Savvy Nomad

06/10/2024

A few more pics. These are from our 2nd group, who traveled from Nancy to Strasbourg in May of 2024. We enjoyed rain, wind, sun, vending machine pizza, fancy dinners out, quiet morning coffee time, learning the ropes (literally), and getting to know each other like family. With David Devere, Sara Duke, Paul & Dawn, and Tom & Jaima. Fun week!

05/18/2024

Beautiful morning in France at Port d’Einville.

05/16/2024

We went to a pottery manufacturing museum when we were in Sarreguemines. The entire facility was built in the 1800’s and used the river as a power source. In fact, many of the towns on this trip have featured a “moulin,” or water wheel. The French have been excellent engineers for a long time. We’ve also been lucky to see storks in Sarralbe (on almost every rooftop), plus fish, swans with signets, lambs in the fields, and we hear birds singing all day (including the cuckoo). Many of the locks/ecluses are being updated with new doors/gates, levers, and lights. The views are beautiful and “camping” on the boat never gets old. With David Devere, Sara Duke.

05/13/2024

https://youtube.com/shorts/bRljrVNcUBU?si=L5dvGLhKWy2dy7Mj

05/13/2024

We missed the auroras in Duluth but we still had lots of beautiful views and reflections.

Our first group is gone, we had 1 guest on board for 2 nights in Sarreguimines, and now Dave and I are moving the boat to Nancy by ourselves 😬 to meet up with our next group. 😀

With David Devere, Sara Duke, Steph Smith, Savvy Nomad, RC Travel, Kathleen Maley, Susan Dunn, Chase VanGorder, Kris Karsell.

05/10/2024

Beautiful misty morning in Sarralbe, France AND look at those pastries! With David Devere, Sara Duke, Kathleen Maley, Steph Smith, Susan Dunn, Chase Van Gorder, RC Travel.

05/08/2024

It is SO green here this time. We had a lovely clear morning, followed by some soft weather, followed by a downpour, followed by a clear night. We are definitely experiencing spring - full on! With David Devere, Sara Duke, Steph, Kathleen, Susan and Chase.

05/06/2024

Beautiful and dramatic sky last night at Saverne marina. And very, very green (and a bit rainy) today as we made our way toward Arzviller Boat Lift. 🇫🇷⛴️🥰

05/01/2024

We are prepping the boat for company! Lots of cleaning and walking to the grocery store. We did 3 grocery and wine runs yesterday and need to do another 2-3. When you have to carry everything by hand and you are stocking for 6 people for a week, it takes a while! And it’s fun! We have a beautiful park to walk through to get to our local grocery store. With David Devere and Sara Duke.

04/12/2024

Music and boating. This is a jaunty video. Filmed fall 2023 in Alsace, France. ~with RC Travel.

When you leave Strasbourg the, just before lock 51, the first of many, you pass the European Parliament building. The thumbnail photo is taken in Saverne, th...

04/05/2024

Hi Folks - This is our final whisky episode. Thank goodness we finally got a winter gale so we could showcase a little bit of fun weather. As David Devere says in the video, "This winter has been a little bit of a dud." At least we got to taste a good variety of whiskies! In today's tasting the final whisky was aged 21 years and has a hint of cranberry. Yum! Filmed March 25th, 2024, and released April 5th. Hope everyone enjoyed the series. We sure had a good time going out and exploring our lovely city and the surrounding area. Cheers!

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #23 & 24 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invite you to...

03/29/2024

This is our 2nd to last whisky video. David Devere reveals who the big players are in the industry. It’s pretty stunning how so few companies own so many brands. You will be amazed when he extrapolates how much money they are making. Filmed March 8th, 2024, released March 29th.

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #19, 20, 21 & 22 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invit...

03/26/2024

Yee-haw, spring is on its way and we are getting back to some boating videos! Here we are trying to get out of our mooring spot in Strasbourg at Europe Boat Trading Marina. With David Devere, Sara Duke, Savvy Nomad, RC Travel, Europe Boat Trading and more.

We are tied to the Murder Boat and it to us....in this video we slip the lines and squeeze out of our slip past the imposing visage of the Strasbourg and try...

03/22/2024

In this episode we head up the North Shore to Two Harbors, showcasing the Two Harbors Lighthouse and the tugboat, Edna G., while we do a double header, tasting numbers 15 & 16 and 17 & 18 of the Tour of Scotland whisky box. Also, David Devere gives a great lesson on stills: pot still vs. column still. No glasses were dropped and no one was hurt while filming this episode. 🙂

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #15, 16, 17 & 18 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invit...

03/15/2024

This is the episode in which we drop a glass, Sara gags on the taste of the whisky, and Dave falls on his a**. Lol - good times! Also, luckily, we had a beautiful dusting of snow to showcase the Lester River gazebo. Tasted numbers 13 & 14 of the Tour of Scotland box. And David Devere gives an excellent lesson on the chemistry of distilling. Filmed February 23, 2024; video went live March 15, 2024.

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #13 and 14 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invite you ...

03/08/2024

Well, the weather turned cold again and we found a nice ice waterfall on our local creek, Tischer Creek. It's a beautiful stream with 3 trail options: low and rugged - right on the creek; high foot path - less rugged, good overviews; and high paved - great option for walking side by side or biking. For our whisky tasting we contrast compared numbers 11 and 12. 11 was quite smokey and even a little salty. It was very complex. 12 was sweeter and more fruity, plus had a nice thick body. Filmed February 16th and released March 8th. Enjoy, and cheers!

