Grateful to Maxie, one of my “walking bubbles”, for agreeing to start our Sunday walk at the ungodly hour of 8.00 in order to avoid the crowds. Unfortunately, it meant that we did not see the sun till we were nearly finished with the walk. However, Maxie showed me a couple of features along the way which I had not noticed until today.
Here is the route on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/354516915.
I have posted several links with more information about Tempelhofer Feld in previous posts, but here is one I don’t think I have posted yet: https://www.slowtravelberlin.com/a-brief-history-of-tempelhofer-feld/.
Determined to get a better photo of the famous, but sometimes elusive, Tempelhofer Skylark, I went back and climbed one of the “viewing platforms” next to one of the large areas cordoned off to protect its breeding places.
Normally staying at home most weekends, I left home at about 07.00 in order to avoid the weekend hordes of retards who still do not know what 1,5 m looks like.
I always forget how strong, and cold, the wind gets there even if it did not feel particularly windy or cold on the way there. I nearly froze my t..s off and only saw a bunch of starlings and crows. I also took some photos of familiar buildings which I have never really noticed could be seen from the airfield.
Back down, teeth clattering, I started to walk towards the mosque exit and was lucky enough to spot a couple of skylarks, one of them doing what I interpreted as a “come-hither-I-love-you-and-I-want-to-have-your-baby” dance.
Other impressions from the former airfield now playground for young and old:
Made a detour into the adjacent cemetery: (more photos to come)
It was a great day for walking and pretending to be a tourist in my adopted city, and an OK day for nature and street photography. Only regret: That I wore shoes and not sandals.
The route on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/351138781.
I tweaked this recipe from Olive Magazine.
I used gram (chickpea) flour instead of wheat flour, oatmilk instead of whole milk, thyme instead of nutmeg, and chili instead of Dijon mustard (this last part more because I had some fresh chili that needed to be used than in order to make this recipe completely gluten free – that is just an added bonus for those who are severely gluten intolerant).
Different combinations of vegetables can of course be used, in which case you might want to use other herbs or spices instead of nutmeg or thyme.
A 22 cm springform cake tin, bottom lined with baking paper and sides brushed with oil.
Boil the asparagus (without the heads) in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for a couple of minutes, scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain, then add the potatoes and boil for eight to ten minutes till tender to the point of a knife. Cut into 1 cm slices.
Cook the flour in the oil and ghee, stirring, for two to three minutes until smelling toasty. Add the milk, a little at a time, while whisking, adding more once fully incorporated. Simmer for five minutes until thickened, then stir in all the other ingredients except the eggs, and combine well. Season with a little bit of salt (if needed: the parmesan is also salty), and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Let cool while you whisk the eggs together lightly.
Stir in the slightly cooled mixture, combining thoroughly.
Bake at 180 C fan for 45-50 minutes.
Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold as leftovers.
This is great on its own or with a salad, and is also a good accompaniment to fish, especially smoked or “gravad” and even to a roast leg of lamb.
Coming into the home stretch in the course, I feel completely not creative and it struck me that much of the photography I have done in cemeteries over the past three or four months might be categorised as a form of “found still-life” (although my original reason to frequent cemeteries was for the bird photography in places within walking distance so as not to have to use public transport).
If it is allowed, I will therefore submit the following (two are strictly speaking not from cemeteries: the one with the remains of a lampshade and the one with the two wheelbarrows):
I also considered these (some of which are not still-life, at least I don’t think they can be considered still-life when there are live animals in them, and two of them are not from cemeteries):
I am looking forward to attending this course on the art of street photography, starting shortly, despite the triple challenge I will be facing: 1) Covid19 numbers are going up and up so more than ever I have to avoid crowded streets and public transport; 2) the German paranoia resulting in reports of photographers being physically attacked, court cases, etc.; and 3) the fact that I don’t particularly like photographing people, at least not close up.
In preparation, we have been asked to submit five of our own street photography photos. At first, I did not really think I had done any street photography, but going through my photos, I think I may have taken quite a few that would qualify (for some of them, it is a bit of a stretch to call them street photography, and I have not yet decided which five I will submit). We`ll see how many of them I would still call street photography at the completion of the course :-).
Walk with Anne S, who is unfortunately in the process of leaving Berlin, to St. Marien und St. Nikolai Kirchhof I, to Kirchhof I. Der Evangelischen Georgen-Parochialgemeinde, and to Volkspark Friedrichshain. Back via Platz der Vereinten Nationen.
My route on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/334845778.
I saw this : https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/02/cauliflower-cake-recipe-yotam-ottolenghi but I find cauliflower the most flavourless and textureless of all vegetables, and wheat flour, especially of the self-raising variety, is also not my thing, so I decided to experiment and make it a bit more flavourful and healthy.
Instead of wheat flour I used gram flour, and insted of cauliflower I used leeks. I added garlic and chili (of course) and used thyme instead of basil.
Glutenfree and vegetarian (but not vegan).
In a couple of tblsp olive oil, sauté the leeks with rosemary, thyme, chili and garlic till they start to collapse. Season with a little bit of salt and lots of black pepper.
Take off the heat, and while it cools off a bit, mix in the turmeric and the parmesan.
Whisk the eggs.
Mix flour and baking powder and baking soda well.
Add to the eggs and which to eliminate lumps. Season with a little bit of salt and lots of black pepper.
Line the bottom of a 22 cm round cake tin with a loose base with baking paper. Brush the sides of the tin with olive oil and coat with some of the sesame seed/nigella seed mix.
Pour in the leek mix, level, and sprinkle the rest of the seed mix on top.
Bake at 180 C until golden and set. Let cool a little before serving and eat the leftovers cold the next days (better the day after, actually).
