After a week in the Azores we boarded for a short plane ride to the vacation spot for many Europeans ...Madeira ...so much more busy then the Azores but equally picturesque and gorgeous. great balance between touristy and relaxed.
Wow the food and wine...yummy . We stayed at a very cool place , an apartment built into the side of a cliff. rented a car and drove around....wow the tunnels and switchbacks !!!
Happy to return to our seaside haven early afternoon each day for some Madeira wine , cheese and bread on our balcony before out for diner.
Went on a whale watching trip, rode the cable car over the city.......then came down the hill toward Fungal in a basket!! ....all an adventure
Madeira was the beverage of the founding fathers who planned our revolution many moons ago. Many eastern Canadians trace their family heritage back to those who fled the colonies to a more peaceful environment.
Two questions How about you Kim - did your family leave or do you have a French heritage? Did you like the taste of Madeira? My father loved it! Taste like Black Walnuts to me, which I am not fond of.
Last edited by TomB; 01/23/202008:35 AM.
“Every time I open a bottle of wine, it is an amazing trip somewhere!” José Andrés
We loved the taste of it and savoured every drop. I have a bottle sitting in my bar at home for a cold day.
Re my heritage .., i am a French Acadian Canadian , maiden name Savoie and came from France . Visited a medieval village this fall from 12 th century and found my ancestry.. coolest thing ever... stay tuned for that trip report
Before you go the Seychelles, I highly recommend you get a Canon G7 X Mark II. It is not much larger than a pack of cigarettes. (if anyone remembers how big a pack was) It has a great piece of glass and full 1" sensor. Even better... it is only half the cost of iPhone. I think you would be VERY pleased with the pictures and glad you took it. It is the Rolls of point and shoot cameras IMHO.
Caveat - Canon has released the Mark III version, but it is getting panned by the pros. I think they added more bells and whistles at the cost of the quality of the product. Plus it is $200 more expensive.
Your trip to tracing your roots in France sounds so cool. How far can you trace back the family origins? 12th Century?
“Every time I open a bottle of wine, it is an amazing trip somewhere!” José Andrés
Actually I was not intentionally seeking out my ancestry,..was there with my hubby and he was there for work...port revel man made ship models handling course ( very cool, check it out) while the guys were in school the gals were taken around sight seeing and our guide took us to this amazing fortified city ...I just happened to stumble upon my maiden name and my ancestors in the process. Very cool indeed
That ship handling course looks great, never knew that existed.
As far as ancestry, I did a "free trial" with ancestry.com. Found some interesting stuff. My dad's side went back to a British officer who remained in Maryland after the war of independence, cool. I should subscribe to dig further. My daughter just did her DNA, 62% English, 15% Irish and discovered only 1 unusual 3% find, Sardinia...hmmm. My wife and I now want to send for this test.
I was enjoying a Vin de Savoie this weekend when I had an epiphany! This is Kim's family wine! A very small French appellation which makes a great white table wine from the grape Jacquere.
If you didn't have a house wine you do now... For Real!
“Every time I open a bottle of wine, it is an amazing trip somewhere!” José Andrés
I was enjoying a Vin de Savoie this weekend when I had an epiphany! This is Kim's family wine! A very small French appellation which makes a great white table wine from the grape Jacquere.
If you didn't have a house wine you do now... For Real!
Yes we had some while in France .. very cool for sure
