I love me some tapas. And, of course Spain is tapa heaven.
So far, my favorite tapas came in the form of manchego cheese topped with anchovies, mashed olives, peppercorns and cherry tomatoes, then drizzled with olive oil.
So. Fricken. Delicious.
(Join us for our Barcelona Experience 2017! We're definitely having this!!)
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
This is a nice little cafe that has great beer made in-house and a seat in the window.
Join us in Barcelona in September!
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
One advantage of nomadic living over tourism is that you can make the time to discover more.
We're here in Barcelona, and Amira is preparing for our Barcelona Experience 2017 event. Those preparations are both systematic and unsystematic.
The systematic planning involves countless hours researching, and also grilling friends and contacts in the city in search of Barcelona's most amazing food experiences. We then go there, meet people, try things and learn more.
The unsystematic approach involves walking around. This is my favorite kind, and we did this for about 8 hours yesterday. During this time, Amira had mapped out six or seven food places (restaurants, bars) and we checked them out. En route, we explored every interesting thing along the way. Sometimes a discovery leads to another which leads to another — for example, you find an amazing restaurant serving amazing bread. Then we find out where the bakery is, check it out, and learn about a new food visionary bakery doing amazing things. We get to know the baker, who introduces us to an amazing wine-maker we otherwise would never have discovered. Etc. Which is... amazing.
We've been doing this for years in Barcelona, having lived here several times for many months each time.
In any event, this wandering around process takes months in any given city. It's a lot of fun. But it's time consuming.
By the way, we still have spots open for The Barcelona Experience 2017! Join us!
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
In our search for Catalonia's greatest food secrets, we've had to look beneath the surface. Literally!
Our quest took us to the cava-producing region near Barcelona. As with Italy's prosecco-growing area, the places where cava is produced is mind-blowingly beautiful, with rolling hills of vineyards, ancient farm houses and tiny villages, each wrapped around a medieval church. (The region is also dotted with bunkers and other painful reminders of the Spanish Civil War.)
A few decades ago, every sparkling wine was called "champagne." But Champagne is a wine-growing region of France. With the rise of the EU, French producers were able to ban the use of "champagne" for any sparkling wine produced outside the area. (You can still see wine buildings in Spain that say in faded paint "champán," the Spanish spelling of "champagne.")
In response, California producers in all their utilitarian artlessness started calling it "sparkling wine." Italians renamed it "prosecco," after the village where the glera grape may have first been developed. And Spain called it "cava."
Cava, it turns out, is Latin for "caves" — the place where grape juice is transformed, and later where bottles are stored for aging. And, boy, are there a lot of caves in cava country.
Anywhere you go in this part of Spain, you encounter cava-producing wineries — buildings of various sizes, with the largest producers centering around building complexes that are larger than most of the towns in the area.
Beneath all these producers are deep caves where the wine is aged. In many cases, they're not stored in containers, but in tiled "rooms" whose sole purpose is to gain hundreds of gallons of cava.
Bottled cava is even stored in Civil War bomb shelters, the brick entrances of which pop up randomly in vineyards.
These wine "caves" also serve as ready-made cheese aging facilities. With a little tweaking and air management, the temperature and humidity can be maintained perfectly, even in Spain's blistering-hot summers.
Our upcoming Barcelona Experience 2017 will take us to the cava country, where we'll explore the beauty of this place, introduce you to the region's visionary food and wine makers — and also marvel at what's taking place beneath the surface.
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
This is a classic photo of one of the typical fruit stands at La Boqueria Market.
What is La Boqueria? To me, it's the heart and epicenter of this glorious city of Barcelona, Spain.
Carefully and beautifully arranged fruit in a display of colorful art to entice the senses of even the most jaded market visitor, this is La Boqueria's signature.
I take this shot every time I come to Barcelona, in fact. It's one of the many familiar places in this wonderland of Farmer's markets.
La Boqueria isn't really a farmer's market. You won't find many real farmer's there. (The true farmer's market actually set ups in the mornings right next to La Boqueria. It's tiny, but everything's cheaper.)
