Tuesday 22 November 2016

A Postcard A Day - 22 Nov 2016 - T for convents, campervans and sunshine

Hello lovely T-Gang! How are you all? I am well. (Nowadays they say: "I'm good" but that makes me cringe as it is such bad English)

I have lots to share with you as we have been away for a few days. But first my postcard:
This postcard shows the Novodevichy Convent from the northeast. 1900s. Svetlana sent it me and she writes: 'In our day the Novodevichy Convent is one of the most remarkable examples of medieval architecture of Moscow and a part of Russian UNESCO World Heritage.'

The stamp is large and colourful:
It's about their national cuisine. The stamp website writes this: "World-famous Russian cuisine boasts diversity and abundance. Throughout its centuries-old history, cookery in Russia was enriched by a lot of recipes of delicious dishes.

Russian cuisine is distinguished by various sour, salted and retted vegetables, fruits and mushrooms, as well as a multitude of delicacies: sturgeon, salmon, salmon roe and caviar, cold boiled pork, etc. Profusion of soups is also a tradition, the best-known are okroshka, shchi, borsch, rassolnik, solyanka, kalya, ukha, botvinia.

The postage stamps depict a still life of the traditional Russian cuisine."


I have no idea what retted vegetables are... Do they mean roasted? I don't know.

Now for something else entirely. My DH and I have been away for a few days. Hubby looked at the weather forecast (which was good) and said he was ready for a break, so we got the campervan loaded up and off we went. We drove to the south east point of the Spanish peninsula, which is a two hours' drive (driving slowly)  from where we live. The area is called Cabo de Gata and it is a Natural Park.

It is my favorite destination when we go away. It is volcanic and has salt flats and flamingos and stunning desert landscapes.
There are many white villages (Pueblos blancos). A nightmare to drive in with a large vehicle. Fortunately there is usually some spot outside the village where we can park. Here we are by the sea, on the edge of the village. 
I love all the white houses and the Andalucian tiles.
While we live in Granada Province, this park is in the adjacent Almeria Province. Their symbol is the Indalo Man, which you can see everywhere.
We found a restaurant by the water and decided to have lunch.
It's the building with the blue awning.
We were soon joined by several cats that would lie at our feet patiently waiting for some tasty morsel to come their way.
I had a dish with three different types of fish on it and some calamaris rings. 
Dessert was called 'pan de calatrava', which is bread based soaked in caramel syrup, then baked. It is very yummy.

As I am going to link up with Elizabeth and Bleubeard at Altered Book Lover, I am showing you our drinks. Mine is a café cortado (an expresso coffee with the same amount of hot milk). 

That's it from me today. I will leave you a bit more info about the Cabo de Gata park at the end. 

Thank you for visiting. 

Happy T-Day,

Hugs,

Lisca


Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is characterised by volcanic rock formations - lava flows, volcanic domes, volcanic calderas. The park joined UNESCO's Global Geoparks Network in 2006, and is also a member of the European Geoparks Network[4]
Between the village of San Miguel and the Cabo de Gata point are salt flats (Las Salinas de Cabo de Gata) separated from the sea by a 400 m (1,300 ft) sand bar. The salt flats are a Ramsar site.
Its coasts have seagrass beds of the Posidonia genus and offshore coral reefs, both dramatically increasing the numbers of resident and transient marine species. A 120 km2 (46 sq mi) part of the total designated protected area is a marine reserve, extending underwater to a depth of 60 m (200 ft).
The area has an arid climate with an average temperature of about 18 °C (64 °F) and an average annual rainfall of 156 mm (6.1 in), recorded at the Faro del Cabo de Gata (36°43'18.8 N, 2°11'34.69" W) during the period 1961-1990.[5]
The characteristic vegetation in the terrestrial zone is drought-adapted flora: largely agave, prickly pear, dwarf fan palms and a number of xerophytes (some of which are endemic). There is Posidonia seagrass in the marine zone.

19 comments:

  1. i have no clue about the russian dishes, but it would surely be interesting to taste that.
    but even more i would love to accompany on such a beautiful trip! all that White and sea and volcanic surroundings are looking like a gorgeous day out! you are spoilt to live so Close nearby.
    happy t-day!

