While food trucks seem to be gaining popularity in the US (they even had a food truck park in Fort Worth when I was visited), the 'mobile' food market in London remains thoroughly in the hands of the markets. We have visited Portobello Market countless times (let's call it familiarity not laziness), I've checked out the market at Southwark and around Brick Lane. Despite this, I always recommend Borough Market first to visiting friends and family. Each time, people would come back with rave reviews, further cementing its spot at the top of the list of markets to visit. Yet, I myself had never visited it!

I'll blame it on the size of London and the public transit - if it's not a direct shot on the tube or bus for me, I may be less likely to visit. Again, laziness and I have so many things to visit that fall into one of these two categories or even WALKING distance from my flat. Portobello Road, Kensington Gardens, Natural History Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Library, British Museum, the list goes on and on.

Then, one day I was going a scavenger hunt through the City of London, which included a pit stop in the Borough Market. It was the end of the day, the market was beginning to shut down and yet, I saw enough to want to come back for more.

So, a few Saturday's later and my lazy self became a little less lazy and trekked across to the market South of the Thames.

I didn't have anything in mind other than finding something to eat for lunch. After I walked up, I knew I wouldn't walk away hungry. There is something for everyone - from the true market goods like cheeses, wines and breads, to food that's prepared like pies, thai food, Turkish food, brauts and lots of sweets.

We wandered by stall after stall, our eyes bigger than our stomachs. Paul ended up with a curry and I of course chose my favorite British food, a pie, with a chocolate tart & macaroon to satisfy our dessert cravings.

Not only is it a great market, it's just another great example of London's history and how Londoners have worked to keep their city great (or even perhaps a little weird just like back in Austin, TX). Food trading can be traced back to 1014, where locals brought fresh produce to trade. And it's still got many of those people today, which locally made cheeses or vegetables. In 1755, the market was threatened when it was closed because of the congestion caused by traffic around the market. Luckily for us, local residents bought up land and re-opened the market.

Like any good market, it's an eat and walk experience. Be prepared to eat on your feet, or take it home with you. We opted for the former and strolled around more, planning our next meal when we venture out to the South side of the Thames - which I'm sure will be sooner rather than later!

After a day exploring & shopping all around Marrakech, we wanted to see more of the landscape of Morocco. The Atlas Mountains not only gave us a look into a different terrain than the dusty city streets of Marrakech, but also gave us more insight into the history and different cultures of Morocco.

The Atlas Mountains are home to many Berber people, who while are originally indigenous to all of North Africa now reside in large numbers in Morocco and Algeria. The Berbers maintain their own language, which has recently been added as one of Morocco's national language in order to help preserve it.

 So, we set out on an easy hike up to one of the villages on the mountains to visit a village home, have some traditional Moroccan mint tea, and have what turned out to be a feast. Since you can't drive up to the higher villages, we were dropped off somewhere not too far down the road from Richard Branson's Moroccan retreat. The roads aren't paved, rather large rocks & dust, so we walked carefully for 20 minutes or so before we reached our destination.

It was worth every step - the view from the balcony of our afternoon rest point was beautiful. Mountains and villages in the background, and oh so much sun which I have been missing as autumn & winter have come to London.

Our first order of business was making our own tea. After a quick lesson, we had the first batch around. It was delicious, but they certainly do like their tea sweet. We sat and enjoyed (and napped), then were fed copious amounts of food. Lots of veggies to start, followed up tagines full of more vegetables and chicken. When you're in Morocco, it's hard to find dishes not from the tagine, but they are certainly good.

 With full stomachs, it was time to finish our hike, walking around the rest of the village and a bit further along the mountain. Despite the arid climate, there were trees and plants everywhere, and streams running like life springs through the mountain. With the fall foliage just starting to appear on the trees, it was like a Bob Ross painting waiting to be painted. An oasis nestled between the peaks.

Then, just like that, we found ourselves back on a dusty road headed towards Marrakech.

This year appears to have been the year of Africa. While we did lots of Europe, I'd done Europe before. But Africa had only been a trip to Egypt until 2013.  We did our Kenya safari, then a work trip to Cape Town turned up, and finally a girls weekend in Marrakech.

