Pornic, o felie de primavara la mare

Stiu, stiu, le cer scuze fanilor mei, adica celor 17 inscrisi la feed si probabil 3 care pica pe aici complet intamplator, stiu, nu am mai scris de mult. Asa ca ma revansez cu poze de la mare. Sau mai bine zis de la ocean, poze de acum vreo 6 ani (doamne, ce a trecut timpul), cand eram Erasmus in Franta si cu niste prieteni am facut o plimbare pana la ocean. Cum locuiam in Nantes, aveam de ales intrer mai multe statiuni si sate si imi amintesc ca am vizitat vreo 3 cu acea ocazie, Pornic, Pornichet si La Baule.
 
Pornic este un orasel linistit, cu port, castel si mutle stradute labirintice prin care sa te pierzi, urmand mirosul de clatite si vata de zahar. Ca mai toate oraselele de pe coasta bretona. Si ai mereu impresia ca vei da peste un pirat adevarat. Sau peste Barba albastra (Gilles de Rais care a servit drept inspiratie pentru acest personaj, a avut resedinta aici).
 

In aceasta zona sunt multe golfulete ascunse privirii. Nisipul este aici inchis la culoare si fierbinte. Cand ne-am plimbat noi pe acolo nu era foarte multa lume, fiind primavara tarzie, insa vara sunt destul chiriasi in rulotele de pe faleze si totusi te simti retras de lume.

Pe drum spre La Baule ne-am oprit la fortificatiile de la Prefailles - St Gildas, un pic de istorie recenta, ramasite al celui de-Al Doilea Razboi Mondial, acum doar urmele fortificatiilor de unde turistii privesc peste Ocean, spre New York.

Nu am mai gasit fotografii din celelalte locatii si tare rau imi pare. La Baule este o statiune foarte chic, pentru protipendada. Aici gasiti cea mai lunga plaja din Europa (12km, e lunga rau) dar si cel mai bun sorbet de fructe de padure. Ah si hoteluri in castele, e de vis.

Si cu acestea va las sa munciti si paote sa visati. Pe aici e zapada si totul e colorat de iarna dar sper ca v-am adus un pic de nisip intre degete.

Pui cu Sos Gorgonzola - Chez Jiminy's

Azi am decis sa mergem la restaurant in propria sufragerie. Asta pentru ca de aici mi se spune ca nu se poate sa gatesti ca la restaurant, iar de aici ca e chiar foarte simplu. Ba o sa fac si socotelile sa vedem unde e adevarul (dupa mine, e undeva la mijloc, dar asta e alta mancare de peste).

Reteta de azi e foarte simpla, este vorba de pui cu sos de gorgonzola, legume pe gratar si putin orez, ca sa tina de foame. Mai jos, poza cu ingredientele. Am folosit doi piepti de pui, pentru sos gorgonzola si smantana ( in poza e ceva intre smantana si branzica de vaci pentru ca mai tarziu s-a executat un chec sarat), legumele au fost dovlecel, rosii cherry, ardei si ciuperci.

In poza sunt si ingrediente in plus pentru ca am facut un gaspacho pentru cina - aici a intrat castraetele in actiune. Iaurtul a fost pentru desert si anume iaurt cu gem de casa. Si inca ceva, nu va speriati ca toate au nume ciudate, asa e in Cehia, dar te obisnuiesti repede:) Dintre legume am folosit doar cam jumatate dintr-un ardei, vreo 6 rosii, jumatate de dovlecel si doua ciuperci. Restul vor fi folosite, stati fara griji, pentru alte preparate culinare.

Am stat un pic sa ma gandesc in ce ordine sa pun pe foc toate ingredientele si am dedus ca bottle neck pentru mine este gatitul puiului iar orezul pot sa-l fac in paralel. Asa ca prima etapa, pentru care am uitat sa fac poza, am pus orezul la fiert cu un pic de vegeta, ulei de sesam si curry (de asta e un pic galben si uite cum va dau secretele mele).

Jumatatile de piept au fost piperate, sarate, am pus cateva condimente dintr-un amestec pe care l-am facut mai demult, special pentru friptura (de data asta chiar nu pot sa va spun ce contine ar trebui sa va ucid, dar sigur are boia). Am uns puiul cu putin ulei de masline aromatizat cu oregano si l-am asezat in tigaia incinsa si unsa cu un pic de unt. In acest fel puiul va iesi ca pe gratar.

