Penchant for Portugal

Feeling a bit nostalgic for Portugal. It's the kind of country that gets in your blood. I only visited the country once - to Lisbon, then a cruise on the Douro River through the magnificent, unspoilt Douro Valley then a couple of days in Oporto . . .if you get the chance - do go. A couple of pictures to set the scene in Lisbon . .

Anyone for a sandwich?

IN his continuing search for the more weird, wacky and wondrous in the world of travel, Get Up & Go reader David Ellis says that in Britain they’ve just celebrated what’s claimed to be the 250^th anniversary of the invention of that great institution, the sandwich.

And the biggest celebrations were centred on the town of Sandwich in Kent, where its said that a quarter of a century ago this month John Montagu, the-then Fourth Earl of Sandwich, called on a servant to bring him “a slice of beef between two pieces of bread” so he could continue a game of cards without the need to stop for lunch.

Several others at the table asked if they could be given “the same as Sandwich,” so allegedly giving the world its most famous culinary mainstay.

Many disagree with the story and claim that “sandwiches” were a part of life in areas of Europe well before the Earl laid his claim to history… with the French town of Honfleur, that’s “twinned” with Sandwich, even sending representatives to the British town this month to show their skills in making baguettes, alongside others from across England, America, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Russia in showing off their talents at sandwich making.

The current earl of Sandwich also hosted a lunch for VIPs – with VIP sandwiches, of course – and noted that his famous forebear had funded Captain Cook’s 1770 explorations of Australia and the South Pacific, with Cook discovering what are now the Hawaiian Islands and naming them the Sandwich Islands after his card-loving benefactor.

(Photos: Roast beef sandwich – CampbellsKitchens

             Town of Sandwich – VisitKent)

Kicks on Route 66

I got my kicks on Route 66 last week. A  drive out of Los Angeles and we were heading down the long, lonesome highway. The iconic road  (how many singers have sung its praises) is a joy - we visited the Joshua Tree National Park (if there are any Gram Parsons fans out there - you'll remember the significance/incident) and we stopped at the Bagdad Cafe - where the charming film was made;  and I tried a chocolate malt milkshake at one of the old highway truck stops. A Route 66 story will appear in a future edition of Get Up & Go magazine and we can share more of the history of this amazing highway - one that peope take across the breadth of America - we only did a couple of days for the experience but we took it to the end of the road - at Santa Monica pier.
If you are interested there's a great book on the road by Jerry McClanahan published by National Historic Route 66 Federation - not sure if it's still in print - or maybe you know of other books?
More to come - to get your kicks on Route 66 . . .
From Jerry McClanahan:

"While Route 66 tourism has evolved to the point were the actual trip is more important than the destination, every expedition needs a proper beginning and rewarding end. Traditionally seen as a 'westbound' journey, most of the people who come from the world over to 'get their kicks on Route 66' on the Mother Road, start their tour in Chicago, with the promised land of California drawing them like the sun to a western sunset . . ."