CeliacChicks

Gluten-Free Washington, D.C.

This article was graciously contributed by Maria Roglieri and Sara Friedman.

It's cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C. - a great time to take in the sweet sights and smells of all the beautiful flowers as you stroll along the Tidal Basin. The cherry blossoms are peaking a little early despite all the tons of snow in the area earlier this year. And they are spectacular! 

We love D.C. because of all the great museums, monuments, and the Library of Congress (our personal favorite) and also because it is a great place to be gluten-free. So when you're done taking in the cherry blossoms, check out all the gluten-free restaurants down in our nation's capital!

There are a bunch of chain restaurants including Bertucci's (Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom), Legal Seafoods (Chinatown), Morton's (Downtown and Georgetown), Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (Downtown and Dupont Circle), and Uno Chicago Grill (Union Station). And then there are a series of really great gourmet, Zagat-rated restaurants unique to the D.C. area there that have a complete gluten-free menu including:

Gluten Free Ireland: Dublin Part I

Dublin (photo courtesy of Lyra at Ces't La Vie Events)

Please welcome guest blogger Christine Carty. An Irish girl in her late twenties, Christine was diagnosed with celiac disease at the age of 24. She currently lives in Dublin. She loves to play Gaelic Football (Ireland's national sport), travel and discover new and fun places to eat gluten-free.

 

Many visitors come to Ireland with that dreamy look in their eye. Whether it’s to research their ancestors or to sample the local black stuff, Ireland has something for everyone. As a native of the midlands of Ireland, I grew up on a diet of potatoes, cabbage, boiled ham and my mum’s homemade brown bread. My mum is the ultimate “Irish Mammy” and I’m glad for all the years I've enjoyed fabulous traditional Irish food.

 

Being Gluten-Free In Ireland

 

I was 24 and had just finished college when I discovered I had celiac disease. Some years on I’m realizing that it’s so easy to be gluten-free in Dublin. In Ireland celiac disease has become increasingly prevalent in the past five to ten years. In fact, it’s got to the point where it’s common to be either intolerant to wheat or to have full blown celiac disease. The Irish celiac community is also a great knowledge base of what’s going on in Ireland, and good reviews and reports spread like wildfire. I would sincerely recommend logging onto the forums prior to your visit in order to set your mind at ease. So without further ado, here’s some tourist info and the gluten free scoop on my city.

Celiac Disease Information

 

Gluten-Free Tivoli

View from the lookout at Hadrian's Villa. Looks like a painting, no?

An interesting day trip from Rome is a visit to Hadrian's Villa. We took the train to the town of Tivoli, and then the No. 4 bus a short 4 miles to the site.* Evidently, the town of Tivoli itself has a lot to offer tourists, but just touring Hadrian's Villa took us an entire day.

The Italian name for Hadrian's Villa

Emperor Hadrian liked to get away from it all at his summer villa located within the Tiburtini Hills. His private retreat was built between AD 118 and 134 or as Zoolander would say, "a really, really, really long time ago." 

Gluten-Free Rome

The Arch of Septimius Severus from AD 203

[The continuing saga that left off in Sardinia...]

Here are some snapshots of experiences while in Rome that totally made the trip worthwhile, despite the challenge of finding gluten-free, corn-free, and dairy-free food.

Charming windows

The famous Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio in San Luigi dei Francesi

My friends were the perfect combination of art and history snobs, so I just followed their lead to many Roman treasures.

Gluten-Free Spain Guide: Barcelona

Contributed by Christine Carty. Christine is an Irish girl in her late twenties, who was diagnosed with celiac diseas at the age of 24. She currently lives in Dublin. Her favorite things to do are play Gaelic Football (Ireland's national sport), travel and discover new and fun places to eat gluten free

I knew very little of what to expect from Barcelona.  I've heard such amazing things about it, but also a definite "watch your bags for the pick pockets". Barcelona is similar to Dublin in the sense that it doesn't really do high rises, but never have I seen a skyline with such varying structures. After one weekend there I finally understood why Gaudi was considered to be left of field, and I am now ever more grateful that not all of mankind has chosen to live as sheep.

 

Using  our stealth direction (OK maybe a map and turning down a few random streets) we found our hotel. The Acta Atrium Palace on Gran Via de la Catalanes is a 4 star boutique hotel, which surprisingly manages to fit in a small pool and a jacuzzi. There couldn't be any more than 60 rooms in this little gem of a hotel, and as well as being a perfect spot in Barcelona, the service is impeccable. On entering our room, we were presented with what can only be described as the best stocked room I've ever been in; a bathrobe and slippers for use when taking the lift to the pool, the biggest variety of toiletry essentials from a comb to a toothbrush, as well as soap and shampoo and two fluffy pillows each.