indulgence – Page 2 – A True Love of Mine

What Katie Did in Japan – Mario Kart

If you’ve been following me on instagram (@bakerbowie) you might have seen this picture pop up recently. Remembering that i’m the kind of person who won’t even cross the road unless the little green man is lit up, let me tell you the story of the craziest thing you can do in Tokyo that I can’t believe is actually legal – go-karting through the busy streets of one of the most populated cities in the world.

We booked a tour with Maricar who operate from a base in Shinagawa and offer a tour package where a guide will lead your group through the busy Tokyo streets. The one thing that you definitely need to know before considering this is that you HAVE to have an international drivers permit and your passport in order to do this. They will check when you get there and if you don’t have the correct paperwork, no amount of pleading will get you in one of those karts. Anyhoo, we had planned this before we left Australia so with our licences in our hot little hands, we made our way to Shinagawa!

The fleet of go-karts wait patiently outside

NO CRASH
NO ALCOHOL
ENJOY!!!

Thats pretty much wraps it up…

Once we had checked in with our guide, we were allowed to choose a costume to drive in. They’re not fresh out of the packet so there will be wear and tear. Hot tip: it gets freakin cold on those go karts so don’t be stupid like me and choose a costume with short sleeves. Unfortunately, the pink princess peach dress trumped comfort and I had to go with it.

I’m powerless before pink.
Also, hubs and friend were Mario and Luigi so I had to go with the Mario theme!

Outside, we were given a little bit of instruction about how to operate the go karts then were ready to start. I’d never driven a go kart before so the steering came as a bit of a shock and I had a little bit of trouble with the left foot brake at the beginning but after about five minutes of driving it all started to feel pretty good.

Except for the part where there were no seatbelts… that was pretty crazy.

Our guide was very good and always made sure that our group of six was together and as safe as we could be, navigating the busy streets of suburbs such as Roppongi and Ginza. I have to admit that there were definitely times when I zoned out and forgot that I was actually driving through peak hour traffic in a foreign country. Don’t worry though, at those times a taxi would drive up pretty close or a bus would pull up along side me and snap me back to reality! If you are a bit of a shrinking violet, this isn’t the tour for you as things really got going when we got to the giant pedestrian crossing in Shibuya. You might remember it from the film Lost in Translation but if not, it’s a ridiculously populated intersection of about eight pedestrian crossings. When we pulled up to it, the people went wild, clapping, waving, calling out and filming us. Like I said, introverts – this is not for you!

So, after an hour or so of cruising the mean streets of Tokyo, we ended up back in Shinagawa and the warmth of the Maricar office. I can’t believe that this business is legal (you would never get away with it in Australia!) but, as long as it is, it is a must-do if you’re visiting and up for a bit of fun and adrenaline. Whats the craziest thing you’ve done when on holiday that you can’t believe is legal?

What Katie Did in Venice: Coffee at Danieli

So I know i’ve been a grouch about Venice, but I was a total sucker for these sunsets. Can you blame me? After a long day of wandering around and getting lost all I wanted to do was put my feet up and relax. But because I kept getting lost, I ran out of puff long before getting back to the hotel. So we thought we would pretend to be rich and famous for half an hour and kick back at the Danieli.

This is the kind of place that you feel like you need a chanel handkerchief if you’re going to sneeze. Look at all that marble. Nothing like seeing how the other 1% live to make you feel entirely dissatisfied with the lack of luxury in your own life!

I had visions of settling into these comfy chairs and sipping on a tasteful and delicious cocktail. Until I saw the price list. And if you baulked at the prices at Harry’s Bar, you don’t even want to look here. Lucky for us though, the ambiance was free!

So we settled down for the only thing we could consider affording – a cup of coffee. Americano for him and a cappuccino for me. This was a huge concession because I don’t like coffee but I felt that I was trespassing on the goodwill of this place with my general scruffiness and didn’t want to give the poor man behind the bar a heart attack by ordering a cup of tea. Even though these two small cups cost us an arm and a leg (each), they came with this generous silver platter of biscuits. I won’t lie, I ate the lion’s share of these tasty treats. You know you wouldn’t have believed me if I said otherwise!

