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

Florida Nutshell

The last few weeks have been so full. I finally feel like I can sit down to summarize what's been going on now that we've seen all of our family and celebrated new nephews, birthdays and a wedding.

We just finished visiting Florida and are stopped in Memphis on our way back to the Chicago-area. It was great to have two full weeks of summer-like days with my family in Florida. We sweated it out at my sisters' volleyball games and my dad made hamburgers on the grill. I was able to take Kurt for his first Gulf of Mexico experience at St. George Island and it doesn't get much better than big fluffy clouds, just the right amount of sunshine and an empty beach. We built barricades against the waves, tried to dig up crabs and ate at BJ's - one of three restaurants on the island. We waited for the sunset while I showed him around the historic Apalachicola, a place that to me will always speak of seafood festivals and parades.

My dear friend Kaitlyn got married in Destin this past weekend and it was the best way to end our time in Florida. It was such a fun wedding to be part of, not to mention one of the most beautiful I've ever attended. Everything about it was "so Kaitlyn": thoughtful, creative and yet classic and put-together. The best part though was witnessing their love and seeing it translate in every detail. These are photos my sister Lindsey, who was also a bridesmaid, captured. They perfectly capture the joyeous atmosphere and loveliness of the wedding:

This photo by Sarah Ashley Peters

A photo of us from my camera.

Now for finding jobs and a place to call home. :-P

Michaela Rae

Back in the Motherland

This past week has flown by. Here's the scoop: since my last post, we traveled through the sky and landed in Chicago, our home for the next little while. We've been waking up at 4am (thank you jetlag), spending time with Kurt's family and slowly unpacking, reorganizing and repacking our things in Kurt's childhood room. We're staying with his parents for the next couple weeks and then heading down to Florida to see all of my family. We're eager to figure out what we're doing - where we'll work and live - but it's such a blessing to have family who welcomes us, along with all of our stuff, into their homes.

I have to admit, I expected to feel more invigorated upon our return. I thought I'd have a renewed sense of patriotism or something, but I haven't yet. Instead I can't get over how fat Americans are. I am enjoying the summer weather though and rediscovering all of our wedding gifts. And who knows, we haven't been to Cracker Barrel yet, that could change everything. 

Michaela Rae  

Europe Trip, Check!

Yesterday our Europe trip drew to a close and now we're back in our little London flat. There's been lots of hugging and "Oh, we're back!". Kurt even exclaimed, "Look you're making your oatmeal!" this morning. (We're kind of goofy and sentimental.) But thoughts of this being our last three weeks in London are hard to shake. As much as I've discovered I'm not a city girl and that I need a higher percentage of daily sunlight to function properly, I'm going to miss this country. I've learned so much this year and I just feel really grateful for it all. I hope you won't mind more sappy posts in the near future.

I don't want to bomb you with oodles of photos, but I'll share a few from our favorite places on the trip: Salzburg, Southern Bavaria and Switzerland. Generally anywhere with mountains, cute architecture and hearty food. These are the places we'll revisit when we're 70 and can finally travel again.

(instagram: michaelaraej)

Following a massive trip it seems like this post should be longer, but I'm still processing it all. I can say though, I was overtaken by complete awe at how beautiful this earth is and how sweet the people on it are. God really is magnificent and I wanted to belt it from the mountain tops. It was also a great time to reflect on this past year's adventures and how blessed I am. 

Now for mastering the art of savoring our remaining time here while also prepping for our return home. 

Michaela Rae

Hola, Bonjour, Ciao, Hallo...whew!

I meant to have blogged by now, but it's incredible how quickly vacations fly by.

Here's a speedy update: We're in Salzburg, Austria. Already half way through our massive road trip. We began in Barcelona and have visited Southern France and a good portion of Italy since. Nice, France was absolutely breathtaking. I couldn't get over the color of the water, and coming from a Florida girl you can count on that meaning it was pretty amazing. Italy has been my favorite. Rome was overwhelming on many levels (sights, heat, people, prices) but everywhere else is incredible. Simply driving through the country and seeing old towns on every hilltop is fun. And I could drink the coffee all day.

