Posts tagged: European Travel Tips

Nutmeg’s parents (Hot Sauce and Chili) love to travel.  Last year, they put a mere 6000 nautical miles on their boat doing the Great Loop Miss Bim’s Adventures.  This year they have decide to take on Europe in 7 weeks and do a driving road trip.  They start the adventure in Gothenburg (Sweden), at the Volvo factory, with a tour and a new car.  They will have a GPS and are fully equipped with the latest technology to get from point to point.  However, Nutmeg is concerned they may not have done all their research, on the food and drink options that await them in the next few weeks.  So, the following is an overview of the trip and Nutmeg’s food guide to help them narrow down the endless possibilities:

City
Country
Food Possibilities

Copenhagen
Denmark
Frikadeller (meatballs), with cabbage and beets

Kristiansand
Norway
Smoked Salmon, Gravlax, Open faced sandwiches, Meats served with juniper berries and lingonberry jam.  One interesting  thing is that Norway is the world’s…

Recipes & Travel:
European Travel Tips, Road Trip Planner, Travel in France, Travel in Hungary, Travel in Sweden

If there is one thing that Nutmeg and Ginger love to try it is food.  The truth is you are not going to starve in any of these great cities; the array of options can be overwhelming.  In all three cities Paris, Vienna and Brussels there is no end of options for international cuisine.  Each city offers fresh farmers markets, local produce retailers and many ethnic specialty areas.  In turn, each city has a large inventory of what Nutmeg likes to call the dreaded “overpriced and underwhelming tourist traps”.
With the internet, it is easy enough to search for good to great restaurant options in any city. Zagat is a reliable resource and a bit more established in Europe than Open Table.
The other strategy is “roll of the dice”; this means taking some time to look at the menu (price and limited variety), the décor (lighting levels and table settings) and the number of diners (never try an empty restaurant). …

Recipes & Travel:
Austria, Brussels, European Travel Tips, Restaurant Reviews, Travel to Paris

Nutmeg was last in Brussels a couple decades ago (more or less).  At that time she and her friends stayed in an unrated hotel – sometimes called a “youth hostel”.  It was a rainy depressing few days, the city was uninviting, the food marginal (keep in mind a student budget) and the place was filled with beggars.
So fast forward… the accommodations are not grand this time, although certainly a big step up from the hostel.  The sun has shone for 2 out of 3 days and the beggars are gone.  That is not to say you should not watch your pockets, just do so with the same level of caution you would apply everywhere.
Brussels  fast facts:

population of over 1 million
55,000 of which are European officials
over 200 different nationalities can be found (1 in 2 people have foreign roots)
the city covers 170 sqkm (10 times the sprawl of Paris)
home to NATO and the EU

Apart from being the centre of European…

Recipes & Travel:
Brussels, European Travel Tips, Travel Belgium

Nutmeg loves Europe and the UK.  What is not to love?  There is great history, wonderful art and architecture, fantastic food, endless wine and vast cultures.  They just have no idea about showers.  Europeans and the Brits love to differ on many things but the dreaded Euro shower is consistent from country to country.  In the UK they tend to love hot baths and view the shower as a demon invention, only necessary to serve North American tastes.  Broadly used in the UK and other countries is a hand-held shower.  What this means is trying to hold the hose and nozzle in one hand while trying to soap, shampoo and shave with the other – please advise if you have perfected this circus trick.  The only method that Nutmeg has seemed to find marginally successful is to sit in the tub and use the sides of the bath as a bit of a barrier.  Some bathrooms are quite modern,…

Recipes & Travel:
European Travel Tips, Self-Guided Travel in Europe

Nutmeg is off to join Ginger on a school trip. She really hopes that a school trip in your mid-40’s looks a lot different then it might of in high school. Anyway, watch for updates from the coffee and chocolate capitals: Paris, Vienna and Brussels.

Recipes & Travel:
Brussels, Chocolate Guide to Europe, Coffee in Europe, European coffee and chocolate capitals, European Travel Tips, Paris Coffee Shops, Paris Food, Vienna Coffee House, Vienna Travel Tips