Most North Americans would shudder at the thought of themselves or others loudly slurping while eating, but in Japan, its not only expected, but encouraged. Its believed that the practice originated as an olfactory experience — slurping soba noodles simply augmented the aromatic flavors when air was taken in through the mouth at the same time. From there, as other dishes such as ramen proliferat Read on...
It was hot and humid here, but that is life in Nacogdoches. Since all Texas festivals were canceled last year due to Covid, this years Blueberry was larger then normal. Parking was hard to find so I parked at a business that had an open sign. Nearby was the Old Nacogdoches University Building (chartered by the Republic of Texas). I saw an old friend and we had a nice chat about East Texas history. Read on...
And just like that, vacation is over and the tour begins! Anyone who has ever been on a tour knows what I mean. A tour is not vacation. A vacation is leasurly days, late mornings, open schedules, and rest. A tour is packed days, early mornings, and hectic schedules. If you want to see a great deal of sights, be taken to places with guides, and learn about history and such, take a tour. If you want Read on...
We moved on again today, heading south along the west coast through Co. Donegal. Susan took the wheel, and we passed peat bogs, with piles of peat turfs drying. Unfortunately, the weather was grey and damp like so many days in Ireland, so Im not sure how dry they would have been.
After a while, the satnav took us down a narrow, windy road, which turned out to be very different from the roads in C Read on...
We left the municipal albergue at about 6am, heading towards Ciruena or Cirinuela, depending on where you looked. After about 2 hours of walking, we arrived at Cirinuela, a rather large and largely unused golf course and apartment building group. It seemed like a ghost town, but we saw that at least some of the apartments were occupied. Right next to it is the town of Ciruena, a rather small town. Read on...
Sunday: A nice exploration and flat hike at crooked river state park. Probably the most confusing signs for their trails- I made accidental loops and got lost 3 times. How did I realize I was lost? I ended up back in the parking lot... 3 times!!! It was a cold but sunny day. In the evening I headed down to Jacksonville for a quick visit with my sister Denise.
Tuesday: Nighttime walk on the beach. Read on...
We awoke to another absolute cracker day in Karamea and the sound of the two milk tankers on the nearby SH67 that travel 234km each way every day to and from Hokitika on SH6 and SH67 to pick up milk from the 29 dairy farms in the Karamea region. Actually the tankers dont really make much noise it is just that with so little and going into Karamea that there is for road noise from other traffic on Read on...
Ever since I read the book Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes in 2003, I have wanted to visit there. Tuscany is in central Italy and is well known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy and was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Of course most tourists visited Tuscany because their famous wine and olive oil. We rented a car so we could spent time at smaller villages and ancient hi Read on...
The Tyson Fury–Deontay Wilder boxing trilogy came to a spectacular end on Saturday night in Las Vegas (October 9th 2021) when Fury knocked out an exhausted Wilder in the 11th round. This was only the fifth trilogy between heavyweight champions in boxing history - after and The earlier trilogies had all been tied after two fights, whereas Fury entered the third fight unbeaten – after a con Read on...
I am asked, most often, by friends and relatives, about the best food countries I have visited. MSNs The Manual has listed their favorites, by continent. I will share theirs, then add my favorites. Europe Italy and France always dominate most surveys and food writers choices. I first developed a fondness for some French food back in the 70s. I had a girlfriend who studied at the Sorbonne in France Read on...