Book Review + Giveaway - Ponce: What Actually Happened at the Fountain of Youth

 

Book Details:

Book Title:  Ponce: What Actually Happened at the Fountain of Youth by Jim Halveron
Category:  Adult Fiction 18+, 164 pages
Genre: Satire / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Gail Force Publishing
Release Date: November 2021

 

Book Description: Two Florida State geology students found the pages written by Ponce de Leon’s chronicler in a dry limestone cave in the northwest panhandle. The original Spanish papers, five hundred years old, were found in relatively good shape, protected from time and moisture in a heavy triple-walled leather case. They chronicle Ponce de Leon’s second expedition to Florida in search of the fountain of youth.

My Thoughts: Based on incredible historic records, the story of Ponce de Leon and his search for the fountain of youth is retold for a contemporary audience. The one-time darling of the Spanish court and seducer of the Queen of Spain is sent to the New World to bring back gold. But there is something seemingly more alluring than money for Ponce. Is the Fountain of Youth his ticket to power?

From the glamour of elegant Spanish palaces to the stifling humidity of Florida swampland, Ponce whisks readers around the world on the tails of the infamous Ponce de Leon. Ponce and his entourage face an array of challenges as they try to trade with the locals for gold. Through (not-always-helpful) interactions with the native people of Florida, the Spanish soldiers stumble their way toward what they hope is the purest of waters. Erroneously believing the water can cure illness and save people from poisonous snake bites (thanks to tricks played on them by the tribe leader), Ponce is driven to find this Fountain of Youth by visions of grandeur. With modern language and contemporary dialogue, Ponce is a story from the past reimagined for today's generation of historical fiction fans. 

BUY THE BOOK:
AMAZON

 

Meet the Author:  Jim Halverson grew up in the rural, gold-mining town of Mokelumne Hill, CA and received his MBA from Golden Gate University. He spent part of his life on a ranch and is an avid student of psychology. He recognizes the struggles of all men and women seeking equality and respect. Jim and his wife, Gail, spend their time traveling from their small farm in Forestville, CA.

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Connect with the Author:  Website ~ Goodreads

 

Tour Schedule:

Nov 1 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Nov 2 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 4 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 4 - Westveil Publishing – book review / giveaway
Nov 5 – Kam's Place – book review
Nov 8 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
Nov 9 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Nov 9 - Lisa's Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 10 – Olio by Marilyn – book spotlight / author interview
Nov 10 – Olio by Marilyn – book review / giveaway
Nov 12 – The Lost Review Of Odd Books – book review / author interview
Nov 12 - Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
Nov 15 – Cheryl's Book Nook – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 15 - Books for Books – book review
Nov 16 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Nov 16 - She Just Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Nov 17 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 17 - Bigreadersite - book review / giveaway
Nov 17 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Nov 18 – I'd Rather Be At The Beach – book review / guest post
Nov 19 – 30-something Travel – book review / giveaway

Enter the Giveaway: Click on the link below to enter the giveaway for a chance to WIN a signed copy of Ponce: What Actually Happened at the Fountain of Youth. Good luck!

PONCE Book Tour Giveaway 

 

Author Interview: Jim Halverson

Author Jim Halverson shares insights about the setting, situation and psychology that an unlucky group of travelers find themselves dealing with in the adventure novel, Wilderness Spa. 

 

In Wilderness Spa, you made some interesting observations of camp life in the Alaskan wilderness. Have you been there?

Yes, I have rafted on wilderness rivers in Alaska, hiked in Denali, and climbed glaciers.    

Much of Wilderness Spa deals with the campers’ search for answers and logical methods used to divine the truth. Yet, when it was most critical, they failed. What is the reasoning error they failed to address correctly?

Much like the everyday lives we lead, the campers failed to consider all options and possible consequences when they were desperate. To succeed, all facts, options, and consequences must be honestly considered.

Roberta portrays a positive absolute agenda, demanding uncompromised thought and logic until the last thing we read are her innermost concerns about rebuilding her logical foundation. Did you frame her life as a failure?

Not at all. In fact, I consider her even stronger because she has the emotional strength required to rebuild her convictions.

What advice would you offer to campers stranded in the wilderness?

Never react in desperation and always follow a river downstream.

