The Very Best of London | according to me

Having lived in London for a year, I often find it hard to sum up what I'd do if I had one week in the city. London is amazing and there's just so much to see and do. After some thought though, I've come up with my top recommendations. A lot of websites will fill you in on the popular tourist attractions, but here are my personal, perhaps less well-known, favorites. If I could go back today, you'd find me doing one of these.

+ Walk along the Thames at night. The city can be surprisingly quiet on a week night and there are twinkle lights and benches along the way, it's the perfect refresher after a long day of sight seeing.

+ Go to church. You heard me! Pick a huge, beautiful church and attend a service. Not only is this a free way to see churches like Westminster and St. Paul's, but it's an awesome way to experience a bit of English culture and see incredible architecture.

+ Go to market. Borough Market is a must if you're craving a taste of British and/or other ethnic foods. It's the most renown food market in all of England and it won't disappoint. Covent Garden is one of my favorite spots with live music, food and plenty of booths for buying a souvenir. You can learn more about London's markets here.

+ Relish Primrose Bakery. A couple blocks from Covent Garden sits the little Primrose Bakery. If you follow my blog and/or Instagram, you've probably heard me talk about it. This place is perfect for a traditional cup of tea and a delicious cupcake or two (raspberry coconut, amazing). I kind of feel like it's a hidden gem, but then again, the three tables inside are often full.

+ Enjoy a park. Everyone's heard of Hide Park, but my favorites are Regent's and Green Park (right next to Buckingham palace). And if you happen to be in Wimbledon, my haven, Cannizaro Park. In spring or autumn these parks are bursting with life - their beautiful trees and lawns just beckon for a stroll or picnic. You can find out more about London parks here.

+ Finally, if you have the opportunity, venture outside of the city! The rolling English countryside is one of a kind and a day trip to Bath, Oxford or Dover is well worth it. Some of my favorite memories are the Roman Baths, Jane Austen's home and having a pint at The Eagle and Child, where C.S. Lewis frequented. Coach tickets are cheap and there are always several time options for every day.

So there you have it, somewhat of a nut shell of how I'd spend my time if I had one week in London.  Of course, if you can manage a year, I highly recommend it. ;-)

Michaela Rae

Last Weekend in England

Our last weekend in the UK has come and gone and now it's really starting to sink in. We spent it right though, no doubt. 

Saturday we decided to venture back to a place we visited in January, Richmond upon Thames. Only this time everything was green, we weren't freezing our tushes off and we had a pleasant familiar feeling walking down the streets and along the river. We ate a typical British lunch by the Thames and then walked seven miles through Richmond Park and the Wimbledon Common back to our flat, just like last time. Except we got rained on, but we didn't care. It was perfect.

London skyline

Yesterday we went to our last church service and then spent the afternoon at Cannizaro Park for a picnic and games with friends. The weather was beautiful and it was so relaxing. We also had our last guest stay with us this weekend in our spare room. That room's been such a blessing this past year. I can't wait to have a new place in Chicago that we can share with people - hopefully with friends we've made here.

Last week I was freaking out a bit at the thought of leaving, but after this weekend I feel at peace and ready for the next leap. 

Michaela Rae

Independence Day, in Britain

Today felt very much like my Thanksgiving last year.

Though my eyes were particularly peeled for red, white and blue, I mainly saw them on a flag of a very different sort. There weren't any fireworks or piles of watermelon rhine, and a fish-out-of-water feeling accompanied me.

But, like Thanksgiving, Kurt and I had one huge blessing: friends from home. I love how it's happened twice now. American friends on American holidays, it's a sweet thing, as trivial as it may seem.

Matt and Julia are special to us for many reasons but what makes our friendship especially fun and unique is that we've been able to share in similar life seasons. We attended the same small church in Whittier, CA for a year and were also engaged at the same time and married within a couple months of each other. It's been fun catching up and sharing first-year-of-marriage stories, jokes and encouragement.

We got Nando's tonight for the 4th (the American BBQ restaurants were booked up) and then Kurt and I saw the new Spiderman movie, which felt like a very American thing to do. All in all, it's been a good (yet void of watermelon) Independence Day.

I hope you're enjoying it too, wherever you are!

I linked this post up to Try New Adventures Thursday. You can link yours up too. :-)

Michaela Rae

Lake District & Scotland

It's been long enough since I updated, but I have good reason and exciting news to share as well.

