A forgettable meal at a long-standing fixture of the neighborhood, newly renovated.

Best new restaurant in Valencia, on this trip!

An impressive lunch highlighted by a delicious arroz meloso of pork ribs, shiitake, and romero, with marrow shaved on top, lands La Chipirona on the “must return” list… despite a menu laced with eyeroll-worthy fusion dishes.

This is a souvenir I was excited to purchase!

What is known as “Harbin Ice Festival” is actually composed of a few different expos and venues, two of which are the “Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo” and “Harbin Ice and Snow World.”

When the iconic patios of Córdoba are decorated to the hilt with springtime flowers…

Visiting the Feria de Abril, or April Fair of Sevilla, one of Spain’s most famous festivals. It combines several Spanish icons: flamenco dresses, flamenco dancing, the Cordobés hat, and horses.

A cut above the domestic competition

A good Priority Pass lounge with a strange layout

Springtime vegetables come together with baby cuttlefish in a simple weekend lunch

A simple 3-step dump and stir recipe with ingredients from the Mercado Central in Valencia.

The best, most useful interaction design.

A mind-, eye-, and stomach-opening experience connecting senses, psychology, and sustenance!

At the Mercedes-Benz Museum, I saw a photo of a housing development that I remembered studying in Design History class: the Weissenhof Estate. I'd forgotten it was in Stuttgart! So I went online to check out the place, called to verify that they were open (since it was Monday, and also the May 1 holiday), and hurried to take the train and bus back over to the west side of town.

The Weissenhof Estate was a model development by the city of Stuttgart planned by Mies van der Rohe, and designed to experiment with new models of housing. It was an image of this townhouse complex designed by J.J.P. Oud that made me suddenly remember the slides in Design History class.

A magical home in the clouds, where we learned how to make Bhutan’s national dish, ema datshi, chili cheese.

Learning to make Puglia’s special pasta under the watchful eye - and hands - of the resident chef, Vita.

When I was choosing where to spend my weekend after Milan Design Week, I originally had decided on Cinque Terre. It was a place I missed visiting on my Pisa/Florence/Bologna trip a few years ago, and it seemed like a relaxing place to be for just a couple of days.

When I looked into it more, though, it seemed like a combination of cute buildings, stunning scenery, and a bunch of tourists. Which isn't bad - Lake Como is kind of like that -, but I thought back to my Pisa/Florence/Bologna trip and remembered another part of the region that I missed: learning more about the vinegar of Modena ("balsamic vinegar" as we call it in the US), Parmesan cheese, and Parma ham.

I investigated doing a tour of my own, looking up different cheese factories and their opening times, seeing how much it was to go by taxi to the different spots. I quickly came to the conclusion that a food tour would be much more convenient, relaxing, and potentially cost-saving. The food tour from Italian Days had wonderful reviews online, so I just booked it and didn't think twice about it.

From horse-drawn trucks in Spain to studded tires in Sweden... 

Near the fish and chips shop, a series of painted parking signs on the sidewalk caught my eye...

Yes, dogs...