Category: travel

Although we only spent a day in Cascais, it is absolutely worth a trip of its own or even basing yourself from when exploring the region. We had no idea there was so much to do and see or that we would like it so much. You can see it all in a day, but it would also be nice to spend a weekend or even a week exploring.

We considered spending the night, but I wasn’t super impressed by any of the accommodation available. There are however some cute airbnbs on offer. So if you’re looking for a place to stay, use this link for $40 off your first airbnb stay plus $15 to use toward an experience worth $50 or more!

EXPLORE THE OLD TOWN

Even though we weren’t staying in town, we somehow still arrived before anyone else had woken up and had the pretty streets to ourselves. Of course, we had to wait until later in the day to stop into the cute shops when they were open.

TOUR THE LIGHTHOUSE MUSEUM

The architecture of this museum is really what made it stand out for me. I would have loved to see the view from the top of the lighthouse, but unfortunately you can only climb the tower on certain days of the week.

SEE THE CASA DE SANTA MARIA

Entrance to this house was included with our tickets to the lighthouse museum, so we thought we might as well check it out. Not expecting much based on the exterior, I was blown away by the gorgeous azulejos inside. Maybe it was the element of surprise, maybe it was the friendly staff, but this turned out to be my favorite stop of the entire trip.

VISIT THE CONDES DE CASTRO GUIMARÃES MUSEUM

Even without paying to see the inside, this museum was fun to walk around. Chickens and peacocks roam the property and there are plenty of pretty architectural details to see on the exterior of the buildings. For only 4€ though, I wish we had gone inside!

WALK OR BIKE TO BOCA DO INFERNO

Literally meaning the Jaws of Hell, waves crashing against the rocky opening to this cliffside chasm help explain how this particular natural site was named. We walked out to see it during the day, but it would be an amazing spot to watch the sunset too. It’s also totally free to see!

RELAX ON THE BEACH

Cascais has a few different beaches along their little stretch of coastline separated by rocky outcrops. We found one right outside the train station to hang out while we waited to head back to Lisbon. But Praia da Rainha is my personal favorite because it’s the smallest and nicest looking.

STAY FOR SUNSET

We didn’t have time to watch the sunset over the pretty little harbor near the lighthouse, but I’m betting it would have been lovely. I’d love to see the lighthouse in operation once the sun goes down.

 

East London has been our favorite part of the city since we first discovered it thanks to one of our extremely cool friends. One of the greatest aspects of living so close to London is discovering and trying new things–something East London is all about. That being said, this guide is definitely not exhaustive as new places are opening all the time. But it’s a good place to start if you are looking for some ideas about how to spend a couple days in the coolest part of London.

SEE & DO

Columbia Road Flower Market | Only open on Sundays, this market is an amazing resource for plants and cut flowers. Even if I don’t plan on bringing anything home, it’s still fun to look. And all along the street where the market is held are little independent shops you can stop by if you want to get out of the shuffle of the market.

The Geffrye Museum | This is a free museum about domestic life in England that is almost never crowded and a nice place to escape the busy streets for a bit. I love visiting at Christmas, when each room is set up to reflect a different time period of holiday decor. But it’s also lovely in autumn when all the vines growing outside have changed color.

Brick Lane Market | One of our absolute favorite things to do in East London is vintage shopping on Brick Lane. Some of the vendors are overpriced, but the stuff is curated well and you can get some good deals. If vintage isn’t your thing, there’s also loads of food and a craft market around the corner.

Old Spitalfields Market | A close second to Brick Lane, everyday is a different market at Spitalfields. Check out their website (linked above) to see what they have going on!

Street Art Walking Tour | We’ve never been on an actual tour of the street art in Shoreditch, but I linked one above because I’ve heard really good things! Either way, it’s fun to walk around with an observant eye, looking out for all the art this area has to offer.

Junkyard Golf | An excellent night out mini golfing on Brick Lane. It’s not too expensive and super fun with a group. There are multiple bars inside and even a bar halfway through each course.

EAT

Before I go into this list, I should say that on most of our trips into East London, we don’t sit down for a meal at all. We usually just grab food from one of the vendors on Brick Lane or Spitalfields.

