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14th September 2013 Samana Peninsula – unspoilt beauty

Here’s a general article I wrote about the charms of Samana, published in the latest...

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About me

Fiona Dunlop is a seasoned travel and food-writer who has been ‘abroad’ for much of her life. She doesn’t count countries but aims to dig deep beneath the surface of the places she visits. Food has increasingly become her focus, without forgetting art, architecture and design. Andalucia (Spain) is her second home, but French her second language!

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Ethereal & moody music last night @thebarbicancent

Ethereal & moody music last night @thebarbicancentre from three great performers- the powerful voice of award-winning @its.arooj, phenomenal keyboards from @vijayiyer & rhythmic bass from Shahzad Ismaily. Performing their latest album - the hypnotic Love in Exile.
My only gripe: I bought a ticket for a concert advertised as 90 minutes - which then shrunk to 70 mins. Sounds like a quibble but when you've made an effort to get there & sunk into the mesmerising mood - that's TOO short 😠
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#loveinexile #loveinexiletrio #concert #aroojaftab #vijayiyer #barbicanhall #londonlife @seriouslivemusic

Instagram post 18025663888530195

Instagram post 18025663888530195

Finally made it to London's flashy new theatre, @s

Finally made it to London's flashy new theatre, @sohoplace now staging a spare, very moving version of Annie Proulx's story Brokeback Mountain & of course the heart wrenching film. It's poignancy is underlined by Eddi Reader's songs & twangy strings from the side of the central stage.
A great production in a sharply designed theatre + bar -
Then it's out into the mayhem of Tottenham Court Road & mesmerising interactive pixelated murals by @rupertnewman
Makes you love London 💛
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#sohoplace #londontheatre #brokebackmountain #cowboyromance #thespacesinbetween #rupertnewman

Last night a fantastic dinner was cooked by Farana

Last night a fantastic dinner was cooked by Faranak, an Iranian refugee who came with her husband & two sons to London 8 months ago & are still stuck in a hotel at the top of our road. But she hasn't forgotten how to cook like a dream nor has her family forgotten how to devour their food.
The salad of onion, tomato & cucumber reflects the Iranian flag - they hate the regime but still adore their country. And the slow-cooked beef stew was a star, packed with spice & herb flavours incl black lime & turmeric.
Pic 3 shows the purposely charred crust of the rice - a much loved element & the equivalent of Valencian soccarat in a paella.
Oj for the boys, wine & beer for adults (they're Christian - a persecuted minority) & altogether a fun evening. But also a reminder of what they've left & what they're going through - with smiles
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#iranianfood #iraniansalad #iranianfeast #faranak #londonlife

Anyone who's known me for 15 years may remember th

Anyone who's known me for 15 years may remember this book that has been lurking in paperback far too long. Now it's making a comeback in its original hardback form 😊
In all modesty I'd say this is an amazing book as the recipes I scouted from cooks in Morocco, Tunisia & Libya are absolutely delicious and authentic. So if you're lusting after a tagine with apricots & prunes (cover pic), a stuffed grilled fish or a fresh, spicy salad - this is for you.
Interlink Publishing
The North African Kitchen : Regional Recipes and Stories: 15-Year Anniversary Edition
Fiona Dunlop
Simon Wheeler (Illustrated by)
FRONTLIST | May 16, 2023
9781623717711, 162371771X
Hardcover
$29.95 USD, $39.95 CAD
#cookbook #northafricancooking

Back to an uplifting London spring : : #wisteria #

Back to an uplifting London spring
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#wisteria #springatlast #londonlife

That's it - ciao ciao to the carso & to Trieste! F

That's it - ciao ciao to the carso & to Trieste! Forse a presto...
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#carso #karst #trieste #italy

Love this very 1950s frieze in Trieste's central r

Love this very 1950s frieze in Trieste's central railway station - footsteps leading to the trains... 👣
The neo-classical building opened in 1857 as the terminus for the Sudbahn from Vienna, an ambitious Austro-Hungarian project that put the port of Trieste on the world map
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#passengers #frieze #waitingforatrain #centralstation #trieste

Quite a grand staircase at the massive Savoia Exce

Quite a grand staircase at the massive Savoia Excelsior Palace, a Trieste veteran from the Austro-Hungarian heyday of 1911. Luxury & fabulous views over the gulf greet guests who have included the occupying British army in 1945 when no one could agree on Trieste's future. Yugoslavian? Russian? No - in the end Italian
@savoiaexcelsiortrieste
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#luxuryhotel #savoiaexcelsiorpalace #grandstaircase #waterfronthotel #belleepoque #austrohungarian #trieste #italy

Spectacular ceiling lights that I stumbled across

Spectacular ceiling lights that I stumbled across in Trieste's art deco Cassa di Risparmio building - now partly used as the Museum of Art in Fashion.
Are these by Carlo Scarpa or a lookalike? All comments welcome
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#ceilinglights #carloscarpa #cassadirisparmiotrieste #artdeco #trieste #italiandesign #italy

Austrian style rules in this grandiose square open

Austrian style rules in this grandiose square opening onto the Gulf - footie also. The mammoth backing it is the Municipality, the cafe is the legendary Caffe degli Specchi (cafe of mirrors). Jan Morris called the square "the eye of the city" in her 2001 book on Trieste - not sure that it still is
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#piazzadellunità #caffedeglispecchi #trieste Italy

Crossing paths with James Joyce looking at the sch

Crossing paths with James Joyce looking at the school where he taught during his 10-year sojourn in Trieste - he left in 1920 after writing, amongst others, the Dubliners & parts of Ulysses
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#jamesjoyce #jamesjoycestatue #canalgrande #trieste #italy

© Fiona Dunlop's slow track rambling(s)