Grateful for Sundays 10

Taking little pauses throughout my weeks for my Grateful for Sunday posts has brought me great joy and peace. However, I realised that I've made a terrible mistake. 

In my haste to start a string of themed posts, I have forgotten what topic makes me the most excited to share with my readers -food. In order to make room for both, I have decided to make my Grateful for Sunday posts on the last Sunday of each month.

So, for the month of June, I am grateful for...

Sparrows on Powerlines

I made a conscious decision to get up early for a walk last weekend and happened to look up. This might sound weird but, because I am mostly driving or busing, I rarely look up and see cute sparrows sitting in a row.

Citrus Season

Right now my garden smells beautiful. Our lemon and orange trees are full of fruit which means our water is infused with deliciousness and our desserts are exceptionally zesty!

Quiet times in the CBD

I discovered this beautiful seated area during a site visit. I took a 5 minute mini break and enjoyed staying still while the city moved around me.

Sculpture Trail at Brick Bay Winery

The highlight of my month was the Sculpture Trail at Brick Bay Winery. We arrived at midday and spent an hour winding through beautiful scenery to look at 45 contemporary sculptures crafted by New Zealand artists. Above is one of my favourite sculptures, especially because of the way it reflects on the lake.

What are you grateful for this month?

A New Year and Some Goals

There are many ways to bring in the new year. In the past, we have done the house party, crazy music festival, night out on the town, quiet night in and even watching the lights in Paris. This year, we celebrated by going on a big camping trip to one of the most beautiful places in the world. 

New Chums Beach, Coromandel

Just down the road, across an estuary, over some rocks and through the bush was New Chums Beach. By just I mean approximately 30 minutes. With its clear blue waters and the spectacular scenery, it is no wonder that it is voted as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. 

Opera Point, Whangapoua

When the weather wasn't at its best, we went for a bush walk through Opera Point which ultimately led us back to more stunning beach views.

Opera Point, Whangapoua

There was also down time (a lot of it actually) where many a crossword was completed and, of course, discussion about everyone's resolutions for 2015 took place. There was the obligatory "I will quit smoking" and " I will be more fit" which no doubt pops up every year. 

Whangapoua Beach, Coromandel

Coming up with resolutions is hard and sticking to them is even harder, especially when they are vague. A good trick is to have specific goals in mind so you have a better idea of what success looks like. Instead of saying "I will go to the gym", how about "I will work out for 30 minutes, 3 times a week"? This provides a target and makes it easier to see whether your are meeting your goal.

Another is to break each goal into smaller, more manageable chunks so it is easy to track your progress -something I have been doing for my engineering projects to make them less daunting. 

In total, I have 5 major categories (Financial, Lifestyle, Fitness and Well-being, Projects and Career), each broken down into sub-tasks. With that in mind, I thought I would share some of mine with you:

1. The only debt I will have by the end of 2015 shall be the mortgage
2. I will aim to bring my own lunch to work at least four times a week
3. Instead of going to expensive restaurants, I will entertain at home more often
4. I will listen to more new music
5. I will aim to cycle a track at least once every two weeks
6. I will take more care into what I wear to work - that is, no jeans unless it is casual Friday or I am going to site for a whole day

Looking out from Opera Point

So that's a little insight into my goals for the new year. Hopefully points 2 and 3 mean that you will see many more recipes for 2015.

What are your goals for this year?

Bangkok, Thailand

It occurred to me, while we were planning our honeymoon, that Jason and I were the last people out of our group of friends to visit Thailand. It was somewhere I had always wanted to visit, but my better half ruled it out due to a fear of being mugged -although, he adds, he's worried about being mugged anywhere! He soon changed his mind after his little sister visited and returned unscathed. The colourful pictures and  exciting stories were too much to resist and we just had to experience it for ourselves!

Inside the grounds of the Grand Palace

We headed over to Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) on our first full day. A respectable standard of dress is required to enter the grounds which seems to catch many visitors off guard. Shoulders, knees and feet must be covered and clothing can be hired. Don't panic if you're worried about sharing clothes though, there are plenty of shop keepers nearby all too willing to sell you a pair of fishermen pants -then you end up with a very comfortable pair of pants to keep (or in my case, two or three!).

