CLIMBING.

And hanging.

I have been wanting to try indoor climbing for a little while, and today, I gave it a go!

I was aware that it probably was harder than it looked and that’s why I waited, but I figured  that now that I have been going regularly to the gym for a few months, my body should be strong enough to at least try.

When I entered the complex, I was given paper to sign saying that I understood the risk of this sport. Then an instructor explained to me and Felix the basics.

After that, we were free to stay as long as we liked and have fun – a pretty good deal considering that we paid £12 each but had an entire room for us and could stay until closing time.

Starting off, even just climbing a few rocks seemed like a difficult task, but eventually I got more confident and managed to make my way up. I could only move on the easiest rocks (each colour is a different level) but reaching the top made me feel incredibly proud.

Felix was super chill and going up and down to him seemed to be pretty easy, but he definitely found it challenging at times as well.

And here we are together, racing each other. I realised I get a bit panicky when I reach a certain hight, probably because it hits me that I could die if I let go and look down to see how high up I am.

Tip: don’t do that!

Either way, I tried  my best, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I went again.

This might seem like a simple thing, but to me it was a goal I wanted to achieve (I even included it in my “May Notes”, so expect a video soon so you can see me in action).

The thing is, I have always been so bad at physical activities that going to the gym on a regular basis, seeing results in terms of strength and stamina, and now bringing myself to do this, makes me really happy, because I went out of my way to try something new and somewhat scary that turned out to be very enjoyable!

Is there anything you want to try but are afraid to? I can think of many things on my side, but for now I’m happy I got to scratch one out of the list.

Marzia.

FOUR FRIENDS.

A few more things I’m currently enjoying.

Two of these are things I’ve either mentioned here on my blog or my Youtube channel before; the remaining ones are recent finds. Let’s take a closer look!

#1 MEMORY by Misaki Kawaii

Yesterday I went shopping with Emma, and we stopped by Tiger because I needed some craft supplies. Some marzipans wrote me to check out the Misaki Kawaii collection, now available, and so I did. All of it is so fun and colourful, but the one item I decided to take home, was this memory game. Did you use to play it when you were little? I remember loving it so much, and I thought every kid would have fond memories (ah, get it?… okay, sorry) of this game, but apparently I was wrong. Emma told me she never did, she didn’t know the rules, and so we planned to play it together.

Just in case you are not familiar with the game, the box comes with 40 “tiles”, with 20 different images. You place them all faced down and on your turn, you pick two and flip them. You will have to remember what you see because if they don’t match they go back faced down. Once you know where the matching images are located, you can flip them and collect them, and continue until you get one wrong.

It’s super simple, but I definitely wanted to add it to my board game collection, especially considering that the illustrations here are so unique!

#2 ANIMAL CROSSING: HAPPY HOME DESIGNER

I bought this game for myself during Christmas. I absolutely love Animal Crossing so I knew I would enjoy this as well, but because I’ve heard some bad reviews about it, I kind  of left it on a shelf until a few days ago.

As soon as I started playing it, I realised how wrong I was to think that this wouldn’t be so good. It’s really fun! It has a lot more to offer than I’d imagined, and not only you get to build and decorate the villagers’ houses, but even the main town sites, like the hospital, the school and shops. Isn’t that amazing? You have a huge selection of furniture in the catalogue to pick from (for free) and you are given some pointers on what you must get done, and based on that, you get to be creative and make anything you like.

I seriously can’t put it down, which is bad because I have tons of work to do, but it’s just too good!!

#3 MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs

I said in one of my previous posts that I was reading this book, and I explained how much people recommended this to me and how I simply had to check it out since Tim Burton is making a movie out of it.

So I read it all in about a week, and now that I’m done, I can share some thoughts on it:

1. Very interesting story; so detailed and well thought out. I found myself thinking about the book while I wasn’t reading it, and that’s usually an indicator of the fact that I’m into the story.
2. The pictures are a huge plus: since the events and people are so… peculiar, having them not only helps you get in the right mood, but also adds to the creepiness. The picture on the right, with the two boys wearing a costume, is my favourite out of all the book. So creepy.
3. It’s original and different from anything I’ve ever read; I can see how this will fit well with Tim Burton’s style.

My rating would be a 8/10 – missing two points simply because I normally prefer a different kind of literature and although it was very creepy, my interest faded for a few chapters when *LITTLE SPOILER* the fight begun. But the beginning was great, the development of the story was incredible, and the ending kept me wanting to know more – which I will, since I already have the second book!

#4 FORGOTTEN PAPERS from Portugal

I got these while I was in Lisbon. The last day we entered a shop called “A Vida Portuguesa”, and Felix spotted this little clear envelope full of old papers. He knew I would have wanted it, so he got it for me.

When you open it and get the paper out, a lovely old scent of desiccated roses comes with them. To be honest, I haven’t decided yet if I should keep them as a memory of my trip, or if I should give them life and write on them, making them travel around the world, so they can reach my friends, with a message. Should I use them? Should I keep them? Ah, so difficult.

