Travel Photos and What To Do With Them

"A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed."

-Ansel Adams

My African Book on my Coffee Table
I have a display of some African Souvenirs in the table

We recently took a trip to Africa.  While there I was talking to a fellow traveler about the photos that we were taking.  She told me that when she got home that she would go online and have her favorite photos from the trip put into a book, which when printed, would look like a coffee table photo book.  I thought that sounded like an excellent idea.

For the past few years I have just stored my pictures on my computer.  I always made a backup DVD of the pictures to have just in case, but I don't print them up and put them into scrapbooks like I used to do when I used actual film.  Remember those days, when you had maybe 6 rolls of film with you, so you only took pictures of really important things, and you only took one picture of it, because film and developing was expensive?  And then when you got home and spent a fortune developing your pictures you would always be disappointed because some of the shots just weren't any good.  We are really spoiled today with digital cameras.  Not only can we see immediately how they are going to turn out, we can take a dozen shots of one subject, just to make sure we get it from the best angle.

My African Picture Book

I do tend to overdo it sometimes.  On the African trip I shot over 2000 pictures.  Mostly of the animals when we were on safari.  So when I came home and went through all the pictures, it took me awhile to sort out and pick my favorites.  But I did manage to narrow it down to a few hundred pictures.  I decided to take the suggestion of putting them in a book.  I went online to the company she had recommend - My Publisher.  I found that it was really easy to navigate their website and set up the book.  I took the pictures that I had selected and pulled them into the program, and from there I went page to page, decided how many pictures I wanted on each page and pulling them in.  Once I had all the pictures in, I went back and wrote some narratives to go with the pictures.  It was really quite easy, and fun to do.  At the end you simply purchase the book and pay for it with your credit card.  Less than 10 days later I had my book.  And I love it.

So now that I had completed one book, I decided to go back and do some past trips.  I took a trip to China in 2010, and decided that those pictures should also go into a book.  That book also turned out great, and I am now thinking about doing a couple more. 

My China Book

The books are not cheap, but actually they are probably less expensive than the film we used to always develop at the end of our trips, and these are already put into a book and published, so I do feel it was a good deal.  And now I realize that they also have sales, if you watch for them, where you can get the books for less, if you wait until the sale is in progress.  My China book actually cost quite a bit less than the African book, because I saw a sale that had 60% off the price of the book.

I am also intrigued with the idea of putting together a calendar with my pictures on it.  The same company prints calendars.  It might be fun next year to be looking at my own travel pictures each month on my own calendar.  Or maybe a calendar of my dog pictures?

There are many companies besides My Publisher who do the same type of books and calendars.  I have not tried any of the other companies, but did a search online and came up with quite a few.  They seem to all be similar, and I'm sure they would all be quite good.  So If you are thinking about putting your photos into a book, but don't want to actually do a scrapbook, then consider doing it online.  You will have a professional looking finished project that you can enjoy for years, and display on your coffee table.

Here are the companies I found when researching this, including the company I used:   http://www.mypublisher.com  
http://www.shutterfly.com        http://www.cvsphoto.com
http://www.mixbook.com          http://www1.snapfish.com
http://picaboo.com                     http://www.blurb.com  


The nice thing about putting together the book is that you can choose your theme - I chose travel as my theme and all the pages had a travel look to them.  Some pages had stamps that looked like passport stamps, some had a background of a map, and some had the backs of postcards where you could write about what was on the page.  You could choose to have lots of pictures on one page or do two or three pictures to the page, or just do a full page picture.  You chose the format for each page as you go.  Here are a few pictures of the inside of my book:

Do You Dream Of Distant Places?

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

H. Jackson Brown Jr.

 

Athens, Greece

Where do you want to go?  There is a great big world out there to explore.  There are so many wonderful sights and continents to explore, and people to meet.  Do you dream of distant places?  I did, for many years, but I was young then, and had to wait till I grew up and could go out there and see the world.  What is holding you back?  Is it money?  Is it family obligations?  Are those excuses, or real?  Is there a way you can make it happen for you?  Only you can decide.  But if it is something you really want to do, you will make it happen.  Maybe not right now, but in the not too distant future.

Mosque on the Bosphorus River, Istanbul, Turkey

None of us knows what the future holds.  We don’t know how long we have on this earth, so don’t put off your dream for too long.  Think about how you can make it work.  If you think you can’t travel because you have a family, with young children, then I have to say that there are places you can go with children.  If they are very young you may want to wait a few years, babies are hard to travel with.  But young children are curious little beings and they will only benefit from seeing new places and new cultures.  It will expand their minds and make them less intolerant of change and differences in people.

