Borough Market

We've had a few weekends of being home, in London, and have been taking advantage of the lull in travel to eat well, catch up on errands and relax.

Last weekend, I went back for my second visit to Borough Market. It's a huge farmer's market in stalls - about a 20 minute tube ride away. There are tons of produce stalls, butchers, cheese makers, and pastry producers. Surrounding the market are lots of shops selling wine, coffee and a few great spots to grab lunch, (including a place that sells oysters that I'll have to save for my next visit.)

This visit was a banner one. Here is just a sampling of what I bought:


-dried cherries, mango and candied stem ginger, (for adding into porridge or oatmeal at breakfast)
-peaches
-figs
-fresh ricotta and goat's cheese
-fig and rosemary bread
-pies from the pieminister (great mid-week dinner with a simple green salad)
-lamb chops
-mint
-basil
-yellow, red and orange tomatoes
-small sweet potatoes
-red cabbage
-lemon
-eggplant
-red leaf lettuce and frisee
-yellow peppers
-fennel

Here are some pictures from our last visit in April. (Hence the gloves.)

Israel - Thoughts

To follow up from TJ's latest post about Israel- I wanted to share the things that really impressed me.

Contrasts

From what we hear about Israel on the news:
Tel Aviv is a wonderful little beach town. Where families gather for dinner and drinks after long days at the beach. I saw lots of older people playing two paddle Kadima each morning during my runs, and a whole group of older men playing team beach volleyball.



In Jerusalem there are so many places that people feel passionately about, sites that are the most holy for many different religions. You see people in tears with emotion about being here - all of this in a place where little kids run the streets on their way to school and people go about their daily lives.



And the fantastic neighborhood we stayed in Neve Tsedek - reminded us of Bernal Heights. Very 'up and coming' with a lot of little cafes, and shops.

Food

The Food was AMAZING. From the first meal of hummus and warm pita on the beach, to NG in Neve Tsedek (earned TJ's title of 'best meal he's had since moving to London'.) They were such a combination of fresh flavors, (lemon, olive oil, greens, tomatoes) all simply prepared and with crisp local white wine. These meals will influence the way we cook all summer long.

The markets were filled with fresh produce, spices and things like shoes, and tshirts =) And we had great thin crust pizza.

Connections

Before leaving for Israel, I received a message from my brother John. "I don't know what it is about Israel Rach, but I had such a sense of peace there, and a feeling that I never had before." John volunteered in Israel a few years back, and whenever he talks about Israel - his smile is huge and his passion for both Israel and the Israeli people is infectious. When you visit a place that someone loves - you become more connected to them. I was proud to tell people about what my brother had done - and so proud to be there in his footsteps.

While there I really felt John's enthusiasm for the country and love for the Israeli culture. We had some fantastic conversations with the cab driver that TJ's become friends with, and with our waitresses. People were warm, and wanted to talk. The lack of language barrier may have made it easier - but people were open and welcoming.

And most of all- I felt really connected and proud to be traveling there with my husband. Traveling with TJ is such an amazing experience. He has such a interest in languages and notices everything. He travels in difference cultures graciously and is so very inquisitive. And most of all - he is fun, and funny. He does not let minor travel problems stress him out or make him angry- he finds the humor in every situation.

So during this trip I really connected with my husband - and that made Israel even more beautiful for me.


The rest of my plentiful pictures are here.

Jerusalem - June 07

Second trip to Israel - and we took the opportunity to travel together for the Friday-Monday so that Rachel could see Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Jerusalem. I am sure she will post her impressions - but we had a great visit that also left us somewhat wide-eyed at points as well.

We stayed in the same hotel (Intercontinental David) that I stayed last time because I knew how to navigate to the open air market, Shenkein Street shopping, and Neve Tsedek from there (all were closed on Saturday, which was expected - but it is still odd to see a bustling market empty and silent (left). We walked all around in the morning and headed over to Jaffa for the afternoon enjoying the weather and had an unexpectedly fantastic meal after exploring the old port area at an outdoor restaurant in this setting (right):

On Sunday I had a meeting in Jerusalem in the morning, so we took the opportunity to see the Old City in more detail than what I saw in my 20 minute visit to the Western Wall on my previous trip.

