One of the great advantages of being vaccinated is being able to visit our favorite stores instead of relying on delivery. One of the things I missed the most were our favorite bakeries. My favorite for bread is the Allegro Hearth Bakery in Squirrel Hill. Not only are the products wonderful but the people generally seem happy to see you and eager to help.
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In 2019 we took a cruise from Barcelona to Rome. One of the biggest surprises of the cruise was the wonderful island of Elba. One of the biggest surprises of Elba was the little village of Porto Azzurro. Every place we had been to had been fairly crowded. Even the port town in Elba of Portoferrio was jumping. However the little village of Porto Azzurro was very relaxed. A lovely place for lunch and a leisurely stroll.
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In Pittsburgh we buy sausages at The Parma Sausage Company in the Strip District.They have excellent fresh made daily products. I have never seen anything like this in the United States. This image is from Munich Germany and although we couldn’t;t buy anything because we were staying in a hotel, iy was still worth stopping in for a look.
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The Wurst
I took the color image in Paris after a long walk through the city. We stopped for lunch at a cafe and they had Leffe on tap. I had the beer a few times in Belgium from the bottle but the beer on tap was perfect for a hot summer day. The mussels were also very good! Also a good choice for my selective color project.
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The Perfect Beer
I have posted some images of Barcelona. The art of Antoni Gaud, the sculpture and architecture are all magnificent. The city is electric, alive and vibrant as are the people. However, one of the great things I loved about the city was the Tapas restaurants.
The first place we went to was El Nacional which was recommend by a friend. It is actually a collection of restaurants which we visited twice. Quite honestly you eat there every night it was that good. However, one of my favorites was Xistorrā a small tapas only restaurant also pictured here.
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We had hoped in retirement to travel the world. So far we have done a pretty good job with trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and The Czech Republic. However the pandemic has stopped all of that for a while. So while waiting for Africa, Alaska and Scandinavia, our current travel is going to have to be virtual. Today’s stop is Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France
Strasbourg is the capital city of the Grand Est region, formerly Alsace, in northeastern France. It’s also the formal seat of the European Parliament and sits near the German border, with culture and architecture blending German and French influences. Its Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame features daily shows from its astronomical clock and sweeping views of the Rhine River from partway up its 142m spire.
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Strasbourg France
Real Onion Soup
Rhine River
Strasbourg FR
Strasbourg FR
We had hoped in retirement to travel the world. So far we have done a pretty good job with trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and The Czech Republic. However the pandemic has stopped all of that for a while. So while waiting for Africa, Alaska and Scandinavia, our current travel is going to have to be virtual. Today’s stop is Orléans France. I was so excited to visit this city since I have spent a fair amount of time in its sister city of New Orleans.
It is a short train ride from Paris and provides a wonderful day away from the vibrant Capitol. The setting is beautiful along the banks of the Loire river. The culture and history is fascinating and best known as the home of Joan of Arc and her statute dominates the main square. The statue was partially destroyed during World War Two and rebuilt with help from the city of New Orleans in the USA. I hope some day to cruise the river and hopefully return.
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Orléans France
Orléans City Hall
Joan of Arc
Siam Restaurant
Saint Anne
We had hoped in retirement to travel the world. So far we have done a pretty good job with trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and The Czech Republic. However the pandemic has stopped all of that for a while. So while waiting for Africa, Alaska and Scandinavia, our current travel is going to have to be virtual. Today’s stop is Paris in the summertime. Of course the trip would not be complete without some real onion soup and a real french terrine.
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Bienvenue a Paris
Paris from the Pompidou Centre
L’Université Paris-Sorbonne
A delicious terrine in a Parisian Cafe
Real Onion Soup
We had never taken an ocean cruise before but after taking a river cruise we decided to try it. We selected the Mediterranean because we figured it would be calmer than the Atlantic or Pacific. Research was discouraging because either the ships were too big or if smaller than real expensive. We selected Azamara because they seemed to offer the same sort of luxury that Regent,Viking and the other small ships but at a better price point. The Azamara Pursuit was their newest ship and completely refurbished.
Azamara is a brand of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines aimed to compete in the small ship luxury market. The ship had 770 passengers and 450 crew. We were upgraded to a small suite and the service was exceptional. The ship had everything you could want want and because of the small size able to go to smaller ports like Elba and Port Vendre in France. We were always one of the smaller ships in the harbor. One of our guides pointed to an MSC Cruise Ship and told us it had 7000 plus passengers. We I sw that ship I knew we had chosen wisely and now we are thinking about our next adventure.
Aboard The Azamara Pursuit
Aboard The Azamara Pursuit
Aboard The Azamara Pursuit
Aboard The Azamara Pursuit
You can buy excellent prosciutto aka Parma Ham in the USA. Every good Italian food store and deli will offer a variety. They are always in delicatessen cases. Most USA Italian restaurants offer a variety of dishes offering this delicacy.
The restaurants that we visited in Italy didn’t hide it away. It was almost presented like a lead actor in a play. If a dish require Parma Ham a waiter or chef would go to the center of the room where this beauty was displayed and with a very sharp knife cut what they needed. Food and entertainment.
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Parma Ham
Imagery Photography 