The only way to survive a Ryan Air flight is to hide in a book and turn up the sound on your iPod, and that is exactly what I did last week going over to London. It has to be a pretty interesting book so you keep reading and turn out everything around you. Linda Grant’s book When I lived in Modern Times, which she won the Orange Prize for, definitely sounded like the perfect book for the flight, and it was.
In April 1946 Everlyn Sert sets off to Palestine to start a new life in a brand new country. A country filled with Jewish refugees and idealists, but at least on the paper everything seems possible. After spending the first couple of months at a Kibbutz she realises that this wasn’t what she had expected. Instead she moves to the Bauhouse city of Tel Aviv, where she quickly becomes a new woman, a new Jew and totally reinvents herself. Then she meets Johnny, an idealist who is part of the movement wanting the Brits to leave and suddenly she right in the middle of historical and life threatening events – the birth of the Israeli state.
I really liked the story. It’s a historical book, but at the same time a story about wanting to be part of something bigger, being young and falling in love. It’s a story about culture clashes and following a dream. But most of all it’s a story about becoming of age and realizing what it is to be a Jew in a non-Jewish world.
July 31, 2011
July 29, 2011
Galvin at Windows
For four years now the weekend after Midsummer my wine tasting gals and I have gone to London. What started as a shopping weekend where everything including the trip and hotel stay had to be a barging has now turned into a weekend where we indulge on most everything. Hotel, food, wine and shopping. It has become an annual event we start talking about right after the holidays. Needless to say, I guess, I’m in charge of the whole planning and being in charge also means I get to decide where we do lunch.
This year I decided on Galvin at Windows which I had only heard good things about. Also the view over London from the 28th is rather hard to beat. After a morning of shopping and lots of bags showing it, we arrived to Park Lane in a taxi as one should. Just having the doorman opening the taxi door for you and great you with a “Madam” make you feel very far from the real world and special. Clearly something to remember a rainy and grey November day when your haul your shopping home and no one gives a toss about you.
After freshening up at the bathroom and leaving the bags at the cloakroom we entered the restaurant where a nice Maitre d' showed us to our table and introduced us to our waiter. I had not asked especially to be seated by the window, but we did and the view was spectacular. Our waiter was cute guy with a French accent and when he explained the menu options we very quickly decided on the 3 course set lunch including half a bottle of wine, water and coffee. The menu was quite impressive being a set menu with at least 4 different choices to choose from for each course. The wine list was also quite impressive and when I found a Reserve Chardonnay from Xanadu, Margaret River on the list I got very happy. All their wines are excellent, but hard to get in Sweden. According to the Sommelier it was an excellent choice to go with our meal, and hopefully he was just not being polite saying that…
While we were looking at the menu and wine list a wooden board arrived with two different kinds of breads still being hot. Nibbling away all of us decided to go with grilled sea bream for main course and pâté for everybody else besides me for a starter. Since there was fresh asparagus on the menu I of course had to have that instead. Unfortunately they had run out of asparagus and I was offered a green pea soup. Not being a soup person my first feeling was disappointment, but when the waiter explained how it was made and what was in it I decided to live dangerously and broaden my horizons, i.e. give it a try.
When the starters arrived the wooden broad with bread and butter was replaced with fresh and new one. A very nice gesture since we hadn’t even had half of bred on the first board. The starters arrived and my green pea soup looked spectacular with a poached egg in the middle and croutons and pancetta bits as toppings. And of course it tasted as good as it looked. The soup was very smooth and the croutons and pancetta bits added the right crunchiness to the texture. A perfect runny egg yolk also added to its greatness. From what understood from my friends the pâté was also amazing and for a while we just got quiet eating and enjoying the food.
Two bus-boys carried in the sea bream and then waited for our waiter to arrive so he could server all of us at the exact same time. The sea bream was of course perfect and served with a new potato tart with cherry tomatoes and olives in pesto sauce. Again more ah:s and oh:s from of us while we savoured the food and very much understood why Galwin at Windows has one star in the Michelin Guide.
