Italy


  • MoCo Downtown– The Best Italian Style Restaurant in New Brunswick

    The following is a repost of my review for MoCo Downtown that appears on TripAdvisor.

    I was there for the first time on Saturday and I was floored by how wonderful this gem of a place was. I ordered the Sussex Sausage Risotto and for a side paired it with the Sliced Brussel Sprout with Prosciutto and Pine Nut side.

    It was so creamy and spicy and flavourful that it blew me away. The Brussel Sprouts we very salty, but that is exactly what you would get in Italy. Unlike many Italian restaurants that simply mimics what you would get in various parts of Italy, this place cooks like a Tuscan or Venetian chef would with access and highlighting of New Brunswick ingredients.

    The food was so good but I would not want to not mention how friendly the wait staff was and how efficiently the kitchen was putting out plates. Definitely going to go back and explore more of this menu.


  • A Crazy Time
    ,

    A Crazy Time

    We arrive in Budapest around 5pm on September 20th. We were staying at Wombats Budapest and I was hungry. I needed to find a currency exchange place since I had too much Polish Zlotys left and the receptionist recommended this place around the corner. (Ibla Change) I did very well, I got close to 12,050 Forints. ($55 Canadian) Most of the other places were giving 8,700 for it. Now this place was really cheep! (Think the waiter from EuroTrip that would open his own hotel on a US Nickle.)

    We went for a river tour that night and it was an amazing buffet and was as pretty as Budapest at night. On the cruise there was one couple that had been fighting the past couple days made up and got engaged!


    After the cruise if you read the past posts in this series it was Shots and Beer time. We walked though this ally of restaurants and bars that was incredible. There was this amazing grunge looking place we went to that had many stories and bars in it. It was so packed, after a few beers, I just left everyone and walked back to the hotel. This is when I was approached by a woman of the night, we talked a bit, but I turned her down. She then got upset and started yelling something in Hungarian and then spit on me and said I was cursed.

    Totally freaked out I went back to my room and showered. My giant bubble on my head bursts at this point and was filled with yellow puss. I decide to shower and go to bed. As I move the sheets there is a little black bug moving along the sheets. I move the mattress and there is more and then so look at the joints of the bunk bed any there is even more. Then I check the other sets of beds in the room and there is none.I go to reception and they address the problem by cleaning my stuff and giving me a different co-ed shared room for the night as they are fully booked, and would get a new room the next day. As I enter the room it is dark and I use my phone as a flashlight to make the bed (check for bugs) and then I fell asleep.


    As I awoke the next morning I awake and look around the room, and there is a Australian blonde laying on the sheets, like Copenhagen, naked. I had a tour in the morning so I got breakfast and placed my stuff in storage until I got my room. The tour was okay we walked all around the Pest part of town, seen the statues, buildings and learned the history. The tour ended in the Terror Museum that was okay, but there are better things to do like the baths


    After the tour some of us went to a fancy Italian restaurant that was so good. I then left the group and wandered to the Buda side to climb up to the castle and take photos. I then went to find a restaurant in that ally that was the most expensive local cuisine as I had so much money left (about 5000 forints).


    That night everyone was going out again and I joined them for pre-drinks but was not feeling going out. So I just sat and talked until late with those who were sitting around.

    The next morning we drove to Slovenia, we were close to the Croatian border where there is a fence and fields to keep out the migrants. Kind of felt like the Berlin Wall in theory. We got to see the biggest tourist trap in the area Lake Bled that has a famous cake. Let’s face it you had me at cake, that was what I was doing getting coffee and cake. The cake was good and the patio views were good too.


    We then ended up at the destination city of Ljubljana the capital of Slovenia. Most of the group ended up going to a Mexican restaurant that was really good. Then we ended up at a very cool dungeon bar for drinks. As half the group went to a club, I went with the other group for drinks at a kind of sketchy packed place. It was the most fun I’ve had. I got waisted… again.


    As we headed back it was hilarious everyone was following me as I was waisted trying to find my way back.

    The next morning it was off to the final country, Italy.


