Showing posts with label england. Show all posts
Showing posts with label england. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Things I'm going to miss about London
By the time we move next week we will have been here for three years and four months. To me, that's a long time - it's almost as long as I lived in New York City. And although this has been an amazing opportunity and I have so many wonderful memories, I never really called London "home". I always saw it as a temporary move, never thought of our life here for longer than 1-2 year increments. And maybe that was part of the problem. A friend of ours mentioned that the London relocation program at her work was the least successful out of all the programs. That simultaneously did and did not surprise me. It was a little surprising to hear that employees found settling in to far away places like Singapore easier than London. And at the same time, I know exactly how they feel.
We have been looking forward to moving back to the US for quite some time now - especially since we found out about Baby C. And as much as I am looking forward to starting a new adventure in Houston, there are a few things about London that I am going to miss...
Monday, November 28, 2011
Around the World Christmas Tree
The first "big" trip that Brian and I took together while dating was to St. Croix in the Caribbean for a little winter sun. We had been dating for six or seven months and although it wasn't our first weekend away with each other, it was the first trip that required a plane ride. It was exciting and a little nerve-wracking. Happily, the trip went off without a hitch (apart from that one time when we were driving down the wrong side of the road - who knew they drove on the left hand side in St. Croix??).
While we were there we bought the funniest Christmas ornament to commemorate the trip, somehow we knew we would be spending lots of Christmas' together.
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| St. Croix, 2007 |
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday Favorites...Anniversary Edition
Happy Anniversary!!
Three years ago this week we packed our bags and moved across the pond. Can you believe that?! Where does the time go...
I thought it would be fun to do a special anniversary edition of Friday Favorites in honor of the last three years - three action packed years at that. Our primary reason for moving was to take advantage of a new continent at our door step, and I think we've been doing a pretty good job...
Here are some of our favorite trips from the last three years -
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Labels:
beach,
canada,
england,
france,
friday favorites,
go here - now,
halong bay,
hiking,
hoi an,
Italy,
life,
love,
paris,
photography,
road trip,
travel,
trvlngcupcake,
tuscany,
vietnam
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Weekend at the Seaside
When I was growing up, living in the middle of a cornfield, in a town hamlet that had one blinking light, I dreamed of moving to the big city. So I did. First to New York and then to London. And now, the older I get, I find myself dreaming of the country.
The grass is always greener, ay?
My good friend invited me down to her parents house by the seaside in West Sussex. It was the perfect escape that I didn't know I was looking for. A quiet girls weekend away from the hectic city, with long walks on the beach, many bottles of wine and lots and lots of laughs.
The weather was...English. Sometimes it was sunny, sometimes it was raining. Sometimes it was cloudy, sometimes it was clear. And it was always windy. Like I said, it was typically English. We made breakfast and a picnic lunch. We went for a long walk along the beach, braving wind, rain and sun. And we laughed.
We made a big, family style dinner. We ate cookies and candy and popcorn. We had wine and watched TV. We talked and we laughed.
Laughing, is good for the soul.
Friends, are even better.
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Labels:
beach,
england,
go here - now,
hiking,
life,
london,
photography,
road trip,
story,
travel,
wine
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Maison Dix
When we decided to travel to the Languedoc region in Southern France our first choice bed and breakfast was already booked for the nights we needed. We were so bummed - where were we going to stay now?? After looking around online and asking our friends and coworkers for suggestions, Maison Dix was recommended to us.
You know how they say things happen for a reason?
Maison Dix happened to us, and the reason why is because it's awesome.
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| Greeting us at the door, one of the resident chow chows |
From the moment we arrived late in the afternoon on Saturday the owners, Erica and John, were warm and welcoming. This English couple uprooted their lives and made the permanent move to Neffies a little over a year ago and seem to be living the dream. Their beautiful old wine makers home has been lovingly restored to the highest standard. The bed and breakfast is comprised of four guest rooms and a guest apartment. They don't except children under the age of 16 so this is a perfect retreat for adults looking for a weekend getaway.