Lyle’s | British modern food in a light industrial space. For all our time spent in East London, this was probably the best meal we ever had. Quite expensive for dinner, so we opted for lunch instead and it was totally worth it.

The Culpeper | I can’t speak for the pub on the ground floor, but the first floor restaurant and rooftop are both amazing. It’s nearly impossible to get a table on the roof, but if you’re already dining in the restaurant ask them to let you know when something becomes available and you’ll be first in line. The bedrooms upstairs also seem beautiful and well priced–such a good location to base yourself!

Albion | A cafe and cute grocery perfectly situated for a coffee stop when exploring Shoreditch.

Dishoom | A must visit on any trip to London for some seriously good Indian food. If you want to eat here for dinner, my best tip is to book a table at their latest lunch slot–5:45–otherwise you’ll end up standing in line. Not the worst thing in the world when they are handing out free chai lattes, but still. Best thing on the menu is the black dal!

Soft Serve Society | Not only does this tiny ice cream shop have some quirky soft serve flavors like charcoal coconut, they also do freakshakes. If you’ve never heard of a freakshake before, check them out here!

Beigel Bake | Salt beef bagel. Do it. It’s kind of an East London tradition.

Lily Vanilli Bakery | The most beautiful selection of cakes and baked goods. And a good place to escape the insanity of the Columbia Road Flower Market. It is relatively quiet even though it’s always busy and you’ll probably have to wait for a table.

Fabrique Bakery | This is my absolute favorite bakery in London. Could be because I am a sucker for Scandinavian buns, but regardless, it’s delicious. In my opinion, the cardamom buns are best. Also it’s across the street from the Geffrye Museum, so it’s the perfect place to stop for a snack after.

The best part about East London is that it’s constantly changing and growing. It feels different every time you visit and I think that’s what kept us coming back so often. Well, that and the amazing food. My only advice is to have cash on hand because most places won’t accept cards and always check the hours if there is somewhere in particular you want to go.

For our last official trip in England, we wanted to get all our friends together in a really great place and have a big party to say goodbye to everyone. We decided on a Landmark Trust property in the Cotswolds as it was close enough that people could stop by for the day, or make a weekend of it and stay with us.

STAY

West Banqueting House | This pair of banqueting houses and almonry are all that remain of the Old Campden House built in 1613. We chose to stay in the west house as it is still set up for holding banquets and had room to accommodate a couple more people in the almonry. Jacobean banquet houses would have been used to host a dessert and wine course after a large meal, so that is exactly what we had planned for our weekend stay here.

We kept the fire going almost the entire weekend, because if I’m being totally honest, it was super cold inside. It is probably fine most of the time, but we were here on one of the coldest weekends of the year and really the only time snow stuck to the ground all winter. The worst part was the drafty door in the bedroom upstairs, but it is such a beautiful room otherwise and the master bath is really grand and luxurious feeling.

The little almonry next door was the perfect size for two with a double bed and bath up the spiral stairs and cute seating area on the ground floor.

Saturday morning we all had fun exploring the snow-covered town of Chipping Campden. We stopped into a few shops and saw a couple of historic landmarks around town.

SEE

Almshouses | This row of houses opposite our Landmark cottage were built in 1612 by the same man who commissioned the Old Campden House, Sir Baptist Hicks, to provide homes for the poor. Today, they are still private residences and are much unchanged aside from the addition of modern kitchens and bathrooms.

Market Hall | An iconic Cotswolds market hall, built in 1627 out of the traditional honey colored stone seen all over the region. Today, some outdoor markets are still held under partial cover of the hall.

EAT & DRINK

Bantam Tea Rooms | Truthfully, we only chose this tea room because we had been walking around town all morning and the big fireplace looked very appealing from the window. Good cup of tea, but none of us got any food other than scones.

Daylesford Farm | This place is amazing and I really wish I had known about it sooner. It has an incredible farm shop complete with cheese room and bakery, a light and airy café style restaurant–it even has self-catering cottages available for hire complete with spa services. If you live in the UK or have plans to visit the Cotswolds, it is a must-stop.

