Jet Setter

The Africa Cafe - Cape Town, South Africa

With the World Cup just around the corner, the whole world will descend on tiny Cape Town in June. It's funny because before I visited Cape Town, I thought it was this cosmopolitan metropolis.  I guess as it's South Africa's most celebrated city, Cape Town has a larger than life aura but take my word, it's a small beach town under a beautiful African sky.

I spent 10 days hanging out in this town and doing pretty much all the touristy things you could think of. It didn't take long - 5 days and I was done. Hiked up Table Mountain. Visited Robben Island - Nelson Mandela's old prison. Took a day trip to the wine country.  Drove down the coastal highway to the Cape of Good Hope (absolutely gorgeous!!). Took a safari from Cape Town, which I really wouldn't recommend. I've lived in Africa and so the safari thing wasn't a big deal. But if you haven't been on a safari ever, head up north to Kruger or fly to Victoria Falls or Botswana. Also, not to be missed there's the Rhodes Memorial and the V&A Waterfront.

Prices for hotels during the World Cup are astronomical. But I stayed at An African Villa, a small boutique hotel, in the heart of Cape Town, which I loved. Decor is modern African chic and the owners are great. And it was while I was milling about at the African Villa that I heard about the Africa Cafe and decided to head over there with a friend.

Posh Girl Vintage - South African Designer Abigail Betz

Something about the cooler temperatures makes me wanna go all vintagy. Perhaps, it was the gorgeous brown leather flap handbag a friend of mine was sporting at dinner the other day that used to be her Mom's. Or maybe it was her luxe brown vintage coat to match. Don't know. Just got me itching to find a posh girl vintage look to die for.  That's where South African designer Abigail Betz comes in.

Abigail Betz is one of a bevy of up-and-coming South African designers, beginning to make her mark on the global fashion scene. Her signature look consists of  vintage-inspired, lady-like dresses with incredible detailing.

Her only retail store is in Johannesburg at the Rosebank mall. So if you're heading to the World Cup in June and need a little retail therapy be sure to check out the shop. Also, you can be a fan on her Facebook page - Abigail Betz Couture.

- Denise

Website

Abigail Betz 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Soldier of Love by Sade

Awesome video!

A Stopover at Belmont Hotel, Dallas

I have to admit I'm kind of a "shi-shi" traveler if that's a word. I like nice, modern chic hotels with just enough luxury. Not really into hotels with character as that usually means old and inconvenient.  So I was pleasantly surprised when my friend Raney who loves hotels with character introduced me to essentially a motel built in the 40s. Why? Because it was funky, cool and (gasp!) historical. Plus it had an amazing view of Dallas to die for.

Voila Belmont Hotel! Dallas' motel turned very cool but not pretentious boutique hotel. They call it the "modern luxury, local flavor and mid-century swank" experience. The Belmont is in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood. Oak Cliff used to be a separate town, becoming a part of Dallas in 1903.  In the 40s and 50s, it was a surburban haven, but ran into many difficulties when desegregation began in the 60s. It's now reemerging as a fun neighborhood with alot of historical character that's still been preserved surprisingly for Dallas.

Belmont Hotel is a hillside hideaway...love the bar. Great cocktails, especially the cucumber martini. The SMOKE restaurant is an old-fashioned smokehouse with a modern twist. I had the coffee-cured beef brisket sandwich and the Louisiana andouille sausage. It seems like it's always packed. The hotel has Live Music every Thursdays and it's a great place to hang out before checking out the nearby Bishop Arts District.

- Denise

Websites

Oak Cliff, Dallas

Hotel Belmont

Smoke Restaurant

 

   
 

GermanDeli.com - Celebrating Carnival German-style

When I think of Carnival and/or Mardis Gras the countries that come to mind are the US - New Orleans, Brazil and Rio, Italy and Venice, France and Nice. Germany not so much. I recently discovered that the Germans too party their way through Carnival season, and it's called Fasching or Karneval.

The tradition started mostly in Germany's Catholic regions and includes masquerade balls, parades, dancing in the streets. The heart of Fasching is in Koln (Cologne), Germany but smaller towns and other cities such as Dusseldorf and Mainz have their own big celebrations.

