The Alhambra and General Life Gardens: Granada, Spain . . .

When I first decided to visit the region of Andalusia in Spain, one of the first things on my must see list was to see the amazing Alhambra in Granada.

Walking through the Alhambra was like walking through history. It is a place of great mystery with tales of love and romance. A place where you can find exquisite Islamic architecture, soothing water fountains/reflecting pools and beautiful, well manicured gardens. Fellow traveler and blogging friend, Flygirl, Synchronicity, once commented on one of my blog posts that there is a certain "mystique" about the Alhambra and I wholeheartedly agree.

Since my words can never do justice in describing the Alhambra (Wikipedia), I decided to create a video and allow the images I captured along with the words of the great American Author, Washington Irving, who once lived at the Alhambra describe it for me!



As the Alhambra is one of the major tourist attractions in Granada, I learned on the Slow Travel website that I needed to pre-purchase my tickets on-line here: ServiCaixa.com It worked like a charm. For more information on Visiting Hours, go to their official website: HERE

The General Life Gardens (also described as paradise on earth by some) was "the summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid sultans of Granada".~ Wikipedia

When visiting here, you should allow yourself enough time so you can enjoy the beauty and tranquility of these beautiful gardens and fountains. I remember sitting on one of the benches and appreciating what the Sultans once enjoyed daily many centuries ago.

PhotoHunt: Surprise

Life would be so dull without those unexpected and delightful surprises that make us smile, quiver and/or bring out as Anne from her cool blog,Let us go then you and I, wonderfully puts it, the inner child in us.

The surprise look on a child when he hears music start to play one cool morning in the park . . .


A surprise visitor near our campsite in the Yosemite . . .


A surprise snow ball fight breaks out 10,000 feet high on a mountain top near Lucerne, Switzerland. Snow was flying and people were sliding and it was great "inner child" fun for all.(He, he) . . .




See more PhotoHunters HERE!

Music: Best Movie Soundtrack . . .

The hills are alive
With the sound of music,
With songs they have sung,
For a thousand years.
The hills fill my heart,
With the sound of music.
My heart wants to sing every song it hears.
My heart wants to beat like the wings
Of the birds that rise from the lake
To the trees.
My heart wants to sigh
Like a chime that flies
From a church on a breeze,
To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls
Over stones on its way
To sing through the night,
Like a lark who is learning to pray.
~ Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein

Remember my video from my Fulfilling Childhood Dreams post . . .



Julie Andrews, who plays a whirlwind soon to be nun named Maria, comes running up this beautiful hill in Salzburg Austria, turning with her arms open and singing as the camera pans across the beautiful backdrop of Austria. Heck, this scene and this song alone affected me so much that I made two trips to Salzburg just to see it and even took the Sound of Music Tour! Very few movies and their music soundtracks can completely captivate people in this way. This is why I consider it to be "The Best" Movie Soundtrack of all time!

Second best . . .

Well now, I get low and I get high,
and if I can't get either, I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes.
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right. It's OK.
I'll live to see another day.
We can try to understand
the New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin'
And ev'rybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
~ Bee Gees

A guy from Brooklyn, New York strutting (on beat with the music) down a street and holding a can of paint. The story is of a young guy working a dead end job and blowing his money living weekend to weekend at a night club with no real future ahead of him. He discovers that he wants more in life and uses his love and talent for dancing to shoot for the stars and try to make something of his life. Throw some great dancing, a hot new rising star and you have the second best Movie Soundtrack, "Saturday Night Fever" by the super talented Australian group known as the Bee Gees. This music soundtrack defined an entire generation and music genre (Disco)! And it's great to dance to as well!

Check out all the stars present to watch this very memorable Bee Gees "Staying Alive" concert in 1996...



There are many fabulous Movie Soundtracks out there and if you are interested in knowing if your favorite made the top 100 list, check this out: 100 Best Movie Soundtracks . And although it didn't make my top two choices for Best Movie Soundtrack, it was great to see the Cool One's Purple Rain on there. :)

Have a Music filled fun weekend!

Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers #18: Tortellini Salad

This week's selection is a Tortellini Salad that was chosen by fellow Slow Traveler, Vico Girl. And what a fabulous way to end the Sunday Salad Sampler's very fun summer cooking group!

I used fresh (3 cheese) Tortellini and followed her recipe. I have a tendency to overcook things so I made sure to set my timer so I wouldn't over boil my Tortellini. While letting it cool, I prepared all the other ingredients in a big bowl then gently mixed in my Tortellini. I then covered it with glad wrap and waited several hours for the flavors to blend. And I must say, they sure did blend very well. Vico Girl's Tortellini salad was very delicious and I loved it!

