Don’t cry, Angelita. Tonight I’ll buy you a house, or I’ll dress you in mourning. – Manuel Benítez, “El Cordobés,” to his sister before his bullfighting premiere in Madrid The promise of a matador to his sister summarizes the high stakes game of fighting bulls on the world’s grandest stage – get rich or bleed … More Or I’ll Dress You in Mourning
Spain is love served on a plate. – Anonymous Blame it on Anthony Bourdain. When Robie and I saw a rerun of CNN’s Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown during a trip to Mykonos last December, it set the course for what we would do after the Camino. At the time we knew we were heading to … More In search of free tapas
Anybody can make history; only a great man can write it. – Oscar Wilde You’re standing inside a church in a city that was once the capital of the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogoth Kingdom and the Byzantine Empire. Today, this little-known town has eight UNESCO World Heritage sites featuring the best Byzantine art outside … More Where are you now?
Simple ingredients prepared in a simple way – the best way to take everyday cooking to a higher level. – Jose Andres In a post about budgeting for long-term travel in retirement, Robie and I mentioned how having a few items in the pantry along with a rolodex of quick and easy recipes helps us … More Lunchtime Poll: What’s your best go-to meal in a snap?
How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese? – French President Charles de Gaulle It’s no secret Robie and I love cheese. While we’ve learned to make queso with gouda and pinched pennies to splurge on American cheddar in Europe, we really miss the shelves of French bries and bleus, rows … More Top 10: Cheeses
Food is our common ground, a universal experience. – James Beard In Sarandё Robie and I had time to explore the city’s many hangouts. Arriving in January we found few dining options open in the off season. Come March places that had been closed since the holidays began welcoming customers as more restaurants reopened across … More Our top picks for the best places to eat in Sarandё (and a few to avoid)
I would rather own little and see the world than own the world and see little of it. – Madhu Shetty You’re standing amid the ruins of an ancient fortress where an important battle was fought in 1536. The site, high atop a hill, overlooks a former capital founded in the 13th century. Though the … More Where are you now?
The next great European war will probably come out of some damned fool thing in the Balkans. – Otto von Bismarck If you’ve followed my travel book reviews so far, you may have noticed something disturbing. One reader did. After posting the last review of Peter Mayle’s Toujours Provence, I received a note asking why … More Albania: A Narrative of Recent Travels
Life is a combination of magic and pasta. – Federico Fellini When Robie and I set out from Albania to enjoy a week-long getaway in Italy, we were looking forward to exploring the baroque architecture of Lecce in the southern region of Puglia. But when March showers left us taking grey, overcast pictures of the … More When it rains in Lecce, eat pasta … and cheese
See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream. – Ray Bradbury Known for the date they were first sighted by European explorers, this chain of 74 mostly uninhabited islands was named for a holiday celebrating the start of summer and the traditional wearing of white. But christened more than a century before the international … More Where are you now?
Reid & Robie 