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 Relatives and Tasting Olive Oil in Northern Italy

One branch of my family tree on my Mom's side runs through northern Italy. I wrote about my visit to Lago di Garda earlier in this blog. While I was in Verona with my parents, they hired a driver and we made a trip to visit the Salagno Olive Oil Co. about 15 minutes outside of Verona.

While there, we got to meet some distant cousins who run the facility and make some fantastic olive oil and olive products, including some great beauty products. Francesca Salvagno, 26, gave us a very nice tour and we were joined along the way by her father, Giovani. We also met her sister and a cousin who works at the company.

It was a really neat experience to get the chance to meet distant family in the hills of Italy! I especially enjoyed watching the process of how they make their olive oil. I thought it was especially interesting that many of the people who came in to buy olive oil while we were there bought unfiltered olive oil. Francesca Salvagno told us that she herself preferred the unfiltered olive oil as well!

I don't think that I will ever taste olive oil the same way again!

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!

Budapest Food

Here are some photographs of the food that I enjoyed in Budapest.
The Hungarian goulash was my favorite. My goulash was covered with a puff pastry dome (pictured below).
Overall, during the colder months Hungarian food is heavy- including thick soups and stews with hearty meats and vegetables.

Vienna at Night

Here are some photos that I took of Vienna at night...

The cake is a Sacher Torte -- a famous chocolate cake originating in Vienna. I found it to be a bit pricey and not worth all of the hype.

The candles are in honor of Joerg Haider, a famous right-wing Austrian politician who was killed in a car accident while we were in Austria.

Prague Food: Kampa Park

While in Prague I was able to eat some fabulous food. My favorite dining experience was at Kampa Park.

Hailed as one of Prague's best restaurants the view is to-die-for. Located at the foot of the Charles Bridge, Kampa Park has a variety of seating options including a beautiful patio that fills up quickly during the summer.

I splurged and had poached lobster on top of a bed of risotto with a vanilla foam. There are reasonably priced options on the menu though (for the student traveler). If you plan for one expensive dinner while in Prague, I recommend Kampa Park.

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!

Stockholm Food

Here are some photographs of my favorite culinary experiences while traveling through Stockholm. Stockholm has a great selection of restaurants including a lot of international cuisine -- be sure to wash it down with some of Stockholm's incredibly hip nightlife.