Europe Fall 2024 - Last Foodie Post

The enjoyment of our apartment in El Campello with its great outfitted kitchen, beautiful views when we ate, and access to the markets, meant we did way more cooking and eating at home than going out. Still, this is a de-I travel adventure and food will always be a major component of the tapestry of our trips.

Chocolate and Churros

This is one of the Spanish classics. Their hot chocolate (when made properly) is like a hot chocolate mousse. The churros are salty crispy fried dough served with granulated sugar. What's not to like? The Valor chocolate company (a really high quality brand in our opinion) has branded restaurants all over Spain offering it. 

Whoa! That's a lot of fried dough

Well it turns out the whole thing was mostly too rich for our taste. Oh well. (BTW we did finish every last churro!)

 Home Cooking

I had a bunch of things left in the fridge and this is what I came up with

The sausage was a chorizo. I did a take on deep frying it to get a really crispy skin (something I'd not tried before). The green beans are a broad type you find all over Europe but almost never in the U.S. They were done in olive oil and garlic. The potatoes were a not quite mashed potato cooked in fat until there was a lot of crispy parts. When your grandchildren eat every last morsel of what you've cooked, you can be happy indeed.

Success Eating in Tourist Land

After our successful assault on Santa Barbara Castle in Alicante, it was time to feed the mercenaries (and their employers). The central part of Alicante along the water is 'tourist central'. You can find a lot of mediocre, over priced food. However, with us being so tired, I was not going to totally fight the realities. However, I did stay off the waterfront itself. We ate a place that was on a Plaza. The menu was pretty standard for the area. However, here is where we had a very pleasant surprise.

We purchased a number of Tapas. There is a lot...A LOT...written that these tourist restaurant dishes are not 'authentic' tapas which are small plates that go along with the long drinks process the Spanish enjoy. Nonetheless, a lot are based on things found in real tapas places. One of the major complaints is you pay way more for these in the tourist restaurant than you do in a real bar serving tapas. However, we did a bit of post eating research by looking at the cost of things on site at various places. What we found was, yes the tourist places charged much more. BUT they also were serving full servings, not small bites. For example, in the meal I will describe below, each portion was the equivalent size of 4 'real tapas' servings. Analyzing the prices accordingly, there was not that big a difference in price.

The VEFS (Viking Expeditionary Force from Sweden) relaxing, eating Spanish tapas in the conquered city of Alicante.

 

 Tempura Shrimp - Hardly a classic of Spanish cuisine but raved on by the three women of our party.

 Fried Brie, also not a classic, but again the women loved it. This place did deep frying exceptionally well.

Well Fries are Fries and the mercenaries loved them

 Now. On to what de-I loved.

Croquettas. These are so often insipid. But this version, you could really taste the ham.

Abondigas/Meatballs - these too are often tasteless. But no, here they were really flavorful

 

 And could a meal like this be complete without Ensalada Rusa? No!

 Honestly, I keep being amazed at the variations on this seemingly simple theme.

Nothing says conquest like a good Helado!

 Hasta Luego Espana

A big part of Spanish culture is taking a drink and just sitting and contemplating the world whether through conversation or just by one's self. We didn't do enough of that. But on our last day in El Campello, I did just that with a coffee as Wife did a last photo shoot.

 

 Unexpected Treat in Amsterdam

Flying back, we overnighted in Amsterdam so as to not totally kill ourselves. Airport hotels are an iffy lot at best. We were not excited at all about eating at the hotel. Fortunately there was a town only 15 minutes walk from the hotel where we found,

A sort of bar/gastropub/restaurant

The menu so intrigued us that we each had a first course while sharing the main. That turned out to be a very good idea.

Wife's whiskey and my dark beer

My first course, a selection of cold fish including tiny shrimp, smoked eel, and cured salmon. For those of us who enjoy such things, it was very delicious. The shrimp in particular were thumbs up because often they are tasteless.

 

 Wife had a French Onion Soup. She said it was a bit more tomato flavored than she usually saw. But she ate every drop. 

