You Don't Need a Time Machine to Be a Time Traveler

image courtesy of Morguefile

I'm a time traveler. I like going to places that are old school and preserve the old way of life.   But they're increasingly hard to find because globalization and technological advances have made the world disturbingly similar (everyone's running around with an iPhone!) My most revered travel destinations are loosing their uniqueness and authenticity. Even Venice and Mont Ste. Michel  with their crowds and commercialism have a theme park feel.


If you're a time traveler, a good way to find the best preserved destinations is through the Cittaslow (Slow City) movement. Cittaslow was founded in 1999 by Pier Giorgio Oliveti from Orvieto, Italy. As Oliveti said in a post in themalaymailonline:

“Cittaslow is about appreciating what we are and what we have, without being self-destructive and depleting values, money and resources,” Oliveti told AFP.“It is an antidote against negative globalisation,”

Cittaslow's goals include improving the quality of life in towns by slowing down their overall pace and preserving their heritage by including environmental protection, conservation of historic buildings, promotion of local traditions and active community participation in the life of the town. 28 countries including South Korea, Turkey and the United States currently participate in the Cittaslow movement.


The Cittaslow Charter aims:

• To preserve the distinctiveness and characteristics Cittaslow town and the surrounding area. 

• To oppose development that is insensitive to history, tradition and the needs of town's people.

• To use technology in ways that embrace and enhance quality and tradition.

• To safeguard  products - not just food and drink - which have roots in  local culture that differentiate the area and make it unique. 

• To support local artisan producers through markets, fairs and other activities to ensure their high visibility in the community.

• To celebrate the quality of life, excellence in food and drink, conviviality as well as the value of  local traditions, products and production methods. 

For me, the Cittaslow philosophy is about finding destinations that fit my travel preferences and about enjoying day-to-day life. You can't always be on vacation and traveling, but you can transform your everyday environment into your own private day-to-day vacation destination by incorporating your favorite travel experiences into your diet, your home environment, your lifestyle and your attitude.

Even as city living booms around the world, the Slow City movement directed by an intrepid Italian is gaining a global following with a back to basics campaign to make small towns the new place to be. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/travel/article/italys-slow-city-goes-global-with-mellow-message#sthash.JjRjcmYl.dpuf

Cittaslow  

Even as city living booms around the world, the Slow City movement directed by an intrepid Italian is gaining a global following with a back to basics campaign to make small towns the new place to be. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/travel/article/italys-slow-city-goes-global-with-mellow-message#sthash.JjRjcmYl.dpuf

Even as city living booms around the world, the Slow City movement directed by an intrepid Italian is gaining a global following with a back to basics campaign to make small towns the new place to be. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/travel/article/italys-slow-city-goes-global-with-mellow-message#sthash.JjRjcmYl.dpuf

Help Me Pick Out a Vacation Rental in Italy

The Campos and the Snyders

Traveling for me is much more than running myself ragged trying to see as much as possible within a short time. For me travel is about enjoying different cultures, foods and life perspectives. It's also about enjoying the experience with family loved ones and good friends. Somewhere between September 2014 and the following January my wife and I hope to rent a villa in Tuscany or Umbria with our daughter Gigi, son-in-law Ryan, and grandson Aiden (who will be one year old) and our good friends Rob and Ladell Snyder. There will be a total of 6 and one half of us. Some of us due to job commitments can only stay two weeks, others have more flexibility and could stay 3 to 4 weeks depending upon our financial situation and the cost of the trip. I have the philosophy that you have to stay a minimum of 3 weeks to justify the cost of the flight. If you have a vacation rental and do what the British call "self-catering" the extra weeks you stay probably cost you only about twice as much as just being at home. I'll have an article breaking down typical costs soon.

You can also experience the process with us on how to reconcile the different travel priorities and interests of each member of our travel party, choosing and agreeing on what area of Italy to we should stay, getting the optimal vacation rental and travel style that meets the different financial capabilities of each family. We'll have separate blogs that are linked together as we muddle through the different options and issues we have to settle. 



We ask you to join us in our muddle (it's sort of a reality blog) and give us your thoughts as we go through the process. I'm also hoping you'll enjoy our style of travel and consider using this approach yourself.

Tapas: A More Sociable Alternative to a Dinner Party

Tapas - Image Public Domain Wiki Commons

Dinner parties can be stuffy.  Tapas, on the other hand, remove the formality of a dinner party and are designed to encourage conversation. A Tapas party has the same purpose as a cocktail party.  It encourages conversation by making people the center of attention, not the food or drink.You could say a Tapas is an anti-dinner party. For example, tapas is not a starter. If you start eating tapas, you finish eating tapas, and you don't stop until you're full. Tapas is not a collection of small dishes brought out on a platter and eaten as a main course. Tapas is not a meal. It's purpose is to make sure you're not hungry so you can keep on chitchatting.

