Thanksgiving in London Without Turkey

Over my school's Thanksgiving break I traveled to London.

I spent Thanksgiving day enjoying some fabulous Thai food and wandering around the city aimlessly for the better part of the day.

One of my favorite aspects of London was the great variety of international cuisine (and the beer didn't hurt either!). Going to school in Chicago I have become accustom to the idea of being able to chose from basically any food from around the world. Rome, unfortunately provides few options for upscale international cuisine. Below are a few pictures of my favorite food that I enjoyed in London.

Meeting My Parents in Munich

My parents came to Europe for a two week vacation and to visit me in Rome. You can check out some of their adventure's on my Dad's blog Lyke2Drink.

I caught up with them in Munich after a flight that took me from Rome to Athens to Munich -- finding an affordable flight from Rome to Munich was not easy!

As a student studying abroad for 4 months it was wonderful to get the chance to have my parents visit! Munich was the perfect city to spend some time with my father since he is a beer writer. I was happy to get the chance to see Munich during the fall when it is especially beautiful. One tip: if you only have one full day in Munich do not make it a Sunday. On Sundays practically all of the shops are closed.

My favorite beer that I had in Munich was the Augustiner Weissbier. I recommend a nice wheat beer to compliment some pork knuckle and spatzel!

Krakow Food & Drink

One thing that I did not hold back on while visiting Krakow was eating! The food in Krakow is generally hearty. I particularly loved the perogies (dumplings that can be stuffed with meat, cheese, potatoes or cabbage).

My favorite restaurant, which I highly recommend for great dining on a student budget, is Restauracja Stodoen. Located right off of Grand Square, this eatery give a lot of bang for your buck. They offer a great selection of traditional Polish food and the atmosphere is cozy and fun. Happy eating!

Absolut Ice Bar in Stockholm

While in Stockholm my friends and I made a visit to Absolut Ice Bar. Ice Bar is located in the Nordic Sea Hotel and can be easily accessed with public transportation.

Absolut Ice Bar was the world's first permanent ice bar. Everything, from the walls to the bar -- even the glasses -- are made out of ice.

Entrance to the Absolute ice bar is 180 SEK or roughly 18 Euro ($25 usd). Entrance includes 40 minutes in the -5 degrees (C) bar, a parka rental with attached gloves and one Absolut cocktail.

I found Ice Bar to be more of a "photo op"- touristy, pricey and somewhat silly. Yet, a neat thing to have done and worth a visit if you have some extra cash while traveling through Stockholm.

Italian Wines: A Beginner's Guide

At 21-years-old I confess that I'm no expert when it comes to Italian wine. However, I do posses three things that have prepared me to explore the subject while spending the semester in Rome:

1. I enjoy wine, primarily whites. Just like school, if you are going to study something, it helps to have a level of interest in the subject.

2. I'm in the right place to learn about wine. Wine is a big part of the Italian culture. It is clearly the national beverage and most restaurants take more than a passing interest in the wines they serve.

3. My roots have taught me to explore and appreciate different styles of beverages. My Dad writes about beer wine and spirits for a number of magazines and has a blog you can check out at Lyke2Drink.

Whenever my friends and I are traveling within Italy we like to try wines that are local to the region that we are traveling in. At the very least we split a bottle of wine with dinner. In many areas of Italy wine truly is cheaper than water (considering that in most restaurants in Italy tap water is not offered and you must pay for bottled water)!

If you visit Italy or just enjoy the wines, it is important to know there are four primary regions known for their vineyards. Tuscany (which surrounds Flroence and is located north of Rome), Veneto (in the northeast part of the country), the Piedmont (in the northwest ) and Sicily (the island located off the toe of the Italian boot).

Chianti is probably the best known Italian wine. It actually comes in three levels of quality and price. Chianti, Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva. The best way to understand the system is to remember that the more words, the higher the price. To make a wine a Chianti the producer must use at least 75% Sangiovese grapes. In Europe, many wines are labeled by the style or blend, and not the grape. That sometimes makes things a little confusing.

The Piedmont is known for making reds from Dolcetto and Barbera grapes. Vento produces a range of wines, including the Italian version of Champagne, called Prosecco. Sicily has a large number of vineyards and is one of the country's biggest producing regions, yet the Sicilians drink less wine than most other Italians. This means they share more of their wine and prices tend to be less than what you would pay for a bottle from another part of the country.

I find that the best way to get to know wine is to ask your server what he/she recommends- in many cases the house wine at Italian restaurants is usually local, inexpensive and relatively good. One of the first words that I learned in Italian was Vino (wine) followed closely by Birra (beer) of course!

Ciao for now!