PPS More food!

Our new Melbourne-based food blog is up and running... check out www.herestheveg.blogspot.com .

P.S. Grimsö

This morning I got an email from Johan. In addition to the usual work stuff, he attached a few photos he'd taken while I visited.

Skiing around Johan's house (read the original post here):

Owl-twitching on a Saturday night (original post here):


Checking out the eiders from Öland (original posts here, here, here and here):


Much more importantly, Johan has put together a twitch list for our Öland weekend. Here it is in Swedish:

Smålom
Storlom
Storskarv
Gråhäger
Knölsvan
Sångsvan
Bläsgås
Grågås
Kanadagås
Vitkindad gås
Gravand
Bläsand
Snatterand
Kricka
Gräsand
Stjärtand
Brunand
Vigg
Bergand
Ejder
Praktejder
Alförrädare
Alfågel
Sjöorre
Knipa
Salskrake
Småskrake
Storskrake
Röd glada
Brun kärrhök
Sparvhök
Ormvråk
Fjällvråk
Fasan
Sothöna
Trana
Strandskata
Skärfläcka
Större strandpipare
Ljungpipare
Tofsvipa
Kärrsnäppa
Morkulla
Storspov
Skrattmås
Fiskmås
Gråtrut
Havstrut
Tamduva
Skogsduva
Ringduva
Gröngöling
Spillkråka
Större hackspett
Sånglärka
Ängspiplärka
Sädesärla
Gärdsmyg
Järnsparv
Rödhake
Koltrast
Björktrast
Taltrast
Rödvingetrast
Dubbeltrast
Gransångare
Stjärtmes
Blåmes
Talgoxe
Trädkrypare
Skata
Kaja
Råka
Kråka
Korp
Stare
Gråsparv
Pilfink
Bofink
Bergfink
Grönfink
Steglits
Hämpling
Gråsiska
Domherre
Gulsparv
Sävsparv

He also translated it into English:

Red-throated Diver
Black-throated Diver
Cormorant
Grey heron
Mute swan
Whooper Swan
White-fronted Goose
Greylag goose
Canada goose
Barnacle Goose
Shelduck
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Mallard
Pintail
Pochard
Tufted duck
Scaup
Common eider
King eider
Steller's eider
Long-tailed Duck
Common scoter
Golden eye
Smew
Red-breasted merganser
Goosander
Red Kite
Marsh Harrier
Sparrow hawk
Common buzzard
Rough-legged buzzard
Pheasant
Common coot
Common crane
Oystercatcher
Avocet
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Dunlin
Woodcock
Eurasian curlew
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Dove
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Green woodpecker
Black woodpecker
Greater-spotted woodpecker
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
White wagtail
Common wren
Dunnock
Robin
Black bird
Fieldfare
Song Thrush
Redwing
Mistel Thrush
Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Great tit
Treecreeper
Common magpie
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Raven
Starling
House sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Brambling
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Redpoll
Bullfinch
Yellow hammer
Reed Bunting

... and gave me the scientific names!