When I was writing about my trip to South Africa and being a solo tourist, I was trying to think back to trips I had taken alone. And the more I thought about it, I realised how lucky I have been to nearly always have a travel companion to keep me company and share in the experience.

The only other time I could remember sight seeing on my own was another work related trip (trust me, they aren't always this glamorous!) to Honolulu. I had meetings on Monday & Tuesday, and while I wasn't smart enough to take a vacation day, or take my husband with me, I was at least smart enough to schedule my flight out on Saturday. This left me one full day of sightseeing, plus whatever I could squeeze in after work.

So, with only one day, I decided the best way to see it all was by helicopter tour of the island. Perk of being a solo traveler? I got the best seat in the house next to the captain! The downside of the flight was that there was quite a bit of VOG (volcanic smog) in the area at the time, so the views weren't as breathtaking as they would usually be.

We flew over everything - Pearl Harbour, Dole Plantation, North Shore, and my favourite, Kualoa Ranch. This ranch is famous for being the film location of Jurassic Park and Lost. Despite these, it would still be at the top of my list of things to see in Oahu because of the breathtaking scenery.  The island isn't all that large, so after about an hour, our tour was over.

North Shore

Kualoa Ranch

This left me with the perfect afternoon on the beach, soaking up some much needed winter sun, before heading back to meet up with my co-worker for dinner.

On Tuesday, after my meetings, I had a few hours to kill (and a car), so on the way to the airport, we stopped at one of the most iconic monuments in Oahu - Pearl Harbour. To start of the trip, you get the opportunity to watch a video talking about the day of the bombing and giving more information on the war overall. While I of course had known about the events of the day, it seemed to have a different perspective when you're there, hearing all about it.

The memorial is in the middle of the water, where the USS Arizona sank, so you have to take a boat to get out there. The memorial is built just over the water, so you can see the remains of the ship lying beneath you. It is eery to see parts sticking up everywhere, and oil sitting on top of the water. It almost makes it seem as if it had just happened yesterday.


They also have a huge memorial to those who died, taking up an entire wall of the memorial. While I don't have any personal ties to this, I can imagine this being an important part of a pilgrimmage to honour a fallen family member or friend.


The whole thing was a bit surreal - you're on a gorgeous island, surrounded my beautiful water and the sun shining, yet I guess that's the point of a memorial. Life goes on, but because of this place, we can never quite forget what happened so many years ago.

And with that, I was on my way to the airport and back to Dallas. While Paul and I haven't made it there together yet, I know it will be top of our bucket list once we are back in the US.

One of the best things I have done for myself in London has been to get involved in a lot of different organisations and activities. From the UK Texas Exes to the Junior League of London, these have been fantastic ways for me to get involved in the community and make some friends in the process.

In addition to all the volunteering I get access to through the Junior League, we also have great events on the side to help raise money for our philanthropic activities. We had one of our first fundraisers of the fall a few weekends ago and it was just up my alley! Wine tasting at the Stafford Hotel, with a selection of 5 wines especially selected by their Master Sommelier.

 The wine wasn't the only thing that made it special; the event was held in their amazing wine cellars in the basement of the hotel. The cellars were built more than 350 years ago in the 17th century by a Lord under the basement of his stables.

Since they have been built, the cellars have also served as a hiding space for soldiers during WWII when London was under siege. They have a special section of the cellar dedicated to this history, with memorabilia and trinkets left behind from the soldiers who stayed there.

The cellar is home to more than 6,000 bottles selected by the Master Sommelier, meaning there is something for just about everyone.

After our wine, we popped up to the American Bar at the hotel. The trinkets in the wine cellars are nothing in comparison to the bar. It started with a traveler living a gift of a small totem pole from his travels, and has morphed into just about anything and everything be left as gifts, from sports caps, to toy planes, to undergarments (one of the more recent additions according to our waiter)! The restaurant/bar is cosy, we sat at a small sofa and chairs, and for dinner, they brought us a cushion to eat off our laps. It felt like an old time home, welcoming us with good food, and drinks of course.

After seeing many castles and palaces throughout the UK, we decided a few weekends ago to switch things and check out a different part of British history at the HMS Belfast, the iconic warship that sits in the Thames just across from the Tower of London.

