Food Glorious Food

Today we had a quiet day. We could have taken a walking tour of Trondheim, but instead had decided to just do our own thing. Trouble was,when we docked we then learned that it is a 20 minute walk into the centre of town. Bugger that after such a full day yesterday. We rolled over and went back to sleep. Missed breakfast - but believe us, that is no problem- all some people seem to do is eat!

Had a lazy morning, washed hair etc. Last night Donna had taken the clothes to the laundry and didn't actually get into bed until late.

Lots of people were off boat today,so it was easy for us to make the first sitting for lunch just after 12 noon. The food on board is really good. Even the smorgasbord would rate a mention in a foodie mag.

Lunch today consisted of fresh tomato soup - the sort that still has colour and substance and taste, followed by salads, salmon, pork neck and smoked ham, didn't have hot dishes, desert was lemon sago cream pudding, lots of berries and brownie.
As we leave the bistro, we decide to upgrade to the a la carte restaurant option tonight, a decision that we later are pleased to have made!

This afternoon we spent a bit of quiet time up on one of the viewing decks, learned that we were soon to pass one of Norway's more unique lighthouses and for the first time, leave the safe waters of the fjords and the island channels and head out into the open water of the North Sea.  And yes,you could tell the difference!  The swell increased almost immediately that we cleared the last bit of land.  Good time for a nanna nap before dinner. The lulling and rocking a little more determined than before!

Tonight we have booked dinner for 8 pm. We get down to the Kysten Restaurant which only has a few diners left inside. We are shown to our table by the very attentive Malin - wow, this girl knows how to provide excellent service.

We are given a menu to peruse. Choices, choices, choices, although Malin provides guidance as needed thankfully.

So, these were our choices:

Starter - Maria - King Crab Ravioli in Reindeer bouillon with root vegetables.

A combination of clear, cold waters, a cold climate and careful,individual handling, provide Norway with outstanding King Crab all year round. The giant red King Crab was discovered for the first time in Norway in the Varanger Fjord in 1977 and today, it is a permanent part of the marine ecosystem in norther parts of Norway. Even though it's invasive and tends to displace other species, it has become a highly-appreciated element of modern Norwegian cuisine and an important export product. Consuming it supports the fishing industry and helps to keep the stock and its spread somewhat reduced.

This dish was originally created for the re-opening of the renovated Svalbard Hotel "Funken Lodge", located in one of the world's most remote populated areas. This small but ambitious Arctic hotel was originally built as an accommodation and dining area for employees of the Store Norske Spitsbergen Coal Company. Today, Funken Lodge is a small but ambitious hotel with modern comfort in historic surroundings.

Starter - Donna - Norwegian Scallops from Frøya with Cauliflower variation with fennel and chorizo from Tind in Stranda.

Given a solid green light from the World Wildlife Fund's list of endangered species, the Norwegian Scallop is a perfect combination of exclusivity and sustainability.  the delicious mollusc, with its tender texture and mild oceanic flavour, can be found along the vast stretches of the Norwegian coast, where they thrive tremendously well in the fresh, cold clear-blue water. Norwegian scallops are fished by hand by divers directly in their natural habitat and the environment footprint is therefore negligible.

The cautious, agile mollusc is, for many, regarded as the utmost delicacy of the sea. You really should try them!

Main - Maria - Tenderloin Beef from Trøndelag with fried savoy cabbage, tomato confit, tender mushroom, red wine sauce and victory onion pesto.

Cattle are of great socio-economic importance, but not only for their milk and meat. Grazing cattle also guarantee versatile habitats. Ecological diversity and a varied  ecosystem is a prerequisite for a nature in balance.
Norway has a vast coast and impressive mountains, but it is also a grassy country.  Grass that is left to grow without interference slowly loses its ability to bind carbon dioxide and after a while becomes a hostile environment for important insects such as pollinating bumblebees, as well as their coexisting plants. Cows grazing the green fields of Norway ensure open and thriving landscapes.
In Norway, legislation decrees that every cow, without exception, must be assured a minimum of eight weeks of free grazing every summer, with each cow having its own personal health certificate card. It is a fact that Norway has the lowest rate of antibiotic use in livestock production in Europe. These laws were created to ensure that every cow is recognized for its natural need for movement, and that the general stock stay healthy and sound in a sustainable long-term perspective.

Main - Donna - Arctic Char from Sigerfjord with cabbage, asparagus, raw marinated fennel and white wine sauce.

