As I wrote before, Making Chocolate in Antigua, Guatemala was one of my favorite activities. However, making chocolate during a heat wave, and then staying at a budget hotel with no AC meant that my handcrafted chocolates were not long for the world. So I decided to give pieces of chocolate to the people in my tour group! My chocolate before it set. Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.
I was excited to see Denver Museum of Nature and Science's take on a Chocolate Exhibit as I had visit the Choco Museum in Antigua, Guatemala and had learned how to make chocolate there. Chocolate: the Exhibition is running now through May 8th and is included with your DMNS admission or membership. When you first walk in, you'll see lifesize models of the tree and pods. Many facts are displayed in both English and Spanish about the tree and how it grows. (I was amused to hear a little kid go "EWWE, Chocolate likes death!" When he read that rotting
Today is my birthday, and I've hit the "Big 3-0". I wanted to look back at 30 of my favorite travel memories in my life, in no particular order: Fulfilling my dream of going to Egypt, seeing so many amazing tombs and temples Sitting alone in the temples of Abu Simbel and Karnak Climbing into and on top of a pyramid Wandering the Christmas Markets of Munich Seeing the castles of Germany Taking a haunted trolly/walking tour of Boston graveyards. Seeing as many museums as I could in Washington, DC Swimming with sharks in Belize Racing golf-carts on Caye Caulker Making
These are my go-to for any cookie exchange! But beware, Paradise Bars are very addicting! Ingredients: 3 cups finely ground cinnamon graham crackers 1/8 cup white sugar 1/8 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 2/3 sticks unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 cup pecan pieces 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut Parchment Paper Rimmed Baking Sheet or Pan Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Splash a rimmed baking sheet with water evenly, and then line with parchment paper. Step 2: Using a food processor finely
One of my favorite activities in Guatemala was making chocolate! On my first day in Antigua, I visited the Choco Museo and did their “Bean to Bar” Workshop. This is a 2 hour class that is offered at various times throughout the day and is a lot of fun for all ages! A traditional Mayan grinding stand, with actual chocolate being ground into Cacao Liquor. They first walk you through the museum. While the museum is free, I got a lot more out of it and the hands on displays while the teacher explained things in more detail.
As an American, we eat so much chocolate, but rarely think of where it comes from or how it is made. That is why I decided to visit the Choco Museo in Antigua, Guatemala. Beyond learning about the history of chocolate and its uses over time I was more fascinated to simply learn about where chocolate comes from! Chocolate is from the cacao tree. This tree is very picky on where it lives, and only grows in certain parts of Central & South America, the Caribbean, West Africa, and a few plantations in Asia. There are also different types of
Many people travel to countries where they don’t know the language. Prior to my trip to Italy I had traveled to England, France, Mexico, and Japan. In middle school and high school I had taken some Spanish, French, and Japanese classes, so I didn’t feel that lost language-wise when traveling to those countries. So Italy was a first for me, not knowing any of the language. After a long day of traveling, our group stopped into a roadside shop. It was like a mini-grocery market combined with a restaurant and a chocolate shop. I was tired and decided to buy
Which Card Will You Get? Chocolate Frogs are an iconic snack from the Harry Potter books. They also are a great souvenir from the Wizard World of Harry Potter in Orlando, FL. I was a little worried as I had two issues when purchasing these. Firstly, it was August, and hot, and I worried that the chocolate would melt. The other issue is that you don't know what card you are going to get. At the time there were just 4 cards, one for each founder. The first few boxes I got were for Salazar Slytherin. I
Goodbye 2013! You were a good year. Here are some of the travel highlights: I went to Las Vegas twice for work, and had the opportunity to experience the craziness that is CES first hand. My favorite food experience was learning the history and how to make chocolate in Antigua, Guatemala. There is a 3 way tie for the “I never thought I’d…” Climb to the top of a Mayan Pyramid at Tikal, Guatemala Hike over a mile into the earth and free climb rock formations to see Mayan sacrifices at Actun Tunichil Muknal in Belize. Swim with sharks near