End of Summer Lovin'

So you don't think I've gone and "expired" I thought it was worthwhile giving a small update on my comings and goings since mid-August.  Buckle your seat belt.

The last week of August started with a wedding in Copenhagen complete with herring smorgasbord (still one of the most horrible food items out there no matter how many which ways I try it) and a visit to Boston and NH to see SU-C and Mama, complete with 3 doses lobster and daily doubles of Dunkin' Donuts coconut ice coffee.  After a brief swaparoo of my luggage I had 4 days back in London before heading off to Tanzania for work.  My most delicious meal during this trip was at Adis in Dar, an Ethiopian restaurant popular with expats.  Unfortunately 8 of the 12 of us ended up with the gift that keeps on giving...and very upset tummies the next day.  Nothing says "I love my co-workers" more than sharing a box of Imodium.

Right, moving right along - from Tanzania back to London (sans luggage, d@mn you Kenyan Airways!) and then onwards to France. Here I spent a week with stinky cheese, sausisson, waffles from Meert and drank wine for breakfast.  Occasionally I felt guilty and ate a lettuce leaf.  Back to London for a few days and then I closed out a head spinning world tour with a long weekend in Mykonos.  Heading out with Flamingo we had four days of laughs, perfectly sunny skies, 80 degrees, sunset cocktails, ice cream, perhaps a small jewel and fried cheese.  Lots and lots of fried cheese. With honey. In pastry. Feta and haloumi and "local soft cheese".  Complimented by the double dose of tzatziki we ate every day as well. Note: Since I started this trek back in Copenhagen I've managed a good 6 extra pounds in my mid-section.  Pretty impressive eating don't you think?

Needless to say I am very much looking forward to some cooler weather that warants a wardrobe that allows for big baggy jumpers, tights with built in spanx, and an extra large sized onsie.

A few photo highlights:

Horrible Herring (sounds like an evil superhero)

New vintage Champagne glasses and the pretty packaging of the Meert waffle

Sunset bellini ala Mykonos

Sunset moe-ji-toes 

Fresh fruit daiquiris. Fresh fruit = health

It's HOT. It's ICECREAM!

Summer Lovin'

Skordalia, Tzatziki, Salad - All consumed lickity split

Sunset drinks (4 Euro per bottle Greek wine)

Swiss Sausage, salad, and pretzel - overlooking the Swiss alps

As summer draws to a close (evident in the three layers I was wearing when I headed out this morning) it’s about time I look back on my summer travels (slightly shortened due to starting the new job back in June) and share some of the food highlights.

The beginning of August brought me to the sunny / sandy shores of Mykonos for a few luscious days and nights of Greek island life.  I was on holiday with one of the Mykonos locals, my good friend Flamingo, who quit her ‘corporate’ job in London the summer of 2010 to spend three months working on the island.  She headed back to London in the fall, but sensing the need to return back as a proper tourist, we booked our flights way back in January - there was a lot of build up, anticipation and excitement over the past seven months whilst waiting for this trip.

Every day without fail we started out with a frothy iced Greek coffee.  Most I’m sure were just instant coffee, ice and milk – but somehow when consumed under an umbrella and in a bikini you’re convinced it’s the most delicious drink ever created.

Evenings were spent water-side drinking fresh fruit cocktails and the food in-between invariably consisting of tzatziki and/or skordalia with pita.  Two dishes I could happily eat each and every day (although friends and family might object to the skordalia).  For those of you less familiar with this Greek dip – it’s a potato-based dip that in essence is 50% roasted garlic.  It’s pungently delicious. 

While August was ushered in with balmy temps and sandy beaches, it was ushered out with the snow-capped peaks and colder temps of St. Moritz, Switzerland.

There for 2 days for the exquisite Studdkler wedding, we feasted on divine swiss hospitality and the 5-star Suvretta House catering.  The wedding cake was even the beloved Sachertorte, baked in the shape of a heart and ready to be consumed by the 155+ guests.  

However, the culinary piece de la resistance of the weekend was for me, the simple Swiss fair at the Trutz mountain restaurant.  After a 5 am finish the night before I thought it would be a good idea to walk off my ‘headache’ with the wedding party’s scheduled “alpine walk”.  Little did I realise that dressing in skinny jeans, my gym shoes, a cashmere sweater and carrying a massive Prada handbag MAYBE wasn’t the smartest thing in the world.   Especially when I met up with everyone and people were mostly in shorts or loose trousers and hiking boots. There were definitely no skinny jeans and handbags. I’m blaming these tactical errors on visiting the only nightclub in St. Moritz that was open (it's the off season) at the slightly shocking hours of 3-5 am. 

Anyway, after a lot of huffing and puffing up the mountainside I was greeted with the most spectacular view of the Upper Engadine lakes and the most glorious local food.  Cucumber salad with dill, pickled beets and carrots, fennel, linzertorte, sausages and homemade breads.  It was a most welcome site and even better once in my belly.