The Artic Char is only found in Arctic waters and was one of the first fish to populate Norwegian waters after the last Ice Age. Through its lifecycle, it migrates from fresh water to sea water, giving the meat a unique taste, texture and colour.  While most of you are sleeping, we dock at Sortland every time we pass by and pick up fresh Arctic Char from Sigerfjord.  The water systems of Vesterålen, with their cold, deep waters and rivers, are perfect for these diadromous fish.

While we wait for our meal, we get a chance to look around. The ambiance is discreet and very tasteful - timber abounds including the lightshades and carvings of driftwood on show. Starched white tablecloths and really nice cutlery and glassware set the standard.

Dessert - Maria - Plum and Rhubarb Tarte with vanilla ice cream from Gangstad Gård

Up here in the north, winter is a long, dark and cold affair. Naturally, any sign of winter's end, no matter how small and discrete it may be, is welcome. Rhubarb is one of those fortuitous bringers of good news. When small, pinkish-coloured rhubarb starts to sprout in the garden, just as the snow melts away, things speed up.  Before you know it, the first harvest is possible and a home-made pie, tarte,marmalade or 'krem' can be enjoyed, that is if you don't choose to freeze them to enjoy them during the dark season as a sweet reminder of a long-lost summer. Another advantage of rhubarb is that it is full of vitamins and minerals.

Dessert - Donna - Chocolate Terrine with white chocolate creme made from Nýr from Grøndalen Gård

Nýr is made from cultured, organic whole-milk from well-treated cows (owned by the family of Grøndalen Olsen, who have received prizes for their focus on animal welfare and who claim that the cows are humourous, whatever they mean by that!)  The production is traditional. Cultured and pasteurised milk is carefully heated up and then left to drain on large filtration sheets.  When the consistency has become somewhat firm and creamy, the Nýr is ready. The result is a low-fat, sugar-free cream cheese with a high level of healthy protein. Hurtigruten is proud to say that we can base our terrine on such a sustainable and leading locally sourced product.

The meal was everything that is sounds and then some. We drank a Pinot Grigio from Veneto region (Italy) and finished with Norwegian coffee. Sublime.

And before we left tonight, we made sure to book in for the King Crab dinner in two days time!

An unexpected link to Maryborough

Again we sleep longer than we originally planned - one of the perks of being on holidays and in a fab bed!  We had planned to get up at 7:30 am, but Michael has set the alarm for 8:30 - ha ha ha - he never was a morning person!

A quick goodbye to Scooter just after 9:30 sees us head in to spend the morning giving Arrowtown some serious attention.  Scooter is originally from Europe and even she comments on the cost of living here. She and Grant have a small cottage that they are busily renovating and remodelling. Today she says it is valued at $1.4 million. And it is small - two bedrooms only. The airbnb room that we occupied is in a new built in area under the house.

Dating back to the mid 1800s, its main street is filled with the small original stores that graced it in its heydays when gold was being mined.  All of them re-purposed now of course. But still quaint and very twee.


We're off to 'Provisions of Arrowtown' a purveyor of all things local and foodie for breakfast.  Michael orders the big breakfast (of course), while I choose the Buckwheat Pancakes with grilled banana, blueberries and marscapone. And coffees of course. Those pancakes were as light as clouds and Michael's 3 eggs were poached to perfection. We are sitting in a back room, overlooking a Quince tree laden with growing fruits.


Once sated, we amble up the main street, stopping in at most of the shops. Some are surprisingly affordable, others not so - some of the merchants are really trying to make the most out of the many Chinese visiting the area.  And then we pause outside the local Sotheby's office (sure that gives you a hint!).  This property was the cheapest in their window! 

There are gold, jewellery, clothing, woollen goods, souvenirs, artworks shop that are interspersed with lots of eateries all doing a roaring trade.  The really noticeable thing here is that everyone from the young ladies in the Visitor Information Centre, to the sales staff in the shops and the wait staff all treat their visitors with open willing friendliness, whether you are buying or browsing. It is really noticeable and contributes to a wonderful warm feeling all through town. And because everyone is so friendly, all the visitors and smiling. And spending!!  If only we could bottle it and shake it all over home.

Arrowtown had its birth in the 1860s when the push to mine gold from the Arrow River was at its peak.  The original buildings in the main street have continued to evolve into the retail and service offerings of today.  And just like in Australia, where there was gold, came the Chinese.  The first orientals in the area didn't assimilate and created their own little village in the back streets towards the river and much to the annoyance of the European traders, the Chinese even set up their own shops.

Once the gold mining stopped being commercial, the town faded into the backdrop, meaning that there are still more than 70 historic sites remaining. In the 1950s there was a resurgence of interest in the area as a holiday destination. It is less than an hour to the summer friendly Lake Wanaka and even closer to the winter ski fields.