For our weekend adventure, Daylesford was the perfect group outing on a snowy day. We shopped, we ate a delicious organic lunch, and we picked up some necessities for our cheese and wine banquet later that evening.

Sadly, I didn’t get any group shots of our lovely meal together (having too good a time enjoying the night I guess). But this was the set up before everyone arrived!

We spent the rest of the night just drinking wine and enjoying our last evening all together. It was the perfect send off and end to our time in the UK. We both miss it more than you can imagine!

About this time last year, George and I stayed in our first Landmark Trust property on the coast in Cornwall. In the summer, most of the properties are completely out of our budget, but they really lower the prices in winter making it an ideal time for us to visit. Check out their website to learn more about the charity that rescues historic buildings and to book your stay in one!

STAY

Ford Cottage | While staying in any Landmark property is fun and worthwhile, I love it even more when we can stay in a really great place near fun things to do. That’s one of the reasons Ford Cottage is so good: it’s on the coast, meaning there is plenty of opportunity for walking, but also very close to attractions like Clovelly and Tintagel Castle.

We loved all the little details that made our stay so special. Fresh flowers in every room, tea set out upon arrival, plenty of firewood available and the most amazing towels I’ve ever used on a holiday. I found it so refreshing not to have wifi or phone signal to focus on spending time together, making meals, sitting in front of the fire. It was really nice to have a true break from the world!

DO

Duckpool Bay | Just a short walk or drive from the cottage, we found this interesting bay–perfect for watching the sun set and the tide come in. But with so many jagged rocks and dangerous looking currents, it’s definitely not for swimming.

Clovelly | After spending Friday evening in our cosy cottage, we set out Saturday morning to explore the small fishing village of Clovelly (about a 25 minute drive) and found it delightfully empty of tourists. We almost had the entire village to ourselves, which was a bit weird but also fun. There isn’t much going on in winter, but we did manage to visit the Fisherman’s Cottage museum and walked out to the waterfall on the beach. The whole village was picturesque, but I imagine it’s even more so in summer.

EAT

Pattard Kitchen | On our way back to the cottage that afternoon, we stopped for dinner at a place I heard about and researched beforehand. I wasn’t feeling in the mood to take photos when we ate here, but I really should have because the food was amazing. The atmosphere was more modern than traditional pub-like, but regardless, the reason to visit is the michelin star quality food!

SEE

Tintagel Castle | From the Legend of King Arthur to Tristan and Isolde, this castle is associated with some of England’s most famous and mysterious stories. Historically, it was a prosperous and important trade center from about 450 AD with some periods of abandonment until the late middle ages when it was completely deserted. Either way, the atmosphere of this place is pretty magical. This was by far my favorite castle we visited in England!

Merlin’s Cave | The cave above is rumored to be Merlin’s Cave, so I definitely recommend going all the way down to the beach to check it out.

After leaving the windy clifftops of the castle, we went into the small village to explore some of its sights including this medieval manor house turned post office.

We picked up a few supplies to make dinner for ourselves in the cottage and debated spending one more night (the minimum booking for Landmarks is three nights) even though George needed to be back for work in the morning. We eventually decided just to get the drive over with on Sunday night and said goodbye to our little cottage. But we were so inspired by the trip that we made a point from then on to first check for available Landmark properties when planning a trip.

OTHER IDEAS

Some things we didn’t get to on this trip, but are all very close to Ford Cottage.

Blackchurch Rock | You could actually walk to this interesting rock formation from Clovelly, if you were feeling up to it! It’s about 2 miles down the coast.

Speke’s Mill Mouth | Also located near Clovelly in Devon, this is just a nice waterfall and walk along the South West Coast Path.

St. Nectans Glen | A pretty spectacular looking waterfall that I really wanted to visit but decided we didn’t have the time. It seems to have a kind of weird atmosphere as whoever owns the land allows guests to hang ribbons and fairy shrines in the trees around. A bit of a shame, but it does still look amazing.

Independent Charters | Lastly, if you are visiting for more than a couple days, definitely make your way out to Lundy Island. Although there are easier and cheaper ways to get there, one fun option is to charter a private boat from Clovelly and have them take you seal spotting or snorkeling. Check out our post about Lundy here.

