Hell(o)
Las Vegas is not my kind of place.
First of all, the excessive cigarette smoking is ridiculous. It’s like mad scientists bottled up all the smoke ever smoked in the history of France, Spain, and Italy combined, and then emptied said bottle into an unventilated room, dooming everyone in that room to breathe the thousands of years of strangers’ used smoke in and out, in and out, over and over.
Secondly, the resorts are designed to keep you in, making it so difficult to get out that you’re forced to give up trying, rendering you an impotent, suddenly claustrophobic basketcase with heart palpitations. (During this last trip, it took me 45 minutes to find an exit out of the Caesars Casino & Forum Shops. At that point, I found an Exit door. This led me to an alley and parking garage behind the entire Caesars grounds, with absolutely nothing in sight but desolation and a highway. I could have walked a mile on the highway to get back to the Strip, but instead I was forced back inside that hellhole, for another hour of fun searching for an exit. What. The. Hell.)
Third, I don’t gamble. Or drink. So, yeah, Vegas is not for me.
First of all, the excessive cigarette smoking is ridiculous. It’s like mad scientists bottled up all the smoke ever smoked in the history of France, Spain, and Italy combined, and then emptied said bottle into an unventilated room, dooming everyone in that room to breathe the thousands of years of strangers’ used smoke in and out, in and out, over and over.
Secondly, the resorts are designed to keep you in, making it so difficult to get out that you’re forced to give up trying, rendering you an impotent, suddenly claustrophobic basketcase with heart palpitations. (During this last trip, it took me 45 minutes to find an exit out of the Caesars Casino & Forum Shops. At that point, I found an Exit door. This led me to an alley and parking garage behind the entire Caesars grounds, with absolutely nothing in sight but desolation and a highway. I could have walked a mile on the highway to get back to the Strip, but instead I was forced back inside that hellhole, for another hour of fun searching for an exit. What. The. Hell.)
Third, I don’t gamble. Or drink. So, yeah, Vegas is not for me.
However.
Thanks to Steve Wynn, I am willing to return to my version of hell. The famous casino magnate is now vegan, and he made damn sure that his casino’s restaurants were vegan-friendly. He overshot his mark though, because they are not vegan-friendly; they are vegan MECCAS. Despite the Wynn (and its companion hotel Encores, where many of the restaurants are located) being in Vegas, I’d go back. A lot. I KNOW!
DINNER #1: BOTERO (Encores)
For my first fancy dinner in Las Vegas, I made a reservation at Botero, an upscale, swanky restaurant with dim lighting. (Mostly just mentioning this to justify my photos.) The separate vegan menu offered a five-course dinner for $60. Considering the average entrée cost about $30 on its own, this deal was too good to pass up in this generally pricey place.
Soon after we were seated, our wonderful waiter Ramon brought us glasses of water.
(NB: Since this is my first restaurant review, I will explain a few things. I am always insanely thirsty, and I drink a lot of water. I always need water. Consequently, I always have to pee. Therefore, I will always try to comment on a restaurant’s speediness in bringing water to the table, and the quality of its bathrooms.)
Soon, he brought us a basket of assorted delicious breads and breadsticks. He made sure that it was only full of vegan options, and he even brought us a dish of Earth Balance butter before we could ask! The breads were warm, as all good bread should be, and we happily polished off the basket, not realizing just how much food was coming our way. I never learn.
For my first fancy dinner in Las Vegas, I made a reservation at Botero, an upscale, swanky restaurant with dim lighting. (Mostly just mentioning this to justify my photos.) The separate vegan menu offered a five-course dinner for $60. Considering the average entrée cost about $30 on its own, this deal was too good to pass up in this generally pricey place.
Soon after we were seated, our wonderful waiter Ramon brought us glasses of water.
(NB: Since this is my first restaurant review, I will explain a few things. I am always insanely thirsty, and I drink a lot of water. I always need water. Consequently, I always have to pee. Therefore, I will always try to comment on a restaurant’s speediness in bringing water to the table, and the quality of its bathrooms.)
Soon, he brought us a basket of assorted delicious breads and breadsticks. He made sure that it was only full of vegan options, and he even brought us a dish of Earth Balance butter before we could ask! The breads were warm, as all good bread should be, and we happily polished off the basket, not realizing just how much food was coming our way. I never learn.
First course:
Spring Onion Curry Soup
This creamy soup could easily have been too heavy, what with the hot weather and the curry flavoring, but the spring onion twist, and the crispy spinach accompanying the soup, lightened it. It was just the right level of comfort. A very good start.
Spring Onion Curry Soup
This creamy soup could easily have been too heavy, what with the hot weather and the curry flavoring, but the spring onion twist, and the crispy spinach accompanying the soup, lightened it. It was just the right level of comfort. A very good start.
Second course:
Grilled Vegetable Arepas
Wow. Holy god wow. Ramon mentioned that the arepas were his favorite dish on the vegan menu, and he was right. They might be the best thing I ate during an entire week in Vegas. An incredibly thin, perfectly greasy cornmeal shell was stuffed with grilled vegetables, garlic aioli, and a huge chunk of avocado cooling it off. I could have eaten 1000 of these. I’d happily eat these every day. Just perfection. Wow. I want one right now!
Grilled Vegetable Arepas
Wow. Holy god wow. Ramon mentioned that the arepas were his favorite dish on the vegan menu, and he was right. They might be the best thing I ate during an entire week in Vegas. An incredibly thin, perfectly greasy cornmeal shell was stuffed with grilled vegetables, garlic aioli, and a huge chunk of avocado cooling it off. I could have eaten 1000 of these. I’d happily eat these every day. Just perfection. Wow. I want one right now!
Third course:
Rice Flour Penne
Rice Flour Penne
By this point, I was starting to feel full. I pride myself on my usual ability to eat like that Japanese woman who set the hot dog record, so it really stinks when I falter on important stages. The next two courses were the entrees, and they were regular entrée-sized! However, champions push through. This pasta was nice, with some grilled broccoli and ‘tomato water’. I could have used more broccoli, and overall it was nothing special, but not bad.
