Instagram.

Hi guys, just a short post to share some news with you. It's not something exceptional, don't be excited. If you want, from this moment on, you can find me on Instagram. Just look up for laura_waitforit_pagani (the link takes you to my profile). I chose this name because of an "How I met your mother" episode, when Barney chooses the middle name for Marshall and Lily's baby. I think it's something funny, isn't it? Maybe one day I will change it, who knows.

One hundred and one...muffins!

Hi everybody. This Christmas we have decided to save money on gifts, as in Italy with the crisis we don't have a lot of money to waste. So, we gave as Christmas presents some muffins to our neighbors. We packed it with a small glass dish, bought at Casa, a nice shop that sells things for the house. They cost us 89 cent, because it was an offer; then we added a Gabel dish cloth (2,8 € with the 3x2), or a Gabel pot holder (1,45 €).

Then we have to prepare a looot of muffins! I made 5 different kinds of muffin: with blueberry, with coconut and dark chocolate, with banana and milk chocolate, with cocoa and white chocolate, with carrots. For the first four kinds the dough is the same, then I add the different ingridients.

Here's the receipt for the first four kinds of muffins:

WHAT YOU NEED (base):

• 125gr butter
• 150gr sugar (the finest the better)
• 3 eggs (2 whole eggs and a yolk)
• 380gr flour
• 1 packet of yeast with vanilla
• a pinch of salt
• 250 ml milk

HOW TO:

• mix the softened butter with the sugar, then add the eggs (one by one)
• add flour, the salt and the yeast with a sieve little by little, and sometimes add some milk, so the dough isn't to hard to work.

Blueberry: add blueberry as you like.

Coconut and dark chocolate: add shredder coconut and the dark chocolat cut in small pieces, as you desidered.

Banana and milk chocolate: add the pureed banana and the milk chocolate cut into small pieces, as much as you prefer.

Cocoa and white chocolate: add the cocoa powder with a sieve till the dough becomes brownish, then add some white chocolate cut in small pieces (not too much white chocolate).

All my muffins!

And here are my presents:

Presents

Present

As you can see, I hve added a small sticker with the addressee (Primark, 50 x 1,5 €) and a clip (Casa, 6 x 1,29 €): I attached a note with the name of the different kinds of muffins.

And these are muffins packed in muffins boxes! I found these at Casa, and it was 1,99 € for two boxes.

Muffins boxes

So, maybe it could be a good idea for next Christmas, isn't it? Have fun this Christmas, bye!

Berlin (part 1)

Hello everybody, I'm back from my short trip in Berlin, Germany. It was a nice holiday, maybe not my favourite, but it has worth it. As usual, I will divided the post in 3 parts: how to get, accomodation and transports in the first, what to do&see, food and souvenirs in the second and a third part with a special about Christmas markets. Enjoy!

HOW TO GET THERE: As usual, I booked a flight with EasyJet, taking off in the early morning (auch!) and getting back very late in evening, so we had four whole days to spend there. We landed at Shonefeld Airport (what a horrible airport!), in the south east of Berlin. From there, it takes about an hour to get to the city centre (it depends on where your hotel is, actually). To get into the city we decided to take the bus X7 to Rudow U7 metro stop, then frome there we changed line to reach our hotel. To get back to the airport, instead we take metro + line S9 and it took about an hour, too. I think the fastest way is by train, but trains run every half an hour. So, it's up to you! There're no big differences.

Our room at ApartHotel Vega

ACCOMODATION: once again, I booked with Booking.com. I chose ApartHotel Vega, a nice hotel with apartments, too. It was very close to Uhlandstrasse (sorry I can't find the double s in my keybord) U-stop, and a short walk from Zoologischer Garten U-stop and S-stop. The hotel was safe, with a code for entering the main door. At the reception there are two women, very nice even if their english is not so good (but it's enough to understand each other). Our room was big, the bathroom was as wide as the bedroom. We chose the hotel formula, as we didn't need an apartment with kitchen. We paid 19,5€ per person per night. The only thing that can leave you a little bit disappointed is that they don't make up beds (why?! It is an hotel!), but not a big problem for us, as we slept also during the day (sometimes)! Remember: don't choose this hotel in summer, because you would need to keep the windows open for the high temperature inside the room, but you can't. In fact, just near the hotel there is the S-bahn, which isn't a real problem in winter, when the windows are shut.

Hackescher Markt stop of S-bahn

TRANSPORT:  the daily ticket is quite expensive, 6,7€ per person for zone AB. If you arrive from the airport, buy directly the daily ticket for zone ABC (only for the day of arrival and when you leave), that cost 7,2 €. I think that you need the daily ticket, as Berlin is very big. We use the metro a lot, because our hotel was in a residential zone, not so near the centre to be reached on foot. In Berlin there are two kind of metro: the U-bahn, which is more the real underground (but sometimes goes outside the ground), and the S-bahn, which is a sort of overground subway. Trains run frequently during the day, but in the night they run every 10-15 minutes. You can find more information here.

