Time to complete the Bucket List

Our visit to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Rosemoor garden today was timely. Yesterday saw the launch of a new section within the site and it was impressive to see it in all its glory.

The Cool Garden has been introduced to provide visitors with ideas of how to work with nature, and in this case water. Devon is often affected by heavy rainfall so it is appropriate that this topic is being addressed at Rosemoor.

The design, by Chelsea gold medalist Jo Thompson, takes an abundance of water through the garden via falls, to attractive rills and onto teardrop-shaped pools. What is lovely is its pristine look, with lots of cleanly cut slate walls, clear water falls, and plants in colourful bloom. We were particularly impressed by the permeable resin-bound gravel walkways. If water falls on the firm, flat path it simply seeps through. How it does this is a mystery as the paths look solid.

The planting is in cool whites, blues, yellows and greys. This is in sharp contrast to the nearby ‘garden room’ of hot colours. But we will let the photos do the talking.

However, our favourite plant name for the day is:

Copyright: words and photos, Sue Barnard 2019

A chance meeting at an event in London last year led to our morning visit today. We headed just a few minutes walk from where we were staying to The National Lobster Hatchery, Padstow, to meet Business Development Officer Clare Stanley who arranged for us to have a behind the scenes tour. Clare and I had been attending a shellfish workshop.

The hatchery was set up in 2000 when fisherman Eddy Derriman recognised the vulnerability of the lobster fishing industry. In Norway stocks crashed in the 1950s-1960s. Where once annual catches were more than 1,000 tonnes, today it is around 30 tonnes. Stocks simply have not re-established. In the 1980s-1990s stocks in Cornwall were declining and some in the industry realised something needed to be done for long-term survival.

Eddy Derriman started researching and decided to set up a hatchery. Its aim was to produce and release baby lobsters in an effort to enhance and protect Cornwall’s stocks, as well as to carry out vital research and education. Four years of hard work led to charitable status. In 2016 he received an MBE for marine conservation.

To protect our fish stocks the industry has a Minimum Landing Size (MLS) for each species. A lobster’s carapace (best described as the shell at its neck area) must be more than 90mm. This enables younger lobsters to grow and reproduce before being caught. Those less than this size must be returned to the sea. Those above this size can be landed, and with eggs if they are carrying them. But this is where the hatchery steps in. It is in the interest of the industry to pass these females to the hatchery, which will hold them in tanks until the eggs are hatched, and then return the adult lobster to those who have landed them. These tanks are aptly named the ‘maternity ward’. Each female can lay up to 35,000 eggs. It is estimated that just 1 in 20,000 newborn lobsters survive in the wild – they are eaten by predators, including their own kind. In the hatchery around 1 in 20 survive.

Here we watched as newborn lobsters swam towards a light and into a new tank. The babies are ‘positively phototactic’, which means they naturally head to the light, just like moths do. They start feeding straightaway, either consuming very fine high protein feed provided in the tanks, or each other. Two-day old lobsters (about half a centimetre long) were intent on eating each other in front of our eyes. That’s nature.

In the first month the lobsters go through great bodily changes, before they look like the lobster shapes we are familiar with. At this stage they are moved to individual containers, by hand.

This involves thousands of baby lobsters. Here they are grown on until reaching around 25mm long (about 3 months old) when they will be able to defend themselves more effectively. These juveniles are then released onto the seabed, their natural habitat at this stage, assisted by divers or via tubes from boats.

As a charity relying solely on donations the hatchery has developed many creative ways to raise much needed finance. Some local restaurants run a ‘Buy one, set one free’ scheme where customers who purchase lobster from the menu are asked to donate £1 which helps pay for the release of a lobster from the hatchery. One restaurant alone has raised £37,000 in three years. Other supporters include beer and wine companies making donations from sales. Even wedding favours can now include an ethical way to remember the day with an ‘Adopt a lobster’ scheme for just £4 each.

Today much research continues. PhD students are actively engaged in genetics research, environmental conditions, and the possibility of tracking in the wild to help further knowledge of this species.

A most interesting visit and our thanks to Clare and the team.

Nice view from the office, Camel estuary

Copyright: words and photos, Sue Barnard 2019

Our last full day in Padstow before we move on tomorrow to Devon.

We decided to explore Padstow and find out what it had to offer, as we had not had much opportunity to see the town yesterday or on Friday when we arrived. The town is quaint and picturesque with the harbour, the river Camel and the houses set up the hill along narrow streets.

