Let’s do lunch, shall we?
Tuesday Lunch
Do you see what I see?
Vegetables! Woo!
I’m not gonna lie, it feels a little weird to be eating healthy food and not downing casseroles, souffles, fried pickles and Easter candy. But it feels kind of great, too.
Today’s lunch included a mozzarella, tomato and spinach bagelwich made with legit mozzarella that I bought at the grocery store last night.
Mozzarella Bagelwich
I was inspired to buy the fancy kind of mozzarella after Ryan’s mom used some of it to create a delicious caprese salad on Easter. Sometimes fancy cheese is worth the price tag.
On the side I enjoyed little bitty sweet peppers. Aren’t they cute? They were so adorable that I could just eat them right up… and so I did. 😉
Great lunch!
Now for some Europe fun… but first, the Fashion page was updated this afternoon!
Europe: Your Guide
After receiving tons of amazing emails, recommendations, blog and Facebook comments from you guys about my upcoming trip to Europe, I just had to compile all of your thoughts into one massive post, complete with food and restaurant recommendations and “must do” activities.
If you have anything to add to this list, please do so in the comments section of this post! I want to try EVERYTHING! 😀
Rome, Italy
Food/Restaurants:
- Gelato: Giolitti’s (near the Pantheon, somewhat off the beaten path)
- Pizza: Da Baffetto or Dar Poeta (need reservations)
- Enoteca Corsi for lunch
- Navona Notte for delicious food
- La Cisterna (friendly staff, amazing food, let the waiter order for you)
- Iced coffee from Tazzo d’Oro Casa del café
Activities:
- Vatican
- Pantheon
- Colosseum
- Borghese Museum
- Cinque Terra
- Trevi Fountain
- St. Peter’s Basilica
Colosseum
Florence, Italy
Food/ Restaurants:
- Must-try restaurant mentioned by many: Acqua al 2 (order the blueberry steak/ the tasting menu which you may see here on Meg’s blog), reservations are a must
- Other great restaurants: Osteria Il Gatto e La Volpe and Trattoria Quattro Leoni (order tortellini with pear and gorgonzola)
- Gelato: Vivoli, La Carraia or the place on the corner of the Santa Trinita bridge (the bridge next to the Ponte Vecchio)
- Pizza: Gusta Pizza, Ostaria de Centopoveri or Il Pizzaiuolo (need reservations)
- Prosecco
- Cappuccino
- House wine
Activities:
- Explore Oltro Arno (the other side of the river from statue of David)
- Walk up Piazza de Michelangelo (a big hill with an amazing view of the city)
- Climb to the top of the Duomo
- Explore the San Lorenzo Market
- Great late-night bars: Moyo, Red Garter (American), Twice and Astor
Venice, Italy
Food/Restaurants:
- Harry’s Bar for peach Bellini’s
- Pizza: La Pearla
Activities:
- Piazza San Marco
Lucerne, Switzerland
Food/ Restaurants:
- Goulash and spaetzle
- Swiss fondue
- Raclette cheese
- Chocolate
- Zopf (Swiss bread)
Activities:
- Mount Pilatus
Mount Pilatus
Paris, France
Food/Restaurants:
- Berthillon ice cream (in I’ile de Saint Louis)
- Crepes (Nutella + banana)
- Pastries, chocolate croissants
- Éclairs and macaroons from La Duree
- Baguettes
- Cheese, brie
- Croque madame breakfast sandwich
Activities:
- Eiffel Tower + the light show at night
- Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe
- Louvre
- Notre Dame
Louvre
London, England
Food/Restaurants:
- Fish & chips (heavy on the vinegar)
- Indian food (specifically try Brick Lane)
- Happy Hippos cookies
- Pub food
- Bruges for chocolate
- Scones with jam and Devonshire cream
- High tea at Harrod’s, Browns, the Ritz, Fortnum & Mason’s or Claridge’s Mayfair
- Food Hall at Harrod’s department store
- Strawberry beer (Fruli)
- Hobnobs
Activities:
- Camden Market (in Camdentown) and Spitalfield Market (near Brick Lane, great Indian food)
- Westminster Abbey
- Buckingham Palace
- Big Ben
- Houses of Parliament
- Hyde Park
- St. Paul’s Cathedral
- London Eye Ferris Wheel
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Hi, I have been meaning to comment on good things to do in London for ages!! It seems everyone else had the same idea. Still – I couldn’t let it rest! 🙂
Whilst I LOVE London, I lived there for 7 years, it would be great if you had time to visit another English city… I would suggest Bath, Oxford or Cambridge. All are easy day trips from London by train. You get to see beautiful English countryside whilst seeing quaint English towns. Bath still has the original Roman spas – Real history AND an amazing fudge shop. (It is also close to where I live! 🙂 )
For London, people have made fantastic recommendations! Museums are all awesome Tate Modern, Natural History and the Science Museum are my absolute favs! London eye, Buckingham palace (changing of the guard), houses of parliament, trafalgar square, seeing a West End show, all good touristy things. Primark on Oxford street will be manic but a definite experience. SOO cheap! Also Covent garden (market, restaurants, shops, street entertainers), Leicester Square, Piccadilly circus, all have great atmosphere and would be quick to check off the list or wander through.
Pub food can be really dodgy, but try and find a good gastro. Fish and chips with vinegar is amazing. Try Hache burger in Camden, or any ethnic restaurant. You can look on http://www.toptable.co.uk or similar for reviews or deals. You must try a 99 from an ice cream man. It is a soft serve ice cream in a cone with a chocolate Flake (a stick of chocolate) stuck in. They used to be 99p, hence the name. Delish!
All the parks are amazing especially for early morning runs! Primrose hill has fantastic views over London, and is really close to Camden.
Man, I could go on for ages and plan days of itineraries! If you still have time to read all these suggestions… Either way it sounds like you will have an amazing time. I am incredibly jealous! Take care!
Hi Julie,
Love your blog! You have so many awesome places planned to visit already, but I wanted to mention a few more. I studied abroad a few years ago in Wales, and traveled to all of the places you will be visiting!
London:
Borough Market is definitely worth visiting! We just stumbled upon it, but there is a lot of tasty food. I found mushroom pate that I really enjoyed! I also fell in love with Primark while I was there- such a good place to shop! Try chips and cheese and drink some cider!
Lucerne:
I loved everything about Lucerne. I remember eating at a place right on the River by the Chapel Bridge that had the best asparagus ravioli I have ever had!
Paris:
I think almost everything has been covered, but I wanted to mention Rue Mouffetard. It is a bit off the beaten path, but it might be one of my favorite parts of Paris. There is a daily open air market and a lot of cute shops and places to eat. It is in the Latin Quarter- Look it up! I think you would love it!
Safe Travels!
I have 4 more suggestions for Paris:
1.) Sainte Chapelle – It has THE MOST beautiful stained glass windows.
2.) The Catacombs – There is most definitely going to be a long line so get there before opening. (my experience: http://buissonfamily.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/et-201b-les-catacombs-de-paris.html)
3.) Sacre Coeur – Be very careful of scam artists on the hill (my experience: http://buissonfamily.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/et-201-paris-france-day-4.html)
4.) Pere-Lachaise Cemetery – The most visited cemetery in the world. If you have never visited a cemetery as a tourist before, it is a really neat experience in Europe because they are so unique and have amazing headstones (see the Sacre Coeur link above for my experience at this cemetery)
I absolutely LOVED Paris! We did not experience any problems with the locals being rude, but we also attempted the language as much as possible which helps in any non-English speaking country.