If you haven’t already heard, French food is absolutely HEAVENLY. 
There’s a reason why the French are regarded so highly in the cuisine industry, and, from what I’ve experienced, rightfully so! We visited Marseille, France in the Fall of 2017 (read more about that trip here) and I’ve got to admit, of every country we’ve been to, the food in France takes the cake, literally 😉 While we were only able to visit for 2 days, we tried as much food as we could…in fact, we tried enough food to warrant its very own article! I’ve listed some of our favorites for you below! Bon Appetite!
- Bouillabaisse – this is a fish stew that contains at least 3 varieties of fresh local fish. The fish is typically served on its own platter, and the broth is served in its own pot, so you combine them together as you’d like. It’s normally a
pretty big portion – usually enough to share! Bouillabaisse is different everywhere you go because different restaurants in different towns use different seafood based on what is available in the area, so you get a different experience each time! This stew actually originated in Marseille, so Marseille is said to have some of the best Bouillabaisse in the country…definitely check it out if you’re in the town!
- Moules Marinier Frites – this is another popular French dish that consists of fresh mussels, tossed in a white wine sauce
and served with french fries on the side. Again, this is often large enough to share, and is absolutely AMAZING. Then again, I’m a big fan of white wine sauces, so I may be a bit biased 😉 This is definitely a French staple in the town of Marseille, and you see people eating this in every restaurant as you walk through Vieux Port, which is always a good sign! - Wine – it’s French. And Wine. Need I say more? This one is obvious.
- Cappuccino/Espresso – again, another obvious French staple.
Everywhere you go you see locals siting in cafes sipping on an espresso or a cappuccino. If you’re not huge on coffee flavor then go for the cappuccino, which has milk/cream in it. If you’re a fan of coffee and like it strong then do it like the locals do and drink straight espresso….bonus – the espresso comes in those adorable little espresso mugs! Everywhere you go you see the French sipping on espressos and smoking cigarettes. I’m not a smoker, but apparently the flavors go well together….then again, what DOESN’T go well with coffee?! - Croque Monsier – I can’t believe I don’t have a picture of this for you…it must have been too good to stop and pull out the camera and we just dove right in. This can be made several different ways, but the way we had it consisted of ham and cheese between 2 pieces of toast, coated with toasted crunchy shredded cheese, and topped with a runny fried egg. To be fair, I am a breakfast person, and breakfast is always my favorite meal, but I was a huge fan of this dish! How can you go wrong with cheese and eggs and toast?!
- Macaroons – macaroons are these adorable little French cookies that are iconic of France. We searched all over town for them and finally found them in a chocolate shop….and then found out that they were not made locally but rather shipped
in. Come to find out, macaroons are more of a PARIS thing than an actual FRENCH thing. Still fun try if you’re in France, but don’t get too excited about them unless you’re actually in Paris, and don’t waste half a day trying to find them. Moral of the story – if you can’t find them easily then they probably aren’t a popular staple, which means there’s probably a good reason why 🙂 - Scallop Risotto – this was hands down the BEST dish we ate in France, and quite possibly the best meal of my life. I’m not really a scallop person, but it sounded good and I gave it a shot and it paid off to try something new! The risotto was perfect, the scallops were plentiful, and the white sauce was fabulous. I
don’t know the name of the restaurant, it was just a random waterfront restaurant in Vieux Port, but it was absolutely fantastic, as I’m sure any scallop risotto would be in that area. Be sure to try it out if you’re a fan of amazing meals. - Pesto Pasta – we tried this at one of the waterfront restaurants in Vieux Port and it was amazing! I know pasta is really an Italian specialty, but the French certainly give them a run for their money…especially when fresh homemade pesto is involved!
- Quiche – again, total breakfast girl here, so naturally I’m a big fan of quiches. We had several mini quiches from the bakery next door to our hotel and in other random places we found, all of which were magnificent! One odd thing to note though – all quiches seemed to be served cold, which was odd to us. While I think I still prefer them warm, I was certainly not disappointed in the fresh French quiches!
- Croissant – again, obviously. The French just don’t go wrong with buttery,
flaky, light, airy croissants. And with all the air in there, it’s really only half the carbs, right?! In fact, with all the carbs you’re saving you can even justify filling your croissant with chocolate Nutella!! Sold! - Bread and cheese – whenever you find a bakery, or even a grocery, be sure to stop in and get yourself some bread and cheese…these make for great picnics or for cheap but filling snacks/lunch on the go! If you have the room, wine and chocolate never hurt either 😉 We packed our bread and cheese and hiked to Calanque de Sugiton to picnic (best day of our trip), which we ended in Vieux Port with the scallop risotto for a perfect day.
- Crème Brulee – while France, Spain, and England all claim to be this classic dessert’s originating country, the first printed recipe for this dessert is from a 1691
French cookbook…so we’ll call it French 🙂 This rich dessert consists of baked custard, usually vanilla flavored, that is then 
sprinkled with sugar and caramelized to a hard brittle top with a blowtorch. We found ourselves to be big fans of crème brulee (which is big for me since I’m a total chocolate girl) and shared this dessert every night we were in France. Highly recommend trying it!