 

(An Observation: Wife hates, HATES, wet bread. Any moisture touching her bread product and it becomes taboo. So no dipping bread in sauces, or bread puddings, or anything like that. With ONE exception, the cheese covered bread on French Onion Soup. She scarfs this down like it is the ambrosia of the Gods. I asked for a bite to try it and was told in no uncertain terms, "No Way". Evidently cheese covered soggy bread in French Onion Soup is its own unique food group.)

It was accompanied by a very lovely dark bread.

 The main course we split was a huge wienerschnitzel with bernaise sauce, frites, and salad. We were very glad to have split it.

 UNBELIEVABLE! A really good U.S. Airline Business Class Meal!

If one flies international business class a lot (which I have over the last 15 year), you find there the quality of catering can vary substantially depending on the airline and the city from which it is flying. In general, while the food and service is miles better than in Economy, it is not usually anything to write a blog post about. This is especially true of the major American carriers (United, Delta, & American). So you can imagine how SHOCKED I was when the meal we were served on our flight from Amsterdam to was not just okay, it was excellent. I mean blog worthy.

Let's start with...

 This was one of the wine's offered. How many times before have I seen a Chateauneuf du Pape on an airline? 

0

This particular wine retails for about $50 a bottle.

The first course was a very nice cured salmon (hats off the Netherlands catering?

 Accompanied by nice Dutch dark bread and butter

 The main course was a braised Pork with white beans. It was good enough that I ate very bit.

 All in all a perfectly fine ending to our trip

A Final

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

Badhoevedorp, Netherlands, Capital of Formula One Tow Truck Racing.

Europe Fall 2024 - Rijksmuseum

If one is doing a nostalgia visit to Amsterdam, you have to include a visit to its most famous art museum, the Rijksmuseum. Since getting more into art at a late age, I've had a particular love for the Dutch Masters of the Renaissance. And the Rijksmuseum certainly has one of the better collections in the world of these. 

#3 met us at the hotel. We had a totally unsatisfactory breakfast at the School of Life coffee shop. (I guess the life lesson here is if you want a decent breakfast, go elsewhere). Then it was just a short walk to the museum.

 Painting of Disciples Contemplating the Loss of Christ with Christ Trying to Get Their Attention in the Background

Former Art History Student Contemplating Historic Art

 

Incredibly famous painting by Rembrandt 

 #3 Said they looked like a BoD of Tech Investors Poo Pooing your Hot Idea

Having had more than one dealing with the Corporate Overlords in my career, I had to agree

Hence my deciding this painting should be called

Angry Founder Turned Down for Financing Again

Long time followers of the blog know my penchant for delving into the detail of artworks. 

I was looking at this still life

 

 And I was marveling at how the painter had put a reflection of the table on to silver pitcher!

 This got me inspired to do some quick still lives while we had a snack at the museum cafe.

Still life of Bread, Butter and Coke Zero

 Still Life of Pea Hummos (just mashed peas really) and Feta Cheese

 Of course no de-I / Wife trip is complete without a sampling of the wonders of architectural scaffolding!

Here is one of the most famous of Rembrandt pictures, the Night Watchmen, beautifully counterbalanced by a rare example of architectural scaffolding. 

 

But that is not all. The Rijksmuseum had a whole section devoted to flights of fancy that architectural scaffolding producers have created over the year.

 And I had to take a picture of this artist's ode to the American Spirit of Freedom and Free Choice

We ended our day by visiting our friend C and his partner J at their new apartment. It was a lovely place. Having seen the many apartments #3 has had over the years, I could very much appreciate what a great place it was. We had a lovely French picnic lunch with wine and talked up a storm. I remember when C was first putting out his vision for his future, when nothing like this seemed remotely possible. I am very, very happy for him.

We went back to the hotel and had a final talk session with #3. Then she needed to go and we needed to get packed as we head off for Italy in the morning. 

