TRAVEL ALONG!

"UNDER THE SUN"
HOMEMADE APRICOT JAM

SYRIAN RECIPE

2 Kilos Ripe Apricots
1 Kilo Sugar
2 TableSpoons Lemon Juice

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STEP 1
Wash - Dry Well - Remove Seed - Cut In Half

STEP 2

Put apricots in big pot. Pour all the sugar and cover with very light kitchen towel.

Leave overnight.

STEP 3.

Next day the sugar will be melted into syrup. Stir gently on medium heat to prevent sticking. Stir bring to a boil. Keep stirring. Once the apricots begin to soften like the photo on the right remove them into a strainer . Pour back the syrup into the pot.

STEP 4.

Now add two tablespoons of lemon juice. Keep stirring. Remove any excess white foam on the top.

Keep stirring it until it starts to thicken. Maybe 10-15 minutes. You can test it by letting it drip off the spoon. When it slowly drips and barely falls off then it is ready. Or put a drop on a plate and if it doesn't run off then it is ready.

STEP 5.

Add in the apricots pieces for another 5 - 15 minutes until they are softer and the syrup is thicker.

STEP 6.

Once done pour into Pyrex dishes or long deep flat tray. Spread apart. Let cool. Then cover with cheese cloth or light kitchen towel.

Then place in sun. Cover with light kitchen towel. Leave in sun 1-2 days or until it becomes jam like. Stir occasionally. Once it hardens and becomes jam like it's ready!!

Jar them. No need to keep in fridge.

This is the grandmother recipe from Syria.

It's actually very easy. Try it!!

It's delicious. And makes great gifts.

TIP: Don't put the trays out if it is windy. Instead put them inside near a sunny window.

--- and don't let the bugs get near them.....

----you can also use this recipe with other fruits....

Enjoy!

Jasmine

6/14

p.s. leave comments - i love to read them!!

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NORWAY & SCOTLAND
Fjords... Mountains... Castles... Bagpipes...
9 day cruise......

THE VIKINGS HAVE LANDED.........

NORWAY - the name....

Some medieval texts attribute the name to the mythical King Norr. However, most assume is derived from Old Norse "norovegr," meaning "the northern route" (the way northwards).

Norway, a land of magnificent Fjords, fresh cold seafood, and the largest country in Scandinavia. It shares the longest uninterrupted border in Europe with Sweden.

Join us on our cruise to view the picturesque coastal towns and spectacular Fjords which dominant Norway. Do you know what a Fjord is? Long narrow inlets with steep cliffs created in a valley carved out by Glaciers.

Norway has a population of 5 million people with 600,000 living in the Capital of Oslo. Most of the population lives in rural coastal towns. Unemployment is only 3%. It is one of the richest countries with the highest paid salaries. Officially known as the Kingdom of Norway , it is a social country which offers its citizens 36 months of full paid benefits for pregnancy for the woman and full paid benefits for the father for a full 18 months.

Norway is the #1 natural Gas exporter and #2 country in the world for Fishing/Seafood and Petrol. Most of the people in Norway work in the Petrol industry in the government sector with full retirement pensions. However, even though they are a country of Petrol - one gallon of gas costs $12 USD .

Norway runs a capitalist welfare state. It is rich in resource like oil, hydropower, fish, forests and minerals. It also has a free and efficient pubic health system. The government owns a significant stake in the country's key sectors. It also boasts of low unemployment rate of 3% and high productivity by its workers.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO LIVE IN NORWAY?

The average annual gross income is the 8th highest in the world at $43,990 vs the USA at $55,000 . That's the good news - the bad news is the lowest tax rate in Norway is 36% !

MYTH OR FACT

1. Norway has one of the highest suicide rates in the world

Myth - they rank #36 - below the USA at #34

2. Education and healthcare are free in Norway

Fact - According to the Patients Rights Act - everyone is entitled to free healthcare

3. School is only cancelled if the weather falls 20 below zero

Fact - Kids must go to school up to 19 below zero

4. Vikings still live in Norway

Myth - The Vikings Age was from the 8th - 11th Century

-5. Only Norway has Fjords.

