'Round the World Wrap-Up #1: Andy's Favorite Things

OK, so for my first post-trip piece I am ripping off Oprah.  But, honestly, what is she going to do?  Umm, don't answer that. Instead, here is my list of the best things I encountered on our trip.  Most of them are food-related, but that will come as no surprise to those of you who know me best!  So, in no particular order here they are:

Arnott’s Cookies. This is an Australian company (actually a subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Corporation) but we discovered them in New Zealand.  Two kinds in particular, the Tim Tam and the Mint Slice, made our lunches in New Zealand extra special. Tim Tam is chocolate deliciousness made up of chocolate cream in between chocolate wafer cookies and then dipped in chocolate. There's even a double chocolate option (pictured)! The Mint Slice is a Thin Mint on steroids, and really puts the Girl Scout version to shame. Check ‘em both out.

Naughty Nuri's Warung and Grill,  Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. One of the best restaurants we ate at during our entire trip.  If the grill in the front of the restaurant with endless amounts of chicken and ribs being cooked up in the house special sauce isn’t enough to whet your appetite, then the killer martinis will certainly do the trick.  Don’t pass up trying their fried rice or fried noodles (or, if you’re like us, both!), some of the best you’ll have on the entire island.  If you are ever in Ubud, a dinner at Naughty Nuri’s is not to be missed.

 

La Romana Gelateria on Via Carmelitani in Verona, Italy. On a trip filled with great gelato, this stands out as the absolute best.  The gelato itself is creamy and flavorful with inventive options to try beyond the standard flavors.  That honestly would be enough.  But La Romana also has faucets that continuously stream out liquid white or milk chocolate, which they use to fill the bottom of every cone.  The reason is twofold: 1) the chocolate hardens when it comes in contact with the gelato and therefore provides a sealant to prevent leaking out of the bottom of the cone, and 2) to provide a delicious surprise as the sadness sets in when your gelato is all but gone.  A little outside the main tourist areas in Verona, it is well worth the ~10 minute walk it takes to get there.

Aperol Spritz. Although prevalent in just about every European town, we discovered the Aperol Spritz in Venice and is at its best when made there.  Light, refreshing, and with an incandescent orange color, the Aperol Spritz is made with Aperol (an orange flavored spirit), prosecco, and soda water.  In Venice, it is garnished with an orange slice and green olive.  It is the perfect afternoon cocktail to be enjoyed at a bar or café overlooking one of the many canals or squares in Venice.

 

Lake Bled Cream Cake, Lake Bled, Slovenia.  This local cake (Kremna Rezina to the locals) is sold just about everywhere in the Lake Bled area, but everyone will tell you the best version is sold by a café called Smon which is near the main bus station in town.  It’s a lot like a Napolean, with layers of pastry and cream stacked on top of each other, but for whatever reason it’s so much better than a Napolean.  Try it, and get it from Smon when you are in Lake Bled.

Villa Giardino, Bol, Croatia. There will be a lack of hotels on this list because we primarily stayed in hostels and cheaper hotels, but the exception is the Villa we found in the beach town of Bol on the island of Brac (off the coast of Split in Croatia) for Carrie’s birthday.  Housed in a beautiful, classically appointed European house set at the top of a hill that provides gorgeous views of the Mediterranean Sea, the hotel is central to everything you want to do during your stay in town.  The owner and proprietor is a gracious woman who greets you with homemade lemonade (made with the lemons from the on-site garden) when you check in, and is always available to answer questions or to make sure your stay is going well.  The morning breakfasts, served in the outdoor garden and included in the price of the room, are spectacular.

Real Journeys Doubtful Sound Overnight Trip, New Zealand. We did a few organized tours during our trip, but this stands out not only for the sheer beauty of Doubtful Sound but also because of the tour company Real Journeys.  If you’ve made it this far in my list, I’ll assume you’ve read enough of my rantings about the beauty of Doubtful Sound in other blog posts.  But I haven’t given enough credit to the staff of the tour company at Real Journeys – friendly, knowledgeable, and punctual, they do everything to make the trip relaxing, enjoyable, and safe.  They offer other tours beyond Doubtful Sound, I would recommend them highly.

Wachauer-Laberl Roll, Durnstein, Austria.  The Wachau region, about an hour west of Vienna, is set on the banks of the Danube River and consists of numerous small, quaint towns that are all connected by a main road, a bike path, and numerous wineries and vineyards.  One town in the mix, Durnstein, has a bakery called Schmidl Bakery that sometime in the 1930s decided to mix rye and wheat flour to create a round roll.  So delicious, the resulting Wachauer-Laberl rolls are now found in just about every restaurant, café, and grocery store in the region.  They are the perfect accompaniment to the many wines, cheeses, apricots, and cuisine of the area.