Let us know what YOU tried in France and what we should try next time! Happy Eating!!
can get. There is just something about snow-covered mountains, wide open fields, and charming villages that just speak to your soul. The stillness, quietness, power, wildness and beauty all come together to form this picture perfect scene that will leave you craving more. While Switzerland looks small on a map, there are so many different things to do and see that it can be pretty overwhelming in knowing where to start, so here is a list of all of our favorites!
honest, I’m not a huge LOTR fan…yeah, the movies were entertaining but I don’t need to see them more than a few times, and I’ve never read the books, so this opinion is NOT from a LOTR fangirl 🙂 HOWEVER, that being said, DON’T miss this place! It has been said that J.R Tolkien got his inspiration for the elvish town of Rivendell from Lauterbrunnen, which is known as “The Land of 72 Waterfalls”. “Lauterbrunnen” LITERALLY translates to 
“many fountains”. Because Lauterbrunnen sits in a valley at the base of the Alps, they have TONS of fresh alpine-water waterfalls that are created by snow and ice that melt. It’s absolutely BREATHTAKING and is any waterfall chaser’s 
dream. The largest and most famous of these falls is Staubback Falls, which is one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in all of Europe, plunging from almost 984 feet (300 meters). The town itself is super cute and fun to walk through…. stop and grab a cappuccino in the café near the falls, or plan to go down for the day and hike up behind Staubback Falls for an unforgettable view and top it off with a pot of Swiss fondue!
complete with fresh alpine air and water, which runs freely in adorable water fountains all through the town. It is the highest village on the mountain and is only accessible by a gondola and train. We stayed in Mürren at Hotel Eiger (read more about that stay 
making for a wildly enchanting display of ringing bells all throughout the fields. That might sound a bit obnoxious (I was certainly expecting it to be), but it was actually quite soothing and I find myself missing it already! Even if you aren’t a hiker, there are lots of smaller trails to take, and even walking through town, or down to Gimmelwald is super fun! If you ARE a hiker then you’ll be in a hiker’s paradise, as there are hiking trails that run all up and down the mountain that begin (or at least pass through) Mürren. We did the North Face Trail, which took us about 2 hours to complete, although we did go up the harder way. There is an option to take a train/trolley up the hardest portion, which will drop you off at the path, but we didn’t take that so I don’t know the price. The North Face Trail is a complete circle, so you begin and end in Mürren, and the difficulty is ranked as “medium” (it’s known to be good for kids, and probably even more-so if you are taking the trolley). Pro Tip: pick up fresh bread, cheese, and chocolate at the store on your way up and have a picnic in the Alps when you reach the open field! You get a perfect view of the mountains, including Eiger. (Pro PRO Tip: make sure that the water that you pick up to bring on your hike isn’t sparkling…we MAY have made this mistake….sparkling water is much less refreshing on a hike 😀 ). You also get to see lots of cows and sheep and hear their mesmerizing bells chiming throughout your whole hike. The path is mostly dirt and gravel until the last ¼ mile that brings you back into town where it turns to pavement. Total mileage is about 4 miles and the trail is situated right above Mürren. More adventurous hikers can hike for several days to get to the top of Schilthorn, but there are many hikes with difficulty levels for everyone in between! Be sure to ask your hotel receptionist for a map that lists hiking trails…everyone that we met spoke very good English and was super friendly, helpful, and hospitable!
a gift shop and a James Bond museum. To be honest, we didn’t spend much time inside, as we were there more for the spectacular view, not so much for the James Bond references 🙂 The only way to get to the top of Schilthorn (other than hiking) is by gondola. We started in Mürren and rode the 2 gondolas (Mürren to Birg, and then Birg to Schilthorn) for 82 CHF each, which also includes the return trip. I think you can get a discount if you have a Swiss Travel Pass, or other types of rail passes, but we didn’t have those so I’m not sure as to what the discount is exactly. The entire trip from Mürren up to Schilthorn took 
about 20 minutes, but it would be a longer trip if you were starting lower than Mürren. I would advise you to look online at their live camera first before you go…sometimes it’s so cloudy/foggy up there that you can’t see anything, which makes the 82 CHF not worth it. The camera is live 24 hours a day and can be visited 
world, and as such, have some of the best chocolate in the world. My suggestion: try it all! You can get a variety of different bars at a grocery store for around $2 each…they make for great mid-hike snacks, paired with coffee while you sip and stare at the view, or even as a late night snack in the hotel! Be sure to stock up and bring some home for friends and family…. they’re great inexpensive options that everyone loves 🙂
that varies from restaurant to restaurant. The fondue usually comes with a variety of vegetables, bread pieces, and potatoes to dip…we split a pot of it for lunch in Lauterbrunnen and it was fabulous!
