Learning to garden

Hey there!

Our garden project 2018

March

June

This year we started our garden project. We built a raised bed from old pallets, filled it with lots of twigs, old leaves and compost soil. At the same time we planted various seeds in small pots filled with soil to then work with the young seedlings later on in our raised bed.
Over the time our flat's window-sills were packed with tiny tomato, carrot, cucumber and bean plants as well as herbs and sunflowers.

Tomato seedlings

Lettuce and Herbs

Zucchini

We went plant shopping at the farmer's market more and more often. Eventually we had planted zucchini, rhubarb, lettuce, strawberry, black and red currant and raspberry plants in our garden that we had bought from the market.

Sunflowers, Beans, and Red Currant

A few plants didn't work out that well. For example our carrots didn't grow much larger than thumb-size and a few of our lettuces were eaten by snails during the nights..

However some plants really surprised us. We had never expected to harvest the crazy amount of cucumber and zucchini. At times we had 8 cucumbers per week and the zucchini is still producing fruits in late october..

Zucchini

Tomatoes

Over the course of the year we have learned so much about soil, plant growth, care for plants, types of plants, the work of insects such as bees, how plants blossom, how to harvest, how to arrange a veggie patch etc. etc.
We watched gardening shows by Monty Don, a famous speaker of horticulture from the UK, read lots of books about gardening and talked to my parents, both biologists, who taught us about their parents' ways of gardening when they were little.

Bumblebee on a sunflower

Cucumber

Lavender

Beans

Sadly the year is slowly coming to a close and the gardening season is almost over. We have already made many plans for the next year concerning our raised bed and growing veggies and fruit, e.g. we'd like to grow aubergines, pumpkin and more different tomatoes. We will also try to improve our planting calendar so that we're not late with planting winter veggies as we were this year. We would have loved to plant kale, but only had space in our raised bed from late September onwards, which would have been to late to grow kale from seeds.
Also we're currently building a cold frame for our raised bed and a few bits and pieces for indoor gardening as well.

Sage, Mint, Carrots and Cucumber in the background

Basil

I hope you enjoyed the photos. Maybe you can make space in your own flat, your own room, your balcony or even in your garden if you have one to start growing your own produce as well. Maybe start of with herbs or easy plants like radishes. It's definitely a lot of fun and it can take your mind off other things or thoughts that burdening you.

So start planting!

Steph

The Spanish dinner

Hey there!

Fourth stop: Spain

Retrieved from: https://www.weltkarte.com/europa/spanien/spanienkarte.htm

This month's international dinner was dedicated to Spain.
The Spanish cuisine is primarily made up of dishes including fish, seafood, different spices and delicious ham or meat.

In Spain people tend to have a small breakfast, then have lunch around midday and that's it for a while. They might have a small snack in between, but the main meal of the day is prepared in the evening. In contrast to Germany the southern countries of Europe, such as France, Spain or Italy will cook a warm dish not earlier than 8pm - simply because it is too warm during the day to have a hot meal.

Of course I can't speak for every habitant of southern Europe, but this is what I've heard from my friend with a huge affinity for Italy.
Also when I took part in an exchange with an Andalusian (southern Spain) school during my high school time, this was what I experienced.

In Andalusia, in Seville, my host family took me out to have traditional tapas in a restaurant.
If you ever set foot on Spanish ground, do try as many of them as you can.

But what are tapas?

Well, tapas are a wide variety of different appetizers - either hot or cold. They can be combined as a full meal or just eaten as a small snack. They are often served in small bowls or on ceramic plates and with a bottle of red wine (preferably from a Spanish wine region).


So we thought we should give it a try and compose a Spanish meal made up of different tapas.

For our Spanish dinner we prepared the following tapas:

Cooked capsicum with almonds and honey

Albóndigas 
(Meatballs with tomato sauce)

Olives

Papas arrugadas (wrinkly, salty potatoes)

Mojo Rojo (spicy red sauce; consisting of olive oil, garlic, capsicum, paprika powder, etc.)

Mojo Verde (less spicy green sauce; consisting of fresh parsley and other ingredients like Mojo Rojo)

Tomato and eggplant dip

Peppers filled with cream cheese

Roasted mushrooms

Jamón serrano 
(Serrano ham)







Stuffed mushrooms

Roasted chicken liver with sherry

Tortilla española (Spanish omelette made up of potatoes, onions and eggs)

Chorizo al vino (Spanish sausage roasted with red wine)

For dessert we had

Crema catalana

And now it's your turn! Be creative and make up your own individual tapas meal.

¡Que aproveche! (Enjoy your meal!)

Steph

10 Things to do in Brisbane..

Hey there!

Here's another list of recommendations for backpackers or budget travellers searching for things to do in the great city of Brisbane.

- Australia -

Part 10: Brisbane

Most backpackers start their journey either in Sydney or Brisbane and then make their way up north to be astounded by the beauty of the Australian east coast.

