If I think about what really inspired my love of travel the answer would be most definitely be books. I’ve always loved reading about faraway places and wondered what it would be like to go here or there. For the most part I read fiction, so unfortunately many of those faraway places don’t actually exist in the real world.
100 Aker Wood Original Drawing by E.H. Shepard
Imagine my surprise when my friend, and fellow blogger, Clare of Suitcases and Sandcastles wrote all about visiting the REAL Hundred Aker Wood aka Ashdown Forest! I was beyond delighted to discover that the famous forest from the classic children’s tale, Winnie the Pooh, is an actual place!
Having read the books, sung the songs, and watched the Disney movies countless times I’d never given much thought to the idea that the Hundred Acre Wood might actually be real. Now that we knew, we had to go there!
“You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for other’s to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” – Piglet
Deep in the hundred acre wood where Christopher Robin plays
You’ll find the enchanted neighborhood of Christopher’s childhood days
A donkey named Eeyore is his friend and Kanga and little Roo
There’s Rabbit and Piglet and there’s Owl, but most of all Winnie the Pooh.
I don’t know how many times I sang this song to my boys when they were little, but I never dreamed we’d actually visit!
Deep in the 100 Aker Wood…
We visited with Clare and her family over the winter holidays, which provided the perfect opportunity for an adventure in Ashdown Forest. Even better Clare and her boys, along with their dog Toffee, are familiar with the area, and I’m quite sure our visit wouldn’t have been the same without them!
Our first stop was Poohsticks Bridge, and we were all so excited when we discovered Owl’s House on our way. The bridge is a short walk from the car park and once we arrived we stopped to play a game of Poohsticks.
On our way to Poohsticks Bridge
Owl’s House
Poohsticks Bridge
Playing Poohsticks
Poohsticks Bridge
Just beyond the Poohsticks Bridge lies Winnie the Pooh’s house! No one was home when we stopped by, but we noticed that other’s had also come calling.
Winnie the Pooh’s House
Merry Christmas Pooh Bear
To Wee pooh…
Other stops from the stories included Roo’s Sandy Pit, The Enchanted Place, Galleon’s Lap, and Pooh Corner.
The Enchanted Place
Roo’s Sandy Pit
This looks a lot like Tigger’s tree!
Gorse Bushes
Galleon’s Lap aka Gills Lap
Pooh’s Corner is a quaint little tea house and gift shop where one can find all things Pooh related including books, toys and other keepsakes.
Pooh Corner
Pooh Corner
We had a most magical day exploring the forest with our friends, the sun wasn’t shining, but we had the best time traipsing through the wood and making excellent use of our wellies!
This & That
The release of the film Goodbye Christopher Robin just prior to our England visit as well as a special Winnie the Pooh exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum seemed like serendipity! What perfect timing!
We learned about the origins of Pooh Bear, his co-creators A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard, and their creative process. Seeing many of the original drawings was really something special.
Younger visitors will enjoy the many interactive parts of the exhibit including a slide and a drawing table.
Tips & Advice:
PoohSticks Bridge Photo taken at the V&A Winnie the Pooh Exhibition
If you haven’t seen the film Goodbye Christopher Robin I highly recommend, though you should know it’s not for younger children.
The Winnie the Pooh Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert is on until April 2018.
Ashdown Forest is located in East Sussex about 90 minutes from London, and can be reached via train, bus, or car. Directions are available via the official website.
Habitually early to everything I admit I was late to the Harry Potter party. Not just fashionably late, but disgracefully late… I wouldn’t even consider reading the books until Book 4, The Goblet of Fire, was published.
I didn’t start reading the series until book 4!
I’m not sure what was holding me back? Maybe I just didn’t like the idea of jumping on the bandwagon? However, once I jumped on I quickly plowed through the first four books and then like everyone else anxiously waited for books 5,6, & 7 to arrive. I wish I could say it went differently with my older son, but following in my footsteps he resisted reading the books until I literally bribed him… he then read all seven in 14 days!
