The Adriatic Sea is rarely mentioned in comparison to the Mediterranean Sea, yet the Adriatic Sea is a northern arm of the Mediterranean Sea. My travels for the next few months will be to explore the Balkan Peninsula, not really a peninsula, and Italian Peninsula separated by this 500 mile long body of water.
For those of you who love water, I learned, the Adriatic Sea is relatively shallow, has clear, turquoise water and over 1,000 islands. Wonder if island hopping is a thing people do?
My time will be split: group tour and solo time. The entire travel involves places I have never visited, so this will be a true exploration! My blog posts are usually twice a week, however, if writing time is available, I’ll post more often.
Looking at a map, I’ll visit Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and some locations on the eastern coast of Italy. If you have visited any of these areas, let me know what I should not miss! Thanks!
My sketch below is to orient myself to the locations of the countries I’ll eventually be visiting. I’ll start on the Southeastern European side. Can you name the countries labeled B thru F? Then I’ll visit eastern coast of country labeled A. Will not visit country labeled “?”, but needed to include it for my sense of the area.
Italian and Balkan Peninsulas. Can you name the countries?
Here are the answers:
A= Italy
B= Slovenia
C= Croatia
D= Bosnia and Herzegovina
E= Montenegro
F= Albania
How did you do? What about upper right corner with question mark? Answer: Serbia
Time to travel … and explore foods, birds, history with eyes wide open and to meet people from all over the world!
Foods must be tasted while traveling the world! In Chile I did my best to try some food, once I figured out what the menu was advertising!
And the meal was … steak and mushrooms in cream sauce and fries …
Mushrooms and steak in cream sauce and fries
Fish and chicken are on many menus. I had fish: hake, ceviche, shrimp in curry, salmon, and shrimp, queso and pineapple empanada. The most traditional Chilean choice was the “pastel de jaiba”, a delicious crab pie with a couple of shrimp on top!
Hake, a white fish, with fries
Cerviche: fresh, raw fish “cooked” in citrus juices.
Shrimp curry with rice. It also had a lentil salad.
Chilean salmon is raised in the Antarctic waters of Patagonia. Chile is second largest salmon producer in the world.
Shrimp, queso, and pineapple empanada. The LARGEST empanada I have ever eaten! Most empanadas fit in the palm of your hand. This one was the size of a dinner plate. Delicious!
Pastel de jaiba … a crab pie
Chockfull of crab! I ate no dinner that night after this lunch-time meal!
At our home-hosted meal in Puerto Varas, we made empanadas and enjoyed a Pisco sour while the corn stew finished cooking. The corn stew was delicious and even with some sausage slices on top. Of course, the carménère wine was delicious too!
Corn stew
Can opt for sausage on top of corn stew
Carménère wine
Sometimes my fellow travelers and I shared platters of food. Here are two examples:
Washing down the food was with a choice of either a juice, water, beer and/or wine. My first choice was always wine, especially the Carménère … a red wine grape from Bordeaux France and rediscovered in Chile. Of course, a good beer is perfect for some meals also, such as a local beer while on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). A Pisco sour was often offered upon arrival to a home or as a “welcoming drink” at a hotel. Lovely!:)
Local beer made here in Rapa Nui
Pisco sour
Dessert anyone? I remember flan, the custard-like dessert with caramel sauce, often served in South American countries. I am a lover of crème brûlée so it would be easy for me to eat flan often here; however, I discovered some healthy options. One was a sweet cucumber and mango dish and the other a Pohe dessert: squash and banana dish served on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Flan in Santiago
Sweet cucumber and mango dessert
Pohe dessert (squash & banana) on Easter Island
So many other foods to try, but living in the Southwest USA I have had many corn products already. The bottomline though, food and drink were delicious! But let’s not forget the delicious “curanto” – stew cooked in one pot while we were visiting a couple on Chiloé Island. If you missed it, click here. That’s a meal not to be missed! And you cannot miss the size of this garlic we saw at the local market!