Tapas plates are smaller versions (normally a quarter the size) of main courses and side dishes served in standard meals. Tapas is not a particular type of food. Anything can be tapas. Typical tapas include little dishes of olives (aceitunas), bite-size pieces of omelette (tortilla), ham (jamon), seafood such as small fish (boquerones), shrimp or clams (gambas, almejas), squid or octopus (calamares, pulpo) , mushrooms 
(champinone/setas). The list is virtually endless, just as your topics of conversation should be. 

TAPAS BY PENELOPE CASAS

Discover recipes of appetizer dishes that have long been a tradition in Spanish cuisine--melanges of seafood in aromatic sauces; little ragouts of meat, sausages, beans; colorful salads and marinades; the omelets called "tortillas" that enclose a variety of tasty tidbits; "banderillas," zesty combinations on skewers; and "empanadas," savory delights encased in pastry. The new recipes Casas includes reflect the influence of the innovative cooking in Spain today--dishes seasoned with soy sauce or balsamic vinegar; ingredients wrapped in flaky phyllo pastry; accents of goat cheese and arugula; foie gras in elegant presentations. 

With Spanish cooking at the forefront of today's cuisine, this "exceptional book by the leading American authority on the foods of Spain" (as Craig Claiborne dubbed it in 1985) is a must if you want tapas to be part of your lifestyle. Learn more about Tapas by Penelope Casas or order this book here! or see more tapas books here!

 

 

tapa

What Tapas is Not

Belgian Police Probe Death of Famed Food Freeloader

Image Courtesy of Lumixbx Wikicommons

Some stories are just plain interesting whether they have anything to do with travel or not. Currently in Ghent,  Belgium there is a mystery worthy of Poirot. In the Deseret News post entitled Belgian police probe death of famed food freeloader it states:

"He was an unrepentant gastronomic freeloader, from lobster right up to the after-dinner brandy, always enjoying the bounty to the fullest. Titus Clarysse was infamous in and around the northern Belgian town of Ghent for walking into any restaurant of his choosing, ordering whatever his tummy and palate craved and walking out without paying. "Curse him? Maybe. But kill him? That makes no sense," said Tim Joiris, head of the Ghent region restaurant and hotel federation...see the rascal at work and read more"

Who would commeet such a dastardly crime? So do you theenk Titus got his just desserts? Let me know.

Picking a Vacation Rental - Part One

The Campos and the Snyders

Somewhere between October 15, 2014 and the following January my wife and I hope to rent a villa in Tuscany or Umbria with our daughter Gigi, son-in-law Ryan, and grandson Aiden (who will be one year old), Gigi's husband's parents Larry and Laura Jones and our good friends Rob and Ladell Snyder. There will be a total of 8 and one half of us.


I've started looking at vacation rentals for our trip. One thing that struck me as I started looking at my options is the different financial capabilities of our 4 party members as well as our different travel agendas. Our daughter's family is a dual income professional family with a two week vacation period. The Snyder family own a very lucrative business.  How long the Snyders can stay is still undetermined. Both these younger families are a little over the top and like to do everything first class.


We and Larry and Laura (the in-laws) are retired and don't quite have the resources to match the younger group (at least I know Joanne and I don't!). Aside from our financial limitations, we are also the two couples most likely to stay 3 or 4 weeks. So its important for us that we get the best place possible at the lowest price possible, so we can extend our stay.  In our initial talks we all envisioned staying in a very inviting villa that the 8 and one half of us could share. After looking further into the situation, we learned that for about half the price we could get a villa that's divided into two apartments with 2 bedrooms and  bathrooms in each apartment.

I was concerned that some would feel that it would take away from the anticipated festive mood by having smaller kitchens and smaller living space because of the division of the two apartments. The first one's we discussed this with were Gigi and Ryan (they are easily accessible since they live across the street from us.) To my surprise, it was no issue for them.


Here's a look at two possible candidates. Let me know which one you like best.

Farmhouses Near Lucca - 5 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms, $1283 per Week for 8 People

There are two separate farm houses so we get the best of both worlds. We get the price of two separate apartments and the luxury of having stand alone houses. This vacation rental is located about 9 miles from Lucca in Tuscany. The are about an hour from the coast, Pisa, and Florence. The property includes a private pool and the reviews from previous renters is very good. Based on the price as we know it, these properties would cost each couple $910 total for 3 weeks (roughly $44 a night!). You can't beat that. Of course, I expect some additional charges such as linens, cleaning, booking fees and what ever else they can dream up. But I figure if the additional charges add up to more that 30%, we'll negotiate and move on.  Learn all about this property here.

CAUTION: Things to Look for: When the site says $1283 per 8 people for a week, if you look carefully it might be $1283 per 4 people apartment per week. This would cost you $1283x2. The way the website is written, it's not clear. These sort of things need to be sorted out ahead of time and could be negotiable.  Lesson Learned: Always read the rental offer carefully.

