Cologne and Dusseldorf Christmas Markets 2013

Grant and I had an easy weekend in Germany. We flew to Cologne for the Christmas markets and came back from Dusseldorf as the cities are only 20 mins away by train. 

It was my first early morning flight from Gatwick and I realised I should be flying from there more often. The airport is calm and going through security was a breeze. I even managed to get a whole row of seats to myself on the plane!

After we landed and took a train to the city of Cologne, we climbed up the cathedral near the station. The weather wasn't so great but at least it didn't rain. The climb, unlike the one I did in Florence's duomo cathedral was challenging because people were coming up and down the stairs and there was a slippery/scary bit near the top. 

After the climb we went straight into the adjoining christmas market. The first one was big and the food stalls are amazing. There was plenty of hot apple cider, apple liquor (which I nearly got drunk on one shot glass!) and mulled wine as well. It was lovely being in a real christmas market where the food was fresh and traditionally made. We discovered Kartoffelpuffer, fluffy deep friend potato pancakes. Like hash browns but way better! 

This was at the second Christmas market nearby. Not only was there plenty of wurst, there were also long grilled meat sticks. They were super tasty. Ours was pork but they also had beef.

The meat stick is deceptively short at times. 

We didn't get to Dusseldorf until nearly 9pm. For dinner, our hotel recommended a traditional German restaurant, which was also a brewhouse called Schumacher. On a late Saturday night, the place was packed. The atmosphere was buzzing. Once seated, a man shows up with a tray of beers. He simply asks: "Beers?" We say yes and he plonks two on our table and marks our coasters as a tally of how many we've had. Now this is real Germany! 

We ordered Schweinshaxe, roasted pork knuckle. Mine was served with mash and Grant's with red sauerkraut and dumpling. The meals were huge and comforting. It's the type of food to drink beer with. I could'nt even finish mine.

The next morning we explored Dusseldorf. The city is different to Cologne because it looks relatively new. There is still a lot of construction. I liked it because it's metropolitan and cultured. There were a lot of Japanese restaurants I wanted to try too. 

We hit up more Christmas markets and ate those delightful potato pancakes.

Yet another Christmas market. How quaint are these wooden toy soldiers?

We walked along the Rhine river and stopped by at Cafe Kasbah which was Moroccan. We sat in the upstairs mezzanine, on poufs sipping fresh mint tea. As I watched the sunshine streaming indoors, (something I rarely see nowadays),  I was thinking how much I liked this city. Not too busy and has all that one needs. I can imagine living here!

A Ferris Wheel For Us Big Kids

I met my friend for coffee in Hampstead and there was a Christmas Fair. There were food stalls, a petting zoo, birds of prey display, reindeers and an organ machine playing Christmas carols. 

On the upper end of the high street was a ferris wheel and other rides.

So my friend and I got on the ferris wheel. The enjoyment of high amusement rides is different for us big kids. The little kids were calm with their accompanying parent. But for us, if we weren't squealing, we were wailing in trepidation.

Terror...

Glee!

A Tale Of The Spinning Burrito And My First Shiner

It happened on my way into the office after I popped out for a burrito. We have auto revolving doors but sometimes you need to push them manually. I approached and it started to revolve so I walked through and it stopped in my face. My cheekbone hit the metal handrail and nearly smacked my glasses off.

I was shocked. Not only because of the impact, I also dropped my burrito. I was trapped in the door so I gave it a push and suddenly the doors spun twice as fast! So quickly I couldn't pick it up. I jumped out of the doors and watched helplessly as my burrito rolled anti-clockwise in some kind of ridiculous taunt.

I looked up to see the receptionists' stunned faces and caught the eye of one sympathetic gentleman who got up from his chair to make sure I was ok. I pretended everything was fine and rescued my burrito, still hot and foil wrapping intact. 

A few hours later, my upper cheek swelled and a shiner was coming through. I couldn't wait to get home, into my onesie and make cheese souffle. It's not a cure but as long as I'm not looking in the mirror, everything will be just fine. 

My shiner a few days later. 

This Is Autumn

 The sun shone so much today the sky was burnt blue. A walk through Hampstead Heath set the scene for autumn. Dogs, coats, gumboots and kites. By afternoon, the light was gone and people scurried home from the shops to prepare for the cosy indoors. 

Saturday Starting With Irish Soda Bread

It's not officially winter but its weather has kicked in. I slept in till 10am-a stretch since I hate wasting hours of sunshine. I felt lazy and was relieved in a way that it was raining outside. There was no incentive to leave the flat.

