Traveling on a Shoe String Budget

I've always prided myself on being a frugal traveler. When studying abroad in 2007 I learned to appreciate the value of a discount airlines ticket price. At that time a round trip ticket from the South of France to just about anywhere could be found for about €10 round trip. Those days are mostly gone, but not completely; and while that base value has gone up over the years, I've never stopped looking for those amazing deals. My mother came to visit me in London a few months ago and gave me a challenge. She wanted to pay for the two of us to have a long weekend away together on a budget of $500 US. 

Now, I could break down my trip line item by line item, but let's be honest - the deals I found would be hard to recreate for that exact trip. However, I'll explain how I did it! 

1) Be flexible about the destination. Limit your expectations, but have a set amount to spend, then make the trip fit those limits. 

2) "Window" shop first. In this day and age it is more like webpage troll, but you get the idea. Search for cheap flights, check to get an idea of accommodation prices, see how much activities would cost, what's the average price of food, airport transfers, etc. It’s no good to find a really cheap flight to Norway if eating there breaks the bank.

3) Find Cheap Flights. I mostly use Skyscanner for their "Everywhere" location and flexible "whole month" date options. This provides a view of everywhere to go for cheap! This always helps if flexibility about the location is possible. We only payed $29 each for our round trip flights to Copenhagen. 

4) Pick a place to stay. There are so many different ways to find cheap accommodations these days. Airbnb is affordable for group travel. It is often much cheaper than a budget hotel or hostel. Additionally, there will most likely be access to a kitchen – great for cutting costs by eating in for a few meals. Couch-surfing can also be a good way to stay somewhere for free and live like the locals. Google searches can often bring up hidden gems. I once was planning a trip to Wales but couldn't find a place to stay for a group of 8. I called the places I was most interested in and they were able to recommend me to their friends who did have rooms available. 

5) Understand the public transit systems in advance. It's often cheaper to get a weekend travel pass from the airport. Time and money can be wasted by waiting until the first day of sightseeing to figure that out. Additionally, a pass might not be needed at all if the accommodations are within walking distance to everything on the to-see list. So, do the research and have a transport plan.

6) Don't pay for roaming charges. It's so easy and cheap to get new SIM cards in the local area. Grab one at the airport and be set for the trip. 

So, this is how I planned our trip to Denmark for two with less than $500 dollars. It might take a bit of time with the planning but it's well worth it in the end. 

Drop me a line on this blog if you have questions about a trip you're planning! 

Hello 30!

Anyone who knows me knows that I've been dreading aging since I turned 21. I had a great 21st birthday. I was living in the south of France after spending a month backpacking through the United Kingdom. I had new friends, a carefree non-committal attitude and the weather was still warm outside! On the night of my birthday we returned home from an evening out on the town, I entered my roommate's bedroom crying. When she asked "what's up?" I sobbed "I don't want to turn 22!" 

I somehow toughened up and fell in love with my twenties. So much so that I didn't want to leave them. Yet, I've been negatively anticipating 30 since I turned 28 and I've been actively dreading it since my 29th birthday. As the "big" day drew closer the dread grew. I made myself miserable! I didn't sleep at all the night before my birthday. 

And then all of a sudden I was 30. Just like that. The birthday messages and texts started at 2am and carried on throughout the day. I was showered with gifts and cards and so much love - to the point that I was shaken by how much life I'd overlooked, masked by my dread. I started to reminisce about my twenties. I thought I was fat, looking older, getting grey hairs (that is actually a fact), not successful enough, "behind" my peers. Let's just say I beat myself up. Then I realized my biggest fear with turning 30 wasn't the age, it was the realization that life is speeding up and time is moving faster. I began to think about my twenties differently. I wasn't old or fat or failing. I was a twenty-something figuring it out as I went along. And now I'm a thirty-something figuring it out as I go along.  So, what's the difference between 20s and 30s to me? This time, I don't want to rush, push myself to be something I'm not, or find any other excuse in the book to not love every single day as it comes. 

I want to live my 30s and never take one day for granted. I want to know that I'm not old, 'cause I'm not. And I'm not wrinkled or fat or "behind." I'm just a person in her 30s still figuring it out and I'm okay with that. 

Am I Still Free?

And I'm proud to be an American

Where at least I know I'm Free 

And I won't forget the men who died

To give that right to me 

When I was nine years old we studied American history in the public schools. We talked about how we were formed, how people migrated from all parts of the world, that we fought for our freedom and how our founding fathers wanted this land to be the place people could come to be free from persecution. The text book described America as a "melting pot" and that was a good thing. It said that because we had so many different types of people we were full of many perceptions and opinions and that was what helped us succeed. I remember reading that chapter and feeling proud. I was proud to come from such a remarkable place. I was proud that people wanted to live in this country. I was proud to be American. 