As I've already published an article about Sydney giving advice on what to do in the buzzing metropolis of New South Wales, I thought I should also write one about Brisbane, since I spent most of my time there when I travelled around Australia last summer.

Brisbane can make anyone happy, no matter their interest. If you love art, you'll find a place to be inspired by Australian and international artists. If you like exercise, you'll find a place to run as far as you like. If you like learning about different cultures, you'll find a place to broaden your horizons.

So this is a list of wonderful things to do in Brisbane and while you're at it, also check out my recommendations for Sydney – here.

1st visit the Botanic Gardens and Mount Coot-tha. If you're looking for a place to look over the entire town of Brisbane, maybe watch the sun set with your loved ones or if you're just interested at exploring the great flora of the garden or the Sir Thomas Planetarium that is located in the garden, this is the place to be.

2nd take a tour on the CityCat or the CityHopper (it's for free) to gain a first overview of the City of Brisbane. Go all the way to Kangaroo Point to look at the amazing cliff (you can also go climbing there, if you're more of the adventurous kind). Hop off at the terminal Riverside or Eagle Street Pier and have a look at the great skyscrapers and luxurious restaurants, e.g. Pony. 

Unfortunately I couldn't afford a meal at the Pony restaurant this time, but I went to a different restaurant of the same owner in Sydney a few years back and absolutely loved it. It's definitely not cheap, but it's definitely delicious..

3rd go for a run (or walk) along the riverside, start your exercise at the campus of the University of Queensland in St. Lucia and make your way to the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens and the historic centre of Brisbane. It's for free and your body will love you for your motivation!

4th visit West End and check out the food market at Davies Park (open every Saturday from 6am - 2pm) and the Boundary Street Markets (open every weekend). You'll find creative shops, delicious street food (also check out my recommendation for Planted, an organic café nearby – here) and interesting people to look at (a man was wearing a cowboy hat, skinny jeans and some ballerina shoes whilst standing in line for a veggie burger).

On Boundary Street you can also find the great second-hand book shop Bent Books. Definitely a must-see for book lovers!

5th go out partying in Fortitude Valley. Make sure to dress nicely (no trainers or jumpers), otherwise some doormen might not let you enter a club or bar. Also check out the Royal Exchange Hotel on a Wednesday night. For Brisbane students it's the place to be. It's located directly at the Toowong train station near the University of Queensland.

6th visit GOMA, an international, open and free to anyone art museum offering a wide variety of artwork. There's a shop right next to the gallery, where you can buy books about art, smaller pieces of art (e.g. posters of Aboriginal art that I couldn't leave behind) and music.

Next to GOMA you can find the Sciencentre (especially suitable for kids wanting to learn more about science related phenomena). Moreover there's the Queensland Museum dedicated to Queensland's history and environmentally related effects happening in Queensland.

7th if you're interested in international food, pay a visit to the Eat Street Markets, which takes place on Macarthur Avenue in the eastern part of Brisbane. As soon as you enter the market ground (unfortunately there's an entry fee) you'll be taken from Thailand to France from Mongolia to Argentina and from the States to the Netherlands within seconds. They often invite musicians to perform at the centre of the market to make it even more internationally. As we were there, we listened to a band made up of artists from Columbia, Argentina, Mexico, Australia, El Salvador and more! Make sure to try one of the fancy dessert fusions. Have you ever heard of the Cronut?
It's incredible.

8th visit the Southbank Parklands near the centre of Brisbane where you can listen to street music, wander around the artificial beach or the tropical garden, explore the Asian temple inmidst the garden and eat at various restaurants.

Firstly I'd like to point out my favourite burger and hot chips restaurant Grill'd (167 Grey St.), try the sweet potato chips with the Summer Sunset burger. 

And secondly check out the chocolate bar Max Brenner's offering all kinds of chocolate; melted with strawberries to dip in, as a pizza or hot chocolate - you name it.

9th while you're at Southbank walk a bit further east to explore the Epicurious Gardens, it's a public vegetable and fruit garden that is organised by volunteers to offer public access to organic food production. You're welcome to have a little taste of the herbs you can find in the pots and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays volunteers offer even more to try in their harvest cart.
When I went there, I plucked off a chili to use later on for pasta sauce. 

At times lectures will be held inmidst the plants to teach the audience methods of growing your own little veggies and to talk about sustainable lifestyle.
You can also become a volunteer if you're interested.

10th make your way up north to the Sunshine Coast for a day or two. It's much less crowded than the Gold Coast and offers magnificent national parks, a beautiful coast line, peaceful villages and amazing cafes. Don't miss out on Noosa (especially Tea Tree Bay, located in the national park), Caloundra (Kings Beach) and Montville (in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast).

That's it for now. I hope I could give you a small insight on what to do in the great city of Brisbane. It's a very liveable city and is one of my favourite cities around the globe.
I'd choose the city every time over Paris or Berlin.

Make sure to not give up your travel bug and keep exploring!

Steph