Gavia stellata
Gavia arctica
Phalacrocorax carbo
Ardea cinerea
Cygnus olor
Cygnus cygnus
Anser albifrons
Anser anser
Branta canadensis
Branta leucopsis
Tadorna tadorna
Anas penelope
Anas strepera
Anas crecca
Anas platyhynchos
Anas acuta
Aythya ferina
Aythya fuligula
Ayhya marila
Somateria mollissima
Somateria spectabilis
Polysticta stelleri
Clangula hyemalis
Melanitta nigra
Bucephala clangula
Mergellus albellus
Mergus serrator
Mergus merganser
Milvus milvus
Circus aeruginosus
Accipiter nisus
Buteo buteo
Buteo lagopus
Phasianus colchicus
Fulica atra
Grus grus
Haematopus ostralegus
Recurvirostra avosetta
Charadrius hiaticula
Pluvialis apricaria
Vanellus vanellus
Calidris alpina
Scolopax rusticola
Numenius arquata
Larus ridibundus
Larus canus
Larus argentatus
Larus marinus
Columba livia domesticus
Columba oenas
Columba palumbus
Picus viridis
Dryocopus martius
Dendrocopos major
Alauda arvensis
Anthus pratensis
Motacilla alba
Troglodytes troglodytes
Prunella modularis
Erithacus rubecula
Turdus merula
Turdus pilaris
Turdus philomelos
Turdus iliacus
Turdus viscivorus
Phylloscopus collybita
Aegithalos caudatus
Parus caeruleus
Parus major
Certhia familiaris
Pica pica
Corvus monedula
Corvus frugilegus
Corvus corone cornix
Corvus corax
Sturnus vulgaris
Passer domesticus
Passer montanus
Fringilla coelebs
Fringilla montifringilla
Carduelis chloris
Carduelis carduelis
Carduelis cannabina
Carduelis flammea
Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Emberiza citrinella
Emberiza scoeniclus

I guess if a twitcher's going to do it at all, it must be done properly.

Roll credits

A final holiday post from Singapore airport. There's free internet access here! I suppose there are still 12 hours remaining in our holiday and several airline meals that could be reviewed, but that's probably overdoing it.

Our trip highlights:

• Most livable city: Copenhagen (the alcohol's too expensive in Sweden, otherwise Stockholm would come a very close 2nd).
• Best holiday city: Paris, for its range of galleries, architecture and rich food. London would have come close if the weather had been more spring-like.
• Best weekend away: Venice. Beautiful scenery, horrible tourist trap. Take some photos and then GET OUT.
• Best natural scenery: Swiss alps and lakes. (For me, Öland was also very special.)
• Best fancy restaurant: The Gate, London.
• Best casual restaurant: La Potager du Marais, Paris.
• Best museum: Vasa Museum, Stockholm.
• Best art gallery: Tate Modern, London. Can't believe it's free!
• Best hosts: ... we're not going to do that. My thanks go to Johan, Johanna and Henrik for the entire Grimsö experience. Thanks to Lynda, Stefan, Melissa and Dylan for fitting us into their apartments and sharing their home cities with us. Also to Ian and Anne for offering us free and well-positioned accommodation in Paris (and also for the 2€ bottles of wine).

Several readers have noted our (particularly my) attention to the food we've eaten. I'm considering starting up a new blog in a few months, documenting our vegetarian culinary adventures in Melbourne. If it happens, I'll add a link to it here.

Until then, my plate is almost licked clean.

Saturday 27/5: London/International airspace

Our final day in London was (unsurprisingly) wet and gloomy. To make matters worse, the cold that had been threatening all week had finally overwhelmed Cindy and left her unfit for active tourist duty. We pressed ahead with our original plan to explore the Portobello Road Markets and trudged off through the drizzle to find them. Along with about 10,000 other people. The markets take up almost the entire length of Portobello Road, from Notting Hill to North Kensington and it seemed that every square metre of them contained five people.



Lugging the laptop on my back and my coat under my arm, it was all a bit of a struggle. The markets would probably have been fun (there appeared to be some vaguely interesting shops in between the more tourist-centric fare), but once the rain started to get heavy we both decided we’d be better served inside somewhere. Somewhere was a conveniently located Internet café where we spent a good couple of hours sorting through emails and battling to get this blog up to date. Seeing that the rain had eased, we eventually headed back out for a final scout of the markets but again the weather had fooled us and within minutes the rain had come back stronger than ever. Our refuge this time was an overcrowded café we had some wedges and juice before deciding that it was all too hard and it was time to quit this tourist lark. Luckily when we arrived back at the hostel (intending to pack our things and leave for a 10pm flight at 4pm) we found the staff starting to watch The Virgin Suicides on DVD in the communal lounge room. We joined them – finally finding an activity suitable for our energy levels and the weather – and then headed off for the long trip southwards.

