How to Bring Europe to You This Summer

This is a collaborative post by Mary with tips on having cultural experiences at home.
While it may not be currently safe to take that much-desired holiday to Europe, you can still get that European summer feeling at home until your vacation!
Here are a few ways you can bring Europe to you while in your hometown.
How to Bring Europe to You This Summer
Bring Italian Fashion to You
Dreaming of a leather, Italian handmade bag? Italy is famous for fashion, from luxury fashion to 100% Made in Italy goods, to high-street fashion. Support local and invest in quality 100% Made in Italy goods like the bags by Mirta for example, an Italian company that connects artisans and consumers.
You can add your favorite Italian fashion pieces to your wardrobe with a little online shopping! It’ll be the perfect addition to your outfits for a trip, if you do get to make it to Europe too.
French Wine
You can set up your own at-home French wine experience with some research, an online order, and a tasting. Do some research on French wines to get an idea of what you would like and what regions you’d like to try wine from, and order a few bottles to try at home.
The 6 types of wines to know about for baseline knowledge are a Champagne, a Loire Valley White, a White Burgundy, a Red Burgundy, a Bordeaux Red, and a Rhône Valley Red. From there, you can delve further into regions and discover what you like and what you like with what food!
Swiss Cheese
In the U.S., we often think of the sweet cheese with holes in it when we think of ‘Swiss cheese’. But in other regions, Swiss cheese simply refers to cheese made in Switzerland and this holy cheese is actually a type of Swiss cheese called Emmental.
There are so many other delicious Swiss cheeses aside from Emmental, such as Gruyere, Tete de Moine, and Appenzeller. Bring Switzerland to you by becoming an expert in Swiss cheese and discovering how to cook with different types of Swiss cheese at home.
Scandinavian Minimalism
Scandinavian Minimalism is a home design trend that has become increasingly popular over the last few years. While at home, research some Scandinavian design tips and redo your least favorite part of your house with a Scandinavian minimalism twist.
Teatime
The English tradition of teatime is an event that you can do at home. Set aside some teatime with your closest friends and make loose-leaf English breakfast tea, white tea, green tea, or infusions with milk as well as biscuits for the table. If you want a bit more food and something substantial, add finger sandwiches, cakes, and a scone with cream and jam.
These may not exactly fly you to Europe physically, but mentally just imagine you are wandering the streets of Florence or biking along in Copenhagen!