by Krista | Feb 27, 2012 | Gulliver Tuesday
When my friend Ann asked if I’d like to come along for a drive to Brisbane one fine, sunny day, I was thrilled.
Drives with Ann are never a Point A to Point B affair. Not a chance! They are delectable meanderings along the prettiest routes she can think of, punctuated by stops at all sorts of interesting places. So we packed water bottles and snacks and, accompanied by her daughters Lizzie and Katy, cranked up the air conditioning and Enya’s latest cd and headed for the city.
Although I’ve been to Brisbane a few times, I haven’t had the chance to do much exploring. We more than made up for it on this trip. After stopping for lunch (delish toasted sandwiches) and a sticky-bick (look around) at a wonderful bookstore with cookbooks on sale for $1 each, we arrived in Brisbane in time to park the car and walk Lizzie to the University.
Rounding a corner we found this little fellow almost invisible against the pavement. He stayed just long enough to pose for me, then scurried off into the crunchy leaves.
We strolled past hundreds of palm trees, their fronds rustling gently in the breeze and looking marvelously tropical against the vivid blue sky.
We sauntered past restaurants positively humming with the mingled sounds of music blaring and patrons visiting, and strolled under vast arbors dripping in fuchsia bougainvillea.
All too soon we had to drop Lizzie off, so we hugged her tight and promised to get together soon, then headed for the waterfront for a stroll along the Brisbane River.
Our path lead us past more towering palms and beside swimming pools surrounded by white sand. The skyscrapers of Brisbane provided a stunning backdrop.
After stocking up on a colorful array of Australian lollies at a local sweet shop, we found seats beside the river where we could watch the city ferries motor past and catch cool breezes off the water. It’s the perfect spot for people watching and discovering small beauties like the intricately inlaid mosaics in the pavement.
The Brisbane riverfront has such a jovial feeling of community about it. Children splashed and squealed in the swimming pools while perfectly formed teenagers bronzed themselves on the sand. Couples strolled hand in hand along the promenade and office workers found shady perches where they could eat their bag lunches and read a novel. Students were everywhere being lead on tours by their student guides, looking nervous and excited as they navigated the crowds, tentatively smiling at their fellow students in the hopes of making new friends.
We escaped the crowds for a bit as we entered a sea of green: lily pads, lush grass, palm trees and amazing mangroves with their Dr. Seussian roots and branches.
It was a gorgeous interlude on our Girls Day Out, and we all felt relaxed and happy.
But soon our To-Do List beckoned and we got back in the car and onto the busy streets, heading for an adventure of another sort: visiting the foodie shops of Brisbane. You can read all about some of my favorites here. I love Brisbane food shops! There are so many cultures and cuisines represented and the prices are very reasonable and sometimes downright cheap. I picked up Russian sunflower oil, Ethiopian berebere, Indian curry, and Mexican salsa verde. My special treat of the day was gorgonzola dolce which I plan to serve with roasted peaches. Mmm, mmm, good. 🙂
What is your favorite city to wander in?
by Krista | Feb 27, 2012 | Bootstrap Monday
After day upon day of dark skies, pouring rain and wild winds, it’s felt like autumn here in Australia instead of summer. And to be honest, I don’t mind one bit.
I realized the other day that I’ve been living in perpetual summer since June 2011, and as lovely as that’s been, my soul is craving the peaceful, cozy hibernation of the colder months of the year.
This week I’ve been editing pictures from an autumn trip to Paris and I can’t tell you how much joy it’s brought me. To see those gloriously colored leaves and remember the scent of chocolate chaud (hot chocolate) as I sipped it cautiously on early mornings. To almost feel the cool chill of those first icy winds on my cheeks, oh it’s been grand.
So today I’m taking you with me on an autumn stroll through leaf-strewn streets and quiet parks. I hope it brings you a bit of joy in whatever weather you find yourself today.
After such a brisk constitutional I find myself hungering for homey things like Maple Peach Crisp with Toasted Almond Coconut Topping. So pull up a chair, dear one, and I’ll serve you a big warm slice drizzled with cream.
What do you crave after a morning out in the cold?
Maple Roasted Peaches with Toasted Almond Coconut Topping
Ingredients:
8-10 large peaches, washed, pitted, and cut into chunks
2-3 Tbsp real maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In large bowl place peaches, maple syrup, vanilla and first lot of spices. Stir until peaches are well coated. Cover and set aside.
- In a different large bowl combine remaining ingredients. Using hands mix, rubbing ingredients together to incorporate butter, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour peach mixture into 9” by 13” pan. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly overtop.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until peaches are bubbling and topping is toasty brown.