Fourth course:
Chicken Gardein
Steve Wynn apparently adores Gardein (with dern good reason), because it shows up on nearly all of his vegan menus. However, it was not just heated up and thrown on the plate like we do at home. This was cooked so well it seemed like a house delicacy. I definitely would not have recognized it as the faux meat I’ve had so often. It was perched atop grilled fingerling potatoes and smooth fava bean hummus. I admit, I could not finish the potatoes. So much food! But this was definitely a wonderful entrée. Gardein is amazing!
Chicken Gardein
Steve Wynn apparently adores Gardein (with dern good reason), because it shows up on nearly all of his vegan menus. However, it was not just heated up and thrown on the plate like we do at home. This was cooked so well it seemed like a house delicacy. I definitely would not have recognized it as the faux meat I’ve had so often. It was perched atop grilled fingerling potatoes and smooth fava bean hummus. I admit, I could not finish the potatoes. So much food! But this was definitely a wonderful entrée. Gardein is amazing!
Fifth course:
Blueberry Ginger Tart
My dining companion asked the waiter if she could substitute the chocolate mousse on the regular vegan menu for her dessert, because she is obsessed with chocolate and couldn’t fathom going without. The amazing Ramon of course made it possible, and I was happy to get to try another item. However, there was no comparison. I usually favor chocolate as well, but this blueberry ginger tart was impeccable. It was warm, covered with almond streusel and blueberry port reduction. And while blueberry and ginger is a pretty perfect combination, what always makes it even better? Lemon. Yup, the tart was complemented by a light lemon sorbet. Perfection. This was definitely in my top ten of restaurant desserts. Good job, Botero!
Blueberry Ginger Tart
My dining companion asked the waiter if she could substitute the chocolate mousse on the regular vegan menu for her dessert, because she is obsessed with chocolate and couldn’t fathom going without. The amazing Ramon of course made it possible, and I was happy to get to try another item. However, there was no comparison. I usually favor chocolate as well, but this blueberry ginger tart was impeccable. It was warm, covered with almond streusel and blueberry port reduction. And while blueberry and ginger is a pretty perfect combination, what always makes it even better? Lemon. Yup, the tart was complemented by a light lemon sorbet. Perfection. This was definitely in my top ten of restaurant desserts. Good job, Botero!
Chocolate mousse, with raspberries & whipped cream
BOTERO at the Wynn/Encores
Water speed: Great; refilled very frequently
Bathrooms: Clean and super fancy individual rooms; never had to wait
Service: Impeccable. Thanks Ramon!
Food: Overall, fantastic and recommended
Bonus: As we walked through the Wynn into Encores, trying to find the restaurant, we passed Brad, Angelina, and the entire Jolie-Pitt clan. And they were so friendly! I got to say hi to Zahara! Best ever!
Water speed: Great; refilled very frequently
Bathrooms: Clean and super fancy individual rooms; never had to wait
Service: Impeccable. Thanks Ramon!
Food: Overall, fantastic and recommended
Bonus: As we walked through the Wynn into Encores, trying to find the restaurant, we passed Brad, Angelina, and the entire Jolie-Pitt clan. And they were so friendly! I got to say hi to Zahara! Best ever!
Las Vegas Lunch: TERRACE POINT CAFE (The Wynn)
For lunch one day, we trekked back to the Wynn to try the Terrace Point Café. Unfortunately, I somehow lost my food pictures, but I will do my best to describe what we ate.
Luckily, it wasn’t too busy when we arrived (boy it got busy!), and we got the prime table outside, adjacent to the staircase leading down to the pool. Beautiful! However, there were pigeons (I think; some kind of bird) surrounding us. One of them pooped about four inches from me, and our waiter promptly stepped in it before I could warn him. When I was in the bathroom, apparently a few were just sitting on our table! We were done eating at that point, luckily for us, because bird diseases.
For lunch one day, we trekked back to the Wynn to try the Terrace Point Café. Unfortunately, I somehow lost my food pictures, but I will do my best to describe what we ate.
Luckily, it wasn’t too busy when we arrived (boy it got busy!), and we got the prime table outside, adjacent to the staircase leading down to the pool. Beautiful! However, there were pigeons (I think; some kind of bird) surrounding us. One of them pooped about four inches from me, and our waiter promptly stepped in it before I could warn him. When I was in the bathroom, apparently a few were just sitting on our table! We were done eating at that point, luckily for us, because bird diseases.
The pool at the Wynn, as seen from our lunch table
We ordered two sandwiches to share:
Tempeh ‘Tuna’ Sandwich on wheat, $18
I don’t understand why this was $18. The tempeh tuna salad was nice, but I’ve made better 100 times. It was served on little circles of wheat bread with the crusts cut off, like two adorable tea sandwiches. It was good, and came with a little side salad, but it cost about 300% of what it should have. Really angered me, actually, especially because of the:
Wynn ‘Burger’ with Cheese, $9
This was pretty good, it came with fun accompaniments, and was half the price of the tempeh tuna! What is up with that? I recommend this one. The burger was mind-blowingly reminiscent of a cheap fast food cheeseburger, in the best possible way (meaning, tasted good and lacked the cow intestines and E. coli mixed in!). A Gardein patty with American soy cheese, ketchup, yellow mustard, pickles, and onions, it tasted just like a 99c special you’d get thrown to you in a drive through. Not only that, it was served with a bunch of quality thin-cut fries and a full-sized chocolate soy shake! So fun! Again, I ask you, why was this half the price of the two little circle tuna sandwiches? Steve? Anybody?
