France – Camera & Carry On

Our Favorite Metropolitan Hikes in Europe

Michael — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 01:46:14 +0000

What's the first thing you think of when you picture a great hike? Mountains? Wildlife? Being out in the middle of nowhere, traversing rugged terrain, mud on your face, blisters on your feet, and the sent of poop in the air?!?! Well, maybe not all of that, but probably something close. One thing I've come to learn is that there are many great "hikes" that are a short jaunt, subway, or bus ride from your hotel. Many bustling cities have exciting treks that offer stunning sea views alongside incredible city architecture. I call these "metropolitan hikes," and Europe is full of 'em! Below are my absolute favorites! (I tried my best to mark exact locations on the maps below)

Oia to Fira (Santorini, Greece)

Santorini never seems to disappoint, and the trail that leads from Oia to Fira won't either! It was a little tricky to find the starting point, but once you're on the trail it's 6 miles of pure splendor. Many hikers tend to start in Fira and walk towards Oia. It's a bit easier to find the path coming from Fira, but since we were staying in Oia, we did it backwards. Either way, have your camera ready to capture the bluest blues and whitest whites in Greece.

Path of the Gods (Amalfi Coast, Italy)

Whenever someone tells me they're visiting the Amalfi Coast I always tell them the same thing: find the Path of the Gods. You may plan to spend your time on beaches and boats, but make sure to build in a day to gaze above it all. The Path of the Gods is an old donkey path above orchards, farms, and the sea. While we traveled along this path, we were also greeted by many, and I mean many, goats!

Slieve League Lookout (Ireland)

Slieve League is the tallest sea cliff in Ireland. The 1,972 ft drop will land you right in the Atlantic. That's nearly three times the height of it's more famous cousin, the Cliffs of Moher! To get the best view of Slieve League find this lookout point. A fairly short walk from a parking lot will have you among the vast meadows and dramatic drop-offs of Ireland's coast. And if you're lucky, you may find a delicious ice cream truck waiting at the end.

Cap d'Ail Coastal Path (Nice, France / Monte Carlo, Monaco)

Ah the magical coastal path between France and Monaco. While Shannon and I were in Nice we thought it'd be fun to take a quick side trip to Monte Carlo. Although Monte Carlo was interesting, it was the walk back to France that really made the day. Like all of these metro hikes, there's no shortage of views, but the Cap d'Ail Coastal Path also offers a number of secluded spots to sunbathe or take a dip in the Mediterranean. To get here we took an easy bus ride from Nice into Monte Carlo, found the path, walked to Mala Beach, then took the bus back to Nice.

Mt. Salève (Geneva, Switzerland)

From Geneva take the #8 bus for about 12 miles, all the way to the end... welcome to France! From the bottom of Mont Salève you can either hike or take a cable car to the top. Once up there you'll likely find a plethora of paragliders (people running off the mountain with a parachute on their back), perhaps the best view of Lake Geneva, and on a clear day, a view of Mont Blanc.

Path Around Toledo (Spain)

A common day trip from Madrid is the old world town of Toledo. Toledo is known for it's history and craftsmanship. Whether it be steel, plaster, or food, these Spaniards know what they're doing. If you want to get a look at the town as a whole, cross the moat and climb up and around. There's a quazi path/sidewalk that hugs the town from a far, and provides a really nice overview.

Cinque Terre (Italy)

Ah the famous Five Lands of Italy! Hardly a secret, but never to be missed. Unfortunately massive flooding destroyed many of the walking paths several years back, but even still Cinque Terre is a great area to explore. We took the train from La Spezia, and between the 5 towns, as most do. Along with the beautiful cliffside dwellings, make sure to catch a glimpse of Il Gigante in Monterosso.

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16 Photos to Get You Excited About Traveling in 2016!

Michael — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 16:12:08 +0000

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Well it's that time again, time for resolutions and reflection. If you're reading this, there's a good chance one of your resolutions for this year is to travel more. To help you visualize this, I've searched through 10s of thousands of our photos, and found 16 of my absolute favorite panoramics that I hope will encourage you to travel in 2016! Not only are these some of our most spectacular images, but they're also from some of our most treasured destinations. From the most bustling cities, to the calm and silent, there's always something great to capture.

