Our venture Mediterranean Work & Play is in the news via 'Future of Work Briefing'.

We shared with Matthew Parsons of Skift some 'preventive medicine' for burnout that 'Mediterranean Work & Play' offers with stays in Occitanie, France, from Toulouse to Perpignan...

Read more in Travel Outfits Offer Solutions to Companies for Pandemic Worker Burnout (Skift, January 14, 2022)

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After receiving a bid on a home fix, a mover (especially if your new place is a long distance away), a body shop repair, slow down before making a decision. 

First of all get at least 2 estimates, if possible get your estimates from people that friends or colleagues recommended.

If your plate is full and your mind is tired, it is one more reason to slow the decision process.

Bids and estimates might be too cheap to be true or so expensive that it amounts to price gauging.

Slow like my first 'portable' IBM computer pictured above.

Weighing choices for Concierge Mondays (on a Tuesday) #21

(* Credt for IBM 5155 picture goes to Dusted.DK ...)

Being a liaison could become prominent concierge role for me in this getting past covid period.

After reading number of articles on what 'back at the office' might mean, most of us are still muddling through this, it appears that ferrying things (documents, supplies, and more) from main office to satellite ones and same to and from 'working from home' team members could be a prominent activity in my New Jersey Concierges line of  work.

Using a new canvas for changing shape of work, a slightly belated Concierge Mondays # 18

Moving soon, sell or donate items that will not make the trip on Nextdoor.

Take shipping costs out of the equation as you will be selling to people nearby and they will pick them up  from you at your current abode.

Curating your belongings for Concierge Mondays # 14

Quiet launch today, on a snow day, of Mediterranean Work & Play, for those craving Epicurean remote work.

Our new venture's first 'bubble' will be in Southwest France.

Think 50 miles circle around Toulouse.

Please pass the cheese!

(* Map reproduced with permission from A FIELD GUIDE TO CHEESE by Tristan Sicard, Artisan Books, Copyright © 2020. Illustrations by Yannis Varoutsikos)

Flight of Birds

Travel Memories from Leiria, Portugal, July 2018

Some summer sun on a Covid December day 

Put your money where your mouth is with Giving Broadly, a selection of 40+ women food entrepreneurs and their creations, curated by Dana Cowin...

Here's what Giving Broadly is about in Dana's words:

"This guide highlights incredible products from women-owned brands that amped up my cooking at home this year. Drawing on more than twenty years of tastings as the editor in chief of Food & Wine, I discovered the most delicious products by outstanding artisans. Now I want to share this tightly-curated collection with you. Shop for delicious gifts and delectable meals; read for stories of vision, persistence and determination; donate to invest in supporting more women entrepreneurs!"

Instead of just talking about diversity, big and small efforts like this make it happen!

Dedicated to Shokumin, Rice Noodle Fish ( Harper Wave-Anthony Bourdain Book, October 2015) by Matt Goulding of Roads and Kingdoms takes us on a road trip through Japan's food culture.

Matt thanks 'Shokumin' (craftsmen)  of Japan 'for showing the true meaning of devotion' to one's trade.

Among 'greatest food journeys', Matt Goulding suggests 'Yatai in Fukuoka' (photo below) at Number 6, describing Fukuoka as 'last bastion of Japan's yatai culture-a robust world of street food stalls that recalls a day when much of Japan's best food came from wooden stands'.

Rice Noodle Fish is divided in 7 chapters:

• Know before you go
• Operation Izakaya
• The Art of Gift Giving
• The Ramen Matrix
• The Eight Wonders of Japanese Convenience Store 
• Amazing Shit in the Middle of Nowhe
• and last, One Night with the Geisha

Actually book concludes with 'The Beauty of Bento' in 5 examples from 'Uni, Ikura, Tamago' at Hakodate Station with 'best eggs of Hokkaido combined in one beautiful bowl' to 'Anago Meshi' from Miyajima Station ...Same family has been making this eel dish since 1901.

Many will take 3 steps back at the view 'soft, shiny, with a fermented tang' natto (page 182), think 'Meatballs' (the movie).

For  those hitching to visit Japan after reading 'Rice Noodle Fish', a 'Gaijin' glossary will help them get their feet wet. It starts with 'Oishi' (delicious) to 'Goshiso Sama Deshita' (it was quite a feast).

Kitchen gear geeks will rejoice in few pages on 'Knife makers of Sakai' and 'Santoku' knofe breakdown.

Bon voyage!

Trekking around Japan with food on the mind for this Tokyo Thursdays # 306 (appearing on a Saturday)

(* Images reproduced with permission from 'Rice Noodle Fish' by Matt Gouldding-Published by Harper Wave-Antony Bourdain Book, October 2015)

Territori Guri asks people

How they feel towards Tourism in Barcelona via #Twitter

A family member is about to spend a lenghty period of time in Liege province of Belgium and needs to travel from St Vith to Huy and St Vith to Brussels in first days of his stays.

I wanted to find out what best travel options where and discovered Rome2rio which offered for both trips not just a map but also length of trip, travel options and respective costs depending on wether you drive, take a cab, hop on a bus or ride the train or a combination of these options.

For Taxi and Train from St Vith to Brussels, Rome2rio estimates total travel time to 2h 57 and cost of $97 each way starting with $60 for 11,9 miles taxi ride from St Vith to Gouvy (25 minutes) where you can catch train to Liege-Guillemins (1h and 16 minutes, hourly service) for $15 then Liege-Guillemins to Bruxelles-Central (56 minutes, service every 30 minutes) for $20.

In comparison, driving is estimated to take 1hour and 57 minutes and cost $35.

If you are under 26, cost of train travel from Gouvy to Brussels can be brought down by purchasing  a Go Pass 10 from Belgian Rail  for 51 Euros. 

Each trip even if you change train can be made with one of the 10 passes for a cost of 5.1 Euros.

In this case you would have to use one pass from Gouvy to Brussels and another one for return trip for a total cost of $13.63 instead of $70.

Some destinations like Brussels Airport require payment of Diabolo fee in addition to your Go Pass.

Rome2rio is based in Melbourne (Australia).

(* Illustration from Rome2rio blog)