Our “Day in the Life” time was on a peninsula of Chiloé Island, in the town of Rilan. Here we visited a couple who opened their home to us. She is a wonderful cook, the homemade bread was delicious with honey butter! He is an amazing woodcarver and fisherman. They both work a huge garden!
We all helped prep our meal. It’s a traditional meal here called a “curanto”. This stew consists of shellfish, meat, potatoes and vegetables all cooked within one pot. We created small balls of cooked mashed potatoes and grated raw potatoes with a bit of pork within. Also balls of mashed potatoes and flour. These golf-ball sized balls were each wrapped in plastic wrap. I diced onion, red pepper and garlic which was sautéed in a huge pot. From there, other food items were added per layer: mussels, chicken legs, pork pieces, those wrapped potato balls, and sausages with plant leaves in-between each layer of food. The pot lid was held down with rocks as the steam cooked the food for at least an hour. Here are some of the layers within the pot.
Many layers of food and plant leaves now to steam to cook!
While the meal cooked, we walked in the garden, saw the wood carved pieces related to the island’s mythology and played “rayuela” which is similar to horseshoes or bocce. Instead one throws a metal disc into a sand box that has a string across the center. Closest disc wins. We had a winner!
After dinner which was a delicious meal, music and dancing … all great fun and perfect opportunity to spend time with this couple. On our return, we had a boat ride to see birds and the houses on stilts. Very interesting how people build their home on stilts and continue to extend their construction into the bay. We did visit one such home.
Other info I learned: 324 varieties of potatoes. Sixteen of 80 churches on this island are UNESCO sites. Last earthquake was in 2010.
Next, the reason I am on this trip, besides Easter Island, is to see Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park! Give me a few days and I’ll be back.
Popcorn provides me with salt and corn taste which I enjoy after a day in warm air. But I am not sure if I enjoy a glass of wine or a mug of beer with my popcorn?
Or should it be a chilled white wine?
or a beer?
What would you drink with your popcorn? Or do you have another food and beverage to enjoy after a warm day outdoors? Share if you wish!
So you want to travel! And you’re concerned about the cost of the travel. I understand; I get it! Before leaving home, you can estimate some costs: transportation, food, lodging and sightseeing admission costs. Use realistic numbers when calculating these estimates and then add what you feel could be your “slush fund”. Those monies are what you may need to cover the surprises … increased fees, emergencies, or paying for an event you truly wish to attend and just learned about while on your trip!
Does everything cost money? Not exactly. Where things do cost money, there may be ways to accomplish the same or similar in less expensive ways. I look for ways to not break my bank account.
Gas to power the vehicle. Some people can drive hybrid vehicles and get better gas mileage than me with my van at 20 miles per gallon. However, others wish to travel in a larger RV and they only get 8 miles per gallon. So choose the travel vehicle best for your travel budget and go forth!
My go-to choices when looking for gasoline at less dollars per gallon is to check my GasBuddy app. There I see what gas station has the least expensive gas price, especially when there is no Costco in the area. Otherwise I use my basic Costco membership for my gasoline bill. With it I often pay 5 to 25 cents less per gallon than another station in the area. Those cents add up to saving dollars.
Other people may use Sam’s Club, another membership that can help you save money. I recently signed up for Love’s Travel Stop. Besides saving cents per gallon, I can wash my windshield with their longer-handled windshield brushes. Plus if I need a shower, after a few boon-docking nights or Harvest Host nights with no services, I can reserve/take a shower for $18 at a Love’s Travel Stop.
Food to power you. You’re driving down the road and billboard messages entice you to try a place at the upcoming exit for their cheese, ice cream, hamburgers, etc. Willpower is needed. Keep your budget in mind!
Dependent on your method of travel … are you tenting, in a van/RV decked out with kitchen, or such as my van where I use a backpacker stove at a picnic table? In your estimates, you would know the breakfast with yogurt, cereal and blueberries may not be every morning. My coffee and tea per day are a constant. So how many mornings did you plan to eat an omelet or pancakes out?
