London

We took an early bus from Torquay to London on Thursday, after spending two nights in the Riviera. I had blisters all over my feet (ugh) and was a little worried how the rest of the vacation was going to turn out. I was still walking, though, so that was good :D 

After a quick lunch we took the subway (or the tube, as the English call it) to Paddington, where we stayed at the Easyhotel. (a quick word about easyhotel: this was my first and last time there. You'd think that something like free wifi, TV, and cleaning the hotel room is included in the price, but it's not. They charge you extra for everything. Make sure to learn your facts before you book a hotel; I admit, we didn't do much research. Still, am I crazy to think this way?!)

Paddington is a great place to stay in. I've actually never stayed there before, Victoria has always been my go-to place. So here I have two places in London to warmly recommend: Paddington and Victoria. Both are full of hotels, amenities and within an easy and quick access to everywhere via buses and the subway. 

Torstaiaamuna otimme aikaisen bussin Torquaysta Lontooseen. Jalkani olivat täynnä rakkuloita (yäk) ja vähän huolin, miten loppuloma tulisi menemään. Mutta sentään kävelin, joten se oli hyvä :D 

Pikaisen lounaan jälkeen matkustimme metrolla Paddingtoniin, missä asustelimme Easyhotellissa. (pikainen sananen easyhotellista tähän väliin: oli muuten eka ja vika kerta siellä. Luulisi että ilmainen wifi, TV ja huoneen siivous kuuluisivat hintaan, mutta ei. Kaikesta veloitetaan ekstraa. Muista varmistaa tällaiset asiat hotellivarausta tehdessäsi. Myönnän, että tässä menimme vikaan. Silti, olenko väärässä tässä?! Typerää mielestäni)

Paddington on loistava paikka asua. Tämä oli itseasiassa ensimmäinen kertani siellä, yleensä olen asustellut Victorialla. Joten tässä on kaksi paikkaa mitä voin lämpimästi suositella Lontoossa: Paddington ja Victoria. Molemmat alueet ovat täynnä hotelleja, kauppoja, ravintoloita yms. ja molemmista pääsee helposti kaikkialle bussilla tai metrolla. 

It was great being in London without the pressure of seeing all the tourist sights. We'd already seen the most. There was still plenty to see, like the market in Portobello Road, Notting Hill. We stopped at the Hummingbird Bakery for some delicious cupcakes (carrot and red velvet) and enjoyed the beautiful day. From Notting Hill we headed to Westminster and walked by Thames. Our plan was to locate a certain café, that sold the most amazing chocolate cake... ten years ago. Needless to say, the café wasn't there anymore, but we did get to recreate a picture of us! :)

Oli ihanaa olla Lontoossa ilman mitään paineita turistinähtävyyksistä. Suurin osa kun on tullut jo nähtyä. Silti, Lontoossa on aina nähtävää, niin kuin esim. Portobello Roadin markkinat Notting Hillissä. Pysähdyttiin Hummingbird Bakerylla ostamaan herkulliset cupcaket (porkkana ja red velvet) ja nautimme kauniista päivästä. Notting Hillistä suuntasimme Westminsteriin ja kävelimme Thamesin varrella. Suunnitelmana oli löytää eräs kahvila, josta sai maailman parasta suklaakakkua... kymmenen vuotta sitten. Ei tarvinne mainita, että sitä kahvilaa ei enää ollut, mutta saimme sentään otettua erään valokuvan uudestaan! :)

London was as amazing as always. It would truly be awesome to actually live there. I enjoy the big city vibe, riding the subway, always having something to do and see... I know the novelty would eventually wear off, but still. I just love London, there's no way around it! 

We sat in pubs, met up with some friends, toured, shopped... really had a great trip. So if you ever have a chance, go there. Maybe I'll run into you :) because I'm planning on going back asap!