Europe Fall 2024 - Amsterdam Nostalgia

It was 2006 when #3 after a rather torturous experience finally got the overseas posting she'd been angling for from her first post-graduate school employer. It was Amsterdam. She had thought it was going to be Spain. She'd studied in Spain and knew the language. But events didn't pan out there and when the Amsterdam slot opened, she grabbed it. 

Over the next 16 years, #3 grew. She changed jobs (a number of times) to advance her career. She found love. Got married. Moved multiple times within the city, Had children. And 2 years ago, after much soul searching, she, her husband and children moved away from Amsterdam, first to Copenhagen, and most recently to Malmo, Sweden.

And during that whole 16 formative years from newly fledged young adult to full early middle aged adult, Wife and I visited her and Amsterdam. Initially we did all the tourist things. Often we'd go to towns and cities in other parts of the Netherlands. In later years as Wife and I got into our full out travel lifestyle, we would often just schedule a stop on our way in or out of a trip to see the #3's since Amsterdam is such a convenient hub. 

We developed a whole routine of things we liked to do when we came, mostly having to do with eating (big surprise I know). But there was this comfortable feeling. We knew the area all around where #3 and family lived. We could go off on our own with no problems. It was nice. 

Of course, all that stopped with their move. Wife and I didn't realize how much we missed it until a couple of months ago we were flying home from our around the world trip, landing in Amsterdam to change planes. We were watching the countryside and cityscape as we landed. We both were overcome with this sense of nostalgia. 

As fate would have it, I needed to book our flights for the trip we were currently on and the best alternative was to fly in and out of Europe via Amsterdam. I floated the idea to Wife that we add a couple of days in the city to scratch that nostalgia itch. She agreed. We mentioned it to #3. She offered to fly in for a couple of days and spend time with us to do the same. 

So here we are! Looking for a hotel (you would not believe how crazy high the hotel prices are! Or maybe you would.), I found a good deal on a place that seemed pretty close to the neighborhood I was wanted. Well, 'pretty close' turned out to be spot on. We are literally just blocks from the Albert Cuypt Market street which is our center for culinary history.

The very first afternoon upon arriving, friends from Albuquerque who now live in Amsterdam came over. I impressed them with my knowledge of the area directing us to our first food destination, our favorite Doner Kebab place

 It was like 4:30 in the afternoon. Wife and I hadn't eaten since the flight about 8 hours earlier. Wife had chicken. I had lamb. Our friends bought some baklava as they'd eaten before they came over.

We then went out for drinks and a nice long, long talk. It wasn't too late an evening because Wife and I needed to crash after the long flight.

The next morning we didn't want to buy the expensive hotel breakfast. Amsterdam is not a place where it is common for people to eat breakfast. We decided to go to the market street and get something but forgot (or didn't know) that the market is really an afternoon affair and doesn't actually get going until around 11am.

It is actually a cool time to walk the market street as it is just opening

We were starving and the one place that was open and serving was a roast chicken place. So an order of wings and drumsticks was breakfast.

 By this time it was 10:30. We killed time having coffee and a soda until the primary reason we were at the Albert Cuypt opened.

This is a place that sells French Fries - Friets in Dutch. And they are the best. Really. I've eaten how many fries? Over how many cities and continents? Seriously, none compare. And I must add, the Netherlands overall is a great place for fries. 

It is a fourth generation family business and everything is made to order.

Voila!

When we first started coming to Amsterdam, the thought of fries with mayonnaise seemed weird. Now it's like "how would you have it any other way?" We actually came back here in the afternoon with #3 and had more! While we were at the market later with #3, I also had my obligatory serving of herring. But no pictures were took.

Then it was walking around and soaking in the cityscape.

Obligatory picture of canals. A requirement in Amsterdam.

We spent the day hanging around with #3, walking, stopping for coffee, talking, going out to dinner, sitting around outside the hotel talking. Soaking in the ambiance and enjoying some very rare alone time with our daughter.

Seen across the street from our hotel

Where was this when I was a teenager?
 

