Lately

Hello!

Today is the 23rd of November. Strange how time flies! In LESS than a month, I'll be home! That is both frightening, sad, and wonderful at the same time. I love London, and there is still so much I want to do! But I do miss home. My family also arrives today though, so I'll be less homesick :) I am so excited to see them!

Yesterday my friends and I went out in search of the best hot chocolate. We got off at Tottenham Court Station, which is right next to the huge shopping street, Oxford. Oxford street has everything from H&M, touristy things, Primak, Office (shoe store), and much more! But if you go off the side streets, there are really cute places to eat. Oh boy, my stomach was growling! After walking just a short while, you end up in SoHo which is were Paul A. Young's is. Oh. My. God. It is amazing! The store was heavenly, with crafted chocolates on display amongst mouth-watering signs with phrases like "85% dark with pressed almond flakes". On Fridays, they serve hot chocolate. It was the best I have EVER had. It was pretty much liquid chocolate. It was only 3.95 Pounds, which is pretty good too. You can add spices as well, for no charge. One friend added ginger and my other friend cayenne pepper and cinnamon. I stuck with good old chocolate. :) It was so good I couldn't even finish it! I would highly recommend it to all chocolate lovers.

Next we went to the South Bank for a Christmas market. Yes, it's November...but this is London! It was so beautiful! There were handmade toys and decorations that were so beautiful! My favorite were these little fairy ornaments made of pine cones. If I wasn't so full from the hot chocolate, I would have bought some sort of food-there was so much to choose from. German bratwurst, sausage, crepes, roasted chestnuts, doughnuts, you name it! There was also a choir singing Christmas carols, all in appropriate Santa garb. It was so great! I'm sure to make many appearances there...

To finish off a great day, I made mini pumpkin pies last night. I am missing the fall and Thanksgiving so much! Baking can be a challenge-and expensive-here, so I don't do it often. But it was really fun! I couldn't find brown sugar at the three stores I went to (who knows why), so my friend loaned me 1/4 a cup, then I used about 1/8 white sugar, and the remainder was maple syrup. Despite all that, it came out so delicious! I used a muffin tin instead of a pie dish. Now they'll be more portable! I had a lot of pumpkin left over, and no more pie dough, so I made pumpkin muffins. I poured the leftover flour (maybe a cup and a half?) and added about a teaspoon or so baking soda. I sprinkled the top with oats and brown sugar for a little more pizazz. I baked them at 350 for about 15 minutes, and they came out so good! They're not too unhealthy as well, because there is no butter or oil in them.

Hope all is well back home, and everyone is enjoying getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Liv

Italia!

Sorry this post has taken so long! I really wanted to make sure it was nearly perfect before I published it. It was one of the most wonderful trips I have ever been on, and I wanted to do it justice!

In October, I went to Naples, Italy to visit my family. It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful. 

I left my flat at 4:30 am (ugh!) to catch a 6:25 flight. I flew from the UK to Frankfurt, and then from there to Naples. One of the amazing things about Europe, is everything is so close! I was in the air for a little more than 4 hours, and went from low 60’s and windy to 85 degrees and sunny. 

My first day, I must admit I was very worn out from travelling. Needless to say, that did not stop me from having Pizza. Naples is famous for their pizza. As a passionate lover of pizza, I can fully vouch for them; it is delicious. I was so fortunate to be staying with my relatives, who know the best of the city. Therefore, I had the absolute best and most authentic food this weekend. 

That day, I ended up enjoying a wonderful homemade lunch and dinner from my relatives (the first of many). In the nighttime, I walked around with my cousin and saw Naples at night. Cities are always so beautiful at night, and they have such a different atmosphere.

Oh before I forget-It was so nice to wear shorts and t-shirts all weekend! 

