Buona Sara Travels

Gdansk, Poland

Gdansk - amber, pickled herring, Flemish Renaissance architecture, the OG Goldschläger...what else do you need? In this episode, Kevin and I will chat about one of our favorite quaint cities in Eastern Europe. This 1,000 year old port city is often called the "Amber Capital of the World" and is the actual starting location of World War II.  During this episode, we will visit the largest brick building in the world - St. Mary's church and the incredible astronomical clock inside. We'll walk you through the charming Old Town that includes Neptune Fountain, Amber Street and a historic bell that's used to announce the opening of pubs. We even take you to the nearby "summer capital" of Sopot which is straight out of a Wes Anderson movie. We'll of course be trying some pierogi, Żurek (a sour rye soup), Pączki and everyone's favorite...pickled, preserved fish. Lastly, we'll wash it all down with some local beer, vodka and the city’s signature drink, Goldwasser.  Buona Sara Travels Website [https://www.buonasaratravels.com/] Buona Sara Travels Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/buonasaratravels/]

Seville, Spain

Seville, Spain - A city that began Roman, then Moorish Muslim and finally Christian. It might be the best region of Spain to find the oldest and well preserved customs, food, culture and, of course, Easter traditions that were slightly jarring (at first) to us Americans.  In this episode, we talk about the month we spent in Seville with our three year old daughter who loved chasing the pigeons in all the pedestrian-only squares and alleys. We'll check out a church-themed bar, the origins of the 90s hit 'Macarena' and those infamous Semana Santa robes. We'll walk you through the incredibly beautiful and culturally significant landmarks like the Alcazar (shout-out Game of Thrones), Plaza de Espana, the charming Jewish Quarter, Metropol Parasol (aka the mushrooms) and the Seville Cathedral (which may or may not house the remains of Christopher Columbus). We'll also give our best suggested day trips including a bike trip to the Roman city of Italica, Setenil de las Bodegas and the city of Cordoba. So grab a cold bowl of gazpacho, a vermouth on the rocks and let's visit the gem of Andalusia - Seville, Spain. ¡Salud! Buona Sara Travels Website [https://www.buonasaratravels.com/] Buona Sara Travels Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/buonasaratravels/]

Lithuania

Lithuania - the land of beautiful murals and beautiful soups, tradition, basketball and, as Kevin likes to say, delicious fried bread snacks that are even better than Gardetto's. Kevin has been lucky enough to keep in touch with his family from both Dingle, Ireland (checkout our Dingle podcast) and Lithuania. Because of this we were lucky enough to spend a few weeks in the country accompanied by locals.  In this episode, we'll walk you through the quaint capital city of Vilnius and the artist commune/ "country" within the Republic of Užupis. We'll take you for a drive to the Hill of Crosses which is one of the more spectacular and eerie places we've been. And finally to the town of Kaunas which has a cool castle and where we spent a lot of family time.  Sveikatą! Buona Sara Travels Website [https://www.buonasaratravels.com/] Buona Sara Travels Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/buonasaratravels/]

Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An - the city of lanterns. Pro tip: if traveling here with a young child, don't put her in charge of releasing your lantern that's supposedly symbolizes all your hopes and dreams. Because that young child (with the help of Kevin) will drop it, accidentally step on it and/or light it on fire (hopefully not leading to said dreams being dashed).  With that said, Hoi An, Vietnam, is truly a magical place. What we gathered before and during our stay is that many tourists pass through this town for only a day or two. However, after being there for almost an entire month, we could have stayed (and eaten) there for much, much longer. The entire extremely well-preserved and historic Old Town is a UNESCO Heritage site and feels like you are walking through a museum. During this episode, we walk you through the ancient part of town as well as the nearby beach, rice fields and little neighborhoods that have their own unique flavor and specialty. We ride on a bucket boat, get a custom dress and suit made in a day, cross the Japanese Bridge, learn how silk is made and meet the residents of the Pottery Village (or 'Pottery Peeps' as Kevin likes to call them).  Our daughter Maeve is a fairly good and somewhat adventurous eater but the food here...wow...she was in heaven. We'll share our favorite places to eat (often on a plastic chair), explain what DIY spring rolls entail and dive into the local specialties like White Rose Dumplings, Mi Quang and Cao Lau. We'll even share the time Kevin and Maeve watched Home Alone through a Vietnamese family's window in our neighborhood (slightly less creepy than it sounds).  Chúc sức khỏe! Buona Sara Travels Website [https://www.buonasaratravels.com/] Buona Sara Travels Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/buonasaratravels/]

The Island of Ortigia - Siracusa, Sicily

WE ARE WEIRDOS WHO OFTEN THINK ABOUT, AND EVEN RANK, TYPES OF CUISINE WE'VE HAD ALL OVER THE WORLD JUST FOR FUN. ITALY'S CUISINE HAS ALWAYS BEEN HIGH ON THE LIST GOING BACK ALL THE WAY TO OUR SPAGHETTIOS DAYS (YUCK). HOWEVER, THE FOOD WE LITERALLY STILL HAVE DREAMS ABOUT IS FROM THE ISLAND OF SICILY, AND SPECIFICALLY THE CITY WE'LL BE CHATTING ABOUT TODAY - SIRACUSA. THAT ISN'T TO SAY THE TOWN DOESN'T HAVE MUCH TO OFFER BESIDES CUISINE. QUITE THE OPPOSITE, AS IT IS HOME TO SOME OF THE MOST MIND-BLOWING HISTORIC SITES THAT GIVE ROME A RUN FOR ITS MONEY. SICILY IS KNOWN TO HAVE MORE PRESERVED GREEK RUINS THAN GREECE, AND SIRACUSA IS NO EXCEPTION. AND SINCE IT WAS CONQUERED BY ALMOST EVERYONE THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THERE ARE INFLUENCES FROM TURKEY, SPAIN AND AFRICA (JUST TO NAME A FEW) IN EVERYTHING FROM TRADITIONS TO CUISINE.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE WALK YOU THROUGH THE MOST IMPORTANT AND, WHAT WE DEEMED, MOST INTERESTING SPOTS THROUGHOUT THE TOWN OF SIRACUSA AND THE ANCIENT ISLAND OF ORTIGIA. WE'LL CHECK OUT SOME SWANS AT THE ARETHUSA SPRING, SEE THE BAROQUE BEAUTY OF THE CATHEDRAL, GET CREEPED OUT BY THE PUPPET MUSEUM, TAKE IN A CARAVAGGIO AND GET OUR GREEK ON WITH THE EAR OF DIONYSIUS AND TEMPLE OF APOLLO. THOUGH A LOT OF THE CUISINE STARTS WITH AT LEAST 3 OUT OF THE 4 SICILIAN STAPLES (TOMATOES, CAPERS, OLIVES, ANCHOVIES), IT WAS WHAT THE PEOPLE HERE DO WITH THEM THAT IS SO MAGICAL. WE'LL DIVE INTO, IN WAY TOO MUCH DETAIL, OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS, THE DAILY FOOD MARKET, THE GREATEST SANDWICH ON THE PLANET, KEVIN'S OBSESSION WITH TOMATO PASTE, SOME NONNA'S HOMEMADE JUG WINE AND FINISH IT ALL OFF WITH A BIG OL' CANNOLO...DANG, I'M GOING TO HAVE SOME DELICIOUS DREAMS AGAIN TONIGHT. CIN CIN! Buona Sara Travels Website [https://www.buonasaratravels.com/] Buona Sara Travels Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/buonasaratravels/]