Geri's Food

Category: Travel

  • Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg

    Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg

    In a fantastic location overlooking the bay of Cologne and providing wonderful views of Cologne Cathedral, the Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg certainly knows to fascinate all visitors – may it be on a business trip, a city break to Cologne, or a wellness weekend.

    Travelling abroad for a romanic weekend, always offers rest and enchanting adventures. Visiting, seeing and experiencing something new is as equally exciting as it is tasting something new.

    During our stay at the Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg, just a few kilometres out of Koln in Germany, we had the unexpected pleasure to feel transported to the Mediterranean for a moment by treating ourselves to a few indulgent hours in one of the acclaimed hotel’s restaurants, the Trattoria Enoteca.

    The warm colours, authentic aromas, finest ingredients and select wines together with perfect service provided a setting for an unforgettable visit. The food was surprisingly delightful, offering experience of the full range of the Italian cuisine — hearty dishes from the country kitchen, light dishes from the coast, and irresistible home-made pasta.

    Our Menu

    • Melanzana alla griglia, Grilles sizilian eggplant with kefir, saffron-vinaigrette and herbs
    • Ragu di costine brasate, Braised loin rip ragout with tomato, herbs and handmade Pappardelle
    • Cassata alla siciliana, Cassata siciliana, ricottacreme, pistachiobiscuit, dried fruit praline and orange flower granitée.

     

    We set our eyes on a simple menu, offering a burst of taste and an unmistakable touch of sophistication. Grilled aubergine salad, mouthwatering braised loin rip pasta, and a scientific experiment looking delicious dessert of ricotta creme and pistachio biscuit.

    Beautiful, surprising and delightful. Combined with the breathtaking hotel country setting, this 17th century meddival abbey transformation into a luxurious retreat, has all the recommendations it takes to entice the imagination and amaze every guest.

    READ MORE
  • La Boqueria, Barcelona

    La Boqueria, Barcelona

    They said we should visit the market early in the morning. Early, does not really apply to us, a happy family on a summer holiday vacation, eager to experience the vibrant diversity of life, and what a life could be found in Barcelona!

    Sunny and warm, this is a city that never sleeps. Life floats through leanly architectured streets, zigzagging its way from a blue haven beach, through Gothic medieval quarter, to Parisian-like high-end luxurious shopping streets.  Yet, unmistakably there are uniquely “Barcelona” signs wherever we may go. From the famous Gaudi buildings, to the tapas-bar restaurants leisurely inviting us on every corner, to the Catalonian flags gracing the windows and the smiles of the beautiful people passing by.

    So much to see, so much to experience. Days and nights merging long memorable hours on a string like a necklace of pearls.

    Hence, we are no early risers. We take our time for breakfast, enjoying the stunning roof-top terrace view and savoring every bite from the delicious display of food. Our hotel 1898, at the La Rambla is only a mere five minutes walk from the famous La Boqueria market. We pass its iron gates just around noon and our senses are immediately assaulted by colour, aromas and noise.

    It is a real market. One, that has been in operation for hundreds of years, seeing generation after generation passing by. Nothing seems changed, yet still… It is so beautifully nostalgic to see the elderly ladies, well dressed and coiffured, meeting and talking to each other gossipping and caring, not at least in a hurry to go back and cook at home. Life is simple and peaceful, and in this instance, delicious. Fresh fish, crab, lobster, seasonal vegetables and fruit, exotic tropical mangosteens, lamb and pork meat, nuts and sweets. The display is endless.

    A colourful bar around the corner, transforms the sea-food catch of the day into an irresistible temptation, while people line queuing for a chance for taste. I am drifted away through the stalls dreaming, if only I lived around the corner…, if only I could buy this…., if only I could cook… La Boqueria is a dreaming place for every person passionate about food and a daily visit for many others lucky to be calling it a home.

