I spent quality time with my mother last weekend. Excellent quality. Instead of playing scrabble or shopping or something like that we caught a ferry to Waiheke Island, in the middle of Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.
Once there we jumped on a wee bus, then toured around the island enjoying a day of tasting at three beautiful vineyards (Stonyridge, WOW and Mudbrick) and an olive grove. It was a perfect winter warmer for the soul.
Aside from the many glasses of red wine, my favourite part was visiting Rangihoua Estate for an education on the olive oil industry and tastings. Three interesting things I learned about choosing olive oil:
Light. Olive oil deteriorates when exposed to light, so opt for a brand that has been packaged in dark green glass or a tin. 75% of olive oil on supermarket shelves is not offered this way – so sometimes you might have to buy a clear glass container, if so don’t sit it on the bench top – put it in the cupboard.
Expiry. Olive oil only has a life span of two years, so look for bottling dates.
Quality.Extra-virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. The less acidity the better, as free oleic acid will oxidise the product. Good brands should tell you on the label what their % is.
Follow those three guidelines and you’ll be getting the good oil. Go to Waiheke and you’ll have an amazing day out.
Why 35mm? The thrill of opening up that packet. Finding out what worked, a few visual surprises and a reminder to use-the-flash-goddamn; it gets me every time.
Doesn’t it look just like a kitten’s ear? But nay, it’s a SEAT. I popped down to Sheffield on the train to see my dear friend Richie and meet his family. After 5 years of hanging out all over the globe (we met in NZ, then took on Bangkok, Tokyo & New York), it was so nice to meet them – and for I hope for them to meet the girl who’s always hogging the middle of the holiday snaps.
And now for a few more London snapshots:
I’m now home,ensconced in the chilly arms of Auckland. Thanks for having me Europe – you’re so cool. Can’t wait to develop my disposable camera pictures (yow). See you again soon!
London in the summer and everyone looks good. Boys on bikes, strappy sandals, street parties. Vintage dress stores crammed full of wonder and people keeling over under the weight of Primark bags. Newspapers flapping to quell the heat of the tube. Holding two pints of beer, dripping with condensation, and watching London Pride celebrations. Dancing to incessant samba. Cooling down with cups of homemade lemonade with mint, rosé and a splash of Pimms. Good friends, new friends, adventures. I love this city.
PS. Best of luck to my amazing friends/hot babes Lissa & Mikey & Felicity who are all moving to London. RIGHT NOW. I’m simultaneously jealous & misty-eyed…
After 4 amazing nights in Copenhagen, I went back to Paris for the day, minus my luggage. It was kind of romantic to have all of one’s belongings in a Marché Franprix bag. Well, that’s what I kept telling myself – liberation!
That circle is freshly painted! I watched the artist finish his work, pack up his stencil and scurry away. I also witnessed the gallery owner arrive back from lunch and stamp her feet at the new addition to the pavement. There’s quite a few colourwheelsaround Paris.
Finally it was time to jump on the Eurostar and chug through the Chunnel back to London. For more travel photographs, check out my ‘10 Euro’ set on Flickr.
This trip. Sensational. No, better. Sorta like a dream? I flew Air France from Paris to Copenhagen then back again. I listened to Air France on my headphones. They are Swedish and good. Air France (the airline) upgraded me to business class. I thought they were pretty good too. Then they lost my luggage and my worldly possessions. It was then I learnt the phrase, c’est la vie.
Copenhagen is ‘pretty awesome’. I’ve spent three really beautiful days here. Let me paint you a picture: it’s hot-hot-hot, there are no clouds, and there are lots of fluffy cygnets swimming around the lakes (swans are the national bird). I hired a bike to get around on; it’s a city bike,
big and plush. Young is the most gracious host and her apartment is a pocket-sized delight.
On Sunday night we watched the soccer (great game Germany, schnell!) then went to a local park for an outdoor grill. You can buy little portable charcoal burners at the supermarket, take them down to your local patch of grass and burn baby burn. So much fun! Also, the sun doesn’t go down till 2 am and comes up at 3. The birds get up then too.
Croissants, space invaders, marvelling at the Lourve, remembering Amélie, cute puppies, giant salades at bistros, eating cheese on bread (and using my student ID card as a knife), spending hours people watching at Sacré-Cœur, the Dreamlands exhibition at Pompidou, descending into the catacombs, Palais de Tokyo, skinny pants/big hair, more falafel, a sun that never goes down.
