Scent and Flavour - All Memory Related - Bacania Veche

A dear friend of mine, unknowingly that I was going to write about this today, told me that she finds it intriguing how she in the most recent years has memories related to some scents. From my point of view, it is not something strange or outlandish, but rather something that becomes part of us once we become aware of the fact that time is running fast and we can make it stop only through the dear memories we keep tight to our soul. I often think of smells by visualizing my grandfather, who in his last years lost most of his sight but was able to see spring through the strong smell of the hyacinth flowers we would bring him. It happened to me many times to be miles and miles away from my parents but to feel their presence just because a person who passed me by was wearing a similar perfume as they did. What I also do is hold memories related to flavours I encounter every day. There are for example different ways of cooking duck, and each way of doing that has a memory: roasted duck leg for pre-Christmas time in Germany, "magret de canard au miel" for my time spent in the South of France and for a cookig-evening at a friend, roasted duck with plums - for my mother's cooking and Chinese duck for a wonderful week with my dear friend I was mentioning at the beginning. It is sometimes funny, but bad flavour is more easily forgotten.

The reason I am telling you all this is because scents and flavours are hard to find in huge hypermarkets with standardized product offering. Yes, you can find food and I don't want to sound snobbish in any way, but buying there is just satisfying a need and you seldom build connections or have the time to be an individual there with your own creativity, thoughts and wishes and the desire to open up and relate to memories. Last week I visited a place in Bucharest where I had the time to enjoy some nice tea, freshly made home chocolate, take some tartelettes home and hear some food-connected stories. I discovered wonderful people there who believe in the same things as I do: tradition and craftsmanship. Add to that some special flavour and the desire to experiment while still wanting to be eco-related. Welcome to Bacania Veche!


At Bacania Veche I found some memories related to France...


....related to my grandmother... she hangs fruits and vegetables like this...

...again memories related to the South of France...and some connected to my dad...


...fresh memories of my grandmother and my mother...


...and new memories to keep for the future...


...memories related to family friends...


...and to the times I was waking up in Germany to buy fresh bread...


...and to my childhood when my grandfather was making the best tea in the world.


Nevertheless..you can start building up new memories with spices and drinks and oils or vinegars etc from all over the world, wonderfully selected...leaving you to dream of your next dish and your next memory.








Ladies and gentlemen, this is the place where all the magic happens. I advise you to embark with them on a wonderful trip of good quality food, some of it hand-made, and freshly made. I assure you, that you'll fall in love with the place.


And as if that wasn't enough, if you are environmentally friendly and come by bike, you'll find a secure place for it outside the store.


And this is the man behind the magic, Marius Tudosiei, who can really "infect" you with his passion for good food. Just start a conversation with him and you'll see... I am for sure looking forward to meet him soon and talk some more about food.

Royal Weddings - What Was and What Will Be

(Picture Source: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQECN9etc7nU8fSWastw4V87iJMIFYThowuPH3jLL-sIvx9noPn)

Tomorrow we will be the witnesses of another Royal Wedding which the whole world is looking forward to see, and one of two of this kind this year. It is a moment when people tend to be distracted from their daily problems and look towards something which for them is just a dream. But recent years have shown that royal weddings can also become reality for someone who was born as a "normal" citizen. Just like the one last year, when the princess married her fitness instructor. This is maybe why popularity has grown so much.

As this year all eyes are set on UK and then on Monaco, I have selected some clips of the former weddings in those regions. Each one had a different story to tell and each surprised in its own way.

On the 20th November 1947, former Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth II, married Philip of Mountbatten. The times were harsh as they were in the shadow of the war and the government allocated two dressing coupons for the Queen to pay for her dress. But the population wouldn't have it and they all sent in via mail their dressing coupons so their queen could have one of the most wonderful dresses there ever were. And the two were then happily married in the cathedral of Westminster.