There really is no way to describe it without being there - it is just amazing that there is several thousand years worth of history there, and that some of the most sacred settings valued by multiple religions are in such close proximity to each other.

We entered via the Jaffa Gate, and were hoping to see all four quarters of the city (Armenian, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian) - however I think we just had a glimpse of the Armenian area before entering the Cardo area, which is best described by this photo: (right)

and this photo of Rachel haggling over the price of coffee, shawarma spices, salad spices, peppercorns, and other fun stuff here:


From here we managed to extract ourselves from the myriad shopping stalls and paused for a quick water and falafel before visiting the Western Wall. While Rachel was trying to find a pen to borrow and figure out whether or not she should be walking away from the wall backwards as many women were doing, I went in to the tunnel to the left of the wall that I did not go in last time because I had received a prayer, a kabbalah string (which actually finally fell off on this trip!), and requests for money from a group of orthodox (guys? followers?) last time and I really did not understand the protocol so I retreated... Apparently the tunnel extends to a point that might be under the Dome of the Rock - which is also the site of the second temple, and is therefore the closest that the Jewish can get to their most holy site. I went all the way in and was surprised that there was a whole library of books in one area that can be used in prayer and that it was much more crowded than outside (photo at right)

Next we went through security again and up the new makeshift walkway that is in use because the construction of a new path has been halted in controversy (see interesting article here) to the Muslim quarter. We walked straight to the al-Aqsa mosque, anxious to see the detailed interior and rugs we had read about, and went to the entrance where there are many cubbyholes to place your shoes. I bent over to unlace mine, only to hear 'This is not for you' above me. I stood up and we asked the two men why - only to receive a shaking head 'no, you cannot enter'. Rachel thought it was because I still had the string on and they thought I was Jewish - but basically non-Muslims are no longer allowed in, and they said there were people inside that would not want us there, and that we should have come seven years earlier if we wanted to see it. Message understood - we walked away to take a few photos of it and the Dome... It is in a beautiful setting, was very quiet and actually quite peaceful in the large open square, and we walked right up to the Dome to see the impressive mosaic-type detail of the structure (knowing that we should not try to go in this time) - but we may have gotten too close as we were abruptly asked to leave by a security/police guy with an automatic rifle, bulletproof vest, and generally imposing presence. Rachel asked if it was because prayers were going to begin - and he said 'something like that - you must leave now through there' - directing us to a portal in the wall.

This was not the way we entered, and we then had to wind our way through some confusing narrow pathways with a distinctly less welcoming feel to them and from the men watching us walk through (I think we forgot to take photos during this part).

After a few wrong turns we found the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in front of us - completing the trifecta of holy sites. Not having done my homework (or Sunday School work?) I did not know that we were in front of the anointing stone and that the tomb of Jesus was potentially here (it is also the site of the 'immovable ladder'... but that sounds more like a Monty Python skit - see the link for more detail and I cannot believe that I do not have a photo of it).

It was another very impressive structure that has an amazing history and I think at this point we were a bit overwhelmed by the overall Old City experience. We explored some of the stations of the cross and went down the stairs to an even older excavated section/tomb/chapel before heading out - and back to Tel Aviv.

Many more photos from the whole trip can be seen here. And a good overview of Jerusalem's Old City with maps and descriptions of the sites (including those that we did not make it to) can be read / seen here.

It was also a very good and busy trip work-wise (too busy actually as I did not even make it to the beach once during the week) - and in an ironic twist the rates at the hotel went up significantly because of a joint Israeli venture capital and Red Herring (the new version) conference for start up companies being held there - so I moved to a small boutique hotel which was actually much more enjoyable than a large chain hotel. It was in the neighborhood that I like, and felt more like renting an apartment. My room was the two first floor awnings seen here:

and two more bookend photos are from the airport at arrivals (see all the balloons on the ceiling) and departure area:

Back to Finchley

Golf via the tube again (it takes about an hour door to door via tube, and it was 2 hours via car to reach this course last time with the unintentional detour / scenic route out by the new Wembley Stadium...).

My colleague Greg and I caught another great weather day, and were paired up with a guy that had recently joined Finchley, so we were able to play the member's tees (back), which was good in that it stretched this short-ish parkland course by another 300 yards or so. He was an American that had just recently left his career in Arizona working in M&A in the biotech sector at age 60 (most recently working for a company that I worked with when I used to go to Scottsdale) to take a post with the State Department, which placed him in London.

