Would You Rather go on a Gelato Tour or a Wine Tour in Italy?

Would You Rather Wednesday! 

Gelato

I have a sweet tooth. Actually we both have a sweet tooth. Some places we have travelled are not known for their desserts....Asia. So when Richard and I visit somewhere where the sweets are good, we are in heaven. Italy had a variety of yummy desserts, but nothing beats their Gelato. We had Gelato each of every 21 days we were in Italy. Does that make us Gelato connoisseurs? Not likely, but we are the experts on our blog :)

First of all beware. There is Gelato everywhere! Not every stand or store that sells it, sells the authentic stuff (handmade and natural flavours). Gelato is made with milk, not cream and don't be fooled by the bright neon colours or slices of fruit on top. These disguises may mean it is not natural or homemade Gelato. I tried mango in Venice, strawberry in Sorrento, and so many more kinds. They were all wonderful. But one place had us coming back not just for seconds, but thirds. And anyone who has ever been to Europe knows that a lot of walking is involved to get most places, unless your hotel is right beside it.

*Side note: this may be a good idea. Richard and I should look into finding accommodations right beside this place so we can eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We were sightseeing with another couple and felt like we needed a snack before getting ready for dinner. We stopped at a place called: Gelateria Frigidarium. Like always, there were so many choices and decisions to be made. They have a self named signature flavour. It is a combination of homemade cookies, caramel, and chocolate. Let me tell you....it was delicious! It was love at first bite. The following time we came back I trued black cherry, which was also incredible. The third time I caved and got a repeat of the signature flavour. It was our last day there, and I had to get another when I finished it. Trust me, it's that life changing. If you are not stuck on tradition, there is even an option to get the whole thing dipped in chocolate and topped with whip cream. Really!? It's insane.

Amazing Gelato in Rome
Photo: @conciergecouple

Wine

Yes, we love to drink as we have reported numerous times. So when we visited Florence we had to do a wine tour if not for our love of booze but because its the expected thing to do in Florence. We took a nice drive out into the countryside to an old castle. The landscape was stunning. The castle was perched up high on an emerald, grassy hill and the vineyard running in lines of stunning green and purple. One of the first things we did, was take a picture perched on a rock looking out over the small town below.

The tour was educational, relaxed and enjoyable. As a bonus we also got to learn about the family that lived in the castle many years ago as well as olive oil tasting and producing. We got a chance to walk through the wine cellars and of course sample the wine. It was a delicious chianti and as we sipped we learned (perfect for 2 teachers) about when and how its best to consume it. When you visit you just have to buy a bottle, if not to drink than at least as a souvenir.

Tuscany Wine Tasting
Photo: @conciergecouple

Our choice?

It has to be the Gelato. You can special order some wines from around the world to your doorstep. Even if its not the exact vineyard you visited in Florence, you can still spend the money to find a good quality Chianti to enjoy in your own home. But you cannot do that with homemade Gelato. Trust me, we would spend a good $30 to get a cone shipped to our house if we could.

Which would you choose? 

Gelato or Chianti?

Skills We Have Gained From Travelling

    We travel because we love to see new things and create new and memorable experiences. Some of us like to sample new foods, get a nice tan, or simply seek adventure. But what if I told you that while doing all of that, you are also learning and gaining new skills. Travel is like an education abroad.

       I first have to admit that I was horrible with geography before I started travelling. I know, I know…and I am a teacher. I knew where many places were, but after travelling much of the world, I now truly comprehend direction and location. For people of all ages and for children, seeing the world beats reading about it in a textbook any day.

Language:

I would love to say Richard and I learned another language on our travels. We have not. We did get ambitious and take a beginners Spanish class before our first trip to Spain. We used some of it during our travels, but we both agreed we wanted to learn more. It hasn't happened yet. Before we visit any new country, we learn some basic phrases. We learn how to say hello, please, thank you, how much, good morning, etc. This helps us to first demonstrate to the locals that we are interested and value their language/culture. It also gives us a great jumping off point before we need to ask for assistance or suggestions.  I can guarantee that if it weren't for our travels, we would never have even had exposure to any of these basic language skills.

Cooking:

I mentioned in a previous post that I try to take cooking classes when I am visiting a new country. I love to cook and I embrace the opportunity to learn about new foods and how to prepare them. It is a great way to experience the culture, as often they take you to market, but also a great way to converse and learn from a local. I continue to cook these fishes when I get home, and they have not only enhanced my recipe repertoire, but they have made me more skilled with spice selection and flavour combinations.

Bargain Shopping:

Many countries we have visited have outdoor markets or boutique shops with one of a kind items. Because they are independently owned, you as the customer have the opportunity to request a better price. For example, when we were in Morocco there were leather bags for sale for what would work out to $200 American. We worked them down to $100 for an all leather travel tote. We have continued to work with shop owners to get the unique items we want a reasonable price. The more you do it, the better you get at stating the price you are willing to pay. We have walked away from some items we had really wanted, but most of the time we get great deals.

