For updates on the last month or so before this, have a look at previous months' entries. Note, entries are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry at the top of the page. I also keep a foodblog, and have a flickr site with extra photos on it.

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January

24 January

Post Christmas is when you find foie gras discounted, so I grabbed a big lump. I decided to make once again my foie gras ravioli, and decided too, to invite two of my friends over for a pasta making frenzy. I was surprised to find that Patrizia, who is from Sicily, had never made pasta! I was less surprised by John, who would never proclaim himself a cook (although I suspect he under-estimates himself). We had great fun making not only ravioli but fettucine and cappelleti... all good Sunday fun.

19 January

The weekend after a big trip, the weekend after a big trip, you would think I would take it easy wouldn't you?

No no no! My friends Aislinn and Tovye were in Europe on holidays and I couldn't say no to the opportunity to see them.

I climbed on board the train on Thursday afternoon and happily snoozed and watched movies on my baby laptop till Paris. I found a hotel only metres away from my friend's apartment and settled in. The only flaw to the room was that it had obviously once been a smoking room, and smelt of stale smoke. The hotel, like all those in Paris, no longer allows smoking, but they obviously hadn't renovated since. By the middle of the night I could stand it no longer, and I got my towel, dampened and soaped it and washed the walls. The walls were short enough that I could actually reach all the way up, and in fact the ceiling. The washing I did made the towel turn black, but did seem to help with the smell.

On Saturday it took a while to get the family out of the apartment. It seemed that at this end of quite a long trip and a lot of travelling the kids had pretty much reached the end of their tether. They were both pretty good, but were obviously feeling a bit sick of it all.

But we got it all together and headed out to go to the Pompadou centre.

We checked it out but decided not to fork out for the entry to go into the exhibitions, none of us being huge modern art fans. Instead we grabbed some lunch, and headed to the museum at l'Orangerie. While the art here was also not of my real passion, there were some amazing paintings none the-less, and amazing to see these Monet in the room that was designed for them.

The kids split and headed back to the apartment. But Aislinn, Tovye and I headed to the Galleries Lafayette, stopping on the way to enjoy macaroons and hot chocolate in the elegant surroundings of la Duree.

Shored up by sugar, we went shopping, and I bought the most expensive coat I have ever even contemplated. But it is both luscious and warm.

In the morning Aislinn succumbed to her cold and stayed in bed, while Tovye and I hit the local street and museum of science. It is in a beautiful old building and has some really rather funky things in it, including the original Foucault's pendulum, and renaissance clocks and celestial spheres. The time just flew by and we looked up to discover it was lunchtime... how did that happen?

Aislinn mustered up her strength and we went off to the Musee d'Orsay.

That night we dined at a restaurant just a few streets away, and discovered a bit of a gem! Nice traditional french cuisine made an excellent meal. An evening with some lovely people helped of course! In the morning I packed up and moved my stuff into the apartment. Today's visit was to the Monet in the park near the Louvre. The custom made room is specifically designed to show off the giant paintings. Then back to the apartment to grab my bag and head to the train station. Well worth the trip to see my friends.  

The weekend after a big trip away like that, you would think I would take it easy wouldn't you?

But no, no, no. I had committed myself to being at 12th night. A flight to London (delayed by snow) then I picked up a hire car and two of my friends, and drove to the site. There was snow everywhere. I had misunderstood what bedding would be available and had nothing with me. Thank goodness for wonderful, generous, and well prepared SCAers. A few kind gentles stepped forward and lent me sleeping bag and pillow. The event was quite fun. I spent a little time in the kitchen helping prepare on Friday night. Robert was there and thrilled to see me. He danced most of the weekend away, whereas I spent my Saturday evening celebrating the birthday of one of my friends. Champagne and good company make the perfect evening.

As is typical here in Europe the event finished in the morning, and we hit the road. Rather than going straight back to London to the airport, we stopped in Winchester and had a short wander.

The town museum is very cute, and while it is not extensive, it is charming and has some lovely pieces like these:

Once again my trip home was stuffed up by snow. Instead of flying to Geneva, I ended up flying to Frankfurt. Just as it looked like I would have another night in an airport hotel, I was thrown on a flight to Zurich and from there eventually to Geneva. Sigh... a late night arrival but home at last.  

2 January

By now I had my new room mate Mena, and we decided to visit Topkapi palace together. At this point I am going to bestow a mighty compliment on Mena: she is pretty good company to visit a museum with. While not as much of a history nut as I (few 'mundanes' are) she none-the-less has the patience and interest to have a really good wander.

The frustration for me with Topkapi palace is that the kitchens were closed <pout> and that of course photos were forbidden for the most interesting bits (the jewelry and textile collection). Still, the collections are spectacular (you can see some details and photos here), and there were still lots of interesting things to see and share with you in photo form, including some exquisitely embroidered textiles in the throne room:

Throne covers, Ottoman 16th Century, embroidered with gold wire and silk threads on brocade
Embroidered silk curtains, Ottoman, 16th century, embroidered with gold wire and silk threads on red velvet, incorporating pearls, rubies and emeralds with gold plaques

It is a pretty expensive place to visit (about $20 for the castle and an extra 10 for the harem) and I am not entirely convinced it was value for money. Still, you can spend more in half an hour in a restaurant can't you, so I won't complain. The harem section was well worth seeing - the whole palace must have been extraordinary in its heyday!.

By the end of our wander through Topkapi, Mena and I were feeling frozen and hungry, and were very very happy to find ourselves a small cafe (slightly off the tourist path) and have hot soup and something to eat. We went forth, fortified, and hit the markets, in search of a nice scarf that Mena could wear if she wanted over the next few days. And fortitude is necessary, as the markets can be bewilderingly crowded and busy. I managed to snatch up a bargain on my way out the door, but Mena left empty handed. As you can see from the photo on the right, it was not for a lack of effort on the part of the salesmen, who even donned a scarf to show how it was done, much to the amusement of the men in the stalls next door!

We headed back to the apartment, stopping to snap a photo of the mosque at night, and grabbing a cup of sahlep. I really really like sahlep... now... how to describe it? It is a hot drink, made with milk, a little sugar, and a substance called (funnily enough) sahlep. Sahlep is made from the ground dried roots of an orchid which thickens the drink and gives it a unique taste. I gather that the sahlep sold on the streets has more cornflour to thicken it than orchid, but I don't actually care, because either way it is warm, thick, creamy and delicious!

1 January

New years day was no reason to be lying around the place, so I went off to the Kariye Museum. The building itself was built in the 11th century but the murals and mosaics are from the 14th century and are truly spectacular. In fact, I reckon it was far more impressive than the Hagia Sofia! Check out some of these photos and see if you agree: