by David McGuffin | Sep 23, 2008 | Eating & Drinking, Experiencing Europe
When traveling in Europe, I think half the thrill is experiencing good food and good drink with good friends. Over the years, I’ve developed this uncanny knack for searching out and finding cool little places to eat and drink. My rule is always go for the local stuff. To do that you’ve often got to get out of your comfort zone, venture sometimes into the unknown, and even be willing to accept embarrassment or ridicule… but the pay-off is most always worth the effort. I wrote this article in 2003 after returning from a trip to Ireland.
REFLECTIONS FROM MY “THE BEST OF IRELAND” TOUR – MAY 2003
IRELAND: The Irish people take pride in their heritage and the hard times they have endured. As we drove about the island I was saddened at the old landmarks which draw a vivid picture of the harsh history which the Irish have endured. Yet I was also pleased to see signs of great change due to the rapid growth of the Irish economy in the past few years, coupled with the people’s deep desire to preserve the past for future generations.
We spent some time in Doolin near the end of our tour. You’ve got to be going to Doolin to get to Doolin. It is located in County Clare just 500 meters from the rugged Atlantic coast. Life here for hundreds of years has been tough and hard to bear. The land is too rugged for crops. During the famine the English overlords banned many a Irish soul to this God forsaken place.
Doolin, in the last 20 years, has become an outpost for traditional Irish music. Its three pubs (that’s the extent of the town) host Irish musicians each night. These musicians entertain the locals and tourist alike with gigs, reels, waltzes, and folk songs. All you have to do to enjoy the scene is show up about 9 p.m. and work your way into a seat.
Many people from my groups have become experts at the pubs over the past 10 days. Here are some hints we think will help make your visit to an Irish pub a most enjoyable experience.
1. GRAND ENTRANCE – When you walk into a pub in the early evening (before 8:30 p.m.) everyone will stop what they are doing and look at you! (Remember the word PUB is short for ‘Public Place’. This is where people gather to talk about the day’s news, to discuss who died and who left town). Don’t be afraid. Hold your ground and proceed to step two.
2. DON’T SIT DOWN!! STEP UP TO THE BAR – Nobody is going to wait on you at a table. Sitting at a table means you want to be left alone. In order to get a food or a drink, you’ve got to work your way through the crowd and up to the bar. When you get there the bartender will not wait on you until you make EYE CONTACT and give a sign that you’re ready to order.
3. ORDER YOUR DRINK – Once you’ve completed step two above, now you’re ready to order. Speak up over the crowd and state you’re order. For example: a pint of Smithwick’s will get you the ale brewed in Kilkenny. DON’T SAY SMITH-WICK’S….IT’S “SMID-ICKS”. If you just say you want a pint, you’ll most likely get the dark stout known as GUINNESS. Don’t ask what’s on tap… the taps are right in front of you. Remember, speak up over the crowd.
4. DON’T BE IMPATIENT – BARTENDERS TAKE THEIR TIME. – It takes a good five minutes or so to get a drink. Drawing just the right pint of stout is an art form. The bartender will usually fill the glass 2/3 full and let it sit for a few minutes then come back and put the finishing “head” on the top.
5. STAND AT THE BAR. – If you want to meet people stand at the bar, talk to people, and ask questions. It will amaze you how many people you’ll make friends with in an evening.
6. MAKING CONVERSATION… CRAIC….WILL USUALLY GET YOU FREE DRINKS – Three young ladies were with me on tour last month. They AND their boyfriends scored free drinks almost every night by being friendly and flashing those pearly whites.
7. TAP YOUR FOOT! – There will always be music — enjoy it!
**You can add your two-cents worth by clicking on the comments link below.**
by David McGuffin | Sep 22, 2008 | Eating & Drinking, Experiencing Europe
When traveling in Europe, I think half the thrill is experiencing good food and good drink with good friends. Over the years, I’ve developed this uncanny knack for searching out and finding cool little places to eat and drink. My rule is to always go for the local stuff. To do that you’ve often got to get out of your comfort zone, venture sometimes into the unknown, and even be willing to accept embarrassment or ridicule… but the pay-off is most always worth the effort.
IRELAND – When I think of Ireland my mind conjures up visions of rolling hills, pristine mountains, forty shades for green, pub musicians, good craic, hearty food, and good drinking. It’s no secret that the Irish know how to have a good time. It’s in their blood, part of their culture, and a part of their heritage.
