Listening to Antonio Vivaldi, The Four Seasons – Autumn.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013
Itinerizing Hong Kong
Street in Hong Kong.
The moment you realize that navigating this scene will require much more
tacit knowledge skills than years of actually living in Asia affords.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013
– Don’t worry, once you’ve learnt how to ride a bicycle, you’ll know it forever. Bicycle riding becomes you. You are the bicycle!
So I was told when I was about five or six years old at the time, riding a bicycle with small trainer wheels at each side of the back wheel, that gave me no security in feeling in balance with the mechanism because I felt I was going to tip over one side or another at any one time.
Perhaps I’m not of the adventurous sort.
Bicycle riding proved traumatic enough for me as a child that was compounded by the fact that as I grew up, I never really got to keep any of my bicycles for one reason or another. I still mourn the demise of my muffin cute pink, purple and white racer, and no, it doesn’t matter if the colours of the bike has nothing to do with its function, that bike looked good enough to eat and as a little girl, that’s all that made my day just staring at it, not wanting for it to get a slick muddy in the monsoon seasons of Asia.
So at the back of my mind, not only was I worried I would never be able to balance without trainer wheels on a bicycle, but I wouldn’t actually have the contraption to ride anyway. Why spend time mastering riding then when I could be playing with my Cabbage Patch kid?
Continue reading “Itinerizing Hong Kong”
Stora Känsö, Swedish west coast archipelago
Känsö’s ship observations tower at the island’s high point,
offers a splendid view over the neighbouring islands of Gothenburg’s southern archipelago
and is well worth the effort making it up there.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013
Känsö synopsis
Känsö is a small island in the Southern Archipelago of Gothenburg. The name refers to its use by the people of the nearby island of Brannö, who let their cows grass on it over the summer.
In the early 19th century, science medical theories had made enough progress to suggest that becoming ill could be avoided by insulation. The island’s location immediately south of the Gothenburg port entry made it ideal to be used as a quarantine to try to protect Gothenburg and Sweden from any number of contagious deceases that at the time, plagued continental Europe and Asia.
The theories and practices developed here were advanced, though as time moved on, the progress and knowledge in hygiene standards that was made through the use of this facility eventually disseminated to the mainland hospitals. The consequence was that the island was gradually made available for other purposes and it is today, a military naval base and training camp.
The first quarantine manager, Jacob Forsell and chief surgeon of this facility had plenty of free time on his hands, some of which he devoted to developing the island’s meagre flora. Being mostly rocky and barren he created space for an apple orchard of 150 trees and planted the remaining island with more than 5,000 other trees of which quite a few appears to have been pine, considering what is still standing on this restricted access island.
Continue reading “Stora Känsö, Swedish west coast archipelago”
Summer perennials
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013
A noticeable feature of the houses found in the Swedish west coast archipelago are the picturesque gardens that look unkempt. Seemingly forgotten and left wild, it is this visual feature that I find gives the gardens their defining, core beauty.
Since settling in Sweden more than a decade ago, I have now had ample opportunity to admire these grounds whether it is via seasonal garden parties or from long evening strolls around the neighbourhood.
The garden closest to my heart, was once under the care of a professor in botany. To that extent, set in an undulating landscape, this garden has some interesting varieties of plants from Iceland Poppies (papaver nudicaule) that every year shed red petals after only a week of intense efforts of drawing attention to themselves from the local bee population, to sprawling crawlers such as the Grape Ivy (parthenocissus tricuspidata), that come autumn covers nearby branches and facades in a fiery red and green.
Continue reading “Summer perennials”
Swedish west coast Harbour Festival, Donsö 2013
Donsö hamnfest 2013. The harbour festival draws a large crowd,
both from the local community and from farther away.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013
Late in the summer every year, a harbour festival is held at Donsö, an island situated at the southern archipelago of Gothenburg. Events to this festival go on for two days that includes a marathon around the two islands of Styrsö and Donsö. The route is marked by deep blue and yellow tapes tied to street lamps, branches of trees and fences to help the runners find their way. Come evening of the harbour festival, the air fills with the sounds of live bands, the guests fed with fresh grilled seafood sandwiches, under tents and eaten right by the waterfront.
So it’s no surprise that the harbour festival draws a large crowd, both from the local community and from farther away. The natural means of communication is by sea, and the harbour at this event is fully packed with rows upon rows of pristinely polished boats and yachts in various sizes. Occasional product tankers and trawlers owned by the islander families are also pulled home and docked for greetings at the quay side.
All in all, the elements and atmosphere make for a glorious cocktail of fun and hanging out the next few days.
