Menorca Gin and Liqueurs

April 25th, 2012 admin Comments Off

Whilst on your summer holidays in Menorca, you may be tempted to try the local tipple – gin. If you would like to find out more about where and how they produce the gin, then head to the capital, Mahon [otherwise known as Mao], and to Menorca’s leading distillery call Xoriguer.

According to history, gin was first introduced to Menorca by the British sailors as far back as the late 1700s and a local businessman managed to obtain the recipe and started distilling the spirit.

The distillery does promote itself as a tourist attraction and as such you will be able to see the copper stills bubbling away behind glass and you will also be able to visit to the shop to take some away with you. One benefit of the trip is that you are allowed to sample as much gin as you wish. However, make sure you leave enough room for the other drinks they produce such a herbal liqueurs and a speciality called calent which is a brown, sweet liqueur made with aniseed, cinnamon and saffron and is normally served warm. Also available is a drink named palo which is a liquorice-flavoured tipple.
The herbal liqueurs are known as hierbas and are normally a lime-green colour. Camomile is the main ingredient that is harvested from La Mola which is located just outside Mahon.

If neat gin is too strong for you, then make sure you try a gin cocktail known as pomada, which has practically become Menorca’s national drink. This is mixture of gin and lemonade and makes a very refreshing aperitif.

If you are worried about being able to read the ingredients, don’t be as the labels are multi-lingual. Xoriguer is the most popular brand that is most popularly sold in earthenware bottles; known as canecas.

Location of Xoriguer : 93 Moll de Ponent, Mahon Port
Open : June to August it is open from 08:00-19:00 Mondays through to Fridays, 09:00-13:00 on Saturdays and then September to May from 09:00 to 13:00 and then 14:00 to 19:00 Mondays through to Fridays.
Entrance Fee : Free

What could be a better souvenir of your Menorca holidays than taking the taste of Menorca home with you.

Where to eat in Cannes

April 24th, 2012 admin Comments Off

The French love to cook and love to eat. The next time you are on a holiday in the South of France take a trip to Cannes, where there are several great places to eat that should not be overlooked. Here are a few of our favourites;

Le Mesclun
This modern restaurant offers seriously French dishes that include langoustine roasted in coriander-flavoured butter and spiced with tomato, wild turbot baked in champagne with summer truffles and roast duck with spiced honey. Patrons are sure to enjoy this artful dining experience.

L’Ardoise
Featuring a constantly fresh menu, this 1930s style bistro stands out from the crowd, with its fresh red and white roses. It is in a quaint location, along a popular pedestrian alley. The menu changes every evening, allowing guests to choose from the chef’s market-inspired dishes.

Da Laura
Local Cannois flock here to sample the trattoria-style Italian dishes. The pasta portions are quite large and are often enough to be a meal on their own. Patrons will also remember this restaurant for having the probably the largest peppermill they have ever seen.

Plage
This restaurant is known for its healthy menu and for this reason it also has a healthy reputation. Lunchtime here can be an experience of its own, as this beachside restaurant, at the Hôtel Martinez, offers freshly squeezed juices, Swedish massages and fusion frappes. During the summer months of July and August diners can relax to live lounge music.

Le Mediterranee
Located portside on the top of the Sofitel Hotel, Le Mediterranee is ideal for a little overindulgence. The restaurant is a modern French style establishment that offers patrons both impressive food and an impressive view.

The unique cuisine of Umbria

March 18th, 2012 admin Comments Off

Italian food has a hold of international cuisine, surely there is not a person in the Western world who hasn’t enjoyed a plate full of bolognese or eaten a slice of pizza with gusto. But of course, there is plenty more to Italian cuisine than the filtered down interpretations that frequently get passed off as Italian food in other countries. Italy is without a doubt the best place to try the real thing, and Umbria is one of the best places in Italy to do this.

