Life is a patchwork of experiences
With only one day in London, this is how I made it a perfectly English Day!
I enjoy visiting London, and try to schedule a long stopover in between flights to other points in Europe if I can. On a recent visit, I had a perfectly English day in London!
Continue reading “Have Only One Day in London? I Made It a Perfectly English Day!”
I discovered the best chocolate in Switzerland at a little boutique shop in Lucerne.
The Swiss are known for their banking, for their watches, and for their chocolate. The well known Swiss Lindt chocolate brand produces globally recognized treats that grace grocery store shelves around the world and duty free shops in every airport that I pass through.
Cocoa may have come to Switzerland from the Americas, but it was, in part, Swiss engineering and know how that resulted in the sweet and creamy milk chocolate treats we enjoy today. Since the early part of the 19th century, Swiss ingenuity contributed one innovation after another to the chocolate making process.
Continue reading “Handmade and Artisanal – The Best Chocolate In Switzerland Comes From Lucerne”
A week long Loire Valley barge cruise with European Waterways was a truly relaxing and slow paced journey with intimate service, gourmet food and wine, and visits to out of the ordinary sights in the French countryside.
Before there were planes, trains and automobiles, France developed a vast network of canals that were used to transport goods from one part of the country to another. These canals connected to the major rivers and also to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The canal network made it easy to move all manner of goods from one part of the country to the other, and in particular, allowed Parisians to easily taste the delicacies from all corners of their realm.
Today, the canals and their many locks are used primarily for recreation. European Waterways expertly manages a fleet of 12 luxury barges that ply the many canals of France on a variety of itineraries. I had already experienced a wonderful cruise along the Burgundy Canal on the La Belle Epoque and was quite familiar with this unique way of touring France’s less visited countryside.
Continue reading “An Intimate European Waterways Loire Valley Barge Cruise on the Renaissance”
Luxury barging in France on the Burgundy Canal with European Waterways has been one of my most memorable travel experiences. Discover why a France canal cruise should be at the top of your bucket list with this detailed review.
To have unique experiences is at the heart of why I travel. Recently I was privileged to have one of the most extraordinary luxury travel experiences that I have ever had. I was invited on a France canal cruise on the barge La Belle Epoque with European Waterways. For six days on my Burgundy, France Canal cruise, I had the ultimate slow travel cruising experience that included gourmet meals, amazing wines, impeccably attentive service and uniquely curated excursions.
Continue reading “My France Canal Cruise – Quiet Luxury in the French Countryside”
A traditional Costa Rica cooking class showed me that I could still make local connections in a meaningful way on a cruise ship excursion.
I love cruising, but I am very picky about my cruise excursions. Typical ship excursion involve big busses and large tour groups that take passengers to the most popular sights. This may let you check off one more item on the “bucket list” but does nothing to provide a true connective experience to the local culture or the environment.
However, on my recent Princess Cruise through the Panama Canal, a ship excursion in Costa Rica billed as one of their “Local Connections” program had me intrigued. The tour promised to take us to the Macaw ecolodge high in the rainforest where we would take part in a cooking experience using locally grown ingredients. This sounded quite appealing and would not be something I could easily do on my own, so I signed up and hoped for unique glimpse into Costa Rican culture.
A long weekend getaway to the Finger Lakes in the Fall is the best way to discover wines for every taste, cute small towns and plenty of history and scenery.
One of my favorite experiences was discovering the area around the Finger Lakes in the fall a few years ago. My husband and I chose a long Finger Lakes weekend getaway in mid October and found that to be a wonderful season to explore the region. Whether you are looking for a long weekend away, a scenic road trip, or just want a getaway that offers a variety of activities, I think the Finger Lakes has it all. There are wines for every taste, cute small towns to discover and plenty of history and scenery to enjoy.
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I’ve tasted sparkling wines, but never true champagne from France. One of the special excursions on my European Waterways barge cruise on the Burgundy canal was a private and fascinating behind the scenes tour for our group of the Alexandre Bonnet champagne production process. Afterwards, we were treated to a tasting of four of their vintages which provided a delectable introduction to this bubbly version of Bacchus’ elixir, a taste I could definitely get used to.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
I followed the Quilt Barn Trail in Tualatin Valley, Oregon, and discovered great places to eat global, drink local, play with Mother Nature and love my stay in a fun and quirky lodge. You do not have to be a quilter to experience and enjoy this destination that is barely 30 minutes west of Portland, OR.
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Simit is a common street food in Istanbul. Dough is formed into a ring, dipped in grape molasses and sesame seeds and then baked. Vendors sell it from street carts, or, as in this case, by carrying a tower of freshly baked simit around the neighborhood to sell to local residents. This gives a whole new meaning to a balanced breakfast.
Thanks for visiting
Rose
My first visit to Istanbul was in the spring of 2016 with my husband. We were excited to experience all the great history and culture and came back with many great memories. But one of our most memorable moments was a quiet hour that we spent sipping Turkish tea at sunset, looking out over the Bosphorus.
Continue reading “PhotoPOSTcard: Traditional Turkish Tea – a True Istanbul Experience”