Like all the salads that I have made, I would totally make this again soon! Thank you Vico Girl and thank you to all the Sunday Salad Sampler group members and especially my blogging buddies for the encouragements and feedback. It was a fun summer learning experience for me!


Here's Vico Girl's instructions to her very delicious salad:

I've been making this for years and it's especially good for a buffet/party as it serves quite a few. Now... I've never really measured the exact amount of the ingredients I use, but I tried for ST so here goes:

1 lb or a little bit more Fresh or frozen tortellini or a Barilla bag of dry tortellini. Boil as per package instructions and set aside.Don't over boil them! COOL them down a bit. (I used fresh tricolored).

In a very very large bowl mix together:

1 container of pearl or small sized fresh mozzarella balls ( I buy mine from Sam's Club or BJ's)

16 oz jar of Julienne cut Calif sun dried tomatoes in oil ( I use 3/4 of the jar)plus the oil! Just pour the oil into the bowl.

4 cloves garlic chopped superfine

1 large bunch Italian parsley chopped fine

1 jar black dried olives in oil pitted and sliced (This takes a while)

16 oz jar (or larger from Costco) Marinated Artichokes cut into pieces (24oz)

1 jar marinated red peppers cut in strips if you want

S/P and some extra virgin olive oil

Now that you've mixed the above ingredients well, add cooked tortellini a few scoops at a time mixing well. Cover bowl with glad wrap and refrigerate overnight as it taste even better the following day after the flavors blend together. Serve at room temp! I served mine with grilled shrimp.

PhotoHunt: Ripples

Water is an architectural element that brought cool sensory pleasure to the palace and gardens of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Here you can see Ripples in one of the many soothing water fountains in the General Life Gardens.


Want to hear it too . . . (More to come!)




See more PhotoHunters HERE!

Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers # 17: Potato Salad

This week's Selection was made by Slow Traveler, Bugalu, Whistlestop Cafe Cooking. Bugalu provided two favorite recipes of hers and allowed us to choose. Since I have never had a Southern Potato Salad before I selected her first recipe. I used regular potatoes and followed her recipe exactly. I absolutely loved it! I really like the extra flavors brought on by the sweet relish, spicey mustard and sweet onions. Her recipe was so easy to make and I can totally see myself making this salad again.


Here is Bugalu's instructions to her very delicious recipe:

I know there are as many recipes for potato salad as there are kinds of potatoes. This is a recipe that is a combination of a southern potato salad and a German mustard potato salad. It is a favorite for us!

Southern Mustard Potato Salad Ingredients:

1-2 pounds potatoes
4-5 hard boiled eggs
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup pickle relish
3 Tbs spicy mustard
1/2 cup mayo

Clean potatoes then boil them whole. Once tender, 15-20 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Dice onion and celery. Dice potatoes into large chunks. In another bowl whisk together mayo, mustard and pickle relish. Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Stir all ingredients together. Finally, peel and slice the hard boiled eggs and stir those in as well. Serve warm or cold.

Warm Potato Salad is another favorite potato salad and this one is from my cookbook:

1 pound red potatoes
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup non fat sour cream
2 Tbs vinegar
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Wash and cook potatoes whole until tender.Drain and allow to cool. In a large bowl, combine sour cream and vinegar. Slice the potatoes into thin slices. Combine all ingredients. Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve warm.

PhotoHunt: Artificial

Not everyone is a big fan of Artificial snow in Southern California!



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Music: The "Feel Good-Fun" Factor

For my next music post, I wanted to write about my favorite music genre. Rock (this is a given), Funk (another given), Blues (love it), R&B (Adore it), Soul (I think it's cool), Classical (easy listening), New Age (relaxing), Hip Hop (also cool) and the list goes on! I couldn't decide which was my absolute favorite because I honestly love it all!

While working on another post, I stumbled upon a video that I took while visiting Florence, Italy. A group of us decided to adventure out into the city and came across a cool Piazza where the "golden oldies" music was playing and people were dancing. We decided to join the fun!

And remembering that experience, it finally hit me. Music no matter what the genre, is sometimes all about how good it makes us feel!