There are many markets in Barcelona. In my experience, most tourists don't bother much with the other markets.
We were last here in Barcelona two years ago, which might be the longest period of time we've gone without visiting this awesome city. It's been a culture shock to see how much more crowded it is now than ever before, and it's not even peak season yet. I have never seen Barcelona, La Rambla and La Boqueria so completely packed and overrun by tourists. I get it, we all love this beautiful city so much. But the Barcelona I first visited has grown and changed enormously.
Our love affair with Barcelona goes back three decades. Mike and I first visited and fell in love with Barcelona when we spent a week here for our honeymoon in July 2007 (we also went to Italy and France). We had the most amazing time and while we had more sangria than should ever be allowed, I still remember all the magic of the city very clearly.
We want to re-capture that magic and share it with you. That's why we've launched Gastronomad Experiences!
Naturally, for our very first of these experiences, and to commemorate our love of food, wine, travel and adventure, we had to choose Barcelona!
We're here in Barcelona for one month to finalize the details of this extraordinary event (which takes place in early September. Click here for details.)
We created these experiences with you in mind. As we've had our amazing adventures abroad and find ourselves having the incredibly magical times and epic experiences, we've always wanted to be able to transport you to our table for you to share the joy with us. And creating our Gastronomad Experiences is a wish come true for us.
Mike and I try to do that everyday. It's a work in progress but the more you practice it the better you get at it. We strive to make life fulfilling, meaningful, rewarding, fun, adventurous, and joyous.
The Barcelona Experience will happen only once! (We'll never repeat an Experience.)
We'll enjoy tapas of the highest order with true local chefs. We'll experience the true bohemian side of this city. We'll learn the secrets of Catalonian cuisine. We'll explore the musical rhythms of flamenco. We'll talk to cultural experts to enlightened us about all things Catalonia and among other things, we'll be visiting the true countryside of Barcelona for a proper wine country day! We'll visit wineries and make wine!
Let's live it up together!
If you're interested in joining us — or just finding out more — send us an email from this page. I'm looking forward to hearing from you! I hope you can join us! -Amira
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
Amira and I spent nine days in the prosecco-growing region of Italy doing our early preparation for a Gastronomad Experience next year (sign up for the newsletter to get updates).
During this trip we've explored dozens of food producers, farms, markets and, of course, wineries. We've tasted and sampled and explored our way through this breathtakingly beautiful corner of the world in Northern Italy near the Austrian border, and found some of the area's greatest food visionaries for our Prosecco Experience 2018. (It's hard work, but somebody's gotta do it.)
In recent years, the world has fallen in love with prosecco. Demand is soaring. So the region struggles to increase supply. A region once balanced in crops and livestock has been almost entirely converted over to the growing of Glera grapes, as well as other secondary grapes that can be added to prosecco. And growing for prosecco has spilled out of the hills and onto what I call the "Prosecco Plains."
In short, there are a lot of newcomers growing grapes to make prosecco. We encountered many of these winemakers, young, old, big, small and everything in between. We've made some great friends and found the region's most visionary food and wine people.
Some of our favorite wine-makers were the traditionalists in the traditional growing areas.
Of course, talking about wine is pointless. You've just gotta try it.
We'll definitely be drinking the best proseccos in the world during next year's Prosecco Experience — plus some amazing food! Sign up for our email newsletter to stay up to date about this event!)
- Mike
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
We were super excited to have an Easter meal at a great restaurant specializing in the region's traditional staple of spiedo, which is fire-roasted meat of just about any kind served with polenta.
The Mayor chose the restaurant for us, so we didn't know what to expect. It's called Baita alle Grotte.
We arrived on schedule and inside were a few very large tables seating between 10 or 20 people -- obviously local families dressed up and enjoying a traditional holiday meal. We had the only small table, and the only available one.
It turned out to have been a seven-course meal, with several of the courses including multiple options, and it took us four hours to get through it. Every. Single. Thing. Was absolutely delicious, authentic and amazing.
(We're planning our Prosecco Experience 2017 — sign up for our free email newsletter here to stay up to date on what will definitely be a spectacularly delicious adventure!!)