Today I've turned off CNN. I've stopped looking at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. I can't watch. I can't stand all the hate. There's discrimination against Muslims, gays, black people, brown people and on and on the list grows. The hate is so strong we feel we are "right" to kill to protect our views. We've stopped  listening to the other sides of the argument. We've stopped caring for others. It breaks my heart. 

So I have to ask. What is it going to take to let all the pain, fear and hate go? Each time we belittle each other, voice a hateful or discriminatory remark, feel like violence is the only answer and stop listening to others opinions we are forgetting all the men who died to give us the voice that makes us free. 

My mother taught me that I might not always like someone but I have to respect them. When are we going to start teaching how great it is to be a melting pot again? 

Let's stop making excuses, put down the guns, stop pushing our own opinions and start treating people like humans again! You might be surprised who you end up liking. 

The Language of Love

“Hey guys, I want you all to take this test. It’s called The Five Love Languages” my friend announced on a road trip with a few other friends. I’d heard of the test before and even remember begrudgingly taking it for my step-mom during my teenage years. I thought it was one of those cheesy parent things, but as my friend rattled on about all the benefits of understanding how each of us shows and receives love, I started to get curious about my love language.

We all pulled out our phones and started on the 50 or so choices of how we would prefer a friend or partner act. The questions made us choose from different actions. For example, “I would rather spend time with someone doing an activity” or “I love it when someone surprises me with a gift”. Another friend commented “these are hard” which seemed a bit ironic as we were just answering simple questions about our own selves, but in truth, it wasn’t easy.

Unsurprisingly we all score high on the “Quality Time” category. Which we determined is why we must be friends. I actually tied with “Quality Time” with “Acts of Service”. The older I get the more I realize being an adult isn’t all it was once cut out to be. It’s not easy learning to deal with the consequences of your own actions, choices, wishes and desires. It can be even harder to accept the choices of others. It’s these little simple expressions of love that make each day a little easier and even on the hardest days there can be a brief moment where that love can even make the day enjoyable. Sometimes it’s a text from someone you least expect saying they are thinking about you, maybe some random surprise flowers from a lady you work for or a group of friends loading you up on a spontaneous road trip to the country to cheer you up. We all speak the language of love every day, but I think sometimes we just need to be able to hear it and know when we’re being loved.

If you’re curious about how you liked to be loved, then take the test. Check it out here : http://www.5lovelanguages.com/

Oh, Cuba!

Cuba, your landscape is remarkable, your music is full of soul and your people are lovely. You’re complex on so many levels and in all my travels this is the first time I’ve left somewhere completely speechless. It’s actually taken me almost two weeks from leaving to be able to verbalize what I experienced during our almost three weeks on the Cuban shores.

I’ve always wanted to visit Cuba, but being American I always wondered if it would ever be a possibility. This year, with the restrictions softening and the relations improving I decided to take the gamble. Thankfully, the dice rolled in my favour and we boarded a plane the first of June for the North American hemisphere.

We were hit with a humid hot gust of air as we embarked from the plane and walked through the very simple airport. It was clear it hadn’t been updated since it was built and we couldn’t help but comment on how relaxed the security seemed. There were people everywhere and in our dazed state we couldn’t help but be a little overwhelmed. We found our way to the cash exchange which was crowded by at least 50 people, but luckily were able to skip the queue with the decision to take cash from the ATM instead. We later discovered that the cash exchange also served as a bank point for locals, which must have been the cause of the masses. We met our tour guides and were guided to a black and white vintage car. Once inside it we could tell this was no normal 1950s car, as it was fully pimped out with speaker, a bass and very cold air conditioning. We drove through the streets of Havana, seeing a range of different levels of luxury, poverty and general neglect. It was clear the years have taken a toll on what was once a beautiful city. However, that is not to say that it’s not still beautiful; yet the only word I can think to describe so much of Cuba is raw.

We spent the next two weeks exploring it all. We drove approximately 1000 miles in 14 days. We got lost and found our way back on the correct path, we got sick of our music and found the silence of the car to be quite comfortable. We visited cities that remained basically unchanged since the 1800s and drove through the most amazing hills of Vinales. We spent our days on white, sandy beaches with turquoise water and our nights drinking mojitos and watching salsa dancing. We ate some amazing food, rode horses, explored caves, saw more crabs than I thought could be in one place. We stayed in host homes and resorts and on the last day found ourselves in a debate about whether or not we could be Cuban and stay forever. I’d relive every day of it again and not change a thing.

