Friday Five: England Edition

Because of the EU referendum, England has been in my mind a lot today. I have no idea how it happened but England will be leaving the EU, and it seems most people are quite unhappy about it.  I feel terrible for those people and have been silently wishing them good thoughts all day.  They're going to need the good vibes over the coming months and years. The vote however doesn't make me love the UK any less. It's still one of my most favorite places in the world. And because of that, here are my favorites from my last few trips...

1. Of course The Globe is on the list!  I mention the Globe specifically because I'm a Shakespeare nerd, however the other theatres I visited were also equally cared for.  The Barbican in London and the Swan in Stratford are 2 of the best theatre experiences I've ever had.  I'm in awe of how the arts are treated in the UK.  It's a major focus which is amazing to see.

2. Next up are the gorgeous homes in the Cotswolds - not forgetting the gorgeous people of the Cotswolds.  I've never felt so welcome and so taken care of than I did in the smaller villages.  People are just genuinely kind. 

3. York Minster Abbey is just as impressive is everyone says it's going to be.  It's quite the feat of architecture.  And the best part is, there are tons of other beautiful, historic and important buildings & churches scattered everywhere you look in the UK.  I'm always in shock of the age of the places I'm looking at.  To see them still standing and still thriving is just a testament to the dedication the monarchy and the government has for honoring the past.

4. Life - most specifically in some of the bigger cities like London and Edinburgh, but everyone is just so full of life.  It's chaotic and crazy and noisy and maddening, but it's also exciting and a jolt to the system.  Everyone is headed somewhere to do something.  You feel like you're a part of something when you're right in the thick of it all.  There are different accents and colors and races, and yet everyone is just sort of living and existing as one.

5. The green space.  Even in a major city like London, there are little parks and spaces to go to catch your breath when city life gets a little too hectic.  And the green spaces are actually green, with flowers and plants and trees everywhere.  In the US, where most cities are pretty much just cities, it's neat to see a dedication to calm and tranquility as well as to the environment. I'm more of a city girl at heart, but wandering around a bustling village like Stratford surrounded by trees, a river and fresh flowers, I started to day-dream about a little cottage in the hills with a back garden of my own.

52 Lists: Week 7

Apparently, when I was deciding what lists to do in February, I was in serious need of a vacation.  Because I chose 2 different travel related lists for this month.  This week's list is my most favorite travel destinations.

I can say without a doubt, my most favorite travel destinations are most definitely cities. Don't get me wrong, I love the beach and quiet little towns have their own charm, but if I'm deciding where to for any extended period of time, it's always going to be a big city.  And most often, it's a big city that has a big food culture.  What can I say?  I love to eat!  The last factor in my most favorite destinations - the second I got to every one of these places, I was ready to move there immediately.  I'd be quite content to live in any of these cities. 

London

New York City

San Francisco

Unfortunately, my San Fran trip was about 4 computers ago so I have no digital photos of this trip - boo!

Boston

Austin

Edinburgh

Wishful Wednesday

Edinburgh is a beautiful city.  Even though it was cold, dark and dreary, you could just feel the history on every cobblestone street and in every Georgian building.  I didn't get a chance to see much when I was there, so I'm frequently wishing I was back walking the streets, but never more so than this week.  The Edinburgh Literary Festival starts quite soon. A whole month of great literature, and amazing writers.  It's a reader's mecca and it's all going down in one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the world.  Who wouldn't wish they were there right now?

Friday Five: UK Edition

My 5 favorite things about my trip (in no particular order) were:

1. Boating on the Avon: The little ride was only about 40 minutes long, but the space, and the scenery and the gorgeous houses dotted along the little river provided some great photography practice.  It's so green and serene! The captains of the canal boat really knew their stuff.  They were also hilarious and sweet as can be and made the ride a delight.

2. Richard II: How could I not?  The show was the genesis of the whole trip at this time of year in the first place.  Any live theatre is good with me but when given the chance to see such a multi-talented cast perform a classic work, it's hard not to jump up and down and squeal a bit. 

3. Abbey Road: I wasn't really looking forward to this.  Don't get me wrong: I LOVE the Beatles.  But I've seen the webcam on Abbey Road Studios.  Londoners are not kind to those tourists attempting to emulate that album cover.  Now, I'm not saying that someone's not going to get hit by a bus one day, but seeing it was still kind of cool.  The graffiti messages, most of which are quotes from Beatles songs, were pretty special too.  You get the distinct feeling that many, many awesome talents, not just the Beatles, have graced those streets and that studio.