Either way, I’m happy Felix got these for me, as they look so wonderfully aged.

These are the four things I wanted to write about today. Now I’m gonna go back to play, ehm, I mean, work. OF COURSE.

Marzia.

MY SHORT STAY IN PORTUGAL.

In Lisbon and Sintra, to be exact.

MY OUTFIT // Necklace: PULL&BEAR – Jacket: NASTYGAL (similar) – Tshirt:PULL&BEAR

As you might be able to tell from the photo, the weather indeed wasn’t that warm (as the forecast warned me) but Felix and I still tried to make the best of our trip!

DAY 1

Our hotel was in Praça do Comércio, so that’s where we begun exploring.

This area is incredible, not only the arch is stunning, but the whole square is very impressive.

The only bad thing about it was the amount of people that stopped us to sell drugs, in the middle of the day. They were really persistent and got pretty annoying quickly, so we felt like getting off the square quickly to avoid them. But hey, we could look at it safely from our hotel room, so it was fine.

After lunch unfortunately the rain started to fall, so we made the decision to hop on one of these Ape cars and make our way to the Oceanarium.

It was about 20 minutes away, and the ride was pretty bumpy (but super fun). We eventually got to the aquarium and spent a few hours in there. There were no puffer fish (my favourite) nor belugas (which I still haven’t managed to see anywhere yet), but one new addition to things I have never seen before was the Sun Fish – that was pretty cool!

Did you recognise it from Animal Crossing?!

DAY 2

We wanted to get a great view of the city, so we went to Castelo de São Jorge. Let me tell you – it was windy. But also extremely pretty. 

The castle itself was massive, very rural, and from there you could also get an amazing look at all the lovely buildings. Actually, if I had to say what was my favourite part of this trip, was probably looking at all these interesting houses, with amazing tiles on them. Some weren’t as lucky to be covered in tiles, but the decay made them look gorgeous anyway, while others had such intricate designs painted on the walls. Everywhere you looked was simply stunning.

But back to the castle, we got a great look at the city and then decided to find a place where to it.

Yes, on our way down we saw a few peacocks. I never saw them free before, so it was a bit unexpected but it made me happy to see them wander around on their own.

We walked around the city without having a clear idea of where to go, but ended up in Chiado, and we were able to spot the Santa Justa Lift which is so quirky and contrasts so well with the pale buildings around it.

I absolutely love its dark-victorian look, although the line to get up was too long for us to even try.

This day was a great “food day”: we got to taste the typical Pastel de Nata (so good!!) and found a lovely vegetarian restaurant, Jardim das Cerejas.

DAY 3

This ended up being our last day. The weather was really bad: cold, windy and rainy, with thunders. Although it was somewhat fun and adventurous, Felix and I made the decision to cut the holiday short and try to visit what I was dying to see: Sintra.

MY OUTFIT // Jacket: PULL&BEAR

So we waited till after lunch, when the storm started to quiet down a bit, to catch a taxi all the way there.

In the meantime, I read online about a typical shop we should check out, and so we looked for it and spent some time in there: it was very nice, with a vintage feel to it. I ended up getting a few gifts for my friends in this shop.

When the weather cleared up, we realised we were very close to Convento da Ordem do Carmo so we paid it a quick visit.

But then we left Lisbon.

After about 40 minutes car ride, we reached the insanely gorgeous fairytale-like Palácio Nacional da Pena, on the very top of the tallest hill, almost reaching the clouds.

MY OUTFIT // Backpack: OLIVE CLOTHING

And right when we thought it couldn’t get any better than this, we stopped by Quinta da Regaleira. OH MY!

You know me, I love creepy, and this mansion has plenty of it!

Not only I was pleased to learn that it was built by an Italian architect, but it also reminded me of the mansion in Rose Red, one of my favourite horror movies, so when I saw it I immediately fell in love.

There is no way I can make justice to this place with a few pictures, but hopefully when my vlog comes out next week, you will get a better understanding of how strangely beautiful this complex was (it had a massive garden, full of underground tunnels).

Just look at this well. How is this place even real?

But anyway, this ended our trip in the best way possible.

We did check out a few more places during our stay, but I’m afraid I forgot to snap some pictures of them, so for now this will do, and for a more in-depth video you will need to wait till Thursday.

Hope you enjoyed looking at the photos I did take!

Have you been to Lisbon? I know a lot of marzipans are from Portugal: if I ever go back, what would you suggest me to visit?

Have a lovely weekend.

Marzia.

THE ORIGINAL PLAN.

Me and Puga having a great time in the sun.

I’m leaving again tomorrow, for another trip, so I made sure to spend as much time as possible with this little sausage. As I’ve made sure to tell you in the past week, the weather in Brighton has been incredible, reaching 23*C today – which rarely happens, to be honest, if not during the summertime.

