First stop on today's adventure is ​the Elbphilharmonie. It is a concert hall in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg on the Elbe River.

You can tour the Plaza level to see the beautiful views of the city.  You have to get a ticket, but they are free.

After I went to the Elbphilharmonie, I decided to go to the Hamburg Museum to learn about the history of Hamburg. Unfortunately, the main exhibit was closed and only the temporary exhibit about Graffiti from 1980 to 1999 was open.

I was cold, I like street art, and it was only €5 admission, so why not?! I've come to the conclusion that some graffiti is nice, but I definitely prefer street art.
​
Also, it's a little weird seeing stuff you grew up with (i.e. boom boxes, VHS tapes, break dancing, etc.) being displayed in a museum. I felt kind of old.

Check out my slideshow below.

Duck Fat Fries

Ingredients:
potatoes (1-2 to person depending on size of potato) 
duck fat
salt, to taste​

Directions:
Peel the skin for a more refined french fry or scrub the skin well and leave it on for a rustic fry.
Cut potatoes into sticks between 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch wide. Rinse the cut potatoes in cold water to remove any excess starch.
To achieve better results, soak them in ice water for 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes before frying and pat them completely dry.
Melt duck fat in a heavy-bottomed pot with high sides. Heat the fat to about 325ºF, using a candy thermometer.
Cook the potato sticks in small batches to avoid dramatically dropping the temperature of the hot fat. After about 5 to 7 minutes, test the doneness by poking a fry with a knife. The knife should slide in and out with no resistance. If the potatoes are cooked through, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon, spider skimmer, or tongs and let drain on a sheet tray covered in paper towels.
After all of the batches are cooked, raise the heat under the pot to bring the melted duck fat to 350ºF. 
Return the fries to the pot, in batches again, for only about 1 minute. Drain on fresh paper towels.
Sprinkle them right away with your choice of sea salt. Doing this step while the fries are still hot will help the seasonings to stick.

Notes: Although, the russet potato is the ideal frying potato., I’ve used Yukon Gold as well as red, white and purple baby potatoes (pictured).

The secret to the perfect French fry in any fat is the double-fry method. The first fry is to cook the potato through. The second fry at a higher temperature is to crisp them up.

Here's a compilation of the videos and some of the photos I took on our tour.  Have a look see.

If you prefer photos, check out this slideshow of the cliffs and caves.

This was a busy travel month.  I finally got to visit The Algarve region of Portugal and the town of Tavira.  I went to visit my friend, Christie.  We decided to take a 3-day side trip to Seville, Spain since it's only 2 hours by bus from Tavira.

I was so busy traveling and doing pet sits this month that I hardly had time to do any local sightseeing.  In fact, I only managed to fit in one local sight, Panaramico do Monsanto - it's an abandoned restaurant in the middle of this huge park (called Monsanto park) that is full of graffiti and fantastic views of Lisbon.

My budget was over by €1241 in March (this doesn't include my two trips - travel is a separate budget).  Most of that was in the Health area having to pay the remainder of my sunglasses (if you will remember they were €730 and I only paid half when in February when I ordered them).  I also renewed my Serenity Health Concierge for another year at €180.  The other biggies were my microscopic root canal (€150) and Rx (€100) for specialized creams for my face as the dermatologist wants to treat my Rosacea.

I spent €287 on food at the grocery store.  I ate out 14 times while in Lisbon (several of those was while I was pet sitting) for a total of €169.46 for an average of €12 per meal.  Not bad!

I spend €20.00 on entertainment - more specifically, three times at the movie theatre.  I saw Creed, Living and John Wick 4. 

I hope to get to some of these posts soon.  When I do, I will update this page with the links.  So check back from time to time.

Visiting Tavira (click on the link to see my post about Tavira.)

Visiting Seville 
Seville Cathedral
Real Alcazar
Paella Demonstration Class (click on the link to be taken to the post).
Triana
Torre de Oro

Visiting Lagos
Hiking Ponta da Piedade (check out my photos by clicking on the link).
Forteleza da Sagres
Breathtaking Boat Tour Through Ponta da Piedade (click on the link to be taken to the post)

I also did two pet sits this month (one for a weekend the other for 9 days) so I definitely got my kitty and doggy fix.

Traveling after having a microscopic root canal.  Ouch!  And swollen.

I had the microscopic root canal (my dentist recommended this way, even though a bit more expensive, but it would be less in the long run because it would avoid having to have the crown replaced) on March 29th. I left for Lagos the next day.  The pain and swelling weren't so bad then -- perhaps the novocaine was still in effect since he put a lot in.

By Saturday, the whole left side of my mouth was painful and swollen. I was beginning to wonder if I got an infection from the actual root canal.  I knew I had an infection in the tooth - hence the reason for the root canal - and the Endodontist put medicine in there. 

We stopped at the farmacie and got a dental spray (similar to Orajel) which helped a bit with the pain but not the swelling. 

Sadly, I haven't had time to color this month.  Actually, not since mid-February. I'm starting to have withdrawals.  Hopefully, I can get back to it next month.

On the Way to the Church by Julia Quinn 
The Bridgertons:  Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin 

Need a new pancake recipe?  These Blood Orange Carrot Cake pancakes have a tangy orange cream cheese drizzle for a special twist on pancakes. 

​Blood Orange Carrot Cake Pancakes with Orange Cream Cheese Drizzle
Yields approximately 12 pancakes

Ingredients:
For the Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, optional
1/3 cup blood orange juice
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 medium carrots, grated and pat dry
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped + more for garnish
1 medium banana

For Orange Cream Cheese Drizzle
2/3 cup orange cream cheese frosting (See below)
2-3 teaspoons, to thin it out until desired consistency​

Directions:
​In a large bowl, sift flour. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and
nutmeg. Whisk dry ingredients to incorporate.
Separate egg whites and yolks.
Pace egg yolks, banana, blood orange juice, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cooled melted butter
into blender and blend.
In separate bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy.
Pour your wet ingredients (except egg whites) into your dry ingredients and mix. Fold in
grated carrots, walnuts. Fold in egg whites.
Preheat a griddle, skillet or pan on medium heat. Grease with coconut oil spray. Pour the
batter on the griddle in 1/4 cup measures.
Flip when “the bubbles” appear on the surface. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
Continue until all of your batter is used up.
For Orange Cream Cheese Drizzle
Add 2/3 cup orange cream cheese frosting to a medium bowl. Add a few teaspoons of
milk to thin to desired consistency.
Plate pancakes and drizzle with orange cream drizzle and additional walnuts.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
5 oz cream cheese, softened
6 Tablespoons (3 oz) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest from 1 large orange
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter and cream
cheese until light and fluffy.
Mix in powdered sugar, orange and vanilla extracts and orange zest. Whip again until
light and fluffy.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.