On Friday, I explored Naples with my cousin. I rode on the back of his motorcyle (!) and he pointed out the sites. We did a self-guided tour of the palace, which was beautiful. The palace was built by one of the Spanish kings of Italy. I must say, I love the history of European royalty; the splendor is something we don't have as much in the states, and it's remarkable how old and detailed the royal past is. After snapping some pictures on the square, we went and got some pasteries-yum! You may be starting to notice that I pretty much didn't stop eating that weekend. My sweet relatives would not let me go hungry, and wanted me to enjoy everything! We also went to a street that had nativity set makers. It was amazing! It was such a "Naples experience". That day I also walked up one of the castles, and saw a gorgeous view of the bay and Vesuvias. Another thing I love about Southern Italy, is the buildings are painted happy, bright colors. The skyline consists of lemon yellows, corals, and stark whites. Of course, I ate lots and lots of food for ldinner and lunch. I was so full! But there is always room to squeeze in Gelato. Early in the day, I had a black forrest, which was a frozen gelato-fondent mix. Then later, I had a cone filled with Chocolate sauce, with chocolate and almond ice cream. Oh. My. God. Heaven.

Saturday, I went to Pompeii and Sorrento. I have studied Pompeii in school for so long, and it was top of my list of things to see! It really was remarkable. It really is in amazing condition. I couldn't get over the columns and mosaics. Sorrento was a perfect afternoon: the beach, the sun, and delicious food. It was amazing.

Sunday, I watched some soccer and even the Red Sox with my cousins! It was a really great watching soccer with super-fans and explaining baseball. Overall, it was a bittersweet day. I got to both visit-and meet-some of my relatives. But it was really hard to say goodbye. I really treasure my Italian heritage, and value my grandfather's decision to immigrae to the states. I can't imagine how hard it was, and how it is still hard to not be with your family.

I was sad to leave Italy, and even now, I miss it so much! I hope to be back soon!

amore,

Liv

Harrods

Hello!

I hope you're all enjoying fall! Here it isn't really fall...just chilly and blustery! Yesterday was the end of midterms!!! THANK GOODNESS! My friends and I made some delicious treats: apple pie, apple crisp, and caramel dipping sauce for our extra apples :) It was so yummy and relaxing. It felt like fall.

Now on to Christmas... Well, that's according to London anyway!

From the first time I went to Primark (this cheap, classy clothing store) there were Christmas sweaters-in September. Now, all of the grocery stores are carrying winter and holiday things. Normally I refuse to let myself celebrate Christmas until December 1st, but I think this year I might have to make an exception. I mean, come on, if London's doing it, I have to get the full experience, right? ha-ha. I am still going to wait a couple of weeks before I really get into the Christmas spirit though. It is just toooo early now.

Anyway, so on Tuesday I went to Harrods for the first time! Oh my gosh. First, the window displays were incredible! They were each supposed to be a boxcar from "The Harrods Express". The mannequins were all wearing gorgeous gowns and tuxes, and there were platters of jewelry, food, and all sorts of beautiful things. The windows were screens of passing by a winter scene.

There was a cute old man wearing a full length green coat and hap, and he opened the door for everyone. When you got in, it was overwhelming. It's huge, by the way, with signs pointing everywhere. I explored a bit of the clothes and perfume. It was so fancy!

Then I went to the Food Halls. Amazing. They have chefs and chocolatiers and bakers. It was already decorated for Christmas and it was done beautifully, with gold garland and fake fruit. It was so amazing! I looked at everything-all of the tins of tea, the chocolates, the snowflake cakes. My mouth was actually watering. Of course, many things were really expensive. But don't be discouraged! I got a slice of pecan pie-the first I have seen in London-for three pounds. It was delicious, I must say. Also, a lot of the tins of tea go on sale fairly quickly, I noticed. There were already a few Christmas sales. I also saw that they have a rack of day-old baked goods. They still taste totally fine, just at a cheaper price! There were six cupcakes for 3 pounds! Furthermore, they are renowned for their quality, so if you're looking for a nice gift or treat, the food hall is not a bad option. I didn't explore the rest of Harrods because I needed to get back to do homework (boo!). But I want to go back and see some of the other displays some other time.

Cheers!

Liv

Happy Halloween (Christmas)!

As promised, here is my silly costume!

Primark, this super cheap clothing store pretty much created this outfit for me. They have had Christmas attire since September! Now it's in full swing.

I actually love the elf hat...I'll probably be wearing it again soon :)


Happy November!

Liv