Rome in February

As my luck would have it, gobs of snow fell in Rome for the first time in over two decades exactly when WE decide to go for our Honeymoon.

OF COURSE.

We made the best of it, but I’m not going to lie…it was pretty miserable most days.

Large sloppy snowflakes smacking you directly in your face then melting into deep icy slush puddles …subsequently filling my leaky boots…freezing my feet…making me extremely displeased and dare I say BITCHY.

It probably wouldn’t have been so bad, but seeing as how my traveling has been somewhat limited up until this last year, I was bound and determined to tackle Rome headfirst and see as much as possible.

I think that the more we travel, the more relaxed I will be about trying to do EVERYTHING.

The endless hours of walking around without proper snow gear was DISMAL.
Not to mention that many of the museums and such were closed due to the gloomy weather.

IF I HAD ROME TO DO AGAIN, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE RELAXING!

Alas, we trudged ahead, counting our blessings, and I tried to get as many good shots as possible.

Some days were better than others. The last day in particular was incredibly warm and clear.

All in all, Rome was incredibly beautiful and very special.

Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II (The Typewriter)

Roman Forum

The Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano

Trevi Fountain

Pantheon (Closed due to snow)

Bridge to Vatican City

Vatican/St. Peter’s

Colosseum (taken with crappy iPhone camera)

Six Nations Rugby at Stadio Olympico

Piazza Navona

There were so many churches…I can’t remember all the names unfortunately…

Florence is up next…stay tuned!!!

Chewdles: The Bromance

By now, you should all be very familiar with my fluffy-fox-creature-pup Noodles.

AKA: Noodz, Schnoodles, Schnoddles, Knob dog, BeeBee, Noodies, and Noodie Noodie.

We recently had our friend from Nashville visit us, and he took quite the shine to her.

He still loves his Daddy though…

Now it is time for you to meet his best friend in the whole wide world.

CHEWY

Meet Chewy. AKA: Chewbacca, Baxter, Baccy and Chewstifer Bagshot/ Chewstifer Baggins, Chop Suey Chewy, Chewy Chow Mein, and Bubba Lou.

Chewy is my friend Anna’s Lhasa Apso, and Noodles’ best friend for life.
They basically run the park and wear each other out on a regular basis.

It’s all sorts of adorable.

We recently took them to Battersea park for a super fabulous doggy play date and adult picnic, and they were inseparable.

They even got in the pond for a swim!

The rest of the afternoon was pretty much a feast of fluff and dog wrestling.

Enjoy!

Those may look like vicious snarling teeth, but I assure you, it’s all just puppy play and they always end up in snuggletown.

TRUE LOVE!!!!!! XXOO

The things we ate in Italy…

After much purposeful procrastination I shall begin sharing my plentiful Italy photographs, starting with FOOD!

(FYI, some of these are cheeky iPhone shots and obviously not as great as my Olympus ones)

The Italy party started in the Airport lounge. As it should!
Red wine and mimosas!

ITALIA!

Let’s talk about the food! It was all about the food.
Eating the food. And then eating more of said food.
Rinse, Repeat. You dig?

Our first meal in Rome…

Tomato Bruschetta…

Caco e Pepe…

Great little spot near our flat…mostly cold items, salads and such.

Rocket with white bean, cherry tomato, mozzarella, and tuna.

One of my MANY glasses of white wine…

Caprese salad…

Gelato and I became best friends! OBVIOUSLY.

Wine and cicchetti…

Mountains of sweets…

And a chocolate festival for Valentine’s Day!

Homemade Caprese…

Spoils from the market…

Let there be PASTA!

And grilled vegetables…

At all times you must have your eating face on!

Ristorante La Spada in Florence…

Chicken Liver Pate…

Mushroom Ravioli…

Happiest little carb loading face you ever did see!

VALENTINE’S DAY FEAST!
Antica Trattoria “da Tito” dal 1913…AKA BEST STEAK EVER CONSUMED. EVER.

Swordfish, pomegranate, and grapefruit Carpaccio…

Raw Artichoke and Parmesan Salad…

The biggest Florentine Steak ever. Served Rare.

Chocolate cake of happiness…

WE DIED that night. We were reborn. I found god. God is a steak in Florence.

Did I mention that I used to be mostly vegetarian?

Look at this gorgeous charcuterie platter!

I even ate TRIPE Gnocchi…that is COW STOMACH.

More Wine!

Stuffed Squid, potatoes, and pesto.

Grilled vegetables and fried seafood yummies…FRITO MISTO!

Fluffy Ravioli with magic thyme butter.

Another outstanding charcuterie!

On our last night in Florence we ordered another breath taking Florentine steak.

We died again. Seriously. DIED. DEAD.

In Venice, the seafood is outstanding and plentiful.
You pick it, they cook it…

Birthday Dinner…

Frito Misto…

And Bellinis!

We found ourselves thoroughly exhausted in Murano, so we ate more Frito Misto!!

I think I ate squid, octopus, or cuttlefish at least twice per day in Venice…mmmmmmm.