Italy is a country with many regional variations on so called Italian food. Umbria is no different in this respect, as the food there is deeply rooted in tradition, and of course the locals hold their food traditions in high esteem. People who are often disappointed with the lacklustre choices faced by those wanting a vegetarian meal will find that Umbria is one of the few places in the world to offer a vegetarian cuisine that is potent and delicious.

Though the Umbrians are by no means vegetarian, the diet in Umbria does have more of an emphasis on products of the earth and trees than cuisine in other areas. Black truffles are one example of a particularly sought after vegetarian food in Umbria, and these are used in a variety of recipes, and are also considered a delicacy.

Wherever you decide to go on your Italian holidays make sure you make the effort to sample of much of the local cuisine as possible.

 

 

The five best restaurants in Nice

March 18th, 2012 admin Comments Off

Anyone on holiday in the South of France will want to enjoy the wonderful food and wines on offer there. Being the largest town on the Cote d’Azur, Nice has plenty of choice when it comes to restaurants.  Providing options for every budget and taste, there are cheap Italian restaurants, ethnic cuisine from the rest of Europe and, of course, fine French dining.

Flaveur is owned by brothers Michaël and Gaël Tourteaux who serve their own individual take on French classics using Provençal ingredients.  Relatively newly-opened, the brothers have already secured their first Michelin star.  L’Univers also has one Michelin star and was recently completely renovated to give it a fresh, new look.  Chef, Christian Plumail, loves to experiment with unusual combinations and has a reputation for exquisite presentation.

If you want to try something different, head for Keisuke Matushima, a restaurant serving Japanese fusion food, Asian dishes made with French ingredients, and vice versa.  With stunning minimalist décor, the meals here are not cheap, but are unlike anything else in the whole city.  La Petite Maison is a bit more straightforward, and this is apparently where President Sarkozy likes to eat when he is in town.

Don Camillo Creations, high in the old town, has a more homely feel to it, although the food is still as edgy as anything served in the Michelin-starred premises below.  Do not be put off that the menu appears to have no prices, as everything is the same price and you simply choose whether you are going to pay to sample two, three or four different dishes.  Pay a little extra and the chef will even select the perfect wine to accompany each of your choices.

Quick guide to La Gomera – Canary Islands

March 17th, 2012 admin Comments Off

Tiny La Gomera is the second smallest of the seven Spanish islands that make up the Canaries.  With a population of around 23,000 people and a size of only 142 square miles, this unspoilt paradise packs a punch despite its diminutive size.  With an amazing landscape of volcanic hills and valleys and an ancient whistling language created by the native Guanche people and adopted by the Spanish, this is a unique corner of the Canary Islands and well worth exploring.

Offering mountains, beaches and lush rainforests, La Gomera may be the road less travelled but it has plenty to offer holidaymakers whether they want to go for a hike, check out the fascinating culture, or simply laze in the sun.  La Gomera’s climate is warm and pleasant throughout the year, with temperatures averaging between 20 and 25 C° around the coasts and cooler in the mountains.  Described as a ‘jewel of nature’, the feather in La Gomera’s cap is the beautiful Garajonay National Park, a haven of ancient laurel forests, sub-tropical flora and fauna and misty pools.  Capital San Sebastián de La Gomera’s attractions include a Christopher Columbus museum.

Valle Gran Rey is another of the best attractions on La Gomera, a stunning gorge leading to a lovely beach, and there is another fine beach with black sand at Playa de Alojera.  Puerto de Santiago is a top spot for sunning and eating or drinking in the local bar.  La Gomera’s excellent local cuisine includes delicacies such as watercress soup, almogrote (a goat’s cheese dish), and leche asada (a sweet milk pudding).

Backpacking Food Ideas

July 7th, 2011 admin Comments Off

Most backpackers are always looking for the best backpacking food ideas. Since they will be carrying everything in their backpack, they search for ways to reduce the weight they are going to bring without sacrificing the essentials. One of these is essentials is food.

Following are insights on what food to bring for any backing journey. You might find them lightweight, but they could be heavy enough to keep you nourished all throughout your adventure.

