Exploring the world one bite at a time

Month: April 2018

Yale Historic Site: “A pleasant surprise”

We hadn’t planned visiting this historic site beforehand, but I’m very glad we did. Really interesting stuff to see here. Loved the reconstruction of the gold miner tents. You really get a feeling of how life must have been during the Fraser River Gold Rush. The old church is also really lovely. Highly recommend visiting this place! A real time machine.

Information
Yale Historic Site
31187 Douglas Street
Yale
British Columbia V0K 2S0
Canada
(+1)(604) 863-2324
info@historicyale.ca
http://historicyale.ca/
https://twitter.com/HistoricYale
https://facebook.com/193966850649397

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Yale Historic Site also on TripAdvisor.

Sushi Matsuri: “Lovely sushi and gyoza”

We were very tired after a long drive, so just wanted to have a quick bite to eat. My boyfriend and I both love sushi, so we decided on trying Sushi Matsuri, mainly because it was close to our hotel.

The entrance to this small restaurant is marked by a typical Japanese cloth, but the people working there are, I think, Korean. The interior isn’t much to talk about, but I liked the lanterns which gave the restaurant a lively feel.

Since we were there right before closing time, we decided on ordering some starters and a sushi combination to satisfy our hunger. We went for edamame, oyster tempura, gyoza, the Alaska roll and Combo C (some nigiri and rolls). Our order turned out to be more than enough. We even had some trouble finishing it all.

The nigiri sushi was really good. I loved it. The seaweed in the rolls was a little bit to chewy for my taste, but I enjoyed the rolls nonetheless.

Throughout the meal our tea cups got regularly refilled. Staff was very friendly. Really made us feel welcome.

I can recommend this place, if you’re looking for no nonsense sushi.

Information
Restaurant Sushi Matsuri
239 Menzies St
Victoria BC V8V 1R9
British Columbia
Canada
+1 250-590-8110
https://www.facebook.com/sushimatsuri8110

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Sushi Matsuri also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

Getting to know Bern

Cities as Barcelona, Paris, Tokyo, New York, London are so famous that when you think about them there are immediately popping up images in your head of their famous landmarks. But what do you see when you close your eyes and think about Bern? In my case the answer was simple: nothing. I had no clue what to expect from the de facto capital of Switzerland. So I was curious about how it would be like, strolling through Bern’s streets.

Turns out the historical city center of Bern is well worth a visit. It’s a shame really that this city isn’t more known internationally, but that also means you can enjoy this beautiful place without begin bothered by too many other tourists. What really makes Bern’s city center stand out are the incredibly well preserved medieval buildings with arcades that shield you from the elements and the 16th century fountains with allegorical statues on top. The most gruesome of those fountains, the Kindlifresserbrunnen, represents an ogre eating children. Not for the faint of heart. It’s no wonder the historical center has been recognized by UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage Site.

The medieval part of Bern lies on a peninsula formed by the river Aare. You can cross the river by multiple bridges and enjoy stunning views on the historical buildings on the other side of the river. We visited in winter, but it is clear people enjoy being outdoor when weather permits. There are lots of places to relax, enjoy the view and have something to drink.

Moreover, did you know that Bern has had a bear pit, the Bärengraben, since the 15th century? Not to worry, nowadays the bears lead a life of luxury! The bear is the heraldic animal of the seal and coat of arms of Bern and you’ll find depictions of bears throughout the whole city. We even stayed in a Bear Hotel!

Judge for yourself: