It was picture postcard perfect

The mountains of Italy are lovely in the summer and the winter. You can go on lovely walks and sample some great food in the summer or skiing and walking with snow shoes still sampling some great food in the winter. This weekend I had the opportunity to go walking in Val di Funes in the Puez-Geisler Nature Park.

 
Our walk started through a forest along a stream, I believe to be called Brogles Brook, with continuous and beautiful views to the Giesler Peaks or Gruppo delle Odle, depending on whether you fancy speaking German or Italian.

Our intended destination was to go straight to Giesler-Alm/Rifugio delle Odle (never mind that the sign clearly pointed in the other direction) but we took a wrong turn (or the longer way depending on how you want to look at it) and as such we followed the road to view Malga Gampen. I was in hubby and his parents hands and as such can't really give specific directions of the way we took. I was not complaining though as the road was gentle on the feet and the views were beautiful...

Once we realised we had gone the wrong way we figured it was a bit much to just keep on going so we headed back to our crossroad and this time followed the sign! We decided to take a break before heading on our way with a quick sip of water and a sandwich and some fruit...okay so we stopped to have some lunch.

Though not a road it was a fairly easy trail to follow with no large ups or downs to maneuvre which was great for me. You get pretty close to Gruppo delle Odle and they are pretty impressive and of course you get to see some lingering snow.

Of course the best is when you finally arrive at Geisler-Alm. The refuge itself was a very nice set up and what seems to be a great place to stay for a few nights. A lovely play park for the kids with goats and all. Behind the refuge they had what they call the 'Cinema of the Odle' with chairs to catch some sun, relax and enjoy the view. We stopped for a drink to enjoy the view. My pictures probably don't do it justice.

It definitely was picture postcard perfect!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

So it's not often that I ending up watching the movie before I read the book. I was actually quite keen on watching the movie as I am sure I had read somewhere that it was a good book but hubby kind of burst the bubble when he mentioned that it did not get that great a review(we always somehow turn to the Guaridan). So there I was sitting on my second plane (part of my 27 hours of travel from New Zealand to Italy) thinking well maybe this is a good opportunity to watch it, which I did and well it was okay. Anyway this is not about the film this is about the book...which was a hundred thousand times better...I know someone always says the book is better than the movie....


What happens is that the movie left out so much that made the book a lot more interesting and real. The story does not focus solely on the grilsy topic of death, but rather on the afterlife and a families struggle to deal with the loss of a daughter and sister. It was a very touching novel to read and fills the imagination with sometimes beautiful but sad images. I did start to loose track a bit by the end but it did not spoil the overall effect of what I thought was an engaging read.

Royal Gossip with Phillipa Gregory

So maybe entitling this post as gossip might be a bit misleading but it is the best way for me to explain how much of page turner this book is! I would definately recommend it as one of those books that are great for holidays lazing on the beach. That and the fact that I have no interest in much historical non-fiction about royalty meant I could take this book at complete face value and I was unable to debate how well it sticks to the story, so it was fun.  'The Other Boleyn Girl' is filled with intrigue, romance, family and traditions and the book in so many ways engages with the reader. It's portrayal of the rivlary between the two sisters, Anne and Mary, really captures the imagination and I literally felt their battle of loyalty and resentment between each other. I found all the character's well rounded and actually found myself taking sides and becoming a part of the plot.

Overall a pretty good read.

Making Home-made Jam

I have always had the opportunity to take home jars of hubby's mum home made jam. So you can only imagine my excitement when the opportunity arose for me to actually help! There has been an abundance of fruit....the fridges are overflowing in this house, from peaches, to apples, to apricots. Just as a matter of note you cannot say no to gifts of fruits from the neighbour's either. So this morning we were making peach jam and I was overwhelmed with how easy it really all was. The bottles had been washed with boiling water and prepared and ready.

The next step was the peaches which needed to be peeled and cut into small pieces. A lot of our peaches were pretty mature and very easy to peel. I have boiled peaches in the past if they are not very soft to make them easier to peel but something tells me they won't make as nice jam! You should have about 1 kilo of peaches.

 

You then need to add the peaches with 350grams of sugar and put it in a large pot to boil. Hubby's mum then added a packet of 'Fruttapec' which means you have to add less sugar and boil for a lot less time. I found it great the she has a special wooden spoons only for making marmellata! After boiling for about 10-15 minutes she felt that the pieces were still too big after boiling so gave it a quick whizz with a hand blender. 

Now all we needed to do was fill the jars with sticky juice using a ladle. Of course be careful when handling the jars as once they have the jam inside they will be hot!!!! Then we turned them upside down and left them for 10 minutes while we started the process again.

 

And the next day...well just YUM!

Little things Italian

So here I am in Italy for 2 whole months! 2 whole months of holiday as well so I really can't complain! I really do love Italy as much as it frustrates me some times. Of course two of my favourite things are the food and the wine. I love the idea of cooking with the seasons, eating what is local, fresh and abundant. So there was certain simple joy in the fact that I was able to go on two very if rather small but special outings for me.

The first was going directly to the local farmer to buy some vegetables. As we arrived there she was coming in from the fields with her basket loaded with fresh tomatoes! The second was heading off with our big white jug to get some wine from a local producer. The best bit of course was being able to sample the produce! The best bit for hubby's day was that it cost 1 euro a litre! Of course as most Italian families there is a cantina downstairs where all this lovely produce is stored. Hubby's dad then bottles the wine himself when it is then chilled and ready to serve at dinner.

Reminiscing New Zealand

I have been working for a few days on this post and it will probably be a long one. It is time to say goodbye, even though secretly I hope it is see you later, to New Zealand and there is so much to reflect on as it has been a most amazing experience.

My very first impression about New Zealand was how friendly people where! How easy it was to get settled into life here. We have really experienced the most welcoming and amazing service.

The country is beautiful with the most amazing places to see. They really know how to take care of their country. I love their brand of tourism and being able to access all areas. Even with mass tourism there is no sign of these grand hotels impinging on the landscape. The beaches instead are long and dramatic, and beach day in New Zealand is the bestest. You could literally spend a whole day at the beach without having to share it with anyone else. Buy a big umbrella, pack a cooler with some drinks (and no they don't have to be alcoholic), pack some food and off you go. We had no families or friends around us for Christmas this year but we still had the most amazing day at the beach. Possibly the only time the beach was "crowded". They are all so amazing I find it hard to choose my all time favourites (and I have not visted them all, like I saw a few good ones on Waiheke Island but never had time to stop and really enjoy them and well it really depends what you want from a beach like just beauty or do you want to swim?), but here is a shortlist (or maybe longlist!):

1.  Karekare, Waitekere Ranges
2. Piha, Waitekere Ranges
3. Baylys Beach, Dargaville, West Coast, Northland
4. 90 Mile Beach
5. New Chums Beach, Coromandel
6. Otama Beach, Coromandel
7. Cathedral Cove, Coromandel
8. Oneill's Bay and Bethells beach
 

I have to admit if you do visit don't spend too much time in the cities but get out into the nature. I have seen some amazing places during my visit (and I still have not seen it all, I want to come back for Mt Taranaki and to walk the Abel Tasman)

• I guess my top stop would be Milford Sound and yes it was raining but it just added to the majic.
• The Otago Peninsula was amazing as we got to see the wildlife, seeing the mighty Royal Albatross and walking up to the sea lions resting on the beach and seeing the yellowed eyed peguins as they came up onto the beach after a hard day on the water. Elm Wildlife Tours
• I loved getting out on the water in the Bay of Islands, watching the dolphins chasing the boat. 
• We took the most amazing helicopter ride to see the Fox and Frans Joseph Glaciers. Seeing them from the sky is something else. It was really worth it even if I was honestly scared senseless through it all as the helicopter does a few lurches when it gets close to the rocks and I sometimes had to resist the urge to close my eyes. Yet when it lands on the snow and you have these amazing views....priceless.
• A visit to the Coromandel is like the Lake district on steroids.
• Watching the geothermal activity in Rotorua was pretty cool as it was my first time for such experiences.

There have also been the simple things like enjoying Auckland's green spaces. I have lost count of the amount of times I have been to the Park to relax and read my book or even enjoying a cup of coffee outside the cafe in the sun! Then we go to go and enjoy Parnell's Festival of Roses.  Auckland truly is the city of sails and we had the pleasure of seeing the Louis Viutton Cup. It is a shame though that I never actually made it onto a sailboat myself.
  

Then it's not just about nature it's also about the culture as well. I really enjoyed learning about the Maori culture and getting to go and watch the rugby! I highly recommend a visit to Auckland War Memorial Museum and the one in Dunedin was pretty good as well. If you get a chance you really must experience a Maori cultural performance. What a treat seeing the All Blacks do the haka. I loved celebrating New Years and Valentines Day here in Auckland.

Eating out has been extremely pleasurable and I find it hard to think of a restaurant we ate at and did not enjoy the food. Actually I learnt pretty quickly that I enjoy "doing lunch". I will never forget the glorious fresh seafood and the seafood festival they have here in Auckland was another great treat! I especially enjoyed the time I spent at the Vaiduct, Auckland. Great for lunch, a drink or dinner. My top favourites have to be the Karmadec and my favourite pub is the Four Nations who do the best bowl of potato wedges with sour cream (we only belated decided to head one day to the Fox and it is actually pretty cool as well). Best fish and chips was Oppies in Rotorua or Mangonui Fish Shop in Mangonui.

This country is as beautiful as they say it is! This post certainly does not do it all justice! So I hope that this is not goodbye but see you later New Zealand.

Egg and Bacon Pie or a Donut?

That my dear friends is the difficult question I always get to ask myself when I visit a local bakery in New Zealand. Sometimes I don't even bother to choose and just get both! Hubby and I discovered that this is one of the greatest things that you can do on your visits to this country...seriously! It started from our visit to the Coromandel and now it's like 'we can always just stop at a bakery for breakfast' when we are travelling. Whatever you do don't expect any granduer from the exterior or necessarily a comfy seat, it's what they serve that matters. Sweet or savoury, local bakeries tend to have them all and whenever, wherever we have stopped it has always tasted good. I mean who can resist a donut overloaded with cream or a bacon and egg pie heavy on the bacon. Whatever I choose I am never willing to share either...so hubby had to get one of his own.

My bakery of note is Munchie's Deli Bakehouse in Coromandel town...for breakfast, lunch or dinner! We were based in Coromandel Town and pretty much made it there every day for our visit.

My favourite activity early in the morning when travelling in New Zealand....stopping at a local bakery!