Images of 2016

Tags

2016, Berlin, Budapest, Canada., Copenhagen, Dresden, Europe, New Year, Niagara, Rome, Vienna

Some beautiful photos of New Year in Europe

Dresden reborn on the Elba river in Saxony.

Copenhagen, the Tivoli Gardens

Berlin, GendarmenPlatz

Berlin, Brandenburg Gate New Year’s Eve party

Budapest seen from the Danube river

Vienna, St-Stephen Cathedral

Rome

Amsterdam

Athens, the Parthenon, Greece

Canada, Niagara Falls, the horse shoe

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New Year’s Eve and Day

Tags

2016, Austria, Concert, Musikverein, New Year, Vienna

So as tradition says it is time to start planning New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day.

Now on the Eve or St-Sylvester we will be at home a quiet dinner, we have not been anywhere in decades on New Year’s Eve, cannot be bothered with going out, champagne can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own living room.

On New Year’s Day one event we always look forward to is the beautiful concert from the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.  http://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at/new-years-concert/the-new-years-concert

There are in fact 3 concerts at the Musikverein in Vienna for the New Year. If you wish to go and attend in person, you have to register online to buy tickets one year in advance between 2 Jan and 19 Feb. 2016 for the 2017 concert and then there is a draw and if your name is selected you are invited to purchase tickets for one of the 3 concerts. The worldwide demand for tickets is tremendous. The preview performance on the 30th Dec, the New Year’s Eve Concert and the big one the New Year’s Day concert broadcasted live. The price of the tickets is, well let’s just say it is not for all pocket books. Dress code is formal for this prestigious event. In Vienna the concert is at 11:00am so you can then proceed to your New Year’s Day luncheon afterwards.

This year the Conductor is Mariss Jansons with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The program includes music by the following composers, Robert Stolz, Johann Strauss, Jr., Carl Michael Ziehrer, Eduard Strauss, Josef Strauss, Èmile Waldteufel, Josef Hellmesberger sen., Johann Strauss, sen.

It is broadcasted around the world through the magic of the internet. Please look at the site for the time of broadcast, it is re-broadcasted on Public Radio in the USA and in Canada. You can watch and listen as it is re-broadcasted around 02:30pm and 07:30pm.

 

I will be shopping tomorrow for croissants and something nice to eat on January 1, what else is there to do on that day. For breakfast Shirred Eggs, bacon, some nice cheese, croissants, something sweet and champagne.

For lunch a nice quiche and salad, for dinner got to think of something festive to remind us of all the goods things in life.

I just noticed that my miniature purple coloured Orchids have started to open just in time fo the New Year.

Whatever you do for the New Year, I hope you enjoy yourself.

Prosit Neu Jahr!

 

Kronos,(time) from a temple in the gardens of the Villa Torlonia, Via Nomentana, Rome

Time is only an illusion

Tags

Apollo, Auld lang Syne, Canada., Einstein, FATE, Fortune, Hogmany, Hours, life, New Year, PEI, Poussin, Scotland, Time

This saying is by Albert Einstein (1879-1955) and here we are at the end of one year and the beginning of another.

This saying is quite true if you think about it for a moment, we today are neurotic about time and being on time, this is because we have watches and computers who constantly remind us of time. But think before watches became the thing for the majority of us, some 150 years ago, most people went about their lives according to the Sun and the Seasons. Most people only got access to cheap watches about 100 years ago and even then it was the modern equivalent of the latest technological iSomething, not really available to all.

Many cultures in the World today still measure time according to fashion, cultural norms, in Latin America you can be 90 minutes late for dinner and no one will pay any attention to it. In many places in the World time is something people agree upon, we will meet at such a place on this day without specifying a time, there is a cultural norm that says each party knows when it will be appropriate to meet, nothing more precise about it. I remember in the Levant where I lived, friends would say let’s meet for coffee and we all knew when to meet, or come for dinner and you knew it would be after 9pm.  Here we are obsessive about time and being on time and get quite angry if someone is late.

So we arrive at Hogmanay, the last day of the old year and we will bid it farewell with the poem Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns in 1788.

The song’s Scots title may be translated into standard English as “old long since”, or more idiomatically, “long long ago”,”days gone by” or “old times”. Consequently, “For auld lang syne”, as it appears in the first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as “for (the sake of) old times”.

The phrase “Auld Lang Syne” is also used in similar poems by Robert Ayton (1570–1638), Allan Ramsay (1686–1757), and James Watson (1711) as well as older folk songs predating Burns. Matthew Fitt uses the phrase “In the days of auld lang syne” as the equivalent of “Once upon a time…” in his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language.

I hope that the New Year 2016 will bring good health, good Fortune, Sunny Days and good cheer!

Burns’ original Scots verse
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne*?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup!
and surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We twa hae run about the braes,
and pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
sin’ auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
sin’ auld lang syne.
CHORUS
And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
and gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak’ a right gude-willie waught,
for auld lang syne.

