Authentic Bites, Boundless Yums
It’s been a long time since I celebrated my birthday abroad – actually it’s 3 years back, in 2019 when I was in Singapore. I actually wanted to make this a tradition to give myself a treat, but unfortunately I couldn’t realize this due to Covid-19. But that´s okay, the important thing is to be happy wherever you are, right? <3
However, I was able to celebrate my birthday in Istanbul this year, and this alongside one of my closest friends. Such a pleasure 😊♥️
My dear friend A and I had big plans for a trip to Jordan in April 2020, but alas, COVID-19 thwarted our excitement. We often talk about traveling together in the future. A has been a close friend since our high school days, and she knows me inside out. She’s an incredible inspiration to me! I admire her straightforward nature and how she’s always ahead of the game. It’s easy for us to connect because we share so many similarities 😄
Suddenly, A popped the question: “How about a quick trip to Istanbul?” We hadn’t been thinking about Jordan “at the moment,” so I thought, “Why not?” Istanbul is rich in history, and I envisioned it as a trip to revisit school subjects in real life—quite the educational adventure! So, we set our sights on Istanbul for a 5-day Easter getaway, flying out from CPH the day before my birthday. 🥳
After the delicious Thai lunch, my friend A and I went down the streets to see the danish author H C Andersen’s childhood home. I remember visiting this small house back in my childhood, where we went on a trip to Odense with my class and teachers. Seeing it again was a nice pleasure.
HCA’s childhood home is located at Munkemøllestræde, and is today a small museum, where you can see how he/they used to live. It’s quite interesting to see how they lived. This home is where HCA lived in his childhood, but he was not born here, but grew up here. Here you’ll also find a small garden with all the plants that features in his fairytales.
After visiting HCA’s Childhood home, we went to Møntergården, that consists of courtyards and old buildings from the 16th century to the present day. Here, you’ll find a bright exhibition about Odense and Funen, and it actually has a lot to offer for those who are into history (of Funen). We really had some “wow, really??” moments here.
Next we went to the H C Andersen House. This is located alongside the house where he was born. The house itself was bought by Odense Municipality at HCA’s 100th birthday, and after a restoration it was opened as a museum. Later it was expanded in 1930, 1976 and latest in 2004. This part of the entire HCA Museum was actually the best part, if you ask me. I’ve never been here before, but watching some of HCA’s collections and the audio-visual part was indeed nice.
So yes, for not so long ago, my CPH-friend and I decided to have a sleepover in Odense, as she hadn’t really seen Odense, and I haven’t been to Odense for a while. So it was quite good for both of us, to meet midway 🎩
I had booked a room at Hotel Comwell HCA, that is located only a few minutes from OBC, the railway station in Odense. It was actually a quite nice place to stay at.
I was recommended to try Restaurant Bahía by M, the lady from Finland I met on the trip to Caminito del Rey. She too stayed somewhere in Fuengirola, nearby this restaurant, and said she’d eaten here several times. So I asked my brother if he again wanted to join me for dinner. I told him that I was going to try their paella, and he was okay with that. I guess it’s a Mediterranean themed restaurant, as they had both spanish, greek and italian dishes.
We first went for a starter. I got a simple caprese.
Then the flavourful paella de verduras – vegetarian paella for my brother and I 😉 This was really good, btw!
Finally, we again got a Limoncello. We didn’t go for a dessert, as we were full. The Limoncello we got here was a bit bitter, not as good as the other one we got at Limoncello Ristorante. But the service at both restaurants were great.
The last day, before returning to Denmark, was mostly spent on shopping. I got some breakfast at the Granier nearby, before taking the train to Plaza Mayor, where I spent some hours on shopping. Got a new bag and some clothes 😁👜💸
Hereafter I returned to Fuengirola, where I decided to go for some Indian lunch at Namaste Fusion, as my brother had recommended. He said the food is really good here. You find Namaste Fusion at C. General Rodrigo 4, close to Playa de los Boliches.
I got some pulao rice and a veg karahi. I tried a spicy version of it, and trust me, it was VERY spicy, actually too spicy for me, but it still tasted good. The mango lassi was a great companion here 🔥😅
After that lunch I wanted to go for some more shopping in Fuengirola, but as it was quite windy, I just returned home and relaxed a bit.
When my brother returned from work, we went for some churros at Costa Del Sol, a café at C. Marbella 3, near Plaza de la Constitución. The original spanich churros are something else than what you get in other places. I guess the churros you get in England, Denmark etc. are americanised versions. Sadly. Because I am not a fan of the real spanish churros… Sorry to say 🥲
But the spicy indian lunch was quite good 😉