Dear London, {Day One}

Hello to my new city, it is fine to meet you.
We drove in this morning from the southwest and I navigated us (with a little help from my dad) through the streets, past my new neighborhood, and back to our hotel. This city is hoppin'. It's has a similar feel to New York so far, minus the skyscrapers, wider roads and dirty subways. I think I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

{Leaving our hotel in Amesbury}

 The sculpture man outside our window- we had a butt view.

 Oy, an annoying selfie for the kicks of it.

Now in London!

This hotel is fantastical. It is one of the oldest surviving hotels in all of London, dating back to 1876. Wait until you see the interior..

 Black and white and my love all over.

 My little nest for the next two nights.

 This sink is my dream.

After settling in we set off to the Hyde Park Chapel for a visit, and then into Hyde Park. My dad and I rented the city bikes (Boris bikes) and scooted around the park for a little bit. Man, people are fearless when it comes to path crossing and riding and driving. Things get a little bit crazy!

 I <3 Albert

 Gatsby time

 I ate this delicious feast on the second level of Whole Foods in Kensington. What a delight, that store.

 My inaugural tube ride- I love it.

And here are a few more interior photos I was talking about-

The details I tell you!

I sat in the bar (oh risqué) and a banana smoothie while trying to get the wi-fi (unsuccessful) but a French waiter assisted me and called me Madame so I can't complain. Now I'm in the lobby listening to strange techno while being surrounded by the furniture of my dreams- quite the contradiction.

So far, London, you have made an impression. I may be extremely intimidated, but I think I can get the hang of things. I've never before been in a city where everywhere you look you can find something interesting and his.tor.ic. It's grounding, you know? Knowing the building I'm in has stood the test of time and oh it's late and I think I'll save the rest of my thoughts for later. I think I better jump on the lift and scurry into bed!

With love from London,
Megs

Ode to the English Countryside

Hello from Amesbury!

I'm officially in England. How crazy is this?

I've waited for what seems like ages and bam here I am.

My parents and I flew from Calgary at 7:30 pm on Sunday and we arrived here at 11 am Monday morning. I never really slept on the plane so I was a bit of a grumpy yet grateful sight. I felt better once I had changed and refreshed myself a bit. You can see that the voice in my head is trying to be a bit more British. Out here in the countryside I find myself uber self-conscience whenever I speak! It's like "Oh lookie here, a lousy 'murican."

Let's see if four months here will do the trick.

So after picking up our rental car, and my dad brilliant getting the hang of driving standard and on the left side of the road, (which is WACKYTOWN I tell you) we made it to Highclere Castle, home of my Downton Abbey thoughts and dreams. Tickets were apparently sold out online but they had them at the gate (Along with plenty of 65+ tour groups).

Thus begins my selfies with classically elderly buildings. #oldfamousbuildingselfie

Just me, the servant, lining up to greet the incoming visitor. 

Everyone, the inside was absolutely gorgeous. And guess what? No photography allowed. Good thing there are three full seasons so far of interior footage. My favorite room? The drawing room. The seafoam silk covered walls really do a number on me. One thing I didn't expect was the collection of amazing objects inside. The furniture, namely, are exquisite. There is a desk in there that belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte! There was also a 18th century Chinese tea case, among others. Oh I just loved it. We also got to see the collection of Egyptian artifacts in the basement. Highclere+Me=BFF'S

Today we woke up after sleeping a full night, ate an English breakfast at Harvester's, and drove right on over to the oldest world heritage site that was in the neighborhood.

Hey Stonehenge!

Hah, nice try Megan.

After enjoying our stay and learning some things about ancient ruins, we made it to Salisbury. What a lovely provincial town! (does the term poor provincial town also apply to adorable British towns- or just French ones?) We parked in the car park, walked around and basked in the quaintness of everything, and looked at the market.

My dad entertained himself by looking at the construction sight while my mom and I bought dollhouse furniture.)

We spotted it! The main event!
(Spotting each famous site we come to is like being the first one to see the Matterhorn at Disneyland.)

Everyone, meet your new, best, old gothic friend, the Salisbury Cathedral. What a beaut. 

My parents said they wanted to be memorialized like this too. 

 I also said I would add a statue like this of my father and...

have Jack at his feet. 

We dined at the Greengages Cafe in Salisbury where they had delicious gluten free sandwiches. I had the bacon, brie, and cranberry one.

Afterwards, we drove to Stourhead Garden and took an evening walk.

looking out the grotto

What a lovely first two days of my adventure. I'm so happy to be here! Things are new, sometimes strange, home is far away, but every day is new and exciting so what more could I ask for?

Well, London is tomorrow, so I think that is a perfect request. I'm constantly reminding myself to enjoy the moment. Enjoy and relish each place even though you may be looking forward to the next one more. I'll get the hang of it eventually.

Cheers loves!

MM