The Tastes of Travel

One of the things most people love when they go on vacation is trying out the different types of food offered in the places they travel to.  Food can be a major factor in whether your total vacation is successful or not.  If the food is bad, then that particular place tends to get a bad review, never mind if the view is terrific or the beach world-class.  The food has to be good to, in order for any travel destination to receive a thumbs-up.

Every place you visit tends to have their own particular type of food that they are famous for.  Italian food, for example, has many dishes that are considered 'Italian', such as pizza, pasta, wine, etc.  In other countries other foods are consider local favorites, like chili in Mexico or jerk chicken in Jamaica. 

Most times the type of food offered in a particular country centers on the country's local foods that are available, or that thrive in that area.  For example, coffee from Costa Rica is famous due to the growing conditions in that area, or pineapples from Hawaii, or seafood from most Caribbean islands.

Some places have particular spices that enhance their local cultural dishes.  Indian food is famous for their curries, for instance.

With most travellers it is a wonderful delight to discover the different flavors and types of food offered in each area they visit.  Sometimes it is a surprise to discover dishes that they have never heard of before.  Often they will remember a particularly flavorful offering as a highlight of their vacation.

When you next travel to your vacation destination, don't be afraid to try the local specialties.  You may discover a dish worth remembering, or one that you may wish to try making at home as part of your own family traditions.

Here are a couple of cookbooks you may be interested in to bring home some of the tastes from your travels:

That Caribbean Flavor, available at:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T3VKBC

20 Jamaican Recipes, available at:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IUOMZ4

Venice - Put It On Your Bucket List!

We recently were fortunate enough to take a Mediterranean cruise.  Our last port on the cruise was in Venice.  I can't begin to tell you how much we enjoyed that unique city!  There is no place like it in the world and it is definitely worth seeing.  Here is a bit about Venice, but this article doesn't begin to tell you how you feel as you marvel in Venice's uniqueness!

Venice is one of the most intriguingly different places to visit on the face of the earth. Today the brilliance and influence of the long-ago merchantile sea culture has long since faded, leaving a town of tarnished glories, out of time and out of place but so beautiful it's hard to resist. I found visiting Venice one of the most memorable of experiences.


Venice is busiest in spring (Easter-June) and September/October and accommodation can be hard to find, as well as around Christmas, New Year and Carnevale (February). In high summer (June/August), Venice is crowded, and oppressively hot and sticky. The most pleasant time of year to visit is late March into May, with milder spring days and fewer crowds. September is the next best in terms of weather, but October is quieter. Flooding occurs in November and December, and winter can be unpleasantly damp and cold, but seeing Venice under snow is truly a sight to behold (although snow in Venice is a rarity).

So what is there to see and do in Venice? Do you mean besides taking a gondola ride through this magical city situated on its maze of narrow water canals? For the hopeless romantic that is a treat making any trip to Venice worthwhile. But, if you stick to the main tourist areas between St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge it is a crowded place with many tacky souvenir shops. But the architecture, the history and the magnificent artwork makes it all worthwhile.

One of the truly impressive sights not to be missed is Basilica di san Marco, a magnificent Byzantine cathedral that many tourists “Ooh” and “Aah” over. The 11th-century exterior, with its soaring domes, spires, and statuary is only the beginning. Inside the basilica the interior walls and ceilings are covered with one and a half square miles of dazzling, painstakingly assembled mosaics, and other similarly impressive treasures are held inside, including the spectacular, gem-encrusted Pala d'Oro altarpiece. The original bronze Horses of San Marco are on display inside (the ones currently adorning the cathedral's facade are replicas) and were believed to be stolen from Constantinople's Hippodrome in 1204. The basilica still holds Mass at 7:00 a.m. and one can see the beauty of the early-morning light gleeming onto the mosaics.

Other churches sure to impress the tourist are the Dominican’s church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the Franciscans’ church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (generally known as I Frari). When the Dominicans and Franciscans arrived in Venice at the dawn of the Renaissance, they enticed parishioners by filling their churches with art, some of which rival exhibits in major art museums. The church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, begun in 1246, holds a polyptych by Giovanni Bellini, magnificent ceiling paintings by Paolo Veronese, and works by Titian and Lorenzo Lotto which were all commissioned as adornment. The Franciscans’ church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (1330) is also magnificent with Titian's extraordinary Assumption, with the Virgin Mary soaring heavenward above the high altar in a swirl of sumptuous hues, and his gracious Madonna di Ca' Pesaro dominating the left aisle, and Giovanni Bellini’s Madonna and Child is one of his finest works.

The Gallerie Dell'accademia holds a viewable collection of valuable art from masters, including Paolo Veneziano, Mantegna, Giorgione, Titian, and Tintoretto. doesn't disappoint. Although the gallerie is presently under renovacations, it is due for completion in late 2007. When the Grandi Gallerie dell'Accademiahe is opened in their entirety the exhibition space will have doubled to almost 40,000 square feet and will display 650 works instead of the current 400. At present look for gorgeous narrative works like Bellini and Carpaccio's Miracle of the Relic of the True Cross on the Rialto Bridge, and Carpaccio's Life of Saint Ursula; both exquisitely detailed depictions of 15th-century Venice.

Re-opened in spring of 2006, the Palazzo Grassi was formerly an art exhibition space owned by Fiat, the car manufacturer. The 18th-century palazzo, which overlooks the Grand Canal, was taken over by French luxury-goods magnate François Pinault in 2005 and refurbished by architect Tadao Ando. It now hosts major shows of contemporary art.