In your estimates, you may have planned lunches with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or cheese and crackers, fruit and nuts. What number of lunches may be eaten on the road? Or will you snack and have a late lunch, early dinner on the road?
I have seen people carry all kinds of kitchen appliances, even if their RV has a kitchen! Additional grills, InstaPots and waffle makers. If you’re carrying them along, are you using them?
My approach: when the weather is nice, I’ll cook every meal on my backpacker stove or make a sandwich or have food directly from my cooler. When weather is not so nice, I quickly boil water for a dehydrated meal from my food box. If I am swamped with bad weather, I consider buying food I can eat with no prep needed.
Here’s where supermarkets are helpful. I love having a sandwich for lunch or dinner and often will buy a bread roll, sandwich fixings at the deli counter and make my own sandwich. I love the markets where you can buy one roll at a time! My best meals are when I buy a roasted rotisserie chicken and shred the chicken breasts for future sandwiches with tomato and avocado! I usually eat the thighs and legs straight-away. I love adding coleslaw to all my supermarket sandwiches. Some markets have the California sushi roll, rice pudding, small curd cottage cheese and kefir … other food items I look for when in a store. Don’t forget to check the day-old product shelf! You’ll probably be eating the item that day and you’ll be saving 50%! Fresh fruit and individually-packed fruit containers work for me to keep a balanced diet.
Every state in our union has a special food to brag about, such as brats, cheese curds and Kringles in Wisconsin. So I look for the food and try it … another joy when traveling! Some day I’ll actually do a food tour as I travel. That would be so much fun!
Don’t forget to eat where locals eat. Often I find more food served at a less expensive cost, so ask for recommendations to local eateries. I also learned they often only take cash … so be prepared!
Each day I will make coffee and tea, then it is water for the rest of the day. Hot days, electrolytes are added. Relaxing moments and wanting something different on my tastebuds, I’ll drink a small soda or electrolyte drink purchased from the supermarket. Late afternoon, I often have a Guinness beer. Buying drinks from establishments is costly; however, I do have a set amount of money on my Starbucks card. Rainy days may be the morning I buy my coffee at that establishment, but when I am out of the money I set on the card, I am done.
Where to sleep at night. If you are traveling with an RV, or like myself in a self-contained van, the decision is quite easy. Choose the campground you can afford. Many apps and guides can help, plus each state has state parks. I also like the Harvest Hosts membership where I can request a stay, pull in to the location and only pay $30. I’ve met campers who stay on Bureau of Land Management or Army Corp of Engineer locations. Again, there are books providing those details.
Motels, hotels, bed and breakfast places, glamping and cabins are other options. If you go the motel/hotel route, then join their loyalty card so you can save dollars, and/or gain a free night, after staying so many nights. Or select a credit card linked with a hotel chain. You’ll spend money throughout the year, so pay those bills with the credit card and points add up. It’ll allow you to use the points toward the hotel chain the credit card is linked with. As a result, enjoy a free night at the hotel while on the road.
Sightseeing costs. Prioritize what you want to see while traveling. Dependent on the museum, art gallery, wildlife refuge, theme park, local, state or national park, beach or place you wish to visit, there may or may not be a cost. Do some research before heading to an attraction. Some places have hours later in the day with a lower entrance cost. Others are free on some or all days.
Gift shops … wow, here is a place to easily spend money. Check your budget and think before spending. I always see so many cute things to purchase, but my budget just doesn’t allow it. When I do purchase something, it truly is something special!
If visiting more than one, for example state park, it may be worth buying an annual or season ticket than a daily ticket. Combine activities. Some are free and others may cost. Try not to shell out money every day.