Myth - Fjords are in many other parts of the world but Norway has the most pronounced and famous Fjords

6. Everyone in Norway is rich

Fact - The strong social system support doesn't allow anyone to be considered poor.

7. It's always dark because it is so far north.

Fact & Myth - In the winter there is only about 1 hour daylight in the North and 5-6 hours of daylight in the South. But in the summer you have about 20 hours of daylight and only 4 hours of semi dark night.

8. Norway has 50,000 islands.

Fact -

9. Norway only has 5 Fresh Water Lakes.

Myth - Norway has over 450,000 lakes - mostly created by Glacier erosion and 4 of the deepest lakes in Europe.

DAY 1 & 2 .... BERGEN

Bergen is located on the West Coast and is the 2nd largest City in Norway with a population of 250,000.

The town is surrounded by mountains and is known as the "City of Mountains".
It was founded in 1070.

Over 900,000 people a year visit this popular town.

Fires destroyed most of this town except the few well preserved wooden buildings as shown above.

Norway stretches over 25,000 KM in length. ( 13,000 miles)
It borders, Russia, Finland and Sweden.
Most popular mode of transportation - Ferry
Most modern trains
Literacy rate - 100%
Longest tunnel in the world 25Km ( 13.5 miles)
Religion - Church of Norway
Language - Norwegian
Immigration - only 6%
Currency -1USD -6.00NOK/ 1Euro-7.92 NOK

FRESH FRESH COLD SEAFOOD......

Norway exports seafood to about 130 countries all over the world.
In 2012, Norwegian seafood exports totalled NOK 51,4 billion.(@9Billion USD)

I had to try a King Crab Leg... you can taste the sea it was so fresh.... delicious!!

Cost $20USD for one leg.

The largest revenue sources for Norway are the extraction and export of oil and natural gas from the ocean floor. However, the metal industry, shipping and tourism are also important for the country's economy.

UNESCO HERITAGE SITE - after a large fire only a few old wooden buildings holding each other up

Most of the coastal towns in Norway do not have roads. One travels by Ferry from town to town. Most of the coastal towns only have a few hundred people living in them. We were looking for a Pharmacy in one of them and was told it was 24km away.

Rain didn't keep us from enjoying a pretty walk along the countryside where we saw this adorable bunny below.

DAY 3 & 4 - FLAM

Flåm is situated in the innermost part of the Aurlandsfjord - 204 kilometres long.

The over 65 year old the Flam Railway is widely known as one of the world's most fantastic stretches of railroad. On this amazing journey you climb nearly 900 meters from fjord to mountain top, an incline of one to 18, with a a tunnel that twists in a spiral inside the mountain. The views are breathtaking. Cascading waterfalls, small villages, roaring rivers......

On the 20-kilometer train ride you experience some of the most dramatic and magnificent Norwegian nature. Here rivers cut through deep ravines, waterfalls that plunge from the steep cliffs of the snow-capped mountain slopes, as well as mountain farms clinging on to steep slopes.

Come on and take the ride with us......

Nearly 80 percent of the route is on a 55‰ gradient

Few places in the world offer such magnificent scenery as the fjords of Western Norway. As one of two West-Norwegian fjord areas, the beautiful Nærøyfjord was in a UNESCO’s World Heritage. This unique fjord is 17 kilometres long and only 250 meters wide at the most narrow part. The impressive mountain mass along the fjord climbs up to more than 1800 metres height, with waterfalls cascading from the top.

DAY 5 - OLDEN

Olden has a population of 480 people. Located in the valley of Oldedalen close a the glacier border. The Glacier is 500Km long and one of the largest in Europe. The Fjord is 100 KM long and extends the glacier into the ocean. The lake below the Glacier is green in color and the Glacier blueish. The waterfalls are like white kites falling from the sky.

DAY 6 - GEIRANGER

It is the 3rd largest port in Norway and received about 180 cruise ships a year. 300,000 people visit Geiranger a year. Only 250 people live in Geiranger.