We were lucky to be wandering around today as the local farmers market was on in the local park. Cheeses, salmon, cured meats, fresh fruits, baked goodies - a foodies heaven. But we were also unlucky. We were putting some purchases in the car when I put the keys down to move a bottle of water. Promptly shut the boot and the car automatically locked. With the keys still inside.  A bad design flaw in the Ford Focus if you ask me. An hour later and $160 poorer, the local AA man has us back in the car.


And now to the link with Maryborough.  Sister (now Saint) Mary McKillop came to Arrowtown 20 years after she had set up the first catholic school in Maryborough, where she also set up a school for the local children.  Funny the things that link us across the waters, isn't it.

And locally, Irene S and Ann C both asked whether the lolly shop still exists.  We can happily report that yes it does, and it is still doing a roaring trade of old favourites and new offerings.

It is now early afternoon and we hit the road to head for Queenstown - about 25 minutes away.  And while the day was a cool summer day in Arrowtown, as we get closer to Queenstown, the weather also is closing in with lots of clouds again rolling down the mountainsides.  Donna had said that one of the must does here is the Gondola to the top of Bob's Peak.  St Frances is with us again as we get a car park about 100 m from the entry as another can pulls out.  The rain is beginning as we leave the car.  We manage to get into our gondola and up the mountain in just very light rain, so get one reasonable photo on our way up the VERTICAL mountain.  But by the time we peak out at the top, the rain has set in. 

We sit with coffees and wonder at the sanity of people who race the luges in the rain, but even more so, to the mountain bike riders who pay up to $900 for an annual pass to ride the gondolas up just to plunge down the mountain side - the very steep mountain side - even in the rain, and as we are told later, even in the snow!

We hang around for an hour or so hoping for clearer weather, but it is not to be, so we head back to ground zero thinking we might catch a movie - but can't find the cinema, so we head for Mossburn for the night.  A couple of reasons we chose here - it is on the road to Te Anua and Milford Sound, and it happened to have a vacancy - many places are still fully booked. The entire drive along what must be stunning scenery with towering hills and deep gorges along the length of Lake Wakatipu. Today however, through the veil of water they are merely shadows and outlines.  Not fair.

And finally I am gobsmacked at the large number of sheep (and cattle) that they farm per hectare here. Without a word of a lie, there were about 1,000 sheep on a 3 - 4 hectare block.  The rain isn't worrying them, what with their greasy wool coats.  The cattle on the other hand huddle in tight lines at the most protected parts of their paddocks - hides are not so waterproof!

We pull in to the carpark at the Mossburn Railway Hotel to check in and have dinner just before 7pm.  The rain continues and the temperature has plummeted.  The hotel is dry and warm with a roaring fire going. Drinks and dinner ordered and done, we head across the road to their new accommodation units - Wheels and Reels. 
My crumbed Blue Cod was delicious and Michael loved his Fisherman's Basket complete with mussels and scallops!

There is or was another link with home here - up until the 1970s there was a combined rail and road bridge over the Oreti River - very similar (although not as high) as our Dickabram Bridge!

Tomorrow promises to be clear and warm and we are hoping to do a day cruise to  Doubtful Sound - quieter and less crowded than Milford Sound.

The packing continues

Breakfast at Hotel Krone is standard but fresh and they make great coffee.

 I am drinking peppermint tea now in an effort to avoid dairy products with my flu.

As we head over to Steph and Felix this morning I make a short detour to their new house that I have not yet seen. Sure, the houses and the blocks are larger, but the streets noticeably smaller.  There are workmen at the house, so I don't go inside.  Looking at the driveway down in to the garage, I wonder how even Steph's small Renault Zoe can even fit down the drive.

Yesterday Mathilda was busy in the street, and this so reminds me of Izabella when she comes to our house. Turns out it say Best Friends Forever. Henri is the name of the horse she has been riding this week!

Back to the current house and there is more cleansing of gathered stuff - clothes, bags, plants. More boxes to pack. But Steph has decided against wrapping and packing glassware (which I could be doing) because it takes extra cleaning at the other end.  She will just put them in a basket and carry them over.  Me, I save all the boxes for our glassware and each time we move, they get put back into their boxes. EVERY TIME.

Lunchtime here is normally the main cooked meal of the day but as we are going out for dinner tonight, and as the children will not be home for lunch today, Felix just pops down to the butcher and comes home with wurst rolls. Two plain, and two pizza.  They are warm and unctuous! We add German mustard and hoe in. You end up with juices running down your chin - VERY yummy.