Decorations on the main building

The entrance fee was 500 baht each ($20 NZD) to see the Emerald Buddha as well as the Grand Palace and a few little museums scattered throughout the 234 acre grounds. We were only two among what must have been hundreds of other tourists that day but, because the grounds were so big, we could walk around a decent amount of time without bumping into anyone. With over 100 buildings withing the grounds, it was hard not to be overwhelmed.

Inside the grounds of the Grand Palace

The first thing we noticed upon walking through the gates were the bright colours. The second was how well preserved each and every building was - I didn't think buildings from the 18th century could look so new! Beneath the midday sun, all the buildings looked so vibrant and stood out against the blue sky. Every roof had tidy rows of orange and green tiles which reflected the sunlight and all the pillars were decorated with tiny mosaics. It was very difficult to decide where to look!

In the centre of the complex is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha where visitors are required to enter barefoot. It is noticeably quieter inside the temple and we take our time admiring the high ceilings and murals on the wall while those around us pray. 

Lunch at the Tha Chang Amulet Market

We have lunch near Tha Chang Amulet Market where Jason bought his pants. It takes us a while to settle on a stall and and even longer to decide on what to eat because everything looked and smelled so good! We finally settled on a light meal of fried pork strips on rice to share as the midday heat left us more thirsty than hungry. We also ordered a Chang beer, watermelon juice and a milk tea. I was quite surprised that it was orange and more so when I saw the quantity of condensed milk that went into it! All of this cost us less than 120 baht ($4.80 NZD).

The Reclining Buddha

A short walk from the Grand Palace is the famous Reclining Buddha, one of the must-see attractions we were told. Entrance is 100 baht ($4 NZD). Located in Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), the 46 metre long Buddha is a breathtaking sight. Even though he is  laying on his side, you still have to tilt your head right up to see Buddha's face. I realise my mouth is wide open and I quickly close it. 

The buildings at Wat Pho are just as colourful and well kept as those at the Grand Palace and we have a wander around before being overcome by the intense heat. We stumble into a very nice air conditioned room which turns out to be the leading school of massage in Thailand -the lines are long though, so we don't stay too long.

Ratchaparop Road, Makkasan

The street outside our hotel is super busy. The road is full of every sort of vehicle and, if it weren't for the bridges that span over it, I don't think I would ever make it across the street. The footpath is equally busy with shops on one side and covered stalls set up on the road side. It was very nice to keep out of the sun, and there was always something interesting to look at when we were on our way to the next destination. I enjoyed comparing the prices at each stall and haggling with the good natured owners.

Pak Klong Talat - Fresh Flower Market

The Fresh Flower Market (Pak Khlong Talat) is a beautiful sight with colourful bouquets as far as the eye can see. Stalls line both sides of the footpath and are mostly caters for wholesalers rather than individuals. The market is open 24/7 and it's hard for me to imagine anyone needing such a great quantity of flowers! Many end up being offerings for Buddha so we were discouraged to touch or even smell them but no one minded if you took pictures. 

Lunch in some random alleyway in Chinatown

We made our way to Chinatown (aka Yaowarat) for lunch and settled for a nice, dingy alleyway lined with equally dingy eateries. We were a bit apprehensive at first but figured that, since all the tables were occupied, the food must be safe! For 100 baht ($4 NZD) we were given a plate of rice and were able to fill up the rest with a whole buffet of different dishes such as fried whole egg, spicy chicken, green curry and deep fried pork nuggets which were extremely popular.

Chinatown: getting lost in Sampeng Lane and Talat Mai

We spent the rest of the day browsing the many covered streets of Chinatown, walking into every shop that takes our fancy and eventually getting lost. I swear we ended up at the same intersection at least three times! 

Our first stop was Sampeng Lane which is a very long street between tall buildings that just happens to be a great place for a wholesale market to exist. Everything was certainly a lot cheaper here but only if you bought in bulk -not many shop owners were willing to entertain my haggling skills when I only wanted to by single units! It was very easy to get lost among the crowd and we had to stop frequently for beggars/tourists/randoms perched in the narrow walkways.

