Floral Friday Fotos

I'm posting over here today!

Costa Rica is a natural botanical garden filled with wonderful tropical flowers. One of my favourites, is the Heliconia Rostrata also known as Lobster Claw. We took this photo on our trip in 2002.

My Recipe Box - Lemon Basil Shrimps

I'm posting this recipe over at Foodie Friday.

It's been a while since I posted a recipe. I made these last night and the recipe is definitely going into my virtual recipe box.

I used one pound of shrimp for two of us but I made the marinade as outlined below. I used basil from my garden but probably could have used more.

My photo is from a charity lunch we attended last month. The chef called it "shrimps on the Barbie".

The recipe is from Meal Planning 101. 

Marinade:
1/3 cup basil leaves, minced
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp liquid honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger root, grated
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 lbs uncooked large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (leave tails intact)
8 12-inch metal skewers


Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place shrimp in a large, heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over shrimp and seal bag. Turn bag several times to coat shrimp with marinade. Marinate in fridge for an hour.

Preheat grill to high. Thread shrimp onto skewers (5 or 6 shrimp per skewer, depending on size of shrimp). Discard marinade. Brush grill rack lightly with oil. Grill shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, just until shrimp turns pink and no gray remains. Be careful not to overcook shrimp or they will be rubbery. Serve.

All photography on Junk Boat Travels is under copyright unless stated otherwise. If you would like to use any of my photographs please contact me first.

Paris to Normandy River Cruise Itinerary

This is our itinerary for our August trip to Paris. We will arrive in Paris the day before the riverboat sails and stay at the Waldorf Trocadero located near the Eiffel Tower.


Avalon Waterways

Day 1 | Morning and early afternoon on our own to explore Paris, France's capital on the River Seine, the “City of Light,” where romance fills the air. This afternoon, board your river cruise vessel and meet your crew at a welcome reception. (D)

Day 2 | Paris. Paris’ famous sights are living history. Included city sightseeing shows you magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral, the unique Louvre Museum with its glass pyramid as a contrast to its ancient architecture, the commemorative Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, Champs Elysées, and the Eiffel Tower, a structural miracle of its age. The city is well known for its colorful nightlife, including some of the world’s most famous cabaret shows. (B,L,D)

Day 3 | Paris. Conflans. After breakfast, enjoy a relaxing morning on the Sky Deck as your ship slips its moorings and glides gently down the River Seine, passing through suburban Paris. This afternoon, dock at Conflans—and now the choice is yours: either join our guided excursion to AUVERS-SUR-OISE, the quaint little town where Vincent Van Gogh lived and died, or Napoleon and Josephine’s CHÂTEAU de MALMAISON just outside Paris. Requiring extensive renovations, this large country estate was purchased by Josephine Bonaparte in 1799 while Napoleon was fighting in Egypt. It was her aim to make it “the most beautiful and curious garden in Europe, a model of good cultivation.” (B,L,D)

Day 4 | Vernon. This morning, choose between a guided visit of Claude Monet’s house and stunning gardens at GIVERNY or a visit of BIZY CASTLE with its magnificent courtyard. There’s still time to stroll through this delightful city on your own before your ship departs for Rouen. Relax on board this afternoon or take in a pastry-making DEMONSTRATION. (B,L,D)

Day 5 | Rouen. Rouen is the capital of Upper Normandy and an important commercial city, perhaps best known for its connection to Joan of Arc, who lived, was imprisoned, and burned at the stake in the marketplace of this town in 1431. Enjoy the guided walk through the medieval quarter with its half-timbered, glazed-tile houses, and the Gros Horloge, an intricate Astronomical Clock dating back to the 16th century. The splendid gothic CATHEDRAL was once the tallest building in the world and the subject of a series of Claude Monet’s paintings. The afternoon is free for you to explore on your own, or you can join an optional excursion to the pretty coastal town of Honfleur or to the busy port city of Le Havre with its contemporary architecture. (B,L,D)

Day 6 | Rouen. Make your choice today of an included excursion to the historic NORMANDY LANDING BEACHES—with poignant sites such as Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc monument, and the American Cemetery—or a “TASTE OF NORMANDY” for a more in-depth look at this picturesque, mainly agricultural region. The most important products are dairy, apples, and grain. Camembert cheese is a specialty, as is Calvados, a strong apple brandy. Thoroughbred horses are also reared here. (B,L,D )

Day 7 | Les Andelys. The most dramatic sight along the Seine is imposing Château Gaillard at Les Andelys. Built by England’s King Richard the Lionheart in 1196, the château is truly a masterpiece of medieval military architecture. Explore on your own and enjoy this last day in France in this delightful small town. (B,L,D)

Day 8 | Paris. Disembark. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. Departure flights should not leave before 8 am. (B)

My Paris Reading List

I mentioned over here that I'm going to Paris in August for my birthday with my DH and very good friends.
As always planning a trip makes me want to read books about the area.

There is no shortage of books set in Paris. There are many many classics such as A Tale of Two Cities, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Phantom of the Opera, The Razor's Edge, and many of Henry James and Hemingway's books.

Madame Bovary takes place near Rouen which we will be visiting as well.


