Short stay in Stockholm - Arrival and Day 1

We flew to Stockholm with British Airways from Heathrow T5. We managed to get ourselves onto the flybussarna into City Terminal, then negotiated a travelcard for our stay with a very helpful woman who directed us to the Tunnelbana. This gives us travel on the bus, the Tbana and most ferries for our stay. Now we took the Tbana to Mariatorget where our hotel is situated. Hotel Rival is owned by Benny Andersson of ABBA fame. The hotel was founded as a cinema in 1932 and had fallen into disrepair. Benny Andersson has renovated the building, preserving the cinema for conferences etc. and has made about 90 rooms over 7 floors. We are in a normal room on the fourth floor with a courtyard view. We were welcomed into our room by a beautiful teddy bear which sits on one of the designer chairs. We decided to grab a quick beer in the bar, discovering the unique carpets on each landing as we walked down the spiral staircase. The bar is everything - restaurant, breakfast venue as well as bar. It has a very modern but retro feel and looks out onto a (at the moment) very snowy square. Most diners were finishing, and the drinkers were few as it was getting on for ten thirty. Soon we made our way upstairs for tea from the tea/coffee machine on our landing. Then we were ready to test the comfy-looking beds. This proved correct and we were soon asleep.

The alarm went at eight and we crowded into the dinky shower room for shave and showers. Last night we had closed the blind against the window into the bedroom for the sake of decency! Once again we set off down the spiral stairs to the breakfast room. It was pretty busy, but we found a table and had cereal, fruit, creamy yogurt and bakery things - plenty to satisfy us without venturing into the cooked menu.Eventually ready to go, we headed out towards the ferry terminal. The snow from Sunday is still lying, as the temperatures are barely above freezing. We picked our way along partially cleared pavements that have been gritted, and soon arrived at the docks. The travelcard also covers the ferry, so we could walk through to join the people already waiting. The ferry arrived shortly - they go about every fifteen minutes, and we were soon chugging along to the island called Djurgården. We stopped first at Skeppsholmen. When we got off at our stop, we walked along to the unusual building that is the Vasamuseet.

This is just stunning. As you walk in the Vasa is there in front of you, towering up into the high roof of the building. We spent a few minutes just looking at it, finding ourselves by the post where the English tour starts; but we had read there was an English film to see about the whole history of the Vasa, so we made our way to the information desk. The English surtitled film would start shortly, so we entered the auditorium to see that first. Then we joined the English tour all of which gave us a good insight into the Vasa, which only managed to stay afloat for less then 30 minutes! Apparently they miscalculated the amount of ballast required for a ship with so much superstructure. It would have been a stunning addition to the King’s fleet – but it was not to be. We then decided it was coffee time, before we spent ages taking photographs and reading more about this beautiful but ill fated ship. It was about three o'clock before we were making our way to the exit.

We walked back to the ferry and took it across to Skeppsholmen. From here we made a walk along the quay where the historic boats are moored eventually arriving at the bridge across to the main land. We took the next bridge across to Gamla Stan and spent a couple of hours wandering the old city streets, looking at some of the delightful atelier boutiques along the way. We did stop for tea at a tiny cafe that also served the traditional Swedish lenten cakes called Semla. They are like large sousjes filled with clotted cream and almond spijs. Apparently Swedish people eat these before Lent to boost them before the days of fasting! We shared one between us, with a cup of hot chocolate each. We walked on, across another bridge to Sodermalm and the hotel where we took a well earned rest before slipping down to the hotel restaurant for a spectacular dinner.
Toast Skagen - shrimps in mayonnaise with bleak roe on toast
Stekt hjortrosbiff med kroppkaka fylld med säsaongens svamp och lingonsky - roast beef of venison with potato dumpling filled with seasonal mushrooms and a lingonberry sauce
Crème brulée med cognacshjortron - cb with cloudberries in cognac
Mörk chokladmousse med björnbärsglass - dark chocolate mousse with blackberry icecream
We drank a tasty bottle of Zinfandel with this, then climbed back upstairs to bed.

Old Vic in the round

We were extremely curious about the Old Vic’s new configuration before we attended this evening’s performance of Complicit. We hadn’t managed to get to the Norman Conquests, the major production for which the CQS space had been built, but we had followed the conversion on line as well as viewing the 360 presentation. The space is amazing, but we had booked seats on row G only to find ourselves in the second row – much closer than usual. Half the audience sits inside the proscenium arch in the newly created area, and, of course, exits and entrances can be made via any and all gangways. The architect’s comments can be read here.
If the space is amazing, the play isn’t. Even in Kevin Spacey’s capable hands, this play was far from satisfactory. David Suchet is a superb actor portraying the main protagonist’s lawyer, but his excellent performance is not supported by the lead – Richard Dreyfuss as the prize-winning journalist who is being pressured to reveal his sources in the interest of ‘national security’. Elizabeth McGovern plays this mans wife and gives a convincing performance. Although I admire other performances by Richard Dreyfuss, it seemed that he had been unable to learn the part as he appeared to be continually being prompted via his earpiece. Perhaps that is the weakness of the play; that part is just not convincing making it difficult to learn. The performance did not run smoothly, and it finished somewhat early – we were heading for Waterloo by 21.15 – so did we miss chunks of dialogue? If so it was a relief. What a shame, as we are usually greatly entertained by the performances at the Old Vic.

A Wintry Thursday

Today has been very entertaining. Once we had braved the slushy, semi-icy road down to the station we caught the train into to London and made our way to Earl’s Court for the Destinations Travel show. First we were ready for a coffee, and queued at a wholly inadequate stall, next to a huge bar with at least three beer pumps – what sort of a message does that send! We eventually got our coffee and sat down to plan where we should start. Just by us a seventy-odd year old woman sat with her magnifying glass and a couple of brochures, sipping a glass of white wine as she planned her next holiday. I hope she has a wonderful time, wherever she decides to go.
We started up towards the Americas as I promised to collect brochures for friends about those destinations. This led us to the Nova Scotia stand and the start of a plan to fly to Halifax, hire a car and discover that area. Then we could drive across to New Brunswick – and if we were there at the end of September we could take in the autumn colours before heading into The States to visit friends in New Hampshire. Such plans are the stuff of dreams! Armed with some brochures, we moved on, and conveniently close by was the Jordanian Tourist Board. Here we talked to Dave, who assured us that the trip that was lurking in the back of our minds was easily doable. We could fly into Amman, hire a car and drive ourselves around, taking time for photographs when we wanted, and yet seeing all the treasures that Jordan has to offer. Small guest houses provide excellent local accommodation, and he would even suggest an eleven day itinerary. It sounded great and once again, we left the stand armed with brochures and our heads buzzing with ideas.
On we wandered and soon came across the excellent Wanderlust photo exhibition. Here travellers had submitted their holiday photographs, with some amazing results. There were also several interesting portfolios including one featuring the camel races in Oman – bringing back fond memories. There are not just travel companies at the show, there are also many clothes, gifts and food stalls to visit. The latter are great fun as many offer free titbits of their wares, from sausages to chocolate and fudge. We tasted a few of the samples on our stroll along the avenues of stalls, also filling in some ‘win a holiday’ cards, providing companies with addresses for future mailouts.
Eventually it was time to leave and head back into the centre. We planned to have dinner and then we had tickets for ‘Complicit’ at the Old Vic. We decided to have dinner at Tas, which was delicious, reminding us of our short break in Istanbul last year. We resisted having Raki, the tasty aniseed flavoured Turkish drink, but enjoyed a glass of Anatolian red wine with our meal. The weather remained OK and we walked down to the theatre with time to spare.
For the last production, this and one more, the Old Vic has been converted into a theatre in the round, which is quite impressive. ‘Complicit’ is a story of a journalist (Richard Dreyfuss) who is up before the Grand Jury for publishing secret documents leaked to him by a secret source. These documents refer to torture and rendition by the US government. His dilemma is that he can go to prison for years unless he divulges the source, or so his council (David Suchet) tells him. His wife (Elizabeth McGovern) begs him not to be a hero, for if he is he will destroy their and their family’s lives. In the end he divulges the name, but finds out that the prosecution already knew who it was. We are not certain that he wasn’t set up by his own lawyer either, as he seems to be having meetings with the prosecutor and judge all the time. In the end, the journalist feels he has betrayed everyone for not living up to the ideals he had as one of the generation that protested against the Vietnam war. He berates governments not to be so foolish as, in victory, to become as bad as the enemy destroying their own morality when pursuing that enemy. It was heavy stuff. What was strange was the fact that the programme announced that the play would last some two and a quarter hours including the interval, and we were able to catch the 21.33 train home when the play had started around 19.30! This play hasn’t been well received by the critics, and there were times when it didn’t seem to flow easily, but the subject is a fascinating one and certainly throws up some interesting discussion topics.

