Valentine's Treats

Hey friends!
I'm interrupting our European Adventures to bring you a fun snack I made for Valentine's Day.  I found it on Pinterest, so I can't take the credit, but it's super easy and was a huge hit when I shared with our Bible Study Group!  It's like the pretzel and Rolo Christmas treat--same concept.

So, here we go...

Ingredients:
1 bag of Hershey's Hugs
1 bag of checkerboard pretzels
1 bag of Valentine themed M&Ms

Now comes the tough part, so I wish you all luck!

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

2. Open all the Hershey's Hugs and get the M&Ms ready.

3. Place the pretzels on a baking sheet with a little space between.

4. Place a Hershey's Hug on top of each pretzel.

5. Bake until the Hug is melted down.  (I baked for 10 minutes and they still didn't melt like I expected, so I went ahead and took them out.)

6. Take out of the oven and place a M&M on top of the melted Hug.

7. Let cool and enjoy!  They are AMAZING!

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Valentine's Day!  We had 3 weeks of ice and snow prior and actually got a good amount of snow on February 12, which snowed us in and prevented us from going to the store to get Valentine's gifts until February 14.  However, my man did good.  I was surprised with beautiful flowers when I got home from work on the 14th!

  

It's been around 65-70 degrees the last few days, so I'm looking forward to Spring!  Time to finish our Europe posts before Spring fun starts...don't go anywhere!

Our Great European Christmas Vacation- Switzerland

December 24, Christmas Eve, started out with a REALLY early wake-up.  We were out of the hotel by 5am and off to the airport, London City Airport.  Remember the rain I talked about in the last post?  The blowing rain that turned my umbrella inside out and made me scream some curse words in the middle of Trafalgar Square?  Well, that rain prevented a good number of planes from landing during the day on the 23rd and flooded Gatwick Airport (not our airport, but sent some stranded travelers over to our airport).  Our early morning in the airport was the first time I realized that it was Christmas and that people were traveling to be with their families.  It made me a little upset that the weather had ruined so many holiday plans!  Fortunately for us, our flight was one of two that made it to the airport the day before, so we were ready for takeoff at 7am.

We flew south and landed in Zurich, Switzerland around 9:30am.  We both slept the entire flight and missed our free breakfast...darn-it!  After collecting our bags and navigating the train into downtown Zurich, we began the walk to our hotel.  We were a little early for check-in, but our room was ready, so we were able to drop our bags in our room, freshen up a little bit and get to exploring the city!

Hotel Alexander, Zurich

Kevin was starved, so we stopped just outside our hotel for a to-go pizza.  Then I was ready to bee-line it over to the train station for the Christkindlimarkt.  When we arrived, we happened to catch a parade of young guys banging on cow bells that circled the market and left.  Kevin chased them and here's the result.  The leader had a whip he kept slapping in the air that was REALLY loud!

We spent a good amount of time weaving in and out of the Christmas booths.  I got some mulled wine, that I didn't really enjoy, but drank anyway.  We admired the huge Christmas tree covered in Swarovski Crystals.  (Too bad they were so expensive!)

We purchased a few gifts, had a little marshmallow/chocolate treat, and then we had the sausage!  It was AMAZING!  Sausage and bread and mustard, oh my!

We also went ahead and purchased tickets for our train ride the next day.  We eventually left the Christkindlimarkt and made our way back to our hotel.  We dropped our loot and headed out towards Lake Zurich, admiring the landscape along the way.

Can you spot those alps?

We wound our way up to the top of a hill and found ourselves face to face with the largest clock face in Europe..and enjoyed the view from a park.

Zurich was so beautiful!

Unfortunately, the spot we wanted to celebrate Christmas Eve dinner was booked, but we REALLY wanted fondue, so we walked outside the hotel, took a right and ended up in the closest restaurant possible.  We enjoyed farmers fondue for two (bacon, onions, wine, cherry grappa, garlic and seasoning) and couldn't eat it all!  It was SO MUCH CHEESE!

We cuddled up in our room early and fell asleep watching TV.  Santa was coming!

Christmas Day, we woke up and got ready for the day.  When I got out of the shower, Kevin had decorated with balloons for my birthday! :) YAY!  We went down for a really good hotel breakfast and packed our bags before heading to the train station for the trip to Interlaken.