It's Christmas time!

Oh oh oh! Hi everyone! It's Christmas time! As every year, my family and I make a "presepe" (is it in english called "nativity scene"? I don't know). We have travelled a lot around Europe, and we found out that in France they have a lot of beautiful little statues called "santons". So, we decided to buy them (one or two per year, as they cost a loooot). We love the brand Escoffier, it is our favourite, all our statues are of this brand except three: the baker, the donkey with lavender (both from "Just Marie", another brand) and the donkey with the old man (bought by my parents during a trip in Greece). So, let's have a look to my Presepe!

Man who collects olives

The three kings with camel & camel driver

Old woman

Baker with donkey and fields of flowers

Cave with the proper nativity scene

Dancer

Rubber Ducks' Map.

Hi guys! This post will be quite short, but I just would like to share with you something that really impressed me. This is a map of the trip of thousands rubber ducks. Don't you know the story? Well, to tell it shortly, in 1992 a cargo ship lost three containers of rubber animals. This animals followed ocean currents and reach more or less all the northen emisphere. I heard about it for the first time in Touch (a tv series with Kiefer Sutherland), and I think that all this story is amazing. Nothing important, just to tell you something interesting, maybe one day it will be useful. Have a nice day!

RUBBER DUCKS' TRIP AROUND THE WORLD

Thinking about holiday!!!

Finally, here I am. Next week I'm going to Berlin, Germany. Yes I know, I can't stay at home for more than two months! But you know, 115 € per person for 4 days/3 nights...

I'm quite excited, the northen Europe cities at Christmas are fabulous! I have already been in Berlin with my parents, five years ago I think. I liked it, but not too much, so let's try again, this time with my boyfriend.

As soon as I come back, I will update you. STAY TUNED!

Prague! (part 2)

Ok, here we are with other news about Prague!

WHAT TO DO&SEE: Prague is rich of history, especially jewish history. In fact this city had one of the biggest jewish quarter in Europe, Josefov. 

Jewish Cemetery

1- The Jewish Museum is actually quite expensive, the ticket for all the sites is 480 CZK (discount ticket for student, 320 CZK). It comprises 6 sites plus the Old Synagogue: I think that the two main attractions are the Old Synagogue and the cemetery, because in the other sites are more like a real museum. To notice: in most of the historical places in Prague you have to pay an additional fee to take photos!

2- The Prague Castle is really beautiful, hanging on a hill on the other side of the river. I suggest you to take tram n°22 or 91 and get off at Prazsky Hrad: with these trams you have a beautiful view of the castle and it seems to be in San Francisco when it goes up the hill!

San Vitus Cathedral

You can choose whether if take the short tour (San Vitus's Cathedral, Old Castle, San George's basilica and the Golden Street) or the long one (in addition you can access some expositions). Here are the prices for the different tours. After having bought the ticket, just follow the map! It's not too big, I think that one morning it's enough to visit it. Tip: when you exit the castle, follow the small street on the left side, you will see a very small gate (always on the left). If you run down and then go up tho the hill, you will find yourself in the Royal Garden, just next to the Summer Palace! Walk back to the top of the castle and you will see the Orangerie, and some hawks to take photos with.

Charles' Bridge by night

3- Charles Bridge is actually more beautiful from any another bridge on the river. In fact when you are walking over it I think you cant' appreciate it at all. On the bridge there are a lot of artists that trying to sell their works.

4- If you visit Prague's Castle, you have to go to Strahov Library too! It's just two tram stop after the castle; it's a monastery with a magnificent library. I think it is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

Venceslao's Square by night

5- Venceslao's Square is more like a street than a proper square. In the middle you can find some food stands where you can eat (see "Prague part 1"); at the end of the square there is a small monument that remembers a victim of the communist dictatorship. Something particular: if you take Vodickova street, in the middle of the square, you can find the oldest cinema in town, with a strange sculpture (a horse hanging upsidedown the ceiling). The cinema, called Lucerna, is in a passage on the left side of the street.

Clock tower by night

6- The Old Town Square is very famous, especially for the astronomical clock. The astronomical clock every hour (not every hour actually, I remember from 10 a.m. to 18.00 p.m., but maybe because it was off-peak season) offers to tourists a sort of "show": the 12 Apostles exit from two small (very small) doors. You can also go into the tower. Ok, if I have to tell the truth, I think that this show is overrated, you can't see anything from the square!

7- Walking along the river: do it, do it, do it! Take tram n° 3/7/17/52 and get off at Vyton stop, then try to go down, just along the river, better if it's sunset time! Now, walk back to the city centre: you can admire a lot of small "pubs" where you can drink a beer looking at the sunset. At a certain point you have to go up to the street, and you can see the dancing house. From this bridge you can also see Charles Bridge by night. Unforgettable.