We headed over later in the afternoon, thinking it would be a quick stop before we got back to our winter cleaning at the flat. Little did we know, but the place was enormous! The ship seems to be almost entirely open to the public, and is self-guided, meaning you feel like you have free reign of the place. The museum spans 4 floors of the ship, from the boiler room below to the control room up top.

We started off at the bottom, first checking out things below deck including the boiler room. Warning - there are lots and lots of narrow, steep staircases throughout. They'll warn you if it's a rainy day (like most days in London), but fair warning to anyone who is as clumsy as I am and has trouble putting one foot in front of the other. These rooms were full of gadgets and steering wheels and controls that I had no idea what they were. Luckily, the audio guide gave us some background on what we were seeing in just about every room.

Also lots of good tidbits from these old informational signs from the ship

Next up, where the rooms that the crew used and lived in. From the toilets, to the laundry room (which is famous for an escapade where someone on board tried to smuggle in drugs), to the sick room, to the place they bought rations, it's just about all open to the public. It's also full of these weird, wax looking statues posed about in the randomest places. If you aren't careful, they can give you a fright as you turn your head and catch one 'looking' at you!

Whose real?

From here is where we got to see the real action. This included the turrets where the guns were fired - with two interactive experiences telling you more about the ships war history. The most important of its battles was the Battle of North Cape where it was involved in the sinking of Scharnhorst, a German ship, where only 36 of the nearly 2,000 people aboard the German ship died. Later, the ship also was part of the D-Day landings. All in all, the ship had a relatively short history, 1939 - 1962, when it was retired from service.

The final stop on our journey was the raised decks where the ship was led from. Here you could see where the Captain would look out from his post, sit in his chair and read the log from its battle days. The  operations room included not only games, where we were able to dominate a 6 year old in recovery of a lost plane via video game, but also the communications area where signalling groups still take office and let tourists try their hand at morse code.

After we left the ship to rejoin the rainy London crowds, we walked through a nearby shopping centre, which brought back to mind my first time to visit this part of London in 2005 with my grandparents. I reminisced, let Paul in on my past here, and soaked up a bit of deja vue from way back when.

One of the best parts about living overseas is learning about new customs and cultures. While the English culture is more closely aligned with American culture than Turkey, there are still some differences you stumble upon.

Vernacular (e.g. pants v. trousers, chips v. fries). Holidays (they take them, we don't). Mushy peas, clotted cream & pies (not the sweet kind).

Right now, one of those odd cultural occurrences is taking place. Guy Fawkes Day is widely celebrated throughout the UK on the 5th of November. I didn't know about it last year til the fireworks went off, then read about it and said oh, like V for Vendetta since nearly everything can be related to a movie.

This year, I decided to learn a little bit more about the holiday so I can celebrate it properly!

Its celebration spans all the way back to 1605 and Guy Fawkes gunfire plot. This is where 13 men plotted to kill King James I and blow up Parliament. A lot of the plot was around religion, part of the ongoing battle between Protestants and Catholics that began when Henry VIII originally brought Protestant religion to England (just so he could divorce his wife). Still in James' times, Protestant religion ruled, making these Catholic plotters angry, especially after James persecuted some Catholics in what was seen to be for his political advantage.The whole plot was foiled when the plotters warned their fellow Catholics not to be in Parliament that day, and later Guy Fawkes was found hiding below the building in a room full with gunpowder (hence the name the Gunpowder Plot), and the matches to ignite the whole thing.

Credit

So why is this even celebrated still today? Sure, celebrate at the time, but it seems to me like an odd choice of an going holiday - 'hey, we almost got blown to bits, but didn't, so hooray!'

Following the failed attack, an act of Parliament was passed setting the date as a day of thanksgiving for the "joyful deliverance of James I." This act remained in place for over 250 years, until 1859. So perhaps out of habit, the holiday is still celebrated today and the event is remembered, as Yeomen still search the building upon the opening of Parliament for any modern day Fawkes.

Photo Credit

Today the date is celebrated not with bonfires to burn Guy (at least that I've seen), but with lots and lots of fireworks.  This year, they started the weekend prior, and will probably continue to the following weekend.  And I don't blame them, without the 4th of July to celebrate, everyone needs a good national holiday for fireworks!