I've read about Hadley before but this is a new biography.
Hadley Richardson and Ernest Hemingway were the golden couple of Paris in the twenties, the center of an expatriate community boasting the likes of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, and James and Nora Joyce. In this haunting account of the young Hemingways, Gioia Diliberto explores their passionate courtship, their family life in Paris with baby Bumby, and their thrilling, adventurous relationship--a literary love story scarred by Hadley's loss of the only copy of Hemingway's first novel and ultimately destroyed by a devastating mEnage A trois on the French Riviera.

Compelling, illuminating, poignant, and deeply insightful, "Paris Without End" provides a rare, intimate glimpse of the writer who so fully captured the American imagination and the remarkable woman who inspired his passion and his art--the only woman Hemingway never stopped loving.

Is also about Hadley and Ernest. This is historical fiction and not a biography. Synopsis here.

Synopsis here.

This sounds delightful! Synopsis here.

Synopsis here.

Synopsis here.

This is not going to be one that I will read but I found the cover to be enchanting.

Saturday Snapshot

 

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books.

We have just finalized the plans for our next trip! We're going to Paris at the beginning of August on a Seine river cruise with very good friends as part of my significant birthday celebrations! The last time we were in Paris was twenty years ago in a cold November.

Here are some photos from that trip. I can't wait to go back with a digital camera!!

Taken from the top of the Arche

Scenic Sunday

I'm posting over here today!  

Taken in Venice, Italy in 2004. I just love this shot of the women out and about doing their daily shopping on Garibaldi.
We had rented an apartment close by and it was wonderful to be staying in the midst of the locals. People greeting one another, places to sit and enjoy our coffee.

Food Trip Friday

I'm posting over here today.

Photos are from our first lunch out in Beijing

Copied from China Highlights (with apologies to the grammar police!):
When dining, people should behave in a civilized manner, pay attention to their own table manners and keep a good dining habit. Generally they should pay attention to the following several points:
Let the elders eat first or when you hear an elder say "let's eat", you start to eat. You should not steal a march on the elders.
When taking the dinner, you should hold the bowl with the thumb on the mouth of the bowl, the first finger, the middle finger and the third finger on the bottom and the palm of the hand empty. If you don’t hold the bowl but bend over the table and eat facing the bowl, it will be regarded as bad table manners. Moreover, it will have the consequence of pressing the stomach and affecting digestion.
When helping yourself to the dishes, you should take food first from the plate nearby or facing you rather than that in the middle or on the side of others. It's bad manners to use the chopsticks to burrow through the dishes in the plate and "dig for treasure" and keep your eyes glued to the plates. It is not appropriate to take too much food at a time. When finding some favorite dishes, you should not gobble them like whirlwind scattering wisps of cloud, nor put the plate in front of yourself and eat like a horse without further ado. You should consider your parents and siblings at the same table. If there is not much left in the plate and you want to "clean" it up, you should consult others. If they say they don’t want it any more, then you can eat it up.
You should close your mouth to chew food well before you swallow it, which is not only better for digestion, but also the requirement of etiquette on the dinner table. You should by no means open your mouth wide, fill it with large pieces of food and eat up greedily, nor stretch your neck, open your mouth wide, extend your tongue to catch the food when carrying food. Don’t put too much food into your mouth at a time. Otherwise, you will leave an avaricious impression on others.
You should behave elegantly when taking a dinner. When taking food, don’t bump against your neighbor, nor splash the soup or let the soup drop onto the table. If the corner of your mouth is stained with rice, use a tissue or a napkin to wipe it off gently instead of licking it with your tongue. When chewing food, don’t make noises such as "baba" and "bajibaji". You had better not talk with others with your mouth full. Be temperate in telling a joke lest you might spew your food or the food might enter the windpipe and cause danger. If you really need to take with your families, you should speak small.
When spitting out bones, fish bones and dish dregs, use chopsticks or hand to take them and put them on the table in front of you instead of spitting them directly onto the table or the ground. If you want to cough or sneeze, use your hand or a handkerchief to cover your mouth and turn your head backwards. If you find sand in your mouth when chewing or phlegm in the throat, you should leave the dinner table and spit it out.
During the dinner, you should try to refill the bowl with rice yourself and take initiative to refill the bowl with rice and dishes for the elders. When the elders do that for you, you should express your thanks.
Be concentrated when taking the dinner. Some children watch TV or read papers when having their meals. It is a bad habit. It is not sanitary, and will influence the digestion and assimilation of food and do harm to eyesight.

All photography on this post at Junk Boat Travels are under copyright. If you would like to use any of my photographs please contact me first. 

May 15 - Prague

Big sigh! It's our last day of our trip in Prague. We were supposed to do an optional day trip to Cesky Krumlov and had paid for it. However, while on our tour of Terezin yesterday our guide mentioned that it was a three hour trip there and back. We looked at each other and said, no, not spending our last day stuck on a tour bus. Even though it would be a great place to visit.
It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day and we spent it walking around the city and truly appreciating its beauty.
I had written about Prague here and here. Today we'll trace some of those steps and find new venues.