La Rustica - 4 bedroom, 4 bathrooms - $1224 per week for 8 People

La Rustica Outside Terrace

La Rustica is an old stone farmhouse located on the outskirts of Arezzo.The property has a pool, but there are no reviews so you have to depend on the site pictures (take that for what its worth.) Based on the price as we know it, this property would cost each couple $918 total for 3 weeks (roughly $44 a night!). The have documented that there are some additional charges such as cleaning and heating but they don't seem to be a major issue. The good news is that's it's a house and not divided into apartments. That's what we ideally wanted and we know they can't charge us for 2 separate apartments. Additionally, it's low season starts on Sept 27. This is great for us because, it means Joanne and I could celebrate our anniversary (Oct 4) her birthday (Oct 5) in Tuscany. See more photos and learn more about this property here.


Tell us which of these two properties you like better. Also, let us know what part of Tuscany or Umbria you like best and why so we can look for villas there. Thanks

 

Travel Tip: Liberating Yourself From Excess Baggage by Packing Light

Public Domain Image

When I think of being a slave to excess baggage, I think of Ebenezer's late business partner Jacob Marley in the Christmas Carol. Jacob Marley wore lots of chains that weighed him down. Each and every individual heavy link that made up his chains represented a sin he had done. I see a lot of Jacob Marley's at airports, train stations and on streets.  I see them trudging with the baggage chain they forged garment by garment, accessory by accessory. Daily living has enough emotional, financial and work baggage. Aren't vacations supposed to be an escape from daily life?  Here's some tips to liberate you from the tyranny of excess baggage.

• Make a packing list. Start planning your packing days or even weeks before your trip. This gives you time to perfect your list.  

• Don't pack for the worst-case scenario. Pack for the best-case scenario and simply buy yourself out of any jams.  (Rick Steves)

• Whether you're traveling for three weeks or three months, pack exactly the same.

• Limit  to 20 pounds unless your renting a car or a vacation rental for an extended stay.

•   Pack lightweight, versatile, washable clothing such as Ex-Officio Travel Wear

• Choose lightweight black clothing.  It can easily be dressed up or down anfd is great at hiding the dirt. 

•  However, for the summer or hot climates the clothing is usually light weight. Choose bright colors or   white. You don't want to look like your going to a funeral!

• Use only travel size bottled toiletries. If you are settling into a vacation rental, you can buy bigger bottles at your destination.

• Bring only 2 pairs of shoes (make sure they are comfortable). Pack one pair and wear the other.

• Wear or carry a versatile coat and don't pack any additional ones.

•  Bring jewelry and scarves to mix-up your wardrobe (if you must.)

•   Roll, don't fold. Tightly rolled clothes take up less space than folded ones. You'll also avoid deep wrinkles from fold creases.

• To keep your clothes tightly packed and well organized, zip them up in packing cubes or a Clothes Compressor.

• Use packing cubes or Mesh Pouches for smaller stuff like underwear and socks.

2 Great Belgian Dishes That Feature Belgian Endive

Being born in Belgium and raised by a Belgian family (obviously) I'm very partial to Belgian food and still eat it regularly now. I wouldn't say the stuff is good, but my wife Joanne, who is as big a Yankee doodle dandy as there is has been converted to Belgian cooking.  She cooks Belgian dishes regularly. In fact she more or less abandoned the cooking she learned from her mother (whose staple was great American farm dishes) and mimicked my mother's cooking. 

Chicon Au Gratin

Image Courtesy of Jiel A. Beaumadier and Wiki Commons

Chicon Au Gratin is one of our favorite winter dishes. You can really impress your gourmet dinner guests with it because very few have had it. Usually they've experienced Belgian endive in a salad, but only a few have had cooked. Chicon Au Gratin is made with Belgian endives, each piece is wrapped in a slice of ham, topped with béchamel sauce and blanketed in melted cheese.  This is a great main dish especially in the winter time. In Belgium it is often served with mashed potatoes. We usually serve it with a baguette, but french fries are also a popular and easy option. Here's how you make it with this great Chicon Au Gratin recipe. We use a similar recipe because we are suckers for Gruyere cheese.You can serve it with your favorite white wine or go really Belgian and serve it with Stella Artois beer.

Braise Endive

If you want to experience the flavor of cooked Belgian endive without all the fuss you can braise it and enjoy it with your steak frites as a side dish. First steam the endive until it is moderately soft. Then braise it in butter and there you are. You have the option of cutting off its bottom stem to make the endive milder and less bitter (although for me the more bitter the better!)  Braised endive is a popular side dish in Belgium and France. Do you have any favorite Belgian endive recipes you'd like to share? I'm always looking for a new one to enjoy.

The Belgian Cookbook

Order this authentic historical cookbook and bring history to your dining room table. This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality.  We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. To order the Belgian Cookbook Click Here!