The town has an eclectic mixture of small shops including a deli, fish and chip shop and gift shop owned by Rick Stein and with his other businesses, the Cookery School, Seafood Restaurant, St Petroc’ Hotel and Bistro, St Edmunds House, Prospect House, Bryan Cottage, The Cafe, Fisheries and Seafood Bar, he seems to own a lot of Padstow and with that providing many jobs for the local community.

As we are in the home of the Cornish Pasty it was interesting to see three shops next door to each other selling pasties all under slightly different branding.

After walking around the town, and incidentally running into an old work colleague, we went to Prideaux Place which is an historic house only a 10 minute walk from St Edmunds House.

The house had been lived in by the Prideaux-Brune family for over 425 years with the current owner Peter, taking ownership in 1988. As is the case with many historic houses that have been continuously inhabited by the same family, there was an interesting collection of furniture, pictures and documents in its 81 rooms.

The Prideaux-Brune family were (as was the case for Cornwall in general) on the side of the Commonwealth and Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War, so when Charles II was reinstated to the throne, the family had to marry a daughter to William Morice, Secretary of State to Charles II to be able to secure a Royal Pardon and keep their house and lands. A copy of the Royal Pardon was on show with the original being held in safe keeping.

The house has been modified over the years by different generations and now combines its traditional Elizabethan architecture with the 18th century exuberance of Strawberry Hill gothic.

In 1931 when Aston Martin was in financial difficulties, Lance Prideaux-Brune invested in the company and in effect saved the brand as he liked the cars. He also became a board member and held the London concession to sell the cars. His interest was rallying and he commissioned a one off drop coupe to compete in the RAC rally. He also bankrolled Aston’s three car entry in the 1932 Le Mans race so the family has a long held association with cars and racing which is probably why they have classic car events at the house.

Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside to protect the owners’ privacy and possessions, but if you are in Padstow, it is definitely worth a visit and it has a good tearoom with light snacks and cakes. They also have 40 acres of landscaped grounds with a deer park.

We are dining again at the Seafood Restaurant tonight before visiting the National Lobster Hatchery tomorrow morning before we leave for the Fisherman’s Nook Cottage in Yelverton, Devon for four days.

Fish. If we weren’t watching it, we were cooking it, or eating it. Today was our much looked-forward to visit to Rick Stein’s Cookery School in Padstow. We were to spend the day on a fish and shellfish course and it did not disappoint.

Rick Stein opened his seafood school 20 years ago, primarily to provide his chefs at The Seafood Restaurant with intensive training in preparing and cooking the fruits of the sea. The lecturers were all highly experienced personnel working at his establishment. Within a short time he decided to offer some courses for aspiring cooks and such has been the success that today its prospectus is packed with one, two and four day courses, half days and evenings throughout the year. To be commended is that courses are offered to primary and secondary school pupils, with the hope they will be inspired to cook and eat a wide range of fish. Their dishes alone include hake en papilloma (for 8-12 year-olds), and monkfish with crab linguine (for 13-17 year-olds). Central to the teaching is that all techniques and recipes are based on those used in the restaurant.

Our day started with the reassuring ’elf and safety advice. This was important when working in a real industry kitchen with 14 students new to the environment and each other. Tips such as not catching a knife if it is falling or if carrying a knife hold it down at arms length and with the sharp edge backward. Fortunately, we all took heed and nobody was injured in the making of this event.

The format taken was that a recipe was demonstrated by chefs Sam or Aarron then, working in twos, we prepared the dish ourselves. It was interesting to note that John and I were the only couple, and that there was an equal balance of men to women. Most others were men or women attending on their own. Some of the men had received the event as a present from their partners, and had been cooking for several years.

Our recipes created during the day were:

But it was the techniques we learned, or honed, that were especially helpful such as filleting; a quick method of de-veining prawns; preparing and cleaning scallops; checking the freshness of clams, cleaning and cooking them; and working as a team within an industrial kitchen. Advice was also given about buying fish and recommended suppliers.

What was impressive was that nothing was wasted in this establishment (despite what we hear in the media about the industry in general). Every part of the fish not used, and all vegetable pieces, were set aside for stock, reflecting an efficiently run business.

If we worked well we were told that wine would follow in the afternoon. We did as we were told and indeed the wine did flow. Of course, it would have been rude to decline the hospitality. It was a brilliant day and we came away enthused, if not somewhat tired after a non-stop day.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

Six and a half hours on the road and I swore that I would never travel to Cornwall again, at least not by car. Traffic jam followed traffic jam with little light relief, and service stations were packed to bursting….

However, I surprised myself how quickly I could change my mind when the door to our accommodation was opened. What a delight! We have come to the South-West of England to enjoy a cookery course at Rick Stein’s in Padstow, combining this with some sightseeing and relaxation around the town, before heading back via a few days in Devon.

