Tag Archives: international travel

Antiques, Cultural Sites, European Travel, Food, Historic Sites, Hotels, Travel, Travel and Food

Driving Halkidiki

harbor, Neos Marmaras, Sithonia, Greece
harbor, Neos Marmaras, Sithonia, Greece

Sitting at a beach side café in Possidi on the Halkidiki peninsula of Kassandra, this North American was struck by an unfamiliar scene. People were reading.

Driving Kassandra unplugged and tuned into Greece

Nea Fokea:14th Century Byzantine tower and church
Nea Fokea:14th Century Byzantine tower and church

Fingers of land jutting into the Aegean, Kassandra, Sithonia and sacred Athos have, like all of Macedonia, been at the center of turbulent times since the 4th century B.C.E. In the 21st century the only turbulence seemed to be the long lines of cars every summer weekend that bring holiday seekers from Thessaloniki and Eastern Europe.

water sports in Sithonia
water sports in Sithonia

Family owned since it opened in 1989, the rooms surround an opulent pool that is the focal point of the Flegra Palace Hotel including the Soleil Bar with its dramatic glass floor jutting over the water.

Soleil Bar at the Flegra Palace Hotel
Soleil Bar at the Flegra Palace Hotel

Flegra Palace Hotel plans new venture in Pefkohori, Greece

Fortunately mere mortals can dine at Ambrosia, the open-air dining room at the Flegra Palace Hotel in the Halkidiki seaside resort town of Pefkohori, Greece.

Ambrosia, Flegra Palace Hotel
Ambrosia, Flegra Palace Hotel

Chef Aphrodite Balanou makes Ambrosia in Pefkohori, Greece

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Beach in Ouranoupolis, Athos, Greece
Beach in Ouranoupolis, Athos, Greece
Cultural Sites, European Travel, Food, Hotels, Restaurants and hotels, Travel, Travel and Food

Hotel Rafayel: new London on the Thames

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Banyan on the Thames restaurant, Hotel Rafayel, London
Banyan on the Thames restaurant, Hotel Rafayel, London

The Hotel Rafayel is part of the remarkable 21st century transformation of the Docklands, the East End and South London from post industrial wasteland into the vibrant, upscale, multi-ethnic residential and commercial city London’s east side of the Thames  has become.

Lobby of the Rafayel on the Left Bank, Falcon Wharf, London, UK
Lobby of the Rafayel on the Left Bank, Falcon Wharf, London, UK

Hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank has garnered praise for its attention to environmental details. From components for the actual building’s construction to its water catchment system, its eco-conscisousness only adds to its 21st century 5-Star charm.

The Hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank: sustainable luxury on the Thames

Banyan on the Thames restaurant, Hotel Rafayel, London, UK
Banyan on the Thames restaurant, Hotel Rafayel, London, UK

Rapid urban change has remodeled the river scape along the Thames recreating the bustle of a modern port of international commerce. Except now the product is more than likely to be transported by computer or jet than freighter.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Olympic Park, London, UK (scheduled to open 04/2014 )
The ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Olympic Park, London, UK (scheduled to open 04/2014 )

With a city as cosmopolitan as London, there could only be more articles appearing shortly on Travel with Pen and Palate.

London from the observation deck of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, London, UK
London from the observation deck of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, London, UK

The Tate Modern Gallery is housed in a converted art deco power plant within walking distance along the Thames River walk  just up from the Globe Theater. The clean lines of the sprawling space gives justice to both the subjects and size of many great and imaginative works.  A voiceless short documentary from the Tate is an urban ballet.

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European Travel, Hotels, Travel and Food

The Hotel Nikopolis and Da Vinci provides luxury on the Spice Route

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The clear blue water in the immense Hotel Nikopolis pool mirrors the crystal sea of Thessaloniki’s vast harbor.

