In 2013 I was fortunate to travel a little known French region: Rhone-Alpes. This relatively little known treasure has a variety of attractions, so should not be missed. One of them, most certainly is the cuisine is one of them, no doubt.
Browse the landscapes and towns of the French region of Rhône-Alpes is close to the most traditional flavors, this brings you back to home cooking with innovative touches using regional products.
The experience begins with the arrival in Lyon, your gateway and one of the main cities of France. It is also a city renowned for its haute cuisine, world famous seat of chef Paul Bocuse and where their awards are given each year.
The meadows, planted with vines, result in a fine, delicate wine, fruity in any of its versions: red and white ... and a pink. Ideal to accompany a picnic near the vineyards, such as those offered at the Domaine Rocheville winery that produces wines and olive oil.
Ardeche near Queen chestnut. Here you'll find all kinds of preparations chestnuts from sauces to accompany delicious meats, to sweets, creams and exquisite marrons.
The châtaigne d'Ardeche has its own appellation since 2006 and applies to fresh chestnut and its 5 types: dry, chopped, chestnut flour, whole peeled and mashed chestnuts. Each year, 5,500 tons are produced here (50% of national production).
Among the appellations of origin of Rhône-Alpes we can not forget the black olives of Nyons. Base exquisite tapenade or "tapenade" that accompanies the table every day. Its large olive, black and rough skin, tasty meat, also give a fragrant extra virgin olive oil. In the town of Nyons Vignolis you can also take a trip to the Oil Museum.
In the La Drôme we find a variety of fruits such as apricots and plums or apples and cherries. And a separate chapter for its truffles, the best in Europe and that flavor many regional dishes.
If the landscape of Rhone-Alpes is dyed with lavender, so is your table. Lavender is also present in the gastronomy and it is not unusual for perfumed drinks and dishes to be served here. We recommend you to visit the Distillery Bleu Provence, also in Nyons, where lavender, thyme and other herbs are processed to produce essential oils and products for the pharmaceutical, perfumery and food.
There is much to be tasted in Rhône-Alpes: sweets, fruit, typical drinks, dishes with history. Back through this area, halfway between the Riviera and Paris, Provencal is just crying out to be discovered and relished. This is a peaceful atmosphere in a relaxing trip through France.
I leave here the detail of the restaurants we visited on this trip to Rhone-Alpes, France, to have them in mind when you organize your next trip.
* In the charming village of Labeaume: Le Bec Figue, right on the church square.
* In Pont d'Arc on the Ardeche river and facing a beautiful beach: Restaurant Ardeche
* Dinner at the Hotel Digoine, Bourg-Saint-Andeol
* In Valence, the restaurant Les Negociants
* The restaurant La Charette, a classic in Romans.
Jamaica! Beaches, reggae, crystalline waters. These are the ideas we have when we thin of Jamaica, but it is all that and much more. Lying by the turquoise Caribbean waters, festooned with golden beaches, and marked by steep hills carpeted with green islands, Jamaica is a slice of paradise we can all dream of.
Here I am going to show you ten things to do in Jamaica, so you can discover the great things about this glorious Island, along with everything in between.
1) Music: The moment you step into Jamaica, the whole Island is a musical experience. While we tend to think of Jamaican reggae music as a seriers of percussions and various local rhythms, it is infused all around you. In women walking in the rhythm of the lively talk, hanging around radios volume bars of the houses, bicycle handlebars or a bag on the sand. And of course, in countless Jamaican music festivals there throughout the year.
2) Sunset from Rick's Cafe. This bar is known for its location more than the quality of their service, but has become the place to be to see and be seen. On a cliff on the coast of Negril, dusk has two main attractions here: the stunning views over the sea from the height and spontaneous show of divers who are thrown into the sea from this height in front of the cafe terrace. And I put "spontaneous" in quotes because here in Jamaica everything runs on dollars.