Photo Credit

For my first couple of days in Cape Town, I had the company of my co-worker and her family, which was great to give me some built in fellow tourists for the first few days. Other than a day and a half in a similar situation in Hawaii, I have never done solo traveling.

As fate would have it, however, my final day in Cape Town was to be spent alone.

After my morning meeting, the day was mine. I already knew what was in the books for me - the famous wines of South Africa, and more specifically Stellenbosch. I had four hours before I needed to be at the airport, and while not nearly as much time as I would want, it gave me the time I needed to head out that way.

Since I didn't have a car, I hired a driver for the half day. He suggested we make a pit stop on our way out to Stellenbosch, which after hearing his idea I quickly agreed to. Even though I had seen cheetahs on our Kenyan Safari, this was a chance to get upclose and personal at Paardevlei Cheetah Outreach Centre.

In South Africa (and probably a lot of Africa), as farming lands and cities grow, the cheetahs in the wild are being run out of their natural habitat. When these farmlands encroach on the cheetahs homes, their food is taken away, so they tend to find new food sources, like the farmers cows and other animals. To protect their animals, farmers shoot or poison the cheetahs. The point of the outreach centre is to teach farmers how to live with the cheetahs, and inform them of alternative methods of protecting their livestock.

The way they do this is actually through Anatolian sheep dogs (from Turkey!). Cheetahs are not naturally aggressive animals, and therefore if they are challenged, they typically flee versus fight. The outreach centre not only teaches the farmers how to use these dogs, but also breeds them and provides them to the farmers. It has been so successful, there's now a waiting list for farmers wanting to get the dogs!

Back to the cheetahs though. They keep cheetahs at the centre to educate people on their true nature. I know some from our safari trip that they aren't inclined to hurt people, but it was amazing to be so close to one. They do stay with their handlers all the time, so they can keep an eye on their attitude and if they are open to having people around them. I got to visit Joseph and spent several minutes just stroking his fur and chatting with the handler about him. He's 11 years old, so he's an old pro at meeting people at the outreach centre.

After my encounter, it was off to try some wine! While I usually wouldn't drink before a flight, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. First up, we stopped at Bilton Wines for a chocolate and wine tasting. For each class of wine, they had a corresponding chocolate that were paired to bring out the flavours of each. I loved the cab so much that I bought a bottle and the delicious dark espresso choclate that I tasted with it.

Trouble of solo travelling? Finding someone to take your photo.

While I could have headed to the airport now and been there a few minutes early, we decided to squeeze in one last tasting. I figured it would be a good practice to help me to sleep on my long overnight flight back to London. We choose the picturesque Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch. The weather was lovely and I got to enjoy an outdoor seat in the sun, under the shade of the trees in their courtyard. Perfection. I got the chance to try three wines and three more chocolates, all lovely, but no space left in my suitcase to bring back. After the last of my wine, I took a few minutes to wander around the estate, with the lovely nectarine trees out front, lining the drive up to the estate.

And so my time in Cape Town came to an end. We drove back through Stellenbosch to give me some last glances of a place I had fallen in love with in only a few days. I know a trip back will be in my future, and perhaps next time with someone to share all my favourites of the city with!

South Africa has always been on my travel wish list - thinking of an exotic safari and perhaps some beautiful beaches. After our trip to Kenya, this got put on the back burner, since we had our safari adventure for the year (or perhaps lifetime!)

However, 2 months after my trip to Kenya, my luck self was back on a plane over Africa headed towards South Africa.

To be honest, I did have a stop in Johannesburg (or Joburg as almost everyone calls it), but it wasn't long enough to admire anything other than the terrible traffic and the inside of the airport for 3 hours because of a flight delay.

And while I made it to my hotel at 1 am, with a 5 am wake-up call the next day, my first views of Cape Town were magical. Driving in at night, you can still see the outlines of the mountain looming in the background, and hear the crash of the waves. My hotel, Camps Bay Retreat, had a rope suspension bridge that I had to walk across to get to the room, almost making me feel like I was on a jungle retreat.

Over the next three days, despite a large lack of sleep and very busy work day, I made the most of my time in Cape Town.

