The fugu of blow fish is a poisonous fish a bit like a toady or a puffer fish. These fish are deadly if prepared the wrong way, chefs need to have a licence to serve the fish and tasters need to sign a disclaimer in most restaurants. The gizzards (which are usually the best stuff in Japan) have deadly poison and if contaminated with the meat will kill the eater very fast – the poison paralyses the muscles causing asphyxiation. Due to the nature of the dish it is very expensive and many people die every year after eating contaminated Fugu. It was illegal to serve the fish up until 1958. For anyone interested there is a Fugu museum in Osaka. Fugi restaurant can be found by looking for the giant fugi decoration at the front of the premises. Read the rest of this entry »

If your ever looking for a great meal in London head to the nearest pub and order a pint and a toad in the hole- you wont be disappointed. This has got to be the best pub meal ever. Don’t be alarmed your not in France so its not a frog, its a magnificent dish with some sausages, onion and mash potato served in a crispy vol au vant like basket covered in rich brown gravy. You will love it- and for only a few quid it is a bargain. Washed down with a few pints of refreshing lager you have had a great lunch. Read the rest of this entry »

Asahi beer is probably the best known Japanese beer outside Japan, and in Japan they drink it like fish. Its fresh crisp taste is a favourite and it’s not hard to see why. Its available in many forms, there are serial different can sizes including a mini can which holds about 150ml of beer right up to litre cans. Bottles too come in several sizes and of course their is the draft form which is very tasty if you can wait long enough for it to be pored. The Japanese like a big frothy head on the beer and it takes forever. They fill the glass 3/4 full with beer then flick the beer tap backwards to make a perfectly formed high frothy head. While they are spending minutes making this head all you want to do is drink the thing. The suspense make the beer taste really good… believe me! Read the rest of this entry »

St Marks Square in Venice would have to have the biggest flock of pigeons anywhere in the world, there are what appears to be millions. These flying rats are everywhere, and to make things worse they are encouraged by people feeding them. Fortunately most of the buildings in the area have been covered in fine wire to stop the birds nesting and destroying the historic buildings but its hard to walk too far without stepping on a bird or their waste. They are very game and not afraid of people so it’s relatively easy to get a good photograph of these colourful pests. Read the rest of this entry »

If your traveling around Venice and looking for some cheap and fancy gifts for the folk back home, you can’t go past Venetian Glass. Now some of the cheaper stuff is Chinese imports but who’s going to know its all pretty flash. You can pick up some lovely pieces for only a few euros- remember to bargain you can save heaps. Some of the more expensive and exclusive stuff can cost thousands of dollars, but its pretty easy to find something at an affordable price. Keep away from the main tourist areas when shopping you can do better in some of the back lanes and if you are interested in glass its well worth a quick ferry ride across to Murano which is about 20 minutes away. Just about the whole village makes or sells glass ware. Read the rest of this entry »

No holiday to London would be complete with out a ride on the London Eye it is truly breathtaking. This monstrous observation wheel is 135 meters high, the biggest in the world- although Singapore is building a larger one and knowing how Japan loves Ferris wheels, they probably won’t be too far behind.

The attraction isn’t cheap but it is well worth the time and money, they say an average of 10,000 visitors travel on it a day.

If you are lucky enough to be in London on a clear day you will see close to 40 kilometers but even if it is cloudy you will get a great view of the city, Big Ben and other popular London landmarks.

It’s best to get there early to avoid the rush at the ticket box. The ride takes about 30 minutes to do the one circle. The capsules are all glassed in and very comfortable, there are 32 in total and they each hold about 20 people. Security is paramount and inspectors check the capsule after each trip and there are restrictions on some items being taken onto the ride.

The wheel is an amazing engineering feat, the amount of steel in the structure is amazing, it is claimed there is over 2100 tones of weight in the structure, which travels 26cm per second around the 424m circumference. Read the rest of this entry »

Stuttgart yard-brew make this delicious beer, Herren Pils it is has a fresh crisp taste and is very popular around the Stuttgart area of Germany. The brewery makes beer using the Bavarian purity law which forbids nasty preservatives and chemical additives to the beer. Read the rest of this entry »

Poor old XXXX beer has a bit of a identity complex in Australia, it just isn’t popular outside of Queensland and the southern Carlton United products like VB and Carton Mid Strength are eating into its Queensland territory. It’s a bit of a shame because for an Australian beer it isn’t a bad drop. It’s crisp and has a good bitter taste delightful infact on a warm Queensland day- or any day for that matter.
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The best mini pizzas I have ever had can be found in a little lane called Salvadego which runs off the north west corner of St Marco’s Piazza (St. Mark’s Square) in Venice. The cheese, sauce and topping are delicious and the soft base is delightful and for only an Euro and 20c – believe me you won’t be able to stop at just one. It’s too hard to decide whether the olive one is better than the mushroom one. If you are ever in Venice make sure you try a few! Read the rest of this entry »

During the Football World Cup in 2006 Munich’s local businesses and the city decorated huge fibreglass lions. All of them were decorated in different poses and painted in corporate colours or in interesting ways. The lions were enjoyed so much that many of them remain and do a very good job brightening up the city. Read the rest of this entry »