Travel

Guest Blogger Month III: Post 27

~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

Today is the penultimate day of the Guest Blogger Month of LOVE series. And it is great to have Ashley back on the blog for a second year. Her story last year is still a popular one as she is 100% honest, a true virtue in this day and age! This bubbly lady from Hawaii is a wonderful mommy and wife who takes her social media followers along with her on all her world travels. So I wasn’t surprised to see what this year’s LOVE story was about, as she has nearly every page in her passport stamped!

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Havana a Ball!

~ Harper220

I couldn’t help the play on words when I came up with the title for this blog post about our trip to Havana.  I could have titled this “Havana a Laugh” but to be honest our trip wasn’t all fun and games.  But bottom line we did have a ball in Havana.  While we were there for the Havana Film Festival, seeing on average three films per day, we did squeeze in some sightseeing. It really is a fascinating place, with a rich history and culture. Continue reading →

Keep Calm and Silent Please

~ Harper220 ~ 3 Comments

October 19th.  I’ve talked about this day with you all before.  It is my mom’s birthday.  I poured my heart out in a post called A Moment of Silence the first year of this blog.  And last year on this day I shared a totally different scenario.  I was asked to speak at the NWED (National Women’s Enterprise Day) in County Galway, Ireland.  So how to recognize her birthday this year, when we still don’t know after 27 years whether my mom is dead or alive?  Keep Calm AND Silent Please? Continue reading →

A Heart Swell for Guardastelle

~ Harper220

I’m back to share more of our recent Italian adventures with you!  If you’ve read the first two posts about our edible escapades (here and here) you’ll know we were on a foodie fantasy.  Hubby booked us in for a couple more days of R & R before we had to be at the Venice Film Festival.  Guardastelle was the perfect place to soak in the warmth of the Tuscany region. And I don’t mean just the sunny weather!  We were shown incredibly warm hospitality by the owners of Guardastelle, Susanna and Fausto.  In fact we arrived a bit earlier than we thought and while we waited for our room they brought us each a glass of their own tasty wine and sumptuous bruschetta. Cue heart swell! Continue reading →

Recipe: Penne For Your Thoughts

~ Harper220

Pasta is one of the best things ever invented. While historians argue about who can take claim for the honor, I am grateful Hubby booked us into a private pasta making class while we were in Italy. We made penne, my Hubby’s fav, as well as fettuccini and the most gorgeous spinach and ricotta tortellini and ravioli.  Not only did we get to learn from the pasta queen herself, Wilma then served us a delicious lunch of the pasta we helped make.  Continue reading →

Eataly in Italy

~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

It is exactly two weeks since Hubby and I returned from our amazing trip to Italy.  You may be asking yourself why it took so long to publish a blog post about our adventures.  Well the answer is two fold.  First, just a couple of days after we landed in London I boarded a plane again to come over to the USA to visit family, where I am now.  And secondly, when you literally eat your way around the culinary Mecca of Italy, it takes time for it all to digest (literally and figuratively) before putting thoughts into words.  There is so much to share I decided to break the glorious task up into several posts.  I already shared our Cuppa Critics reviews of the films we saw at the Venice Film Festival in the last post.  While the time in Venice took up eleven nights of our two week trip, we packed in loads of fabulous foodie experiences the first few days.  So if you plan to go to the Tuscany region of Italy, you may want to take notes.  Continue reading →

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday: The Future’s So Brighton!

~ Harper220

Yep the future’s so Brighton, I gotta wear shades!  A little take on an oldie but a goodie, but that song was in my head when I hit the laptop to share my latest gastronomic expedition with you.  It is hard to believe I have lived in London this long and never made the one hour train journey to Brighton on England’s south coast!  It’s been on my mind to do for ages, but various reasons have always circumvented the plans.  So I was delighted that this week’s Foodie Fieldtrip Friday allowed me to soak up some sun, listen to the crashing waves and indulge in total iconic Brighton Beach eats! Continue reading →