As for the good reason, Kurt and I decided to make a spontaneous trip up north to explore the Lake District and Scotland. We're increasingly aware of how quickly our time here's dwindling so squeezing in adventures whenever possible is a must.

I'd become pretty disenchanted with England over the last couple months. It boiled down to being sick of city life and longing for some place to call home. Having to leave my aunt's peaceful back porch and being detained for two hours at the UK border didn't help either. This trip won me back a little, though. The Highlands are beautiful and Scotland is magical...almost as magical as Ireland. We stayed in a cute lodge in the middle of green sloping farm-land, walked along Hadrain's wall and looked for Nessie at Loch Ness.

Like most road trips (please tell me my family isn't the exception) we had some not-so-planned experiences too. First, on our way home, we got caught in severe flooding. Thankfully our little rental car didn't succumb to being stranded in thigh-high water, like some. But we were delayed over three hours. I'd wanted to make it to what was Mr. Darcy's house in the new Pride and Prejudice film before night fall. This didn't happen, but we were still determined to sneak a peak. We parked on the side of the road and ran up a sheep-speckled hill to see the house. In less than five minutes we saw cop cars and flashlights. Unbeknownst to us, the Olympic Torch was to go through on the road the next day. Our parking was highly suspicious stuff and mainly this was the biggest responsibility the cops had ever been given. It was half comical, half a pain in the butt, but we got to sit in the cop car and in the end they even directed us to the best spot to see the house.

As for the big news I mentioned above, today we booked one-way tickets to the States! August 30th is the date. I know leaving will be bitter-sweet, but right now I'm just focusing on the sweetness. By golly, I have two new nephews to meet!! This year I've learned that life goes on, with or without me around, and I'd prefer to be around. So here we go, another transition, more adventure. I'll keep you all posted.

How have you all been? I've been out of the blogging-loop for some time now, do fill me in. ;-)

Michaela Rae

A Jubilant Jubilee Weekend

It's been a fun Jubilee weekend. First off, I admit, we didn't go to any Jubilee events, but I've still genuinely enjoyed the patriotic spirit and cute flag draped homes. Originally we wanted to try and catch a glimpse of the royal family today, but the weather was cold and very wet. We opted for a day in with friends for lunch and church life group that we host. Besides, yesterday we got our share of crowds at one amazing Coldplay concert. Remember that anniversary surprise I had up my sleeve? Well, those were the tickets, and I successfully surprised him. They seriously put on an awesome show, complete with confetti, huge balloons, fireworks, and colorful-rhythmic-flashing bracelets for everyone in the crowd.

I wanted to quickly say thank you to everyone who's been leaving thoughtful comments (and Facebook messages) on my more recent blog posts. I know I haven't responded to each of them individually, but I really appreciate the encouragement you've offered. I decided awhile back to open up a bit more on this blog, and I haven't regretted it. It's so uplifting to know that you're willing to not only read my posts, but to also offer support as well.

Michaela Rae

Victoria's Visit to London in Pictures

The last 10 days have been manic, but in the best way possible. Now Victoria's on her flight back to Florida and I'm reliving the fun times we had.

Covent Garden all decked out for the Queen's Jubilee. 

Kurt came with us to Stonehenge and Bath.

Our favorite spot, Primrose Bakery.

My coconut and lime cupcake.

Sex Tips For Husbands and Wives from 1894

Anniversary "calligraphy" at Jane Austen's house.

It was sunny and warm every single day of her visit, which was really kind of ironic. I think she brought the weather with her because today it's overcast again. I loved the weather, but I think she was a little disappointed that she didn't get the true British experience. 

Kurt and I intentionally waited to do several touristy things so when friends visit we could do them for the first time with them, it made exploring London with Victoria a lot of fun. We even made a trip to Jane Austen's house in Chawton, Stonehenge and Bath. Which I think was all of our favorite day. 

I think having Victoria visit will help hold me over until we get back home. Seeing friends has a way of doing that. We especially had so many good talks and proper girl time; I doubt I'll be throwing myself anymore pity parties for awhile. In fact, I feel more excited and ready for our summer adventures now.

I hope you all are having a great week!

Michaela Rae

Sharing London

This week I'm a London tourist again with my dear friend Victoria. She arrived from Florida on Tuesday and we've been traipsing all around and taking way too many pictures. And I'm pleased to say, we even saw the back of the Queen's head as she exited Buckingham Palace in a horse drawn carriage. No big deal. The city is looking so patriotic and festive this week, everyone is gearing up for the Diamond Jubilee. I love it!