We were sharing ice bucket with another table and in the corner of my eye I suddenly noticed how the Sommelier took our bottle and went to the other table. When he started pouring he looked at me and then it hit him what he was doing. A simple nod and he went away and came back with a new bottle to our table. Very classy and impressive, and the exact right thing to do. When one of my friends commented "I can’t believe we still have wine left" he and I just shared a secret smile.
For dessert we all decided on having the same thing again – Tonka bean panacotta with strawberries. Neither of us had heard about Tonka beans before but we were told it was an aromatic bean tasting a bit like toffee. It was a delight, tasting somewhere in-between toffee and vanilla and both the fresh strawberries and tiny cubes of strawberry jelly removed that too sweet taste you sometimes can get eating panacotta.
We had now been having lunch for two hours and there was still coffee and truffles to come. Our waiter suggested that we should move to the bar while having coffee so we could enjoy the view from another direction. With big panorama windows the view in the bar was even more spectacular than before and I was able to point out several landmarks and my London office. Our Sommelier also came around and gave us one more glass of wine.
The time was now getting close to 16:30 and the visitors in the restaurant/bar had changed over to a younger and more hip crowd. Next to us were some South Africans who added ice into their Chablis. Obviously money doesn’t always come with style… For a while we were debating if we should stay and order in some more wine, but we decided that more wine would just spoil that perfect feeling of food, wine and excellent service. Instead we took the lift down (where my ears actually popped) and took a nice stroll through Hyde Park back to the hotel.
Less than an hour later I got a message from a London friend asking if we are all right: Of course we are. What do you mean? There is a fire on Park Lane Hilton and the whole building has been evacuated - Oh My God, if we had decided to have that another bottle of wine we would have been there and would have been evacuated from the 28th floor probably walking down some spiral staircase. Something I would not like to do sober and nevertheless in high heels and tipsy after a nice long lunch. Also I’m sure there was probably smoke as well when you got down to the floors 1-4 where the fire was. So needless to say it was an afternoon we will remember for a long time. First a superb lunch and then how we just had left the hotel before a big fire broke out.
This year I decided on Galvin at Windows which I had only heard good things about. Also the view over London from the 28th is rather hard to beat. After a morning of shopping and lots of bags showing it, we arrived to Park Lane in a taxi as one should. Just having the doorman opening the taxi door for you and great you with a “Madam” make you feel very far from the real world and special. Clearly something to remember a rainy and grey November day when your haul your shopping home and no one gives a toss about you. After freshening up at the bathroom and leaving the bags at the cloakroom we entered the restaurant where a nice Maitre d' showed us to our table and introduced us to our waiter. I had not asked especially to be seated by the window, but we did and the view was spectacular. Our waiter was cute guy with a French accent and when he explained the menu options we very quickly decided on the 3 course set lunch including half a bottle of wine, water and coffee. The menu was quite impressive being a set menu with at least 4 different choices to choose from for each course. The wine list was also quite impressive and when I found a Reserve Chardonnay from Xanadu, Margaret River on the list I got very happy. All their wines are excellent, but hard to get in Sweden. According to the Sommelier it was an excellent choice to go with our meal, and hopefully he was just not being polite saying that…
While we were looking at the menu and wine list a wooden board arrived with two different kinds of breads still being hot. Nibbling away all of us decided to go with grilled sea bream for main course and pâté for everybody else besides me for a starter. Since there was fresh asparagus on the menu I of course had to have that instead. Unfortunately they had run out of asparagus and I was offered a green pea soup. Not being a soup person my first feeling was disappointment, but when the waiter explained how it was made and what was in it I decided to live dangerously and broaden my horizons, i.e. give it a try.
