Went to cinema to see Revolutionary Road

at Aréna Plaza this afternoon.

Kate Winslet is a house wife and Leonardo di Caprio her husband.

They both had dreams but now stuck on living in

a suburb outside New York.

Seems like they both want some change, quite dramatic one, actually,

but...

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Not as strong and dramatic as thought but still worth watching!

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Rööperi

By the way last Sunday in Helsinki saw

the new Finnish film "Rööperi"

- not bigger than life but quite good anyway

The film was featuring Finnish stars like:

Samuli Edelman, Peter Franzen, Kari Hietalahti, Jasper Paakkönen, Juha Veijonen...

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It's a story starting in 1966 about some friends who used to beat & steal the money of drunken men in Rööperi. Later the guys realized they could do better than that and started to sell black market booze...

Lots of things happened of course.

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A bit like a Finnish version of a Guy Richie film.

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Worth watching!

Saturday dinner

Saturday dinner at home

Grilled camembert on toast with tomato slices

- very very good!

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Fried dover sole with tomato-onion-garlic-lemon salsa,

boiled potatoes with spinach

- the texture of the fish was perfect, and taste too!

- nice to have sole in a different way, not only" a la meunier"

Friday dinner

Friday dinner at home

Jamon Serrano with melon

- sooo delicious, haven't eaten that for a long time!

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Tortellini filled with spinach & ricotta in salmon sauce

- very nice combination

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Fritz Kadarka fehér 2007

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Brunch at Hilton

Sunday brunch at Hilton
.

The Sunday weather was a bit depressing

- wet snow everywhere

The brunch was excellent!

- herrings, salmon, roe, ceasar salad, greek salad, marinated chicken, cauliflower soup

- white fish, beef

- banana pannacotta, chocolate mousse

- unlimited sparkling wine

Not so many different choices but the existing ones were fresh & delicious

- must say - one of the best brunches!

€ 39,-

Nice spacious setting

.

Rating: 4,5/5

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Hotel Hilton Helsinki Strand

John Stenbergin ranta 4

00530 Helsinki

http://www.hilton.com/

Wellamo

Saturday dinner at Wellamo

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Blini with white fish roe, onion & sour cream
- too big as a starter! - the waitress told that usually taken as a main course...

- great delicasy
.

Fried fillets of Baltic herring with smash potato & broccoli

- there was melted butter cheese between the fillets

- quite a heavy portion, but sooo good!

.

Deep-fried Camembert with artic cloudberry jam

- couldn't resist the cloudberry jam

- didn't eat the crunch, so the portion wasn't too big

...

Quite idyllic small place in Katajanokka,

been there once before and definately will go there again in the future

.

Rating: 4/5

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Gallery Restaurant Wellamo

Vyökatu 9

00160 Helsinki

http://www.wellamo.fi/

Bakfickan

Friday dinner at Bakfickan

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Toast Skagen

- delicious!

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Grilled tuna with capers & potato wedges

- first thought it was well-done but inside it was raw enough

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Home-made cloudberry ice-cream with almond slivers

- it's not often one can get such a rich-taste ice-cream

...

Very nice atmosphere.

Without booking a table in advance, had the possibility to eat by the bar.

The host of the place, Riki Sorsa took care of the guests

- really nice personality!

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Rating: 4/5

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Bakfickan krog & bar

Liisankatu 2

http://www.bakfickan.fi/

Helsinki

Helsinki on Friday January 23.

A street in Kruununhaka

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Streets were extremely slippery

Kaisaniemi Park looks so beautiful with all that snow

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Senaatintori at 3pm

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All white - the Chatedral, square, streets, stairs...

Photo Exhibition

On Wednesday went to the preview of

Olya Bell's "Apparition"

photo exhibition

.

.

Olya Bell is an Ausralian fine art photographer, based in Budapest.

Her current work "Apparitions" evaluates the dichotomy of

the past and present in our living enviroments,

capturing landscapes and portraits in Budapest.

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http://www.visionheroism.com/

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My favourite photos in the exhibition:

Shade

- beautiful photo of a park way by night

- the continuing lamp posts give an interesting, hopefull atmosphere

Phantom

- the empty bench by Danube in an evening lighting is quite impressive

Graffiti Ghosts

- always find the stairs coming up from an underground fascinating

- here also the evening lighting is perfect

Spiritous

- a tree and 2 people walking in a snowy weather -perfect picture!

