Best of 2015

As usual, here are my favorite posts of this 2015 (I know I was a bad blogger, but one of my 2016 resolutions is to keep the blog updated - still so many posts to share about many cool places in Milan, Spain, USA, Mexico, etc.):

Zoetry Villa Rolandi, Isla Mujeres - The Sunsets

No caption needed...

Zoetry Villa Rolandi - the room

Mornings like these with mimosas for breakfast and the view...

As I was telling you, our stay at Zoetry Villa Rolandi was perfect, and part of that was also thanks to the spacious suite we had.

Zoetry Villa Rolandi, Isla Mujeres - The Hotel

Holidays in a Mexican paradise...

Best of 2012

2013 is almost here so I'd like to share with you mi top ten favorite posts from 2012:
(in case you missed them, the link to the post is under the photo)

1) Caribbean Cruise:
We had a blast cruising the Caribbean for the second time on NCL's Epic; we visited Saint Thomas, Saint Martin and Nassau, had lots of food and enjoyed great shows.

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/02/epic-cruise-part-1.html

2. How to piss off a Mexican
I wrote this post as a humorous example of some annoying stereotypes about Mexicans

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/03/how-to-piss-off-mexican.html

3. Dubai:
I loved Dubai, it was a great trip, best part of it was being able to dine inside the wonderful Burj Al Arab.

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/03/dubai-day-3.html

4. Eataly, Turin:
For the foodie in me, any trip to Eataly is like going to Disneyland so I enjoyed going back to Eataly Turin and having their delicious tuna.

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/04/eataly-paradise.html

5. Tuna recipe
As I just wrote, I love tuna, and I enjoy cooking it at home as well, this has to be one of my favorite recipes.

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/06/saturday-lunch.html

6. Eataly, Rome
Our weekend in Rome was even more special after we discovered Eataly Rome had just opened, and we had a delicious Roman tripe to make it even better

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/06/eataly-rome.html

7. Piazza Navona, Rome
Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world and Piazza Navona is one of my favorite spots in the Eternal City

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/07/piazza-navona-rome.html

8. Club Med Ixtapa, Mexico
we had a relaxing (and weight-gaining) holiday in Club Med Ixtapa, best service and food ever!

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/09/club-med-ixtapa-part-1.html

9. Statue-hunting in Düsseldorf:
It was a great challenge to find the 9 Poeggeler statues while visiting Düsseldorf

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/10/statue-hunting-in-dusseldorf.html

10. Hangar Bicocca:
Although I live in the area, I had never been to Hangar Bicocca, a very nice exposition space in North Milan

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/10/sunday-in-hangar-bicocca.html

Bonus -  Sunflower fields forever
Beautiful landscapes, great weather, fantastic food, I just love Le Marche!

http://www.tfoodie.com/2012/08/sunflower-fields-forever.html

My first 30's!

Here's a little collage I made to symbolize my first 30 years in this world...

... and if the next 30 are as great as these were, can't wait!!!

Epic Cruise - Part 4

Day 5 - St. Thomas 
The ship vibrates a bit while docking so on the 5th day of our cruise we woke up early to the view of St. Thomas beaches.

St. Thomas

 Again, some facts first: St Thomas a Caribbean island part of the U.S. Virgin Islands (together with St. John, St. Croix and Water Island). Its largest city is Charlotte Amalie
It was conquered by the Danes in 1666 and it remained under Danish control until 1917, when it was purchased by the US (because of its strategic position to keep control of the Panama Canal) for 25 million dollars in gold. It is a bit particular since the street names are in Danish, the language is English, the government is American and they drive on the left! Oh, and it's also tax free!

the end of the rainbow is in St. Thomas!

  Since we were here 2 years ago we noticed they built a larger dock for our ship and now there's a Señor Frogs (with a not very inviting green-water pool) outside the dock. We docked at Havensight and walked to Havensight Shopping Mall (there was also a free shuttle but we felt brave - we totally used it on the way back!), there are some Diamonds International and other jewelry and souvenirs shops there. There was a rain storm for like 10 minutes and then the rainbow came!




 We walked towards the town and stopped at the shops in the Yacht Club (they have Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, etc. - but prices are not that low). The walk to the town (Charlotte Amalie) takes 10-15 min. In town visited the Little Switzerland shop where we had bought a watch a couple of years ago (we prefer it compared to Diamonds International). At AH Riise we bought some Clinique products (good deals) and then walked around through the shops and waterfront. We went back to the ship early, it was so hot and the sun was really strong so we spent some time at the pool after lunch at the buffet.

pool and waterslides on the Epic

Back in the ship we tried the purple and green waterslides, fun; didn't get to try the orange/yellow one since there's always a line for that.

Le Bistro

We had dinner at the french Le Bistro (escargot and lamb chops, tarte tatin, everything delicious - wine pairing: rioja, ok). I love this restaurant, it's worth every penny of the $20 charge. The service is great, much more accurate than the rest of the ship, and you dine among works of art like Picassos, Miros, etc.
 

Epic Cruise - Part 3

Day 4 - St. Maarten 

We woke up when we were arriving to St. Maarten. Beautiful views of the island, and the water has a very special blue color.

Arriving to St. Maarten

Clear blue water

 Some facts first: Sint Maarten (in Dutch)/Saint Martin (in French) is an island in the Caribbean Sea which is divided in two parts, the Dutch and the French side since the 1600 after the establishment of settlements of French and Dutch families. They have coexisted peacefully after the signing of the Treaty of Concordia in 1648, the oldest international treaty still enforced. The most spoken language is English, even though the official languages are Dutch and French (a Caribbean variation of these languages, that is). The currency accepted in Sint Maarten is the US Dollar, in Saint Martin the Euro, there is a 1$=1€ exchange rate which might not be very convenient if you pay in Euro (at the current 1.3$=1€ rate).
Its duty free status, its beautiful beaches, its food and the cosmopolitan/European atmosphere of its villages make it a popular destination in the Caribbean.

Philipsburg beaches

Streets in Philipsburg

Our ship docked in Philipsburg, the main city of the Dutch side. We got off after breakfast by 9.00 and walked to the center of Philipsburg (10 min walk). Its boardwalk or Front Street is full of sourvenir shops and beach bars, while the main street has lots of boutiques. I got a Ralph Lauren visor for 10% less than the US plus no tax, which made my day.

me in Main Street

 We visited some watches shops and decided to get a cab to Marigot to see the watches of Jewels by Love, a shop I had read about before leaving (nice place, nice owners). The cab to Marigot costed $8 per person one way and took about 30 min. Marigot is more European, better food (they say, we didn't eat there), more lively (lots of yachts). The water and beaches are beautiful all over the island seemed beautiful from the road.

Guavaberry stand

the bay of Philipsburg

 We were back in the ship terminal by 15.30. We were advised on tasting the famous guavaberry liquor before getting back to the ship. It tasted of strawberry rhum and it was delicious on a frozen cocktail as a piña colada.
My veredict: I could live here, the towns are nice, people are friendly, guavaberry colada is good, there's no tax, the beaches are beautiful and the weather is nice all year round... sounds like paradise, doesn't it?

Caribbean sunrise

I'm off cruisin'!
Back in a couple of weeks with lots of pictures!
XOXO
M.