Musings on the Baltic

Musings on the Baltics:

I have just disembarked in "Wonderful, wonderful " Copenhagen after a seven day cruise around the Baltics visiting Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Russia.  This is an interesting part of the world, and I got to travel with several decedents of immigrants from this region.  Because I still use my married name, which is easily identified as Scandinavian, I was often addressed in Swedish, Finnish or Danish on this trip.  I smiled politely and replied that I merely marred into a Swedish-American family, and only knew the curse words my late husband taught me...he had learned them listening to his great aunts and uncles at family gatherings.  His own grandmother who lived with him spoke to him only in English, and would never use such improper language, but Aunt Tilly and Uncle Olaf certainly would.

On a lark, we took the train across the new suspension bridge to Malmo, Sweden from Copenhagen and spent time tooling around this port town.   Visiting the Swedish Church (Lutheran) was a serendipitous stop; I got to meet some German tourists who gave me some suggestions for our trip to Berlin, and I was able to witness an Armenian Orthodox wedding ceremony that took place at the high altar.  The officiant and assisting deacon were decked out in ornate vestments that made the blushing and beautiful bride look like an "also ran".     

The first stop on the trip was Stockholm, a town we have visited before. 
We opted to walk around on our own and enjoyed Gamla Stan again shopping for Dala horses, watching the changing of the guard, and enjoying a classic Swedish lunch in Sally's Restaurant; it consisted of Swedish meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad (almost as good as Aunt Eleanor's) and lingen berries served with a nice salad. If you are ever in Stockholm, I would recommend a lunch or dinner stop here. They have fixed price meals and a daily special for each day of the week. The owners are actually Italian, and they have an extensive wine cellar as well.


It  seems odd to be able to freely enter places that were located behind the old "Iron Curtain", and to leisurely stroll the streets of Tallin in Estonia buying items with Euros along the way was a real treat.  I picked up an 18th century Russian icon in a small antique shop haggling a bit with the owner for a better price. At one  point in recent history no one could take older icons out of countries under Soviet domination, so I was pleased to know it was now possible. A fellow traveler got some nice amber jewelry: an antique bracelet and newer earrings to go with a piece bought on a prior visit to Copenhagen.

St Petersburg was another story.  There are still remnants of the old Soviet Union: we had to go thorough a painfully and unnecessarily long passport check complete with unsmiling clerks who issued us the necessary "paper"...literally a visa with our name and passport number written in Cyrillic,  and fierce looking supervisors with big hats and pistols. One can only get off the ship in St Petersburg if one has purchased a shore excursion from the ship or an approved provider.  We opted, with the advise of our travel agent, for a local tour operator; we designed a tour tailored to our sightseeing goals. Since we were only there for one day we hit the hits, so to speak:  Catherine's Palace and the recreated Amber Room; Peterhof's magnificent gardens with wonderful flowers and fountains, the main synagogue and the Hermitage. In addition, our agent arranged for a coin dealer to meet our two collectors at the tour operators' office...we were all happy and exhausted campers at the end of the day.

Helsinki was a rather short stay.  I went on an excursion though Helsinki to Porvoo where I purchased another icon, but was able to convince the owner to ship it to me.  It was written ( remember, icons are not drawn or painted; they are written) by a local woman.  I have seen very few Finnish icons, and this will make a nice addition to my collection...however, I need to re-think the current icon space in my apartment.

We are now sitting at the Central Station Train Station in Copenhagen waiting for a train to Germany.  It will be a seven hour odyssey including a ferry ride from Denmark to Germany and a half an hour layover in Hamburg.


So the adventure continues....more to come.







Sent from my iPad

The Gift of Hospitality

Moon over Brooklyn

One of the things I like to do is entertain.  In my younger days, I would spend lots of time milling over menus and recipes deciding what I could cook and serve to my guests.  Nowadays, I prefer to either do a prepare ahead simple meal or simply call the caterer. Either way I get to spend more time with my guests.  I have also hosted dinner or lunch at a local restaurant and had dessert at my place.

When I lived in  New Dorp, the house was large enough for hosting up to twenty two people for Thanksgiving dinner which I did on several occasions.  I can remember my husband and father moving tables around to get the maximum number of seats.

Now that I am in a smaller space, I do most of my entertaining in the milder months when I can utilize my outdoor space which overlooks New York's lower bay and the Verrazano Bridge. It is fun watching the ships sailing by, and when the sun sets the moon rises over Brooklyn makes it seem like a magical place.






After Hurricane Sandy I often hosted volunteer groups who were sleeping at my church for a final "Thank You" dinner. The meal is usually simple: Swedish meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and peas, green salad, biscuits and Italian ices and "Black and White" cookies for dessert. If the group is primarily teens, we simply order pizza from the local joint and serve salad and cookies with it...simple and easy to do. Over the past two years I think I have hosted between seven and eight groups from as far as Prince Edward Island in Canada to Texas.  All of them were here to do recovery or restoration work. 

Christ church/New Brighton/ SI, NY

Larger groups, I can only host up to a dozen folks plus my prep and meet crew, usually have a meal at our church prepared by one of our parishioners who is head chef at a local hospital, so they tend to be a bit more upscale than what I do, but the view from here is better than form the church. We will be dong one of those tonight; it should be fun.  The group is from a Lutheran Church in South Carolina, and they have been sleeping in our parish hall for the past week.