Budapest, Hungary

If it is money that is holding you back, then that is another matter.  If you are so far in debt that you can’t see getting further in debt in order to travel, then I agree.  I don’t believe in traveling if you can’t afford it.  So work on paying off your debt first, and then start saving for what you want to do.  If you don’t have the debt but don’t feel you make enough money to include travel in your life, then consider budget travel.  Going somewhere doesn’t have to be that expensive.  There are lots of ways to save and still enjoy seeing another part of the world.

Going off season will save you money.  Choosing a destinations that is less expensive, where the dollar will work in your favor or which is less traveled, and therefore maybe less expensive.  For instance, it is less expensive to go to Croatia than France.  I have been to both places, and I absolutely loved Croatia, it is a great place to visit. 

Me in Dubrovnik, Croatia

For that matter, you don’t have to travel to Europe to get that travel bug under control.  How about visiting places here in the states?  Or maybe going to Mexico or Canada, which are relatively inexpensive, and close by. 

Hostel in Scotland

Another way to say money is to back-pack and stay in hostels. When my sister was much younger and single, she had no money but she wanted to travel.  She sold everything she didn’t need, she put the rest in storage.  She packed what she needed with her, including a sleeping bag.  She put everything in a backpack and she took off for Europe. She was gone 6 months.  We didn’t hear much from her during that time.  She back-packed all over Europe.  She did odd jobs, sold some of her drawings (she is an artist), and lived very inexpensively.  She ate from street vendors a lot.  She stayed in hostels when she could afford it.  When she couldn’t, she threw her sleeping bag on the ground and slept, quite often in cemeteries because she said no one would bother her there.,  I’m not saying that I would suggest that today.  It is a very different world now, she went in 1972.  What I am saying is that we choose what is important to us, and if we want something bad enough, we find a way to make it happen.



Shanghai, China

As for myself, I made other decisions in my life.  Yes, I wanted to travel and see the world, but I am not quite as brave as my sister was.  I chose instead to get married and have a family, and to wait until I was older to travel.  We did do some traveling when we were young.  I did marry a military man, and we got transferred to different places to live, including two years in the Philippines.  But most of our travels have been in the past 25 years.  I don’t regret that, I was willing to wait, and I’m enjoying my travels now.  I wouldn’t change the life I chose.  That is what is important.  Only you can decide what is right for you.

If you are thinking about how to get to where you want to go and need some help I have 2 past blogs that might be of interest.  The first is – Youth hostels, traveling on a limited budget:

http://havelistwilltravel.blogspot.com/2012/09/youth-hostels-traveling-on-limited.html

and the other one is Budgeting for Vacation:

http://havelistwilltravel.blogspot.com/2012/09/budgeting-for-vacation.html

But whatever you do, don't just dream, find a way to make your dreams come true.

Destination - Hong Kong

“You can leave Hong Kong, but it will never leave you.”

Nury Vittachi

The City of Hong Kong

The first time I went to Hong Kong was in 1979.  Hong Kong was still part of Great Britain at that time.  We lived in the Philippines and my daughter was on the swim team at the Navy base that we lived on.  Her team was scheduled to compete against the Hong Kong team, and parents could go along to cheer the team on.  They had a special package set up for parents, at a reduced rate.  I decided to go along.  My husband couldn’t get leave just then, so I went with other parents and we all stayed in the same hotel.  Our kids were not with us at the hotel.  The team had arranged for the kids to be boarded with the families of the Hong Kong swim team families.  My daughter was staying in a high rise apartment with a British family, who had a daughter the same age as Kim. They also had two weiner dogs.  It was a good experience for her, she got to meet people from a different culture, and they treated her as a special guest.  I met them at the swim meet, and they were a very nice family.

We spent the 3 days of the swim meet cheering our children on to what was not victory.  They were a little intimidated by the size of the Olympic-sized pool.  They had been training in a much smaller pool.  We explained they would be going the same distance, just having to turn around less, but it was still intimidating.  Plus, it was a lot colder in Hong Kong than in the PI, which was also hard on them.  So we had no winners, but we had a good time.  At the end of the meet most of the kids and parents went home.  I had arranged for us to stay 5 more days and see the sights of the city.  I fell in love with Hong Kong on that trip, and we went back to Hong Kong 3 more times in the 2 years we were stationed in the PI.