(Movie source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uG7pzFdzuyk)

In the south, in Monaco, Prince Rainier III got married on the 18th of April 1956 to his Hollywood Princess Grace Kelly after a short engagement period. She became the princess of the hearts in Monaco and everywhere else where she went, and her tragic death made everybody extremely sad. Nevertheless, her beauty still impresses people today and her spirit is still over Monaco. The Monegasque people still look up to her memory and wonder if the future princess can be at least 50% of what her "mother in law" was.

(Movie source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFu2tBQf8tU)

On the 29th of July 1981, Prince Charles of GB got married to his first wife and the mother of his two sons, Diana Spencer, in the Saint-Paul cathedral in London. 2500 guests and over 800 million viewers witnessed what was to be one of history's mistakes and the beginning of a tragic life. Tomorrow, their son William will marry Kate, who is wearing the same engagement ring as Diana did, and their wedding will be a world spectacle, which can be seen also broadcast-ed live on the internet (for the first time at the royal wedding, they say). I hope people will sometime soon stop to compare her with Diana or she will probably have a tougher life than Diana did.

(Movie source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQTe47cR-Ws)

After years and decades of love in secret and after being divorced for other years, Prince Charles finally married his true love, Camilla Parker Bowles, at the Windsor Castle. The ceremonies were a total understatement and it showed that both were mature enough to leave all that glamour behind, due to two most obvious reasons: the age (how would she have looked in a 10-meter long dress?) and the public reaction (people still consider Diana as their true princess and don't want her replaced). The two received their blessings at St. Georges Chapel in Windsor and then registered their marriage at Guildhall, also in Windsor.

(Movie source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIJMyv7BawQ&feature=related)

We should hope that Kate is more fortunate than Diana, at least we know for sure that there won't be financing problems for her wedding gown as her grandmother in law had. We hope that William will have chosen indeed from his heart and not due to a matchmaking process and that the two of them will live happily ever after.

And for Albert II of Monaco, there is a hope that his wife will be around for more years than Grace Kelly was for her husband, and that Charlene will capture the hearts of the Monegasque people without any difficulties.

And for us...there is the dream which can become reality, this is what we need to say to each-other every day. There are still eligible princes and princesses in the world. But then again, they are all just normal people, and there are people all over the world. You just need to look around. Maybe your prince is just around the corner.

Happy Easter!

To all my dear friends and readers, I am wishing you a Happy Easter time with your loved ones. Have a wonderful time!!!

A tous mes chers amis et lecteurs, je vous souhaite un heureux temps de Pâques avec vos proches. Un temps merveilleux pour vous!

An all' meine lieben Freunde und Leser, wünsche ich Euch ein Frohes Osterfest und Zeit mit Euren Lieben. Habt Sie eine schöne Zeit!

Easter Eggs - The luxurious way

Easter is a celebration with a high significance to Christians. But over the time, just like the red and fat Santa Claus has been introduced to traditions by Coca Cola, so has commerce developed around the Easter period and companies grab the opportunity to do some outstanding Marketing actions. Such as designing a special Easter egg for their clients and limiting that edition to certain pieces, so that they make that item desirable and artificially rare.

I must say that, even if also luxury houses do this, I find that some of their results are really amazing. It is, of course, very important with whom they team up so that the eggs not only carry the brand name, but also taste good. I have picked some examples of what can be done, in the following order: Swarovski for 2011, Roberto Cavalli for 2010, Armani Dolci for 2010, Harrods for 2011, 2010 and 2009 and at the bottom of the page, Selfridges' over 1500$ egg from 2009. Enjoy and have a wonderful Easter time!