Snow hits SE England!

Everyone will be blogging snow today - we woke up to the worst snow for 18 years; numerous school closures; roads blocked; trains and planes cancelled; and even no buses running in London! Well, we aren't used to this sort of weather.
The kids are having a great time, building snowmen, sledging down any slope they can find and there are even some skiers doing the cross country bit down our road into town. What they do at the steps I don't quite know. It was fun walking into Guildford at 9am down the middle of the road as hardly a car had been along it. We pedestrians walked in the tyre tracks to avoid tramping through the mid-calf high accumulation. It was so quiet, apart from the folk laughing and enjoying themselves. Inevitably there were stuck cars and vans and by the junction with North Street the M&S truck was waiting for the snowplough and gritter to go by before attempting the small slope - very slowly! No newspapers, but some groceries to keep us going as more snow is predicted. Glad we didn't have to get the car out to do that! Its safer on foot.

Burns Supper 2009

This year is the 250th celebration of the birth of Scotland's National Bard, Robert Burns. Along with countless others, we had a Burns Supper, complete with the Selkirk Grace; the address to the Haggis and many performances of Robert Burns's work. The company was good as was the food; and the whisky and wine flowed freely, with no driving being considered.
Along with the 250th birthday of Robert Burns, Scotland is celebrating Homecoming 2009. Events all over Scotland will highlight Scotlands heritage and it all began with the World Famous Burns Supper. Ours was part of this and we few contributed to the over three and a half thousand registered Burns Suppers held all over the world.



Another memorable event held to celebrate the Bard's 250th birthday was the Auld Lang Syne concert in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall. Highlights of this can be found on the BBC Scotland's Celtic connections. I loved Eddi Reader's performance of Willy Stewart. What a wonderful celebration - oh to have been there.

Walking again!

We are enjoying a cup of hot chocolate from our Chocolatiere after an invigorating walk to Newlands Corner and back. Not very warm and pretty soggy underfoot after the storms of yesterday. Lots of small branches have been blown down, and one thin tree covered in ivy had been blown down across the path as we walk up onto the downs at Newlands. But it was great to be out - the first of many walks in 2009, we hope. We passed the bench on the way up Martha's hill, so I will blog it on the Bench Project as no-one has yet, I think! We will have a slice of Pain d'Epice and some delicious Christmas biscuits to accompany the hot chocolate!

Is that the new kitchen or the new chalkboard?
The chalkboard is in the new kitchen, but we have just made it so the chalkboard is new, too! We couldn't find a decent one - they are all very cutesy, so we made one from an unused picture frame. B & Q have chalkboard paint and we painted up some back board from a second broken frame and here it is. Big draw back is the lack of chalk at the moment. Will have to get down to Smiths for some - should really make a note on the chalkboard to remind us!

The Woman in Black

Last night we went to Yvonne Arnaud Theatre to see a performance of The Woman in Black, Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s best selling novel. This performance starred Sean Baker and Ben Porter, who played many parts between them. The sound effects were ear splitting and the set appeared deceptively simple. With the clever lighting and a minimum of props we were transported from an empty stage to the train; the village inn; the graveyard; and several parts of Eel Marsh House where the unfortunate Alice Drablow lived and died. We rode with Arthur and Hedgewick on the pony and trap; we saw the dog, Spider, who nearly drowned; we heard the ghostly rocking chair; and of course, we saw - the woman in black. Its a brilliant play and more information can be found at the Woman in Black website

RHS Floral Celebration at the Inner Temple

This year, the RHS September flower show was something completely different – a Floral Celebration at The Inner Temple. As part of the Inner Temple 400th Anniversary, RHS returned to the Inner Temple Gardens after over 90 years. The shows held here were the forerunners of the Chelsea Flower Show, so it was quite special to return in such a celebratory fashion. We entered at the top of the gardens and the whole show was laid out below with marquee and ‘Turkish’ style tents for some of the exhibitors. Several Plant Nurseries were present with beautiful displays, hoping to win a coveted RHS Medal. There were the usual collections of Gold, Silver-gilt, Silver and Bronze. We saw a display of Balcony gardens, which explored the world of mixed pots and even some vertical planting especially aimed at the modern flat dweller. Soon we felt the need for coffee, but sadly this is where RHS let us down with just one small refreshment outlet that was totally oversubscribed. Nevertheless, we did manage some alternative refreshments at Hannah’s Country Kitchen stand. We think that it was maybe Hannah’s father, offering a delightful glass of Prosecco with Violet liqueur, which we sipped along with a couple of delicious violet and chocolate fairy cakes. This was a wonderful treat!
More looking around and suddenly we were being entertained by the Bollywood Brass Band. They were great – playing Bollywood hits on saxaphones, trumpets, trombones, sousaphone and several drums including the dhol. Certainly a new departure for the RHS. We listened for a while, then made our way into the marquee where wonderful displays awaited the visitors. These included ‘apple towers’ created by the Wisley fruit team, as well as ‘noisy’ dahlias and tranquil cottage gardens. Perhaps one of the most unusual displays was Cookoo Box Nursery’s Chillies. This was a rainbow display of chilli plants from almost black through red and orange to pale yellow – all edible and of varying degrees of heat. Made my attempts at growing black chillies look very amateurish! We also loved the display of heuchera with impossible names such as Tiramasu, marmalade and Georgia Peach. Maybe next year we can try growing some on our new chalky soil.
There was also an exhibition of RHS history in the Temple Church – yes, the one mentioned in the Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s novel. So we left the gardens and followed the path round to the church. This is a beautiful building, the round part being the original Templar’s church, which was added to by Wren. The exhibition was mainly in the round part, put together by the RHS Lindley Library and the Inner Temple and exploring the relationship of the Inner Temple and the RHS . Around the edge were some magnificent floral arrangements by members of the National Association of Flower Arranging Societies, with suitable themes such as Knight, 400 years and so on.
But we were, by now getting quite peckish, and decided to walk round the corner to Somerset House for a sandwich and that long awaited coffee. We sat in the courtyard and watched the fountain dance away in the centre, as some knowing folk wound their way through the spouts. Only a couple were caught unawares as the spouts shot into the air unexpectedly!

Mort, the Musical!

picture from YMT website

Terry Pratchett would be proud of the young actors who put on Jennifer Toksvig and Dominic Haslam’s adaptation of his Discworld novel, Mort. The company was the Youth Music Theatre and we were hugely entertained by their performance. All 35 young actors were stars along with the three members of the orchestra. We were lucky to catch this performance as it was the last night of what has been several weeks of hard work, culminating in a great show.
Jos Slovick made a great Mort and Marcus Dobson, the Writer, guided us through the plot with consummate ease. But Death was impressive – a huge caped skeleton operated by Daniel Hall. He visited Guildford Castle earlier in the week, with some bewildered reactions from the other visitors.

