london

i have now been in london for five days & i'm loving every second of it.  i have ridden on a double-decker bus, visited the V&A museum, shopped the portobello market, seen some american friends, & ridden the tube like a true londoner.  here are a few photos from my journey so far:

{shopping @ harrods}

{london cliché in kensington}

{on my way to the V&A}

{video of my Kensington neighborhood... warning : the filming may or may not make you queasy}

i'll have more time to update everyone on my london adventures, but i have many school deadlines & graduate school applications to finish while on my london vacation.  sadly, i cannot spend everyday in london roaming the streets, shopping, and dreaming i lived here...

madrid

i spent the last weekend in madrid with some newfound friends.  friday night, we enjoyed a delicious dinner that started with the best spanish tortilla, salmon curry pintxo, bull's tail with brandy sauce on potatoes, duck & cheese pintxo, but finished with a line-up of desserts.  Ready to drool? A homemade apple tart, biscotti brownie with hazelnut ice cream, handmade truffles, white chocolate raspberry cream cheese tart, and mandarin sorbet.

saturday was spent relaxing and siesta-ing, but we did manage to make it up to the escorial.  it was gorgeous and enormous.  a couple of photos below:

saturday night, we hit up the madrid nightlife, which started around 2 am and ended around 5:30 am.  the clubs were crazy & more than entertaining.  lastly, sunday was spent with a walk around a madrid shopping area & another delicious meal.

tomorrow, i leave for london for 10 day, so i'm sure i'll have plenty of time to explore the city & catch up on my schoolwork, graduate school applications, and all things school-related.

XOXO

spanish adventures

the following is a short list of my adventures in valencia, spain so far:

1. having black paella [wiki, in case you're curious] in dénia, spain, which is right on the Mediterranean sea.  we had paella, too much seafood & some great wine at a restaurant on the beach with a million-dollar view.

2. being rescued from "los bomberos" [firemen] during my first weekend in spain. yay for locking yourself on your 5th story terrace with no cell phone & a dead-bolted front door.  needless to say, i'm being well-known in my apartment complex and making new friends in Spain.

 3. force-feeding saliva-inducing cotton balls to the valencia CF team. dreams really do come true.

4. becoming addicted to nocilla, the spanish version of nutella.

5. having my roommate, whom i adore & am so thankful for, make the most delicious tortilla, i.e. spanish omlette [need an example?].

6. attending the worldwide rice festival [congreso mundial del arroz y homenaje a la paella] & witnessing/tasting hundreds of types of paella, paella sushi, & some tapas from toledo.

Q: besides the fireman incident, can you see a pattern in my adventures? 

A: food. 

this weekend i'm off to madrid to hit up the nightlife with my friend rebeca. thus, more adventures to come.

first days in valencia, spain

hello, all! after 30+ hours of travel, i am alive & well in valencia, spain, where i will be spending the next two-and-a-half months for a research internship at the university of valencia.

below are a few highlights of my trip thus far:

1. meeting some new friends and being invited to a family's weekly paella get-together. the mother made authentic paella valenciana, which included beans, rice, chicken, rabbit, pea pods, and some other unidentifiable ingredients. the cast iron pan was HUGE and needed to cook for hours. below, a random photo stolen from google to show the size of paella pan she used. disclaimer: i don't know these nerds.

2. my apartment, which is brand new & gorgeous, is situated in the older, more "antique", part of the city. in fact, my apartment is just one block away from these gorgeous towers, "torres de quart", that were previously part of the city wall. here, these towers can be distinguished from neighboring towers because "los torres de quart" have many cannonball holes left from Napoleon's invasion. again, below you will find another stolen photo.

3. the humidity here is outrageous, but i'm loving the heat. :) if you know me, this is not a surprise.

4. i have met many new friends that have kindly shown me the ropes here in valencia, my roommate is a sweetheart, i am enjoying the fresh markets and old cathedrals just steps from my apartment, i have already tried many different foods and horchata (i only like it frozen), and i have started my internship, which has already proven to be intense and will likely be a great learning experience!

i do not have internet at my apartment yet, but i have wi-fi access at work, from about 9:00 am to 6:00 pm [Spain time]. it is expensive to text the USA, but i will have skype at my apartment soon!

my mobile number is: 693-233-688 [country code: 034]

my mailing address is:

hannah raines

calle salvador giner 13 puerta 12

valencia, españa 46003

skype name: hannahraines

i will update soon, once i have taken some pictures of the city and my apartment!

XOXO

down to the wire

please excuse the poor cell phones pictures, but i have just finished a fun beading project, undertaken in lieu of homework of course.

i simply wrapped three strands of 20-gauge brass wire with turquoise & pink stone beads. easy, right? i can't wait to layer this chunky/wiry bracelet with other gold bangles.

mexi-zucchini boats

love loaded potato skins? need a healthier alternative? you're in luck! using my imagination, & whatever i had on hand, i whipped up an original [not to mention SUPER easy] recipe for some southwest-inspired zucchini boats.

{you'll need}

no/low-fat sour cream

dash of taco seasoning

1/2 can black or pinto beans

1/2 can kernel corn

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 red bell pepper

shredded cheddar or pepperjack cheese

salsa or pico de gallo

note: chopped onions & olives can be added for some extra spunk

{how-to}

1. preheat oven to 370o

2. scoop seeds & guts out of zucchinis to yield "boats", but leave more than just the skin

3. mix beans, corn, peppers, and a pinch of cheese

4. add sour cream until mixture has the consistency of a good macaroni salad- not too much, but enough to coat the "goods"

5. sprinkle taco seasoning across mixture & stir

6. fill hollowed zucchinis with mixture & top with shredded cheese

7. bake "boats" on tinfoil covered baking sheet or in pyrex casserole pan for roughly 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melty & mixture is warmed throughout

{pre-oven zucchini boats}

{my darling boyfriend showing off the finished product & his dinner}

{¡que rico!}

although this meal is quick & easy, eating the zucchini boats is NOT. easiest way? skipping the proper fork & knife. use your hands! fun & delicious? DOUBLE THREAT. geez, i'd even make the 90-mile float to florida on these "boats".

all dressed up

exciting news: a bought a new dress while shopping with my sister a few weeks ago. luckily, this was just in time to wear it to my dear friend claire's wedding. you can't see in the picture, but i wore this belted/printed dress with bright yellow juicy couture flats, a gold michael kors watch & stacked gold rings.

{dress: forever 21}

thanks for letting me boast about my cheap thrill dress! real, relevant posts soon to come- i promise.