New Zealand to Norway, via Sydney

T

Thor

Thor Iverson
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In customs, were greeted by our first sarcastic Aussie, something for which Ive been gearing myself up after five weeks of New Zealand-esque pleasantry.

Are you bringing any agricultural products into the country?

Just some wine.

(looking up) Oh, no. No, no. You cant bring Kiwi wine into Australia. (looking over his shoulder, yelling) Jim, weve got two for the lockup here!

And so it goes. Theres non-sarcastic concern about millimeter-sized bore holes in the wooden bowls we purchased in Nelson, however, and for a while it looks like they might not let them through. Eventually, they relentafter much peering and a few waves of some sort of magic electronic wand. We emerge into the baggage claim area at last, eager to get into the city and begin a new stage of our explorations.

So wheres our luggage?

continued here. Notes follow:

Te Whare Ra 2004 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) Ripe green leaves, gooseberry, cooked peas, chile pepperthis sort of intense, herbal greenness is exactly what divides opinions on Marlborough sauvignon, though its preferable to the newer, sweet and canned tropical fruit style that dominates most mass-market bottlings. The wine is balanced, but theres not much of additional interest or complexity (the latter isnt usually sauvignons strong suit, anyway); its a good Marlborough savvy, as the locals say, but not a special one. (3/05)

Montana 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot (Hawkes Bay) Mixed cherries and dark berries, with herbal notes throughout. Innocuous, but Im not sure the intention is otherwise. Its as good as any mass-produced wine at this level, I guess, and maybe just a wee bit better. (3/05)

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For a chain hotel not exactly known for its luxury, [this] is more than serviceable, though its crawling with businesspeople and has to turn several desperate latecomers away at the front desk. Theres a bar in the lobby, and a really impressive breakfast buffet in the restaurant across the hall. I mean really impressive: six kinds of charcuterie, five kinds of cheese (including the ubiquitous gjetost), various herrings, anchovies, caviar (though only the squeeze-tube kind) pickled vegetables and salad greens, creamy salads that only a Scandinavian or Minnesotan could love, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, cut fruit, yogurt, cereals and muesli, fair coffee, fine tea, juices, several kinds of milk, three preparations of (real) eggs, terrific bacon, sausages, meatballs, mini-waffles, jams and spreads, a huge block of excellent salted butter, and an assortment of five or six fresh-that-morning breads (most some variation on whole grain, and many with seeds) that is rather breathtaking in its quality. As a result of this early-morning bounty, at hotel after hotel, Im able to avoid eating lunch anywhere in Norwaywhich, given that in some places a bowl of fish soup and a beer can cost nearly $100, is a very, very good thing.

continued here. Notes follow:

Santa Domingo Casa Mayor 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley) Better than last time, which is minor praise at best. Dark fruit with strappy greenness and tar. Drinkable in a pinch. Finishes like amaro, and not one of the good ones. (9/08)

Codax 2005 Rias Baixas Albario (Northwest Spain) Daisy-fresh, riding a line between stone fruit, apple, and salty lemon. Very pleasant. (9/08)

Guigal 2004 Ctes-du-Rhne (Rhne) A bit twisted and hard, with dark fruit in the background and a dirty, country-road texture. Not particularly enjoyable. (9/08)
 
They were concerned about live worms in the wood. I tried to point out that the holes were see-through and filled with the same sealant that was on the rest of the bowl, so any invisible worms inside them were probably quite dead, but they didn't seem to understand how that could be. It was the third most irritating thing that happened to us in Sydney. The second is referenced in the "cliffhanger."

(The first: it rained 6 of 7 days, though it rained so little over five weeks in New Zealand that I suppose it was karmic retribution.)

Still loved the place, though.
 
Did you buy the bowls from the ruggedy looking guy at the Saturday market in Nelson? If so, that was Kemp, my neighbor at the time. Ridiculously talented with a lathe and chisel...I've use one of his silver beech big salad bowls almost every night for 6 years now and it still looks like the day it was made.
 
Nope, from a studio in the woods owned by Bob & Ann Phillips that Linley Taylor sent us to. We've never used the bowl we kept, only displayed it. But we gave out tiny little bowls as sushi dipping thingies to various friends.
 
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