For our last official trip while living abroad, George and I knew we wanted to go somewhere special. I had been saving a trip to the Faroe Islands for May or June, not only to see the islands in the summer, but also to see the puffins. However, our moving date turned out to be early in April, so we just decided to go for it on our way out of the country. For those of you that don’t know, the Faroe Islands are in the middle of the North Atlantic between Iceland, Norway, and Scotland. So I wasn’t exactly expecting it to be a summery green landscape, but I also never expected to see so much snow–knowing the islands have pretty mild weather overall. Anyway, I’m so glad we got to see the landscape covered in snow, even if it did force us to cut some things from our itinerary. Below is a guide of how we spent our time on the islands. But they are really quite small and easily navigated, so you could always switch up activities without any lost time.

ITINERARY

• DAY 1: Arrival & Múlafossur
• DAY 2: Sørvágsvatn
• DAY 3: Saksun and Gjógv
• DAY 4: Klaksvík and Viðareiði
• DAY 5: Departure

GETTING THERE: Atlantic Airways via Edinburgh

DAY 1: Arrival & Múlafossur

The sun was already quite low in the sky when we arrived in Vágar, but somehow I convinced George to brave the icy roads in our tiny ill-equipped rental car for one quick adventure. Of course we went with the cheapest option possible. Linked below, it was the easiest rental experience ever. They email you the car info and where to find it in the airport lot so when you arrive, you just walk outside to find your car with the keys in it, ready to go!

CAR: Unicar

And off we went to one of the most incredible sights I’ve ever seen: Múlafossur and the tiny village of Gásadalur. Previously only reachable by a long and strenuous hike over the mountain, I for one am so pleased there is now a tunnel and vehicle access to the village. Fifteen minutes drive to the waterfall from the airport makes it such an easy and quick stop, we managed to make it there just as the sun was setting.

STAY: Kristjanshavn $

DAY 2: Sørvágsvatn

Our initial plan was actually to wake up early and hike to the Drangarnir sea arch, but unfortunately, the weather made that impossible. We didn’t come prepared for snow and had to adjust our plans quite a bit. Instead, we had a leisurely morning near the harbor and went into town to stock up on supplies for the week. We drove to Bøur to get a view of the arch, but didn’t stay long.

A bit later in the afternoon, some of the snow had melted and we decided to try a different hike in the area. Sørvágsvatn is a lake situated near some spectacular sea cliffs creating an amazing optical illusion. My photos really don’t do this landscape justice as I was way too afraid to get any closer to the edge. The ground was still quite frosty from the snow and I couldn’t bring myself to test it. But if you’re interested in looking it up, there are some outstanding photos of this place from other, braver photographers than I. Park near the boathouses on Vatnavegur to begin the walk. Others have said the walk takes only half an hour, but it took us nearly an hour to reach the cliffs only stopping for a few photos.

STAY: Kristjanshavn $

This price really can’t be beat, so it’s worth staying two nights. Not luxury at all, but the options were quite limited anyway.

DAY 3: Saksun and Gjógv

We woke up the next day to a raging snowstorm, which I was quite excited about but did pose a problem for driving. We set out anyway, having checked the route beforehand and not seeing anything too alarming. There are a number of small villages I was hoping to see, but we settled on only two: Saksun with its hidden beach and cute grass roofed houses and Gjógv with its charming harbor and gorge. Both were lovely, although I would love to see them in summer with a few more people around.

We stopped at Fossá (the highest waterfall on the islands) along the way, but didn’t manage to get the drone out far enough to see the upper falls. You can scramble up the grass in order to see it without a drone, but again we didn’t have the proper footwear for climbing in snow. My favorite stop of the day, however, was completely unplanned. On our way to Gjógv, we came across this view of a windy road leading down the valley to a village and I just loved it. Perhaps because it was unexpected. Now I’m happy to share that the name of the village is Funningur.

That night we stayed in Tórshavn (the capital city) and ate our only nice meal of the trip. Read more about Tórshavn in our city guide, here.

