French open market by kurmanstaff

Paris has been a home to the open markets for centuries. During the 5th century, the city of Paris (known as Lutetia at the time) opened its first market, known as Palu, to allow locals to buy, sell, and trade with one another and merchants from afar.

Today, there are over 90 open markets across the city of Paris, each offering its own unique flavour to the city. From there, open markets spread to other towns, each providing its own touch of exclusivity when it comes to the treasures you can find if you know what to look for.

The open markets have everything to offer. You might be searching for something unique to the Paris environment to dress up your home or attire, or maybe just a few gifts for your friends. Items can range from exotic cloth material, clothing, beautiful, one-of-a-kind scarves, hand-crafted jewelry, and even a few necessities you forgot to pack for the trip (oops!).

Every market has a different venue composed of different merchants, so no two markets are the same. If you didn’t find what you were looking for in one market, it’s probably time to move on to another in search of the right opportunity. And the truth is: if you couldn’t find it, you weren’t looking hard enough.

But it may not always be the products you’re actually looking for. Perhaps it’s the culture and learning experience that the open market presents that truly drives your eagerness to explore these fine cities. It’s even a great opportunity to really practice your French. And you’re definitely going to put your haggling skills to the test as you do a little bartering to practice your finesse. After all, getting the perfect deal for the right price is half the fun. As a helpful reminder, keep in mind that the markets are crowded, so be cautious where you keep your wallet or purse.

And the best part about exploring these vast, open markets is that you don’t always have to worry about lugging around too many goodies. You can always return to your comfy cabin in the barge to lighten the load and rest your feet for a while.

Enjoying the French culture is more than just seeing the sights. It’s meeting the people and interacting with them through the open markets. Here, you can really get to know the heart of Paris as you share the experience of a French cruise with your friends and family.

Author Bio:

Crystal Groome is owner of Barge Connection – specializing in European Barge Vacations since 1988.  Crystal has specialized in barging vacations specifically for over eleven years and visits Europe yearly to personally inspect individual barges and operators. Check our latest time sensitive specials on Facebook and Twitter (@bargeconnection).

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Las Alpurjarras, Granada

Not one town but a cluster of villages which stretch from Granada province into Almeria province. These very atmospheric small villages feel otherworldly particularly if visited in the winter. The drive from Malaga is breath-taking, it’s a dramatic landscape. Once at the highest village (Travelez), take a moment to eat the Serrano ham from there, it is air dried and is famous for its flavour. It’s a great idea to spend a couple of days driving around these villages, taking in the leisurely way of life and stopping to admire the views of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

Photo of A typical Alpujarran village, Busquístar, Andalucia, Spain by Stephen Lea

Antequera, Malaga

This grand large town with an impressive castle is an easy drive north of Malaga. It has an impressive bull ring, an imposing dramatic cathedral next to the castle and some good examples of nobleman’s houses. Antequera is next to El Torcal, a national park including a mountain range made of limestone which divides Malaga and Antequera. El Torcal is perfect climbing territory or those who enjoy bird watching and hiking.

Antequera, Malaga, Andalucia, Spain by valderrama

Marbella, Malaga

Heading back to the coast, Marbella offers a charming old town with plenty of places to sit to enjoy the sun and a vino or two. It is thought of as a resort town but Marbella itself is a grand village with typical white houses and narrow streets. In the summer months it does suffer a little from a massive influx of tourists but it has romantic restaurants nestled into the corners of pretty squares like Plaza de Los Naranjas. Alternatively, the hotels in Marbella have restaurants which fold onto the main boulevard, where you can gaze out to sea while enjoying a candle lit meal.

Photo of Marbella, Malaga, Andalucia, Spain by bongo vongo

Vejer de la Frontera, Cadiz

Arguably the most beautiful of the towns on this list (and in Andalucía no less), is Vejer de la Frontera. This grand white washed bohemian town situated on a high rocky outcrop in Cadiz province overlooks rice fields. The landscape around Vejer is characterised by the winds that lap around the land. They say these winds can drive people crazy because they are so relentless but this shouldn’t put the road tripper off. Wind turbines stand tall all through the province and create a different view from the other provinces.

Photo of Vejer de la Frontera, Cadiz, Andalucia, Spain by Thibaut Brix

Tarifa, Cadiz

Set beside the beach, Tarifa is probably the coolest place to hang out particularly if surfing, wind surfing or kite surfing is your type of thing. It’s got an arty bohemian feel too with lots of little independent shops, cafes, restaurants and places generally to chill out. Nightlife wise it all happens out of the town along the coast road where there’s all manner of hip hang outs.

Tarifa, Cadiz, Andalucia, Spain by Kevin Walsh

There are so many towns to visit in Andalucía but to get the most out of a trip to Southern Spain it’s a good idea to choose five interesting and unique ones – each one being different from the last. These offer the variety that is typical of Spain yet are all quintessentially Spanish.

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But the word I am looking at here is spiced. Portugal features some of the richest, most delicious and most interesting recipes on the planet and as a food connoisseur I can’t resist a single delicious mouthful.

Portuguese food is similar to Spanish food with Mediterranean and Indian influences. The cuisine is unique to the world which is probably one of the reasons why I love it so much. Traditional ingredients include meat, fish, olive oil, tomatoes, cheeses, breads and shellfish sauces (ingredients are actually similar to both Mediterranean and Spanish dishes). However, the main distinction of Portuguese food is that they spice their food with herbs and spices commonly associated with the Middle East.

Breakfast starts out with a simplicity that I love. A bread roll with homemade cheese, jam or even plain butter, European in style, it resembles nothing quite as much as a typical Dutch breakfast.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by michael clarke stuff

From a simple breakfast, you move on to soup. If you know anything about Portuguese food, you know soup is important. It is served with lunch, dinner and if it’s cold enough, with breakfast as well. You can’t get enough of soups and Portuguese soups are rich in flavour and texture. Lunch is a light version of dinner and dinner can be anything from roasted lamb, grilled suckling pig to any Portugal’s famous fish and especially cod. All seasoned with an incredible array of spices of course.

And now the point, each day hundreds if not thousands of tourists flock to Portugal to enjoy the sunny weather, beaches and the music. A good 60% of them don’t even try the food.

It completely puzzles me (being a person who will go to a restaurant and order anything that I can’t pronounce) to see anyone going to explore a culture and completely missing out on the food. Sure McDonalds is cheap and sure it’s easier to stop by the grocery store or a restaurant chain you know to buy familiar foods, but you are literally missing out on the best part of Portugal.

Portuguese food is possibly the most unique cuisine in the world. It’s delicious, laden with flavour, mostly healthy and can be quite affordable if you go to the right places. Or if you’re on a budget you can take my cue and find recipes and make it yourself! Portuguese food is relatively simple to make so long as you have basic cooking skill and patience (it takes lots of patience).

If you ask me, traveling to a sunny location such as Vale Do Lobo should involve trying the food. If you’ve been to Portugal and stayed at a villa, you shouldn’t leave without knowing what Codieau a Portugesa (chunky stew), Enchidos (a type of sausage) or francesinha (A rather interesting dish of tripe, lungs and liver, not for the weak of stomach).

Traveling to anywhere should be an experience that takes in all aspects of the culture, food, architecture and… white sandy beaches.

But you don’t have to travel to enjoy food which is one of the reasons why I love it. Trying a culture is as easy as trying the food. It expresses the history, the influences and the location of an area and can teach you a lot about a country before you ever travel there.

If you’re planning to go to Portugal, staying at Vale do Lobo Villas is a great way to enjoy the luxury side of the island. All you have to do is show up, visit the beach and remember to try the food!

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