Honeymoon Tour - Travel Planning

It all happened so fast - we planned (briefly), we went, and now we're back. How did we end up in Europe without much warning? Well, you know that scene from When Harry Met Sally in which Sally is talking about her failed relationship with Joe of which the highlight was the fact that they didn't have kids and could fly off to Rome at a moment's notice? Sally and Joe never went to Rome - never took advantage of their freedom. Well, we did. Not to Rome, however, but to Barcelona, Paris, Bruges, the Canary Islands and Madrid.

For 8 months, we let anything and everything get in the way of our honeymoon - weather, exams, work, etc. We considered going to an all-inclusive tropical getaway that required little planning but, in the end, we really wanted to see the world while we're free to do so (that is, before we get a puppy). And so we picked a date to leave that was less than 4 weeks away, with the intention of going to Barcelona, Paris, and Bruges. But since we were flying all the way to Europe we couldn't miss the opportunity to visit our nephew and family in Gran Cararia. And the best flight deal we could find was in and out of Madrid - so we extended our layover there to get a few days in. Thus, we ended up with a random assortment of cities and circled our way around the continent.

Gare du Nord, Paris

Our trip did not leave a light carbon footprint but we hadn't left Argentina for nearly 2 years, so I figure we saved up for it! We took 6 planes including our trans-continental flights, connections, and 2 low-cost carriers (Vueling and Ryanair). We took a Thalys train to Bruges and also from Bruges to Charleroi airport. We stayed in 3 hotels and 2 B&Bs. Our planning was mostly focused on these travel/lodging logistics for the first few weeks. A key goal was to carry our luggage onto the flights, so as not to waste time (and money!) with checked baggage and to also avoid dragging a huge suitcase on and off of public transportation in strange foreign lands. So we each took a suitcase that conformed to the airlines' size requirements for cabin luggage - Ryanair's is a thin 20 cm for width. The tricky part was keeping them each under 10 kilos - we had to start lighter since we knew we would be picking up a few things on the road. Ryanair was the only airline to actually weigh every cabin bag (Guille's was a little over at that point but mine was under so they let us slide...whew). Thankfully, we didn't have to start layering clothing and filling our pockets to lessen the weight of our bags like several other travelers did.

Our luggage on Ryanair

Of the multitude of guides that we searched through, we relied on TripAdvisor for hotel reviews (though I don't recommend it for restaurants - a lot of travelers seem to prefer the Hard Rock Cafe over local eateries), TimeOut and Lonely Planet online guides for restaurants/things to do, and DK Eyewitness Guides (Top 10) for carrying around on our iPods - but these were better for sightseeing than restaurant/bar/club tips. Lonely Planet has a mapping feature that would be great if you have time to plan your entire trip in advance and have continuous mobile internet access (or want to carry around print-outs), but is less helpful as an on-the-go tool. Still, I made a few maps because it let me visualize where I was going and then help me find interesting spots in those areas. Lonely Planet is good for finding hotels but not so much for user reviews. I also used Google Maps to visualize cities in order to plan for transportation vs. walking but, again, you can't create a map and then access it on your iPhone so you'll have to carry print-outs. TimeOut provided current info on both trendy and traditional spots, but you'll need an Internet connection to read through it and will have to look up directions elsewhere.

HopStop is an absolute must for getting around NYC but I found that the Paris version to be as stand-offish as a Parisian waiter. It was really picky about addresses and didn't recognize 'places of interest' such as Notre Dame and the airport. We used the free MetrO iPhone app instead for directions on public transportation - once you download the maps they're accessible offline.

Trying to be tech-saavy, I used TripIt, an iPhone app that lets you forward your confirmation emails and automatically populates your trip with flight and hotel information, along with maps and weather. It worked for about half of our plans and the other I typed in. It was a great place to track the important stuff and could have been more useful for directions if we would have had time to plan out all locations we wanted to visit and add the addresses to TripIt. Still, a girl needs a little spontaneity. You can use the TripIt Google map or the Google maps app on iPhones (easy to add bookmarks) and use these as offline maps/directions but you need to zoom in on each part of the city that you want to see and also read through all the steps for directions while connected to the Internet first. This is super helpful for getting yourself around town, especially when used together with GPS to find where you're at on the map.