View from Victoria Peak
 It was foggy the day we were there

Now Hong Kong is part of China.  In 2010 I spent 2 weeks touring China.  At the end of the trip I decided to add on a 3 night stay in Hong Kong.  I wanted to see how much it had changed in the years since we had been there.  I was surprised at  how much it had changed, and in some ways how little it had changed.  I found areas that were basically the same, and others that were very different.  Sadly, I found out that the Junks that used to be everywhere in the harbor area had mostly disappeared.  But we had a wonderful few days re-exploring a city that I had loved.

So, if you are planning to go to Hong Kong, what is there for you to see and do in the city?  Here is my list of ideas:

Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak Tram

If a single image could encapsulate Hong Kong, it would be the panorama from Victoria Peak. Looking down at the city from this famous vantage point, you'll see one of the finest harbors on earth.  You can reach the peak via the Peak Tram.  The 120 year old funicular railway departs from its terminus on Garden Road .  The best time to go is a half-hour before sunset, and you can watch the city lights from above.  There is a restaurant there and you could have dinner over-looking the city.  We didn’t do this the last time we were in Hong Kong, but it was a favorite place to have dinner when we visited in 1979 & 1980. 

 

Temple Street Night Market

Night Market

This rowdy thoroughfare in central Kowloon starts at Temple Street's junction with Jordan Road, and terminates five blocks north on Kansu Street and looks like every B-movie director's dream of Chinatown. Under the glare of bare light bulbs, hawkers flog everything from bizarre patent medicines to counterfeit watches.  There are outdoor food stalls and fortune-tellers. Most of the things for sell is junk, but it is certainly an interesting place to walk around and people-watch.  It is part of the experience of being in Hong Kong.



Star Ferry at the Ferry Terminal

Ride the Star Ferry

Another experience you shouldn’t miss is the Star Ferry.  It will take you across the harbor in just 8 minutes, and the cost is very little.  Pay for the upper-deck which is a much more pleasant ride.  You will sail past shipping vessels of all kinds, and get a view of the Hong Kong coastline.  If you are on the 8 p.m. sailing the ferry will stop mid-harbor for a few moments so that tourists can take pictures of the Symphony of Lights, which is put on each evening.

Stanley Market & Murray House

Stanley Market area

Stanley is a town and a tourist attraction in Hong Kong which is located on a peninsula on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. Stanley has been a fishing village since before the British came to Hong Kong. Stanley Market is one of the must-go places for tourists when they visit Hong Kong.  The market is made up of winding lanes stocking a mind-boggling assortment of gifts, clothes, ‘antiques’, watches and other items. There is also a smattering of restaurants woven into the market offering authentic Hong Kong delicacies plus a range of waterfront bars and restaurants close by on Stanley Main Street.

Also located on the waterfront is historic Murray House a restored colonial building dating back more than 160 years. It is now home to the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. 

Harbor Cruise

Aberdeen - Floating Fish Restaurants

If you have the time a harbor cruise is a great way to see Hong Kong from another angle.  Some Harbor Cruises will take you over to Aberdeen where you will see the boat people and the Aberdeen Floating Fish Restaurants.  There are also night cruises, where you can see Hong Kong’s lights at night.  Be careful of cruises that advertise that you will cruise on a Junk.  We only saw one Junk in the harbor when we were there, but we booked a cruise which said it would be on a Junk, and it was not.  It seemed most people on the boat did not know that it was not a Junk, but I did.  You should get what you pay for.

Aberdeen Harbor

You've probably seen Aberdeen Harbor many times in movies and on television.  The fishing junks, the people, and the ubiquitous seafood restaurants. For an experience to remember, try taking a boat ride in a wooden sampan across the harbor, or have a meal at one of the huge floating restaurants.

This was our tea
 at the Penisnsula

Tea at the Peninsula Hotel
The Peninsula Hotel is one of the oldest and nicest hotels in Hong Kong. It is famous for its afternoon tea. It is a very traditional English tea, with scones, and little sandwiches and sherry. It is an event you should not miss. Yes, it is a little pricey, but it is such a nice way to indulge, and to relax your weary feet after a morning of sightseeing. I do recommend it.