I shall let the photos do the talking.

This says it all

Looks like a picture postcard, but it is for real. A view from our room.

Tea for two

Toiletries designed by Mrs Stein

A hamper just in case we get hungry at night

A little midnight reading

A view of our accommodation (just a room, not the lot!)

Lovely hydrangea

I could go on as there are so many photogenic views, but I cannot pass by some images from our meal this evening at Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant. What a treat.

This has proved to be a good start to our trip. We look forward to what tomorrow at the cookery school will bring.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

Romania offered so much more than we had expected, which had been based, predominantly, on attention-grabbing headlines over the years. This was a beautiful country in terms of mountainous, flat, and green landscapes. The architecture was a surprising mix of Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance buildings, plus many occupied or derelict Communist structures. The painted monasteries and churches were breathtaking.

But what of the three aspects I had considered in my initial blog – the orphanages, Ceaușescu, and the Roma people? I was told that those orphanages have long since gone, much improvements have been made, and fostering is a favoured route today. However, some reports online make for uncomfortable reading.

Discussion about the end of Communism was interesting. While many say they would not want to go back to those times, there are some who think otherwise arguing that at least they had a job, an income and their family members were within the country. Since the 1990s the population has dropped from 23 to 19 million; those leaving Romania for a perceived better life often do not return.

Regarding the Roma people they appear to face the same issues as in the UK. There are estimated to be around 630,000 people, around 3% of the population, but some sources consider this to be higher. During the Communist time attempts had been made to settle families and some of those areas remain today.

Generally what we saw was a prosperous country. There was no shortage of cars, many of the big brands were there including Lidl, Renault, H&M, C&A, KFC, Zara and many more. Unemployment figures are generally low at around 3% but this hides a disparity in parts of the country especially where some large industries have closed.

Friends have asked whether we were on a group holiday. We were – booked through a UK travel company in the usual way, but specialist companies might be an option too. Wildlife and horse riding trips can also be provided, and some operators offer overnight stays in pensions and ‘live ins’ with families. Our tour involved a lot of road travel, but this did give us an insight into village life, the architecture, the plains and their agriculture, the mountains and ski resorts. However, if possible avoid times of religious festivals as sites get extremely busy. Prices were favourable at around half of those in the UK. A starter, main meal and drink of good quality usually came to around £22 for two people.

Romania offered far more than we anticipated and I am sure we only touched the surface. The local people were friendly, and our group’s cohesion made for a most pleasant tour. Amazingly some of our fellow travellers knew one of John’s colleagues from the aviation insurance market.

Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

This may have been our final day, but there was no let up in cognitive stimulation. During the 1989 Revolution our hotel had been a flashpoint. The world’s media was based within the building and crowds massed outside to draw attention. Our guide, as a young person, was at the scene. Many were killed or injured, including journalists. Today, what remains close to the hotel are a few small memorials that many visitors will pass by unaware of their significance.

We walked on to the Bucharest Municipal Museum nearby. Its focus is the history of this capital, but unlike other museums its first display boards ask the visitor to consider the concept of time, what one has chosen to do with that time and what impact that has on the person’s life. Its exhibits then take viewers on a journey starting with the present and heading further and further into the past, while enabling them to return to the present at any time. This aspect was profound. Many may have missed the display board and its meaning completely. However, they will not have missed the well-presented history of Bucharest, its Communist era, its timeline to the 1400s and display boards going back to pre-historic times. It was a small museum, but much effort had been taken to provide detailed explanations in English.

Our next destination, as part of the group, proved to be the grand finale. This was the Palace of Parliament, the pinnacle of Ceausescu’s Communist vision. The Leader bulldozed a sixth of Bucharest to make space for this colossal building which is identical on each of its four sides. An estimated 2,000 homes, plus churches and other historic buildings, were demolished to make way for the grand project. That took four years. A further five years were needed to build it using only Romanian labour working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and only Romanian materials. It is said that 5 million citizens had some involvement in its creation and is thereby considered a lasting monument to the people of the country. Today it houses the country’s parliament and associated departments, although rooms are available to hire.

We visited the Senate chamber, conference rooms and walked part of the passageways. What hits the visitor upon entry is the size of the interior, including the sweeping stairs in the entrance hall. Everything is on a grand scale.

Our guide confirmed just how many rooms there are, 1294. I had read estimates between 1100 and 3000 so was pleased to get some accuracy. All rooms were palatial and of different styles. The running costs are enormous – a month’s utility bill alone costs €1 million.

This was a perfect visit to end our time in Romania.

Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

Today was a travelling day so we spent the morning on the coach travelling the 340 kilometres between Sibiu and Bucharest.

