10 famous cuisines in unexpected places

The phenomenon of foreign cuisines relocating can be traced along the paths of migration — when the Portuguese came to Massachusetts to work on whale ships, they brought along their recipe for fish stew, and when the British Empire welcomed the people of India from the British colonies, curry houses sprouted up along the streets of London. What once was simply the food of an outsider community, however, is now an inseparable part of the cultural identity of these places.

So what does all this mean for the hungry traveler? For one, it expands the culinary possibilities in cities large and small. Excellent, authentic international cuisine can be found not only in major metropolises, but also in places where tourists less frequently go.

READ MORE: 10 famous cuisines in unexpected places

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World’s 12 best shopping cities

From a shopper’s perspective, frequent traveling can be crippling. It can get worse in the holiday season where Christmas dominates many people’s calendars. Why buy something in one city when a trip to a better shopping city is coming up?

To pinpoint which cities around the world deliver the most gratifying, enjoyable shopping experiences, we consulted global experts, such as fashion merchandising firm Donegar Creative Services and Marie Bergfelt, senior spokesperson for Global Blue, which publishes the Globe Shopper City Index.

Then we judged cities in four areas, using a one-to-10 scoring scale for each category:

1. Getting around: Quality of public transportation, affordability and availability of cabs, transport time

2. Value: Bargain opportunities, such as sale seasons and average prices.

3. Variety: Number of available brands, range of shopping categories, quantity of upscale shops, department stores, boutique and vintage retailers and market stalls.

4. Experience: City beauty, quality of window displays and shop décor, friendliness and competence of clerks and service staff, dining and accommodation options.

Then we charged into the breach.

READ MORE: World’s 12 best shopping cities

Hotel Lloret, La Ramblas Barcelona, Spain: Hotel Review

Travel Destination Bucket List

Location, Location, Location – what more can I say about Hotel Lloret on La Rambla in Barcelona Spain!  The rooms may be cosy, but the personality of this hotel is huge!  I have to say – it was a terrific find, and I am so pleased that one of my travel friends suggested I stay there over Easter.  I fell in love with Barcelona – I know I will be back – and I hope to call Hotel Lloret home once again!

Let’s start with the basics – free WiFi – in this day and age, I find it tough to believe this service is not available in some hotels.  Happy to say – Hotel Lloret provided internet access for their guests, which worked in the guest rooms and in the breakfast room!  Breakfast was included – a selection of cereals, yogurt, breads, fruits, ham & cheese and the essential…

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Travel Tidbits – Take a trip to the realities of ‘Portlandia’

Take a trip to the realities of ‘Portlandia’
Portlandia, the eccentric sketch comedy show on cable station IFC, has been amassing fans and, after two seasons, put Portland, Ore., on the pop-culture map…The Dallas Morning News

 

 

 

 

 

Sydney Travel Guide
Sydney perennially occupies the upper ranks of readers’ favorite cities… Travel and Leisure

 

 

 

 

World’s most incredible mountain views
Although the snow is melting, ski destinations can be just as pleasurable when the weather heats up — and they’ve got the serious scenery to back it… Fox Travel News

 

 

Caribbean airport warns runway thrill seekers
St. Maarten airport to boost security after jet blast injures woman… USA Today

 

 

 

Off the Coast of Spain, a Tranquil Biosphere Reserve
Unlike Majorca, with its big hotels, glitzy nightclubs and yacht-filled ports, Minorca offers something unusual for a Mediterranean resort: tranquility… New York Times

 

 

 

 

 

10 great places to bite into a gourmet cupcake
Step into a cupcake bakery and you’ll have no doubt that sweet things come in small packages… USA Today

 

 

 

Plan Your Trip Today:

All About Travel
6104 Northwest 63
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
info [at] allabout-travel.com
405.384.3880