So much is changing in Cuba within the current political climate, which undoubtedly will change the Cuba that we left at the end of June. The thing that strikes me most about the Cuban people was their resourcefulness. There are no grocery stores (as we know them), the ration stores all seemed empty, the cars are all old but still our casa hosts always had a full table of food for us and somehow despite lack of parts and tools the cars are still running! Raul Castro has made many strides to improve the way of life for the Cuban people. There feels to be a new-found freedom within the country as more and more people are starting small businesses and making a better life for themselves. This was my first time to a communist country and I struggle to believe it’s all bad. I also struggle to see how it would ever work effectively. I left Cuban with a deep sense of encouragement that they are embarking on a whole new adventure and I hope that with an open market and exposure to a materialistic world they don’t lose those core values which make them stand out to me. But most of all, I am happy I was able to experience even the smallest part of their new journey. 

Before I Kick the Bucket - Part 2

Five years ago tomorrow I posted my “bucket list” blog. Today I was composing a “Top Priority Trips” list and was reminded of the post. I started this blog about six years ago. I was 23 years old and heading off to graduate school in London, England. I’d lived internationally before and knew what I was getting myself into but I never imagine London would become my home. At 23, I was full of dreams (not that I am not still a dreamer, but I think my dreams are a bit more realistic now), and convinced that I could tackle the world with one quick swoop!

I find myself five years later updating my plans, goals and ambitions. So, dear blog, here’s what is important in the world of travel to 29 year old me.

Europe

Visit Moscow & St. Petersburg, Russia.

Hop on the Tran Serbian railway if the opportunity presents itself

See the Tulip Field in The Netherlands

Visit Chernobyl in the Ukraine

See the Northern Lights

Complete a bike tour of the Cotswolds

Hike the Lake District

Do as many hikes as possible all over the UK!

Visit Isle of Skye in Scotland

The Rest of the World

This list is still being formulated, but here’s the beginning of the short list!

Climb Kilimanjaro. I no longer care how long it takes!

Trek the desert on camel back

Salt Fields

Take a picture with Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Ride through the Panama Canal

Road trip the USA & Canada!

Asia, Australia, South America – yup there too! 

For me, travel is where I determine value. I compare every expenditure to the cost of a trip. To me, I don't see a new iPhone; I see two weekends away, new countries visited, more friends made. And, judging from this list above, it might be a while before I have new clothes hanging in my closet or a new phone in my purse, but this life brings me joy and life is too short not to be lived!    

What I Learned in Egypt

I've always thought I was more opened minded, worked hard not to put people in stereotypical boxes and tried to understand how the other side might think. However coming to Egypt shook a lot of my preconceived perceptions up a little. Even boarding the plane I was suspicious of the Egyptians sitting around me. I found myself wondering if they knew someone in ISIS or maybe we're part of the organisation themselves. I assumed they were speaking about me, the lone "westerner", in hatred tones. While I didn't understand the language I could tell everyone was talking to everyone; strangers and friends. It unnerved me.

I landed and disembarked to find a smiling face holding a sign for me. "You are welcome" he blurted and proceeded to talk and walk me through the visa process with no issues at all. Each Egyptian greeting me with a smile and a big "You are welcome".

As the first few days past we began to relax a bit and it didn't take long before we felt very comfortable and safe in this country. I had gotten it wrong. The general population wants the same thing we do, to stop the people hurting innocent people. They don't understand the motives and don't desire the same goals. They want their country to be successful and prosper. They want to show off their fabulous history to willing intrigued tourists. They mean it when they say "you are welcome".

Even more than that I began to observe how they treated and interacted with each other. Each interaction is full of respect. Class levels appear to be void and while some have more than others there's a sense of genuine care and love for their people and mankind. Overall I found Egyptians to be fun loving and rather chill.

There are always ups and downs to travelling with a tour over figuring it out for yourself. While we chose a tour this time we did lose a bit of exploring the culture in the process, so my perceptions and experiences need to be offered with a disclaimer. I still stand by, we did the right thing in this case to go by tour. We have seen and done more than I ever imagined possible on a nine day trip. We've seen Cairo and the Pyramids, lower Egypt and upper Egypt, and even jumped on a police convey to Abu Simbel near the Sudanese boarder. We received more history and explanation than I ever expected and I wouldn't change a day of it. We still experienced intense bartering in the markets, continuous references to the Western colour of our skin and even a few requests for pictures with us.  Yet we always had our Egyptian guardian angel (aka tour guide) near by to step in if needed. I never once felt threatened or in potential danger. Even in the mist of the chaos I felt the Egyptians would protect me and anyone else from unnecessary evils.