Perhaps the strangest/coolest thing about traveling through Europe is experiencing the huge change from country to country, not only in language, food and architecture but also in landscape. We're doing our best to let it all sink in.

I've been sharing photos through Instagram along the way. You can follow me for more: michaelaraej.

I have the travel bug now, I have it bad. I just want to see more and more!

Michaela Rae

Priorities for Home Arrival

Tonight I've been contemplating going home August 30th and getting excited for all of the things I'm going to do upon my return. Gotta get all of my priorities in line.

In no particular order:

• Hitting up Florida beaches, oh how I long for the sound, smell, heat. 
• Getting my hair did. Next month will be a year since my last cut.
• Texting friends.
• Driving and jamming to Katy Perry.
• Eating at Cracker Barrel and, well, I really shouldn't begin listing places.
• Not having my accent made fun of. (Yes, that's a priority.)
• Getting lost in Target and emerging delusional with 10 bags.
• Complaining about gas prices. 
• Re-opening all of our wedding gifts.

(Obviously, hugging family and friend's is at the top. Didn't even need to list it.)

(And all of these thoughts follow previous sad thoughts about saying goodbye to England and the friends we've come to love.)

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

Adventures in Sweden

I've been MIA because Kurt and I spent six days in Sweden this last week. What a beautiful place! I'm so excited to share photos from our time. The trip was different than most because for one, we stayed with family. Although I haven't spent much time with my aunt Rhonda, uncle Sven and cousin Ellinor over the years (for obvious reasons), staying with them in their pretty Swedish home was like experiencing a little piece of my home. Nearly every wall and coffee table held Florida memorabilia - photos of historic Apalachicola homes, a jar of seashells from St. George Island, even a couple of framed photos by my sister. The trip was also really relaxing. We went on walks by the water and spent time on my aunt's porch, soaking up rays and reading. I found Being Martha on a bookshelf and let myself become thoroughly inspired. I didn't miss the city life at all.

We did explore Norrköping, Söderköping and Stockholm though. Söderköping and Old Town, Stockholm were my favorite. I love cities on water. Söderköping had a river, scattered with sail boats, running through it, and Stockholm spans over 14 islands. They were both pretty magical places. I also couldn't get enough of the Swedish colors and architecture.

I want to share more photos but it's time to get back into the swing of things here in London. I hope you all have had a wonderful week. Adventure on!

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

Spontaneous Oxford Trip

Boy, am I in a happy place. It's only noon on Saturday and my weekend has been so full. Full of little reminders that life is meant to be enjoyed.

Flower fields were to our left and right.

Happy husband

Kurt and I made a spontaneous trip to Oxford yesterday. We rented a car just for the day and hit the open road. It's been rainy the last few days but we didn't let that stop us. We even managed to roll the windows down between showers. Road trips are one of our favorite past times and we've ached for them here.

We visited the house C.S. Lewis lived in and his grave site, took soppy photos in front like proper tourists should. As strange as I often think visiting grave sites is, it was actually a neat experience. I think it's healthy to reflect on death and the life we hope to "leave" behind, and it's an understatement to say that the life Lewis lived is inspirational. Later, we ate dinner with a friend and went to a debate between a student and college professor over God's existence. Debates always make for an interesting Friday night. ;-)

As if Oxford wasn't fun enough, this morning I had breakfast with friends at Le Pain Quotidien (luh paN koh-ti-dyaN, ha!) in Wimbledon Village. I so wish I'd taken my camera. The restaurant was amazing, cozy yet modern and bright. I had organic porridge with honey and bananas. *sigh* I'll be going back.

I hope you all are enjoying the little things this weekend. Because, as my god-father likes to say, life is an continuous opportunity for wonder and fun.

Michaela Rae