At the Narita Airport, leaving Japan. Overcast clouds, unseasonably cold - so I missed the Cherry Blossom season. Missed the moment when people rush out and have a drink and/or a pic-nic under the Cherry Blossom trees with their friends and families. So they say. And I have the feeling I missed much more... Click here to read more »

Last Tuesday we had dinner at Bocconi with a group of 6 people. Bocconi is a nice Italian restaurant, part of the 5-star Hotel Amigo adjacent to the Grand Market place in Brussels. The food was simply great - a wide selection of nice combinations, prepared with quality ingredients and very tasty (I had sole with Belgian endive and schrimp, calamares with artichokes as a starter, and black current & strawberry ice cream as desert). Click here to read more »

I used to have a favorite Italian restaurant in Brussels... a small family place, where the chef would suggest something and I would just say yes. But Dameo is no more, so I needed a new place. And I found one. After several visits I feel comfortable to call La Crèche des Artistes my new favorite Italian place in Brussels. Click here to read more »

The Champagne Bureau has stepped up their efforts to inform and mobilize people in the US to sign the 'Protect Wine Place & Origin' Petition. In short: a law proposal that would enforce that Champagne can only come from the Champagne region in France, and Napa wine only out of California in the US. A no brainer ? Well, apparantly not, as this has been going on way too long... Click here to read more »

In December, Starbucks has launched their new "rewards card" which is combined with the "gift" or "debit" card... and even better: you can create your own custom Starbucks Card and load it with any debit value... Click here to read more »