Comer em Budapeste

O que fazer quando estamos cansados e com frio?

Há sempre a hipótese de comer, comer- nem que seja para agora fazer dieta...

São muitos os cafés que nos convidam a entrar e descansar...

Café Alexandra

Café Alexandra

Café Palace New York

Café Gerbeaud

Café Gerbeaud

e depois há a sopa Goulash, que aquece mesmo (dos 6 graus negativos).

 

e o sempre delicioso patê de ganso…

Fotos tiradas em Budapest de 7 a 14 janeiro 2015

Alentejo- Portugal in International New York Times

Yesterday, in my long flight Paris- Bogota, which lasted 10. 30 hours, I had the opportunity to read this article by Eli Gottlieb.

Alentejo lovers, don´t miss A land finely aged, like a good wine




Posts about Alentejo:


Portugal, Alentejo: Best Wine Region to Visit

A guide to Alentejo, Portugal

Cante Alentejano

Rota Vicentina in The Sunday Times

Arraiolos Rugs

Helena Loermans´textiles

La Dolce Far Niente

King Richard III in Leicester

King Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth, in August 1485. It marked the end of the English historical period known as The War of the Roses.

On the 527th anniversary of this date archaeologists uncovered a skeleton with battle wounds and a curved spine. The skeleton was exhumed and the process of formal identification began. Experts from the University of Leicester used DNA sampling to link the skeleton to Richard III’s descendants. Carbon dating of the bones dated them to 1455-1540. It coincides with Richard III’s death. Furthermore the bones were identified to be of a man between late 20s or early 30s and Richard III died aged 32.

After careful scientific examination, the University announced in February 2013 that the skeleton found was indeed Richard III. 

The remains were discovered under a car park in Leicester.

King Richard III will be reburied in Leicester Cathedral in March 2015.

Leicester, January 1, 2015

A Adoração dos Reis

Escolhi este quadro, exposto na Galeria Nacional em Londres, para ilustrar o Dia de Reis. Infelizmente tive uma grande gripe e não consegui publicar, pois importava curar-me para poder viajar no dia 7.

Agora já regressei e brevemente tentarei dar uma ordem cronológica aos lugares que visitei, desde o mês passado. Por enquanto o meu "GPS" está desorientado com uma gripe tão forte e, de seguida, tanta viagem, museu e palácio....e ainda falta mais um longo trajecto....

Hampton Court Palace

     

Hampton Court Palace was originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry VIII.

Cardinal Wolsey used the palace to entertain his monarch and receive foreign dignitaries. In  1529, however, the Cardinal failed to persuade the Pope to annul the king´s marriage in order to allow Henry VIII to divorce Queen Katherine of Aragon. It was the disgrace of Thomas Wolsey who lost Hampton Court. 

The palace became propriety of the King, who enlarged it. Since then, Hampton Court has been a Royal Palace, transformed by different monarchs. Its halls, rooms and gardens are like a mirror of different ages, symbols and tastes, but the memory of Henry VIII is still felt very strongly. 

Henry VIII´s private WC

King William II private dining room laid out for dessert

Not to be missed is the Cumberland Art Gallery. King Charles I turned the Royal Collection into the largest private collection of art in the world. Nowadays we can admire masterpieces by the great court artists such as Holbein, Rubens, Van Dyck and a set of 12 paintings by Canaletto.

When king George II dined publicly he did it in style. The skilled art of napkin folding was popular in the royal courts of Germany.

The beautiful gardens

and the restoration of the Royal kitchen garden

London revisited

London was cold, crowded and very expensive.

Why is it that tea 

at Fortnum & Mason

and fish and chips always taste better in England?

Caracola

uma obra original de Marcos Nestor Garcia Cruz

Hallacas

As hallacas são o prato típico venezuelano durante a época do Natal. Dão muito trabalho. Lavam-se muito bem as folhas de plátano. Por cima coloca-se massa feita com milho, guisado de carne de porco e de galinha...