Terrace Point Cafe at the Wynn/Encores
Water speed: Good
Bathrooms: Clean, big, fancy
Service: OK; a few corporate looking groups came in and were more important than us
Food: Just OK, weirdly priced
Bonus: Pool-side table, chocolate shake
Anti-bonus: Bird poop
Tempeh ‘Tuna’ Sandwich on wheat, $18
I don’t understand why this was $18. The tempeh tuna salad was nice, but I’ve made better 100 times. It was served on little circles of wheat bread with the crusts cut off, like two adorable tea sandwiches. It was good, and came with a little side salad, but it cost about 300% of what it should have. Really angered me, actually, especially because of the:
Wynn ‘Burger’ with Cheese, $9
This was pretty good, it came with fun accompaniments, and was half the price of the tempeh tuna! What is up with that? I recommend this one. The burger was mind-blowingly reminiscent of a cheap fast food cheeseburger, in the best possible way (meaning, tasted good and lacked the cow intestines and E. coli mixed in!). A Gardein patty with American soy cheese, ketchup, yellow mustard, pickles, and onions, it tasted just like a 99c special you’d get thrown to you in a drive through. Not only that, it was served with a bunch of quality thin-cut fries and a full-sized chocolate soy shake! So fun! Again, I ask you, why was this half the price of the two little circle tuna sandwiches? Steve? Anybody?
Terrace Point Cafe at the Wynn/Encores
Water speed: Good
Bathrooms: Clean, big, fancy
Service: OK; a few corporate looking groups came in and were more important than us
Food: Just OK, weirdly priced
Bonus: Pool-side table, chocolate shake
Anti-bonus: Bird poop
Hello, lover
DINNER #2: SINATRA (Encores)
If you’ve looked into Las Vegas dining at all, you’ve probably heard of Sinatra. Tucked into the back corner of the Wynn/Encores complex, this restaurant is worth making time for. An old-fashioned, formal dining room with tablecloths, high seats, incredible food, and Frank’s Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar awards on display at the entrance, Sinatra was an almost-perfect dining experience.
We started with a basket full of warm Italian bread and breadsticks. The waiter brought me a dish of Earth Balance, which I was definitely starting to get used to! As usual, I ate an enormous amount of bread. It was good. Is there anything better than warm bread and EB? Hot damn.
If you’ve looked into Las Vegas dining at all, you’ve probably heard of Sinatra. Tucked into the back corner of the Wynn/Encores complex, this restaurant is worth making time for. An old-fashioned, formal dining room with tablecloths, high seats, incredible food, and Frank’s Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar awards on display at the entrance, Sinatra was an almost-perfect dining experience.
We started with a basket full of warm Italian bread and breadsticks. The waiter brought me a dish of Earth Balance, which I was definitely starting to get used to! As usual, I ate an enormous amount of bread. It was good. Is there anything better than warm bread and EB? Hot damn.
The lighting was so dim I swear!
First Course: Estiva Salad
To start, I ordered the Estiva Salad. It was a pretty basic lettuce salad with cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes, black olives, and an oregano vinaigrette, for $17. It was just ok. The oregano vinaigrette was a little too tart for me, and the price seemed extravagant even at this very expensive restaurant.
Really, though, I think I was biased against my salad because one of my companions ordered the famous vegan Caesar salad and I realized I should have ordered the same. I should have ordered 4 of them. Oh my goodness. The ‘Insalatina dell’Imperatore’ ($14) was the best Caesar salad I’ve tasted in my entire life. No exaggeration. I loved the presentation, with the lettuce leaves just about halved, into big 4-inch pieces, stacked on top of each other, drenched in the most incredible lemon-caper Caesar this side of Rome, and topped with an enormous flat crouton. Obviously, this salad is the one to get, and not mine, despite the lure of avocado. Just wonderful.
To start, I ordered the Estiva Salad. It was a pretty basic lettuce salad with cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes, black olives, and an oregano vinaigrette, for $17. It was just ok. The oregano vinaigrette was a little too tart for me, and the price seemed extravagant even at this very expensive restaurant.
Really, though, I think I was biased against my salad because one of my companions ordered the famous vegan Caesar salad and I realized I should have ordered the same. I should have ordered 4 of them. Oh my goodness. The ‘Insalatina dell’Imperatore’ ($14) was the best Caesar salad I’ve tasted in my entire life. No exaggeration. I loved the presentation, with the lettuce leaves just about halved, into big 4-inch pieces, stacked on top of each other, drenched in the most incredible lemon-caper Caesar this side of Rome, and topped with an enormous flat crouton. Obviously, this salad is the one to get, and not mine, despite the lure of avocado. Just wonderful.
Second Course:
Gardein Marsala
Gardein Marsala
For my entrée, I ordered the Gardein Marsala with Gnocchi. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the way to go. With a good-sized Gardein Chick’n breast, cooked and breaded to perfection, covered with Marsala sauce and plenty of delicious forest mushrooms, this dish was heaven. The most heavenly part, as is expected in an Italian restaurant, was the perfect potato gnocchi accompanying the chicken. Gnocchi is good, but when it is done really, really well, it is an unparalleled treat, and this gnocchi was exceedingly well done. At $33, the dish was expensive, but it was so worth it. I definitely recommend it.
Dessert: Cioccolato
Lastly, for dessert, I ordered the Cioccolato, a bar of Valrhona chocolate mousse resembling a fancy Ding Dong (or Ho-Ho, or Twinkie, whichever one was brown), made with almond milk, topped with raspberries, and served alongside delicious chocolate sorbet. This was one of the richest desserts I can remember eating in recent memory, and it would have been hard to eat the whole thing, but I pushed. For you guys. You know on Project Runway when Heidi would say something looked so much more expensive than it was? This dessert tasted like what she meant. The chocolate was so rich, it seemed much more expensive than its $12 price.
