Sadly, our weeklong foray into the dazzling Blue Aegean coast of Turkey has come to an end. Daughter Melissa‘s quest for the freshest, most creative food did not disappoint. I came for the connoiseur’s ride.
Turkish Food
Delicate bits of chopped morsels are packed with texture, flavor, and color to delight the senses. You swear you could eat like this every day, convinced of the variety and healthy ingredients.
Dolmas, eggplant spread with pomegranate and pumpkin seeds, and artichoke with mustard sauce
Bodrum to Izmir
The four hour public bus from to Izmir to Bodrum followed the coast, was a safe and comfortable trip, and cost us each a hefty $6. In true Turkish hospitality, they even served tea and cookies! We gazed at the stark countryside, lit by the low winter sun behind turbulent clouds, as olive and tangerine groves slid past.
View of Mountains and farmland from bus
Bizim Lokanta
On arrival back in Izmir, we couldn‘t resist returning to the lokanta in the Bazaar where we had eaten earlier in the week.
Tongue soup, bulgar with fava beans, and cabbage rolls with thick, creamy yogurtKudos on two walls of this vest-pocket diner were self-explanatory Bazaar Fun
It‘s a Wrap!
(Meatless) Kale and Cheese Wraps for a pittance
It‘s always bittersweet leaving a country, especially after such a short visit. But the food focus, imperial demands, abundance of land, and Mediterranean climate requires one to succumb to one of Turkey‘s finest features.
Our visit to the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey required an overnight stay in Izmir. Although we had a chance to get acclimated, we immediately took to the streets in search of lunch. Thanks to Melissa’s intrepid search for the tastiest food in any country and her Googling skills, we traipsed through the town’s nearby grand bazaar and after numerous twists and turns, tracked down a local locanta.
Izmir Locanta
Izmir Bazaar Favorite among locals
This is where the locals dine on some of the heartiest meals made with the freshest ingredients. We savored the sardine soup recommended by the gentleman sitting across from us. It’s one of those diners where you point to the big vats of steaming concoctions or decorated casseroles in order to get your meal secured!
Stewed Eggplant
Ephesus
The short 40 minute drive from Izmir to Bodrum jolted us into realizing how ancient the land in which we were traveling is. From biblical figures like John the Baptist, Mother Mary, and their pilgrim followers, to the largest civilization outside of Rome at its peak, it was hard not to be impressed by the significance and grandeur of Ephesus.
Once inhabited by 250,000, Ephesus is a UNESCO world heritage site and was carefully restored and brought to life. It is a relatively late-bake on the list, as its discovery is fairly recent and only a fraction of it has been uncovered.
The library at Ephesus
Highlights include the odeon, a theatre; an amphitheater, an agora, terrace houses, and a library. You can download Rick Steves’ Audio Europe app for free and use it as you walk the site. All the details of what we saw were based on his excellent instructions. I highly recommend trying it out, and he certainly covers the major features. This fascinating site was once a thriving port city before the Persians, Alexander the Great, and the Goths each had their go at destroying it!
We decided to hire a car for a day to get from Izmir to Ephesus and Ephesus to Bodrum, our final destination. The only catch was making certain that we could call the driver after he dropped us off at the carpark at the top of the entrance to Ephesus. He was to meet us at the bottom of the hill at the exit 90 minutes later. Minor details: he had our bags in the boot!! We needed a backup just in case we could not find the driver. After a bit of cell phone finagling, conversations with hotel personnel, and a lot of good faith—we managed. Where we spent on the driver, we saved on time and the cost of a tour and guide. Just a reminder on how you can travel the way you want, with just a few creative tricks and determination to be a traveler and not a tourist.
Boviera
Known as “Boviera”, sparkling Aegean resort towns along the Western Turkish coast include Bodrum. It’s off-peak and chilly presently, but well worth the quiet solitude and even threats of rain to avoid the throngs of English-speaking tourists.
As close as you can get to the creatures being served at your table before they are caught! Anchovies, artichokes with pineapple, cheese and walnuts, and squash in yogurt
Note: due to traveling light and leaving my Macbook at home for this brief trip, I am using my Iphone to compose and post photos. The capabilities are limited, but I hope you will still enjoy the material the same as regular posts!