  • 2014 Academy Award Predictions

    Best Picture (Predicted)
    Prediction and Winner: 12 Years a Slave

    Best Actor in a Leading Role (Miss)
    Prediction: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
    Winner: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

    Best Actress in a Leading Role (Miss)
    Prediction: Judi Dench (Philomena)
    Winner: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

    Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Miss)
    Prediction: Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)
    Winner: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

    Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Miss)
    Prediction: Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
    Winner: Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)

    Best Animated Feature (Predicted)
    Prediction and Winner: Frozen (Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho)

    Best Cinematography (Predicted)
    Prediction and Winner: Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki)

    Best Costume Design (Miss)
    Prediction: 12 Years a Slave (Patricia Norris)
    Winner: The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)

    Best Directing (Miss)
    Prediction: The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)
    Winner: Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)

    Best Documentary Feature (Miss)
    Prediction: The Square (Jehane Noujaim, Karim Amer)
    Winner: 20 Feet from Stardom (Nominees to be determined)

    Best Documentary Short (Predicted)
    Prediction and Winner: The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life (Malcolm Clarke, Nicholas Reed)

    Best Film Editing (Predicted)
    Prediction and Winner: Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger)

    Best Foreign Language Film (Predicted)
    Prediction and Winner: The Great Beauty (Italy)

    Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Predicted)
    Prediction and Winner: Dallas Buyers Club (Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews)

    Best Original Score (Miss)
    Prediction: The Book Thief (John Williams)
    Winner: Gravity (Steven Price)

    Best Original Song (Miss)
    Prediction: The Moon Song – Her
    Winner: Let It Go – Frozen

    Best Production Design (Miss)
    Prediction: 12 Years a Slave (Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker)
    Winner: The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn)

    Best Animated Short Film (Miss)
    Prediction: Get a Horse! (Lauren MacMullan, Dorothy McKim)
    Winner: Mr. Hublot (Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares)

    Best Live Action Short Film (Predicted)
    Prediction and Winner: Helium (Anders Walter, Kim Magnusson)

    Best Sound Editing (Miss)
    Prediction: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Brent Burge, Chris Ward)
    Winner: Gravity (Glenn Freemantle)

    Best Sound Mixing (Miss)
    Prediction: Captain Phillips (Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro)
    Winner: Gravity (Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, Chris Munro)

    Best Visual Effects (Miss)
    Prediction: Star Trek Into Darkness (Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton)
    Winner: Gravity (Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, Neil Corbould)

    Best Adapted Screenplay (Miss)
    Prediction: Philomena (Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope)
    Winner: 12 Years a Slave (John Ridley)

    Best Original Screenplay (Miss)
    Prediction: Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen)
    Winner: Her (Spike Jonze)


  • ,

    Bologna Italy


  • Aussie woman dies on Italy Contiki tour

    I just read the following article and am very surprised at this. Over the last 2 years, I have been on a Contiki tour at the very same campsite.

    Aussie backpacker found dead on Contiki tour | Sydney Morning Herald.

    The Seven Hills campsite was one of my favourites, it had the awesome showers in the cabins that had the full body sprays. Although, camping was crazy as the ground was very rocky and hard to put the pegs on.

    One difference about this site over others is that you have to use these pre-loaded cards to buy stuff. Now, this seems all in well however on the night you leave most of the people I knew would empty the cards at the super-amazing bar, and Rome is one of the heavier drinking spots that I have been to.

    Interesting enough the article also goes on to state, “Contiki said the tour group had continued to Venice.” Now although Rome is a heavy drinking spot. The Fusina Bar at Camping Fucina in Venice is more so. They have the Amnesia drinks for about 8 Euro that go down way to easy.

    It must be really hard on the Contiki staff to actually lose a camper in this manner. Usually, people just get left behind when they partied too hard.


  • Venizia: Video Slide Show

    In the spirit of St. Valentine’s Day, why not a video of the romantic city of Venice, Italy.


  • Golden Globes 2011 Predictions

    Edit: Bold predictions were correct. 8 of 25 (32%)

    Best Motion Picture – Drama
    The King’s Speech

    Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
    Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone

    Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
    Colin Firth – The King’s Speech

    Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
    Tied: Alice in Wonderland or The Kids Are All Right

    Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
    Emma Stone – Easy A

    Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
    Jake Gyllenhaal – Love And Other Drugs

    Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    Amy Adams – The Fighter

    Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    Michael Douglas – Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

    Best Animated Feature Film
    Toy Story 3

    Best Foreign Language Film
    I Am Love (Italy)

    Best Director – Motion Picture
    David O. Russell – The Fighter

    Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
    Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko – The Kids Are All Right

    Best Original Score – Motion Picture
    Danny Elfman – Alice in Wonderland

    Best Original Song – Motion Picture
    “There’s A Place For Us” – Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

    Best Television Series – Drama
    Dexter (SHOWTIME)

    Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama
    Katey Sagal – Sons Of Anarchy

    Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama
    Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)

    Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
    Tie: 30 Rock (NBC) or The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

    Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
    Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)

    Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
    Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

    Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
    The Pacific (HBO)

    Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    Romola Garai – Emma

    Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    Al Pacino – You Don’t Know Jack (HBO)

    Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    Jane Lynch – Glee (FOX)

    Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    Chris Colfer – Glee (FOX)