Local knowledge trumps all else
Tapping into local knowledge when travelling can enrich your experience beyond the tourist traps.
I experienced this the first time I travelled with my Turkish friend to Izmir – being a local she showed me the ‘proper’ bazar, the authentic eateries and of course the best places to go for long walks.
When I went to Toronto with Mr T to visit his son and lovely daughter-in-law, I again experienced more than the tour guide would give you.
Lewanne took me around her area and we ate our way through some delicious steamed pork buns at a converted butcher’s shop, the best veal sandwich at an Italian market stall and very tasty tacos at a street vendor.
When looking at the tour guide, I would have missed all these little gems and wouldn’t have had the experience of an Italian cook to look so passionate when preparing delicious sandwiches for the long queue at his stall.
Or I would haven’t visited a cheese shop that seemed to have been opened two centuries ago and never changed since besides adding great cheeses from all over the world.
I wouldn’t have smelled freshly roasted coffee at the mini coffee roaster at the local supermarket and I wouldn’t have met all these amazing people on the way of discovery.
I loved Toronto and I will definitely go back although the young couple has relocated to the east coast of Canada which means I have new discoveries to make.
Last June, I had the pleasure of a short break with my good friend Derval in Lanzarote. She is almost a local as she has a home on the island so she knows a lot of hidden gems that most people might not.
She introduced me to a wonderful bakery called Levain (as Derval was driving, I didn’t pay attention to the location) – the smell when you enter the shop makes your mouth water, the display of pastries and bread lighten up your eyes with delight and tasting any of the bakes makes your tummy dance the tango of utter cheer.
And yes, that’s how good their breads alone are. You have to head in early as the locals queue to get their hands on the goods baked right next door.
My friend’s cousin has moved to Lanzarote full-time and shared her favourite food places with us – which made us discover the best pizza on the island inside a shopping centre where my credit card took a rather tough hammering (I had to get a new bag to fit everything in on the way home).
On the reverse side, I love sharing my favourite spots with visitors to Cork.
A few years back, I was asked to take an US film team around and I introduced them to people they might not have met if they had taken the safe route by engaging a government agency who will always recommend the same old (nothing wrong with that but let’s give smaller producers a chance as well).
They met with Sally Barnes of Woodcock Smokery, Kate Lawlor of Fenn’s Quay and Avril Allshire of Rosscarbery Black Pudding.
I don’t know if the project ever made it beyond the planning stage but I saw the fun and joy the team had meeting all these amazing producers we have here in Cork.