Thursday, 14-May-2026
I brought a checked bag coming back from Massachusetts.
Which, of course, meant that I could bring liquids… which clearly meant that I could bring my favorite wine back with me. Which, in turn, clearly meant that I could now make a fancy steak dinner to go with said wine.
So… I did. And it was delicious.
Christmas 2025 saw us on an Adventure – Andrea’s friend was working at a 3-star Michelin restaurant in Slovenia, Hiša Franko, and we had the opportunity to join her for a dinner and some adventuring. We jumped at the chance, hopping a flight into Northern Italy before the drive out into Slovenia itself… with a few exciting adventures along the way.
Monday, 22-December-2025
One of our first adventures of the trip was a tour of a vineyard sitting right on the border between Italy and Slovenia. I hadn’t heard of it previously, but I quickly learned the error in that lack of knowledge – Gravner is a cult-classic, a vineyard making amazing traditional orange wine in the Georgian style – storing them in massive amphorae stored underground until they “come of age”.
Our tour was unique – Andrea’s friend was able to get us in as a favor, from a recent visit she’d been on… and let me tell you, private tours of vineyards are pretty freaking awesome. One of the many cool fringe benefits of Andrea’s connections into the world of fine wine and finer food.
We toured, learned a bit about the history of the vineyard, and I stood awestruck at the sheer amount of work that goes into the wines… and the absolute beauty of the landscape itself. We checked out the aging cellar, tried some of the wines, and I got to feel more than a little bit fancy.
Tuesday, 26-August-2025 through Sunday, 31-August-2025
Bulgaria.
I haven’t been to this part of the world, before. I knew that I had the best tour guide I could ask for in Andrea, and had done the base background research on the history and culture (and had obviously absorbed some myself, such as Banitsa), but the adventure was a first foray into a new world, regardless.
It was glorious.
I can’t overstate how great of a guide Andrea was / is – I lovingly call her “The queen of Sofia”, and that title was well earned the whole time we were in town. Everywhere we went, people recognized her. Every restaurant saw the owner, chef, or someone similar come out to visit and catch up… alongside consistent extras unexpectedly appearing. Each bite was excellent, and each drink was special. I was in incredibly good hands.
Now, what did we do, specifically? Quite a bit:
– We visited Andrea’s Grandma for her birthday!
– We had amazing food – Italian, Turkish, pastries, and BBQ
– We met fun and interesting people – tons of folks from Andrea’s previous life, all interesting and enjoyable
– We explored. Walking around the city, I even had an afternoon of solo exploration where I got to recollect the fun of my Grand Adventure, exploring a city where I don’t know the language.
It really was an excellent start to an excellent vacation.
