http://www.planchant.co.uk The Home Page of Matthew Planchant... Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:50:43 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Xi'an's Muslim quarter provides a fantastic opportunity for hunting down great street food. The narrow streets here come alive after dark. The open fronted restaurants spill out onto the pavement with tables and chairs and huge barbecues for the grilling of mutton skewers. I ate a fantastic meal perched on ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/254 One of my main motivations for this trip was to sample some strange and usual food from around the world. We've had some very interesting things to eat on our journey so far. Russia was as expected, the food is generally average. The best food to be found is the home ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/250 Ulaanbataar has changed enormously in the five years since I last visited. Then there were three or four places recommenced to eat in the city. Now the streets appeared to be lined with restaurants of all types. New buildings are being built all over the city and the main square ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/247 Eating on a long train journey can be a source of great excitement. There are three options as far as obtaining food is concerned. You can bring provisions with you, you can buy food on the platform during the longer stops (some are up to 40 minutes) or you can ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/240 Tallinn has a beautiful old town which has been tastefully preserved and restored. The medieval theme is a little over the top on occasion but it still makes a pleasant place to spend some time. It's a city I'd wanted to visit since Rhian and I did our inter-railing trip ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/239 4606 I can see why the streets of Stockholm's old town are choked with tourists. The city is a wonderful place to visit. We had a great few days there. We'll have to return, there was too much for us to see during our short visit. There were many bars that ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/238 4128 In many ways, Norway is the perfect destination for a holiday. It's easily accessible from the UK (we took DFDS Seaways ferry from Newcastle), everyone appears to speak perfect English, the scenery is truly awe inspiring and the people are friendly. The only thing that might deter is the price ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/237 4102 Well the wedding went very well. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, Rhian looked stunning and the food and service at Secco were fantastic. Many thanks again to everyone who came along and made it such a memorable day. The photos are in the usual place. http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/233 On Sunday I got the chance to see another of my heroes. Neil didn't let me down producing a fantastic show. 25 songs and nearly three hours worth of fantastic music. The show was split into two sets. The first half with Neil on his own and the second set ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/230 I was in Belfast last weekend watching the Ospreys take on Ulster in the Heineken Cup. Had a very good weekend, lots of pubs, lots of Guinness and good food. The match itself was a tedious affair, another ruined by the whistle of Malcolm Changleng. The Ospreys now need ... http://www.planchant.co.uk/archives/224