I never used to be an adventurous gourmand. And I don't eat bugs and smelly fruit like that guy on the Food Network. But I am more willing to order mysterious things from menus when traveling in Europe these days.In this case, I ordered what the menu said was "garlic soup with bread and eggs." I assumed the eggs would be stirred in like they are in egg drop soup. I thought the bread would be served on the side. Imagine my surprise when what you see here was served. It was marvelous. I would like a bowl right now. Anyone know where I can get something like this?
Travel
Something Old and Something New
in Architecture, Europe, Travel
This is a shot from the south (?) side of the River Thames. The structure spanning the river is a pedestrian bridge known as the Millennium Bridge, build to help commemorate the new Millennium a few years ago. In the distance is St. Paul's Cathedral, which was built in 1697 and was designed by the famous British architect Christopher Wren.When the Millennium Bridge opened, they found that it wobbled excessively and millions of dollars were spent on modifications in order for people to safely walk on it. St. Paul's does not wobble and never has.See this on Panoramio and Google Earth
07-25-10 Going Down
Those who have ridden subways know that sometimes the escalators down to the tracks may seem endless. This is especially true in cities that are hilly. This escalator isn't particularly deep but I happened to have my camera out as we were going down.One of the deepest London tube stations is the Angel Tube Station and one thrillseeker has found a quick way to do down -- on snow skies. Check out this YouTube video.
Still Life
Deb and I were in Lisbon on the last day of our visit to Portugal when I noticed these two people pondering something off in the distance. I was immediately reminded of a famous work of art by Duane Hanson called "Tourists." And so I snapped the photo. I'll have to admit that my wife and I come closer to looking like Hanson's tourists than this Lisbon couple does, though I think my wife is much more stylish.You might be interested in knowing that Duane Hanson casts his fiberglass and resin figures from real people. Most of the people in my photos are real, too.
Look Right!
To someone from the US (and much of the rest of the world), one of the many endearing idiosyncrasies of England is that they drive on the "wrong" side of the road. One would think that this would have little impact on the pedestrian but that would be wrong. For example, which side of the sidewalk do you walk on? How about people movers at airports? Escalators? Etc.As a pedestrian in London for the first time, I appreciated the courtesy of the warnings painted at many crosswalk because more than once, I looked left as I would at home, stepped into the crosswalk and then was aware that traffic was bearing down on me on the "wrong" side of the road.Incidentally, without trying to sound pedantic, 34% of the world's population drives on the left. The French used to drive on the left but Napoleon changed it. I don't know why.
We Can See Ourselves!
We were packing our rental car and getting ready to leave our little cottage in Aldeia da Mata Pequena, Portugal, when the two resident peacocks walked up and started to look at themselves in the dark reflection. I thought they were admiring themselves, but when they started to peck at our car, I concluded that they thought they were looking at two other peacocks that somehow posed a threat. They moved on amiably when I opened the passenger car door.
The Card Game
You may have noticed that I post more photos of things than I do of people. When traveling, I rarely ask permission to take photos of people who are aware of my camera. - generally prefer candid, un-posed photos.This is true of this photo, though it's not exactly candid. In this case we we strolling through a public square in Lisbon and the gentleman who is looking at me saw my camera and encouraged me with gestures to take the photo of his friends. The man in the red shirt has two aces in his hand but I don't know what game he is playing.
Fresh, Grilled Salmon
To offer a bit of a contrast to my "Bangers and Mash" post from a few days ago, I thought I'd show you the kind of food I ate while in Portugal. This excellent meal was served in a small, unassuming restaurant that we visited twice while in Lisbon. Everything was fresh and very good. It may be crass to talk about prices but I think I paid around $10 for this.Check out some of my London/Portugal 2010 trip photos here
The Old Stone Wall
Like many of my photos, this photo was a bit of an afterthought. Deb and I had been out for a drive and I slowed to take in the scenery. And, though the sun was shining directly into my camera, I decided to take a shot of the little stone wall and the wild flowers (and colorful weeds) beside the road.Two things strike my about this scene. One is the stone wall, which is probably at least a century old. The labor and the time to construct this are rewarded by the longevity of the project.The other thing that strikes me about this place, is that it is only about 45 minutes north of Lisbon, the largest city in Portugal. And we are in a very rural setting. It is not unlike driving a few minutes north of Watertown and finding a landscape that is quiet and relatively free of people.Check out some of my London/Portugal 2010 trip photos here
Bangers and Mash
I don't play with my food much any more. But I do take photos of it when I'm traveling, especially if I encounter a particularly delightful meal. This meal qualified, though it may seem gross or obscene to some of you. Bangers and mash? Yes, that's what they call it in England. Americans would call it sausages and mashed potatoes and probably wouldn't serve it this way. Presentation is everything!Check out some of my London/Portugal 2010 trip photos here
The Music of Sheep
Every morning a shepherd (no relation) would bring his musical heard of sheep within view of our small 4 room stone cottage near Evoramonte, Portugal.The music that we heard wasn't the bleating of the sheep. They were quiet. Instead it was the clanging of the mellifluous bells that hung around their necks, which chimed in a multitude of tones.This was no performance for tourists. It was instead part of the rhythm of rural Portuguese life. For the two traveling Shephards, it was magical.
A Rainy Night In London
in Europe, Travel, Uncategorized
It had rained lightly all day on our last full day in London. We had enjoyed a pint at the local pub and were heading back to our hotel. I began taking photos of the traffic that was passing and got lucky when a double decker bus came by. Rain and red double decker buses both seem like London icons to me.