Hue cuisine was started in the Nguyen dynasty when the emperor insisted on having hand picked chefs brought to the city to prepare new dishes that would be separate from the general population. they created a new haute cuisine of sumptuous, rice based dishes for the royalty and affluent society in Hue. The dynasty refined the…
Mekong River Delta, Vietnam
The beauty of the Mekong river delta and the small tributaries leading upstream are unrivaled. Reminiscent of the film Apocalypse Now, only with better food and without the strife. You always end up on some sort of boat and it seems that anything can jump out of the brush at any given time. Usually nothing…
Angers, France
This half timbered town sits on the western edge of the Loire Valley, just west of the Loire Valley Natural Regional Parc. The city has been around for thousands of years! Ptolomy first mentioned it in 150 AD and since then it has grown rich in both Galic tribal history and French culture. Once known as the…
Dinan, France
This ancient, riverside port town is Brittany’s finest, an hour south of Mont St. Michele, its well worth an overnight stay on your way to the Loire Valley Dinan emulates the typical Breton lifestyle and opens up the window into this region’s more typical rural French lifestyles a little more. I enjoyed wandering through the back…
Fougeres, France
This Medieval hill town town castle looks so unbelievable it makes you wonder if it is a movie set at first glance. I almost could not believe it really exists. Look at the castle walls, wonder around the grounds and through the public community gardens imagining what it was like to live back in the…
Pickles – Recipe
Pickling is old and ancient and that means we can do it better, right? Right! Get some cucumbers and get to it. I like a simple, tangy pickles and only half soured like the delis! Pickles are positively people pleasing party snacks that are versatile and go with everything! Set out some dill and lay…
Saint Malo, France
Driving along the northern coast of France you cannot help but notice one the crown jewels of Brittany. Saint Malo sits on the sea with its safe harbor for hundreds of sail boats and skiffs in the surrounding bay. The port was once a privateer headquarters that became very wealthy and is now a charming…
Mont St. Michele, France
The most stunning Castle in Brittany, if not the whole world, sits on the border of Brittany and Normandy at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. Mont St. Michele is an island fortress built to keep out the English. Rising tides made the island impossible to invade half of the day. Multiple tiers…
Chinon, France
This historic castle is located directly above the town of Chinon creating picturesque views of the quintessential France at its most magical. Chinon was further developed by Henry II in the 1100’s. It was a key point on a strategic river and served many purposes over the course of history. He left the castle to…
International Garden Festival 2018 – Chamont Sur Loiure, France
One of the most impressive outdoor landscape art exhibits to behold. Rightfully so, its held on the most impressive estate grounds of Chaumont Sur Loiure This annual festival inspires the most urban tourist with these forward designs and interesting takes on impressionist landscaping from April to November.
Journey Into Cuisine 