Near the top of the list entitled “Things I Love About Berlin” is the street art. Chalk, paste-ups, posters, stickers, paint, even knitted cozies adorn every wall, pavement and inch of accessible space.
It’s so inspiring; from both big names (Blu, Yoox, Ms Van) to angry men just scratching around painting the number ‘6′ on everything.
On Sunday morning I cruised around a few of the markets in Mitte; U8 Bernauer Str. if you’re ever in the ‘hood. I drank fresh orange juice, fingered florid cable-knit cardigans, inspected Aha records, and wished I could lug a whole bunch of the crockery home with me. Somewhat thankfully, I don’t have a kitchen, let alone a shelf to put these dream teapots on, so the idea was quickly dismissed (yeah, we will see how “But you don’t have a wardrobe works”). Photographs however, I can take away and give to you:
Markets explored and desires conquered, I popped into Bonanza Coffee. To my delight I was able to order a flat white; the perfect end to a morning’s exploration.
Berlin is ace. I’m having a blast here, doing decidedly non touristy things. I started off with one of those fantastic Continental breakfasts in a cafe. This little coffee tray made me very happy. Aesthetically pleasing, heart wrenching coffee for only 1.5 Euros…
My friend Tana took me on a blazing saddles bike tour of the city on Saturday afternoon, which turned into drinking bier on a pontoon. (Tana is one of those awesome friends who will drink with you from Auckland to NYC to Berlin… where next?)
The merrymaking went on till dusk. After another wee bike ride I wandered home past some magnificent architecture, bought myself some falafel and fell asleep for 12 hours…
(PS. Totally cute, the wifi connection I’m on is called Knut, like the polar bear. They really do love him!)
Oh, Amsterdam, what can I say? As you know I caught the overnight ferry from England, then a train to Amsterdam Centraal. It was a couple of days filled with sunshine, canals and so much good art; Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh.
Water reflected like graffiti on the belly of a bridge…
I took the opportunity to eat cheese for breakfast…
This reminded me of the Kew Garden glasshouses…
Some moments I couldn’t visually capture: A Brazilian family jamming at a restaurant while crowd gathered round to watch the football – the proprietor ended up sending them a round of cigars. Scratching my head outside a coffee-shop while contemplating at which velocity liberalism hits tourism. Phenomenal break dancing street performers. Seeing the hottest dude (ever?) then noticing his Bon Jovi tour t-shirt and track pants. Gazing at the wonderful doll houses of Rijksmuseum. Sitting and reading on the edge of a canal, then losing my shoe to said canal, after taking my dangling a bit too casually!
I liked Amsterdam a lot (and hope to visit again soon, scratching more than the surface), but after 3 days it was time for me to head east to Berlin.
Recalling the days of epic sea voyages, I spurned the Eurostar and decided to make my first foray to the Continent via boat. It was the most modern, well managed and comfortable travel experience I’ve had, and I saved the price of a night’s accommodation too. It was fun to go to sleep, wake up, and disembark in another country straight after breakfast.
When I emailed my parents about the trip, Mum replied “We sailed from Hoek Van Holland to UK 29 years ago with our shiny new bike!”
The thought of blazing a similar trail to my parents makes me really happy. It will be fun to compare snaps when I get home… Although I bet Parkin takes on Europe will be much more stylish circa 1981.
One morning I took the tube to the very quaint and leafy suburb of Kew, home to the Royal Botanic Gardens. I had a splendid time exploring the grounds, reveling in nature and chasing squirrels (they never fail to elicit excited flailing from me).
Everything was orderly, the water lilies were blooming, and you could walk for hours and still find more vistas to marvel at.
Constructed between 1844 and 1848, the Palm House is considered an icon of Kew, along with the boxier Temperate House. The glasshouses are home to a selection of ‘exotic’ plants, like creepers and the palms of South America. The Temperate House even has a big, graceful pohutukawa from New Zealand.
It was the architecture that struck me the most, especially that of the Palm House. It’s said to be one of the world’s most impressive Victorian glass and iron structures. It felt like a gigantic bird cage, with ornate spiral staircases so you can flit to the roof and look down on the jungle below.
