"love"

A few months ago I wrote a post entitled “Just Not My Type: The Places I Didn’t Love”. It was fairly well-recieved, in that I think people like to read not only about all the amazing and beautiful places others love, but also about the places they… didn’t love as much. None of us are going to be completely besotted with each country or city or place we visit, and that’s totally ok. In fact, it’s more than ok – it’s great. If we all loved the same places, they’d get very crowded. Besides, variety is the spice of life. And so on. You get me.

That being said, there are a few countries that, whenever I think of them, I know I haven’t done them justice yet. Some I’ve spent a few days in, some I’ve spent a few weeks in, but for whatever reason, I just feel as though I need to go back and do some more exploring.

Were you wondering how to look like a tourist while in London? Never fear, I have created a guide for you so that you can figure out exactly how to act when you visit the Big Smoke.*

1. Walk very, very slowly on the sidewalk, er, pavement. Londoners are never in any rush, especially around Liverpool Street, Bank, The Strand, or any other financial district. Bonus points if your group takes up the entire pavement, making it impossible to pass you without stepping into the busy street.

2. Speak very loudly on the subway, er, tube. Why do Londoners all speak in a whisper on the tube?! So weird. Also, making conversation with the people next to you is welcomed and expected.

Blogstock, according to their website, is “a place for pioneering new bloggers, established veterans, vloggers, YouTubers, foodies, tech-heads, travel addicts, and social media junkies to meet, learn, experience, and party”.

I attended last year on behalf of my job at Expedia, and I had a great time attending the talks, meeting new people, and hanging out with my friends. Blogstock 2014 got rave reviews. And this year, for Blogstock 2015… I’m speaking at the festival! Keep reading to find out what I’ll be speaking about…

Last weekend, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, I put on one last swipe of lipstick, grabbed my purse, and locked the door behind me. It was just before 3am, and the streets around my flat in East London were fairly empty, save the lights from passing traffic. A group of people speaking Spanish, their night winding down, walked down the sidewalk laughing and talking. I walked to the bus stop and stood next to a man smoking a cigarette and looking at his phone. The bus pulled up a few minutes later, and I got on board, taking a seat at the back.

I was on my way to the Victoria and Albert Museum, one of my favourites in the city. I have been many times in the past, and my most memorable visit had been in 2013 to see the David Bowie exhibit. It was strange, taking the bus to the museum at such an ungodly hour of the night. Nearly everyone else on the bus seemed like they were going home, their journey ending. Mine was just beginning, on my way to see Savage Beauty, the showcase of Alexander McQueen’s work.

Yeah, I’m going to get straight to the point here – this post is purely to showcase these pretty photos of bicycles in Aarhus, Denmark. I visited Aarhus at the end of June and I absolutely loved it; not only is it a beautiful city, it’s full of warm people and fun things to do. It’s also full of bicycles, and I do love a good photo of a bicycle.

The phrase “summer reads” gets thrown around a lot – I guess because summer implies sitting around in a garden sipping lemonade with a good book. Or sitting on the beach sipping a margarita with a great book (much better scenario, really). And while summer has already started long ago, it’s never too late to delve into a big old pile of books… right? Here are a few books I’ve read lately and can recommend, along with some books I’m eager to read this summer.