Interesting foods at Talat Mai

Just a few streets down, Talat Mai is a 200 metre long streets known to be the center of Chinatown's shopping. It really reminded me of going back home to China! Dried mushrooms, seafood, preserved veggies and tea were at every second stall and Chinese music was even playing in the distance. The market seemed to be organised into different sections and after wandering through the food section, we found ourselves lost in the bags and shoes section for ages. Like the wholesale market, the owners here didn't take to bargaining all that well and didn't seem to care whether or not you wanted to buy anything. We got a few goodies though, like a great wok turner.

Dinner came from a little woman and her mobile stall that was right beneath our hotel. For just 40 baht ($1.60 NZD), we received a piping hot bowl of rice noodle soup with fish balls which was just the right amount of filling. The soup had very clean flavours and it wasn't hard to see why her part of the alleyway was so popular! It was a little strange having motorbikes whizz by while eating, but it was so exciting eating on the street with the locals rather than fancy restaurants.

So that was our couple of days in Bangkok (in case you were wondering why we had two lunches). 

Would you prefer eating at a street stall or having a proper fancy meal at a restaurant?

Eurotrip, chapter 4: Pre-Christmas Paris

... Continued from Eurotrip, chapter 3: Osnabrück, Germany

After our short visit to Luisa's house, we boarded the train bound for Frankfurt for our flight to Paris. That day was mostly travel filled, with a little stop in Denmark, so we didn't arrive in Paris until it was fully dark. The metro was super easy to navigate and we were able to find our line quickly and find the apartment we had booked.

Left: Inside Charles De Gaulle airport, Paris.
Top right: train station in Ösnabrück.
Bottom right: writing in my diary on the train from Ösnabrück to Frankfurt

Up until this point during our trip, we had been able to get away with speaking English to everyone we've encountered. We had gotten by with a few greetings in the local language but really not much more.

That was until we arrived at our apartment in Paris, or what Jason and I like call the most stressful part of our trip. Instead of the English speaking apartment manager we called at the airport, we were met with a little old French speaking lady who didn't know a word of English! 

Our tiny 20m² Parisian apartment

Hand gestures and animated talking was able to get us some of the way but paying for the room became a problem as we had to ask where the nearest ATM was. Fortunately, we met a lovely Spanish man who spoke both French AND English and was able to show Jason while I waited anxiously in the room. 

Other than that awkward encounter, we were stoked with our apartment - which was positively Parisian (and has apparently changed a bit since we last stayed!). At a small 20m², the little room was able to fit a double bed, a small dining table and even a kitchen which was hidden inside a cupboard! We also had our own bathroom next door. We were close to a metro station, supermarket and within walking distance to most attractions in town. 

Notre Dame

We spent our first morning just wandering the streets without really having a plan and we didn't even realise we were at the Notre Dame when we arrived! To be perfectly honest, I had expected it to be a little bigger so it took us a little while to figure out where we were! It was incredibly humbling being inside a building that had been around for hundreds of years and stepping into the cathedral was like stepping into a whole different world. The stained glass windows were so very grand, as were the thousands of lit candles that decorated the interior. 

Top: Centre Georges Pompidou
Bottom: Stravinsky Fountain

Just up the road was the Centre Pompidou which houses a large public library (the Bibliothèque publique d'information), a modern art museum (Musèe National d'Art Moderne) and the IRCAM, a music centre. We didn't end up going inside as there were massive lines outside that never seemed to be moving but were content marveling at the 25ft free-standing art installation which decorated its exterior.

We had lunch by the Straivinsky Fountain (La Fontaine Stravinsky) which includes 16 scuptures inspired by Igor Stravinsky's major works. 

Left: Marché Franprix - the supermarket underneath our apartment building
Top right: Jason bites into a Croque-monsieur
Bottom right: banana and Nutella waffle from Häagen-Dazs

We found that food was generally very expensive in Paris so we were pretty stoked to have our own kitchen. Most nights we shopped in the supermarket beneath our apartment building for goodies such as cheese, baguettes, eggs and cured meats. Fruit was quite expensive as it was the middle of winter but wine and chocolate was a lot cheaper than back home!

E. Dehillerin

Inside E. Dehillerin

One of our stops along the way was E. Dehillerin. I put this on our list as it was one of Julia Child's kitchen store while she was attending cooking school. Stepping inside was akin to entering some sort of hoarder's paradise. The interior was filled, top to bottom, with pots and pans of all shapes and sizes, chocolate moulds, catering sized pots (ones that I could fit in!) and even the ceiling had ladles and whisks hanging off it!