Sauna at the Proms

Last weekend the World Sauna Championships took place in Finland. The winners came from Finland and Belarus, with the Brits nowhere in sight. They had obviously not looked for competitors among the stalwarts of the Proms Season now on at the Royal Albert Hall. Last night we attended Prom 40, a concert made up wholly of Janacek’s music; played by the BBC Symphony orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez. We also sampled the delights of Jean-Efflam Bavouzet playing the left handed piano concerto known as Defiance; the organist Simon Preston and four world class soloists in the Glagolitic Mass. Why, you may ask do promenaders qualify for the Sauna Championships? Well, a couple of hours in the circle of the RAH is a pretty hot and sweaty experience on a warm summer night. The Champion Sauna Sitter lasted 16 mins and 15 sec at 110oC, whereas we were in the RAH for a couple of hours – at an unknown temperature!
The concert was very exciting despite the nodding head of the woman sitting next to me. It all began with the Sinfonietta; a piece in five movements that requires ten extra trumpets. The fanfares they play are so typical of Janacek’s music. Apparently the flute theme in the last movement is famous for being the signature tune to Radio Free Czechoslavakia in the Second World War. The stage was then set for the Capriccio for piano (left hand) and wind instruments, Defiance. This piece was written for Otakar Hollman who lost his arm in the First World War. It was to have been a solo work, but Janacek decided to have an accompanying ensemble. This is made up of two trumpets, a euphonium, three trombones and a flute/ piccolo. The pianist worked really hard playing with only his left hand – but we did notice that at some points during the performance, he was holding on to the side of the piano with his right hand!
After the interval we settled down to hear the final piece, the Glagolitic Mass. The name refers to the obscure Church Slavonic text that the mass is written in. The BBC Symphony Chorus and the London Symphony Chorus performed wonderfully, along with the soloists: Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet soprano, Anna Stéphany mezzo-soprano, Simon O'Neill tenor, and Peter Fried bass. Simon Preston, the celebrated organist, played his solo with great gusto.
What a very enjoyable evening, but we were glad to be out in the fresh air again, heading for the tube to Waterloo and the train home. Two more proms to go, then the summer is over – where has it gone?

Dinner at The Farriers

Last night we decided to have a break and eat out. Our choice of restaurant was the Farriers at the top of the High Street. Upstairs they have a great restaurant, under the care of head chef Remi Remeau, who trained at the Ivy.

We ordered a bottle of Louis Jadot Fleurie (2006) to savour with our meal and our tap water was well presented in a glass carafe with ice and lemon. Our starters were potted shrimps with toast, and figs and parma hamwith lambs lettuce and a balsamic reduction. I thought the butter with the shrimps was a bit lemony, but that's a personal thing as I remember potted shrimps from a very early age and they didn't have a lemon near them then!

It wasn't long before our main course plates arrived - a braised ham hock served with broad beans, new potatoes and mustard sauce; and pork tenderloin on celeriac rosti with braised fennel and calvados jus. Alan couldn't finish his ham hock, but said it was delicious. My pork tenderloin was also excellent, although the rosti was slightly overtanned and I could have done with some more jus!

After a little break, we decided on dessert - a caramel, walnut and chocolate tart served with creme fraiche; and iced berries in a white chocolate vanilla sauce. These were extremely tasty and a scrumptious end to our meal. Not wishing to stay awake all night we opted for their tea selection - chosen from the special tea box of the Mighty Leaf company. This box contains several glass vials with corks. Inside are the different teas, which you can uncork and sniff, to help you choose. In the end I had Ginger Twist and Alan, African Nectar. These were served in tall tea glasses - silken pouches of herbs in hot water and totally different colours - a bit like comparing single malts!

We enjoyed our meal at the Farriers; the pleasant staff and ambiance - we will be going again!

Zantedeschias

A Sunday visitor

The Zantedeschias are looking fabulous. When I went out to photograph them I found this wonderful shield beetle visiting these deep pink flowers. It was very interested in the camera, which was quite close to it, and sat up waggling its front legs in the air.

Growing peppers

I've always wanted to grow chillies since seeing some amazing plants in the glasshouses at West Dean. Each year they have a chilli festival where some amazing chilli plants are on display, as well as suitable dancing and food. This is a picture of my first attempts at the incredible black chilli. I don't know how hot it is, but maybe we will try it out - - - sparingly!

Kitchen a la cherry sauce

I planned to make a special meal – from Raymond Blanc’s Foolproof French Cookery, Duck breast with cherry sauce. I’ve made it before and it is a delicious dish and as there are lots of local cherries about it seemed an obvious choice. But I hadn’t taken into account that I’m not cooking in my own kitchen. First of all my cherry de-stoner was at home along with some of the spices required, not to mention the port. So we had to nip up home and root them out of the packing. I start with the cherry sauce as I can make this quietly in advance. All went well, apart from the last cherry which squirted its stone straight at me. Thank goodness for the apron!
The cherries are poached in a reduction of red wine and port with some spices, so that’s what I did. When ready, you remove twenty cherries, then blitz the rest before sieving. This I usually do in the Magimix or Kenwood liquidiser, but they haven’t come with us to the borrowed kitchen. Well you can’t take everything! But I had seen one of those handheld soup blitzer thingies in a cupboard, and I’ve often wondered what they were like to use. So this was my chance and I got it out, plugged in and lowered it into the pan. This is the moment when it all went wrong – the cherries did get chopped up, but they also got sprayed over the cooker, me and the wall! It was like forgetting to take your finger off the button as you lift the Aerolatte out of the coffee, only I hadn’t lifted the blitzer out of the pan – how could it do that? The finger was off the button in a trice, but the damage was done; my lovely sauce was dripping down the wall, resembling a chain saw massacre. It’s amazing how a little goes a long way!!
It all cleaned up, of course; and there was plenty of sauce left to push manually through a sieve; and the dinner was really tasty. But I wont be buying a hand held blitzer – not to use in my new kitchen!

Our first Prom of 2008

Last night we attended our first prom of this season - Prom 6, which is pretty clever as the proms only opened on Friday. (They do have more than one concert some days.)
We set off to arrive at Carluccio's, South Ken for our pre concert dinner. We ordered the tuna steak with courgette jam followed by the poached figs and ice cream; and to drink there was a glass of Valpolicella each. We were finished in plenty of time to walk up to the Royal Albert Hall to take our seats.
We entered by door 9 and found entrance O, which brought us into the auditorium just beside the righthand side of the orchestra, 5 rows back. What a view! We commented on the unusual arrangement of the orchestra, and read that the second piece of music was for wind, brass and percussion, hence the small number of seats on the podium. This is how BBC describe the concert

"A double opportunity to celebrate Olivier Messiaen's instrument, the organ. Olivier Latry, who teaches at the Paris Conservatoire (as did Messiaen), presents two faces of the French organ tradition - solo Messiaen and Saint-Saëns's much-loved 'Organ' Symphony, a work written for London.
Between the two organ works comes Messiaen's Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, a magnificent memorial to the dead of two world wars, and a haunting exploration of instrumental colour. A leading interpreter of Messiaen's music, tonight's conductor took part in the first performance of Messiaen's posthumously completed Concert à quatre (see Prom 45), of which he is the dedicatee.

Messiaen L'Ascension, for solo organ (24 mins)
Messiaen Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum (31 mins)
Interval
Saint-Saëns Symphony No.3 ('Organ') (36 mins)
Olivier Latry organ
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Myung-Whun Chung conductor "

The organ solo showed the full range of the RAH recently renovated organ; from quiet passages to hugely loud parts that reverberated around the hall. No-one was falling asleep during this piece. It ended with a long, long note, which gradually died away leaving the audience momentarily silenced.
Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum is a piece in five parts, each with a bible quotation as its title. It brings quite a different sound to the auditorium; and discussing it afterwards we were both reminded of the deep sounds of the long horns we have seen and heard in Bhutan. The percussion involved a whole range of gongs - like the temple gongs, as well as three sets of 'cow' bells and also tubular bells. The full range of wind and brass instuments were also played - providing those deep notes as well as the more usual ranges. It is a magnificent piece and the tolling gongs at the end were relentless - even to the point that one of them got knocked off its moorings! The conductor was superb, keeping everything together with a minimum of fuss.
(click here to read the BBC programme notes)
Finally after the interval we heard a great favoutite, the Saint Saens. It was wonderfully played and the orchestra and condustor obviously thoroughly enjoyed themselves. At the end, the audience showed just how much they had enjoyed the performance with customary Proms applause - including the stamping and clapping. Mr Chung made a gracious speech and turned with baton raised. The Orchestra responded by launching themselves into Bizet's Carmen, after which Mr Chung led them from the podium to rapturous applause.
It was a wonderful evening.