It's a lot of fun showing someone from back home all the things I've grown to love here. Victoria notices all of the same things I noticed when we first arrived here, like the cute little kids following their parents on scooters and the obvious driving on the wrong side of the road. Most of all though, it's just nice to be in the presence of someone who knows me from somewhere else. Someone who's seen me in a different context and that I don't feel like I have to explain as much about myself to. I can relax a little more and let my Southern roots shine.

I wish friends from home could visit me every week; they help me remember that I'm known and loved.

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you're enjoying some awesome adventure this week.



Michaela Rae

5 Tasty "British" Things

I'm frequently asked which US foods I miss and what awesome food discoveries I've made, so today I want to share about that.

I was happy to learn that I can find most things that we have back home, they just might be by a different brand (or the same one with a different name, ex. Lays = Walkers) or be called something different (ex. Cilantro = Coriander). When we first arrived here I'd spend thirty minutes on one food aisle frantically using google to make sense of what I saw. Eventually I caught on though. I think it's more true that we've discovered new food/drinks to fall in love with than really had to mourn the loss of others. Here are five of my favorites!

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1. Flapjack, a chewy oat bar (not pancake) is one of my favorite snacks. They kind of reminds me of Quaker granola bars but are thicker and more sweet; I especially like the ones with cranberries. I tried a recipe a few weeks ago but it came out very flat and hard. They're supposed to be really easy to make, don't know what that says about my baking skills. ;) I'll try a different recipe and if it succeeds share it with you all.

2. Innocent Real Fruit Smoothies, smoothie drinks seem a bigger deal in Britain, and I'm perfectly fine with that. This brand is so good, plus I love all the healthy tid-bits they put on the cartons.

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3. Tarts, I always find myself wandering down the aisle stocked high with tarts. And without fail, I'm drawn to the lemon and cherry bakewell ones. (Thankfully I rarely give in.) Again, I tried making my own lemon tart but the pastry cracked (I don't have a tart baking dish) and the lemon curd went all over my oven. If only you knew how many baking disasters I had, you'd have a new found appreciation for my recipe posts.

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4. Cider is delicious! I especially love Rekorderlig, a Swedish cider. I've been told that cider's considered the poor man's drink because it's cheap, but hey, I'll be labelled poor if it means I can have a glass of Mango Raspberry Rekorderlig. I've only seen a couple Rekorderling flavors here, so I'm excited to try others when we visit Sweden next month. I also like Bulmers, Savanna Dry (thanks Rachie dV) and Kopparberg, none of which are actually British, funnily enough.

5. Off-brand Nutella. You mean I can pay £1 and a few pence for a jar of creamy hazelnut chocolate bliss? I must be in the right place.

Besides the obvious ChickfilA, Moe's and Cracker Barrel cravings, I have missed Oikos greek yogurt, hazelnut coffee creamer (and coffee creamers in general) and canned pumpkin. The lack of coffee creamer was the first thing I discovered when we moved here. There's really no such thing since milk is used in coffee instead. Light double cream has been my substitution though and Carnation Evaporated Milk is my back up. And you might remember me raving over the holidays about there not being readily accessable canned pumpkin. Thankfully, I discovered making my own isn't so difficult. Other than these three things, I can't think of anything else that I miss. Obviously, England is treating us well in the food department!

I'm linking up at Alycia's blog the Crowley Party for the first time today! I recently found her blog and have been enjoying it.



Michaela Rae

A Peek into April

Sometimes a week flies by and all you have to show for it are Instagram photos (michaelaraej).

When I haven't been lost in Panem this past week, I've been taking long walks to soak up the slow (London likes holding on to its winters) change of the season. We also had friends from SoCal visit last weekend; it was so great to see familiar faces. Rachel was one of my housemates the year before Kurt and I got married, and her boyfriend, Josh, took our engagement photos. We stayed in central London with them in a beautiful flat that belongs to Rachel's grandparents. It was like a mini getaway in our own city. I love finding new ways to experience London and this was definitely one. We stayed literally right down the street from Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. I loved walking out of the flat each morning and seeing them. We felt so refreshed after spending time with friends and I think we're ready to take on these last 5 months in London.