(Click an image to expand it larger)

Santorini, Greece

Siat, Switzerland

Machu Picchu, Peru

Bruarfoss Waterfall, Iceland

Trulli of Alberobello, Italy

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Seville, Spain

Koh Yao Yai, Thailand

Cusco, Peru

Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands

Great Wall of China

New York City

Sligo, Ireland

Mont Salève, France

Amalfi, Italy

Gruyères, Switzerland

•••••

P I N M E !

Save this "16 Photos to Get You Excited About Traveling in 2016!" image to your Pinterest board to keep track of these awesome images, and remember where you can go, and what you can see!

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The Decadent Love Child of France & Italy: Disaronno Crêpe Cake

Michael — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 13:27:28 +0000

Wait, did you read that right? Did someone just say "Disaronno Crepe Cake?" Yes... I did... And if I had more room I would have written "16 Layer, Disaronno, Mascarpone, Cream Filled, Crepe Cake." Brace yourself... Shannon is the chef in our relationship, but for the holidays this year I really wanted to make something great that would shock and awe her into speechlessness! Not just some no-bake pie, fudge brownies, or box cake. No, I aimed to blow her mind and tingle her taste buds with the culinary magic I knew was hiding deep within me. Now I'm not going to pretend this was easy, but if you're looking to impress your family, friends, or anyone else, this will surely do it! Side note — if you don't care about impressing anyone, and you just want to gorge like a king, this is for you, too. France and Italy are immediate contenders for favorite cuisines in the western world, so why not combine the two? I've seen these amazing looking crepe cakes before, and the idea of incorporating my favorite amaretto liqueur to it just came to me, as if in a dream sent by an angel. Have I piqued your interests? Don't bust out your passport just yet! Here are all the details you'll need, now let's get started!

Know First

Things I wish I would have known before I started:

This takes a while to make, mostly because things have to refrigerate for a while, so make a plan.
- The crepe batter needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours (or overnight) before cooking.
- The filling needs to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before assembly.
- The final cake needs to be refrigerated for an additional 2 hours before serving.
Read the ingredients carefully, apparently a tsp and a tbsp are different.
Milk easily boils over, don't take your eye off of it!
This cream is hard to clean up, so try to avoid flinging it across your kitchen.

Crepes

Ingredients

6 tbsp butter
3 cups milk
6 eggs
1½ cups all-purpose flour
7 tbsp sugar
⅛ cup Disaronno
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
No-stick cooking spray

Instructions

Melt the butter in a pan.
Heat the milk over medium heat until it's steaming, then allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
In a big bowl whisk the eggs, flour, sugar and the salt together. After that's mixed well, add in the vanilla extract and Disaronno. Then slowly add the hot milk and melted butter.
Cover the batter and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, it can sit overnight if you want. This might be a good time to start on the filling.
Now to make the crepes! Bring the batter to room temperature. Place a nonstick 9-inch skillet over medium heat, and grease the pan with the no-stick spray. You don't have to grease the pan before each crepe, just as needed. I did it once at the beginning, and once half way through.
Pour a little less than 1/2 cup of batter in the pan and swirl it around so it covers a nice the bottom of the pan. You'll have about 5 seconds from when the batter hits the pan to make a nice circle before it won't move anymore, so act fast!
Cook until the sides of the crepe start turning brown, about 1 minute. Then flip the crepe and cook for another minute or so. This is pretty tricky. I actually put some wax paper on my counter, and flipped the whole pan over the wax paper so the crepe would fall onto it. Then I picked up the crepe with my hands, and placed the uncooked side on the pan to continue cooking.
Place the finished crepe aside.
Repeat until the batter is gone ( I made 16 crepes).