Geiranger is under constant threat from the mountain Akerneset which could erode into the fjord. A collapse could destroy Geiranger.

Geiranger is a small town in the Stranda municipality with a population of 600 people. In summer thousands of tourists travel to Hellesylt. Most take a boat from each town.

Sunset was at midnight and sunrise at 3:45am. The photo on the right was at 11:55pm and much lighter out than the photo shows.

Sunset time..

Geiranger is without doubt one of the prettiest fjords in Norway.

NATURAL RUNWAY.......

Grass growing on the roof to keep the snow away in the winter.....

Some areas along the coast have no water or lights and are so remote that the only way to get to them is by boat. The people are quiet trusting - in some areas people just leave money on the desk in the hotel and the owner comes back a few days later to collect it. The door is left open the entire time. Honestly ....

From GEIRANGER to HELLESYLT

crisp cool weather....

HELLESYLT

a 120 acre village with 600 population - most travel here by Ferry which runs every hour and half

Somehow everytime I had to go back to the room I was on the wrong side and it felt like a mile walk to arrive....

DAY 7-9

SCOTLAND

bagpipes & whiskey

Scotland........ is part of the UK - United Kingdom and has 4 bodies of water surrounding it

- North Sea, Irish Sea, Atlantic Ocean and North Sea

FACTS:

- 790 Islands

- Edimburgh is the capital

- Glasgow is the 2nd largest city

- Population - 5 million

Language - English & Gaelic

Currency - Pound Sterling

Day 7 - Invergordon
Invergordon is best known for the 1931 Invergordon Mutiny and repairing Oil Rigs from the North Sea.

17 City walls are painted with murals by local Scots which tell local stories about the town.

If you don't pay your taxes in Scotland they board up your windows so you cannot see out!! What an idea!

George - our driver for 7 hours showing us the Highlands of Scotland

We didn't take any of the Cruise Excursions.. we always found our way on our own.

The drive with George was one of the best. He took us down all the secondary roads along the Highlands. We saw things most would never see.. Thanks George Ritchie!

Scotland has 8 million sheeps - more than the 5 million population while some places have only 800 people. 500K live in the capital and around 600K in Glasgow. The queen comes every July to St Johns one of the oldest hotels from the 15th century. In Scotland you can get 4 seasons of weather in one day . And yes it's true... we had 4 weather changes several times a day while we were there. It doesn't rain as much as you think. ( wink wink)

12,800 years ago the first people arrived to Scotland

13th Century Cathedral which ended up being used as a cemetary

All the gardens and museums in Scotland are free!

Built during Medieval times.

A visit to a Brewery....
55,000 bottles a day....

5 star hotel....

PREHISTORIC CEMETERY

This cemetery is a chamber tomb from the Bronze Age. There are 50 of these types of tombs in the Inverness area in the Highlands of Scotland. There are still burial remains in the graves. With the graves in the middle of the large circle it has large rocks covering the entire area.

Battle was in 1745. There were over 2000 Jacobites killed in the area.

LOCH NESS - a monster
Loch in Scottish means lake. Thus Lake Ness... where the famous legendary Monster lives...
The first sighting was in 1933 and to this date many people believe the legendary monster still lives within it's long stretch of 37KM.

URQUART CASTLE -
The castle dates back to 13th- 16th century. A medieval castle. It was destroyed in 1692 by the Jacobites during the war.... It sits directly along Loch Ness

Edimburgh

Population @500,000
1,000,000 visitors a year

Bagpipers throughout the city..

Scotland is often referred to as the "END OF THE WORLD" because whenever you want to leave the city you must pay an exit fee.
And it's the only place where ancient Churches are made into bars and discos. All the gardens and museums in Scotland are free!

Afternoon TEA & SCONES E7.95 for two...

Dear Grace Murray - we enjoyed spending an hour sitting on the bench talking with you - about your life, your country , your ideas and most of all your friendly Scotish personality... we will never forget you....