Public Transportation/ City Navigation:

Richard and I are from a small town with no subway system. We have been on one in Toronto and New York City, but I would not say we are experts at navigating cities via public transit. When we arrived in Paris, we had to learn the Subway system quickly, because riding in taxi’s for 3 weeks can get quite costly. So after a few days of riding the subway to dinner, shops, and sights we got quite comfortable with it. When we moved on to new cities, we noticed that our experience in Paris really helped us to understand and recognize the simplicity and convenience of subway travel.

London, England
Photo: @conciergecouple

Budgeting Where it Counts:

Sure when you land at the airport you can take a taxi to your hotel. So fast, easy, and convenient. But this is usually the biggest rip off and so many people do it! I get it, you have arrived at your destination and you are so excited and eager to get to your hotel that you are willing to just jump in that taxi. Well that is what they are banking on. Richard spends a lot of time reading forums and communicating with the hotel concierge to determine the fastest and most affordable transportation from the airport into town. He prints out what bus number or subway stop we need to get to and keeps it available in his carry on. Being aware, knowledgeable and prepared is key. We have ended up taking a taxi several times, but we do so by educating ourselves on the expected price and weighing the pros and cons of saving time.

We love hotels. Richard loves researching them, reading reviews on them, and surprising me by booking them in secret. We have learned where and when it makes sense to splurge on a hotel. If we are visiting a bustling and lively city we will choose a hotel or apartment with a moderate price. We realize we will be out most of the time, and our hours in hotel room per dollar will not be in our favour. We do splurge on hotels on island and beach destinations. Yes, we will be out all day in the sun and sand, but the evenings are spent in our room, hotel lobby or hotel lounge. These are the times are when having beautiful surroundings are important to us.

Photograph Selection:

We love taking photos. We often take anywhere from 1,000-1,500 per trip. We make photo-books, gallery walls, etc. using them. We used to take photos of just about everything. Now we realize that pictures of scenery and pictures of ourselves enjoying the world are what matter most to us. We have learned to be discerning photographers, only snapping what we deem important. For example: on the most part we do not photograph major tourist attractions (e.g. the Louvre), unless the lighting is unique or scene is particularly unique that day. Mind you there are exceptions: the Eiffel Tower. 

Social Skills:

Richard is very social. I on the other hand am mostly quiet. Because it is often just the two of us travelling, and because we like to go out in the evenings, we are often left with no other choice but to meet new people. We have made great friends and there are worse things to be forced into than meeting other travellers. For myself though, I had to get good at introducing myself and being open to all kinds of people. When we meet we share stories, experiences we have had locally, and any tips for travelling the area. We also share drinks and general conversation. I have had to sharpen my social skills, and because of that we have together met great people and had great experiences we would never have had just the two of us.

El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
Photo: @conciergecouple

Appreciate The Moment:

I am an easygoing person, who enjoys my downtime. Naps, spas, and reading are some of my favourite hobbies. However, when travelling Richard and I can get pretty eager to see a lot with little downtime. Over the past couple of years we have really learned to appreciate the moment and take it all in. We often drink our morning coffee siting on our balcony with our robes on, chatting about our plans for the day and/or some of our favourite moments from the day before. This was a challenge for us at first, because there is so much we want to do when visiting a new place. We have learned to strike a good balance between slowing down and stopping to take in a moment and getting to our next sight or experience before the crowds.

Mykonos, Greece
Photo: @conciergecouple

These are just some of the many lessons and skills we have picked up over our travelling years. This summer we will likely continue to develop our driving on rugged terrain skills when we travel the road to Hana. What skills have you gained through your travels?

How To Survive The Largest Commercially Rafted Waterfall in The World!

Today we are fortunate enough to have a guest post from bloggers,

Nico & Vicky of 

www.thetravellingmooseys.weebly.com

Check out all Nico & Vicky's inspirational thoughts and pics at: 

Blog - www.thetravellingmooseys.weebly.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/the_travelling_mooseys

About Nico & Vicky...

Photo: @the_travelling_mooseys

Since meeting each other during Newcastle University's fresher week, nearly six years ago, we have explored the world together and will continue to do so. Places we have travelled together include Japan, Europe, New Zealand, and America. In-between pretending we are Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, we both enjoy a range of cool, sometimes nerdy hobbies and interests, such as surfing, photography, reading, and Star Wars. Yes, Star Wars! Also, we both have strong interests in food and beverages, especially Mexican food, pizza and cocktails. Please feel free to come with us on our journey by following our Instagram page and website, and message us your stories and photos. We would love to hear from you! Love Vicky and Nico

The Kaituna River in Rotorua, New Zealand, is where we were thrown into the deep unknown dark river with no experience of rafting. We encountered not just one, but three incredibly dangerous waterfalls, including the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world called the Tutea Falls (7 meters high). This activity was not for the faint hearted, and where Hobbits should not be seen floating down this river. But, here we were floating down this life threatening river with no experience, no sandwiches, no wet suits to keep our bums warm, and most importantly Nico couldn't Instagram. 