The first two days were spent close to "home" at Camps Bay. In my jetlagged state on the first day, I only made it down to the beach, but could have stayed for hours. It was a popular destination in the evening, with everyone from families, to couples, to people with their pups enjoying the beautiful weather (although not the water which is apparently always frigid).

We joined the ranks as we walked along the shore, climbed some rocks for a better view of the beach, then had dinner close by where we could watch the sunset over the water.

The next day was a stop to one of the main attractions in Cape Town - Table Mountain. As I was by myself, I took the cable car up, trying to ignore the heights and grateful that it got us to the top so quickly. I had planned to only stay up to snap a few photos, then head back to the beach, but after seeing the views, I knew it would be more than a pit stop.

I wandered along the front side of the mountain facing the see first, with beautiful views of the ocean, the city, Signal Hill and even Robbin's Island. Then I headed towards the backside of the mountain, with views still beautiful, although less protected by rails, so a tad bit scary for this girl with a fear of heights.


Walking back towards the front, I saw a 'table cloth' beginning to drape one of the mountains closer to the see, a phenomenon which gave the mountain its name. In the distance, was the Cape Point. I was wishing now that I had some good hiking shoes to join the others in heading that direction.  Since I wasn't so prepared, I took a seat (and a selfie) and just enjoyed the views before it was time for me to head back to the hotel for my braiia, a South African bbq feast on my last night in Cape Town.

Sometimes, it's good to remind yourself of how lucky you are and what a great situation you are in.

As an expat, it's easy to get into a routine just like you would in Dallas, or Houston or wherever in the world it is. Work on the weekdays, sleeping in on weekends, laundry, hanging out with friends. Sounds like fun?

But sometimes, as an expat, it's good to get a refresher for yourself on how fantastic your new home is and why you chose to live there.

With this, we've been making an effort to get out and see London! All of the well known tourist sites and some of the less known ones.

A few weekends ago, as the summer wound down to an end, we chose to see one of the most popular tourist sites - Buckingham Palace. As it was the second to last weekend of its opening, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

And while we were out, we went all out. We decided to visit Parliament too.

Bad news - no photos at any (bummer!).

Good news - both were some great places to visit.

First up, the Houses of Parliament.  This building had a whole history I didn't know about! Before becoming a government building, it was actually a royal palace.  Construction began in the 11th century under Edward the Confessor as a palace, so that he could oversee the construction of the nearby Westminster Abbey.  It was used for several centuries, as the true parliament began to unfold under the rule of the Plantagenets (Henry II - Richard III). Disasterously (and despite exclamations of the risks from others), the buildings of Parliament caught fire in 1834.

Westminster Hall - built in 1097 before the palace; one of the only buildings that survived the fire

So, unlike so many other things in London, the Houses of Parliament are relatively new!  Construction of the new palace began in 1840, after the gothic design was chosen from 97 entries from around the world. The successful designer was Charles Barry, with Augustus Pugin lending more of his input on the interior fixtures. While most of the building was done in 1860, the building of Parliament wasn't completely finished until 1870. However, when you walk through, you don't for one minute feel like you're in a building that could be deemed contemporary - it seems like you step back in time, with the vaulted ceilings, ornate tapestries, and paintings that were supposed to rival the Sistine Chapel. You can imagine the good old men, sitting around talking, smoking, alughing and dreaming up big things for England.

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As a resident of the UK, we have the chance to explore more of Parliament, if we write to our MP for tickets to sit in on session (including talks with the PM) or to climb to the top of Big Ben.

After a snack in the cafe at Parliament (where you can get a cuppa and scones!), we made our way up to Buckingham Palace.

The palace is only open 2 months of the year, while the Queen is out on holiday, or most likely visiting her home in Scotland. When she's away, they open up the State Rooms where visitors would be hosted to all of us who wouldn't have the opportunity otherwise. (Tip - book in advance!! You can also get tickets to tour the gardens, but these sell out early).

The State Dining Rooms Credit

While you have to queue to get in, once you get inside the building, it's a bit of a free-for-all as it is a self-guided tour. You can tell what's most popular as the tourists all push forward to get a peek at something the audio guide points out as important. I would probably have found the whole visit to be less than impressive if it weren't for the Coronation exhibit.

