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September 23, 2017 by Rachel in Food, London

One thing on my list to do while in London was to have Afternoon Tea. When my mom visited a month ago, she and I went to an Alice in Wonderland-themed tea at the Sanderson Hotel. I knew after enjoying it so much I wanted Alex to also share in the experience of a British Tea.

Budapest

September 20, 2017 by Rachel in Travel

We arrived in Budapest after a very rainy bus ride on Sunday afternoon. Luckily, once we made it to the city the rain had stopped and we were able to get and about for a few hours. One interesting fact about Budapest I learned from my research is that it is actually made up of two cities, Buda and Pest which are divided by the Danube River. We stayed in an Airbnb on the Pest side of the city, but easily made our way to Buda as they are joined by a number of bridges.

Vienna

September 18, 2017 by Rachel in Food, Travel

We arrived in Vienna on Thursday after taking a 4-hour train from Prague. Vienna is definitely a more sprawled-out city than Prague with very grand and ornate buildings. It seemed we were constantly looking UP to see all the beautiful details on each structure.

Prague

September 16, 2017 by Rachel in Travel, Food

Alex and I started our Eastern Europe trip in the Czech Republic by spending three days in Prague. After visiting, I would have to say Prague is one of my favorite cities I've been so far! It is such a beautiful city with amazing architecture and pretty red roofs. As the city itself is relatively small, we were able to walk everywhere and really get a feel for the area.

Belham & Wimbledon

September 12, 2017 by Rachel in London

Over the weekend Alex and I spent a day exploring two neighborhoods in South London. We started our morning in Belham, a pretty residential area with cute restaurants, boutiques and commercial stores, where we got breakfast at Milk. We read online it gets busy early, so we arrived about 15 minutes after it opened and by the time we got our breakfast it was packed and there was already a line out the door! Needless to say, there was a reason it filled so quickly. The food was delicious!

Sunday Roast

September 10, 2017 by Rachel in London

Tonight Alex and I went to our first Sunday Roast in London. This was something we both wanted to do while here and it did not disappoint! We chose to go to Blacklock in SoHo for their traditional Sunday Roast with all the fixings.

Bath

September 09, 2017 by Rachel in London

On the second day of our road trip we drove to Bath in southwest England. Bath is known for their natural hot springs and the honey-colored Bath stone used in the 18th-century architecture.

Stonehenge & Salisbury

September 07, 2017 by Rachel in Travel

Alex and I were talking last week about how we can't believe we have already been in London for a MONTH!! We decided since we only have a few weeks left we should think about any other day trips we want to take while here. We are going to Eastern Europe next week for 9 days, so when we get back, we'll only have two weeks left in London before heading to Portugal.

Alex brought up Stonehenge which initially was not on my list as a top choice to visit. As my mom pointed out, I'd already seen Carhenge near the Sandhills in Nebraska! Ha!! Alex was convinced this was a place we should see, so I gave in and we rented a car and drove there this past Tuesday.

Parsons Green & Fulham

September 04, 2017 by Rachel in London, Food

When we first decided to move to London, we were unsure where we wanted to live. Alex reached out to a friend of his who is from London for some guidance. Two of the neighborhoods he suggested were Parsons Green and Fulham (located next to each other in Southwest London). We ultimately decided to live in Notting Hill, but ventured out this past Friday to visit this area and both really enjoyed it! It definitely had a neighborhood feel with lots of shops and cute restaurants.

Chelsea

September 03, 2017 by Rachel in London

If you haven't already noticed, Alex and I are trying to visit different neighborhoods in London while we are here. We've found it a great way to explore the city and to see how each place has its own feel and charm.

Last week, we made our way towards Chelsea in west London. It is boarded by the Thames River to the south. Chelsea is up there as one of the most affluent neighborhoods in London with lots of shopping and beautiful Victorian homes.

Hampstead

September 01, 2017 by Rachel in London

This past weekend we had the most beautiful weather in London (high 70's and sunny). It is now back to being a bit more cold and cloudy, but it was great while it lasted! On the last day it was predicted to be warm we headed 40 minutes north to Hampstead. After exiting the tube both Alex and I commented how this area looked and felt like a little village and further from the city than it actually is. Hampstead has one of the largest and wildest green spaces in London and we spent the afternoon wandering around the streets and exploring all the small details.

Mad Hatter's Tea

August 30, 2017 by Rachel in London, Food

My mom turns 60 today (!!!) and before she left London, we went to the Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter's Tea at the Sanderson Hotel to celebrate her birthday.

The White Cliffs of Dover

August 29, 2017 by Rachel in Travel

When my parents decided to visit us in London (they had never been before), one of the things my mom really wanted to see is the White Cliffs of Dover. It is about a two-hour drive from London, so on Sunday, we loaded up into the rental car and headed out east.

The Dairy

August 23, 2017 by Rachel in London, Food

Alex read about a restaurant he wanted to try, The Dairy, as it was featured on a list of best British restaurants. So yesterday we headed out to the neighborhood of Clapham in south-west London.

Victoria & Albert Museum + Eclairs

August 21, 2017 by Rachel in London, Food

On Thursday, we headed over to the Victoria and Albert Museum, the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design. One of the things I have loved about London is many of the museums are free to enter. This museum is HUGE and you could easily spend hours here. We walked through several exhibitions including: fashion, jewelry, stained glass and furniture. I didn't take any pictures inside the museum, but we did enjoy walking around.

Regent’s Park

August 18, 2017 by Rachel in London

Earlier this week, we visited Regent's Park in north-west London. We started our afternoon by grabbing lunch at nearby Monocle Cafe. The menu is Japanese-inspired and was delicious!

Delft

August 17, 2017 by Rachel in Travel, Netherlands

While in Amsterdam, we decided to take a day trip and chose to visit the small canal-town of Delft in the western part of the Netherlands. It is known for being the birthplace of the painter, Johannes Vermeer, and for Delftware, which is hand-painted blue-and-white pottery. We took an hour-long train ride from Amsterdam and arrived in Delft by mid-morning.

Amsterdam

August 15, 2017 by Rachel in Travel, Netherlands

We arrived home from Amsterdam yesterday evening and I'm so happy we were able to visit. Amsterdam was beautiful and I loved all the canals and stunning architecture. It was very picturesque and we lucked out with the weather.

The Cotswolds

August 12, 2017 by Rachel in Travel

We found out last weekend our shower was leaking into the apartment downstairs (luckily, no one is living there currently) and a plumber was going to have to do some repair work which meant we would end up without a working bathroom for two days. We decided since we had to vacate the apartment anyway, we would head to south central England to visit the Cotswolds.

City of London

August 08, 2017 by Rachel in London, Food

Yesterday, Alex I spent the morning touring the City of London, a neighborhood incorporating the historic center and central business district of London. We started our morning at Postman's Park, the site of a former churchyard and now houses a memorial with the names of ordinary people who gave their lives saving others.