Lontoo oli yhtä mahtava kuin ennenkin. Olisi oikeasti niin ihanaa asua siellä. Rakastan sitä suurkaupungin fiilistä, metrolla matkustamista, sitä että aina on jotain tehtävää ja nähtävää... Tiedän, että se viehätys kuluisi jossain vaiheessa, mutta silti. Rakastan Lontoota, siitä ei päästä mihinkään!

Istuskelimme pubeissa, nähtiin kavereita, kierreltiin, shoppailtiin... meillä tosiaan oli hyvä reissu. Joten jos sinulla on mahdollisuus, käy Lontoossa. Ehkä törmäillään :) koska haluan takaisin mahdollisimman pian!

 

TBT: Our Group of Four

I was thinking about some of my closest friends the other day. Wondering what the heck happened to us. 

Life happened, I guess. 

There were four of us, and we were very close. We knew everything about each other and our girls' nights were legendary. Gosh, I miss those times! 

There was a point when we were all living in different cities, and then closer again. Now one of us is married and living pretty far away. Two of us live within 15 minutes from each other, and one an hour away. I'm still blessed that I get to call them my friends, but as a group we haven't been together in... almost 18 months. It's kinda sad, but like I said: life happened. 

What is friendship? Really? 

To me, it's when friends don't judge each other by their mistakes. When they listen to your problems and do their best to help. If they can't help, listening is enough. It's when they see each other, they can pick up from where they left off the last time. When there's no awkwardness. When they have fights, realizing it started because they care for each other. It's when one look is enough to tell them all they need to know. When their secrets become your secrets. It's group-chatting online. Laughing and crying at the same time. Hiding each other's phones so no one can do anything stupid. Making a complete fool out of yourself knowing that there's nothing that can make them not love you. 

It's the need to see each other after a long time, and the wanting to make that happen. 

When I see them, we continue from where we left off the last time. Sometimes I get a little anxious before seeing someone I haven't seen in a while, afraid that we will run out of things to talk about, afraid that time has erased our friendship. But that doesn't happen with real friends. I may not have a lot of people in my life that I get to call true, ultimate friends, but the ones I have, are not going anywhere, and I will always be there for them, too. 

I will always miss the times I had with this group, and who knows, maybe one day we will all be reunited and have one more fabulous girls' night. 

My Favorite Places In the World

I feel I've been very blessed throughout my whole life when it comes to traveling. My parents were big travelers and when they had me and my brother, they had no choice but to take us with them. For that I couldn't be more grateful. 

I try to travel at least once a year, and I love sharing my travels with you. So here is a list of my all time favorite places; if you haven't been to these places, I recommend you add them to your list. Seriously, do it. You know you want to ;)

In no particular order:

Portland, Oregon, USA.

I spent three months in this city in the fall of 2012, and I can't even tell you how much I love it. It takes more than just a few days visit to see the wonderful weirdness of Portland, and the people are so incredibly nice, friendly, and proud to live in P-Town. Oregon's amazing nature is of course a perk, and you can see Mt. Hood (in the picture), St. Helen's, Mt. Adams and even Mt. Rainier from certain spots. I miss PDX so much it hurts and can't wait to have the chance to go back! Make sure to visit Voodoo Doughnuts when you go ;)

Seattle, Washington, USA

I don't know why, but I'd always wanted to go to Seattle, ever since I was an early teen, I think. Something about the city just fascinated me. During my stay in Portland I got my chance to visit Seattle a couple of times, and I'm telling you, it did not let me down. I happened to visit on sunny days, but the rain doesn't bother me. Portland gets as much rain, and if anything these cities made me love the rain even more. Seattle has so much to offer; Pike Place Market, the very first Starbucks, Kerry Park (I took this picture from the Kerry Park viewpoint)... I love the hippie atmosphere in the North West. 

San Francisco, California, USA

Unfortunately I only got to spend 1 day in San Francisco, but it was enough to blow my mind. This city is just simply beautiful. The houses, the steep hills (seriously steep!!!), Pier 39 + the sea lions... I am so in love with this place and really want to go back for a longer period of time. 