With a better swing, some confidence from the rounds in Scotland weeks earlier, and some local knowledge from the first round played here, I had a much better result (including a left handed up & down in front of the clubhouse crowd enjoying the day and their pints - which might be my best par in years).

I had a few bogeys and a couple of birdies on the front, and coming off of that lefty par save and then a subsequent birdie on 13 I found myself at even par, and started to think about it (of course) and the fact that I had a chance to post a sub par number.

...which led to two quick bogeys in a row.


Result: a pretty satisfactory +2 / 74... just need to clean up some of the loose errors (and to play more frequently).

footnote* - both of our putts in the top photo were for birdies, and both were missed.

Where are we? & Spain - Visit 2 - Version 2

Where have we been? Why no updates?

The travels have gotten the better of me lately - and that's made me very happy! We had a quiet week between trips - a relaxing weekend spent cooking, doing laundry and getting maximum time on the deck in the sun.

Then during the week we were able to grab a pint with our friend Peter Fromen, who was in town for work from San Francisco. The only thing missing was his wife Catie....it was so good to catch up, see a friendly face in London, and hear all about their impending move to San Diego (and recent trips up to Sonoma and Napa which left us saying "Ohh, Moshin - how we miss you.)

Then we headed back out last week for a trip to Israel - Tel Aviv. TJ had a few days of meetings for work, and I jumped on to spend the long weekend. I'll write more about this fantastic weekend, and download pictures this week. He returns to London on Thursday, and we are here until the 4th of July weekend, when we head to Nice, France, and then have a visit from KERRY and KEVIN and head to Paris for Bastille Day!

So to catch up- I am on the deck, it's about 9:30pm, sun is just going down, enjoying a nice dinner from Marks and Spencer after a run in Battersea Park, and here is my post about our second trip to Spain....
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After a long, successful week in Barcelona for my first event in my new job - I met TJ at the Bilbao airport and we headed for our long weekend in Rioja and San Sebastian.

One of the things I/we are trying to discover while we're in Europe, are the many diverse wine regions we have not yet visited - such as Germany, South Africa, Portugal, Italy, and of course, Spain.

Our first Spanish wine tasting started with pure silence - as we tried to figure out the words in Spanish to express why we were showing up at this winery. Do they even do tastings? Getting over that language barrier, we were treated to a range of wines from Cune winery. A rose, a few blends of whites, and a range of reds - learning the differences between a Crianza, a Reserva and a Grand Reserva.

Then we went on to another winery, that didn't do tastings - but we had their wine the night before at dinner and loved it - Muga, (the wine is called Prado Enea from 1998.)

The woman there was kind enough to speak in English, so her coworker didn't hear, as "she doesn't like me sending people here but go to this place around the corner. They have a great tasting room."

So we went here .....



And had white wines from 1981!!!!! I was eight in 1981 - and to think a white wine would even last that long! It was so fun, with a great guy that worked there, and we had a fantastic wine experience!

My thoughts of Spanish wines - they are more similar to Californian wines than to French. They have the same fruit forwardness that you get in Californian wines - and lack the French earthy-ness or terrior. My favorite was a white varietal - Viejo. Basically - they are wonderful - and to quote the Beasty Boys - "they do go well with this cheese." Enough of my wine- geekfest. If you have a few hours to kill, I can go on ....

The Marques de Riscal experience was fantastic. This amazing and modern hotel amongst an old, quaint Spanish town - it is such a statement of the future and was an experience I will never forget.

The food on this trip was fantastic. From a 10+ course dinner at the Marques de Riscal, to the rustic food at the local places where we ate our long lunches, to the amazing fresh fish - after working so hard on my first event with all of the pre-planning for weeks, and then onsite for 10 days - sharing this experience with TJ truly fed my soul.

Pictures are here:
http://web.mac.com/rachelchurch/iWeb/TJ/Spain%20May%202007%20-%20Rachel.html

Haro, Elciego, and Getaria Spain

This was a new type of trip for us - involving 'foreign car hire', which was easy to arrange online, but infinitely more difficult when actually at the Avis counter at the Bilbao Airport trying to get an upgrade of our car from the Spanish station-minivan we were originally given to an Audi. (one of Rachel's absolute favorite activities is waiting in the car rental parking area while I 'see what can be done' back at the counter).