Edited to add: Being in Florence, Italy helped a lot too! :)

Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers # 16 (8/9): Coucous Salad

This week's selection was made by AnnieNC, Churches in Venice. I have really been looking forward to this week's salad ever since I first read Annie's recipe for it on the Slow Talk Community Gold Forum. This was the first time that I have made couscous and I loved it! I really liked the flavors made by the combination of ingredients in her recipe, especially the sweetness of the cinnamon. I served it warm and used chicken broth and regular cinnamon and followed Annie's easy instructions. This salad is so delicious!

Thank you so much Annie for this fabulous recipe. I'm going to totally make this wonderful salad again.


Here is Annie's easy instructions to her very delicious recipe:

I found this recipe on the McCormick spice website after a friend brought me a big bag of cinnamon from Vietnam and I started looking for savory recipes to use it in. The recipe was created by Suzanne Goins from the Los Angeles restaurant Luques.

I use whole wheat couscous and sometimes substitute dried apricots for the dates. You can also use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Vietnamese cinnamon is pretty strong so if you're using regular cinnamon, you might want to use a little bit more. This is a great party/potluck recipe (it keeps and travels well).

Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Dates & Cinnamon

3 green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 (10 ounce) package couscous

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup pinenuts, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
(optional)

Directions

Finely dice white end of green onions. Slice green parts of green onions and reserve for salad. Gently cook white onion pieces in olive oil 5-7 minutes in a medium saucepan. Stir in chicken broth, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and red pepper. Bring to a boil; add couscous. Cover and remove pan from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and olive oil in a small bowl.

Fluff couscous with a fork; put in a large bowl. Toss in sliced green onions, chickpeas, carrots, dates, pinenuts, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; add vinaigrette and toss again. Serve right away or chill. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

PhotoHunt: Low

I haven't recently written about my wonderful trip to Spain last year, so when I saw this week's theme I decided to seize the moment. Castillo de San Sebastián was built on a small island in 1706 located opposite Playa de la Caleta in the 3,000 year old town of Cádiz in Andalucía, Spain. It was originally designed to protect Cádiz from seabourne attackers. Initially the castle could only be reached during low tide, however a long pier connecting the castle to the beach was built in the 19th century so the castle could be accessed at all times. The castle now serves as a lighthouse.


Here is a local using the low tides to take his dog for a walk ...



See more PhotoHunters HERE!

The Peaks & Valleys of Trip Planning: The Winds have settled. . .

After writing my Vernazza post, I stared at my map and guidebooks: . . . train over from Glasgow to Fort William, hire a car and drive A830 (aka Road to the Isles), stop in a fishing village and a castle or two, cross by ferry to the Isle of Skye, drive single track roads, stopping to see sheep, baby Highland cows and a Rock that looks like a Kilt, train to Edinburgh to stand on Arthur's seat and hear the 1 o'clock cannon sound off from a castle, sit in a pub and eat (not Haggis) but some seafood and maybe drink a good scotch . . . I think of these things as I listen to Caledonia playing in the background.


I ask myself, so why did I stray? The answer, Italy! :) Well, the winds have settled and I'm back on course! Sometimes I can experience a little bit of self doubt and second guessing during the planning stages. And it somehow surfaces the closer I get to the departure date (or in my case the planned departure date). I call them the Peaks and Valleys of trip planning! LOL! I remember when I planned my trip to Prague, I was like what was I thinking.

A fellow Slow Traveler, AnnieNC, said something in one of her comments that put things into perspective for me, "Well, all I can say is follow your heart. You can go to Scotland another year (and you can also go to Italy another year)...You can't go wrong either way." She's so right and I needed to be reminded that I can't go wrong either way. I should just be grateful to be able to travel. I truly am....very grateful.

Ticket prices . . . still hovering around $800 and up. I'm remaining optimistic though for another airfare sale after Labor Day Weekend! :)

Thanks everyone for listening to my little whiny vent session during my valley period of trip planning and thanks Annie for the reminder that I really can't go wrong either way!

Vernazza, Italy (in the Cinque Terre): Picture Perfect and More . . .

Vernazza is a small and charming town located in the Liguria region of Italy. It is one of the five villages in the Cinque Terre which along with the surrounding coastline and beautiful hillsides is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


The Cinque Terre, made popular by travel guru, Rick Steves, is a stunningly beautiful part of Italy. And in 2005 my friend and I had the pleasure of spending three wonderful days there hiking between the villages. We chose to base ourselves in Vernazza, because of a recommendation I received from a Slow Traveler on the Slow Talk Travel Forum.

In addition to its small town charm and hiking opportunities, Vernazza has other main sights that are also interesting in their own right.