When it comes to convenience, nothing beats the usual dried and frozen food items you can get from the store. Besides being convenient, they could also be very tasty. These traditional backpacking foods could be expensive especially if they are branded. But if you are looking for cheap and easy to prepare foods, Ramen or noodles could be the best choice for you. In addition to that, they come in handy when you need a hot meal fast.

As a backpacker, you must understand though that your health must be your priority when packing up your food. It would be very depressing if due to some health reasons, you would have to shorten your trips or go home earlier than expected. Thus, you have to consider the nutrients of the food you will bring along.

You will need foods that are high in calories. Surprisingly, most foods with high calorie content get to be the lightest foods to pack as well. Those with pure fats, proteins and low moisture carbohydrates tend to be high in calories. Nuts, granola bars, bread, fruits and veggies can be counted under this category.

There are specific foods though which you should not miss placing in your backpack. First in the list is olive oil. Olive oil by far is the healthiest of the oils which you can use as dip for your bread or any corn product. In fact, you can add a teaspoonful of it to any soup and it will magically keep you warm for hours should you be camping in a cool place. Fats naturally generate heat when digested.

Next are nuts and raisins. They are good sources of proteins, minerals and vitamins. More so, they can keep you from getting famished while hiking which is very convenient. Should you need extra energy to walk the extra mile, be sure that you have dried beans in your knapsack. They surely are energy boosters to a weary traveler. Pair your beans with instant coffee mix and you will have all your senses awake and ready for any emergency.

Finally, along with your generous supply of clean drinking water, pack away instant energy drinks. They are best for restoring the lost electrolytes back to your system.

Taking in consideration the climate in the place you’ll be visiting is also part of the best backpacking food ideas. Perhaps, the country you have decided to explore has cool weather. Then, you would have to pack foods that will keep you not only full but also warm as you stroll along.

 

Food Plans For Your Next Backpacking Trip

July 2nd, 2011 admin Comments Off

Every ounce counts when you’re packing your backpack and the food you bring along to eat adds to the weight on your back. Making sure you have enough but not too much takes a little bit of planning and will really pay off when you’re eating delicious yet easy to prepare meals.

Hiking requires energy output and that means you’ll need to eat more calories for each day you are backpacking. This factor needs to be part of your meal planning.

If you’re not a breakfast person than prepare to change! You need to start your day with breakfast, especially when you’re backpacking. A great source of slow burning carbs with some protein and a bit of fruit thrown in is a great way to start your day and give you the energy to keep you going.

Plan on your three basic meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. You’ll also need snacks in between.

You can eat the dehydrated meals which are quick and easy to prepare by adding hot water and eating right out of the bag but these can get boring quickly and it’s good to mix things up a bit, especially for a multi day backpacking trip. It’s easy enough to bring up some fresh, pre-cut veggies with some meat or tofu and create a delicious stir fry for one of your backpacking meals.

The pre-made dehydrated meals do contain all the nutrients and vitamins you would need for a meal and their convenience is well worth adding into your meal planning. If you’ve never eaten dehydrated food before I highly recommend checking out some reviews first before suffering through a tasteless meal when you’re super hungry. There are some brands that are definitely better tasting than others.

Once you’ve decided what you will be eating for your meals and your snacks you need to make sure you have the following:

  • the right pots and pans
  • cook stove and enough fuel
  • utensils and cutlery
  • plates/bowls and mugs
  • condiments such as salt and pepper, oil and butter, and seasonings or marinades packed in small travel sized sealable containers
  • large ziplock bag to contain all your garbage

In my personal experience I find that I crave saltier foods more often when we’re backpacking and the one time I didn’t bring any salty snacks I saw a fellow hiker with a pack of Pringle chips. The negotiation began!

Plan out exactly what you want to eat for each of your three meals, right down to the coffee or tea and include snacks in your planning. Make sure you have the right cooking essentials to create your meals and then pack them up and you’re ready to go.

