Potsdam, Pumpkins and Autumn Leaves

Before I continue with stories of my previous travels, I want to update you on where I am right now because it is such a beautiful, special time. I don't want to miss out on sharing it with you, right this moment.

It's the nearing the end of autumn and all the leaves are shades of yellow, orange and red. Each day, the trees are getting barer and barer - reminding me how close we are coming to winter.

I don't know what it is about living in Berlin, but I feel a real sense of seasonality in the produce - moreso than I ever did at home. Maybe it's because I shop at farmers markets now versus supermarkets. Or all the autumn themed decorations in the shops. Or having pumpkins around at Halloween time (exciting as an Aussie!). Whatever the reason, I feel more connected to food which is a really humbling feeling.

My favourite activities here are to slowly wander through the local farmers market every Saturday and to visit the Turkish market at least once a week. I love marvelling at the produce, tasting exotic flavours of jam, pesto and dips, smelling the spices, eating simit and having a little giggle to myself at the Turkish women knocking everyone out of the way with their grocery trollies. Plus it's funny to walk through and smell the Turkish men wearing the same cologne as my dad.

Apples, pears, pomegranates, kaki (Japanese persimmons) and lots of lots of amazingly bright and red Hokkaido pumpkins are in season. I can't get enough of these Hokkaido pumpkins. I've never seen anything like them before. They're so photogenic. And to my delight, they're everywhere!

So far with these pumpkins I've made roast pumpkin gnocchi, risotto with leeks and German pfifferlinge mushrooms, served them roasted with spaghetti, savoury crumble with apple plus a coconut soup. A highlight: Hokkaido pumpkin and coriander soup. The recipe comes from my good friend Angie who has been an amazing support to me here in Berlin.

Finding a sharehouse has been tough work in Berlin and it left me emotionally exhausted. With changes to the school system this year in Germany, sharehousing has become more competitive than ever. With all this stress and competition I needed to be in nature and get away from it all. I craved going on a long walk along the beach like I would back home.

I talked to some friends who recommended I visit Potsdam, a short train ride just out of Berlin. And it was so beautiful. The colour, the crisp air, the peace.

I walked around the Dutch quarter and stopped by La Maison du Chocolat for a deliciously thick dark hot chocolate. Nothing better on a cool Autumn day. I lost track of time walking around Park Sanssouci and taking photos of the trees. The colours were breath-taking.

I will most definitely be returning to Potsdam again soon.


Angie's Hokkaido Pumpkin and Coriander Soup

Serves 4


200g Hokkaido pumpkin, diced
200g carrots, diced
1 tbs finely grated ginger
800mL vegetable stock
juice of 1 orange (I used 2 mandarins)
100g cream
150mL coconut milk
salt, pepper
coriander


Stir fry the pumpkin, carrots and ginger in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside.


Add the cream, coconut milk, orange juice and coriander. Puree with a hand-held blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cornwall Crusading Part 1

Early the following week I arrived at the meeting point, ready to hop on the bus and head to Cornwall. I'd signed up for a 5-day tour through the beautiful south-west English country-side that I'd heard many things about and was excited to experience.


After a busy week rushing through London, the tiny villages and breath-taking coastlines were calling my name. I was ready for wide open spaces and fresh, clean air.


We had a really lovely bus group. Funnily enough it turned out that half of us were Aussies, the other half Canadians. We all immediately got along really well and formed some great friendships. Our tour guide Greta was fantastic and so, so hilarious. I really think she should become a comedian.



Our first stop was the mysterious Stonehenge. We hadn't been driving for very long and then all of a sudden in the middle of nowhere - it was there! A big, foreboding circle of stones surrounded by rolling green hills and countryside. There were lots of black crows circling around - it felt very eerie indeed.











Next was the pretty and medievil town of Salisbury with it's beautiful cathedral. Looking back now, I have seen a LOT of churches and cathedrals (there's a backpackers saying: ABC - Another Bloody Church) and I can proudly say this was one of my favourites. My neck was sore from being in absolute awe of the cathedrals ceiling.









Glastonbury was a bury nice town also (ha, like my joke?!). Almost being blown over by the wind on the way up, we quickly climbed the hill and reached THE TOR! (It sounds like the title of a horror movie, eh?!). There we had magnificent views of Somerset's green-patchwork quilt countryside.







Our last stop for the day was Cheddar Gorge. We stopped for dinner at a local pub where I had a Ploughman's lunch. Warm crusty bread, a large wedge of Cheddar cheese from the area, pickled onions, chutney, grapes, celery, apple, tomatoes and lettuce. It hit the spot.


After a fantastic sleep, we were up for Day 2 - exploring Devon county.





On the bus Greta told us all the story of how England's Highest Waterfall and our first stop of the day - Canonteign Falls - came to be. Apparently a little old lady just wanted a waterfall!


"I want a waterfall!!!! Everybody else has a waterfall.. I want a waterfall!!" Greta exclaimed, pretending to be that little old lady (imagine this being said in a Queen of Hearts/Hyacinth Bucket voice).





The walk up to the top of the waterfall was gorgeous. Green ferns, moss and the quiet sound of the waterfall trickling. The view from the top was spectacular, patchwork quilt fields as far as the eye could see. The waterfall itself though was a bit anti-climatic, it was simply a metal slide!








After a big walk back down to the carpark, we all dropped into the cafe for some Devonshire creamed tea and scones. Perfect.


We all were confused by the cream though, back in Aus the method is: jam first, cream second as we usually use soft, whipped cream. But here they use clotted cream which is yellow in colour and really tough - almost like refrigerated butter, so the method had to be changed to: cream first, jam second.







After a quick lunch stop in the quaint town of Bovey Tracey, we made our way to Dartmoor National Park. We knew we'd arrived when a big, wild, amazingly beautiful pony stopped us in the middle of the road.



Dartmoor is a stunningly beautiful area of heather-covered moorland accented with wooded valleys, craggy granite tors, gorgeous lake-like reservoirs and tumbling rocky rivers. This area features some of the wildest and bleakest country in England.

I've always been a little scared of horses, but from this day I fell in love with them. They were just so beautiful roaming naturally in the wild landscape.

I went to bed that night content. I'd truly satisfied my nature cravings.