It was quite peaceful and the staff were lovely and never made us feel like we shouldn’t be there. But, after ~~spying on the rich~~ resting for a while, we decided we had had our fill of luxury and navigated our way through the multitude of marble columns and antique furniture to the outside world. One day…

Soooo what’s the most luxurious fancy pants place you’ve ever trespassed in? Tell me in the comments section!

Hotel Daniele
Castello 4196, Venice, 30122, Italy
Phone: +39 041 5226480
Website: http://www.danielihotelvenice.com/

What Katie Ate in Venice: Fantasy Gelato Burgers

This is just a quick post to acclaim the absolute amazingness of this lunch.

For six euros, this enormous gelato was a much more cost effective indulgence than Harry’s bellinis. The brioche bun was so big that my husband had to hold it for this photo on account of my ridiculously tiny hands. Even his hands are dwarfed by this delicious monstrosity. I had two outrageously large scoops of chocolate and creme catalan gelato and I kid you not, I ate every. last. speck. of this. Hubs didn’t even get a look in. And i’m not even sorry.

I honestly couldn’t direct you back to this place if I tried, considering how hopelessly lost I got in Venice. Just look for a big crowd among the twisty lane ways. You won’t be disappointed.

Actually, if you’re good at following maps (hint: i’m not) then follow the link below to their website.

Gelato Fantasy Website

What Katie Did in Venice: Bellinis at Harry’s Bar

I’m going to say something that I know most of you probably won’t like. I didn’t really rate Venice. I was pretty excited to visit but I hated the feeling of being in a tourist trap. I hated the way I couldn’t seem to escape the hot summer sun beating down on me as I got more and more lost in the twisting streets. I hated getting lost every. single. time.

BUT

I am also willing to concede that first impressions are often wrong. So i’ve picked out the few things I really enjoyed while staying in Venice and thought i’d save some space in my head and my heart for a second visit. First up is the necessary pilgrimage to Harry’s Bar to have a Bellini with the ghost of Hemingway. I know that I just complained about being in a tourist trap but this one the one overpriced experience that I was willing to be a part of.

The exterior was so unassuming that I wasn’t actually sure we were there. It did seem like the kind of hidden bar that someone like Hemingway would want to hide in. Trust the Venetians to have sweet security bars on their windows though.

Cute menus!

Harry’s Bar was opened in 1931 by bartender Giuseppe Cipriani after he was lent some money by a wealthy American, Harry Pickering after whom the bar is named. The interior of the bar reminded me of a salty seafarers haunt with the dark wood and low ceilings. Despite being surrounded by tourists, I could imagine the ghosts of rough bearded men in worn, cable knits and canvas pants, their elbows heavy on the tables as they filled up before their next voyage. That’s probably not at all how it was, but it’s how it all played out in my mind!

The signature drink at Harry’s Bar is the Bellini, made of peach nectar and prosecco and is lovely and sweet and refreshing. Apparently Cipriani named it after a painting by Giovanni Bellini because he thought the colour reminded him of a toga worn by one of the subjects. One of these will set you back more euros than you want to spend but I had budgeted for this particular expense. Also, the olives that came as part of the apperitivo were huge and briney. Delicious! Unfortunately, they didn’t replenish the olives like they do in most bars. I think this is because

1. they’re a bit tight

2. it’s actually quite a small venue and they want to move people through quickly

So we came, we drank, we soaked in the atmosphere and we left with lighter wallets. I enjoyed the experience but I can see why many would baulk at the expense. If you’re a fan of Hemingway though, it’s probably worth a visit. (Wikipedia will tell you there were a host of other famous people who frequented Harry’s but Hemingway was the only one I was really interested in. Sorry!)

HARRY’S BAR
Calle Vallaresso 1323
30124 San Marco
Venice, Italy
Open: Daily 10.30am – 11.00pm
Website: http://www.harrysbarvenezia.com/