The Gryffindor Common Room
Our entire family loves the Harry Potter movies, so you would think that after our experience with the books we might have learned our lesson. Not so! Apparently, we’re slow learners. We thought that having already visited Harry Potter worlds in both Orlando and Los Angeles as well as a traveling exhibition in Seattle we’d pretty much seen all there was to see, so why bother trekking to the Studios where they were made? Six visits to London later, we finally decided to visit the WB Studios Exhibition: The Making of Harry Potter.
WE HAD THE BEST TIME!
This was so much more than we expected! Even having visited those other Harry Potter related places we realized this was something else altogether, and it’s no wonder, as there really is nothing like the original!
Exploring the Magic of Harry Potter
After you’ve taken care of the basics, coat check, audio guide, etc, see below for some tips, you’ll want to jump in the queue and get right to exploring. The line moves quickly, and while you wait you’ll get a chance to see Harry’s cupboard under the stairs.
Once you’ve made it through the queue, a guide will give you a brief introduction to the studios and you’ll watch a short film about the worldwide phenomena that the books and movies became. It’s almost time to set about exploring the Magical World of Harry Potter and how it came to life, but first you’ll hear a few words from Harry, Ron and Hermione.
There were many moments during our day at WB Studios London that felt magical, and while I want to share them all, I don’t want to give away all the secrets!
Our visit took place during the festive season, and everything within the Studios was decorated beautifully. From the holiday feast and Christmas puddings upon the tables in the Great Hall to the magical Christmas trees and snow throughout.
Your guide will stay with you while you explore the Great Hall and then you’ll be set free to explore at your own pace for the remainder of the day. You’ll have a chance to see and learn about the making of just about everything involved with all 8 films. Take your time and keep your eyes open because magic is happening everywhere!
There are many interactive activities throughout the Studio, including flying a broomstick, Hagrid’s motorbike or the weasly’s car. Maybe you just need a bit of practice with your spells? You’re in luck!
Wondering what it would be like to go inside Dumbledore’s Office, ride the Hogwarts Express, or explore The Ministry of Magic, maybe you fancy a walk through the Dark Forest? Guess what? You can, and many surprises await along the way…
Learn what Dumbledore’s books are made out of!
Choosing a favorite exhibition would be tough as there were so many, but we all loved exploring the Hogwarts Express and the many activities on the platform and aboard the train. The Ministry of Magic sets were, like everything within the Studio, incredibly detailed, but the sheer size of them was also very impressive!
There were many creatures within the Dark Forest.
The Back Lot
Halfway through our day we took a break for a meal and some butterbeer, and were surprised to see it was snowing outside. Was it that cold out? Whoops! We’d forgotten… we were at a movie studio.
It’s snowing! Or is it?
Butterbeer for lunch!
After lunch we had a chance to explore some of the Studio’s outdoor sets, which included: The Knight Bus, the Weasly’s flying car, and Hagrid’s motorcycle.
You can peek inside the Knight Bus
We also had a chance to walk though 4 Privet Drive, the Dursely’s home, and to see The Potter’s Cottage in Godric’s Hollow.
4 Privet Drive
Other outdoor exhibits included the chess pieces from The Sorcerers Stone, and the bridge to Hogwarts.
These chess pieces stand sentry in front of the Studio.
You’ll see and learn how many of the books magical creatures came to life for the movies when you walk through the model, creature, and hair and make up shops!
Next up a stroll through Diagon Alley where you’ll learn about how those magical footprints happen in the snow.
SAMSUNG CSC
Our first sight of the Hogwarts model literally made our mouths fall open! I think it must be the most amazing model I have ever seen! It was absolutely stunning! This exhibit is near the end, so make sure you allow time to really take it all in.
Of course we visited the gift shop before heading home and lucky me visiting during the festive season meant lots of holiday baubles to bring home!
Tips & Advice:
If you don’t have a car getting to the WB Studios outside of London can be challenging. After weighing all our transportation options we discovered that prices between the different options varied only slightly, so we went with convenience. We hired a private car through the Golden Tours website.