  • Weekend in Amsterdam

    Weekend in Amsterdam

    It is summer and our spirits are longing for an adventure. Longing to be touched by beauty, to be surprised, to be revived and invigorated. Longing to disconnect from the daily routine and simply to take the car and drive away. Should we drive north, south, east or west is always the question. East from home is located our favouring city in Germany, Aachen. South is the ever inviting Paris in France. West is our colourful London. North, The Hague and Amsterdam. Our minds made up, we quickly pack the car ready for a weekend drive away and start our trip to the Netherlands.

    Our first stop is The Hague and a charming stay at the boutique Bed & Breakfast Maison Indochine. Our residence is shyly tugged away in a small antique shop street right in the centre of the city.

    It doesn’t take us long to be amazed at the humble beauty of The Hague.

    Art Nouveau architecture elegantly stretches along side the city centre, speaking volumes of the grandness of old days gone by. Yet, underneath its beautiful surface a much older and wealthy fairy tail begins to sing its song. We stop in front of the shop of an old violin maker, looking through the windows into two hundred years old story of passion and love. Around the corner an old antiques shop catches our eye displaying the most stunning jewellery I have ever seen. Ruby hair pins, yellow diamond ring, sapphire tiara, matching emerald bracelets, pearl earrings, exquisite floral golden broach… And then, we are not thinking of the Art Nouveau period any more, but we remember the time of the Dutch East Indies and the splendour of the riches in front of us start to make sense. Unfortunately, no rubies and diamonds for me today. But luckily, I don’t leave the antique headquaters empty handed. I buy a beautiful old print of Sir. T. Lawrence’s The Countess of Darnley’ just for five Euro, as a vivid reminder of this beautiful city.

    Still dreaming of the past, we leave The Hague and zig zag our way up to Amsterdam. Only a few kilometres apart, yet the two cities couldn’t be more different. Amsterdam is so restless and claustrophobic yet ancient and charming in its own way. 

    Old and new, its history is written on each building, on each corner, in its food. For lunch we decide to try the best Indonesian restaurant in town the Kantjil & de Tijger. The food is a complete delight. We choose the Mangkok, served in different ways, Rendang chicken stir fry with peanut sauce, or beef in a mildly spicy coconut sauce Ajam Ritja, accompanied by Indonesian garnish: cucumber, egg, coconut sauce, prawn crackers, veggie crackers and belindjo nuts. So refreshingly tasty and good. But our journey is not done, yet.

    We head for the Rijksmuseum where for hours we get lost in the age old history of The Netherlands, admiring their courage and greatness, their beauty and charm.

    No one can absorb such rich history in a day, but our spirits revived we drive home with the promise to come back again.

  • The Birthplace of Aphrodite, Cyprus

    The Birthplace of Aphrodite, Cyprus

    They say that Aphrodite was born from the purest white foam of the sea, swept ashore by Zephyr’s gentle breeze. It is easy to forgive the naivety of the ancient Greeks, attributing the origin of this myth to a mere poetic inclination, but not until one sees the vast expanse of endless azure of the Mediterranean sea, teasingly changing colour from the lightest of blue to the darkest of green, feels the tender warmth of the soft wind caressing lightly the skin and wonders at the playful purity of the white foamy waves, curvaceously stretching along the Cypriot coast, that something steers deep inside the soul making the Aphrodite myth sound true.

    We were lucky to have our summer holiday hotel, right on top of the hill overlooking the birth place of the goddess of love – the Aphrodite Hills.

    The view was splendid… By day, an endless sea blue, barely distinguishing the line of the horizon. By evening, long and leisurely stretching shades of a dying sunset, bathing the scenery in passionate orange, deepest of pink, uncompromising red and conquering purple. By night, an open invitation to dive deep into a starry sky, gazing in mystified glee the endless folds of the universe.

    The food was surprisingly delicious… The Cypriot cuisine is a mixture of tastes combining Greek, Turkish, Middle East and Mediterranean flavors. One can hardly imagine spicing roasted potatoes with dusted cinnamon, but next to a hive-domed oven baked lamb, they taste simply delicious. My favourite dish however is a tender beef stew, every mouthful a seasoned perfection, served with a side dish of Village salad made of feta, tomatoes and cucumber, mint, coriander and celery leaves drizzled with freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil. Simply divine.

