Looking Forward: 2017

2016 was a year full of international travel: Bali for my big 3-0, Tulum for Jason's birthday, Ireland and London. We started the year with some downs (mainly Tahoe and annoyances in Bali), but more than made up for it from February on with some amazing trips. 

We had such a great time exploring Russian River with our best travel pals, eating our way through Boston, having a cousin catch-up in Portland, going on a doggie trip to New Orleans and taking a quick trip to St. Louis to visit family. It was also great to visit Texas Hill Country a few times for a bachelorette and a wedding!

Overall, 2016 was great to us and we're well underway with the planning for 2017. We're hoping to make our annual trip out to Northern California wine country, visit the San Juan Islands, and head back to Portland for family wedding festivities! If we're lucky, we might be able to fit in a few weekends trips around the US as well.

For our "big trips", we jumped on a CRAZY deal to Hong Kong in April and we will also be heading back to England to explore more of the countryside (The Cotswolds, Cornwall, Dorset) and spend a few days in London in August. At the end of that trip, we'll head to Innsbruck, Austria for a few days of alpine adventure!

We never stop being thankful for this incredible opportunity to travel, explore and expand our thinking. We are truly better people for the experience. Thanks SWA!

London {Camden, Winter Wonderland & Sketch Tea}

Our last day in London began with a quick tube to Baker Street. We got a glimpse of the famous consulting detective's house and then walked across the street to Regents Park. Everyone was out enjoying the beautiful, crisp weather. The football and rugby fields were packed!

We walked along the canal all the way into Camden Market. This was such a fun and eclectic place with tons of food stalls lining the locks. I chose a bulgogi burrito and Jason had a Japanese tonkatsu curry sandwich. We split some halloumi cheese fries as well - YUM! There were so many interesting shops to peak into, amazing street art and the locks themselves were beautiful. We spent a few hours here just walking around!

Being the Sherlock nerd I am, I wanted to get see where 221B is filmed (on North Gower and not Baker Street). Sadly, we couldn't grab a cuppa at Speedy's because it is closed on Sundays, but we still got to see BBC Sherlock's Baker Street!

After a quick tube ride to Piccadilly Circus, we decided to check out the Liberty London department store. It was all decked out for Christmas and super charming, but the prices were a little too rich for our blood. We wandered down the street to a little pub where we had a few drinks to warm up!

I had made us reservations that afternoon for a champagne Christmas Tea at Sketch. This is definitely an instagram-famous place, but it lived up the to hype! I loved the decor in the various themed rooms, the Christmas trees and snow all throughout the lobby and the spaceship inspired bathrooms. The food was delicious and I SO wanted to bring the entire tea-set home with me as well. It's a bit pricey, but definitely worth it!

Our evening ended with a quick glimpse at the Harrod's Christmas lights (we couldn't go in because it was closed!) and a walk around the Christmas Markets in Hyde Park. It was a whole spectacle - German-style biergartens, carnival rides, arts & crafts, and MULLED WINE! We grabbed ourselves some bratwursts and wine and took in the atmosphere. It was fun, but we were exhausted after our whirlwind tour of London, so we called it a night.

The next morning, we had a quick breakfast at our hotel before we had to leave for Heathrow to catch our return flight. We even got lucky and had two seats together in our own row! It was a wonderful Thanksgiving trip and, like I've said, we're in love with London. We have a trip planned already for next Fall, but London is one of those places that I know we'll return to again and again for the rest of our lives.

London {Notting Hill, Borough Market & Somerset House Skating}

We were lucky enough to be in London on a Satuday, when all of the wonderful markets were open. We caught a quick bus from St. Ermin's to Notting Hill and spent hours perusing the antiques and knick-knacks along Portobello Road Market. The weather was fantastic, so it was absolutely packed on the streets. I had printed out a little self-guided walking tour of the area as well because I wanted to see Notting Hill in all of it's adorable cuteness.

Our lunch stop was all the way across town at Borough Market. If we thought Portobello Market was packed...holy cow, everyone was out at Borough Market! We grabbed some yummy fish and chips at Fish! Kitchen, a meat sandwich from Hobbs Meat Roast and some mulled wine and took a walk to catch a glimpse of Tower Bridge.

We walked all along the Queen's Walk on the Thames from the Globe Theatre to the Tate Modern. The Harry Potter nerds in us HAD to walk over the Millennium Bridge and combination of the chilly air, musicians and the smells of roasted nuts made it feel like Christmas. At the base of the bridge there was a Christmas Market as well! We spent a few hours exploring the Tate Modern. While there were a few great pieces, I just don't think we are modern art people. I did love the Andy Warhol and the Guerrilla Girls section!

After a little pick-me-up at the museum's cafe, we went to grab a quick ramen dinner at Wagamama. We had exciting plans though, so we couldn't linger long. I had booked us a 6:45pm timeslot for iceskating at Somerset House! This sold out over a month in advance, so I would absolutely advise getting tickets as soon as your know your plans.

This was probably the best thing we did on our entire trip. We had an hour long skate in the middle of a beautiful courtyard. The whole event is sponsored by Fortnum and Mason, so the tree was decked out accordingly. They even had a little Christmas village set up inside with plenty of goodies for purchase.

Press play below to watch a little video of our skate!

After a fabulous day, we headed back to our hotel for a nightcap (or two) and called it a night!

Up Next: Our last day in London. We walked around Regent Park, Camden Market, saw all things Sherlock, had a delicious high tea at Sketch and ended our trip with Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.