Here's our incredible, unforgettable Pasqua (Easter) dinner in Cison di Valmarino.
Piccolo sformatino all' apsarago bianco di Cimadolmo cnelle all'uovo e tartare di zucchine.
Punta di vitello arrosto su piccola misticanza profumata di primavera glassa balsamica.
La tortiera ai carciofi con rosellini di sopressa e la giardiniera sottolio.
Il timballo paglia e fieno al ragu delicato d'agnello e vitello.
Il raviolone alle erbette spontanee burro, salvia, papavero e la ricotta salata.
L'agnello, le costicine di maiale e pollo ruspante allo spiedo con polenta.
(Same course as above, but plated.)
Fantasia di frutta col gelato alla vanglia e granella croccante.
The waitress came around with several kinds of house-made grappa served in our coffee cups.
Cherry grappa. Wow!
This was an unforgettable experience.
The Americans closed the joint.
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
The ancient town hall building of Cison di Valmarino.
The day before Easter we rolled into the spectacularly beautiful village of Cison di Valmarino, which is in the Prosecco-growing region of Italy and very close to Austria.
After checking into our AirBnB, our host told us that the Mayor (the real mayor, not the one on Foursquare) would like to meet us and sit down for coffee, and asked if we were available the next morning (Easter Morning). We said yes, and she said she would tell the mayor.
We then set out to find survival provisions (wine, bread, cheese, fruit, chocolate, etc.) as we were told that on Easter and the day after all stores would be closed and all restaurants booked; if we didn't have a reservation by now, we would not be eating at a restaurant. We found a small mom and pop mini mart place (well, pop anyway -- no sign of mom) and loaded up on foodstuffs.
So at the appointed hour next day our host arrived to convey us to the town square around the corner.
As we walked into the square, the mayor, whose name is Cristina Pin, drove up, got out and said hi (in Italian -- she didn't speak much English, so our host did the translating).
She invited us in to a really charming cafe, where there was a cozy nook in the back where we had some very good coffee, hot chocolate, croissants and pastries and talked about the town and also about our Gastronomad Experiences. (She thought it sounded like a good idea to have one in the Town next year.)
The mayor then gave us a tour of the town hall, dates back to the 16th Century. The building is absolutely amazing, and retains ancient terrazzo tiles on the floor, rough beams carved centuries ago with an axe and other original features. But in offices and meeting rooms, most of the furniture is modern.
Mayor Cristina Pin
While we were in Mayor Pin's offices, we mentioned that we were looking forward to trying the local specialty, which is basically meat roasted on a skewer over a wood fire and usually eaten with polenta. She asked where we planned to eat that night, and we said we had no reservations. So she whipped out her phone, called a restaurant and made us a reservation. (No way they had availability; I wonder who they bumped.)
The Mayor gave us two books related to local history, which she signed, and rushed off to the church for Easter services.
(We're planning our Prosecco Experience 2017 — sign up for our free email newsletter here to stay up to date on what will definitely be a spectacularly delicious adventure!!)
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
Amira found and rented this wonderful 17th-Century house in the middle of endless northern Italian vineyards that will yield prosecco. What a wonderful place to work.
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
We enjoyed a very nice sunset dinner tonight at a restaurant here in Venice called Pizzeria Oke. We got to sit right by the water. We ordered a better-than-average aperol, and a spectacular beer made here in Venice (called Redentor), as well as a plate of seafood and a really nice pizza.
The seafood plate was amazing. (Venice has some incredibly fresh and delicious seafood.) This dish included fresh sardines, a baby octopus, squid, cod, salmon and a breaded and deep-fried something or other that was very good.
After dinner we made our way back to our apartment, a process that involves general movement in the right direction, with a lot of dead-ends in painfully charming alleys (often terminating in a canal).
Venice is wonderful.
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
A friend recently asked me: "How do you find the best places?"
In fact, people have been asking both me and Amira this question for years. We've been sharing our foodie experiences on social media for the last ten years, and our friends and followers are often shocked by what we're able to discover and experience.