Visit the Bird Park and Flower Market
If you like pretty flowers then walking through the Flower Market is a nice side-trip.  And after you walk past all those flowers, head to the Bird Park next door.  What is the Bird Park?  It is a park, with paths and trees.  It is a place that men bring their pet birds (in cages), so that they can get some fresh air.  There are also vendors who sell supplies, food for the birds and birds in cages.  Both the Bird Park and the Flower Market are on Yuen Po Street.

Bird Park
Bird Owners giving their birds some fresh air in the park

Giant Buddha on Lantau Island

Cable car ride over Lantau Island
to get to the Giant Buddha

The world’s tallest outdoors seated bronze Buddha, the Tian Tan, is a sight to behold and is located near Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. It was built to symbolise the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. A major centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong, the imposing image is also a popular tourist attraction.  There is public transportation that will take you over to Lantau Island.  From there ride in a cable car over the mountain.  I loved the views from there.  Once you arrive you can climb up to the Buddha and you can also visit the temple.  There are also shops and restaurants.


Symphony of Lights Tsim Sha Tsui

Hong Kong from the Revolfing Restaurant
Watching the Symphony of Lights

This nightly light show is a wonderful sight to behold. The show creates an all-round vision of coloured lights, laser beams and searchlights performing a stunning, unforgettable spectacle, all synchronised to music and narration. You can see the lights from almost anywhere in Hong Kong.  It starts at 8 p.m.  We went to the top of a revolving restaurant on one of our nights in the city.  The restaurant is on top of the Hopewell Center.  We had dinner and watched the lights.  The restaurant takes 66 minutes to make a complete revolution.

Man Mo Temple and surrounding area

Man Mo Temple

The Man Mo Temple is one of the most important in Hong Kong. Located near Hollywood Road, it was built in 1848 and is named after Man, the god of literature, and Mo, the god of martial arts. Inside, the air is thick with the smoke from coils of incense paper burned by worshipers. You can also see statues of the deities, Man holding a calligraphy brush and Mo holding a sword.  If you take the Star Ferry and then the mid-levels, it is easy to get to this temple.  The mid-levels is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world.  It makes getting up the hills on Hong Kong Island much easier.  The streets around the temple are quite interesting to walk through.  This was an area that I remembered from my earlier trips to Hong Kong, it had not changed much and made me nostalgic.  There are little shops and even people sitting on the street selling interesting things.  One of my favorite souvenirs of all time was purchased here.  It is a small bottle with a frog on it, and a red cap.  I love this area, it is more like Hong Kong of yesterday.

Hong Kong Disneyland

I have to mention this because there are many Disney fans who would probably go to Hong Kong and spend a day here.  It would not be my idea of a way to spend a day in Hong Kong, but it is there for those who are interested.  There is convenient transportation to the park. Themed areas there are Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland.

A bit of nostalgia - I wish I could also tell you to visit the Repulse Bay Hotel.  However, that is no longer there.  When we visited the 4 times back in 1979 & 80, it was our favorite place to go.  We never went to Hong Kong without going out there, usually several times.  It was a wonderful old hotel that sat on the hill overlooking Repulse Bay.  It was a Southern-style mansion, with columns.  They served the most wonderful breakfast on the verandah.  You were served on silver trays, and everything was impeccable.  They also did a wonderful buffet brunch, and a buffet dinner.  I never ate anything there that I didn't love.  And the view alone was worth going for.  It was a wonderful place, and how the people of Hong Kong allowed that to be destroyed, I will never know.  I was so disappointed when I went back in 2010 and discovered it was gone. 



Giant Buddha on Lantau Island

Whatever you do while in Hong Kong you will find the city to be exciting.  There is never a dull moment.  It is a bustling city, with wonderful restaurants, lots of shopping - from high end establishments to the cheapy touristy stuff.  There is ample opportunity for people watching, and lots of sights to see.  It is different from mainland China in so many ways, and yet similiar too.  Enjoy visiting this wonderful city.

Typical street in Hong Kong

Street Foods

"Street cooks are magicians: With little more than a cart and a griddle, mortar, or deep-fryer, they conjure up not just a delicious snack or meal but the very essence of a place."
Unknown

 

Viet Nam, street food vendor with Banh Mi sandwiches

Whenever I travel I like to experience the food in the place I am.  Most of the time that means eating at local restaurants.  But it also means eating street food.  Street Food is any food or drink sold in a street or a market area or fair by a hawker or vendor, usually from a portable stall or truck.  Most street foods are also food that can be eaten with your fingers and are cheaper than food you would buy from a restaurant.  Almost any city you visit has street food that is very much a part of that place.  