The cover of Wilderness Spa features a Grizzly bear. Have you ever seen one up close?

I photographed a mother and three cubs from about thirty yards. My most concerning encounter came while hiking by myself when two cubs followed me about a hundred yards away and I didn’t know where their mother was.

Have any of your fireside chats in the wilderness emulated what you wrote in Wilderness Spa?

Not specifically, but always in depth and noteworthy. Interesting people working together in a common cause create memorable conversations.

For more information about Jim Halverson and his book, visit my earlier post Book Review + Giveaway: Wilderness Spa and enter for a chance to win a signed copy of the book!

Book Spotlight + Giveaway: Wilderness Spa

 

With a wild Alaskan setting, Wilderness Spa is an introspective adventure novel for anyone who enjoys exploring the great outdoors.

Book Details:

Title:  Wilderness Spa: Where Physical Survival Meets Psychological Survival by Jim Halverson
Category:  Adult Fiction 18+, 212 pages
Genre:  Literary
Publisher:  Gail Force Publishing
Release date:  June 2021
Content Rating:  PG-13

Book Description:

When disaster strikes in the wilderness, survival requires understanding.

• Tom, the backwoods expert who lost everything.

• Eric and Connor, wealthy brothers on a hunting trip.

• A group of tourists, stranded by the same earthquake.

The Wilderness Spa brings people from three quite different sources together to survive catastrophe in the Alaskan wilderness. They amaze themselves in their ability to coalesce and work cohesively in the face of hunger, injury, insecurity, and possible death. With that on their minds, they explore statistics, logic, social justice and challenges to philosophies and social norms.

After rocky starts when new members enter the group, they learn to find the best in their fellow travelers, how to help, follow, and lead when necessary. Nothing is ever easy. 

Join the group as they make the best of what they have. Struggle along with them and reconcile your own philosophical belief systems with logic and science.

Buy the Book
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Book Depository
Books A Million ~ Indie Bound

Meet the Author: 

Jim Halverson is the author of Trials & Trails (2019) and Ponce, What Actually Happened at the Fountain of Youth (upcoming, 2021). Jim grew up in the rural, gold-mining town of Mokelumne Hill, CA and received his MBA from Golden Gate University. He spent part of his life on a ranch and is an avid student of psychology. He recognizes the struggles of all men and women seeking equality and respect. Jim and his wife, Gail, spend their time traveling from their small farm in Forestville, CA.

Connect with the Author:  Website ~  Goodreads

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Tour Schedule: 

Aug 23 - Cover Lover Book Review - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Aug 24 - Jazzy Book Reviews - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Aug 25 - Locks, Hooks and Books - book review / giveaway
Aug 26 - Sadie's Spotlight - book spotlight / giveaway
Aug 27 - Rockin' Book Reviews - book review / guest post / giveaway
Aug 30 - Books for Books - book review
Aug 31 -Cheryl's Book Nook - book review / giveaway 
Sep 1 - Pick a Good Book - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Sep 1 - Rajiv's Reviews - book review / giveaway
Sep 2 - The Adventures of a Traveler's Wife - book review / author interview / giveaway
Sep 3 - Literary Flits - book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 6 - Bigreadersite - book review / giveaway
Sep 7 - Book Corner News and Reviews - book review / giveaway
Sep 7 - Splashes of Joy  - book review / author interview/ giveaway
Sep 8 - Sefina Hawke's Books - book spotlight
Sep 9 - Kam's Place - book review
Sep 10 - Books and Zebras  - book review
Sep 10 - Working Mommy Journal - book review / giveaway 

Enter the Giveaway: Click the link below to enter the Wilderness Spa giveaway for your chance to WIN a signed copy of the book. Good luck!

WILDERNESS SPA Book Tour Giveaway

Guest Post by W. M. Raebeck

As someone who finds myself in Hawaii often, it has occasionally been asked: Would you ever move there? So I can complete relate to today's guest post.  

Moving to Hawai’i?

by W. M. Raebeck

(author of 'Silence of Islands—poems') 

 

       Though I’ll probably stay forever, and it remains something of a fantasy, there are tricky elements to Hawai’i life for newcomers from the Mainland.