Europe Fall 2024 - First Stop Amsterdam

We've found when we have multiple legs of a trip in a regions (Europe, East Asia, SE Asia, etc.), that you have more options and get better pricing when you fly round trip from the U.S. to a major hub in the area you're visiting to begin and end your trip. Then you can take short-haul flights to get you between wherever you ultimately want to be spending your time, usually more effectively for your schedule and more cost-efficiently as well. When doing our initial research, a flight in and out of Amsterdam made the most sense and allowed us to fit in our couple of days of nostalgia.

On Tuesday morning we got to the airport in plenty of time, and checked in without problem. However, the dear Magical Unicorn Pony God of Travel still had a few more tricks for us before we finally got to our destination. We're going through the TSA Pre security check and Wife's passport is denied. They ask for her driver's license. That's denied too. What the &$@!#? We're told we have to go back to the airline check-in to figure things out.

Thank goodness we have status and are going through the priority line at the airline. They look at Wife's check-in profile and all the information in it is MINE! How did that happen? Why wasn't it seen when we checked in online or when we dropped our bags off? The agent puts in the correct information. Back up to Security. Nope. It's still rejecting Wife's information. The agent calls in a superior who goes off somewhere while we wait and wait, thanking the stars we came to the airport early. Finally he comes back and says Wife's basic information is correct but her PASS ID number is incorrect (or not present) so she cannot go through the TSA Pre line. She has to go through the regular security line. If you know Wife, you know she is royally pissed. Thank goodness the TSA senior agent says he'll bring her to the front of the line. 

That ordeal over, before we board our flight, the airline agents at the gate call us up. Yup. The information on Wife's record is wrong. They scan in her passport (yet again) and we can board the plane. Our flight to Salt Lake City and transfer to our 10 hour flight to Amsterdam go smoothly. All is well until a couple of hours before we land. I need to dab some saline gel on my nose to keep it moist. I barely touch the nose and it starts bleeding again. Just as fast as before. 

Fortunately, I know the drill now. I have a spare clamp I brought from the emergency room and I'm using it, tissue and my hands to apply pressure. This I do for the rest of the flight, all the way through getting through the airport, and getting to our hotel. Roughly three hours in all. It's stressful and uncomfortable. (Try not breathing through your nose for an extended period of time. You feel like you have emphysema.) One of the attendants on the flight told me she has had this kind of problem for years because of the dryness of the air in airplanes. 

Finally getting to the hotel, I took the clamp off and found the bleeding had stopped. We were both pretty exhausted and kind of collapsed. 

Portugal-Amsterdam 2022 - #22 - Post Trip Analysis

 It is once again time for us to evaluate all that took place on our trip with the all knowing, all seeing eye of discrimination. Navel gazing as the beloved #3 calls it.

• Can the value of the whole be less than the sum of the parts? Yes evidently.

There was so much when taken individually that I liked in Portugal. The wine was phenomenal. Seriously it was nearly impossible to not get a bad pour. And they were generous with the pours. Even in the supermarket, the most expensive wines were hardly above U.S. low to moderate prices. 

 

Driving was easy. There was a clear set of rules that pretty much all drivers followed. The major highways were well marked making navigation easy. Our GPS generally worked quite well. The houses and apartments we rented were nice. The bread was great. Even supermarket bread. The food we bought at the markets was high quality. Prices in general were not expensive. English is widely understood.

 

What was not great? The food! Eating out was a big disappointment. Even the best we had was just okay. That was a major downer for me. Plus most of the areas we went to where extremely oriented toward the tourist market. It was hard for Wife and I imagining ourselves staying in any of them for very long.

• We still love to travel 
  

Why? It is the whole experience. The finding, exploring, figuring out, making something unknown your own. Every time we find a spot that was not on the list of major sites but turns out to be cool, is a reward. Just figuring out over 3 to 5 days how get around a place is stimulating

• However!....

 …The limitations of age continue their relentless reduction of what we can do – like the steady erosion of the water on the earth. This was so very evident when we were confronted with dealing with the hilly nature of Porto.

• We are done with mountains, hills, inclines…Give me Flat! And Water!