Michael and Catherine's Wedding

It was a lovely mild Spring day.

The Mahogany Mice

We feed the birds. We give them peanuts and sunflower kernels and also some thistle seeds, which the goldfinches, siskins and redpolls love. We need to keep a supply, of course, which we mostly store in the kitchen cupboard, but we have recently been able to buy sunflower seeds at a discount for two large sacks, one of which we decided to store in the garage. Lo and behold a small hole appeared in the base, so we transferred it to an old flip top bin. No problem.
Now we need to fill the feeders at least once a day, so we do get through quite a lot of bird seed. Soon we were into the second sack, using it from the bin. But the seeds seem to be leaking out of the sack – more on the outside of it than in it! So we emptied the sack into the bin.
Then one morning, A went out to fill the feeders and called me into the garage. As he lifted the lid off the bin, there in the corner, in a sea of seeds were two of the smallest, mahogany coloured mice. They looked up at us, huddled together in the corner, a picture of innocence! But, it was obvious that having got in – by leaping into the seeds from the edge of the lid, they couldn’t get out again! In emptying the seeds out of the bag, we had ‘cut them off’. Only one solution, take the bin into the nearby woods and let them out!
Off we set carrying the bin. Once into the woods, we tilted the bin onto its side. No.1 mouse was soon leaping away through the leaf mould, quickly disappearing from sight. No 2 found it much more difficult, scrabbling against the side until we tilted the bin even further over, being careful not to spill the precious seeds, but soon it was on its way.
We walked back to the house, thinking that they would probably be back home before we were, although they had scampered off in the opposite direction. The seeds are now inside, but where are the mahogany mice?

Norway for Christmas 7

The plan was to have a lie in – but I was up quite early and watched the dawn gradually beak over Stavanger. It promised a lovely day, if a little cold. Soon the rest were stirring and we planned to go for a walk after breakfast. Eventually we headed out to the beach at Hellestro; and several hundred Norwegians had the same idea. It was fabulous, though and we managed some great photos looking into the low sun – as well as some mad shadows and crazy people doing crazy things! At last the sun was setting and we had to get back to the car and make our way back to the flat. Tonight we had tagine and couscous for dinner and we watched the History Boys, at last. What a good film. It must have been very good on the stage in the West End.



Wednesday saw us taking M to the airport for the mid morning flight. D had to go to the office, but we arranged to collect him and make a last walk using the red markers in the afternoon. This time we trekked up Bjorndalsnuten, which again gave us wonderful views across to the mountains and their snow, as well as islands in the fjord. Coming down, we took the alternative route, which entailed a couple of extra ‘peaks' and scrambling down the hillside by a steep path, and then around the hill to the car park. A good work out.
Back at the flat, we dismantled the Chrissie Tree, cooked dinner, packed the cases and watched the Devil wears Prada – or most of it. I’ll have to see the ending at another date. Tomorrow we fly home after a memorable time in Norway – as usual.

Norway for Christmas 6

We had to be up and on our way very early to get D to work; but as we were eating breakfast we spotted a beautiful red squirrel on the tree outside our window. We had to leave and D drove fast but safely and we dropped him off in good time. We headed for the flat and showers all round and then some shopping as the next few days would be shopless. D phoned when he was free again, and we went over to collect him. The plan was to try and fit in a trip to the Candle Factory at Byrkjedalstunet. This has become a must on our trips to Stavanger. They have a massive array of candles of all colours, shapes and sizes as well as other Norwegian souvenirs. They have also built a huge exhibition/ performance space for Stavanger 2008 . We spent some time choosing candles to buy and then had coffee and cake overlooking the new area, which is built against the rock face. This evening we watched the last of the Pirates of the Caribbean DVDs. Its New Year’s Eve or Hogmanay or A’s birthday! We decided to take a beach walk at Randesburg and got carried away with some great photos of the ice on the beach and reflections of boats in the little harbour.



When we got back to the flat, A opened his presents and soon it was time for us to get ready to walk down to ‘N. B. Sorensen's Damp-skibsexpedition’ for our special Nyttarsmeny dinner. This was four courses with a wine matching menu. Even now, there were some fireworks, tempting the photographers to the balcony and programmed exposures. More of that later! We were welcomed with a glass of fizz, then took our seats for a real gourmet experience. There was Kamchatka crab, trout in a pumpkin soup, venison, and chocolate cake with panettone ice-cream and oranges. Mmmmmm! We had to leave by 11pm and as we walked back up the hill, the fireworks were starting. We sped upstairs and started to take pictures as the show began. By midnight there was a fabulous show of rockets all around us. The eleventh floor is great place to view from and there are some lovely results with the cameras. So now its 2008.

Norway for Christmas 5

Friday and we are off to a cabin for a couple of nights. We can't start too early because of the office, but set off after lunch to get to the cabin at Saganeset, Sirdal. We whizzed past the Candle Factory and only stopped for a break at the felt place. The weather suddenly changes from the cold but snow-free Stavanger area to snow and icicle covered mountains. When we arrive at the cabins, we find an ice rink - everyone can hardly stand on the icy surface - melting and freezing has evidently gone on, and D parks the car with care, to make it easier to leave again. The cabin is cosy and comfortable and we can get on making dinner with little fuss. Our big mistake is to have forgotten to bring towels!! Ah,well, as its only family we can forgo the showers this time! The turkey risotto is very tasty, and we get to play several hands of canasta before retiring.


When we get up on Saturday morning, its still very slippery, but we are determined to make our walk up Haugen. We park at the bottom of the hill in the farm parking and walk up the road very gingerly. Soon we get on to the lane by the cross country track, and here the walking is easier. Its lovely to be out and we make great progress, but the cross country skiers do give us some funny looks. They are all speeding along on their skis - young and old alike. We have brought some sandwiches for lunch and find a place to sit - under the eaves of the shooting range, which is luckily closed. This is great as it started to snow. Now the icy surfaces will be covered and walking, driving and everything else will be a lot better. We walk on up to a gate and a bridge, then decide that to get back in good time, perhaps we should turn round. Downhill is much quicker, and it seems that we will be in plenty of time. D has been constantly in touch with the office, and it becomes apparent that we will have to go back early in the morning. Its turkey curry and canasta for the evening, then early to bed, after all that exercise!

Norway for Christmas 4

Its Boxing Day and we needed to get out for a walk after all that turkey and Christmas Pud! So, after D had been to the office, we all went off on another scramble up a hill to get some fresh air and exercise. This time we followed the red markers up Kjolleknuten. Although a bit misty and cold, we managed to get some views, and encountered a friendly flock of sheep on the way down again! This evening is a favourite meal of cold turkey, which we have accompanied with sweet potatoes and veg. Scrumptious. We also watched the second of the Pirates DVDs. What fun!

On Thursday, we need to do some shopping as we are off to the cabin on Friday. D is again working, so we three manage that at the local Meny store. After we catch up with D who arranged for us all to meet up with S at the Ostehuset for a great lunch (this link is mostly for the Norwegian speakers!). S is staying in Stavanger for work while we go off, so we all said goodbye for a couple of days. Fishcakes with roasted tomatoes, green beans and lettuce made a tasty dinner. We had a few hands of canasta before crashing!

Norway for Christmas 3

Its Christmas Eve and we have plenty of preparations to do for tomorrow. D had to be in the office first thing, then we wandered into Stavanger for a coffee. Sadly, most places were closed but we did manage to squeeze into a busy Cafe Francaise. Back at the flat, we decided to watch Polar Express, a great Christmas Eve movie! Then we ate pasta with a tomato, chillie and caper sauce. Before going to bed, we walked to Gamle Stavanger and strolled through the old town looking at the decorations and seeing families eating traditional Norwegian Christmas Eve Dinner together. Down on the harbour, there were some lovely reflections in the water and as we walked back the bells started ringing and lots of people were making their way to the cathedral for the late night service.

