Travel is often exhilarating and intoxicating, but it also bequeaths a fund of memories that is a lifelong source of solace and delight. Here are four highlights from 2013 that will forever inspire interludes of fireside reverie
The famous open-air food market on the Avenue du Président-Wilson runs from the Place d’Iéna in the 16th arrondissement down to the Avenue Marceau. We were immediately struck by the artistry with which the summer abundance of France was displayed: a mound of glossy black cherries flanked crates of fuzzy peaches, including the juicy pêche de vigne that the French especially prize; white and purple eggplants; and thumb-size zucchini with their orange flowers still attached. At another stand, we fell into conversation with a farmer selling lamb, fresh milk and cheeses from his farm, La Bergerie du Mesnil in Normandy’s Sainte Scolasse sur Sarthe. And nearby, we came upon the Bar à Patates, selling more than a dozen varieties of new-crop potatoes. There was a long line at the stand of the famous market gardener Joël Thiébault, who supplies fresh seasonal vegetables to many of the best restaurants in Paris. But the grand finale was provided by the stall of fishmonger Jacky Lorenzo, where live shrimp from Brittany rustled under a jute cover, and the line-caught sea bass made us yearn for a kitchen.
The Grootbos Private Nature Reserve is located near Hermanus, 100 miles east of Cape Town. The southwestern tip of Africa encompasses the so-called “Cape Floral Region,” a botanical paradise and hot spot for plant diversity. Although the smallest of the world’s six recognized floral kingdoms, the Cape region — locally called fynbos (fine bush) — boasts 9,250 species, 70 percent of which are endemic to the region. We explored the reserve in an open vehicle with a passionate and wholly exceptional guide. As a result, this unusual excursion proved as thrilling as a search for big game.
I took advantage of a rainy day to spend some time in Rancho Valencia’s sumptuously remodeled spa, a 2.5-acre complex comprising a fitness center, yoga pavilion and 10 treatment rooms arrayed around hushed garden courtyards. My “Sixth Sense Ritual” started with a myrrh-infused bath on my treatment room’s patio. It felt gloriously indulgent to soak in the fragrant water as cool, soft drizzle speckled my face. Inside the treatment room, warmed by a kiva-style woodburning fireplace, the ritual continued with an expert body and scalp massage. Throughout, a laundry load of hot towels kept me cozy and relaxed. Wrapped in a warmed bathrobe, I left feeling thoroughly renewed and at peace.
El Silencio Lodge is surrounded by a private 500-acre cloud forest reserve. Hiking in silence permits guests to encounter a dazzling array of tropical birds including tanagers, chlorophonia, hummingbirds and rare black guan. Despite this abundance, nothing prepared us for the sight of an iridescent-green resplendent quetzal perched in plain view. Venerated by the Aztecs and Maya, the sacred bird is 14 inches long, with a 26-inch tail streamer. Despite its spectacular appearance, it is notoriously difficult to spot, and the encounter was unquestionably the highlight of our trip to Costa Rica.
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