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Canada: Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Typical Meal in the 18th Century
In the eighteenth century at Fortress Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the lower class diet included locally prepared bread, spruce beer, meat or fish. Staples like butter, cheese, and rum were imported. Here I dined on pea soup and an apple tart for dessert. They ate with spoons. Gathering for a meal was not only for sustenance but also for news, companionship and games of chance.
Cosmos Tour: Prague Vienna Budapest – Halushka dumplings and Cimbalon
On the Cosmos Tour to Prague, Vienna and Budapest, the first optional excursion was a typical Slavic evening in the well-known U Marčanů restaurant, and included folk music with Bohemian, Moravian and Slovakian singing and dancing, plus gypsy music and dancing. The performers were fabulous at getting the audience involved, and great fun ensued. A musical instrument called a cimbalon was played; it’s a large, trapezoidal box with metal strings stretched across, and is played by striking two hammers against the strings.
Here’s a short video of the cimbalon in action:
The 3-course meal accompanied by unlimited drinks (wine/ beer/soft drinks) started with my favorite food of the whole trip – halushka , little dumpling bits topped with cheese and fried bacon (probably called bryndza) which is one of the the Slovak national dishes. Now we know why. The main course was pork on a skewer with delicate Lyonnaise potatoes, green beans and roasted potatoes.
Everyone ate and laughed and enjoyed the evening.
Cosmos Tour: Prague Vienna Budapest – Dinner in NH Hotel Prague
The first included meal in the Cosmos: Prague Vienna Budapest tour was an entree into the hearty meals to come. It started off with a beef broth with thin noodles and small tidbits of beef.
The main course was roasted pork in a flavorful beer gravy with a side of red cabbage and bread “dumplings”. These were new to most of the travelers. Rather than a round doughy ball which we expected, these were more like slices of rye bread sitting in the gravy – so easy to lap it up.
Dessert was a light tiramisu served in a tumbler. Good start!