Amorino

I was extremely excited to see an Amorino ice cream shop open up on King's Road near our house in London. Always a favorite of mine in Paris when I go,

the two founding brothers, since 2002,  have opened up several other shops in addition to the ones in Paris,

including London and New York City. Plenty of room upstairs to chat with friends, or grab a book to read in some quiet time.

Its logo, the distinctive cherub (this one with ice cream)

is found throughout the store.

All sorts of chocolates and sweets are available to tempt you

with choices of sugar coated flowers and berries, fruit pastilles, and crystallized fruits and seeds. Makes such a lovely gift,

and there are also lollipops for the young at heart.

The chocolate sauce looked divine,

and the sweet balsamic vinegar is one of their trademarks.

So what would you order if you were there--focaccina: soft brioche bread filled with ice cream of your choice? Waffles with ice cream are also on the menu.

Since it was such a cold day, the 10 flavors of hot chocolate were very tempting,

so Cristen opted for a thick cuppa chocolate topped with whipped cream.

I couldn't pass on the homemade gelato al natural, with no artificial flavors

and so many flavors to choose from.

I decided to have the stracciatella and chocolate amorino, which the waitress fashioned

into their distinctive rose petal shape. Somehow being pretty and tasting pretty make for an even more fabulous taste sensation.

So what are you drooling for?

Sunday Stroll

Typically, a Sunday in January could be drizzly, frigid, grey and unpredictable, but not this week. London has been experiencing a fairly mild winter, and this past Sunday was lovely. I headed out early in the morning, and took time to notice a few things along the way.

The cherry trees have been tricked into blossoming early,

and the tulips at the flower stall were exceptionally vibrant.

My day was off to a great start with an uplifting worship time,

and just steps away from church, the doors of Harrod's pulled me in for the final day of their annual January "There is Only One" sale. In and right back out--what crowds!

Then a subliminal message lured me in for lunch:

my favorite tuna and cheese melt from EAT, and a good book.

Almost next door, I found the newly opened National Geographic store, and I was reminded of my sweet daddy who spent so many years of his life collecting a complete set of National Geographics from its inception as his hobby. The store is a fascinating concept with books, magazines, travel guides, toys and speakers coming in for special events.

It even features a cute café which I'll have to try out soon. Really unique--maybe I'll go back and spotlight it here someday.

Heading back towards home, I found this lilac colored car parked in front of a matching lilac colored mews house. Sweet!

Cocomaya was sure drawing me in with its pastries, but I stayed on the "safe" side of the glass window.

Getting closer to home now,  I had to peek in the new shop on Kings Road-the one I was most excited about.

Amorino, one of my favorite Italian gelato shops that I first discovered in Paris, has opened

with its tantalizing assortment of Italian gelato

and Italian chocolates. I will be indulging soon--it's so, so close to our house. Dangerously close!

And after a long Sunday stroll, I ended up back home where I watched the Livestream of our Southeast church services back in Houston. Felt just like I was there!

"Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together the volume of the week."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

So how did you spend your Sunday?