It was a rainy day, so we were happy to spend the time on the train, dry!

We arrived in Interlaken, walked to our hotel to check in, briefly checked out our room and then started the desperate search for lunch.  We weren't really going to allow ourselves to have true Italian food yet, since we were still in Switzerland, but it looked so good and we were starving!

We had no plans, so we began to wander around the town!  We found the casino and a spa that was closed, it was Christmas Day after all.

We strolled along the river marveling at the alps and stopped at what we thought was a gondola up to the top.  Unfortunately, it was closed until April, but they featured a zoo, so we continued on up the hill and found these crazy billy goats caged up.

We hung out with them for at least an hour before wandering back down the mountain.

Since it was my birthday, we stopped in a Swiss chocolate shop and purchased a few treats.  We made it back to the hotel and phoned the family for Christmas before celebrating my birthday in the room. 

Eventually, we went out again for dinner.  We REALLY wanted to eat at this Mexican restaurant I had found, but they were closed, so we settled on a chalet.  Kevin had raclette (basically melted cheese with pickled vegetables) and I enjoyed a salad!  It was our first reasonably priced meal in Switzerland and was really good!

The next day we woke up and it was SNOWING!!!  YAY!  What a Christmas treat!

 

The day was all about the skiing!  Early morning, we got up and took the train to Grindelwald where we rented our ski equipment and clothing.  We stopped to eat lunch where I had the best mac and cheese I've ever had in my entire life.

Then we took another train on up to the top of the ski resort.  The train took 30 minutes to get to the top.

When we got off the train there were about 30 runs you could take just from there.  Since Kevin had never skied before, we stopped by the bunny slope first before tackling a blue.  <<Let me interject to let you know that a blue run in Switzerland is like a black diamond at home.  I've skied before and while I'm not the best in the entire world, I can get down a hill.  This was VERY different!  The snow was blowing in all day long, hindering our view and distorting my vision and the hills weren't so easy!>>  We skied for about 2 hours and then stopped for some hot cocoa at the lodge.  

Then it was a 30 minute train trip back down the mountain to Grindelwald and back to the ski shop to return our gear.  Then we took another train back into Interlaken!  It was a really fun day and just so cool to be up in the snowy mountains!

For dinner, the Mexican restaurant was open!  YAY!  So we indulged in nachos and a burrito for 75 Swiss francs (around $85)...I told you it was expensive, but it was DIVINE!!

Then it was back to the hotel to pack up and get a good night of sleep!  More adventures to come!

Our Great European Christmas Vacation- London

Kevin and I wanted to travel to Europe for our honeymoon.  I was itching to get him over to see the places I fell in love with 8 years ago.  Unfortunately, we didn't have the amount of time off for our honeymoon that we would have needed in Europe, so we went to the West Coast and had A BLAST!  Yet, Europe still lingered.  This year was a MUST to get over there.  I think we've technically been planning this trip since before we were married.  We had the time and had saved up our money, it was Europe or bust!

Our first stop: London!

We took a red eye over on Thursday, December 19th and landed about 6am on Friday, December 20th!
Miraculously, it was not raining when we landed!
Our first order of business was to get to Victoria Train/Tube Station to walk to our hotel: Comfort Inn Buckingham Palace...to drop our bags, freshen up a little bit and then hit the ground running!

We were both starved, so we ate "brunch" at the Wetherspoons in Victoria Station before heading for Buckingham Palace.  I love a Wetherspoons, so I was beyond happy!

Kevin's first pint of the trip-oh about 10am!

When we got to Buckingham Palace, we were greeted by hundreds of people and the end of the Changing of the Guard! In the 3 times I've been to London, I've always missed the Changing of the Guard and here we were.  It was so amazing!

We walked up The Mall to Trafalgar Square and over the Hungerford Bridge to ride the London Eye.

As soon as we crossed the bridge, we happened upon a Christmas Market and walked around a bit enjoying the sights and smells!

Then we rode the London Eye and got the best views of the city!

What a gorgeous sunny day-very unlike London!

When our ride ended, we took the tube to St. Paul's and got off to tour the cathedral.  Unfortunately, it was late in the afternoon and the tours were winding down, so we snuck a peek and took the tube back to our hotel.