More on our tour to come!

Pardon My French

Excuse me, I've been away. Recaps to follow!

Orange Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten by way of Smitten Kitchen, who provides a list of suggested variations on Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake. I decided on an orange/blueberry combination, using frozen berries. I was really afraid that these berries would sink since they were so wet after thawing - I let them sit in a sieve to thaw/drain for an hour then spread them out on paper towel for a while. I've changed the recipe to include only half of the amount of vegetable oil, since it really wasn't necessary and next time I might just leave it out and sub extra yogurt.

Orange Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

• 1 1/2 c. + 1 T. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (a 500 g. container didn't quite have enough so I tossed in a spoonful of vanilla yogurt also)
• 3 eggs
• 2 t. grated orange zest (I went a little over this using 2 oranges)
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 c. blueberries
• 1/3 c. freshly squeezed orange juice

Glaze

• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 T. freshly squeezed orange juice

Grease and flour a loaf plan, lining the bottom with parchment paper. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, orange zest, and oil. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 T flour (I used 1.5 T for my frozen, wet berries and mixed in a dry bowl instead of letting any flour touch wet paper towel). Gently, but quickly, fold berries into batter and pour immediately into prepared pan.

Bake for about 50 (+) minutes or until a cake tester placed in the center comes out clean. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup orange juice and remaining 1 T. sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Allow loaf to cook in the pan for 10-15 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Place rack over a sheet pan. While loaf is still warm, use a toothpick to poke holes all around, then pour the orange-sugar mixture over the top and allow it to soak in.

Combine powdered sugar and orange juice to make the glaze (the amount I used is half of what Ina's recipe calls for, but it was plenty). Pour glaze over cooled loaf. My berries may have clustered a little but they didn't sink...success!

Gooey S'mores Brownies

Yes, I've been reading Joy the Baker's blog again. Back at it with the brownie thing. This time, I wanted to use up the rest of the s'mores supplies that my family brought down from the US. I haven't seen marshmallows or graham crackers anywhere in Argentina so you may have to do some importing for this recipe. After reading through the comments for S'mores Brownies, I decided to go with a more fudgy batter, but I thought the mallow placement and incorporation of graham crackers was genius. So I combined these elements with this batter. I really wanted them to be reminiscent of s'mores, so I used pieces of Hershey's chocolate for an authentic flavor. I also wanted a more gooey marshmallow so I didn't add them until 15 minutes into cooking time.

I'm so in love with these brownies. They're very similar to the taste of a s'more combined with everything you love about brownies. These are my favorite.

Gooey S'mores Brownies

• 1 1/3 c. flour (plus another 2 T. if using Argentine flour)
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 150 g. butter
• 3/4 c. cocoa powder
• 2 T. strong coffee
• 1 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 c. graham cracker, broken into pieces
• 1 Hershey's chocolate bar, broken into small pieces
• 12 marshmallows

Butter and flour a baking dish - the baking time for this recipe is based on using an 8x12 glass pan - if you use 9x13, you will want to decrease baking time by possibly 10 minutes. (Note that Joy's recipe is for 18-25 minutes.) Preheat oven to 350.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt - set aside. Combine butter and cocoa powder in a double boiler, add coffee and stir to melt ingredients - set aside to cool slightly. Whisk together eggs and sugar, add vanilla. Slowly add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the graham crackers.

Pour batter into prepared pan and top with chocolate pieces. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and quickly place the marshmallows on top of the batter (don't worry if it seems not to stick - don't push them in too hard). Put brownies back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. (Adjust time if using a larger or metal pan).

Allow to cool for 20 minutes, cut into 12 squares, then I recommend eating immediately while still warm.

Rosario's Own Wee Britain! (kind of)

Once upon a time, the English came to Rosario to build and operate a railroad. And while they were at it, they built a tiny village within 2 oddly shaped blocks. Strangely, I didn't even notice it until recently - it's next to Shopping Alto and and Parque Scalabrini Ortiz. I'm not telling you this because I want you to go there, though - it's not a tourist attraction. It's referred to as Barrio Ingles - Batten Cottage (or what's left of it). It seems like an ironic cross between a Disney village and a ghetto.