I have a hard time being indoors on a beautiful day, so I’ll head to a wildlife refuge, local park or nature center … all of which rarely have a cost. Or I’ll take a longer hike or bicycle ride. But, there are some sights you just have to see and they will/may cost an entrance fee. That’s okay since your original travel plan may have had them already in your budget. Go for it! The point of traveling it is to learn and see a variety of new things. Remember, there are discounts for seniors, military, etc. so make use of them too!
Don’t let money slow down your travel plan. Do set some monies aside each month in anticipation of a trip. The money you currently spend to eat at home or visit a special exhibit needs to be shuffled to cover on-the-road expenses. Be clear-headed about your goal. You’ll figure out what works best for you and your family. Each time I travel I learn something new or discover what works best for me. Plan what you can and be ready for the adventure! Go have fun!
Wisconsin is a state with plenty of things to see and do. Past visits, I stopped at many nature centers. This time I traveled down the state’s eastern shoreline along Lake Michigan.
Day 1: Brats and Kringle before my camping time.
While looking for interesting places to visit in Wisconsin, Sheboygan was mentioned as once the “Bratwurst Capital of the World” … in 1970. A judge decided their brat was worthy of the distinction in the battle with Bucyrus, Ohio. At that time they fried the brat, added onion and mustard all in a hard, round roll and maybe with a pickle.
So I stopped at Schulz’s Restaurant, a local restaurant. While they did not know the history, as I mentioned above, I read their menu and discovered this place was mentioned for their bratwurst in 1992 and 1996 in various magazines. I ordered a double patty brat with pickles and asked for mustard on the side so I could add my own. I think next time I will have the brat links, just to try it in a different shape!
Double brat patty and side of coleslaw
Racine, another town, is further down the coast and known for their Kringle, a Danish pastry. I also wanted to travel to my campground for the night. So I googled “where is a a Kringle near me”. Gotta love Google, sometimes. Off to a Pick ‘N Save! Sure enough the bakery person was excited to show me the shelving of Kringles which came from Racine! Yippee, cuts my drive in half!
My next dilemma was which Kringle to buy. The eleven ounce bar-shape seemed a better choice, less for me to eat, than the 14 ounce squashed ring. They really do squash the Danish ring and put icing on top. Next decision: almond or cheesecake. The popular pecan ones were already gone and the bakery person loved the cheesecake pastry. I have plenty of cheese curds in my system and my ice chest; I bought an almond Kringle. I asked how long will it keep. The woman said, once you start eating it you’ll finish it! The Kringle is very sweet and yet as you eat more of it, it doesn’t seem so sweet. I ate it all in 3 days.
Original round, squashed shape of the Danish pastry, Kringle.
Kringle in a different shape and 3 ounces smaller.
Layers of pastry with almond paste within and icing on top … sweet!
Days 2 & 3: No driving for 2 days in a row! I have never done this before when on the road. Why now? The sun is shining, no rain is expected, air quality okay even with the cottonwood fluffy, white tree seeds flying around, excellent wifi at this campground to plan my upcoming stays, do laundry, shower, sketch, read, walk and work on my blog. Longer walks allow my back to stretch and that is wonderful after hours of driving. Yet, the next day I will be off to Springfield, Illinois where there is rain. No worries, I have a plan!
After our school visit we stopped along the Napo River to visit with one of the 40 Kichwa families. Our hosts showed us their garden where they grow many fruits and vegetables. I learned how to plant yucca once the grown ones are collected for a meal. (Put the yucca stalk into the ground at a 45 degree angle, then cover the stalk with soil.) Some of the plants grown here are for medicinal purposes. The children, in the family we had lunch with, walk a half hour to school each day.
The women showed us how catfish is folded into gigantic green leaves of the bijao plant and put on the fire to cook. We also tried some beetle larvae … head squished off … the insides of the body can be eaten raw, but we chose to let the rest of the body to be grilled first. The first person eating the grilled beetle larvae announced it tastes like bacon. Yes in some ways it did! Our lunch included plantains, yucca and catfish… all eaten with our fingers. A delicious meal with tea.
