Category: General

June 29, 2022

Chef José Andrés and His ‘World Central Kitchen (WCK)’

General, People Albert Adrià, Anthony Bourdain, Asturias, Bethesda, clean cooking, Costa Brava, El Bulli, Ferran Adrià, Guatemala, Haiti, Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Dorian, Hurricane Maria, Jaleo, James Beard Foundation, José Andrés, La Palma volcano eruption, Mercado Little Spain, minibar by Jose Andres, natural disasters, No Reservations, Paella, Patricia Andres, Patricia Fernandez de la Cruz, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Richard Wolffe, Ron Howard, The Bahamas, ThinkFoodGroup, Time's 100 Most Influential People, Typhoon Rai, Ukraine, US Virgin Islands, WCK, We Fed an Island, We Feed People, World Central Kitchen 2 Comments

When I read in a local newspaper about two months ago, that the relief kitchen of a renowned chef had been damaged due to a a missile that hit in […]

May 27, 2022

Bethlen Estates and Castle – Transylvania

Europe, General, Travel bear watching, Bethlen Castle, Bethlen Estates, Biertan, bison, Bram Stoker, Bran Castle, brown bears, Caretaker's Huse, Carpathian bear, Carpathian Mountains, Count Janos Bethlen Manor House, Count Miklos Bethlen, Cris, Dacre Stoker, Depner House, Dracula, Dracula the Undead, Dracula's Castle, Gladys Bethlen, gourmet picnic, heliskiing, home-made brandies, horse carriage rides, Hotel Transylvania, Kitchen Barn, lynxes, Nikolaus Bethlen, Prince Charles Transylvanian properties, rewilding, Romania, safari, Saxon houses, Sighisoara, snowshoe walking, The Prince of Wales's Guesthouse, The Vampire Diaries, torch-lit wine cellars, Transalpina Road, Transfagarasan Road, Transylvania, Transylvanian Alps, Transylvanian countryside, Transylvanian wines, truffle hunting, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, vampires, Viscri, Vlad Tepes, Vlad the Impaler, wine tasting 1 Comment

When I saw the photo above in House & Garden, I was filled with an enthusiasm and joy imagining myself having a picnic in this pleasant setting within the green. […]

April 21, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II and Her Platinum Jubilee

General, People Balmoral Castle, Big Jubilee Lunch, Broadlands, Buckingham Palace, Camilla Parker Bowles, Carnarvon family, Commonwealth, coronation, Diamond Jubilee, Downton Abbey, Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Duke of Edinburgh, Epsom Derby, Frogmore Cottage, George VI, Ghilles Ball, Golden Jubilee, Green Canopy, Hampshire, Highclere Castle, Hollyrood week, Kate Middleton, Kensington Palace, Lilibet, Meghan Markle, Norfolk, Philip Mountbatten, Platinum Jubilee, Platinum Jubilee Pageant, Platinum Pudding, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Prince of Wales, Prince Philip, Prince William, Princess Diana, Princess Margaret, Princess of Wales, Princess Royal, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother, Royal Family, Sadringham House, Thames River Pageant, The Crown, Treetops, Trooping the Colour, VE Day, Windsor Castle, Winston Churchill 1 Comment

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year. There will be year-long events and festivities throughout the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and […]

February 26, 2022

Classic Hotels – Part 2

General, Travel 5th Avenue, Alain Delon, Always at The Carlyle, Art Deco, Ava Gardner, Belle époque, Belmond Splendido Mare, Bemelmans Bar, Bloody Marry, Blue Bar New York, Cafe Carlyle, Central Park, Clement The Peninsula, DaV Mare, De Sica, Earl Rose, Elizabeth Taylor honeymoon, Ernesto Basile, Fifth Avenue, Florian family, George Clooney, Golden Triangle of Art, Greta Garbo, Guerlain spa, Home Alone hotel, Jerónimos, King Cole Bar, King Edward VII, King of Siam, L'Atelier Robuchon, Lake Geneva, Ludwig Bemelmans, Madrid, Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, Manhattan, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Mick Jagger, Mont Blanc, Museum Mile, New York, Nikola Tesla, Palermo, Paseo del Prado, Pedro Almodóvar, Piazzetta di Portofino, Pierre-Yves rochon, Portofino, Princess Diana, Quique Dacosta, Roberto Rossellini, Round Table New York, Russian Tea Room, Salon de Ning, Salvador Dalí, Sicily, Sophia Loren, The Algonquin Hotel, The Barefoot Contessa, The Carlyle, The Leopard, The Peninsula New York, The Plaza New York, The Quin New York, The St Regis New York, The Woodward Geneva, Villa Igiea, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Woody Allen No comments

