Lamb,with,Pears,the,Argana,Caf travel,insurance Lamb with Pears at the Argana Café
Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chiles national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w
You wont find this restaurantanymore. Yesterday somebody blewit up. My fervent hope is thatsomeday soon it is rebuilt, and that it will be safe enough for you to visit. I first visited the Argana cafe in March 2009,one of my first more adventurous trips. It was so good I went there twice - their lamb with pears, cinnamon andspices so dazzling that I even started making it myself when I got home. And it wasnt just a restaurant, it wasalso a patisserie, a tea room, an ice cream shop - the kind of place where youcould go and order a mint tea and sit and watch the world go by. Although the Night Market, Place Djamaa elFna or however you spell it, is a magical place, it can also be a little bitscary for tourists, not least because of the henna ladies who can swoop in onyou. Its hard to savour theatmosphere and ambience of this ancient square while running the gauntlet,which is the main reason that I loved the Argana. Unlike the Cafe de Paris, it is much more central. My first time there I remember leaningover the balcony watching snake charmers and critiquing the belly dancing. Did I mention that I was by myself? But I remember a friendly waiter whonever hurried me, or stressed when I was dithering, or frowned at how many mintteas I ordered. I relaxed on the balcony and watched as theday turned to night, the lights brightened, the performers performed, andworshippers were called to the Koutoubia Mosque. This year my sister and I, despite sittingon the plane trying to figure out how many different restaurants we could tryin just one weekend, realised that so many of them were hidden away, requiredreservations or were just plain expensive, that heading back to the Argana mademuch more sense. Once again, its tagines beat anything Ivetasted anywhere else (even at the Palais Rhoul - which my sister finallyadmitted this weekend wasnt that great - she didnt want to upset me!) And although the atmosphere wasslightly more strained this year (one waiter did remind us that service was notincluded), Ill always remember the older waiter who served us at lunchtime,and who laughed as I made a hash out of pouring my mint tea. He shook his head and poured it backinto the pot and did it properly - waiting just a little bit longer and pouringit from a great height like a pro. This year I made detailed notes on what weate: the Argana Salad, big enough for two - avocado, palm hearts, tuna, corn,lettuce, tomatoes mayonnaise was also a favourite - we had it for lunch anddinner. This year it was more crowded, it makessense. Desperation made the marketsellers more grabby, (I dont think henna ladies could be more pushy!) andtourists yearn for a more relaxed and safe place to enjoy the market - so theymade a beeline for the terrace of the Argana. Just as we did. And sadly that made it a target for a terrorist. In retrospect Im glad that I didnt writethis review before - I cant even for second worry that my review may have sentsome tourist into a danger zone, but maybe it will happen one day. My reviews are intended to encouragepeople to try new things, safe in the knowledge that someone you know hasbeen there - but things change, management, suppliers, climate, and politics,what is safe one day may not be the next. Ive started putting an as at date on reviews, so you know how oldthey are, but two months ago we sat here, we thought it was safe. On a day like today, the Royal Wedding infull flow as I write, I couldnt help but think of Princess Diana. Her death shocked people to the core,just as terrorist attacks do. Iwas working near Bank station on the day of the 7 July bombings, a friend wasin the Twin Towers. There is nosense in these things. Terrorists try to create fear; fear oftravelling, going to work, going on holiday, getting on planes, fear of eachother. The opposite of fear manypeople say, is love. So maybe itsappropriate that Im writing this during the Royal Wedding, a celebration oflove. Let us love one another,send love to all the people affected by this tragedy, and do our best toovercome fear by enjoying and loving life as much as we can.
Lamb,with,Pears,the,Argana,Caf