10 Reasons Why Lisbon, Portugal Is Not For Me

Shannon — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 13:34:39 +0000

To be truthful, Lisbon, Portugal was never really on my radar. When it looked like we had a week to spare on our 4-month tour of Europe, it sounded like a good idea. We'd see a new country (bonus points for it being a little less traveled than most in Western Europe), maybe pick up a few words of Portugese, and have ourselves a good ol' time. The reality was none of these things, and that made me sad. By the time the day came for us to move on for Switzerland, I was more than ready. I know others will strongly disagree with me, but what can I say? It just wasn't for me. 1. Portugese is NOT easy. Granted, I knew that, and the fault is on me. Regardless, this was one I couldn't even pick up a little bit of. And that made me feel rather daft. 2. I couldn't get into Fado, or stay up late enough to make it to one of the hidden, local spots to get a taste live. 3. It rained 89% of the time we were in Lisbon. Sideways drops + dark skies = hours stuck inside and slim chances for sightseeing. 4. We stayed in the Alfama, on the top of a hill. In theory, renting a place in a historic district with maze-like, cobbled streets, and hidden alleyways, reveled by photographers and travelers was great. The reality was we were a 40 minute hike from everywhere and burned off the calorie equivalent of a large pizza to get from A to B. Wiser choice would have been to stay in the Baixa Chiado and walk to the older parts for fun. Oh yeah, and when it rained, cobblestones become greased up bananas just begging to be slipped on. 5. Bacalhau. Many rave about the seafood, but I was hard pressed to find a beautiful filet of local catch. Canned, dried, and salted seemed the norm. And silly me, I'm not big on shellfish, either. 6. Parts of the city need some serious TLC. Some call that a good 'patina' but I argue it's in need of some local loving and good old fashioned elbow grease. 7. A decent grocery store is hard to come by. For the average traveler, this may not be a big deal, but we like to cook and live where we travel (meaning not eating out all the time). Finding some basic goods from one or many stores was a challenge. 8. The Tuesday and Saturday flea market in the Alfama leaves something to be desired. Missed the artisan products and unique goods, replaced by so-so wares, recycled clothing, and other random junk. 9. Public transportation is lousy, though that sunshiny Tram 28 is a fun way to see the old town. 10. Restaurant hours are cray! It's a culture of late-night eaters. I get it. But 8 o'clock opening time? And a reservation required? Yikes. There were a few redeeming qualities, though, so I won't say the visit was a completely disappointing one. 1. Three words: pasteis de nata. Warm, petit tarts, sprinkled with a little cinnamon and sugar. Oh, yeah. In Portugal, custard pastries are king. 2. Caught a glimpse of some pretty awesome street art. The art scene here is growing and starting to get some much deserved attention. 3. Sintra is a little over an hour away, and a perfect day trip destination with the most beautiful, Cinderella-meets-Little-Mermaid castle you ever did see; it's bright, colorful, and decorated with exquisite seashells and a marine theme. 4. On a clear, blue day (we were lucky to get one!), Lisbon can be quite lovely. It's hard to deny some of the architectural points that are unique to Lisbon and stand pretty. [enter bright colors and terracotta rooftops] Alright, alright. I know it sounds like I've been hitting the hatorade pretty heavy, but keep in mind this was just my experience. If the skies were always blue, we stayed in a different neighborhood, and I came in the summertime... my overall take on Lisbon might have been much different. Taking the good with the bad, it's not nearly the worst place I've been - far from it. Still, I don't know I'll be making plans to go back to Portugal anytime soon, especially with neighboring Spain right there. Sangria, tapas, and flamenco... that's where you'll find me.

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A Scrumptious Chocolate Journey in Bruges

Shannon — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 13:17:06 +0000

Over the course of two days in the fairy tale town of Bruges, we made it our personal mission to find, sample, buy, and ultimately, discover what we believe to be the "Best of the Best" of Belgian chocolateries. It was a tough job, but we were up for the challenge. You're welcome. Prices for chocolates were generally between 50 cents and 1 euro each. A few shops had a weight minimum for purchases, so we might have indulged in a ~~dozen~~ few more chocolates than you'll find listed below. Oh, and in case you're wondering if Belgian chocolate really is as good as they say, I'll spare you the suspense. Yes, yes it is. Even the chocolates we found at the bottom of our list were much better than the common chocolates found in the States (sorry, Dove and Hershey). Feel free to cut to the end for the nitty gritty, or take your time going through our delicious research data. You may or may not wish to have a bar of high quality chocolate nearby to quiet your sweet tooth's cries through the read. Just sayin'.