So what's the main take away from my short time in Egypt? The Egyptian people are lovely and deserve no stereotyping. If you're worried about travelling to this land rich with ancient history and culture, don't be. I believe you will find your time here as eye opening as I did.

(For travel tips or recommendations drop me a line!)

Summer in a Nutshell

I blinked and summer is over! I’ve had a wonderful summer full of new experiences and travel adventures. So, let me try to recap from the beginning!

Summer didn’t come as quickly as it left this year in England and Bestie and I were getting a little impatient to start our tans around mid-June. We jumped on the cheapest last minute flight to somewhere South, beachy and hot to find ourselves lounging on a Grand Canary beach with a big glass of Sangria in our hands. Our new favourite beach past time is listening to books on tape. Bestie hooks up Audible to his portable speaker and the time just flies! We worked on our tans during the day and had nice Spanish traditional meals in the evenings. The most exciting evening we found ourselves in the center of a restaurant where the talent for the night was a midget drag show. I had never dreamed of being able to watch a midget “queen” Whitney Houston spoof sniff a fake (I hope) white powder and fall over (pretend) dead on stage. It was quite a show and quite a trip!

Next up, we headed to Iceland! A couple friends from college got married in Reykjavik on the 4^th of July weekend this year and we decided to make a holiday of it. The wedding was beautiful and the after party was an all nighter! The sun (basically) doesn’t set during the summer months in Iceland which can really mess with one’s internal time clock! At 6 am the dance floor was still hopping, but I managed to make it home just in time to change clothes and pick up our rental car for the “holiday” part of the trip – a road trip across the Southern border of the country.

Iceland is amazing! The vast difference in landscape is something worth seeing. In just a 20 mile ride the weather and landscape could go from beautiful green rolling hills filled with wild flowers as far as the eye could see to dark dried lava fields. In many places the road had been cut through the lava and it stood a good six feet above the road. Driving just a little bit further took us to the largest glacier in Europe. It poked out between the mountains and the cloud cover was thick and cold, a vast difference from the sunny summer we’d driven through 30 minutes before. There were hot springs and cold springs, waterfalls and bubbling sink holes, geysers and meals with the local delicacy, WHALE! Yes, I ate whale. It was so good. I’d eat it again. The roads are still not quite up to par for the mass number of tourists now flooding the country all year long, still I feel it gives Iceland a bit of untouched culture. If you ever plan to make the trip yourself , I have one piece of advice : spend the extra money on a 4x4! The trip was fantastic and goes down on my list of places I’ve been as one of my favorite so far.

This is a highway

Largest glacier in Europe

So for the next part of the story I should probably pause to make mention to all the exciting London events which I’ve been able to take a part of over the summer. I attended Royal Ascot and so did the Queen, making it my first royal spotting! Spent the day at a local music festival, Lovebox, listening to top artists and finishing the festival with, none other than, Snoop Dog! Marched at Gay Pride with my fabulous softball club, completed the London Color Run, had a crazy fun night at the Regression Sessions warehouse rave in Vauxhall and dressed as the mom from The Jetsons’ at Rugby 7s, a sporting event where everyone dresses in a ‘fancy’ dress theme set by the event organizers. This year’s theme was galaxy. This is where a special Irish boy entered the story, we will call him WIC (aka White Irish Catholic) for the sake of the blog. I’ll save you all the gushy details but we’ve been chillin’ ever since.

Fabulous hat at Royal Ascot

Mrs. Jetson & MIB at Rugby 7s

It’s because of WIC that I found myself on a flight to Dublin the day we landed from Iceland. We spent a lovely weekend hanging with his friends and even fit in a little bit of tourist fun with a Guinness Factory tour! I must admit I enjoyed Dublin a lot more this time than on my first visit (more than 5 years ago) and I hope we make trips back a regular occurrence.

Next up Bestie and I boarded a plane to Barcelona with four other fun girl friends for a tour of the east coast of Spain. We spent three days touring all Gaudi’s masterpieces, every one of them even more magnificent than the last. 

La Sagrada Familia

Then we boarded a train to Valencia for the highlight of the trip; La Tomatina! La Tomatina is a massive tomato fight which takes place once a year about an hour outside Valencia in Bunol. Approximately 20,000 people crowd into the tiny village street (yes, just one) and around 170,000 tons of tomatoes are dumped for a massive food fight. The festival kicks off with grown men scrambling to the top of a very high, very greased, with lard, pole to get a ham. The whole thing is rather barbaric but hilarious. After the fight there are two options to get clean, either locals bring out water hoses and spray people down or you can head to the river to wash with hundreds of other tomato covered souls. It’s all pretty gross if you think about it and the rashes that covered our bodies for the next few days brought some concern to the germs we might have shared with strangers, but I definitely will be left with a memory that will last forever! We ended the trip in Alicante where we laid in the sun, drank sangria and recovered from the holiday.