      Namely, the best thing about Hawai’i is also the worst:  the remoteness. When you think of Hawai’i, you probably think of it as 'out there somewhere,' maybe near Fiji or Tahiti or Guam? Or perhaps it’s closer to New Zealand or the Philippines? Obviously, it’s far from the US mainland, but it’s near something else, right? Indonesia? The Cook Islands? Japan?

      Wait a minute, where IS Hawai’i exactly?

      Not until you live here a while does it sink in that you’re no longer near anything. Hawai’i’s closest landfall is California—2600 miles away. The Hawaiian Islands—totalling eight, and part of a larger (uninhabited) island chain called the Sandwich Islands—is the most remote archipelago on the planet!

      Digesting that, your next adjustment is that you won’t be taking short trips anymore. Going away for the weekend, except to other Hawaiian islands, means flying all day Saturday to get there then all day Sunday to get home. Fun! Five and a half hours is our shortest plane ride to anywhere, and not including Honolulu stopovers. Plus the three- to six-hour time differential on the Mainland is another impediment. And, despite the challenges, when you finally do board a plane, it still feels like leaving your permanent vacation to take  a temporary one. Ditching shangri-la to visit siblings in Syracuse isn’t everyone’s idea of a respite. But we miss those folks (and they rarely wash up on our shores).

      Speaking of travel, let’s say you love road trips. Oops,  three of our four main islands can be driven in half a day. Plus, your scenic byway will peeter out after fifty or sixty miles. So, all you can do is snap some pix then turn around and drive back—no charming B & B then resuming the road  next morning. Nope, you’ll be back in your own bed in time for the evening news.

      The tropics, indeed, are magical, the billowing tradewinds luxurious and romantic, the nights velvet and balmy. But the days can be bleedin’ hot. And we have to program our activities around that sizzle. In fact, most locals get up with or before the sun, since walking, running, gardening, or doing anything outdoors becomes unbearable by 9 a.m., and remains so ’til 5 p.m. You'll hear lawnmowers and weed-whackers are still going strong at 6 or 7 p.m.

      Also, after a while, Hawai’i can seem something of a theme park. Though Covid has temporarily terminated tourism, normally luaus, hula dancers, surfboards, Hawaiian shirts, and ukuleles plaster the panorama. Hawaiian music pipes from commercial locales and Jeeps crammed with giddy visitors pile up at every scenic overlook, drive-up eatery, and  tiki bar.

      Or maybe you fancy cozying up to a fireplace on a wintry night with a snifter of brandy? We don’t have fireplaces—how 'bout a beach fire with some brewskis? Or you like going to Europe now and then? Europe’s a million miles from here. For us, the East Coast is the Far East. (And the actual Far East is almost as close as California.)

      But we don’t mind the trade-offs. Remoteness is our saving grace—assuring genuine peace, clean air, and sparkling water. Our broiling tropics allow shorts and flip-flops year-round, a 12-month growing season, and fresh water falling from the sky. We swim all year in turquoise seas, gape at daily rainbows, and follow the phases of the moon. We greet each other with aloha and it’s not fake. Our towns are safe, neighborhoods friendly. We’re not 'poliitical' and we avoid disagreement. And though we're technically one of the United States, we perceive ourselves as separate.

      So despite exhausting travel, no weekend getaways, scorching afternoons, and the commercial side of aloha, over here we have a saying that’s heard frequently and sincerely, "Lucky we live Hawai’i."

Author W. M. Raebeck

 

For more information about W. M. Raebeck, Silence of Islands and a chance to win a copy of the book, visit Blog Tour + Giveaway: Silence of Islands.

More posts about Hawai'i can be found here:

Guest Post: Honeymoon in Maui 

Best Fish Tacos in Maui  

Photo Journal of Maui: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 

Mahalo,

30-something Travel 

Top 5 Coffee Shops in the U.S.

Cheers to our top five favorite U.S. coffee shops on National Coffee Day 2015.

Victrola, Seattle
411 15th Avenue E (and other locations), www.victrolacoffee.com
Seattle takes its coffee seriously and there are many great coffees in this city, but I'll go ahead and say it...imho, Victrola is the standard against which all other coffees are judged. It's dark, strong coffee, not for the faint of heart, but always perfect.

