wanderlust wednesday

I've got London on my mind.

A cold day in London is lazy, clouds overhead and people meandering.
You leave your flat with coat and scarf, your boots clapping on the pavement. Should you walk or take the tube? You could sit on benches all throughout the city just to listen to Londoners talk. Maybe the queen is home, whom they call "mother". Maybe a local pub can warm that latent chill in your fingertips from the light morning snow. A foamy cappuccino will do; that's the ticket.
The breeze is damp but your coat is thick, everything smells like rain in the most pleasant way. It's a Saturday, so you stumble on a hidden collection of market tents, the smell of warm bread and curry drifting out to you. You peruse the cheese tables and observe the crowds, everyone is jovial because food unites us.
The cold may banish a number of tourists, but it certainly doesn't deter the brave street performers or the die-hard wanderers. The streets are still full of people, locals and tourists alike. The silent buildings observe the sullen city streets, ancient and dull in the muted skylight. The old and the new sit side by side, chipped brick and stone to glass skyscraper.
The little bit of sun begins to vanish altogether, the evening peaks through and the chill deepens. Time for fish and chips and warm glow, time to unravel your layers and let your fingertips out to grasp the glass of cider.
The night lights begin to flicker on to illuminate your way, Big Ben shimmering green along the rim of his hat.

Sweet London town.

(see all london posts)
(see all wanderlust wednesday posts)

postcards from rome

the trevi fountain // throwing a coin // the pantheon // our favorite eatery 
evening at piazza navona // piazza della rotonda // trajan's column
borghese gardens // overlooking vatican city // dome of st. peter's, the roman forum
the colosseum // roman center // sunset at trajan's column

Rome completely surprised us.

I was hoping something like that would happen. That my expectations would be shaken, that I would fall in love where I least expected it.
Traveling is such a personal and wondrous thing, so you're bound to get varied opinions and input when other people find out you're going somewhere they've been. We had a lot of responses to our Italy trip, and we heard a lot of the same. Florence is the best, Rome is the worst, eat as much gelato as you possibly can. We definitely gelato'd all day, every day, but we found that once all was said and done, it was Rome that had truly romanced us.

It's a beautiful city. It's bright and so full of life, the history is astounding, the food is life-changing. It's a city full of gems and secrets. It's a place for people-watching and wish-making and some of it is so familiar, you'd swear you had been there before -- and some of it is so impressive and surprising it'll take your breath away. Trajan's Column, The Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, The Sistine Chapel. Those were the things that truly took me by surprise.

I can definitely understand the general overwhelming feeling of Rome, the way it's tailored to tourists and can be too busy and hot and crowded, but we just found ourselves accepting it for what it was and demanding more. There were so many times when Dusty and I were quite literally giddy.
Like when we went into a little streetside pizza shop, and they sold pizza by the slice. They cut out a huge chunk of the pizza (mine was potato and rosemary), folded it up toppings-side-in, like a big pizza burrito, and wrapped it in paper. We walked outta that shop with our to-go pizza-folds, biting and chewing and smiling in-between, walking around Vatican City like we lived there.
Or when we were walking down little Roman alleyways, following our map, and suddenly we burst into this open plaza with bam, The Trevi Fountain, towering and sputtering and musical. We first came upon it at night, and the glow of the street lights and the sound of the water and the bundles of people hanging out there was truly exceptional. We hopped around the corner to grab gelato and came back to join the cool kids.
Or like that time we stumbled upon a bright yellow building with a little side alley of tables and chairs, and had the best pasta of our lives. Cacio e pepe, you stupid delight, you buttery, peppery goodness. They gave us fresh tomato bruschetta and little complimentary glasses of limoncello.
We went back on our last day, of course, just in case Da Francesco had been a dream.

I think I could write a love letter to every place I've traveled thus far, but Rome is just so packed full, it's heavy with sights and eats and meaning.
I suppose it's all in the details, and Rome had so many wonderful details.

istanbul, not constantinople

blue mosque

hagia sophia

I know, I know -- cheesy song title reference.

But what can I say? This song was in my head the entire time we were in Istanbul.

