Tsukiji Fishmarket - a post midnight visit

The Tsukiji Market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, located in Tsukiji, central Tokyo - very close to the Ginza shopping district. It consists of the inner market which is restricted to visitors, and the outer market which consists of restaurants and supply store and is a major attraction.

For me (as for most tourists) there were two main reasons to visit the market - first to go watch the famous Tuna Auctions which take place before sunrise and the sushi breakfast after!

The opening hours to get tickets are at 3:30 am, but I suggest you get there at 3 am if you really want to go get in, because there are only two sets of 60 people allowed to watch the auction and it's on a first come first served basis.

No visit to the fish market would be complete without a sushi breakfast at one of the local shops after you watch the tuna auction. There are a number of places to eat in the market, but since all the signs are all written in Japanese, it is safe to assume that the place with the longest line is the one you should go to. My favorite was Daiwa - Zushi, but Sushi Dai is also quite popular.

Finally, to complete your visit to the fish market there are many small stalls in the outer market, as I mentioned above, selling everything from fresh and dried seafood to plates, cutlery and other specialty items. You can find great gifts there for friends and family as well as for yourself.

Restaurant Locations:

1. Daiwa-Zushi

 Tsukiji Market Part 6 Bldg. 5-2-1 Tsukiji-shijo, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; 81-(0)3547-6797

2. Sushi Dai

Tsukiji Market Part 6 Bldg. 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; 81-(0)3547-6807

 

Specialty items on display in the market stalls

More market stall displays

Crowds waiting for an early sushi breakfast

New Travels in 2015

So it's been a little over two years since my last post, but in the last three months I have traveled so much that I thought I would share my travel experiences with you. I started in the beginning of October with what was supposed to be a "long weekend trip" to Chicago that quickly turned to a 15 day trip to the United States with stops in Miami, Chicago and New York. After that came a long weekend in Rome for my friend's bachelorette weekend, and finally one week after I left to go to Asia for work and visited Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.
I am finally back home (in time for the holiday season!!) and ready to share my adventures with you!!

Day trip to Melissani Lake in Kefalonia

Even though Kefalonia is one of the islands I visit every summer, this was the first time I went on a tour of Melissani - and I have to thank my friend Regina for taking us there! 

For those of you who may have never heard of it before, Melissani is located in Karavomylos, approximately 2km from the town of Sami and it is a unique cave structure with stalactites and a lake inside going down 39 meters in depth. A large section of the cave roof has collapsed allowing the sunlight to permeate and transform the water into the most enchanting turquoise hues. 

 

The cave is open daily from 9 am to late afternoon and you can take a guided tour inside the cave/lake on one of the small row boats - I suggest going there early in the day in order to avoid possible waiting time due to its popularity with the tourists!

Here are some pictures from our boat tour inside the cave - although they don't do much justice to the "live experience!" 

International Museum Day - May 18th

Since 1977 every year on May 18th International Museum Day is organised worldwide. 

Participating museums usually have free admission on this day, are open until late in the evening and have various tours and activities organized in an effort to raise awareness on the importance of  museums in the development of society.

If you happen to be (or live) in Athens and haven't already visited the Acropolis Museum (www.theacropolismuseum.gr) I highly recommend you take the opportunity to do so.

It will be open from 8 am until 12 midnight with free admission for all visitors and at 9 pm there will be a performance by the Orchestra of the Center of Arts and Culture of Dion in the Museum's courtyard by the entrance.

For more information on the day's events you may visit the museum's website:
http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/content/international-museum-day-acropolis-museum-celebrates

Furthermore you can visit the Museum of Cycladic Art (www.cycladic.gr) which is participating for its 6th consecutive year in International Museum Day and will be open from 10 am until 12 midnight with free admission.

You can find a complete program of the museum's tours and events below:
http://www.cycladic.gr/frontoffice/portal.asp?cpage=RESOURCE&cresrc=3271&cnode=22&clang=0

Enjoy!!

A walk to the Tatoi Royal Palace - Estate

Last Sunday, while having our morning coffee and reading newspapers one of my friends suggested we walk around the Tatoi Royal Estate - and what a walk it was!  Set in an area of about 11,000 acres, it is the perfect place for biking, jogging, or to simply walk around and enjoy the scenery.  The estate is open to the public from sunrise until sunset and there are two main entrances - either from Varimbobi (by Leonidas tavern) - this is the long route or from Lefka (this entrance is much closer to the main buildings).

The Greek Royal Family obtained the estate during the 1870's with many great historical personalities such as the czar of Russia Nicholas II and Jackie Kennedy having visited during its glorious days. The Tatoi Estate now belongs to the Greek government.

If you want to read further about the history of Tatoi Estate or simply to obtain more information as well as maps of the area you can visit the Tatoi Friends Associaton website at www.tatoi.org.  

