Ciaotraveler

Harrods is lit with 11,500 exterior light bulbs!  Seven floors, 4.5 acres, over 20 Restaurants and Cafes Harrod's of London London's famous  Department Store ... (Hi Sis!) Harrods' Christmas display for 2011 was based on the theme A Crystal Christmas and is inspired by Swarovski.

From time to time I like to feature properties for sale in Europe just for comparison and the fun of it.  Most people don't want to live on a rooftop in Lucca, Italy like in my photo.  But here are some more photos and surprising facts about expats buying and living in Europe.  Continue...

Although I feature many shops in my posts, there are always more worth mentioning. Located just south of Santa Barbara and Montecito in the charming beachside town of Summerland, Botanik is a destination for garden enthusiasts, discerning designers and those anxious to indulge their senses.   Set within the backdrop of a 1920’s Victorian, the boutique offers ever-changing collection of unique wares fills both the interior and private garden of this stop along California’s Central Coast.  Things from Europe too. More shops and photos continue...

Elegeant molded cookies ... Eggshell white, perfumed with anise and intricately printed using carved molds, crisp springerle have been a holiday sweet across central Europe since at least the Middle Ages, when, during mid-winter festivals, the poor offered animal-shaped biscuits to the gods in place of actual livestock. Eventually the subject matter diversified and the carvings began to reflect every aspect of life, including biblical figures and fairy tales, holiday scenes and wedding motifs, fruit and folk-art hearts.  To make these biscotti-like cookies...see recipe here .  (From WSJ)

Five people have died and eight are missing after torrential rain hit Italy's Tuscany and Liguria regions overnight last week. Rivers burst their banks and landslides devastated villages, local authorities said.   The worst-hit areas were the Spezia region and the Cinque Terre (Five Lands) tourist destination, where four people died. I was saddened to learn of the landslide that occurred in one of my favorite picturesque towns of Vernazza part of the Cinque Terre in the Liguria region of Italy.   I can't believe the horrific appearance of the town after the slides ruined all streets and roads.    Continue to see the photos...

Necklace from Let Them Eat Cake at Etsy.com Do you have a lot of spare time?  Everyone is busy but there are so many products on the market today to make it very easy for us to have our cake and eat it too.  You truly can make things for your enjoyment, but why not just go ahead and buy them? Continue...