Blue Bottle, San Francisco
Mint Plaza, 66 Mint Street (and other locations), www.bluebottlecoffee.com
Blue Bottle is where I go at every opportunity whenever I'm in San Francisco. And I end up walking out with a bag of anise cookies, some granola, another double latte, a bag of house blend beans...

Photo courtesy of Blue Bottle Coffee

Stumptown, Portland

4525 SE Division Street, 503-230-7702, www.stumptowncoffee.com

One of the pioneers of the coffee revolution (at least in Portland), Stumptown has stood out with their own roasted beans in a city that loves its coffee. If you aren't going to be near Portland any time soon, you can still find their beans across the country in quality cafes. Be sure to try their cold brew too.

Photo courtesy of Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Intelligentsia, Chicago

Monadnock Building, 53 West Jackson Blvd., www.intelligentsiacoffee.com
Known for top-tier baristas and a strong commitment to creating the perfect shot, Intelligentsia brings a crop-to-cup approach to making excellent coffee. Behind the scenes, Intelligentsia works directly with producers too ensure that only the best beans make it into your drink. The baristas also seem to know how to be hip and still be nice to customers while pulling a consistently beautiful shot. Try the Black Cat beans, a sweeter but balanced blend made specifically for espresso.

Joe The Art of Coffee, New York 

141 Waverly Place (and other locations), www.joetheartofcoffee.com

Joe’s is one, if not the best, example of a meticulous coffee shop with talented baristas that serve every latte with a perfectly designed leaf or heart in the expertly steamed milk.  If you like your cuppa joe (pun intended) as much as we do, the pictures on their website will make your mouth water. Seriously. 

For more great coffee from Singapore to Sydney, check out our previous posts Top Coffee Shops around the World and Back to the Grind: 5 More Top Coffee Shops around the World. And keep an eye out for our upcoming review of The Coffee Book for International Coffee Day coming up on October 1st.

Celebrate International Coffee Day at the Best Coffee Shops in the World

Quite possibly our favorite day of the year...International Coffee Day is here! 

Updated October 23, 2014

We've spent countless hours searching for and drinking the best coffees around the world. In fact, we've been late to meetings, risked missing trains and planes, and even followed GPS up a narrowing path through a pedestrian only alley (then had to reverse all the way back down) for a good coffee. So this time around, in honor of International Coffee Day, we decided to compile the best of the best. We've covered four continents of great coffee - Asia, Australia, Europe and North America - so we hope you too can enjoy a fantastic coffee wherever you are or wherever you are traveling. 

ASIA

Little Nap Coffee Stand, Tokyo

5-65-4 Yoyogi Shibuya-Ku, 03-3466-0074, www.littlenap.jp

On a quiet side street in a residential area of Shibuya, a tiny, friendly coffee shop is making perfect lattes. From the closest subway stop, you'll walk by parks and see kids playing in the community center yard before you come across the small but well-designed Little Nap Coffee Stand and enjoy a single origin drip or espresso made with their own roasted beans.

40 Hands Coffee, Singapore

Blk 78 Yong Siak Street, #01-12, Tiong Bahru Estate, www.40handscoffee.com
The name 40 Hands comes from the notion that it takes 40 hands to produce a cup of coffee, from seed to cup. This cafe and casual restaurant, as well as ODP (Open Door Policy) across the street run by the same team, serves a fantastic latte with absolutely the best consistency of milk we've tasted. We can't say enough about the incredible coffee (and latte art) at 40 Hands Coffee.

AUSTRALIA

Brother Baba Budan, Melbourne 

358 Little Bourke Street, +61 (03) 9606 0449, www.brotherbababudan.com.au
This tiny, wonderful haven of perfect espresso has been called "the best coffee in town" (by We Know Melbourne) and that's quite an honor in the foodie capital of Australia. We completely agree with the accolade, especially since we are subscribers of their Seven Seeds coffee bean delivery service. Not to miss.

Pablo & Rusty's, Sydney 
161 Castlereagh Street, +61 (02) 9283 9543, ww.pabloandrustys.com.au

We could not be any more excited that a fantastic roaster and coffee maker has come to Sydney CBD in a big way. Check out their beautiful cafe and have a fantastic coffee while you're there.

