Cookies and Scream, Vegan Dream

For those of you who think that being a vegan is no fun, think again. Believe it or not, these delicious treats are all milk, egg and wheat free (yes I’m talking to you too gluten free folks), and best of all they taste just as amazing as they look.

You can find these (and plenty more) hidden away at Cookies and Scream in Camden Lock Market, London.

From peanut butter and jelly cookies to marshmallow brownie goodies (ask the staff to warm these up), you won’t be a able to tell the difference between these babies and any other baked goods, well except that these taste sooo much better!

Oh and did I mention that they also do vegan milkshakes?… Yep.

Go check them out at Camden Lock Market, last orders are at 17:30 so get there quick and nab yourself some vegan friendly treats! For further details click here. Enjoy!

Competition Time at Barneys!

Dear art lovers,

If you’d like to win a year’s subscription to Ideal Home Magazine, head over to the Barnebys Auctions Facebook page to enter the competition. Good luck!

 

All the pretty things 😉

xoxo

Spring is here!

Spring has definitely come to London and with the cherry blossom blooming, I decided to step away from the books and head out into the sunshine.

Of course my little walk had to include some architecture/educational element 😉

This is St. Mark’s in Primrose Hill. It looks like a little chapel on the outside but is quite spacious inside. The local community host regular classical music concerts here, and there is a beautiful eighteenth-century Italian organ inside. I like.

St Mark’s Church, Primrose Hill

St Mark’s Church, Primrose Hill

 

The Lion of St. Mark

This picture takes me back to Venice, with its Lion of St. Mark symbolism scattered all over the city.

Lotta from Stockholm

Sun’s out and so are the toes. Ripped jeans and Lotta from Stockholm’s Swedish clogs.

Pastel Primrose Hill

Primrose Hill becomes a world of its own in the Spring with its paint pastel houses. Regent’s Park Road is probably one of my favorite streets in London. Often walk towards Regents Park daydreaming, in another world where I’m a millionaire, which one of these houses would I call my own?

Juliette Balcony

Walking down Chalk Farm road, towards Camden Market from Chalk Farm, on my right was Harmood Road. What might appear to be just another street, in another town, happens to be a lovely little road with probably one of the best second hand bookshops I have seen in London. These guys have a phenomenal selection of second hand Philosophy books from Socrates, to Descartes, Aquinas and Kant. They also have impressive poetry, fiction and arts sections. I got myself a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy (seeing as my tutor has mentioned it on numerous occasions now). Don’t go anywhere else, come here!

Walden Books

 

 

Check out Walden Books here

Lotta from Stockholm here  (In serious need of a third pair…)

 

Countdown to Barcelona!

Assignments handed in, seminars (almost) over and a dissertation to think about… It’s two week’s away but I’m already preparing for my research trip to Barcelona! Here are a few places that I’d like to visit when in Spain.

Barcelona

Bairro Gotico

Barcelona Cathedral

Architectural geek-fest! I think it goes without saying that I shall be visiting Barcelona Cathedral (again).

Santa Maria del Mar

And my study project: Santa Maria del Mar, a 14th Century Catalan church. I personally feel that it out does Barcelona Cathedral for its simplicity in its austere forms. I cannot wait to get all Gothic crazy on this baby.

Sagrada Familia

Gaudi’s masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia. I’m not even sure if there is a technical term for those types of springing and vaulting.

Gerona

If I haven’t completely overwhelmed myself by this point, I would like to visit Gerona, a small Catalan town north of Barcelona. Reason for visit: of course its beautiful architecture including the Gothic cathedral which boasts an aisle-less, single nave plan. I am yet to see exactly how that works.

 

Aljaferia

Aljaferia

No it’s not Aladdin’s palace, the Aljaferia was once a Moorish fort, prior to the re-conquest of Zaragosa by Christian kings. The exterior is typically Moorish, with its understated military-esque appearance, It reminds me of the beautiful Saladin citadel in Cairo, how I wish I could be back in that Oriental dreamland! I absolutely love the intersecting polylobed arches and the extravagant sebka motif, which is so typically Moorish. The whole complex looks like a giant fantasy palace. It’s close enough to Barcelona to pay a respectful day trip to Zaragosa.

 

Toledo

I’ll probably be pushing it but if I can get myself down to Toledo… Though it was one of the first regions of Spain to be taken back from the Moors, there are still hints of Islamic architecture, hidden here and there, which for me makes Toledo one of the most beautiful cities in Spain.

 

Of course there is much more to Spain (and Barcelona in particular with this trip) than architecture so watch this space for my general ramblings, reflections and obsession with foreign food, all the way from sunny Spain!