Christmas Day and we had a bit of a lie in. We planned to eat the turkey later on, so decided to walk up to Vaulen Tourette to work up an appetite. The view from there is panoramic. It was a swimming pool at one time and must have been amazing to swim with the views of the mountains and the city spread out around you! Now its a bit derelict, which is a pity, but they fly a huge Norwegian flag on high days and holidays and today was no exception.  We wandered back down, walking by the lake, which is partially frozen. The birds were having fun on the ice, skating along and making spectaular, skiddy landings. Lots of folk were out , so the display attracted quite a crowd.  We dragged ourselves away back to the flat and our Christmas meal.

Norway for Christmas 2

M did arrive around 2am and the lads got up early and queued to collect the turkey! They were number thirty something in the queue and the only ones collecting a turkey. Everyone else was there for the traditional Norwegian Christmas food. We went back to the supermarket for the rest of the shopping, which included a Christmas Tree. This we got from the filling station, then we had the problem of how to stand it up. We dropped it back at the flat, then headed off to Sandnes. We looked in all the shops, but no tree stands. There are some lovely shops in Sandnes and we even found a butternut squash for the risotto tonight. D and M bought glass shooting stars and reindeer for the tree. The shops all close around 4pm, so we were soon driving back again. When we got back, M needed a rest, so D, A and I went for a walk up to the lake. As it was dark and the houses were lit up, we enjoyed the cosy views of the interiors with their Christmas trees and decorations.

Its Sunday already, and we planned a walk to Rennesoy Hjornet. We had to drive about an hour to the start, along with one of D's colleagues. Then we walked over the rather frozen heath, which let us down a couple of times, meaning that I for one, ended up to my knees in mud!! It was so lovely to be out in the perfect air with fabulous views across the islands to the mountains. We could even see some snow. We had a tasty dinner of pork with oranges and lemons, which is roasted in the oven and served pots and veg with it.

Norway for Christmas 1

We flew off to Stavanger Thursday morning, being met by D early afternoon. And we hit the supermarket to see how much we could find to make our British Christmas in Norway. D had managed to order a turkey from the very lovely butcher on the harbour, which we needed to collect on Saturday. We did bring mincemeat and Christmas pud with us and M is bringing the cake. I'd also sneaked in a couple of tins of Lyle's Golden Syrup for the chocolate crispies. This shop mainly concentrated on stuff to make mince pies, almond tarts and choccy cripsies; as well as meals for us all for the next few days. We can use the balcony, on the 11th floor, as an extra fridge! For dinner we are having Chicken with Lemon and Tarragon. I have started a recipe book on the Waitrose website to ensure I have a selection of things to cook as well as an instant shopping list. This is meant to save time.


Friday and M is arriving today. I cooked in the morning - the first batches of mince pies, almond tarts and crispies. Then we walked into town and met D for coffee in Food Story. Then it was another turn around the gorgeous Christmas shops. More coffee at Steam, and texts from M to say that she is delayed by fog in Amsterdam (Brum to Amst to Stav). We went home to wait for news and it even looked as if she wouldn't arrive until tomorrow - staying in Amsterdam overnight. We had Fish Carbonara for dinner and waited. Between texts and the Schipol and Sola websites, we eventual found that M would arrive around two in the morning! Good news and not so good news as we have to collect the turkey early Saturday morning - so no lie in!.

Dinner at Le Sommelier

We had a date at 8pm on Saturday evening – dinner at Le Sommelier, Copenhagen. After a day spent partly on a bus and also having eaten lunch, we needed to get some exercise before we embarked on a gourmet meal at this, one of Copenhagen’s leading restaurants. So we declined our host’s offer of a taxi and opted to walk to Bredgade, instead. We strolled along H C Andersens Boulevard, passing Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and a busy, noisy Tivoli Gardens. Here people were enjoying all this famous entertainment park has to offer. This year ‘Oliver’ is the extremely popular show on at Tivoli theatre, but there are also all the traditional entertainments – the fairground rides, restaurants and bars. The Star Flyer is this year’s new attraction, from where squeals of joy – or terror – were emanating! The lights at Tivoli are lovely – with buildings outlined like gingerbread houses, willow trees weeping lights into the lake, and coloured lights looking like bushes of flowers along the waterside.
We crossed the road towards the Radhuspladsen, where there is a lovely Christmas tree decorated with lights and traditional heart decorations. Apparently, the heart decorations we see all over Scandinavia are pagan symbols. They originated back when Christianity came to the North and the pagan tradition of human sacrifice was abandoned. Before then, hearts had been cut out of the sacrificial victims, chopped up and scattered across the fields to ensure the ‘gods’ would bring a bountiful year. Our route then took us down Stroget all the way to Kongs Nytorv, where we watched the intrepid skaters negotiate the ice-skating circuit set up around the centre of the square. Across the square there is the Christmas market down the Nyhavn, where all sorts of grockle-ish souvenirs are on sale. The cafes provide blankets and brolleys with heaters for their ‘al fresco’ guests and much Jul Glogg and sausage can be bought and consumed. We soon headed for Bredgade to meet up with the rest of the party.
Le Sommelier is one of Copenhagen’s finest restaurants and we ate in one of their smaller rooms, being a party of nine. Some of us opted for their four course Christmas menu, others ate a la carte. The Christmas menu began with a lobster consommé with scallop ravioli; roasted cod with salted foie gras on celeriac mash; a main course of venison medallion served with a roast parsnip, dried cranberries and a cep sauce; and finally a cherry clafoutis. The a la carte choice was a warm goat’s cheese salad followed by fish of the day, which was flounder; and finally they chose pancakes with orange sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was so delicious and beautifully presented with a full explanation of each dish as it was served. We drank some lovely wine; first a Pouilly Fume and then Gevrey Chambertin, which was perfect with the venison.
When the meal was over, we again decided to walk back to the Marriott and this time we were joined by a majority of the diners wishing to aid digestion and thus a good night’s sleep. It was so enjoyable wandering back through the seasonally lit streets thronged with people all enjoying the crisp cold evening in Copenhagen. We said our goodnights and goodbyes as we all would go our separate ways tomorrow, and vanished up into our rooms. As I closed the curtains, I heard a few distant bangs and realised that somewhere there were fireworks. Yes! Just down by the bridge to the right of the hotel someone was having a display, and so our day was rounded off by a short celebratory firework display. What a fitting end to a day of celebration.

The Naming of Newbuild 210

Today is a special day as it is the naming day for AP Moller-Maersk’s Newbuild no 210. This ship is the last of a series of eight ultra panamax container ships – the E-series, which began in September 2006 with the launch of the much heralded Emma Maersk. The other vessels all have ‘E’ names – Estelle Maersk (Nov 06); Eleonora Maersk (Jan 07); Evelyn Maersk (Mar 07); Ebba Maersk (May 07); Elly Maersk (Aug 07) and Edith Maersk (Nov 07); and have been built at the Odense Steel Shipyard’s Lindo Yard.
We made the journey to the Lindo Yard in a bus with many other guests, all staying at the Marriott courtesy of A P Moller-Maersk; and we started out at 7.15am. Thank goodness breakfast was served on the bus, so we had an extra few minutes in bed! As we left Copenhagen, our guide enlightened us with facts and figures about Copenhagen, the Danes and life in general. Dawn broke and the mist slowly lifted from the fields. We spotted a few deer as we sped through the countryside, eating our rolls and drinking coffee or tea. Soon we were leaving Zealand behind, crossing by bridge to Funen. This bridge is in two parts and crosses from Korsor to Sprogo by suspension bridge, then from Sprogo to Nyborg by a box girder bridge. The suspension bridge (eastern bridge) is called the Storebaeltsbron and is 1624m long, which makes it the second longest suspension bridge in the world. Sprogo is a small natural island in the waters known as the Great Belt. It is now uninhabited and a nature reserve, but during the building of the bridge, archaeologists found that it was first inhabited some 8000 years ago. Once on Funen, it was not long before we arrived at Lindo Shipyard. Here we were given a short tour of the area, then we were taken to the quayside where Newbuild 210 was waiting for us.
We gathered in a marquee with some windows in its roof through which we could see the prow of this huge vessel. True to tradition, the name of the ship was shrouded in mystery and a long Danish flag! We waited just a short time for the sponsor to arrive. Lady Bond stepped from the car and two little boys dressed in sailor suits presented her with a posy of flowers, which she carried into the marquee, accompanied by the rest of the sponsor party. Then the head of Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd invited Lady Bond to step forward and name the vessel. This she did in the traditional style and the flag fell away from the name, revealing this to be ‘Eugen Maersk’. We all then cheered the ship and wished her good luck. The name is pronounced in a similar way to the word ocean but with zh instead of sh in the middle.