For dinner, all we wanted was a pub and we walked into two, but there were wall-to-wall people drinking and no one eating.  (Happy Hour on the Friday before Christmas-figures!)  We struck out.  So, we wandered around until we found a Wagamama's and stuffed our faces before could fall into our food (we were so tired)!  We made it back to the hotel and crashed hard!  I think we slept 12 hours the first night!



Day 2 we woke up refreshed and ready to take on the day!
Our first stop was Westminster Abbey.  We walked from our hotel and spent a good 2 hours inside following Rick Steves' footprint from his book, Mona Winks, and listening to the audio guide.  Kevin snuck some great photos and I reminisced, reliving Will and Kate's wedding day!  It was amazing!

It had begun to rain while we were in Westminster and when we left, it was a steady downpour.  Wonderful for trying to take selfies in front of Big Ben (not)!

We walked over to the Embankment tube stop in the rain and took the tube all the way to the Putney Bridge stop for a Premier League Football Game (Fulham vs. Man City).

The game was great fun!  We were second row and there was a steady drizzle the entire time, but the atmosphere was amazing!  Come on you Whites!  I happened to be wearing my Carolina Hurricanes beanie and we randomly ran into a guy that now lives in London, but grew up in Hillsborough, NC and whose best friend is marrying a girl whose family lived in my neighborhood when we were growing up.  Small world!

It was dark when we left the match and we walked back to the tube and took it back to our hotel....where we freshened up and went out to meet Ashley and Dougal at Grenadier, a great little pub off the beaten track near Knightsbridge/Hyde Park Corner.  We were there for hours just catching up and telling tales of getting Christmas gifts across the pond!

We left the pub and walked to the tube to ride over to Piccadilly, so Kevin could see the lights at night.  It was so pretty walking back and taking in all of the Christmas lights that were hung over the street!  Just magical!

Day 3 was a slower start for us.  We got ready and stopped in a cute coffee shop (Tomtom Coffee House) for breakfast before walking over to Harrod's to check out their Christmas/toy areas.

 

I really wanted a Harrod's Christmas bear!  Unfortunately, they weren't that soft and I couldn't see spending that much money for a stuffed animal that would sit on a shelf.  Harrod's was a mad house!  What were we thinking going into a mall 3 days before Christmas?

 

We fought the crowds to get out of there and rode over to the Tower of London.  It was time for lunch, so we ate at another Wetherspoons Pub (The Liberty Bounds) and I FINALLY got my Jacket Potato!  Hooray!

Then it was time to explore the Tower of London.  It was getting late in the day and we only had an hour before it all closed, so we literally ran through the tower, but it was really fun!

When we got out, Ashley was waiting for us at the Starbucks and we grabbed a coffee and rested a minute before walking across Tower Bridge and down the river to Somerset House.

 

Ashley's birthday/Christmas gift to me was ice skating at Somerset House and although none of us were really good at skating, except for Kevin, we enjoyed a fun hour on the outdoor rink!

We ate our Pret sandwiches afterwards, at a table overlooking the rink, before Kevin and I parted ways with the Brits and ended up at The Porterhouse for a drink before heading back to our hotel!  Another GREAT day!



Day 4 we got up and headed over to a pub for breakfast before making it over to Whitehall Street (Parliament Street) to try and find the Sir Walter Raleigh statue via directions from Rick Steves' book.  We failed and it was pouring down rain with a crazy wind.  And I started cursing because my umbrella kept turning inside out and I was soaked and miserable!  We stopped in the National Portrait Gallery so I could try and find the portrait of Kate Middleton (which is on loan, fail) and wound up in Covent Garden.  We had lunch at Shake Shack where we enjoyed GREAT burgers and fries and some sticky toffee custard while we warmed up.  Yumm!

 

We met up with Ashley and Dougal there and wound up hitting 3 pubs (one with a GREAT fire to dry my wet feet, socks and shoes) and then made our way to Punjab, an Indian restaurant, where we met up with Jay for dinner.  This was my first REAL experience with Indian food and it was great!  Fun to see Jay again too!  (Too bad we didn't take any pictures!)  We made our way back to the tube and got back to the hotel around 11:30pm.  After reserving our cab for an early morning ride to the airport and packing up all we could, we crashed for 4 hours prior to our alarms going off!

Goodbye London!