Summertime fine. Two words that completely summarise how I’m feeling these days. Longer days, warmer weather (hello heatwave in the UK) and blue skies are enough to charm just about anyone. Even though I prefer cloudy/misty weather and fall as a season, even I can’t help but admit summertime in London is pretty great.
The first weekend of the month, I headed to Edinburgh to meet up with visiting friends. It was a weekend worthy of all of the heart eyes- blue skies and sunshine, lush greenery, an afternoon rain shower and a setting sun that lingered in the sky well beyond 10 pm. Perfect mix of exploring new bits of town, and re-visiting a few of my favourite places with the company lovely people. The city was buzzing with visitors, alive with energy from music festivals and events, but somehow didn’t seem too crowded.
Mid-month, I surrendered my passport for renewal and am still waiting to get it back (ugh, delivery issues).
Being grounded in England though means I’m spending tons of time in London, and scheduling weekend visits to places I have yet to explore, like Margate and Cornwall.
London wise, a few places I explored and loved this month:
- Eat: Borough Market; El Pastor (tacos!); Dominique Ansel (watermelon soft serve omg); breakfast at Nopi (beautiful interiors and ace food); cheese toasties from Pistachio & Pickle
- Drink: The Narrowboat pub, perfectly situated above Regent’s Canal; Ask for Janice, good breakfast and awesome coffee
- Places: Chelsea Physic Garden; morning walks in Kensington; Regent’s Canal; Strawberry Hill House
- Things: The Tate (good Picasso exhibit); a street art tour in Shoreditch
Margate, a quintessential British beach town. An old amusement park, sandy beaches, cute pubs, plenty of vintage shops and endless Mr. Whippy. A++
Cornwall, talk about coastal town magic. So many times, especially in St. Ives, I caught myself thinking, am I in England or the Mediterranean. And although not a tropical as St. Ives, the towns of Penzance, Newlyn and Mousehole are quaint on a British seaside level I hadn’t experienced before.
In July, I’ll be laying low, so to speak, for most of the month. Enjoying summer in the Big Smoke, and starting to map out a few trips for the fall.
Favourite Moments from the Month
Edinburgh
London
Margate
Cornwall
Here’s what I’m thinking so far for #Take12Trips 2018:
- January: Weekend in Marrakesh, Morocco
- February: Weekend in Hamburg, Germany
- March: Weekend in Riga, Latvia; day trip to Whitstable; long weekend in Norway (Bergen & Stavanger)
- April: Weekend trips to Amsterdam to see tulips, and to Krakow, Poland
- May: Day trips to Hastings, 7 Sisters County Park and the Cotswolds; weekend in Vilnius, Lithuania; and a road trip around Ireland at month end
- June: Weekend in Edinburgh and a long weekend in Cornwall, visiting Penzance, St. Ives, Mousehole and Newlyn
- July: Weekend in Cologne, Germany
- August: Long weekend in Belfast and Dublin mid-month for the Rock ‘n Roll half, and trying to decide where I’d like to go for the bank holiday at the end of the month
- September: TBD
- October: Oxford for a race, and Indiana in the States mid-month for a wedding
- November: TBD
- December: TBD
How about you? Are you planning any trips this year that you’re excited about?