Andrew Schiestel

Where: Alcochete, Portugal "He understood that trade was more important than war." Joãm de Copas said to me as we stood in front of a painting in his property's primary study room in the town of Alcochete, a city across across the Tagus…

Where: Lesbos / Lesvos (Mytilene), Greece "This part is the bigger one. Pine trees are the border." Prokopis Bantzis stretched his arm out showing the borders of his family's expansive olive orchard outside of the mountain village of…

Where: St. Tropez, France “In this period, Hungary, Budapest, you have a revolution. I am a children . I hear the ... bomb bomb bomb. Budapest. I see terrifique drama with the people in tree. On the street… I never forget.” This is…

Where: St. Tropez, France 🇫🇷 It was the baking shelf replete with meringue resting by a wide open door—the sun shining in—that caught my attention. I walked into the confiserie & pattiserie. I was in St. Tropez, France, for a…

Where: Antibes, France 🇫🇷 It was the earthy coating on the bottom-halves of the pottery that caught my attention: The trim, earthen, almost like dried lava, gave the pottery an earthy yet modern look to them. A collection of…

Where: Kaleiçi (Old Town), Antalya, Türkiye 🇹🇷 It was the casual afternoon ambiance that could be felt surrounding the three ladies sitting on a veranda one Saturday in the Old Town of Antalya. And also that of their home, which was…

Where: Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia 🇹🇳 (near Carthage) As I was about to leave the flower nursery, Mahmoud encouraged me to follow him to show me something. When we got to the only building structure—which was comprised of one…

Where: Heraklion, Crete, Greece 🇬🇷 I was lost on my way to visit a manufacturer of Greek coffee (Kafes / Καφές) in the City of Heraklion on the island of Crete when I saw an elderly man sitting on his porch alone. I parked my car,…

Where: Plakias, Crete, Greece 🇬🇷 "Sofia say to everybody come and sleep inside! Don't stay during the night in the wind." Konstantinos Moschopoulos said with cheer and warmth reciting the story of his late grandmother-in-law, Sofia…

Where: Rethymno, Crete, Greece 🇬🇷 I only walked in for an Americano. But it was the size and form of an array of croissants on display that had me order one. Simply put, the croissant, that had a chocolate or hazelnut filling, was…

Where: Rethymno, Crete, Greece 🇬🇷 There was a cross that was to go to a monastery in northern Crete, a restoration of a significant Renaissance Orthodox painting under production, and colourful stones being laid into a mosaic that would…

Where: Heraklion, Crete, Greece 🇬🇷 "Antonis here 16 years. Misses Dafni, inside, here 21 years." Vasilis Moustockas, the manager at Phyllo Sophies on Crete in Greece said to me as we stood outside the bakery & cafe, located in the…

Where: Komi, Lesvos (Lesbos), Greece 🇬🇷 Finding the Tzortzis olive orchards is a bit of a journey, in and of itself. For me the journey started at the restaurant, Mezedopoleio 28, in Mytilene, the largest town on the Greek island of…

Where: Skala Eressos & Mesotopos, Lesvos (Lesbos), Greece 🇬🇷 "Everything my baby," Magdalini Vassila said as we entered her ceramic shop, Magdalini Ceramics Studio. "Ceramics is not that you know, it's that you feel it." She…

Where: Village of Mistegna, Lesbos (Lesvos), Greece 🇬🇷 “Come with me,” Effie said. She exited her property and we began walking down a gravel path too narrow for a vehicle. I was in Lesbos, Greece. On a trip from the island’s…

Where: Mantamados, Lesbos, Greece 🇬🇷 "This is a whistle," Efthymia picked up a ceramic object in the shape of a bird. "A whistle with a duck." "But the most traditional whistle is this..." She set the object down and walked over to…

Where: Mitylene, Lesbos, Greece 🇬🇷 Before making my first trip to Greece nine years ago I remember an old Canadian friend writing to me by email something along the lines of, "Have an Ouzo for me." I arrived on the Island of Lesbos…