Pilgrim Coffee, Hobart

Pilgrim Coffee, 48 Argyle Street, Hobart +61 (03) 6234 1999, coffeework@live.com.au

Fantastic Sensory Lab coffee and gorgeous breakfast dishes are what Pilgrim Coffee is all about. The "porridge" -- that was actually warm tapioca made with coconut milk -- was the prettiest I've ever seen.

EUROPE

Princi, London
135 Wardour Street, +44 020 7478 8888, http://www.princi.co.uk/
Most importantly, the coffee is excellent, but if you are looking for a good pastry to go along with it, this is the place for you. Finding a great coffee place in London took ages, but by George, we think we've done it.

Cappuccino, Mallorca 

San Miguel, 53, Palma, 971 719 764, http://www.grupocappuccino.com/

Coffee aside (for just a second, don’t worry) the atmosphere at Cappuccino near the cathedral of Palma – an open terrace at the foot of a huge church right in the middle of the shopping district – is hard to beat. The perfect place to people watch with a cappuccino italiano and an ensaimada, a giant, but light, powdered sugar covered doughnut. 

NORTH AMERICA

Victrola, Seattle
411 15th Avenue E (and other locations), www.victrolacoffee.com
Seattle takes its coffee seriously and has landed on the top of our lists more than once. Victrola is the latest and greatest in the land of serious coffee drinkers. It's dark, strong coffee, not for the faint of heart, but always a perfect latte.

Photo courtesy of Victrola Coffee

Intelligentsia, Chicago
Monadnock Building, 53 West Jackson Blvd., www.intelligentsiacoffee.com
Known for top-tier baristas and a strong commitment to creating the perfect shot, Intelligentsia brings a serious approach to making excellent coffee. Behind the scenes, Intelligentsia works directly with producers too ensure that only the best beans make it into your cup of coffee. The baristas also seem to know how to be hip and still be nice to customers while pulling a consistently beautiful shot. Try the Black Cat beans, a sweeter but balanced blend made specifically for espresso. 

Stumptown, Portland

4525 SE Division Street, +1 (503) 230-7702, www.stumptowncoffee.com
One of the pioneers of the coffee revolution (at least in Portland), Stumptown has stood out with their own roasted beans and bottled cold brew in a city that is very serious about coffee. If you aren't going to be near Portland any time soon, you can still find their beans across the country in cafes that know a good coffee.

Joe The Art of Coffee, New York 

141 Waverly Place (and other locations), +1 (212) 924-6750, www.joetheartofcoffee.com

Joe’s is one, if not the best, example of a serious coffee shop with talented baristas that serve every latte with a perfectly designed leaf or heart in the expertly steamed milk.  If you like your cuppa joe (pun intended) as much as we do, the pictures on their website will make your mouth water. Seriously. 

Blue Bottle, San Francisco

Mint Plaza, 66 Mint Street, San Francisco (and other locations), +1 (510) 653-3394, info@bluebottlecoffee.net
Blue Bottle is where I want to go every morning for a double latte and breakfast.  And I always end up walking out with a bag of anise cookies, some granola, another latte...

Photo courtesy of Blue Bottle Coffee

Habit Coffee, Victoria, British Columbia
Two locations: Chinatown, 552 Pandora Avenue, +1 (250) 294-1127
Atrium, 808 Yates Street, (250) 590-5953, http://habitcoffee.com/
On our last visit to Victoria, the search was on for the best espresso in town. And after many tries, we landed on Habit Coffee. Great coffee, cool vibe. And we love their seed to cup approach (they care about every step in the process) to making the best coffee possible. 

We've heard lots of great suggestions from our readers over the years and are truly trying to get to them all. Here are a few we can't wait to check out:

- Proud Mary, Melbourne, Australia

- Rockwood Bakery, Spokane, WA, USA

- Niche & Co., Gold Coast, Australia

- Black Sheep Coffee, Sioux Falls, SD, USA

What's on your not-to-miss coffee list? Share your favorites and we'll add them to our list!

Cheers,

30-something Travel

As seen on...

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen

Portland Food Scene - A Photo Journal

Two sisters, two days, one goal - eat and drink our way through Portland, OR. 

First stop, Arleta Library Bakery Cafe. Starting off with a "light" breakfast of Brioche French Toast, Semolina Pancakes, Sweet Potato Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and Mimosas, of course. 