 

Camping Trip Menus

June 20th, 2011 admin Comments Off

Don’t let the meals on your camping menu turn the job of camp cook into an ordeal, when it should be an enjoyable part of your camping experience. Too many times, what started out as an exciting task turned into a chore to struggle through – because you were doing it backwards. You can’t pick the best meals for your camping trip if you don’t have these answers first.

How much cooking do you want to do?

Camp cooking is a big part of the outing for a lot of people – so much so that they may even plan the other camping activities to fit their cooking schedule, but for others it is a necessary task to fit in between other outdoor activities. Ten minutes to fix, and ten minutes to eat – that’s how they want their camp meals.

If your idea of camping fits the former – then you have a free hand to pick almost any kind of camp meal you can think of, but if your idea of camp cooking fits the latter – you should look for simple quick meals with fewer ingredients, and fewer preparation steps.

Do you have the camping cookware and cooking equipment you need?

This one is pretty simple – no need to pick a great Dutch oven recipe if you don’t have a Dutch oven. Or a meal that needs several pots and pans, plus a campfire cooking grate – when you only have a 2-burner camp stove to cook on.

Are your options for camp cooking limited by the campsite restrictions?

Do you know if open campfires are allowed where you will be camping? Are you required to only use the fire rings or BBQ pits provided onsite? Does the size and layout of your campsite limit the space you will have available for the camp kitchen, or food prep and cooking activities? Obviously it would be a mistake to plan campfire recipes if you can’t have a campfire, or a camp meal that needs a lot of space for preparation and cooking if you only have room for one small table for the camp stove, and the food prep.

What type and age group of campers will you be cooking for?

Hearty, big eating adult campers? Weight or diet-conscious campers? Vegans? Kids? Or a combination of them all? Who you will be cooking for is one of the most important considerations when picking your camping menu meals. You may have visions of sizzling steaks and steaming baked potatoes, but how will that go over with the diet-conscious or vegan campers in your group? Or you might be considering Escargot’ and mushrooms, with a nice wine – to impress your fellow campers, but what about the six kids in your group? To them it’s snails and fungus – which they probably won’t touch, they would rather starve first.

It is important to pick meals and varieties that everyone will enjoy, or at least plan for back-up or supplemental meal choices. Nothing ruins the joy of a camp cook quicker than sour faces and a chorus of “Eewww’s.”

Planning the meals for your camp menu will be a lot easier, and more successful, if you know the answers to these basic questions before you start looking for camping recipes.

Quick guide to the Galapagos Islands

June 5th, 2011 admin Comments Off

The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador.  They are a series of volcanic islands that make up the Ecuadorian province of Galapagos.  They are also home to a national park and a biological marine reserve.  The main language spoken is Spanish and the population stands at around 25,000.

There are 15 main islands, 3 smaller ones and 107 rocks and islets.  The capital of the province, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, can be found on San Cristóbal which is the oldest of the islands.  The island with the best tourism infrastructure is Santa Cruz, and the town of Puerto Ayora is the favoured destination.  Santa Cruz has some stunning lava tunnels to explore.  There are also the giant tortoise reserves, black turtle cove and the Charles Darwin Research Station.

An excellent spot for wildlife spotting is on Santiago, where marine iguanas, land and sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, sea lions, fur seals and flamingos can be seen.  There are also Darwin finches and Galapagos hawks.

The Galapagos penguin can be found on Isabela and Fernandina, although there are scattered smaller populations on some of the other islands.  They are only 19 inches in height and make up the third smallest species of penguin.

Isabela is the largest of the islands with a total area of 1,792 square miles.  The smallest island is a mere 0.05 square miles in total.  Some of the main attractions on Isabela include the Flamingo Lagoon and El Muro de las Lagrimas, a ‘wall of tears’ that was constructed by prisoners when the island was a penal colony.

As well as the obvious wildlife attractions the Galapagos islands provide a popular and exotic destination for activity holidays.

