Asian influence: Green Thai Curry!

Posted on by bethlouisegrant

So this post isn’t strictly about my German travels (2 weeks to go!) but I wanted to share with you my love for Thai food, in particular Green Curry (Thai:  แกงเขียวหวาน). I like to cook a lot, as my friends and family will tell you, and I can be frequently found in the kitchen whipping up something delightful. There’s not much food that I don’t like and therefore it’d hard to choose a favourite! But I do love Asian foods, and my recent trip to Oxford with a friend from university has influenced me to write this post. We visited a fantastic Thai restaurant called Thaikhun (http://thaikhun.co.uk/) which had a wonderful vibe and the street-style food was incredible!!! The interior and décor was very unusual, but added to the unique feel of the place.

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So after eating yet another incredible Green curry, I’ve decided to try a new recipe and make one for my friends and I tonight. At university I would often make up the recipe as I went along but today I’ve found a recipe which seems very tasty and now that I’m back at home, my mum is much more likely to have all of these ingredients in her cupboards (at uni I would survive off very few things- mainly because I was poor student haha). So I will follow this recipe from the Metro (http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/10/how-to-cook-the-ultimate-thai-green-curry-4298366/). I will post up a picture of the result tonight!

Whatever you are eating tonight, enjoy! 🙂

Beth

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A quick get a way to Düsseldorf

Posted on by bethlouisegrant

As I’ll be studying at the university in Düsseldorf in the coming winter term, I thought it would be a good idea to check out the town and see where I will be living. It was also nice for my parents to see where I’ll be living and studying. We decided to go for a quick 3 night break in the city at the beginning of August and this is a little bit of what we experienced…

We arrived early on a Tuesday morning and it was absolutely tipping it down. Despite the non-stop rain, we made our way from the airport, to the SkyTrain, to the Hauptbahnhof and to our hotel. We were soaked. Nevertheless, we had things to do and places to visit! After dropping our bags off at the hotel we made our way back out into the rain and after a bit of a walk we found a tram which took us to the university. It was great to see the university grounds and also the accommodation block where I will be living. I can’t wait to be there again as a student of the university (there will be many future posts where I will explain what it’s like to be a student of a German university).

Düsseldorf is a hub for business and high-end fashion and the locals there seem to live a lavish, laid-back lifestyle. The next day we walked along the river Rhine in nearly 40 degree heat (yes, we couldn’t believe the drastic change in weather either!), and it was beautiful.

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The promenade along the river Rhine

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Mum and I on the promenade of the river Rhine (with the “Der Rheinturm” in the background)

Of course we were feeling quite thirsty during our walk in the scorching heat which meant that we had to stop for a beer! We learnt that in Düsseldorf, you can only order a type of beer called “Altbier” (a dark ale), whilst in the neighbouring Cologne you can only order Kölsch (a light, refreshing ale). I wouldn’t advise that you get these the wrong way round when ordering in each town! On this day, we also caught the train to the nearby Mönchengladbach. It is another beautiful German town which I will definitely go back and explore more.

The next day we caught the train to neighbouring Cologne and we were thoroughly impressed with this enchanting town. As soon as we got off the train and exited the station we were confronted with the magnificent Cathedral. Unfortunately the sun was shining too much for me to get a good photograph and my picture does absolutely no justice to the size and intricacy of the building, but here is a small part of it…

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Cologne Cathedral

I cannot stress how incredible this building is to see and I would highly recommend a visit to this Gothic landmark (it attracts more tourists than any other landmark in Germany). I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in the narrow side streets and looking at the quintessentially old German architecture. Below are a few pictures which should give you a feel of Cologne.

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Narrow side street in Cologne

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Cologne

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Parents in Cologne

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Dad and I walking the streets of Cologne

After a lovely day spent in sunny, hot Cologne we made our way back to Düsseldorf on the train (only a 20 minute journey). During our three days in Düsseldorf, we packed in as much as possible. We ate at some great places (I recommend a visit to the Altstadt in Düsseldorf- which is also home to the “longest bar in the world”), and drank at some interesting places (Engel Rockbar in the Altstadt was fab and I will be going back). I also can’t wait to get back to Düsseldorf to do some shopping. There was a wealth of shops to suit everybody and “die Königsallee” is a must for anybody who enjoys the finer things in life (many luxury stores there including Cartier, Hermès, Prada).

All in all, we had a fab time, albeit a short one, but I can’t wait to return to Düsseldorf and the beautiful and exciting state that is North Rhine-Westphalia. I will explore the city and surrounding areas in much more depth and I’m sure that I will develop a different outlook when I am there living in the city, amongst the locals.

20 days to go and I will be at London Heathrow with 2 big suitcases and my rucksack! (I hope I meet some nice, helpful people on my journey, or maybe I’ll just be watched as a stumble around with all my luggage!!)

Until next time,

Beth

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