22-25 February - The Florida Keys

As we cruised down to the Florida Keys for our last few days, the emphasis was definitely on seafood. We ate conch fritters (a bit chewy) at the Key Largo Conch House followed by some really good blackened hogfish with avocado salsa - a fairly meaty fish but still white and flaky. Then we went for surf'n'turf at the Big Chill. It was the lobster that I'd been really looking forward to, but it was actually the steak that was the real stand-out - fabulously tender and packed with flavour.

Then after a brunch of eggs and bacon with grits (a kind of corn mash that tasted a bit like rice pudding to me) at Mrs Mac's Kitchen, we headed right down to Key West. We'd heard a lot about key lime pie, but after lots of huge meals, we never quite made it to dessert. So we went for an afternoon stop instead and I think we chose a good one. It's rather like quite a tart lemon cheesecake - yummy and not too sweet.

Then for our final evening out, we went to BlackFin, a classy bistro on the otherwise rather tacky Duval Street. We started with the most melt-in-your-mouth sauted calamari in parsley butter with walnuts and some goats cheese croquettes with red onions. Then I ticked off the last thing on my list with a burger with goats cheese and mushrooms, all washed down with a cold beer.

4 June - Oslo lobster

We arrive in Oslo in more fantastic sunshine and just in time for a late lunch. We pick more-or-less the first outdoor café we come to and manage to work out goats cheese salad from the Norwegian menu (the words chevre and salat are enough to give us clue!). I also spot that the people at the next table have a carafe of some really nice pale, rose wine, so we go for some of that too. Great start to the weekend!

After a look at the little city guide in our hotel room, we head down to the harbourside for dinner in one of the seafood restaurants. It’s clearly the place to be on a bright sunny evening and there are several cool bars full of beautiful people. We opt for an in-between sort of place – not super-cool, but not TGI Friday’s! D/S Louise turns out to be a good choice. I start with beef carpaccio, then lobster thermidor, which is delicious.

We sit watching the world go by and waiting for the sun to go down, but give up at about 11 and wander back to our hotel, still in daylight!