(Picture Source: http://www.luxuo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Easter-Eggs-Swaroski-Guido-Gobino-468x468.jpg)

(Picture Source: http://www.extravaganzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Roberto-Cavallis-Animal-Print-Easter-Eggs.jpg)

(Picture Source: http://www.luxuo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/armani-chocolate-easter-eggs-468x360.jpg)

(Picture Source: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFDEf2WyrQ73bUV8sBDc6D5aqYNN9V6i98L9qfzyQYna3RE7wG)

(Picture Source: http://www.luxuo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/luxury-easter-egg-harrods-468x531.jpg)

(Picture Source: http://www.luxuo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/harrods_white_choco_eggs-467x532.jpg)

(Picture Source: http://www.luxuo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/egg.jpg)

Easter Fair - Sala Dalles + new discovery

For those of you still in search for the perfect gift for Easter,...I might have found something for you. The other day I was taking a walk with my friend when we both stopped to visit an Easter Fair in Bucharest, which is located at Sala Dalles. The fair is open 10.00 till 20.00 until the 23rd of April, so even as a working person you have enough time to go there and pick out some lovely gifts for your dear ones.

Besides the Romanian traditionally hand-painted Easter-eggs, you can find a lot of other hand-made items, such as pottery or blankets, there are even artists displaying their self-made jewelry or paintings and you can even get a painting done for yourself. There are also cosmetic products, most of them created on a natural base, and if you have a sweet tooth, you will be delighted to find a lot of goodies waiting for you. My attention was drawn to a stand where there were sugar-crafted gifts, representing flowers, swans, ladybugs, eggs, rabbits etc. ...surely made by a chef confectioner. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of them,...but you can find them at the back of the hall, on the left.

On the first floor, there was another stand which caught my attention.The merchandise was different and very fresh. I am passionate about design and clever ideas of design which make it into our daily lives, not just those who are meant to be put in a museum and looked at as they don't have any functionality. The products displayed at the Easter fair by tanaaa.ro are really special and functional.

Take for example this fantastic jewelry, which is based on strong magnets. I had already seen the one on the left on someone in Bucharest, and it is amazing. You can have a necklace, two bracelets,...or a thicker bracelet, or a bracelet and a ring or a thick ring,...or many rings or a block to play with or.....ufff...there is actually no limit to this. But be cautious! I have been warned this piece of urban jewelry can become addictive.


If you are eco-conscious, then there is also something there for you. Take for example these paper-watches. Yes,...paper! Of course, the mechanism is not paper, but the rest is really eco-friendly and created by an Italian designer called Giuseppe Casillo.

Furthermore, there are these eco-friendly wallets which you can find, designed to last for years and years in your use, with patterns on them or just plain and you can design them. It is also water-resistant, so you can take it virtually anywhere you'd like to.

Of course, tanaaa.ro has a lot more things to discover...this is my friend who was fascinated by some things they have.

I hope I have woken your interest in this stand and also in the fair and wish you find your perfect gifts.

Best regard,

Inge

Palm Sunday

Today is a special day for Christians, but I am not going to get into religious details now. I will let you read more about Palm Sunday here. Every day this is on a different date, but you always have Palm Sunday one week before Easter. I took a few pictures lately which I though would fit for this occasion. The one below is part of the gate entrance to a wooden church, located in a village museum in Golesti, close to Pitesti in Romania.

What I know people do this Sunday only in Romania (correct me if I'm wrong) is to celebrate those who have flower names. I don't know why, but I really love this tradition. It makes you smile when you see how man flowers surround you,...and they are your family or your friends. It gives just another impression that spring is here.



And because I am talking about spring,...people in Romania say that, the way Palm Sunday will turn out to be,...from the weather point of view, that's exactly how Easter will be. So I am happy because the Easter bunny will find us in a sunny Bucharest next week. Have a wonderful Palm Sunday!

Hidden Bucharest - Part I

For those who miss Bucharest or haven't visited it at all...I'm starting today a series, which will be more photography than words. You draw your own conclusions. This is the hidden part of Bucharest.

Pour ceux qui manquent Bucarest ou ne l'ont pas visite encore ... je commence aujourd'hui une série, qui sera plus la photographie que les mots. Vous tirez vos propres conclusions. C'est la partie cachée de Bucarest.