First, the Santa Margherita d'Antiochia church was constructed in 1318. It was built on a rock in front of the sea, with an impressive 40 meters belfry, three aisles and adorned by a pointed shape dome. It is said that a wooden box with the bones of Saint Margaret appeared on the beach one day which was a sign for the inhabitants to build a church. But instead of building the church where it was found (here on the beach) the residents built the church in another location but it was later destroyed by a sea storm and the relic was lost. Later, the relic appeared again in the original point and that is where the new church was built where it stands now.


Here is a closer look at the Belfry with a very handsome cat in the foreground. :)


The Doria Castle, or Castello Doria in Vernazza, was built in the mid 15th century to protect Vernazza, and the other four little Cinque Terre villages, from marauding pirates. Now it is not much more than a tower but for 1 Euro it is worth the climb to the top where there is a fantastic view of the village and coastline.


And lastly, there is the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Reggio (Our Lady of Reggio), which is located about a half hour hike up a steep hill from the town. It was built in the XI century on a pre-existing crypt. The first written mention dates back to 1248. The church has three aisles and in the XIV century was transformed to a Latin cross plant. Only the facade remains of the original Romanesque complex. The "Madonna Nera" with Child is the adored image, known as "The African" as well.

Each village of the Cinque Terre has its own sanctuary, located higher up on the hills and it would be fun to visit each of them on my next visit there. There's even a Sanctuary hiking route that can be followed.

Ever since I started reading Slow Traveler AnnieNC's Blog, Churches in Venice, I have become really interested in learning more about the many beautiful churches and shrines in Venice. And it has also made me more attentive to all the churches and shrines that I may have photographed during my travels. So while looking through my photos to find my photo of the month, I found a photo of a pretty shrine that I saw in Vernazza which I posted. I had mentioned to Annie that I have one or two more that I can post too. Well, I got so excited and enthusiastic that I turned it into a full blown post on Vernazza. :)

Here is a closer look at my August 2009 Photo of the month selection....


Here is another beautiful shrine photo I found . . . .


One more . . .


Thanks Candi and Annie for allowing me the stroll down memory lane to a wonderful time in a beautiful place...

Btw, I checked the flights from LA to Italy and they are around $680! Scotland or Italy? Hmmmm. . . :)

Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers # 15 (8/2): Tropical Rice Salad

This week's selection was made by Palma, Palmabella's Passions. I totally loved this salad. Just the name Tropical Rice Salad sounded cool and flavorful to me and it was. I loved the blend of fruit and vegetables. I read on the Slow Talk thread that Jerry and Annie were using fresh pineapple and I thought that was a great idea. Next to oranges and mangoes, pineapple is one of my most favorite fruits to eat.

Palma said that her salad is served cold and goes well with grilled chicken or fish. I decided to make a Halibut dish to accompany my wonderful salad. What a great combination and meal. Thank you so much Palma for sharing your very delicious recipe with us. I know that I will definitely make this again.


Here is Palma's very easy instructions to her delicious Tropical salad:

This is a great side dish with grilled chicken or fish. It is served cold, so you can make it ahead, and let the flavors blend.

Ingredients:

2 c. chicken stock
1 c. white rice (I've never tried it with other rice, but feel free)
1 c. halved snow peas
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
3/4 c. celery
2/3 c. (or one can) sliced water chestnuts
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can crushed (or chunk) pineapple, drained well

Dressing:

2 t. orange juice concentrate
2 t. honey
1 t. soy sauce
1 t. olive oil
1/2 t. sesame oil
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. minced ginger root

Cook rice in chicken stock. Drain well. Cool rice. Put rice in a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over rice mixture and toss. Chill six hours, and toss again before serving.

Making a good Margarita: Practice makes perfect . . . .

Last month, I was at this party where everyone wanted to drink a margarita but no one knew how to make one. One person whipped out their iphone which had an application for mixing drinks! :) With that recipe in hand, the blender went into overtime. Some came out too strong, some came out too weak and some didn't have enough ice in them. None of us could get it right.

One day I read Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants blog post with his recipe for a Strawberry Margarita! After my recent experience, I became determined to learn how to make one. After all, this is the only drink that I can drink that doesn't go straight to my head. And besides, you just never know when this knowledge and skill might come in handy. I followed Jerry's recipe and came up with my first ever strawberry margerita and I loved it. It's kind of like an adult slushy! Jerry's drink looked so much more delicious than mine though. But as the saying goes, practice makes perfect!


Thanks so much Jerry for passing on your strawberry margarita drink recipe!