• Travel Tidbits – Love bluegrass music? This cruise is for you

• Year of the Golden Gate Bridge

• Making all her dreams come true, yours too with extreme adventure and travel

Travel Tidbits – Love bluegrass music? This cruise is for you

Steep Canyon Rangers
By Chris Pizzello, AP

Love bluegrass music? This cruise is for you
What’s billed as the first bluegrass festival at sea will take place in early 2013… USA Today

 

 

 

 

 

Is a ‘Eurovegas’ in the cards for Spain?
Las Vegas mogul Sheldon Adelson (The Venetian, The Palazzo) is taking more steps to establish a gaming beachhead in Spain… USA Today

 

 

 

 

The Most Searched for Destinations for Summer 2012
The most searched for US destination for summer 2012 revealed … Budget Travel Online

 

 

Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Lake Inle is among several areas in south or central Myanmar that welcome tourists drawn to the country’s natural beauty. ABOVE A fisherman at work.

So You Want to Go to Myanmar?
A cheat sheet on everything to know before planning a Myanmar trip… New York Times

 

 

 

 

 

The pool area at Frenchy's Oasis Motel in Clearwater Beach, Fla.
(Courtesy Frenchy’s Oasis Motel)

Secret Hotels of Florida’s Gulf Coast
We searched 800 miles of coastline to bring you the best hotels on Florida’s Gulf Coast … Budget Travel Online

 

 

 

 

 

Main Square in Trier Germany

48 Hours: Trier
Germany’s oldest city is marking 500 years since the Holy Robe was brought to its cathedral. But this isn’t the only relic of note … The Independent

 

 

 

 

To plan your trip today:

All About Travel
6104 Northwest 63
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
info [at] allabout-travel.com
405.384.3880

About All About Travel

Opened in 1978, All About Travel is located in the Oklahoma City area.  We are a family owned and operated company that has strived to provide our clients with the highest quality of service for more than 30 years.  Our agents can arrange all your travel needs from the individual hotel and/or car reservation to an around the world cruise.  Nothing is out of reach.

We can help plan your honeymoon, your destination wedding or the much needed getaway for two.  Don’t forget about your business, we can handle all the travel needs for your company as well.  Anything from an airline flight and hotel for a meeting or all the planning needed for your next company-wide seminar.  We can arrange hotel space for all attendees and meeting rooms for all purposes.

Our agents travel to many destinations on FAM trips (Familiarization trips) these trips are designed by tour operators and cruise lines to make certain that travel agents are up-to-date on popular destinations and cruise ships.

So the next time you need to, or better yet, want to travel…Let us help, it’s what we do.

• Travel Tidbits – World’s Most Mysterious Destinations

• The Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa – Spa treatment giveaway!

• Making all her dreams come true, yours too with extreme adventure and travel

Stimulating the Senses at the Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona

Travel Destination Bucket List

Halfway down La Rambla, stimulating the senses – Barcelona’s Mercat de la Boqueria is a see to believe market.  The volume of people is out of this world – literally wall to wall.  I found it a challenge to photograph the food stalls and get a sense of the place as people, crammed in like sardines, shuffled past the stalls selling amazing produce, hand crafted chocolates and a myriad of other flavours.  For a lover of fresh food – my senses went into overdrive!  The colours, the smells and the hub of activity enough to make me want to come back for more.  To hear the vendors calling above the crowds to the locals who were out to buy their produce – the sounds were like a song, the calls wafting above the sounds of the crowds.

Originally a travelling market, the open air la Boqueria in Rambla de…

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Travel Tidbits – The 10 trashiest spring break destinations

The 10 trashiest spring break destinations
You don’t have to tune into MTV Spring Break to know that for many college students the annual rite revolved around booze, beaches and babes… USA Today

 

 

Eight Vacations for Ultimate Relaxation
A list of relaxing vacation spots around the world that will infuse you with a sense of calm before, during, or after the holiday rush… Smarter Travel

 

 

 

Swim with sea lions in the Sea of Cortez
It’s a popular day-trip tourist outing to swim with the sea lions… Seattle Times

 

 

 

 