This post is the continuation (the second part) of my previous post under the title “Classic Hotels – Part 1“. The last hotel I had mentioned in my previous post […]

January 30, 2022

Classic Hotels – Part 1

General, Travel Alfred Hitchcock, Arnaud Donckele, Bar du Bristol, Cary Grant, Cheval Blanc Paris, Cheval Blanc St Tropez, Churchill, Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul, Claridge's, Connaught Bar, Dior Spa Cheval Blanc, Epicure Restaurant, Fa-Raon, Happy Guest Award 2019, Hélène Darroze, Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Jérôme Banctel, Kasia dietz, Katharine Hepburn, Kim Novak, La Pagode de Cos Restaurant Paris, La Réserve Hotel Paris, La Samaritaine, Langosteria, Le Bristol Paris, Le Tout-Paris, Le Tout-Paris Cheval Blanc, Limbar, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Maxime Frédéric, Maybourne Group, Mayfair, Michelin, Peter Marino, Plénitude Rsetaurant, Pont Neuf, Raffles Singapore, Randheli Maldives, Rita Hayworth, Royal Hawaiian Honolulu, Seine, Singapore Sling, St Barths, Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai, The Connaught, The Foyer Reading Room, The Fumoir, three-Michelin starred, traditional English Afternoon Tea, Travel Leisure, Tugra Restaurant, World's Best Bar, Yul Brynner No comments

I am fond of anything classic. Classic does not disappoint you and contains a qualified simplicity within, that is reflected as a timeless beauty. Clothes, decoration, styles and hotels … […]

December 31, 2021

The Holiday – One of The Best Christmas Films

Films, General Amanda, Arthur Abbott, Cameron Diaz, Christmas film, Christmas movie, Cornwell Manor, Cotswolds, cottage, Eli Wallach, English countryside, Godalming, Grantley Arms, Greystone Mansion, Hanukah, Harry Potter, Holmbury St Mary, Honeysuckle Cottage, Iris, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Miles, Mill House, Nancy Meyers, Oxfordshire, Punch Drunk Love, Rosehill Cottage, Rufus Sewell, San Marino, Shere, Surrey, Sussex, The Graduate, The Holiday, The Inn on The Lake, The Refectory, The White Horse Pub, Wonersh 1 Comment

Rosehill Cottage in the film ‘The Holiday’ (Photo: hookedonhouses.net) Around this time of the year, I look for films full of joy, good humour and captivating scenes of snow- the […]

December 18, 2021

Whisky Pairings and ‘Baba au Whisky’ Dessert By French Chef

General, People Aberlour, Aberlour Scotch, Amandine Chaignot, appenzell, baba au whisky, baba dessert, baba with whisky, blended whisky, Bocuse d'Or, bourbon, Bristol Paris, Cardhu Amber Rock, Chivas Regal, Chocolate tart, Christmas dessert, Crillon, distillery, Domaine Des Hautes Glaces, Ducase, Hotel Rosewood London, Islay, malt whisky, Malt Whisky Trail, maple syrup, mash tun, Meurice, Michael Recchiuti, Michelin Guide France, Moray Speyside, Paul Bocuse, peat, Plaza Athénée, Pouliche, Raphael hotel, Recchiuti Confections, Ritz London, rum baba, Scotch, sherry barrels, sherry casks, Strathisla Distillery, whiskey, whisky, whisky and chocolate, whisky and gastronomy, Woodford Reserve 2 Comments