Now we were all invited on board to drink the health of the ship in champagne on the bridge. Its magnificent views were quite breathtaking – especially as we had just climbed up the equivalent of eighteen floors. We ventured outside and eventually managed to climb one more flight of stairs to the ‘sun deck’ over the bridge itself. But we had to see some of the facilities this giant ship had to offer its crew of 13, so we were lead down to the Captain’s quarters and those of the Chief Engineer; the saloon; and the laundry. We had gradually descended to deck level and all that remained were the three ladders over the side of the ship. Back down on terra firma, the ship towered over us and all we could do was marvel! This vessel is quite a bit bigger than the cruise ships we had seen towering over the city in Instanbul. Now we were treated to a superb lunch, prepared by one of Denmark’s top chef’s who just happens to have a restaurant close by. It was very good – a terrine of langoustine, Danish Marshland beef and a vanilla symphony for dessert. Wines matched the courses and speeches and conversation flowed.
You may think this would be the end, but there was more in store. Coffee was served in the training centre of the yard, and we walked across there, once more giving our coats to the attendants and taking seats around the circular tables. As we sat sipping coffee and nibbling homemade chocolates, the lights were gradually dimmed out and we could hear the sound of singing. We could see the flickering light of candles approaching down the staircase, and a procession of girls, all dressed in white and carrying candles appeared, led by one girl with a crown of lit candles on her head. She slowly brought the choir around the tables to the front and we were treated to a concert of Danish carols. This was the St. Lucia ceremony, which normally takes place on 13th December. As they processed away again, this was finally the end of the celebration of the naming of Eugen Maersk. The sun was dropping rapidly from the blue sky and we boarded our bus, heading for Copenhagen once more.

Gifts, Glitter and Glogg

After a long morning we really craved a cup of coffee, so racking our brains for the memory of a lovely café we had once visited, we remembered one in a small courtyard behind the Angleterre. We did find it, but still can’t remember its name! Here we ordered cappuccinos and Danish spice Christmas cake. This looked wonderful – a ring cake made with Christmas spices with a topping of figs, which is then covered with white icing. It was delicious, and we loved the cosy atmosphere with candles everywhere and lots of Danes enjoying it, too.
Feeling refreshed, we made our way out onto Stroget again, walking back to the Bodum shop, Ostergade – four floors of Bodum products as well as Ordning and Reda stationery. They were cooking tiny bread rolls and making hot chocolate in the Bodum Chocolatiere, which we were invited to taste. Scrumptious! But we had to move on, as the Georg Jensen shop was pulling us towards its glittering windows and warm interior. This is one of our favourite shops on Amagertorv where they sell the whole range of Georg Jensen Design. The Christmas department is lovely, with special Christmas designs for each year, and also in the basement there is a small exhibition if their old designs. If you are clever, you can wander through the door at the back of the shop into the Holmegaard/ Royal Copenhagen shop next door. Here again are floors of wonderful Danish design in glass and porcelain and at this time of the year, there are some stunning Christmas displays and annual plates and glasses to tempt you. In the passage between this and the next shop there is a café, which we by passed, and walked on into Illums Bolighus. More ideas for gifts – all those beautifully designed things you never knew you needed. It’s breathtaking! Luckily by now, we know that you can just feast your eyes on all this splendour without crippling your wallet, as you can really spend a lot of money on all those lovely things. So at last we dragged ourselves away to enjoy the atmosphere out in the pedestrian area: Christmas lights; music; food sellers; people dressed in all sorts of garb from t-shirts to fur coats; others practicing tricks such as ‘find the bean’ using three matchboxes; a man being a statue of a Viking; and lots more. It was dark now, and feeling a lot colder, so we decided that it was time for a glass of Jul Glogg. If, like me, you thought that this was just another version of mulled wine, you’d be wrong. We had a short seminar on it from the man who drove us in from the airport, who is a chef when he’s not driving. Apparently, where he 'chefs' they start by soaking raisins in brandy until they are plump with the liquor; red wine is mulled with Christmas spices; almonds are cut into slivers. The drink is then assembled with the raisins at the bottom of a heat proof glass with a handle. The mulled wine is poured over the top and then the whole is topped off with slivered almonds. It is generally served with small spice biscuits. But looking at recipes, it is more traditionally made with aquavit. I suspect every family has its own version. So, we went in search of a warming glass and were not disappointed. It looked perfect with plump raisins lurking at the bottom of our steaming glasses topped off with slivers of almonds; and there were the little spice biscuits on the side. They also persuaded us to have some more traditional Christmas sweetmeats. This time we were served three small yeasty dough balls that had been deep fried and drenched in icing sugar. Could these be a Danish variation of the Dutch Oliebollen? It certainly looked that way to us! Whatever, they were very tasty and would certainly fill the gap to dinner.
More window shopping and a stroll back to the Marriott and our room with a view, which took us all along the perimeter of Tivoli. The rides were now in full swing accompanied by screams as riders were twirled into the air and dropped to the ground. Rather them than me. The gardens did look lovely with the fairy lights in the trees and coloured lights reflected off the water in the lake. The Marriott is situated on the Kalvebod Brygge, overlooking the water separating the city from the island. In fact, if you know where to look you can see the bridge across Oresund to Sweden and the planes coming in to land at Kastrup. We dined in the hotel at the Terraneo Restaurant, where we had a delicious meal before retiring fairly early as we have another early start in the morning.

Funeral in Copenhagen

On Friday morning we got up at about four as a car would collect us at quarter to five to take us to Heathrow. We flew to Copenhagen on the first flight out of T3. Why did we have to start so early? Well, sadly, we had to go to the funeral of a colleague who was diagnosed with asbestosis just over a year ago and who died at the beginning of December. He had worked only for a short time in a bad environment, but he paid a terrible price. The funeral was held in the beautiful Kastelskirken within the star fortifications of Copenhagen’s Kastellet. This church dates from the early years of the eighteenth century and is painted in the typical ochre colour of many old Danish buildings. It is a rectangle with six windows arranged symmetrical along the long wall, around a central door with four pillars supporting a portico. The roof sweeps up and is crowned by a central bell lantern. We, however, entered by the north door in the short wall. The tall clear glass windows allow light to flood the interior, which is painted a silver grey. The pews of dark wood march away from you on either side of the central aisle, to the altar with its altar piece – three paintings set in ornate gold frames. To the right is the pulpit which also has ornate plasterwork around its ledge and the canopy, picked out in gold. Simple iron chandeliers hang from the ceiling and along with one beautiful model of an old Danish boat. On Friday, the central aisle was covered in bouquets of flowers of every colour – a rainbow leading down to our friend’s white coffin crowned with many, many red roses. Most of the pews were occupied, and we slipped into one at the back. Soon the bell started tolling and the pastor appeared at the altar to lead the service, which involved some beautiful singing, prayers and a sermon. It was quite simple, and when it came to an end, the male family members carried the coffin out of the church, walking either side of the ribbon of flowers, followed by the rest of the family and eventually all the congregation. The coffin was loaded into the hearse and the family said their final farewells. The back was closed and the hearse slid slowly away as we stood by the church door in the cold bright air. Now the congregation began to disperse; some back to work; others to join the family for refreshments on the Langelinie. As we decided not to join the latter (we don’t speak Danish and it seemed a bit much to expect people to speak English at such a time), we walked slowly away towards the centre of Copenhagen down Bredgade.

