Your Porters – Your Friends on the Inca Trail We were keen to support a local Peruvian company that took great care of it’s porters. For us the satisfaction of having completed the trek and arriving at the spectacular Inca ruins of Machu Picchu was hard to beat. However one of the things we, Read More
Our Cusco history lessons end with the Colourful Festival of the Sun Inti Raymi. This festival or pageant originates from the Incas who worshipped the sun. We have timed our trip so that we are here during the Winter Solstice. This means that we get to witness the wonderful celebrations of Corpus Christ and Int, Read More
Everyone knows a French baguette. If you are very French, you buy one from the boulangerie and walk down the streets of Paris ripping chunks off to eat. We join them in doing so and feel a wee bit French ourselves. We find varying qualities of French baguette from different boulangeries and the result is that, Read More
Picture this, we have just hiked the arduous 4 days in the Inca Trail and now we get to lax out on a 10 hour luxury ride to Puno, aboard the Andean Explorer. Is there such a thing as luxury train travel Peru? Sure is, our route to Puno and Lake Titicaca is riding, Read More
Long before the Spanish discovered South America, the native populations knew how to cultivate an incredible array of plants. They developed elaborate irrigation systems, and terraced the steep Andean mountain slopes to make them more suitable for growing food.They acclimatised their seed to grow at high altitude and grew corn, lima beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chilli, Read More
When in Rome…? Well, when in France eat what the French eat. French cuisine is a mixture of sophisticated refined gourmet a la carte dining and hearty rustic fare. We have a habit of buying “deux baguettes” each day, one for lunch and one for nibbles with cheese and wine…soo French and soo nice.
The Galapagos Islands – how exciting… whether you’re a seasoned globetrotter or a first timer, it’s always helpful to have a guide of what items you may want to pack and not pack. I’m always a big packer and I really had to restrain myself for this trip. One exception – you are allowed, Read More
We enter our Parisian apartment in Montmartre, conscious of the French old building smell and home cooking filling the air. Our apartment is light and airy with double opening doors out of the living space and bedroom. All of the rooms face south (remember we are in the northern hemisphere so this is good!) and are, Read More
Now enter the Aladdin’s cave of Parisian Patisseries with me: patisserie cases overflowing with the most delicious looking sweet treats around every corner. It is too hard to resist not getting a daily fix of flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastry or chewy macaroons. My favourite is Mille-feuille: This pastry’s name literally means “thousand sheets” and is a pastry made, Read More
As soon as we arrive in Paris, we hit the French cuisine starting with foie gras with crusty farmhouse bread and Confit de Vin (wine jelly) and let it melt in our mouths. By the end, we still haven’t lost our love for the delicacy and are forgoing other French cuisine to eat foie, Read More
Although meals in France are not too dis-similar from those in the rest of the Western world, one is always aware how important food and the art of dining is to the French. It is all the more exciting to fully participate in the traditional and day to day experience of devouring French food., Read More
Paris the city of lovers, the most romantic place on earth, the nuances of love echo from the language of the Parisians, music to the ear. We know we are in the city of Paris. With so much love around, we are bound to enjoy our time here. Slowly does it and we are living like, Read More