Friday 26/5: London

Friday was intended to be ‘Museum Day’ – we were aiming to visit the Natural History Museum and, if we were still enthused, move on to The Science Museum afterwards. Things started with a stroll through Hyde Park, enjoying the waterfowl and the ongoing blustery conditions (check out the deckchairs in the third picture for some idea of the wind).





We eventually reached the Natural History Museum, housed in a rather grand old building just south of the park.





The museum housed a fairly impressive collection of fish, insects, reptiles, mammals and birds (as well as a geological section that we didn’t explore). The whole thing was informing and well organised, but it all felt rather dated. Admirably, the museum is no longer in the market for animals to stuff and thus all the mammals looked rather faded (particularly the big cats). Additionally, the interactive and video displays all seemed to date from about 1992 – just before computers were widely used for these kinds of things. Regardless we had a lot of fun – I particularly enjoyed the fish (who knew that flying fish can fly for 400 metres?), reptiles and birds, although the centre of the action was clearly the blue whale.



The bird section was full of species that are now extinct and included a few displays that highlighted the kinds of practices that helped to kill them off. Like giant glass cases filled with dozens of stuffed hummingbirds. For example.



After fighting through the school groups and tourists, we decided against moving on to The Science Museum and instead went for a wander around Chelsea (with a highly-regarded chocolatier as our final goal).



Along the way we stumbled into a mini French district and had a crepey lunch.



After browsing through the shops of Chelsea’s King Street (not just browsing – Cindy bought a couple of pairs of socks that, when the currency conversion calculation was done, meant that she could never tease me about buying books again), we hit upon our main goal: L’Artisan du Chocolat. And here I think I’ll let Cindy take over:

L’Artisan du Chocolat is a small and exclusive shop that we found in a ‘best shopping in London’ guide. I was determined to buy a small box that would allow me to sample a variety of the flavours on offer, regardless of the price. Michael actually persuaded me to buy the second-smallest selection of 20 chocolates!



As well as selling dark chocolate by the region of origin, they have a range of unusual flavours including jasmine tea, pine, sesame, basil and lavender. The flavours are very subtle, and all are made of the most pure melt-in-the-mouth dark chocolate. They were so pretty and fragile and so carefully wrapped up that I insisted on carrying them levelly back to the hostel on the tube, then took about 10 photos to ensure that I had a record of them in perfect condition.

By the time we finished our walking and found our way back to the hostel there was just enough time for a quick rest before we headed off to dinner. The plan for the evening was to go to Drummond Street – my tourist map of London mentioned that this street was known for its vegetarian Indian restaurants. We’d done a brief scouting the day before and found about eight Indian shops, at least half of which were vegetarian specialists. We settled on Ravi Shankar as the best of these and squeezed into one of the few remaining tables. I chose the largest of the thalis on offer. Cindy and I discovered thalis in New York a couple of years ago – they’re basically set meals made up of a starter or two, bread, rice, a range of curries and condiments and a dessert, all served on a large metal tray (in a number of smaller containers). They seem to mainly appear on the menus of vego Indian places. Because I’d gone for the primo option, I got a soup and pappadum to start:



The soup had a scattering of lentils and coriander in it, but its main flavour was ‘hot’. Lucky I’d ordered a large beer. The rest of my meal consisted of: rice, chapatti, four pakoras, a potato and pea curry (with a similar flavour to the soup), some sort of mixed vege curry (with corn prominent), aloo saag (spinach and cheese), channa masala (chickpeas), raita and gulab jaman (sweet balls of weird milkiness that somehow ends up a similar consistency to dougnuts). So much food. It was painful to stand up afterwards.



Cindy, sensibly, opted for the daily special: a biryani served with vegetable kofta, salad, raita and a rice puddingy dessert. The kofta sauce was quite spicy, but the biryani was exactly to Cindy’s taste. I was so full I only sampled a smidgen of one of the kofta balls and can report that it was among the finer I’ve had.