Upon arrival to the Studios you’ll redeem your ticket voucher at the outdoor ticket window before entering the security line.
The tickets are timed, but if like us you arrive early you won’t have to wait, just queue up!
Once inside you’ll find a place to pick up an audio guide and check your coat. You’ll also find a coffee shop and restrooms. I highly suggest hitting the loo as once inside the exhibition the restrooms are quite far from one another.
The food at the cafe is on the upside of cafeteria food and we had no complaints. The line for just Butterbeer was much longer than the food line, however you can also order Butterbeer in the food line. We topped it all off with Butterbeer ice cream!
Butterbeer awaiting it’s delicious foam topping.
Allow yourself plenty of time. We spent 5 hours exploring and still felt like we could of used more time. Lesson definitely learned as we all had an amazing time at the Warner Brothers Studios London. Believe it or not these are just a few of the many photos we took during our visit.
Happy New Year, and welcome to this week’s edition of Faraway Files. So far, my 2018 is off to a great start! Only two weeks into the New Year, and I’ve already got one weekend trip under my belt. Plans for two more mini trips are shaping up nicely, but I still haven’t decided on a big ticket destination for the year. Of course for inspiration I need look no further than Faraway Files, and the many adventures, from around the world, shared by all of you.
London Smiley Face! Shoreditch High Street
Wherever I end up I have a feeling that my love of Street Art will feature prominently. This week I’m sharing a post all about our adventures in Shoreditch, a trendy neighborhood in London’s East End. We had a wonderful time exploring and even got a chance to get creative.
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I’ve been collecting Street Art for quite a few years now, so I was excited to finally explore some of what London has to offer. Graffiti writers and street artists come from around the world to leave their mark on the streets of Shoreditch, a trendy neighborhood in London’s East End.
Redemption Wings Old Street
The walls of this always up and coming, but (thankfully) not fully gentrified neighborhood are a veritable who’s who of the street art world including Banksy, Dface, Eine, Shepard Fairey, Shok-1 and so many more.
This Banksy piece on the wall at Cargo has been covered with protective plastic.
A guided walking tour was a great way to see and learn about the street art scene in Shoreditch, and it was an absolute highlight of our London trip. Our guide, Karim of Street Art Tours London, is also an artist and has been painting on and off the street for the past 16 years.
Wherever possible I’ve shared the artist and location of the piece, but as the Street Art scene is always evolving there are no guarantees that these pieces will still be available from one day to the next. However, their replacements are almost sure to be something equally special!
Shoreditch High Street
Like the street art covering it’s walls the neighborhood of Shoreditch is also in a state of evolution. There are mixed emotions about the state of change and you’ll see that a lot of the art represents this.
Brexit Paste Up
Gentrification Zone Paste up
Shoreditch Street Art Walking Tour Highlights:
X-Ray Hand with Soda Can
Artist: Shok-1
Location: Whitby Road
Shok-1 Whitby
Various Stik Pieces
Artist: Stik
Locations: Great Eastern & Rivington Streets
Stik 81 Rivington Street
Stik – Great Eastern Road
Merry Christmas Mural
Artist: Graffiti Life
Location: Wheler Street
Graffiti Life Christmas Mural
Graffiti Writing
Artist: Ghost Writers Crew
Location: Shoreditch High Street
Ghost Writers Crew
The Angel of Sclater Street
Artist: Jonesy
Location: Sclater Street
Heffalump!
Artist: Unknown
Location: Sclater Street
Winnie the Pooh & Friends
Motorcycle Mural
Artist: Ryan Roadkill
Location: Sclater Street
Ryan Roadkill Sclater Street
Although not a piece of street art I thought it worth noting that the Rebel Alliance Motorcycle shop located on Sclater Street is owned by Dface.
Dface owns this little motorcycle shop on Sclater Street.