And it's more relevant than ever, now that we're inviting small groups of friends to join us for Gastronomad Experiences. (Our next three Experiences are in Barcelona, Fez and Mexico City.)
The answer to how we find the best places may surprise you.
Our discovery process has three components: 1) Time; 2) Investigation; and 3) Context.
1. Time
The time element is key. We find that it takes weeks or months of full-time exploration to truly discover cultural traditions and the real food scene in any city as well as those cities where the best food is found. This exploration is informed by weeks or months of research online and by phone, followed by additional weeks or months of research on the ground at each location. Amira does most of this work, and she spends a great deal of her time on this.
For example, in a couple weeks, we're headed to Europe to do advanced recon on a very special location for next year (to be announced).
Then, we're moving to Barcelona for a month where Amira will complete her research and outreach for the upcoming Barcelona Experience (even though we've lived in Barcelona several times).
After that (though we’ve travelled to Morocco several times), we're headed to Morocco for two full months of research and exploration for the upcoming Morocco Experience.
Because we, ourselves, are gastronomads, we have the time to conduct deep exploration of each city before events.
2. Investigation
We discover places through two basic processes. The first is that we cultivate serendipity.
We love to walk for exercise, and typically put in between three to ten miles per day. We systematically meander through a city's streets and alleys and boulevards, always on the lookout for undiscovered gems to explore.
The second process is investigation. Amira spends hours each day working like a detective or private eye or shoe-leather investigative journalist. She starts with a market or shop that looks high quality, grilling them about all aspects of their operation and philosophy, and also asking them about suppliers, traditional artisans, makers and farmers and food visionaries in the area. She then takes what she's learned to the next person, and continues this way through the city's high-quality food sector.
Over the weeks, she figures out who the real innovators and traditionalists are, who's offering what, and where the special farmers, vineyards, wineries, breweries, butchers, cheesemakers and restaurateurs are. She gets to the root of what drives the food scene in that town. We try and test and sample -- this is where I come in. (Hey, somebody's gotta do it!)
3. Context
Amira doesn't approach all this from a vacuum. She's spent her entire adult life as a food professional, beginning her career with heading food and beverage operations at prestigious hotels (Mondrian, Beverly Wilshire, Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles and Park Hotels in New York City). She’s also worked as the special events executive catering manager for the chancellor of UCSB, has her own practice providing health counseling and food counseling work and has been a lifelong creative force in the development of healthy, organic recipes and cooking methods. (Check out her amazing creations on Google+.)
In short, we discover the best food places with a lot of time and work pursuing our lifelong passions, and it's a joy to do.
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
If you've followed us on social media, then you know that we consider the combining of work and play something of an art form.
We've always have told readers that we'd love to share our amazing meals, exquisite scenery and epic experiences as we travel the world. So now we're doing it!
We carefully select the most spectacular locations in our favorite cities, then host a small group of fun-loving foodies for a few epic days and nights to deeply explore the local food and drinks culture with experts in every field. We'll cook, explore each city's best secret food spots, markets, bars, wineries, history, culture and more. (Plus, we'll throw in some optional professional courses along the way.)
It's a nothing like a conventional packaged tour -- each event is a real and uniquely handcrafted, once-in-a-lifetime experience curated by Amira and me to reflect the way we live -- like "temporary locals."
We find secrets places and hidden gems that mainstream tourists don't know about. We connect with the locals and explore culture and culinary traditions that most travelers would never discover or know to do on their own.
Get the details on our Experiences page!
Our first event is: The Barcelona Experience. This exclusive, 5-night, 6-day experience is a celebration of life, Catalonian style! Get more information and apply here!
Our next one is: The Morocco Experience, which takes place in Fez, Morocco, at the end of September. Click here to get on the list for Morocco!
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
I had an amazing time in Cuba. It wasn't a vacation. I was working the whole time. So I needed to keep all my stuff charged. But the thing about places like Cuba is: So much sunshine; so few outlets to charge my phone, tablet and laptop. They don't have a Starbucks on every corner -- or any corner.
I can't tell you how many times I've found myself in some random country unable to charge my phone. Where do you do it?