Small pub along the river

Dancing house

SOUVENIRS: Prague's souvenir are quite expensive (of course if you want to buy orrible things the price is lower). I bought two nail files for my friends (they were 89 CZK each) in one of the shops near the old town square. Shops near there are all the same (I'm not jocking, it's the truth). Ok I know nail files are not the best souvenir ever, but Prague is also famous for the Bohemian crystal, so I thought that these could have been a good idea. Then I bought a small pottery house for my parents (they love pottery houses, so I buy one in all my journeys; this was 380 CZK, not very cheap, but for mum and dad...): there is a street that runs down the castle in which there are a lot of cool shops, or at least different from the ones of the centre. This street was Nerudova street, and it has a beautiful architecture, too. Last but not least I had to by something for my aunt&uncle: this is the real problem, they already have all. I saw that around Prague there are some shops called Manufaktura: they sell things for the bath, like soap and something else, all natural and all made in Czech Republic (they also sell wood toys for children). I bought a slice (yeah, it's like a cake cut in small slices) of a pear soap with a small bag to put it in, and I paid more or less 5€.

TRANSPORTS: As I told you, we were quite far from the centre, so we decided to buy three one-day tickets (110 CZK each). We like to go back "home" during the day, so that it isn't too tiring. The one-day ticket is valid for 24hours, so if you validate it at 5 pm, it will last till 4.59 pm next day. There is also a three-day ticket, but it's only sold in a tourist information centre (don't know where). Here you can find more information about transports.

This is my personal experience, and I suggest you to buy a good travel guide before leaving, and to READ IT at home, planning your journey. My best friend are the Lonely Planet guides, I absolutely love them (it looks like an advertising, it is not, I swear it!)

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

I forgot to tell you that travel is not my only passion. In fact, I also love cooking (sometimes, not always). I am italian, you know, so let's cook italian spaghetti! This is a quite simple recipt, it's typical of Rome, but it's widespread also in the rest of Italy. P.s: I found out that I can't write a recipt in english, so I put some link in the text to explain better...sorry!

WHAT YOU NEED (for 2):

• 160 gr italian spaghetti (probably around the world you have only Barilla, I don't like Barilla pasta, however that's fine)
• 2 eggs (only the yolk)
• 80 gr sweet (not smoked) bacon cut into small cubes (it's not bacon actually, in italian is pancetta or guanciale)
• 30 gr parmigiano cheese (or pecorino romano, but I think that the rest of the world hasn't it)
• black pepper (better if in grains, ground at the moment)
• cold sparkling water (just a little)
• a very little milk

HOW TO:

• boil water in a pot, with a hanful of course salt
• fry slightly the bacon in a pan (don't put oil or butter with it, the fat of the bacon is enough!)
• remove the bacon from the pan and dry it with a paper towel
• when the water is boiling put your pasta into it
• meanwhile, beat the yolks with a pinch of salt, parmigiano, a spoon of sparkling water and a little spoon of milk
• two minute before the pasta is ready, put it into the pan where you have already cooked the bacon (use a pasta server with a ladle of the water (in which you have cooked the spaghetti)
• mix it for a while, taste it to see if it's ready (DON'T COOK pasta for too long)
• turn off the cooker, add the eggs you have prepared before and mix
• divide into two dishes and add the bacon on top, then ground the black pepper

One of my favorite dishes ever!

Just to remember...I'm not a chef, this is how I do it (and I like it!). So, if you want to try...

Prague! (part 1)

At the beginning of October (from Sun 6 to Wed 9) I've been in Prague -such a beautiful city!- with Alessio, my boyfriend (I know that "boyfriend" sounds quite silly, but we are not engaged, so how can I call him??). In these posts I would like to let you know some advice. I will divide the posts into 6 parts: how to get, accomodation and food in a first post, what to do&see, souvenirs and transports in the second. So, enjoy reading! P.s: I have to tell you that my trips are usually VERY low cost, because Ale and I are students, and we haven't a lot of money to spend. At the moment the change is 100 CZK= 4€ (more or less: I suggest you to pay always in CZK rather than euros, because paying in euros is not so convenient).

HOW TO GET: I booked a flight with EasyJet (I think it was May or June, so 4-5 months before), and it didn't cost a lot (from Milan about 60 €). When we arrived at Prague airport, we withdrew 150 € each (this money was enough), at a favorable price. Then we had to go to the city centre: the cheapest solution was by bus, 32 CZK + 16 CZK per luggage. Be careful: the ticket seller doesn't accept 500 CZK banknotes, you need smaller banknotes or a credit card. We took the bus 119 (runs every 10 minutes) that led us to Dejvicka underground stop (line A). From this station you can easily reach your hotel. You can also use the bus ticket for the underground (it lasts 90 minutes).