We had a chance to use a traditional blowgun. The poisoned dart, only lethal to small animals, was more difficult to use than it looked. A couple of people hit the target! We had some discussion about the oil and timber companies deforesting the Amazon. We saw the natural gas flames across the river from where we are staying at an eco-lodge. The Kichwa families are raising chickens and turned to ecotourism as a way to supplement their subsistence economy.
Here are some photos from that family visit:
Catfish pieces onto the leaf, then wrappedWrapped and onto the grillLunch: catfish, yucca and plantain… all eaten with your fingersBeetle larvae still with head on.Larvae grilledHow tea is served.The kitchen Their home
Wherever I travel in the world, I try local foods. My first day in Australia, I shopped at a “milk bar”, known as a general store, and bought Lamington Fingers and Timtams. After eating many of these treats, my final decision: I love dark chocolate Timtams! (As the woman on the grocery line said to me “You have to come to Australia for Timtams.” Well out of curiosity I discovered anyone can buy them on Amazon. Darn, my excuse to return to Australia is foiled!)
Lamington fingers … larger Laminations have creme in them!
TimTam … my favorite!
Hotels in Australia and New Zealand often have breakfast buffets. Not surprisingly, the hotels here mostly cater to Asian and Polynesian people their more numerous guests. It made sense since they live so close to both Australia and New Zealand. When possible, I took advantage of made-to-order omelets, but in the bread area, one or two spreads may be found: Vegemite and Marmite. Vegemite an Australian product and Marmite a New Zealand product. They both have history about their arrival to the food world and are similar in ingredients: yeast extract, salt and malt extract … although Marmite has vegetable juice extract and not malt extract, from what I can understand.
I truly should let you come to your own conclusion about these spreads. (FYI, they are available for sale on Amazon!) When home I toasted my bread, spread some butter on and then a thin layer of Vegemite. Next was the same process with Marmite. My final decision: no tastebuds of mine were happy with either! Don’t take my word for it since I know individuals who do like the spreads!
You can buy jars of each product.
Vegemite on left, Marmite on right.
My “lollie” of choice as I travel the world is a Snickers bar. One town in New Zealand had no Snickers! Quite honestly, I could not believe it! But truth be told, I enjoyed various scones, croissant, tart and “meatpie” when wanting a second breakfast or morning snack.
Best! Jalapeño-garlic scone with Earl gray tea, fireside at Larnach Castle!
Meat pies come with chicken or beef, etc.
Lunch was often fish and chips in Australia. I was truly tired of fried barramundi fish and steak fries, so in New Zealand the lamb meal or seafood chowder were a welcomed change. In Australia, “toasties”, ham and cheese was my choice for a lunch option. I discovered I liked ginger beer which is a non-alcoholic drink, slightly different than ginger ale.
Toastie
Ginger beer!
Dinner was often fried or grilled fish, lamb, prawns, NZ green-lipped mussels, fish and chips, salads with beetroot. I certainly don’t eat this way at home! Raw oysters were tried with some lemon, okay. I did eat kangaroo … isn’t this why we travel; medium-rare is the way to cook and serve this meat. It tasted like beef to me. Tasmanian-area of Australia had delicious pinot noir wines as did New Zealand. Many people enjoyed sauvignon blanc wine. For a few of us, dinner on our own was often at a good ole pub with grub and local beer! Australia’s James Squire pale ale okay. New Zealand’s Speight lager okay too, but Guinness is still my favorite! Oh memories of past travel in Ireland!
Kangaroo meat meal in Melbourne, Australia
Green-lipped mussels on seafood chowder in New Zealand.
Australia’s beer
A New Zealand beer.
Desserts! I read about “Pavlova” and discovered it is often a holiday treat of strawberries, whipped cream and meringue. At our “home-hosted dinner” with a Māori family, we ate a Pavlova with passionfruit… light and delicious!