Continue reading “Swedish west coast Harbour Festival, Donsö 2013”
Moussaka
The Greek national dish Moussaka, for a summer dinner. A drop of Lambrinì Theodossious olive oil from Plomari on the romantic island of Lesbos, adds just that extra beam of sunshine.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013
As much as I love Italian cuisine, pasta has not so far made it into my top favourite dishes. However, in many respects a Greek Moussaka could be seen a lighter version of a Lasagna, that will leave some room for that special cherry chocolate tiramisù dessert, that indeed is one of my favourites.
Since there are so many good Moussaka recipes to be found on the Internet by the click of a ‘mouse’ I will not go into all the details of this dish but just mention some ideas that I find useful myself.
There are four steps in putting this dish together. A little bit time consuming maybe, but well worth it in the end.
Thyme into the meat sauce.
Marstrand
Carlstens Fortress at Marstrand as seen from Koön
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, 2013
About an hour’s drive north of Gothenburg lies an old stone fortress called Carlstens Fortress. Huddled around its imposing stone wall is the old town of Marstand. The town is located on two islands, the one outermost and housing the fortress is called Marstandsön while the inner one is the Koön – the Cow’s island.
Ideally, one would arrive by boat to dock alongside other seafaring adventurers, a natural thing to do since during the summer, Marstrand hosts an endless number of sailing competitions. The winter season is somewhat of a lull while most activities try to hibernate the best they can.
By the quayside, having spotted some über lush princess yachts flagged Norwegian (not pictured), christened “Rojoto” and “Fru Nilsen” (Mrs. Nilsen).
Swedish west coast summer party
One of the things in life to be grateful for, is to have friends. And that they sometimes have garden parties during the summer. Another thing to be grateful for, is that they invite you. I would consider time spent with friends, one of life’s luxuries. Thank you! for a wonderful day and evening.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, 2013
At the western end of the silk route, Istanbul 2013
The Süleymaniye Mosque from 1550 as seen from the Galata bridge
across the water of the Golden Horn. To the left, a corner of the Egyptian Spice market
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Istanbul 2013
The Süleymaniye Mosque
Crossing the Galata bridge from Pera towards the Old City part of Istanbul, the Süleymaniye Mosque dominates the skyline. It dates to the 1550s and the era of the Ottoman Empire.
As with other imperial mosques in Istanbul, the Süleymaniye Mosque was designed as a complex with adjacent structures to service both religious and practical needs. The original complex consisted of the mosque itself, a hospital, primary school, public baths, a Caravanserai, four Qur’an (ethics and moral) schools, a religious (hadith) school, a medical college, and a public kitchen which served food to the poor. Continue reading “At the western end of the silk route, Istanbul 2013”
Love at first bite
Personally I would leave the steak some eight minutes before serving to let it rest a bit and even out the temperature. I have found that this leaves the steak much juicier too.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013
Admittedly, it was a feeling of pure lust that washed over me from the moment the succulence of it appeared under my visual radar. I wanted it. I knew from the first instance I saw it, it was mine. Without a doubt, I wanted all of its deliciousness home with me.
It was not so much a question about how many inches of it I could have, but the fact that already the first two would give me a really nice piece, with both strip steak side and the tenderloin.
I really don’t know what it is with big chunks of beef that releases so much of the primitive hormones in me, but it seems the case that I often end up buying way too large steaks to a small household. Perhaps I just like large, in general, like fruits, diamonds, cars, houses. Anything.
However, there is no way any one single person can down a four lbs (2kg) T-bone steak alone. Not even two grown up persons can do it comfortably. With some modest side dishes, you need to be at least four.
And there you have it, a perfect reason to call a few friends and throw a dinner party.
I have always also felt a little bit intimidated by outdoor barbecuing, because it seems so hard to get any steak exactly the way you want it. Too many burst and charred tomatoes, too many raw and inedible chicken parts etc. have left their scars on my self confidence I’m afraid, but this would be the day, with a gorgeous find of a T-bone.
After considering a Barolo, my choice fell on a full bodied 2001 Rioja which worked out well.
When planning a dinner, I like to choose a wine that will complement the food, as soon as the menu is settled. In this case I felt a steak this brutal, would take a robust, mature red wine that would stand its own ground and not fade into the wallpaper when a medium rare two inch thick steak landed on the plate.
My rule of thumb when preparing a meat dinner, is one glass in the sauce and one in the chef. In this case I was not planning to have any sauce, so I recalibrated the wine ratio, which also worked out OK.
Continue reading “Love at first bite”