By the way............

Oh ...... and by the way...........I googled 'wine in bath' to provide a picture for my previous post and got the above. It's a wine bath in Japan and had the tag line - 'bath in wine and drink it'. Now why would you drink wine someone else had been bathing in - why oh why ? 

Why waste time on bad wine?

Well I finally got around to mowing the lawn this evening. Is is a very hot evening so I decided as a treat to run a lovely hot bath, pour in some aromatherpy salts which i brought last summer (and had been hiding behind my many bottles of scented lovelies in my bathroom) and pour myself a wee glass of vino. As I was listening to Tricky's Maxinquaye and enjoying the wonderful smells of the salts a thought came to me . Why do I waste time on bad wine? Now, I am not a wine snob - although given the budget, I so would be! But I know what I like and sometimes (well most times) I buy a couple of cheaper bottles of wine to enjoy of an evening with friends but really I should just buy one really good bottle of wine and savour the taste rather than drink it down too quickly.  So, as I was sipping my rather tasty Barbera D'Asti (a little treat to myself at the beginning of last month when I splurged £50 on two bottles of wine and a bottle of port at Valvona & Crolla- I only went in for some focaccia bread) I made a pact not to buy cheap wine just for the sake of having a drink and spoil myself once and a while with  lovely wine. Wine should be an occasional indulgence to be savoured..........or maybe that's just the wine speaking.

A wee Metaxa anyone?

Metaxa - the drink of the Gods is a distilled spirit. As I have been frequenting Christos a lot of late and am eagerly looking forward to my holiday to Kephalonia I have had one or two wee Metaxas recently.  Metaxa comes in five major varieties: Three Stars, Five Stars, Seven Stars, Twelve Stars and the Grand Reserve. The number of stars represents the number of years the blend is matured. The five star is notably drier, making the alcohol more pronounced. The seven and twelve star are more flavoursome and complex, while the twelve is again more dry because there is no addition of wine. The Grand Reserve is the most expensive and difficult to find.

I previously liked the five but have become a fan of the seven. I am planning to get some twelve and hopefully Grand Reserve on my holiday. My top tip for a yummy nightcap is chocolate milk and Mextaxa - a good night sleep guaranteed.  Στην Υγεια Μας! 

Kangaroos in Germany ?

Whilst gazing out of the window on my journey from Bremen to Hamburg this morning I was sure that I spotted two Kangaroos.  In a field. Just outside Bremen. Honest! My eyes were definitely not playing tricks on me- there were two Kangaroos. Are there Kangaroos in Germany?

Mmmmmm - where will I eat tonight?

http://www.restaurant-christos.info/

The best recommendation for a restaurant!  Greek food at it's best. If you ever happen to be in Hamburg then you should give this place a whirl. The food is absolutely yummy and the service is top class. Mr Lee and I have visited this place nearly every week for the past three months and never tire of it! Particular favorites are the Kolokythokeftèdes (zucchini burgers), Gegrillte Zucchini mit Parmesankäse (grilled zucchini with Parmesan cheese- eat them while they're hot) and the Spinat-Sesam-Salat (spinach and sesame salad).  The vegetation choice is great but there are also plenty of meat and fish dishes to choose from.  Finish your meal off with a Metaxa - 7 star of course.  

Faithless passing the baton

It's been an emotional week for Faithless fans across the globe (or maybe that was just me) as they performed their final gigs last week before going their separate ways or in the words of the Faithless - passing the baton. Having been a Faithless fan for years,  I rushed out (or rather - rushed on line) to get my tickets for their Glasgow gig as soon as I heard the news of their split and when they announced that they would be transmitting their final gig from Brixton Academy on 8th April live throughout the world at various cinemas I, of course, would not have missed it for anything!!! My tickets purchased  I looked forward in anticipation to that final gig. I was excited to be going, but not looking forward to it being the last ever Faithless gig. Many folks have muttered 'give them 10 years and they'll be organising a come back'. I on the other hand believe firmly that this is it. Not because I'm a pessimist (I would welcome a comeback) but because I believe the Faithless when they say that's it. Naive? Maybe - but I think not. Also, I was curious how the whole watching a gig in a cinema would go. I mean - sitting down at a Faithless gig? Unheard of!!! My head was buzzing with many questions. Would it be busy? Would the seats be removed? Can the seats in the cinema be removed? Would there be room to dance? And most of all - would I actually make it to the gig? I was travelling with work and had encountered delays and cancellations abound the past two weeks, courtesy of the lovely Flybe, who I was trusting to get me home just in time to get to the gig. Any delay, even an hour would scupper my plans and could mean the end of my hopes to join in on the last gig of my beloved Faithless. All day I felt nervous and on edge- nervous  anticipation I think. Fear not!!! I arrived on time - thank you Flybe. I love you again (until my next delayed flight). The cinema was not even half full and everyone took their seats. How can I get up and dance I wondered without blocking someones view? Will people get up to dance? Worry not - the atmosphere in the half empty cinema was electric, the music started and the crowd stated cheering.  The gig was fantastic!!!! Odd to be watching live but not really have them in front of you, but it really was just like being at the gig in Brixton - except there was a lot more room to dance.
I had a ball!! Two Faithless gigs in one week. My throat has still not recovered. Thank you Faithless for all the wonderful music!!! It 's true - the dance NEVER ends!