Anywhere you go in France, you are bound to have good food. Fresh baguettes, the very best cheeses, great wine, rich stews, and more… all of these make France one of the best - if not the absolute top - food destinations in the world. Here in Toulouse, in France’s southwest, you’ll of course find…
Editor’s note: I loved my week in Seoul. I wrote about it. It was great. But there is a vast difference between spending a few days as a visitor and living there, as writer Mike shares with us here. For more of Mike’s writing, click here to visit his index page on The Royal Tour,…
Editor’s note: ramen occupies a place in my heart and in my soul. And while I prefer gourmet ramen, even the instant variety still has meaning in my life. While I have not been to Yokohama, I’ve had incredible ramen experiences all over Japan, but now Sam Spector has inspired a ramen pilgrimage for my…
Editor’s note: Like Sam, I was also in Hong Kong for a single day, although mine came after ending a cruise more than ten years ago. It was a time before the current ongoing political saga with mainland China cracking down on some of the city’s freedoms. In that light, while I would love to…
Sometimes, I get nervous about returning to a place. More often than not, it is because on an original visit, I did not enjoy the experience. So the thought of going back is a sort of dread, wondering how poorly my time will go on this next go around. (To be fair, my return trip…
Before coming to Nice, this was not an article remotely on my radar. The only Nicoise food I’d heard of was the same-named salad, a monstrosity of a thing with canned tuna, egg, green beans, tomatoes, and olives. I figured the rest was basic provencale, generic Mediterranean, or cliche French. Heck, even after being here…
Today, Nice is essential France. There is a bakery on every block, a wine bar next door, and crepe stands abound. There is art, there is culture. There is no doubt that this is truly France. But in fact, Nice is a relative newcomer to France, its inclusion in the country only permanently coming in…
I had 48 hours in Turin, a lovely weekend side trip from my base in Genoa. My primary tasks were writing about the Savoy dynasty and the city’s automotive history. But hey, a guy’s got to eat, right? 48 hour in Turin. Ostensibly four meals: two lunches and two dinners. Maybe some snacks or drinks…
There is something special about pesto. The fresh taste of basil, the sharpness of garlic, the umami of nuts, the creaminess of cheese, the smoothness of olive oil… they come together magically when done right. And this city, Genoa, in northwestern Italy is the birthplace of pesto. Genoa is also one of the origin cities…
This was a day that wasn’t supposed to happen. Today, I was meant to take the train from my base in Genoa to the town of Santa Margharita Ligure, a coastal city best known as the place one catches the bus to the luxury mecca of Portofino. I was going to remain in Santa Margharita…