Expanding on France this week. In the span of five years, I’ve traveled through 9 of the 13 regions of France. The area that has captured my soul is the French Riviera, the famous Cote d’Azur on the Mediterranean coast in southeast France. You can fly into Nice and take the train to any of the towns that dot the coast, my favorite is Villefranche Sur Mer. I still have a vivid memory of watching the sun drop into the sea while having a lovely homecooked dinner on the terrace of a gorgeous villa. Swaying to the wine and music of Frank Sinatra floating around me with the balmy sea breeze under the night sky. Magical. The quality of the light in September is beautiful, it feels ethereal and ephemeral.  I can see why artists like Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Cezanne and others were also drawn to the region. Last summer, I flew into Nice for a couple days just to enjoy some time in Villefranche Sur Mer. I spent one day on a vintage yacht moored in the bay and another at the beach club beneath the train station soaking up the sunshine.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Highlights   Focus on Andalusia in southern Spain. The crown jewels of Andalusia are Granada, Seville and Cordoba.   I took a day trip to Granada while I was in Costa Del Sol. The Alhambra is the most famous Moorish palace for good reason. Our guide was a storyteller and painted such compelling visions of the Alhambra in her full glory that I was swooning from its grandeur.    Seville is universally loved by other Spaniards. I tried fried Ortiguillas which are sea anemones at Eslava, tastes like oysters. I was a regular at the Pura Vida rooftop pool bar with a view of the famous Cathedral.    I took a day trip to Cordoba without doing any research and let my feet guide me. I got off the train and followed a park filled with orange groves. And then meandered through the charming alleys until I stumbled onto the corner of a tremendous structure. I could not stand back far enough to take it all in. A man asked is this the Mezquita as he looked up from a guide book. I nodded with full belief. A town is magic when the energy of the city literally pulls you to the center.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Highlights   Focus on Ibiza and Formentera, part of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago off the eastern coast of Spain.   To get to Formentera you have to take a ferry from Ibiza. We stayed one night in town so we could do some scuba diving. The only time I’ve ever been diving in Europe. The water was glorious. We couldn’t resist wading in at every beach that we visited. We almost missed our rental car return deadline.   I noticed a lot of Italian dishes on the menus, the island is popular with Italians.    As for Ibiza, what I remember most about the island is the phenomenal energy. I felt so tapped in that I almost couldn’t sleep. I’ve never enjoyed clubbing until I came to Spain, my first great club experiences were in Barcelona but I was always hungover the next day. Not the case in Ibiza. I didn’t want to dampen my experience so I stayed alcohol free.   The DJs are truly phenomenal. I danced all night, night after night. Then I’d sleep a few hours and go explore the island.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Highlights     Focus on Basque Country in northern Spain including San Sebastian and Bilboa. French side includes Biarritz. They share the sea and the Pyrenees mountains.    Basque people spend more than twice as much of their disposable income on food as people do in the United States. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/basque-country/travel-tips-and-articles/10-reasons-to-visit-basque-country/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d276c4d1   Pamplona was my gateway drug to Basque country. The crown jewel of Basque country is San Sebastian, it boasts the highest concentration of Michelin starred restaurants in the world. On a return trip here, my friend was eager to have dinner at a Michelin restaurant. So we did that in addition to taking her back to my favorite pintxo bars. I’m happy to report that when she returned to the states she raved about the neighborhood pintxos. You don’t need the Michelin price tag to have a standout culinary experience here.    One of my local friends introduced us to txuleta, an ox steak from Galicia. I grew up in Texas on steaks and I can count the flavor and local preparation as one of the most memorable in the world.   https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jun/20/high-steaks-the-new-craze-for-old-cow   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Highlights    Despite coming to Spain 7 years in a row, I’ve only been to 7 of the 17 autonomous communities because I return to and stay in Catalonia so often.    