119 more days...

...in case you were wondering.

FAST FACTS:

• Mangiare! - The average Italian consumes 25 kilograms (55 lbs) of pasta per year.  He washes it down with 26 gallons of wine.
  
• Unlucky number 17 - In Italy, the number 17, or XVII in Roman numerals, is considered to be unlucky. The reason is that XVII is an anagram for VIXI, which in Latin translates to "I have lived" (implying 'My life is over'). Therefore, it is not uncommon for buildings in Italy not to  have a 17th floor, and for hotels not to have a room 17.
  
• Speaking of anagrams, "THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA" becomes "I SPOT ONE GIANT FLAW HERE" 

 ...again, in case you were wondering.

120 more days...

Cruising with Cyn
Collection of useless information circuitous to the OPERATION: Poisson Rouge Adventure.

This 6 week installment of Cruising with Cyn, we will be exploring local cuisine from the regions we will be visiting. Ken and I will be preparing a traditional meal from Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice and Toulon. We will be posting the receipe and our review.


Barcelona is at least partially responsible for putting tapas on the culinary map. Tapas - finger food - is a staple on the bar scene as well as the 'eat on the run scene' and has become in vogue. The more I researched it, the more it seemed that everything was called tapas. So while what is on today's menu may not seem to fit the bill - I saw it on the net so it must be true.

Chosen for this week's recipes is: Spanish Flamenco Eggs and Pa amb Oli (Bread with Olive Oil). The eggs really were listed under Tapas and I could not do a search without seeing a link for the Bread with Olive Oil.

Spanish Flamenco Eggs
Ingredients
1 Large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 Red pepper, chopped 1 Green pepper, chopped 1 400g can chopped tomatoes 2 Boiled potatoes 4 Large fresh eggs Olive oil
Instructions
• Cut the potatoes into cubes and par boil until almost soft.
• Fry the onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil until soft.
• In a large cazuela heat up the tomatoes, season then add the cooked potatoes, onions, garlic and peppers. Mix well.
• Using a wooden spoon create four indentations in the mixture - crack one egg into each one.
• Cook in the oven at 180°C for around 15 minutes or until eggs are done.
• Serve with fresh crusty bread and a glass of good red wine.

Tip: This dish is highly versatile and traditionally would use left over or excess vegetables. Other ingredients would include green beans, wild asparagus, broccoli, sweet potato, butternut squash, etc.

Serves 4

Pa amb tomàquet
Ingredients
Bread (the bigger the slices, the better) Fresh Red tomato, it has to be ripe Salt Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
•Pa amb tomàquet at its best must use bread that is two or three days old. That is the origin of this preparation, to make stale bread comestible.
• If you don't have stale bread, or you just want to do pa torrat amb all i tomàquet you can put it on the toaster, or better, grill the bread lightly on a wood-burning fire. With this, we'll get the surface of the sliced bread hardened enough to rub the tomato against it, but also, we can introduce another ingredient: rubbed garlic. You must rub the garlic before the tomato. Please use fresh garlic and peel the cloves prior to use.
• Cut the bread in slices, the idea is that whatever the shape of the bread, you'll end with a flat surface, a good sliced bread.
• Cut the tomato in half crosswise, and rub the tomato against the bread. As the bread is stale, a bit of the tomato will crumble in it.
• Put the salt, two or three picks would suffice. Then distribute oil in the surface of the sliced bread, trying not to soak it.

Next week - traveling back to Naples where Pizza was invented! If only my dyed blonde head could think of a meal to make we would be set.

121 more days...

Pickpockets

Pickpockets’ greatest advantage is the fact that most people don’t believe it can happen to them. Pickpocketing is one of the oldest criminal professions, and is still very prevalent in Europe. It's no secret that pickpockets target tourists, especially the American kind. The United States is a rich country, and they know that American tourists carry the best cameras, the most money, and the latest, priciest electronic gadgets .

Top ten cities to beware of pickpockets:
1. Barcelona, Spain
2. Rome, Italy
6. Florence, Italy

(Game on! We made 3 of the top 10)

Distraction
Most pickpockets employ some element of distraction:
- Someone passes by you and "accidentally" drops money.
- Some people begin a loud argument or fight.
- A sign stating "Beware of Pickpockets", so everyone in the area reaches for their wallets to make sure it is still there. This enables the pickpockets to find out where people's wallets are.
- A street child flashes a toy, newspaper or anything else in your face.
- A prostitute offers her services and keeps touching you in the process.
- A drunk, unwashed person grabs your arm and tries to talk to you.
- Insistent begging.

(I'm glad I will have a magician with me!)