What an amazing city. Impossible to take in in just one day, but from our first impressions it's a maze of light, color, flavor, spice, history, mystery and spirit.

We had never traveled anywhere like this before, and were really intimidated by the sights and the food and the language. But it's all incredible, truly, and we had to dive in with arms wide open since we had such a short stay there. The people were so friendly and the baklava, so yum. 

treats at hafiz mustafa

I would love for this blog to morph into a fashion/travel blog eventually, and this feels like a good time to dive into the travel portion, laying out some highlights of our recent March trip. 

Of course, style still plays a significant part -- packing for a two-week trip to Europe is one of my biggest challenges yet. Layering and re-wearing and packing light and being efficient...it's a lot of planning!

I've never been a great packer, and this trip just reiterated the fact that I still need a lot of practice in travel-packing -- I always bring way more than I actually need. 

Bring twice as much money, half the suitcase weight. Always.

grand bazaar

spice bazaar

rustem pasha mosque

Since we didn't have a lot of time in Istanbul, I don't have a lot of experience or advice for those wishing to visit there for longer than one day -- but I would say the must-sees that we experienced are:

- The Blue Mosque
- The Hagia Sophia
- The Grand Bazaar
- The Spice Bazaar (Misir Carsisi)
- Rustem Pasha Mosque

These five sites are all within walking distance to each other, and you can make a nice little loop to get a feel for the city. Get a good map, which you'll most likely be able to find at your hotel. We stayed at the Amiral Palace hotel which was a really charming spot. It was very affordable, too, and included a continental breakfast of Turkish tea, fruit, nuts, olives, etc. as well as the standard eggs/cereals/pastries.
The host was extremely friendly, but beware of the tourist traps. We fell for one, so we can vouch! He put us on a shuttle to a sketchy little restaurant area, where it quickly became clear there was an arrangement between the hotels and that particular restaurant strip. Mediocre, touristy, expensive. Skip all that and have a plan!
Tour the city on your own. Hit all the big sights, and stop at any cafe and have kebabs and baklava and Turkish tea or coffee...
You can also do like we did and finish your day at Hamdi Restaurant, right on the water. It has a stunning terrace level view. Some claim it's a bit touristy, but you can't beat the view.

hamdi restaurant

We didn't actually get to go inside Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque, because we arrived after they were closed on our only night, and the next day we only had until a little after lunchtime to tour the city before our flight to Rome. We chose to spend that time in the Grand Bazaar instead of waiting in lines to see the mosques -- it was a tough choice, but I'm pretty confident we'll be back to Turkey to see those mosques!

We couldn't pass up the bazaars, as souvenir-driven as I am. We bought loose teas, Turkish bowls, a gorgeous beaded lantern, scarves, glass tea cups and saucers...it was definitely the highlight for us, holding hands and pointing to everything, eyes popping and mouths dropping as we drank it all in.

Traveling can sometimes be stressful, especially with a tight time limit. I think it's really important to communicate expectations and must-sees before you even leave, so no one is surprised or disappointed.
Dusty and I have traveled enough together that we're getting better at functioning in new environments, and knowing what our priorities are (food and shopping!).

If you've ever been to Turkey, I'd love to know your thoughts and your favorite sights/eats!
Hopefully we'll be returning someday soon.

bonjour!

I suppose I should have mentioned in my dramatic last post, I did buy that cute striped sweater that said Bonjour! Because why not?

When Dusty and I went to Paris last March, I managed to avoid buying anything cheesily Paris-themed, like an eiffel tower t-shirt or something like that. Obviously I was tempted, but now at least I can buy things like this sweater in the states with the excuse that I've been there and have clumsily said bonjour! in real life.

Sweater: LOFT outlet, Top (similar, similar): Ruche, Booties: Urbanog

Announcement: we're going on another adventure.
I suppose March is our month to travel, because in less than two months we'll be jumping on a plane to Italy!
I wonder if I could wear this Bonjour! sweater there? I should probably find one that says Ciao!

In the meantime, I am going to be dreaming about gelato and bruschetta and all the best sights!
We'll be hitting Istanbul for a day, then moving on to Rome, Florence, and Venice.

If any of you have been there and have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
Oh darling, let's be adventurers!