“Are you going to Spain?”

“Are you going to Portugal?”

No, I have to repeat over and over, I am not going to Spain. Or Portugal.

Photo by archer10 (Dennis), on Flickr

And before you ask “But why not?!?” like everyone else has, let me tell you:

I’ll admit that neither Spain nor Portugal had really been on my travel radar — until perhaps about a year ago, that is, when some of my blogger friends began writing about this particular part of Europe. The more I read about both countries, the more I realized that I did, in fact, really really want to visit both Spain and Portugal.

Believe it or not, I haven’t “done Europe” yet in the traditional sense. I haven’t seen the Eiffel Tower or ridden a bike in Amsterdam or photographed gondolas in Venice. I haven’t actually been a tourist in Western Europe at all, with the exception of the UK.

I plan to change that this summer, and DID consider adding Spain and Portugal to my already-full itinerary.

But then I stopped to consider it.

And then I realized that there’s no way I could possibly dedicate enough time to either of these countries on this trip.

Photo by rstml, on Flickr

Sure, I could zip through Barcelona and Madrid and visit Seville for a weekend; I could spend a few nights in Lisbon and find accommodation in Porto for a few nights. But to me Spain and Portugal deserve their own trip.

I would want to dedicate weeks to this region; not just days.

And, to help make my point, I’ve gathered some of the posts about Spain and Portugal that are responsible for finally getting me interested in this part of Europe:

Spain

Spain could be a perfect weekend break, according to the Globetrotter Girls, but I still want to spend more time there than just 2 or 3 days.

Kate names Sevilla as the most beautiful city in Spain and wins me over with her photos.

Not that I really needed them, but these 5 Reasons to Go to Southern Spain have me more than convinced.

This list of 13 Reasons to Fall in Love with Costa Brava, Spain has swayed me to add this coastal region to my must-visit list, too.

And the Spanish Pyrenees? YES, PLEASE!

I also want to get lost in the details and gorgeous architecture of the Alhambra in Granada.

Not to mention the details of Barcelona and the Catalunya region. (Like this street art in Barcelona.)

Liz lists her 10 Favorite Underrated Cities in Spain, adding even MORE locations to my list of places I’d like to explore.

There are even eco-friendly (and very cool) things to do/see all around Spain.

Portugal

I’m already a little bit in love with Lisbon thanks to 33 Things We Love About Lisbon. And the tiles! I want to see all the pretty tiles in Lisbon.

These Postcards from Northern Portugal inspired me to want to visit Porto and explore the Douro Valley, even though I don’t drink wine.

And apparently Portugal is also quite cheap! Bonus. (For example, apparently you can do Lisbon for Under 5 Euros!)

Festivals

This post about The Day I Ran with the Bulls in Pamplona still helps me feel the excitement of this famous festival — and makes me want to experience it for myself.

La Tomatina — the world’s biggest food fight — is also appealing to me simply because of its sheer craziness.

And who doesn’t want to play with flames at Las Fallas: Spain’s Festival of Fire?

Photo by LpstkLibrarian, on Flickr

So, yes, I DO really want to visit Spain and Portugal now.

It just won’t be on this trip.

——

Do YOU have any places to recommend in either Spain or Portugal (or any relevant links to share)? Tell me in the comments!

*Note: This post was written by me but brought to you by a third party.

The post Why I’m Saving Spain and Portugal appeared first on A Dangerous Business Travel Blog.

Try PORK.

Although it’s only the third-most-popular meat in America (being beaten out by beef and chicken), pork is nevertheless the most popular meat worldwide. China is the largest pork consumer — but would you guess that Canada is the largest pork producer?

I learned all of this at the beginning of a new tour offered by Urban Adventures in Toronto — their “When Pigs Fry” tour of Toronto, which focuses on the city’s long history as a pork capital. (There’s a reason the city used to be nicknamed “Hogtown,” you know…)

Our tour began outside the Flatiron building at the corner of Church, Wellington, and Front streets in downtown Toronto. There, we met our local guide Jason (who helped design this pork-centric tour), and got a brief lesson about pigs.

We learned that pigs were brought over from Europe in the 1700s and were traditionally free-range. They would be let loose on islands and in cities, and would scavenge for food — and also clean up the streets in big cities like New York and Philadelphia. Their wild ancestors can still be found in the original 13 states.

We made a brief stop in a grocery store to check out the price of pork and bacon. (If you’re curious, bacon in Toronto sells for $3-$6 per pound.) Jason pointed out that pork is generally one of the cheapest meats, meaning that it’s also always been quite recession-proof.

Then it was time to eat.

Paddinton’s Pump

Our first food stop of the day was at Paddington’s Pump, which is a restaurant connected to the world-famous St. Lawrence Market. The market was closed on Monday, but Paddington’s Pump was still serving up what we came for — the peameal bacon sandwich.