I hope to get back into the swing of blogging this week but I have to be honest, I haven't felt like spending much time on my laptop recently and blogging's no fun when it feels forced. But I do have a couple recipes in mind that I'd like to share soon and I'm going to start carrying my camera around more to capture Spring in London. 

How was your Easter? I've loved seeing all the blog posts in my feed about taking time off and visiting family.  

Michaela Rae

Six Months in England | Things I've Learned

Happy March everyone!

Where I grew up, March meant spring, but this year I'm in England and March means we're half-way through our adventures here. It's hard to believe that six months ago I was building my first winter wardrobe, relishing my last southern American meal and cramming a years worth of belongings into four suitcases.

Now it's a balancing game with trying to live in the present, embracing our experience here, while also thinking on the future and what things will look like in another half year. Where we'll live and work back in the US is still up in the air, but we're trusting God and are mostly excited to see what happens.

A few things I've learned these last six months

Writing letters is one of the best forms of communication.
Letters used to be one of the only ways of long-distance communication, but now they signify much more: extra thought, time and money spent. Something that in our go-go society isn't prized much.

Food here goes bad quickly, American food must be loaded with preservatives.
We're always racing to eat our bread loafs and dairy products before little growths appear. It makes me question what exactly I've been eating back home.

I'm impressionable and assimilate especially well to accents.
Even the girls I work with tell me I'm starting to sound British. They love my American accent though and urge me to return to my roots. But I aint gunna fool no body, I'm Amurican.

Which teas milk does and doesn't belong with and what my tea/milk "color" is.
My sweet Church friends put together a high tea for me a few weeks ago. They taught me that milk never belongs in herbal teas and rarely in flavored ones. And I've discovered just how much milk I like.

Life situations change and with them friendships.
Moving has made some friendships closer and others less-close or just different than before. I'm learning to accept it and realize the benefits of it. And it's good to be out of my relational comfort zone and learn to build new relationships.

Trips to a park must be frequent otherwise I go a little cuckoo.
Stars, the sound of birds and rustle of trees are increasing in value to me. Living in LA and especially now, I've learned that without them I more easily loose sight of the big-picture perspective in life. They remind me how small I am and how big my Savior is. Guess I don't make the best city girl.

The average Brit knows more about baking than the average American.
I admire the basic baking knowledge people seem to have here - the result of less Jiffy, pancake, brownie and cake mixes I guess. It's also encouraged me shut my mouth and just listen when baking is the topic of conversation.

How to read a 24 hour clock.
With clocks programmed to 24 hours, it's taken awhile to adjust to reading the time at work. But now I know that 15 is 3pm and 21, 9pm and so on. I don't have to count as much now.

The entire UK is roughly the size of the state of Michigan.
This country is really small compared to the US. It's a funny thing to wrap your mind around. It helps me realize why people in London seem more cultured (they've traveled much of Europe) and people in the States are less so (they're content traveling the US instead of outside it - there's lots to see).

Michaela Rae

Link up your Thursday adventures at Alicia's Homemaking.

Operation Replant Daffodils

It's hard to get around to blogging some weeks, but I suppose that's a good thing. For me it normally means I'm busy enjoying life. That was certainly the case this past weekend.

I worked Saturday but then enjoyed a huge home cooked meal and game night with friends. Sunday I had the day off and after church Kurt and I made lunch, took a nap and then went for a walk up to the Wimbledon Common and Cannizaro Park. We were on a little mission to replant some mini daffodils I'd been given that had outgrown their pot. I felt like such a hippy sneaking through the Common with Kurt trying to find the perfect place to make their home.

Yes we used a ladle!

Home at last

So many sweet things happened last week too, as I mentioned, my best friend had her baby. And Friday morning I found out that my sweet former roommate Kaitlyn in college got engaged (check out her blog and awesome ring)! I was a melty-mess on Friday. I cherish the deep friendships I have with girls like these. I was flooded with so much joy for their new life seasons and also with sadness for not being able to celebrate with them. It's hard when life situations and friendships change, but it also makes you appreciate them more. 

Before I go, here's a question for the married ladies in the house: what have you done with your dress? Are you going to hang onto it forever? Pass it on to your future daughters? Or sell it? Initially I thought I'd keep mine until I have kids - it'd be cool if they wanted to wear it again, but no pressure. But this weekend I've been reconsidering. I mean, I could make some bucks off this thing!

Michaela Rae