When the starters arrived the wooden broad with bread and butter was replaced with fresh and new one. A very nice gesture since we hadn’t even had half of bred on the first board. The starters arrived and my green pea soup looked spectacular with a poached egg in the middle and croutons and pancetta bits as toppings. And of course it tasted as good as it looked. The soup was very smooth and the croutons and pancetta bits added the right crunchiness to the texture. A perfect runny egg yolk also added to its greatness. From what understood from my friends the pâté was also amazing and for a while we just got quiet eating and enjoying the food.
Two bus-boys carried in the sea bream and then waited for our waiter to arrive so he could server all of us at the exact same time. The sea bream was of course perfect and served with a new potato tart with cherry tomatoes and olives in pesto sauce. Again more ah:s and oh:s from of us while we savoured the food and very much understood why Galwin at Windows has one star in the Michelin Guide. We were sharing ice bucket with another table and in the corner of my eye I suddenly noticed how the Sommelier took our bottle and went to the other table. When he started pouring he looked at me and then it hit him what he was doing. A simple nod and he went away and came back with a new bottle to our table. Very classy and impressive, and the exact right thing to do. When one of my friends commented "I can’t believe we still have wine left" he and I just shared a secret smile.
For dessert we all decided on having the same thing again – Tonka bean panacotta with strawberries. Neither of us had heard about Tonka beans before but we were told it was an aromatic bean tasting a bit like toffee. It was a delight, tasting somewhere in-between toffee and vanilla and both the fresh strawberries and tiny cubes of strawberry jelly removed that too sweet taste you sometimes can get eating panacotta. We had now been having lunch for two hours and there was still coffee and truffles to come. Our waiter suggested that we should move to the bar while having coffee so we could enjoy the view from another direction. With big panorama windows the view in the bar was even more spectacular than before and I was able to point out several landmarks and my London office. Our Sommelier also came around and gave us one more glass of wine.
The time was now getting close to 16:30 and the visitors in the restaurant/bar had changed over to a younger and more hip crowd. Next to us were some South Africans who added ice into their Chablis. Obviously money doesn’t always come with style… For a while we were debating if we should stay and order in some more wine, but we decided that more wine would just spoil that perfect feeling of food, wine and excellent service. Instead we took the lift down (where my ears actually popped) and took a nice stroll through Hyde Park back to the hotel. Less than an hour later I got a message from a London friend asking if we are all right: Of course we are. What do you mean? There is a fire on Park Lane Hilton and the whole building has been evacuated - Oh My God, if we had decided to have that another bottle of wine we would have been there and would have been evacuated from the 28th floor probably walking down some spiral staircase. Something I would not like to do sober and nevertheless in high heels and tipsy after a nice long lunch. Also I’m sure there was probably smoke as well when you got down to the floors 1-4 where the fire was. So needless to say it was an afternoon we will remember for a long time. First a superb lunch and then how we just had left the hotel before a big fire broke out.
July 23, 2011
The post that wasn't
I started to write this post yesterday afternoon. It was suppose to be about my lunch at Galwin at Windows a couple of weeks ago. Before I started I checked Facebook, just like I do so many times during the day when I'm at home. A colleague at the Oslo office had just posted a comment saying - There has been a big explosion of some sort in central Oslo. The whole office building shook.
The office building is very much central Oslo so I immediately checked out the big new sites. Nothing. Reuters was first out 5 minutes later saying that there had been an explosion close to the PM's office and the office of the Oil and Energy Minister. I then turned to the Norwegian newspapers and was totally shocked from the photos coming in. This couldn't be down-town Oslo. It looked like a war-zone.
Suddenly eyewitness reports, photos and videos poured in via Twitter, Facebook and all the news sites. I turned on BBC on the TV, but otherwise I couldn't move. As the events unfolded and more information came in it just felt surreal. Norway is our western neighbour and Oslo only 3 hours away. A small but very proud country. A country that take great pride in freedom and democracy. A country where "gå på tur" (hiking or cross-country skiing in the mountains ) is a national past-time and having a "hytte" (cabin) in the mountains is a must. Bombs are not part of how we see Norway.
