Saturday, September 28, 2013

Please Sir, Can I Have Some S'more?

   I'm going to tell you something that will shock my American readers and confuse some of my British readers. I was talking with Hannah, one of my European friends, & I learned that she had never heard of a S'more. If you're American you are now probably thinking something along the lines of, (to quote my friend Emily) "They aren't universal?!" And if you're British you're probably thinking, "What's all the fuss about?" This is what all the fuss is about.


   Well, not technically. But this is the best I can do while I'm in England. When I learned Hannah had never had a S'more, I decided to do something about it. It's not her fault she's been deprived all her life. 
   First of all, they don't have gram crackers over here. I had to explain what a gram cracker is! It's surprisingly difficult to do. Basically, it's like a slightly sweet bread cracker. With a distinct taste. That I can't describe. 
   So I looked up a gram cracker recipe, picked this one, & we got together & made S'mores!  


   What makes gram crackers gram crackers is the gram flour that goes in them. That's probably something even my American friends didn't know. Now everyone does. I feel so accomplished. Anyway, there's a certain kind of flour that's called gram flour. And you use it to make gram crackers. Makes sense, right? 


   The gram crackers turned out more like a cookie. Like a gram cracker, a snickerdoodle, & a molasses cookie had a baby. (You might tell me three cookies can't have a baby, but I'm telling you no cookies can have a baby, so I do what I want.) I've named them Gramdoodles. My mum loves them. 


   To make the gramdoodles into S'mores we, of course, needed chocolate & marshmallows. We only had mini marshmallows and we had to toast (really just heat) them in the oven. (Normally you toast big marshmallows over a fire and they get all crispy on the outside & gooey on the inside.) Then we scrapped them onto a gramdoodle with a piece of chocolate on it & added another gramdoodle on top! And there you have it, a European S'more! =) 




   They definitely didn't taste like the S'more I know & love, but they were still quite delicious! And now Hannah has been introduced to the wonders of S'mores! (Thanks for being willing to try my strange American food.) =P And I hope that any of you readers who are British will try out this scrummy American staple!

P.S. Don't forget to enter The Cambridge Scarf Giveaway! Tomorrow is your last day to enter! 

Monday, September 23, 2013

The Cambridge Scarf Giveaway!

   I'm still exploring my own style & I'm loving many aspects of British fashion. For me, a comfy sweater, knee high socks, a skirt, & a scarf is always a winning combination!





   Speaking of winning, I'm giving away this lovely scarf to one lovely reader! I just want to say thank you to each one of you who has followed me on my adventures! As a writer, I love knowing that people enjoy reading my work (which some of you obviously must, since you keep coming back). As Autumn floats down on us, this scarf would make a beautiful & warm accessory in your wardrobe.


How To Enter

1. Follow Loquacious Wanderer

2. Leave a comment on this post telling me where in England you would most like to visit & why! It can be a place I've been to, or better yet, somewhere I've never heard of!

3. Please include your email address if it's not linked to your profile

   This giveaway will be open till September 29th, 2013, midnight, London time. The winner will be drawn at random & I'll contact them via email!

Rules

   In order to enter this giveaway you must be a resident of the United States or the United Kingdom. No duplicate comments please. If you have any questions please feel free to email me!

P.S. Thank you Zuzana for taking all these lovely pictures!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Stunning (The Lake District)

   I've been looking forward to writing this post ever since I started snapping these pictures. On September 8th my parents & started back to Cambridge, but we stopped by the Lake District for two days. My parents are going back in about three weeks for their 25th wedding anniversary. Of course I won't be going then, so they kindly gave me these two days so I could get a taste of The Lakes. 

   Our first day was spent shopping & resting in Windermere. It was an overcast day & we were pretty worn out from over a week of traveling. It wasn't until the next day when we got out in the hills that we saw how stunning the Lake District is.

   On the 9th we rode a ferry across lake Windermere to the town of Ambleside. It was gorgeous. There's really no way I can describe the beauty of the mountains, mists & woods to you. So here are some pictures to give you a tiny taste of the beautiful Lake District.




Mostly I just looked around & hummed Misty Mountains to myself. 


Can I have one of these houses, please?







   The tiny town of Ambleside was so cute! We visited St. Mary's Parish Church where Charlotte Mason is buried. She lived during the 19th century & revolutionized education in England. She fostered a love of learning in children in a day where children were punished & ignored most of the time. My mum has always been inspired by her & was really touched to see her grave.





