use Twitter. Search topics and see who is tweeting on your destination. Follow them. Then tweet the kind of information you are looking for.
6. Ask people who’ve been there. “What did you enjoy the most about X? Just remember, each of us has unique points of view, so someone’s idea of the perfect hotel and your idea may be miles apart. We like to compare information from a variety of different sources, and listen for consistent themes.
7. Buy guidebooks. Despite all of the information available online, we still like professional guide books. Two favorites: Rick Steve’s Through the Back Door for commentary and good restaurant recommendations and DK Eyewitness Travel for detailed photos and illustrations.
The Travelin Jones behind the face of London’s Big Ben
What is your favorite method of research prior to a new destination? What insights have you gained from pre-trip research? Please share in comments.
Follow us on Twitter or interact with us on Facebook
Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.