Dining / Off-the-cuff / South America / Wandering
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published February 1, 2018 · Last modified February 5, 2018
I did NOT come to South America to eat at McDonalds (or patronize any other American chains) but, if I did, Montevideo has just about the nicest McDonalds I have seen anywhere in the world. And it’s literally right across the street from the beach.
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 29, 2018 · Last modified January 28, 2018
I don’t know what Buenos Aires is like in winter. I’m told it gets down to freezing but usually not lower. I don’t especially care to find out. What I do know is that it’s positively delightful in summer. Argentines live their lives outdoors. There are enough open air and...
Dining / History / Logistics / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 24, 2018 · Last modified January 20, 2018
The first image in this set is the street I stayed on while I was in Buenos Aires. Throughout many of the neighborhoods of “old” Buenos Aires, the main arterial roads are all standard asphalt. But nearly all of the side streets are narrow cobblestone. Everywhere you look, there are...
Dining / Europe / Laid-back / Modes of Transport / Wandering
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 14, 2018 · Last modified January 15, 2018
On my way to Cairo, Egypt I enjoyed a nine hour layover in Zürich, Switzerland. The duration was deliberate. I had never been to Switzerland and wanted to get out of the airport and go see the place. Zürich is lovely! Oh how I wish the climate suited me better....
Africa / Dining / Middle East
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 6, 2018 · Last modified January 2, 2018
Just a very short — less than one minute — video showing how close I am to Starbucks and how far I’m willing to walk to visit a locally-owned Egyptian coffee shop instead.
I’ve written and even posted a video before about eating well on vacation. It’s hard to do. Most places that tourists are likely to go serve far too large portions of overpriced, unhealthy food. While staying in Martiniqué recently, we rented a room from a wonderful French woman who lived...
With the tropical rainforest canopy stretching overhead, our guide Brandon pointed out different species of trees to the dozen or so of us in his group. As he did, he casually raised his walking stick into the air and jabbed it into a large black bulb in the side of...
The Berlin Wall was torn down 25 years ago. (Has it really been that long?!) So to have lunch near the Wall seems implausible enough, but to do so in Nova Scotia? Even when the Wall was standing, it wasn’t exactly a lovely, pastoral place for a picnic. You may...
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 22, 2014 · Last modified June 2, 2016
I tend to eat very well in general but when I go on vacation I eat especially well. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I eat a lot. It means that I eat very rich foods. Having always been a huge fan of variety, I’m also a pretty adventurous eater. While...
July 4th of ’77, the Independence Day celebration is a relatively subdued affair compared to what we have come to expect in this day of huge fireworks extravaganzas. Just a simple dinner at a local restaurant with a few close friends and colleagues. Of course, simple is an understatement considering...