Sinatra would have been one of my favorite dining experiences. Except…except for the smoke. Oh my god, the smoke. The restaurant’s location on the edge of the casino floor was one thing, with some smoke wafting in the front. But it was nothing compared to the outdoor patio behind the floor and adjacent to the restaurant. Every time someone went out or came in from this separate patio, clouds of smoke billowed into the dining room and negatively impacted our dining experience. It was such a shame, because every other part of the experience was near legendary. Our very kind waiter, seeing how drastically this was affecting our dinner, brought four or five free desserts to our table. (None of them were vegan; my dining companions said they were unbelievable, though.) The waiter did mention that most people complain about the smoke. I don’t know how the waiters themselves manage to work in such an environment! If they could figure out a solution to improve the air quality (which you would think they’d do, considering that people were trying to taste food here), this restaurant would be one of my favorites. If you think you can deal with this caveat, then I can recommend Sinatra to you.
Sinatra at the Wynn/Encores
Water speed: Solid
Bathrooms: Clean, fancy, very nice
Service: Great; very kind and understanding of the smoke situation
Food: Wonderful
Bonus: Grammy & Emmy & Oscar, oh my!
Anti-bonus: the smoke, of course.
I wish I had the time to try more restaurants at the Wynn! I look forward to hearing from more visitors as word spreads about how insanely vegan-friendly the casino is (and apparently the Mandalay Bay as well!).
Water speed: Solid
Bathrooms: Clean, fancy, very nice
Service: Great; very kind and understanding of the smoke situation
Food: Wonderful
Bonus: Grammy & Emmy & Oscar, oh my!
Anti-bonus: the smoke, of course.
I wish I had the time to try more restaurants at the Wynn! I look forward to hearing from more visitors as word spreads about how insanely vegan-friendly the casino is (and apparently the Mandalay Bay as well!).
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I am Africa: Ceuta is a Fun Little Spanish But African Quirk
The view of Africa from the ferry
When Husband and I were planning our trip through Andalusia, we were as gung-ho on going to little-known Ceuta as we were on going to our main attractions Seville and Granada, even though there’s nothing to do there, it’s not necessarily beautiful, and it’s not known for any particularly good food or landmarks. Why would we be so determined to visit this lil baby hamlet (#yayhamlet) for barely 24 hours when we had such a tight schedule? Because Ceuta is a Spanish town, but it’s in Africa. So weird right! Located across the Strait of Gibraltar at the northernmost point of Africa, Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city, which for us means one thing – another addition on the Travelers’ Century Club list. Yes we are nerds but we want to hit that 100 mark!
COMANDANCIA I wish that was my title
Is Senderos like Westeros?
Who would have guessed that Africaspain would have a SEPTA outpost!
But even aside from our silly tallies, it’s so cool to visit a Spanish town that is not part of the Spanish mainland, and instead is mere miles from Tangier and the rest of Morocco. We wanted to witness this geographic anomaly, even though (but also because!) its very existence is the most exciting thing it has going for it. Back in boring, straightforward Europe (jk), we got back on the bus from Granada to Antequera and then got a train (nice Renfe trains!) to the port city Algeciras, where the ferry to Ceuta leaves from. It was lot of modes of transportation early in the morning. They say to get to the ferry terminal an hour before takeoff, and even though we were well on time I got nervous because it took FOREVER to pick up our prepaid ferry tickets at the Balearia kiosk. There were three women standing behind the glass but only one was working and I kept giving them looks that said “Why aren’t you working why are you just standing there what is wrong with you ahhh” but it did NOTHING to speed them along. It took literally 20 minutes for the one working woman to assist the group ahead of us, and then when it was our turn we got our tickets in two seconds flat so you know, timing, man. We booked in advance which wasn’t necessary on our non-full boat but it can’t hurt. We left about 15 minutes late because Spanish time, but it was okay because there were three doggies onboard! And one looked like a baby Tobillo soooo cute. On the ferry, there was a big open area between the seats (facing the other way) and the bar/bathroom area, so I did yoga and stretching there and no one really came near me except to go to the bathroom so only a few people noticed me but then these two mean women laughed at me so I put a curse on their heads. A few hours later, we were in Africa but still Spain! When you get off the ferry, Ceuta looks sketchy, but that’s true of all ports, I think. Walking towards the city centre through roundabouts is a little scary, but the cars generally stop at the zebra crossings. One of the first things I noticed as we walked along the marina to our hotel was a travel agency called Septatravel so I got an immediate positive feeling about this wacky lil guy. Five or so minutes into the walk there is a SuperSol market and a Lidl! Lidl’s line is insanely long because it is like Costco so go get water and snacks at the SuperSol instead. Oh and SuperSol had vegan yogurt and giant apples, my favorite kind of apples!
there ain’t a friggin cloud in the sky
The marina and all the old town buildings that we passed en route to our hotel were really beautiful. It felt so nice to be by water, which I sometimes forget I miss. The charming town centre was full of white buildings with clear Moorish and Spanish influences, and a few statues and tiny parks. The first thing we did was go down to the beach. It was a little cold, definitely more than we expected considering we were in Africa and we had assumed it would be hot, so we only dipped our toes in the ocean and had a nice stroll along the sand.
I don’t really understand sunbathing when there’s no chance of going in the water but hey power to these weirdos.
We stayed at Hotel Ceuta Puerta de Africa, and it was the first standard and modern kind of our trip, so not as charming or pretty or special like in Seville or Granada but it was clean and familiar. Also it had the first good wifi of the whole trip. And it had a bidet! Every bathroom should have one. After we dropped our stuff, we needed to find lunch! We had been traveling to get to Ceuta from 6am to 2pm, so we were hungry and all weird from travel snacking and off meal times. But we had a super hard time finding a place for lunch. We literally went into every. single. restaurant or cafe in the entire town center and checked every menu and found NOTHING even remotely veganizable. It was unbelievably frustrating. They eat a shittonne of fried fish and cheese there. Finally, when I was about to cry (I should have just realized I could have bought groceries from the SuperSol), we asked the guy at one random cafe if he could make me a salad with only vegetables. The guy was so friendly and accommodating and said yes of course and I can also grill vegetables for you! Even though I normally hate that, I hadn’t had a standard grilled veg plate yet on this trip (hooray!) so I said that would actually be good. The veg plate was, but the salad came with a big plop of tuna on top ughhhh people fish is not a vegetable! We took the plopball off and the surrounding bits but it still had the fishy sense all over. Not a great start to eating in Ceuta but at least I had veggies. And bread. So much bread in Spain. I mean Africa. I mean Spain!
