an italian christmas lunch

We began the day with a quick cycle along the waterfront and we were back in time to host an apperitif for Peter and Katia...we enjoyed a quick catch up of the last few months over a little bubbly and then it was just a wander down the narrow alleys - carruci in italian - to Olgas restaurant, which is really the front room of their house. Today it was almost full; 3 other large tables of between 6-10 people, mostly in families - but we were welcomed like old friends, with a quick chat to all in the large kitchen before taking our places at the smallest table. There were at least 3 antipasti dishes on the table and another 10 to come - it is such a delight tasting and guessing and now I can recognise a few favourites; asparagus wrapped in ham and vegetables in olive oil. Here there is no need for a menu or even an explanation. With a little careful observation, it is always possible to see what is coming out to the table slightly ahead of us... I think the snails were the last antipasti to come out before the 3 primas - or fresh pasta dishes. This time I had paced myself to be able to enjoy the 3 secondi dishes, a great combination of wild boar, rabbit and lamb - no doubt all locally sourced. So we then had a small rest before the cheese board came out, followed by some fresh fruit - later we found out that the mandarins were fresh from the coast at Diano Marina. As usual we were all offered coffee and grappa - I chose my favourite limoncello and remembered to not drink it like cordial.... Domenica came and sat with us at the end and we had an interseting slightly political chat - o to better understand italian - but at least the italians give you so many more cues with their facial and body language - so that with a few words easily recognised, I could get a feel for the conversation... In all a wonderful relaxed and sumptious christmas lunch.

A Mediterranean culture shock

We had driven through rain and snow in Switzerland, there was a short glimpse of blue sky on the southern side of the Gottard tunnel, but most of the drive south through Piemonte in Italy was grey and boringly gloomy... but then we reached the coast just near Genoa - the clouds cleared as if by magic, we saw giant blue skies, deep blue water, and all the trees had leaves on them again - I was ecstatic appreciating the variety of palm trees, my favourite eucalyptus trees and shimmeringly silver olive trees... It is strange how much you can forget in a year - cause I vaguely remember a similar reaction last year...

it continued with an appreciation of the small villages clinging to ridges and cliffs everywhere - always surrounding a small church. I recognised the random arrangment of different coloured houses all together; they were all variations of yellow, terracotta or olive green - mixed together in random sequences but looking stunning in each village.

I noticed that most of the window shutters were a dark green, with some occasional old wooden ones offerring a visual complement. And the range of tiny cars fitting in everywhere was such a pleasant reminder of a very different way of life.Finally, it was great to enjoy an elongated sunny afternoon by the harbour of Imperia at Oneglia, walking out along the harbour wall, looking back over the city.

Then it was up the winding road to the wonderful village of Poggialto.

escaping from 2011

It was Friday 23rd December and we had arranged flights from Berlin and London to arrive in Frankfurt within minutes of each other - so nice to meet up on our individual paths to the train station...so it was a quick journey to pick up the car, drive to Messel and pack everything up - 2 road bikes, 2 golf bags, our travel bags, some christmas decorations and lots of bags of important things to fit in between the spaces...an hour later we were driving south on the A5 - heading towards our favourite Landgasthof Hotel Schwanen in Bad Bellingen - almost the last German village before the Swiss border. We had stayed here on our way south this time last year and it seems fun to establish a great tradition - the quaint and cosy atmosphere, maintained since 1887 and complemented by excellent quality food, with a special focus on 'wild' food. We had arrived quite early for us, so we had time to wander down to the local christmas market, established in the front garden of the Winzerstueble Sonnenstueck, same as last year - except there was no snow this year. A burning tree stump provided a warm invitation to enjoy both gluhwein and beer, and we had fun starting our wine purchases... And then back at the Swan, and similar to last year, I ordered from the brilliant 3 course Tagesmenu to fully enjoy the local specialties. Again, I was totally impressed with the presentation, tastes and textures of it all. The starter was composed of 3 tiny dishes presented on a long rectangular plate; a creme brulee atop a warm foie gras, a rotkohl cappucino and a simple smoked salmon with horseradish cream sauce. The wild schnitzel was presented with lots of tasty vegies and fried balls of mashed potato. Finally, I was thankful that the cheese board was appropriately small, but extremely tasty - a great start to my full appreciation of european cheeses... I loved this way of starting our festive holiday and even enjoyed our early breakfast the next day before we set off to drive the final 500km to our favourite hideaway in the olive growing hills behind the Italian Riveria.

