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  • Photo Friday – Happy Fall

    Photo Friday – Happy Fall

    Chris and I spent last weekend soaking up as much time out of the house as we could, enjoying the spectacular display of fall colors that Virginia puts on every year. I snapped this photo with my Mavic Pro after finding this spot on a drive out west.

    “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus

  • Food, Fun, and Festivals in Glasgow

    Food, Fun, and Festivals in Glasgow

    Chris and I are huge fans of The Killers and CHVRCHES, so when we found out that both bands were playing at TRNSMT Fest in Glasgow, Scotland, we immediately set our calendar reminders to buy tickets as soon as they went on sale. Chris had also been itching to visit Speyside, so we decided to extend our July 4th holiday into an extra long weekend in order to cover the festival and the whisky trail.

    On the eve of July 3rd, we hopped on an overnight Icelandair flight to Glasgow and found ourselves celebrating Independence Day the next morning in the United Kingdom. A bit ironic perhaps, but we couldn’t think of a better way to spend our holiday!

    We stayed at the Radisson Blu Glasgow, just steps away from Glasgow Central Station and one block from the car rental office where we planned to pick up a car the next day for a road trip to Speyside. Our room was super clean, comfy, and convenient!

    In an effort to beat jet lag and make the most out of our first of two days in the city, we set out on foot after getting checked in to explore and to find some lunch. Glasgow is quite walkable, and we had an incredibly gorgeous summer day to enjoy a sleep-deprived stroll.

    I suppose it’s somewhat cliché, but as soon as we touch down in the U.K. I always instantly crave fish and chips, so we stopped into The Butterfly and the Pig for the traditional dish. And when I say we stopped in, I mean first we accidentally seated ourselves in the tea room upstairs before realizing the full restaurant was downstairs. Oops. It was worth the minor embarrassment though –  our delicious meals hit the spot. This was actually my first time trying mushy peas and I loved them! How did I miss this comforting side dish the first three visits to the U.K.?

    Operating on no sleep from the previous night, we decided to give in to a bit of laziness and booked tickets on an open-top bus tour. We’ve done these bus tours a couple of times in different cities and it’s such a great way to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Our guide, Peter, kept us perked up with hilarious and informative commentary.

    We were treated to some of Glasgow’s most beautiful sites including Glasgow University, George Square, and Glasgow Cathedral. Sometimes we use the hop-on-hop-off bus as transportation to reach the major sites, doing the hopping on and hopping off thing, but this time we just stayed on the bus, enjoyed the fresh air, and listened to the guided tour since we were short on time and energy.

    One of our quirky travel traditions is eating Mexican or Tex-Mex food in every country we can find it (once we’ve already covered the local cuisine as much as possible), so we continued the tradition at Topolabamba for dinner. We indulged in various margaritas and street food small plates, and we would definitely eat there again if/when we get to return to Glasgow!

    Our Mexican dinner (promptly followed by passing out at our hotel) wrapped up our first day in Glasgow. The next morning we walked down the street to pick up our rental car and set out on a road trip to Speyside. We spent three days wandering the whisky trail and tasting Speyside’s finest, and then we returned to Glasgow for TRNSMT Fest. A Speyside whisky adventures post is up next, but first a few images from our time at the festival!

    Oddly enough despite our love for live music, this was our first time attending a big music festival, so we didn’t really know what to expect except maybe large crowds and pricey drinks. I’m not a huge fan of crowded places (an understatement) so we purposely didn’t show up as soon as the gates were open and although TRNSMT is a multi-day event, I only purchased one-day tickets for the same reason. Spoiler alert: we had tons of fun! But one day was plenty.

    We rolled into Glasgow Green mid-afternoon knowing that our favorite bands would take the stage later in the evening. In the image below, the red arrow points to our spot for the night after wandering the grounds and grabbing drinks and snacks. It was fairly unobstructed with a good view of the stage!

    screenshot image courtesy of BBC

    Franz Ferdinand played a really great set to an energetic audience, and then the crowd seemed oddly mild-mannered for CHVRCHES, but when The Killers took the stage everyone went bonkers. I’ve never seen so much energy at a show. With nary a spare inch of personal space (eek!), we were literally swept up in the movement and excitement of the people surrounding us. People chanted and danced and sang every word at full steam. Several times a very joyful Scottish woman grabbed both Chris and me by the arms and pumped our limbs into the air with hers. I was laughing so hard and enjoying myself that I overcame any anxiety about the crowd level, and we had a great time!