Meanwhile, the sun is often beating down -- the sun, of course, is what Elon Musk called "that big fusion power plant in the sky."
The obvious solution is some way to charge using solar power.
Fortunately, I was using an eval unit of a really great product called the Solartab Solar Charger. It's a BAB (big-ass battery -- 9,000 mAh, actually) that can be charged by plugging it into an outlet -- or by exposing its solar panels to the sun.
I can charge anything that plugs in with USB (like my iPhone) or USB-C (like my Nexus 5x).
The truth is that I normally charge it in the wall, not the sun. But because I have the solar option, I never have to worry about running out of juice. And I really have needed it a few times.
Carrying the Solartab is just like carrying a tablet. It's got a cover, which can be used to prop it up to optimize the angle toward the sun. It's also rugged and waterproof, so you don't have to baby it when you're hiking or sailing.
Here's all the gear I use and recommend.
#solar #solarpower #solartab
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
A few years ago, Amira and I, along with our good friend Kostas, were driving all over the Peloponnese doing cool stuff, and we decided to check out the Theater of Argos.
In reality, it's a big, ancient Roman theater built on top of a smaller, but even more ancient Greek one, which dates back about 2,300 years.
These ancient theaters are famous for their acoustics. If you stand in the right spot, you can whisper and everyone in the stands can hear you.
What blew our minds was that when we arrived, there was a German girl sitting on a chair in the acoustic hot-spot playing the cello.
She was very good. And it sounded amazing.
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
I'm obsessed with good coffee. And I've collected coffee making devices from all over the world. I've written about a few of them here.
For example, remember when I told you about my vietnamese coffee maker?
And my ugly Italian Bialetti coffee maker?
Or my beautiful one?
Or my obsession with making Turkish coffee?
I love them all. But the truth is that all these are packed away and stored in boxes. The coffee maker I actually travel with and use everyday is my Aerobie AeroPress coffee maker.
Here's why:
* It's light and compact, and so it's compatible with packing light for travel
* It's easy to use: When I'm done, I just pop the coffee and filter into the trash and rinse
* It's cheap: The coffee maker itself is very inexpensive, and it doesn't need a lot of coffee to brew a strong cup
* It's flexible. I buy coffee in random stores all over the world. Some of it is powder-fine. Sometimes I buy beans and crush them with a mortar-and-pestle. The AeroPress handles it all.
I love my AeroPress.
Here's all the stuff I use and recommend.
#coffee #aeropress
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
I live abroad to immerse myself in other peoples' cultures. But every once in a while, you see your own culture reflected back at you.
Amira and I were slogging across a part of Mexico City on foot recently, trying desperately to not get enticed into one of the many amazing restaurants on our route.
But one place looked too great to pass up, so we went inside. The restaurant is called Aurora Roma ( https://www.yelp.com/biz/aurora-roma-m%C3%A9xico ). They seated us right in front of the band. Turns out it was a Mexican trio playing American jazz.
Of course, American jazz is heavily influenced by so called "latin" styles. But this was a style of jazz without a latin influence, and they were truly great.
Another incredible product of nomad serendipity.
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
My favorite gadget (other than my iPhone and iPad) is my Ring Video Doorbell.
Here's the thing: The Ring Video Doorbell is advertised as something for home-owners. You're supposed to mount it as a permanent replacement for your front-door doorbell. And I recommend that every home-owner buy and install the newer Ring Video Doorbell Pro.
As you know, I'm a nomad. I live mostly in AirBnBs all over the world. That's why people are surprised that I use a Ring Video Doorbell everywhere I travel -- and I recommend that everyone do this.
In fact, even if you own a home and install the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, I still recommend buying a second Ring device for any travel you do. The benefits for safety and property protection are just too great.
When you travel, you're more vulnerable to theft and crime. When you stay at an AirBnB, the neighbors know you're a traveler and probably carry cash, passports, laptops, tablets, cameras and other valuables.
By placing a Ring Video Doorbell in front of the house, you can know whether anyone has entered the premises -- or if they're still there -- before you open the door. At night, while you're sleeping, you can see if anyone is trying to break in.
