Poppy

They don't sell poppies in Italy so, this blog post is my poppy. If you would like to make a donation to the Poppy Appeal 2012 click here.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them. Pin It

Winter is coming...

This week Halloween snuck up on me rather quickly however, it didn't stop me joining in the fun and having a somewhat epic costume to go to The Velvet Pub for the weekly ESN night. I even had time to carve a Jack O'Lantern!

He's called Clive

Now that the scary season has past I am getting rather excited about winter! It is pouring it down with rain outside but being curled up in a blanket makes everything seem a little better. So, here are five things that I am most looking forward to this winter...

Red cups: In 2008 I visited London on a school trip with one of my best friend's Zoe and during that weekend we had our first ever Starbuck's Red cup experience. By the end of the weekend we had managed to sample all the different festive flavours and since then I have made it my mission to try each flavour every year. They don't have Starbuck's in Italy so I guess this red cup will do for now!

Boots: There is nothing that I love more than hearing boots crunching through snow/leaves/gravel and so this year I have decided to make a solid investment into these beauties! They are so comfy, light and go with literally everything.

Topshop £70

Music: My brother once said this album reminded him of walking around in a thick jacket on a crisp winter's day. Take a listen because it truly does just make you want to have a wonder around a city in the snow. Interpol- Turn on the Bright Lights

iTunes £7.99 or if you are old school Amazon sell it on CD and Vinyl

Purple Lipstick- I love lipstick. I think it can completely transform an entire look. I have recently fallen in love with this Rimmel Colour Riche Intense in Plum Passion. I bought it before I left thinking that I would never wear it...oh how wrong I was! Dark lips are amazing and sexy and I shall be wearing this all winter!

Boots for around £8

Winter coat: Currently I don't have a winter coat which, in the mountains of Italy is a little insane however, a great coat will last you forever if you take care of it well. I love going outside snuggled up in a beautiful coat, a way of enjoying the cold without being cold! I have quite a collection of them at home but have yet to acquire the perfect one here. The quest will continue but for now this is my dream coat...if only I had a postbox!!!  

Nasty Gal £67.41

So those are my five things I am most looking forward to about winter. What are you guys excited about? 

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Mountain Lodge

This weekend I went to the mountains near Bergamo with about 30 other ERASMUS students and it was AMAZING!! We left on Friday night and drove for 45 minutes up a twisty mountain path that, I have to admit, made me fear for my life a little until we reached a huge Mountain Lodge hotel at the top. As it was pitch black it was impossible to see and also freezing cold so we made our way inside to find our rooms and unpack.

We sat down for a three course dinner (which we had every lunch and dinner time) and got to know our fellow students slightly better. It was then time to grab some drinks and play some games before heading into the 'club' which was a room adjacent to the hotel with lights, table football, seats and most importantly a stage! We stayed up until five in the morning talking to people we didn't really know beforehand until it was impossible to keep our eyes open any more. 

Saturday morning, was very chilled with people not getting up until gone 12pm however, as I can't stay in bed that long I went and sat outside with some of the other early risers. As soon as I walked through the door onto the balcony my jaw dropped...

This is what I had missed the night before! The beauty of it was that it wasn't cold and so we could sit and soak up the sun before lunch. It was the loveliest atmosphere I have been in since being here, with everyone telling jokes and laughing. (They way I describe it, it sounds like a scene from The Secret Seven but it was cooler than that.)

At lunch we were each given our own secret challenge that had to be completed by the end of the weekend otherwise you had to walk home...although I am not so sure they were being serious.

After lunch we went for a walk up the mountains which I was completely under prepared for but it was fun nonetheless! They told us it would be close to an hour before we reached the top but in actually fact it was closer to 30 minutes. It was worth it in the end though.

We returned for dinner and then the party games started again along with the dancing. Although at first when we were told 'The dancing happens in the room next door' I have to admit I was a little dubious BUT it was actually perfect for the amount of people we had and lots of fun. 

It was sad to leave on Sunday but, eventually it was time to head back to reality and even though we already knew most people before I think it is safe to say that everyone felt that little bit closer as a group.

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