Tuileries Garden

The Tuileries was a bit bare in the winter and we weren't able to witness the lush green gardens that had been described to us. Instead, we saw bare ground and bare trees which, in my opinion, had a charm of its own. 

Palais Garnier

After seeing photos of the Palais Garnier opera house, I knew we had to visit. Used as the setting for The Phantom of the Opera, Palais Garnier is the epitome of high society and everything lavish. The opera house presents about 380 performances of opera, ballet and other concerts each year.

The Grand Foyer

Next stop: Euro Disney, Paris

Eurotrip, chapter 3: Osnabrück, Germany

... Continued from Eurotrip, chapter 2: Berlin, Germany

Shortly after our big pretzel in Berlin airport, we touched down in Osnabrück. I don't think it's a place people normally put on their travel list but we made a little detour to see my friend Luisa's home town. We arrived late in the evening, after a full day in transit, so it was nice to see a familiar face when we arrived.

On the way to town on a beautiful morning

Osnabrück was a very welcome stop for us as our poor feet were sore from days of walking and we were quite glad that we didn't have to stress out about public transport for a few days. We woke up the next day well rested and to gentle snow falling outside!

Streets of Osnabrück

Although it was snowing, it didn't feel very cold. We found that we didn't need to wear our thermals and could get away with just a down jacket. Luisa took us into town for a hearty breakfast buffet at Cafe Blatt and then for a walk through the town. 

The University of Onsabrück

Walking through the town reminded me of walking through a Disney movie. The cobblestone streets were incredibly tidy, lined with pastel houses and old timey lamp posts. The bare trees and snow just added to the charm.

Leysieffer Chocolate Boutique

On our way, we stopped into Leyseiffer which, Luisa said, is a must visit. They are a very well known German brand known for their incredibly indulgent and luxurious chocolates. There was a cafe in the rear end of the store with cabinets filled with delicious looking cakes and patisseries while the walls were lined with chocolatey treats. I took my time here to get a couple of slabs of chocolate as presents for the family. For the record, the Elderflower chocolate is delicious!

Small model of the town covered in snow

Schokokusses and putting up the Christmas tree

We wandered into a Christmas market before it started to get dark. It was far quieter than the ones we saw in Berlin which meant we could spend a little more time browsing without worrying about getting pushed around. The highlight trying my first Schokokuss, which is a sofr marshamallow covered in a very thin layer of chocolate.

After the markets, we stopped off at the local garden centre in Hunteburg for a Christmas tree to decorate with all things turquoise -Luisa's favourite colour.

Snow covered landscape

We were only able to stay a day here but it was great to be able to see an old friend again. We weren't there long but we left knowing a little more about what Christmas is like in Luisa's little corner of the world. 

Next stop: Paris, France

Eurotrip, chapter 2: Berlin, Germany

..Continued from Eurotrip, chapter 1: Venice

After 4 days in Venice, Jason and I were itching to see a big city again. We had seen everything we had planned to and even discovered a few new places we would now recommend to others.

Left: Bifi Roll and Contessa Lebkuchen (Gingerbread)
Right: Rausch Christmas Chocolate

Our first German experience actually came in the form of airplane snacks courtesy of Air Berlin. We took 2 flights (with a stopover in Stuttgart) of about 2 hours each and were treated to the best airplane snacks I've ever had. The Bifi Roll, a thin salami wrapped in a wheat roll, was our favourite and we were quite disappointed that we didn't get any on our connecting flight.

Our tiny room at easyHotel

It was dark when we arrived in Berlin but we were far from tired. My need to be super prepared, paired with the city's super efficient public transport system meant that we arrived in Hackescher Markt in short time (we caught the TXL to Berlin Hauptbahnhof and then the S7 if anyone is interested..). However, I got a little lost once we got to our station and luckily Jason's inherent sense of direction got us to our hotel.

When planning our trip, Jason and I tried to be as thrifty as possible, while staying away from backpackers and hostels as we don't really like to share rooms with strangers. This made easyHotel a very easy choice for us -although we didn't anticipate just how small it was! There is just enough room for a double bed and a bathroom -which is separated by partially frosted glass. We're lucky we know each other well, or else it would have been awkward.