There are basically two kinds of drinks in Ireland: beer or Irish Whiskey. Yes, now-a-days with their new-found wealth you’ll find lots of wine and even mixed drinks like we have back home, but the staple of the country has and will always be beer or Irish whiskey.
I use the term beer rather loosely when referring to this brew because in Ireland, one would never just go up to a bar and order a “beer.” You’ve got to be more specific and specify the brand name. Really none of it is classified as beer anyway. Usually you’ll have a choice of a stout like Guiness or Murphey’s, or an ale like Swithwick’s or Kilkenny. There are other local ales and stouts spread throughout Ireland, but the four mentioned about seem to abound nationwide.
To a connoisseur, Irish Whiskey differs greatly from Scotch or Bourborn. It is most often triple distilled giving it a smooth and pleasant glide down to your belly. I was recently in an Irish pub with some friends who wanted to do “girlie shots” like we have back home. No such thing was to be found so their choice was Jameson’s or Bushmill’s (both Irish Whiskey). I think they’ll agree it did the job and warmed ’em up as it was going down.
Some of the most common Irish Whiskies are: Jamesons, Powers, Paddy, Midleton, Old Bushmills, Black Bush, 1608, and Bushmills 10, 12, 16, and 21-year-old single malts. All have certain distilling characteristics that give them a unique taste all their own.
So there you have it, all you really need to know about pub drinking in Ireland. I’ve got a tour I’m putting together for June 2010 which I’m calling the “Thirsty Traveler’s” Tour. It’s going to hit several “cultural pockets” of Europe where we’ll focus on eating and drinking well. Stay tuned for details.
-David
**You can add your two-cents worth by clicking on the comments link below.
by David McGuffin | Jan 23, 2008 | Eating & Drinking, Essential Travel Resources
McDonald’s for fine cuisine?
I’ve not always been the confident and savvy tour leader I am today. There was a time when I relied on the “expertise and advice” of drivers and guides to lead me and my student groups around the sights of Europe. The trouble was that the bus drivers were always on the take, either for the young girls or for our tour dollars; and the guides were at least fifteen years younger than me with about half as many people skills. The only positive thing they had going was our ignorance and their knowledge of the tourist sights.
To make matters worse, these tours were promoted as providing breakfast and dinner everyday, but I always came home hungry! After those early trips to Europe our first stop, after arriving at our hometown airport, was for a thick and juicy steak! You see, we had been practically brainwashed into believing that everyone in Europe had a hard roll and jam for breakfast and a chicken or pork cutlet followed by a piece of fruit for dinner. No wonder my students craved a Big Mac!
What ever happened to that food Julia Child so eloquently described in her cookbooks? Finally, I took control. Never again was I going to be blindly led through the streets of Europe by a guide who was experiencing a sight for the first time just like me! Never again was a bus driver going to steal from me and my group and blame it on the locals, and never again was I going to come home from Europe craving American food!
It was the basement dining experience in Rome that did it. Earlier in the day our “walking tour” had taken us past outdoor cafes and garlicky smelling trattorie which just pleaded with my senses to come in for a taste. Finally, it was time for dinner and I was ready! But to my dismay, we were loaded onto our bus and transported to the outskirts of town. Here we got off the bus and went underground into a huge 400-seat cafeteria. I think all the student tour groups who visited Rome that day were scheduled to have dinner here. My group was hustled in and seated. We were fed pasta, an unknown cutlet, and a piece of fruit. Then we were hustled out so the next group could take our seats.
It took me a few years to get my act together, but never again will I come home hungry from a European tour. Our Exploring Europe tours are loaded with good food and gourmet meals. Don’t get the wrong impression, this does not necessarily mean “fine dining.” Our meals consist of the best of the local cuisine coupled with a unique and special dining experience. We eat fish by the seashore, pesto in Liguria, snails in Burgundy, sausage in Munich, and omelets in Normandy. Potatoes are a staple in Ireland, and you’ve got to have fish and chips in England. Pasta reigns supreme in Italy and crisp French fries, dipped in mayonnaise, are a delight in Belgium. In Holland you can try a salted herring, only if you like, and the spicy Indian cuisine of London is sure to put a sting to your taste buds. If you don’t like what you see (or smell), there is always another choice somewhere else. You’ll never go hungry on one of our tours! Happy Eating!
