Budgeting for a vacation in Europe is tough. The plane tickets are enough of an investment, and once you’re there, the weak dollar means even a “bargain” is comically expensive.

Here are a few ways we managed to get out of London without going broke:

1. Museums, museums, museums! Most of the museums in London are free, and there are enough to provide days of sightseeing. We saw the Wallace Collection, the Victoria and Albert, the Natural History Museum, the Tate Modern, and the National Gallery. And we only had time to see a small part of their enormous collections.

2. Cheap transport. Most of the time, we walked - probably at least 5 miles a day. But we also bought Oystercards, which are a LOT less expensive than cash tickets- a ride costs £1.50 instead of £4!

Beat the Clock specials at Belgo Centraal

3. Food specials. My favorite was at Belgo Centraal, a large underground Belgian beerhall featuring robed waiters and co-ed bathrooms. Between 5 and 6:30 on weekdays, you “pay the clock” for an entree and a beer. (In other words, come at 5 and pay £5.) The dishes were great - we had wild mushroom puff pastry and roasted vegetables in a pastry shell topped by a delectable slab of goat cheese.

Another good low-priced option is The Stockpot, with affordable fixed-price and a la carte options, and the kind of food you’d imagine eating on a Sunday night at home growing up in England. The restaurant has several locations.

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We spent the weekend in and around Portland, Maine - the perfect last-minute getaway at less than a three hour drive. The weather wasn’t prime for tourists (except skiers), but we drove up to LL Bean in Freeport, bought down jackets, and spent the rest of the time alternately walking around in the cold and warming up with some delicious food.

First, we took a short trip from LL Bean to Brunswick, where we ate at Richard’s German American Restaurant. Located in an old brick building in the center of town, the restaurant has a great atmosphere - brick and dark wood paneling, beer steins and antlers decorating the walls. We drank Ayinger Celebrator on tap and enjoyed buttery rolls with sweet peppery mustard. I had Wiener Gulasch and Jeremy had the Schlactplatte, with sausages and smoked pork. We couldn’t help trying the desserts either (Sachertorte and an apple dumpling swimming in vanilla sauce). It was all delicious and piping hot from the kitchen!

Celebrator, Wiener Gulasch and Sacher Torte at Richard’s, photos by Jeremy and I

Later that night we had a light dinner at Gilbert’s Chowder House on Portland’s waterfront Commercial Street - clam / seafood chowder and a shared lobster roll. The chowder was thick and slightly sweet, and the roll was filled with big pieces of lobster.

Poutine and Beignets at Duck Fat, photos by Jeremy May

Sunday morning we went to Duck Fat on Middle St. for an early lunch. As their name hints, Duck Fat specializes in Belgian fries fried in duck fat. We had a bowl of poutine (their fries topped with duck gravy and cheese curds), beignets with chocolate sauce and a giant french press pot of coffee.

We also browsed some great shops, including Le Roux Kitchen, a two-story cooking and gourmet food store. I couldn’t resist a bottle of their 18-year balsamic vinegar. We also passed Rabelais, a book store dedicated to food writing, but unfortunately (or fortunately, for my very full bookshelves) it was closed.

In my two posts about my trip to New York last weekend, I somehow neglected to mention why I was there - the 10th annual Chocolate Show!

Chocolate Fashion at the Chocolate Show

If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a 40,000 square foot exhibition hall full of chocolate. Visitors shuffle through in a daze, tasting samples from international chocolate makers, buying bars and truffles, watching cooking demos and more.

Our favorite this year was Comptoir du Cacao from France. They served up chocolate in several forms - solid pieces, pralines, and “croustines” - little clusters. I was also pleasantly surprised by the new “Crave” bar from NewTree. The pairing of apricots and milk chocolate almost didn’t interest me, but it was great (I should have known - I love their milk chocolate lavender bar).

Before my chocolate high wore off, I picked up some retro bars from Chocolate Bar and the new Chili Cherry bar from Chocolove. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my favorite purchase (and undoubtedly the one which will last the longest) - a chocolate-scented Chocolate Show hoodie!

The entrance fee is $28: a bargain for chocolate enthusiasts, and for everyone else, a good excuse to go at least once. But if you missed it, why not pick up $28 worth of chocolate and have a tasting at home?