STAY: 62°N Hotel $$

DAY 4: Klaksvík and Viðareiði

The next morning, we woke up to the most beautiful snow falling softly on the city and had to get out to see some of the sights. Again, check out more specific ideas for Tórshavn in this post. We checked out of our hotel fairly early and started driving to our next destination: Klaksvík. We planned on taking the ferry from there to the island of Kalsoy, but it didn’t seem worth it with all the trails covered in snow. Instead, we walked around the surprisingly cute Klaksvík, stopped into a few shops and cafes and just had a really laid back day.

EAT: Fríða Kaffihús

It was perfect timing when an instagram friend and Faroese local, @byolafsdottir, invited us to her house for coffee and snacks. This culture of hospitality actually has a name in Faroese called ‘heimablídni‘ and it’s an experience worth taking part in. Check out Harriet’s home and meals offered here. I only wish I had thought to look ahead and book a full meal with her!

After leaving Harriet’s, we found ourselves with just enough time for one more adventure before sunset. And after talking with her, we decided on the Faroe Islands most northern town, Viðareiði. We hadn’t planned on visiting simply because it was quite far from where we were staying, but I’m so glad our plans changed because it ended up being my favorite. I couldn’t get over the way the sun was setting over the sea and mountains.

STAY: Bådhus i Klaksvík $$

This airbnb is by far the best place we stayed on the islands, perhaps because it was the only place we stayed that actually put thought into the decor. Not to mention the amazing view of the town and heated floors!

DAY 5: Departure

On our way back to the airport in Vágar, we made a few stops just for fun. One to find these cool geodesic igloos that, for whatever reason, have been abandoned. And two, back at Múlafossur and Gásadalur, because why not?

One of the main reasons George and I wanted to take this trip before leaving the UK is because it’s seriously half the price of getting there from the US. So unfortunately, I don’t see us going back any time soon even though it was incredible and I would love to. Both George and I really miss the ease of low cost travel within and around Europe. So if anyone is reading this from the UK, take advantage of where you live and the access you have to amazing places like this!

Tórshavn far exceeded my expectations for the capital city of such a small country: the Faroe Islands. We had kind of a crazy time because we got to see everything covered in snow…in April. But we loved it! It’s a great place to base yourself from when exploring the islands and definitely worth spending a day or two wandering.

SEE

Tinganes | The capital’s government buildings and one of the oldest parliamentary meeting places in the world. We loved the fact that this area is completely open to visitors, not to mention how cute it is.

Tórshavn Harbor | Reminded me a little of Nyhavn in Copenhagen, only smaller. The cutest, most colorful row of buildings is lined with restaurants and cafes with outdoor seating along the water.

STAY

Hotel Havn | There are a number of reasons why I chose this hotel for our night in Tórshavn, even though it isn’t that great. It was relatively inexpensive, within walking distance of everything in the old town, and pickings were pretty slim for hotels fitting both those criteria. Also, the restaurant on the ground floor, Frumbiti, is actually really nice and conveniently where breakfast is located.

EAT & DRINK

Paname Café | Definitely the cutest coffee shop in Tórshavn and a great little spot for a midday snack.

Barbara | Pretty much every guide to Tórshavn will tell you to eat at Barbara’s Fish House. Housed in one of the oldest, most charming buildings in town, the atmosphere alone is reason enough to visit, but it helps that the food is amazing too. We went for the ceviche, horse mussels, and of course couldn’t resist getting the whole fried ocean perch.

Ræst | This was our second choice for dinner in the city, although we didn’t actually make it there on this trip. Like Barbara, Ræst offers extremely traditional Faroese food–everything on the menu is fermented! We ended up trying a platter of traditional fermented food at a different restaurant and they were mainly just hard to swallow. But I read that somehow the chefs at Ræst make it all very tasty.

Smyrjibreyðsbúðin | Being in a country associated with Denmark had us both craving  smørrebrød (open face sandwiches) so we were very happy to stumble upon this place. I wouldn’t recommend eating in, but it was perfect for a quick, reasonably priced lunch. Excellent smørrebrød.