 

Living in Costa Rica

May 28th, 2011 admin Comments Off

I am experiencing Costa Rica from the ground-up – literally. Due to my semi-remote location and the fact that I don’t yet have a car means I am putting my soles to the ground and hoofing it up and down a mountainside in search of daily necessities. During my first week, all of my time from waking to sleeping was spent taking care of little things to make a new house and location feel like home.

We are living in Las Nubes de (the clouds of ) Coronado, Costa Rica. To get to our location; start in the Central Valley of San Jose, go Northwest up into the mountains past Guadalupe, through Moravia, then through Coronado and finally up to San Rafael / Las Nubes. For better reference, an online map is available here: Las Nubes de Coronado, Costa Rica, C.A..

We’re up here in the mountains where the weather is constantly Spring-like, the hummingbirds attend daily to the flowering trees, Junior picks from the trees nectarines and bananas and from the bushes red and green peppers. 500 meters below us is a working dairy farm complete with ox-pulled carts for moving around feed grasses and while we walk by both milk cows and chickens graze road-side. The nights are chilly, but we have a great big fireplace that keeps us warm and cozy … we just need to find a source for more firewood (one of the many, many things on my very, very long to-do list)

The bus from Coronado runs approximately every half-hour and the last stop is 400 meters below our home. Junior and I have been taking the bus down and back from Coronado daily at a cost of 310 colones ($00.62) each way for the both of us. In Coronado we always spend time at an Internet cafe, eat a meal and do some shopping for household items such as food and cleaning supplies. Then it’s back to the bus terminal to catch our bus for the ride up. The final 400 meter hike up to the house with our back-packs and bags of purchases can leave you winded.

One of our more memorable trips to Coronado involved my perception that all ATM’s are created equal. In the states I never worried about how little money was in my pocket due to the vast number and reliability of ATM machines. In Coronado there are only two ATMs that I know of: one at Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) and the other at Banco Nacional (BN). Without paying too much attention I spent my way down to about 100 colones and when I went to the ATMs for more money, I was denied access to funds by both. Junior and I looked up at the mountain top, knowing that somewhere close to the top was our house … so away we went – walking approximately 7 kilometers up & up & up & up …. and up! About an hour and a half later we were home and sore – but at the same time, it was kind of fun. After all, many travel from around the world to hike the mountains of Costa Rica and we had the high-class problem of needing to complete a hike just for the sake of getting home!

Friday, February 29th we did get a chance to see a bit more of the area thanks to John’s friend Arne. This morning Junior and I took a taxi to San Antonio de Coronado (an area below Coronado) to meet with Arne for a little shopping. The closer you get to the capital city of San Jose, the more shopping variety you have to choose from. In our travels we went to stores in the barrios of San Pedro, Guadalupe and Moravia.

In Costa Rica there is a variety of store (tienda) choices ranging from tiny home-front stores (literally) to the huge discount and club warehouse stores (similar to a Sam’s or Costco).

* Home-front stores often labeled as a “pulperia” or “abastecedor” are usually located in the front section of a structure or building that is otherwise a residence. A simple sign out front or just a sign painted on the building denotes this type of tienda where you can get a quick snack fix such as a bag of Funions and a Coke.

* Grocery Stores can also be small proprietor shops up to larger stores often referred to as “Mini” or “Mega-Supers”. A grocery chain consisting of mid-sized stores in many areas of Costa Rica is called “Pali” (owned by Wal-mart, pronounced: pa-LI). Pali is similar to U.S. based Aldi Food Stores in that they provide basic staples such as milk, beans, rice, snacks, cleaning supplies, etc. – complete with a bag-it-yourself service. Grocery chains that more resemble standard U.S. grocery stores are MasXMenos (another Wal-mart owned chain), Mini Mega Super, Mega Super and others. In these stores you will find most everything needed to stock your home – even Jif crunchy peanut butter!

* Specialty Stores can again be small proprietor shops or chain stores that sell a certain type of merchandise such as clothes, furniture, electronics, pet supplies, etc., etc.

- I purchased a computer APC Back-UPS surge protector/battery back-up (model # BE350R) for $40.80 from a computer/electronics chain called Group3C (Grupo3C) that has stores in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador. The name of the Costa Rica store is called COC.CO (I think ) located in San Pedro.

