Travelling with taste in 2016!

What makes a travel memorable is the picture of it. At least this is what I believe. The importance of bringing all life images to your luggages, by carrying them until you reach the destination.

This time's destination was a memorable family reunion in Tours. Tours is a french city under Paris towards the central France. My husband's origin. This is where you will find exceptional sweet flavours like the nougat, and delicious pastries like brioche.

So we returned in Tours after 8 and a half years,my kids grew up and we permanently live in France. But for me this new year's lunch reunion, that takes place every year, has been my first with the whole family and for my husband it was the first after 18 years. So imagine our presence there between cousins, their children and uncles! Of course during the previous years, we had the occasion to meet with them all but not within a reunion lunch.

It reminded me my childhood. Where, on the 31 of December all family traditionally was gathered to my ant's place for dinner and card games until the morning. It reminded me as well the importance of communicating people, face to face, instead of exchanging messages in front of a computer. That's practically a human touch. The need to talk about all the things you haven't said for years, the things that you haven't expressed through emails and posts. The live pictures of happy children/cousins that talk about their lives and the world.

And then you learn a lot of things about food tradition and meals. That's where you wonder whether you will be ashamed in case you don't eat something, or you will insult someone if you don't drink wine. Ha! In my case none of the above was a problem. First plate oysters. Fresh, all nature in a plate, with a little lemon accompanied and an open mouth to taste! Although my origin would justify me in usually eating oysters, I must admit that I hadn't eaten for a very long time! It's not the kind of plate that I am looking for to taste. But it was great. Fresh and delicious accompanied with toasted bread and a good white wine. The next appetizer was a more traditional one. Foie Gras!

The second plate is the most traditional one for all. Turkey with chestnuts and green beans. This time a red wine was brought on the table. Delicious, a juicy turkey very well cooked and a cousin next to me enjoying the whole flavours trip with humour.

A short break with cheese and salad has taken place(in France salad and cheese are part of the end of meal instead of the beginning like in Greece). Fresh goat cheese and fresh leaves.

Then finally, my destination ... The dessert! I prepared the desserts! It was a real pleasure for me to prepare three different kind of sweets but at the same time a big challenge because I wanted everything to be perfect.

A vanilla mousse with chocolate cremeux block, a raspberries and lemon mousse charlotte and our greek traditional cake of vassilopita, introduced to a french family as a new tradition. Cutting the cake and searching for the gold coin (I placed two in order to indulge the winners!). It was an absolute success. Starting with vassilopita cake, a juicy orange flavoured cake (find the recipe in my current blog, it's delicious), then tasting the amazing charlotte and finally concluding with the chocolate block and champagne.

What I loved the most was the communicating part of it. The nice speech of uncle's wife Marie-Claude talking about the importance of LOVE, by repeating it three times to emphasize. The happy faces of people who keep a tradition for more than 40 years (since the period of grand parents). The flow and the evolution of three different generations and the memories of the a fourth one not anymore existing. The warm smiles and the expectations while exchanging gifts. That's something that I was watching in the american movies and was hoping to live it once in a lifetime. Because what remains a very important target is not the number of times that you participate in a festive occasion. But the number of times you authentically live those moments. The number of times these moments have a value and a sense to you. How these moments contribute in you and make you an improved person. A better one. A person who prefers to call on the phone instead of writing a message in facebook.

So remember this year! It's not bad to write down chapters of our lives in posts and intra-communicating messages. But it's better to meet with people. Enjoy a coffee with friends. Cherish happy moments or exchange some views about life, politics. Make pictures of your life not through a computer but through real life which is outside of it. That's healthy and gives you meaning. Just think about it and make it happen.

Happy New year my friends! Health, Love. Prosperity! And Communication!

xx

Eleni

P.S. Hey! don't miss my next chapters! I will show you some very interesting products that I brought back with me!

#travelwithtaste