Arcticterntalk.org
The blog of a travelling psychiatrist and football lover. Who happens to be a halfway decent photographer. Takes a cynical view of the world
Archive for the tag “pizza”
The Sri Lankan People. Photographs From A Nice Nation
Young Sri Lankan girl came running to meet us
Captain of The Boat House running river boat cruises and dresses to impress
Young boy ran to see us with his sister above
The Best Tour guide in Sri Lanka
Pillows were in short supply at the 2nd Sri Lanka v Australia test at Galle 2016
Anyone working in the 30 degrees Sri Lankan heat of the afternoon has my admiration
Many important discussions happen in the middle of a railway track
A few thoughts on a few hours in Madrid
I have posted a few articles this year on Madrid. A great city but a warm one. Recently I had a few hours to myself to walk around and that goes quickly in Madrid. Who cares where I walked but it was on the edge of Gran Via.
A few things struck me:
- This is a seriously hot city. Temperatures that day were a medium 30c at maximum but it felt hotter, what we call dry heat. In the summer I am told 45c is not unusual. Now that is too hot to be walking around
- Prices for ice creams are a disgrace. In general Spain is not an expensive city at all, in fact relatively cheap, but to be asked for 3.20 euros for an ice cream cone is criminal.
- Everyone still seems to smoke here. This is not backed up in the official statistics of course, but just take a walk and take a look.
- Spanish food is curious frankly. They never seem to want to heat it up properly and seem to regularly recycle in buffets food that maybe in UK would have been removed.
- The people generally are smiling. People are talking to each other. They tried talking to me, as most think I am Spanish, but at a conversation speed that appraoches the speed of re-entry into the Earth atmosphere.
- I like the city, the country and mostly the people.
- There is no word in the spanish language for Queue. This does not happen. They are not being rude ( well maybe they are) but people do not queue. Not anywhere. Old ladies are the most dangerous species with their bags and coats at strange angles and heading directly towards where they want to get to. If they knock you then so be it ( its your fault of course, not theirs),
- Lastly there is a reason why the abbreviation for Madrid Barajas airport is MAD. A really confusing and complex airport. Do allow time there to negotiate your way through.
When can I go back please? But dont mention the football. Euro 2016.
Painting Of Corpus Christi Festival Benalmadena Pueblo By Vincent Van B
Corpus Christi is the Catholic holiday in honour of the presence of the body of Christ in the holy water. It is celebrated throughout Spain and is held in either May or June depending on when Easter occurs. To calculate the next Corpus Christi date, look for the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday (the eighth Sunday after Easter) and you’ll know when the fiesta is set to begin in towns and villages throughout Andalucia.
This is a painting from Benalmadena Pueblo by Vincent Van B from Corpus Christi 2016. Today it is still typical to carpet the streets of towns and villages with greenery for the solemn Corpus Christi processions. This adds a special ambiance to the processions. The Corpus Christi parades also tend to attract all the local authorities, and in some cases, military personnel as well.
What can be seen here is not the petals that adorn the smaller streets but the greenery that is essentially decorative only.
The Members of Lucinda Belle Orchestra
Photos taken from a concert at Pizza Express Jazz Club March 2016 in London. A very photogenic crew in my humble opinion. Enjoy please.
Lucinda Belle Orchestra At Pizza Express Photos
Lucinda Belle is an artist who has produced an album and played numerous concerts over the last few years but who has been a little quiet this last 12 months.
This week March 2016 she played two nights at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Dean street London and was simply amazing. Her new music sounds fresh and interesting and she is one the artists that genuinely sound better live than on recordings.
Her performance was inspirational and the music excellent. The only critiscism was that I could have listened to another few hours of music.
The Pizza Expresss venue is in my opinion the worst place to photgraph in the whole world and I will devote a separate blog to that in due course, but maybe one of the best to hear live music. Her band are also superb and I have had the pleasure of hearing Sheldon Conrich and Philipp Groyssboeck play many times in the LBO.
Sheldon Conrich
Phillip Groyssboeck
Lucinda Belle and Sheldon Conrich
Sheldon Conrich
Phillip Groyssboeck
Enjoy some of these shots from the other night.