Steps to keep you and your valuables safe:

Step 1 Maintain vigilance. Do not allow strangers to intentionally approach or touch you for any reason.

Step 2 Avoid letting others see where you keep your money. Be as inconspicuous as possible when paying for things. DO NOT leave your handbag open when paying for something - ALWAYS close it up.

Step 3 Keep all valuables on your person and close to you at all times, preferably in front of your body. If you must use a backpack wear it under your arm rather than on your back, where it is out of your sight. If you must carry a purse or bag, choose one that you can carry across your chest. If it has a flap, keep the flap and latch side against your body. A handbag with a double closure system is more work for the thief. On the sidewalk, walk against the wall instead of along the curb, and keep your purse on the side of you facing the wall. Beware of Vespa thieves who zip up on their scooters to snatch away purses.

Step 4 Store money and credit cards in a money belt around your waist or neck. If must keep something in your pocket, make sure it is a tight-fitting pocket that buttons or zips shut. A rubber band wrapped around your wallet makes it harder to slip out easily. A pocket comb tucked inside and facing up makes it even more difficult to slip out.

Step 5 Use safety pins to secure zippers on your purses, backpacks, pockets or fanny packs. Make sure that your bags are closed at all times. An open bag is an easy target for pickpockets.

Step 6 Place the strap of a purse or backpack under your chair leg to deter pickpockets while you are seated at a restaurant or elsewhere. Never leave a bag hanging on back of your chair. DO NOT set your handbag down ANYWHERE - place it in your lap if sitting down.

Step 7 Leave anything you don't need on you locked in the cabin safe. Take only one credit card and a small amount of cash for the day. Also, carry only a photocopy of the first page of your passport rather than the real thing.

Step 8 Maintain physical contact with your luggage at the airport or while you're traveling to or from the ship. The more bags you carry, the easier it will be for a pickpocket to target one of them, so don't give them the opportunity.

Step 9 Keep your wallet, camera or other valuables at the bottom of your backpack or knapsack if you are carrying one. If a pickpocket does manage to get your bag open, he or she will have to rummage around to find anything of value.

Step 10 Maintain extreme caution in highly crowded areas, including public transportation and elevators or escalators. DO NOT allow anyone to come between you and your party. Nonchalantly keep a hand on your valuables. Make it a habit of brushing the area of your wallet with your hand once in awhile, this will help you feel more secure and IF you lose your wallet, you will know fairly soon after.

122 more days...

...whatever you do...

DON'T MISS THE BOAT...errr, uhhh....SHIP!!!

If you miss getting back to the ship after it leaves port you are responsible for getting yourself to the next port of call, or back home.. and possibly forfeit the rest of your cruise (and you may or may not receive your items you left onboard.. one would think you would but...)

The rule is to be back on the ship at least 1/2 to 45min prior to sailing (required by the cruise line). Taking the shore excursions offered by the cruise line is the best way to make sure you "don't miss the boat", but if you want to go on your own, make your plan to be back at least 2 hours prior to sailing to give you some time to get there.

...and if you DO miss the boat, this is could be you...CLICK HERE and take a look!

Cruise along and enjoy!...^_~
Karen

123 more days...

Its kinda like a trainwreck...  You're concerned that it might turn out really bad, yet you can't look away.

Stick it out.  You'll be OK.

Low Resolution Video: CLICK HERE
High Resolution Video: CLICK HERE

124 more days...

The Monday Finance Report

The dollar remains in a holding pattern, meaning that an early investment in euros would still have be a losing proposition.  Luckily for us, we did not invest early (unless, of course, you count the euro's that the old woman passed off to me to cover her gambling losses...  Bummer..)

The dollar is remains higher than when we first began tracking it, which is good for us.

THE WEB REPORT:

 Hello Helsingborg, Skane Lan, Sweden

(that's one place...)

This week a visitor from Sweden visited our blog.  Welcome aboard, Sweeden!  It was a short visit, but we were glad to have you.

But Sweden was not our only visitor.  In the past week we hit a record in terms of the number of visits in one day (168 total visits!  Our average had only been 54 visits per day before that.)  This was largely due to the Karen's new game, "Where in the World is VOTS?".  (Way to drive in traffic, sis!)

Our offer remains open to anyone in the world who wants to receive a FREE postcard from the cast of Operation: Poisson Rouge during our European adventure, please click on the 'contact me' button below, and make your request.  The first 5 requests will be filled, free of charge!

(Offer void to family, friends, and friends of family and friends...)

125 more days...

Join me on Sundays....

CLICK HERE for lesson 3


Stay tuned next week for lesson 4

Cruise along and enjoy...^_~

Karen