Virundhu Restaurant, Eastcote, serving Sri Lankan Food

 I went on their website and saw they had lassi. Not just mango lassi. Rose lassi. Carrot lassi.

I noted that I have found a restaurant I must try.

Did they have Prosecco? Yes, at £9 for 20 cl. That would be for me, if I had not seen the lassi. Rose lassi.

Maybe both.

Website for Virundhu Restaurant Menu

https://virundhurestaurant.com/DrinksMenu.pdf

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German words

 

German and English Words spelled the same

German - English

Kiosk - kiosk (Note that the German noun has a capital letter.)

German and English Words containing similar letters

German - English

Kanzler - chancellor (both words include the letters an, l, r

Mantel - mantel / coat

nacht - night (starts with n and ends with ht)

morgen - morning (Both words start with the three letters mor, and later g and n, although German has the g before the n, whilst English has the n before the g)

richtig - right ( Both words start with ri and include ht  - and a g)

Text - text

wann - when (Both start with w and end with n.)

warte - wait (Both start with wa and include the letter t.)

Useful resources for learning German

duolingo.com

https://wikitravel.org/en/German_phrasebook

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Canary Islands' Congenial Places - Vineyard Visits, Winery Restaurants, and Shopping & Hotels In Tenerife and La Palma

Lovely Little La Palma

La Palma, the little active volcano island. All kinds of excitement, for the active and those who prefer to watch from a distance.

 Our destination was La Palma, where you can go hiking and see the most recently active volcano. And/ or a great museum about volcanoes with videos taken every day during the last months long overflowing of red hot lava.

However, from London our most convenient and affordable international flights were from Stansted into Tenerife where we stayed before and afterwards, catching a ferry to and from little La Palma. 

La Palma Hotels

The Parador

A remote inland hotel is a parador hotel, part of the popular parador network established by the government to promote regional culture, food and tourism. This parador has an outdoor pool open to residents in the daytime and a beautiful botanical garden. 

The hotel will give you a picnic lunch if you tell them you are leaving before breakfast for a ferry or hike. 

La Palma Vinery Visits

Bodegas Teneguia, La Palma

A large co-operative, with a huge courtyard entrance, but friendly like a family business.

Malvasia Grape

Book and buy the package of the tour of the vineyard and learn about Malvasia, which was the sweet wine exported to England in William Shakespeare's time and praised in his plays featuring King Henry, Falstaff and the lady of the night who gets drunk on the wine. (You can find online on Youtube a video of the Royal Shakespeare Company performing this.)  

La Palma is a great outdoors place with challenging hikes in the strong Westerly winds. Our group hiked down to the lighthouse, but the wind was so strong trying to walk back up Trevor had to hitch a lift from a passing car, and could hardly hold the door open against the wind to get in.

Museum

But for non hikers see that fantastic museum on the recent volcanic eruption. Drive to the nearby village for lunch in a small cafe.

***

TERRIFIC TENERIFE And Mount Teide

Tenerife is larger. It has two airports, north and south. We flew to the north airport from Stansted.

Tenerife - large island with Mount Teide, massive triangular mountain, more or less in the middle but you seem to see it from everywhere. A cable car takes you to the top if you are prepared to pay the price. 

Tenerife Hotels

The Parador - Parador Las Canadas Del Tiede

The 3 star parador hotel is isolated at the base with a secured car park for overnight residents, because the public parks are notorious for the thefts of belongings in cars and even the parts of the car such as the tyres. Next door to the parador is a shop and cafeteria. 

The hotel helpfully gives you a picnic lunch if you tell them you are leaving before breakfast for a ferry or hike.  (I didn't want ham, or any processed meat, nor pork. The parador had offered fish and when I said I was allergic to shellfish I was offered chicken, and smoked salmon, which was lovely, and I took one of each. Great service.)

The indoor pool in a side building closes early, and you have to take your towel back to the hotel's reception. For security most of the outer doors are locked, so I ended carrying a heavy wet towel, plus my costume and bag, up and down stairs and around long corridors. A whole nuisance.

The Melia Hotel

The group has more than one Melia hotel on Tenerife. The one we stayed at was near the beach, on the seafront.

It has an outdoor pool. We were given a voucher for the spa, for a 45 minute session in the pools with water jets. Very nice. Any longer would have cost a fee. You don't get a voucher per day, but once per person as an introduction to the spa. We were out and about so much no time to use it more.