In the Dallas area, Fasching is being celebrated at GermanDeli.com's European food store in Colleyville on Sunday, February 7 from noon to five. GermanDeli has over 5000 German food products and gift items in the store...and that's not including their offerings online where they ship anywhere.

Nicole, the marketing manager for the group, gave me a tour throughout the store and a rundown of their most popular products. As I'm not really familiar with German food, Nicole gave me some recommendations on what food to try. It was a great way to explore some new cuisine and food ideas.

So you'll want to try: Dallmayr Prodomo Coffee, Jacobs Kroenung Coffee, Brotchen (bread rolls) & Pretzels, Landliebe Butter, Schaler & Webber Liverwurst, Teewurst & Blutwurst, Gold Medal Liver Pate, Kinder Schokolade (Chocolate), a German favorite.

What I also loved about the store is that you get the versions of candies and snacks that you find in European stores, not the US version. I love gummies and quickly picked up a couple of packets of the Haribo sweets. And of course, they carry Nutella. Happy Karneval!

- Denise

 

Websites

GermanDeli.com

GermanDeli Fasching Celebration

Photo: Street Scene in Frankfurt

Every Word by Sade

Great song. Can't wait to hear the new album.

Manhattan of the Desert - Yemen's Mud Skyscrapers

There's an old adage that says - the more things change, the more things stay the same. With Yemen in the news these days for less than auspicious reasons, I came across some interesting history of this now volatile country.

What I love about the Middle East/Africa - the Old World is how it gives us a glimpse into our own soul. Where we've been tells us alot about where we're going. In Shibam, Yemen, you can find the world's oldest skyscrapers. The houses are made of mud and range from 5 to 11 stories. The mud keeps everything cool since Shibam is in the desert.

The high rise buildings are thought to have been built first around 2 AD. It just struck me how similar our tastes are with people living 2000 years ago. Bustling downtowns, lots of shops and a million things going on. We think sometimes we're so different, so advanced with our iphones and computers. Just makes me think at least....

Shibam was once a prosperous trade city, specializing in spices and incense. It was destroyed twice - 13th and 16th centuries.

With all the tragedies, natural disasters, and political and economic turmoil in the world - the world is still an amazing place.

- Denise

Websites

Manhattan of the Desert

Travel Adventures - Shibam Skyscrapers

Lumi Empanada & Dumpling Kitchen - Check Out The Latest In Vietnamese-Brazilian cuisine

Vietnam and Brazil. They don't exactly bring to mind a happy marriage. I think of Vietnam and it's crazy motorcyclists, bustling Chinatown, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rice and veggies - a hot, steamy jungle of a playground. Brazil of course - it's music and dancing (samba), gorgeous beaches (Ipanema), gorgeous people (Gisele), lots of meat (Brazilian)  and soccer mania!

So to mix the two cuisines - it's an interesting project, which I happen to love. Checked out Lumi Empanada & Dumpling Kitchen in Dallas. They take the concept of tapas (which is Spanish) and merge that with the Brazilian dishes and Vietnamese dishes, so everyone can get different dishes and share. Awesome caipirinhas (the Brazilian drink!). Tried the Thai Panang Curry Chicken dumplings (loved!), Spinach, Mozarella & Portabello Empanadas, Vietnamese Summer Rolls and Portobello Fries with Duo Dipping sauce.

The setting is kind of an Ikea-like art gallery - very zen feel. Nice vibe and crowd.

- Denise

Websites

Lumi Empanada & Dumpling Kitchen

For more reviews on UrbanSpoon

Sur La Table The Ultimate Vietnam Culinary Experience - Here's a dream trip for foodies. Sur La Table, the famous kitchenware company offers cooking classes (all over) and culinary food tours to some amazing world-wide destinations.

 

 

They Dance Alone by Sting

An old classic by Sting from his Nothing Like the Sun album. So beautiful.

Which Foreign Guy Should You Date?

Ok. So this quiz is for all the ladies out there - yeah, even if you're not single...this is a cute little quiz. Blogthings has me all over the place. Last quiz, I was a fun-loving Irish babe and now they have me dating an Italian.

Which Foreign Guys Should You Date?

Here's some British eye candy. Couldn't resist.