Our last evening

And the day's story

Today we planned the Bosphorus cruise. So were up early for the usual breakfast and then walked down to the Spice Market. We had to cross the road using the underpass, which is just like the Russian ones- full of market style shops. As we came up the underpass, there was a row of shoe shiners with gleaming brass contraptions for their polishes and brushes. We walked round the front of the mosque to the entrance of the bazaar. It is brightly lit as it is inside a brick arched gallery. Each shop has an array of spices - the most spectacular having cone piles of ground spices in warm autumn colours. Hanging from the overhead are strings of dried veg chillies and sponges. One string we couldn't recognise, so asked one of the vendors. He told us that it was dried aubergine, which they re-hydrate and then stuff with mince and/or rice with raisins, pinenuts and such. We were tempted into buying some apple tea from him - so we can take a taste of Istanbul home.
Soon we had to head off to get our tickets for the boat trip. Several people were already there and we only had a short wait before going into the waiting area. The boat arrived about ten minutes before departure and the small crowd of passengers hurried on board to find their favourite spots for the voyage. We chose a seat on the left upstairs and watched the sights on the Europian side of the Bosphorus. A large cruise boat was at anchor on the 'New' Euro side of the Golden Horn - Star Princess. It is enormous! There are about 5 stops as one progresses towards the Black Sea. Some palaces and villas (yalis) have been built along the way, which we were fascinated to see. After a speedy 1 ½ hours we arrived at Anadolu Kavagi, and here the boat stops for a 3 hour lunch break. We disembarked and took a stroll up the hill to the 14th century Byzantine fortress known as the Genoese Castle on the top. It seems to be built from an eclectic collection of bricks, stones and ruined Roman temples. But there is also a spectacular view to the Black Sea. On the way down we passed the puppet maker with a shop full of Pinocchios. Back down at the little fishing village we looked for lunch but didn’t fancy a set fishy 3 courses. Then we discovered a man making waffles with flavoured spreads and 'homemade' ice-cream'. As he also offered cappuccino, we succumbed. We chose waffles with chocolate and pistachio ice cream and another with hazelnut and coconut ice cream. First we were served our cappuccinos. Instant Nestle style -but OK! They were lovely people and we were pretty much their only customers.
After walking up the road and back again, we wandered along the harbour and suddenly encountered the captain of a small fishing boat. We 'talked' football, then he invited us aboard to take photos - amazing. He said it was too rough to go to fish in the Black Sea today.
Then it was time to re-board for the return journey. Again we sat on the left and viewed the Asian side as we motored down to Istanbul in a replica of the outward journey. This time as we came round into the Golden Horn, we saw another cruise ship was in port - Galaxy, but not quite the size or elegance of the Star Princess.
When we docked, we disembarked, and then walked back through the Spice Market and on to Cigdem for tea, coffee and shortbread biscuits.
Our last walk down the tram rack to the GH and packing as we found out that the car will be here for us at 6.30 in the morning. We have come to dinner at Rumeli Restaurant, next to Mozaic. We started with mezze and cheesy pastries, with a glass of raki. This was followed by stuffed chicken and kofta accompanied with glass of 'Angora' red wine - good but not as good as last nights. No pud, but apple tea, then back to bed because of the early start.

Down the Bosphorus

Anadolu Kavagi

Sailing up the Bosphorus

Around the Spice Market, Istanbul

Day two part two

Feeling very thirsty, we came back to the Guest House and took the water from the minibar, before making our way down to the harbour on the Bosporus to discover from where the ferry up the Bosporus leaves. That will be our trip tomorrow. On or way out we found a shop selling postcards of the Iznik tiles, so bought a few, then we also found some typical Istanbul views a bit further along. The 'promenade' was thronged with people coming in and going out on the continual to-ing and fro-ing ferries. The actual quayside was crowded with men and a few women, fishing with huge rods and weighted lines with several baited hooks. Some were quite successful at catching small fish - not sure what these would be. Fish of various kinds was being cooked on hot grills, slapped in finger buns and sold by the dozens! There were also the mussel sellers - splitting open what looked like raw mussels for their customers to eat there and then - no cooking, no garnish, straight down the hatch like oysters. It was a very vibrant scene. And of course, there were lots of chestnut barrows wafting their warm aroma around the crowds.
Now, we suddenly felt peckish, but not for fish! A cappuccino and something sounded good, so we retraced our steps looking for a likely place. At last we were back on our main street, and we came to Cigdem Pastanesi, where they serve fabulous baklava and coffee. Just what we needed. Then we strolled down to the Guest House in the gathering gloom, sussing out various restaurants for dinner later.
We have come to eat in Mosaic Restaurant, which is a small (seating 20) place just below street level. We are starting with a glass of Yeni Raki while we order. Some hummus and flat bread has arrived as a taster. We have ordered grilled aubergine with yoghurt and cream (Patlican Sogurme) followed by Black Plum Stew, (Kara Eric Yahnisi)lamb stewed with mushroom, apricot, onions and dried black plums; and Ottoman lamb dish with rice - with raisins, pinenuts and liver with cinnamon.(Kuzu Sultan) music was great - Bende Can Yurdaltokcan ‘inner soul’. We finished with Turkish tea before walking back up the hill to the Guest House. And on the way we saw one of the red barrows parked up for the night by a beautiful silk wall hanging!

The morning of day 2

Not quite so early into breakfast as we did our own thing today. Our first stop was to take some pics of the restored houses that make up the hotel. Then we made our way into the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace and out at the side, for the Archaeological Museum. We first stepped into the Ancient Oriental building where we saw many ancient sculptures as well as the animal tile reliefs from Babylon. After this we went along to the historical pavilion housing the tile museum. It is partially covered with tiles in a geometric pattern with secular verses in Arabic over the entrance. Inside is an interesting exhibition of the history of ceramics in Turkey as well as several rooms which are decorated with beautiful blue tiles; some were even gilded and have been restored in part to show the sumptuousness of the pavilion in its time. Outside again, we looked for the peacock feather column from the Temple of Theodosius. It is similar to the Column of Tears in the Basilica Cistern. We decided to go and to look for PCs, but the Topkapi Museum shop was a dead loss, so after looking outside, we decided to walk up to the Madresesi which we overlook from our room. It is a craft centre, government funded, and anyone can come and take a class there in ceramics, calligraphy, lute and flute playing, silver work, painting and marbling. We were greeted by a young man who explained all about the place and showed us the various rooms for the classes. We saw the lute class, the silversmiths, the calligraphists and the painters. We also found one man on his own practising the flute - needing more practise! Finally we watched some women making pictures on marble paper. This was fascinating, and we watched from start to finish. They first built up the paint for the marble background on the surface of the water/gum mixture in the trough. When they were happy with that design, they started to make the flower design over the top of this. Blobs of green were manipulated into stems and leaves and blobs of colour were spread out and twirled around to form the flowers. When everything was finished, the artist took a piece of paper and laid it over the surface. It was then slid over the edge of the trough and the clever design all came off onto the paper, leaving the 'water' in the trough clean for the next turn. The paper was then laid flat on a mesh rack to dry.
All this was thirsty work, so we sat in the courtyard and drank apple tea with cinnamon biscuits - delicious. We couldn’t decide what to buy, so left, saying hello to 2 tiny kittens on the way out. We were still searching for PCs, so walked down to the Sultanahmet Sq. between the two mosques - but no pics of the tiles. We were now very close to the Arasta Bazaar/ craft area and the Mosaic Museum, so we walked down to the left of the Blue Mosque and into the Bazaar. At the far side we found the Mosaic Museum with its stunning many meters long pavement of mosaic, which has been preserved and covered with the museum building. This was position of the Great Palace of the Byzantine Emperors. Restoration has been painstaking and the results are spectacular. It’s a shame so much has been lost, though.

