The Ampersand Hotel, situated near South Kensington station in London.

  

The Drawing Rooms in the Ampersand Hotel is a cozy spot for afternoon tea.

Along with 15 other bloggers, we were there to review the Science Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand.

There were so many choices of teas to choose from, serving each of us with our own pot of tea.

Then the trays of food came out.  We were ooohing and aaahing at the delicious looking food when the waiter encouraged us to wait for an added bonus.  Little did we realize we were going to get a vapor show, created by dry ice. with our tea!

On the menu: savory gougeres (French pastry) featuring Glouster old spot ham; cheese with fruit chutney; smoked salmon, dill and cream cheese; and Coronation chicken.  My favorite being the salmon.

 Next a selection of plain and white chocolate scones, served with Devonshire clotted cream and homemade strawberry preserve.  These were amazing and the best I've had in England!

To finish off our tea we had quite a selection of pastries - hazelnut, walnut and chocolate cake with mango mousse volcano and chocolate dinosaur, Pistachio macaroon with cherry sauce pipette, raspberry cake planet and citrus cocktail in a beaker.

With it being carnival season around the world, I thought I would highlight our school's Carnival experience in Spain in 2011.  To give you a little background for any new readers, we lived in the suburb of Alcobendas, outside of Madrid, for just over a year. While there our kids attended a public Spanish school. 

Each day of the week leading up to a school parade, was a theme, similar to Spirit Week in the US. You can read about it here.

At the end of the parade the Entierro de la Sardina was performed.  The burial, or in this case, the burning of the sardine. The link explains extensively how it is celebrated around Madrid. The tradition varies around the country.

The kids were given 2 sardine scales and instructed to write something that they want to see disappear.  It could be a poor attitude, a bad habit, etc. The burning of the figure of a sardine symbolizes an act of cleansing. Burning of the old allows the growth of the new.

 Burning a figure at the end of riotous days of partying allows order to be restored in preparation for the observation of Lent.  Everything is put right by this one act at the end of it all.

We loved witnessing and joining in the celebration of Carnival.

Have you observed Carnival in Spain or somewhere else around the world?

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Each week Bonnie, Melanie and I feature a post from the previous link up.  I really enjoyed Carly's post, from Let us Wanderlust, on New Orleans.

My husband and I spent our honeymoon in New Orleans and remember these tricks pulled on the streets of New Orleans.
It's enjoyable to read about her adventures across America as an Australian expat.

Want to join in Travel Tuesday?

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For this weeks Travel Tuesday we are sharing our travel tips.  Want to join in?  See how at the end of this post.

I've been working on this for awhile and thought it would fit nicely into this theme.



Living in the city of Prague for many years and taking people on tours through the city has been something I've done several times.  Prague is fairly compact and you can see a lot in a short time.

If you only have one day and want to know how to spend it, here is a little guide I put together.  In future posts I'll share some restaurant recommendations, great areas to stay in and a more thorough guide of each area.  So be on the lookout for more to come! 

Compared to other European cities, Prague is inexpensive.  At this time, 

20 koruny (crowns) = $1
27.50 crowns = €1

33 crowns = £1

You can buy a 30 minute transportation pass for 24 crowns.  Purchase at vending machines, tobacco shops, and some, but not all stations, have a designated area where you can purchase tickets at a booth.  You can buy day passes, but it can save you a lot of money to buy a few 30 minute passes and validate as you need them.
Walking the city is possible.

With this guide I recommend only needing 1-2, 30 minute tickets for the whole day.  One to start your day and one to finish, depending on where you're staying.

Ticket punch machines are located on all trams and at the entrance of every metro station.  Don't forget to punch your ticket!  Many tourists don't realize they need to do this and have paid a hefty fine for this mistake!

Watch for pickpockets jamming up tram entrances and other areas.  I've seen them in action more times than I can count!  One of my most import travel tips to go along with this is to carry a messenger bag that crosses in front of your body and you can pull tight in front of you when in crowded areas.  I've been fortunate to have not been pick pocketed because of this very method.

Alright, on to your day in Prague!

As I mentioned, I'll be sharing a more thorough guide of each area in the future.

Have you visited Prague?  If so, what was your favorite area?  If not, would you like to visit Prague?

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Want to join in on the Travel Tuesday theme: travel tips?

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Czech Republic on Dwellable

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Today marks one year that we touched down in England to continue our expat life in our 5th country.

Yay for staying in one place longer than 12 months!  If you've followed us for any length of time, you know that we have moved every 7-14 months in the last 7 years.

We've definitely had some cultural adjustments and frustrating moments.  It's really all a part of the acclimation process any time you move to a new location.

It's so nice to be at this point!  So, to commemorate our year I thought I would share some of the highlights.

1. Overcoming the fear of driving on the left!  Conquered and comfortable!  Now I'm scared of the idea of driving on the right again!


 2. Making a best mate within the first week of moving in.

The bond these two share is amazing!  I've only heard them argue once and within a matter of a minute they were laughing and moving on.  Seriously, it gives me happy tears to see such a close friendship.  And because of them us moms are quite close too.

3. Neighborhood friends! 

Coming and going, sleepovers, bike riding and trampoline jumping.  It's such a fond memory of my childhood and I'm so glad my kids have this too!

4. Grocery Shopping.  I'm one of these weird people that actually enjoys grocery shopping.  It can be chaotic in the UK.  Going at the right time of day and with this little accessory makes it so much more enjoyable.


What is it, you ask?  This little wand is amazing!  You scan your club card (a type of reward card) and pick up a wand.  Scan each item and place it in a bag.  After you're done shopping, you go to a designated checkout area, scan the register and pay!  Workers are on hand if there are issues.  It is a brilliant idea and I am in love with shopping this way!

5. Amazing beauty around us from the countryside to the coast, castles to cathedrals.

6. Conversations with random people when they hear my American accent.  Sorry, no photo for this one.

7. Tea Rooms and Cream Tea (a pot of tea and a scone with clotted cream and jam).  I'm addicted!  I love a cream tea with friends or my hubby. 

8. Last, but certainly not least, traveling to Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

I'm sure there is more, but I'll spare you a lengthy list.

I'd say it's been a good year!