After a spectacular wedding (if I do say so myself) and the trip of a lifetime, I'm back full of inspiration, gratitude, and humility of the love we felt along the way.

I prepared myself for the love you feel at your own wedding, but it never ended. From taxi drivers in Santiago, Chile, to wine purveyors in Mendoza, Argentina-- we couldn't get away from genuine nice-ness.

I wrote down every single thing I ate. Get ready. Some highlights while I prepare to test some recipes:

1) Francis Mallman's 1884 Restaurant, Mendoza, Argentina
the menu, the open fire ovens in the garden, the service, the wine list
2) El Chiringuito, Zapallar, Chile
Do you see this man? He was fishing when we were sleeping so we could have the most fabulous fish for lunch. And, see how he is smiling? Everyone was happy.


3) Zapallar, Chile in general: did you know that calla lillies grow wild in the forest? Like diamonds or say, cherries, we all know flowers come from somewhere. But, you just don't fully grasp it until you see it.
4) Speaking of cherries, there are cherry trees everywhere. Like, la la la, walk down the road and oh hello, I could actually just pick one off the tree right now and not pay $8.99/lb at Whole Foods. That's utopia in my book.
5) Mendel Winery. Period. Best ever. By hand, six people poured wine into the bottles and gently placed the labels on the bottle. Guess what, they were amongst cherry trees too. It was almost too good to be true.