3) Bobsleigh in Jamaica? Surely some of you remember, to the amazement of the world, that the (2010) Olympic Winter Games in Calgary involved a Jamaican bobsleigh team, a discipline that basically needs ... snow, cold, something far removed from the reality of this tropical island. However, nowadays it is possible that the traveler can navigate the ice, in a bobsleigh adapted to the dense vegetation of the rainforest jamaicana. This variant scrolls in cars like you're on the ice, but among the treetops. Here they are called bobsled.
4) Alive with the goat curry. You can not visit Jamaica and go home without trying this powerfully tasty dish. This is an explosion of flavour - and heat, in your mouth. Based on Caribbean peppers that scale up to 350,000 points on the Scoville scale, this is also made with jalapeno and coconut milk. (If you like to try the local cuisine wherever you go, check out these recommendations.)
5) Dunn's River are well known and is an unavoidable tourist spot on the island. The waterfalls are on rocks, the gushing water is the backdrop as you discover the green dense tropical environment. However, it should be noted that if you do not wear good shoes, you are likely to come home with a couple of huge purple bruises on your legs (rather than flip-flops or sandals, the best are good shoes) from the rocky terrain. Or that you bring a very big towel because despite the tropical heat, the shade of the trees makes the water not as hot as you would think, in fact its downright cold. Another tip: go early in the morning, Monday through Thursday is the best.
6) Visit a coffee farm in the Blue Mountains. While you're in the golden sands of the Jamaican beaches, you forget that a few kilometers away there is another reality. At about 1,000 meters above Kingston, you can get into a landscape of thick fog, where the sun filters through the coffee fields and the air smells of damp earth round. That moisture and heat prevailing make the fog denser, it is this that inspired a poem and a song by Bob Marley (Natural Mystic).
7) Dinner at The Caves. On a cliff, rather, within a cliff, you will find the caves restaurant which overlooks the sea. And as the night draws in, the candles are lit on the tables and the waiters coming out of the bowels of the mountain almost magically, they serve the champagne to accompany the evening with a toast.
8) Jamaica has over 1,000 caves beneath its green surface. Many of them can be visited to see stalactites, stalagmites, rock formations, caves and even a subterranean lake. On the north coast, for example you can visit the Green Grotto Caves is one of the most accessible for beginners, but there are some that are a challenge for both experienced professional and amateur cavers.
9) the Route du Rhum. Just as the coffee farms have the charm of the natural environment, rum factories introduce us to the other side of Jamaican culture. The rum is living with a long tradition in Jamaica, and his producers hold the secret of the drafting process.
10) No trip to Jamaica is complete without lounging on its beaches and ... diving. No need to be an expert, because with a simple snorkel can enjoy the marine life in the calm waters of the north coast. Coral reefs populated by sponges, with a varied fauna and a wealth of underwater landscape. For the more experienced, diving among underwater caves and reefs, following the vertical wall falling to 50 meters deep.
And also, Jamaica holds some places and activities that, following my experience, are best avoided.
Scotchie's. Surely if you ask for a place to eat, they will send to this bar-restaurant-terrace in Montego Bay. Prepared as sprue and feeder American hordes of colorful shirts and red faces, you would find here a hyper spicy food menu and a very extensive menu of alcoholic drinks at exorbitant prices. Do not fall for the lie of "local food restaurant".
Kingston is a beautiful city to know but do not try to catch me the night wandering the streets. We know that some places change much between day and night. And this is one of them. Best return early to the hotel and watch the sunset in one of the places that I recommended above.
Be careful where you get to dance. They'll invite you to a party in the street, or a local hall. The pace is on the streets of Jamaica, but it may not be within you.
Last advice: Take a good travel insurance. Public health is not recommended and private is very expensive. Check prices and conditions and if you have any special needs or concerns include this as well.
Anyway, these are just some ideas for you to enjoy Jamaica. I hope it helps.
Each French region offers countless possibilities for a visit. Today I focus on two regions that I have traveled: Drome and Ardeche, found in the Rhône-Alpes and Rhone-Alpes. Especially in how to organize a culinary trip to these two areas and titlate your gastronomic tastebuds.