MasterClass
I really enjoy collecting street art, but it was only a matter of time before I gave in to the urge to create my own masterpiece. Having done a bit of painting at home in LA, we were pretty exited about repeating this experience in London.
Practicing our technique.
Street Art Tours London offers what they call a MasterClass, so after the walking portion of our tour was over we set off for a local art studio in nearby Hackney where after a brief lesson on technique we set about making our own masterpiece. We’re pretty pleased with the way our piece came out, and you can bet that we’ll be doing more of this in the near future!
Here are the steps we took when creating our “street” art mural:
Find A Blank Wall
Start with a blank space.
Draw your Construction Lines
Lay down your construction lines.
Fill In The Design
Fill in your design.
Add Background Elements
Add the background elements
Outline Your Design
Outline your design.
Add The Small Details
Add detail elements
Add The Halo
Give your outline a halo.
Sign and Date Your Piece
Sign and date your piece.
Tips & Advice:
Our London Masterpiece is complete!
Our tour and Masterclass were through Street Art Tours London
You’ll want to pay in advance or bring cash on the day of. Email for Masterclass rates.
Wear your “paint” clothes.
All the supplies and painting location were provided and organized by our guide.
Due to studio rental fees the Masterclass was on the expensive side, but we had a wonderful time and I highly recommend this.
Spray painting is incredibly difficult, so don’t expect perfection on the first try. Street art requires practice practice practice.
Our guide helped us a lot! A lot!
We ran out of certain paint colors midway, but I think we made it work!
After class was over the boys and I went back to Shoreditch to explore the streets at a more leisurely pace, and discovered a ton more art!
We discovered so many amazing pieces of art I couldn’t fit them all into this one post…. stay tuned for more Street Art from Shoreditch and our finds on Brick Lane!
You would think with two full weeks to explore London we’d have at least scratched the surface, but even having checked off what I consider an impressive list of Things To Do* we still left with a long list of Hopefully Next Time….
I still haven’t ridden the iconic red bus.
Previous trips across the pond have found us traveling from place to place never even unpacking before moving to the next destination. I’m not complaining, as I’ve never been one to sit still for too long, but the goal of this trip was to dig deeper into a place we felt we already knew and loved. We included a few old favorites, but did our best to see and experience many new things too!
I’ll be posting in a lot more detail about many of these places, but first I’ll need to sort through all the photos!
Things to do in London:
The Little Venice Canals
Arriving in London in the early afternoon we were delighted to see the sun was shining brightly! Wanting to take advantage of what could, and did, turn out to be the only sunny day of the entire trip, we enjoyed a stroll along the canals in Little Venice. We were excited to find out that during the warmer months you can take a waterbus ride to Regents Park and through the London Zoo.
Little Venice London
The British Library London
Our trip to the British Library was prompted by our desire to see the temporary exhibit: Harry Potter A History of Magic, which ison display through February 2018, but with 150 million items in their collection the Library has a lot to offer!
The British Library hold over 150 million items!
Leadenhall Market
The Leadenhall Market, located in the heart of the City of London, is a popular destination and has been since it was established in 1321. You might recognize it as the entrance to Diagon Alley in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s glowing halls are a photographer’s dream, but you’ll have to go after hours or on a holiday to get a people free photo.
This wonderful Market was established in 1321.
The Tower of London – Ice Skating
For me no visit to London would be complete without a trip to the Tower of London. We didn’t make it inside the Tower this time, but we did go ice skating in the moat, which we all agreed was a magical experience. The Tower offers special events throughout the year, so check the website to see what’s on.
Ice Skating in the moat.
South Bank
No matter the time of year a walk along South Bank includes something for everyone. Festive holiday markets, delicious treats, lovely views of the London Eye, art installations, and even a skate park.
The South Bank Skate Park has been in use for 4 decades!
Shoreditch Street Art Tour
Touring Shoreditch and the amazing art which can be found there was a highlight of our trip. We wanted an interactive experience, so only spent 90 minutes exploring the local art scene, and then it was time for us to try our hand at creating our own masterpiece!