my electronic christmas message

To my friends and colleagues, wherever you are across the world, I just want to wish you a fun festive season... I am hoping that some of the stories in this blog, which I started this year, will show my appreciation for the amazing lifestyle I have...my only wish is that I could spend more time with good friends - but then you cannot have everything and I do appreciate all the great little connections we create with all my love and good wishes for 2012...

not sure about (the film) New Years Eve

I didn't ever see Garry Marshall's film Valentines Day last year - apparently I did not miss that much. I should have read the reviews this time - but at the same time I don't like to be limited in my expectations. But then again New Year's Eve is probably one of the most over-rated evenings of the year, despite age or culture... so I don't know which bit of my idealistic and naive optimism encouraged me to see this movie... It was a predictable romantic comedy, set in New York (where else) on the afternoon and evening of December 31, 2011 - very contemporary. The extensive cast of A list actors and actresses seemed to enjoy acting in and out of character, portraying a range of normal lives, with their everyday challenges... the formula was a little confusing cutting back and forth between all these terribly normal lives with their real challenges. It was interesting to see Robert de Niro as a dying patient, Halle Berry as his nurse and Jon Bon Jovi as the disillusioned singer. The entertainment was probably better than an average Thursday night's TV viewing but the ending was a predictable as the formula suggests - really sad there there wasn't just one little surprise to encourage some independent thought... o well at least I have a chance to make more of New Years Eve, 2011, if I want to...

a debut novel by Janice Lee - The Piano Teacher

Janice was raised in Hong Kong, of Korean heritage, educated at Harvard and she worked as an editor for Elle magazine before she started writing novels.... Three characters represent different cultures, timeframes and experience. Claire is the contemporary english wallflower, ready for life to unfold. In contrast, Trudy is a savvy eurasian, caught between cultures at the outbreak of a war that unravelled at many levels. Will is the charming and enigmatic man who spans both their worlds... The novel seesaws between 1941/2 and 1952, between the second world war and the Korean war and captures something of the political baggage of both. The reader is transported beyond their everyday world to the exotic east vs west complexity. I feel like I know Hong Kong and I have experienced the change from its British colonial past to its contemporary extension of China. I have heard locals talk from their own perspectives about the British and the Chinese in ways that I really appreciate. Yet I was quite shocked to read about the occupation of Hong Kong and the role of the Japanese. So it should not have come as a shock to read about the universal themes of love and betrayal - do wars really intensify the conditions that generate these extremes - it seems so - people are forced to make decisions in terrible circumstances and the compromises are more than most of us would accept - but the human emotions and condition remains the same. Perhaps the real appeal in this novel is its total believability about places and cultures I know too well. I can escape to a world more fractured than mine and feel the power of love and humanity. Only then, do I reflect on how lucky I am, at so many levels...

happy 150 birthday Gustav Klimt

An amazing man celebrated in a briliant city - and he is so omnipresent it is challenging to offer something more... So off we went to the palatial Belvedere - and we avoided the crowds queuing to see The Kiss, having already enjoyed that experience several years ago. Instead we wandered through the gardens to the Unteres Belvedere to see an exhibition of Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann - titled the Pioneers of Modernism. This eighteenth century summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy houses so much great art work in its baroque interior, while sporting immaculate gardens with water features and fountains - pity they had all been turned off for the winter.

Art, design, architecture - all in perfect balance - complementing and extending beauty and function. It started with a glimpse of what went into the Beethoven Freize, now in the Secession building. We then saw some amazing examples of Klimt's artwork. He is such an accomplished artist who can create designs in tree trunks that make it difficult for you to see the wood for the trees. His women are stunning and elegant. His poster also proclaims that not everyone will enjoy what you create and that you cannot please everyone - what a piece of simple philosophy. But what was unique about this exhibition is the way components of design were transferred both to art and architecture.

The beautiful square, complemented by curves, arches and circles. Concepts of simplicity and usefulness, normally associated with furniture, were also evident in Klimt's art. It was not a surprise to see Hoffman's furniture in some of Klimt's portraits, but their collaboration in designing jewellery was out of this world. Here's wishing a truly talented man a fantastic year long birthday celebration - not sure if I will be back in this wonderful city in this time, but I will certainly enjoy what I can from my memory, and at a distance.