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Lebkuchen Schmidt is one of Germany‘s most famous gingerbread makers and prides itself on its “exquisite quality” and secret recipe. Lebkuchen Schmidt is committed to the tradition of the good old baking craft, while at the same time continuing to refine and create new taste sensations on the basis of the traditional recipe. Modern day gingerbread may now include almonds, walnuts, creamy nougat, fine cocoa, selected spices, soft melting chocolate and other fine ingredients. Not only is the gingerbread tasty, it also looks pretty in one of the collector’s items tins it’s wrapped in.

White Rabbit has caused a clamor among Santiago foodies for its stripped-down approach to good, wholesome food. Using all organic ingredients on a short but sweet menu, this is the kind of food that your soul craves. Mac n’ cheese with black truffle oil and a touch of smoked pancetta. Classic steak tartare. Artisan fresh mozzarella in a Caprese salad. A gooey chocolate brownie for dessert, or even baked Alaska! All served in a small, modern restaurant with a young, cool crowd. Reservations essential. Antonia Lopez de Bello 118, Bellavista Phone: 56 (2) 2503 4246

While strolling along Stellenbosch’s oak-lined avenues, you’ll come across several boutiques selling everything from jams and baked goods to artisanal crafts. For the best souvenirs, stop into Local Works on Drostdy Street, where you’ll find handsome wooden giraffes. Though cumbersome to carry home, they make for great gifts. You’ll no doubt see someone on your return flight with one wrapped in newspaper.

The latest spot from Elena Reygadas, chef and owner of the lauded restaurant Rosetta, Café Nin has taken over the second location of her acclaimed bakery, Panadería Rosetta. Named for author Anaís Nin, the menu is eclectic and changes often. Reygadas’ signature pastas share space with dishes like Thai-inspired curry and crab and mango tostadas, and somehow it all works. Grab a seat on the breezy patio, the space feels like a funky Parisian bistro with all the crumbling charm of a Mexican hacienda. Oh, and the pastry counter is open all day.

The French are well known for their delicate baguettes, the ricH butter croissants, and sweet and colorful macaroons. Macaroons or in French ‘le macaron,’ are small round meringue like cookies, made of sugar and eggs, stuffed with light cream or crushed almond cream. There are endless bakeries in Paris, and so many patisseries that sell and serve macaroons but my favorite one was Ladurée, which became a prestigious brand name for macaroons. My most visited Ladurée was the one on 21 Rue Boneparte, a cute cornered patisserie with a colorful magical and tempting gift shop next door.

It’s about a ten-mile round-trip, but a summer hike up to Goat Lake in the Central Cascades will reward you with a glacially-colored mirror of snow-clad crags and distant waterfalls. An easy day-hike from Seattle (if you get up early), it’s also just low enough in elevation so that the trail is usually snow-free by late spring. The day I went, my friend and I had the trail almost to ourselves...Switchbacking up through the dark woods, the roar of McIntosh falls lets you know you’re almost at the top...and then you emerge from the woods into the lake-filled clearing--ethereally colored by the glacially-ground rock particles in the water... We met a couple of guys who’d spent the previous night camping above the alpine lake. Then a crew of Forest Service summer workers arrived, with good spirits, ready advice, and machetes for trail-maintenance. It’s about a 1hr45min drive to the trailhead from Seattle.

From the moment you step into the Mark Hotel, with its art deco-inspired lobby clad in black-and-white marble floors, the vibe is a blend of fashionable, worldly, and understated. Located in a landmark 1927 building on a tranquil corner of the Upper East Side, just a couple of blocks from Central Park, the 153-room hotel was designed by French interiors maven Jacques Grange. Accommodations feature furnishings in ebony, sycamore, and granite, while black-and-white-floored marble bathrooms are outfitted with soaking tubs and heated towel racks.

For a classic American diner experience, the Cherry Hill Diner in, yes, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is the place to go. This 24/7 locale has been around for decades, and is as renowned for its freshly baked cakes as it is for its gargantuan omelets. If you can, try to swing by at night when the lights are aglow and the whole vibe harkens back to the days of mid-twentieth century USA.