Trucks at La Tomatina delivering the tomatoes

La Tomatina 

Next up is Bestie’s 30^th birthday, a wine weekend in South France with the girls, home for a week for a trip to Texas for the Texas A&M verses South Carolina football game, finishing the year off with a Nile river cruise for Christmas and Cairo for New Years, so stay tuned! 

Here's a few more pictures from the summer for your viewing pleasure... 

This is whale! 

Iceland

The Blue Lagoon - Iceland

Hot Springs - Iceland

Marching in the London Gay Pride Parade

The Color Run

La Tomatina Food Fight

Going Paleo

I never thought I’d ever consider a lifestyle change as big as Paleo. To be honest, when I started this post I was only three days into my 30 day challenge. 

About 14 months ago I started noticing some strange symptoms which have just continued to worsen. I’ve been to doctor after doctor and have had test after test but the doctors can’t seem to find an explanation. About a month ago the neurologist said “you might just have to accept that we won’t find a cause and learn to deal with it.”

After that I started reading about different diets and it seems the Paleo diet might just be what I need. Bestie decided to make the change with me and together (OK, him more than me) we've researched how to make this work.

So here’s the play by play of my highs and lows, struggles and victories!

Day 1 : Eggs and sausage for breakfast, 10 mint chocolate cookies for lunch …

Day 1 : Eggs and sausage for breakfast, a kebab for dinner …

Day 1 : No cheats!! Bestie saved the day with a tasty rice-less green curry for dinner. Finally moving on to Day 2!

Day 2 : Am I really this hungry or is it the fact I can’t eat that bread and dipping sauce that’s making me think I am? Eating Paleo approved snacks all day isn’t really cheating, right?

Day 4 : My body is starting to adjust and our meals are getting quite exciting. Dinner last night was a fabulous Asian Beef and Broccoli stir fry and it was amazing! Bestie has been getting up early to make us breakfast and we sit at the table and eat meals together now. The 30 Day challenge encourages you to build a relationship with the food you eat. (This is the best relationship I’ve ever had!)

Day 6 : I went to Bodean’s (the closest thing to Southern BBQ here in London) and came out still on day six. Small victory for me!

Day 7 : My body has started the “detox” stage and it’s not pretty. On the bright side, I’ve never felt so “clean”.

Day 8 : A late night out turned into a stop by the kebab shop. I made it out without breaking my challenge! I might have ordered the most insane combo of items they’ve ever seen, but I stayed true to the course.

Day 9 : The food dreams have started in full force. The book says this could happen. I’ve dreamed of cheating the last three nights and cheating on things I didn’t even know I wanted. I’ve dreamed of pretzels and cauliflower pizza (and that’s only because cheese isn’t allowed in the first 30 days).

Day 10 : I hate healthy food. I’m so over it! Just somebody give me a damn pizza!

Day 11 : Red and I stopped at a Mexican restaurant on the way home from softball and there was literally nothing on the menu I could eat. I had a little chat with the waiter and he had a little chat with the chef who kindly came up with a new dish just for me. As he picked on me for my ridiculous lifestyle he joked “so what can you eat?” Yes, yes – I am THAT girl.

Day 12 : I had to bake cookies and muffins for a work function and I didn’t even lick the bowl. Another small victory! Now, if I can make it through tomorrow without eating the rest of the tasty goods.

Day 13 : I DID IT! All day and not a single sweet. Bestie is out of town on a business trip too so really I could cheat and he’d never even know it – but the guilt would eat me alive, right?

Day 15 : Bestie and I went out for a couple drinks after work and this happened …

“You CHEATED?! I was sat at home being good; not even licking my fingers while you were off on your business trip CHEATING?”
*Disclaimer : I didn't mean to sound like an awkward couple - it was just about the food!

“It was just one fried chicken sandwich! It means now you get a cheat day too”

“That’s not even the way it works and you know it!”

Day 16 : I ate an entire package of bacon in less than 24 hours and lost a pound. Hells yeah.

Day 17 : Bestie and I board the train from Kings Cross to Cambridge for a little day trip and I’ve official; they only eat pasta in this city!

Day 20 : I AM SO SICK OF VEG! How am I only on day 20? Lifestyle change my butt!

Day 23 : I cheated. I hadn’t planned on it but we went to Red Dogs (another legit BBQ spot) and my bread less burger was so disappointed I had to fill up on a brownie too … (oops). I was allowed one cheat day ... right? 