We stayed at Hotel Ceuta Puerta de Africa, and it was the first standard and modern kind of our trip, so not as charming or pretty or special like in Seville or Granada but it was clean and familiar. Also it had the first good wifi of the whole trip. And it had a bidet! Every bathroom should have one. After we dropped our stuff, we needed to find lunch! We had been traveling to get to Ceuta from 6am to 2pm, so we were hungry and all weird from travel snacking and off meal times. But we had a super hard time finding a place for lunch. We literally went into every. single. restaurant or cafe in the entire town center and checked every menu and found NOTHING even remotely veganizable. It was unbelievably frustrating. They eat a shittonne of fried fish and cheese there. Finally, when I was about to cry (I should have just realized I could have bought groceries from the SuperSol), we asked the guy at one random cafe if he could make me a salad with only vegetables. The guy was so friendly and accommodating and said yes of course and I can also grill vegetables for you! Even though I normally hate that, I hadn’t had a standard grilled veg plate yet on this trip (hooray!) so I said that would actually be good. The veg plate was, but the salad came with a big plop of tuna on top ughhhh people fish is not a vegetable! We took the plopball off and the surrounding bits but it still had the fishy sense all over. Not a great start to eating in Ceuta but at least I had veggies. And bread. So much bread in Spain. I mean Africa. I mean Spain!
HER CA LEES HER CA LEES!
After lunch, we continued seeing the main part of town. It seems like a really small place, but 80,000 people live there! I would have guessed 19 tops. We saw the beach and got our feet all sandy, we saw the main shopping drag of unidentifiable locals shops and a gigantic Zara (don’t shop there! ever!), and we saw a fun mix of statues on the main promenade by the water. My favorite thing of the whole town is this gigantic statue of Hercules and the twin pillars from his 10th labor. Why Hercules? Because apparently the Rock of Gibraltar (next post!) is one pillar and the mountains of Ceuta formed the other pillar and Hercules formed them when he smashed through the (much bigger at the time) Atlas mountains with this superstrength and created the Strait of Gibraltar. Cool story, all I know is after I saw this statue I started singing “Who put the glad in gladiator? HER-CU-LEES!” and I haven’t stopped yet.
I also liked this statue called Paz y Libertad, in which a lady is setting a bird free after removing its chains. So deep, man.
After walking pretty far up the main drag, we visited literally the one thing ‘to do’ in the Ceuta travel guides – visiting the medieval city walls. These royal walls used to be fortresses complete with a moat, and now are overrun with birds and their poop. They are cool to see and walk around, and that’s really all there is to it, and that’s the thing to do. It has become a hangout for Ceuta yoots, and the only other people we saw traversing the walls were a baby in a stroller, a group of male yoots smoking and doing bad things I can only assume, and a girl yoot and boy yoot making out. I usually judge yoots very harshly but I almost felt bad for them because there is nothing to do in their town.
After walking pretty far up the main drag, we visited literally the one thing ‘to do’ in the Ceuta travel guides – visiting the medieval city walls. These royal walls used to be fortresses complete with a moat, and now are overrun with birds and their poop. They are cool to see and walk around, and that’s really all there is to it, and that’s the thing to do. It has become a hangout for Ceuta yoots, and the only other people we saw traversing the walls were a baby in a stroller, a group of male yoots smoking and doing bad things I can only assume, and a girl yoot and boy yoot making out. I usually judge yoots very harshly but I almost felt bad for them because there is nothing to do in their town.
The medieval city walls. Cool. Coolcoolcoolcool.
After we literally saw the entire town, we make a dinner reservation at what is supposed to be the best restaurant in the area, Oasis. Our hotel called and made us a booking for when they open – 9pm. The restaurant opens at 9pm! We definitely were not in London anymore (most things are closed by then!). Oasis is at the very top of the hills of Ceuta’s head bit by Mirador San Antonio. You need to take a taxi because, well, it’s far, but also it’s all winding roads where opposing traffic just comes barreling around the curves.
Mirador San Antonio has a perfect lookout spot we went to before dinner. At this spot, which sticks out over the water, you can see Africa curving around and a lil spot of Europe across the Strait of Gibraltar, as long as it’s not too foggy. It was kind of foggy. The temperature dropped considerably once the sun set, and we were at the highest, windiest point of town, so be prepared. I only brought warm weather clothes. Anyway, it was worth it because we saw a beautiful sunset between Europe and Africa and that is super cool.
Mirador San Antonio has a perfect lookout spot we went to before dinner. At this spot, which sticks out over the water, you can see Africa curving around and a lil spot of Europe across the Strait of Gibraltar, as long as it’s not too foggy. It was kind of foggy. The temperature dropped considerably once the sun set, and we were at the highest, windiest point of town, so be prepared. I only brought warm weather clothes. Anyway, it was worth it because we saw a beautiful sunset between Europe and Africa and that is super cool.
Sun is setting right down the middle!
