Holiday Gift Guide

Instead of the usual Friday 10 today is a Friday 15 full of gifts ideas. In the spirit of the site, there are simple luxuries and fancy splurges alike for food lovers, readers, and travellers. 

What I did not add, however, is one of my favourite gifts: an experience. This can be something as simple as a lunch with a loved one, a pass to their favourite place (a park? a museum?), or a weekend getaway. Sometimes making memories is far better than collecting things. 

histoiretravelgiftguide2014
  1. My Paris Kitchen Recipes and Stories by David Lebovitz ($25.71 CAD hardcover) | A collection of beautiful recipes, stories, and photos from David Lebovitz's Paris. 
  2. Blood Orange Oolong by Sloane Teas ($17.00 CAD for 100g of loose tea) | Flavourful, fancy and festive tea packed in a tin that's pretty enough to display. I love their Heavenly Cream, too! 
  3. Twelve Assorted Macaron Happy Holidays Travel Box from Nadège Patisserie ($27.50 CAD) | Indulgent flavours perfect for celebrating the holidays: candy cane, whisky chocolate, champagne, chocolate, salted caramel, blackberry chocolate, cherry chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, cotton candy, cappucino, and matcha green tea. 
  4. Cashmere Blend Reading Socks from Indigo ($39.50 CAD) | Warm and cozy socks to make winter reading that much more indulgent. Would pair perfectly with a great book or a tea and mug. 
  5. Personalized Passport Holder by Tagsmith ($60 USD) | I love the natural leather color and the subtle initial stamping. If monogramming isn't your thing, they have a plain one as well. Also available in Bridle and Dark Brown.
  6. Terrain Mug glazed in Alabaster by Sam Nichols Pottery ($32.00 USD) | A classic hand thrown mug thats perfect for coffee or tea any time of day and any time of year.
  7. RazorPlus from myCharge ($49.99 USD) |  A thin, lightweight portable smartphone charger with USB port. Great for travel since it can give you up to 13 hours of talk time.
  8. National Park Blanket (shown in Rocky Mountain) from Pendleton ($199 - $239 USD) | Heirloom quality, beautiful historical patterns, and perfect for the outdoorsy among us. 
  9. iPad Mini Leather and Wool Case by cinnamon cocoon ($45.00 USD) | A blend of function and beauty. I bought one of these for my dad last year. Not only did he love it, but my mom loved it so much that she bought herself a laptop case. Lovely sellers and quick shipping (although it took awhile to make it halfway around the world) when I dealt with them. 
  10. Monarch Desk Calendar by Rifle Paper Co.  ($16.00 USD) | I used the 2014 Cities version this year and fell in love with it. I snapped up the 2015 Monarch version up as quickly as I could. The illustrations are so lovely and whimsical that it always brightens my day.
  11. GorillaPod Hybrid from Joby ($38.00 CAD) | A small go anywhere, wrap around anything flexible tripod. Grab the GripTight Mount (18.00 CAD) to use with iPhone and Android smartphones, too. 
  12. Kobo Aura H2O from Kobo ($179.99 CAD) | The first waterproof* and dustproof eReader. No need to "seal" your reader in two big ziplock bags at the beach or during a bath. (Everyone does that right?) *Up to 30 min in 1M of water with the port closed (Who is even reading underwater at all, let alone for 30 minutes?)
  13. Kenyatta Shaving Case from WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie ($295) | A definite splurge. But it’s so elegant—I would be happy to own one!—and it has a removable interior lining that makes clean-up easy. 
  14. Emile Henry Artisan Ruffled Pie Dish by Emile Henry ($49.95) | Perfect for the baker in your life. Not only is it hand-glazed, but each piece is cast, inspected and signed by hand. Plus, it's the prettiest pie plate I’ve ever seen.
  15. Fujifilm X-TI from Fujifilm ($1598.95 USD) | A major upgrade from the typical point-and-shoot. This mirrorless camera has the image quality but not the bulk of a DSLR. The most expensive gift, by far, but it's fantastic for amateur photographers and travellers who are serious about taking their photos to a new level. Want other recommendations in different price ranges? Check out the Wirecutter’s reviews of digital cameras. 

As always, have a happy weekend! 

Speaking the Language

Do you try to speak the language whenever you’re abroad? 

The last time I was in France, I found myself sitting at a cafe in Paris having a language standoff with the waiter. I wanted to practice my French and he was having none of it. Since both of us were equally stubborn, I continued speaking my broken French and he continued speaking his fluent English. We were quite the pair. 

As I get older, I find myself more enthusiastic about trying out a different language while traveling. It’s not always pretty. Sometimes I feel like a fool. Sometimes words leave me tongue tied and my sentance structure is on par with a 3 year old. Sometimes all I can say is “hello” and “thank you.” But I think it’s always worth it. 