Mikkeler | After having such a good experience with this Danish microbrewery in Copenhagen, we were excited to see they had a location in old town Tórshavn. It is such a relaxed place to spend an evening, for locals and tourists alike. Crazy story: the bartender we met was from Michigan!

SHOP

As usual in any Scandinavian city, the shopping was great in the Faroese capital. Crazy expensive, but fun to look. Below are the places we actually considered buying things.

Føroya Heimavirkisfelag | A good place to look for traditional Faroese sweaters, if you’re interested. Also picked up a sheep horn here, which we thought was pretty cool.

Öström | A design shop selling Faroese made art, homewares, and clothing. The perfect place to pick up gifts and souvenirs.

Leirlist | Home of ceramicist, Guðrið Poulsen’s label: Leirlist. You can also find her work at Öström, but I loved checking out her studio and tiny shop at 16 Sjúrðargøta.

ByOlafsdottir | Shamelesss plug for the friend we made in the Faroes, photographer Harriet Olafsdottir (@byolafsdottir). We met through instagram and she invited us over for lunch after seeing we were visiting her home town. I have always loved her photos, especially those of her flower-crown adorned pet sheep, Bambi. You can find her prints in a few different shops all over the islands, but I’m not sure exactly which ones. Anyway, the link above is to her etsy shop!

 

One rainy weekend in October, George and I decided we were sick of staying in gross hostels whenever we visit Wales and thought we would try something nice for a change. Enter: the Quarryman’s Cottage. By far the nicest place I’ve stayed in Wales and probably some of the best accommodation even offered in the country.

STAY

Quarryman’s Cottage | We drove west into Wales on a Friday night with plans to stay until Sunday evening (although the minimum booking is three nights). And we arrived with just enough time to get the fire going and relax for a bit before heading to bed.

Get $40 off your first booking through airbnb by clicking here!

In the morning light, we were able to fully explore the rest of the cottage. It’s only one bedroom (and I completely forgot to take a photo upstairs), but it is the perfect size for two. The slate floors were so amazing I wanted to somehow rip them up and bring them home with me. And the kitchen was lovely and light thanks to a skylight over the sink.

Not to mention this sweet view from the back garden, below. It’s uphill from the house!

SEE

After an easy Saturday morning and breakfast by the fire, we set off to explore the rest of the village. Cwm Penmachno village is the site of an old slate quarry in a sleepy part of North Wales. There is an interesting area to explore not far from the cottage where you can see the abandoned mine. On google, it’s called Penmachno Mine.

We spent some time there, in awe of what was once there and wondering what happened to leave it in its current state. But before long, we were heading back to our car and talking about where we should go next.

Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant | Neither of us really wanted to go far, so we settled on a national trust site close by, tŷ mawr meaning big house in Welsh. It is the former home of Bishop William Morgan who first translated the Bible into Welsh, thereby standardizing the Welsh language and helping to keep Wales’ national dialect alive.

It was fascinating just listening to the host speak about the building’s history and turned out to be our favorite stop of the trip.

Dolbadarn Castle | With Snowdonia Park serving as the most picturesque backdrop for this castle, I’m surprised it took me so long to find out about it. Regardless, I’m so glad we made time on this visit to see it. It is within walking distance of all the car parks for the mountain train, making it super easy to squeeze in.

EAT

Tu-Hwnt-I’r Bont | More about the picturesque spot than the tea room itself to be honest. Regardless, it’s a fun stop and a good place to try some Welsh Classics like bara brith or rarebit. If you time your visit well in the autumn, those leaves covering the stone (in the photo above) become a vibrant red. We arrived a bit too late for that in early October and all but a few leaves had gone brown.

Cwmni Cacen Gri | The absolute best place in Snowdonia to try Welshcakes and probably the best Welshcakes in Wales. Get them fresh off the griddle for the best experience.

DO

Climb Snowdon, duh. George walked up the mountain whereas I opted to take the train and we planned on meeting at the top. In the end, he decided to run up and beat me by a fair amount of time!