I managed to crow bar in as many veggies as I could…

I leave you with our most strenuous feast.
(MY most epic act of sheer Miss. Piggy style gluttony really…)

The night of 5 desserts.

We dined at Piccalo Arancio (The Little Orange)

We ate everything in sight.

I grabbed Gelato ON THE WAY TO THE RESTAURANT like a fat girl.

This counts as Dessert #1.

Then ordered a charcuterie platter, fried artichokes and stuffed zucchini blossoms.

Followed by Orange Ravioli…

Swordfish in a Neapolitan sauce…

Dessert #2 Creme Caramel…

Dessert #3 Tiramisu…

I am a fat happy piggy.

OH NO ALL MY SWEETS ARE GONE!

MOOAARR!!!!!!!!

Dessert #4 Panna Cotta with berries…

I’m starting to feel light headed at this point…

So I ordered Dessert #5 Espresso and cookies thus completing my sinful evening of mostly sugar.

No one can ever say that I’m not a dessert person.

Stay tuned for MANY more Italy postings! xxoo

Grouse House Bed and Breakfast Edinburgh

How have I lived this long and not ONLY stayed in bed & breakfasts when I travel?

Somehow I had it in my head that they were these weird old musty houses with green shag carpeting stocked with uber creepy victorian doll collections.
I don’t need some demon doll glaring at me in its crocheted doily dress as I chow down on my cornflakes the next morning.

Not my idea of R&R.

Are they not strictly for couples going away to have a zen weekend to fix some personal issues and sleep in all day?

Apparently you can just stay in them like regular hotels, except for the fact that they are adorable and cozy and don’t charge you for every little thing.

WHO KNEW? AND WHY DID YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME?

Grouse House is sort of the champion of the B&B. No really. It is.

The ideal that all other B&B’s should model themselves after.

Pretty much every little detail you could dream up, the owner Dean has already got sorted out for you.

And he’s actually a NICE person.
He’ll talk to you and give you sound advice on where to go and what to avoid while you are visiting and really mean it!

And the rooms are decorated with charm and modern style.
No crappy wallpaper, no pink carpeting from 1983.

Warm and inviting with tons of character and whimsy. Without being cutesy.
Just clean and calm and CHILL.

Dean was nice enough to let me poke around and take photos the morning that we checked out.

(After the biggest most spectacular breakfast accompanied by awesome tunes and candles glowing on the hearth!)

EVERY Bathroom should have room spray. Period. End of discussion. Dean knows!

The dining room is incredibly beautiful and peaceful.
Grab a seat, have a cup of coffee.
R-E-L-A-X.

If you ever find yourself in need of the best sleep of your life, the friendliest B&B host, the heartiest breakfast, and the hottest shower you have ever taken…look no further my friends…mystery solved!

http://www.edinburghsgrousehouse.co.uk/index.html

Til we meet again Grouse House! Keep making people happy! xx

EDINBURGH IN 24 HOURS…

It’s a shame when you only have a short amount of time in a spectacularly cool and ancient city like Edinburgh.

I suppose it’s not that ancient.

Wait, wait…prior to the 7th century is pretty damn old… don’t you think?

Welllll…honestly everything is pretty ancient in comparison to Nashville.

It doesn’t matter, I’m not here to get into a history argument.

And as much as I’m sure everyone would appreciate me being the consumate tour guide and explaining by every little detail is in my photos, I’d rather just post them and if you have a question, please ask me in the comments.

EXAMPLE:

YOU “Where was that cool graveyard photo taken?”

ME: “WHY THANK YOU FOR NOTICING HOW COOL IT IS! THAT WAS TAKEN AT ST. ANDREWS ABBEY. OR WHAT’S LEFT OF IT! HAR HAR.”

YOU: “OH YOU ARE SO FUNNY! AND I LOVE YOUR BLOG. CAN I SMELL YOUR HAIR AND BE YOUR FRIEND?”

ME: “YOU HAVE TO PAY THE MEMBERSHIP FEE.”

YOU: “OKAY SURE! WHAT IS IT?”

ME: “TWO LAVENDER PONIES WITH SPARKLY HOOVES, A UNICORN THAT SMELLS LIKE BUBBLEGUM AND SUNSHINE, AN OCTOPUS THAT CAN LIVE SAFELY IN MY WARDROBE, AND FRONT ROW TICKETS TO BJORK.”

YOU: “UMMMMMMM…I DON’T THINK I CAN GET THOSE THINGS FOR YOU.”

ME: “I DON’T THINK WE CAN BE FRIENDS.”

Something like that.

This isn’t to say that at times I won’t find myself feeling extraordinarily poetic and explanatory.
It’s very likely.

Sometimes I just don’t FEEL like it.

I’m sure you have days like that too.

Often, I just want you to look at my photos (or not look at them…I really don’t care) and be inspired to travel your pants off.

So, without further babbling…checked out the gray and marvelous city of EDINBURGH!!!!!!!!!!

