Hannover (TBC)

A (somewhat) unusual travel blog post

A cuppa before the flight

Just a couple of quirky travel pics

The lone vehicle

I’m sure you all know by now that I absolutely love travelling. Being able to see and learn about new things, and simultaneously meet and greet new people, can all easily fill my wanderlust cup to the brim. So, no matter if it’s to the stunning Sunshine Coast of Australia, or to a grand and bejeweled temple in Bangkok, any sort of voyage abroad can easily quench my thirst. On this occasion, my trip to Hannover, Germany, was for a completely contrasting purpose to tourism.

Yes, you got it: work.

Morning traffic on the way to work

Clock tower along the highway

The idea of traveling overseas for a corporate task had always fascinated me. I enjoy public speaking (was in the club during high school), and working in a foreign country to me seemed like the perfect opportunity to make use of my conversation and impromptu skills. So, you can probably imagine that I was more than eager to accept the job. Of course, no journey is complete without at least some obstacles along the way. Despite not being able to speak a word of German, simply because I instead chose to learn the language of Victor Hugo and Édith Piaf in the past, I managed to scrounge up some of my non-linguistic based interpersonal skills and utilize them to the max.

So many Green Things <3

Three little boats

What I gained from that experience is completely indescribable, and in the most positive way possible of course. If it hadn’t been for the guidance and support from my friendly and funny colleagues (at least they think they’re humorous), I would have probably struggled immensely during my time in Hannover.

Little Timmy

Although tourism was completely off our to-do list, that didn’t stop me from taking quirky and interesting photos whenever I got the time. Emphasis on the foodie pics in particular; it was truly wonderful having the opportunity to sample foods from various regions in Europe and the traditional German cuisine. 

Night-time feast

And definitely a huge thumbs up to the hospitality of the hotel staff.

View from my room

In summary…

From a worker’s perspective, my knowledge into the industry my company is involved in has undoubtedly excelled. From a traveler’s viewpoint, my short trip to Germany has definitely left me hungry for many more amazing adventures.

Before we take flight...

Danke schön for everything Hannover; I will be back.

A tasty memento

Miss Vogue's Warm Blueberry Cakes (Pudding)

Usually when I read Vogue, the first thing I head for is the section that tells you what the latest trends and styles are through a visual gallery boasting a kaleidoscopic array of colors. I think much less about any recipes it recommends, mainly because I'd much prefer to go to an online recipe site or foodie magazine. However, I do think it's important to read openly, especially since you might be in for a delightful treat. In this case, Miss Vogue's Warm Blueberry Cake (or lil' pudding) was definitely a scrumptiously sweet surprise (alliteration for literature geeks). Of course blueberries go well in anything in my opinion, especially in cakes. For this recipe however, it acted as a sort of syrup (think sticky toffee pudding except made with water, sugar and blueberries). The amount of water it asked for was considerably higher than the value allocated to the cream and self-raising flour. Having baked quite a bit myself before, I was slightly skeptical at these numbers. Nevertheless, Miss. Vogue definitely proved me wrong; my worries about the recipe failing quickly evaporated as soon as my eyes were met with the golden scented heart that stood in front of me as the oven door was opened.

A light and somewhat healthy dessert option for those that are wary of their weight - that's how I'd summarize it.

Recipe from:
http://www.vogue.co.uk/miss-vogue/whats-up/2015/03/warm-blueberry-cake-recipe

Lemon and Lavender Chicken

Attempting the extraordinary

As much as I like sticking to recipes (for the sake of accuracy mainly), I do like jazzing them up a bit every so often. These happen to be the very rare instances where I’ll act slightly more daring than usual and employ (somewhat) wacky ingredients. Sometimes they go wrong, sometimes they go right. In this case, it was the latter (thankfully). I’ve never really liked lavender as a fragrance or lotion; I much prefer a more fruity scent. However, when it’s combined with lemon, it’s a completely different story. It’s also a bit of a tongue twister; I ended up calling it lamon and lemender chicken quite a few times. Whether you want to try it with chicken drumsticks like I did or the entire poultry, Rachel Khoo’s French recipe is definitely a zesty dinner-time delight. As there’s honey in the sauce, it goes perfectly with a crusty baguette. However, I found that a mixed veggie fried rice is also a winning accompaniment. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.

Chicken recipe available from two sources:

• Rachel Khoo’s The Little Paris Kitchen book
• http://www.popsugar.com/food/Lavender-Chicken-Recipe-27060764