Once it was finally close to 9pm, we walked over to Oasis Restaurant, and saw many ladies throwing buckets of soapy water on the windows and front patio. Um. Wat. I tried to open the front door (despite the soapy puddles) but it was locked. The ladies kept cleaning and scrubbing and throwing buckets of water just everywhere, so we walked a little up the road and decided to wait a few minutes. On our little wanderings, we saw these little fellas crossing the street:
So that was interesting! A little bit later, we went back to peek at the restaurant, and the ladies were still going strong with their water games. We’re at this incredibly remote spot, far from the center of town and far from any other living creature (except those crossing the street), and we were like what is happening! Finally a few minutes later a man came out the front door and said it would just be a few minutes more. And then he mopped the patio, while we just stood there in the cold. I wanted to be like, duuuude let us in and mop LATER. I was so angry and cold. So cold. Finally after at least 15 minutes we went inside, and it was gorgeous inside. It looked like Morocco. The man, although obviously very stupid, was nice and I stopped being so angry. I was concerned that it was supposed to be the best restaurant in the whole city, but we were the only guests! Also he was listening to a football match on the radio pretty loud which really did not jibe with the decor. So odd. We thought maybe the emptiness was because it was a Wednesday, or because Easter processions were going on (yup here too). Well, turns out we are just REALLY underestimating how late the Spanish do in fact eat. At 10pm (bedtime!), while we were eating our starters, a big family arrived. Then at 10:15pm, four teenage girls came. So random. Then at 10:30pm a group of old people friends. We were flabbergasted – when they say people eat dinner late in Spain (and pseudo-Spain), they really mean it! It’s semi-late in Madrid and Barcelona and Seville was tourist-friendly, so I guess we just never experienced dinner time for real in a town not catering to tourists. Places were people actually live like Ceuta do midnight dinner.
Then, at almost 11pm, a big family came in WITH AN INFANT. I was done trying to understand. I was literally falling asleep in my food and a baby was just getting started.
Then, at almost 11pm, a big family came in WITH AN INFANT. I was done trying to understand. I was literally falling asleep in my food and a baby was just getting started.
yes you’re right this is indeed a carrot salad I just didn’t expect it to be so carrot
The food ended up being just as good as I hoped. The mopper man seemed to be doing everything; he was the only staff I saw (though the kitchen was through the many big rooms in various connected buildings. It was a gorgeous space). He understood the veganness really easily and promised I would eat well. I started with a decent carrot salad, literally discs of cold cooked carrot with herbs that was really good but a little too much carrot. We also got great giant slabs of flat bread which is our favorite.
I MADE COUSCOUS
For my main, I had a delicious couscous. I know it sounds boring but it was one of the very best couscouses (couses cous?) I’ve ever had, up there with the ones I had on our honeymoon in Morocco which makes sense since this is effectively in Morocco. First of all, it came with chickpeas! Hooray for restaurants that give vegans beans! We want beans! Then, the broth that the cous was in was soo good, and it came with a good mix of weird veggies. It was wonderful! There was so much couscous though, I couldn’t even finish it. I liked this very much. MUCHO GUSTO.
TRAY OF SUGAR
After dinner, the mopper man brought fresh mint tea which is literally our favorite thing. This tea was in that great Moroccan tradition of being way too sweet and poured from a great height. He also brought us a huge, HUGE, dessert tray. There were peanutty jawns, sugar syrup baklava type jawns, flaky cookies that left tons of powdered sugar in their wake, all kinds of sugary syrupy twisty little bites that were so good and sooo sugary. I wish that he had told us that we would be charged for each little piece we ate, but they were super cheap and it’s better than being charged for the whole gigantic tray. I just wouldn’t have bit every single one and put half back. Just kidding I didn’t do that I am not a monster. It was a great meal overall. The only annoying thing (besides the opening wtf) was that I asked for a half liter of water (no tap water really in all of Spain. Or Africa) and he said they only had full liters left (menu said both so it was a supply problem) but on the bill he charged us for the full, which I thought was wrong since we wanted to get just a half (I had bag water as always).
The guy called a taxi for us (you can’t hail one at the deserted top of a mountain) at 11pm, and it took a full 30 minutes for it to come. Ughhhh it was sooo cold outside too and I was dizzy from all the sugar in the tea and the desserts and that darn baby was still going strong inside. It finally came, and after all that it couldn’t drop us at our hotel but a few blocks away, because this was happening:
The guy called a taxi for us (you can’t hail one at the deserted top of a mountain) at 11pm, and it took a full 30 minutes for it to come. Ughhhh it was sooo cold outside too and I was dizzy from all the sugar in the tea and the desserts and that darn baby was still going strong inside. It finally came, and after all that it couldn’t drop us at our hotel but a few blocks away, because this was happening:
YUP, another Easter parade! Even in Africa! And after 11pm! Oh boy this was getting kind of annoying. I mean I’m not a fan of parades to begin with so a slow, somber one about Jesus and clan got old kinda fast. But still it’s pretty cool, and kind of hilarious. Thank goodness we couldn’t really hear the drums from our room.
So that covers all, seriously all, of our time in Ceuta. There’s not much to do as a tourist, so it’s kind of meh and I can’t recommend that people actually vacation there. But if you happen to be in the area, it’s cool to see a geographic oddity and the Strait of Gibraltar, and you get to say you went to Spain but Africa. Also you get to sing “I am Africa” the whole time. Oh and of course the songs from “Hercules”! So it is great for the music in your head if nothing else.
Dubrovnik & Montenegro: Cliff-Jumping, Kayaking, & Beaching
After spending a lot of time inland and in Bosnia & Herzegovina, I spent almost 5 days in Dubrovnik, the lovely crown jewel of the Adriatic. If coming from Mostar, like I was, you can take a pretty comfortable bus for a few hours and stop halfway through to see the sight above. How freaking beautiful is this. After the week in the mountains, it was nice to see the crystal blue water.
Old Town Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is such an interesting little town, really unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It is entirely walled in (or at least the Old Town is, where most tourists will remain), a tiny fortress of a town surrounded by steep cliffs and the beautiful ocean. You’ll enter the Old Town by one of three gates, most likely Pile Gate, the main one from the major road outside (which leads up to the fancy Hilton). I’ve never been in such a densely touristed place.
Strolling on the Stradun
Dubrovnik is a really easy destination for frightful travelers, because it is 100% for tourists. No locals live anywhere nearby – it is all the tourist trade. It’s pretty safe, and it’s incredibly easy and manageable. Kind of like an inoffensive Disney World but with history.
