I passed my 30th year mark somewhere over China en route to Taiwan. Actually, our KLM flight stopped in Amsterdam and Bangkok before arriving in Taipei but, unfortunately, there was no time to get out and explore either of those locations. Our time it Taiwan was really excellent, albeit very rushed as we were onlyContinue reading “Taiwan!”
Category Archives: Food, Wine, & Travel
Coming and Going
I just dropped my week-long house guest off at the train station (where IMD Professor Dominiq Thurpin was also taking the train to Geneve-Aeroport) for a tearful goodbye. It was a wonderful week with her in town and it felt so, so, so good to cook again–really for the first time in my 15 monthsContinue reading “Coming and Going”
Another Weekend in Paris
I woke up early Saturday morning to take the TGV up to Paris, where I met my special lady friend, who was flying in from Houston. After some initial confusion about hotel rooms, we finally got settled just outside of the Gare de Lyon and struck out to enjoy the day. Instead of an aggressiveContinue reading “Another Weekend in Paris”
Weekend in Paris Part Deux
Paris was 24 hours of awesome. My favorite wingman met me at Gare de Lyon, we dropped off my stuff–which all fit in my laptop bag–and kicked off the day with lunch in an outdoor cafe near the Louvre. The sun was shining, the people-watching was great, and we won our first battle against grapes,Continue reading “Weekend in Paris Part Deux”
My Diet
My daily diet can be summed up in two staple food groups: 1. bread 2. stuff you put on bread Now before you think my diet is boring, let me clarify that there is a LOT of stuff you can put on bread! In the past few days alone, I have eaten bread topped withContinue reading “My Diet”
Paris
Today was another lovely day walking around Paris. Yesterday we spent time in the Luxembourg gardens and Pantheon. Today we wandered around the Latin Quarter. We capped it off with dinner at our favorite restaurant, Aux Charpentiers, where we stuffed ourselves full of great food and wine. What a pleasant reprieve from my career search!
Hiking
Today was a simple day in Piemonte. We woke up late, had a huge breakfast at the villa, then went hiking around vineyard trails in Monta’, not too far off. We had gelato for lunch (still too stuffed from breakfast for anything more) and pizza for dinner. The evening is cool and the sky isContinue reading “Hiking”
Barbaresco
Today was full of Bacchanalian goodness. We began in Barbaresco at Bruno Rocca. We were pleased to be greeted by Luisa Rocca, Bruno’s daughter, who led us into the tasting room to begin. No tour, just right down to business–we didn’t object! We learned about the vineyards that Bruno Rocca owns throughout the region andContinue reading “Barbaresco”
Barolo
As today is Sunday, all the wineries were closed and we were unable to book any appointments. All of the local enoteche, however, were open, so we took a leisurely drive around the Barolo valley, stopping every chance we had to taste Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, and even Moscato. Some of the views on ourContinue reading “Barolo”
In Italia!
After a long, beautiful drive along the Mediterranean coast, we arrived tonight at our B&B just outside of Asti in Piemonte. Our home for the next few days is Villa Sampaguita, a charming estate owned and operated by two ex-pats. They served us a multi-course dinner upon our arrival. Everything in it was grown andContinue reading “In Italia!”