San Sebastian in Winter Means Constant Rain… San Sebastian is very much a tourism-oriented city, with its sandy beaches (both surf beach and a sheltered bay), history (it is the centre of the ancient Basque region and language), pintxos (tapas-style bites served on the bars) and fine dining (as a city San Sebastian has the most Michelin Stars per … Read More
The Ouche Valley
Country Living in the Ouche Valley, Burgundy I spent 3 blissful weeks housesitting in the small town of Bligny-sur-Ouche in Le Val D’Ouche (Ouche Valley) in Burgundy in October 2016. I was without a car but certainly didn’t feel isolated. I spent most of my days exploring Bligny and neighbouring villages by foot or bike, hiking in the expansive countryside and … Read More
A Day in Dijon
A Day in Dijon The city of Dijon is situated in the mid-east of France, roughly halfway between Geneva and Paris. It is one of the two most famous cities in Burgundy, the other being Beaune. In my opinion, any city where you can find traditional Maille Mustard on pump (ie. like a beer tap/pump) is somewhere definitely worth a visit. I spent a … Read More
Grape Picking and Stomping in Burgundy
Pinot Noir Vendange (grape picking) and Pigeage (grape stomping) 2016 Domaine Frederic Mazeau, Burgundy Burgundy (Bourgogne) in France is world-renowned for its wines. Wine has been produced in the region for over 2000 years. Its Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) was awarded in 1936 and describes the regions or climats that produce Grand Crus wines, Premier Crus wines, Villages wines and … Read More
The Best of Cyprus
In the far east of the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt, you’ll find the fascinating island of Cyprus. Cyprus has a rather interesting history. Previously part of the Ottoman Empire, the English colonised Cyprus in 1925 when the Empire fell. Cyprus remained a Crown Colony until its independence in 1960. In 1974 Turkey invaded the North side … Read More
8 Foods but Only 1 Day in Parma?
Parma, Italy, is known as the food capital of Italy. If you ask an Italian, this therefore means it is the food capital of Europe. Parma is right in the middle of the region of Reggio Emilia Romagna north of Tuscany and Umbria. The region is famous for Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Balsamic vinegar of Modena but there is … Read More
Hiking the Cinque Terre and Portovenere
Hiking in the Cinque Terre and Portovenere In my opinion, Italy has some of the most spectacular coastlines in the Mediterranean with the section from Portovenere to Monterosso in the province of La Spezia (Liguria) being my favourite. This Ligurian coastline spans approximately 25km and includes the well-known Cinque Terre, or “Five Lands”, comprising Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso … Read More
Pure Parma: Prosciutto Di Parma
A stay in Parma would most definitely NOT be complete without a visit to a certified Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma Factory. Similar to the way that the production of Champagne is very heavily regulated and controlled, so is the production of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (parmesan cheese) and Prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham). These extremely natural products are produced exclusively … Read More
Pure Parma: Parmigiano Reggiano
A stay in Parma would most definitely NOT be complete without a visit to a certified Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma Factory. Similar to the way that the production of Champagne is very heavily regulated and controlled, so is the production of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (parmesan cheese) and Prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham). These extremely natural products are produced exclusively … Read More
A lesson in making Natural Gelato
Gelaterias in Italy are as commonplace as coffee shops or cafes are in Australia, I think there must be some law that says “no-one should be further than 500m walk from a gelato store”. My local gelateria in Parma was called Il Gelato… Naturellement and is located at Piazza Filippo Corridoni, 15 (on Via Massimo D’Azeglio). Il Gelato was opened by Marina … Read More