Am spalat si taiat legumele, nimic deosebit aici, rosiile le-am lasat intregi, pentru efectul artistic.Am aruncat legumele in alta tigaie incinsa si am stropit cu ulei de masline.

Am incalzit o craticioara in care am pus un varf de cutit de unt, apoi branza gorgonzola si smantano-branzica. Un pic mai tarziu am adaugat piper si un pic de vin alb.

  Si asa arata aragazo-plita mea cu toate oalele pe foc. Intre timp orezul s-a gatit singur.

 

Aici trebuie sa recunosc, am trisat un pic, am o masina de gatit orez care face totul singura, de parca era mare lucru de facut la un orez simplu.Iata si compozitia finala, pentru ca da, trebuie sa fie artistic.

Am scos farfuriile bune si am aranjat masa. Vinul l-am cumparat din Cehia, scrie in ceha pe el, dar este importat din Moldova si este foarte bun. Moldovenii se pare ca stiu sa-si vanda vinul, pe mine m-a costat cam 3,5euro si a fost extrem de potrivit.

Asta este cam tot pentru moment, o sa revin cu niste calcule, cat a costat tot. As fi interesanta daca ati putea sa-mi spuneti cat m-ar costa in Romania (sau altundeva) aceleasi ingrediente.Era sa uit, totul a durat 32 de minute si 7 secunde, ceea ce mi se pare rezonabil. Din nefericire mancarea s-a terminat mult mai repede.

Imi pare rau pentru aceia dintre voi care vor deschide aces blog si carora le va fi foame. Dar puteti incerca si voi :) Pofta buna!

Scones, not cones

Am multa faina in casa, ba chiar as putea spune foarte multa si inca de mai multe feluri. Asa ca periodic caut idei ca sa o termin. Unele imi ies mai bine, altele mai putin. Din seria reusitelor, va prezint astazi scones. Inspiratia mi-a venit de aici, de la Mazilique. Nu sunt mare fan dar retele ei mi se par mereu destul de simple si de bun simt asa ca vroiam de mult sa incerc una. Ceva tipic englezesc: scones.

Si cum asta seara am fost singura acasa (si nu-mi place), am decis sa fac lucruri "rele". Reteta este foarte simpla si dureaza aproape la fel de mult pe cat spune Mazilique, doar ca eu m-am complicat si am facut  mai multe lucruri in acelasi timp. 

Ca tot imi place sa ma complic, nu am urmat intocmai reteta. Am pastrat cantitatile dar pentru ca nu-mi plac stafidele si pentru ca aveam chef de ceva sarat, nu am pus zahar si am facut o umplutura sarata. Am calit ceapa taiata foarte fin, ciuperci, sunculita, am amestecat la sfarsit branza (cu mucegai si cascaval).

Si am mai modificat vreo doua trei lucruri la reteta. Am facut coca mai subtire, cam jumate fata de cat spune reteta originala. Am pus umplutura mea intre doua felii de coca si  am apasat frumos marginile cu degetul. Dupa ce am pus prajiturelele pe tava, le-am uns cu ou si cam asta ar fi.

Au iesit delicioase. Se prepara repede, se coc foarte repede si sunt atat de bune. Plus ca exista o mie si una de posibilitati si de combinatii, sarate, dulci, ca mic dejun sau ca aperitiv, la ceai sau cu lapte, stiau ei ce stiau englezii, pardon, scotienii, cand au inventat aceasta reteta.

Back in the Czech Republic (1) Going Home

Well, the holidays are over. No more mistletoe, no more holiday cheer. Gone are lazy days playing cards and all sort of games with friends. The food has been eaten; the champagne has popped and flooded our glasses with sparkling wonder. The last firecracker was heard and we are back to work.

What I wish you all is what I wish myself for this year, and for every year: health and strength to go through all that the New Year has to offer, good or bad. For me, 2009 has been a good year, as I already told you but I find it strange when almost everyone around finds it was a terrible year. The crisis may account for that I think. But even with the crisis (which at one point turned into a big personal financial crisis), overall I found the strength, humor and love to pass all the difficulties. So I wish the same for this year.

