My inner child loves zoos. Whenever I travel, whether it's to cold England or to frying Portugal, I tend to end up in the local zoo. Not surprising then, when a trip to Porto came along, Zoo da Maia was on my itinerary.
It's not so easy to get to, if you believe the local tourist office. For some mysterious reason, the travel people completely fail to market this pleasant and interesting zoo, focusing instead on innumerable Douro cruises and wine cellars.
I may understand a retired German tourist feeling otherwise, but from my point of view - why on Earth would I want to visit a wine cellar? BO-RING! Now a zoo, that's entirely different matter...
Lady behind the desk in Porto's main tourist office gave me a strange look when I asked about the zoo. She went on to explain how it's impossible to get there without a car and how it's nothing special anyway. Rubbish, all the way! A short metro ride gets you almost to the gates of the zoo, and as to the entertainment potential - I loved it. I described it in detail here, but if you don't feel like reading a proper review, let me just tell you that the place was full of shade-giving trees, the animals were presented in a very approachable way, seal show was delightful and the whole thing was reasonably priced.
It remains unknown why the tourist office clerks want to strip your stay in Porto from all the fun (although I do have my suspicions).
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Armageddon that didn't happen
Armageddon and all sorts of Apocalypses are some of my favourite subjects. I love catastrophic movies, and I have this particular trait - I dream in disasters. Earthquakes, volcanoes, wars, plane crashes, pandemies, tsunamis, you name it - my dreams have it all. Once I was rather scared by all this mayhem and woke shuddering every second night or so, now I got used to my dreaming patterns and treat it more like my very own movie theatre.
I follow a few volcanic/catastrophic blogs and watched BBC non stop for a day or two right after the Japanese earthquake happened. Disasters are awe-inspiring in their power. I even wrote an article listing the likely and the unlikely ways in which the end of our times may arrive.
But I draw a line at Harold Campings of this world. Long before Camping's promised Rapture Day, I was wondering - where will the poor guy hide on May 22nd? Or will he be cheeky enough to emerge in public and say something like - oops, miscalculation (guess what - he did just that!).
Anyway, May 21st came and went, and I vented my feelings here, right after the ominous date.
I follow a few volcanic/catastrophic blogs and watched BBC non stop for a day or two right after the Japanese earthquake happened. Disasters are awe-inspiring in their power. I even wrote an article listing the likely and the unlikely ways in which the end of our times may arrive.
But I draw a line at Harold Campings of this world. Long before Camping's promised Rapture Day, I was wondering - where will the poor guy hide on May 22nd? Or will he be cheeky enough to emerge in public and say something like - oops, miscalculation (guess what - he did just that!).
Anyway, May 21st came and went, and I vented my feelings here, right after the ominous date.
Monday, 18 July 2011
How to make great coffee
Coffee and me go back a long time and our relationship has been pretty stormy. There was a time, good few years ago, when coffee was not enough - I implemented the daily intake of caffeine with 3-4 energy drinks which (you can probably guess) only left me poorer and craving for more. There was a long period of rather bland, boring, but oh-so-quick instant coffee - two spoonfuls of coffee powder, two of sugar, fill half with water and half with milk, drink by the bucket.
Then there was another time when I divorced my coffee completely - I was on 3-4 cups of coffee during an office day and it made me feel invariably awful. For a short while I've become an anti-caffeine zealot, not only abstaining from drinking any, but also preaching near and far on eternal damnation unless you quit NOW. I do tend to be weird.
Then two things happened and suddenly coffee stopped being a menace. My days in the office were over, and so was constant stress that goes arm in arm with corporate employment. And I discovered the French press.
Instant coffee is a thing that happens to me very rarely these days and I don't miss it one bit. Now, the glorious, pitch-black liquid that pours out of my French press each morning.... Mmmmm... I don't get out of bed without it (not for longer that it takes to make it, that is). It's not even the caffeine (although I did read that the content is disctinctly higher than that of the instant mud) - it's a feast for the senses. Taste, smell, bitterish smoothness warming my mouth - it was an instant addiction. Trust me, there is no better coffee than French pressed coffee*. Try it out.
*Ok, pressure brewing may rival French press. But it's a question of spending 10 bucks versus 1000 bucks...
Then there was another time when I divorced my coffee completely - I was on 3-4 cups of coffee during an office day and it made me feel invariably awful. For a short while I've become an anti-caffeine zealot, not only abstaining from drinking any, but also preaching near and far on eternal damnation unless you quit NOW. I do tend to be weird.
Then two things happened and suddenly coffee stopped being a menace. My days in the office were over, and so was constant stress that goes arm in arm with corporate employment. And I discovered the French press.