In my previou visits to Rhone-Alpes, every step encounter was a temptation, black olives from Nyons, truffles from La Drôme, etc. All this and the lovely restaurants and terraces staggered along the Rhone river.
At the time of my visit the Ardeche chestnut here is queen. We are in the department of the largest producer of chestnuts in France, it produces about 5000 tons annually, established in 2006. Here we find chestnut liqueurs, creams, breads, soups and scrumptious Lou Pisadou cake.
Walking through the area, trying the goat cheese known as picodon (which combines perfectly with chestnut cream, for example), is a must! This cheese is small, tender, soft paste with a delicate flavor. You'll find it just warm by the side of traditional salads, sprinkled with a dash of walnut oil.
If you like cheese, then try this: Bleu de Vercors-Sassenage, a cheese with more than seven centuries of history. Today is a delicacy that you can find in as an aperitif or many French cheese boards at the end of a meal. It is cow's milk and blue-veined.
And another tip for cheese lovers (afterall we are in France!). Stop by Romans, and sit in one of its terraces to try the ravioli Romans. They are smaller than the Italians, and filled with Comté cheese, parsley, butter and salt. Above them, a dadito butter, you should let it melt slowly, before devouring.
Our next stop will be in Mézenc, and if you like meat, you'll thank me. This is the birthplace of tasty beef Fins Gras, a fine marbled meat that you'll find only in the months of January and June. The animals are reared in the traditional way: "a winter fattening hay from the Mézenc massif, where the famous Alpine fennel or cistre, a anise flavor plant is fed to cattle after drying in the middle of hay . "
We continue our gastronomic getaway Drome and Ardeche. Now looking for a dessert among the many specialties of these regions. We chose a nougat made with almonds, lavender honey, pistachio and vanilla. The famous nougat of Montelimar.
How do you organize a gastro trip to these places?
For any trip by French territory, I usually consult several sources. Leo blogs of art and gastronomy, and always consulte experts on the subject.
So do it! Organize your gastronomic, or cultural break, or weekend camping in the best French landscapes. Now over to you, your turn to choose and arrange your next trip.
When I visit a city, I always start looking at food prices. I love visiting markets and supermarkets, small shops and department stores. Also, I'll photograph the posters with offers of local cuisine that I see over there, just for reference later on.
For the trip to Stockholm, I could see there was wide variation in terms of cuisine, although it was a little more expensive than other European destinations, still this didn't deter me.
The data collected will detail the trip in my May 2015. Exchange rate at the time: 1 EUR = 9.20 SEK (SEK)
Some examples:
In restaurants and terraces
Access to terraces and restaurants you will find a sign with the dish of the day, any offer or the menu price. You will see some examples in the gallery that is included at the bottom. For example, a portion of perch or smoked pork with potatoes for 130 crowns.
After some umming and ahhing, we decided on a pizza instead. Except ... there was no pizza place. Finally we found an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood of SOFO, with prices that were fairly ok for the prices we'd seen in this city. The restaurant is average, nothing fancy or fashionable. An example decent food at ok prices: a Margarita costs 75 crowns and four cheeses, 100 crowns.
Eating on the street or step
You will find some street food options, but not at every turn. I've seen posts on Djurgarden, the museum area announcing a kind of durum kebab instead of using the typical tortilla, he used tunnbröd, a type of flatbread, which he who learned on a trip to Swedish Lapland.
A Swedish custom that I could easily get used to, is the fika which includes a cup (large) American-style coffee (with little flavor and aroma) and a rich bun which can include: cinnamon, with butter, lemon, vanilla, cardamom or more than a thousand combinations. Very temptating!
Here is a nice example of the Swedish fika.
Eating in Stockholm 12
A coffee usually costs about 35 crowns, a cappuccino, 45. And to accompany this, all kinds of buns, pastries, cakes and sweets: 35 crowns on average.
In good weather, you will find many terraces prepared for coffee (the aforementioned fika) or you could eat something lighter.
Buy and picnicking
And you can always share something and picnic or eat while you walk the streets. That way, you can get to look at more of the fantastic markets, shops, greengrocers and supermarkets. You will see some examples in the gallery at the bottom with the prices of several products.