For the vast majority of my life, I have loved the mountains. Early on I ached to be in them. When we moved to New Mexico, they became part of our daily live with hiking a mainstay. When we travel, I looked for having the mountain experience. But as our capabilities have diminished, driving, walking and getting around these environments has become a bigger and bigger challenge. 

Now we crave a different experience. We want to be close to the water. We want flat. Yes we want challenge but challenge that our age depleted bodies can handle.

• Still showing signs of our ADD tendencies.

At each of our stays during this trip, we found the places we wanted to visit, went out, did our exploring, our photographing. And then it was, 'we're done'. Time to move on?

• So can we change?
  

We have a big experiment coming up. We have (in our minds anyway) that we would like to live somewhere other than the United States. So we are going back to Cefalú Sicily for two months this fall. Will the Cefalú experiment leave us finding a new path or will we be bored out of our minds? We will find out.

• Farewell to Frites
  

Daughter #3 is leaving Amsterdam after 16 years moving to Copenhagen, Denmark. The Netherlands in general had great Frites, what we call French Fries. But there was one place at the end of a large open air market called the Albert Cuypt that had, what we believed were the best we ever had in our life...period! Every time we visited, we would go there. So for this last visit to Amsterdam, we went three times! Eating these most wonderful frites probably for the last time. Smothered in Dutch mayonnaise of course!

Portugal-Amsterdam 2022 - #20 - Closing It Out In Amsterdam

 On Tuesday we made our way to Amsterdam. This has been a steady place for visiting with #3 and family having lived here for 16 years. But they are on their way to Copenhagen Denmark following a job opportunity for 3A and will be moving this summer. So this was our last chance to see them in this spot that has been a real favorite of ours (not least to sample some of our favorite street food once again). Given how much effort we put out in Porto, Wife and I were both ready to chill and let our bodies recuperate and spend serious time with each of the family members. So not a whole lot to blog about. So have decided to do a bit of a gastronomic overview of the trip. 

I mentioned throughout my posting that the food in Portugal definitely was a disappointment. It was worst in the Algarve (the south) where other Portuguese said the influence of British expat and vacationers is very strong. In general, we found the food under flavored, especially salt. And there was never salt on the tables! So here are the highlights.

Our first really good meal was in Elvas where we had a very acceptable plate of clams (me), but that incredible fruit salad!

The were things were EXCEPTIONAL all throughout Portugal

Wine

The wine, day in and day out, red or white, was simply the best value I have had anywhere. Better than France. Better than Italy. Better than anywhere. And so economical!

Oranges

Great. Had them all the time and were always delicious.

Pastel de Natas, tiny custard tarts

In Mafra, we had an experience like none I have had where the Airbnb host welcomed us with a ton of cured meat, cheese, breads, and wine.

We had two good meals during our time in Mafra

I ate baccalhao (salt cod), a big favorite in Portugal, numerous times. This preparation was in a cream sauce with potatoes

This was a seafood stew

And in Porto there was one restaurant we went to twice with very good food. I tried this because it was one of those things that I just had to...Tripas a Moda de Porto - Porto style tripe.

What was interesting was this tasted just like ham and beans in the U.S. When you think of the number of Portuguese immigrants over the centuries, it makes sense.

Octopus is very popular as well.

The grilled whole fish was something we frequently had and enjoyed.

I love the tradition of espresso coffee. 

For the vast majority of our life together, Wife has never drunk coffee. But after one of our lunches, WHAT, she ordered one. It was a singular event.

Driving from Mafra to Aveiro, all the restaurants at the autostrada rest stops were closed. We were forced to eat at the gas station itself where I had this.

A hot dog. The bun lined with ham and cheese. Topped with fried potato sticks. Served with Mayo and mustard. A bit weird but not the worst thing I've eaten.

Saved in Porto

Our great Doner Kebap

One thing we won't miss from Amsterdam - Going up the stairs to #3's third story apartment.

We fly to Lisbon tomorrow and catch our flight home on Tuesday