Recheiam-se ainda com pimento, passas, toucinho, alcaparras, amêndoas e, finalmente,

enrolam-se em  folhas de plátano.

 Amarram-se bem para não entrar água, quando forem para dentro da panela para cozer em água e sal, durante 1 hora.

Pode-se guardar no frigorífico durante 2 semanas e congelar durante 6 meses. 

Bom apetite e Feliz Consoada Venezuelana!

Pintor Augusto Gomes Martins (1922-1994)

Paisagem de Gomes Martins. 1955

Tenho estado a restaurar alguns quadros que estavam em más condições e estou muito satisfeita com os resultados.

Zoologia: El Gato

Zoologia: El Gato


Un gato, en casa, solitario, sube

a la ventana para que, de la calle

lo vean.



El sol pega en el vidrio

y calienta al gato que, inmóvil,

parece um objeto.



Se queda así para que

lo envidien indiferente

aunque lo llamen.



Por no se qué privilegio,

los gatos conocen

la eternidad.




Nuno Júdice in Siete Poetas Portugueses. Selección y traducción: Nidia Hernández

El poeta portugués Nuno Júdice ha ganado  el Premio Reina Sofía de Poesía Iberoamericana (2013). El galardón, instituido en 1992 , se concede al conjunto de la obra poética de un autor vivo del ámbito iberoamericano. Júdice es el segundo escritor portugués y el tercero de su lengua en ingresar en ese palmarés.

Guía de Restaurantes Españoles en Caracas

A Embaixada de Espanha acaba de publicar o primeiro guia de restaurantes espanhóis na capital Venezuelana: Guía de Restaurantes Españoles en Caracas . 

A comunidade espanhola é sem dúvida a maior na Venezuela e estabeleceu um conjunto de restaurantes, os quais são parte do património gastronómico-cultural de Caracas. Apesar das diversas influências da cozinha crioula venezuelana, integrando sabores italianos, portugueses, alemães (na Colónia Tovar) e franceses, a cozinha espanhola veio para ficar. O novo guia inclui 53 restaurantes dos cinco municípios que constituem Caracas.

O Embaixador de Espanha na Venezuela, Antonio Pérez-Hernández Torra destaca no prefácio os fortes laços unindo Venezuelanos e Espanhóis. “Los inmigrantes españoles supieron seducir a los venezolanos por el estómago, se ha hecho mucho por aprobación de la gastronomía en Venezuela, gastronomía que se ha criollizado, ha adquirido nuevos sabores en Caracas. Yo creo que Caracas es un gran muestrario de restaurantes españoles, de las cuales estamos muy orgullosos y queríamos rendir tributo a ese cariño y gusto por la cocina española publicando esta guía”.

Alguns dos restaurantes passaram a ser propriedade de portugueses, que mantiveram as ementas originais, como é o caso do El Barquero, onde o dono, Senhor Antonino, brinda com um Madeira muito especial.

20 Most Peaceful Countries in the World

The Global Peace Index has been issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) since 2007. It is a measurement of nations’ and regions’ peacefulness based on external and internal measures.

1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Singapore
4. Slovenia
5. Sweden
6. Iceland
7. Belgium
8. Czech Republic
9. Switzerland
10. Japan
11. Ireland
12. Finland
13. New Zealand
14. Canada
15. Austria
16. Bhutan
17. Australia

Lisbon, Portugal

                           

18. Portugal
19. Qatar
20. Mauritius

http://travel.amerikanki.com/most-peaceful-countries-in-the-world/

Xmas 2014

It´s beginning to look a lot ...like Christmas

Merry Christmas 

Quinoa Salad

I love this recipe. The friend who has given it to me also recommended toasting the quinoa for a bit before cooking it

Quinoa has more protein than any other grain; it's delicious in this summer salad.

ingredients
1 cup quinoa (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mango chutney, chopped if chunky
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup chopped peeled mango plus mango spears for garnish
1 cup chopped unpeeled English hothouse cucumber
5 tablespoons chopped green onions, divided
2 cups (packed) baby spinach

preparation

Cook quinoa in medium pot of boiling salted water over medium heat until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain well; cool. Transfer to medium bowl.