Ring camera products work by connecting to WiFi,and capture video of any motion or video when someone rings the bell. The video is streamed into the cloud. The alters chime your phone, and you can watch the video live, and even talk to whoever is there through your phone like an intercom system.
(The photo shows the view through my Ring Video Doorbell in an AirBnB I rented in Marseille, France.)
I think everyone should own at least one Ring camera.
BUT -- there are two things you need to know before you buy.
First, the newest product, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, is not usable for travel. The reason is that it requires a wired connection to the home's electrical system.
Instead, buy either the older (but cheaper) Ring Video Doorbell, or buy the Ring Stickup Cam, which gives you the camera but not the doorbell feature. Both these products contain rechargeable batteries that last for months between charges.
Here's where you can buy the Ring Video Doorbell.
Here's where you can buy the Ring Stickup Cam.
The second thing you need to know is: How to mount a Ring device temporarily.
The answer is something you can buy at the hardware store called "mounting putty." It's like Silly Putty, but can be used for securely but temporarily mounting anything. You just put for small blobs of mounting putty in each corner of the camera and press it to the wall next to the door.
Here's the mounting putty I buy, which works great.
There you have it, folks. Whether you own or rent a home, or travel full-time like I do, always have a Ring Video Doorbell or Ring Stickup Cam wherever you go.
#ringvideodoorbell #ringvideodoorbellpro #ringstickupcam
(Full disclosure: Links in this post are Amazon Associate links. Here's a link to all the gear I use and recommend.)
Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)
The Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico City was fun to visit, in part because it was the home where Kahlo was born and where she died and also where she and her husband, Diego Rivera, worked. A lot of their stuff is still there.
The museum is the only site in Mexico City where we saw a lot of gringo tourists. Kahlo is a big attraction for Americans, and presumably for Euro-tourists as well.
The trinket-industrial complex has seized on Frida mania and now makes all kinds of Kahlo-related objects. You can buy Frida mermaids and Frida piggy banks and lots of other Frida-faced stuff.
It's weird, but vaguely funny.
I get frustrated buying smartphone cases because the most important feature to me is a kickstand that holds the phone vertically, in portrait mode.
Many apps don't display in horizontal mode, and I often use a keyboard with my phone to write columns and blog posts.
By eliminating all cases that don't have a vertical kickstand, I'm eliminating from consideration more than 99.9 % of the cases out there.
My other criteria are that the case should be tasteful and beautiful, slim and holdable (grippy and pleasant to hold) and feel very well constructed.
While hunting for a case for my new iPhone 7, I was shocked to discover a case that met all my picky criteria and -- get this -- had a 4.5-star rating on Amazon.com with 4,500 reviews!
The case is the DREEM Fibonacci iPhone Wallet Case.
The base case snaps on the phone, protecting the back and edges, but not the screen. It's super thin, elegant and pleasurable to hold.
A separate unit is a clamshell wallet, which covers the screen and back, and holds credit cards and cash. It's all made from convincing fake leather.
The DREEM has strategically placed magnets that hold the phone to the wallet and hold the case closed.
Those same magnets enable you to use the wallet part as a cradle for holding the phone in either orientation at multiple angles while resting on a table.
The wallet part has a slot that matches up with the iPhone's phone speaker, so you can talk on the phone with the wallet closed. Another hole in the back matches up with the iPhone's camera and flash, so you can take pictures without removing the wallet.
After using my DREEM case for a few days, I was so happy with it I bought my wife one.
They come in 8 colors, support all 6 and 7 iPhones and the price is right.
I love this case!
(Sadly, the case is for iPhone only. I've asked the company to tell me if and when they plan to sell Android cases, and I'll let you know what their answer is when they reply.)
(Full disclosure: This is an Amazon Associates link)
#iPhone #iphonecase #smartphonecase
One of the handiest items I carry everywhere is an electric immersion heater. You just hook it into a cup of water and plug it in. In a few minutes, the water is boiling so you can make coffee, tea, soup or whatever. They're cheap, too, typically costing less than $12.
(I also carry teabags and instant coffee.)
#immersionheater