- After shopping several discount stores (see below) I ended-up finding a better deal on a microwave oven at a specialty store called El Verdugo in Moravia. My purchase was a Haier 1,000 watt stainless steel microwave (model # MWM10100SS) for $101.80

* Discount or Club Stores offer the shopping experience of a Sam’s Club or Costco. Hiper Mas (a wholly owned Wal-mart subsidiary – seeing a trend?!) and Price Smart are two of these types of stores … but anywhere, shop these stores against each other and specialty stores for price and product. Just like a casino offering free drinks and comps, the way these one-stop-shop stores do business is to lure you in for many discounted products while charging allot more for other items. In other words, if you’re not careful – net gain goes to the house.

- Price Smart club store example prices (Moravia store, 02/29/08):

+ Philips 50? Plasma – $2,600.00

+ Frigidaire Washing Machine (model FWS9333FS) – $475.00

+ comforter set (Queen comforter, bed skirt, 3 small decorative pillows, 2 pillow cases – no sheets) – $70.00

+ blanket (a soft queen sized) – $38.00

+ sharp cheddar cheese – $13.00 / 2lb package

+ bed pillow (standard) – $10.60

+ couch pillow (small soft square) – $14.00

+ pistachios – $9.20 / 2lb package

+ hot dogs (large pack) – $8.00 / 37 hot dogs

+ trail mix – $7.40 / 2lb package

+ Land-O-Frost Honey Ham luncheon meat – $5.20 / 1lb package

+ Land-O-Frost Turkey Breast luncheon meat – $5.40 / 1lb package

As demonstrated, prices for certain items in Costa Rica may be higher than in the U.S., Canada, Europe, etc. – but labor and services are usually much cheaper in Costa Rica than elsewhere. Foreign residents, retirees, etc. end up buying the expensive washing machine and lawn equipment then pay domestic employees to run them (ie: hire a maid/cook/gardener … even on a modest or retirement income).

* Private Bilingual Primary (grade) School – $200.00 / month (with many included extras; soccer team, gymnastics, dance, cheer leading squad, math club, etc.)

* Gym Membership – $13.00 / month (complete with Aerobics, Step Training, Spinning, Tae-bo & antique weights and equipment)

* Hair Cut – $3.00 men & $4.00 women

* Meal for 2 – $10.00 including a cup of coffee or soda each

Due to the higher costs for many ‘one-time purchase’ items, many foreign residents that live, have second or vacation homes or just spend a considerable amount of time in Costa Rica choose to make selective purchases of electronics, appliances and other items elsewhere in the world and bring or have them shipped to Costa Rica as a cost savings measure … but be careful!

The single best way to bring anything into the country is to personally carry it in your luggage when you travel. However, Costa Rica has figured this out too. After arriving in Costa Rica, your bags will be x-rayed for un-declared items (yes, I said after arriving – as in, after you have retrieved your luggage and before you leave the airport!) So use your best judgment in filling out those customs declarations. You are allowed a certain dollar amount of new items per every so many months as well used personal items without any customs fees. Knowing this, if you are bringing any new item into Costa Rica and you don’t plan on declaring it as new and taxable, it is best to remove the new item from its original packaging prior to placing it in your luggage.

As for shipping items into Costa Rica, it may actually cost more to import an item based on purchase price + shipping cost + duty fees, etc … than it is to purchase the item in country. Do your homework and believe half of what you hear from others as to how much money they saved in Importing an item – after all, many people can’t admit they messed-up or they subconsciously forget part of their expenses when calculating their total cost ‘savings’.

After many years of traveling to and from Costa Rica, Bill and his nine year old son (a Costarricense native) made the decision to move permanently to the wonderful country of Costa Rica.

Interested in more honest, unbiased information about visiting, vacationing, moving to, or living in Costa Rica?! Visit Costa Rica Blogger at: http://www.CostaRicaBlogger.com

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