The main thing to do is mosey along the Stradun, the main boulevard through the Old Town, and wander all the little streets leading off of it. You can’t get lost; you’re walled in. The streets are filled with restaurants, cafes, shops, gelato purveyors, and, of course, cathedrals and museums. People-watching along the Stradun is first-rate, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Franciscan Monastery Cloisters
One of the first things you’ll see upon walking through Pile Gate is the Franciscan Monastery Museum. It’s a pleasant little stop off the Stradun with charming cloisters, providing some calm from the throngs outside. It also houses one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe, and it’s still operating today.
My favorite activity in the Old Town was walking the city walls. For 50 kuna, you climb atop the city and stroll along the walls for a few hours, all around the city, and catch the most incredible views. I recommend going just before last call, around 6:30 pm, as it’s less crowded and you get great light as the sun sets.
My favorite activity in the Old Town was walking the city walls. For 50 kuna, you climb atop the city and stroll along the walls for a few hours, all around the city, and catch the most incredible views. I recommend going just before last call, around 6:30 pm, as it’s less crowded and you get great light as the sun sets.
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The pictures you take when walking the walls (all of the above) will pretty much be the standouts of your entire trip. You see everything and it’s all so perfect. It also helps you get a handle on the city, so it’s not a bad idea to go early in your visit.
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The guide and my boyfriend jumped off this cliff, from about where the sun hits at the top.
My other favorite activity? Kayaking! This might have been my favorite part of the whole trip because I love to be active and kick ass. And I kind of kicked ass.
The picture at left shows a little inlet that we pulled into about halfway through the ride, so we could swim. Also, the guide (and my boyfriend, because crazy) jumped off of that cliff. I know. It’s really high.
Outside Pile Gate, you’ll find tons of guys handing out fliers about kayaking trips from different companies. I’m pretty sure they are all generally interchangeable. I chose a late afternoon trip, hoping that the sun wouldn’t be as brutal. We kayaked about 3 hours, on a surprisingly far-reaching route circling Lokrum island. You kayak in 2-person boats, and most people had never kayaked before. (If you are alone, you’ll probably get paired with a guide, so that’s a plus.) It can be as easy or as strenuous as you want. I definitely recommend doing this if you can! It was pretty exhausting but so enjoyable. The company provided sandwiches (and packed fruit for me!), plenty of water, and had waterproof tubs for cameras and such. Once we were back on land, the guides opened a few bottles of wine for everyone to share while we chatted about our travels and backgrounds. We had such a great time!
The picture at left shows a little inlet that we pulled into about halfway through the ride, so we could swim. Also, the guide (and my boyfriend, because crazy) jumped off of that cliff. I know. It’s really high.
Outside Pile Gate, you’ll find tons of guys handing out fliers about kayaking trips from different companies. I’m pretty sure they are all generally interchangeable. I chose a late afternoon trip, hoping that the sun wouldn’t be as brutal. We kayaked about 3 hours, on a surprisingly far-reaching route circling Lokrum island. You kayak in 2-person boats, and most people had never kayaked before. (If you are alone, you’ll probably get paired with a guide, so that’s a plus.) It can be as easy or as strenuous as you want. I definitely recommend doing this if you can! It was pretty exhausting but so enjoyable. The company provided sandwiches (and packed fruit for me!), plenty of water, and had waterproof tubs for cameras and such. Once we were back on land, the guides opened a few bottles of wine for everyone to share while we chatted about our travels and backgrounds. We had such a great time!
View during the ride up
Another fantastic thing to do? Climb Mount Srd! Ok, not with your feet, but in a cable car – even better! (I found one of the funniest ever admonitions against doing something in the Rick Steves guidebook. It says something like, “If you are in great shape, and it’s not too hot out, you might consider taking the cable car up and walking down the mountain.” Hahahaha. So yeah, don’t try to hike up it. Also, cable cars are fun!) The cable car entrance is a bit tricky to find, about a 10 minute walk outside Ploce Gate. The view from Mount Srd is so worth this ride.
View from Mt. Srd of the Lapad peninsula, where many big hotels (and locals) live. Kind of far but a nice area. |
View of Old Town Dubrovnik. You can see Lokrum Island to the upper left. |
Buza, the beach/bar carved into the cliff face.
My last must-do thing to tell you about is Buza, a bar carved into the cliffs that doubled as a beach!
Dubrovnik doesn’t really have beaches (you go to the islands or to Montenegro for that). However, this little cliff bar-beach was even better – no sand, no hassle, just drinks and jumping into the water! So much fun! Also, the bar has one of the best drinks in the Balkans – Schweppe’s Bitter Lemon soda. I don’t usually like soda, but I loved this.
You reach Buza from the corridors near Ploce Gate. It’s a little tricky to find. Ok, a lot tricky. I don’t remember how we finally found it, but it was worth the trouble! You just sit at a table, order a drink, walk a few feet towards the cliff edge, and jump!! Then you can climb back up to your seat, relax, enjoy your drink and the view, and then jump again! Lather rinse repeat. It’s really the coolest. There were people of all ages enjoying the spot, and there are many rocks of various heights to jump off of. I was a little skittish at first, and I didn’t go very high, but I still had lots of fun.
Dubrovnik doesn’t really have beaches (you go to the islands or to Montenegro for that). However, this little cliff bar-beach was even better – no sand, no hassle, just drinks and jumping into the water! So much fun! Also, the bar has one of the best drinks in the Balkans – Schweppe’s Bitter Lemon soda. I don’t usually like soda, but I loved this.
You reach Buza from the corridors near Ploce Gate. It’s a little tricky to find. Ok, a lot tricky. I don’t remember how we finally found it, but it was worth the trouble! You just sit at a table, order a drink, walk a few feet towards the cliff edge, and jump!! Then you can climb back up to your seat, relax, enjoy your drink and the view, and then jump again! Lather rinse repeat. It’s really the coolest. There were people of all ages enjoying the spot, and there are many rocks of various heights to jump off of. I was a little skittish at first, and I didn’t go very high, but I still had lots of fun.