At the start of the New Year, dessert chef/ daughter Melissa and I are making a quick stopover in Munich en route to Western Turkey for a few days.
We searched high and low for tasty, affordable dishes. In Germany, it’s a challenge to avoid meat-forward or vegan counter-reactionary approaches. There seems to be very little in between.
Nevertheless, Melissa decided to go classic and identified the Cafe Luitpold. We indulged in a delicate croissant assemblage and a cheese plate for breakfast.
Cheese Plate at Cafe Luitpold
Meanwhile, our main objective for stopping in Munich was to hit as many museums in one day possible.
To digress, speeding thru museums when the kids were young helped. We broke into parent-child pairs for a one-hour treasure hunt. Finding famous pieces and objets d/art such as the Venus de Milo in Louvre was energizing. It helped each of us remember what we found!!
Quality was less relevant than quantity in order to win! I feel less guilty about subjecting our children after this daughter became an art history major.
Back to the ranch. We decided to tackle the Pinakothek Moderne today. It’s a behemoth museum that dwarfs artwork and erases any artist‘s notion of grandeur. The Reichstag-like atrium was wet with a pendulum-swinging, egg-shaped disco ball.
Pinakothek Atrium, Munich
After a short break, we visited the Brandhorst Museum across from the Modern. A huge Cy Twombly exhibition displayed his beautiful series on roses, as well as his Sketches and Scribbles.
Twombly’s Roses
The museum celebrated its tenth anniversary by providing souvenir cards of many artists’ works. It saved buying an exhibition catalog, that often are killers to transport home.
American contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jeff Koons were well represented here, juxtaposed against German Expressionists and the Dusseldorf Academy faculty.
This is one museum worth visiting, and the late Thursday opening allowed viewers near-exclusive access to an amazing collection.
Jean Michel Basquiat, untitled, 1983The Dancer by Oskar Schlemmer, 1922
(Author‘s Note): if you think we’re crazy to do two museums in one day, we scaled our goal back from the four in the Pinakothek collection that we had intended to visit!
Getting to Hanoi from Guangzhou was an adventure! Initially, we traveled by train for four hours in the evening. We finished with a land route from the Chinese border at Pengxiang to Vietnam. We passed gorgeous mountain peaks reminiscent to those in Kweiin, but also traveled through many rice fields being burned. They polluted the sky and left us wondering why there weren’t alternatives for clearing the spent growth.
After three hours, we arrived in the old city. Our kamikaze driver got us to the city in half the time of a train ride. The honking horns and endless stream of motorbikes reeked chaos and anarchy. We were relieved when we arrived at the hotel safely.
A glimpse of normal life in Hanoi
Hanoi Central Park
From our rooftop breakfast room at the hotel, we spotted a small lake in the middle of Hanoi. We headed over for a look. The leisurely stroll refreshed our souls and allowed us to escape from the constant traffic noise. Girls and ladies in beautiful Vietnamese gowns posed for pictures, sketch artists entertained curious passers-by, and both tourists and locals enjoyed sharing the human experience.
Hanoi Street Life
On our first night, we ate street food along with crowds of tourists watching a local soccer match between Vietnam and Thailand on big outdoor screens. The crowd was cheerful, friendly, and intent on their home team’s win. Nearly every food stall took advantage of the opportunity to bring in business by offering seating, food, and large screens.
In the next morning’s walk, we waited for a couple of bank assistants to fill the depleted ATM machine. Metal cartridges of money were stacked beside them, but they seemed stymied at how to install them properly. They were searching the internet for instructions, using their powder pink and Hello Kitty decorated phones, while squatting in their high heels!!
Vietnamese Food
The Vietnamese food has been a delightful surprise. We did not expect such glamorous presentations and freshest ingredients. Meat or seafood, vermicelli, peanuts, and matchsticks of carrot and cucumber wrapped in rice paper make yummy, albeit a bit sloppy, finger foods. Black rice and tapioca topped with ice cream was a typical dessert and great palette cleanser.