    The festival went off without a hitch as far as I could tell. Drink lines moved swiftly, security at every gate eased my mind, and since Chris and I opted for VIP tickets we were treated to the upgraded restroom situation, a very nice perk.

    So as far as music festivals go, I couldn’t think of a better place to experience my first one! The people of Glasgow sure know how to party. I’m glad we decided to put the rest of our trip before the concert. The next day we returned home to the States exhausted and happy from our quick jaunt to Scotland and we already can’t wait to return.

    Up next: our three days in the Speyside area in which we managed to visit eight whisky distilleries!

  • St. John Snapshot

    St. John Snapshot

    And now without further ado, here is my St. John snapshot post! I’ve rounded up a few snippets of info about our trip, and some of our favorite moments and photos.

    Trip Details

    Chris and I traveled to St. John, U.S.V.I. with my sister and brother-in-law, and we all stayed on the Coral Bay side of the island in a two-bedroom villa called All About the View. We flew round-trip from IAD to STT June 2-9 and we rented a Jeep once we arrived on St. John.

    Best Moment

    I’ll have to separate this category into a two-part answer this time! Best travel-related moment was our day in Maho Bay swimming with the turtles. I was so thrilled to see these guys thriving and it was a treat to see so many at once!

    Best non-travel-related moment: the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup while we were on the island! Chris and I watched the whole game from the bar at Greengos over margaritas and nachos. Of course we would have loved to experience the watch parties at home with the massive throngs of fans in D.C. or even to attend the game in Vegas, but the next best thing was seeing our team take the cup and then to celebrate with tequila shots with a handful of other Caps fans on the island. We’ll never forget that night!

    Worst Moment

    Spider. Big one. Spotted in my bathroom after I finished taking a shower. My brave and heroic sister managed to catch it and relocate it outside. (Arachnophobia must not be genetic.) If you know me well, you know there are no photos of this incident. This is a spider-free blog.

    Funniest Moment

    I think everything that falls into this category from this particular trip is a you-had-to-be-there moment, like the four of us doing impressions from an overheard conversation of some construction workers next door. We kept ourselves giggling all week, but it’s hard to recreate that here.

    Best Meal

    This is a tough one on an island that consistently offers amazing options in the food and drink department. We loved so many meals throughout the week, but we all agreed that Indigo Grill was our favorite spot and we ended up eating there twice. Reasons for landing in the top spot include live music, a huge menu with tons of delicious choices, and some of the best mango margaritas I’ve ever had. Chris and I split ceviche and the Cuban sandwich, and of course we had to try their version of the island’s most popular drink: the Painkiller. Yuuum.

    Perhaps a second-runner up for me was drinks and snacks at The Longboard. Those Caribbean Summer Rolls with a peanut dipping sauce were fantastic!

    Something We Learned

    We learned that the island is doing even better than we imagined. Recovery is well underway, the locals’ spirits are high, and the island is more than ready to welcome visitors!

    We’re Thankful We Packed

    Neso Tent turned out to be a really fantastic item to have! The foliage around the beaches on St. John still needs some additional time to recover, but in the meantime this little tent is the perfect shade solution.

    The tent works by filling a sandbag pouch in each corner after pulling the tent into an x-shape. Once the anchors are situated, you simply prop the poles up inside. It did take a bit of trial and error to figure out how to position the tent against the wind, but once we got the hang of how to anchor it it worked perfectly! (The trick was to heavily fill and then bury the anchors.)

    We Didn’t Need To Bring

    I think we packed pretty well for this trip. It helps that this was our fourth visit to the island, so we’re well-versed in what we need to bring (most important: bug spray). We used/wore everything in our suitcases!

    Trip Regrets

    I wish I took more photos! I did grab a couple of the four of us this time, so it’s an improvement over our last trip together, but I didn’t document a ton. Sometimes it’s really nice for me to take a break from being behind the camera all of the time.

    Reasons To Go Back

    We can always, always go back to St. John, no reason needed!

    Favorite Photos

    Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

  • Returning to Love City Post-Irma: Part Two

    Returning to Love City Post-Irma: Part Two

    Upon arriving to St. John nine months after Hurricane Irma I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. The same warm, salt-water air surrounded us as we stepped off the plane in St. Thomas, but I braced myself for a visit unlike past trips to the USVIs. I had read that the foliage was sparse, several buildings were badly damaged, and some restaurants and shops had not yet reopened.

