Greenwich to Hebridean Islands and on to Bergen Norway, Aalborg Denmark, Delft Holland and Corsica
- Mike B
- Nov 9, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 10, 2019
I have made one major observation over the last couple of months and that is: writing a blog in mid summer is not my forte! There is far too much fun to be had enjoying the fresh air and not sitting, typing away in my study!
So no apology for being tardy!
Anyway, what has been happening? I have just eased up enough to get this Blog Post out!
Still racking up the miles, the interesting cities and towns, the hidden secrets, the intriguing people, the food and of course the fun of the 'f' word!
Greenwich
What a real surprise! After the naming ceremony for the Kirkella ( see previous blog post) I headed off into Greenwich with Adele, to discover what else it had to offer.
It is full of fascinating histories relating to our Merchant and Naval history, Time itself and many delightful distractions and also home to The Largest Painted Hall in England. Constructed in the early 1700's as an elaborate Cafeteria for the injured, the old and the destitute mariners of the time it was and still is the one of the most astounding pieces of architecture we have.
Greenwich is absolutely packed with things to see and do including:
The Prime Meridean East meets West and Time starts and stops!
The Foot tunnel under the Thames to Millwall. Make sure you are wearing the right colours ( Blue and White!)
The Painted Hall https://www.ornc.org/history-of-the-painted-hall#GPtEm8KPYGkuPRfo.97
The National Maritime Museum ( Go and hunt down Captain Blyth and Mutiny on the Bounty!)
The O2 Arena
The Peter Harrison Planetarium
Greenwich Park
and even take a Ski Gondola to nowhere on the Emirates Peninsula!
I could go on but I think you get the picture... Adele and I had a great time even if we did miss the Fan Museum...reason to return perhaps! https://www.thefanmuseum.org.uk
Hebridean Islands
Next trip was up to the Hebridean Islands for a spot of Salmon business. Well this was a trip with a twist even if it was 'just for the day'!
To be fair you would need 54 days if you wanted to spend a day on each of the 'habited Islands' plus another 10 days for the uninhabited. Yes it is a pretty big archipelago and includes the wonderful Isle of Skye. Definitely going back at some point....with Adele.
I thought I was fairly well up on the business of Salmon but I was in for another amazing insight into what is happening in the fast moving world of Aquaculture.
The Scottish Salmon Company - SSCwith Craig Anderson at its's helm as CEO, has embarked on a ground breaking project to rear a new Aquaculture Breed of Scottish Salmon using a native brood stock from the Hebridean Isles.. Slim, strong, supple and with a smaller head then your normal Scottish or Norwegian, the New Hebridean Salmon is absolutely superb. Not too fatty, deliciously moist, sweet flavour and with just the right amount of soft oily back ground coming through the pink flesh when cooked correctly ( al dente) or smoked or gravadlax, it does seem closer to wild salmon than any farmed salmon I have tasted. Keep your eye out for it as it will make its way onto retail shelves and menus shortly if it's not already there.
Bergen
A short trip to the centre of the Norwegian Seafood Industry and always a pleasure to see the Harbour and the 1702 rebuild of The Bergen Bryggen.A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Still working on some ground breaking projects there.
At breakfast you can get your daily dose of Omega 3....more about Omega 3 later!
Aalborg
After a very interesting meeting in Hirtshals which is nearly at the northern most tip of Denmark and in order to catch a flight back to the UK, I took a quick scoot down to this pretty little Danish city sat on the shallow Limfjord stretch of sea ( but called a loch ) as this had the nearest airport to Hirtshals.
It boasts a wonderful half-timbered Castle built in 1550 with unique old merchant houses stretching back to the 14th and 15th Centuries surrounding it and a beautiful Cathedral which is well worth a visit.
Great food as you would expect from the Danes who cherish their seafood and stay true to the simplicity of cooking it, 'a la nature' so the full flavour of the fish shines through!
Delft
Onward into the countryside of Holland and what a little gem this is!
Historically renowned for the Nassau House of Orange (and William the Silent)...which is why Holland 's colours are invariably doused in a coat of vibrant Orange ...(they love Easyjet!).
Delft isa also famous for being one of the world's major centres of microbiology but to the normal tourist it is most famous for Delft Blue Pottery.
I was there for the 'microbiology' bit!
I had the pleasure of meeting a cutting edge company called Veramaris.
An Algal Oil producer which has it's office there (its main plant has just opened in Nebraska) on one of the biggest Microbiological Campus I have ever seen!
Algal oil is made from macerating Maize which is rich in sugar and introducing specific 'good bacteria' and can be considered a part or whole replacement for Marine Fish oil, which is added to Aquaculture feed, to not only improve the welfare of the fish or shellfish but also that of human health ( i.e. the consumer).
So this will be the purest form of healthy Omega 3! Bergen for breakfast ...ask for Scrambled egg with Smoked Salmon reared with Veramaris Omega 3 !
This initiative will enable Aquaculture to continue to expand without the otherwise inevitable pressure on Marine Stocks of fish such as the Peruvian Anchovy, which amongst other species, currently forms the mainstay of Omega 3 oil in Aquaculture Fish-meal.
Corsica
By mid June I was shattered! Fortunately our great friends R&G PS invited us to join them in the Mediterranean. A ten day trip on a fantastic Fairline 63 around the coast of Corsica, across to Elba, down to Northern Sardinia and then back up the West coast to La Napoule in the South of France our point of embarkation. What a break and unbelievable experience that was! Chilled, totally chilled....even Adele was impressed that I wasn't working....it did help that we were at sea most days with so many sights to see plus all sorts of distractions like underwater Seabobs and blow up sail-boards, visits to local market, mooring off deserted beaches, cooking....oh, and not too much internet coverage!
NEXT TIME....A story of Donkeys, The Royal Albert Hall for dinner, The local Permissive Supper, China, Scotland, Amsterdam, Brasserie Zelda, UK Oyster Opening Championships London, M&J Portugal,......and our daughter Pascal's London wedding!
Oh I missed the recipe this time....have to put two next blog!
Time for another lie-down!
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