At almost the same time, our Second Saturday crew will be preparing a dessert to be served to the guests of the Soup Kitchen in Stapleton. Once a month the parishioners of my church prep, cook and help serve lunch for anywhere between sixty and one hundred patrons.  This week we are welcoming in the summer-like weather with hot dogs, green salad, vegetarian beans and homemade peach cobbler.  The peach cobbler is always a hit with the diners since they usually just get canned fruit doctored up with a squirt of whipped cream.


So, as you can see, hospitality is very much a part of what I do, and I like to extend it to as many as I can. I am always looking for easy meals to prepare, so if you have any suggestions or recipes, shot me an  email and share.

Great American Cities

Without a doubt, I am living in one of the most exciting cities on earth.  New York City has it all: great food, great theater, great vistas and great neighborhoods.  What is happening now in the town of my birth is that folks who come to usually visit the isle of Manhattan are discovering great places in the other boroughs like Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, the wonderful restaurants in Astoria, Queens, the gardens at Wave Hill in the Bronx and Snug Harbor and the Chinese Scholars' Garden in my own borough of Staten Island.  I have always thought of New York as a great international city, which it is, but there are many great American cities that offer much to visitors, and, as usual, I have my list:



Quincy Market



1. Boston: Some of the best seafood and Italian cuisine can be had in Boston, but be warned! It is a walking city.  Driving in Boston should be avoided at all costs! The streets are narrow and meander around willy-nilly making no sense whatsoever. I have gotten lost there in a car more than I would like to remember. But...using the subway is easy and efficient. It will take you wherever you want to go. And do go to Quincy Market! If I go to Boston, I usually take Amtrak.

DuPont Circle





2. Washington, DC is a delight! It is a great museum city and also has an efficient subway system.  Dupont Circle is a fun place to stay and there are nice restaurants nearby. During the week there are mostly government folks milling about, but on the weekends hotel rooms can be had for reasonable money. I have yet to run into Clair or Frank Underwood, but I daresay, "House of Cards" has done more for tourism to the DC area than anything I can think of in my lifetime.

Mall of America

3. Minneapolis-St Paul, I think of them in tandem, although, they each have a different vibe. I would suggest you NOT visit in winter, which can be dicey, but spring and autumn are delightful.  You can see some great regional theater and major league sports in a user friendly city.  Oh, Mall of America is there; a wondrous and wonderful thing in and of itself! 





4. Miami is a tropical delight! There is definitely a Cuban vibe that can't be denied, but there is also a hint of exiled New Yorkers who are into great cheesecake and latkes...and the beaches are lovely. Eating or partying in South Beach is an experience in and of itself.

Pike's Public Market Seattle

                                                                                                              

5. Seattle is a laid back wonder with great salmon, fresh produce and what seems like a coffee shop on every corner.  The  Pike Place Market is not to be missed.  I had one of the best lobster rolls ever in one of the restaurants there.  The ride on Seattle's Great Wheel at  Pier 57 on Elliott Bay is fun and a precursor to the proposed Observation Wheel scheduled to open in two years within walking distance of my apartment.  It is, however, less expensive than the proposed NY Wheel will be, and is a great way to see the city from a different angle.  Try to do this around sunset.

River Walk/San Antonio

6. San Antonio was a great surprise.  I attended a meeting there in March and enjoyed it immensely!  The River Walk was fun, and the city itself is easily walkable with many interesting things to see and do.  I bought a nice piece of art glass from a dealer there which is sitting happily in my living room overlooking NY harbor.





Café Du Monde

7. Chicago is, in my humble opinion, the quintessential great American city: great steaks, great deep dish pizza, great museums, great urban architecture, and great municipal art! The Navy Pier's conversion into a tourist destination was a masterful idea. I have never had a bad meal in Chicago from high end restaurants to local neighborhood joints...great cuisine!

8. New Orleans....what can one say? I have been there pre- and post-Katrina, and am happy to see that this place is rebounding. And the food???? Excellent! Whether you are having breakfast at Brennan's, where they invented Bananas Foster, or dipping your beignets in chicory coffee at Café du Monde, there is never a disappointing culinary moment. 

Naval Aviation Museum/Pensacola

9. Las Vegas is not high on my favorite lists, but it did have one of the most unusual museums I have ever seen...The Liberace Museum was in a strip mall in Vegas. It contained his collection of pianos, including one owned by George Gershwin, his costumes, cars, photos with other celebrities, including my favorite of the maestro with Pope John Paul II making faces into the camera,and the world's largest rhinestone.  Sad to say, it closed in 2010, but every once in a while the foundation that owns the collection does "Pop Up" exhibits at hotels on the strip.  Keep an eye out for them.



10.  Pensacola is like a bit of the islands on the Florida panhandle. Its sugar white sand beaches are a wonder to behold.  The National Naval Aviation Museum is located on the Naval Aviation Station in Pensacola; it is the largest museum of its type in the world and is a fascinating visit.  I have been there twice and enjoyed it immensely...of course it helped that both times I was with a group of retired Navy guys who had served on the same aircraft carrier.

                                                                                                     







Lee, Jackson, Davis

Oh my, I forgot Atlanta! Wonderful Contemporary Art Museum and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library! ...and an unexpected excellent German restaurant in Cumming where my brother-in-law lives! The rapid transit system is very nice as well. If you are interested in history,  you can go to "Stone Mountain" where one will find a bas relief sculpture of Confederate military leaders...the War of Northern Aggression is memorialized here, and the ironic fact that the granite that forms the Lincoln Memorial was quarried here in Georgia...poetic justice? Perhaps. 


I have been to LA , but am unimpressed.

There are other cities in the USA that I am wont to visit: Charleston, Savannah, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City. Please share your impressions and direct me to your own hidden gems.