Although it is important to say “ciao” (“hello”) and you want to ask “quanto costa?” (how much does it cost?”), the most important question to know if you are a celiac traveling in Italy is “è questo senza glutine?” (“is this without gluten?”). And thankfully due to the country embracing the dietary restrictions that come with this auto-immune disease, the answer is often a resounding “si!” (That’s a YES!)
We spent the summer of 2018 exploring Ireland and the four countries that make up the United Kingdom - England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. We spent the majority of our time in Ireland and Scotland, and we have a hard time choosing what our favorite was. Everywhere we went we enjoyed delicious local cuisine, yummy whiskey/whisky’s, beautiful nature and interesting historical sights. It was quite the adventure at times (driving on the left on the skinniest roads and getting stuck behind a rogue sheep are just two examples!) It was a great experience and we can’t wait to go back. Here’s a look at where we went/what we did.
I’ll be perfectly honest. We’ve never been big fans of airline food. I usually take a backpack full of snacks to make up for what we don’t/won’t eat on the plane. Just the smell of the food, and something about the coffee, often makes me nauseous. My husband has refused meals as he can’t stand the smell either (which always confuses the flight attendants).
But this past summer, we flew Lufthansa business class and something miraculous happened. We both ate our meals…
There are some towns that I'd happily return to again and again, and Bruges is one of them. Bruges (also known as Brugge in French) is a medieval town in western Belgium. It is small enough to easily walk around and while it does attract its fair share of day-trippers, if you linger for a night or two you will see the real charm of Bruges shine through.
One of my favorite things to do wherever I am is to eat (and drink) the local specialties - you probably also agree if you have found this article. This is a great way to live like a local. Amsterdam is a very multi-cultural destination with a huge variety of different ethnic cuisines as well as local specialties. Here are some of my favorites:
I sometimes get requests for Europe from potential clients who want to see "everything" or go "everywhere". After I groan a bit (sorry - but I am being honest) I then say, "Great! Sounds fabulous. How long do you have to travel?"
"We have a week, maybe ten days."
I then take a deep breath and start explaining how that it is not possible to "see everything" in 7-10 days. Europe is a small continent but not THAT small.