Kopps
Clockwise from top left: Chestnut ravioli, Celery baked
in nori crumb, menu, Pumpkin risotto

After getting settled down, we met our friend Sian who was in town for a few days to see the famous Christmas Markets. We consulted her Lonely Planet guidebook and found a neat vegan restaurant near our place called Kopps. The restaurant had been booked out but we were able to dine in the lounge area near the bar. We admired the modern and trendy interior while I slowly felt more and more out of place in my puffy Kathmandu jacket..

Luckily, the wait staff were super welcoming and did not even take a second look at my tourist attire and showed us the menu. Our dishes were immaculately presented and were full of flavour -which, I'm ashamed to say, is not something I usually associate with vegan dishes. Our highlight was the baked celery which was very tender and the nori crumb gave it a fishy flavour. After only eating pasta and bread for half a week in Venice, we were very glad to eat some vegetables again!

Snapshot of our travel diary that day and a Lucy original illustration

The next morning, we were up early to catch a train to Hauptbahnhof (the main train station) where we met Miguel, our walking tour guide. We were joined by two Australians, Bonnie and Ian, as well as a Brazilian couple who's names we never learned. I think you'll understand, from the above illustration, why that was.

We found the walking tour advertised in a pamphlet we found at the airport and only cost us 12€ to join.

 

Snapshot of walking tour clockwise from top left: Sinti and Roma Memorial, Reichstag, Holocaust memorial, Brandenbury Gate

Our tour started in west Berlin and made our way across the Berlin wall to the east. Along the way, Miguel told us all he knew about German history. As neither of us had taken history at high school, Jason and I were fascinated at how much history was packed into this city and very impressed that so much of it had been preserved. Miguel pointed out a brick trail along the ground which marked where the wall had once separated east and west Berlin (pictured further down) and we were surprised to find out that Hitler's bunker has now been turned into a car park!

We got a great tour of the city and managed to visit 20 or so sites within the 4 hours we had! The only downside was that we were not able to spend much time at each point of interest.

Snapshots from the Christmas market at Alexanderplatz

By the end of our tour, we were starting to get hungry so we made our way to the Christmas market at Alexander Platz for lunch. This was the first time in my life that I had felt like it was Christmas. Each stall looked like a little lodge in Santa's village -decorated with fairy lights, tinsel and Christmas music playing in the background. The smell of Glühwein (mulled wine), roasted nuts and Bratwurst permeated the air and I knew that this was where I wanted to be.

Thüringer Rostbratwurst, Currywurst, beer and glühwein

We were very thankful to get our hands on some warm food after walking around in the winter cold. The spicy, melt in the mouth bratwurst was my favourite and went perfectly with the hot wine. The currywurst was a little strange to us as we had expected a smooth curry sauce. Instead, what we got was some fried pork sausage, cut into slices with tomato sauce and curry powder sprinkled on top. After trying currywurst at another food shack, we realised that this is just what the dish is and that it wasn't for us. I still don't see what the fuss is about!

Top: Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market
Bottom left to right: Berlin Wall trail, Stolpersteine 

After lunch, we headed back to a few places that peaked our interest during the tour such as Checkpoint Charlie and the museum underneath the Holocaust Memorial. The museum follows the stories of many holocaust victims and each exhibit did well to explain how their everyday lives were destroyed in a single day. I could have spent ages there reading letters and listening to stories but, alas, we had to leave at closing time.

Another highlight for me was spotting "Stolpersteine" or stumbling blocks.These were placed by artist Gunter Demnig and are commemorative monuments for victims of the Holocaust. Each Stolperstein remembers each individual and is placed outside where they lived, worked or studied. They also contain information on when they were born, where/when/how they died and, if they were deported, the name of the concentration camp they were sent.

Ampelmännchen

As we wandered around the city, we noticed the cutest looking pedestrian crossing lights wearing hats -but only in certain areas. It was later explained to us that these were the Ampelmännchen ("little traffic light man") that was adopted in East Berlin when traffic lights were introduced and were never changed. The way history has been integrated into the modern times instead of being relegated into a museum was one of the things I appreciated most about Berlin. We sure had a lot of fun spotting these from afar!