I’m only fluent in English but have taught myself how to read menus in the languages of the countries I travel to most. So I can be lost but never hungry, a great motto to live by! I learned Catalan first which is the local dialect for Catalonia which includes Barcelona and Costa Brava.   The famed El Bulli by Ferran Adria was in the region. They won the number one restaurant title a record five times. Their innovation attracted chefs from all over the world and Spain to come and train and these protégées went back to cook in their home towns or neighboring countries. I never got to eat there but I can certainly appreciate its influence.   Catalans are very proud of their culture and there are many protests for independence. The conflict reminds me of the pro Taiwanese independence sentiments I grew up hearing about and being influenced by. So I feel some shared camaraderie with the Catalan culture.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Highlights    Focus on Costa Del Sol in southern Spain. Joined my siblings and their significant others in Malaga. My nephew was turning one and took his first steps here. We visited the White Towns of Andalusia. Charming villages with white-washed walls like Mijas, Ojen, Estepona and Frigiliana. Most memorable for me was Ronda which sits perched over the El Tajo gorge. Marbella is the main resort area, overwhelmingly British.    My food discoveries in this area were boquerones and salmorejo.   Boquerones are anchovies. I was happy to eat them fried or marinated in vinegar and olive oil.    Salmorejo, similar to gazpacho but thicker in consistency due to the bread crumbs and the garlic flavor is more pronounced. I like mine topped with hard-boiled eggs, jamon and a drizzle of olive oil.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Highlights    Focus on Pamplona in Spain. 2014 First San Fermin festival, famously know as the running of the bulls. Here you order pintxos instead of tapas. Something delicious skewered to a piece of bread. And the local drink is Txacoli, a light dry slightly sparkling white wine.   Even though Pamplona is in the Navarra region, they speak the Basque language and share so much of its culture that I hold them in the same place in my heart.   I went to Pamplona with Sofia right after the birth of my nephew in Barcelona. We ran into a couple of locals who guided us as we ate our way through the best pintxos. Foie gras was still banned in California so I ordered it every chance I got.   I had such a fantastic time, I have since returned to Pamplona twice including another San Fermin festival. My second time I made sure to get a balcony experience of the bulls which includes breakfast before the main event. You’re dangling a few feet above the action. The energy in the air is palpable and it’s truly an exhilarating moment to have the bulls rush under your feet.   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Highlights    Expanding on Spain. Focus on Costa Brava which is the coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain.   When I was at the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres, I learned that he had a home in Port Lligat. The first opportunity someone invited me to Cadaques, I said yes without hesitation!    We were celebrating the Feast of Sant Joan which coincides with the summer solstice and is one of the most important Catalan feast days. It’s also called Nit del Foc meaning Night of Fire, fireworks abound. One of the guys cooked up fabulous steaks from Girona. I remember drinking my wine in this family summer home right at the waters edge surrounded by dashing Spaniards and loving my life immensely.   When I saw the landscape, I was home. I felt a shared closeness with Dali as if I understood his soul and his art better by sharing in the inspiration and beauty he experienced by living here.    My favorite hike is along the Camino de Ronda, an old smugglers path that often drops right into the sea, perfect for a dip on a warm summer day:   https://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/top-5-cami-de-ronda-day-hikes-in-costa-brava/   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Country #39: Finland   Highlights   Helsinki for an overnight layover.   Have some blueberry or lingonberry juice.   Stay in the Design District.   Stroll the Espa.   Kapelli Restaurant   Old Market Hall   Checkout a seaside sauna like Allas or Loyly!   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!

Country #38: Ireland   Highlights   Bad food    Underwhelmed by Cliffs of Moher - pay for parking   Try Aran Islands instead Inisheer - time has stopped    Underwhelmed by Book of Kells   Try Chester Beatty Library instead on grounds of Dublin Castle instead https://chesterbeatty.ie/ Impressive collection of Christian illuminated manuscripts and Islamic texts. Most extensive papyri collection in the world   Want answers? Send your questions, comments and thoughts about life [email protected]   Thank you so much for listening to The Lin Life Universe. I hope you’ve been enjoying it. Please leave a review!