As we left the hotel DH needed to get some cash so I wandered the little Farmers' Market that was set up.

We walked passed the Municipal House and through the Powder Tower. Powder Tower is adjacent to the Municipal House. In the 13th century, this Gothic Gate was one of thirteen entrances into the Old Town. In the 17th century it stored gunpowder. Wander through Powder Tower to cobbled Celantá Street, and you’ll be strolling down one of the oldest streets in Prague.

We came across the House of the Black Madonna.
Built as a department store between 1911 and 1912 by Josef Gocár, the House of the Black Madonna is one of the finest Cubist buildings in Europe, housing a permanent exhibition of Czech Cubism of the period 1911 to 1919, as well as Czech and international art from the first half of the twentieth century.
She is a copy of the Black Madonna of Loreto and locals say: "She is like an address sign." Indeed, many of the old houses in Prague bear some kind of image by which they are identified. At least this Madonna was important enough to be saved when the old house she used to adorn was destroyed.

At times during the morning it looks overcast but it brightens up as the day went on.

Located next to Old Town Hall, the Minute House (once a tobacconist's shop) was Franz Kafka's childhood home. The Renaissance-era house has black and white designs covering the facade. The lane leads from  Old Town Square to Charles Bridge.

Along the way we encountered a mime.

We wandered through the Old Town Square and into the Jewish Quarter heading towards the river.
Down by the river we came across this statue who struck my fancy.

Then we came to this great sculpture to the Czech artist Josef Manes, I had never heard of him, but found one of his paintings online that I put just below. He painted portraits and genre scenes with detailed representations of Czech costumes. Mánes also illustrated the medallions (thumb sketches) of calendar disc of the Astronomical Clock (Horologe) on the Old Town Square hall, the story of Dr. Faust (1858) and Czech folksongs (1856-62).

 

Great beer ads on the edge of the bridge.

The bridge looking towards the Charles Bridge

Once across the bridge our mission is the monastery located somewhere behind the Church of St. Vitus at the top of the hill. The other day when we went to the Castle we went up the easy way directly from the Charles Bridge. Today we took another bridge and we climbed the old Castle stairs.

Old Castle Steps (Staré zámecké schody) - the stairs start near the Malostranská metro station and put us at the beginning of Jiřská street. It is a tough climb but we were rewarded with one of the most beautiful views of Prague.

That was a thirsty climb so we stopped for a beer at Lobkowicz Palace, the terrace had amazing views of the city. The Lobkowicz Palace at the Prague Castle used to be a residence of the noble family of Lobkowicz.

Records indicate that Prague Castle is the largest castle area in the world. Its three courtyards and a number of magnificent buildings cover over 7 hectares (18 acres), so we were prepared to see a lot and do some walking. I had posted about the Castle the other day so I won't go into any detail here.

 One of the large courtyards, the following photos were all taken in this courtyard.

We continue strolling through the Castle district and came upon The Loreto.

Prague's Loreto, known simply as the Loreta in Czech, is referred to as a sanctuary or a palace. But what is the Loreto? The Loreto is a religious pilgrimage site that was built in commemoration of the legend of a cottage said to have been the home of the Virgin Mary, which was transported with divine help to Loreto, Italy, centuries before Prague's 18th century Loreto was built. To promote Catholicism, dozens of copies of the Loreto were erected in the Bohemian region.

It is a remarkable sight consisting of a cloister, the church of the Lord’s Birth, a Holy Hut and clock tower with a world famous chime that has been situated in Prague Hradčany for more than 300 years.

It was a former church of the Lobkowitz family (the founders of the church).  The Capuchin monks (whose monastery  with the Church of the Holy Angel Virgin is situated in the neighbourhood) take care of Loreta.

In 1140 King Vladislav II built a new monastery on the approach route to the Prague Castle. The monastery, which became known as the Strahov monastery wasn't much of a success until 1143, when a group of Premonstratensians settled here.
The Premonstratensians are a Roman Catholic order of canons founded in 1120 by St. Norbert. They are also known as the Norbertians or White Canons.

The name “Strahov” means “guarding place”, because it is situated near the former road to the princely castle, which was guarded.

This is the library which  houses over 16,000 books.

Klášterní pivovar Strahov (Strahov Monastery Brewery) is our stop for lunch.

The brew pub and St. Norbert Restaurant are divided into separate buildings with a pleasant outdoor area in between. The historic brewery dates back to the 17th century and brews the very tasty St. Norbert beer (amber and dark).

 Our guide, Monika, had mentioned in passing that we had to go to the monastery to have a kind of cheese. I didn't quite catch the name but had remembered her mentioning how delicious it was. And there it was on the menu.  Nakládaný Hermelin is a garlicky Czech specialty. Hermelin is a bloomy rind cheese similar to brie, and it is pickled in big ol’ jars of spiced oil made heady by garlic, peppers, and onion. It was absolutely delicious. We ordered a bunch (too many) appetizers in an effort to try lots of different things and we weren't disappointed!

 Middle platter contains ham, homemade sausage, duck pate and head cheese.

 After all that food it was time to stroll through back down to the river.
The views of this storybook city were magnificent from the monastery grounds.

Looking back at the monastery