.

The loft-style gallery looks really nice!

Especially the black stairs.

It's on the 4th floor in the same building as Culinaris

Perc utca 8.

1036 Bp

O'Rising

Been having problems with the hair for the last months:

- loosing hair

- very dry ends

- looking awfull

.

Heard about O'Rising Studio where they make scalp and hair check-ups by micro-camera

- you can see your scalp and hair via a computer monitor

.

After the analysis the therapist makes a treatment - if needed - with ampulla and mask containing the ingredients needed

- like oil, protein, minerals...

with a scalp massage

After washing contamient of an ampulla is massaged to the scalp.

The hair is blow-dried without any hairdo.

This all takes app. 2,5-3 hours

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The problem in my case is that the roots of the hair are too weak,

mainly based on the weak blood circulation

(hands & feet easily cold)

The roots don't get enough vitamins, moisture, minerals etc,

which they should get from the food

and also the skin in the scalp is too thin

to protect the roots.

.

Adrienn, the therapist, gave a list of the recommended products:

Sea Complex 3 Energetic Multivitaminic Hair-Wash

Tonic Lotion for premature hair loss

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O'Rising is an Italian concept based on natural substances that respect the enviroment.

The products are ecologically 'made to measure' ones to solve the scalp and hair problems.

http://www.orising.it/

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OR Line Hajgyógyászati Szalon

Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 74.

1056 Bp

http://www.orising.hu/

Sea Complex shampoo, 3.850,-ft

&

Tonic lotion, 8.350,-

.

Ice floats

The weather was nice & sunny in Budapest on Monday

The Danube is not frozen

but there are lots of ice floating

Sunday dinner at home

Sunday dinner

.

Salad with lemon marinated shrimps

- very good, olives and capers gave a new flavour

Beefsteak with pan-fried carrot-potato-union dices

- blue cheese was added to yesterday's Madeira sauce

Delicious rich taste

- the vegetables were excellent

...

In the morning did 50mins with crosstrainer listening to

the best of Linkin Park

Aquaworld

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Last December Aquaworld was opend in Budapest.

Went to see the place this afternoon.

.

The entrance hall

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View to the pool area

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Lots of different pools:

Surf pool, Wave pool, Adventure pool,

Slide gathering pool, 25m swimming pool

Also:

Mountain river, Kneipp basin, 3m diving tower, jacuzzis, Onion slide, Wide slide,

Sauna world

.

Admissions:

2,5h 2.900,-ft, weekends 3.900,-ft

All day 5.400,-ft, weekends 6.900,-ft

Sauna world is charged by minutes:

20,-ft/min

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Open 6am-10pm

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Seemed like a place worth to try!

Not necessarily a quiet relaxing place - lots of children

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Aquaworld

Ives út 16.

1044 Budapest

http://www.aqua-world.hu/

...

There's a hotel in the same complex

with Oriental Spa, Wellness and Fitness Centre

.

Ramada Resort Budapest

.

The lobby

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Coffee lounge

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Lots of different expensive beauty treatments for face and body.

Funny detail on the price list:

Buda Hills view extra charge/room/night 12,5

- the hotel is in the middle of nowhere!

How come one see the Buda Hills? Maybe a part of the unhabitant side?

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http://www.ramadaresortbudapest.hu/

Saturday dinner at home

Yesterday the dinner was a bit Frenchish, today more like an Italian one:

.

Caprese with Mozzarella di Bufala

- not a new one, but always excellent

.

Saltimbocca

- made of very tender veal - very seldom available here

- not Saltimbocca Romana because missing the sage

- Madeira sauce made of veal & beef stock

bought from Culinaris - not bad! Almost like home-made

- instead of Parma ham used Jamon Serrano

...

Excellent meal!

.

Wines:

Nyakas Pinot Grigio

Robert Skalli Merlot 2005

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www.culinaris.hu

Coffee Heaven

Recently opened the 3rd Coffee Heaven in Budapest:

Teréz krt

(there was Katay store before)

Had a medium size tea

The boy behind the counter was nice and helpfull.

.