Our “masterpiece!” What do you think?
Victoria & Albert Museum
We’ve visited the V&A before, but as it’s the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design it makes sense that repeat visits would be in order! This visit found us at the special exhibition: Winnie the Pooh: Exploring A Classic, which is on through April 8, 2018. Not only is Pooh Bear a favorite in our home, but this exhibit tied in perfectly with our plans to visit Ashdown Forest aka The 100 Akre Wood later in the trip.
Winnie-The-Pooh!
WB Studios The Making of Harry Potter
Harry Potter fans will want to find their way to The Warner Brothers Studios outside London. Once the filming location for all 8 Harry Potter films, they are now home to a permanent tour and exhibition: The Making of Harry Potter. We spent an entire magical day here and loved every minute of it.
This model of Hogwarts took up an entire room.
The London Zoo
The London Zoo, located in Regent’s Park is not only the worlds oldest scientific zoo, but it was also the home of Winnie the bear. A.A. Milne changed the name of his famous storybook character Pooh Bear to Winnie-The-Pooh after he and his son Christopher Robin visted the London Zoo.
Statue of Winnie the bear.
Brick Lane
We always enjoy wandering around Brick Lane, which has changed greatly over the years. Along with its many curry restaurants you’ll also find a large amount of fabulous street art.
Fairly recent piece by Stik.
Afternoon Tea
If, like us, you’re coming from a place where afternoon tea isn’t the norm, then you’ll want to partake in this lovely tradition at least once. We enjoyed a festive afternoon tea on Christmas Day at the Corinthia, one of our favorite hotels, where we indulged in tea, delicious sandwiches, and desserts almost too pretty to eat.
English Breakfast Tea
Festive Treats
Christmas Lights
London is incredibly beautiful during the festive season with almost no street left undressed. There are displays of holiday lights and Christmas trees everywhere and we made it our mission to see as many as we could.
Regent Street Christmas Lights 2017
Eat At A Pub
I’ve always been a fan of pub food, which is a good thing as there are many to choose from in London. We found ourselves enjoying fish & Chips and mushy peas at The Sherlock Holmes Pub, which is a traditional English style pub featuring Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.
Traditional pub fare can be found at the Sherlock Holmes.
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is the heart of British Cinema, much like Hollywood in California, and many European movie premiers take place here. We didn’t take in a movie this visit, but I did enjoy a visit to the Lego Store, which has amazing interactive displays representing many of London’s iconic landmarks.
My first photo in the iconic red phone box!
Shopping
The shopping opportunities in London are too numerous to list in this post, but I managed to find treasures along Regent Street, at the iconic Liberty of London, and Selfridges, which also has an amazing Food Hall where you can pick up delicious treats and artisan foods to take home, or if you prefer there are various dine in options as well.
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is home to The National Gallery, Nelson’s Column, and other iconic London landmarks. Every year the people of Norway donate a giant Christmas Tree which stands in the center of the Square. The tree is gifted in recognition of Britain’s support during WWII. I was delighted to discover that the pedestrian traffic signals around Trafalgar Square were changed during Pride 2016 and rotate between a series of symbols.
The National Gallery
After numerous visits to London I’ve finally checked The National Gallery off my list! With a few hours to myself I blissfully wandered the halls of this lovely museum. Entrance is free of charge and personal highlights were Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, works by Hans Holbein and the architecture.
The National Gallery and Norway’s annually gifted Christmas Tree.
Photo Tour The City of London
Aspiring photographers will love this four hour lesson and photo tour around London. I chose The City of London, but choose the area that appeals most to you. You’ll get private instruction along with a walking tour which includes a nice amount of history.
The Ruins of St. Dunstan-in-the-East with the Shard in the background.
The Monument
Having walked by The Monument a number of times, we finally made our way 311 steps to the top. The Monument was built in 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London and although many modern buildings have sprouted up around it there are still lovely views to be had from the top. You’ll receive a certificate upon completing the climb. The entrance fee is cash only.