are spectacular! You can sit on the terrace outside that gives a perfect view of Mount Eiger…perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up or a post-hike treat!
take advantage of the free hiking and you can make it affordable!
about $75/night, check it out 
rooms ocean front. The room included a full kitchen, so if you are trying to save money and cook your own meals that is definitely an option! The rooms themselves were very clean and included a King size bed in the bedroom, a foyer area, kitchen with table and chairs, living room area with TV and futon, shower room, bathroom, and an outside porch area. To be honest, it is really more of a small condo than a hotel room! Another plus is that it is only a few miles from the airport on the Dutch side ($10 for a taxi), which was big plus for us since we had very limited time on the island. Being right next to the airport and Maho Beach, you do hear planes a good bit, but they don’t generally start until 8am and they don’t usually fly past 7:00ish, so they don’t fly throughout the night, although if you’re in your room, the sound is pretty blocked out anyway. The room includes a wireless phone as well with the taxi number programmed into it so you can call your own cab if you need one (also a plus if you’re like us and don’t have an international phone plan). Azure also has free wifi that is great in your room and on the beach right outside the hotel, which is super convenient! Check in is generally at 3 and check out is at 11am, however, we were able to get into our room upon arrival at 1:30, and we asked for a late check out since our flight didn’t leave until 4:00 the next day, so Mike graciously allowed us to stay until 2:00 at no additional charge! HUGE plus for us since we literally only had 27 hours on the island and we were trying to make the most of it and fit as much as we could in!
family friendly beach that is also used by some locals, but is not crowded like the beaches of Maho or Orient. As a head’s up for those with kids – we did see a few topless sunbathers, but that was not the norm as most beachgoers were fully clothed, which is not the norm for some of the other beaches on the island 🙂 Our first day there the water was calm and warm, our second day there were some great waves to play in, so I think the water itself gives you a little variety as well. Azure provides beach towels, lounge chairs, and umbrellas right on the beach for their guests as well, so you really don’t need to leave the hotel. If you’re looking for bars and food there are several along the beach that only require a short walk of a quarter mile or so (we loved Karakters, although it is a little pricey for entrees), or you can go into the town of Simpson Bay and find restaurants, bars, and supermarkets there. Mike and his wife are very friendly and will recommend places to you if you ask! The views are spectacular, as the hotel itself is flourishing with beautiful greens, flowers, and palm trees. They even have coconuts growing on the trees and an outdoor passion fruit canopy. As a bay, Simpson Bay is home to a variety of yachts, catamarans, sailboats, and other vessels that dot the water. Our one day there we could see as many as 40+ boats! We would absolutely recommend Azure Hotel and would definitely return! Plus, it is probably the absolute best bang for your buck if you’re working with a budget!
breathtaking! Clean white buildings, royal blue domes and doors, and beautiful flowers overlooking a perfect view of the caldera and Aegean Sea. Side note – being that everything is white, you better have good sunglasses otherwise you won’t see anything since the sun reflects off them all pretty harshly. Most people go to Oia for sunset, however, in our opinion (which we adopted from the locals), the sunset is just as gorgeous from Fira, and I’m sure many other places in Santorini. Oia DOES get extremely crowded however. It’s often the first stop that tourists coming off the cruises make a beeline for….sometimes there can be 3-5 cruise liners anchored a day, which means up to 80,000 visitors a day, making the Santorini port one of the busiest in the world. We aren’t much for crowds, and Oia turned out to be super expensive, so we opted to do a morning trip and spent a few hours walking around, taking in the sights, and snapping photos before we moved on to Amoudi Bay. Be sure to check out the Castle of Oia,
which was a Byzantine castle back in the day. Today it’s ruins offer a magnificent view. If you’re looking to spend money, Oia has LOTS of shopping, and I’m sure it has great food too, we just didn’t partake in either of those activities at Oia. To be honest with you, Oia was amazing to see, but now that we’ve done it we probably wouldn’t return…nothing wrong with it, crowds, cities, and shopping just isn’t our thing. But if you’re in Santorini, Oia is definitely something you have to do once!
beaches are made up of dark volcanic sand, rocks, and pebbles. We visited two of these famous black beaches during our stay….Kamari and Perissa. Both were very similar, beautiful clear blue water that met the hot sand just like any other beach, the sand was just black. (Note – you absolutely will need flip flops or some kind of shoes to avoid scalding your feet!). Both beaches offered plenty of lounge chairs, palm tree umbrellas, and restaurant options. Typically if you buy drinks at one of the beachside restaurants you can use a lounge chair and umbrella for free all day – a GREAT deal at any time but especially at Happy Hour! You definitely need to check out at least one black beach during your stay in order to get the full Santorini experience!
Santorini has several unique features. One of which, are the red beaches! We ATV’d to the one titled “Red Beach”, but I believe there are several others on the island as well. While we didn’t have time to stay, it was definitely a sight to see – and one you can’t miss! This was probably the most unique beach I’ve ever seen in my life!
Pilot Life for Me 