Dolicia Bryan

Hello my name is Dolicia and I’m a 40-year-old widow from London, England. I came up with this blog to keep my friends and family up to date on my adventures. After my husband Pete died in 2016, I travelled Europe for a year in his absence, blogging and vlogging about my travels. Since then I’ve continued to live a more nomadic life, moving between Amsterdam, Berlin and London. One day in London I met a man named James who suggested we collaborate on a blog, and thus DoliNews was born. In this blog I will talk about food, travel and lifestyle, with the occasional documentary about architecture, fashion or social justice.

DoliCheese

When I first came up with the idea of DoliNews, I thought of adding a section to the site where I could talk about the different types of cheese I find myself attracted to. After all, who doesn’t love a good excuse to indulge in a little bit of culinary whimsy? Besides, who doesn’t love a good excuse to indulge in a little bit of culinary whimsy? Besides, who doesn’t love a good excuse to indulge in a little bit of culinary whimsy? Of course, for me, cheese isn’t just about indulging in culinary whimsy, it’s also about finding a way to bring a smile to my face each time I eat it. One of my favourite cheeses is called Tomekichi, which is a semi-soft cheese produced in the Tomotada district of Osaka, Japan. It has a wonderful melting quality and is typically eaten at room temperature. Unfortunately, most Japanese supermarkets don’t carry the cheese, so I have to look for it online or at Japanese restaurants. I recently read that since Japanese retailers mostly stock Western food, tourists often miss out on the opportunity to try some Japanese cuisine, namely umeboshi plum and their famous rice balls. So if you ever get the chance to try Tomekichi, I recommend you do so, especially if you’re in Kyoto or Osaka.

Tasty Travels

After my adventure in Europe last year, I was determined to continue exploring the world through travel. However, the main purpose of my travels changed from being a bucket list item to helping me reconnect with my husband Pete, who passed away in 2016. Since then, my journey through life has brought me to Amsterdam, Berlin and London, which are the cities I will be focusing on in this blog.

On my first night in Amsterdam, I went to a bar called the Rembrandt with my friends Vicki and Maja. After talking for a while, Vicki suggested we get some food and go for a walk. From the moment we sat down to eat, everything tasted amazing. We noticed people were looking at us curiously, as we were speaking with our mouths full, but it didn’t feel like they were judging us. For dessert, we ordered one of the most beautiful doughnuts I have ever seen, which led us to walk through the streets of Amsterdam past beautiful canals and lights until we found a bench outside a little church where we sat down to enjoy the city’s famous one-of-a-kind atmosphere. After that, we continued our journey through Amsterdam’s many canals accompanied by church bells and singing, eating candy flicked from strangers’ fingers, until we found a wooden fence alongside the water where we were able to rest for a bit and watch the boats go by. We ended up having one of the best nights filled with laughter and tears that we’ve ever had. It cemented our friendship and reminded us how much we value honesty and authenticity in our relationships.

DoliIn Berlin

When I moved to Germany a few months ago, I had no idea what to expect, but so far Berlin has exceeded my expectations. The city is vibrant, with an eclectic mix of people and culture. The streets are filled with life and colour, and there is a sense of freedom in the way the city embraces diversity. One of the main reasons I moved to Berlin was to be near my friends Andy and Cleo, who I met on my first day in the city. After my husband passed away, Andy was one of the first people I confided in about the pain I was experiencing, and since then he has been a shoulder to cry on.

Our first port of call was the Egyptian Theatre, a stunning example of the Egyptian Revival style that was originally built in 1903. Once the site of the Berlin Film Festival, it is one of the oldest cinemas in the city and still holds regular film screenings. After the cinema, I walked across the street to Neue Synagoge, a temple designed in 1907 by German architect Friedrich Hartmann, considered to be the prototype for Hartmann’s later work, the New York Metropolitan Opera House. The synagogue is one of Berlin’s most significant and historic buildings, and a great example of the German Jewish style that was popular at the time. As well as being a temple, it is now the headquarters of the Berlin branch of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Walking through the beautiful building was breathtaking and gave me a better understanding of why Germany is considered the Mecca for Jewish people around the world. I felt honoured to even be in such a historic place. Since then, our Berlin adventures have included going to the Turkish bath, drinking coffee at one of the city’s many outdoor cafés and even taking a ride on the city’s iconic red bus. We have also been to the top of the Brandenburg Gate, the equivalent of New York’s famous “Top of the Rock” bar, which gives us a great view of the city.

DoliIn London

Last but not least, let’s talk about London, home of my best friend Maja. We started making plans to visit London after my husband Pete passed away in 2016. Since then, we have been to London several times, most recently in May 2019. One of the highlights of my trip was visiting the Tate Modern, which I would recommend to anyone interested in contemporary art. The building is a design masterpiece by British architect Sir Norman Foster and was completed in 2010. The best way to understand the sheer scale of the building is to look at the map on the wall behind the counter, where you can pick up a pamphlet giving you more information about the place. It’s bigger than you’d think!

The city’s famous street art is also a source of wonder. One particular work that drew us in was a street corner installation called “Love Letters”, an intricate sculpture by Chinese artist Liu Song that features more than 100,000 pieces of paper. On a typical trip to London, we try to fit as much as we can into our time schedule, often going for a walk, catching a movie or going for dinner. The last stop on our itinerary is typically John Varney’s church, All Saints Church, one of the most famous and historic churches in London. We love going for a walk along the Thames Path, which ends at the Tower Bridge. The walkway allows you to get a bird’s eye view of the entire city while enjoying the spectacular London sunsets. As well as feeling proud to be in London, where so many of my friends and family live, I feel humbled to be part of such a special city.