Cozy Dolina serves a lovely breakfast spread with an Eastern European bent. Try the nutty granola atop Greek yogurt with fruit, ricotta pancakes, and a hearty breakfast burrito with organic eggs, hash browns, and asadero cheese (topped, in good New Mexican fashion, with red or green chile). There’s also robust espresso and coffee, local bone broth, and baked grab-and-go sweets like chocolate croissants, banana pie with a flaky, buttery crust, and Slovakian-style vanilla cream puffs.

A short drive from the picturesque fishing village of Cadaques and Dalí’s House Museum in Port Lligat, Cap de Creus is one of my favorite places in Spain when it comes to natural beauty. Sweeping views of the ocean from atop the cliffs are even better after a lunch of fresh seafood paella, the catch of the day-baked, grilled or fried, or the restaurant’s surprisingly tasty Indian eats. Burn off lunch with a hike down the steep incline to the waterline, or just cop a squat and settle in to write, sketch or meditate.

After a morning of wandering Istanbul‘s winding streets, it is a treat to find a delicious eatery like Datli Maya, ready to welcome you with brick-oven baked bites in the form of lahmacun (similar to a thin-crust pizza) and other delicious menu items, and a cup of sweet tea. Dine in on the cozy second floor, then get a pastry or cake to go on your way out for later. It’s easy to find in the streets of the trendy Cihangir district, with its bright turquoise shopfront and location across from a public gazebo. Lovely space, tasty food, nice people, great find.

Vendors first set up shop at the Italian Market in the mid-to-late 1880s, and today, the spread of stalls, stores, and eateries runs all along South 9th Street in Philadelphia’s residential Bella Vista neighborhood. A trip here involves all the senses: sights, sounds, vibrant colors, and, most intoxicating of all, the combined aromas of spices, coffee, and just-baked bread. Along this stretch, shoppers can find fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, fish, seafood, meats, cheeses, pastries, homemade pasta, ice cream, chocolates, and tea. The 10-block market area also includes a great variety of restaurants. Overwhelmed by the choices? Stop at the Visitor Center for suggestions. The market operates all year round, and in all types of weather.

The Roscioli family, famous for their nearby bakery Antico Forno Roscioli, opened this restaurant/wine bar/gourmet shop in 2005. Book several days in advance for lunch or dinner and be sure to request a ground floor table near the back of the dining room, the best of the available dining areas. Start with a selection of cured meats and a plate of burrata, then move on to spaghetti alla carbonara, one of the best in town, therefore the world. The wine list is outstanding and has surprisingly affordable labels from every Italian region. If you can’t snag a table, pop in for an apertif before dinner service.

Two of my favorite things are beer and bikes, so it was no surprise that I fell in love with the Blue Star Brewing Company in San Antonio. The beer is top-notch and all organic. It also has a stellar food menu and offers great ambiance, both inside and out on the expansive patio. I love the layout of the brew pub, which also includes a bakery and a butcher block. The cool bikes on display are a bonus. My favorite beer on tap is the Pale Ale, but there are many options to please any beer aficionado.

Getting to Onar Andros requires a fair amount of determination. A ferry from Athens or Mykonos takes you to one of the northernmost Cycladic islands (there’s no airport nearby); once you arrive at the port in Gavrio, it’s a slow 25-mile drive to the hotel. Your reward, however, is a tiny slice of Eden, an enclave of 10 stone-and-timber cottages set amid a lush river valley that’s only a five-minute walk to Ahia Beach, arguably the most beautiful in all the Cyclades. Built and maintained by the owner, Mateo, the accommodations are deliberately spare yet modern and comfortable, each with a pergola-shaded veranda with loungers and a hammock. Meals are served at a communal table, and what Mateo doesn’t grow organically, he sources from local fisherman, farmers, and bakers. Guests can even accompany him to pick fruits and vegetables to be used in that night’s dinner. After all, this is a place to ditch your devices and surrender to your surroundings.