The Monument to the Great Fire of London
View of the Shard from the top of The Monument
The River Thames Path
As I mentioned above it’s become our tradition to walk the along the River Thames and this visit found us meandering along both sides on multiple occasions. Crossing the river at London Bridge we wandered through the extremely popular and (crowded) Borough Market before discovering a wonderful little restaurant in Flat Iron Square. I always stop to admire the Globe Theater, even if I’m the only one in my group who’s interested, and as has become our custom we took a “break” inside the Tate Modern, before proceeding along until we came to the Houses of Parliament.
Where the Pancakes Are Flat Iron Square
The Tate Modern
We love the Tate Modern! This is not only a fabulous museum with ever changing exhibits, but it’s also free! Making it easy to pop in for a quick look around! The Turbine Hall’s One Two Three Swing installation was a big hit with our group, and is on until April 2018. Finally able to visit the new wing I was delighted to discover the 10th floor viewing platform, which provides sweeping views of the river and city!
Temporary exhibition in the Tate Modern’s new wing.
Millennium Bridge
For iconic city views you’ll want to cross the Millennium Bridge! We love to purchase a cup of warm roasted nuts before strolling across in both directions taking in the views of St. Paul’s and The Tate Modern as well as the Thames. Harry Potter fans will recognize The Millennium Bridge from Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince.
View of the Millennium Bridge, St. Paul’s, and The Tate Modern from the Tate’s Viewing Deck.
Peggy Porschen Cakes
Touted by multiple sources as having the “best cupcakes in the world” we decided a visit to Peggy Porschen Cakes, would make our list. We sampled cupcakes and cocoa, and both were delicious. The pretty pink building with its candy colored decor and beautifully decorated deserts has made it a very popular Instagram photo location.
Instagrammers are crazy for Peggy Porschen Cakes
Festive cocoa
Holiday Cakes
The Design Museum
The Design Museum features both revolving and permanent exhibitions related to contemporary, graphic, architecture, industrial and product design. We really enjoyed the museum’s permanent exhibit: Designer, Maker, User, which has a lot of interactive components. The two temporary exhibitions we saw were, Ferrari: Under the Skin, and Beazley Designs of the Year where we got to vote on our favorite design. If you’re wondering our family’s favorite design was a wheelchair that navigates stairs.
Designer Maker User Exhibit
New Years Eve Fireworks
Our last hurrah on this trip, and one I highly recommend, was the spectacular London New Year’s Eve Fireworks show! The fireworks are set off from the London eye, so our assigned viewing area, the Waterloo Bridge, wasn’t too shabby. Advice: advance purchase tickets, at £10 per person, are required. The event sells out, so plan ahead. Dress extra warm and bring cash for the food vendors on the bridge.
Hopefully Next Time:
The Shard
The sky Garden
Greenwich
Boat Ride on the River Thames
Nottinghill
Portabello Road
Charles Dickens House
The Churchill War Rooms
Richmond Park
Whitehall Banquetting Rooms
The Horse Guards Museum
House of Vans
Gods Own Junkyard
Ride the iconic red bus
*Having visited London many times previously this list only includes activities we participated in during our most recent trip.
Would you like directions to all these fabulous places? Why not take me with you! You can download this and other fun hilarystyle articles using the GPSmyCity app!
I don’t know about you, but this year seemed to fly by! Like any year there were ups and there were downs, but happily it was mostly ups! As far as travel is concerned I wasn’t sure I’d ever beat 2016, but with trips to, New Orleans, the American Southwest, and London as well as road trips throughout California, and extensive exploration of my home town Los Angeles I would say 2017 definitely gave it a run for it’s money.
Plane View
2018 is already filling up with plans for Atlanta, Georgia and possibly Austin, Texas early in the year. Both are places I’ve never been, and of course I’m angling to get in another trip to my beloved NOLA, maybe Spring Break? As for the rest of the year, its still open, but I’m excited to see what’s in store, and I’m confident I’ll work out plenty of fun adventures! Before I close the book on 2017 here’s a look back at some of the highlights:
January
We took a mini road trip to meet friends in La Quinta and along with a visit to Joshua Tree National Park it was the perfect way to get the year started!