Meanwhile, whisk oil and next 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Add chopped mango, cucumber, 4 tablespoons green onions, and 1/4 cup dressing to quinoa; toss to coat. Divide spinach between 2 plates. Spoon quinoa salad over spinach. Garnish with mango spears and 1 tablespoon green onions. Drizzle with remaining dressing; serve.

To chop a mango:
Cut mango in half lengthwise, slicing around the pit. Cut a half-inch grid into flesh of each half. Using your thumbs, push up skin side so cubes stick out. Slice off cubes at base.

Thanks, K 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Curried-Quinoa-Salad-with-Mango-232544

9 de dezembro: dia internacional contra a corrupção

Combater a corrupção – um problema ao nível global e uma solução





por ROBERT SHERMAN , embaixador dos EUA em Portugal

Why do societies prosper? More on the What and less of the Why

Bosch (ca. 1450-1516) The Temptation of Saint Anthony. MNAA, Lisbon

The Charles Street Symposium is an annual forum for the world’s leading young researchers. Its aim is to bring together the best and brightest thinkers to address issues of relevance to public policy that are inadequately addressed and understood in existing research.

As part of its 2014 symposium, participants submitted a collection of essays addressing the question of 'Why do societies prosper?'

I enjoyed reading this essay very much:

More on the What and less of the Why


http://li.com/docs/default-source/publications/css2014_essays_web.pdf?sfvrsn=4

8 de dezembro

Santa Ana Ensinando a Virgem a Ler. MNAA, Lisboa

Em 2011 fotografei esta belíssima escultura de Machado de Castro no Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga. Decidi publicá-las hoje, véspera do Dia da Imaculada Conceição.

Immaculate Conception Day: December 8

Richard Zenith in Caracas

Richard Zenith is an American-Portuguese writer, translator and researcher. He was born in Washington DC in 1956, but has been living in Portugal since 1987 and has also Portuguese citizenship. Zenith is considered an expert in Fernando Pessoa and was the winner of the Pessoa award in 2012. He organized the exhibition Fernando Pessoa - Plural como o Universo, dedicated to Pessoa's life and heteronyms, which was, no doubt, a huge success in Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon.

Zenith is currently visiting Caracas, Venezuela. He was invited by the Portuguese Institute of Culture (IPC) to celebrate its 29th anniversary.

There, he provided a compelling lecture in which we learnt a lot about Pessoa’s intimate life. The topic of the conference was the correspondence between Pessoa and Ofélia Queirós, a collection of letters that has recently showcased several interesting details about Pessoa’s personality and his curious love affair with Ofélia. 

Later, I was fortunate enough to attend a lunch in the embassy of Portugal where he was the guest of honour.

We were again very pleased to listen to Zenith’s many stories about Pessoa and Portugal, in general, in his very fluent and articulate Portuguese.

Alexandrov

Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov (1883-1946) foi um compositor da União Soviética e o fundador da Alexandrov Ensemble, o agrupamento musical oficial das Forças Armadas Russas, composto por um coro, orquestra e grupo de dança. Alexandrov, que deu o nome ao grupo foi seu diretor durante anos. Escreveu a música para hino nacional da União Soviética, o qual a passou a ser o da atual Rússia, com nova letra.

Durante a sua carreira, trabalhou como professor do Conservatório de Moscovo e doutorou-se em Artes.

O seu trabalho foi reconhecido pela atribuição do título de Artista do Povo da URSS e do Prémio Stalin . 

Hoje assisti a uma extraordinária exibição do Alexandrov Ensemble na Venezuela.