August 23, 2020 – Page 2 – WANDERLUST FAMILY ADVENTURE

Taste Test – Billy Goat Potato Chips

August 23, 2020 Joseph Candora Missouri, North America, Taste Test, United States

Billy Goat Potato Chips are manufactured by the The Billy Goat Chip Company out of St. Louis, Missouri. These are handcrafted chips that are firm and crunchy made exclusively from Idaho russet potatoes.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

I used to get handcrafted chips from two local companies; Granite State Potato Chips and Royal Feast Potato Chips sadly both of which are now out of business. I saw these chips on a “Try the World” unboxing video and decided to try them.

I was initially a little disappointed as the chips were a little stale but they were reminiscent of the handcrafted chips that I remember. Alex quite liked them after an initial reaction to the difference from the garden variety chip.

Taste Test – Cvarci Pork Cracklings

August 23, 2020 Joseph Candora Illinois, North America, Taste Test, United States

Cvarci Pork Cracklings by the George’s Brand Meats company is one of the unhealthiest but most delicious snacks on the market. Real pork cracklings are difficult to find on the market what you see here in the northeast are the puffy pork skins that are a long way away from real cracklings.

These bits of fried pork fat and meat are a combination of chewy and crunchy with an explosion of pork flavor in every bite. A favorite snack of mine they were not to Alex’s taste.

Harrods Department Store – London, England

August 23, 2020 Joseph Candora Architecture, England, Europe, Historic Sites, London

Harrods is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is owned by the state of Qatar. The store occupies a 5-acre site and has 330 departments covering 1.1 million square feet of retail space. It is one of the largest and most famous department stores in the world. The Harrods motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique, which is Latin for “all things for all people, everywhere”. The food hall absolutely fascinated me. I vividly remember the display of eggs, everything from seagull eggs to ostrich eggs available for sale. I believe this is where my love for strange and exotic foods began.

Renting a Flat in London, England

August 23, 2020 Joseph Candora Architecture, Bridges, Castle, Cemetery, Church/Cathedral, England, Europe, Events/Festivals, Fort/Fortification, Historic Sites, London, Memorials, Museums, Rivers, Statue / Sculpture, Travel, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

The best way to really experience a city or country is to live in it, the next best thing is to get away from the tourist type of accommodation. With this in mind I decided to rent a flat in London for a month to truly get a feel of the city. Along with my father and young nephew we took the ferry across the channel from my home base in Germany and made our way by train to Victoria Station. Our flat was less than a mile from this main hub so we set out and met the renter who gave us our keys along with some sage advise. This was long before the days of Air B&B so the rental was arranged through magazine advertisements, snail mail and the telephone. The two bedroom flat was clean and most importantly conveniently located to shops and Victoria Station.

The best part about the flat was that in between Victoria Station and the flat the short walk brought us past a bakery, a green grocer, a butcher shop and a corner market. We were able to stop and pick up food and cook dinner each night in the flat. The month in town gave us ample time to fully appreciate each venue and historic site. Click on the links below for a more comprehensive post for each attraction.
If you like museums London has some of the best in the world. The British Museum has the actual Rosetta Stone on display! as well as the Elgin Marbles and Egyptian mummies.

The Natural History Museum has extensive displays highlighting the natural world and because of the age of the museum also has items of historical significance like some of Darwin‘s collection from his voyage on the Beagle.

For a more whimsical experience try Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

You can experience living collections at the London Zoo,

and Kew Gardens.

The pigeons are no longer as prevalent at Trafalgar Square but it is still an interesting stop.

If you want “human wildlife” catch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.

Historical buildings abound many of them drenched in the history of England and the western world. There’s Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament,

Westminster Abbey,

The Tower of London,

and Tower Bridge.

If shopping is your thing go no farther than Harrods.

Just traveling around town there are interesting sights on every corner.

If you have the time allotment available there is no better experience than “living” in the city you are visiting.

British Museum of Natural History – London, England

August 23, 2020 Joseph Candora Architecture, England, Europe, Historic Sites, London, Museums, Statue / Sculpture

The Natural History Museum in London exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology and zoology. The museum is a center of research in taxonomy, identification and conservation. Given the age of the institution, many of the collections have great historical as well as scientific value, such as specimens collected by Charles Darwin. The museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons and ornate architecture. Although commonly referred to as the Natural History Museum, it was officially known as British Museum (Natural History) until 1992.