Snowdon Mountain Railway | I actually loved taking the train up Snowdon, but I also had a number of issues. Firstly, it’s way too expensive, especially when a window seat cannot be guaranteed–you kind of have to fight your way into the line to make sure you have first pick of your section. And second, there is no way to walk up and take the train down. Single tickets up are available, but not down. A return ticket only allows 30 minutes at the top, which doesn’t leave any time for exploring and you must go back on the same train…or else you have to walk down the mountain. But if you’re short on time or otherwise unable to make it up the mountain, it was a pretty cool option.

Pyg Track | Of the routes I know for climbing Snowdon, this is my favorite. The main, “easy” path that most people take is just too boring for me. At Pen Y Pass, you start in the mountains and have views almost the entire way up. And unless you go in winter, there is nothing difficult about this path. But if you plan on going in the summer, you must arrive early as the carpark fills up by 8 or 9 am. Of course, you can also arrange for a bus or taxi to drop you off at the trailhead. All the info for the walk can be found in the link above.

Not sure if I would feel worse after climbing all that way for no view or paying to take the train. Either way, we tried to make the most of it. I do love foggy days afterall and these are some of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken. The feeling they evoke for me, takes me right back to that cottage in the mountains, snuggled in front of the fire.

On Sunday night, when we arrived back at our cottage from our journey up Snowdon, both of us decided we might as well spend one more night. It meant waking up at 4 am for me to drive George back to work in the morning, but it was totally worth it for one more night relaxing in front of that fire.

I probably went on this trip at least two years ago, but I still think it’s one of the easiest weekend trips to take from London. Not to mention, a crazy beautiful place worth traveling to from anywhere in the world. The Calanques de Cassis are just outside the charming town of Cassis along the Côte d’Azur in France. In French, the name means something like: the creeks, but they are basically just a series of inlets with some of the clearest, bluest water I’ve ever seen.

GETTING THERE

Flights into Marseille from London are crazy cheap. I think I paid £9 for my Easyjet flight home. Granted, I had just come from Italy, so it was only a one-way ticket. Still, Marseille is not the most desirable destination, which keeps flight costs low.

When you arrive in Marseille, the easiest way to get to Cassis is just to take the train. It takes about 15 minutes and costs a little over €6. A bus will then take you to the town center, or you can walk (it’s all downhill). Read this guide for clear instructions and photos about taking the train.

THE WALK

After checking into our airbnb, my friend and I promptly started talking to our host about the walk to the Calanques. She basically mapped the whole thing out for us and told us approximately how long it would take. It was really helpful, but unfortunately I was still struggling with foot pain at the time and her estimates were definitely based on someone in good physical health. So just to let you know, this is a very difficult walk and not fun to do in the heat of the day. I recommend leaving as early as possible and bringing lots of water!

Google maps will tell you the walk to Calanque d’En Vau from Cassis center is only 3 miles each way. In actuality, my friend and I tracked our walk at around 8 miles in total. I’m not sure if we veered from the path somewhere along the way, but I would say be prepared for an 8 mile roundtrip hike.

We left early the next morning and had the trail almost to ourselves! The first calanque you come to will be the one pictured above with all the boats, Calanque de Port-Miou. This was a very easy walk from the town and the beautiful blue water will make you excited for the rest of the walk. If you have a car, you can park at Port-Miou and save yourself half an hour of walking time.

After another 30 minutes, you’ll arrive at Calanque de Port Pin, the smallest of the three inlets. We decided to keep walking past this cove in order to make it to the end while it was still relatively early.

As we continued, the scenery wasn’t all that exciting except for a few interesting spots. There was a section further on that required a bit of a scramble downhill and I knew would be terrible on the way back up. By this time, I was questioning the expedition altogether. It was crazy hot and unlike the walking I was used to in England where it’s always cloudy and about 50 degrees.

But after another hour of walking, we rounded a corner to this view and I decided it was worth it. You really can’t see anything, until you arrive at the beach! Can you believe the color of that water?

We went up to check out the water and quickly realized we wouldn’t be spending too much time in there. It was freezing! But that was fine by me, because all I wanted was to find a shady spot to put my feet up.

