Author: Dan Winther

Typical Dane, single living with a single mother. Open to new ideas and criticism, even abuses sometimes. Lives in sleepy Nordjylland town of Løgstør with a population of around 4000 Danish men and beautiful women consist of old streets with small houses built in the 1800s for fishermen and sailors.

How Will Japan Celebrate Summer Without Unagi

Dan Winther

The freshwater eel is now endangered, but who is to blame and what are the best substitutes? By Amanda Arnold As summer temperatures approach 90 degrees, restaurants boast their outdoor patios and decks, and Americans pull out their biggest knives to hack through watermelons and cantaloupe, the Japanese fill up on charcoal-grilled unagi, glazed with a sweet, rich sauce and served on a bed of steamed white rice. Gone are the days of simmered kabocha squash and stew-like oden. In Japan, summer is eel season and being the pragmatists that…

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Saratoga Wine & Food Festival 2014

Dan Winther

The annual Saratoga Wine & Food Festival is coming up September 5-7 at SPAC. The headlining “personalities,” and a new event, this year: + NYC chef/restauranteur Marc Murphy, who’s also one of the judges on the popular Food Network show Chopped. + Wine expert/educator Kevin Zraly is returning. + New event: BBQ, Brews & Blues: “Hosted by Food Network ‘Chopped’ star Marc Murphy, this BBQ bash will serve as the kick-off event with six (6) of the Capital Region’s finest restaurants competing against six (6) Manhattan Grillmasters.” The list of…

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Europe’s New Shopping Hotspot: Reykjavik (Seriously!)

Dan Winther

There is no city I would rather have a layover in than Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. Sure, I love spending longer than a day in the picturesque island country. You need at least three days to do the fjords, the volcanoes, the glaciers. It takes that long for the locals to get comfortable enough around you to regale you with their personal stories about Bjork and the elves that live under their house. Still, with a nine-hour layover you can easily do the Blue Lagoon, conveniently located on the main highway in…

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Top 7 cruises for beer lovers

Dan Winther

With the skyrocketing popularity of craft beers, it was only a matter of time before the cruise industry jumped on to this trend. Whether you crave a hop infused IPA or creamy stout, there’s no better place to appreciate  your favorite brew than on the open seas. These cruises have special presentations, onboard tastings and excursions to local breweries.  We’ll drink to that. Here are top cruises for beer lovers. 1. Crystal Cruise: Microbrew-themed adventure After offering cocktail courses and wine pairings, Crystal Cruise is offering a new culinary adventure for…

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Five cheapest cities of the world for shopping

Dan Winther

By Megan Singleton   If you’re trying to justify a shopping holiday, you will be interested in this list from a survey conducted by hotels.com. It took 13 identical items purchased in 29 countries. Included was the iPad Air, iPad with retina display, iPhone 5S, a pair of ladies’ leather gloves, Jean Paul Gaultier eau de toilette, Chloe perfume, Susan Boyle Home for Christmas album, Calvin Klein socks, Spiderman lunch box, Barbie Dreamhouse, How I Met Your Mother season seven, a pair of men’s straight leg Levi’s 501 and the…

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Sweden’s foreign tourist figures fail to impress

Dan Winther

Back in 2009, the Swedish tourism industry expected turnover from tourists to Sweden would double to 500 billion kronor ($74.4 billion) by 2020. However, lackluster spending by foreign tourists has forced the Swedish Travel and Tourism Industry (RTS) to lower their expectations to 451 billion. “It’s the foreign tourism that’s not growing at the speed we anticipated,” said Jan Lundin of the RTS to Dagens Industi newspaper (DI). “Swedish tourism continues to grow, however”. In fact, tourism in Sweden is continuing to grow as an overall trend, and experts insist…

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Don’t even think about renting a jetski ‎in Pattaya: Kip Keino

Dan Winther

I, for one, will be boycotting Pattaya and Phuket until jetskis are permanently unavailable for rent at those places. Perhaps there are some jetski renters who are not ripping off tourists, but the whole business is under a dark cloud and needs to be completely snuffed out. As a frequent visitor to Thailand since 1984, I advise other visitors to join in the boycott. There are better places to visit, which don’t have police in collusion with extortionists, fleecing tourists for tens of thousands of baht on a daily basis.…

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The ancient kings of India would feel at home at Bindia

Dan Winther

by Emily McLean In ancient India, under direct orders from the king, his subjects were instructed to eat Indian food to increase their libido. This ancient prescription still holds true today but there’s also a few other reasons why dining on Indian food – particularly from Bindia – is good for your health and your taste buds. Upon entering most Indian restaurants, your attention is drawn towards Bollywood music videos or the aroma of stodgy butter chicken. But upon entering Bindia we found ourselves in a modern, sophisticated Indian restaurant…

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