You will also find a great deal of organic products here, and without much difference in price. It is simply a matter of the market: the demand is high on organic production.
If you want to treat yourself, well nothing says "treat" more than some chocolate. Chocolate is sold by weight. Each season draws a new combination: this summer the chocolates were made with hints of violet.
Here you have a wide and diverse vision of a few dining options in Stockholm.
Urban Deli, in the SOFO.
Limje Tio, in the neighborhood of Hornstull.
Rokeriet, on the island of Fjäderholmarna.
I had the opportunity to take a few days off and decided to follow what "my body asked me" and take some much need rest and relaxation. So I shuffled through several possibilities, but ultimately decided on a wellness getaway.
A little pampering of body, mind spirit, and disconnection from the day to day living sounded like bliss. I started looking at alternatives: transport and accommodation.
First I looked flights departing from Heathrow, my closest airport. And in a kind of game I choose my destination based on the most direct flight I found attractive. And that's how I discovered a direct flight of Air Europa from Heathrow to Tenerife on the dates I wanted to go on.
That was how it was defined my next destination: Tenerife, to Canary Islands. I had never been to the Canary Islands, and for that reason alone I knew I needed to go!
In addition, the Canary Islands is ideal for those seeking wellness getaway. Its range of hotels with health centers and spa treatments, is overwhelming. In most island, but especially in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, there are many hotels with this type of service.
So I started researching a bit about the destination itself (places, attractions, landscapes, activities) and various kinds of hotels and resorts.
To really disconnect I needed somewhere quiet (and to sleep with these volcanic landscapes, pools of sea, small beaches, the Atlantic under my feet) and a attractive background.
I shuffled through various possibilities (in Puerto de la Cruz or near Santa Cruz de Tenerife, for example), but I opted for the Ocean Health Spa Hotel in Punta del Hidalgo.
The location can not be beaten. It promises unique sunsets, breathtaking views and disconnection. In addition, a few minutes drive are many attractions in the northern part of the island of Tenerife.
On the other hand, the hotel services are aimed at the integral well-being as they are based on two very interesting principles:
Thalassotherapy: seawater is used to regenerate the consumed energy, stimulate metabolism and activate the body's defenses.
Method F.X. Mayr: proposed purification therapy centered in the intestine and to improve eating habits and correct.
There are pools of saltwater algae treatments and wraps various, special diets if you request, and but a restaurant with a very tempting menu. I hope to have time to take yoga classes oceanfront!
The hotel has invited me to try their services, which I'm more than happy to go along with! Now I'll tell you when I get back, when my body and my mind (and my traveling curiosity) has become revitalized.
Singapore. A name can bring to mind modernity or old colonial histories. In recent years the world has seen the rapid growth of this tiny country, within decades it has developed jaw dropping skyscrapers that stand against the skyline. After my trip to this country, I will try to summarize five reasons to visit Singapore.
Singapore and 50 years
Just over 700 square kilometers turn Singapore into the smallest country in Southeast Asia. But do not be distracted by its size, as it is a true giant in deminutive stature.
This city-state, occupies an archipelago of 60 islands at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and a few kilometers north of Indonesia. An ever strategic location for traffic or commerce between the territories of this part of the world.
It was however in 1819 when the Western world knows the Asian corner where Stamford Raffles reached these islands and established a settlement in what is considered the true foundation of Singapore. A few years later, the land is leased to the East India Company interested in settling because of the important spice trade, which was incredibly valuable at the time.
The history of this corner is written between treaties, annexations, unions and battles that have deeply marked their ethnic profile today and become a land where different people live. Singapore lived under different dominations, until it joins Malaysia but this union is very short in 1959. Shortly afterwards, Singapore declared independence on August 9, 1965.
The figure took that process and dominated the political scene of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew was. As Prime Minister at the beginning and undisputed figure of local politics then, he devised and led to Singapore being a colony and port, to a real economic power in the present and one of the strongest of the "Asian Tigers".