After dining at the Orchid Restaurant, we decided to take a cooking class to learn how to make the fantastic dishes. In addition to learning from his family, the chef was trained for four years in a cooking school. He worked for over ten years in French, Italian, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants.
The four-hour class started by a trip to the market. It offered one of the most p ok ingredients that we had seen anywhere in the world.
A colorful array of market items
Big fat juicy bananas
Cinnamon Bark
Special Ginger-like Root Flavoring
Our chef in action
We returned to the restaurant and donned aprons. We honed our cooking skills by learning how to filet fish, julienne vegetables, and wrap spring rolls.
Crispy Pancake
Our efficient and bubbly chef
Fried Fish in Rice Wraps
Color and Delicate Flavors Abound
If you come to Hanoi, try one of the many combo restaurant/cooking schools in the Old City. Vietnam cuisine ranks high on our list as one of the most colorful and tasty in the world.
We’re heading back to Zhongshan and Guangzhou, China via Hong Kong, so stay tuned…
The Chou Family village home in the once-rural area of Punyu is now consumed by the urban demands of Guangzhou. Located in the Bamboo Garden Village in Bai Yun near the Guangzhou airport, the stately home was originally built in the middle of rice paddies. Through the maze of six to seven-story buildings haphazardly built in the 80’s and 90’s, the narrow alleyways lead to this peaceful oasis.
The house is the oldest remaining home in the village. A few remaining pieces of furniture shown above survived the past. The family residence remains unoccupied, but hopefully its redeeming features will support new life and purpose.
An Tang Village
A search for the Lum Family house in An Tang Village proved to be more challenging. The house no longer exists, but finding the precise location was also elusive. The search demands people, place, and time. Rickety 80’s and 90’s adhoc housing sprinkled throughout the village similar to that found in Bamboo Garden obscure landmarks. Being in a more rural setting, the An Tang Village contained more traditional village houses. This could be related to funding, demand and proximity to an urban area.
We located the home of my mother’s uncle. Adjacent to it was a 20’s era clinic. It reminded me of the contemporary style of Sun Yat Sen’s Residence in Hong Kong. Athough unoccupied, it appears to be a historic building ripe for attention and TLC.
The series of Ancestral Temples made the village visit worthwhile. In addition to the artwork that preserves the legacy of the Lum Family, local street murals scattered throughout the village provided inspiration for its residents.
Temple Entrance
View to the Courtyard
Village Founders
Street Mural
Street Mural
Foodie Heaven
One could never escape a stay in Guangzhou without being first confronted, then blown away by the exquisite simplicity of flavors and unadulterated freshness of ingredients. The consistency of quality is truly remarkable. Restaurants compete for business. Reputation is everything. Now add innovation and creativity to rival any five-star presentation.
Chicken Salad
Pineapple Pork in Noodle Nest
Classic Steamed Shrimp
The spread
Crispy pancake dessert
Traditional Steamed Fish
In one restaurant, a huge automated lazy susan brings the food to you. Similar to the sushi boat concept, you barely have to “lift a finger” to get the food to your plate!
Transit Nightmare
Despite the herculean feat of moving teaming masses of humanity, public transit in Guangzhou is still a frightening, mesmerizing, and astounding experience. High speed trains get you from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and other remote areas in less than an hour, buses interconnect to desired locations, and the internet provides information and easy ticket orders.
Having worked on the HK Mass Transit Railway when its first line was under construction, I am at a loss at how to improve this situation. This development addresses mankind’s needs and for the time being, it is about as good as it gets.
Teeming humanityThe new Guangzhou South Railway Station is the length of 6 football fields
Every year, about when Indian Summer in San Francisco begins to strike, we receive wishes from friends and relatives in China for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The mooncakes are given to celebrate the unity of the family, on the 15th day of the 8th Month of the lunar calendar. Moon watching and lantern lighting are part of the festivities in many countries in Asia.
The origin of mooncakes dates back to the Tang Dynasty, when a Turpan businessman gave the cakes out after the Hsiungnu were defeated in Northwest China (at the gateway to the Silk Road). The gift of mooncakes became a tradition after that.