Day 24 : I’ve felt the best I’ve felt in weeks! No dizzy spells today, so maybe it’s actually brownies that I need. Now that’s some food for thought (pun definitely intended).

Day 25 : Food is prepped for the rest of the week, going to get this thing back on track for the next five days!

Day 26 : I ate a burrito. ‘nuff said.

Day 1 …

OK, so maybe the whole Paleo diet isn’t for me, but there are definitely elements of it that make me feel better about my health and my body. Do I think my lifestyle will truly allow for a complete Paleo transformation? Probably not right now. However, I can make myself healthier and this experience has done just that. I have learned to eat and like spinach, cauliflower, mushrooms, tomatoes (OK they still have to be diced), cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potato and much more! While this challenge might be over, my own lifestyle change is just beginning. I’m excited about the new more healthier me!

In case you’re wondering what I’ve been eating over the last month, enjoy some pictures of the meals we’re most proud below.

Cauliflower pizza crust with pesto, spinach and sweet peppers 

Egg, sausage and guacamole sandwiches (yes, those buns really are made from eggs!)

Breakfast of champions!

Bun-less spicy burger with onions, jalapenos, bacon and guacamole 

A Little Admiration

“Good Evening, beautiful ladies,” gushed the waiter, with a thick Eastern European accent, as we slid into the booth, bags flying everywhere. We took longer than it should to  finally settled all our things giving him more ammunition to keep the conversation going. “Do you always carry so many things with you? And that ring. The big ring. Is it for fighting off the boys? Do you like trouble? Do you get into trouble? I bet you are trouble.”

My Girl  friend and my mouths’ dropped as he took our shock and speechless-ness  as an opportunity to continue. “Me, myself, I am a bad boy. I am very naughty. Would you like some drink?”

Girl friend : “Umm, this bottle of white wine please” pointing to the list.  

As he rushed off we looked at each other and wondered “did that really just happen?” He was gone about five minutes when he arrived when the bottle of wine. “Do you like to taste? I bet you like to taste.” By this point Girl friend was giggling, I was still a little uncomfortable and taken aback.  

Me : “Umm, sure I’ll taste”

Waiter : “Yes, yes, it’s very good”

We placed our order and as he fluttered around the restaurant  while  we went on catching up about work, boys and the latest gossip. He popped in occasionally to top up our glasses and comment on our drinking patterns. “You do not seem to be drinking. Is there a little man under the table with a long straw stealing your wine?” Girl friend’s laugh fills the restaurant. He continues “I think you do like trouble. I think you are a naughty girl”

Me : “Us? No … we don’t try to be trouble”

Waiter : “I know women. I study them and the ones that say they aren’t naughty are always the naughtiest”

Girl friend : “Is this really happening?”

Me : “umm”

Waiter : “yes, yes. I love the women. I like to play with the women.”

Girl friend laughs harder.

 Me : “Oh wow … interesting”

Waiter : “I can cook too”

Girl friend : “You can? What do you cook?”

Waiter : “Pasta. So good” as he pushes his fingers together and kisses them.

He holds out his hand, “I’m Raphael. Guess where I’m from?”

We shake his hand.

Waiter : “Oh wow! You have a very confident hand shake.”

Me : “I do?”

Waiter : “Yes. Yes. You are confident. You know what you want and you like to get it. But I think you are also soft inside and care deeply for others”

Girl friend : “Seems pretty spot on”

Me : “Are you a psychic now  too?”

Waiter : “No. I just read people well. So where are you from? America?”

Both of us : “yes”

Waiter : “Guess where I come from?”

Girl friend : “umm … Italy? Turkey? We don’t know just tell us”

Waiter : “Only one more chance! I am Polish. I am from Krakow. You must go? Have you gone?”

Girl friend : “Nope, I want too”

Me : “I’ve been to Poland but not Krakow”

Waiter : “Oh I will take you home to meet my family and  you will love my family. My mother is a good cook. Ok we will go”

Girl friend laughs, “This is moving fast!”

We say thank you for an entertaining meal and ask for the check. We’ll we’re waiting I head to the bathroom and run into him in the hallway. He follows me into the Ladies’ room to show me how “you can hold hands with the mens’ room” (there was a gap connecting the sinks to the two rooms).

Me : “I think I can take it from here .. thanks”

The bill came along with a couple of shots created especially for us, because he is also a master bartender and cocktail creator, and I must admit the idea crossed my mind that they drinks might have been laced with something. We stood over us while we took the drink and then waited for our approval, which we provided, of course!

