International Travel - Stylishly Exploring The World And It's Cultures
Up, Up and Away with Quique Dacosta
by Margaux Cintrano
Quique Dacosta has been one of the skyrocketing new generation leaders of traditional Spanish vanguard signature cuisine in the past few years and at the age of 37, he has been experimenting and researching for example, the uses of aloe vera plants in their embryonic stage. He didn’t know if aloe vera was even edible at that point during it's development when he began his trials. However, he had known of it’s emulsifying properties. He told me, it was simply a process of trial and error until he managed to create the delectably edible. His investigative spirit has earned him global recognition, a host of awards and two well earned Michelin stars.
Cardona Castle's history and mystique certainly make it the most amazing medieval fortress in Catalonia.
Sometimes the most romantic, exciting thing you can do is to plan as little as possible while on vacation. We decided, on this tour, until we got a feel for the region or city we were in, we would fly by the seat of our pants as much as possible. A good example of our "going with the flow" would be our stay at Cardona Castle. We saw another castle on the scenic drive to Andorra from Barcelona. It was sitting there in the mist on the side of the road, beckoning us to take that exit. Fortunately, or not, we drove past it, but we knew from that moment that a castle was certainly on our list of things to experience while in the Europe.
Being completely honest, as is required in this job, I must say the last time I was in Paris I didn't have the best of experiences. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that I never ventured out from the airport, but still, the amount of rudeness and underhandedness I experienced in an hour long layover, at Orly, was quite unbelievable. As a matter of fact, the level of disdain I experienced there put me off for a full ten years from traveling to, or through, this mecca of romance.
Our travels to Europe started in late August 2008. It would be my husband's first adventure on another continent. The trip we dreamed up would allow us to experience a good overview of the western side of the continent, visit the major western cities like Amsterdam, Paris, Florence, Rome, Barcelona and Madrid in style, but without having to sell our first born to do it. Since we had our cute little eight month old baby along for the trip, this was imperative! I had already been to England, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Northern Italy and the South of France. We wanted to make sure we didn't repeat any spot I'd stayed in already so that the trip would be equally exciting for both of us. We had an incredibly tight schedule. We had to be back in the U.S. to go to North Carolina to meet at our friend, Bud's beach house in Nags Head. My family would be meeting us there in a mere 6 weeks. Looking back now, our journey to the EU was simply incredible and we definitely are planning on going back, maybe even living there.
Dunedin, pronounced "done eedin", not only is the 4th most important city but also the 5th largest in New Zealand, however they figure that out. We thought people were pulling our leg when they said it has four seasons in a day, but, indeed that is the case, and yes, we saw penguins! No kidding. It's a charismatic, off beat, bustling little city with about one hundred thousand people living in the valleys and hills that surround the city center. Interestingly enough, the city council controls a vast area of land in this neck of the woods, making it one of the largest cities in New Zealand. Dunedin is located at 45.5 degrees South, which puts it on par with Northern Oregon. The city has a large, deep water access at Port Chalmers for containers while other small vessels can use the inner harbor and park, just next to the train station. Dunedin is also known for having the steepest street in the world.
Our travels to Europe started in late August 2008. It would be my husband's first adventure on another continent. The trip we dreamed up would allow us to experience a good overview of the western side of the continent, visit the major western cities like Amsterdam, Paris, Florence, Rome, Barcelona and Madrid in style, but without having to sell our first born to do it. Since we had our cute little eight month old baby along for the trip, this was imperative! I had already been to England, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Northern Italy and the South of France. We wanted to make sure we didn't repeat any spot I'd stayed in already so that the trip would be equally exciting for both of us. We had an incredibly tight schedule. We had to be back in the U.S. to go to North Carolina to meet at our friend, Bud's beach house in Nags Head. My family would be meeting us there in a mere 6 weeks. Looking back now, our journey to the EU was simply incredible and we definitely are planning on going back, maybe even living there.
