Sheffield is a city that was central in the production of steel during the industrial revolution. Its geographic location - near fast-flowing rivers and mineral rich hills - made it a hub of the Western world's iron and steel industry. Several innovations such as 'crucible steel' and silver plating originated here. Interestingly, the bowie knife - popular in the American Wild West - was imported in large quantities from the city of Sheffield too!
I flew into London on a gloriously sunny day. Unfortunately, this was short-lived and the next day was dull, rainy with chilly winds blowing - in other words, London was back to its normal self! That didn't hold me back from walking through the Kensington Gardens and Notting Hill areas and trying some interesting restaurants.
The meat and potatoes diet of the locals in Prague is quickly being supplemented with fine dining options from other parts of Europe. The city's first Michelin-starred restaurant, Allegro, was located at the Four Seasons hotel where I stayed during this visit. Sadly, Allegro is now closed but its successor, CottoCrudo, turned out to be pretty good. I particularly remember the pineapple dessert during one lunch here that was especially delightful!
Prague Castle dominates the skyline of this wonderful city. What began as a walled building in the 9th century became the abode of the Bohemian kings and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. Prague Castle is also supposed to be the biggest castle in the world! It took me about 30 minutes to walk up the pretty cobblestones streets from my hotel to the castle gates. The walk to the castle was actually as much fun as touring the castle itself.
I was excited as my Emirates flight touched down in Prague on a bright and sunny day. It was a while since I was in a new country. When I told a few of my friends I was going to be in the Czech Republic, almost all of them referred to the country as Czechoslovakia. It is endlessly annoying to the locals that people around the world seem to get this wrong even twenty years after the new Czech Republic was formed.
Cafe Mangii advertises itself as Mumbai's most popular Italian restaurant. Not sure if that is true, but I was quite happy with the experience during my first visit to this restaurant within Phoenix Market City. This place has a contemporary casual look with great thin-crust pizzas and cappuccinos. When I returned last weekend, I had difficulty getting a table; apparently it is also getting more popular!