Below you will find some pictures from my visit:  

 

Tatoi Estate Map

Pathway to the main buildings

Guard's booth by the entrance

The Palace

Statue of a Kozak hunter in front of the Palace by Yevgeny Lanceray

 

Hidden paths

November foliage

Walking towards the exit

Everything is Bigger in Texas

This past weekend I traveled (for the first time) to Dallas, Texas for a good college friend's wedding. Needless to say the expression that "everything is bigger in Texas" definitely holds true! Texas is the second largest US state (following Alaska) with population of about 25.7 million and an area of 696,200 km². One tip for anyone traveling there: RENT A CAR!!! I am not kidding - you need it to get around. Even in the downtown area of Dallas - you need a car. 

Given that I was only there for three days I didn't get to do much but I highly recommend the following:

City view of Dallas from my room at the Hyatt Regency Downtown

 

 HOTEL

I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Dallas. The hotel has just been renovated (in fact some of the floors are still undergoing refurbishment) and it's conveniently located on Reunion Boulevard in Downtown Dallas. The rooms are very spacious with modern designs - try asking for a city view room.

SHOPPING

For one-stop shopping head out to NorthPark Center - an upscale shopping mall located by the North Central Expressway. There are more than 200 stores in the mall to please even the most demanding shoppers! Aside from all the boutiques and retail stores you will also find bigger department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. 

DINING 

When you think of Texas cuisine you immediately think barbeque, Tex-Mex, chicken friend steak, chili, and biscuits with gravy.  The Texan cuisine is influenced from a wide range of cultures, including Mexican and German among others. Unlike other regions in the U.S. Barbeque relies heavily on beef (brisket is very popular) and smoky flavors combined with spice. Typical Texas chili is actually beanless(!) made basically with meat and hot chili peppers.

If you want to try good barbeque go to Smoke (http://smokerestaurant.com). We actually went there for brunch which was delicious, but it's highly recommended for lunch and dinner as well. If you end up going for brunch I suggest ordering the Pulled Whole Hog BBQ Eggs Benedict with Goat Cheese Potato Cakes, although everything we ordered was mouthwatering! 

Scrambled Farm Eggs with Thick Cut Pork Belly Bacon,
Handmade Biscuit and Cheese-Grits  @ Smoke Restaurant

Pulled Whole Hogg BBQ Eggs Benedict with Chese Potato Caakes @ Smoke Restaurant

SIGHTSEEING

In all honesty I did not have time to go sightseeing in Dallas other than stroll through the Grassy Knoll / Dealey Plaza in the West End - the location of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 

Some other attractions and sights include: 

The Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Reunion Tower, Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and The Dallas Zoo. 

I wish Y'all to have a great time when you go and remember - Don't mess with Texas ;) 

Dining in Hamburg

I've been to Hamburg quite a few times and usually I go around this time of the year, hence today's post. Aside from being the second largest city in Germany it is also considered an affluent city and a major transportation hub boasting a beautiful port. 

One of my favorite things about Hamburg is the excellent dining choices this city has to offer. Therefore, in this post instead of writing about where to go and what to see, I will share with you some of my favorite restaurants. 

The EAST RESTAURANT (www.east-hamburg.com) is located inside the East Hotel and offers a fusion of European and Asian dishes on its menu. The ambiance is spectacular featuring high ceilings and huge pillars, and includes a bar where you can go to for delicious cocktails after dinner. One of my favorite dishes there is the tuna tartar, but make sure you also try their asian beef salad as well as have a look at their extensive sushi menu.

CAFE PARIS (www.cafeparis.net/en/home.html) is a vibrant brasserie set inside a converted old slaughter house and is a great place for lunch or early dinner, especially after you are spent from all your shopping! Make sure you take a look at the stunning tiles and the art nouveau ceiling. You can get classic french dishes here like croque-monsieur but my personal fave is their steak tartare dish. Try getting a seat by the bar which is quite the social place.

FISCHEREIHAFEN (www.fischereihafenrestaurant.de) is considered to be among the city's most traditional and classy fish restaurants. Set in a converted warehouse by the port and overlooking the Elbe River it attracts sophisticated clientele. If you are a fish lover, Fischereihafen is definitely the place for you to go and make sure you also order some sumptuous oysters from the oyster bar before your main course.

 

DIEBANK (www.diebank-brasserie.de)

Imagine eating inside a bank vault - well this is what this restaurant is all about. This late 1890's built building served for over 100 years as a bank, after which it was sold and converted into a restaurant. The lavishness is evident - from the 20 meter long bar with leather seats to the marble columns reaching the ceiling you can feel the "richness" everywhere! 

The bar at Die Bank

Wishing you all a happy month with many travels!!