La Capital did a short article on it 2 years ago, when it was around 120 years old. From what I can tell, Peron nationalized the railways in 1948 so the Brits have been gone for a while. It seems that it's now controlled (or not) by a federal agency - ONABE - which is something like a department of public assets, among other things. According to the article, some residents are paying 120 pesos a month to become eventual owners. Who knows how long that takes, or how someone gets in on that deal. But it's obvious that some residents sincerely care about the upkeep and preservation of their 'houses' and others are likely on government support. One neighbor admits that Batten Cottage lacks unity among residents and others complain about the lack of municipal support. Clearly, community block associations aren't a thing in Argentina. But the fact that it's under the auspices of the Argentine government pretty much explains what's going on here.

Here's a crappy part...

Yeah, that's a horse pulling a garbage cart - belonging to the people who dumpster dive.

And here's a lovely part...

So whether you're looking for a place to park your garbage horse or a picket fence, Wee Britain has it all!

Garden Vegetable Soup

It's been unseasonably warm lately (considering its the Northern Hemisphere's equivalent of December) and along with the unseasonable weather came some unseasonable veggies, perfect for making Alton Brown's Garden Vegetable Soup. I made roughly half of the following recipe:

• 4 T. olive oil
• 2 c. chopped leeks, white part only (from approximately 3 medium leeks)
• 2 T. finely minced garlic
• Kosher salt
• 2 c. carrots, peeled and chopped (approximately 2 medium)
• 2 c. diced potatoes
• 2 c. green beans, cut
• 2 quarts (8 c.) vegetable broth (which you can make with the green parts of the leeks)
• 4 c. peeled seeded and chopped tomatoes (approximately 6 medium tomatoes)
• 2 ears corn, kernels removed (about 1.5 cups)
• 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
• *1 T. tomato paste
• 1/4 c. chopped parsley
• 1-2 t. lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, corn kernels, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Serve immediately.

*I added tomato paste for flavor since our winter tomatoes weren't exactly ripe and juicy.

I also didn't have any lemon to squeeze on top but added a little shredded parmesan.

Wedding Favors

Oh right, the wedding. I never got around to doing as many wedding re-caps as I'd thought about but, honestly, when it was over I was pretty burnt out and couldn't bring myself to talk about all of those carefully planned details. But it's been just over 6 months now (how long is one considered a newlywed?) and we were reminiscing the other night with some new friends, trying to explain the favors we gave out to our guests. So, dear friends, here are some photos of our personalized M&Ms, complete with our faces, names, and wedding date.

Of course they were totally cheesy and our faces were a little distorted (Guille's head is super huge in one of the pics) but that just made it even more fun and lighthearted. Plus, M&Ms are kind of gourmet here (being an import) so it was fun to add an American element to the wedding. We ordered them online (uploaded 2 photos) and had my family bring them down. We didn't have wedding colors so we just got silver, gold, and pearl. Oh, and they tasted great.

So, it's been over 6 months and I still don't have permanent residency. I had to go back to immigration and pay (at the bank) another 10 pesos to renew my temporary status AGAIN. There's an additional delay because an E was left off of my name on the Interpol records. And of course we had to fight about it because those immigration workers obviously don't want to be working. The last time I had to go in to provide something they lost, they said that everything was ok. So we were like, why didn't you tell us then?! And the dude helping us actually said, well there are a bunch of people working here it's not my problem. Really, dude? It seems like you all have on the same shirt. You all are suppose to be working together to finish things. Oh, but I forgot that I'm in Argentina and there is no final authority or anyone willing to take responsibility. Sit back, drink your mate, and get paid.

I wasn't the only pissed off immigrant that day. Another guy started yelling about how his worker was so mean and unconcerned, and made him feel so bad about himself. Why was that necessary? He yelled that someone should blow up the place. Did security detain him? HA! What security? The workers laughed.