4. The World's End: This may have something to do with finally getting to taste the Sticky Toffee Pudding I'd been waiting for.  Or it could have something to do with the pub being the inspiration for the new Simon Pegg movie of the same name (if only in my mind...but Simon is Scottish so there's a chance).  In any event, it was the quintessential pub to me and Fish & Chips with Sticky Toffee Pudding just sealed the deal.

5. Portobello Road Market: Thousands of people swarming the streets.  Stalls selling jewelry  food, ceramics, spices, and about a thousand other things.  Tourists trying desperately to recreate the classic scenes of Notting Hill.  Everyone up early and basking in the early morning glow of just another weekend morning in Notting Hill.  It's one of those things that everyone does, but it's classic London to me.  Even if I do one day become a jaded city girl, Portobello Road will still be on my weekly agenda, if only to stop by Alice's to pick up some beautiful china at ridiculously good prices.  

Enchanting Edinburgh

I've only really wanted to visit Edinburgh, for about the last year or so.  Up until that point, it was never really on my radar.  But, I started reading the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith, which happens to take place in this beautiful city, and was hooked. Of course, the ability to ogle at gorgeous photos of all the amazing architecture the city has to offer on Pinterest and Google images, didn't really hurt either.  Once I saw what Edinburgh had, I was ready, willing, and able to make the 8 hour journey up North from London. (Speaking of which, I highly recommend the Megabus Europe Sleeper Coach - what a fantastic experience and cheaper than a hotel for the night.)

I must admit, Edinburgh is everything you see in the pictures and more. The architecture of the Old Town is just breathtaking.  Everywhere you look, there are spires and bricks and stained glass and wrought iron.  It's absolutely beautiful.  And the people are some of the kindest I've ever come across.  I was never worried about my bag being grabbed like I did in Paris and each store clerk was ready with a kind word or to chat about their city.  When we became lost, a stranger came up to us to offer assistance before we even had the chance to ask.  

I had only two issues with Edinburgh in general. One, which was unexpected (but shouldn't have been given my penchant for not understanding maps) was the layout.  For some reason I assumed it was much smaller than it was.  When, in reality, it's quite spread out.  Things aren't often quickly walkable.  Also, the hills are quite terrible if you are attempting to walk. The other issue being the weather.  Yes I realize I was visiting a Northern country in October, so the chilly, wet and dismal weather should have been dealt with better.  But when I left Maryland, it was still in the 70s so this instant change was a bit difficult to deal with.  

What We Did: Shopped...a lot on the Royal Mile (There's a heck of a lot of wool and cashmere on that darn Royal Mile!), Holyrood House, Scottish Parliament, Hop On and Off Open Top bus tour of the Old and New Towns, Scott Monument, Jenner's Department Store, St. Giles and the Heart of Midlothian.

What We Ate: Haggis (not fantastic but not terrible either - a bit like sausage) at Maggie Dickson's, Fish and Chips #2 and Sticky Toffee Pudding (where has this stuff been all my life!?) at The World's End, many, many raisin croissants at the St. Giles Cafe (oh so yummy and just happened to be the only place in the vicinity opened for breakfast!),  a chimichanga (because, doesn't everyone try Mexican food thousands of miles away from Mexico?) and of course lots and lots of tea.

Surprises along the way: Like I said earlier, WAY bigger than I expected it to be.
~ This goes for all of the UK as a whole; not many places open for breakfast and when they do it's much later than it is here in the states.
~ Very artsy craftsy creative city which I loved!

Verdict: An absolutely beautiful city which I could live in happily...in June, July and August. I'm not sure I could deal with the weather and the gloom the rest of the year, however, I would go back in a heartbeat to see all the festivals that are held each year (Fringe, Hogmanay, Edinburgh Film, etc.) A lively, bustling, beautiful, historic, creative city filled with kind, considerate people: honestly, what's not to love?

I'm Home!

Unfortunately, I've returned from the big adventure.  I thought that the trip may have eased my desire to move there a bit, alas I just want to live there even more than usual.  It was fantastic, and wonderful, and beautiful and crazy busy and about 100 other great adjectives that you can think of.  I'm still recovering and in a bit of a funk seeing as I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I'll make this short and sweet and save the run down for this week.

 Tower of London

 Bigger fan of this particular book store in Paris than I was of Paris as a whole...

 Heart of Midlothian in Edinburgh

 Royal Shakespeare Company - If I lived anywhere near this theatre and I'd be broke eternally

 This is a Banoffle - if I had my way I'd franchise this little place (Hooray's in Stratford) just so I could enjoy this delicacy every single day. Delicious!

 Harrod's Special served steaming cold - Yum!