Cream Filling

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
½ cup cornstarch
1 tbsp softened butter
¾ cup cream cheese
¼ cup mascarpone cheese
2 cups heavy cream
4 tbsp confectioners sugar
⅔ cup Disaronno
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Warm the milk over medium heat until you see tiny bubbles form, then take off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
In a medium pot, whisk egg yolks with sugar together so they are well combined. Gradually stir the cornstarch into the pot.
In a separate bowl, whisk the butter, cream cheese, and mascarpone together until smooth.
Slowly add the warm milk into the egg mixture, one cup at a time, stirring constantly, until it's all combined.
Place the pot over medium heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly (this is paramount) until the cornstarch starts to thicken.
Once the mixture has the consistency of pudding, remove from heat and quickly strain it into the bowl with the butter and cheese mixture. Stir the cream until it's smooth and well combined.
Chill for at least 4 hours covered with a plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the cream. This prevents a weird skin from forming.
After about 3 hours and 50 minutes you can start making the whipped cream that you'll combine into your cream filling. Whip the heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and extract with a hand mixer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken. Add in the Disaronno, and continue to mix until the cream holds peaks.
Put about 2 cups of the whipped cream aside (you'll use it to frost the cake later). Take your filling out of the fridge, and gently fold the rest of your whipped cream into it, adding a half cup of whipped cream at a time.

Final Touches

Lay 1 crepe down on a plate. Using a spatula, cover the crepe with a thin layer of the cream filling. Place another crepe on top, and repeat until all your crepes are used.
Take the extra whipped cream you put aside and frost the outside of the cake (I'm really bad at this simple step as you may be able to tell from the photos).
Chill for at least 2 hours, and set out for 30 minutes before serving.
Optionally, you can dust the cake with some cocoa powder (just for looks), or drizzle with Nutella (this is actually really good, we discovered it after eating a few pieces, and it adds to the Italian-ness).

Oh, one more step... INDULGE!

Check out more great, international dishes inspired by our travels, and eaten abroad, here! Also, if you have any great recipes, send them to us ASAP. We're always hungry for something delicious. Merci!

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Wait, Did Someone Say, “Cheese?”

Shannon — Fri, 08 May 2015 19:32:38 +0000

You know when you're so hungry you feel like you could literally be the Incredible Human Vacuum sideshow attraction at a highly inappropriate and politically incorrect circus? "Would you just LOOK at how she devours that meal in seconds?!" exclaims the ringmaster as the crowd, wide eyed, gasps then bursts into a round applause. Well, I feel that way often. I like to eat. And I like to eat well. Good food = happy mouth. "Get in my belly!" I'm a big fruits and veg eater, but I know my way around the finer foods at the peak of the pyramid. Chocolates, I'm talking to you. *wink* And oh, yes, the lactose goddess... We're good friends. When I'm feeling particularly refined and cosmopolitan, my ladylike taste buds demand la cuisine française. But when hunger calls, time, she is of the essence. When this madame wants her food, she wants it tout de suite! The classic Croque Monsieur is easy to make, filling, and bistro chic. Sometimes simple is best. With a light side salad, some sunshine, and a stripey top, it's like I'm right in the heart of Paris. Sort of. Hey - I'll take what I can get! Add a glass of bubbly and you've got yourself a sexy-time making dish right here. Because there's nothing sultrier than a bite of warm, luscious cheese, amiright? And silky lingerie. And Australian accents. And rolling around in the sand. And... ok, just trust me on this one. You'll want to cancel your evening plans, because you are staying in tonight. Want in on this? Prepare to fall in love with sizzling gruyere, salty ham, and crusty bread.

Croque Monsieur

Ingredients

1 piece of crusty bread
2 slices of ham
1 tsp butter
a generous handful of shredded Gruyere cheese
1-2 tbsp homemade bechamel sauce
a sprinkle of pepper to taste (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 450F.
Select a nice piece of bread - your choice. Sourdough is a good pick, or anything rustic and crusty will do beautifully.
Spread a layer of butter on the bread.
Top with slices of ham.
Add a good helping of Gruyere and drizzle with bechamel sauce.
Place the open faced sandwich on a cookie sheet and then in the oven, directly under the broiler.
Check the sandwich every few minutes to ensure it's not burning, but allow the cheese to bubble and brown. This is when the magic happens!
Enjoy hot and sizzling with a lemony side salad of greens.

Now, does that look yummy or what? Do you have a favorite quick & easy recipe? Share!