Our daughter and dessert chef at Mr. Jiu’s in San Francisco created her interpretation of mooncakes in the picture above. She hosts a pop-up shop, “Grand Opening” every second Saturday of the month, with different limited-edition desserts paired with savory specialties created by in-house or guest chefs.
The pace of life strikes you as soon as you have contact with the first native you meet here. There’s a natural warmth and friendliness that puts you at ease and convinces you to slow down. Especially in Olhao, grantedly a tourist town, the shopkeepers and service personnel are responsive and eager to cater to your needs.
We are staying the week at Arts in the Algarve, a collection of buildings with hide-and-seek rooms. Courtyards interjected here and there remind you of the warmth of the sun and the incredibly piercing light in this part of the world. You can’t help but feel healthy and inspired here.
Locals seem to enjoy being outdoors and life doesn’t start taking shape until after dark. Music wafts through the alleyways and over the rooftops into our rooms. Both pop music and accordion-style sing-a-longs with smiles and laughter are detectable. Parades and celebrations are a daily activity that bring multitudes of friends and strangers together.
The details and tiled facades of residential buildings allow owners to inscribe their mark, while balconies and connection to the outdoors are always evident. Lush shady trees and parks provide escape from the blazing sun, while artwork and monuments remind us of our fragile existence.
Our group in the art school this week includes four physiotherapists, an attorney, art and ESL teachers, an executive coach, real estate and finance, one with a diplomatic background, and two AirBNB hosts. There are plenty of interesting conversations at each meal as we convene in the school, poolside, and at nearby restaurants. We learn from and support each other as we challenge our artistic abilities.
There’s barely enough time in the mornings to sketch around town, so I took a day off from a planned nature tour to wander around Olhao on my own. Street scenes and people brought me back to ground zero, where art and ideas come together quickly for me.
The afternoons are spent in the studio culminating color, form, composition, and style from the morning’s sketches:
The food served in the school as well as in dining establishments is unadulterated, straightforward and fresh. Everything you need to stay healthy, especially the fish. The wide variety of daily catch includes tuna, halibut, sole, sea bream, sea bass, sardines, monkfish, and skate, as well as shellfish.
Whole Grilled Sea Bream
Surf and Turf
Codfish Pie with Potato
Before parking in Vienna for two weeks, I will be spending a few days in Lisbon, Portugal. Look out for a weekend post from there. Let me know if you have been to Portugal and what you find special about it!
Lucca is one of those uniquely protected walled cities, that tells you to go away. Unless you’re inside, of course. It took a bit of battling to get in, with a car (restricted) to an Albergo with private parking privileges. You are acutely aware of harming the environment when you drive a car in this remarkable city.
Everyone moves at a slower pace, tourists and residents alike. Bikes have their place, although scooters are allowed. You wish life could be this way in your part of the world. Everything seems magical–the ice cream shops, the antiquaries, the magnificently preserved churches. Maybe it wasn’t Disney who spread gold dust here, but he must have visited and discovered the qualities that gave him ideas for his magic kingdom.
We were in Italy for a wedding over the weekend. On Elba Island to be exact. After connecting flights in Paris from Yerevan, Armenia, we spent a couple of days in a luxurious villa as our base. Getting to and from the island was another story, but we made it to the wedding in plenty of time.
We treated ourselves to dinner at the hotel’s well appointed facilities, including the original villa’s main house. Needless to say, food here as in everywhere in Italy is a major undertaking and form of entertainment. Here are just a few dishes that refreshingly attacked our palettes:
Burrata with Anchovies and Rugula
Hot seatfood salad with peaches
Button Ravioli
Fresh Burrata Cheese Salad
I’m off to Faro, Portugal for a week filled with art and sketching. Am traveling via Florence and Paris as stopovers. Stay tuned…
Sandwiched between Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Russian Federation lies the country of Georgia. We nearly crossed the entire country in a day trip east to west, stopping in a couple of significant Georgian Orthodox churches and towns along the way.
