Amsterdam

Hello :) Time to finally continue these travel posts. These past two weeks I've just started doing all the social media for the olive company I work for Molives, and so have been busy updating their facebook, twitter & blog, hence why I haven't had time to update my own. If you'd like to follow us on instagram too @molivesolives, that would be cool! 

Anyway! So you've all seen where I stayed in Amsterdam, now let's look at what we did after we finally managed to leave our lovely boathouse ...

One afternoon we decided to fit in with all the cyclists and hire bikes for the afternoon. We rode around  the canals and I loved it!

As a reward for bike riding, we shared a cheese fondue with cheesy bread and fruit. 

We went to a magnum bar where they dip a magnum in the chocolate of your choice and coat it with deliciousness. I chose mine coated in a milk chocolate and topped with rose petals, pistachios & chocolate macaroons. Totally yum! I think there's one in Sydney now ...

One sunny Saturday morning we went strolling ...

And we came across a farmers market. I love stumbling across markets ...so much incredible produce!

Olives 

We just had to pick up supplies for a picnic on the canal. There was jambon in the croissant and feta in the olives. 

This guy had the right idea

After we had lattes. It really was the most relaxing day :)

One night we had dinner and boats just like this just kept going past. Just your average weekday night in Amsterdam. 

Stylish lady on a bike!

The canals, the canals... so darn picturesque.

Only the coolest bar ever just near where we were staying. 

By the end of our 4 day Amsterdam visit, I think I actually wanted to live there. It was really one of my favourite places ...and I would definitely go back and see more of The Netherlands too! 

Hannah x

On a Boathouse in Amsterdam

 Hello :) The next part of our trip was in Amsterdam...home to beautiful canals, bikes and all those popular coffee (read: weed) shops. I thought before I show you pictures out and about, I would firstly dedicate an entire post to our accommodation, as it was a boathouse, and hence why I was quite excited! When I found it on a hostel website, I rang Renee and we promptly booked for 3 nights.

We were greeted by the lovely lady who lives there and shown around. She wrote down a lot of helpful suggestions of what to do and for the most part was away, which was actually quite nice...as it meant the boathouse felt like our own.

The exterior...oh how pretty it looked in the sun!

I loved waking up, popping on the kettle, and peering out of this window. Life felt like it was at a slower pace.

Eggs & bacon were provided for breakfast, so each day we made variations. Buttery scrambled eggs one day, and boiled eggs the next.

The kitchen area ...

The living room was perfect for reading a book, or having an afternoon nap. As you can probably already gather, it was so cosy that we didn't want to leave!

Our bed. Super comfortable and roomy.

And the cat I took way too many photos of ...

Boats going past ...

Until next time boathouse!

Hannah x

Copenhagen

Hello :) I am back! I landed on Saturday morning and have since embraced afternoon sleeps and am slowly realising I start back at uni tomorrow. Only two semesters to go! But back to my travel adventures...I'm still working out how I want to blog about my trip. Should I do a post on every place we went, or will that be too many... but oh there's so many photos and foodie snaps and it's fun to share! So at this point, I'd say there will be quite a few posts. Yay! Let's get straight into it...

So on the first of July, my friend Renee and I left our boyfriends behind, and excitedly headed off to Europe for a month! It was my first time to Europe, so was super keen to explore new places and spend a month just relaxing and taking it all in. The previous uni semester had been particularly stressful, so was definitely looking forward to a break.

Our adventure actually started in the Scandinavian country of Copenhagen. I'll also mention now, we didn't do that much "research" for the trip. For peace of mind, all the hostels were booked in advance, so we knew where we were staying each night, however didn't have a plan when we got to the country. We just grabbed a map, asked around, walked around for hours each day, and made each day spontaneous. 

Copenhagen ...

Walking around & watching all the cyclists go past

Refuelling with a delicious smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel

The hotel was one of the only places we stayed which provided breakfast. I had lots of rye rolls with butter, ham and cheese, as well as yoghurt, fruit, tea...we made the most of those "free" breakfasts!

Stumbling across a summer market selling fresh raspberries...

Delicious salty, rye crackers. 

Prams crossing the street

An antique shop in a quiet street

 I had read somewhere about this porridge bar in Copenhagen called Grod, which sounded totally cool & we decided to go there on the last afternoon. It was a hole-in-the-wall place, just a few seats. 

Being a porridge bar, it serves traditional oat or spelt porridge in the morning and for lunch and dinner provides porridges with a base of barley, or rice (there were congee options), more "risotto" type dishes. They even had a porridge recipe book, if only I could understand Danish!

We went for a late lunch and I choose this barley based risotto with fresh peas, ricotta, pepper and watercress. One of the best meals of the trip. Seriously, the flavour was just amazing! So fresh, moreish and seasoned well... a meal we talked about for a while. Renee opted for one with tomato, croutons, pesto, and parmesan & loved it too.

The interior...

The main canal, so lovely to walk along and have an iced coffee!

Cafe life...

And yes of course we visited where Princess Mary lives! Although sadly she was currently in her summer residence...

 I loved Copenhagen... the bikes, the colourful houses, the flat streets & all those trendy prams and pregnant ladies. The Danish have serious style!

Hannah x

Rhubarb & Ginger Jam

Hello :) On Wednesday it was sadly my last day working at the Ethiopian food stall at EQ markets. I'm going to miss Hali's food; my weekly fix of Ethiopian curries with his amazing chili and yoghurt sauce. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend visiting the stall, just watch out for the big queue that begins at 12! 

