Vanchella Vagabonds

Emily spent several months this year in London, with plenty of time to do a deep explore. I asked if she would be a guest writer for the blog, which she kindly agreed to do ... Enjoying London! On my first day in London earlier this year, I bought a little guidebook that caught my eye. It’s called London’s Hidden Walks , a series dedicated to urban hikes around Central and Greater London. As the title suggests, even if a hike has famous landmarks or covers well-known areas, each walk is meant to draw your attention to things you might not notice. It’s a great way to get to know London in a way that will make locals tell you that you know it better than they do. :) I thought I'd share my favorite walks for the blog. Buckle up, because I have a lot to say! London Walk #1: Emily’s London Highlights River Walk Technically this isn’t one of the routes from London’s Hidden Walks. But it’s a path I thought of on a trip in October 2024, and I actually walked it on this most recent trip. C...

  "Spring" is the season of festivals. It seems like there is always an activity, special food, or national holiday happening in the period between Carnevale (February or March) and Festa della Mamma (early May). With Carnevale and Pasqua (Easter) being 'late' this year, many of the holidays were close together. Carnevale The period of Carnival is celebrated over a long period here. I love when the chiacchiere begin appearing. They are absolutely my favorite Italian holiday treat!  I ate way too many of these! La Festa di San Valentino (Valentine's Day) fell during Carnevale period this year. That heart cookie was pretty and delicious! I'm not sure how regional this is, but here it's common to eat maccheroni* con sugo di maiale the weekend before Fat Tuesday. Kudos to chef Cristian at Gugliotta Gourmet , who always makes a delicious version of this dish! *I know, it looks like spaghetti, but when it's homemade and thick like that, it's called macch...