David
by David McGuffin | Apr 21, 2007 | Adventures in Tour Guiding, David's Journal, Eating & Drinking
My friends Dennis and Linda sent these pictures of our rural France dining experience. I’ve detailed the experience in the post dated April 18.
by David McGuffin | Apr 18, 2007 | Adventures in Tour Guiding, Eating & Drinking, Restaurant Reviews
I’m in my “European Planning Mode”, and last weekend I took two days to methodically inspect my summer tour schedule. I am one of those guys who enjoys piecing together the individual tour elements in order to make a stress-free and seamless travel experience. Yesterday, I was talking with a friend who is considering studying architectural design. As the conversation went on I began to draw a lot of parallels between constructing a building and building a good group tour. You can do most of the planning up front and lay it out on paper just like a blueprint, but eventually there is always something that crops up to change your plans.
Brunelleschi, the designer and architect of the dome atop the Duomo in Florence, encountered many such problems. Did you know that he wrapped a series of chains and timbers inside the dome just so the gently sloping dome would be pleasing to the eye? Even today you can climb inside the dome and see where he had to alter his original plans to make the final product even better.
A few weeks ago I was taking a group from Interlaken, Switzerland to the Burgundy region in France. It was a Sunday morning and our route took us through the Jura mountain range and some pretty remote countryside. There were 23 of us on the bus and many needed to make a toilet stop. Unfortunately, villages were few and far between and none had any services available. Things were not going according to my plan. You see we were supposed to make a stop at a big restaurant on the highway just before leaving Switzerland. Well we either missed the place or it had moved since the last time I was through the area.
It was almost noon when we came to the town of Pontarlier. I had Peter, our driver, pull the bus off the road and I walked up “Main” street to find a toilet, an ATM, and somewhere to eat. We did find an ATM machine, but that was it! Back on the bus we finally came to a group of fast food highway restaurants. But much to everyone’s dismay, I had Peter drive right by them. We certainly were not going to have our first Sunday lunch in France at a McDonald’s!
I knew from experience that France is covered with little mom and pop run “truck stop” restaurants serving gourmet home cooking meals at a value price. I had my fingers crossed that we’d run across one of these restaurants and it would be open for Sunday lunch. Finally we came upon a lone restaurant. There were no cars but the lights were on inside. I had Peter stop and I ran inside.
The place was empty. I could here some people banging around in the kitchen out back so in my best French accent I shouted bonjour. Out came two ladies and I began my stilted French explanation about a bus full of people, could they serve us lunch, how much would it cost, and is there a toilet nearby. After a few moments we came to an agreement and I went back outside smiling and motioned the group to “come on in.”
You should have seen the two restaurant ladies! At first they were startled that I was even in the restaurant. Then I shocked them again with my lousy French (I am sure they wondered why an American was so far off the beaten tourist path). Their eyes got as big a saucers when I asked if they could serve 23 people. I think they thought I had not learned to count correctly in French. “Vingt-trois,” they exclaimed in unison. “Oui, oui, vingt-trois,” I said as I pointed out the window to the huge 50 seater bus. They looked around, spoke rapidly in French, ran back to the kitchen and took a peek into the refrigerator and return a bit calmer with a nice menu proposal.
By the time I got the group inside the tables had been rearranged with fresh sets of wine glasses, silverware, and napkins all neatly in place. The stressed and panicked looks which had been on their face just minutes before were replaced with kind and understanding expressions. They spoke no English, we spoke very little French, but we all managed to understand what we were ordering and how it would be served.
This began a two hour dining experience where we enjoyed the food, local wine, friendship, and most importantly , the hospitality of the staff. All this was offered at a cost of 17 EURO per person. (Had we had a remotely similar experience in the United States it would have been in a 4-star restaurant and at a cost of $60 or more, not including the wine). I think I can speak for everyone in the group that this was a good decision as our first impression of France. So when my best laid travel plans don’t seem to be going just right…I look for something better!
Restaurant “Le Petit Paris” was completely filled by local folks by 1:00 p.m. Obviously it was well known for good home cooking. We were offered three courses, each having several choices. I had homemade vegetable soup, pork sausage with wine and mushroom sauce, vegetables, and a pear tart for desert. Many of my friends said the “house” salad was to die for! The restaurant is located on route 57 between the towns of Pontarlier and Besancon, about 40 km north of the Swiss border. The owners are Laurence and Patrick Dufau. They can be reached at Tel. 03 81 60 04 42 and only speak French. Closed on Sunday evening and all day on Wednesday.
by David McGuffin | Jun 6, 2002 | Adventures in Tour Guiding, David's Journal, Destinations, Eating & Drinking
Il Campo – Seina
Il Campo, the town square of Siena is a big as three football fields. It is paved with red brick and is surrounded by cafes, vendors, and local businesses. Viewed from the air it reminds me of a half completed sunset, red bricks radiating from the central public fountain. Towering above is the bell tower of city hall. Il Campo is a gathering place for all people.