Instant coffee is a thing that happens to me very rarely these days and I don't miss it one bit. Now, the glorious, pitch-black liquid that pours out of my French press each morning.... Mmmmm... I don't get out of bed without it (not for longer that it takes to make it, that is). It's not even the caffeine (although I did read that the content is disctinctly higher than that of the instant mud) - it's a feast for the senses. Taste, smell, bitterish smoothness warming my mouth - it was an instant addiction. Trust me, there is no better coffee than French pressed coffee*. Try it out.
*Ok, pressure brewing may rival French press. But it's a question of spending 10 bucks versus 1000 bucks...
Friday, 15 July 2011
How to turn your garbage into a garden
My garden grows mostly in plastic cola bottles, cut in half. There is also a few plastic fruit punnets, a milk carton or two (three? four even?), some profitrole boxes and, until recently, my strawberry seedlings were developing vigorously in a rectangular plastic thing that once held carrot cake. With cream cheese frosting.
See, so far I'm only flirting with gardening love. I'm quite not sure if we'll stay together for life or is it just a one-year stand. Totally conscious of this fact, I thought it foolish to splash out on tens (if not hundreds) of pots and pans from gardening centre. Being permanently broke might have added something to the equation, yes.
When you think of requirements for a growing container, what do you need? It needs to be reasonably waterproof. With a bottom easy to pierce through (whatever you may think, drainage IS important - I've learnt it the hard way). It needs to be fairly big - my experiments of growing radishes in empty egg boxes did not bring satisfactory results. There's a few more requirements but after I've considered them all, the solution presented itself like a good old revelation - GARBAGE BAG! Plenty of good growing pots there.
Primo - plants grow like crazy (see a picture if you don't believe). Secundo - I'm being green, prolonging life of all sorts of rubbish bits for those few months and not adding to the already overflowing landfills. Tertio - I haven't spent a penny. Nothing, nada, it all came my way totally free.
I call it a good deal. How about you?
See, so far I'm only flirting with gardening love. I'm quite not sure if we'll stay together for life or is it just a one-year stand. Totally conscious of this fact, I thought it foolish to splash out on tens (if not hundreds) of pots and pans from gardening centre. Being permanently broke might have added something to the equation, yes.
When you think of requirements for a growing container, what do you need? It needs to be reasonably waterproof. With a bottom easy to pierce through (whatever you may think, drainage IS important - I've learnt it the hard way). It needs to be fairly big - my experiments of growing radishes in empty egg boxes did not bring satisfactory results. There's a few more requirements but after I've considered them all, the solution presented itself like a good old revelation - GARBAGE BAG! Plenty of good growing pots there.
Primo - plants grow like crazy (see a picture if you don't believe). Secundo - I'm being green, prolonging life of all sorts of rubbish bits for those few months and not adding to the already overflowing landfills. Tertio - I haven't spent a penny. Nothing, nada, it all came my way totally free.
I call it a good deal. How about you?
Monday, 11 July 2011
Chocolat
Do you remember the movie Chocolat, starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche? I believe that it made quite a stir when it came out back in the year 2000. Definitely from the 'light and pleasant' shelf, yet with this particular kind of magic that makes watching it an unforgettable experience...
Hah, did you notice what a smooth liar I'm becoming? I actually didn't like the movie that much. It was ok, I guess, with Johnny Depp looking stunning as always but not quite reaching the top of his acting abilities, and Juliette being as far as possible from the way I imagined the book's heroine.
Because oh yes, there was a book. While the movie didn't massacre it entirely, it didn't do it justice (as it so often happens). The original Chocolat story, written by Joanne Harris (with her other books being quite worth checking out as well), can boast of having one of the most elegant and wise happy end I've ever seen which is to the movie's ending as Sahara is to Arctic. Don't let the film industry rob you of this treat! Go and grab the book! Now!
Can I use this opportunity to remind you that there are things called libraries in the world and you don't necessary need to buy it? You may want to, eventually (I ended up with having a copy even after I've read it), because it's a rare kind of books that can be read more than once. On the other hand, you may not, and my smart advice (modesty first, always!) can save you space, money and trouble.
If you want to find out more about the book, go and check my review on Squidoo - it's fairly decent.
Oh, and the sequel is not half as good. Sorry, Ms Harris, but you skipped the unconventional (= not sugared up the American style) happy ending bit, and I can't forgive that.
Hah, did you notice what a smooth liar I'm becoming? I actually didn't like the movie that much. It was ok, I guess, with Johnny Depp looking stunning as always but not quite reaching the top of his acting abilities, and Juliette being as far as possible from the way I imagined the book's heroine.
