Posts tagged: ABC Travel Lists

The Coachella Valley:
Palms to Pines
Golf holes to Polo fields
Hiking boots to Stilettos
Date trees to Dance floors
Swimming pools to Concerts
Ginger and Nutmeg are ‘relative’ newbies to the Palm Springs area and want to thank their friends for the locals’ tips. Nutmeg has created one of her ABC lists to provide all G&N readers a snapshot of the valley.

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Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, California Travel Guides

Nutmeg cannot resist creating these ABC lists for travel in a new location.  It helps her to better understand the edible bits and traditions from the area. The following is her must know essentials for Portugal.
Atlantic coastline stretches just over 900km with vertigo inducing cliffs, creamy-sand beaches and big surf. World-class athletes dedicated to the “board” gather in seaside towns like Peniche to take advantage of the waves.

Black pork – porco preto is a Portuguese staple. The grey and black pigs graze on acorns.
Cod or bacalhau is deeply entrenched in the Portuguese national diet. Just as in Roman times the fish is dried and salted to preserve it.

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Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, Portugal Travel Tips, Things you should know about Portugal, Travel Essentials in Portugal, Travel in Lisbon

Ginger and Nutmeg have done many road trips over the years. There is something exciting about planning any trip, the thrill of discovering a new destination or reaching a well-known endpoint. Packing for a car journey is much less hassle than air travel – no weight restrictions, no security lines, baggage limits are somewhat relaxed and there is no requirement to “undress” your laptop.

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Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, California Travel Guides, Road Trip Planner

Nutmeg toured only a small portion of Ireland with her family. The island is tiny, yet the number of potential attractions is enormous, and the roads are small. Rather than bore you with the specific itinerary, she decided to do another ABC list (this one abbreviated).

Aran Islands lie off the coast from Galway. These are three barren specs of land still occupied by native Irish speakers. Even if you have not heard of the islands you have most likely come across an Aran cable knit sweater, typically made from heavy, cream-coloured wool.
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Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, Touring Ireland, Travel Ireland

Nutmeg was invited to explore Ireland with her family. The dates for the Irish tour were selected, and the itinerary confirmed. The uncontrollable was the weather. The Emerald Isle teased the group on the first day with a cool, sunny day. During the balance of the trip the sun was elusive, the rain was not – it was GREEN.
The following is one of Nutmeg’s ABC lists to give you a view of this glorious place.

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Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, Good Food Ireland, Irish Travel, Touring Ireland

You have watched “The Way” the 2011 movie staring Martin Sheen, written and directed by his son Emilio Estevez.
 OR
You have a friend who has walked the Camino and now you are thinking of walking to Santiago de Compenstela.
Where to start? What to carry? What footwear? Which route? It is confusing.
The following is not a checklist but rather a few things every potential pilgrim should know about the long route to the renowned cathedral. Given the nature of this trek there are a few extra letters (C,P and S) in this ABC list. (more…)

Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, Camino de Santiago, European Travel Tips, The Way of St James, Travel in Spain

Anticipation is what Nutmeg would call this blog post. The labour of love required to persuade grapevines to produce their fruit year after year is one for only the most patient individuals. Owning a vineyard and producing your own wine certainly sounds romantic, to those who might be desk or office-bound. However, the reality of the yearlong process is one of hard physical labour and working with what Mother Nature delivers.
Ginger and Nutmeg have certainly sampled their fair share (possibly more) of wine, while in Europe. They certainly do not pretend to be experts in the field of growing grapes, nor producing wine. There is no reason to dive into the specifics of viticulture in a blog post, as there are many experts who have written tombs on the subject. Instead, here are some ABCs around wine that will make you sound like an expert (or an idiot) and some fun facts.

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Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, French Wines, Provencal Traditions, Provence Travel, Travel in France

The island of Corsica is odd shaped, think of a bunch of grapes with the stem at the top and you will not be too far off.  The stem of the cluster forms the wild and stunning Cap Corse. The island’s terrain is enormously varied from mountain peaks (120 summits over 2000 meters) and river gorges to sandy beaches and lush plains.  This varied topography is reflective of the balance of the grapes in the bunch. Ginger and Nutmeg were told by friends that Corsica is like a mini-France. They were right, the island offers the traveller a rich and tasty experience within the 1000km coastline. The Corsican population is fiercely proud of their locally produced food and beverage products. Ginger and Nutmeg did their best to sample a wide variety of the available goods during their trip. Nutmeg had a bit of fun with this post and hopes you will too.
The following are the ABC’s of Corsican food…

Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, Corsica, Corsica Food, French Food, Travel in France, Wines of Corsica