Banh Mi Sandwich

Some people worry about eating in places such as this, for health reasons, but if you use a little common sense, it is not a problem. If you do not try something that looks good you are denying yourself an essential part of the travel experience.  Go where the crowds are, the locals know where the food is safe to eat.  And if it doesn’t look clean, then go somewhere else.  But try the local foods.

Suman, a street food in the Philippines

We lived in the Philippines many years ago.  I used to go out to the local market to buy fresh shrimp.  They would unload the boats of fresh fish early in the morning, and you could get fish and shrimp right off the boat. The shrimp were still alive and jumping. If you waited until later in the day, then it was no longer fresh, as it would have been in the open with the heat of the day, and the flies covering it.  I never went to the market later in the day.  But while there I quite often would also buy some of the Suman which is a sweet rice that was wrapped in banana leaves and cooked there in the market.  They were delicious.  I never got sick from eating there, but like I said, I got there early in the day when things were still fresh.

That was my start on street foods.  Over the years I have tried many more versions of street food.  Each country has things they are famous for.  When we visited Istanbul, Turkey, I noticed that there were many carts selling fresh corn-on-the-cob.  I love corn, and I bought and ear one day and ate it as I walked down the street.  It tasted really good.  The other street food I had in Istanbul, was simit.  Simit is a bagel style sesame bread.  I enjoyed that also.

Simits in Istanbul

Corn on the Cob in Istanbul

While in Germany we had bratwurst on a bun, cooked on a grill.  It came with onions and green peppers.  Another German street food is the pretzel, big doughy pretzels with salt or mustard.  We have some that are similar here in the states, but somehow they just tasted better there.
 

George with our friends Bonnie & Pete
Having pretzels at the Christmas Market in Germany

Baguettes in Paris

In Paris we purchased long sandwiches with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil in a baguette from a street vendor, and ate them in the park.  Another Paris treat is a crepe made with nutella. 

 



Frites in Belgium

Another place known for street foods – Belgium where you can get the crispiest, freshest fries (frites) served in a paper cup, or waffles from a street vendor.  For those who do not know, the Belgiums are the ones who originated what we now refer to as French Fries.

Israel is known for falafel balls served with pita bread.  Viet Nam has their Banh Mi sandwiches which are baguette bread filled with grilled pork and pickled vegetables.  Mexico has street tacos. 

 

We saw some really interesting street food in China.  There were scorpions on a stick and some drink that had smoke coming off of it, which seemed to be quite popular with the locals. 

Street Vender in China

Drink in China, Never found out
what it was

 

Singapore Street Food

And Singapore probably has the safest street food, and some of the best.  The government enforces health standards at all places that serve food.  Singapore is so clean, you could probably eat safely off the sidewalks.  And they are famous for their food stands, and food carts.  We went to a place that was famous for serving the local food.  It had probably 20 carts in an area with tables set up.  The tables had numbers on them, and you would order the food and they would deliver it to your table.  My mistake was that I didn’t know they had 2 sizes of plates.  I had seen little plates being delivered to the table, so I thought that is what I was ordering.  I decided to order a variety of food.  I wanted to try a little of everything.  When I realized that I was getting large plates of food, it was too late.  We had enough food to feed a small army.  We did waste some of it, there was no way we good finish it, and I’m sure the local people were laughing at us.  But everything we ate was good, and even though we ordered alot, it was cheap, so we didn't break the bank.

Hot Dog Vendor in New York

Even here in the states we have street food.   And I don’t mean all the fast food restaurants, that is not street food.  Food trucks are becoming quite popular all over the states, and many of them are now serving ethnic foods.  I know the Vietnamese Banh mi is becoming quite popular here because of the food trucks.  And if you go to New York or Chicago, you will see the hot dog vendors on the street corner, they are an institution. 

So when you are exploring a new place, make sure you take the time to also try some of the local favorites and get a taste of the place you are in.  Use common sense, yes, but be adventuresome.  Look for the crowds, and see what they are eating.  Sometimes the street food is really the essence of the place you are visiting. 

 

 o

Places Evoke Memories of Food

“It is always sad to leave a place to which one knows one will never return. Such are the melancholies du voyage: perhaps they are one of the most rewarding things about traveling.”