When the news started to come in about the shooting at Utøya my heart broke. Reading tweets about people asking those who lived closed to the island to go out and pick up the kids who were fleeing the island by swimming. Tweets that said there is someone here shooting. He's dressed like a policeman.
I cried because I couldn’t and still can't understand how someone very cold-blooded can kill innocent teenagers at a camp, although a political camp. It doesn't matter if your skin is white, black, yellow or purple and whether you're a Christian, Jew, Muslim or Hindu you do not kill innocent people. There is no God saying that killing people is all right.
I watched a DVD during the evening just to get away from it all, but in my stomach there was and still is a big knot that won't go away. All of me say it's it's so wrong and unfair. The last thing I heard before going to bed was that there was probably a lot more dead people at Utøya than they had said in the beginning. And yes after a restless night I woke up to the news that 84 people had been killed there. Not the way you want to start your morning.
Sweden is quite sombre today. We all think about friends and families in Norway and how life can totally change in a heartbeat just because someone takes the right to bomb and kill innocent people.
The office building is very much central Oslo so I immediately checked out the big new sites. Nothing. Reuters was first out 5 minutes later saying that there had been an explosion close to the PM's office and the office of the Oil and Energy Minister. I then turned to the Norwegian newspapers and was totally shocked from the photos coming in. This couldn't be down-town Oslo. It looked like a war-zone.
Suddenly eyewitness reports, photos and videos poured in via Twitter, Facebook and all the news sites. I turned on BBC on the TV, but otherwise I couldn't move. As the events unfolded and more information came in it just felt surreal. Norway is our western neighbour and Oslo only 3 hours away. A small but very proud country. A country that take great pride in freedom and democracy. A country where "gå på tur" (hiking or cross-country skiing in the mountains ) is a national past-time and having a "hytte" (cabin) in the mountains is a must. Bombs are not part of how we see Norway.
When the news started to come in about the shooting at Utøya my heart broke. Reading tweets about people asking those who lived closed to the island to go out and pick up the kids who were fleeing the island by swimming. Tweets that said there is someone here shooting. He's dressed like a policeman.
I cried because I couldn’t and still can't understand how someone very cold-blooded can kill innocent teenagers at a camp, although a political camp. It doesn't matter if your skin is white, black, yellow or purple and whether you're a Christian, Jew, Muslim or Hindu you do not kill innocent people. There is no God saying that killing people is all right.
I watched a DVD during the evening just to get away from it all, but in my stomach there was and still is a big knot that won't go away. All of me say it's it's so wrong and unfair. The last thing I heard before going to bed was that there was probably a lot more dead people at Utøya than they had said in the beginning. And yes after a restless night I woke up to the news that 84 people had been killed there. Not the way you want to start your morning.
Sweden is quite sombre today. We all think about friends and families in Norway and how life can totally change in a heartbeat just because someone takes the right to bomb and kill innocent people.
July 18, 2011
Staycation
I'm already on my second week of what sounded as an extremely long 6 week leave in-between jobs. Last week I just enjoyed being off work and winding down. On Wednesday I went to a meeting at my new job for 2 hours and it was almost amazing how my pulse started racing in a more "at work" pace. Of course also being totally new means you have to concentrate a lot more which probably raises the pulse too, but I could very much tell the different between work and not working. When you don't work for a while you get into a special pace and really don't care if if you do things today or tomorrow.
Several friends have asked me what I will do with all this time off, but it's really not a problem. Finally I have time to read, try out new recipes both cooking and baking. I can spend and hour or two at the gym without feeling stressed or take along walk around the neighbourhood. I can catch up with friends both in person and on the phone. Next week I'm off to London again. Just because I can and want to. Friends and food en masse as usual. And some shopping I'm sure...
