Travels with Tricia

Category: Travelogues

  • A Lesson in Making Yogurt in Kalofer, Bulgaria

    One of our favorite things about Bulgaria’s tasty cuisine is its yogurt, which is appreciated worldwide because of its health benefits and creamy texture. The people of the Balkans have been making yogurt for more than three millennia. Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, the bacteria responsible behind Bulgaria’s prized yogurt, is enjoyed as far away as Japan and China. In fact, Bulgarian yogurt dominates…

  • Something Abuzz About Belgrade: Things to Do in Serbia’s Capital

    Belgrade. It’s an old city with a new vibe, and as we discovered during a whirlwind two days there, it is abuzz with creative energy, innovation, and tradition. In one corner of town a woman wearing a babushka-style scarf sells lavender, white and cranberry-colored flowers at a market, alongside vendors peddling a bounty of cherries, strawberries, and…

  • Two wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese sit on a shelf, aging at the Hombre Farm outside of Modena, Italy.

    A Perfect Pair: Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese & Traditional Balsamic Vinegar in Modena, Italy

    Modena cheese maker Carlo has been making Parmigiano-Reggiano for more than 50 years. Still, the farmer-turned-cheesemaker does not tire of the prized Italian cheese. “I always have Parmigiano-Reggiano in my mouth [when not at work]. I constantly keep eating it,” he joked, as we toured the Hombre Organic Cheese Farm in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, just outside of…

  • Delving into the Details at the Modena Cathedral in Northern Italy

    The Modena Cathedral offers an elegant canvas onto which to watch the world go by in this enchanting northern Italian city. Commuters pedal past its weathered walls on bikes; a gentleman reads a newspaper on its stairs, made smooth from hundreds of years of wear; children ride sculpted lions, which appear to blush at times because of their pink marble…

  • The Eclectic Windows of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

    To wander Sarajevo’s streets is to journey through the centuries while diving into a grab bag of architectural styles. In the city’s Baščaršija district, which feels like Istanbul in miniature, artisans craft Turkish-style copper coffee pots under towering minarets and mosques dating back to the 16th century. Along the Miljacka River, the city’s Vijećnica building —…

  • A Peaceful Nap in Sarajevo, 100 Years Later

    A dog naps in the afternoon light on the Sarajevo street corner where Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated 100 years ago today. Special events in Sarajevo will commemorate the 28 June 1914 shooting, which is said to have been the spark that started World War One. There are differing opinions about the event, with…