    Riding in a taxi pointed toward Red Hook on St. Thomas, my sister, brother-in-law, Chris, and I listened to our driver’s account of how the storm impacted the islands and his family. Our views out the van windows and then on the passenger ferry to Cruz Bay verified the condition of the island – roofless buildings here and there and pockets of other wreckage, but for every time I spotted a tarp-covered house or an abandoned boat washed up onto shore, I also encountered signs of resilience and beginning anew. Trees with fresh leaves sprouting, healthy animals making their way across the road, or jewel-toned waters taking my breath away.

    Some spots on the island were hard to see. Out of respect for people’s privacy I didn’t photograph any of the damaged houses, but we did see a few homes that were missing roofs or even walls. And while Mother Nature is well on her way to regenerating the lush green tropical foliage we are used to seeing, the hillsides from afar did look quite brown in a lot of areas.

    That said, the island still felt as magical as always. One of the main reasons we love St. John is for the island’s vibe and atmosphere, and that has not changed. Everyone we encountered treated us with the usual warm welcome and kindness. Literal signs of love for the island could be found around every bend in the road. And the views of the water? Still jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

    Eager to show my sister and brother-in-law some of the best parts of the island, we took in as many beach days as we could, starting with a morning on Hawksnest. Nothing made me happier than to see that clear blue water looking as mesmerizing as ever.

    Out of concern for a lack of shade on the beach due to less foliage, we purchased a Neso Tent prior to the trip and it turned out to be a really fantastic item to have! Somehow I managed to miss taking a photo of our own tent, but the two tent images below are courtesy of the Neso website. And it’s the exact same color we purchased. I think the teal blends in with the sky nicely.

    The tent works by filling a sandbag pouch in each corner after pulling the tent into an x-shape. Once the anchors are situated, you simply prop the poles up inside. It did take a bit of trial and error to figure out how to position the tent against the wind, but once we got the hang of how to anchor it it worked perfectly! (The trick was to heavily fill and then bury the anchors.)

    We squeezed the four of us with beach chairs underneath the regular size, but it’s probably better to buy the Neso Tent Grande for more than two people. The tent packs up into a small bag that fits easily into a suitcase or a carry-on, and it’s TSA-compliant since the poles don’t have sharp ends. People frequently complimented our genius set-up and wanted to know more about it. Bonus: the Neso Tent is much easier to carry than an umbrella, and there’s no chance of it flying away and impaling someone. I’m not sponsored by Neso – I just really like their product and highly recommend this shade solution!

    images courtesy of nesotents.com

    Our next beach day took us to Maho Bay, famous for its turtle-sightings. We were treated to swimming with not only one or two turtles, but we spotted somewhere around ten or more! I was completely blissed-out on quality time with sweet testudines. And again…that gorgeous water.

    Any fan of the island knows that no visit to St. John is complete without at least a little time spent at Trunk Bay. We experienced a cloudy sky that day, but happily propped up our tent anyway and went snorkeling along the underwater trail and beyond. The coral right around the trail looked slightly damaged from the storms and some of the trail signage was missing, but further out the coral appeared quite healthy and we saw tons of sealife. I even managed to get a photo of a flamingo tongue snail.

    Sadly, one of my favorite beaches, Cinnamon Bay, did not fare well during the storm. The campgrounds and the surrounding area took a huge hit, and this area is still closed due to the damage. I knew going into this trip that Cinnamon had not been restored, but my heart sunk at the extent of the damage. Thankfully there are plenty of other wonderful beaches to explore, and actually, Cinnamon seemed like a fine spot to sit if you need some absolute peace and quiet (see Exhibit A below: photo of a couple and a shade-seeking chicken under an umbrella on the beach at Cinnamon).

    If my favorite thing about St. John is the overall mood, and my second favorite thing is the beaches…my very next favorite thing is the food. Despite having so many favorite restaurants on St. John, we managed to try several new ones as well and I could not have been more excited to have so many great choices.

    We had a delicious Mexican food lunch at the newly-opened Greengos, complete with margaritas the size of our heads.

    Another new-to-the-island favorite, Lucky Chops, was the perfect spot for Asian small plates in a cozy atmosphere.

