Where the magic began...

Hello again my dear readers! Sorry that you haven't seen any new posts recently, however I had to pass through the most difficult journey of my life so far- GRUESOME EXAMS. As I am one of those people, who like to do more work than they need to, I ended up having additional exams, which added up to nearly thirty! Horrendous...

But what kept me going? What helped me survive in that battle against the behemoths (especially English Language exam)- indeed it was Harry Potter, as I was able to dive into spellbinding stories on my hour-journey home, where I could have imagined that instead of writing essays about Cold War, I could be like Hermione, who was running out of parchments for her homework about history of Hogwarts.

And then, and then when I have reached the true Garden of Eden, which was nothing more than my big mug with funny ducks full of hot chocolate on Friday evening with a thick layer of whipped cream and an encouraging sprinkle of chocolate (from my new Cadbury's Sprinkler :)) to top it off; I have finally relaxed finishing the second book. At that point, I was able to admit- I had become a Potter-maniac! Nothing more, nothing less, so then the new paradise came and thanks to my dad I ended up visiting the "birthplace" of Harry Potter in Edinburgh about a week later.

So, let's start the topic of this post now!
                                                                      ... slightly too low down the page, I guess.

I have to say, this coffee house is one of the best I have ever been to! Lovely atmosphere and I have learned something- there are so many various books about elephants! When you walk around the streets of Edinburgh with a running nose as it is slightly chilly but also as it rains every other minute; you start to fill peckish (even after haggis) and continually hear the pipes music in the background, the only thing you want to do is indulge into a generous piece of cake with a hot drink- so this is the right place for you and I strongly recommend vanilla cheesecake and a cup of milky latte.

                                                                            Believe me, you won't regret it.

Now, as an earlier mentioned Harry Potter fan, tears filled my eyes when I saw articles hanging on the walls with J. K. Rowling and her beginnings. Such sentimental moments encompassed me whilst sitting in a comfortable chair and thinking that it is going to be me one day with that cool Macbook sitting in the corner and revising, but at the same time sipping my hot beverage and enjoying the atmosphere- like that university student that I saw there.

P.S. Toilets were the true surprise :) and for more information look on my review on Tripadvisor. Get ready: Italian breakfast and Scotland posts will be up soon!

Le Pain Quotidien

My favourite place- nice atmosphere, style, but most important... hot chocolate with a little Sunday treat, whilst shopping on Oxford Street :-D

I know, it's a bit late to post it, as I went to Le Pain Quotidien in July. However, I just had to put this picture on the blog ;-) and I've had some spare time before Geography trip, where I was measuring pebbles, yay!

This restaurant is the one, I've had always dreamed about going to. Long wooden tables with special spreads for well- baked, aromatic bread, put on them; that smell of freshly brewed coffee and unforgettable brunches served around me, as I have arrived in quite early hours.

Personally, I have tried an Apple and Cinnamon Muffin and obviously hot chocolate. This surprised me a little bit, but in a good way. The hot chocolate looked like an actual melted bar, the one I used for my coffee cake, it was so thick and rich in taste! What was even better- hot milk was given in 'le bol'* (about which I have written in my first post and which is the best for breakfast, when you eat typical french one, like I do B-)). Big layer of froth was just waiting to pour over the chocolate and create some #chocoart . Just one mouthful made me feel like this was my new home.

That's my coffee cake, you can get a recipe here in polish, but write in comments, if you want me to translate it for you (just to let you know, there is more chocolate than coffee in there :))

 

Furthermore, as you know that I like adding bits about culture and history, and it's good, as Forbes says, if you want to study business at University. Everyone says it's french, but it was actually opened by a Belgian baker! If you want to search more, have a look at the website, link is above. When I started reading, it just caught me in and I have also found out that they serve drinks in these little bowls, because every time the founder, Alain Coumont was visiting his grandma on cold days, he was receiving a hot drink in a bowl like that from her. How cute :-o

*About 'le bol', you can buy it on their American website at quite a cheap price, $5, $6 or $7, depending on size! Write in comments if you have one, reviews are welcomed :-)