This is a tale from His and Her experience of this contrasting event.

Nico’s Experience 

This is a must do extreme sport if you come to Rotorua! The adrenaline rush was epic and the feeling going down these waterfalls were incredible. I am amazed that I persuaded Vicky to join me, especially as Hobbits were warned to stay away from the river. To kick this story off, it started with us with four other people, including a world champion white water raft guide, in a yellow submarine coloured raft. The first two waterfalls was a thrill-seeking ride, where we managed to stay on and avoid capsizing the raft. Vicky nearly lost her GoPro, but apart from that we were alive and well. Then came the almighty Tutea Falls at 7 meters high, this waterfall brought nerves and daunting feelings to all on board. None the less I was stoked and ready to go! After, praying for Chief Tutea who was buried behind the waterfall, we drifted slowly to the top of the world highest commercial waterfall. I was close to wetting myself with excitement and nerves. I looked at Vicky, who smiled back, and then peered over the edge. It was what I expected to see, a drop that did not look natural. Before, I could let my nerves take over we dropped over the edge, it was an awesome sight as we surged down to the bottom of the fall. Half way down the fall, we capsized and was trapped underwater for a short time. I quickly escaped and saw my oar floating away from me, I went after it but soon got shouted at to get back to the upside down raft, due to strong currents. I was in a tricky position, do I save my oar or save myself? I thought it would be better to save myself, especially as we were having pizza later on and going to Hobbiton the next day. The Tutea Falls was an incredible and fun experience, where I thought we both absolutely loved it! I was high fiving everyone afterwards, and desperate to do it again! I thought Vicky had the same view as me until…

Vicky’s Experience

 Unlike Nico I had no expectations of what I would encounter, which I later realized that the river was a Grade 5 Expert rating rafting difficultly, as a result it came to an almighty shock later on. The week building up to this traumatic event, Nico described this activity as “fun”, “easy”, and “a piece of piss”. So initially, I had no worries and qualms, however once we were on the Kaituna River, this is where it started to go downhill for me…LITERALLY! Firstly, my helmet kept sliding off my head, which I will reiterate that I was on a Grade 5 river with No Experience, and secondly my GoPro kept falling of my helmet. Then, even worse I was the only member from the opposite sex on this highly alpha-male dominated raft, where if you weren't extreme you did not belong. So here I was, I have never done anything extreme in my life and had Nico hiding the fact that we were going down the highest commercial rafted waterfall in the world in less than 1 minute. As a result, I had no idea what was going on and thought we were going down what Nico described as “a piece of piss” waterfall. Even though everyone was saying a prayer for Chief Tutea before we voyaged down the fall of death, I still did not make the connection of what was to become.

Next thing I know, I am heading down the waterfall on the “lad” raft when suddenly a rush of water blew the raft upside down, where I was plunged underneath the raft. The problem was that I was not prepared for this and missed the opportunity to take my last breath. Also, while we were plunging down the waterfall at the speed of a Formula One car, I manage to hit my head on a rock. With a bump on the head and no last breath I was in trouble. I tried to come up to the surface, and all I could feel was the seats of the raft. This was the moment I realized we had capsized. Then, I tried to escape this situation by swimming to the right side of the raft, but surprisingly I was not going anywhere. To make matters worse, I was trapped by the rope on the raft, which was not allowing myself to escape being underwater. I kept pushing forward to try to free my shoulder, which tangled up in the rope. With having no last breath of air, I felt oxygen leaving my body and close to near death. Although, anger was the emotion I felt at this moment because I have been a successful award winning county swimmer for Ulster, Northern Ireland (woo, plug at myself), and believed water would never get the better of me. As I tried to keep pushing forward, I managed to grab hold of an oar and pull myself to the surface. After, what felt like hours underneath the cold water, I’m free and alive, although when I look around I see the alpha males of my raft high-fiving, cheering, laughing, even wooing. They seem to have forgotten about me. Was I really that small? Nico kept making go down even more waterfalls and blaming me for not wanting to participate on further waterfalls and rapids. Although, Nico did not realize how life-threatening this experience this was until we were off the raft later on, which to my amazement his initial reaction was “This is going to look amazing on the GoPro and will get me more Instagram followers!”

River in Rotorua, New Zealand
Photo: @the_travelling_mooseys