Castle Gardens

Europe is known for many things one of which is beautiful castles and gardens. On one of my more recent trips to the Czech Republic and Austria I visited a few castles. Unfortunately I did not capture as many pictures of the fabulous gardens as I should have. They were, however, more beautiful that any public garden I'd ever seen. To be more specific the top two photos were from Hluboka Castle in the Czech Republic about 150km away from Prague. It was first built in the mid 13th century but subsequent wars and changing ownership have reshaped its structure. The bottom picture is from the gardens at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria built in the late 17th century and open to the public since 1779. The latter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site while the Czech castle will undoubtedly become one in my lifetime. These photos really do not do them justice so if you ever make it to castle or palace in Europe or any part of the world; be sure not to miss the gardens.

For more images of the Hluboka Castle garden: Outdoor Photo Gallery which also has information on the castle itself. More information and pictures of the Palace garden: Schonbrunn Palace

Wheat Belly?

Apart from the words organic, natural, and free range, a term that comes up more and more in conversations nowadays about health and food packaging is "Gluten-free". When I first heard of this notion I imagined people avoiding bread and everything in the "grain" food group, similar to an Atkins diet. After doing a bit of research and reading William Davis' book "Wheat Belly" I have a much better understanding of this type of diet and have even loosely incorporated it into my regular eating habits. The basic idea is that wheat and certain types of grains have undergone major transformations by the food industry over the past few decades. What used to be a healthy option is now aiding in the epidemic of obesity. A gluten-free diet is also considered effective treatment for Celiac disease. Although William Davis has created a "Wheat Belly" cookbook, it's easy to try a gluten-free diet simply by knowing which foods to include and/or avoid.

Foods that almost ALWAYS contain Gluten: 
Watch out for ingredients such as: Wheat, barley, rye, triticale, and malt.
Common foods include bagels, breads, cereals, cakes/candy, fries, pasta, beer, salad dressing, etc.

Foods that NEVER contain Gluten:
Rice, beans, seeds, eggs, fruit & vegetables, animal/dairy products.
Safe grains are: Flax, rice, quinoa, millet, cornmeal, buckwheat, gluten-free flours, soy, tapioca, etc.

Discover if being Gluten-free is right for you: Should you try it?
A more detailed list of foods to include/omit: Gluten-free Diet

(Above: gluten-free Jellyfish salad, below: lentil/quinoa stew)

Ice Gardens

The average temperature in my neck of the woods varies between -10C and -25C so there aren't many gardens to be seen as of late. There are, however, many winter festivals happening and one of the benefits of extremely cold weather lies in the creation and maintenance of ice sculptures! I have always had a fascination with them and assumed they were as hard to create as regular sculptures. Apparently they are quite easy to mold and cut and as long as the weather stays cold, a small surface area of ice can hold thousands of tons!! All this was part of Winterlude, Ottawa's winter festival from February 1-18th this year. The sculptures are breathtaking, there is some awesome food, and lots of kid-friendly entertainment to be had. 2013 also marks the the year of Korea in Canada which adds a unique twist to the event. A superb festival to check out in the next week if you happen to be near Canada's capital city!

For more on the festival: Winterlude or the year of Korea in Canada: 2013