I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic 2022!
Tea behind the window: Holiday Celebration
Oreo behind the window: Large Oreo Cookie
Running: 24 minutes of pure Christmas joy
Advent posting has been fun and challenging and fun again. It was challenging in those days full of work, training, and other things to do. It was fun to think of random themes and make them fun. It was definitely fun to write again as well!
I hope I will continue and not just abandon my blog again. The amount of traveling has been greatly reduced in the past years, but not the number of adventures and experiences that I would like to share. Therefore, I intend to continue sharing them, despite having only a few (but loyal) readers.
Blogging might be old fashion but it still is just as charming as before.
Tea behind the window: Peppermint Candy
Oreo behind the window: Candy bar
Running: 64+26 minutes (window 18)
This will be the most boring post of the entire advent series.
There has been a lot of work, some running and some Christmas baking and preparing. And of course, some tea drinking!
I think none of my readers will mind, as all of you are probably also pretty busy with Christmas preparations. Enjoy it and don't stress about it!
Happy Christmas preparations!
Teas: Spooky Spice and Festive Holiday
Oreo: regular cookie and hazelnut ball
Running: 95 min and 15 min.
Julbord is a Swedish word that means Christmas table or in a better translation Christmas buffet. As in many other countries, it is common to eat out with your friends, family, or colleagues during the Christmas season. In Portugal, we would pick a random restaurant that everyone liked, but in Sweden, a Christmas dinner usually means Christmas food.
The menu on the Julbord is not that different from the food one eats on Christmas eve at home. The biggest difference is that on a Julbord the food is not homemade (but it can be just as good, depending on the restaurant).
The traditional Julbord usually goes like this:
Plate 1. Pickled herring, anything from 3 to 30 different kinds of pickling. Other smoked fishes, usually salmon (cold smoked, warm smoked, with extra seasoning, without...). Boiled egg halves with something on top (mayo, shrimp, caviar, etc).
Plate 2. Cold meats (chritmas ham, wild meat), pâtés and terrines. Beetroot salad and/or cabbage salad.
Plate 3. Hot food: meatballs, sausages, glazed ribs, Jansson's temptation (a weird kind of gratin), red and brown cabbage. Sometimes brussels sprouts. Sometimes cheese pie (sooooo good).
Plate 4. Rice pudding, saffron pudding, chocolate truffles. Caramels and candy.
(Coming from a Christmas tradition where one has at least one dessert per person on the Christmas table, Sweden was a shock for me, as they mostly eat candy for dessert. It might be because of all the meat one eats before. Who has room for dessert anyway?)
Julbords are so common and popular that even Ikea has such a buffet in December. Simple, tasty, and cheap. Others places do a more luxurious take on a Christmas buffet with 30 different kinds of pickled herring or 10 different kinds of smoked salmon. Most of them offer something in between.
If you ever find yourself in Sweden in December give it a try. The food is usually delicious and you get to celebrate your own Swedish Christmas (even if it's not Christmas eve or day).
Tea behind the window: Happy Holiday
Oreo behind the window: oreo cookie
Running: 10 minutes (window 2)
Let's celebrate the fourth and last advent of 2021 by revisiting the best sunsets of this year.
Tea behind the window: White Wonderland
Oreo behind the window: blue oreo ball
Running: 20 minutes (window 4)
Today we woke up to a very foggy day, with the trees mysteriously surrounded by a white mist.
That reminded me of my hometown in Portugal, on those winter mornings when we would pretend that we had a lake because the valley was full of clouds and we couldn't see any of the houses or buildings that usually stood there.
That also reminded me of the legend of (king) Sebastian of Portugal, who disappeared during the battle of Alcácer Quibir, in 1578, probably killed in action. His disappearance caused a crisis in Portugal and people longed for his return and better times. Until today he is referred to as the Desired and according to the legend, his return will happen in a foggy dawn, on Portugal's greatest hour of need.
Portugal has had many difficult moments and crises, but apparently not its worst yet, as Sebastian of Portugal has still not returned.
I looked for him today, in case he had gotten lost and ended up in Sweden, but I didn't meet him.
It will probably happen on some other foggy morning then.
Tea behind the window: Punchy Peppermint
Oreo behind the window: 2 oreo cookies
Running: 45 minutes (window 9)
When was the last time you did something new?
What did you do?
Doing something new now and then, challenges you out of your comfort zone and keeps life fun and interesting, so I'm a big fan of the concept.
Last summer, I won a multisport watch because, among all participants in a contest, my something new was chosen as the most creative. We were asked to innovate in our training that day, and I filmed a video of me jumping on newly found forest hurdles - that's what I say when jumping over fallen trees on the trails.
