Hey there fellow travel lovers! Life has been flying by ::travel joke:: but I have returned to talk about my next adventure where I’ll be traveling back to ancient times. I’ve called this trip the End of Year, Ancient History Tour. Terribly clever, I know.
In preparation for this trip, I had to do the following:
Obtain a travel visa
Book a plethora of tours from free walking tours (highly recommended) to foodie tours
Look up rideshare availability
Seek out the advice from travelers that have seen the sites that I plan on visiting, for input
So, where am I going, you ask? Because of course you’ve asked.
I am excited to say that I will finally be going to Athens, Greece, Istanbul, Turkey and Budapest, Hungary. These countries have been on my list since I was a youngin so the excitement is REAL. I’ll also make a pitstop in Norway but I’ve been there prior so meh.
This trip could also be called the “she’s very ambitious/crazy/is she going to sleep at any point tour” because the current itinerary draft is about to exceed 3 pages.
A wise woman who once told me, “you’ll sleep when you’re dead” and since then, I’ve tried to soak every minute, during my travels where yes, I’ll need a vacation from my vacation. Those of you who have traveled with me know what I’m talking about. 😉
From early morning walks to mosques to boat rides to sunset tours of ancient ruins to late night vampire castle walkthroughs, this trip is on course to supersede some prior excellent adventures.
So, rock on!
::because I’ll be seeing a lot of rocks / stones, duh::
Upcoming Post: Recap of the “she’s very ambitious/crazy/is she going to sleep at any point tour” highlights and lowlights.
Last year, I hit a milestone. I completed an MBA program (hence the long hibernation from the blog-verse) and as a gift to myself, because who doesn’t love gifting themselves, I took my first solo trip to London.
Meeeeee
Why London? For one, I had been there already and felt comfortable with the area. Second, they speak English so easy peasy nice and what did you call me? Ahlo-govenah!
The itinerary was simple. I know what you’re thinking. “A simple itinerary coming from you? Am I being punked? Where are you, Ashton?” Uh, yeah, I can be basic sometimes. Since I had already done most of the touristy stuff the 1st time (London Eye, Westminster Abbey, obligatory Beatles crosswalk picture…etc.) this time, I wanted to focus on art, food and of course, libations so I did… just that.
Markets = Take my monies
Borough Market
One of the smaller markets but size isn’t everything said no one ever but maybe one person did. The shop stands ranged from cheese (chez!) to paella. Around Borough Market are 2 really great restaurants. Padella (literally next to the market and not to be confused with paella which I just mentioned) offers amazing homemade pasta dishes. Wheatsheaf, a gastropub that has solid bar food and beers. This bar attracts both locals and tourists and has kind of an Irish vibe.
Camden Market
“Tho’ I battle blind,
Love is a fate resigned
Memories mar my mind,
Love is a fate resigned
Over futile odds,
And laughed at by the gods,
And now the final frame,
Love is a losing game.”
Amy Winehouse
Need I say more as far as a reason to go to Camden Market? Aside from the statue of Amy, it’s a regular ol’ flea market. Cheap souvenirs and a Bart Simpson patterned dress ✅ .
Did someone say food?
St. Martin’s Courtyard is home to one of my favorite restaurants in the WORLD: Dishoom. I can eat that Chicken Ruby dish and Roomali Roti bread errryday. Sadly, this location will be closed for 6 months in 2020 for renovations but save your tears! There are other locations. Just prepare yourself to wait in line but it’s well worth the wait. It’s a guaranteed stop for me, anytime I’m in London.
Trending across the world and mainly in the Midwest because, well it’s the Midwest: indoor “cafeteria” style food venues. Mercato Metropolitano houses various bars and food options in one stop as well as live entertainment. It’s not central to tourist attractions (nearest is probably Tate Modern) but if you don’t want restaurant traps ($$$$) and if you can’t make up your mind on 1 restaurant, this would be a good option.
Art
The Tate Modern is your typical modern art museum. Art work responses ranged from “ahhhh” to “oooooooo” to “wtf” so, it hit all the marks. To be or not to be an efficient planner? You can knock this out and the Shakespeare globe since they are near each other.
The “WTF” moment was brought to you in part by….
I’d have to say that the Street Art Tour was a total highlight for me. I got to wander the streets and see some amazing artwork, some of which was commissioned by the city and known apparel brands. I got introduced to Afro-Futurism artwork which I would have otherwise never seen. Basically, learned soooo much about street art vs. graffiti. Totally recommend this!
Obviously, you shan’t go to London without visiting the British Museum. I mean, it literally has the Rosetta Stone. The actual Rosetta Stone.
As a souvenir, I may or may not have gotten some ink down in Lambeth. As one does. But the world will never know and I may or may not love it.
Per usual, London did not disappoint and further proved that this Lady Traveler, can handle it abroad all by herself so – thank you, next.