So I have been truly enjoying it, but the main reason why Felix and I decided to take this trip, which I booked in January, was originally to escape the cold weather…

Little did we know, it turns out the weather is currently awful where we are about to go.

HOW LUCKY.

But we are still excited, it’s a place I’ve been wanting to check out for a while now, in Europe, so I finally get to see it. Even if it’s rainy and cold.

I’m keeping the location a secret, but since it’s somewhere I’ve never been to before, I get to bring back my “Hello, World” series from last year and vlog the whole trip. I will make sure to post lots of pictures here on my blog as soon as I get back home!

But now I’m all packed, ready to go. We are leaving in the morning, very early, so I wanted to come in here to tell you not to worry if you don’t see any posts for a week, I will be back soon!

Also, if my mom is reading this (or any mother out there): HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Marzia.

HOMEMADE "SOFFICINI".

I know. I know. I already posted a recipe not long ago, but this one got me too excited!

 I was thinking about the foods I miss the most eating, the ones that sell in Italy but not here, in England, and Sofficini has always been one of them. They are this little “pouches” covered in breadcrumbs and stuffed with many different things: my personal favourites are mushrooms and mozzarella.

It was dinner time, and since Felix is still away, I had enough time to experiment with this dish. I wasn’t expecting to be able to make it from scratch, also considering that I have not seen or followed a recipe for this… but it turned out great!!

So the very first thing to do is to make the paste: I used 1 medium egg and 1 cup of regular flour. That’s it.

I mixed it together, at first with a spoon, but then as it got harder, I used my hands to make a little ball. I used a rolling pin to flatten it and cut out two circular shapes. I was only able to make two, but later on, after cooking it, I realised the paste was a bit thick, so if you have the strength for it, try to make it as thin as possible, so that you can not only make more, but get a better result later.

I then moved on to stuffing: I cut into tiny pieces two big mushrooms as well as a regular size mozzarella. I didn’t manage to fit everything in, but then again if you do make more paste you will be able to use it all up, and if not you can still eat it on the side.

I basically put some of each in the middle of my circle-paste and then folded it in half. I used the back of a fork to close the edges properly.

The last step left before cooking, is to “bathe” them in a beaten egg to then let the breadcrumbs stick to the paste.

Note that I mixed some sea salt to the breadcrumbs for flavour.

You can now let them cook on a low flame for 20 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes.

And then they are done!

If the crust is golden and the mozzarella is melting, you did it right!

I’m so happy I managed to make these, as I have been missing them so much, and although they aren’t exactly the same, they are incredibly similar. I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself! I even send photos of them to my friends and family, just so they could see that I managed to make them at home.

Have you ever eaten anything similar? If you do try this recipe, please let me know!

Aaaaah I still feel so accomplished. They were so delicious. I’m so satisfied.

Okay. I’m going to stop now.

Hope you will like them!!

Marzia.

A NICE DAY.

Look at Puga-chan, sunbathing like a queen.

Today is the warmest day so far: 16*C. I took this chance to get out of the house and meet my friend Emma. 

Felix is still in NYC, he left on Monday and will be back on Saturday, so I’m having a lot of “me” time. I watched a few horror movies – “Hush”, on Netflix, so far has been my favourite – worked on videos, my fashion line for this summer, and decided to take some time to start reading a new book.

And this is the one! So many of you suggested this to me, and now that I know Tim Burton is making a movie out of it, I just had to check it out.

I’ve only read a few chapters, but it is interesting and the pictures are very creepy… which is a big plus!

MY OUTFIT // Jacket: ASOS – Overalls: MISS PATINA – Bag: MULBERRY – SHOES: EEIGHT

But after staying in the house most of the time, without counting the daily walks with Maya (Edgar is with a friend at the moment, it makes it easier for me because he is a crazy dog so I need all the help I can get, when Felix is out of town) and quick visits to the grocery store, I thought I would spend some time outside, and so I got ready and met up with Emma.

I got my nails done, we stopped by a few shops, and then it was time to go back home as I didn’t want to leave the little princess alone for long. Just LOOK. AT. HER.

One thing Emma spotted for me was this giant Batman balloon, which I’m planning to gift to Felix when he gets back.

I then decided to get a smaller one, shaped like a sausage-dog, for my friends PJ and Sophie. They love those kind of dogs and since they don’t have one, this will do for now! haha

I also found a tiny lip balm in a pug shaped container. I obviously needed it in my life.

But now I’m back home, chilling. I ordered some Japanese food (edamame and vegetable tempura) and I’m currently watching “Rear Window”, a movie from the 50s I’ve wanted to see for years, since I first watched Disturbia ages ago, and absolutely loved it (that one is basically inspired by this movie). Have you seen it?

I took a quick break just to sip on some chamomile and write this blog post. Also, Bellosguardo, on the top-left corner of the picture above, really wanted to say “hi”.

How is your week going so far? I hope well.

Marzia.