Needless to say all this makes me wonder what sort of life I usually live. I don't think I'm short of time, but I obliviously am. You probably don't think about it when you're right in the middle of things. But it sure makes you wonder.
To make my staycation complete I'm going sight-seeing in my own city tomorrow. My aunt who is born and raised here, but hasn't lived here for 35 years, is visiting and she said she wanted to do some of the sights she did back in school. The sights I also did back in school, so I have a feeling it will be a fun day. And this time there will be no teachers telling us what to do and not to do. And in the end of the day there will be drinks all around. Definitely nothing the days in school ended with.
Several friends have asked me what I will do with all this time off, but it's really not a problem. Finally I have time to read, try out new recipes both cooking and baking. I can spend and hour or two at the gym without feeling stressed or take along walk around the neighbourhood. I can catch up with friends both in person and on the phone. Next week I'm off to London again. Just because I can and want to. Friends and food en masse as usual. And some shopping I'm sure...
Needless to say all this makes me wonder what sort of life I usually live. I don't think I'm short of time, but I obliviously am. You probably don't think about it when you're right in the middle of things. But it sure makes you wonder.
To make my staycation complete I'm going sight-seeing in my own city tomorrow. My aunt who is born and raised here, but hasn't lived here for 35 years, is visiting and she said she wanted to do some of the sights she did back in school. The sights I also did back in school, so I have a feeling it will be a fun day. And this time there will be no teachers telling us what to do and not to do. And in the end of the day there will be drinks all around. Definitely nothing the days in school ended with.
July 15, 2011
I dreamt about you
I dreamt about you last night. We were watching TV late at night curled up on the sofa. The only light was the flickering from the TV. Your head was resting in my lap and we were both almost at sleep. I was playing mindlessly with your hair at the same time as Stephen Fry said something funny on QI. You laughed too and said that we really needed to go to bed. Really I said. Can't we just stay like this? I'm too tired to get up. Sure you said and closed your eyes. For a moment or two I watched your sleeping and felt so safe and secure. I was finally home.
The next second the after-texts to QI was roaring, the dream was gone and I realized that what I had thought was your hair was the corner of a pillow. I got up, turned off the TV and went to bed hoping that you were dreaming about me too.
The next second the after-texts to QI was roaring, the dream was gone and I realized that what I had thought was your hair was the corner of a pillow. I got up, turned off the TV and went to bed hoping that you were dreaming about me too.
July 12, 2011
Devaux Champagne tasting
At the end of June it was time for the last tasting in the cellar before the summer, and what better grand final than to taste Devaux Champagne.
Devaux Grand Reserve Brut
Wonderful fruity maturity from the Pinot Noir grapes and and from the Chardonnay grapes a fresh and lacy edge
Devaux Blanc de Noirs Brut
Butterscotch and almond in the nose with a powerful palate mature pears, baked apples, aniseed and spice on the finish. An old favourite of mine and still as good as I remembered it.
Devaux Millésimé Brut 2002
Quite a powerful nose of quince paste and ripe figs. The palate is simultaneously full, fine, smooth and perfumed, following through to a long finish.
L'Ultra D de Devaux Brut
On the nose still fresh, with notes of hazelnuts and spice. On the palate the Pinot Noir fruit shine through with hints of ripe pear and more hazelnut. A long and very fresh finish. Almost too fresh for my taste.
La Cuvée D de Devaux Brut
The nose recalls candied orange zest with spicy, buttery notes. Tiny red fruit nuances appear on the palate with toasted bread, coffee and vanilla notes. The finish is long and complex.
La Rosé D de Devaux Brut
The nose is very fresh with some red fruit notes and a few aniseed aromas followed by hazelnut. On the palate it combines elegance and roundness while remaining fresh. There are also notes of apricot, orange and liquorice notes. A new favourite perfect for celebrating an afternoon wedding.