Peggy Guggenheim's personal art collection, turned down by London's Tate Gallery, was brought to Venice in 1949. The 20th-century collection moved into the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal. The collection, which grew to incorporate works by Dalí, Klee, Picasso, Mondrian, Duchamp, de Kooning, Pollock, and Man Ray, among others, is now a memorable must-see for modern-art buffs.

Piazza San Marco, an immense open public space of almost 40,000 sq. ft., was once known as as "the drawing room of Europe" when napoleon and his army descended on venice in 1797. the museo correr, in the southwest corner of the square, now houses a statue of napolen along with an impressive collection of historic globes, weapons, and artworks by tintoretto, vittore carpaccio, and antonello da messina. visitors can pay an the entry fee which gives access to other attractions around the piazza, like the museo archeologico and the biblioteca marciana (st. mark's library), with its collection of historic tomes. visitors can also visit the doge's palace, a huge gothic structure that was the nerve center of the venetian republic; and take the itinerari segreti guided tour to see the difference between the frescoed, gilded public rooms and the plainer offices where the real business was done. one of the piazza's two towers, the campanile, at 325 feet, is the tallest structure in venice and visitors can climb to the top for a breathtaking view over the city. the 15th-century torre dell'orologio (clock tower), unveiled in late 2006, is now open to the public and visitors can finally go inside.

I could go on and on about the many art works and magnificent architecture of Venice, but then I might not get around to telling you about the shopping that Venice is also famous for. As with any Italian city, Venice offers the big-name fashion labels of Fendi, Gucci, and Ferragamo and shops are located in the area immediately northwest of St. Mark's Square: Calle Larga XXII Marzo and the labyrinth of alleyways known collectively as the Mercerie and the Frezzerie.

Venice is truly a place you must see before you die.  Put it on your Bucket List!

If you like travel reviews and travel recipes, you may want to try this great ebook:  Tastes and Travels, available at:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DUMXJY

Travels to Costa Rica

We recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica.  Many of our family members and friends had visited there so we felt it was our turn to see just what the others were raving about.  Of course, we loved Costa Rica, but not for the things we normally love.  Generally we are fairly dominant in beach swimming and snorkelling activities.  Although these were offered, we were somewhat disappointed in these areas.  Don't get upset yet, though.  Let me tell you what we did love!

We travelled to the pacific coast of Costa Rica and stayed at the all-inclusive resort of Allegro Papagayo, which is about 30 km. from the Liberia airport.  The hotel was beautiful, but you had to be in fairly good health to traverse the steep hills going up and down to the restaurant and beach.  Alternatively, there was a shuttle bus that rode around the resort at about 5-8 minute intervals where you could ride instead of walk up the steep hills.  The scenery was gorgeous. 

Here is the view we had from our balcony window:

The best thing about Costa Rica is the nature and wildlife.  We saw an abundant amount of monkeys (which was a highlight for me).  There were two kinds of monkeys that resided in the area, the white faced monkey and the howler monkeys.  We saw both on the hotel grounds, as well as other wild ones in the trees on the roadside when we travelled off the resort.

We also saw other wildlife, such as many different types of birds, iguanas, etc.

There were many excursions available where we could explore the nature.  My husband went zip-lining, which was a highlight of the trip for him.  We also took a boat tour and went fishing (I caught a fish!).  There were river boat tours where you could see a lot more of the wildlife and nature in the area, as well as bird-watching tours and excursions to visit the volcanos, several of which are in the area.

One of the best things we loved about Costa Rica was the people.  They had to be the friendliest people of anywhere we had travelled before...and this was at the hotel as well as off the resort.  

O.K. Now about the beaches.  The sand was black sand because of the volcanic activity in the area.  We knew this beforehand so that was not a surprise and we didn't expect it to be like the pristine while beaches of the Caribbean.  But we were a little disappointed because you could not swim on the beach before about 3 in afternoon when the tides came in.  Also, the water was murky and did not lend itself well for snorkelling.  We did take a road day trip to visit other resorts and locations along the coast.  Although we saw a few areas of nicer beaches, they still did not measure up to what we would be looking for in a great swimming/snorkelling setting.

We would love to go back to Costa Rica and discover the Caribbean side and see what the beaches and swimming are like in that area (but we have been told to be careful because there is a lot of crime there.)

All in all, we did enjoy our trip, and you will too if you venture there, as long as you are concerned more with the natural aspect of the country instead of the beaches.  Here are just a couple more scenes to entice you to visit Costa Rica:

You may be insterested in reading my travel ebook "Tastes and Travels" which combines travel reviews and recipes of the different places outlined in the book.

You can get it at:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DUMXJY



Hot Sauce Recipes - Caribbean Cooking

If you have travelled to the Caribbean, you have probably experienced the hot spicy flavors of Caribbean cooking which is prevalent in many of the Islands.  Jamaica is famous for its spicy Island flavors, like jerk chicken or pork, or even the extra hot Scotch Bonnet peppers that many enjoy there. 

If you want to bring home a little of that Island taste, why not make your own hot sauces to compliment your own Caribbean cooking at home?  Here is a little hot sauces recipes book I found that has 30 great recipes that are sure to tittilize your tongue...hot and spicy recipes with great flavor too!

  Zing's Hot Sauce Recipes