Dance to the music of Time by Nicolas Poussin

It is a triangular composition with dark background which is blue and gray apart from beautifully highlighted golden chariot with Apollo, the god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy, medicine and healing and the arts. Below are four allegorical figures who have joined hands and are dancing, but, importantly facing outwards with their backs to each other. Poverty is a man in a black robe, Labour is is a bright white golden dress. Wealth and Leisure are also present.

The figures are choreographed into a ring which is the symbol of the circle and cycle of life.

Although the different circumstances of human life form opposites (hence they all have their backs to each other and cannot see each other) they are conditional upon each other as they execute the dance hand in hand. Without Poverty there would be no Work and with no Work, no Wealth, without which there would be no Leisure. In one corner there is Time and in the other we see the roman god Janus with two heads- one looking to the future, the other to the past.

Bonne Année! Happy New Year 2016!

A taste of Ancient Rome – Pullum Numidicum (Numidian Chicken) and Conchicla Cum faba (Beans with Cumin)

Wonderful recipe from Antiquity and easy to follow. When reading it you quickly realize how food was far simpler then. After 1492 when Mr. Columbus returns from the Americas food and food preparation will take a complicated turn.

FOLLOWING HADRIAN

It has been over a year since I last blogged about ancient Roman cooking, even though I have tried a few more recipes in the meantime, as people who follow me on Twitter or Facebook have probably noticed.

One of my last cooking sessions was on the occasion of Hadrian’s birthday on 24th January. Pullum (chicken) dishes from ancient Rome have proven to be a favorite of mine and I invite you to try this recipe taken from Apicius’ De Re Coquinaria Book VIPullum Numidicum (Numidian Chicken). Pullum Numidicum is a chicken dish flavoured with pepper and asafoetida that is roasted and served with a spiced date, nut, honey, vinegar and stock sauce. I choose to accompany my Pullum Numidicum with Conchicla Cum faba (Beans with Cumin).

Pullum Numidicum recipe in Latin:

Apicius 6.8.5: Pullum Numidicum: pullum curas, elixas, levas, laser ac piper et assas. teres piper, cuminum, coriandri semen…

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The last week

Tags

2015, 2016, Altemps, Balenciaga, end of year, fashion, museum, Rome, style

This new photo header of a lady dressed in a beautiful Balenciaga ball gown on the balcony of one of the old palaces in Rome, she symbolize to me elegance and style which must always remain in our lives.

I believe this is Palazzo Altemps which is part of the Italian National Museums, formerly a Residence of Cardinal Mark Sittich Von Hohenems, an interesting man, who had a military career in various wars against the Ottoman Turks, a politician, a governor of several Italian Cities, a Bishop and Cardinal who had a son, Roberto. He was from the Italian-Austrian border area. He latinized his name to Marcus Siticus Altemps to blend into Roman society. He was also the nephew of Pope Pius IV and participated in the election of several Popes during his life time, 1533-1595. He purchased the abandoned Riario palace, re-named it, renovated it completely and housed his own collection of antique statues. Today you can see many other famous collections like the Ludovisi-Buoncompagni collection, all in the old centre of Rome.

The Altemps Palace is one of the most interesting examples of Renaissance architecture in Rome. The building was started by Girolamo Riario in 1477, the nephew of Pope Sixtus, in an area that in antiquity was dedicated to the administration of imported marbles for Temples and Roman Public buildings.

Speaking of the passage of time, here we are again, into the last week of 2015 and as we are told, once it expires it will never come again, it will enter the world of memories. I suppose this is true of every day and every week, time moves on and waits for no one. I prefer to move along too and not dwell on the past since we cannot do anything about it. My life has been about change, cities, continent, houses, cultures, people.

2015 has been a year of passings, for me and for many of my friends. We are now at an age when elderly relatives, parents, those who came before us are entering immortality, I am thinking of all those who have left this year. My father on 12 July suddenly and other family members, parents of friends, acquaintances, for whatever reason death often comes as a surprise to me, like the visitor you are not expecting but will not be put off. We also buried the ashes of my Mother with all of her relatives in the family cemetery, as was her wish on a crisp but sunny day.

But 2015 was also a good year in so many respects, Fate is still smiling on us, we can only say thank you to Fortuna. We went to PEI and discovered wonderful things, we really enjoyed ourselves on the Island. We had the visit of our friends from far away Arizona, who had never been to Ottawa, such intrepid travellers.

It was not a terribly eventful year, despite the change in National government in Canada bringing about a new era after years of despair. I was busy at the two National Museums and at City Hall on the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee. But otherwise we went about our daily lives.

I know that 2016 will bring change, at least in our domicile, since we have to move. That is another story which will unfold and as they say, stay tuned for developments.