My interest in whiskey started with the Scotland post I wrote in this site, titled “Scotland – A Dreamland“, which is among my favorite posts and where I had mentioned […]

November 25, 2021

Costa Rica – The Rich Coast

General, Latin America, Travel acai, Anamaya Yoga, Arenal volcano, biodiversity, Blue Corn, blue morpho, Blue Surf Sanctuary, Blue Zones, Cabo Blanco, Cahuita, Cala Luna, canopy, capuchin, Caribbean, Cielo Lodge, cloud forests, Cocos Island, conservation, Corcovado, Costa Rica, eco-lodges, ecotourism, Florblanca, Gabriela Valenzuela-Hirsch, goji berry, Golfito, Guanacaste, Gulf of Dulce, Gulf of Papagayo, hanging bridges, Heartwood Design, Hermosa Treehouse, Hotel Kasiiya Papagayo, Hotel Playa Negra, hummingbirds, jaguar, Juan Diego Evangelista, La Fortuna, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Lapa Rios, left surf break, Manuel Antonio, Mint, Mistico Park, Monteverde, Montezuma, national parks, Nayara Gardens, Nayara Springs, Nayara Tented Camp, Nicoya peninsula, Olof Wessberg, Osa peninsula, Pacific, Pavones, Peace Lodge, pizzicato, Playa Negra, Playa Santa Teresa, Playas del Coco, Puerto Viejo, Punta Gabriela, Puntarenas, Pura Vida, Restaurants on The Edge, Samasati Yoga, Santa Maria de Dota, Santa Teresa, scarlet macaws, Six Senses Papagayo, superfoods, surf clubs, surf shops, surfing, Tamarindo, Tamarindo Surf Film Festival, Tarrazu, The Lookout Seafood, Ticos, Tortuga Lodge, Tortuguero, woodpeckers, yoga retreats, ziplines No comments

Costa Rica tempted me following an article I have read in ‘Condé Nast Traveller‘ a few months ago and I decided to write this post. I had not ever noticed […]

October 14, 2021

Sophia… Loren…

Films, General, People Bari, Carlo Ponti, Carlo Ponti Jr., Cary Grant, Cercando Sophia, Edoardo Ponti, Far Niente Winery, Festival Napa Valley, Grumpier Old Men, La Ciociara, La Vita davanti a sé, Madame Rosa, Marcello Mastroianni, Marriage Italian Style, Matrimonio All'Italiana, Nine, Pozzuoli, Romilda Villani, Sinfonietta per Sofia, Sophia Loren, Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories, The Gold of Naples, The Life Ahead, The Pride and the Passion, Two Women, Vittorio De Sica, What Would Sophia Loren Do?, Yesterday Today Tomorrow My Life 1 Comment

Sophia Loren … A classic. An esteemed brand of world cinema. A living diva who had starred in Hollywood films with Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, William Holden, Paul […]

July 28, 2021

El Tortoni, Buenos Aires – A Cafe of Tango with History

General, Latin America, Travel Alejandro Christophersen, Alfonsina Storni, Argentinian medialunas, Arthur Rubinstein, Avenida de Mayo, Avenue Rivadiva, Baldomero Fernández Moreno, bares notables, Benito Quinquela Martin, Boulevard des Italiens, Buenos Aires, Café de Los Angelitos, Café Las Vielotas, Cafe Tortoni, Caminato, Carlos Gardel, Casa Rosada, churros, El Tortoni, Federico García Lorca, Fénix Jazz Band, Francis Ford Coppola, Gran Café Tortoni, International Tango Festival, Jorge Luis Borges, Juan Carlos, Juan de Dios Filiberto, Julio Cortázar, La Boca, La Peña, La vengenza sera terrible, leche merengeda, merianda, Pan Dulce, picada, Plaza de Mayo, submarino, Tiffany lamp No comments

When I heard of Cafe Tortoni a few years ago during one of my private Spanish lessons owing to an article my teacher brought to class, I was happy to […]