WHEN TO GO

Having now completed the trail to the water’s edge, I can say that I would almost rather have done the hike to the viewpoint above the Calanques as I find the pictures more interesting from that vantage point. However, the trail was closed during our time there. In fact, even the trail we took is closed during the summer months due to the risk of wildfires. The best time to visit is either June or October when the trails are open.

Alternatively, if you want to see the Calanques from the water, you can take a boat tour or even kayak there any time of year when the water’s calm. But the tours don’t allow you to get off on the beach which is a bummer.

THE TOWN

That evening when we got back to our hostel and for the entirety of the next day, I felt absolutely terrible. I attempted to go for a short walk around town in the morning and managed to take a few photos before I had to lie down again. I was so disappointed and felt really bad for my friend traveling with me. I know that she quite enjoyed her time in town, but still, it was awful for me. I’ve never been so sick while traveling.

Anyway, my point is that the town is ridiculously cute and worth at least a day or two of exploring and/or lounging in the sun.

STAY

Once again, this was a rather last minute trip and my friend and I were too late in booking our accommodation. We stayed in a hostel through airbnb that was absolutely fine and right in the center of town. The hosts were lovely and very helpful, as were all the people we met staying there. But it is still a hostel and therefore, not my fave place to be on holiday.

So I’m sorry I don’t have any food or lodging recommendations, but as it’s such a cute town, I know you’ll have no trouble finding some tasty food. And if you’re ever in doubt, just ask a local! I know I would love to come back and explore this place properly.

With it being the first of June and summer nearly upon us, I thought it might be an apt time to share a little midsummer inspiration courtesy of last year’s gathering in Cornwall. I love celebrating the changing of seasons, even if it means just putting on a dress and decorating a store-bought cake with fresh strawberries!

The little cabin we stayed in was the perfect backdrop for our midsummer festivities and can be rented through airbnb here. But if you’ve never used airbnb, use this link for $40 off your first stay!

In case you aren’t up on your Scandinavian culture, Midsummer is something Swedes celebrate on the longest day of the year, June 22 (or whatever Saturday is closest). This usually involves a smorgasbord, flower crowns, and the all important strawberry cake!

Of course, as we were celebrating with British friends, ours had to include a cheeseboard and elderflower cordial.

I also thought I would share the recipes we used for our smørrebrød (open face sandwiches). This was the easiest recipe I could think of to celebrate Scandinavian culture. Let me know in the comments if you end up trying them!

TOAST SKAGEN

German rye or sunflower bread
1 lb cooked & peeled shrimp (small works best)
½ red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp dill, chopped
2 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp crème fraîche
juice of ½ lemon
pinch white pepper
salt

To garnish:
red roe
dill sprigs

Just stir everything together and taste until you get the proportions you prefer. Top the sunflower bread with a scoop of shrimp and garnish with roe and dill sprig. There are so many different ways to make this recipe. We simply used what we had on hand, but you could definitely use substitutions like greek yogurt or regular sourdough bread.

KARTOFFELMAD SMØRREBRØD

German rye or sunflower bread
2 small potatoes per person, boiled and sliced
¼ cup crème fraîche
salt

To garnish:
fried onions
freshly chopped chives

Spread crème fraîche on the bread and place 2 sliced potatoes on top. Spoon more crème fraîche on potatoes before topping with fried onions and chives. Sprinkle with salt if you want.

PS. If you want to make your own knækbrød, this is the recipe I use and it is great. The only thing I always add is a sprinkle of coarse salt or Maldon before putting them in the oven.

We couldn’t leave Cornwall without stopping by one of its famed picturesque fishing villages, so on the way home we stopped by both Charlestown near St. Austell and Polperro.

I’ll be honest, the only reason we stopped to see Charlestown is because I love Poldark and it’s one of their filming locations (for more of Poldark’s Cornwall locations, check out the BBC’s list). Regardless, it was a fun place to take a walk along the harbour and break up our drive a little.

Polperro, on the other hand, is a place I could have spent much more time. It was a bit of a trek to get to as there’s no parking in the village, but definitely worth the walk. Even on a busy Sunday in the summer, it felt quiet and quaint. We ate dinner that evening at a pub with a rooftop patio and it was the perfect way to end our trip.