Scuba Diver E!

One of the things we did in Santorini was get our scuba diving certification. I was not convinced at first but in the end I am thrilled I did it! The Atlantis Dive Center in Oia was amazing to us.

Our instructor Sophia was a super nice girl, very patient with me who is some what less then graceful above water. I found the hardest part was anything out of the water. The first day we were on a beach shore practicing skills and I did not have the strength to fight the waves and focus on the skills being taught. Luckily the next day we came back and did two deep sea dives. The tank was lighter in water and it was more fun to explore shipwrecks then rocks on the shore.

There was a 50 question multiple choice test we had to take and we are PADI certified! When you're on vacation and you have to take a test in really brings you back to reality and you realize how lazy your brain cells are on vacation.

I'm exciting to dive again in a location that is more friendly to underwater life. Because of the volcano in Santorini there is not much food underwater for fish.

See you underwater!

E

If I had a British Accent I would never stop talking

Despite the rain London is a beautiful city and they speak English! I would love to work here for a year to really travel around Europe even just for the weekends.

On Wednesday we went to Brew round 2 (if you find something you like it’s OK to stick with it). Then set off to see the Tower Bridge, Borough Market and Kensington Palace!

Borough Market was amazing I wish I had access to that every weekend. The atmosphere was very relaxed. You can wander around and get food from all over the world. It was a Wednesday so it was funny to see people coming down from their office buildings to grab a quick bite.  

In the Evening we went to Madison a rooftop bar near St Paul’sCathedral. It had a beautiful view and we only dropped one glass of wine.

On our last day in London we ran around the city looking for Stamps for our Grandmother... no luck apparently this is the most popular stamp EVER. We went to four stamp collectors and a dozen post offices. Crazy...

Cheerio... Off to Greece!

E

London Calling!

Rain, Rain, Rain... I mean London, London, London

After a lovely Layover to Iceland in the middle of the night we arrived in London! We took the tube to Clapham junction where my amazing friend Katie met us at her quaint little flat.  Whoa, I sounded pretty British there. We had tons of fun running around the city with her. 

Katie took us to a restaurant in Notting Hill called Beach Blanket Babylon it was Alison wonderland meets... you should just go. Dinner conversation Brexit, the conclusion we are against it.

source

The next day we hit some major London sites. Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the House of Commons.

We ended the day with some fish and chips at Sherlock Holmes and then we saw WICKED at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Which I have to say is amazing. I didn't know the premise of the musical but I love the Wizard of Oz so then dropping little bit of the back story was really fun.

Keep Calm and Defy Gravity

E

Guess who was in the South of France pour deux semaines?

I cannot get over how amazingly gorgeous Cannes was. In the past I would get home sick whenever I would go on vacation but now that I am older I appreciate more the privilege of travel. I am not going to lie; whenever we would get in a car in France I would still loose my mind. It makes me feel claustrophobic and impatient and when I am not driving I feel a bit out of control, which can make my mood most unpleasant for those around me.

We started off week number one with a standard car. I laugh at the most inappropriate times so when my dad would stall the car in the middle of the intersection and cars were honking and people were giving us the figure I was hysterically laughing in the back (very rude I know I would stop if I could).

After a day trip to Monaco the car broke down... that was special. After that it was automatic all the way. He was very brave for driving because we got to see all these beautiful cities in France. 

Gordon

A lookout on the way to Gordon

Monaco

Monaco

Nice, rooftop picture from the Musée d'art moderne et d'art contemporain

Nice

Waterfall at the top of Nice Castle Hill, the elevator was broken the day we went so it was quite the hike to the top

Nice

Eze

I just love this picture... coolest kids in the water

E

Come on, French it Upppp

What TV show is my title from? If you know it we can be best friends.

Emma left for France at the end of June and with three weeks until the rest of our family joins her, I have discovered a new dessert that I love making, Crème Brûlée. I was using a recipe from youtube by Dishin' with Di.  Burning sugar with fire is so much fun and the recipe is easy to make and tastes delicious. I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and purchased a starter kit for 14.99 it came with the torch and 4 oven safe dishes. What I didn’t buy was the fuel for the small torch so I had to improvise with a plumber’s torch (not very dainty).

The most important thing I found out was the importance of letting them cool, otherwise you are serving warm pudding, which Nathan, Robin and Taylor did not seem to mind.

Finally, I went back to Bed, Bath and Beyond to purchase the fuel and while I was there I found little metal dishes for a dollar each. I decided I was going to make them for my Dad’s annual canoe trip. This is no ordinary camping trip he is a fantastic cook and prepares gourmet camp meals for his buddies. Rumor has it they loved my Crème Brûlée, obviously.

This is our relationship at the moment

I have dainty wrist therefore could not hold the torch myself

Papa Bear loved it but he is lactose intolerant so his stomach was pretty upset after. On a side not I did end up using lactose free cream for his camping trip and there consistency was just as good as the ones with lactose for all you with special dietary requirements 

Taste tester 

My beautiful babies glistening with sugar. Stunning. 

Carte postale envoyé par ma pretite soeur  

Final thoughts: Dessert is the best meal.

E