In these 50 years, especially in the last two decades, Singapore transformarded into a modern, thriving city-state. Respected even today (Lee Kuan died in March 2015), built a country with a firm hand and looking outward. Today Singapore amazes with incredible architectural profiles, the high standard of living (and consumption) and the coexistence of different peoples that have always inhabited this territory.
Hindus, Arabs, Chinese, Malays and Singaporeans living and maintain their customs in a mixture of ethnic neighborhoods that gives color and variety to the city.
And here everything is close, you move into a largely urban environment and move by public transport or taxi, you go from one sector to another city in the blink of an eye. In the crowded streets of Chinatown, the colonial atmosphere, and then into the Arab neighborhood one step further you can get lost in an Indian market.
The English colonial past gives a series of buildings, parks and avenues of classic elegance. A great example is the historic Raffles Hotel and its small market around internal courtyards "city".
The mixture of races and the peaceful coexistence seen in the streets. This is seen with a thousand variations of people: Chinese, Malay, English, Indian, Indonesian. A plural society can preserve their customs, languages and traditions by an educational organization that stimulates. Schools teach English and the home language of each child. Young people prefer to deal with "the English" (with local aggregates and various accents), but at home the family language is spoken.
You can't help it. The eyes are tend to travel skyward, following the most daring lines of the hundreds of skyscrapers of Singapore. I love modern architecture, imagination and technology put into every building. I love those entrance halls 2, 3 or 4 levels high, these huge empty interiors hanging sculptures exploited to cause vertigo, to hover the bowels of the building.
In Singapore you'll see sick of gigantic structures, climbing endlessly into the clouds. Since the housing blocks to the headquarters of the largest multinational corporations or the structures that house unique tourist facilities as hotels, Cloud Forest, or Gardens by the Bay, the ultramodern (and free) train linking Singapore with Sentosa Island, shopping malls, restaurants and panoramic terraces and some others.
And Singapore is a good place to get close to the popular architecture from different parts of Asia. As I said earlier, in ethnic neighborhoods we can approach the houses, squares, markets, temples of various cultures with very little movement.
Singapore, city and beach
Yes, I love the beach. And I like to be accessible, you have comfortable and safe services and ... of course, it's nice. And if we add to all soft sand and warm water ... I have reached my personal paradise!
Well, in Singapore I found it. When you walk through the swarm of streets, walkways, tunnels and walkways that is the city itself, you forget that you have stepped nature close at hand.
For the little free time I had, I could only "dedicate" one day to find that beach that I like. And the islands are available with a short trip, I chose the nearest and easily accessible: Sentosa. I will tell you in detail, but I anticipate that the island is a major tourist center and that at times seems like a theme park. But not in the sense "plastic" but in the comfort and services.
I do not know if I'm clear. I do not mean it to seem like a theme park, but everything on the island (directed all of it as a business) is intended for visitors. The beaches are spotless, there is a path through the more than 3 km of coastline so you can get around on foot, by bike, or the little train that runs free. Green areas, a beautiful natural palm sand shading, bars and restaurants within reasonable distance, lifeguards and health services, and other leisure attractions.
I would have tried any more private beach (actually there was hardly anyone and I could enjoy my short stay very comfortably shirt). Maybe in some upcoming visit, when I'm not such a virgin to Singapore, I will go further out and do some more beach hunting.
Sentosa
Organizing a trip to Singapore can be a very simple task. Despite the distance, this corner of southeast Asia looks very accessible to travelers from around the world for one simple reason: it is home to Changi, the best airport in the world. Hundreds of flights arrive daily from anywhere in the world, either as a final destination or as a stopover connection.
So the first point is easily solved. Now how to get to Singapore? As one of the many flights linking global destinations with the country. In my case, I arrived on a direct flight from Barcelona to Singapore aboard a Singapore Airlines B777 comfy, whom I thankful for the opportunity to visit this country for the first time.
Singapore is a great place to make the scale of your flight destination to other Asian destinations. For passengers, Singapore Airlines offers the "Singapore Stopover" program that will help you do a very good price (I'll explain below). And discover a unique city-state, a stronghold of modernity, diverse cultures, service, friendliness.
