Tea, Anyone?

England meets Italy at the base of the Spanish Steps.

Facing the steps on the right is the home of English poet John Keats, now the Keats Shelley House museum. On the left is a real English tea room, Babington's.  My Owner and her travel companions stopped in for something to eat after the end of a long day of shopping and sightseeing. It is quite proper...

 and pricey. Be prepared to pay around $10.00 for a capuccino, and about $15.00 for a slice of apple pie. Wow, sticker shock for coffee and dessert.


I cannot WAIT until My Owner's husband gets the bill for her cappucino and orange cupcake.

It is however a singularly unique oasis of peace and quiet civility in one of the most boisterous areas of The Eternal City.




Every inch of it is infused with charm. The smart servers, all young women, reflect the style and grace of the period during which the tea room was founded; 1893. Click here
to read the history of this special establishment.

MO and her friends laughed and took pictures of their food (She had them all doing it early on, she is such a bad influence!) and tried not to bother the other rather dignified patrons...too much. They were giddy as they discussed all that they'd seen and done that day. They'd been lost and visited Trevi Fountain about 7 times, (an accurate map would have been most helpful) they'd shopped, and MO had stopped traffic by falling down in the middle of the street when she wasn't paying attention, sending shopping bags flying in all directions. Let's just say grace isn't one of her strong points. Her daughter however, made her feel better once she's safely reached the sidewalk by asking if she'd broken the wedding cake topper they'd just purchased.

They'd climbed to the top of the Spanish Steps to get a breathtaking view of Rome just before settling themselves in a cozy corner of the tea room, they were tired but oh so happy. Their little treats were delicious,and fueled them for the evening's activities...more shopping, of course!

Buon Appetito!

Before I get started sharing the tasty tidbits of all that My Owner (MO for short) was up to in Italy and Greece recently, let's cover the food on this trip and compare it to last time. Expectations were high. I'm just teasing you today with photos. Real winning food/dining experiences will be rewarded with their own upcoming blog.

Remember when you were a little kid and your mother served something you weren't sure about? Maybe it had a mushroom in it or you just weren't hungry. You pushed the food around on your plate and mom would say "Don't play with your food." Now by Richard Dreyfuss (Close Encounters) standards you weren't, but your mom just wanted you to eat and stop stalling. Well, MO doesn't play with her food.

She photographs it. After she arranges it (okay, maybe she does play with it), the silverware, stemware, and any superfluous items on the table. She did a good bit of this her first time in Italy (She never guessed in a million years she'd go back). Later when she returned home she was glad she had, even though it had gotten her some fairly odd looks from local patrons and servers. So this time around she made sure to do it again. People don't generally whip out their cameras at the table so as usual she felt a little silly. But when did that ever stop her?

Here are the pictures she embarrassed herself to get.

A tea room in Rome. Getting its own blog post soon.

Pizza in Rome.

Fresh and delicious, near the Vatican.

Dessert at the same place.

Creme Brulee across from the Pantheon.

Breakfast in Sorrento

At the gas station

Gas station gourmet. A bottle of wine and Italian lunchables.

Greek salad in Greece.

Chicken kabab

Lufthansa Airlines breakfast. Kind of funky.

Pizza in Naples.

Want more? Here are a few from the last trip. After this just head over to her friend, The Food Maven's blog, Nutritionista Diaries.

My Owner had eaten the lunch, this was dessert on Air France from Paris to Milan.

What else do you need for your first night in Venice?

Espresso in Rome

Gelatto in Rome, of course they had gelatto everywhere...

Hotel Breakfast, Rome.

Caprese salad...somewhere in Italy.

Lunch in Rome those "eggs" are mozzarella balls.

Candy store in Florence.

Outdoor cafe lunch in Florence near the Duomo.

This was delicious.

Outdoor cafe lunch in Pisa she could see the leaning tower from her seat.

Stuffed Bell Pepper in Venice.

Sometimes I'm very sad that I'm a suitcase. Eating looks quite appealing.