Istanbul: delicious sesame-crusted bread called simit
The HMS Fish Sandwich
All aboard!
sky rockets in flight
we tried some home-cured olives in turkey that were amazing. these aren't them.
a two-thousand year old oven in Pompeii.
grain mills in a bakery in Pompeii
two-thousand year old restaurant.
Cumbrae oyster, served roadside
The perfect fast food: no wasteful packaging, no cutlery, minimal chewing required.
Be careful though, as too many oysters too early in the morning may cause a nasty case of post-oyster malaise.
The staff canteen
Hot and Sour Soup base--shallots, tomatoes, chilis, coriander roots, thai basil, galangal, tamarind, lemongrass, lime leaves
oops
Irina, one of our kitchen porters
Max the restaurant manager
Rambutans
Mysterious double scallop
Chris the Sous Chef--even the most hardened chefs enjoy an occasional Cosmo
furry friends for sale at the market today
Monmouth Coffee--each cup of filter coffee is brewed to order.
cheerful-looking carrots
completely unrelated but delightful picture of Kevin peeling carrots
Made a trip to Borough market today to find some Italian porcini mushrooms. I bought three gorgeous ones, they looked like they had just been picked. And unlike the porcini we get in Vancouver, they weren’t crawling with worms!
I made a pasta with the mushrooms sauteed in butter with a little garlic, some chili, some fresh parsley and a big handful of parmesan. Perfect for this windy fall evening. The only thing missing was a glass of wine…
To get to Inverness from London I took an express train to Gatwick airport, costing roughly $60 return. As soon as I got to the airport and sat down with a latte and croissant, somebody triggered the fire alarm and the entire airport was evacuated. We were herded out on to the tarmac en masse. I had to abandon my latte.
Confusion
Delayed-Delayed-Delayed-Delayed-Please Wait-Delayed-Delayed
Eventually I made it on to my flight and an hour and a half later landed at the charmingly small Inverness airport.
The river Ness
Dinner at Rocpool. I had venison with black pudding.
the evening started out civilized....
The next morning (or early afternoon…okay, mid-afternoon) we packed up the rental car and set out to Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye.
things got misty
My feet were wet for three days straight. I never have proper footwear. Ever.
rocks.
memento mori
Durness
We never made it to a whiskey distillery but we did drink our fair share of the glorious malt. We sampled Fraogh, an ancient Pictish beer infused with heather. Allison also introduced me to the wonders of haggis,as well as square sausage, potato scones, scampi fries, prawn cocktail crisps, and the king of all snack food, the Scotch egg. And then we went for a walk.
"No point in mentioning these bats, I thought. The poor bastard will see them soon enough."
That's curried goat, rice, beans and plantain.
Jerk chicken.
"I was a relatively respectable citizen — a multiple felon, perhaps, but certainly not dangerous."