Sunrise over La Quinta
The Joshua Tree National Park is located just over two hours from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. People come from all over the world to enjoy the park’s unique trees and alien like desert terrain. Hiking, camping, rock climbing and stargazing are just some of the activities available within the park.
We’ve always loved Santa Barbara, and its close proximity to LA is a real treat! Quick trips just for lunch have even been known to happen!
Lifeguard Tower Santa Barbara California
Even closer to home, but still feeling like a world away is Malibu. One of our favorite “escapes” is Sunday brunch at the Malibu Farms restaurant, located at the end of the Malibu Fishing Pier, which overlooks Surf Rider Beach.
A record year of rainfall and the resulting flower super bloom prompted our March visit to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. I had to see all those amazing flowers!
Anza Borrego Desert
Deciding to go on this little adventure at the last minute meant accommodation choices were somewhat limited, so we decided to stay on the coast in La Jolla, the Jewel of San Diego. So, two birds with one road trip… Desert and Coast.
NOLA Again! In April, we visited NOLA for the sixth time. A day trip to visit the plantation homes was a highlight of our visit this year!
Oak Alley Plantation
As I write this I’m dreaming about 2018’s visit, because it’s definitely happening! If you haven’t been yet, consider making 2018 the year you finally go. It’s always amazing, but did you know that it’s the 300th anniversary of New Orleans? There’s sure to be plenty going on, so what are you waiting for? LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!
I already love all the lifeguard towers that dot the beaches here in SoCal, so imagine my surprise and delight when I came across this fabulousness during my morning ride! I’m so excited to say that the City of LA voted to make this wonderful statement permanent
I admit that during my 8 years living in the Bay Area, I spent very little time exploring San Francisco’s many unique neighborhoods. We did our best to remedy that during our June visit! We chose to explore the vibrant Mission District, where we discovered delicious food, a fabulous park, and amazing street art! So in other words, my perfect day!
July’s found us on an epic 2000 + mile road trip through the great American Southwest! We made stops in Las Vegas, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Monument Valley, the Antelope Slot Canyons, and the Grand Canyon to name a few!
The Famous Las Vegas SignZion National ParkBryce Canyon National ParkArches National ParkMonument Valley Tribal ParkUpper Antelope Valley Slot CanyonThe Grand Canyon
Although I was initially apprehensive about driving so far on my own, as you can see from the photos above the trip was a success!
To say I am a fan of public and street art would be an understatement! The idea of bringing a piece of it home a dream. Dreams can come true, and they did with the installation of this @bumblebeelovesyou’s piece in my own backyard!
Historically September has been a slow month for us, if you don’t count that one time, when we ditched work and school and set off for a road trip through Portugal and Spain! That was fun! However, like many before it, this September found us sticking close to home. Exploring Downtown LA and its many tasty treats was a highlight!
Bottega Louie’s Famous MacaronsHistoric Angels Flight
While I didn’t travel in the month of October, I had the best time playing tourist, or maybe I should say, tour guide, when friends flew in for a visit!
Downtown Los Angeles Art District
We hit the Hollywood Sign, the Bowl, Disneyland, Korea Town, Venice Beach, and Downtown LA to name just a few!
The Hollywood BowlUrban Lights Exhibition at LACMA on Museum Row
Grateful for friends and family who travelled from both near and far to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, we were also grateful for the amazing Southern California weather, which allowed all 25 of us to eat outside!
Ending 2017 just as we started it, on a high note, we celebrated the winter holidays in London! My favorite city in the world! Highlights include: Ice Skating at the Tower of London, meeting up with friends, attending A Christmas Carol at Windsor Castle, Afternoon Tea, New Year’s Eve fireworks and more… I’ll be sharing our many adventures in the coming weeks. Stay tuned…
Wishing you and yours all the best in the coming year.