We paid for an upgrade, for a seaview room and use of the Level, a ground floor private dining area. Less food than the buffet in the main room, but cooked breakfast main dish option, and longer hours so you could eat or snack earlier or later. With help yourself to a glass or two of free sparkling wine for lunch and dinner as well as breakfast.

The Taoro Hotel

A big hotel, which we stayed at because my husband was invited to a conference, Wine Summit.

Swimming pool with sloping entrance for wheelchairs and those who don't like vertical ladders into pools. 

Inconveniently, the courtyard entrance is completely pedestrianised, so many people in a hurry end up dragging their own suitcases on wheel to the front entrance from the open gate entrance with the staff who check you in and out.

The packed breakfast was satisfactory. But we had to choose between pork and vegetarian.

Vineyard Visits

The bigger island of Tenerife has five wine areas, each having different soil - colour and consistency, climate - sun and wind, height, grapes and grape blends and so important and distinctive that it has its own protected name of origin. 

Big Free Museum

Casa Del Vino

The name means house of wine. Lots to see for free. Exhibits about the old farm building, growing and bottling wines. And a honey museum. So, something for all the family.

There's also a restaurant in one corner of the quadrangle, under separate management, with an indoor area beside an attractive outdoor terrace. 

You will probably be tempted to pay for a wine tasting which includes food, at the entrance to a shop selling wines. They offer a kiddie tasting option.

Useful Websites For Tenerife and La Palma

Parador Hotels

www.parador.es

Museum & Tasting

www.casadelvinotenerife.com

Post being written. Come back later for more.

On my Italy Wishlist: Alberobello Trulli

1 In the north, the Prosecco area.

Description	English: "Trulli" in Alberobello Deutsch: "Trulli" in Alberobello
Date	9 December 2006 (original upload date)
Source	Own work by the author. Download from Wikitravel
Author	Niels Elgaard Larsen - User: (WT-shared) Elgaard at wts wikivoyage

2 In the south, towards the heel of Italy, Alberobello, Province of Bari, Puglia, Italy

Alberobello means beautiful tree. The adjective comes second, after the noun, in Italian like in Spanish and French.

Must see

Museo del Territorio 'Casa Pezzolla', Alberobello, Province of Bari, Puglia, Italy .

Also visit The White Town.

Useful Websites About Trulli and Alberobello

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alberobello

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Apulia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberobello

Hotels

https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/trulli-holiday

https://hand-picked-hotels.com/alberobello

Useful Websites

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g580227-d242628-Reviews-Museo_del_Territorio_Casa_Pezzolla-Alberobello_Province_of_Bari_Puglia.html

Walking Tour about £6 or £11, which does not include entrance to the museum and two more trulli.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/AttractionProductReview-g580227-d32704213-Alberobello_Walking_Tour_with_Audio_and_Written_Guide_by_a_Local

The Packhorse Pub. Near Reading - the name, surroundings, service and cooking by Angela Lansbury

 
Inside is a picture of the packhorse.

Delightful Decor

Decor

As you can see, pictures, pictures, everywhere. You'll never be short of things to look at and talk about.

I commented to a member of staff on the number of pictures. He said, 'Two of the pictures are upside down. It's deliberate. It's like that in all the group pubs. We have about 80 all over the country.'

Service

The staff were friendly, chatty, smiley and helpful. Easy to catch their eye and wave to them when we were ready to order.  They didn't rush us out. That is the advantage of a country pub - as opposed to a small city centre place where there's a crush and rush on seating and parking space.

They did not ask us if everything was all right.  So I did not have the courage to tell them I did not like the batter on my fish, which was too crisp. I would have preferred a batter softer, more like a thin pancake. I fantasied that f I had been a regular, I might have gone into the kitchen, seen if fish was heated in n oven or grill or frying pan, and told them exactly at what point they should lift it out and said, I'll come here every Friday if you can cook it the way I like it. Restaurants do steak the way you like it. 

Strangely, I had the opposite problem with the crumble dessert. Undercooked. No texture to the crumble which was not crumbled on top but a smooth uncooked paste. Yes, the same as steaks, the customer's preference should apply to batter. 

Is it just me? I had the same view of the masala dosai at Praba restaurant later the same day that it should have been cooked the way I like it. Cooked too much. Crispy and crackly instead of soft like a pancake.

