WOO-HOO — I WAS NOMINATED FOR THE LIEBSTER AWARD FOR TRAVEL BLOGGERS!

THE LIEBSTER AWARD LOGO

But No Dessert

 

A big thanks to the famous Zina and Soly of But No Dessert who nominated me for the Liebster Award. An award given to travel bloggers by other travel bloggers. They were both recently named by the Huffington Post as the “Top Travel Couples You Should Be Following on Instagram

Each Liebster Award is a special nomination to help spread the word about new travel bloggers and travel websites, like mine, to other travel bloggers. I’m am completely honored and humbled that world travelers But No Dessert would consider my humble site.

Below you will find my answers to Zina’s interview, the nomination rules, and my nomination to spread the good word.

Here is my virtual interview with Zina:

ZINA: How did your blog page come about?

DAN: Well, I’m obsessed with travel. I love to travel to cool places and my friends do, too. They’d ask advice and I’d draft long emails with a hundred links and pictures in them. Not being very organized, I’d forget where I put those emails and would recreate them all over again. So being lazy, I thought I’d just start a website and stash everything there, like a shoebox. Now, I just link to the site.

I also don’t like to do what everyone else does, so I wanted to do a different type a site. Not a “blog” of my thoughts and feelings, it’s more of a true resource website, but also wanted it to be “an edited view of the world” so that’s where the name came from. An opinionated view — not everything, just what you need to know. So I cut to the chase of cool places I’ve found, nice hotel recommendations, what to do and where to eat.

ZINA: Where was your most memorable trip and why?

DAN: Can I narrow it down to five?  Or ten?  Oh man, I’ve had some great trips, especially over the last year when I quit my job and spent a six month sabbatical in southern Europe. I think spending the night in the Sahara ranks right up there, plus a killer trip to Patagonia and the Atacama Desert in Chile; remarkable places. But I would also add the two weeks I spent in Corsica this summer. What a surprise that place was, especially the very famous Domaine du Murtoli, one of the most magical places I’ve stayed. And two months driving through rural France. And hiking the Italian Dolomites in SudTyrol. And….

ZINA: Walk us through a typical day in your life.

DAN: Well, I used to be in the restaurant business, developing fast growing cool chains and worked ungodly hours. But now I have my own consulting business and have a much more balanced life. I love mornings and wake up to watch the sunrise everyday, with a nice big cappuccino. I scan Instagram to see where everyone’s traveling, then try to think of something not-boring to post. I have clients on the East Coast and I’m in Colorado, which is two hours behind. So even when I start early at 7am, I’m already behind. Then I start working like crazy. And just when I think I can have a nap around 3pm, the end-of-the-day emails start coming in.

I love food, so love to go to my little gourmet grocer every single day. I love Pilates — I was born with a bad back and Pilates changed my life — so try to squeeze in sessions. But I’m addicted to Instagram and love the friends (like you) I’ve made from around the world. It’s so cool to “talk” daily with people from around the world that I’ve never met in person. What a gas. Then I grab my NYTimes and Wall Street Journal and go find somewhere cool to eat. Always thinking about where to go next.

ZINA: Name three travel items you can’t live without.

DAN: My cameras. There are three. So I’m out of answers. 🙂  Oh, and my computer. And sturdy 4WD shoes.

ZINA:  Name the best hotel you stayed at and why.

DAN:  Oooh, another hard one to be just One. But I’d say Le Sirenuse in Positano. Domaine de Murtoli in Corsica. Dar Ahlam in Morocco. And a little hotel in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay —it’s a cool beach town and my favorite place to be in this world.

ZINA: What’s your favorite type of cuisine and name three restaurants you visited during you travels that you recommend.

DAN: I kinda love that fusion of simple French/Italian/Med that is nearly everywhere now; I don’t like fancy places. But now Moroccan is at the top of my list. Every meal I had there was everything I love. My favorite restaurant in the world? La Huella on the beach in Uruguay. New York: I Sodi. France: Cafe Véranda in Ménerbes and anything Francis Mallmann cooks, anywhere.  I love to eat food cooked with fire.

ZINA: They say a drink tells a lot about your personality. What is your favorite type of drink?

DAN: Without question: a Martini, Ketel One, up, twist and one olive. Ice cold. No vermouth. Sometimes, two. Never three. Sometimes I switch it up with a good Negroni.

ZINA: Describe yourself is 2 words.

DAN: Never serious.

ZINA: Besides blogging what is your hobby?

Getting out of the country, as soon as I can. Also, movies. I could, and do, watch a movie nearly every day. And reading the newspaper.

ZINA: Where did you develop your photography skills ?

DAN: Oh I didn’t develop any. I have no idea what I’m doing. But learn with every picture. I realized once, watching a fool I hired in New York to shoot a restaurant; he had no idea how to frame a picture, but then I looked in the camera and realized it was all about the lens and the camera. So now I find nice cameras that overcome my lack of talent.

ZINA: Where do you see yourself in a few years? 

DAN: I’ve been trying to figure out my whole life how to live in a foreign land, preferably Europe. So I would love to find something that would allow me to live abroad. I’m an Old Soul, so I feel more at home there than in the United States. Italy. France. Portugal. Or Uruguay.

MY NOMINATION: 

I now pass along the Liebster Torch to my new good friend Mari of ParaOnde.com who has been a great supporter of my crazy Instagram posts over the last year. She calls me out when I make mistakes, makes me laugh. She’s a friendly Brazilian who loves France and she’s been to nearly every corner there, check out her pictues. In fact, she left warm Brasil this winter (their summer) to travel to Iceland (!) and France during the cold, rainy winter months. She also posts everything in three languages, which I’m completely envious of — I think my mom was having a martini and cigarette when that gene was being developed in me.

Mari, here are some Liebster rules to follow:

  • Accept the nomination and answer the questions of the blogger who nominated you.
  • Think of 11 or more questions yourself.
  • Nominate and tag your favorite bloggers who have to answer these questions.
  • They write an article on their blog about this nomination and link back to the website of their nominator.
  • Please remember when you share the link of your article on Twitter, Facebook or instagram to tag your nominator again as well so he/she can read your Liebster award blog.
  • Looking forward to reading your answers!

Okay Mari, here are your 11 questions:

  1. How did you get to be so into France?
  2. How often do you travel?
  3. What did you do in your past life?
  4. What’s a typical day like for Mari in Brasilia?
  5. What’s your favorite French town? (okay, you can name three)
  6. What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
  7. What are your favorite places to visit in Brasil?  (with low waves, of course!)
  8. Do you travel by yourself?
  9. What’s your favorite Oscar Niemeyer building in Brasilia?
  10. What is your favorite dish in Brasil?
  11. How can I ever learn to speak as many languages as good as you? (Trick question)

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