As indicated when I left you, we rested up and were ready to hit the ground running.

But first….food. The apartment where we stayed was affiliated with this lovely little restaurant that became our “go to” and landmark for our stay in beautiful Prague. The decor was homey and every morning it was filled with students, families and others visiting the city.

That first morning I tucked into their creamy eggs and hearty bread made into toast. Except (perhaps this was a Czech Republic thing), we had to ask for butter and jam wasn’t offered up either. A good way to maintain my slim figure-ha ha!

Upon leaving the cafe, we spotted this church spire in the distance and thought that it might lead us to the square.

We didn’t know at the time, but this was the steeple of the Basilica of St James.

Just beyond the church was this lovely little square which I will elaborate upon in a moment. But see the two spires at the top of those trees? That was our first peak at the Church of our Lady before Tyn, or simply Tyn Church. We were that close to the square without knowing it at the time.

A couple of our favourite shops were in that square. We had been lured into the first of many glass shops where we got our first look at the lovely blown glass pieces. The place had the feel of a gallery more than a shop and Sister #2 and I spent a lot of time oohing and awing over the displays.

We continued on passed Tyn Church and were in the Old Town Square. It reminded me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when all of a sudden, the black and white film morphed into the most vivid colours! While the square may not be colourful, it was truly a transformational moment for me.

My husband D had been to Prague many years earlier, when he and our son backpacked Europe together. He knew at that time that I would fall in love with the city and always wanted me to see it. It was he that originally found us the affordable tickets to Dublin which was the basis of months of planning to get us to this very moment.

I twirled around the square with my camera, recognizing Old Town Hall and landmarks I had previously only dreamed of seeing. Being brought back down to earth, was the statue of Jan Hus above, I had read that he was a Czech priest, philosopher and Christian reformer who had been burned at the stake for his threat to Catholic leadership.

I find that travel is both exhilarating and somewhat depressing as you witness the joys and sorrows of a country.

Next up, we were off on a Hop On, Hop Off tour of the city.

Kath’s quote: “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Unknown

Love-that is all.

To be honest, at the time it was tough to leave our wonderful summer house and return to the city to prepare for this trip but….our time was beyond our expectations in so many ways! I learn so many things when I travel. On this sojourn I learnt that:

– eastern Europe where my Dad and his family came from is full of rich history and beyond beautiful

-what I love about Mexico is transferrable to Andalusia, Spain. The people, their love of family, their intentional way of life and their food!

-Dubliners, in spite of their history of hardship, are uncharacteristically warm, fun-loving and absolutely delightful.

Our flight from Winnipeg to Toronto and then onto Dublin was largely uneventful except to say that the food on Air Canada was pretty dreadful and did not improve in the TO airport. As a result, when we spent the day at Dublin airport (which we had planned in order to save us taxi fares and overnight costs), we were thrilled by the delicious offerings. Sister #3 and I shared this hearty array of roasted chicken and a variety of veggies including parsnips!

We knew our Prague arrival would be a late one and that we won’t be oriented to our surroundings enough to head out for dinner. Sometimes it is an advantage to always be thinking about food-we had the foresight to shop at the Dublin airport. We bought a trio of creamy Irish cheeses as well as a local jam and crackers made to pair with cheese. We added to all of this, the apple slices and cheddar that had been packed for nibbles from home and voila: a lovely late-night cheese party! I bought a lovely mini mottle of French merlot on the plane that was the perfect night cap.

We snuggled into our new beds and rested up for the next day’s adventure.

Kath’s quote: “Airplane travel is nature’s way of making you look like your passport photo.” – Al Gore

Love-that is all.

For many years the first stop we made on Isla was Ballyhoo.  Straight off the ferry, suitcases in tow, we would stop for a cold beer and a serving of fish tacos. So I was disappointed to hear of it’s closing. 

I was thrilled to hear that last December at the same location, Blue Ballyhoo opened it’s  doors. Totally different ownership, but the same great location. Aesthetically far more beautiful, the restaurant layout has been reconfigured. It now has a nice clean new bathroom, gone are the days of using the one next to the gas station. There are additional tables set out on the beach, that has filled in what used to be water next to the dock, allowing more seating. I love to sit with my feet in the sand when I eat seaside.

There are lovely turquoise lounge chairs where we spent an afternoon enjoying cocktails and yummy guacamole. 

It was wonderful to meet Lilly who is running Blue Ballyhoo. Lilly has deep roots on Isla. Her grandfather, Mr. Lima owns the dock on which the restaurant is located. He owned Zazil ha, now known as Mia, the first hotel on Isla Mujeres. Her dad, Captain Anthony runs their four sport fishing boats, the Lilly M, the Andrea M, named for Lilly and her sister, and the Keen 1 and 2, named for her mom, a well know hotelier on the island. Captain Anthony is all about making fishing a sport and conserving fish species. He works with the BBC, National Geographic, and Guy Harvey. 

Lilly is ever present in the restaurant, building relationships with her customers in order to create an experience that really delivers. She is so grateful for the fisherman who bring in their catch to be cooked up or just stop in for a drink. She enjoys the banter of both old and new fishermen sharing stories of the past and how it used to be whilst talking about the new destinations to go fishing. 

