Dazzling Domburg

Above, Badpaviljoen Domburg which houses a fantastic restaurant and exquisite apartments.

Tuna and soft shell crab

Bouillabaisse

This weekend we treated ourselves to a weekend in Domburg, Zeeland. Because I spent most of my life abroad, I really missed out on getting to know this country properly. I so enjoy our 'recces' of Holland and never realised how beautiful it really is.
I was surprised by the evidence of great wealth (huge villas and castles with beautiful gardens) in and around Domburg (an area I expected to be rather barren and surviving on ever diminishing fishing industry) but discovered that this dates back to around the year 1535, when a canal was dug to Middelburg. There, huge warehouses were built for storing all the goods that would be brought in by ships of the VOC ( the Dutch East India Company). The many people who'd become very rich from this trade would then have their 'pied à terre' and summer homes built in Domburg. For Wikipedia information on this era, click on:HISTORY.
Different times now, but Domburg still has a lot to offer, incl. some great restaurants and shops, and many of the Dutch elite still have their 2nd homes there. Definitely worth a visit!

Although it was a grey day, we really enjoyed our walk on the beach where fishermen were 'line-catching' some Plaice and we ended up having some Bockbier (seasonal, dark, malty beer) at bar/restaurant 'Oase' on the beach, with its very own webcam, click on OASE.

My Favorite picture 

Art Ceramics Studio Gillian Smith

I've mentioned my ceramics/porcelain class before and how much we all enjoy it, so I've decided to take some pictures of the studio. We're an international bunch of women and yes, also men. Because the evenings are getting darker and colder, I've changed from an evening course to a day course and am now trying to make some porcelain jewellery. No finished products yet, but that'll come.
To have a look at Gillian's website, click on:ART CERAMICS STUDIO

Above a picture of Gillian making coffee and tea for us. In the backround one can see a HUGE kiln.

FALL.

It's that time of year. Cold and windy outside but, thankfully, warm and cosy inside. It's also time for....oliebollen, sprinkled (or thickly coated) with icing sugar. Yummmmmmmmmm.

For info./recipe on oliebollen click on:OLIEBOLLEN

Lunch at rest. Mercat, Amsterdam

Today, Leonie and I decided to try out the new, Spanish cuisine, restaurant Mercat on Oostelijke Handelskade 4.
Cool place, at great location (except for dug up road). Quality of food?... For my review click on my food blog: Me-me-linkfood.Amsterdam.
Added, saturday 27-10-'12: Dutch article by Johannes van Dam in PS van de week with his review on Mercat. This proofs how restaurants, chefs (and food critics) can have good- and bad days.

Swallow 'skimming' the water

Olive grove at location 2

Our second 'home' was very different from the first one but great. We'd booked a room at Al Crepuscolo, Montefiore, which was an interesting mix of hotel/holiday let, located on the grounds of a large Olive grove. It's a family run business, with grandpa pruning trees, grandma making sure the rabbits are fattening up, aunty in charge of the mill, etc. We chose to eat at the restaurant most evenings, where Sonia and cousin Elisabetta prepared delicious local food for us (at  breakfast, fresh eggs from the 'galline'). What struck us most was, the gentle and kind nature of this family.
Their olive oil is well known (also abroad). They make soap, hand cream etc. from the oil too, which is pressed at their own, old, mill, under the brand Gabrielloni.
Because it was late in te season, we had the entire top floor, incl. lounge and little kitchen, to ourselves and, most days, the two of us were able to admire the view (land and sea), from the garden, by ourselves (well, plus G+T, of course). See: Al Crepuscolo

One of our afternoons was spent at the nearby village Recanati, where the famous poet Giacomo Leopardi was born, see: G. Leopardi.
They like their castles and towers here, so we decided to end up having a yummy meal at restaurant 'il Borgo Antico', with VERY large wine list, in the cellar of a tower. see: Borgo Antico.
All these places are soooo worth a visit.

Home cookin' at location 1

Last year we went on a cullinary tour, which meant a lot of travelling/packing to different places, where we were wined and dined on. This year we chose to stay at two 'agriturismo' locations and, most days, we'd cook for ourselves.
First there would be a long run of approx. 25 km. (not by me), then a cool dip in the large pool with fantastic view, followed by a little snooze, reading of good book/daydreaming, followed by  G+T plus nibbles

after which we would move ourselves into the, well stocked, round kitchen..

for some fiiiiiiine, home cookin'...

LOVELY!