Obligatory beer and soft pretzel at the airport

I was very sad when we had to leave. One and a half days in Berlin was definitely not enough. Even though we managed to cram a lot in the little time we had in Berlin, we didn't allow ourselves enough time to take it all in. A city so full of history and culture deserves so much more and we have decided that we will definitely come back in the future. 

Next stop: Osnabrück, Germany

Eurotrip, chapter 1: Venice, Italy

Hi lovelies, 

The last time you heard from me, Jason and I had just gotten engaged and were about to head off on a 2 month trip to Europe and China..

..And then I sort of went missing.

I'm sorry. 

I haven't died. I've just been overwhelmed with life.

I'd like all the foodies out there to know that I have been keeping up to date with your blogs during my lunch breaks (while drooling over your great recipes). I started feeling a bit guilty last week about not posting so I thought I'd start by catching you up on our (not so recent) holiday!

I'll try to be more active from now on. 

Love, Lucy

One of the many enchanting alleyways

The first stop on our trip was beautiful Venice, Italy. The first thing that hit me was how colourful this city was. That, and the total lack of cars. Before you call me silly, let me assure you that I was expecting canals and gondolas in Venice but, somehow, it slipped my mind that it would be used for non-tourist applications..

Silly me.

Gondolas (parked?) outside the Hard Rock Cafe

We arrived on a cold, foggy morning which had just begun to drizzle. We had been told that winter was not the best time to tour Europe, but the fog just made the city look more enchanting and we found that we didn't mind the rain at all. It felt like we were in a fairy tale.

Our hotel

It took us a little while to find our accommodation  which is situated in Cannareigio, as we weren't prepared for a city without many street signs. Luckily, we didn't take too many wrong turns and, eventually, we were welcomed in to the warmth of our hotel.

Squid Ink Pasta (not pictured: lasagna)

For lunch, we found a cute little restaurant nearby where we had Squid Ink Pasta and Lasagna. The squid ink gave the pasta a very light salty flavour which was quite pleasant but, I have to be honest, I was expecting a little more. Unfortunately, we didn't rate the lasagna very highly.

Rialto Bridge

But what kind of people would we be if we let something like an uneventful meal ruin our time in VENICE??

St Mark's Basilica

Although the city seems small on a map, our little feet got quite tired after walking on cobbles for a couple of days. We made full use of our vaporetto (water bus) passes and were able to get a great view of the city from the canals. The locals were super friendly and there were even people offering free hugs (although, I have to admit, I thought they were going to rob me at first!).

Free hugs in San Marco

Whilst wandering through San Marco, we decided to ditch the map and do a little exploring of our own. This led us down a few random alleyways and we ended up a little lost..

Spaghetti mare e monti

Instead of panicking, we settled ourselves down in a nearby restaurant (they're never too far) for dinner. We were able to share a set menu and, fortunately, this meal was a great improvement compared to the meal we had earlier in the day. It definitely pays to wander off the main tourist paths for food! Whether or not it was intentional..

Steak and chips (sorry, I forgot to get the name on the menu)

The spaghetti was delicious, with clean seafood flavours from the clams and mussels on a tomato base. Our second course of steak, chips and spinach was also well cooked and followed with a delicious tiramisu.

Staff at Harry's Bar dressed nicer than us

One of the places near the top of my Venice list was Harry's Bar, the home of the Bellini -a favourite drink of mine. They are also famous for carpaccio and the dry martini. One of the most fancy places I've ever been to, the staff were meticulously dressed in sharp white suits and made us feel quite under dressed for such a fancy place.

Peach Bellinis from Harry's Bar

The menu here is incredibly pricey but their reputation means they can pretty much charge whatever they want. Our Bellinis were 16.50€ each and came to us with a bowl of olives and a history of the bar and its owner.

This was easily the most expensive thing we spend our money on in Europe, but I think it was worth it. Jason and I had never enjoyed olives more than we did that day.

Every morning looked like this

We absolutely loved our time in this city and found that we didn't really mind being here in winter. The misty mornings made our surroundings seem magical and it was nice not being in large crowds.

Hope you enjoyed a snippet of our Venice photos and I look forward to showing you the rest of our trip.

Ciao for now :)

Next stop: Berlin, Germany