A Lady in London

After traveling all over Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East over the past few months, I was excited to get back to London for awhile. But I was still in the travel mentality when I got back to the UK, so when I was invited to stay a night at the Threadneedles hotel in London, I decided to do it. Even if I hadn’t been in a traveling mood, I wouldn’t have passed up a chance to stay at a 5-star boutique hotel in London. Would you?

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My first trip to Iceland took place during the summer. The sun shone 24 hours a day, the sky was clear, and the weather was as warm as it gets in a country with the word “ice” in the name. But Iceland is better known for its long nights than its endless days, and the country’s name is more readily associated with winter than summer. I wanted to go back to compare the two seasons, and I recently got my chance.

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Not many people like Lima. When I told my friends that I was traveling to Peru, they all advised me to skip the capital. From what they said, Lima sounded like a dangerous place with nothing to do and see. But I’ve heard the same thing about other cities, and I’ve never found it to be true. I had a feeling that Lima would impress me. And it did.

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The drive from Lake Titicaca to La Paz, Bolivia is one of the most adventurous I’ve ever experienced. Leaving the town of Copacabana, the road winds through thick green hills and along sapphire waters until it reaches a point where there should be a bridge. But there isn’t. There is only a wide stretch of water with no way to get across. So what did I do?

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London is in a sate of anticipation. In less than three months, the city will host celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which will commemorate her 60 years on the throne. But London isn’t the only place in the United Kingdom with royal connections, and the Queen herself is set to tour many parts of the country in this jubilee year. Following her example, VisitEngland invited me to Brighton over the weekend to explore the city’s royal past and indulge in a way that would make the royals proud.

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One of my favorite ways to spend a sunny afternoon in London is a trip to Borough Market. The farmers’ market under the railway overpass by London Bridge is one of the best places in the city to buy fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bread, baked goods, and even prepared meals. From Thursday to Saturday, the market and its surrounding shops buzz with commerce, conviviality, and—best of all—free samples.

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It’s not every day that I leave London for dinner. The capital is so large that I could spend the rest of my life eating at a different restaurant every night and still not try them all. But every once in awhile there’s a place outside of London that piques my interest, and off I go. Last week it was the new CAU restaurant in Guildford.

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Beirut has been on my list of places to visit for longer than I can remember. The city’s deep and often troubled history, its famous restaurant scene, and its legendary nightlife all lured me to Lebanon. With just over a month left to complete my 90 under 30 Travel Project, I added the country to the list and took off on Friday to travel to Beirut for the weekend.

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I have a rule when I travel: never go to the same place twice. There are so many amazing destinations in the world that it’s a shame to always visit the same ones. I make exceptions for places like Paris and San Francisco, what with the former being my favorite city in the world and the latter being home. Apart from those, I stick to my rule. Well, almost. In January I went to the New Forest for lunch at The Pig and had such a great experience that when I was invited to its sister property, the Lime Wood hotel, I couldn’t pass up the chance to revisit Hampshire.

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There’s a new mall in town. Normally I wouldn’t get excited about something that involves shopping, but when that thing involves food, and I am invited to sample it (all of it), I am willing to lend my attention. That is what happened when I was invited on a restaurant crawl at Boxpark Shoreditch, the world’s first pop-up mall.

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Bangkok is bustling. Spending four days in the serenity of the great temples in Siem Reap and Luang Prabang before heading to Thailand threw the intense urbanity of the country’s main metropolis into stark relief. Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in Southeast Asia, and I was exited to let its energy sweep me up and send me off to explore.

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Everybody loves Laos. I have read innumerable travel blogs extolling the country, its people, and its culture. So after visiting Siem Reap last week, I continued my Southeast Asia travels with a stop in Luang Prabang, Laos’ northern gem.

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Siem Reap is magical. Full of centuries-old temples like the mighty Angkor Wat, the Cambodian city has intrigued me for years. The rich culture and deep history of the area beckoned for so long that this week I finally answered their siren call and traveled to Southeast Asia.

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There’s a new restaurant in town. Everybody’s talking about it. Some people are lining up in the snow for an hour just to try it. It’s called Pitt Cue, and it’s a restaurant in London that serves what just might be the best BBQ outside of the American south.

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I always associate oysters with summertime. Maybe it’s because I love eating oysters outside by California’s Tomales Bay and enjoying them by the sea in England’s Whitstable. But in reality, and in the dead of winter, oysters can easily be enjoyed at any time of year. Like February. After a snowstorm. At The Oyster Shed, a new restaurant on the Thames in the City of London.

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