The Chocolate Shops

DUMON --- high quality, super creamy chocolates, goodness in every bite

raspberry white chocolate: yogurty, creamy inside with a beautiful outer shell. lovely.
amaretto milk chocolate: very smooth and light amaretto flavor. classy.
hazelnut milk chocolate: suuuuper creamy

GALLER --- deep flavors and nice quality, for the pure cocoa lovers

gingerbread milk chocolate: slightly grainy texture with gingerbread flavor.
pistachio marzipan milk chocolate: meh… bad pick on our part. marzipan not is not my favorite.
“the island” dark chocolate: nice for a dark chocolate, but too rich for our taste buds.

LEONIDAS --- not a luxury brand, these are good everyday chocolates

praline milk chocolate: a dense chocolate, but the whole nut on top gets a thumbs up.
coffee milk chocolate: needed more coffee flavor, and a bit thick.

STEF CHOCOLATES --- good quality and classic flavors

“concerto” vanilla cream and caramel: mighty sweet and creamy center.
“pop” praline with caramelized nuts: nutty texture, a little heavy, but still nice.

VERHEECKE --- middle of the road in quality and taste

irish cream milk chocolate: not overpowering flavor, subtle, creamy.
strawberry cup white chocolate: filling is a little too jammy for our liking, but the cup and chocolate were yummy.

THE OLD CHOCOLATE HOUSE --- if you’re up for something super sweet, this will do the trick

marshmallow caramel milk chocolate: strangely familiar to those egg shaped chocolates you can find around Easter in Walgreens. kind of guilty pleasure good.
cookie crunchies inside milk chocolate: a little heavy, but the texture is good with lots of crunchy bits.

DEPLA --- beautiful chocolates with wonderful flavors and textures

salted caramel milk chocolate: perfect salty/sweet balance with uber smooth chocolate cointreau - very smooth flavor and soft center.
praline with cookie milk chocolate: so many crunchies! delightful texture.

MARY --- in a word… perfection

“paola” vanilla fresh cream on praline base: fluffy, light, and airy. unlike any cream chocolate before. yum!
“florentine” milk chocolate mousse garnished with nougatine: the top tastes like a miniature lacey cookie with a center that just melts around it. complex flavor and texture. VERY good.
milk chocolate with caramel: a simple classic.
“fabiola” milk chocolate with coffee mousse: the perfect balance of chocolate and coffee flavors.

TSJOKOREETO --- butter for dessert… who knew?!

“room” fresh cream and white chocolate: the first words out of my mouth were, “almost like butter,” so that’s that.
champagne truffle: also very buttery with a slight champagne flavor

PRALINETTE --- pralines, truffles, and more at this 'largest' chocolate shop in Bruges

pumpkin: totally missing the pumpkin flavor, but the texture was smooth as can be and light as a praline should be.
rice crispy praline mousse: pop rock surprise! good stuff.

CHOCOLATERIE DE BURG --- these heavy chocolates will fill your belly up in no time

praline bresiliene: very dense center and the chocolate was a little ‘cheap’ tasting.
strawberry: thick outer shell and the inside was a bit too sweet.

JAN DE CLERCK --- lots of flavor options here, but choose wisely or it’s a miss

cappuccino: nice coffee flavor and pleasant texture.
banana: strong, artificial banana flavor (think banana runts), and a little too gooey.

CHOCOHOLIC --- a chain chocolate shop with a little something for everyone

speculoos milk chocolate: thick outer layer of milk chocolate with a gritty, speculoos (cinnamon cookie) center. yummy!
lemon ganache dark chocolate: bright and drippy tart center, but the dark chocolate was a touch too strong and quashed the flavor.

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The Results

Friendliest shops: Dumon, Galler, & Mary They gave samples, said hello with smiling faces, and were happy to engage in conversation. Tastiest: Mary, Dumon, & Depla While a pretty box and edible art may win over our eyes, it’s the taste buds that have the final say. Funny enough, these guys have the whole package. Russell Stover Doppelgangers: The Old Chocolate House, Stef Chocolates, & Chocolaterie De Burg Need a sugar fix but nothing too fancy? These shops have you covered. Overall Winner: Mary Taste, quality, and beauty... this gem takes the cake! On a separate occasion, in Brussels, we passed another Mary chocolates and couldn’t resist stepping inside to ogle at the precious confections. We walked away with one of their AH-MAZING chocolate marshmallow teacakes. I could have died. At nearly 5 euros a pop, we decided to share one, but I was instantly regretful for not getting one for each of us. Shame. While I pondered gobbling it up in a few quick bites, Michael swooped in for his share before I had the chance to devour it. The map below shows the locations of the chocolate shops we visited in Bruges. Or, you can always wing it! There are chocolateries around just about every corner. Simply follow the smell of melted milk chocolate and you'll find the way.

The post A Scrumptious Chocolate Journey in Bruges appeared first on Camera & Carry On.

dessert – Camera & Carry On

10 Reasons Why Lisbon, Portugal Is Not For Me

A Scrumptious Chocolate Journey in Bruges

The Chocolate Shops

The Results