    The holiday was an unforgettable adventure… We played in the pool, we collected colourful stones on the seashore, we admired the sophisticated intricacy of the ancient archeological marble floors, we sung earthshaking spirituals echoing the radio music in the car, we zigzagged the mountains up to the gold-glittering Kikkos monastery, had a coffee in the hidden shades of local village bars on our way to Paphos.

    A holiday to remember. A land to visit. Delicious food to discover. Cyprus awaits.

  • Covent Garden, London

    Covent Garden, London

    Don’t you just love London? Its colours, its pace, its smiling, purposefully vibrant people? There are many places in the world where I can feel at home, but none like London, Covent Garden and partiqulary the British Museum. Every time I go back there I feel like coming home. Very strange indeed, as I have never lived in London. Yet, my heart is immediately awakened each time I step out of the train at the St. Pancras stations. A deep breath, a smile and my soul is ready to be enraptured, ready to be pleasantly surprised, ready to be re-born again.

    Even the market places resonate its radiant splendour. Whether you are walking on Portobello street or quietly sitting at Covent Garden – life is generously offering its exuberant display. Street performers, entertainers, opera singers, orchestra musicians, book sellers, ice-cream sellers, exotic spices, high-end boutiques, cider bear, paella, antiques, Apple Store, StarBucks cappuccino, Le Pain Quotidien morning breakfast…

    London has so much to offer. Still, I like it when out of the blue it is offering us the unexpected. The classic brand shops are always a delight, especially now with the fast approaching Christmas season, but small, local, street food markets are a hidden jewel, full of charm and cheer.

    We stumbled upon one in Kensington recently and this market was really special. It is one thing to sample classic street food, it is something entirely different to see a multi-cultural community standing side-by-side selling their pride home made products, chatting about family and politics and sharing a heart-warming smile.

    At one side was a man from Africa, confidently chopping coconuts and selling fresh coconut milk. At the other side was the Italian family selling sausages and salami. Next to them one could buy cheese from France, Moroccan flat pan cakes and chicken pastilla. Further on Portuguese custard tarts, English carrot cakes, French macaroons and Turkish delights. Shall we try the Moroccan flat pancakes or the Turkish kebab? What about the meringues or the Victorian sponge cake? Spoiled by choice we have the time of our life and when the stomachs are full and the feet tired of walking we reach out for a cab and we are heading happily home, grateful for the day, cherishing all exciting impressions and looking forward to embracing one more day in this amazing city.

  • Roasted Chestnuts, Aachen

    Roasted Chestnuts, Aachen

    Beautiful, colourful, warm and wise October… If I would have a colour for each season yellow-orange would be by colour for October.  We are just returning home from a weekend in Germany, and the explosion of red, orange and yellow trees along the high-way is still dancing in front of my eyes. Is there another month more rich and blanket-warm than October?

    This month has so much to offer.

    From the gorgeous sunflower blossoms and exuberant chrysanthemums to the heavy bounty of ripe apple fruits.From the long walks in the woods to the the warm hot chocolate inside the cosy cafes.

    From the roasted chestnuts sold on the fashion streets of Milano to the mushroom baskets offered on the market place in Germany.

    From the hint of summer in the gentle touch of the last sunny rays to the melting sweetness of the Christmas ginger biscuits.

    Autumn is there. And with it comes the nostalgic music of the ending year and the glittering shine of the holiday anticipation. Shall we spend New Year in Germany or shall we stay at home? What shall we cook for the family Christmas day celebration?

    The end-year holidays will come… but not yet, not quite yet. There is a whole season of golden beauty to be beheld, morning mists to be embraced, apple tarte tatin cakes to be baked. A season of remembering what has been and cherishing what is to come.

    A season of colour… A season of joy… A season of passion… And a season of hope.