Gustave Flaubert

For me, experiencing new things when I travel is why I travel.  I especially love trying new foods that are specialties of that country.  I am not quite as adventuresome as Anthony Boudain.  If you watch the travel channel on television you know that he travels the world trying very unusual foods (bugs, brains, etc.)  I don't go that far, but if a country has a food that it is famous for, then I want to try it.

Dinner in China

You may say that you have tried foods from other countries from restaurants here at home.  Just because you have tried foods in the United States that is supposedly from a different region of the world, doesn't mean you have actually tried food from that country.  Restaurants here cater to American tastes, and the food is quite often different than what you will get when you are actually in that country.  As an example, I have eaten Chinese food here in the states thousands of times.  But when I went to China I found the food to be quite different from the food I had here in the states.  I enjoyed the food in China, and tried just about everything I was served, but it did not remind me of the food I had here.

Sometimes I will have a food and it immediately calls to mind a trip I have taken.  I remember having that food and it reminds me of the place where I ate it and the fun I had in that country.  Certain foods I will always associate with a place.  Moussaka is certainly one of those foods.  I had never had Moussaka until I went to Greece, now I have it often and even make my own.  None will ever taste as good as that very first taste though.  But whenever I have it, I think of sitting in the Plaka in Athens at a little sidewalk table, and I remember our waiter, who chatted with us and was quite funny.  And I fell in love with Moussaka.  I was already in love with Athens by then.

Greek Salad

Actually moussaka is not the only food I fell in love with in Greece.  The country has some of the best food I have ever eaten.  I really like the food of Greece.  I love lamb, and the Greeks use a lot of lamb in the dishes they prepare.  And Panzanella salad became a favorite, which is made with big chunks of bread.  The Greek salad is so different than the salads by that name here in the states.  The Greeks seldom use lettuce in anything, including their salads.  A true Greek salad is chunks of tomatoes, green peppers, sliced red onions, kalamata olives and fresh feta cheese, with a little olive oil and some herbs over the top.



Tapas

In Spain we went out each evening for tapas, which are small bites of food served either hot or cold, usually with a glass of wine or beer.  The tapas are served in the early evening to tide people over till dinner which is never eaten before 10:00 p.m.  Sometimes we ate so many tapas that we didn't need dinner.  But I did love the dinners there.  I really fell in love with gazpacho in Spain.  Gazpacho is a cold tomato soup.  It is delicious, and I ordered it almost every night while in Spain, as a starter to my meal.  Of coursethey are famous for their
paella and everyone who goes to Spain should try it, it is better than any paella you will get anywhere else.  And the Costa del Sol area where we were, had wonderful seafood dishes. 

Plaza Mayor in Madrid, getting ready for
the dinner crowd

One of the things I love about dining out in some of the European cities is that they dine outside all year long, in wonderful little town square areas.  They set up tables and all the neighbors come out with their kids and their dogs and they wander around the square, saying hello to each other.  The kids and the pets are playing, and people are having their dinner.  We have nothing like that here.

Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwich

We traveled to the Canary Islands in 2003.  We were on the island of Tenerife.  The food that I remember most from that trip was a tomato and mozzarella sandwich, on a long bagette type of bread.  It had basil leaves on it, and sometimes a thin sliced Spanish ham.  We were there with friends from Scotland, and almost everyday we would stop at a little outdoor restaurant somewhere and have one of those sandwiches with a beer, and watch the people, and enjoy the sunshine.  I have had other sandwiches similiar to them since that trip, but none seem quite as good as those were.  Maybe it was the company, or the sunshine, or the atmosphere, I'm not sure.  But I will always associate the Canary Islands with those sandwiches.




Squid in its own Ink

While in Croatia in 2010 I was told that the best seafood in the world was to be had there, and in particular that I should try the squid.  So one night my husband and I were at a typical outside restaurant, like the ones I described above, in a town square with children and pets, and families.  I decided to order the squid.  I have eaten squid here in the states, usually breaded, and had always enjoyed it.  When this arrived it really surprised me.  It was in a bowl, and it looked like a bowl of black rubber bands.  It was served in its own ink.  My first thought was, that it didn't look too appetizing.  My husband was looking a little askance at it.  But I will try almost anything, so I took a bite, and I was hooked.  It was delicious.  I practically licked the bowl.  It is a meal I will always remember, and it is one I loved.