Hotel Nikopolis, Thessaloniki, Greece
Hotel Nikopolis, Thessaloniki, Greece

The strikingly modern Hotel Nikopolis, built in 1999, is reminiscent in its clean lines of the marble and limestone structures of Greek antiquity.

photo courtesy of the Hotel Nikopolis, Thessaloniki, Greece
photo courtesy of the Hotel Nikopolis, Thessaloniki, Greece

Chef Stefanos Stamidis commands the hotel’s handsome Da Vinci dining room. Its Italian name is no conceit.

Veal ribs were glazed in deep, rich balsamic vinegar on a bed of baby carrots
Veal ribs were glazed in deep, rich balsamic vinegar on a bed of baby carrots

Historically located at the crossroads of empires, the city has sat at the intersection of the fabled spice route connecting the ancient worlds of the Mediterranean, Near East and the Orient.

The Hotel Nikopolis and Da Vinci: luxury on the Spice Route

Thessaloniki: modern, Roman, Byzantine & Ottoman
Thessaloniki: modern, Roman, Byzantine & Ottoman

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Cultural Sites, European Travel, Food, Restaurants and hotels, Travel, Travel and Food

In the heart of Alexander’s empire

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Founded in 315 B.C.E. by King Cassander of Macedon, he wisely named the city after his wife, Thessalonike, sister to Alexander the Great. Thessaloniki, as a major port city with nearly 2,500 years of history has been at the crossroads of empires starting with Alexander the Great, followed by Rome, Byzantium and the Ottomans.

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For a city bulging with a young educated population – 15% are university students.

Thessaloniki is always pregnant with culture

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Located at the intersection of the fabled spice route between Asia and Europe has had a profound effect on both the culture and cuisine of Thessaloniki. And its young population has made it a city of cafes.

Oval café creates friendships in Thessaloniki

Fava with squid and raisins from Thessaloniki’s Oval café
Fava with squid and raisins from Thessaloniki’s Oval café

Fava beans with squid and raisins is a favorite among Oval cafe patrons and reflects a reality that the ingredients for Greek cuisine remain easily sourced from their home provinces. Follow my step-by-step recipe with photos and recreate this delicious dish.

Fava with squid and raisins

The Oval cafe
The Oval cafe

You can read all my articles on Examiner.com at:

Culinary Travel Examiner

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International Travel Examiner

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and

 Food & Recipes Examiner

A 15th century Ottoman public bath house
A 15th century Ottoman public bath house

 

Food, Restaurants and hotels, Travel and Food

Original World Travel: A tour company that actually pays authors

Original World Insights has published another article by Marc d’Entremont

Forest Retreat Laos & author
Forest Retreat Laos & author

Thailand, Lao & Vietnam: Restaurants on a Mission in Southeast Asia.

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OWI is a publication by Original World Tours “providing discriminating travelers with “Hand Crafted Journeys to Traditional Cultures since 1997 – extraordinary journeys, news and notes of interest to serious cultural adventurers, and unique personal journals from Original World clients on the road in India, Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Eastern Europe.”

KOTO, Hanoi
KOTO, Hanoi

Restaurants can do more than just make fine food.

north Laos
north Laos

 They can help make fine lives.

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Marc d’Entremont is a contributing author for Original World Insights

Cultural Sites, European Travel, Food, Historic Sites, Travel, Travel and Food

“In Greece, food is an excuse to meet friends,” says Nikita Patiniotis

“In Greece, food is an excuse to meet friends,” says Nikita Patiniotis

Taverna To Kati Allo, Athens
Taverna To Kati Allo, Athens

With half the national population, Athens is Greek cuisine in microcosm. Nikita weaves his Athens market tour through the narrow streets of Monastiraki to taste Greece, and during several hours Context Travel’s Beyond Feta Athens food tour introduces travelers to many future new friends.

Varvakios Agora, the Athens Central Market
Varvakios Agora, the Athens Central Market

Nikita Patiniotis defines Athenian cuisine for Context Travel, Part One

herb & plant car in Athens
herb & plant car in Athens

We’ll wander through bustling Athinas Street into the vast Varvakios Agora and understand why Greece is still the ancient center of the culinary world. Context Travel’s Beyond Feta walking tour illuminates a civilization. Come walk with me.