We held our breath he wouldn’t ask for our numbers or follow us home and laughed at just how absurd and crazy the entire experience seemed to be. The restaurant was wonderful and is even ranked one of the top 100 places to end in London on TripAdvisor. So, if you ever want some free table entertainment and a nice Turkish meal find your way to Kazan near Victoria. Raphael will be waiting to greet you!

Road Trippin’ Wales

Day 1

We started at London Victoria on the dreary Friday morning of Easter weekend. The six of us met about 9 AM to pick up the passenger van we’d rented for the weekend. It took us forever to find the budget car rental company to discover they didn’t actually have the vehicle we’d rented. By 11, it was beginning to feeling like the trip might be off when they loaded us into transfer cars and drove us across London to the only left in the city. After a bit of a battle with the manager and 2 hours after our original planned departure we were crammed in like sardines but on our way! The traffic was horrendous until we reached the Welsh boarder, but then, as if right on cue, the cars disappeared and the clouds parted and we found ourselves excitedly approaching our first stop; Brecon Beacon.

Though daylight was beginning to dwindle we still took the time to make a little pit stop to have a chat with some sheep. I mean, it was Easter weekend after all and they were just so cute!

We made it to Llyn y Fan Fach (or what we pronounced Lynn Fanny Fuk) just before nightfall. We all took some time to enjoy the sincerity of such a beautiful place (also stretch our legs and get some peace from the others)! 

After a few outdoor potty breaks, we crammed back in our six sitter and we were off to find our Bed and Breakfast in Haverfordwest. We arrived about 9 pm and were greeted by a friendly lady with a big smile and lots of area recommendations. We tried to find food in the nearest village but were a bit late so we settled for our van snacks and a pint and then called it an early night.

Day 2

The next morning we awoke early and were fed a full English breakfast (Welsh style) compliments of our host. Then we were off! Up the coast of Western Wales for a day of pit stops and adventure!

We spent a good bit of time in St. David’s exploring the cathedral, climbing through old castle ruins and snacking on ice cream as we strolled through the town. As we continued up the coast we stopped frequently to take a cool photo, walk on the beach or just have a little play on the side of the road side. When we were in the car we found ourselves enthralled with the Audible story and investigation into the Anan Syed’s murder case. Did he do it? Did he not? The debate still continues …

Our lone Brit of the trip gave us a scenic tour we couldn’t have created ourselves and we stopped in his Uni town for a stroll and some food! I wish we could have stayed longer, but we made the most of the break with a stop in the local arcade where I discovered I can’t dance even when I computer is telling me how to do it!

Another ice cream and we were back on the road in search of the place we’d lay our heads for the next two nights!

The caravan park was tucked deep back in the hills. We arrived after dark and as we pulled up to the little farm house at the welcome gate we joked of murders and crime (thanks, Anan!) but, in true Welsh fashion, the family that lived there was lovely and helped us get settled in to our two bedroom, pull our sofa caravan for six (needless to say - we were cozy)! We spent the evening drinking, eating, playing games and genuinely just enjoying each other’s company. As we started to wind down we all bundled up and headed out into the cold night sky to stare up at the stars in the cloudless sky. A prefect end to Day Two of our road tripping adventure!

Day 3

Sunday Morning gave a slow start as we ate breakfast and made our plan for the day. Once again we jammed ourselves in to our little family van but were pleased to find we had a bit more space this time (sans the bags)! We drove past Snowdonia (we didn’t go up), did a little hike (of all the beautiful hiking spots we accidentally picked the one rock ‘farm’ that was actually the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen making for lots of laughs and jokes), explored a few little Wales towns and found ourselves on the beach just in time for the sunset in the perfectly clear sky. Once the sun went down and we found it too chilly to sit on the sand we headed back to our caravan for a little R & R! We’d had had a jam-packed few days!

Day 4

It was about time to head back to London, but who wants a holiday to end? Especially without some kind of big bang! We cleaned up the caravan, loaded up the car and set our sights on flying through the sky at the Zip World adventure.

Then it was back in the car for the drive back to London. We stopped in a little town to eat outside by the river. The weather was amazing the entire weekend and it really felt like a proper English holiday (that was ending way too soon)! On the ride back we danced and sang, finished the Anan story (of course) and delivered the car back to Victoria just as they were closing up shop (ok, they were already closed but we sweet talked a worker into opening back up for us).

I’ve found since living in London my favorite trips are the simplest ones and it’s really the people that make the time amazing. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people who are up for spending a sunny weekend crammed in a car driving around the English coast.