Apartments Emma (the brown and red building)

ACCOMODATION: I always book with Booking.com, and so was this time, too. We stayed at Apartments Emma, in a studio room, for 40 € per night per room. The place was very nice, the apartment was really good (we also had umbrellas in case of rain!); there was a small kitchen, and in the morning or in the evening we could cook something. The guy who welcomed us (I can't remember his name, sorry!) explained us everything: what to do and see, where to eat, how to get to different places etc. The accomodation isn't in the city centre actually, but there is the tram just outside the hotel; and, if you don't mind walking, there is a beautiful walk along the river and in 25 minutes you are in the city centre. The apartments haven't a hall, as they are in a builiding where other people live: you have your own keys to get in and out.

FOOD: in Prague there are a lot of places were you can eat good food at a cheap price. 

Café Mistral's Fish&chips

1-The first evening we went to Cafè Mistral (Valentinska 11/56, near Charles' Bridge), a very nice place. It was nothing exceptional, I eat fish and chips (139 CZK, about 5,5 €). In the same zone of Cafè Mistral there were a lot of pubs. Ah, in Prague you have to leave tips (5-10% of the total). 

Bageterie Boulevard in Narodni triva

2- Next day we ate in a Bageterie Boulevard: it's a kind of fast food, but an healty one (more or less). You can also choose the type of bread: I spent 69 CZK for a Tunakova (tuna sandwich) and Alessio spent 89 CZK for a sandwich with roastbeef. We drank an home-made tea for 37 CZK (p.s: in Prague beer is usually less expensive than water, half a liter is about 55 CZK!). There are some Bageterie around the city. 

The closest is the bohemian style dish,
the other is the goulash

3- In the evening we were looking for a place to eat Czech specialities, and we found U Dvou Sester (Melantrichova 10, near the Old Town Square). Wow! The Czech cousine is not so light! We ate a Bohemian-style braised beef in cream sauce, bread dumplings and cramberries (very good! And it was just 180 CZK) and a traditional Czech beef Goulash with dumplings (180 CZK too). Bread Dumplings are a sort of boiled bread (so, instead of put them in the oven, they boil them, or this is what I think): they are enough to make you feel satiated for the whole evening. 

Pizza and soup at Giovanni's

4- We also went to an Italian restaurant (please, don't do it if you aren't in Italy: this is not Italian food!), as it was very late and most restaurants had already closed. The restaurant was Trattoria by Giovanni and we were quite lucky: Alessio ate a Pizza Vesuvio (don't eat it, the ham is Prague Ham, nothing to do with the Italian one) and I ate a Zuppa di Orzo: this soup was really good, it seemed to be home-made (and it was a lot for 60 CZK). 

Ceasar salad

5- Last day we went to Cafè per lei (Karlova 154/17), we ate a very rich ceasar salad with tomatoes, bacon, toasted bread, parmigiano cheese and chicken (170 CZK). 

Best Pancakes ever!

6- One morning we decided to go out for breakfast, and we have been to Café Louvre (Narodni 22): I ate the best pancakes ever (69 CZK) and Ale ate a traditional Czech breakfast (109 CZK) with orange juice, ham, butter, boiled eggs, chocolate and apple cake. The bread was not included (12 CZK). The Café is on the second floor of the building.

Potatoes dumplings

7- In Venceslao square there were some food stands (I don't know if they are open the whole day, as we went there in the evening), were you can eat some street czech specialities, as Prague ham or potatoes dumplings with sauerkraut and ham. Be careful: the prices are often for 100gr of products, not for a dish! In fact we spend 117 CZK for potatoes dumplings (39 CZK per 100gr).

Trdelnik!

8- Last but not least, the Trdelnik! It is a kind of bread with sugar, cinnamon and almonds, so good! It is sold in different places around the city, like Venceslao square, the old town square or the castle for 50/60 CZK.

Chocolate gingerbread

9- No, the Trdelnick wasn't the last! I forget to talk about a small bakery: Pasta Krusta (via Karlova, be careful: looking in the internet I found out that this name is also used for a restaurant, but I haven't been there). We ate a delicious chocolate gingerbread for 42 CZK.

...wating for the next post? I promise I will publish it as soon as possible! See you!

Nice to meet you!

Hello everyone, I'm a university student from Italy. Quite often I travel around the world, and now I would love to share my experiences with other people. I study languages at university, but I can speak only english at the moment (sigh, unfortunately my spanish and my chinese s**k). I think I will write the majority of my posts in english, but maybe sometimes I also put the italian transaltion at the end of the page. Sorry for my english, I think it is quite good but I know that isn't the REAL english (spoken by people in England or in the USA). So, that's all for the moment! "See" you soon!