Sometimes trying to speak a new language can feel like this

Sometimes trying to speak a new language can feel like this

Attempting to speak a new language shows you’re trying and that you care enough to make the attempt, no matter how ugly it sounds to the other person. That kind of openness helps you connect in new ways with the people you meet. 

For as many times I’ve had a bad experience trying to speak a different language, I’ve had many more wonderful experiences. Those moments are just as precious--or funny--and memorable as the beautiful sites I’ve seen or meals I’ve eaten. 

Which brings me to Duolingo. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a free online language-learning program. You can use it in your browser on a phone/tablet app, which makes it easy to practice whenever and wherever. Right now there are 9 languages available:

  • Spanish
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Portuguese
  • Dutch (Netherlands)
  • Irish
  • Danish
  • Swedish. 

I absolutely love it. It’s great if you’re a total beginner or someone looking to brush up on rusty skills because the site makes sure you're being challenged and working to your level. It’s fun, easy to use, and engaging. It feels more like a game thank studying. Plus, you're not just memorizing, you're writing real sentences, translating, and speaking so learn how to put together real world sentences. The best (or is it worst?) part is that if you aren’t consistent, you’ll lose skill strength and Duolingo makes you go back to re-visit them. Like a lot of things, it takes consistent practice but it also pays off. 

I practiced for 20-30 minutes daily before our last trip to France and I noticed a major difference in how much I could read, speak, and understand from the year before. 

Now is a great time to start before any big trips next summer!

Friday 10: It's All Gravy

It feels like yesterday we were celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving and here with are with American Thanksgiving right around the corner. I don't even want to think about how fast Christmas is approaching!

I have to admit that I like American Thanksgiving better. It always feels like a bigger holiday. Canadian Thanksgiving falls on a Monday, so people tend to have their big turkey dinner on the Sunday and then travel on the Monday. It just feels wrong and rushed to me. 

So in honor of my favourite Thanksgiving (shh! don’t tell the Canadians) next week, I’ve collected some delicious food links, some travel tips, and a couple of things to just get us all in the Thanksgiving mood. It’s all gravy today!

The Ham(ster) 

#1 Tiny, cute animals partaking in Thanksgiving dinner. ‘Nuff said. (Link for email subscribers!) 

#2 Thanksgiving recipes from each state (plus DC and Puerto Rico!) so you can try 52 new dishes: The United States of Thanksgiving via The New York Times. Ahh this reminds me why I always wear sweater dresses with leggings for holidays: elastic waistband + food, food food! = comfortably stuffed.

#3 How about a Thanksgiving playlist that is perfectly curated and timed to finished when your bird is done cooking? Check out Spotify’s Time for Turkey. Read more: Spotify Uses Science to Match Music with Thanksgiving Turkey Cooking Times via Epicurious 

#4 If you’re like me and you are getting tired of hearing about pumpkin everything (even if you don't have anything against pumpkin): Thanksgiving Pie Head to Head - Classic versus Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie via Serious Eats

#5 I made this cranberry sauce for pork tenderloin a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. Quick, easy, and delicious. I used orange juice and orange zest instead of cranberry juice. No more can-shaped gelatinous cranberry goop (although sometimes the goop is wonderfully nostalgic). via Pioneer Woman

The Histoire

#6 It seems like Southern Thanksgiving recipes are everywhere now, which might make you think that the South has always loved Thanksgiving. It actually took a long time to catch on and, later, for Southerners to put their own stamp of things: How Thanksgiving, “the Yankee Abolitionist Holiday” Won Over the South - via Serious Eats

The Travel

#7 If you’re going to be on the road, check out Google’s Seven Traffic Tips to Get You to the Thanksgiving Table. The basics? Avoid traveling Wednesday and try to come back on Sunday. 

#8 Whatever your mode of travel: Go early, be prepared for lines/waits/delays, make yourself comfortable and bring entertainment. I’m thinking a big cozy shawl like this, a good book—I’m finally starting Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden—and a sachet or two of luxurious tea. 

The Wildcards

#9 I stumbled on a description of barmbrack, a spicy fruity bread traditionally made in Ireland in autumn, on Saveur this week. A piece of cloth, a bean, a ring, and a coin are wrapped up in parchment and baked inside as omens for the person who finds them. I’m putting the recipe on my “must try” list for the winter. Lucky Charms via Saveur

#10 I’m going to end things with this beautiful video by Louis Schwartzberg on gratitude because being thankful doesn’t just come around once a year with a feast attached to it.  (Link for email subscribers!)

I’ll be traveling a bit myself next week, so I might be slower with the posting. If you’re out there celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you have a very warm, happy, food-filled day. And even if you’re not celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you also have a very warm, happy food-filled day—because why not?!

Safe travels and happy weekend! 

PS: I’d love to hear your favourite Thanksgiving recipes and traditions! Leave me a note in the comments.