Simply gorgeous and many times colourful, Murano glass is special glass that is made in Venice on the island of Murano. Raymond and I saw all kinds of items made out of Murano glass when we were in Venice, such as jewelry, small dishes, and vases. And naturally I love these Murano glass Christmas ornaments 馃榾 Crafted by hand, these ornaments feature a mosaic effect that the glass masters refer to as “primavera,” but I call it just exquisite!
Raymond has gone on quite the variety of adventures this year, hasn’t he? So far we’ve told you about him posing for a photo op in Brooklyn, perusing aisles upon aisles of Christmas items at Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, making some animals friends on a farm, and having a sporty afternoon at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Well, Raymond and I are both interested in history, and since we had such a fun and educational time in Rome last year, we decided to pop down to Venice, Italy!
Situated at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, Venice is an ancient city comprised of 118 [!] small islands, which are separated by canals and connected by 409 [!!] bridges. There are actually no cars or roads in Venice, so people get around either on foot or by boat. It’s a very different and very beautiful city that Raymond and I both loved quite a bit.
Unfortunately for us, I got a really bad cold while we were in Venice, so Raymond and I didn’t get to explore quite as much as we had wanted 馃檨 But we’ve already talked about going back sometime soon… perhaps in the autumn or winter when there are fewer tourists and it’s not quite so hot!
Where else do you think Raymond went this year? Stay tuned to find out! 馃榾
Home of geothermal spas, beautiful & unique landscapes, skyr, J枚kuls谩rl贸n, and much more, Iceland is a magical place and one of my absolute favourite countries. And just recently I learned about one of their Christmas traditions that made me fall in love with this Nordic nation even more.
In Iceland the majority of books [up to 80 percent!] are released and purchased during the months leading up to the holidays, a tradition that is called J贸lab贸kafl贸冒鈥攖he “Christmas Book Flood.”
At the beginning of the flood, B贸kat铆冒indi arrives in every Icelander’s mailbox; this catalogue lists all of the new publications for the year. Folks peruse the catalogue, deciding what they are going to buy as gifts and what they themselves would enjoy receiving, as books are wildly popular Christmas presents in Iceland. Not only that, but after exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve, quite often people will then spend the rest of the evening reading their new books and eating chocolate.
You know the emoji with hearts for eyes? That’s me when I think about books [okay, I’ll admit… AND chocolate], so this is definitely a Christmas tradition I would enjoy!
For more information about J贸lab贸kafl贸冒, check out this article from The Reykjav铆k Grapevine.
If you are looking for a unique Christmas gift for the sports nut in your life, check out this fun cricket ball cufflinks and tie bar set. [If Raymond wore suits, you know he’d love this!] Made from a real cricket ball, this set is a subtle way for your loved one to display their fondness for the game. And since the ball is red with white stitching, this set would even be perfect to wear during the holiday season!
If you’ve been following the Elf Blog these past few years, you’ll know that Raymond really loves sports of all kinds. A couple of years ago Raymond had a great time at a baseball game, and the year before that he went to London during the Olympics.
This summer Raymond and I decided to check out a sport that neither of us knew much about鈥攃ricket! Since this was our first cricket match, we decided to go to the Home of Cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, England. There we saw Middlesex play Hampshire, and while both Raymond and I still don’t totally understand cricket [there are A LOT of rules!], we had a fantastic evening together.
And not only did we have fun watching the match, Raymond and I also enjoyed the history at Lord’s, which was established at its current location in 1814. There is an interesting mix of new and old at Lord’s, such as the futuristic Media Centre from 1999 and the bas-relief from 1934. Raymond was particularly fond of the sculpture, as it features all kinds of sportspeople, including cricketers, footballers, golfers, and more.
Where else do you think Raymond went this year? Stay tuned to find out! 馃榾