The holidays passed like a charm and here I am back at work, back home in the Czech Republic. Yes, home, because on the way over it hit me that I was actually leaving one home for the other. The flat in Plzen is not just "the flat" but it's "home" You're going to say I did a lot of thinking...well yeah, because on a 20 hours bus trip, there is little to do but think. And try to sleep. And call the police with unfunded warnings about turned over buses but more about that later.

My fans want to know about my latest adventures, so without further ado I will start from the top: Going to Romania for the Holidays. I think this will generate another post, but I'll see about that later. What you must know about this trip is that I did not plan it in advance. So here I am middle of December, without a ticket to get back home, planes and trains are too expensive, Eurolines are booked out so I find myself having to reserve a ticket from a strange bus company. Why strange? You'll see. And to make things even nicer, the three days before my departure I made so many miles, going to Prague, going to work from Prague (at 5 o'clock because I had forgotten some papers. Yes, AM), then going on a business trip, coming home, going to a Christmas dinner, going back home, packing...On the morning of the trip I was exhausted.

So here we are, December 23rd, I leave my nice flat in Plzen, and the boy takes me to the bus station, where I take a seat on one of the last places in the Student Agency coaches. First off let me tell you this: Student Agency is the way to travel in CZ. No pub here, just facts: comfy seats and a nice hostess giving you a free hot drink: coffee, good hot chocolate, tea, and putting on a movie for your viewing pleasure (with English subtitles). All for the price of a normal coach ticket. If you manage to find places that is. The trip to Prague: bliss, I even stroke up conversation with the lady sitting next to me, yes in Czech (well very poor Czech).

From there it all goes downhill. Picture this: me with a huge luggage, half empty but just as heavy as if it were full and a smaller bag meant to hold all the food I'd bring back (I had a large order of sarmale, carnati and other Romanian delicacies). The next part of the trip was so long and difficult (thank God I didn't have to change metros, from Zlicin to Florenc it's all straight and they do have some elevators but I still had to carry my huge coffin-like bag up and down) that I was glad to reach the coach station and hopeful that the worst was behind me. I still had some time to kill before my coached arrived so what do I think? let's get a burger and chips from Burger King, cause you know, I usually like the burgers here. Well yeah, the burger was ok (at 10 o'clock in the morning) but the chips were awful. Yes awful. Stale. And cold. And did I mention awful?

Being a bit nervous, and afraid I'll miss the coach (it could happen, especially with my track record: missing busses and trains is a specialty of mine), I go to the toilet for the last time and then I go wait for the coach on the quay. And a good idea that was: it was already full, mostly of my compatriots, but also Bulgarians, Ukrainians and Moldavians. All working here, more or less legally. And now you will understand why I said strange when talking about this company, you see, I had no ticket. Nothing. Just a phone call with a guy who said I had to pay 500 crowns up front, but if I couldn't, I can get my ticket from the Ukrainian girl that will be at the coach. And so I go to look for Irina who gives me my ticket in exchange for some crowns (cheaper than Eurolines) and also a business card with her phone number and those of the company. And she also sells me another ticket for the way back, with another business card. (it's a leitmotif that one).

Coming down from a coach with a hostess and getting on another coach with a hostess, I think to myself (mummy >:D<) I'll get a decent ride after all. And then I see the other girls, Moldavian, Ukrainian, hostesses like Irina (Ludmila and Iulia) and they are all nice, frail girls, well dressed and wearing make up, showing the Slave heritage very well. But they boss around the hordes of workers, telling the guys where to sit and the guys listening, despite some (futile) resistance. And they give candy too. But the trip was made without the Slavic goddesses, only the two drivers remained, the same who put the luggage in a very irrational way and then started smoking on the bus. By this point I was like in a mafia movie: strange looking characters, lots of men wearying big rings and a longer pinky nail, longer hair at the back and shorter in the front (80's style) or other strange hairdos and I've even spotted the blade of a knife (I was carrying an Opinel myself).

Half an hour later, bags packed in reverse order (Bucharest bags where somehow to the front of the pack), men put at their seats in the rear and girls traveling alone at the front, couples seated together, candies distributed, and we're off.

(to be continued...)

And...we're back

We're back after a short trip to Romania. Very tired and with lots of stuff to tell. Our suitcase had: 8 bottles of wine, 2 liters of Palinca (the really strong one, we actually had to give up a liter), condoms (unharmmed, types we didn't find here, cause yeah, we're like that, depraved), cigarettes (cheaper than in France), and of course lots of memories. It was a great trip back home, and I miss it already.

