it's Friday...

... I'm in love, in the words of the great "Cure"... and also relieved!!!!

...what a hellish week!! 4 days of running like crazy, two of those with a migraine and no sleep in between (because of more migraine... "*ç%&/??=&) terribly busy with working, teaching, socialising (ok just a bit, in the context of a football game... btw we won, he he he :) cooking, shopping, exercising... phew... man, I run out of energy completely! I didn't even have time so far to enjoy the brilliant Indian summer we are in, with temperatures up high and a sun so bright like it hasn't been all summer!

But, hey, it's Friday!! Finally!! Not only it's the end of the week and two full days of fun (and great weather, who would believe!!) are ahead of us, not only the sun shines and I am wearing a t-shirt (yes, it is the end of September, I am aware of that ;), not only I have absolutely no plans for this weekend and am open to go to wherever the mood takes me, not only finally I had a nice breakfast at work with my usual group but also, to provide the perfect icing on my cake, a dear friend of mine is visiting The Hague and we are having dinner at one of my favourite restaurants tonight!!

Who could ask for more, really? My head does not ache any more, I had a great night of 9 hours of sleep, I suspect I will have lunch with my best friends here at work and afterwards there will only be a few hours of work before the fun starts!! No, I have no reason to complain nor will I be looking for one! Fridays are great, some of them are better than shoes and this definitely looks like it's gonna be one of them!! I wish you all have a good one too :) and, if you are in the NL, enjoy the sun, it looks like it is the last we get to see it before winter arrives ;)

ambrosia...

... according to the Greek mythology, is what the Gods were savouring up on mount Olympus. So, it could not be something bad, right?! I mean, imagine you are a God, what would you eat?!! No, it was apparently excellent, there are documents (kinda...) on that. Obviously, I have never tasted it... though sometimes during moments of high passion I have been referred to as a Goddess (... huge quantities of alcohol were also involve so do take this with a pinch of salt) until very recently I had no idea what ambrosia could taste like... Until... I went to Crete for my holidays ;)

There are many things I could write about Crete in this blog, given that all of my experiences were positive, not only this last time but all the previous times I visited this gorgeous island of my homeland. But, I choose to focus on the food this time... the best food I have ever tasted! I have travelled in many places around the world, lucky me, and I have tasted great, amazing food. But, nothing like the flavours of Crete.

The magic is in the ingredients, the meat, the milk, the greens, the golden olive oil... take this fine produce, local always, prepare it in the simplest and most traditional manner and you are in for a feast! Take the bread, grilled on the charcoal and sprinkled with olive oil, combine it with the soft cheese made from goat's milk and the red, delicious tomatoes and delve into the pleasure! And if that's not enough, have some grilled meat, some stewed chicken cooked with locally produced pasta, some herbs boiled and served with lemon and olive oil and some freshly fried real potatoes. And if you still crave for more, have freshly fried balls of dough served with honey and vanilla ice cream!

No, I will not be saying anything more, I am already hungry... what I will do is urge you to visit Crete, explore the cuisine and make up your own mind as to how close their food is to what the Gods were enjoying ;) For me it was totally better than shoes! And I have my scales to prove it...

teaching...

... can be better than shoes!!!

They say that "those who cannot do, teach..." but I do not agree entirely. I was selected to teach our job to the new colleagues because apparently I know what I have been doing for more that 10 years now. And no, I do not want to stop "doing", but it is an amazing experience to take a break from the work routine in order to pass the knowledge and to get to see people who had no idea about the job before being transformed to competent professionals in our line of business.  

Yep, no doubt, I love it! It has been very difficult, not at all because of the young colleagues or the subject but because.. well... forget it... let's just say for other reasons... but that is insignificant compared to the pleasure of teaching! Never thought I would like it so much, my mother always told me I would be horrible in it but she was (again...) wrong! I think I am good at it, and I say this humbly and with full respect. I think I''m good because I like it so much! On top of it, the new colleagues are smart, kind, quick to get things and very nice! So, even though I have to wake up 1 1/2 hours earlier than my normal time to be there in the morning, I can't wait to be with them!!

Ok, I do need a break after 9 straight days and I'm lucky enough to get my break but, honestly, I look forward to returning in a few days :) Yes, is has given me many, many happy moments this experience and I would not change it for the world! And today, seeing the disappointment on the trainees' faces when they realized I would not be back with them for 10 days, that was a precious moment!!!

Better than shoes? Yes, by all means, without any shred of doubt, better than a classic pair of Zanotti's flat, rhinestone embellished sandals ;)