Sheldon Conrich and Lucinda Belle Duet
Lucinda Belle
Lucinda Belle
Lucinda Belle
Lucinda Belle
Lucinda Belle
Lucinda Belle
Lucinda Belle
Lucinda Belle
Nice Food Photographs
Garlic pizza bread. A nice starter
Chicken with asparagus and peppercorn sauce. Courgettes and oven potatoes.
Tiramisu
Apple Crumble. The Italian version.
Slovenia and Food
Many aspects of Slovenian food are not unlike good quality British or American food.In 2006, the leading Slovenian ethnologists have divided the country into 23 gastronomic regions. Breakfasts tend to be a mixture of fresh fruit, cold meats and cooked eggs. The quality is exceptionally high. The first Slovene-language cookbook was published by Valentin Vodnik in 1799 and I am not planning the second. A few more curious ingredients it seems also, such as Dandelion being popular in salads, and soups it seems are quite a new invention in Slovenia although they now have around 150, enough for most.
There are however a few more unique aspects to their food. For example a very thin crispy pizza served as a starter, with toppings in different lines of pizza being different. Works well as a starter but a temptation to eat rather more than one might want to. Many countries seem to bring their own cultures and influences. The provision of an extra course of cold meats and cheese after a starter with ample bread also suggests not a UK tradition!
There are however some strange traditions here, like giving cups of coffee seemingly only half full even when one asks for a traditional large Americano!
As Slovenia borders Italy and is not actually a million miles from Venice, there are some Italian influences in addition to pizza and ice cream. Roasted potatoes are simple and ample portions. Pork cordon bleu is almost German in its origin.
Desserts can also be interesting with Tarte Tatin hot with ice cream. Prices are maybe 30-50% below what current UK prices are. 
Ray Shell
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell is an African-American film, TV and stage actor, as well as an author, director and producer. He is famous for creating the roles of Nomax in Five Guys Named Moe and Rusty in Starlight Express. He is a Creative Director of the Giant Olive Theatre Company, resident Company at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre in Kentish Town.
His theatre credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Gone with the Wind, Miss Saigon and The Lion King.
I had the pleasure recently to see him sing at Pizza Express Jazz Club in London, an awesome venue. his repertoire was incredible, his persona interesting and not a trace of arrogance, only humility. His voice too was good. Enjoy these photos.
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Ray Shell. Copyright Chris Bushe
Weather Report from Scandinavia
It seems I am replicating the Grand Tour but instead of Italy am focusing on Scandinavia. All that I am trying to do is get back from Copenhagen to London. However last night having got onto a plane and sat there for 2 hours it became too windy for the ground staff to work. This also meant that they could not connect the air bridge so we were all stuck on the plane. Today the weather is a little less stormy but snow has arrived. Copenhagen airport is chaos, with people and queues everywhere. The pushing and shoving at the gates reminds me of Rugby League. Mr Angry is out in force and has been cloned too. Mr Important is standing there shouting into his phone that ” he has to get to Bejing”. Which is where most folks might wish to place him. Restaurants are packed selling high priced pizza and hot dogs. Most folks are surgically attached to wine or/and beer glasses.
Somehow I escaped on a plane to Stockholm that then promised me a trip to London however the london flight was cancelled along with most other flights. So I am here in Stockholm Arlanda Airport, most likely all night. The queues to book at the SAS ticket centres stretch around 200 yards or longer and just keep on getting longer. The staff are doing their best and remain cheerful and pleasant and SAS cannot be criticised at all.
For those of you who would like to experience this joy a few photos. As for the weather, well cold, windy, actually very cold and very windy and lots of snow here. Posted 8 pm. A glass of wine for me
The Hilton hotel is at Copenhagen airport and the sky shows that snow was coming. The queues you will have to just work out as they were endless. The pushing at the Gate. Well thats easy. The folks sitting on the baggage carousel was last night at Copenhagen. They may well still be there!
A Great Place
The rants and warblings of an active and some would say disturbed mind. A Brentford Fc supporter and a psychiatrist and photographer. Welcome to my musings and rants.
chris1957