Having lived in Isla her whole life, Lilly is a font of knowledge when it comes to the island and life on the water. Her family is all about serving visitors and providing hospitality. 

On our first visit to Blue Ballyhoo we tried a cocktail called the ‘Mahaché’. Created by Lilly it contained gin, lemonade and blue curaçao. I asked her what Mahaché means and she shared it is a rain storm. I think this talented mixologist should also create a ‘norte’ and a ‘hurricane’ and make them her signature cocktails. Blue Ballyhoo prides itself on an excellent Margarita and of course, everyone wants a marg in Mexico.

For dinner we enjoyed fish tacos. Served with tartar sauce and spicy mayo. The fish portion was more than generous and the batter was crunchy and delicious. I had to eat some of the fish before I could attempt to roll it into a taco.

We also enjoyed the fish in red Guajillo sauce with rice and veggies. The fish was Wahoo caught the previous day. The sauce was flavourful and not at all spicy.  

As a smart restauranteur will do, Lilly has selected strong and talented chefs. You can hear the pride she has in their work when she talks about the food they produce and the impeccable kitchen they run.  The food is excellent! 

The ambiance is great, good music and the vibe is light and fun. Like establishments in countries around the world there is a shortage of serving personal available. The servers were attentive but pretty new to their roles. They were trying their best. You might encounter a bit of a communication challenge but with pointing to the menu and a few hand gestures, you’ll get by. I looked at it as an excellent chance to practice my Spanish. 

I’ve always wondered what Ballyhoo meant. Lilly explained; a Ballyhoo is the fish that is used as bait for Sail-fishing, and since Isla Mujeres is a big sport-fishing hotspot and the main customers are fishermen and captains, Blue Ballyhoo just seemed to suit the place .

I wish nothing but the best to this local family and the Blue Ballyhoo. They are now open for breakfast and from the pictures I’ve seen the food looks spectacular. 

Kath’s quote: “In the hands of an able cook, fish can become an inexhaustible source of perpetual delight.”–Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Love-that is all.

The day we visited the Tiny Gecko there was an unusual event taking place on the malecon. A twenty four hour run that started at noon that day and had participants running through the day and overnight until noon the next day. As we waiting for our table we watched in amazement as the runners, now six and a half hours into their run, trotted back and forth the length of the malecon. I would think if the heat didn’t kill you the monotony would. There were other folks along the malecon cheering them on, offering high fives, which along with the music from the Tiny Ghecko must have helped lift their tired spirits. 

When we were seated the band was mid-set and the energy level was high as folks finished up their afternoon cocktails. 

We were warmly welcomed by the attentive staff and chef Paulino came out to meet us. This talented Chef from the Yucatan has lived on Isla for more than 30 years and has been with the restaurant since it’s opening four years ago. As a matter of fact Tiny Ghecko boasts a non existent staff turn over since opening, which speaks to the unity of the team and kindness of owner and philanthropist Raguel Rodriguez. 

Our meal started with an lovely amuse bouche of fresh bread rolls with a drizzle of blueberry sauce, Parmesan cheese and grated garlic. A delectable combination of sweet and savoury.

The next dish brought to our table was fried calamari rings served on a delicate tomato sauce encircle with thinly sliced beets. The squid was tender and the batter light and crunchy. 

Next came the coconut shrimp. The best I’ve had on the island. So many restaurants overcook them but these were perfect. The shrimp were huge and juicy and the coconut batter was golden and perfectly cooked. Served with mango sauce along side Chef Paulino’s signature turtle shaped rice, the plate decorated with beet mayonnaise. 

Our final dish was squid stuffed with lobster, octopus, shrimp and fish resting on a bed of little potatoes and vegetables in a pool of spinach sauce. It was so rich and delicious we took half of it home for a feed the next day. 

So while I think Tiny Gecko is a great place for an afternoon or late night cocktail and music, you are missing out if you don’t make a point to dine on the extraordinary food. The flavour combinations are creative and the product so fresh and high quality. A testament to the talents of Chef Paulino and the Tiny Gecko team. 

Kath’s quote: “A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster, salad and champagne. The only true feminine and becoming viands.”-Lord Byron

Love, that is all.

We enjoyed the quiet of the morning, and then it was a day full of company!

Kelly and Moby were walking to town for a painting class but stopped by for a lovely catch up chat.

Later, friends Jan and Bruce joined us for Happy Hour. Unfortunately it was too windy in the back of our place by the water and too noisy with the traffic of the road so we made it a quick one and took roadies to watch the sunset and walk to dinner.

We never tire of watching the sun lower in the sky from Medina.

We met J and B on the island and have been close ever since. I mentioned that it was a windy day, well I had to settle for this pic of Bruce in mid-sentence because in all the others, Jan’s hair was completely blown off of her face. We girls stick together about those kind of things you know.

I wasn’t very impressed with pics of D and I either but decided on this one with only half of my hair blown off of my forehead.

The setting sun accompanied us all the way to our dinner destination. Green Verde (open the link to see pics and details about our great dinner).

Kath’s quote:

“Ponder well on this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all connected by a more or less tangible link, with some memory of the table.”-Charles Pierre Monselet

Love-that is all.