Devaux Grand Reserve Brut
Wonderful fruity maturity from the Pinot Noir grapes and and from the Chardonnay grapes a fresh and lacy edge
Devaux Blanc de Noirs Brut
Butterscotch and almond in the nose with a powerful palate mature pears, baked apples, aniseed and spice on the finish. An old favourite of mine and still as good as I remembered it.
Devaux Millésimé Brut 2002
Quite a powerful nose of quince paste and ripe figs. The palate is simultaneously full, fine, smooth and perfumed, following through to a long finish.
L'Ultra D de Devaux Brut
On the nose still fresh, with notes of hazelnuts and spice. On the palate the Pinot Noir fruit shine through with hints of ripe pear and more hazelnut. A long and very fresh finish. Almost too fresh for my taste.
La Cuvée D de Devaux Brut
The nose recalls candied orange zest with spicy, buttery notes. Tiny red fruit nuances appear on the palate with toasted bread, coffee and vanilla notes. The finish is long and complex.
La Rosé D de Devaux Brut
The nose is very fresh with some red fruit notes and a few aniseed aromas followed by hazelnut. On the palate it combines elegance and roundness while remaining fresh. There are also notes of apricot, orange and liquorice notes. A new favourite perfect for celebrating an afternoon wedding.
July 11, 2011
The End
Friday was my last day in the company. A day that I had been thinking about a lot. I've never been good at saying goodbye and after five years, one month, one week and two days in the same company there are quite a few people you know. But I had also been thinking about the day as closing one door and opening another. For the first time in my life I had decided to leave a company, and to top of things I hadn't looked for another job – I had been head-hunted. I also felt some sort of relief the day finally had arrive. An end to the last chapter that started the day I told my boss I was resigning. So needless to say it was a day with mixed emotions.
Taking part in the annual sailing event where the company is the main sponsor I was busy all morning talking to people about match racing, grinding and "Yes,the company is a rather big company with about 20 000 employees world wide. I'm sure you didn't know that." As the rain clouds moved in and people stopped by the tent to say goodbye I realized that this was it. It was over.
With one hour left and the rain really pouring down there was one person I hadn't said goodbye to. Considering the rain I was so sure he had left the island but after a quick text message I found out that he was on the other side of the island. So I ran in the rain and mud and when I saw him I started crying like a baby. Grinning the way only he can do he commented – "I told you so, you were going to cry". And indeed I did. "What a way to end", he said. "In the pouring rain here at the island". By then I couldn't help but smiling. And letting out a sigh of relif. I had been able to say goodbye to a person who had meant a lot to me over the years and always been a great supporter of what I've been doing.
An hour later I was back at the hotel trying to get warm, changing clothes and working on finding some sort of party mood. It was time for dinner and what I had heard boats were going to be involved. Still poring outside I opted out wearing a dress and went with jeans and wind-breaker instead.
I love the ocean even though the sky and sea more or less had the same colour it felt rather comforting to be out at sea. Soon we arrived at Åstol Rökeri where we had starters. Beautiful smoked shrimps, mackerel and salmon along with home-made aioli dressing, horseradish dressing and warm bread. And of course a perfectly oaked Bourgogne.
Leaving Åstol the rain had stopped and when we arrived at Klädesholmen about 10 minutes later the sun broke though the clouds. At Salt and Sill it was time for main course and dessert. For main there was a choice between mixed grill and Torbay sole, which for me was real easy. Torbay sole with potato cake and lobster sauce of course. To drink we went with Bouchard Aîne & Fils Chablis 2008. A great match with mineral aromas and a somewhat peachy finish.
Dessert was of course strawberries, can't get much more summer than that. Strawberries with Arrack-flavoured ice cream, meringue and toasted vanilla oats. As always food and wine makes me very happy (it's hard not to) and my mood improved throughout the evening. Even though a short speech and toast from boss got me all weepy again.