At the new house, the kitchen workers were drilling to install the rangehood, and all of a sudden, one of the banks of downlights go out. Steph's cousin's husband Thomas has done the electrics, and they are on holidays in Hungary this week, so they will have to wait for his return next week before it can be sorted out.  Aah - the joys of new houses!

And wouldn't you know it - have just done a search on Rotary Clubs in Schwäbisch Gmünd. One meets at the very hotel we are staying at. And they met yesterday at 12:30. Too bad I was feeling so poorly. Oh well, I'll try to go when we come back after visiting Romania.

And the surprises continue at Hotel Krone.  Tonight we are booked in with Steph and the family to their annual Jazz im Garten - and they proudly announce that this is their 14th year.
As we are upstairs getting changed, we can  here the band warming up below our room. When we get downstairs, there is mein host playing the Double Bass! A very versatile man indeed!!
And the food was fabulous.
And the music was great.
And the company was special.
And the service was spot on.
And everything was just so right in the world tonight!

We order drinks and once they take our orders, serve us all very generous plates of mixed salad - so refreshing and just enough to sate the hungry beast. 
Felix, Mathilda and I had the Paniertes Schwieneschnitzel - Felix with Pommes Frites and Mathilda and I with Spatzle with the most amazing gravy that the chef tells us he cooks over 3 days.
Steph has the Unser Sommersalat - a large salad with fish pieces and grilled scampi.
Niklas, like most four year old little boys has a large plate of pommes frites and ketchup (or is it a large plate of ketchup with chips!!)
And Michael, well of course he must try something special.  He orders the Wild aus der Region: Rehragout mit Freiselbeerbirne, frischen Pfefferlingen, Kronenknopfle und Salat - Venison ragout with Pfefferling mushrooms, potato dumplings and salad.

Steph heads home with the kids about 8, Felix follows at 9 and Michael and I head upstairs at 10:30 with the moon high in the night sky, hanging over the party lights burning brightly. 

Moving house can be cathartic

Being on holidays means that you can don't need to watch the clock.
We rise later today and enjoy breakfast on our own.
I get chatting with the hotel owner. Turns out that he has operated the hotel since the death of his father in 1975 and he had followed his father into the hotel business. The building is a former farm and only dates back to the 1870's - so quite new by European standards.

Before going over to Steph and Felix's we head back up the hill to visit the Burg Hohenrechberg ruins. Only they aren't. Ruins that is. Well, there are some parts in ruin, but there is a great part of it that is not in ruin, and more is being restored.Driving up from below, the runious side is more evident, but when you get up to the site, you immediately see how much has escaped damage, and is being restored.

A castle on this site dates back to the 13th Century, with what is now standing built between 1599 and 1648.  This was a prime defensive spot with views across the surrounding territories for hundreds of kms. 


The remains are in remarkably good condition, a testament to good materials and great workmanship - and with none of today's modern tools!
The defensive tower with it's hoarding still stands, complete with gun slits, cannon portals and murder holes!  How barbaric we can be when we feel threatened. The timbers holding the tower roof are all original and remind Michael of the tower roofs of the great cathedrals across Europe. Whole trees are used in

the support poles and even the bracing.  Where parts of the castle are missing, etchings show how it would have been in operation - the kitchen must have been a sight to behold! There are pieces of fancy masonry showing that even back then, we ladies like to have pretty things to show our status!

Back at Steph and Felix's, the packing for the move continues. They are super excited at the moment as today the kitchen starts to be fitted. Many months ago Steph asked me whether she should get a steam oven and of course I said yes!

Today, Felix is on leave for the next week to help with the packing.  Lunch is huge to feed the working men - leftover chicken and strawberries with veges from yesterday and Maultaschen (rolled or folded pasta bags with a hearty filling of meat, spinach, onion and soaked stale bread) and Kartoffelsalat (potato salad).

Getting ready to move to a new home provides the opportunity to cleanse the family of gathered 'stuff'! Both Steph and Felix are being very strong.  BUT, then there is Felix's Trekky memorabilia.He gladly gives up the VCR and tapes, but is having trouble letting go of his large poster.  And to his delight Niklas claims it for his bedroom. This results in a cuddle and "Mein son" being warmly exclaimed!!

I'm flaking fast and just after 2 head back to the Hotel for a sleep.  There are a lot of people having lunch in the courtyard, and even though I have no appetite, it smells wonderful.  We have booked in to have dinner here tomorrow night - so will have to curb my food intake to allow for ample indulgence!

Michael stays to help Steph and Felix fill more boxes, coming back down to the hotel just after 6 pm.
Dinner too smells amazing - but neither of us is hungry!  Plenty of people are dining which promises well for dinner tomorrow.