For breakfast I whipped up a loaf of Irish soda bread. I got hooked on the stuff in Dublin. It has a delicious smell and takes only half an hour to make. The ingredients are buttermilk, wholemeal flour, white flour and salt. All which I had in the kitchen. I thawed the buttermilk as I keep some in the freezer and picked out a heap of raisins out of the cereal box to add to the bread. I like soda bread with fruit so you gotta make do...

The bread turned out perfect and smelt a treat as it was coming out of the oven. 

Thanks to the buttermilk, the texture was soft and well aerated. The aroma intensified as I sliced it while it was still warm. Soda bread success!

The slices went into the toaster and was served with lashings of Anchor butter. (Grant's favourite from NZ.) Utterly scrumptious.

I did some chores and by the time I walked out of the flat to go shopping, it was night-dark and only 5pm. 

I went to Camden where I bought a sweater from a charity shop and pearl jasmine green tea, white peony tea and a glass tea infuser. Teas are really my "thing" at the moment. It's comforting, healthy and kind to the tummy. 

Grant and I went to Leicester Square for dinner. I had an uncontrollable craving for Five Guys burgers. It was manic out there and awful having to wait in a queue freezing. Poor Grant promised he would go with me to Five Guys and he took the wait on the chin. We were suckers for punishment. It was so busy, I reakon we waited for an hour from when we got in the queue to when we got our food. 

Grant asked for no onions but it seemed like he got double the serve of onions in his burger. I complained and they gave him the correct burger straight away. No point of paying nearly £9 for a burger if it's not to full satisfaction. Mine was tasty and very messy but it was a craving down and I'll never do Saturday night Five Guys again.

Then I started posting in my new blog, My Hair Growth Story. It's based on my quest to grow my hair to the bottom of my ribs, something which I've never done before. As a little girl I was never allowed to grow hair past my nape but now it's rebelling big time!

When The Leaves Turn Red, Summer Is Over

I walk past this tree everyday and when the leaves are red, it's a sign that a dreadful time of the year is coming. There's no more denying it, summer is truly over. 

Say goodbye to waking sunlight, outdoor life after work, that titillating feeling of warm air on skin. It's time for constrictive coats, clunky boots, frozen cheeks and vitamin D tablets. 

Woe will I be, no more prancing along sand and sea!

Now the trees are naked, the pavements are leafy and the chestnuts are (presumably) stolen by the squirrels. And no matter how early I try to finish work, it's dark by the time I'm home.

But I had a nice surprise this morning. We have mounds of wild mushrooms. They must have sprung up overnight! So beautiful.

Did elves plant spores in our garden while we were sleeping?

A little comfort food as the weather hits chill point. I had a craving for oysters and went to the Waitrose steak and oyster bar for a lunchtime fix. Now I want moarrrrrrr!!!!

Dublin Family Weekend

The next event for Super September was a weekend in Dublin, where my sister and spent most of her holiday. I flew after work on Friday night and after taking two wrong trains to London City Airport, I was panicking when I arrived 20 minutes before departure.

London City Airport is my favourite for the good reason that I still made the flight with 5 minutes to spare. And that includes being stopped in security for liquids in my bag. I flew with Swiss and my fellow passengers were all  banker-types from Dublin, working in London.

I was welcomed by my brother in law's Irish family with four cute grandkids, cousins of Lillee. There were Irish, Australian and French accents in the house.

Dublin that weekend was downright cold. I'm talking so cold the central heating was on. It was also raining on Saturday when we went hiking at Sugarloaf mountain.

There was a scramble at the peak however the family whippet seemingly bounced it's way up!

 You could see as far as, well...the sea and the fields like a green patchwork quilt.

Lisa wanting a trophy photo.

At the top chilled to the bone and blasted by the wind.

What summer???

After that hike, had lunch at an ye olde pub nearby. The thing which really warmed me up was a glass of hot port. It was sweet and aromatic like mulled wine. Delicious!

There was a dinner later in the evening at an apparently fancy Indian restaurant. Getting dressed up for an Indian meal struck me as odd however when we got there, it was an upmarket French and Indian fusion place called Ananda. Not your usual cheap Indian joint! The meals were exquisite.

The next day we had a lavish Irish fry up breakfast. The bacon and soda bread was the tastiest I've ever had. We then went to Malahide, a portside town north of Dublin. 

I visited there on a previous trip to Dublin years ago. This time we went to the Malahide Castle for lunch. The food was delicious, of course I had a steak and Guinness pie. I loaded up on soda bread too. The fragrant just-baked kind is what dreams are made of!

After a stroll by the sea, it was time to return to London. 

What a lovely getaway with my family. It was like having a home away from home.