Four things I like to know. Where to sit. They were good at that. The sign at the door tells you. Staff behind the bar tell you. They offer to show you to the table. One separate nook of alcove tables in a middle room between the bar and restaurant is the dog friendly area. 

Toilets

The toilets were lovely. I tried both the spacious handicapped toilet which was spotlessly clean and welcoming, and the ladies' room. Flowers. Colours. Clean. Accessible bin for hand towels. Plenty of visible spare toilet rolls so they don't run out.

Interesting

Seating Choice

Choice of indoor, in three indoor areas, the bar area, the main restaurant with windows, the more enclosed area, the two large alcove dog-friendly tables. Plus seating at the front where you can sit to hail your friends if you arrive first. The large garden at the back. Plenty of seating. No need to worry about booking, except for events and co-ordinating with friends. However, you can make an automated booking online.

Events

They organize country walks, and one off events such as the Sausage day, and Spanish food and music.

Meal Tickets

Our bill came with small address card size pieces of paper marked meal ticket. I thought they were address cards and took only one.

It had small white print on grey and a QR code. You might need reading glasses, and to take time to check what it says.

Later I discovered it was a discount voucher. I presume you received one person per meal. You needed six of them for a discount, and they were valid until November, four months away.

So, and if you had six of them, which would have been from two more meals for a couple, or more. But we are unlikely to go back to this area. Are they valid also in London, where other restaurants in this group can be found?

Prices

Pricier than a Wetherspoons, but less than the top Michelin restaurants in the area. 

Regulars come here because it is nearby and convenient with parking.

Useful Websites

www.packhorsepub.co.uk

https://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/packhorse/menus/sunday-menu/

Return to Praba Sri Lankan Restaurant

 On my second visit to Praba, the Sri Lankan restaurant near South Harrow Station, they were able to provide me with a mango lassi. Thirst quenching and cold.

Also milk is a source of calcium, so I like to think it is good for me, helping with osteoporosis.

Again, I ordered masala dosai.

This time the pancake was cooked crispier. Still okay.

We wanted the bill split. They wanted to charge each of us extra if we paid with four credit cards. We spent a long time discussing this with the waiter. At first we were disconcerted and unhappy. This seemed a whole palaver.

But after we had eaten, our mood changed.

Finally, one of the four of us decided he was happy to pay for all on his one card, because he got cashback with Chase Bank.

So we other three all did a bank transfer to our friend. Not next day, but immediately. Much simpler. Easier to check the bill in front of you. Be sure the cash had been transferred. Job done.

There are terms and conditions you must apply to be eligible for the UK Chase deal.

Useful Websites

https://www.chase.co.uk/gb/en/support/where-can-i-earn-cashback/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_Bank

See my previous post on this restaurant. Please share links to your previous posts.

London's Tourist Tuk Tuks Or Rickshaws

 

This one has the words, 'Hey, taxi, London,' above the seats inside, and under the seat. 

Where Are They?

Motorised tricycles are known by different names around the world, and variations as company names.

These in my photographs were parked near Embankment station in London, and driving up the road towards Trafalgar Square. 

You might see the lights, flashing lights, or hear music, like ice cream vans which I remember from my childhood.

The cost comes down divided between three friends. If the charge is by time and distance rather than by person. You can see them up and down Oxford Street, the main shopping street, as well as side streets.

Decor

They are brightly coloured, luminous, every one different. One had seats covered in imitation white long haired fur. For fun photos. Open sided so you can take pictures. 

Are they fun, causing congestion on already busy roads, a safer slower form or transports than big buses and coaches, cheaper than taxes, conning tourists out of cash. We were sent one at the airport by the hotel's taxi service in Cambodia. My hat nearly blew off. I was left clutching it. The engine and traffic nose make everything too noisy to speak to the driver and ask him to slow down, stop, or how long now. We hired them by the day or week for nearly a fortnight. You bargained the price. I was quite disappointed to get a ordinary and more expensive regular taxi back to the airport when we left. See my previous posts on this subject for more. Wikipedia has entertaining articles and pictures of similar vehicles in (alphabetically) Bangladesh, The Philippines, and other countries.

Useful Websites about rickshaws and tuktuks

UK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuctuc_Ltd

Worldwide - USA, Europe, India and more

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_rickshaw