Peameal bacon was “invented” in Toronto by William Davies, and is a thicker cut of pork loin — different from regular bacon, which usually comes from the belly of a pig. Its “peameal” name came from the fact that the meat was traditionally rolled in a coating of crushed-up yellow peas. These days, it’s coated in cornmeal — but is still delicious.

At Paddington’s Pump, the sandwich is called “the Oink,” and is made fresh when you order it and served up on a kaiser roll.

Streetcar ride

After filling our bellies with peameal bacon, we hopped on the 504 streetcar to head to the other side of the city. This streetcar line sees more than 50,000 riders per day, Jason told us. We passed the time playing pig trivia (for example, did you know that the phrase “to sweat like a pig” is anatomically impossible since pigs don’t sweat?), with Jason rewarding us with maple-bacon saltwater taffy.

Lou Dawg’s

Our second food stop was at Lou Dawg’s, a Southern barbecue joint on King’s Street West. Here we were treated to a Canadian favorite with an American twist — pulled pork poutine. Poutine is famous in Canada (usually gravy and cheese curds served over fries), and Lou Dawgs just adds a Southern twist: pulled pork and a little barbecue sauce.

The word “poutine” is actually French for “a mess,” Jason told us, and our Lou Dawg’s dish certainly was a bit messy. But it was also delicious. Lous Dawg’s sources all of its ingredients for this dish (and most of its others) locally, and I felt like you could taste that in every bite.

The Healthy Butcher

We walked from Lou Dawg’s up to Queen Street for our next tasting at The Healthy Butcher, which is — not surprisingly — a butcher shop. But it’s also so much more.

The Healthy Butcher has a pledge to serve only locally-sourced organic meat from animals that are pasture-raised and hormone and antibiotic-free. The shop also has a full transparency policy — you will always know where your meat came from here. The owners visit every farm and work directly with the farmers to source their meat selection; sometimes the farmers even drop the meat off directly to the shop.

Opened in 2005, The Healthy Butcher isn’t exactly cheap (bacon here goes for around $15 per pound), but there is a growing demand for this sort of meat both in Toronto and beyond. We were treated to both pan-fried and oven-roasted bacon here. I actually preferred the oven-roasted, since it doesn’t render as much fat and therefore has a bit more flavor.

It was great to get an insight into the organic food movement in Toronto, and to be able to appreciate why this meat is so much more expensive.

WVRST

Our last stop of the day was at WVRST Sausage Hall and Beer Garden — a quirky German gem on King Street West. Here we extended our already-full bellies with currywurst — Polish sausage covered in a sauce made from ketchup, curry powder, and Worcestershite sauce. If you’ve ever been to Germany, chances are you’ve tried it.

It was actually probably my least favorite dish of the day, but only because I’m not a big fan of currywurst and because we’d already had so many tasty pork products. But WVRST had my favorite indoor space — it really does feel like a beer garden!

The Verdict

Let’s see. Toronto. History. Delicious pork. Fun trivia. What more could you possibly want from a food tour?

In all honesty, though, of the handful of food tours I have taken thus far on my travels, the “When Pigs Fry” tour of Toronto has to be one of the best — and one of the tastiest. As one of Urban Adventures’ newest tours on offer, I predict it will be a very popular one in Hogtown! I highly recommend it!

If You Go…

Price: $59 CAD (roughly $51 USD). Price includes an expert guide, one-way streetcar transport, and food tastings and water; other drinks are at your own expense.

Length: Roughly 3 hours

Starting point: The Flatiron building at the corner of Church, Wellington, and Church streets

End point: WVRST, King Street West

Availability: At present, this tour is only offered on Sundays at 2 p.m.

——

What do you think? Would YOU want to eat your way through Hogtown?

*Note: I was a guest of Urban Adventures on this food tour of Toronto. My opinions, however, are my own and not at all swayed by free bacon.

The post Eating Hogtown: A Pork-Themed Tour of Toronto appeared first on A Dangerous Business Travel Blog.

This week, the photo comes from Charleston, South Carolina.

With its long history as an early American colony, there is a lot to learn from a trip to South Carolina. If you’re visiting the city of Charleston, I highly recommend also getting out of the city to a historic plantation. Today’s photo comes from the driveway leading up to the beautiful Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant. This nearly 1-mile stretch of dirt road is known as the “Avenue of Oaks” because of the 88 live oaks that line it. The oaks are hundreds of years old and are dripping in Spanish moss. If this doesn’t scream “Old South,” I don’t know what does.

If you like this photo, please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, or G+!

The post Photo of the Week: Avenue of Oaks appeared first on A Dangerous Business Travel Blog.

On my first trip to Ottawa in January 2012, the weather was frigid and snowy. The city was covered in slush and ice and massive icicles. It was so cold that my nose and fingers would go numb after being outside for about 5 minutes.