We left (in our Audi A3) and headed out for Haro... in the wrong direction... without GPS assistance, in an area where the street signs are in Euskara (the Basque language) where even my Sesame Street Spanish failed me (for example, Abierto = Zabalik here). I wish we had taken a picture of the map that the guy in the gas station drew us on three consecutive strips of receipt paper - or an audio recording of the conversation that I had with him with a full language barrier in place. I learned that rotonda = roundabout, and we were back on track - at least the steering wheel and stick shift were back in their 'correct' positions.

Our first night was in Haro - just south of the Basque border, and 'capital' of the Rioja wine region. We had divvied up hotel responsibilities for the trip, and this one was mine... a building that spent time in its 700 year history as a monastery, hospital, military garrison, and hotel.
It actually encompasses what used to be a small square in the city, which is now enclosed by a glass roof under which is their lobby and restaurant. We got there late (10-ish) had a nice dinner and got some advice about which bodegas/wineries to visit the next day.

After coffee & toast in the main square (you can see small Rachel at right), we walked down from the fortified town to explore a bit. It is an absolutely beautiful area of Spain that I had never seen before - we had a great time struggling with our rudimentary Spanish in an area where not much English is spoken (as opposed to the relative ease of traveling in the larger cities), sampling some of the regional cuisine (the rustic pork dish that still had a bit of hair on the skin, leg of lamb with what looked to be intact tibia and fibula extending off of the plate, and whole grilled fish were all very interesting - and very tasty.)

From Haro we set off to Elciego to the new hotel built over the ancient cellars of Marquis de Riscal. I have not been as excited to see a hotel since the Palmilla in Mexico -- and it did not disappoint - here is our first view of it from the road (photo at left) and then another from up close. It was built by Frank Gehry, who designed the Guggenheim museum that put Bilbao back on the map a decade or so ago, from sandstone, aluminum, and titanium. While exceptionally incongruous, somehow it fits in with the town (we learned that it was a built a meter shorter than the cathedral in town so as not to upstage God in the eyes of the town - who had very mixed reactions to the new 'city of wine' that was planned. We were here for two nights, and did not move our car once - only leaving the property for a short bike ride to town one day for lunch in one of the two restaurants in town - we were the only non-locals, and our intended quick bite to eat resulted in a one menu option of a traditional Spanish lunch (multiple hours and courses - this is where the lamb leg was - and I am very glad that we fought the initial thought of fleeing the scene because it was one of those great unintended experiences: watching F1 racing in a random restaurant with great, inexpensive food). -- we had a run up through the vineyards the next day to make ourselves feel better about the decadence here before we left for the north coast.

After another adventurous drive that brought us to the same woman at the same tollbooth twice... we made our way up towards San Sebastien. The scenery on this drive was fantastic - winding along rivers next to abrupt mountains - and it was all very green/verdant and reminiscent of Vancouver - definitely not what I had ever seen of Spain. Rach had found a hotel online that, while not in San Sebastian, ended up being a great find, once we found it (they really need better hotel signs or directions in these towns - or they could all be made from pink titanium so that you can see them from a distance). This one was in Getaria (click to see the satellite view of the whole town and its setting), and perched on a cliff (at left, with our car) overlooking the ocean - which was amazing when the more stormy weather moved in later that day - and with the intermittent rough weather we decided to forgo our visit to San Sebastian in favor of exploring this quaint little town we had never heard of. It turns out that much of the Txakoli and Sidre that people have with their tapas/pintxos is produced on the sides of the steep hills here, and we also learned that it is one of the main fishing ports in the area which explains why the fish I was so wary of (the eye follows you when you look at the photo) was also quite possibly the best tasting fish I've ever had. We saw weather that ranged from brilliant sun to rain with wind so hard, and directly at our hotel windows, that the rain appeared to 'fall' upwards.

To avoid the 'mega post' - below are just a few more photos that I really like, click here to see even (many) more, here to see a map of our full journey, and keep an eye out for Rachel's take on this trip!