A very enjoyable day extremely well organised by Margot Dietzsch, Thomas Lenk, and Joachim Wenzel. Joachim led a longer walk, and Margot led and narrated an interesting walk around Tegeler Schloß, themed around the brothers Humboldt.
Everybody then boarded the Moby Dick at Greenwich Promenade for a lovely two-hour boat tour, and we finished off the day with a meal at Tegeler Seeterrassen where they coped smoothly with an onslaught of 38 people who all ordered different courses.
Photos to come
Very nice and enjoyable afternoon as usual efficiently organised by Renata Fackler.
I got there early so played with ICM on some rocks, and photographed some birds before we boarded.
OK, after this post, not another word about “the world’s biggest fake lawn”. Promise.
Such an ugly abomination, but no surprise there, I guess – esthetics and football-fandom have never formed an obvious combo.
And I also won’t tell anybody what I secretly hope will happen, because Schadenfreude is such a pathetic and ugly sentiment. And of course nothing will happen. Even if in case of heavy rain (which of course never happens in Berlin in June/July), of course the relevant Berlin authorities will have learnt from others with experience with plastic lawns of that size – which is …. erm … many …., and will have made sure there is proper drainage.
And if on the other hand it gets very warm, which of course also never happens in Berlin that time of year, so that the material becomes too hot for dogs and children, not to mention starts to emit toxic gases which will also mainly target dogs and children, there will be proper warnings of that fact.
Because experts will have been consulted. Because it is Berlin. (Where is the sinking heart emoji when we need it).
Very nice walk, and we saw many birds. Did not get any even half-way decent photos, but I am posting a small selection anyway :-).
IN PROGRESS
I feel so lucky to be living in a big city and yet be so close to such diverse nature. In many cases, half an hour on the S-Bahn (in this case from Anhalter Bahnhof) and a short walk is enough.
I picked this particular route because I have walked it several times before on the VHS birdwatching walks, and as I am still sufferering from Corona brainfog, it was just easier to not have to consult a map.
Bonus tip: right across from the S-Bahn station in Buch, there is an Italian restaurant which is also an ice-cream-café, with outdoor seating. Just sayin’.
Slowly cooking my way through this cookbook, and this recipe is, as always, loosely based on the recipes in that book. In this case very loosely. Why lazy-ass? Because the main ingredients (Brussels sprouts, big white beans, and quinoa), all came from the freezer. The Brussels sprouts bought frozen and, more importantly, trimmed, and the beans and quinoa already cooked and frozen in smaller batches.
400 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed
2 tblsp oil or ghee
2 tsp mustard seeds
Half tsp asafoetida
Dried curry leaves
2 large-ich red onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tblsp ginger, chopped
2 green chilies, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp turmeric
Chopped coriander
3 tblsp chopped hazelnut
Sizzle the onions and the mustard seeds in the oil or ghee till the mustard seeds start to pop.
Add asafoetida and curry leaves, stir, and sizzle for a moment.
Add ginger, garlic green chili, and turmeric and mix well.
Add the Brussels sprouts and a pinch of salt and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add the big white beans, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes on low heat till the sprouts are tender. Sprinkle with water if needed.
Add the quinoa, chopped hazelnuts (and another two cloves of garlic, but that is just me – I love relatively fresh garlic and I do believe in the nutritional benefits) and sauté for another minute.
I also add nutritional yeast to a lot of dishes now, since I have been told to up my B12 levels but not via supplements.
Loosely based on recipes in Rohit Ghai: Tarkari: Vegetarian and Vegan Indian dishes with Heart and Soul.
2 tblsp fried gram
200 g coconut flakes
50 g coriander leaves
1 tblsp ginger
1 green chilli
Salt
Blend with water till the desired consistency. Can be frozen in small batches.
250 g besan
Half tsp ajwain
Half tsp turmeric
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp grated ginger
1 large-ish finely chopped tomato
1 large-ish finely chopped red onion
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped (in this case, I forgot to buy fresh coriander, and did not have much on the balcony yet, so I used mostly rucola, and a bit of young kale.
Totally unauthorized (except perhaps by my ayurvedic nutritionist friend) I also threw in some curry leaves and tukmaria seeds for added nutrition.
1 green chili, finely sliced
Mix besan, ajwain, turmeric, salt and pepper well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Add water little by little to make a thick batter which can be ladled onto a pan.
Bake on an oiled pan for a couple of minutes on each side till cooked completely with golden spots.
These pancakes can be refridgerated, and even frozen, so I made extras in order to have something to take with me, along with some chutney) on walks in stead of being tempted to buy much unhealthier sandwiches on train stations.
3 eggs 2 tblsp ghee or olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 knob ginger, chopped
Pinch of chili powder or flakes
Pinch turmeric
Pinch garam masala (I am still lazy and using storebought, but there is a recipe in the book mentioned above which I am definitely going to try one of these days)
Totally unauthorized (except perhaps by my ayurvedic nutritionist friend) I also threw in some methi leaves for added nutrition.
1 large-ish deseeded and finely chopped tomato (plus the seeded parts from the tomatoes above)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Beat the eggs at length till frothy.
Sizzle onions, garlic, ginger and chili for a while, then add the rest of the ingredients, and keep sizzling.
In the meantime, beat the eggs at length till frothy.
Add to the mixture in the pan and scramble till desired texture.
Killing each other off may not be as idiotic as it sounds.
Cursing myself for having been careless enough to contract the Scheißvirus and therefore being too tired to go on a any of my usual real walks (and once it is finally gone it will take me months to get back in shape), I went on the by now usual walk around Urbanhafen.
Idyllic looking at first sight but a closer look confirms the fact that we humans really are the worst thing that ever happened to this planet.
Right at the bottom – an attempt to be arty-farty.