Because oh yes, there was a book. While the movie didn't massacre it entirely, it didn't do it justice (as it so often happens). The original Chocolat story, written by Joanne Harris (with her other books being quite worth checking out as well), can boast of having one of the most elegant and wise happy end I've ever seen which is to the movie's ending as Sahara is to Arctic. Don't let the film industry rob you of this treat! Go and grab the book! Now!
Can I use this opportunity to remind you that there are things called libraries in the world and you don't necessary need to buy it? You may want to, eventually (I ended up with having a copy even after I've read it), because it's a rare kind of books that can be read more than once. On the other hand, you may not, and my smart advice (modesty first, always!) can save you space, money and trouble.
If you want to find out more about the book, go and check my review on Squidoo - it's fairly decent.
Oh, and the sequel is not half as good. Sorry, Ms Harris, but you skipped the unconventional (= not sugared up the American style) happy ending bit, and I can't forgive that.
Friday, 8 July 2011
Tornado month
Oh man, ain't it hard to write an article when you have only a few figures to play with!
You've all heard about the gigantic tornado outbreak in April 2011, right? I've published an article about it even before the month was truly over (and had to update my figures a few times...). I have discovered two things in the process:
- it is hard to find reliable figures. In the end I used NOAA Prediction Centre data, but they are likely to change (even now!!), as scientists go through each single tornado sighting to re-confirm them.
- when you have only numbers, it's a real challenge to write an article that holds your attention. I don't approve of sensation-hunting tone of some publications these days. I notice it again and again - cameramen hunt for images of people screaming and being hurt, then in public say - 'Oh my God, I pray that they are safe' or 'I'm so sorry for their loss' and think that everything is ok. I call it feeding on someone else's suffering, you can call it whatever you want.
So no, my article does not include too much hype. It's rather dry, because it deals with mathematics and not with the human tragedy.
Consider yourself warned.
You've all heard about the gigantic tornado outbreak in April 2011, right? I've published an article about it even before the month was truly over (and had to update my figures a few times...). I have discovered two things in the process:
- it is hard to find reliable figures. In the end I used NOAA Prediction Centre data, but they are likely to change (even now!!), as scientists go through each single tornado sighting to re-confirm them.
- when you have only numbers, it's a real challenge to write an article that holds your attention. I don't approve of sensation-hunting tone of some publications these days. I notice it again and again - cameramen hunt for images of people screaming and being hurt, then in public say - 'Oh my God, I pray that they are safe' or 'I'm so sorry for their loss' and think that everything is ok. I call it feeding on someone else's suffering, you can call it whatever you want.
So no, my article does not include too much hype. It's rather dry, because it deals with mathematics and not with the human tragedy.
Consider yourself warned.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
The ultimate cream soup recipe
Oooh, it's nasty and depressing Thursday in Ireland. I was wakened today at something like 7 am by the sound of a thunder (thunderstorms occuring maybe 2-3 times in a year) and it hasn't improved since. Rain, hail and howling wind, five minutes of silence and rain droplets start banging on my roof all over again. Clouds are heavy and make it hard to think straight, and I have an article review to write when feeling completely uninspired. At least subject of the review is quite relevant.
Today's article is all about cream soups (or blended soups, if you prefer). You can make them out of almost anything in no time at all and you are rewarded with thick, warming broth and tummy screaming with joy. It doesn't take Einstein to spot that I'm a big fan of cream soups.
Funny thing, for a long time I thought that they are magically difficult to make. For some reason my brain registered cream soups as posh food and posh food must be difficult, right? How else would you get charged such a shovelful of cash when eating out in nicer places?
Guess what, I was wrong.
Cream soups are quick, easy and unexpensive and you can make endless flavour variations if you only know the basic recipe. I think I didn't eat much else for entire week right after I discovered it.
I may even take my own advice today and cook up some nice cream soup for myself. Split pea sounds good. Big mug full of steaming blended soup, warm soft blanket and I may yet survive the storms.
Today's article is all about cream soups (or blended soups, if you prefer). You can make them out of almost anything in no time at all and you are rewarded with thick, warming broth and tummy screaming with joy. It doesn't take Einstein to spot that I'm a big fan of cream soups.
Funny thing, for a long time I thought that they are magically difficult to make. For some reason my brain registered cream soups as posh food and posh food must be difficult, right? How else would you get charged such a shovelful of cash when eating out in nicer places?
Guess what, I was wrong.
Cream soups are quick, easy and unexpensive and you can make endless flavour variations if you only know the basic recipe. I think I didn't eat much else for entire week right after I discovered it.
I may even take my own advice today and cook up some nice cream soup for myself. Split pea sounds good. Big mug full of steaming blended soup, warm soft blanket and I may yet survive the storms.
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