Where: Port Mesta, Chios, Greece 🇬🇷 It was the "1923" embedded on the sign that hung overtop of the restaurant's long veranda entrance that caught my attention as I was finishing up a plate of sardines at Port Mesta located in southern…

Where: Chios, Greece 🇬🇷 Markelos Kontos, one of the two proprietors at Roussiko (ΡΟΥΣΣΙΚΟ) had difficulty putting into words why he started the restaurant with his friend and business partner, Sotiris Stratakis. "I don't have a…

Where: Chios, Greece 🇬🇷 “This is the freshest fish on the island,” Klaidi Carja, a server at Ihtheoskala Fresh local fish tavern said to me as I was getting ready to settle my early afternoon bill: a Greek salad and a Greek beer. I…

Where: Chios, Greece 🇬🇷 "Mastic has many properties, to the skin, to the teeth," Maria Stavrinoudi, a pharmacist and one of hte proprietors at Mastic Origins, a boutique along the marina on the Island of Chios said to me. I had…

Where: Alaçatı, Türkiye 🇹🇷 “I discovered everything you see here,“ Oktay Durna, the proprietor of the boutique said to me from his desk. I was in the downtown of the beautifully rustic western Turkish town of Alaçatı. Yesterday, by…

Where: Alaçatı, Türkiye 🇹🇷 “A little gem,” I thought to myself as I left the residence I had just started renting in Alaçatı, Türkiye. Alaçatı, along with its neighbouring community to the west, Çeşme, are resort towns on the…

Where: Alicante, Province of Alicante, Spain “I’m going to Dubai next week to cook for the president.” Maria said to me on the phone when I asked why she was travelling to Dubai. She was referring to the current president of Spain,…

Where: Alicante, Province of Alicante, Spain “I could feel the soul of the business—Its alma (soul).” I said to brothers Eutimio and Victor, as I stood inside their tienda (store), located a seconds walk from the main rambla (avenue) in…

Where: Muro de Alcoy, Province of Alicante, Valencia, Spain “That is the Benicadell Mountains.” Carlos Cano Martínez pointed to a reasonably close mountain range in the distance. He then pivoted forty-five degrees and pointed in…

Where: Province of Córdoba, Spain The Province of Córdoba is lush and plump with olivos (olive trees) so it’s no wonder that amongst its cultivated hills lies an international award-winning olive oil producer, Almazaras de la Subbética.…

Where: Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain “The Order supplied fruits, wine and olive oil to the three ships,” Jose Miguel Sánchez de Puerta said to me as we stood in his tienda (shop), called 1490, located in Córdoba, Spain. The three ships…

Where: Nerja, Andalusia, Spain On the second floor of a plaza on the northeastern edge of the coastal City of Nerja, Andalusia, lies a Spanish coffee roaster named El Camaradu. As I arrived, I snapped a few photos of the patio;…

Where: Province of Jaén, Spain “If you want good orange juice, you start with a good orange.” Edurne said to me while we sat in a classroom at Oro Bailen’s head office and olive grove in Villanueva de la Reina, a rural…

Where: Alicante, Spain When I walked by the café the day before in Alicante, Spain, I sensed it was special. For starters, Madness Speciality Coffee was the first roasted coffee maker I had come across while in Spain for an entire…

“Does the pattern on the Coca-Cola sign have Arabic influence?” I asked Abdul. He wasn’t sure but told me what he knew. “The blue and white is an ancient Andalusian and Granada style. Ceramics from this region often use blue;…

Southeast of Málaga’s Centro lies the Muelle Uno. Situated on a pier, the Muelle Uno presents a courteous blend of patio restaurants, retail outlets and a beautiful view of Málaga’s port. On the pier most Sundays, tables are…

One of the draws to spending time in European cities is observing, interacting with, and appreciating the street performers and artists that are abound. In Porto, Portugal, walking down the Rua Das Flores, only a few blocks from Rio…

That moment when you’re lost in thought, come to your senses, look to your left, and become awestruck with the presentation of a brand and its products on display. That was me and the store was MUD (standing for Manufacture Under…