A shot of Buza beach/bar from atop the City Walls
The town of Kotor
Speaking of Montenegro…
Definitely go on a day trip from Dubrovnik to the Bay of Kotor! It’s beautiful, and it’s a really easy and fun side trip. There are plenty of tour companies around the Stradun, and most of them have affordable, small-group van tours to Montenegro. We drove on the famous road featured in “Casino Royale” to get to the Bay of Kotor, and our driver told us every Montenegrin hated the movie because shooting shut down this very important road for people who actually had to use it. Stupid Hollywood! The Bay of Kotor is so nice to drive around. Then we spent about an hour touring the nice little town of Kotor, during which I hit my head so badly that I thought I had internal bleeding, so that kind of colored my experience. I think it was the concierge at Hotel Vardar who helped me and got me medicine and ice, so shout out to her! Thanks for saving me! After Kotor, we played on the (painfully pebbly!) beach of Budva. Such fun times!
Definitely go on a day trip from Dubrovnik to the Bay of Kotor! It’s beautiful, and it’s a really easy and fun side trip. There are plenty of tour companies around the Stradun, and most of them have affordable, small-group van tours to Montenegro. We drove on the famous road featured in “Casino Royale” to get to the Bay of Kotor, and our driver told us every Montenegrin hated the movie because shooting shut down this very important road for people who actually had to use it. Stupid Hollywood! The Bay of Kotor is so nice to drive around. Then we spent about an hour touring the nice little town of Kotor, during which I hit my head so badly that I thought I had internal bleeding, so that kind of colored my experience. I think it was the concierge at Hotel Vardar who helped me and got me medicine and ice, so shout out to her! Thanks for saving me! After Kotor, we played on the (painfully pebbly!) beach of Budva. Such fun times!
The Bay of Kotor
And on the way back to Dubrovnik, we got to take a ferry! I don’t know why that’s so exciting!
Our group included about 7 people, including two couples on their honeymoon. Everyone was pretty cool! We ate lunch together in Budva, where most restaurants have the ubiquitous ‘vegetarian platter’ of cooked nightshades.
Our group included about 7 people, including two couples on their honeymoon. Everyone was pretty cool! We ate lunch together in Budva, where most restaurants have the ubiquitous ‘vegetarian platter’ of cooked nightshades.
I probably wasn’t allowed to take this picture.
Once back in Dubrovnik, we were lucky enough to catch an outdoor performance of the opera Cosi Fan Tutte, as part of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. What a wonderful show! I love opera, and I love seeing it in other countries. This festival performance was lovely. The cast was really talented, and I thought it was a solid production, especially given the difficulties of performing an opera at night outside! If you are thinking of going to Dubrovnik during the summer, go during the festival!
If you’ve looked into a visit to Dubrovnik at all, you’ve probably learned that renting apartments, rather than booking hotel rooms, is the way to go. There’s a big fancy Hilton outside the main gate, but staying in the Old Town is so much more convenient and fun. We stayed in the lovely and well located Amoret Apartments, in every guide book, located near the Cathedral. It was a very nice, but I have reservations about recommending it, because the woman who runs it is kind of a lunatic. She was well aware of our expected arrival time, and we planned to meet then so we could get the keys from her, but still we had to wait nearly an hour in the hot sun, standing in front of the Cathedral with our luggage. At one point, I asked a waiter at a nearby restaurant if I could use the bathroom. I explained that we were to be staying in an apartment just above us, but the woman was keeping us waiting. He asked, “Oh, you mean Branka?” and I said, “Yes! That’s her. You know her?” He replied, “Unfortunately”, and pointed me to the bathroom. I mean, it was too late to do anything about it, but dayyyyum. We wasted a few more hours over the weekend waiting for her for various reasons, so if your time is precious to you, I recommend you go elsewhere.
However, I do recommend that you stay somewhere in the Old Town, because it’s so convenient and because crazy random things happen at night, like this acrobatic troupe performing on our corner!
If you’ve looked into a visit to Dubrovnik at all, you’ve probably learned that renting apartments, rather than booking hotel rooms, is the way to go. There’s a big fancy Hilton outside the main gate, but staying in the Old Town is so much more convenient and fun. We stayed in the lovely and well located Amoret Apartments, in every guide book, located near the Cathedral. It was a very nice, but I have reservations about recommending it, because the woman who runs it is kind of a lunatic. She was well aware of our expected arrival time, and we planned to meet then so we could get the keys from her, but still we had to wait nearly an hour in the hot sun, standing in front of the Cathedral with our luggage. At one point, I asked a waiter at a nearby restaurant if I could use the bathroom. I explained that we were to be staying in an apartment just above us, but the woman was keeping us waiting. He asked, “Oh, you mean Branka?” and I said, “Yes! That’s her. You know her?” He replied, “Unfortunately”, and pointed me to the bathroom. I mean, it was too late to do anything about it, but dayyyyum. We wasted a few more hours over the weekend waiting for her for various reasons, so if your time is precious to you, I recommend you go elsewhere.
However, I do recommend that you stay somewhere in the Old Town, because it’s so convenient and because crazy random things happen at night, like this acrobatic troupe performing on our corner!
And in the mornings, a market pops up near the Cathedral, with fresh produce, delicious candied nuts and other goodies, and lots of souvenirs. Those candied nuts were so good. Unfortunately, I ate all of mine way too quickly. (And they were supposed to be gifts, too.)
As the city is so touristy, the food can be really overpriced for the quality you get. But I did eat at two commendable restaurants, Moskar Konoba and, of course, Nishta, the only vegetarian restaurant.
As the city is so touristy, the food can be really overpriced for the quality you get. But I did eat at two commendable restaurants, Moskar Konoba and, of course, Nishta, the only vegetarian restaurant.
Most people focus an entire trip to the region on the Dalmatian coast, and with good reason. I’m so glad this trip allowed me to experience the rich history inland and in Bosnia and Montenegro, but Dubrovnik was a fantastic place to end. I’ll definitely need to return so I can see the islands, Split, and Plitvice lakes.
