Touting Time: Culinary travel, Nomadic graphics

A few landing spots in the travelsphere that we've been diggin' on as of late:

• For the adventurous eater, it's not a stretch to plan an entire trip around one's meals. Celebrations International Travel Blog takes a detailed look at the trends of the culinary travel industry, pulling some interesting headlines and offering advice on savoring tastes on trips. Author Adrienne enlightened us to some pretty jarring developments in world-class landmarks -- the inimitable Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona now features a Starbucks, and that the most revered art museum, the Louvre in Paris, is set to open a McDonald's inside. As a dedicated foodie she's none too pleased. Her recent posts display insightful and personal commentary about the concept of multiculturalism and feeling like a fish out of water when traveling. Adrienne and her husband Agni run Celebrations International, an agency that books ardent restaurant hunters to the most divine eateries worldwide in addition to traditional tours, with an emphasis on getting a feel for local tastes wherever you go.

• As we learned from our recent guest, Gary Arndt, you cannot underestimate the value of a good, clean photo. Every picture tells a story, a picture's worth a thousand words, all those good hackneyed phrases. But maybe these maxims aren't hackneyed enough -- crisp snapshots often go ignored in favor of text around the travel blogosphere, text which may or may not stoke the senses as effectively as a picture almost always can. James Clark at Nomadic Notes has a steady eye for evocative photography, his posts benefiting from their brightness and brevity.
  
  His recent globetrotting has produced charming shots of old and new Europe, from Belgrade (pictured left) to Amsterdam to London, and his archives are rife with some gorgeous portraiture from his native Australia, like this post on the country's wildlife. James weighs in with level-headed commentary from time to time as well, his aforementioned Belgrade post deftly running down the restored glory of the former Yugoslavian city. In all, Nomadic Notes makes for a classy, no-frills addition to your travel blog bookmarks for its to-the-point approach and engaging photography.