Traveling. My greatest passion! Men if I could work everywhere I wanted I would be somewhere else right now. Somewhere where it’s at least 25 degrees Celsius but when it comes to my dear Holland and especially in the cities. I love the way I always can find my plant-based food. Some places outside Holland I must say… Finding plant-based food was sort of a challenge and in this post I’ll let you know which places I’ve experienced as a NO-GO when it comes to plant-based food.

1. España

Can I mention I think Spain in general? Spain…Might be my favorite place to be when it comes to South-Europe for now especially Madrid but what’s up with all the pork in everything. I know it’s culture. Especially the serrano that you see everywhere. You can get certain things at El Corte Ingles (THE mall that provides good healthy plant-based food) or the market where they sell many vegetables so you can make your own meal. You will need an apartment with a kitchen to cook. I also made a documentary of my time in Sevilla, Madrid and Morocco this year where I show you some nice spots that offer plant-based food. Click on: Travel vlog Spain and Morocco to check it out.

 

San Miguel Market, Madrid

 

2. Catania, Sicily

I love Italian food! I can eat pasta for a whole week for sure and that’s what I did in Sicily. I had the luxury to be at my friend’s place and eating fresh homemade Italian food every day but when you eat outdoor Sicilian people will look at you like “what’s wrong with you wanting plant-based stuff”. A good option is staying with Sicilian friends and let them spoil you with Sicilian/Italian food ;-).

Homemade pasta and picking blackberries down the road

 

3. Fortaleza, Brasil

Obrigadaaaa Brasil for being such a beautiful country but uhmmm when I visited you, most of the time I had to do it with bread, pizza, French fries and…. bread, pizza and French fries. Okay and exotic fruit what I really loved though. Fortaleza is familiar with their seafood so fish lovers will have a great time there when it comes to food. Fortaleza is also good for wonderful sunsets and coconut trees with huge coconuts.

From left to right: shrimps, sunset, coconut tree with huge coconuts

 

4. Cuba

In Cuba we went to different places and stayed most of the time in a Casa Particular. With a Casa Particular the owner of the house is allowed to have tourists in the house because he or she has a license. The owner prepares a meal and you can tell the owner what kind of food you don’t want. I always said: “sin huevo, sin carne y sin pescado”. This was the hardest! Again. Like really the hardest. There is just nothing plant-based like a meal I mean. Fruit and vegetables are plant-based of course but a meal no way. It was always the same whether I ate indoor or outdoor. Bread, rice and beans, mixed vegetables sometimes with noodles sometimes only vegetables. They had to prepare it most of the time because plant-based meals they don’t serve there! Something like whole-wheat bread you probably won’t see. Apparently hard to get due to communism and poverty.  And… I learned that they put pork stock in almost EVERYTHING!

ATTENTION: In Havana there was an area where I could have a good veggie meal though and that’s CHINA TOWN! Look how happy I am discovering fine Asian food in Havana. At Viñales, the country side of Cuba I spotted an Eco-vegetarian restaurant.

Just suck it in for the time being or stay in Havana to eat at China Town the whole holiday 😂.. As a plant-based girl for 20 years even I surrendered to this challenge.  It’s still holiday so let it go and a Casa Particular is a nice way to come in contact with the locals.

Left picture: Eco-vegetarian restaurant in Vinales | Right picture: Not one but two huge bowls of Chinese food in china town. I love Asian food!

 

5. Crete, Greece

I literally dreamed of goats for a while after Crete. It seemed like there was goat cheese in everything! What a bummer for me as I’ve never liked goat cheese at all. I know they have something with goats just like we have with cows ;-). I remember we went to an Italian restaurant and I was so glad to eat something that I like even though pizza has mozzarella I can deal with it during holiday. Even the pizza’s well you can guess it… Made with feta (goat cheese) and not mozzarella. Still I loved the beautiful nature of Crete. The jasmine flower is everywhere and I love the scent of jasmine.

From left to right: lemon, jasmin and hibiscus

 

A general solution is booking an apartment with kitchen to make your own meals I guess.

This where the places and my next stop will be probably Warsaw, then again I’m not sure yet. Would love to know from the ones that follow me to give tips if you’ve been there.

And of course besides sightseeing walking my ass off to taste the environment like I always do I will look for plant-based options and believe me I may like the Sun but the Polish cold won’t keep me from a good adventurous challenge ;-).

Which international place will you visit next?

 

 

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