A Homesick Nurnberger

Well, this trip hasn't gone exactly as expected.

To start, I had a kissing incident. As you may well know Europeans shun the low class American hand-shake in favor for cheek kisses. What you may not know is that there is a whole unspoken etiquette to the cheek-kissing thing.
1. You aren't really supposed to touch lips to cheeks; it is more of a cheek to cheek thing.
2. You can't make the "MWAH" lip smacking kissy sound too loud. It is considered tacky and would be loud in the person's ear.
3. You always go right cheek first, and then left cheek.

I've been working in Europe for several years now and when I travel outside of the US I am always very sensitive about local customs. I thought I had this one nailed, then on my first night in Munich on this trip I was thrown a total whammy - one of my colleagues went for a triple kiss!!!!! That's right folks, just when I thought I was the master of sophisticated European elegance, I was humiliated.

It started out perfectly....hellos, hand shakes, everyone was happy to see each other and to be sitting down to a nice Bavarian feast....then it happened. Right cheek kiss - fine. Left cheek kiss - fine.....then he went to go back to the right again, and I didn't know the custom or what was happening, so we wound up bumping heads quite hard and I am fairly certain I kissed him smack on the nose. My face lit up like an old-fashioned, red, Christmas bulb. I was horrified. For the next 1/2 hour at dinner the phrase "you're an idiot" kept resonating through my head on replay.


In researching places to go in Munich, I hit Frommers – one of my most favorite travel web sites. This restaurant jumped out at me for very obvious reasons, and the description of the restaurant had me in stitches. That’s me, the homesick Numberger. I had lunch there today. I did not, however, eat sausage.

Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom
Frommer's Review
The homesick Nürnberger comes here just for one dish with those delectable little sausages: Nürnberger Schweinwurst mit Kraut. You can also find such items as crispy roast pork with bread dumplings and cabbage salad, veal breast stuffed with a potato-and-cucumber salad, or boiled ox with diced vegetables and fried potatoes. This restaurant first opened in 1893. It was rebuilt after World War II, and it is now the coziest and warmest of all local restaurants. Chairs look almost as if they were hand-carved, and upstairs, reached through a hidden stairway, is a dining room hung with reproductions of Dürer prints. Tables are shared, and food is served on tin plates. Last food orders go in at midnight. A short walk from Marienplatz, the restaurant faces the Frauenkirche.Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/munich/D42986.html#ixzz0WrkSar8o

Epcot Food & Wine Festival

Held annually each fall (usually mid-September to mid-November), the Food & Wine Festival held at Walt Disney World's Epcot themepark is truly an event not to be missed for any everyday gourmet. In addition to the usual "countries" represented at Epcot (France, Morocco, Germany, Japan, Italy, Mexico, China, Norway, UK, Canada, etc.) they bring in booths from all over the world, each offering 2-3 tapas style tasting portions of local cuisine as well as tasting portions of local wines and beers. Past countries added have included Australia, Spain, South Africa, Greece, Poland, and much more. In addition to all these great eating and drinking stations, they offer free events and classes, like wine tasting, food & wine pairing, and chef's demonstrations. There are also special fee-based events like the Party for the Senses - a Saturday-night extravaganza where they bring in some of the best chefs and wineries from around the world for an all-you-can-eat/drink party in a whimsical setting, punctuated by ongoing Cirque de Soleil performances.

Here were some of the highlights food-wise from 2008:

• Beef with Chimichurri sauce and mashed potatoes from Argentina


• German sausage in a pretzel role from Germany


• Pierogi and keilbasa from Poland


• Greek salad and spanikopita from Greece


• Chorizo quesadillas from Mexico


• Empanadas from Brazil


• Cheddar cheese soup from Canada


• Gumbo from Louisiana

Perhaps the most annoying thing about the event is that you can't find a lot of details about it online...although based on the crowds the word is definitely out. You'll want to go on a weekday when it is slightly less crowded. Can't wait to attend this year's event with some new recruits!

Magical Mallorca

This is my first travel-related post and it is about my favorite place in the world that I have found so far. I love to travel and explore new places - I've visited 80 different cities in 19 different countries. Unfortunately the majority of my travel is for business, not pleasure, but I still try to find time to explore when I can. It is a full-sensory experience that takes over your body as it experiences new sights, smells, tastes, and sounds.

I've spent a lot of time in Spain over the years, having visited in high school, lived there during a semester in college, and most recently was there for a business trip to Barcelona. I adore Spain and the Spanish culture. They have a saying there, "Americans live to work, Spaniards work to live," that is reflected throughout their society. What other culture has so fully embraced the idea of a 3 hour lunch break and mid afternoon nap everyday?

So, on to my favorite place: The tiny village of Deia in the mountains of Mallorca. I don't know why exactly, but I have never experienced such calm in any other location in the world. It is spectacular, set up in the mountains, with sweeping views of the Mediterranean below. It is a quaint, off the beaten path spot that has so much to offer. Just breathing the air there makes you feel better, as it is scented with jasmine and citrus from all of the orange and lemon trees that cover the landscape.

I stayed at the Hotel Es Moli (www.esmoli.com), an elegant, small, boutique hotel that had an amazing view of the town and sea. The hotel had a large pool that was actually filled with naturally running spring water that was the same water as the towns drinking supply. The feel of the water on your skin was incredible. The hotel also offered plenty of amazing gardens and terraces from which you could observe the view.

The center of Deia was just a short stroll from the hotel, with plenty of amazing tapas bars, a few small shops, and the Residencia Hotel - one of the most exclusive (and not to mention expensive) hotels in all of Europe. Folks like Sting, Tom Hanks, and Gwenyth Paltrow are regulars but unfortunately there were no stars spotted during my visit. The town is basically one long winding road that leads up to a 17th century chapel on the top of the hill. Wandering through the center of town, exploring the narrow cobblestone streets and alleyways, I felt like I was a character in a novel, or some Under the Tuscan Sun-like movie.

The food in Spain is amazing, and the town of Deia has so much to offer in this area as well. I had the meal of a lifetime at the hotel's restaurant the first evening there, and spent the second evening on the outdoor patio of the best tapas bar in town, nibbling acorn-fed serrano ham and sipping a lovely glass of Verdejo.

Deia is about as far from a tourist trap as possible, so it is still largely undiscovered by most. My hope is to return soon to spend as much time there as possible before others discover this magically place.