Istanbul - our first full day

Breakfast was in the Garden Room and there were figs much to Alan’s delight! We met our guide, Ria, at 9.15 and left on foot for the Basilica Cistern. This dates from 532, and was built as a water reservoir for the Great Palace of Justinian. It has 336 columns each 8m high, which were brought from all over the Roman Empire, so there are many different ones. These include two finer, shorter columns, which are 'propped up' on massive Medusa heads. Also the Column of Tears, where we stuck our thumbs in a hole and twisted it a full circle while making a wish. The columns are eerily lit from below and about a metre depth of water is still contained in the structure where fishes swim, and some people throw in coins for good luck. They hold concerts of chamber music here in the summer.
Our next visit was the Ayasofya Museum. This church/mosque was the biggest church in Byzantium. Its dome was 32m in diameter, but subsequent earthquakes have knocked it out of shape. The last one in 1999 has done considerable damage and a huge scaffolding now occupies considerable space inside. It is interesting to see how the Ottomans converted the church to a mosque by covering over the Christian symbols with Islamic words. We could still see quite a lot of the original mosaics. The best one was as we left, mirrored in front of us to make us turn round to see it.
Now we walked across to the Blue Mosque as it would close for prayers at 11.30. Lots of people were visiting, and we had to walk through the courtyard with its extra two minarets and central fountain, and around the corner to the non-Muslim entrance. Shoes off and carried with us in poly bags, we entered into the mosque, which is covered in blue Iznik tiles of various designs. It is a huge space, completely carpeted and having low slung chandeliers of black metal with lots of plain glass cups for lights. There is also a lot of stained glass windows in Islamic style, aping the glass from the Byzantine era.
We replaced our shoes and made our way to the Topkapi Palace Museum. This was the palace of the Ottoman Emperors, and was added to by each successive ruler. There are some beautiful areas, some are set as rooms of the time, and others are exhibition areas. We saw the Spoonmakers diamond (86 carat) and the Topkapi Dagger with its three huge emeralds, as well as many, many cabochon emeralds of enormous size. Golden thrones and ceremonial swords are also on display; but no photographs are allowed for obvious reasons! We stopped for coffee and pastries with a view of the Golden Horn and the Bosporus, before moving on to look at the fabulously decorated pavilions in the fourth courtyard – the Circumcision Pavilion and others.
At last it was time to visit the delightful harem, or private apartments of the Emperor and his family. There were eunuch quarters, concubine quarters as well as the family quarters. We also saw the Sultan's and the Queen Mother's hamam. (QM seems to be the most powerful woman in the Harem). It is a very luxurious place.
Ria arranged for us to visit a carpet makers, where we had a demonstration of the double-knot carpet weaving; also a display of some beautiful carpets with detailed explanation of each with a few prices thrown in! We also had refreshments of Turkish coffee (medium with a little sugar) and apple tea.
Now at last we headed for the Grand Bazaar, and having noted our entrance gate's name, Ria gave us instructions on how to walk back to our hotel. So she left us to wander about the labyrinth of passageways lined with shops selling everything you never knew you wanted to buy!
We must have been tired as after not too long a time we decided that was enough, so sought our exit and wandered back to follow the tram track leading us to Ayasofya and the guest house.
The hotel made a reservation at the Istanbul Balik (fish) Restaurant, where we had a huge grilled prawn each for starters, then a steamed, whole snapper; caught in the Bosporus and covered in tasty liquor. Finishing with a glass of Turkish tea; we were whisked back to the GH by the mad driver of the restaurant Hyundai MPV at breakneck speed.

Carpets, Bazaar and fish

Harem, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Ayasofya, Istanbul

Basilica Cistern, Istanbul

Konuk Evi, the Guest House

Long weekend in Istanbul - Arrival

We flew BA to Ataturk Airport, Istanbul and were met by pleasant young man and mpv with driver. The sun set as we drove along the coast road by the Sea of Marmara into Istanbul. We are staying in the Guest House, Konuk Evi, of the Konaklari Ayasofya - the renovated street of wooden merchant houses behind Ayasofya. Our 2nd floor room has brass bedsteads, ruffled curtains, crystal chandelier and looks out over the roof tops of the old Caferaga Madresesi (1560) and beyond. Konaklari Ayasofya are between Ayasofya and Topkapi Palace. We have taken quite a walk about for a couple of hours, including coffee at a Turkish style Costa (cinnamon pastry and almond and choc cake). The cappuccino was served with chocolate spoons, which gradually melted into the capps. The mosques are floodlit and we had the lengthy muezzin at 6pm from several simultaneously. There are some interesting shops - as well as tourist rubbish - and also many shops offering tours all over Turkey such as Cappadocia, Ephesus, Nemrut Dagi and the calcium platforms of Pamukkale. Dinner is in the Sarnic(h), an ancient 1500 year old cistern with 7m high columns. We chose mezze and dolmas as starters and chef's special Sarnic kebabs with yoghurt and our red wine is Kavaklidere Okuzgozu Elazig 2002 13%. Having eaten all that we are so full we can't manage the delicious sounding desserts - like figs in honey or banana crepes with chocolate sauce; but just choose mint tea. The virtuous piano player plays on and the candles slowly burn down.

Archaeology in Smannell

This morning we all managed to gather for a not too late breakfast – bacon, eggs, sausages, toast, croissants and pains au chocolat. After all that, what better thing to do but take a stroll in the countryside? Our friends had a suggestion that we visit an archaeological dig not far from their house and this is what we did. There is a plan to build a huge estate of houses several fields from the edge of Smannell village, but before the builders can start some archaeological remains are being investigated. These have been known about for years as there were barrows on the hillside, but generations of farmers have just ploughed over them. Now the area is being completely disturbed to build the houses, the site is being investigated and recorded. On one side of the road the hill rises up and here ‘beaker’ people remains have been found. Apparently one burial was found and some fragments. On the opposite side of the road, two Bronze Age circles have been excavated with no clear meaning to the sites. This area is rich in archaeology as there are Roman, Norman and Anglo-Saxon sites within sight of these recent discoveries. For more about the ‘Beaker’ people click here.

Fireworks at Smannell

This year we have visited the village of Smannell to ‘celebrate’ Guy Fawkes Night. Smannell is an ancient settlement and the name is thought to be derived from the old English name 'Smethenhyll' – “(at the) smooth hill', a reference to the gentle rise near Finkley farm. Apparently by 1652 the name was condensed to Smanhill and in 1810 the OS map is inscribed with the name Swanhill – is this a spelling mistake? But today the village is known as Smannell.

Our friends invited us for a cup of tea before we made our way up the road to the stubble field where Farmer Will had allowed the Little London playing field committee to build an enormous bonfire. Fairy lights lit the path to the cordoned off area where spectators would get the best view of the entertainment; and plenty of mulled wine, hotdogs and burgers were ready for consumption. We sipped at our polycups of wine, not allowed to eat as dinner awaited us at our friends’ house. The crowds gathered and the anticipation of the younger members was palpable. Soon the bonfire was lit and the rosy glow reflected off the cheery faces of the onlookers. I found a post on which to rest my camera and before long the chaps in charge of the fireworks signalled the start of the display with a swishing skyborn rocket. Then the fun began as rockets flew skywards, with or without sound effects – we used to call those noisy ones ‘bees’. Chrysanthemums of light filled the sky and oohs and aahs reverberated around the spectators. And suddenly it was all over, only leaving the bonfire glowing in the darkness and the opportunity of more mulled wine and sustenance to be partaken of! So it was back to the house for a delicious dinner with friends.

This used to be The Middlesex Hospital and my place of work when I first came to London. Now it is looking a lot sadder; but hopefully will rise up once more in its reincarnation as rather splendid apartments. Very convenient for all that goes on in London - and who needs a car with all that on your doorstep! I certainly couldn't afford one when I worked here, and there was definitely no parking except for those exalted consultants! Walking back to West Kensington to save the bus fare was quite the norm - through Hyde Park in the summer, such a treat; dark winter evenings had us rushing for the tube or bus! But life moves on, and at least they haven't demolished the building - yet!