Upon checking in we were brought right up to our rooms so that we could settle in. We stayed on the second floor in the Syrah room (all guest rooms are named after local grape varieties - a cute homage to the buildings history). Our room was spacious, clean and tastefully decorated. The shutters were closed to keep the afternoon sun out and the terra-cotta tile floors helped keep the room nice and cool. The soothing blue grey walls and crisp white linens paired with the dark wood furniture made me want to pack up this room into my overnight bag and take it back to London with me.
Next we were shown around the common areas of the house, starting with the kitchen. Like the guest rooms the kitchen was refinished to the highest standard. The cream cabinets made me swoon at first glance and it had all the modern comforts of home (I nearly screamed with joy when I saw the Nespresso machine available for guests to use) - and guests can make use of an honesty bar for refreshments and treats (and at 1 EURO each it's a steal). The kitchen opens out into a comfortable living room area outfitted with oversized, comfy leather couches and a large table for those (rare) days when the weather prohibits having breakfast out on the patio. There is also a guest den, with a big screen TV (in case you just can't live without football for a few days), a large bookcase filled to the brim and a selection of movies for you to enjoy at your leisure.
After a quick run into town to grab a few necessities before the shops closed we decided to relax on the patio by the pool. There are various tables and sun loungers scattered along the patio from which you can take your pick morning, noon or night. There is an shaded, outside kitchen and living room at the back of the courtyard where you can relax, play some games or chat with other guests. Most mornings breakfast is served on the patio and I can think of no better way to wake up - warm french press coffee, fresh baguettes from the village boulangerie, local yogurts, sun ripened fruit and homemade jams...I'm drooling now just thinking about it.
There is another honesty bar in the outside kitchen area which also contains your complimentary bottle of local rose wine. One of the best moments of our entire weekend trip was spending a hot afternoon lounging by the pool, drinking the rose wine and playing board games. It really doesn't get much better than that.
If you have more time, or are feeling particularly active, you can take advantage of the gym or the bikes that are available for guests to use. We, unfortunately, ran out of both time and energy. Maison Dix is located in the small town of Neffies, which has a boulangerie, a small general store supplying locals with basics (and some of the best cheese we've had in a long time) and a superb restaurant, Les Goutailles, which draws in locals and visitors alike. We heard there was also a local bar, but after several bottles of house wine at dinner, the most we could manage was to stumble back to our home away from home - Maison Dix.
Interested in staying at Maison Dix? Check out their website here! I'd like to give a big THANK YOU to Erica and John for making our stay at Maison Dix warm, welcoming and perfect in every way! We can't wait to return again in the (hopefully) near future! Cheers!
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Labels:
cheese,
england,
france,
go here - now,
photography,
road trip,
travel,
villa,
wine
Labels:
cheese,
england,
france,
go here - now,
photography,
road trip,
travel,
villa,
wine
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Around town: London doors
When you live in a city like London, at least in my neighborhood, all the houses tend to look the same. Sure, you have the occasional tall apartment buildings or apartment blocks that break-up the monotony, but for the most part your neighborhood probably looks a little something like this...
Unless you live in the West End...then your white mansion house totally kicks my row houses butt. But, I digress...
One of the first things we noticed when we moved to London was how little opportunity there was to make your apartment stand out in the crowd...how little of a chance you have to show your neighbors just who you are.
Enter...the front door.
No literally - the front door.
It turns out the front door is the best way to express yourself, show your neighbors what you're like (without having to actually meet or talk to them).
One of our favorite things to do on a nice, warm weekend afternoon is take a stroll around our neighborhood. We always end up by the canal and on our way home we pretend as if we own one of these places and can actually change the door to fit us. What color paint would we chose? What color hardware? Would we play it safe with a black and gold combo or be a little more modern with slate blue and silver? Or would we go really crazy and paint it bright yellow or green?
I like to think that these doors give me a little peak into my neighbors life. What they are like and what kind of life they live. But who knows, maybe they chose the door color themselves or maybe its left over from the previous owners. Or maybe, like us, they just rent the place and their front door is a reflection of the owners and not the occupiers.
So for now, I'll keep picking out my favorite front doors, until I have my own to personalize.
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