 
All aboard the TMZ Tour: A tawdry trip through Hollywood
The faithful walk past a Charlie Chaplin who twirls his cane, a Marilyn who shows off her cleavage while blowing kisses and a ranting, Jheri-curled Samuel Jackson (a la “Pulp Fiction”)… CNN

 

 

 

 

 

iPads change economics and speed of hotel Wi-Fi
Guest room Wi-Fi networks that most hotels thought they had brought up to standard just a few years ago are now often groaning under user demands… NY Times

 

 

 

New adrenaline-pumping attractions
Get adrenaline pumping with these scary new attractions… MSN.com

 

 

 

To plan your trip today:
All About Travel
6104 Northwest 63
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
415.384.3880

“Swirling Tide” – Espasa Beach, Spain – Lujo Semeyes – Featured Photographer

PhotoBotos.com

 

 

“Swirling Tide” – Espasa Beach, Spain – Lujo Semeyes – Featured Photographer

This is one of those “I wish I was there” (IWIWT) photographs.  I can feel the cool water and sand between my toes.  There is a strong breeze blowing and I put on an extra layer, but dare not miss what promises to be an excellent sunset.  After reading Lujo’s account it turns out I am not that far off.  Although maybe the water is a bit cooler than I expected.  Please  visit this and several other “IWIWT” photographs at Lujo’s portfolios  500pix.com/lujo and flickr.com/lujo.    Here are a couple of other great links of his in Spanish asemeyando.es and exodos.es

Here is Lujo:

The photograph was taken at the beach Espasa (Asturias) in this medium, just at dusk, on a day of very low tide, leaving bare rocks are usually not visible.  I chose this day for the state of the tide, and be having a polar front, which provided a good sky.  As an…

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Travel Tidbits – All About Cruises

 

Another cruise line targets teens with spa treatments
Add MSC Cruises to the list of lines offering spa treatments for teens… USA Today

 

 

Carnival Cruise Lines to expand in Europe
Industry giant Carnival today announced it would offer its widest array of European itineraries ever in 2013… USA Today

 

 

 

 

Most Beautiful European Ports to Sail Into
If it could safely be argued (and it can) that visiting Europe’s great isles and cities by cruise ship is a superficial travel experience, there’s one big exception to that rule… Conde Nast Traveler

 

 

Top European River Cruises for Spring
For those cruising Europe’s rivers, it’s not always enough to simply enjoy the pastoral beauty of the Danube… Conde Nast Traveler

 

 

 

New Disney cruise ship on the way to America
Disney officially took possession of its newest vessel, the Disney Fantasy… USA Today

 

 

 

 

Cruise Industry sets new safety drill policy
Every vacationer boarding a cruise ship will receive a safety briefing before the vessel sets sail under a new industry-wide policy… USA Today

 

 

To plan your trip today:
All About Travel
6104 Northwest 63
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
415.384.3880

Travel Tidbits – New museums to marvel over in Amsterdam, Rome and Paris

Fly away: 5 lodges reached only by plane
Say goodbye to civilization and hello to a remote pocket of the world at these five resorts… CNN

 

 

 

 

 

From City (Munich) to Forest (Bavarian)
Germany’s other major forest region offers tree-top walks, unusual liqueurs and plenty of fresh air… New York Times

 

 

 

 

In Spain, Miro’s Majorca
Discovering the island that sheltered and inspired the artist, leading to some of his greatest work… New York Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chill out with an ice cream tour
No pints in the freezer? Celebrate National Ice Cream Month with a visit to a factory… MSN.com

 

 

 

 

New museums to marvel over in Amsterdam, Rome and Paris
The Hermitage Amsterdam, Rome’s MAXXI and the Pinacotheque de Paris add a welcome burst of energy to the European art scene… LA Times

 

 

No Shih Tzu! Airlines ban pug-nosed pets
Flat-faced canines can no longer fly Cathay Pacific. And their feline friends need to make other travel plans, too… CNN

 

 

 

 

 

To plan your trip today:
All About Travel
6104 Northwest 63
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
415.384.3880