Now there are California Coffee, Gloria Jeans Coffee

and Coffee Heaven

all on Terez krt between

Nyugati station and Oktogon.

Otherwise there is nothing interesting on that street,

just some old-fashion shops and small bank offices.

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Home cooking

Haven't told for a long time what's been for the dinner at home

so here's Friday's French cuisine:

.

Melted Brie & blue cheese on toast with salad

- excellent, actually better than with Chevrée

.

Sole Meunier & boiled potatos with spinach
- one of my favourite dishes

....

By the way on Saturday morning went to gym.

Hadn't been there for a month or so,

because of travelling, sickness, lazyness...

Lipstick Jungle

Yesterday started "Lipstick Jungle" on TV

.

Read the book a couple of years ago

- at least the first episode of the tv series was not so bad

expected something worse

- so will watch the next episode as well

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Candace Bushnell: Lipstick Jungle

Candace Bushnell is the author of three bestsellers:

Sex and the City, 4 Blondes and Tradind Up.

She has been a columnist for the New York Observer and a contributing editor to Vogue.

She lives in New York City.

Ratings for Hand creams

As a heavy user of hand creams,

time to check which ones are the best ones
.

These products are in use at the moment

.

Crabtree & Evelyn

Gardeners Hand Therapy

- recommended to soothe and help protect a gardener's work-roughned hands

- not doing much gardening but love this hand cream!

- leaves hands soft, no greasy or sticky feeling at all

- lovely fresh, herb-kind of scent

- convenient pump bottle, easy to use

250ml € 22,90

.

Crabtree & Evelyn

Summer Hill Hand Therapy

- specially formulated with natural shea butter to soothe and help protect hands

- just like the one above: lovely texture

- light scent of blend of summer flowers, grasses and fruit

250ml € 22,90

.

- have one in bathroom and one in toilet

- easy to use, no hassle with caps, just pump it

.

Rating: 5/5

.

http://www.crabtree-evelyn.com/

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Ahava

Mineral Hand Cream

for all skin types

- a rich cream drenches the hands in velvety smoothness

- formulated to calm and soften rough hands

- rich cream, but absorbs immeditaly

100ml

- using it as a night hand cream

- pleasent light scent

Rating: 4/5

http://www.ahava.com/

...

Estée Lauder

Re-Nutriv Intensive Smoothing Hand Cream

- rich cream, takes some time to absorb

- nourishing effect

- medicine-like, quite strong scent, almost a smell

- bought a 3-pack at the airport:

3x30ml

- good size to have it in the handbag and for travelling

Rating: 3/5

http://www.esteelauder.com/

...

Lila cuticle oil

(mentioned it earlier when bought it)

- absorbs well

- keeps the cuticles soft

- easy to use

- fruity, sweet scent

Rating: 4/5

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Lifestyle books

Bought some lifestyle books in Vienna

.

Cool Hotels

- review of 49 design hotels from around the world:

Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Iceleand, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, UK

Argentina, Canada, Meico, USA

China, Japan, Marocco, New Zealand, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey

€ 20,-

...

London & New York Apartments

- lofts, flats, houses, rooms, apartments, residences...

.

"Each city differs from the rest: no two are alike.

A city has collective memories"

John Steinbeck

.

€ 5.95

...

Lofts Living & Working

- small & huge lofts from Germany, Italy, Spain and USA

.

"We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon"

Konrad Adenauer

.

€ 5.95

...

Frick

Kärtner Strasse 30

1010 Vienna

.

Missoni

Bought a Missoni pulover in Vienna

.

All winter items with 30% discount!!!

.

Missoni

Rauhensteingasse 7

1010 Vienna

.

www.missoni.at

Smog alert

There was a smog alert in Budapest yesterday!

The city was quite quiet,

only the cars having plates ending with an even number

were allowed to be driven.

.

Today it's windy

so the alert is not continuing.

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Otto Wagner

When in Vienna don't miss the Jugendstil Otto Wagner houses

.

Otto Wagner designed these 2 houses on Linke Weinzeile in 1899

The golden ornaments are by Kolo Moser

.

Majolikahaus

(no: 40)

- covered with green & red Majolika-tiles

.

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Otto Wagner was one of the artist who found the Vienna Secession in 1897

.

Wagner Houses

Linke Wienzile 38 & 40

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