    We spotted new (to us) signage at Colombo’s Smoothies, but enjoyed the same rum-optional (always rum!) smoothies with a view as usual.

    The night that the four of us planned to eat at The Longboard a temporary power outage sent us down the street to an old favorite instead, The Lime Inn, but Chris and I returned to The Longboard another night for drinks and appetizers. Try the Caribbean Summer Rolls!

    Lastly, a picture of the four of us (finally!) at our favorite restaurant of the week, Indigo Grill. Here we enjoyed live music, a widely-varied menu, and some of the best mango margaritas I’ve ever had.

    I’m so very glad we decided to keep our original plans and continue with our trip to St. John after the hurricane. We had an amazing time and came back to the States happy and fully rested. I hope this info helps someone to make the same choice to book a trip. The island is definitely ready to welcome guests and your tourism dollars will help boost their economy. Go for the friendly locals, the delicious food, and of course the beautiful views of spectacular beaches. It’s all still there!

    Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

  • Returning to Love City Post-Irma: Part One

    Returning to Love City Post-Irma: Part One

    Back on August 28, 2017, my sister and I finalized our plans for a week-long trip to St. John in June 2018 by putting a deposit down on a beautiful two-bedroom Coral Bay villa. I was thrilled that I would finally get to show my beach-loving sister and brother-in-law one of my favorite little island spots in the world! We all had a wonderful time on Vieques together and it was high time we took another trip.

    Two days after our booking, a tropical storm started to form that would later evolve into Category 5 Hurricane Irma on track to bring catastrophic devastation to several of the Virgin Islands. We watched helplessly from our homes on the mainland as satellite images and news footage showed Irma pummeling down on one of my favorite spots in paradise.

    After the storm settled and details of the destruction began to spread across our news sources, my sister and I wondered if we might not be able to keep our travel plans to visit St. John, even as far out as our trip was scheduled. Ideally we still wanted to visit, especially if it helped in any way by putting tourism dollars back into St. John’s economy, but we also wondered if the island’s infrastructure would be ready for tourists and/or if we would be a burden at that point.

    We decided to wait and see, and as it turned out we received news in October that our rental villa was completely unscathed and as the trip approached, our flight itineraries stayed the same even though many travelers even up through late spring were facing canceled flights. With everything luckily in place for us, off to Love City we went!

    As per usual, a rental Jeep provided our transportation around the island for the week. First things first, we headed to our villa to get settled. We didn’t encounter any issues at all driving around the island. Roads were clear, even on the quieter Coral Bay side, and we only noticed a pile of cable in the street closer to the villa. Downed trees and debris have been completely cleared. Of course, that’s not to say we didn’t see other signs of destruction, but a little more on that in the next post.

    You can see a small sample of Irma’s aftermath in the photo below. The foliage surrounding the villa and on the hillside is quite bare. Some trees fared well, but a large percentage on the island were completely stripped during the high winds of the storm. It buoyed my spirits, though, to see new leaves growing and baby trees here and there already popping up. Nature has been hard at work over the last several months healing itself.

    Somehow this villa managed to come out of the hurricane untouched by Irma. We noticed the home next door undergoing some repairs, but our villa didn’t seem to have even a shutter out of place. The beautiful landscaping looked healthy, and we even spotted a critter or two scurrying around outside. (And a spider or two inside, but thankfully I had three other people to help remove them when needed.)

    The villa is named All About the View, and you can see why. This side of the island provides an unparalleled view of Caribbean islands (including the BVIs!) as far as the eye can see.

    Somehow I completely missed taking any images of the villa’s interior, so the four images below are courtesy of the listing on vrbo.com. The perfect size for two couples, this villa has two master bedrooms and two bathrooms – one of each on the main level and the lower level. The kitchen provided everything we needed (well, except a can opener so no huevos rancheros for us, womp womp) to prepare a few meals at home and sandwiches for the beach. The cozy living room area was a good hang-out spot for the four of us even though we didn’t have use of the TV. This house is not hooked up for cable or satellite yet, but we were perfectly happy without it.

    So that’s where we stayed for the week! If you’re a couple, two couples, or small family looking for a place to stay on St. John, I definitely recommend All About the View. It’s not always easy to find a smaller villa that also has a pool, so thankfully this fit the bill for us. And I think they’ve probably replaced the can opener by now.

    In the next post, we explore the island, head to the beaches, and eat/drink at as many restaurants as possible. Stay tuned!