I’ve visited Il Campo at all hours. Early morning brings the local people, merchants and vendors, setting up for the day’s business. The street cleaners are out sweeping with their homemade brooms and gathering the nightly ration of empty bottles and left over food. I love watching a city wake up and morning is my favorite time for catching the spirit of a place. Around the square, shopkeepers too are sweeping and tidying up their places, deliveries are made, the ever present buzz of the APE (the small Italian version of a delivery truck on a motorcycle body) zoom in and out of the square. There are old women walking past on their way to morning Mass almost sneaking into the many community churches. And no Italian town would be complete without the ever present construction site and its busy workers getting down to serious business before the sun runs them inside for the afternoon. Mornings give a view of the real place!
By 10 a.m. the first groups of tourist arrive on Il Campo. Buses, parked outside of town, unload their tourist just a few blocks from Il Campo. The groups trudge from the unloading zone to Il Campo. All are frantically clicking photos and desperately trying to catch the essence of Il Campo. Then the magic takes over. Il Campo funnels the crowds out and into the town. I sit at one end of the plaza and watch group after group arrive, they take pictures, strain their neck looking up at the bell tower, checkout the fountain and local pigeons, their tour guide assembles the group, says a few words and then the group break up to wander around the small streets and allies of Siena. This same scene happen many times, day after day, week after week.
By 5 p.m. most of the tourist have returned to their buses and headed back to their big hotels in Florence. Left on Il Campo are the few lucky tourist, like me, who have a room here in town for the night. The vendors begin to pack up their wares, the umbrellas come down at the cafes around the square as the shade inches its way across the reddish-orange pavement. School children begin to play football and tag, their mothers visiting in the shade of nearby buildings. Older kids talk, flirt, flaunt their stuff for all to see. Tourist like me, grab a seat on the pavement and take it all in. Romantics, hold hands, nestle up to one another and sneak a kiss or two. The square is alive with life. The older men sit in the distance, drinking their wine, smoking, reading a paper, and discussing what ever old me discuss. Across the square, old women again head off to the evening services.
Il Campo at night is a delight. Tonight could have been a washout. The evening begun with rain. Most of the locals have been driven in doors. But I’ve got just tonight for Siena and I’ll make to most of it. My friends find a dry spot under the eves of a store that has closed for the night. Here we spread our ponchos using our packs as a backrests and settle in for the ambiance of Il Campo. Earlier in the afternoon we had shopped for our picnic supper…an assortment of olives, cheeses, prociutto, freshly baked bread, and a ruby red Sangiovese from the hills of Siena.
The stage is set, we’re comfortable and have wonderful views across Il Campo which is practically empty because of the drizzling rain. I’ve never seen Il Campo like this. The light from the surrounding businesses reflected off the rain covered pavement. The fountain can be heard spurting water in the distance muffled just slightly by the clink of silverware and conversation from the cafe guests. This is what makes life worth living, a true travel experience that’ll provide a lifetime of memories.
Later, the rain stopped, the local folks came out from their shelter and strolled across Il Campo. From a dark alley, a group of teenage girls emerged arm-in-arm singing and giggling. Soon, from another alley a group of boys arrived to play football on the square. Football was soon forgotten when they spied the girls. Suddenly, before our eyes, we witnessed a “rooster and hen” show steaming with unbridled energy only available to adolescences. The boys puff up, strut their stuff in front of the giggling girls. The girls sing and chant something, laughing at the boys, crushing their big egos. A few guys get up enough nerve to talk to the girls. As they met in the middle, the boy’s group and girl’s group shout encouragement and throw verbal jeers to their friends. Finally, the girls hurry arm-in-arm from Il Campo, singing their way back down the streets. The boys, leave just as loudly as they entered, each trying to out do the other with their version of their encounter with the opposite sex.
Suddenly, Il Campo is quiet again, broken only by the rustling water, the distant cafe chatter, and the sighs of bliss from me and my friends.
Exploring EUROPE is an adventure. Grasp the moment and make the most of it !
