Every time he shoots a new music video in Iceland, the locations become tourist attractions.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
The Secret Messenger by Mandy Robotham
While in Venice I read a book set in … Venice.
Venice, 1943: Stella Jilani is leading a double life, working as a typist in the 3rd Reich Office, but smuggling out information for the Italian Resistance and using her old typewriter to produce an underground newspaper.
Her life becomes even more complicated when she crosses paths with two very different men – the cultured, enigmatic Cristian De Luca, her immediate superior at work, and friendly Jack (Giovanni), an injured British-Italian parachutist, who needs her help. …
Historical Novel Society
A second story line is set 2017 — Stella’s granddaughter stumbles on an old typewriter and a box of mementoes. Determined to connect with her Venetian heritage, she begins an obsessive quest to find out what happened to her grandmother following WW II.
Not a bad book. But not great.
It was interesting to learn how the Italian underground operated under dictator Mussolini and the NAZIs.
A Haunting in Venice – Kenneth Branagh
I really enjoyed Kenneth Branagh‘s 2nd Agatha Christie adaptation ➙ Death on the Nile (2022).
Belfast was excellent, as well.
So I was keen to see Haunting in Venice (2023), loosely based on Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie.
Though not as good as Nile, I do have a lot of respect for the 3rd film. It feels true to the Agatha Christie formula.
Film students should study the cinematography and audio.
Branagh portrays the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. An ego trip.
Tina Fey is Ariadne Oliver, Poirot’s friend and a crime novelist (something like Christie).
Having lost faith in God and humanity, Detective Hercule Poirot lives in retirement in post-war Venice, employing ex-police officer Vitale Portfoglio as a bodyguard.
On Halloween, novelist Ariadne Oliver convinces Poirot to attend a séance at the palazzo of opera singer Rowena Drake and help expose medium Joyce Reynolds as a fraud. …
Gathering the other guests together, Poirot exposes _______ as the murderer. …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Visiting Venice, Italy
Surprisingly, I loved Venice.
After 9pm it could be 50 years ago. Elegant decay.
I flew to Venice mainly because Tam & Les were there for a conference.
Fully expected to be disappointed — as I was by Florence in high season 2023. Too. Many. Tourists.
Happily, Venice is still GREAT.
Narrow streets and bridges are near deserted at night.
Here’s a painting of Venice in 1607. At places it looks the same today.
The winged lion is the symbol of the city.
IF taking a gondola, I’d recommend you hire a musician to tag along.
I was there for 3 days. Here are some of my random photos.
The far end of Venice is Lido, the beach.
There is a surprising amount of green space. You can even cycle in Venice.
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Click PLAY or watch Rick Steves on YouTube.
Enjoying Pasta in Italy
Venice & Bologna
Bigoli (Venetian: bìgołi) is an extruded pasta in the form of a long and thick strand.
Good for me were pasta to go places in Venice.
Choose bigoi. Choose your topping. Take it away in a box.
This one is a kind of Carbonara.
This one is Amatriciana: Tomato and Bacon.
I can then sit on the canal to enjoy with my Diet Coke bottle of cheap wine. 😀
Overall, the Carbonara variations are my favourites. Eggs, hard cheese, cured pork, and lots of black pepper.
I tried a super popular local restaurant near a train station. AMERICAN portions.
Tastiest of all — however — was a small portion of lasagna I had with Les and Tam at a random tourist restaurant in Venice. I couldn’t recall better.
Bologna
Outside Italy, the phrase “Bolognese sauce” is often used to refer to a tomato-based sauce to which minced meat has been added. As kids in Canada we ate spaghetti and meatballs — thinking it a kind of spaghetti bolognese.
The mayor of Bologna pointed out that “Spaghetti bolognese doesn’t actually exist, yet it’s famous the world over …”
Ragù alla Bolognese is what it’s called here.
Tagliatelle al ragù alla bolognese is much preferred over spaghetti. Often served with grated Parmesan on top.
This is grocery store Tagliatelle bolognese. I added the parmesan and pepper.
Sadly, it was the worst pasta I had in Italy.
Tuscany
I’m the kind of gourmand who’s quite happy with spaghetti and ragù sauce out of a jar. 😀
BUT for this trip to Tuscany, I decided to learn something about real pasta.
Hostel homemade Tagliatelle has a nice texture. Long, flat ribbons that hold a lot of sauce.
Northern Italy
In the north, cuisine is influenced by Germany and Austria. But I stuck with pasta in Trento.
Monograno Felicetti is like spaghetti. And was served to me al dente.
The carbonara was tasty. Cured pork and black pepper the main takeaways.
In Italy, I listened to sections of a good book:
Pasta, Pane, Vino: Deep Travels Through Italy’s Food Culture
Author Matt Goulding was inspired by Anthony Bourdain.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby
S. A. Cosby is one of the hottest writers working today.
Some call him a “Southern noir” crime fiction writer.
In this book, a Black sheriff in a small (racist) Southern town faces off with a serial killer.
The story is excellent. But the intent is clearly to examine the racial and geopolitical fault lines of America’s South.
If I had any complaint, I’d say it’s about 40% too preachy. 😀
Read an excellent review by Gabino Iglesias.