The Blue Drawing Room Credit

 With 60 years on the throne, the palace had a display on to celebrate the affair. Everything from the gowns and jewels worn on the day, to paintings to completed to commemorate the event, to recreations of the dinner table for the feast.  The best part of it (besides the clothes) were all the videos of the coronation itself and the excitement on the streets of London. As the first coronation to be captured on film, it's amazing to see things that can be described, but somehow only truly captured through the video.

After we made it through the rooms spanning 2 floors, we headed out the back, through the gardens to the real London. Perhaps, someday, I'll be back to explore more of Buckingham, and if I'm lucky, outside the State Room tour.

View of Buckingham Palace as we exited

Paul loves surprises. He loves surprises so much, he can't wait the surprise out. So rather than wait until my birthday or Christmas, he tells you about the surprise right away! I can't help but love his excitement about the whole thing.

For our anniversary, we decided to take a weekend trip to celebrate, since we have been in the process of moving countries for the last two years. And, to complicate the thing, we decided Paul would plan it all and it would be to a destination unknown to me!

I loved the idea at first - so much fun and suspense. Then the trip got closer, and I realised, I am not someone good to surprise. I asked lots of questions - what's the weather like, do I need my passport, is it a new country, will it be the beach, city or outdoors? Needless to say, Paul wasn't pleased, but kept the secret underwraps.

So finally, on our anniversary, I come home, having decided we are probably going to Cinque Terra, only to be told we'll be going to Salzburg!

I was excited. A new country and one thing I have been talking about since we moved to Europe - The Sound of Music Tour.

Our trip got off to a rough start after we missed our connecting flight to Salzburg, but we finally made it, just a few more hours later than expected. It was too late to go sightseeing, but we still wandered around the city centre a bit, finally stumbling upon a great little restaraunt for beer, goulash & dumplings.

Getreidegasse Street

 The next day was the main event - The Sound of Music! Paul had arranged this in advance, but rather than taking the typical bus tour, we took the bike tour. It was a great way to see the city, and very easy biking minus the one hill up to the abbey. It also meant we got to get off the bikes and get up closer than you would have in a bus.

Mirabell Gardens with Hohensalzburg Cathedral in the background

St. Peter's Cathedral - they weren't allowed to film SoM here but the producers recreated this cemetery in the studio

It was interesting to learn about how the film was shot, and some odd ways of going about it. For example, they used the front of one house (by the tree lined lane), but the back of another for the river & patio shots. And some things, like the intro scene and tree climbing, weren't even filmed in Salzburg, but the Lake District, which is a bit of a drive away.

The front of the Sound of Music house. It is now a music school

And don't worry, I found a few opportunities to do a sing along.

That night, we enjoyed music of a more classical nature. We took the cable car up to Fortress for a classical music concert. Salzburg is proud to be the birthplace of Mozart, although Mozart much preferred Vienna to his hometown of Salzburg. The concert was in the state room at the top of the fortress and was wonderful - not just Mozart, but several of the classics. We wrapped the night up at a roof top bar overlooking the fortress and river.

The State Room before the orchestra came in

The city from the fortress at nightfall

We decided to spend it at Untersberg, yet another cable car ride up a mountain. This one was quite a bit steeper than I would have preferred, but gave great views of the city. Unfortunately, the mist was rolling in our way up, so we didn't get the best views of the day. The mountain is a popular place to hike and houses all types of interesting natural attractions, including ice caverns.

View from the top of Untersburg

The end of our time in Salzburg came too soon, but we grabbed one last beer and some local food before we had to head back to London.

What to see
- City Centre: it is a classic European city centre, and company enough you can walk.
- Mirabell Palace: this palaces best views are from it's beautifully sculpted gardens.
- Hohensalzburg: hike up, or follow our lead and take the cable car to the top. There may be tours during the day, which are your best bet to get a better history of this fortress. The views can't be beat.
- Hellbrunn Palace: we made it out here to see the Sound of Music pavillion, but didn't have time to go in to see the trick fountains, which are supposed to be quite fun.
- St. Peter's Cathedral: this church has an interesting and beautiful cemetery (which they recreated in the Sound of Music's hollywood set), and some crypts which we didn't make it to. Right by the entrance is Salzburg's oldest bakery.