We've danced, we've introduced the French Rock and Roll to Bucharest (and Bucharest enjoyed it). We've been back in time, through poor villages and castles from another time. We've met with family and friends and laughed a lot.

We went dinosaur haunting in dark and creepy caves.
We wanted to visit Vlad the Impaler but he wasn't at home.


We went for tea at the Peles Castle.

We saw a unique Palace.

And walked the streets of Bucharest on a very hot day, seeing old and new places. And having a beer on the terace of La Motoare.

Ah well, back to our regularly schedueled program...

Pour la petite bourgeoisie qui boit du Champagne

Pentru ca m-a chinuit rau de tot talentul sa fac poze si sa dau indicatii, rezultatul muncii lui, dupa doua sticle de vin spumos in doi (in doua zile, tin sa precizez), figurine din sarma de la dopul sticlei. (Nu va ganditi la altceva)

This is because I got really inspired to take pictures and him to make figurines out of the wire for sparkling wine corks. This is art, people...

Oraseanca din mine

Stau la tara acum. Ati cam vazut si din poze, am lanuri de grau si de porumb pe drum si din cand in cand ma opresc sa mananc corcoduse la marginea soselei. Dimineata e un cocos care canta, la 5.23 fix, parca e setat (cam tembel, uneori canta pe la miezul noptii). Cainii ma latra din curti cand trec, pe jos sau mai grav cu bicicleta. E liniste in rest, se mai aude uneori un tren, destul de multe masini dar nu deranjant, in nici un caz ca la oras.

Din cand in cand ma duc la oras. Ca azi de pilda, voi lua autobuzul de la marginea soselei, RATA daca preferati. Intr-o ora sunt in centrul Pragai. Mi se face dor de oras, de agitatie, tramvaie, metrou. Dar nu imi dau seama de asta decat cand ajung si intru direct in pielea orasencei care se descurca perfect sa navigheze printre turisti, cu mijloace de transport diferite si stie exact unde vrea sa ajunga.

Imi place Praga, mereu descopar ceva nou, desi m-am obisnuit cu locurile si ma simt chiar ca acasa. Ultima oara, eram pe podul Carol mergand spre castel, cand m-am intors, deasupra orasului vechi aparuse curcubeul iar in fata mea, era iubirea mea. V-am zis, ceva nou apare tot timpul, dar uneori redescopar ceva vechi. Asta e imaginea mea preferata cu podul, si jur ca exact asa arata uneori, spre asfintit. Poza e luata de pe un site cu carti postale, pragueartshop.com.

Revenind la povestea despre oras, se pare ca niste cercetatori care nu prea au ce face cu timpul lor au facut un studiu cam ciudat si cica unii oraseni sunt mai deranjati de zgomotul facut de pasari decat de zgomotul masinilor intr-o intersectie aglomerata.

Aseara stateam in gradina mea, era racoare, se auzeau greierii, cateva pasari de noapte, era perfect. Pe mine nu ma deranjeaza zgomotul naturii sau al pasarilor dar sunt atat de obisnuita cu intersectia aglomerata, cu tramvaiele in miez de noapte, cu agitatia orasului, incat uneori imi lipseste.

Mereu cand ma intorc acasa, redescopar mirosurile, caldura, zgomotele si mi se par unice pentru acel moment, de revenire acasa. Parca si vantul bate altfel, totul spune bine ai venit. Poza este de pe foroblog.ro dar lumina si toata atmosfera imi amintesc de ce simt cand vin acasa.

Sunt curioasa daca in august imi va fi greu acasa, in vacarmul Bucurestilor, fie si pentru 4 zile. M-am cam dezobisnuit de lumina care intra in camera din strada si de zgomotul perpetuu. Dar cu siguranta o sa-mi revin repede, once a city dweller, always a city dweller. Si in plus o sa fiu acasa.

Abia astept sa ma plimb prin oras, sa descoperim orasul impreuna, sa revad locurile mele preferate, prietenii, atmosfera. Ok si poluarea. Aici vad pasari si fluturi peste tot, intr-o zi am vazut iepurasi in camp, nu vezi asa ceva acasa. Dar nu conteaza, e orasul meu si are sarmul sau, diferit de linistea naturii de la tara sau de opulenta Pragai.

Si postul este in romana. Pentru ca mi-e dor.