One of my favorite things about the French is that they tend to be well-rounded: The French dress fashionably, travel, read a ton, keep abreast of politics and quite famously, eat well. Collectively I’ve spent about a year and a half living with French families so I’d like to think I know a thing or two … Read more
After my five-week Eurotrip across Italy, Switzerland, England, Wales and Spain, I knew there was one place in Europe I still had to drop by- Paris. As long-time readers know, I spent a year in Paris working as an au pair, drinking cider on the Seine and becoming the oh-so-clichéd American expat in Paris. I made a lot … Read more
Madrid was a weekend of small pleasures. Of leisurely waking up over coffee, of snapping photos in the rain, of eating every local specialty I could get my hands on. While I already wrote about my Madrid experience via Instagram, I wanted to share my SLR shots. I also wanted to tell you about our Madrid Food … Read more
I have wanted to write about the week I spent in Scotland for years now, but never knew where to start. Because Scotland was a lot of things. Scotland was a week of new love, saying goodbye to an old friend and discovering a beautiful, wild and wind-whipped country. Scotland was finally figuring out that your travel life and … Read more
Over my three weeks in London, I finally settled upon my dream neighborhood- the East End. The East End is everything you’d want as a twenty-something; it’s packed with street art, cute cafés, lively bars and some of London’s trendiest restaurants. The East End also has hundreds of years of history. For centuries it was synonymous … Read more
Due to growing up in Michigan, the seaside has always been a treat for me. Around the world I’ve loved all kinds of seaside towns from grungy port cities like Valpo, Chile, to upscale and elegant Biarritz. But Brighton is special. Brighton is like the San Francisco of England with a Victorian seaside flair. Young, colorful, LGBT-friendly and on the sea; … Read more
I love seaside towns; they’re some of my favorite places to spend the day when I travel. From Valparaíso, Chile, to Brighton, England, there are few things I love more than a colorful coastal city. (Preferably with really good seafood, of course.) Which is why I was so excited to day-trip to Aberystwyth, a university town … Read more
When I arrived in Wales I knew almost nothing about the country. I knew of Wales’ tenuous history with England, that the Tudors were originally Welsh and of course, had heard a few bawdy jokes about “sheep-shagging.” Beyond that I was clueless. But luckily we had a local to show us around. Liam, my friend Lauren’s boyfriend, grew up in … Read more
I’d wanted to visit the north of England for years. Maybe it’s because most of my English friends are northern, or because I’m obsessed with medieval British history or heck, because I love Game of Thrones (the Starks, anyone?). Regardless, I knew I’d have to venture north during my three weeks in England. Going north also meant visiting Lauren, one of … Read more
Okay, world. Here’s my personal declaration: London is now a foodie town. In my humble opinion, you can find more creative and diverse food in London than you can in Paris or Chicago. Yep. I wrote it. Don’t believe me? Read on to learn all about London’s best food markets I discovered during my three weeks in the Smoke. … Read more