Exploring new places is a new thing I often do. It can be traveling, a new city or country, but it can just as well be a new trail outside my door.
Another way to keep it fun for me is to try new recipes and cuisines. And that's exactly what will happen as soon as I get to the kitchen today. I'll make chocolate chip cookies because it's something I've never done before (I don't really know why?!) and it sounds perfect for a cozy end of the week on the sofa with a cup of tea.
How about you? Have you done something new recently?
Tea behind the window: Tropical Lemongrass
Oreo behind the window: chocolate bar with oreo
Running: 55 minutes (window 11)
Walks became a thing when we were all sent home from work and to work. I went from at least 5000 steps at work, plus cycling to and from work, to be stuck at home the whole day. I was still training and running, but I missed the movement throughout the day. My body missed that movement too and after a few weeks, I got pain in my hip flexors, and on my shoulders/neck. As so many other people did.
Last summer, while talking to some crazy and cool ultra runners, one of them told us that ultra running involves a lot of walking as well, so any extra walking in our daily lives helps a lot. She tries to have a yearly average of 20 000 steps a day and challenged us to try it. We did and started including morning walks during the days we work from the home and evening walks on non-running days. We have been on a similar average since then and started feeling the health benefits of not sitting as much almost immediately. Now, don't get me wrong, we do not walk 20 000 steps every day. We usually get a lot more than that in our long runs on weekends, so we get some buffer for the more tiring working days.
We walk to our errands making the time useful, we listen to interesting podcasts, we have long talks with each other, we explore new corners of our neighborhood and our forest. Most important of all, we feel better, stronger, and happier.
And one should do more of what makes one happier.
Tea behind the window: Ghostly Green
Oreo behind the window: Hazelnut bar
Running: 70 minutes (window 14)
Did you know that Swedes are pros in adding weird spices to their baking products? The spices themselves are not weird, but adding them to pastries and making them work is a bit weird. At least the first time you try it, but afterward you can't imagine anymore how to live without spiced buns.
Cinnamon
OK, not that weird. Who doesn't love a good cinnamon cake with some refreshing icing on top? Or without. It is also no surprise that cinnamon rolls are delicious.
Cardamom
Who would come up with the idea of using cardamom in baking goods? The Swedes (not only I know)! There are cardamom buns, but the ultimate invention is eaten traditionally on fat Tuesday and is called Semla. It is a cardamom bun, opened at 1/4 from the top, with an almond filling and whipped cream. No words can explain how delicious they are and I can't live without them anymore. Of course, we don't eat them only on fat Tuesday, as I have many years to catch up from all the time I did not live in Sweden :)
Saffran
Who would come up with the idea of using Saffran in baking goods? Yes, it's the swedes again (and again they might not be the only ones). The most popular are the Lucia buns eaten on Lucia day (December 13th, see advent posting day 13). The buns are a beautiful unique yellow and absolutely delicious, especially on the same day and with a cup of tea or coffee.
Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom
What could possibly have all of the spices above and be sweet? Are you sure you don't know?
Gingerbread cookies of course! The Swedes eat them around Christmas and prefer them thin and crispy, although thicker and used in house building projects are also quite popular. Coming December all homes, offices, and events fill up with boxes of gingerbread cookies and no one seems to get tired of them.
Blogging for 14 days straight is not as easy as it might look, at least not for me. Halfway through and I'm already having trouble finding blogging topics.
Well... that's not completely true. I have post ideas, but too extensive, while I want to keep advent blogging short and random. Looking around me I see a million random things I could blog about, but I decided to turn to the internet.
Do you want to know what are the top 5 ideas for starting a new blog, according to fizzle.co?
1. Self-improvement / personal development
2. Health & fitness for busy people
3. Learning a new language
4. How to travel on a budget
5. Writing / writing style / copywriting
There you see, this blog is a mix of all of the above. Although, I'm not sure that's a good or a bad thing... All of the topics above are already very popular out there, so if I want a more diverse blog I need to keep looking down the list.
Here are some more appealing topic ideas:
11. Recipes for couples without children (more risotto, fewer mash potatoes?)
12. Male guides to female communication (good luck...)
19. Disc golf (there's a course here in my forest!)
27. The best burgers in your city/state/country (I have been trying to try them all in Gothenburg...)
32. Ghost-hunting (very new to me...)
42. The art of getting what you want (interesting)
55. How to become a famous rockstar online (are rockstars still a thing?)
62. Learning the Ukulele and other less common instruments (now that would be fun!)
I'm not sure where to start, so I'll leave the themes here to inspire you (or not!) and say that it was fun to look and write a blog post about blogging.
Tea behind the window: Super Star Anise
Oreo behind the window: 2 regular oreo cookies
Running: 85 minutes (window 17)