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24 Photos That Will Inspire You to Travel the World NOW

Shannon — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 21:20:49 +0000

A little eye candy to sweeten your day, these travel photos are sure to get your wanderlust wheel spinning and inspire endless adventures from Penang to Paris. Take the next 4.25 minutes to enjoy a little calorie-free indulgence. Here are 24 swoon worthy images from around this kaleidoscopic world... 1. Church of Agios Nikolaos, Cyprus 2. Brussels, Belgium 3. Somewhere, Iceland 4. Nice, France 5. Lisbon, Portugal 6. Bali, Indonesia 7. Berlin, Germany 8. San Francisco, CA, USA 9. Chiang Mai, Thailand 10. Prague, Czech Republic 11. Bern, Switzerland 12. Chicago, IL, USA 13. Donegal Co., Ireland 14. Lake Como, Italy 15. Paris, France 16. Penang, Malaysia 17. Salzburg, Austria 18. Great Wall at Badaling, China 19. Oia, Santorini, Greece 20. Seville, Spain 21. Siat, Switzerland 22. Tuscany, Italy 23. New York City, NY, USA 24. Vienna, Austria Well, are you ready to pack your bag and book a ticket? Which photo has you yearning for a trip?

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50 Shades: The Hottest, Sexiest, Naughtiest Places on Earth!

Michael — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 15:17:39 +0000

So the internet is going absolutely crazy with the release of the 50 Shades of Grey movie last week. For the first time since Cindy Margolis, I think this hedonistic movement may break the internet! Now, I haven't read the books, and probably won't see the movie (or at least not admit it publically), but that doesn't mean it hasn't inspired me to compile a list of the 50 14 most attractive, wild, and down right sex-fueled places on Earth!

Quick Jump: Most Attractive Women • Most Attractive Men • Sexiest Accent • Wildest Beach Party • Best Nude Beach • Most Insane Pool Party • Spiciest Food • Has The Most Sex • Has The Longest Sex • Most Sex Toys • Hottest Party Destinations • Best Red Light District • Most Sinful City • The Absolute Hottest Place On Earth • References

Most Attractive Women

Brazil — It seems the dark and sultry pretty much dominate the Huffington Post's list of "Sexiest Nationalities" for women.

Most Attractive Men

Australia — Not exactly lining up with the list of hot women's nationalities, tall and strong looks like the common thread here.

Sexiest Accent

British — A whopping 27% of respondents find the Brits to have the sexiest foreign accent, a surprising distant second being American with 8.7%.

Wildest Beach Party

South Beach, Miami — Beating out new comers like Ibiza and Rio, SoBe has been the place to party on the sand for nearly 5 decades!

Best Nude Beach

Montalivet, France — You may be able to go tops-off in MIA, but for the full (frontal) experience you'll need to jump the Atlantic to France's naturist campsite.

Most Insane Pool Party

Marbella, Spain — Now if your eyes are open for the hottest bodies poolside, look no further than the Spanish Riviera! From Ibiza to Barcelona, you're covered, but Sisu in Marbella takes this top spot.

Spiciest Food

Indonesia — If all this hotness is making you sweat, stay away from Sambal Oelek in Indonesia. Sambal Oelek is used as a rub or side in many Indonesian dishes, and it is HOT!

Has The Most Sex

U.S.A. — Oh that's right, I went there! Let's get into the nitty gritty. If you're really looking to get down, Americans have more sex than any others.

Has The Longest Sex

Australia — We may get around the most in the U.S., but if you fancy a romp that'll last more than 4 minutes (but not by much), you'll have to go down under!

Most Sex Toys

China — For those interested in a good time without the company, know that 70% of the world's sex toys originate in China.

Hottest Party Destinations

Las Vegas — The Vegas strip is just over 4 miles long, and you can't go 4 feet without falling into something crazy!

Best Red Light District

Amsterdam — This should come as no surprise, the De Wallen area of Amsterdam is what we all think of when you see, hear, feel or smell a red light (If you've been there you'll get the "smell" reference).

Most Sinful City

Pattaya, Thailand — Now if you're really on the hunt for something naughty, apparently "Sex is the No. 1 activity" here.

The Absolute Hottest Place On Earth

Death Valley, California — "Death Valley's Furnace Creek holds the record for the highest reliably reported air temperature in the world, 134 °F (56.7 °C) on July 10, 1913." Do you know somewhere wilder? Let us know about it! Leave a comment below.

References

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