Remember the LotR movies, and the fever that they sparked off? That has made New Zealand, once a remote and shadowy realm on the other side of the globe, a familiar picture-postcard landscape as well as a popular holiday destination.

Who hasn’t at some point dreamed about running away to their favourite fantasy land? (I did, and indeed sometimes even now, I still do). And although in the literal sense a girly weekend in Westeros, complete with an obligatory shopping pilgrimage to several of Khaleesi Daenerys’ favourite boutiques may not be a possibility (sadly!), a girl still can dream of booking a well-deserved break to one of the destinations where GoT was filmed, as sheer ersatz escapism.

The Daily Telegraph has got a neat little guidebook, should we crave a slice of Westeros rather than pure and simple Ibiza. Apparently, Winterfell (which would be my personal must-visit location), is known in real life as Castle Ward in Belfast, Northern Ireland. And King’s Landing is really Malta…

Feeling inspired to book your next vacation? Read here.

About the Contributing Reporter: Olga A.
Hailing from the swirling mists of London, I am a freelance journalist in my free time, and a huge fan of J R Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” as well as an admirer of the “Game of Thrones,” a worshipper of H P Lovecraft, a follower of R. Howard, a Star Wars aficionado and an Ursula Le Guin enthusiast. My other favourite things include Middle Eastern dance (sometimes somewhat discourteously referred to as “belly” dancing), Yoga, sunsets over the dreaming spires of Oxford and plush owls. Oh, and green tea too.

The post Swords and Sun Seeking appeared first on The Fantasy Network News.

Honestly, as soon as you start feeling grateful for something, it then turns 180 degrees and changes, so you are forced to take your words back.

Remember what I said just yesterday about Game of Thrones being a true candidate for winning an audience BAFTA – precisely, because with its windswept storyline and the glint of swords it stood out majestically amid the sea of crying newborn infants and daintily iced cupcakes that were the subject-fodder for most of the other contenders to the title? Several seasons, and blissfully, not a rolling-pin or a bag of icing sugar in sight (unless maybe deep in the kitchens of the Starks’ Winterfell hold – a man’s got to eat, after all).

Well, it seems that apparently, the Game of Thrones and baking do have a ground in common, unexpected as it may sound. Or they will have, in the near future.

A Manhattan-based establishment named “Eleni’s Bakery” might team forces with HBO, producing cookies (ditto) inspired by the show. Apart from the fact that Manhattan cake shops usually conjure images of kookily elegant Sarah Jessica Parker skipping through New York on her way to the next romantic date (Arya Stark would have been rather miffed), it is a little bit morbidly entertaining to contemplate what sort of names the cookie varieties will bear. Direwolf Droppings? Ned Stark’s Head? A Sword to My Throat? I confess that these news have sent my creative juices flowing – it feels like the right time to go to the kitchen and try one’s hand at producing a beautifully decorated cake with a fetching name like “Winter is Coming” (white frosting, chocolate slivers to represent the iron throne, and a little Lego figure topping it to represent Ned Stark, aka Sean Bean). Much more creative than paying $10 for a smaller version – now, where was that rolling pin…

For the original article, click here.

Game of Thrones cookies – Yay or Nay?

About the Contributing Reporter: Olga A.
Hailing from the swirling mists of London, I am a freelance journalist in my free time, and a huge fan of J R Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” as well as an admirer of the “Game of Thrones,” a worshipper of H P Lovecraft, a follower of R. Howard, a Star Wars aficionado and an Ursula Le Guin enthusiast. My other favourite things include Middle Eastern dance (sometimes somewhat discourteously referred to as “belly” dancing), Yoga, sunsets over the dreaming spires of Oxford and plush owls. Oh, and green tea too.

The post Game of Thrones Cookies – Good Enough to Eat! appeared first on The Fantasy Network News.