 

 

 

Christmas Message

Tags

Canada., Christmas, EIIR, message

As tradition would have it here is the Christmas message of  H.M. Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen of Canada, of the United Kingdom and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

In this message the Queen says that 2016 will be a very busy year for her, indeed she turns 90 years old in 2016. Prince Philip will be 95.

 

How did the dinner go?

Tags

Christmas, Holiday, Plum Pudding

We (Will and I) have been giving dinner parties for 37 years and we have now come down to an art of synchronizing how it will go. I usually am responsible for the table setting and Will does all the cooking. I also do all the food shopping and cleaning up afterwards. This year we gave 2 dinner parties back to back, one on the 24th and one on the 25th, we are not sure we would do that again because it means a lot of preparation, we are happy but exhausted.

For both dinner parties we were 5 around the dining room table. We had two separate menus and desserts with various wines and champagnes. The menu for the 25th December was two roasted geese and a plum pudding home made by Will.  At one point it looked as if there was going to be a disaster with the geese, but no nothing of the sort. The secret to good dinner party giving is being organized, think ahead what you want to do and try to see what problems might arise, team work is a plus and we do it well.

We also learned that a 5Kg or 9.5 lbs goose will feed 5 adults. Given there are other courses before and after the main goose dish that is plenty. We also learned that goose like duck can be served medium-rare or well done, the meat is dark pink and very good to eat for those who prefer it more medium-rare. To achieve this result you cook your goose at 220C. or 425F counting 20 minutes per kilo. In our case we cooked the geese for 2.20hrs both at the same time in the oven. There is a lot of fat on that bird, but the fat can be rendered and re-used to make french fries or any kind of dishes requiring frying, it gives a wonderful taste to the food. If we do goose again, I would only buy one and ask the Butcher to cut off the wings and the legs thighs so it can be cooked separately from the bird itself.

The fat of the goose being rendered so it can be kept up to 3 months in your fridge and used for all manner of dishes.

The Plum pudding was very good this year, moist and well flambé with brandy as it was brought to the table, we always dim the lights for the full effect. I love Plum pudding the next day, a night in the fridge does wonder for it and seems to accentuate the flavours even more. There are many recipes for Plum Pudding, it is a bit like Fruit Cake everyone has a family or favorite recipe.

On our table each guest gets a Christmas cracker and a little gift bag, with a small bottle of booze, a fancy soap, an enveloppe of hot chocolate mix, a little fancy gift of some sort.

Today Boxing Day is quiet and so will the next few days. What are we doing for New Year’s Eve, St-Sylvestre or New Year’s Day? I do not know yet. Did you know that the First of January is celebrated as the New Year only since 1622 as decreed by Pope Gregory XV, (Ludovisi Family) a transition Pope, his reign was 2 years and 3 months only. A Pope between two great ones Paul V (Borghese) and Urban VIII (Barberini), both built much of the Late Renaissance and Baroque sites we see today with the help of great artists. Prior to 1622 Roman Catholics only celebrated Christmas and then Epiphany 6 January, the calendar followed religious holidays. There are quite a few in the Catholic Calendar.

 

 

 

 

Happy Christmas Day!

Tags

Bach, champagne, filet of beef, Food, Goose, Plum Pudding

Well last night we had a Christmas Eve Dinner with a few guests, the menu was festive, First we had a Stilton, Pear and Mache Salad, with a glass of champagne or two. Then a medium rare Filet of Beef with Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Potatoes and Italian Roasted Tomatoes in olive oil, served with a very good French red wine Chateau de Braude, Haut Medoc 2010.

Dessert was a home made Mince Meat Pie served with a Greek Dessert Wine, Muscat de Samos, Kourtaki.

 

Woke up today to the sounds of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio of 1734 from MDR radio in Germany. Gifts under the tree from our faithful puppies, Dachshunds are so clever, LOL!

Today Christmas Day we will have a late luncheon with a few guests, different table setting and on the menu Roasted Goose (2) with an apple and prune stuffing, served with carrots, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts and a small salad with a champagne dressing.

Dessert is the home made Plum Pudding from the recipe used at Windsor Castle for King George V. It will be flambé at serving time.

Beautiful day again weather wise, mild weather. Hope Santa was good to you. Best Wishes, Merry Christmas!

Mystical Nativity by Sandro Botticelli, 1501

Mercoledi Musicale

Tags

Fritz Wunderlich., Music, NRK, Yule

Here is a wonderful piece of music for Yule and Christmas. We heard it the other day on Nederland Radio NRK thanks to the magic of the Internet.

Please click on the link to see this post by Will and hear this old Folk German song, Joy of Joys. Just beautifully sung by these two great voices Fritz Wunderlich and Hermann Prey.

Source: Mercoledi Musicale

The Spirit of Solstice

From Will, a beautiful piece of Music from NRK Radio Netherland.

Enjoy!

Source: The Spirit of Solstice