A Quest For Culture, Cuisine, And Connection.
Around The World On A Motorcycle | The Journey Continues
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Prince Stirbey: Finding History, Passion, & Commitment to Quality Wine From Romanian Varietals
/2 Comments/in Europe, Romania, Travelogue /by allanToday’s journey will take me from north Bucharest to Dragasani, one of Romania’s prominent wine regions and home to several of the most regarded producers in the country. I’ve got a three o’clock appointment at Crama Prince Stirbey, a winery focused on making wine from and celebrating indigenous Romanian grape varietals. I’ll meet with Stirbey […]
Bucharest Bound. Out of Gas And Caught In The Rain.
/0 Comments/in Europe, Romania, Travelogue /by allanLeaving Dobrogea, the Black Sea, and Danube Delta behind, I cross the new Cernavoda Bridge and head for the highway. Two things are burning a bit of anxiety in me. First, I’m nearly out of gas. My reserve light popped on as I rode to Rasova this morning. My best calculation is I have about […]
Rasova Winery Where The Modern Meets The Classic—Terroir—And Rescue Of Old Varietals
/0 Comments/in Europe, Romania, Travelogue /by allanI ride down a dirt road to Crama Rasova—the Rasova Winery. Just beyond the guardhouse, a vast green lawn slopes down to the bluffs of the Danube River and to a modern building. Considering the rural neighborhood, the building at first seems out of place. Yet a closer look reveals it seems to fit into […]
The Romanian Wine Discovery Begins
/0 Comments/in Europe, Romania, Travelogue /by allanWith black clouds moving east, I pack up my motorcycle and head west. It was just two years ago when I last rode this bike through Romania. That fall, I rode to the Transylvanian capital, Cluj Napoca, from Budapest. Dining in a leafy courtyard on a balmy fall evening as I listened to a nearby […]
Beyond Borders: Bulgaria to Romania and Old Town Constanta
/0 Comments/in Bulgaria, Europe, Romania, Travelogue /by allanSipping my cup of instant coffee as I gaze out from my small balcony to the streets of Varna. I’ve been here for four days. Today I must cross the border. My Maps app shows about two hours of riding to get to Constanta on the Black Sea Coast in Romania. I look through the […]
Bulgaria’s Rich Wine History Continues To Evolve — Part of the NEW Old World
/0 Comments/in Bulgaria, Europe, Travelogue /by allanThe following afternoon I sit down one-on-one with Marin, who guides me through a fast-track “master class” of Bulgarian wine. We find a quiet cafe in a leafy neighborhood, far off the main drag. WE snack on cheese and dried meat while tasting the beautiful bottle of Pamid I’ve been carrying for well over a […]
Hot Rakia & Sheep’s Brains—Bulgarian Cuisine Gets Interesting in Varna
/0 Comments/in Bulgaria, Europe, Travelogue /by allanVarna is feeling like home. In fact, Bulgaria seems like home. Long-term travel, especially by motorcycle, with no itinerary, gives me to settle in when it feels right. Here in Varna, it feels great. Tonight I meet Nina, my new friend, and sommelier at Sea Terrace. It’s her night off, and we will give our […]