Modena has intrigued me for a while, after all it is the home of balsamic vinegar, with ham, lambrusco and other tasty items also produced locally. And with it being about 30 minutes from Bologna by...
Blog posts from Food & Drink
Italy 2023: lakeside walk to Garda
From Bardolino it is about a 40 minute walk to Garda. In the morning there is lots of shade, and since it was Saturday the path was busy with dog walkers, bicyclists, etc. Besides the amazing views...
Italy 2023: wine tasting in Veneto and Lombardy
During our planning, we became quite interested in the wine regions around Verona, and we were not disappointed in our visits. There are multiple appellations within 30-60 minutes driving, and each...
Italy: Bardolino food & drink
Thursday Dinner at La Piccola Osteria. I tried the macaroni picante (spicy) with Gorgonzola cheese, delicious! Leandra got the beef cappacio with a pile of cheese on top! We split a 500 ml carafe of...
The mountain vacation that wasn’t
Instead of heading out-of-state for Memorial Day we planned a week-long return (2021, 2022) to the NC mountains. As the title of this post indicates, it simply wasn't meant to be... On 11am Friday...
Italy 2023: Venice food & drink
Monday El Sbarlefo - With our first round of wine, a grechetto for me (lighter white with mineral and nice acidity) and a primitivo for Leandra, we also ordered some fried cheese bites. Leandra had...
Italy 2023: Milan
On this trip to Milan we flew into the smaller, but much closer, Linate airport, which let us take the city 73 bus to the Duomo area. After dropping our bags at the hotel we walked around, trying to...
Weekend trip to Richmond: Carytown and Museum District
After exploring the Lewis Ginter Gardens, we needed some shade and a snack, so we stopped by Garden Grove Brewing. Eric tried their tropical Kitsu (a mead with loads of citrus) while Leandra enjoyed...
Weekend trip to Richmond: Scott’s Addition
We spent most of Saturday afternoon exploring the Scott's Addition neighborhood of Richmond, a trendy district known for its density of breweries and restaurants. We tried the following: Three...
Orlando 2023: EPCOT
Sunday was our day at EPCOT. I set an alarm for 6:55am to join the first virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy but didn't get in. We slept a bit longer and while enjoying my fancy cold brew, I...
Orlando 2023: Mills 50
On Saturday we didn't want to stay in the hotel room (or at Disney Springs) the entire day, so we took an Uber to the Mills 50 area to check out the street art. While we did find a few murals to...
Orlando 2023: Disney Springs
Our hotel was an easy 8 minute walk to Disney Springs, so the first night we went exploring. The temps were on the chilly side but most places with outdoor seating had heaters set up. After...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: Lille Christmas sights
Most of the Christmas decorations were centered around the Grand Place, with a Ferris wheel and a tree (with most of the lights working) as the central draw. As you moved further from the center,...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: Lille food & drink
Sunday After dropping our bags off at the apartment, our first destination was the Marché de Wazemmes which closes at 3p on Sundays, and wouldn't be open on Monday. It took about a 15 min walk from...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: Bruges food & drink
Friday Our favorite pub in Bruges, De Garre, was absolutely packed so we decided to try another fave, t'Poatersgat, instead. We had about 30 minutes before it opened so we killed some time looking...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: a night in Ghent
Our first two trips to Ghent had been day trips from Brussels in 2012 and 2014, and each time we really liked the city. For this visit we originally considered a day trip from Bruges, then decided...
Shelton Vineyards
Our drive back from the mountains took us near the North Carolina Yadkin Valley AVA, so we figured it would be a good opportunity to try out a winery. Shelton Vineyards had both red and white wine,...
Poland 2022: Krakow food & drink
We tried quite a few different places in Krakow, including cafes, restaurants, bars, bakeries, and street vendors. Our only regret is that we couldn't try even more spots! Thursday Koliba Góralskie...
Our Itinerary
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London + Manchester, UK (Dec)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)