Coffee was next on the list and Stumptown is where I discovered my new favorite summer coffee...cold brew, on ice, with milk and a dash of sugar. Photo credit: Stumptown.

Oh Voodoo Donuts, does your line really need to be this long?

There is something very wrong about getting a bagel at a classic French patisserie, but somehow at Nuvrei, it feels right. The salt bagels are exceptional. Photo credit: Nuvrei.

We did not need a cupcake, but we walked right by Cupcake Jones and when there is such a thing as a chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-stuffed-cupcake, you have to go in and buy one, or six. Photo credit: Cupcake Jones.

Finally...happy hour! Mother's was recommended by a good friend and former local who did not steer us wrong. Thanks Brad!

The grande finale...Pok Pok.
Incredible Northern Thai food that we declared would be our last meal if we ever have to choose one. 

Our order included two fantastic cocktails (Tamarind Whiskey Sour and Mango Alexander), green papaya salad, Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings, Muu Paa Kham Waan (pictured here) which are a sort of boar wrap with mustard greens, corn on the cob cooked in coconut milk, and of course, mango and sticky rice for dessert.

There were more stops, more food and some shopping too, shhh, but two days is not enough time to do the Portland food scene the way it should be done. I can't wait to go back and have dinner at my favorite German restaurant, Grüner, try some of the dozens of food trucks around town, grab a drink at happy hour at The Nines, and maybe, just maybe get a donut at an odd hour of the day (or night) at Voodoo Donuts!

Suggestions for our next visit? Do tell...leave a comment and we'll try to make it there.

Happy Eating from Portland,
30-something Travel

Best Meals of 2012

Surprisingly simple meals and, more often than not, lunches topped our list of best meals in 2012 

#5 - Hamburger at The Standard, New York (USA)
Maybe it was the hype around staying at the "in" place in the Meatpacking district or the fact that we sat at a stool watching the kitchen make countless porterhouse steaks for two or simply the housemade pickle that accompanied it, but this hamburger left a lasting impression on both myself and my dinner guest who wished he had ordered it too (although his pork chop wasn't bad at all!)

#4 - Salad Nicoise in Nice (France)
It's really a combination of the local dish, Salade Nicoise, along with a chilled rose wine, enjoyed right on the beach. Pick any beachside cafe, get a seat with a view and an umbrella because you'll want to sit there for a long time, savoring the fact that you are in the South of France while you eat.

#3 - Lunch at Knee Deep Winery, Margaret River (Australia)
This fantastic meal of pork belly as well as a wonderful fresh fish dish was enjoyed as the glass doors of this small restaurant were opened allowing us to feel as if we were dining right in the vineyard (which we pretty much were) where our lovely wines (we had both a Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay with our respected meals) had been born. Read the full story of our adventures wine tasting in Margaret River here - http://bit.ly/P3LhM0

#2 - Lunch at 40 Hands Singapore (Singapore)
We went for coffee, we stayed for lunch. This DIY pork bun was better than any I've had that were pre-made, but the biggest surprise was the Salted Cod with Potato Sandwich which we were actually fighting over. As for the coffee, it ranked as one of the best coffees of the year.

#1 - Small Plates at Baco Mercato, Los Angeles (USA)

Bon Appetit was right on when it named Baco Mercat one of America's top 10 best new restaurants of 2012. In fact, it was well worth the drive from Santa Monica in rush hour traffic one Friday night to get to the restaurant in what felt like a deserted area of downtown LA. The food and drinks are fantastic. A baco, if you are wondering, is a type of sandwich made on flatbread and folded in half. We had the beef tongue schnitzel baco and it was amazing, but we also ate stuffed squash blossoms, grilled peaches, ceasar brussel sprouts, pickled eggplant salad and, although we had no room for it, the wild boar pasta. Oh and then we had fresh pineapple upside down cake for dessert because it's hard to say no to anything on this menu. Our full report can be found here - http://bit.ly/12SzA6c.

2012 was a great year of travel, food, drinks and new experiences, including making the move to Sydney, Australia. We promise to keep searching for great places as we travel from our new home base. Thanks to all of you for reading the blog. We appreciate all of your support and feedback!

Best,
30-something Travel