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #11 and 12 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invite you ...

03/01/2024

Hi there! We went to Grassy Point for this video and found strong evidence of Beaver activity. So many beaver stumps! For our whisky tasting we contrast-compared numbers 9 and 10. And David Devere gave an excellent lesson on why Whisky can be spelled Whisky - no "E" - and Whiskey - with an "E." One smelled of pear and the other of creme brûlée. Nice! Filmed February 2nd and released March 1st, 2024.

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #9 and 10 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invite you t...

02/23/2024

Hi there! We went to the "Ice Farm" for this video and luckily caught some folks ice climbing. The Duluth Climbers Coalition hosts events here and is dedicated to preserving access to Duluth’s diverse climbing resources and promoting quality climbing opportunities for enthusiasts of all disciplines. For our whisky tasting we contrast-compared numbers 7 and 8. One smelled of Chartreuse and the other of pears. Yum! Filmed February 2nd and released February 23rd.

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #7 and 8 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invite you to...

02/16/2024

Hi Folks - We tasted whisky #5 and #6 in this tasting episode. This was filmed on the shores of Lake Superior on January 26th (video released February 16th, 2024). It had warmed up so much by this filming that not only did we see a kayaker, but we saw some folks cold-plunging in the lake in their skivvies. Us Duluthians are hard core. Regarding the whisky, we agreed that both of the Scotch Whiskies today were winners! There was some very complex aromas and tastes to identify. Let us know what you thought.

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #5 and 6 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invite you to...

02/09/2024

Ooooo....we tasted a 15 year scotch in this episode. Yummmmm. (Episode filmed January 19, 2024 and released February 9, 2024. It was even colder than last week's tasting. 🥶)

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #3 and 4 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invite you to...

02/02/2024

Hi Everyone! We're baaaaaack....with Whisky Tasting in the Wild! Enjoy, and let us know what you tasted.

Hello, welcome to the winter 2024 whisky tasting. In his episode we taste scotch #1 and 2 from the Tour of Scotland Advent Calendar. Sara and I invite you to...

12/24/2023

Day 24, 2023 Costco Around the World in 24 Wines with a Licensed Wine Educator ~ White Blend from Spain.

Well, it's our last day. The grand finale, the end of the road, the culmination of 24 days of swirling, sniffing, sipping, savoring, and maybe even scrapbooking with your wine journal. Thank you all for joining us in these reindeer games. We hope to see you again here on FB, or on our YouTube channel, or in person - perhaps even in France on our canal boat. Cheers!

Day 24 finds us traveling to back to Spain and tasting a white blend.Thank you for joining me for the 2023 Advent box series.Our Web Page: https://savvynomad...

12/23/2023

Day 23: Red Blend, France. The label doesn't give us a lot to go on but at least Dave shares what the heck "right bank" and "left bank" mean. Who knew that some wine regions are named based on shipping directions?
Also, speaking of boats and water.....who would like to go canal boating with us in France in 2024? We have one week open in the spring and one week open in the fall. 🤩

Day 23 finds us traveling to back to France and tasting a red blend of...unknown grape varieties - watch me struggle to guess.Join me tomorrow for day 24.Our...

12/22/2023

Day 22: Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon (which brings up the controversy, is it Syrah or Shiraz?) David Devere illuminates the controversy. And regardless of which you prefer, this one is good!

Day 22 finds us traveling to Italy and tasting an Australian inspired Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon blend.Join me tomorrow for day 23.Tasting Card: https://sa...

12/21/2023

Day 21: Pinot Blanc from Luxembourg. Big thumbs up for today! Perhaps the #1 wine for this season?

Day 21 finds us traveling down the Moselle river and sipping a Pinot Blanc from Luxembourg.Join me tomorrow for day 22.Tasting Card: https://savvynomad.com/w...

12/20/2023

Day 20: A red from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy that is similar to Lambrusco except that it isn't sparkling and it doesn't name that region on the label but....Dave has his suspicions.

Day 20 finds us traveling back to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and trying a wine that is similar to Lambrusco except that it isn't sparkling and it doe...

12/19/2023

Day 19: Garnacha (Sp.) / Grenache (Fr.) / Cannonau (It.): who is right? Plus, tips on how to make bad wine palatable.

Day 19 finds us traveling back to sun kissed Spain and tasting a Garnacha which the French call Grenache and the Italians call Cannonau.Join me tomorrow for ...

12/18/2023

Day 18 - Rosé again. And David Devere gives us some great info on labeling laws. Makes a person wonder why wine-makers do not have to include all the things that they put in wine. Wine is food, and food makers are required to list their ingredients; why aren't wine-makers? The good ones of course only use grapes and maybe yeast (if they aren't using wild yeast). But some makers use additives, colorants, and stabilizers which can cause a histamine reaction (think flushed skin, headaches, stuffy nose, etc.). Anyway, enjoy your Day 18!

Day 18 finds us traveling back to France and tasting a Rosé that looks more orange than pink.Join me tomorrow for day 19.Tasting Card: https://savvynomad.com...

12/17/2023

Day 17 - Ooof-da! It's a whipsaw effect. After yesterday's total winner, this one did not measure up. This red blend from Portugal does not represent the wonderful wines that normally come out of this country. Still, as usual, lots to learn in this video.

Day 17 finds us traveling back to Portugal and tasting a red blend...unfortunately it isn't a Port.Join me tomorrow for day 18.Tasting Card: https://savvynom...