Eating Our Way Through Spain, France and Italy

Travel in Barcelona

One of theist parts of travel is the chance to try foods from different regions. On this recent trip our first stop was Barcelona, Spain where for was fresh and delicious.

Pate, salmon, sardines, salami raisins, nuts, and bread were recommended offeringsVegetables were hard to come by

On to the home of Salvador Dali

We visited Cadeques, the hometown of Salvador Dali on the Northeast coast of Spain, and enjoyed a beautiful dish of baked lamb chops with vegetables on the shore of the Mediterranean.

Cadeques, Spain lamb chop and vegetables

Provence

From there we traveled up the coast to the city of Arles, France and visited the vineyards in Provence. By chance we found a beautiful hotel , Les Florets, where they are well known for their gourmet food. We had an exquisite meal of roast and vegetables and finished with a yummy indulgent dessert. I didn’t take o photo of the main meal but did get one of the squash soup I had earlier in the day along with the dessert from Les Florets.

Squash soup on Provence, France

Dessert at Les Florets in the Provence region of France

There were some beautiful lunches we had while in Provence. Here are a couple of samples:

Quinoa bowl with fresh vegetables

Caprese

Monaco

We had a brief 2 night stop in Monaco and found some delicious food there.

Sprimp, avocado, greens, hard boiled egg and tomato in Monaco

Lake Como Region, Italy

From there it was on to Lake Como, Italy where we enjoyed an all day cooking class with Moreno in the village of Varenna. He showed us the authentic way to make pasta and regaled us with stories (and wine) throughout the day.

Tortaloni with tomato

Moreno at work

Cinque Terre, Italy

Our next stop was Cinque Terre, where we stayed in the village of Monterosso. There we found some fresh fruit and vegetable stands and I was amazed by the size of the lemons, for which Cinque Terre is well known.

Lemons in Vernazza, Cinque Terre region of Italy

Florence

Florence was our last stop and there I especially enjoyed a classic Tuscan winter soup called Ribollita.

Ribollita Tuscan soup.

Lovely Ladies | Wellness and You

These lovely ladies bonded quickly in our recent Lifelong Wellness after 50 program. We quickly learned the issues of important with regard to growing older were common to all of us.

How do we stay healthy?

What is a healthy eating plan? Can I make healthy meals on a budget?

What are the best exercises?

How do we manage stress? Loneliness?

Having community as we navigate the older years is essential. It was organic in prior generations, with families and neighbors staying in the same place throughout their lives. Today’s families are smaller and busier and have less time to connect with their older neighbors and relatives. It’s a different world and requires new thinking and new actions to stay vital and happy.

These women shared many creative ideas for engaging with others and building new experiences into their lives. The program was initially set for 4 meetings. The group has already asked for more.