By midnight we got picked up and driven back to the main island again. Being at sea in the middle of summer's night is quite amazing. It's dark, but still not dark outside. Far away you see lighthouses and other spots of lights. It's just you and the sea.
Back at the island we all headed to Societetshuset, an old classical seaside restaurant and hotel from 1886, which in the summer turns into a nightclub and a bit of a hotspot for everybody in their early 20's. I'm sure all of us increased the average age that night with at least 10 years... Myself I hadn't been there in 20 years which was back in the days when I sailed every summer.
Suddenly it was 3am and when we left it had started to get light outside again. Thinking about the evening before going the sleep one word came to my mind – perfect. The perfect end.
Thank you all who were part of this. You gave me a wonderful send off.
Taking part in the annual sailing event where the company is the main sponsor I was busy all morning talking to people about match racing, grinding and "Yes,the company is a rather big company with about 20 000 employees world wide. I'm sure you didn't know that." As the rain clouds moved in and people stopped by the tent to say goodbye I realized that this was it. It was over.
With one hour left and the rain really pouring down there was one person I hadn't said goodbye to. Considering the rain I was so sure he had left the island but after a quick text message I found out that he was on the other side of the island. So I ran in the rain and mud and when I saw him I started crying like a baby. Grinning the way only he can do he commented – "I told you so, you were going to cry". And indeed I did. "What a way to end", he said. "In the pouring rain here at the island". By then I couldn't help but smiling. And letting out a sigh of relif. I had been able to say goodbye to a person who had meant a lot to me over the years and always been a great supporter of what I've been doing. 
An hour later I was back at the hotel trying to get warm, changing clothes and working on finding some sort of party mood. It was time for dinner and what I had heard boats were going to be involved. Still poring outside I opted out wearing a dress and went with jeans and wind-breaker instead.I love the ocean even though the sky and sea more or less had the same colour it felt rather comforting to be out at sea. Soon we arrived at Åstol Rökeri where we had starters. Beautiful smoked shrimps, mackerel and salmon along with home-made aioli dressing, horseradish dressing and warm bread. And of course a perfectly oaked Bourgogne.
Leaving Åstol the rain had stopped and when we arrived at Klädesholmen about 10 minutes later the sun broke though the clouds. At Salt and Sill it was time for main course and dessert. For main there was a choice between mixed grill and Torbay sole, which for me was real easy. Torbay sole with potato cake and lobster sauce of course. To drink we went with Bouchard Aîne & Fils Chablis 2008. A great match with mineral aromas and a somewhat peachy finish. Dessert was of course strawberries, can't get much more summer than that. Strawberries with Arrack-flavoured ice cream, meringue and toasted vanilla oats. As always food and wine makes me very happy (it's hard not to) and my mood improved throughout the evening. Even though a short speech and toast from boss got me all weepy again.
By midnight we got picked up and driven back to the main island again. Being at sea in the middle of summer's night is quite amazing. It's dark, but still not dark outside. Far away you see lighthouses and other spots of lights. It's just you and the sea.
Back at the island we all headed to Societetshuset, an old classical seaside restaurant and hotel from 1886, which in the summer turns into a nightclub and a bit of a hotspot for everybody in their early 20's. I'm sure all of us increased the average age that night with at least 10 years... Myself I hadn't been there in 20 years which was back in the days when I sailed every summer.
Suddenly it was 3am and when we left it had started to get light outside again. Thinking about the evening before going the sleep one word came to my mind – perfect. The perfect end.
Thank you all who were part of this. You gave me a wonderful send off.
July 05, 2011
Photo of the day
I have as usual been hit with London withdrawal now being back in Sweden. Only three weeks until next time though...
Fortunately looking at this photo always makes me smile again. It's just the perfect London photo with all my favourite landmarks. Enjoy!
Fortunately looking at this photo always makes me smile again. It's just the perfect London photo with all my favourite landmarks. Enjoy!
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