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  2. YUM! I'm afraid I'm going straight to the dessert which I'd be inclined to come to Spain just to be able to try!!! Maybe it means 'pickled', since it's near the salted - often pickled food keeps a long time like salting it.....& good on you, just getting into your van and GOING! Idyllic life, in many ways, what you have in Spain:):)

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  3. What a wonderful place you visited, and it looks so sunny and warm, and with good food. I am sure the Russian cuisine is good, but the food described there was definitely only for the rich, the majority of Russians didn't get anything like it. Retted means the veggies have been soaked in water for many hours/days to make the stems less woody. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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  4. It was good to see the sun and brightness in your photos, when it is so grey here. Your trip sounded lovely, the scenery looks wonderful. A yummy dessert after your meal. would be my choice as well.
    Happy T day
    Yvonne xx
    Yvonne xx

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  5. I love collecting postage stamps and reusing them in my art-your Russian ones are so colorful! What a gorgeous place to escape to for a bit-really breathtaking...and thanks for sharing your delicious seaside lunch too. Happy T day!

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  6. Interesting postcard and enjoyed what you found out about the stamp. Your trip south took you into such interesting landscape. I've always wondered about the "white villages". I assume there is a reason white is the tradition. I wonder if there is a restriction on painting other colors in this day and age.

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  7. Oh my goodness what a fantastic postcard and place you visited! Where do I start, both are so breathtakingly beautiful! The Novodevichy Convent architecture is magnificent with it's domes and intricate walls, such a feast for the eyes! The Natural Park is stunning and I can see why it is your favourite destination - salt flats and flamingos and desert landscapes sound perfect! The white houses and the Andalucian tiles are magical :-). I would gladly take in the view and eat the delicious fish and yummy bread soaked in caremel syrup dessert! Wishing you a Happy T Day :-) Jo x

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    Replies
    1. p.s. I actually used (cooked) pumpkin pulp for my pumpkin roll and added a 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin spice in addition to the cinnamon it has listed. You can easily make pumpkin spice, it's:
      3 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
      2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
      2 teaspoons Nutmeg
      1-1/2 teaspoon Ground Allspice.
      Hope this helps and happy baking :-). J x

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  8. What an incredibly beautiful postcard. I have heard of borsch, but none of the other dishes. The stamp was lovely, though.

    Your trip south sounds and looks wonderful. I was impressed with the volcanic rocks that surrounded the beach and water. It was truly lovely.

    I'm not a fan of calamari, but I know you are, so this must have been a fun meal for you. I also enjoyed the dessert and your coffee drink. Looks a bit like my coffee.

    Thanks for sharing your postcard, your trip, and your lunch with coffee with us for T this Tuesday. So glad to see such warmth in the post and your trip.

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  9. Lisca how wonderful of you to take us on your vacation with you! Such lovely views and yummy food! Aaaah.... thank you so much! Love the white houses against the blue sea... Happy happy Tday! Hugs! deb

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  10. I replied to your comment on my post but wasn't sure you'd see it. I will post my recipe for pumpkin rolls on my blog next week:)

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  11. Those sea views!!! I'd love that very meal in that very spot lol, and I thank you for sharing the photos. Gorgeous! Happy T Tuesday :)

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  12. I don't know much at all about Russian food so this was interesting to see! What a wonderful place for a break! Your meal looks so good! Hugs, Chrisx

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  13. A really interest post and great to see sunnier climates than we have here

    Hope your T day went well

    Love Chrissie xx

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  14. That park looks wonderful and so exotic. I think its nice you and your husband like to take off for a bit of exploring. And it sounds fun too. I am interested in your dessert. It looks delicious. Happy T Day. Hugs-Erika

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  15. What a beautiful place to visit ♥ Your meal sounds so good and that desert....AHHHHHH♥ Love the stamps on your postcard. Have a great week !!!

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  16. oh my goodness...even more beautiful photos! gorgeous water and yummy food...a feast for the eyes! ♥

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  17. Great of you to take us on your vacation ! Wonderfulviews and yummy food! Thank you ! Happy happy T.day Lisca!

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  18. Hi Lisca!
    First of all let me tell where I have been to: it's Rio das Ostras. You can google the city. It's paradise, my friend!About the empty stalls, the artisans only seell their goods in the evening. I should have taken some photos because their goods are amazing.I am glad you liked that street art. I love Banksy too! Love, love, love your vacation. Great photos!And the food is superb! Much Love, my friend!

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