"red" is better than shoes!!!

ok, ok, those of you who know me will not be surprised by this statement... after all, I do have a red wall in my home!!! And it would appear than the only exception would be in the case of red soled shoes... when the statement would not make any sense... all this is right but, what if I say that "red" in this case has to do with football?!... Then exactly those who know me for a long time will say, wait a minute, this can't be right, you have been all and only for "yellow" all your life when it comes to football... ok, even blue and white in very rare occasions... meaning that only one time at 2004 when no one knows exactly what happened but we got to be European Champions...

Yes, I have been all for "yellow"... and then... then, I got to know "red"... and it started to grow on me, I started to watch them and know them and like them, then I started to cheer for them and gather up all my witch strength to help them when they played and I got happy when they won... And as the "yellow" and the "red" are from different countries (and they only got to play against each other only those two times and got one victory each) it does not feel like a betrayal... After all, when one has enough love to share there is not crime in sharing it, right?... granted, when it comes to lovers, this becomes a veeeeery long discussion...

But this is football... and last weekend it was its celebration in a certain part of the world... And I got to be there and share the love and the joy and be part of the celebrations! Nothing and no one had prepared me for what I experienced, it was bigger than anything I had imagined!! So much red gathered in one stadium, so much red in the streets, a red sea of happiness and pride!! Who knew were all these people came from, it felt like the whole country was there, dressed in red singing "we are the champions" (and most probably it was...)!!! And I was there singing with them!!! "Red" is my second love, when it comes to football teams, but love it is, and being there with them to be part of their party last weekend was incredible!!! And better than shoes!!!

lunch with a friend...

... sounds very simple but it can be better than shoes, I assure you! Sometime ago, I was visiting one of Europe's most interesting big cities (and no, I will not reveal which one here... people who know were I was will recognise it and for the rest, and for the purpose of this post, it really does not matter...) and I took a day to just walk in the centre, indulge in the wonders of window shopping and do a bit of actual shopping as well... The weather was not fantastic, ok, it could be a lot better... But that did not stop me, I thought, I'm here on holidays, will try to make the best of it and enjoy regardless of the fact that I was wet for most of the time...

So, I went to the city centre in the morning and directly to a department store that a good friend of mine recommended I would love. She was absolutely right, I did! After a successful quest for the right underwear that I was in need (because I had cleaned up my drawer a few days before and had gotten rid of all the shameful, old, destroyed undies that I kept for I don't know which reason...) I had arranged to meet this friend for lunch. We met and she took me to this fabulous place, right in the heart of the city and next to all the designer shops (so that I can have more window staring...) were we had our lunch.

Though we mutually agreed that we would have cooked the risotto slightly more, the flavours were great and the atmosphere, combined with a good service, did leave me with a great memory... But, in fact, what was the really great part was being with my friend! We chatted, we laughed, we enjoyed the food and the time together. For me this was priceless! I hope she had just as good a time as I did! The thing is, were I live and work, these small escapes to the city centre are rather difficult on a working day so we end up always having lunch in the canteen... But there, it was so easy for her to get out of work and have lunch in the center, in a nice restaurant with me, that I was left a bit jealous for this quality of life... Well, who knows what the future brings, right? The point is that meeting a friend you don't see very often and having a nice lunch in the city while having a girl's talk, is better than shoes! And, it can be so nicely combined with them if you do a bit of shopping before or after lunch ;)

Ice wine...

...IS better than shoes!! If some days ago the term was mentioned to me, I would only imagine wine with ice in it... or very chilled... Certainly did not know any details about this nectar!! Well, what it is is wine that is made of grapes that when they are picked, they are already frozen in the vine! Pretty risky business, pretty hard labour too, as the grapes must be picked up usually during one night while they have just started to freeze but, ahhhh, what a taste!!!

I had the great pleasure of dinning in fabulous small restaurant a few days ago where I tasted this magnificent type of wine... and it came at the end of a meal that is going to stay in my memory for a very long time... Everything was perfect: the ambiance, the company, the service, the food and the wine! A creative, imaginative and brave chef, very young as it turned out to my surprise, and a sommelier who knew his wines very well,  made the experience unforgettable. Delicate tastes, accompanied very nicely by the wines, and the culmination which came with the dessert and the ice wine... a light chocolate cake served with saffron (!) sorbet and perfected by the ice wine... sweet, fruity, refreshing and special... mmmm... orgasmic!!

I will never forget those tastes combined... never have I experienced such match made in heaven when I comes to taste though I have been privileged enough to have dinned in fine restaurants, some even with starry credentials... But this, this was simply amazing! And it all combined with the best company and the greatest of moods in order to produce a night to remember!! The best one out in quite some time! And all this was definitely better than shoes, better than Lanvin's already classic ballerinas, better than Chloe's new sandals...and I could go on and on and on...

PS. Those who want to know a bit more about this delicious wine, go to  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_wine