Brrr, look at that frozen river.

I still had a great time on my first trip to Canada’s capital, don’t get me wrong, but I left wondering what the city would look and feel like during the warmer months. I wondered what it would be like to explore while wearing less layers.

My question was answered last month when I returned to Ottawa for a second time. This time, it was balmy and green in Canada, and the city was filled with people — much different than the first time I visited.

In short, Ottawa had transformed.

To illustrate this transformation, I thought I would do something fun and try to take some of the same photos in May that I had taken the year before in January. Here’s the result:

The Rideau Canal

In the winter, the Rideau Canal freezes over and becomes one of the longest skating rinks in the world. In the spring, however, the canal is traversed by boats and the bike paths along its banks are always busy.

Winter

Spring

Winter

Spring

Parliament Hill

In the winter, the hill is usually snow-covered and sparsely populated with tourists. Once the weather gets nice, however, the green lawn becomes the perfect spot for a picnic or a game of frisbee.

Winter

Spring

Winter

Spring

Winter

Spring

Winter

Spring

National War Memorial

When I visited in the winter, the War Memorial was surrounded by twinkle lights and covered in a light dusting of snow. The trees sure look different in the spring!

Winter

Spring

Outside the National Gallery

What a difference snow and lack of green leaves makes!

Winter

Spring

Byward Market

In the winter, the neighborhood is slushy and rather quiet except on weekend nights. In the spring, though, the restaurants and markets spill out onto lively sidewalks.

Winter

Spring

And one more

Lastly, I didn’t even mean to re-take this shot, but the fact that I did (while walking to Nepean Point behind the National Gallery) must mean it’s a pretty good one!

Winter

Spring

It almost looks like a completely different city in the span of just one season, doesn’t it?

——

Which season would YOU want to visit Ottawa during?

*Note: My most recent visit to Ottawa was sponsored by Ottawa Tourism and the Fairmont Chateau Laurier. As always, though, all opinions are my own.

The post Ottawa: A Tale of Two Seasons appeared first on A Dangerous Business Travel Blog.

This week, the photo comes from Flores, Guatemala.

Located on an island in Lake Peten Itza in northern Guatemala, the little town of Flores is often a stopover point for travelers on their way to the Maya ruins of Tikal. It’s meant to be a just-passing-through sort of place more than anything, but its colorful character really charmed me. I could have easily stayed longer than just an afternoon.

If you like this photo, please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, or G+!

The post Photo of the Week: Boats in Flores appeared first on A Dangerous Business Travel Blog.

Two summers ago, my sister and I took 3 weeks and drove out West. We got to see everything from the plains to the Grand Canyon to the bright lights of Vegas. But when we got home, we realized how much of our country we still had left to see.

So when we decided to attend a family reunion this summer in Florida, we vowed that we would drive there and back and explore a little more of the South.

We leave Saturday morning for the bulk of our Southern road trip!

Here’s what we’ve got planned for our weeklong adventure south (assuming that the tropical storm working its way up the East Coast doesn’t get in our way…):

Williamsburg (2 nights)

We’ve been to this historical part of Virginia before, but we were both really young and don’t remember much of it. This time around, we hope to retain more than a few scattered memories. We’re allowing ourselves 2 nights here in order to explore “the Historic Triangle” of Jamestown (the first permanent settlement in America), Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown (the site of the last battle of the American Revolution). History, here we come!

Outer Banks (1 night)

From the Williamsburg area, we’ll head down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina briefly to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial and perhaps the “Lost Colony” on Roanoke Island. Neither one of us has been to this part of the East Coast, so a bit of exploring will definitely be in order.

Charleston (1 night)

The more I read about historic Charleston (South Carolina), the more I’m kicking myself that we aren’t allowing for multiple nights here. But such is life and travel sometimes. As it is, we definitely want to wander around the historic downtown area, perhaps take a carriage tour, see “Rainbow Row,” and maybe even visit a plantation.

Savannah (3 nights)

Our last stop before heading to the Florida Panhandle for our reunion will be in Savannah, Georgia. I’ve visited Savannah once before and fell in love with its moss-draped squares and old Southern charm in a matter of hours. This time around, I wanted to make sure to allow ample time to explore. We have no concrete plans in Savannah yet, though my sister definitely wants to take at least one ghost tour.

Your Input

We don’t have a whole lot of plans for this trip yet (in fact, we still don’t even have accommodation booked for Charleston!) — so that’s where YOU come in. If you have any suggestions for us in any of the above destinations (or if you know of a really cool stop somewhere along the way), let us know in the comments!

In the meantime, be sure to follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

The post Hitting the Road on a Southern Road Trip appeared first on A Dangerous Business Travel Blog.