   We then set off through the hills to Wordsworth's house. William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet who lived during the late 1700s & early 1800s. When I was about eight a Union student named Ashely taught Joshua & me a little poetry class. One of the poems we had to memorize was William Wordsworth's "Daffodils".

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: -
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company!
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.


   No, I can't say it from memory any more (sorry Ashley), but I do remember memorizing it. That counts for something, doesn't it?


   As we traipsed up through the hills to his house I remember thinking, "No wonder he was a poet! Anyone could be a poet if they lived here!" It was absolutely stunning. We were blessed with beautiful weather which I'm beyond thankful for. Walking through these hills was the final favorite experience of my top four favorite experiences from this trip.





Photo Credit: Dad







   We did get to see Wordsworth's house, but I couldn't get a very good picture of it. I'll say one thing though, he had a great view.

   The next day we rode the train back to Cambridge. We made some great memories & saw some beautiful sights on this trip & I'm so thankful I got to go! But by the end we were quite ready to be back home in Cambridge. I've settled back into my routine of studying, walking, reading, Skyping, & (of course) blogging! I'm so glad to be back!

P.S. Make sure to check back tomorrow, I've got a treat for you!

Friday, September 20, 2013

The Freezing Castle (Edinburgh)

   On September 6th, we took off to Edinburgh. This was the day that I mentioned earlier, saying it was absolutely freezing, rainy, & miserable. That pretty much sums it up, but we tried to make the best of it & ended up making memories along the way!

   Edinburgh Castle is the focal point of Edinburgh. It's at the top of the Royal Mile, which is a mile long street leading up to castle at the top of the hill. The Royal Mile packed with shops & plenty of Scottish tweeds & tartans to go around. That day we got some royal exercise.

Photo Credit: Dad

   We weren't expecting it to be so cold, so we didn't even bring coats! Just to impress on you how freezing it was, Mum bought us two scarves trying to make us a little bit warmer. I already had a scarf but no gloves, so I just wrapped my new scarf around my cold hands. I did take my hands out of the scarf every now and then to take pictures for you guys. Oh the things I do for you . . .
   I will now mention that my family & I came to Edinburgh on our last England trip, back in 2005. Believe it or not, it was 10x more freezing then than it was this time around. All our Edinburgh memories are rather cold.


   The castle itself was fascinating, so it's a pitty I mostly ducked my head & wanted to go inside a building to get warm.






   Here's a before & after picture! Eight years makes a difference. (And yes, that really was me under all those layers. You'll just have to take my word for it.)

Photo Credit: Dad

Photo Credit: Dad

   One of my favorite parts of Edinburgh Castle was seeing The Honours: The Scottish Crown Jewels. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to take pictures of them, but there is one fascinating story about them that I'd love to recount to you. 
   The crown, scepter, & sword of state were used at the coronations of Scotland's monarchs as far back as 1543. When the Parliament of England & the Parliament of Scotland were dissolved in 1707 & the Parliament of Britain was formed, the Honours of Scotland no longer had a symbolic purpose. Therefore, they were locked in a chest in Edinburgh Castle and almost forgotten for over a hundred years. 
   When a group finally went to regain the Honours in 1818 they were afraid the jewels might have been stolen during their hundred year rest. But when they broke into the chest's lock & lifted the lid the Honours were safely inside. My favorite part of the story is that there was one more item found in the chest besides the crown, scepter, and sword of state. It was a silver-gilt wand. No one knows why or how it got there, it's all a mystery. It would make an excellent historical fiction novel!



Photo Credit: Dad

   After we finished exploring the castle we warmed ourselves up with tea at a nice cafe. Then we went back out to face the elements to do a bit more shopping on the Royal Mile. I bought a cute pink cardigan at my new favorite clothing store, Ness! They have the loveliest things.

   The next day was a mix of more walking around the city, resting in the hotel room, & saying goodbye to Aunt Kim & Uncle David. We had such a great time with them & were so sad to see them go!

   We enjoyed our stay in Scotland very much, even if our last day was so dismal. We found Scotland to be very laid back and friendly. Almost all the people, especially our waiters & waitresses, were so kind & went out of their way to give us great service. Definitely hoping I can go back one day!

P.S. On our train to Edinburgh we sat behind a lively group of women throwing a hen party, which is the British version of a bachelorette party. They were quite a boisterous lot with plenty of champagne for the whole weekend! =) We asked if we could take their picture & they happily agreed. Even though it's kind of blurry, it captures the atmosphere of coach rather well. 

Photo Credit: Dad