And more…
I still have many things in the pipeline. Many that can cause or complete a single trip. For example, the Singaporean cuisine, the friendly people, shopping, colors and flavors, perfumes and brightness. The tropical climate or the order of its streets. And much more.
Singapore Airlines
Section deserves special attention from the airline. I have seen firsthand that when people talk about the quality of care, the sympathy of the "Singapore girls" or the diversity of its cuisine in flight, they are absolutely spot on!
I will tell you step by step of my flights with Singapore Airlines, but will mention that both Business Class and the Economy, the passenger is the main protagonist.
Excellence is in the small details: very comfortable seats, great organization at the time of loading and unloading, kindness and willingness to every need of the passenger, a catering very carefully. All this is especially appreciated when you know you are facing a long (13 hour direct flight between Barcelona and Singapore) route, but which has the reward of feeling like a queen attended.
Singapore Stopover Holiday
The program is available to passengers of Singapore Airlines and Silk Air calling at Singapore. It includes accommodation in hotels ranging from the Ritz Carlton Ibis, shuttle service between the hotel and the airport, unlimited rides on the SIA Hop-On bus and entrance to the 14 major attractions in
Singapore.
These are: the Singapore Flyer, the Original Singapore Walks, entrance to Sentosa Island with one-way trip on the cable car, a cruise on the river, entrance to the Maritime Museum and Aquarium, the MINT Museum of Toys, access to National Orchid Garden, a tour boat on the river, access to Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo, the Chinese Heritage Centre, entrance to Battle Box at Fort Canning and free golf course in Marina Bay .
The Singapore Stopover Holiday package (SSH) has a starting price of 13 euros per night per person in double room. If the passenger wishes besides the hotel and include unlimited free rides around town on the bus SIA Hop-On, and the entrance to the 14 major tourist attractions, this price is 20 euros.
A few meters from the famous medieval Bryggen is Bergen's market. A modern building that houses both the stalls selling seafood to buy and consume products, such as the Office of Tourism of the city in his basement.
Whenever I travel, I attempt to go to local markets to browse the products, prices, places, people. On this trip to Norway where I went to the region of the Norwegian fjords, I set up the pulpit (and despite subsequent soreness), I enjoyed a mythical journey in the train Flam, I became a Viking sailing the fjords, and ... I could not resist entering the market Bergen.
Market Bergen, Norway
Inside the market, we can wander through the halls and peek into the refrigerators where seafood from the area are exhibited: wild salmon or factory in a thousand forms (natural, smoked, marinated, pickled, etc. etc.), hedgehogs , crabs, shrimps and prawns, lobsters, herring, mussels, oysters, etc.etc.
Market Bergen, Norway
In these places you can buy whatever you want them prepare and eat it on the spot right there at a table overlooking the port of Bergen. A luxury.
MercadoBergen
Roaming around have many options, from sushi to whale meat (dark and tender), not forgetting the typical dishes based on smoked.
Market Bergen, Norway
In the esplanade that opens in front of the building market, with the same bay of the port, also stalls where you can buy products as diverse as sausages "rare" meats, fruits, vegetables, canned are placed.
At the site you can also purchase platters to sample the exquisite king crab legs or whale meat in economic disposable bowls with a lower gourmet restaurants from all over the world who are fighting to have these products in their letters budget.
Market Bergen, Norway
You see: a combination plate of king crab or whale for only 20 euros! Remember that we are in Norway ... this is a very good price.
Market Bergen, Norway
You can see cooked ready to eat halibut, salmon to take home and that dark meat is ... whale.
And for the curious who dare to try: sausages reindeer, elk and whales. All that I've tried. The elk is stronger and more like the wild boar; The reindeer is a spicier version of its tasty flesh and something firm (not hard); and the whale looks like the typical black pudding we all know.
Below I leave more pictures of jobs and dishes so you can get an idea of the variety on a visit to Bergen market stalls.
SEA URCHIN