I'd been there for over 2 years, but now it's time for travel and a bit of change. Something else I'll miss is the fresh, organic produce from Burrawang (the stall is just near Toby's estate coffee), which I enjoyed buying every week. I always stocked up on bunches of super green kale, picked yesterday broccoli, and creamy potatoes. Oh, and rhubarb. For jam making.

Their veggies, because they're so fresh, last ages in the fridge. Rhubarb is still good after a few weeks, although I had neglected it for almost a month and wasn't sure what to do. Then I thought of jam...and ginger...and did some googling. So here's my recipe I've made several times.

Recipe: Rhubarb & Ginger Jam (makes 1 jar)

Ingredients-

1 bunch rhubarb

1 cup sugar

1 lemon, juiced

Grated ginger

Method-

1. Chop rhubarb into small pieces and add to a large bowl.

2. Mix in the sugar, juiced lemon and ginger to taste. I probably add a thumb sized piece. I find the ginger taste becomes more prominent after the jam has cooled, so be careful not to add too much.

3. Leave to sit for 30 minutes.

4. Add to a big pot, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or so. You want the rhubarb pieces to break down and the mixture to reduce, but leave it a little chunky. 

5. Spoon into a sterilised jar and pop in the fridge.

To serve- 

My favourite way to eat it is topped on porridge (soaked overnight in full cream milk). It's so scrumptious! Sweet, zingy, and syrupy. 

2 jars of rhubarb & ginger jam I made for the farmers that grew the rhubarb as a thankyou for all the wonderful produce from them. I just hope they like it!

Do you like making jam? (I've made strawberry jam here previously)

  I'm leaving on Monday morning for Copenhagen and my European adventure will begin!! I'm doing last minute packing and researching for the trip, so again if you have any advice on anything we should do (including museums, cafes, markets, gardens etc!) I would love hear it! We'll mostly be in France (Paris, Lyon, Nice, Avignon) and Spain (Barcelona, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Madrid), but also Amsterdam and Brussels.

Have a wonderful month! I will be back and ready for blogging fun times about my travels in August. In the meantime, you can see photos of my trip on instagram.

Hannah x

Leura

Hello :) For the past few days I've been on a little holiday in Leura. The perfect escape after a stressful few weeks with exams. It rained most the time, but we still enjoyed going out for a few walks; all rugged up with coats, colourful beanies and gloves. Plus, The Blue Mountains always looks so serene and peaceful when it's misty and cold...

Some photos of the trip!

 Whenever we go away, I always take homemade granola for breakfast. Then all we need to buy is little tubs of yoghurt for each day. 

The Leura lolly shop was a definite highlight for Adrian! He stocked up on Sharapova's Sugarpova lollies for late night Wimbledon watching.

We decided to go for a walk to Gordon Falls Lookout & it was so nice!!

The beautiful, misty view...

The walk was only supposed to take around 30 minutes, but we ended up getting lost and it probably took about 1.5 hours! Thank goodness for google maps...

Some other highlights included slow cooked lamb shanks for dinner, sleeping in (something I hadn't done for a very long time!), watching a few movies including Milk (excellent) and Like Crazy (definitely my choice!) and just hanging out.

Hannah x

Fettuccini with tomatoes, olives & feta

Hello :) As part of my Saturday job at Molives, I have also started to post on their facebook page (here). Just simple recipe ideas using olives. I tend to ask people at the markets for some inspiration, and received a great, simple recipe the other week I'm going to share now. I'm not very particular with the amount of ingredients, as it's just my interpretation from a quick conversation. Enjoy!

Recipe: Fettuccini with tomatoes, olives & feta
Ingredients-
About 300-400g fettuccini
2 punnets ripe cherry tomatoes
About 20 Sicilian olives (other olives such as kalamata would work)
Half a packet of creamy feta
2 handfuls of basil
1-2 chopped garlic cloves
1 chopped  chili, seeds removed (optional)

Method-
1. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large frying pan and add some olive or macadamia oil.
3. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and chili, and stir for about 10 minutes. The tomatoes will break down and should look more like a sauce. Add the olives and continue to cook.
4. The pasta should be cooked to al dente, drain it well and add it to the pan, with the basil.
5. Toss everything together, and crumble in the feta.
6. Turn off the heat and give yourself a clap!

Hannah x

p.s. things are a bit quiet here as it's the week before my exams, so I've been spending my days amongst study notes & cups of tea.

Travel Tips

Hello :) In less than a month I'll be on a plane with my friend Renee to Europe! And on this rainy Sunday morning, I was wondering, if perhaps some of you could help me. You see, I haven't really travelled much overseas, & I'd love some suggestions of things to do! I have no idea of where to eat, museums/galleries to go to, food markets etc etc! The places I'll be going to...Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Lyon, Nice, Avignon, Arles, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Bilbao & Madrid. Quite a few.

A few things I'm already looking forward to include bike riding in Copenhagen, staying in a little boathouse in Amsterdam (!!), food in France & spending days at the beach in Spain. We won't plan our entire trip, but it would be nice to write suggestions down in my travel diary.

Saltwater sandals I bought yesterday for the trip. 

Thanks :) Planning my trip sure beats physiology study!

Hannah x