Pavlova with passionfruit
An advantage in visiting cosmopolitan cities, such as Melbourne, is eating dal and rice and drinking a mango lassi at a Nepali restaurant, enjoying a Japanese meal and biting into an Italian cannoli! I had sticky date pudding with caramel sauce while on this trip too … wow, that is sweet!
Our Australian group stopped at a hardware store, Bunnings, for a “sausage sizzle”. Fundraising groups often sell this item, but on election day in Australia it is free. There is mandatory voting in the country every 3 years and a sausage sizzle is available for free when you vote. It is a slice of bread with a barbecued or grilled sausage with grilled onions on it. Your choice of condiments: tomato sauce, mustard or BBQ sauce. The free sausage may be sizzling out as Australia continues discussion about requiring the civic duty to vote, but for now at least the sausage sizzle is a fundraising activity. (Did you notice, tomato sauce not catsup or ketchup.)
Sausage Sizzle
I’m home! Now I return to my usual eating habits, exercise routine, and savor the memories of foods eaten in Australia and New Zealand!
PS … I get no money from Amazon for mentioning they have Timtams, Vegemite and Marmite, just so you know! Go ahead; give those products a try and let me know what your tastebuds tell you!
It’s been a couple of months since my travel in Sicily and I miss eating real Italian food! Of course, when I was with my relatives in Rome, I was truly spoiled with absolutely delicious homemade Italian food! While back home in the southwest USA, I started looking for ricotta, buffalo mozzarella, eggplant parmigiana, and pasta made in Italy. Trader’s Joe has parmesan cheese and ricotta, neither of the quality one would find in Italy, but they will suffice. Costco, thanks to a friend pointing this out to me, does sell pasta products from Italy. (I cannot eat wheat products from the USA.) Buffalo mozzarella is available in various stores. But what I was really hoping for was a place to pick-up an Italian meal already made if they did not sell the individual items to make the meal on my own. So I went searching for Italian delicatessens and bakeries in my town, Tucson. Here are 2 places I stopped at and ate lunch:
Village Bakehouse: Great looking pastries, including various croissants. I ordered lunch: chicken caprese on ciabatta and an iced chai. Order at the register, pick up the drink at the other end of the counter, with food delivered to the table. I’m sitting outdoors in the cool shade. The sandwich was tasty, with mozzarella, tender chicken, tomato and pesto all toasted within the ciabatta. Half my drink was gone by the time my sandwich arrived. For a medium drink, lots of ice- no wonder it was half gone by my sandwich’s arrival. Next visit I’ll try a croissant!
Chicken, mozzarella, pesto on ciabatta… tasty!
Viro’s Real Italian Bakery: I actually was looking for green Italian olives. Not finding olives, I ordered and ate a delicious cheese and mushroom calzone! Many other people were here enjoying spaghetti, fish fry, piping hot soup and gelato! I have no room for gelato or any of the pastries today. While in Sicily, I saw their flag and here it was on the wall. Will have to keep this place in mind for future lunch stops.
Calzone with sauceSicilian flag
No doubt I need to continue my search. These places have food I enjoyed eating and when I look for pastries they both had plenty of that to offer. I’m not usually a pastry-eater, but if timed with a good cup of coffee, well then, that can be another story!
It’s interesting what makes me think of my best friend who died almost a year ago. Recently I was enjoying bratwurst and sauerkraut, but still had half a jar of sauerkraut remaining. Then it struck me … a memory of a sandwich my friend made for me a few times during our 40 plus year friendship!
I never understood why I never thought of this sandwich on my own because I love Reubens! Maybe it was the fact that I always envisioned sauerkraut dripping all over the place. The trick was uncovered by my friend!
Sandwich laid out with provolone cheese and turkey breast:
Ready….
Then in the fry pan, heat the sauerkraut so it becomes drier than what was in the jar.
Easy…..
When satisfied with the sauerkraut, put it on your sandwich. So easy…and a delicious sandwich!