Feta Cheese
Feta Cheese

Context Travel wanders markets Lord Byron knew, Part Two

I discover a 150-year-old wine shop in the basement of an aging building which attracts presidents, Hollywood moguls and Athenian business elite.

In part three Context Travel illuminates the Greek way of life

Demitri Koliolios (left) 4th generation owner Dyporto Wine Shop, Athens
Demitri Koliolios (left) 4th generation owner Dyporto Wine Shop, Athens

The pleasant evening temperature, the lack of car horns and loud music coupled with the sounds of conversation and relaxed dining, Greek national pastimes, create a culture in contrast to the 21st century’s frenetic pace.

Grilled Sea Bream, To Kati Allo, Athens
Grilled Sea Bream, To Kati Allo, Athens

This is not tradition triumphing over the modern era; it is the modern era.

Love at first bite at Athens’ To Kati Allo

Orange spoon sweet
Orange spoon sweet

More than one spoonful of this sweet at a time would most likely make your teeth ache. But if the quality of the spoon sweet was deemed worthy, the bride could take a deep sigh of relief.

Spoon sweets were a test for Greek brides

Greek coffee
Greek coffee

Along with a natural Mediterranean diet, enjoying rich Greek Coffee may hold a key to Greek longevity – average life expectancy is 81.

Greek coffee at Flegra Palace Hotel can promote longevity

Athens will introduce the visitor to a life that’s beyond the microwave and the modern world’s overly scheduled itinerary. If you give in to the experience, you just may change your own way of life.

Ruins of the ancient Roman Agora looking out onto markets in modern Athens
Ruins of the ancient Roman Agora looking out onto markets in modern Athens

You can read all my articles on Examiner.com at:

Culinary Travel Examiner

 International Dining Examiner

International Travel Examiner

Philadelphia Fine Dining Examiner

and

 Food & Recipes Examiner

 

Cultural Sites, European Travel, Food, Restaurants and hotels, Travel, Travel and Food

Four Days in Flanders

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Brugge, Flanders, Belgium

In the land of Bruegel, chocolate and mussels, the lush green land of Flanders is punctuated by towns of extraordinary beauty. Medieval castles, Renaissance houses, canals and cafes are in view with every convoluted turn in the ancient streets. Yet in Brussels, larger than life cartoon wall art decorates, and compliments, its historic core.

wall art in Brussels depicting popular Belgian cartoon characters

In four days, VisitFlanders introduced me to three cities rich in layers of culture, four restaurants bursting with layers of flavor as well as beer and chocolate as it ought to be enjoyed. Articles, as they appear, will be added to this post, so please check back often.

Dominique Personne chocolates, Brugge, for Hertog Jan and Gruut Brown herb beer, Gent

Flanders, today, is at the vanguard of a new wave in international gastronomy that’s pairing the freshest of locally sourced ingredients with 21st century culinary techniques.

With 3 Michelin Stars already….

Restaurant Hertog Jan, in Brugge, brings their farm to their table

A Walk through the garden at Hertog Jan

The mild climate may have favored Flanders own agricultural abundance, but access to the world through trade constantly brought new products, such as the potato and chocolate, fueling today’s Michelin starred restaurants, creating chocolate beer and celebrity chocolatiers, although Dominique Personne is considered the bad boy of Brugge – watch the You Tube video in my latest article.

Belgium celebrates eating during its 2012 Year of Gastronomy

Dominique Personne with chocolate gun and the Chocolate Shooter

Ghent’s de Vitrine is Kobe Desramaults little city bistro. Yet the secret these young chefs are revealing is simple, fresh regional ingredients treated with respect and given pride of place. “I think about the vegetable,” Speybreck says, “not what meat or fish it goes with. What can I do with a nice cauliflower. Each ingredient has its own place.”