Ten Years Gone By

May marks 10 years since graduating High School and entering the big scary world of adulthood. Sweet reminders have been slipping into my daily life; from the nostalgic comment on an old photo to a random work conversation which triggered the memory of my favorite song in 2005 (Graduation by Vitamin C, of course!). I listened to it on repeat that entire year and yet today I couldn’t even recall the name without Google assistance. However, as the song streamed from YouTube I remembered just how it nailed exactly how my 18 year old self felt as I moved out of my Mom’s house and began to care for myself.

So we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25

So if we get the big jobs and we make the big money
When we look back now, will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be tryna break every single rule?

Will Little Brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can I find a job that won't interfere with my tan?

So here we are, 10 years later, with the answers to the most important questions of the time. Turning 25 felt like a lifetime away, but in reality it came and went just like 26, 27 and currently 28 are doing. We we’re paying bills, our car insurance got cheaper, our parents couldn’t claim us on their taxes, we probably didn’t “get home” as much as we liked and we finally started to realize we aren’t 21 anymore!  

Did we get the big jobs and make the big money? Now we know that’s what you’re thirties are for, right? I know I definitely didn’t find a job that didn’t interfere with my tan. In fact, I moved to a country lacking sunshine and where summer lasts four days on the good years!

I don’t remember even half of what I learned in school, but the life lessons have stuck with me and gotten me here today. The things I placed so much importance on when I was graduating school don’t seem as important. We’ve all gone and made wonderful lives for ourselves. I am consistently amazed at my incredible friends. How is it that we are old enough to buy houses, have babies, be parents? (Obviously I don’t feel I am – but lets be frank – it was always the joke that I would be the one still gallivanting around some foreign city at 30? I wouldn’t want to let anyone down!)  

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there? Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men

We know we can survive it out there and make it somehow, but I think we will always be wondering if we’ll think about tomorrow like we think about now. Personally, I’m looking forward to being able to celebrate the last 10 years and can’t wait to see what the next 10 have in store! 

The Magical World of Running

Step step

Step step

One foot in front of the other

Keep going

A little further, to that bus stop, to the tree, to the mailbox

Weight on toes, Weight on toes

Dang - A heel step!

Step step

Step step

Hello, Good looking!

Big smile

Oh wait … breathe breathe

Damn, stitch!

Deep breath in, deep breath out

Step step

Step step

CAR!!!!!

Step step step step step step

Phew, smile …

I've always hated running. Actually, I've never been very good at sports. I was the kid who tried a new sport every year but despite all my best efforts always warmed the bench. My mother would never let me quit. “You don’t have to do it again next year but you do have to finish what you started this year,” she’d say. So, my poor coaches would be stuck with me for a season. My tennis coach put it best. We were at the end of year banquet and he’d gone around and said nice things about every player. He finally got to me and there was a long pause while you could tell he was really searching for the right words (I’d hit him in the head with the ball accidentally three times throughout the season and most of the time he was a good two or three courts away when it happened!) and said “Dash, you suck but you have a great attitude!”

But over the last few months I've taken up the act of running outdoors and I'm strangely starting to enjoy it. And no, it’s not just the Clapham eye candy that keeps me coming back for more but the ridiculous feeling of accomplishment I feel at the end of a nice long run.

Now, my success rate depends almost completely on whether or not I have a running buddy. I'm learning (for me) running is more of a team sport than I’d ever imagined. I do not have the drive or desire to keep going without a trusted buddy by my side and I'm lucky to have a great few. My drive comes from not wanting to let my buddy down or ruin his or her run. My drive is the fight to not want to be left behind or the jealousy of knowing the person who keeps going will be finished with the task before me. So, when running with a buddy, I keep going. I push a little harder, go a little faster and find a way to escape my body and work on auto pilot. And now I'm starting to understand the appeal of running, the rush and desire to do it again, the addiction to escaping and just doing. It’s a high worth fighting for!

While I've been averaging about 4.5 miles a day, my biggest accomplishment so far was a charity 10K my running buddy and I participated in this past Sunday. It was cold, windy and wet (and the free t-shirt was orange). The course was a 5K loop, so when all the 5K runners were being cheered across the finish line we got to run right by and do it again. The mental game to keep going was a new challenge but we pushed each other onwards. She pulled me through the first loop and I pushed her through the second. Teamwork, I tell you! We managed to cross the finish line at exactly 1:00:42.

While we were not the fastest or the strongest runners on the course we felt a great sense of accomplishment and the desire to find the next run and beat the next time.  Even now, I might never find a desire to run a marathon or even go farther than a 10K, but I am pretty proud that I've tackled my passionate hate for running and crossed over into the land of the people who “get it!” Who knows, I might just call myself a runner one day …