In Thailand everything we ate was spicey.  We were eating some noodle dish and I bit into something that caused me to feel like I was breathing fire.  I turned bright red and started gulping my drink.  My husband laughed at me and thought I was over-reacting.  Then he bit into the same thing, and realized that it really was hot.  I do like Thai food, but I also learned to respect it for what it is, and to be careful. 

Me eating gelato in Italy

In Italy we fell in love with gelato.  Gelato is not just ice cream, it is smoother, richer and more flavorful.  It is in a class by itself.  We were in Italy during the summer, so it was hot out.  We stopped for a lemon gelato on our second day in Italy.  For the next 20 days, while we toured the country fell in love with Italy, we made a point of stopping everyday and enjoying a gelato.  Lemon is still my favorite flavor, I suppose because it was the very first taste I ever had of gelato, or maybe because it was just so refreshing on a hot day.  We tried almost every flavor available, but somehow kept going back to lemon.



Lemoncello

It is not only food that sometimes makes me think of a country.  Drinks also play a large part.  I found that the only thing I ever want to drink with either Chinese or Japanese food, is beer.  That is the drink they serve in those countries to drink.  Of course not everyone has beer, but it is the most common drink with the people of those countries.  It is what I had with every meal when I was in both of those places.

In Italy we spent a week in Sorrento, which is near Naples, Capri and Pompeii.  They are famous for their Lemoncello.  It is a lemon liquour.  It is sweet and sour at the same time.  It is an acquired taste, and I am not overly fond of it.  But when I think of Sorrento, I think of lemons, and Lemoncello.

In Spain we were served Schnapps after every meal.  We didn't order it, it was just set before us at the end of the meal.

Raki in Greece

 In Greece, it was Raki, which was put in front of us at the end of the meal.  Most of the time the Raki tasted like turpentine.  I did not enjoy it, so I would usually pass.  George drank them both, not that he enjoyed it, but he did it so I wouldn't have to.  But one night, on the island of Crete, we had a wonderful meal in the hills overlooking the town of Rethymnon.  They made their own Raki there, and it was smooth, and tasted wonderful.  I even bought a bottle to take home.  When Raki is made the right way, it is actually quite good.  Of course, Greece is more famous for its Oozo, and I also drank that while there.  I quite like Oozo, but then I also like licorice.

A Shandy

And last year we traveled with our Scottish friends across Scotland and around Ireland.  I discovered the Shandy.  A shandy is a mix of beer and "lemonade".  But the lemonade is not what we think of as lemonade, it is sparkling - more like a 7up with a slight lemon flavor.  You mix it with the beer and it is a light refreshing summer drink.  I was completely hooked on it throughout that trip.  Scotland will all be associated in my mind to the Shandy.


We are looking forward to traveling to new places soon.  Africa will be later this year, and I am sure I will have some new taste treats to look forward to there.  Some may be better than others, but I am looking foreward to trying whatever the locals prepare, it is part of the experience.  It is hard for me to imagine going to another country and instead of trying the food of the area, looking for familiar foods from home.  I know people do that, I have even traveled with some who will not try new things.  For me though, I would not feel I had really been there and experienced it, if I had not also tasted it.  So to all of you who are traveling to new places I say "Bon Apetite!"

Here is my recipe for Moussaka.  I hope you enjoy it.  It is as close as I can come to the Moussaka we had in Greece.

Moussaka
6 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 Cup red wine
1 T. tomato paste
1 1/2 canned crushed tomatoes in puree
1 (1 pound) eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 Cup milk
1/2 Cup grated Parmessan
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 teas. ground allspice
1 teas. salt
fresh ground pepper

Heat the broiler.  In a large frying pan heat 1 T. oil.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until softened.  Add the lamb and cook until meat loses its pink color (2 min.)  Stir in wine, tomato paste and tomates in puree, bay leaf, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered 10 minutes.

Moussaka

Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper.  Put eggplant slices on a large baking sheet and broil, 6 inches from heat, until browned.  About 5 min.  Turn and broil until browned on the other side.

In a small saucepan, combine cream chees, milk 1/8 teas. salt and a pinch of pepper.  Warm over low heat until just melted.

Oil and 8 X 8 inch baking dish.  Layer half the eggplant in the dish, then half the meat sauce.  Sprinkle with half the Parmessan. Repeat with remaining eggplant, meat sauce and Parmessan.  Spoon the cream cheese sauce on top; broil until just starting to brown.  Serve hot.