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Fall in Amsterdam and the leaves have almost all come off the trees. The air is getting cold and winter is around the corner. I love making a pellet of my hand ground linseed oil paint in the studio of Rembrandt, then walking home with it, taking in the colours of the day. I then use the fresh paint to recreate the colours on my canvas.                

The oil paint that Rembrandt used was made from pigments of ground, inorganic material such as stones, minerals, and other earthen materials. This was the job for his students but I have learned a great deal by making paints myself. Rembrandt was able to get away with a life time of painting and only used 14 different raw pigments. Since these pure raw pigments are mixed with very small amounts of linseed oil, they can all be mix with each other to create other colours. Rembrandt had no purple pigment; he took his red paint and his blue paint to create his purple. This is very handy once you learn how to mix colours; you are never without what you need. The other great advantage is that you can thin the paint with simply more linseed oil. No turpentine or solvents are needed while painting.

This way you can paint all day, in a small studio like mine, and you’re not overwhelmed by fumes. As I mentioned the cold is coming so opening the window here is not an option. However, the weather is perfect for working on finishing touches of painting or working up something new using the colours of the seasons as inspiration.

Read more about Eric…

You might call strikes in France a tendency with a traditional recurrence at this time of year. They are exasperating, crippling… but I’ve lived here long enough to grin and bear them. I actually found myself wondering today whether I would miss strikes if the new French President actually succeeded in curbing their thrust. At least this time there is a reason to strike: the special privileges of all railway employees are to be levelled. “Massive, indefinitely prolonged strikes” are announced, starting tonight. My plans to see my daughter and the Paris Photo expo are jeopardized. Is it worth taking the car when gas has gone up to $10 per gallon? Grrrrrrr (not Brrrrrrr!). 

November 11^th, Armistice Day has always been a most solemn, steadfast celebration in France when the ubiquitous war monuments are laden with flowers. This year, I happened to be staying with friends in a village of 28 inhabitants deep in the heart of Burgundy where the tiny church was turned into a hall where several lecturers gave talks and projections about WWI. The three speakers, too young to have participated in the war themselves, had researched it passionately. One presented documentary footage from 1917 on the American Camp of Is sur Tille (a small town near Dijon), which served as home base to close to half a million soldiers who came over to crush the Germans. They brought their highly sophisticated material: tanks, tractors, cranes, … and most of all spirit and an awesome sense of teamwork. They were truly regarded as heroes. I was very proud to be among the spectators, yet utterly stunned at having never heard of this camp before. There were about 20 people at the gathering, “but almost none at the war ceremony,” an older man lamented. “The young don’t know much about the war….” 

The Trois Glorieuses is an amazing vinicultural event, the cause of a lot of stir in this area every 3^rd weekend of November. Three days of festivities include: a gargantuan feast hosted by the Knights of Wine-tasting in ancient monastic cellars, a world famous charitable wine auction in Beaune for barrels of new Burgundy wine, and a Paulée (traditionally the end-of–harvest meal the winemaker partakes with his harvesters) to which all the winemakers bring their best bottles for a sumptuous meal at the Chateau of Meursault. This is just to say: if you happen to get an invitation to any of these events, don’t turn it down. 

First image by Baduzim4all; second image by Madirakshi on www.flickr.com.

Bonjour from Burgundy, 

Yes, I’m writing from Dijon. Hmmm, another blue-sky day. All in keeping with today’s unpredictable weather patterns, November, as it turns out, is a nice time of year to be in Burgundy. Last year was perfectly warm and delicious practically all month. This year is less warm, but surprisingly dry – which may explain why the mushrooms are not so plentiful. In any case, November in Burgundy is a month brimming with traditions new and old.  

When I first moved here over 20 years ago, Halloween was unheard of, only the following All Saints Day was celebrated, calling on its heels the Day of the Deceased, the rather serious tradition of visiting graves of family members, tidying up tomb stones and placing on them pots of chrysanthemums. About ten years ago however, Halloween caught on like wild fire all over France: pumpkins, witches, candy corn et al. They called it a great commercial coup. The children took to it deliriously, though they wandered in costume from door to door, not knowing quite what to say or do. But it is probably here to stay. Thankfully, the French don't indulge in pranks. And they continue to visit the cemetries paying all due respect to their ancestors on Nov. 2nd.  

My mother is 96 and lives alone in her apartment in Rome.

For Halloween she was asked by a friend who works for a private TV station to appear on a serial playing a spiritualist involved in a noir. She accepted the role!

Mind you, she was so convincing that in the following days quite a number of people asked her for a séance – truly believing she has the gift and does it for a living….

Read more about Graziella

Photo a courtesy of Fickr.com

When the last of the summer visitors have safely returned back home it is time for the local people to party. The impressive mountains and beautiful lush green hills that make Asturias a natural paradise return back to an enchanting, peaceful and tranquil haven. 

Just about every weekend you will find many villages of Asturias to organize some sort of traditional festival celebrating the local produce such as mushrooms, chestnuts, and apples to mention just a few. 

Asturias is renowned throughout Spain for its delicious gastronomy so there is no better time to visit this region than when the weather is cool and fresh such as in fall or winter. This is the time to taste and enjoy the delicious local food, especially “Fabada asturiana” a type of bean stew which contains large white beans, (chorizo) red spicy pork sausages seasoned with pimento and garlic, and morcilla (blood, pork and onion sausage)      

Cider (Sidra): Cider is the product of the natural must fermentation of cider apples that contains exclusively endogenous carbon dioxide gas and has a minimum alcoholic level of 4.5. 

Cider requires a certain amount of care in its storage and handling. It has to be kept in a cool place away from the heat and sun and not moved around or knocked. Cider must be fresh but not cold. The ideal temperature of cider should be between 12-14 degrees Celsius. This is the reason why it is advisable to have it standing in fresh water just before it is served, but try not to let the cork come into contact with the water.  

Natural Cider (traditional) is cider that has not been filtered. When we talk about pouring it in a glass (escanciado) the natural cider has three main different analytical stages: espalme, aguante y pegue. 

Espalme: It is the disappearance of the foam once the cider is poured into the glass. A good espalme suppose to disappear fast from the surface of the cider.

Aguante: It is the carbon dioxide gas particles endurance that are in suspension in the cider while it is drunk and causes the coloring to be opaque. The cider must have a moderate aguante to taste its fullness.

Pegue: It is referred to a thin covering of fine foam stuck to the glass itself right after drinking a glass of cider (culín).      

     

Learn more about Pedro..