Ghent’s restaurant de Vitrine is a showcase for each ingredient

mussels with cucumber, eggplant sauce and sour cream foam

Ensconced in Brussels’s elegant Radisson Blu Hotel, Chef Yves Mattagne’s two Michelin star Sea Grill serves art to the power brokers of Europe.

Brussels’s Sea Grill catches Michelin stars

Caviar Royal Belgium, Sea Grill, Brussels, Belgium
Cultural Sites, Food, Historic Sites, Southeast Asia

Southern Laos’ Ecotourism Future

From post-revolutionary obscurity, the once ancient kingdom of Champasak is at the center of southern Laos’ eco-tourism incentive.

On Don Khone, the Siphandon, Champasak Province, Laos

Cheap airfares, especially from Australia, and even cheaper cost of living attracted budget seekers of alternative vacations in the early 1990’s to the sleepy isolated islands of the Siphandon.

The Siphandon (4,000 Islands), from Don Khong, Champasak Province, Laos

Just 25 miles from the Cambodian border, Laos’ Mekong spreads up to 8 miles wide creating a delta-like region, the Siphandon, sheltering human and wildlife.

Hotel Senesothxeune and the Siphandon

Don Deth and Don Khone epitomize the Western vision of a tropical existence, sleeping in a hammock with mosquito netting, playing the guitar at night, picking fruit and spending as little money as possible.

Purple sticky rice: this nutty deep purple variety of Laos’ ubiquitous grain is usually reserved for desserts. Although a festive addition to dinner and delicious even when not sweetened, I was reminded of my favorite recipe for Purple Sticky Rice in Coconut Sauce.

varieties of sticky rice

You can read about all these topics in my latest articles on Suite101:

Southern Laos’ Eco Tourism Future

The Siphandon: Laos Mekong River Oasis

Purple Sticky Rice with Coconut Sauce: Laotian Khao Gam

Laos is an ancient land that is being rediscovered one (trekking) step at a time.

Africa, Photography, Travel

Antelope Park, Zimbabwe: When ALERT is Being Alive

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At Antelope Park, Gweru, Zimbabwe, a dozen journalists take two cats for a walk, actually two lions. Laili and Lewa, barely one year old cubs but already weighing nearly 200 pounds each, play like kittens as they roll around on the ground, licking and nipping each other.

The African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT), a non-profit founded at Antelope Park, actively pursues a four-stage method to stem the rapid decline of these roaming majestic cats. In less than 30 years, the population of wild African lions has decreased an estimated 85% from 200,000 to 30,000.

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The mission incurs tremendous costs and funding is dependent on donations, volunteers and the income generated by guests at Antelope Park Lodge.

You can read my article at…

Antelope Park, Zimbabwe: When ALERT is Being Alive                    

Increase screen to full size for best viewing of my video Feeding Adult Lions

 

Africa, Food, Travel and Food

Zimbabwe Cuisine: A Tale of Three Meals

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The cuisine of Zimbabwe, not surprisingly, represents a fusion of traditional foods, Colonial influences and modern marketing.

Three meals illustrate Zimbabwe’s cuisine

Gazelle Stew on Sadza, beans in tomato sauce, collard greens & creamed spinach

On any photo safari through Zimbabwe springbok (African gazelle), kudu (large antelope), impala and warthogs are seen by the dozen. Crocodiles make venturing into the rivers for a swim unwise. It does not take that much imagination to realize that these animals, exotic to Western palates, must have been part of the Shona and Ndebele cultural diet.

Marinated Warthog with White Wine BBQ Sauce at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

Gazelle, warthog and crocodile are still available yet, ironically, they are usually found in either luxury restaurants or an average home in the Townships.

In urban areas the working man or women and students in brightly colored, starched uniforms are more likely to be found in one of four fast food establishments – Chicken Inn®, Pizza Inn®, Bakers Inn® and Creamy Inn® – all serving industrialized products recognizable to anyone in Liverpool or Detroit.

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Three meals illustrate Zimbabwe’s cuisine

 

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