europe

Beer lovers can broaden their palate in Belgium

April 28, 2016 by Anne-Marie Marais Leave a Comment

Belgium reveals beers of all types, tastes and levels of alcohol.

BRUSSELS-Wine lovers tour Italy. Whisky connoisseurs tour Scotland. Beer lovers visit Belgium.

On my five-day beer pilgrimage to Belgium, I tasted or drank more than 107 beers, visited six towns/cities and at least 11 breweries, and lost count of the number of brewers I met.

With the relatively recent popular craft beer explosion in North America, it was a treat to visit a country where the beer roots run so deep and be part of the 2015 European Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference.

Cereal café has killer menu

September 4, 2015 by Anne-Marie Marais Leave a Comment

LONDON–“Silly rabbit. Trix are for kids.”

“Their grrrrrrreat.”

“Two scoops of raisins.”

“Snap, Crackle, Pop.”

“A is for Apple. J is for Jacks.”

“I’m coo-coo for cocoa puffs.”

“They’re magically delicious.”

Do these advertising slogans transport you back to the breakfast table when you were a kid? Or maybe you remember being in the cereal aisle at the grocery store begging your mom or dad to buy you a special cereal.

The taste and feel of decadence in the heart of London

June 10, 2015 by Anne-Marie Marais Leave a Comment

Just steps away from the Thames, in the heart of London, England, I found the Corinthia Hotel. This hotel was a pure treat of delicious decadence that it not the norm for a traveler like me.

From the moment I, finally, laid eyes on this grand Victorian building I was so impressed, and relieved that I had found it. Not that it’s hard to find, at all. But a few human errors and wrong decisions, including exiting one tube stop too late and some back tracking because of a missed exit off the pedestrian bridge over the Thames, made this experienced traveler feel a bit like an amateur. And with no one to blame but myself, I was just that much more relieved when the Corinthia finally came into view.

Enjoying a culinary adventure in Leeds

June 7, 2015 by Anne-Marie Marais 2 Comments

When I was in university, I met an exchange student from University of Leeds. She described the City of Leeds, as an industrial and functional place, without much culture and style. I was pleasantly surprised at all it had to offer when I passed through this cosmopolitan city on a recent trip through England.

From the moment I got off the train, I was impressed. Right beside the train station was my hotel, The Queens Hotel. Now in my experience, quite often the hotel beside the train station is not always the best. Maybe their locations are great, but they can be the hotels that time has forgotten with little to offer than a questionable bed.

England celebrates 800th anniversary of Magna Carta

June 5, 2015 by Anne-Marie Marais Leave a Comment

The UK is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.

This year marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and England has invited the world to take part in a series of birthday celebrations.

You can see history come to life and immerse yourself in medieval times by walking one of six self-guided Magna Carta trails, where various revisions and original copies are housed.

Rugby World Cup: He took the ball and ran with it

May 8, 2015 by Anne-Marie Marais Leave a Comment

RUGBY, ENGLAND–From its origin in the town of Rugby to Twickenham, where the world’s top team will be crowned and the Webb Ellis Cup will be hoisted in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, this fall is the perfect time for a rugby pilgrimage through England.

Less than an hour by train from London Euston station to Rugby, this is where it all began.

The sport got its name from the town of Rugby and even more specifically, it all began on the pitch at The Rugby School. The moment is memorialized for all time on a plaque at the school in honour of William Webb Ellis, who in 1823, “with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it.”

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Belgium reveals beers of all types, tastes and levels of alcohol.

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