- Serve with heavy cream or ice cream.
by Krista | Feb 22, 2012 | Plucky Thursday
Summer evenings on the island of Gozo in Malta are exquisitely beautiful. While the days are so piping hot you want to find a shady nook and not budge, as the sun goes down the air cools and lovely breezes blow in off the water. On such nights there is nothing better than sharing a bottle of chilled rosé with dear friends and watching the sunset over the ocean.
On one fine evening in August I did just that with three of my favorite cronies: Barbara, Janet and Colin. While Colin reserved a table for us on the balcony of the local football club, we girls took a drive around part of this exquisite little island.
We drove through small villages bustling with activity as local citizens hung banners and strung lights for a festival honoring their patron saint.
We puttered along the coast, stopping to admire towering stone formations along the rocky beach.
We rolled down our windows and laughed with delight as we tore along, the wind whipping our hair and whisking away any steamy remnants of the sweltering afternoon.
Stopping atop a cliff we gazed out over the sun-burnt landscape, delighting in the brilliant oleander bushes blossoming beside the road, peering down at the glistening salt pans filled with water.
The roadsides were lined with teenage boys as we trundled up the last hill back into town. They stood and sat in clusters gazing up into the sky as the fireworks chaps tested round after round before the official festivities began.
With the sun not quite set, Barbara, Janet and I found a parking spot and tracked down Colin who had found the perfect table.
We ordered a round of pizzas and a frosty bottle of rosé, visiting happily as we watched the sun sink lower and lower, casting its soft golden glow on faces and buildings alike.
I leaned back in my chair sipping my wine, eyes closed as the last rays of the sun warmed my cheeks. There was no place I’d rather be than in this tiny Gozitan football club devouring scrumptious pizza and laughing heartily with dear friends.
What is one of your most memorable sunsets?
by Krista | Feb 20, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
Good afternoon, luvs! I’m enjoying a wonderfully cozy day at home as one tropical storm after another blows through in a whirl of wind and raindrops.
As I listen to the storm rage I’m watching British murder mysteries and editing photos from a long ago trip to Versailles. Since my poor camera has died a sudden and irreversible death, I won’t be able to share new photos with you for a while. I hope you won’t mind a detour to the past until I’m able to get a new camera. 🙂
Today we’re heading back to the gardens of Versailles. While the palaces are a dizzying confection of gold and crystal well worth an agog gaze or two, the gardens are by far my favorite spot.
One gorgeously sunny day in October, my friend Amy and I wandered the grounds (and palaces!) for over twelve hours. We were groaning like old biddies by the end of the day, but what we saw was worth every hobble and creak.
I hope you think so too. 🙂
What are the prettiest gardens you’ve ever seen?
PS – If you’re a fan of decadent Italian desserts, click here to pop over to the Travel Belles to read my latest article on the best panna cotta I ever had. Found in a tiny Italian village near the Italian Alps. 🙂
by Krista | Feb 19, 2012 | Bootstrap Monday
It was a wonderfully dark and eerie afternoon when Bear and I stepped onto the sandy shores at Deception Bay in Caboolture Shire north of Brisbane, Australia. Storm clouds loomed overhead, threatening to unload their cargo of raindrops at any moment. Being adventurous souls we couldn’t let such things deter us, so we set our faces into the blustering wind and went for a trek.
Deception Bay is a lovely place, named by a certain Lieutenant John Oxley in 1823 who mistook it for a river due to its unusual shallowness.
Such shallow waters make it an ideal spot for fishing, boating and searching for treasures in the tidal pools.
It’s also home to beautiful mangroves, a thick carpet of roots keeping them anchored in the shifting sands and rising tides. I loved standing on shore gazing out to sea, mesmerized by silvery swirls of water shimmering a gun metal gray in the brooding light.
I’d never seen mangroves before and was quite transfixed by them.
Up close the sand looks like it’s carpeted with ginger root mingling with fallen yellow leaves and cheery green shoots.
The small pool below is known as Mrs. Bancroft’s Bath. The pool was carved out of rock in the 1880’s for the wife of Dr. Joseph Bancroft. The poor woman was very ill and an English doctor prescribed salt water baths. On fine days Mrs. Bancroft was carried down the cliff and placed into the bath as the tide came in. Before this treatment she was only given a short time to live. Amazingly she lived a further 8-10 years. To this day you can still see the holes where a canopy was erected to protect her from the fierce Australian sun.
The mangroves have a rather splendid tropical feel to them, and I had flashes of the old Disney version of Swiss Family Robinson.
When we weren’t traipsing through the sand peering at jelly fish and old salt water baths, Bear and I joined other afternoon strollers on the Cottonwood Walk, a sweeping boardwalk along the esplanade with magnificent views of the mangroves and the sea.
When the skies grew darker we breathed deeply of the cool, sea air then headed back to the car, arriving just as the first raindrops began to fall.
What is your favorite thing to do on a stormy afternoon?
