Paella

I guess we've never really had a good paella outside of Spain. I can't seem to make a great one either. I think you have to be in Spain. A post by J.Z. "Paella Night @ Del Rey Restaurant in Villa Royal was a disaster! The paella was dry and spicy. Paella is never supposed to be dry or spicy. The portions were mostly dry spicy rice with little to no shrimp, chicken or chorizo just a few clams. The Spanish deviled egg with jamon was also dry and flavorless. The burrata salad with jamon and fig was fine but again somewhat bland; the flavors did not come together. The rice pudding desert was bland and dry. Spanish rice pudding should be creamy. All Spanish deserts are creamy. But the real disappointment was the paella. This was the absolute worst dinner I have had in my eight years living in Palm Springs."

France the most visited country in the world

Not really a surprise to me. It does seem to have it all. I'm glad we were able to make many trips there. "Welcoming more than 89 million visitors annually, France is the most visited country in the world. Little wonder, owing to the eternal pull of the cosmopolitan capital of Paris. City breaks to the French capital are always popular with couples, who long to experience the romance of Paris’s historic streets and glistening Eiffel Tower. Furthermore, Paris is a shopping paradise and boasts some of the finest restaurants in the world. On the other hand, France offers an array of Mediterranean beaches along its glamorous Côte d’Azur. France’s diversity doesn’t stop there, as the chateaux and vineyards of the Loire Valley are another reason to visit this European nation." Source: Exoticca

A wonderful Thanksgiving

We began with lunch at the University Golf Club with Linda and Cec and Donna,then spoiled with a super dinner and wonderful wine with Richard and Grace and Ray and Naomi. Thank you all for making this a very special Thanksgiving.

I wish I could find a Picasso in my basement

CNN — "A painting discovered by a junk dealer in the basement of an Italian villa six decades ago is actually the work of Pablo Picasso and could sell for millions, according to experts. Luigi Lo Rosso used to spend his days combing abandoned houses and landfills in search of treasure to sell in the family’s pawn shop in Pompeii, Italy. In 1962, he found a rolled-up canvas with an asymmetrical painting of a woman in the basement of the villa on the nearby island of Capri." This link seems to work if you want to see the painting. https://click.convertkit-mail.com/lmu7qoek5gimh0p4n0gcgu80onv00cg/9qhzhdupvr9dwxfz/aHR0cHM6Ly9lZGl0aW9uLmNubi5jb20vMjAyNC8xMC8wMi9zdHlsZS9waWNhc3NvLXBhaW50aW5nLWp1bmstZGVhbGVyLWl0YWx5LXNjbGktaW50bC9pbmRleC5odG1sP2xjdGc9cTVnbHZtZGU

Giller Prize

As always, some interesting looking books to read. It's always fun to see who wins. "This year's Giller Prize shortlist celebrates five of the country's finest authors as it marks its 31st anniversary, raising the profiles of fiction writers from across the country. The authors on the 2024 Giller Prize shortlist are: Éric Chacour ​for his novel What I Know About You (translated by Pablo Strauss), published by Coach House Books Anne Fleming for her novel Curiosities , published by Knopf Canada Conor Kerr for his novel Prairie Edge, published by Strange Light Anne Michaels for her novel Held, published by McClelland & Stewart Deepa Rajagopalan for her short story collection Peacocks of Instagram, published by House of Anansi Press. This year’s jury, made up of Canadian authors Kevin Chong and Noah Richler (jury chair), and Canadian singer-songwriter Molly Johnson narrowed down over 100 submitted works to curate a shortlist that seeks to inspire future generations of writers."

This would be a fun museum to visit

KYOTO, Japan – Japan’s iconic video game maker Nintendo opened a museum here in its home city today, Oct. 2nd, tracing the company’s roots from a playing card company that began 135 years ago, to the present-day home of Super Mario, Pokémon and a vast and growing entertainment empire. The company’s bosses appear to want to sum up their corporation’s achievements, as they begin to transition to a younger generation of leaders, and the company moves from video games into new businesses, including stores, movies and theme parks. But to open a museum that explains the company’s history is a highly unexpected, uncharacteristic move for a company that seldom explains itself, preferring instead to let its games and other products speak for themselves.

Drinking on public transport in London

This came up on something I was reading with a photo of people enjoying some drinks. We did quite a lot of travelling on public transport in London before 2008 and I don't ever recall people drinking let alone partying. We came back to our lodging after seeing a play or some event so were on transit in the evening. "On 7 May 2008, the newly elected Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced that the drinking of alcohol would be banned on all public transport services run by Transport for London from 1 June." I do remember people drinking and eating on trains in France and other public places but not on public transport like the subway. I don't know what the laws were.

Dinner at Minerva's

We had a super dinner with Donna at one of our very favourite places. And we have leftovers for tomorrowm.