South Coast Iceland Tour
One of the most popular tours for tourists visiting Iceland is called South Shore Adventure. 11 hours hitting as many of the most popular spots as possible.
Eyjafjallajökull Glacier was quite clear the day we were there.
The Eyjafjallajökull volcano is the one that erupted 14 April 2010, shutting down flights in Europe for days.
Skogar ➙ Skógafoss
As I was there with a tour bus, middle of the day, it was too CROWDED to get isolated Instagram ego pics. Also … NO drones allowed at Skógafoss. 😀
IF I had hiked to here — as originally planned — I could have had the waterfall to myself very early or late in the day. Like this …
This is the best I could do.
Vik
Inspired by this edited photo, I climbed up above the church for lunch.
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Seljalandsfoss is the one you can walk behind. Fun.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
The stop I enjoyed the most was Reynisfjara black sand beach.
The beach is standard black sand. Nothing special. But the columnar basalt geology is interesting. As is the coastal bird life.
Also, the “Troll Toes” offshore.
The Nightmare by Lars Kepler
The 2nd book in the Swedish series featuring Detective Inspector Joona Linna.
Police discover the lifeless body of a young woman on an abandoned yacht.
The next day, a man is found hanging in his apartment.
When Detectives Joona Linna and Saga Bauer uncover a surprising connection between the two deaths, they will be forced to confront a relentless killer who’s always one step ahead and a ruthless business tycoon who preys on his victims’ worst nightmares to achieve his sinister ends.
larskepler.com
I’ve been reading a lot of Nordic noir (Scandinavian crime fiction) over the past few years.
Surprisingly bleak, dark and morally complex for what are arguably the most successful nations in the world with the happiest citizens. 😀
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — Lisbeth Salander — is my favourite fictional character. BUT I’m really starting to like Joona Linna.
Certainly I’ll be continuing with this series.
Visiting Reykjavik, Iceland
I’ve been to Reykjavik a number of times now. Always enjoy the small, arctic city.
First thing to know ➙ Reykjavik is expensive. In 2023 I found it much more expensive than Norway, for example.
Sleeping in a hostel dorm bed is the easiest way to reduce cost.
By coincidence, Laura and John from Victoria, Canada were there on holiday. We had a fun day and a good meal — at their expense. Thanks!
The highlight was Perlan — Pearl — a natural history museum. Ticket price over U.S. $35 — but well worth the cost. In fact, we agreed that this should be the first stop for first time visitors to Iceland: Wonders of Iceland, Flight over Iceland video, Volcano video, Water in Icelandic Nature, a planetarium show called Áróra … John and I may have dozed through some of that one. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Situated on the top of a hill, the turning rooftop restaurant provides great views in every direction.
We also climbed iconic Hallgrímskirkja.
This Lutheran church is a symbol of national identity since its completion in 1986.
The statue is explorer Leif Erikson (c.970 – c.1020).
This time to Reykjavik, I visited two of the local geothermal swimming complexes. Laugardalslaug has several small pools, each at a different temperature. Hottest was 44℃ the night I was there.
The word I use most often to describe Iceland is weird.
Weird landscapes, in particular.
But it’s a place of contrasts. It ain’t easy living on a remote island that might blow up at any time. The most recent volcanic eruption was only 30km from Reykjavik.
It ain’t easy living on an arctic island with this harsh climate.
Wandering the streets we stumbled on to this scene.
More random pics.
Until next time, Reykjavik.
I’m considering returning in 2024 with my touring bike.
The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons by Karin Smirnoff
Book #7 in the Lisbeth Salander series was published in English 2023.
The 3rd author will be Karin Smirnoff.
I do feel she’s better than either the original — Stieg Larsson — or books 4,5, and 6 David Lagercrantz … BUT this book suffers from many of the same flaws as the first six.
Firstly, not enough Salander. That’s why I’m here. WHY does she appear so late in this book?
Why does she not do more hacking?
David Denby of The New Yorker stated that the character of Lisbeth Salander clearly accounts for a large part of the novels’ success.[17]
Deirdre Donahue of USA Today referred to Salander as “one of the most startling, engaging and sometimes perplexing heroines in recent memory.”[18]
The New York Times‘s David Kamp called her “one of the most original characters in a thriller to come along in a while.”[19]
Likewise, Muriel Dobbin from The Washington Times dubbed her one of the most fascinating characters to emerge in crime fiction in years; “Her remoteness and her capacity for anger and violence are in contrast with a desperate vulnerability that she reveals only to the most unlikely of people.”[20]
By coincidence, both Salander and Mikael Blomkvist end up in Sweden’s far north.
Neither is doing well at the start of the book.
Blomkvist for his daughter’s wedding. Salander hiding her 13-year-old niece Svala, whose mother has disappeared. Incredibly, Lisbeth accepts the role of guardian.
One of the few upsides of this story is that Svala is something of a child genius. She could be the next Salander.
Blomkvist’s beloved magazine Millennium has had to go digital: podcast, vlog. Disgusted, he takes a break from the job.
“Greenwashing”, and the damage caused by ostensibly green companies, is a major theme.
I’ll keep reading. But Smirnoff could have done much better with this material.
Rick McCharles 