Sidenote for above photo: Okay, I’m being totally honest here. I’ve had a dream with this in it since I was a little girl. This exact photograph. Serious as a heart attack. I’d never seen it before I took this photo. Except in my repeat dream. No idea what that means, but there it is.
Freaked me out pretty good.

BY THE WAY, APPARENTLY THERE ARE NO FAST WALKING MEN IN 70′S LEISURE SUITS ALLOWED IN EDINBURGH CASTLE. JUSTSOYOUKNOW.

I’m not going to lie. This ain’t no Hampton Court y’all. (Don’t I sound snobby!)

I think most of the things in the castle were on loan from London museums. Which, is sort of messed up.

Hey London, Give Scotland back it’s stuff.

THIS IS THE EDINBURGH SCHOOL OF UNICORNS

FANCY PANTS TEA TIME FOR ME!! IN SCOTLAND! WITH MY HUSBAND!

ACTION SHOTS!

The days winds down…

One more Unicorn for the road…

Next up…the AMAZING B&B where we stayed in Edinburgh!!

Scotland O Scotland

I have always wanted to go to Scotland.
More than most people…and I’m not exactly sure why.
I probably watched too much Braveheart growing up.

Oh wait, maybe it’s the accent. I LOVE that accent.

Or the sheep.

Or these MASSIVELY ADORABLE HIGHLAND COWS.

(BTW, Rob Manningham took this great shot, not moi)

UGH. WANT ONE. Soooooo bad.

No matter!

The point is, I have ALWAYS wanted to visit Scotland and I finally got my wish!

HOORAY!

First Stop, St. Andrews!

Lunch was at Mitchell Deli…http://www.mitchellsdeli.co.uk/#

The Decor reminded me very much of Marche and Margot from Nashville…

And the food was AMAZING.

NEXT UP, EDINBURGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Road Trip to Scotland…

The Road to Scotland is paved with SHEEP!

And gnarly black trees…

And brooding countryside…

Moon shaped hills…

Pink snow showers…

AND FINALLY, SCOTLAND!!!!!!!!!!!

NEXT UP…SCOTLAND!!!

Broadgate Farm and Cows…

Hello friends! I’m not in the habit of dedications here at Gimmeyummy, but in this case, I must make an exception and dedicate this entry to one of my BFF’s in Nashville, TN.
This is for you Katie Warren. You may be the only other person on this planet who specifically understands my sincere love for baby cows. Thank you for always supporting my embarrassing need to hug animals!

One of my favorite places to stay in England is the gorgeous little Bed & Breakfast at Broadgate Farms in Bleasdale, Preston, Lancashire.

With the tastiest Full English Breakfast you could dare to dream of and the cutest most well-stocked guest rooms, there is no other lodging choice for us when we visit my husband’s family up North.

The last time we stayed at Broadgate, I was lucky enough to get to explore the working farm and get a bunch of great shots of the property and the adorable little cows they raise.

GLAMOUR SHOT! HA!

And of course, my favorite and the most important part… COWS!!!

LOOK AT THOSE SQUIDGY LITTLE NOSES!

And those super long plush eyelashes!!!

And the HAIRDOS! AMIRIGHT?

THESE are the bitty babies.

This guy almost took my ring off…but it was SO WORTH IT.

I present to you, my very first Gimmeyummy Video experience for your viewing pleasure.

YES, I know how ridiculous I am. DEAL.

A Rainy Afternoon in Cheshire

I find England to be just as charming and romantic in the cold drizzle as I do in the warm sunshine.

Your eye lands upon things on a dark and damp day that you would normally pass by…

Some of my best shots are taken in overcast conditions.

A few hours spent wandering around the soggy streets of Cheshire gave me a perfect opportunity to enjoy the little things…

Under the darkness of moody clouds, Cheshire transforms into a ghost story.

The heather is so much more vibrant with less competition…

The Cathedral was a golden sanctuary set against the icy conditions outside…

It is definitely always the little things that grab my attention… xx

Back from Italy Adventure and Noodz in the Snow!

Alas, I have returned!

ITALY WAS THE BUSINESS! AMAZING TIMES WERE HAD!

I have about 2,000 photos to sort through and upload before I start posting (as well as my most recent Scotland trip…and I just got a new job…grrrrr)

Until then, I leave you with more photos of the newest addition to our family “Sir Noodles of Shropshire on the Glenn” the Pomeranian/Papillon mix.

We just call him “Noodz” and “Doggles” and he’s about 5 months old now.

He just gets cuter and fuzzier as time goes on!

He LOVES the cardboard insert of toilet paper rolls.

Weirdo.

He also loves the snow.

This is “Paddy” the Jack Russell mix, his BFF at the park.

Paddy has mad fashion sense.

And “Zeus” the Yellow Lab.

Those are what we call “soulful” dog eyes.

And this is “Hercules”…very stoic!

I love my dog’s fluffy head situation.

And those satellite dish ears!

And watching him run with his daddy!

Like a little bunny!! I finally got a bunny! (sort of)