Gelati Academy
Built by King David the Builder in the 12th Century, this UNESCO protected pilgrimage site served as a scientific and spiritual life in Georgia. The church has been rebuilt with private funds after the earthquake.
New Church
Dome
Bell Tower
Christian Orthodox worshippers at the tomb of King David
Mtskheta Cathedral
The robe of Christ is purported to be buried here, after a Jewish monk purchased the garment and brought it to Georgia. Many pilgrims come here to worship and consider this 12th Century Cathedral a sacred place. The impressive Byzantine frescoes told the story of Jesus and his disciples on the walls of the main apse. The Mtskheta religious buildings are designated a UNESCO world heritage site.
Entrance to Fortress and Church
Church Interior
Dome
Worshippers
Jesus
Main Dome
Kudaishi Market
Sandwiched between a visit to the local food market, we were able to stop along the highway to try Georgian homemade bread and cheese. Earlier, we tasted wine in the famous Georgian wine at Khareba Winery in the massive valley that bisects the country.
Soviet era mural outside the market
taxi Brigade
Dried Herbs
Bartering
Sheep’s Cheese Wheels
Dried Fruit
Rubber Chickens
Our car slammed its brakes to stop in time for bread and cheese being sold along the highway. Bread stuck on the sides of concrete ovens took about 15 minutes to cook. Wheels of fresh sheep’s cheese were wrapped in plastic bags ready for purchase. Our second roadside stop was another version brushed with honey and egg before it was covered with an old coat and blanket and cooked.
Roadside Cheese
Ads for Roadside bread
Happy Campers
Slabs of Bread in Oven
Georgian Dishes may leave the culinary skills behind flowery English descriptions. Our order for “Mushrooms in Clay Pan” was….mushrooms in clay pan. Fruit plates are….fruit plates. No inflated language necessary.
Mushrooms in Clay Pan
Fruit Plate
Wine Tasting
Wine Cellar
Master Cooking Class in Tbilisi
Our master cooking class at the Tabla Restaurant introduced us to a few classic Georgian dishes that we had already tried. Starters with walnut paste rolled in red pepper and eggplant were supplemented by walnut paste patties mixed with beet leaves, leeks, and spinach
Spices used for walnut appetizers
Ingredients for Appetizers
Finished Dish
Pizza dough and 2 cheeses
Rolling out Pizza bread
Preparing the dough for dumplings
One Dumpling at a time
Finished Product!
Large Dumplings, and small dumplings with Mushroom and Cheese Sauces
Serving of Appetizers and Pizza bread with cheese
Architecture and the Streets of Tbilisi
The huge time expanse transcends everthing from the 4th C. BC to the present-day, so many buildings appear to be dilapidated, neglected, or poorly maintained. There are a healthy addition of modern buldings that are flamboyant and daring to contrast with the crumbling old ones.
It didn’t help that there was a major earthquake of about 7.0 in 2003, leaving many of the cracked brick structures in the Old City crumbling and in dire need of attention. Owners and their descendants hold out for the big hotel developer to make them an offer to make them rich for the rest of their lives. In the mean time, the neighborhood suffers with blight and tenants who continue to risk their lives for cheap rent.
With over 1 million people, Tbilisi is home to nearly one quarter of the country’s population of 4 million people. There’s much work to be done to develop the city, and I remind myself not to expect all the conveniences and solutions of more well-developed countries.
We are able to see the country before major development take over. And yes, there are still many evident flaws and cracks in the system such as broken sidewalks, collapsed structures, and traffic accidents. The Georgians have suffered from failed and impovershed governments.
Georgia has been bombarded with invasions and systemmatic loss of its borders at the whim of leaders inside and outside the country. It is a small country that has been used as a political football for its neighbors. The capital city of Tbilisi has been sacked 27 times since it was moved from Mtskheti. Despite that, its people look to its future and hope that Georgia can soon join the EU and NATO. You can read more about this fascinating country in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia.
Addendum: We had been hearing about the active protests against the government after the Chairman of Georgia’s Parliament allowed a Russian MP to sit in his seat and deliver a message in Russian. Georgians were protesting the government for succumbing to Russian influence.
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