Washington, D.C, USA

I've been to D.C. several times, and I love that it's a calm big city. It's easy to get stuck in the Smithsonian area, but I do recommend you check out other parts of the city, too! Smithsonian is great and takes a lot of time, especially if you want to visit the museums (they're free of charge!), so make sure to have enough time to visit this wonderful city! :)

London, England

London never disappoints. No matter how many times I go (been there three times) I always find something new to do and see, and going back to the old places brings me a great joy too. I would be awesome to live in London one day, if I never get the chance to live in the US. London is beautiful, exciting, and lovely :)

Torquay, England

Torquay is located in the South West part of England, and it's known as the English Riviera! It is so beautiful and there's much to do; if my memory serves me right the city has 14 beaches, you can go see a stalactite cave (creepy but interesting), shop till you drop and just relax. There's a cute little village called Cockington between Torquay and Paignton, where you can enjoy a traditional English cream tea. Just don't make the same mistake that I did with my friends, and put the cream in the tea. Stop laughing. 

Cairo, Egypt

I admit I'm not currently up to date about how safe it is to travel to Egypt, but if you get a chance, don't miss out on Cairo! It's full of history and so many places to see; make sure to visit Egyptian Museum, have dinner on the Nile, see the pyramids and count the Beatle cars ;) I think I counted 60 when I visited Cairo in 2004. Oh, and while you're in Egypt, make sure to take advantage of the awesome snorkeling possibilities by the Red Sea!

Ok, there's a list of some places I just love :) There are so many more, but I didn't want to make a list that would never end. Hope you enjoyed this!

Have a happy weekend! <3

100 Happy Days Challenge! :)

Hey, guys! How are you all doing today? 

I am a little tired after working tonight, but I'm watching Friends as I'm writing this and feeling happy :) SPEAKING OF BEING HAPPY, I want to talk to you guys about something really important!

I bet a lot of you have heard of the 100 Happy Days Challenge. If not, keep reading and check out their website here!

Nowadays it can be hard to find time for yourself, time to appreciate the little things, and time to take a breather. 100 Happy Days Challenge is built to help people realize what makes them happy. How to participate? Easy! Every day submit a picture of something that made you happy. Now, don't make this too hard on yourself, it can be anything: hanging out at a coffee shop, taking a sweet nap or having a delicious dessert. Find that one moment in every day that makes you happy and document it for others to see! 

Share your picture via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and use the public hashtag #100HappyDays

Remember, you're not doing this for others, you're doing this for you. Go out there and be happy! :)

I myself will be taking part in this amazing movement starting April the 16th, and my platform is Instagram. You can find me on Instagram @grasshopper89.  Go follow my account and you can also follow my progress in the pursuit of happiness! <3 I am inviting all of you to take part in this with me! 

If you've decided to do this, leave me a link to your IG, FB or Twitter! I'd love to check them out and having each other to encourage one another can do no harm, right? :) 

I'll get back to you soon <3

See Beauty in Every Day

I am sitting on the floor, eating mini marshmallows and drinking milk. 

I'm listening to Taylor Swift. 

I'm browsing We Heart It. 

I'm scratching my head, because my ponytail is too tight.

I'm thinking I really love blogging.

I'm thinking I really love being creative.

I'm dreaming of buying something I've wanted ever since I was a little girl.

I'm dreaming of traveling this summer. 

I'm dreaming of writing.

I'm reading instructions on how to register for an entrance exam at a school I applied to.

I'm reading news, and wondering if they'll ever find that plane.

I'm reading e-mails and blogs I follow.

You can fit a lot in just a few minutes. 

You can fit a lifetime in just a few minutes. 

Sometimes it's hard to grasp everything that comes in our way. Sometimes everything is just too much. 

Every once in a while it's good to stop for a second and take a deep breath. 

Tell yourself: I am OK. 

Then smile. 

Have a beautiful week, everyone <3

Pictures from We Heart It.