When we reach our hotel in Bucharest we had the afternoon free before going to the opera that evening for the premiere of La Troubadour at the Bucharest Opera House.

Shortly after we reached our hotel room we heard some chanting outside and a demonstration was passing right under our window. We weren’t sure what they were demonstrating about but our guide advised us that it was about a Romanian child that was being adopted by a Romanian family but was ultimately adopted by a family from the United States after a court case. We do not know the full story but it all seems very sad.

We left for the Opera House at 6pm for the premier of the opera La Troubadour.

As we are not opera buffs we were not aware of the story and were only slightly more enlightened after the event. Some of our fellow travellers had seen it before and explained the plot but always ended up saying, it’s complicated. The opera house had a screen translating the opera from Italian into the Romanian language so this did not help us much.

That said the opera house was very picturesque although very hot. The singing, costumes and acting were all very good. Although not really our cup of tea, it is always interesting to go to something that we would not normally go to.

Tomorrow we have a free morning and then we visit the inside of the Romanian Parliament building before going to the airport for the flight home.

So, we have spent time in the monasteries, in the churches, and up the towers (goodness knows how many steps we have climbed). Now we had the opportunity to develop our creative appreciation with time spent on the visual arts.

We have been overnight in Sibiu, a lively 12th century Saxon city. A trip out today took us to Sibiel (the names are so often sounding the same) and the Glass Icon Museum containing around 600 Orthodox Christian artworks of the 18th and 19th centuries. These were not created by highly experienced artists of the time, but by Romanian peasants painters in a variety of art schools across the country. The styles differ by region, some having a predominance of a particular colour or soft tone, for example. The styles have been described as ‘naive’. The artwork had to be created on the rear of the glass, thus a mirror image had to be painted. This led to some interesting end results, particularly with lettering.

Our evening time spent in Sibiu coincided with a 10 day festival of arts. During our visits we were entertained by exciting and creative circus artists parading along the town’s streets, some on bouncing stilts dressed in bright red costumes and pulling strange faces at the onlookers. Other acts included musicians clowning around; and the sound of bagpipes drew us down a small street to find an orchestra with each performer doing his own thing. This led to a cacophony of sound as they geared up for their evening performance.

But we could not leave the region without getting a close up of the creativity of wildlife, and in this case the storks which nest in Romania each year, and particularly around a town named Cristian. A metal frame is fitted on the top of the telegraph poles across the country in order to support the nests. This helps prevent the birds settling on chimneys, although this does happen. Many nests contain the parents and two or three offspring. Our timing cannot have been much before they started to fledge for their journey to South Africa.

Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

We left monasteries in favour of churches as we wended our way back gradually from north Romania south towards Bucharest, which we will reach on Saturday. Our journey took us via some beautiful valleys in Transylvania, rather reminiscent of Austria with its peaks and chocolate box houses.

Every town we passed through, it seemed, was so nicely decorated with planting, particularly bedding plants, roses and trees clipped as standards. Upon enquiring, the town halls take it upon themselves to make their villages horticulturally pretty. Unlike the capital, very little graffiti is seen in these smaller communities.

The order of the day, particularly on Thursday, involved towers and fortified churches. We had never seen so many towers and that meant, wherever possible, we really wanted to climb for the best view over the towns. At this stage of the trip (my!) legs are beginning to feel the strain of yet more steps. Just one trip to reach a church involved 200 steps even before we got to its tower!

The town in which we stayed overnight on day five, Sighisoara, was architecturally beautiful. Sighisoara has buildings dating back to the 14th century. Its medieval citadel contains 9 towers dedicated to various trades including the ironsmiths, bootmakers, tailors, butchers and rope makers. Our first climb was up the 60 metre tall clock tower (also a museum) to see the workings of the little metal characters who chime the bells every 15 minutes. Six floors up I realised that I would not need my Pilates session this week.

This is also the town in which Vlad the Impaler (better known as Vlad III Dracula) was allegedly born. His birthplace is now a restaurant and, of course, it is customary to eat at this establishment. We could not resist the blood sausage and rare steaks!

After a morning tour of Sighisoara, we left for Sibiu and visited a fortified Saxon church at Biertan en route.

There are many of these Saxon fortified churches in this area of Transylvania and the church we visited was a UNESCO World heritage site. While larger towns under threat of invasion may have fortifications around their outskirts, smaller communities created fortifications around the church, incorporating defensive towers.

After the visit at Biertan we hit the road again to Sibiu where we had a tour of the old town that evening before a traditional Romanian dinner.

Tomorrow we visit Corvin castle and the rural Transylvania village of Sibiel.