There is definitely a romantic feel to winter travel, even if in some places snow and freezing temps are involved. The idea of cozying up with your loved one, or not, but instead tucked under a blanket in front of the fireplace, travel in winter is wonderful, especially to destinations with the ideal accommodations from this list: Hint: Also great gift ideas for her or him.
In recent years I’ve fallen in love with the English countryside, which is where I was 20 years ago, dreaming of owning a cottage in England somewhere. I suppose I’ve made full circle. You see twenty years or so ago, I was walking about a street fair in San Francisco, and I noticed a set of photographs taken by a man in a booth aiming to sell them. They were all photographs of the English countryside. I bought four, already framed, and hung them in my home as soon as I walked in through the door – vowing to myself that I needed to see England past London. Two years back, I visited a friend who’d been living there for a while, and asked her to take me around the country – since she drove and I didn’t have the guts to. And surely, the experience was worth every penny. Here’s the thing, there is nothing like seeing the English countryside in your own personal car, not so much a group tour, but at your …
I have a very deep-rooted connection to France – and in the past have very seriously considered relocating there – using the reason that I need to get to know family on my father’s side spread across the country. But really – it’s because I feel that I have lived a past life in Paris. Because, the moment I step out of the plane, I belong, in the most peculiar way. It could very well be that I have been there a million times over the years and I understand the geography – but I would like to think that it is truly because I am longing for that past life I am sure to have lived. How does this relate to the best bakeries in Paris? You ask. Well, if you’ve been, or are a fan of this fair city, you would know that the foundation of it all is based upon these facts: Fashion, Food (which includes chocolate, pastries and champagne), Decor, Art, and that je ne sais quoi culture, only some of …
I’ve noticed the changing of the leaves in a subtle way, here in San Francisco and from the looks of this map, we are not due to full on changing of the leaves until – well – perhaps November or never? Although I doubt that. Because I have seen a dozen or so maple leaf trees – not many – perched along the avenues in the city, among a few other trees I am unable to identify – are slowly turning colors. But if you happen to need a full-on dose of the Fall changing foliage sometime soon, than book a trip – Northeast if you happen to be in the states, or Northwest, if you happen to be across the pond, itching to see first hand our version of Autumn changing leaves. And I learned a thing or two about the type of leaves – which I couldn’t make out when staring up at those trees in any number of neighborhoods throughout the city with the leaves in process at the moment. So …
Monday morning, with my to-do list in hand, I decided to ease into the day with a cup of coffee and topics about travel I wanted to share with all of you feeling the same way today. {featured image}
There is much to be said about a boutique hotel, where the accommodations do not exceed a dozen or so rooms, the location tucked away somewhere serene, the grounds heavenly, and the amenities meticulously considered. This sort of recluse I crave all the time.
As Airbnb stay become more popular, I realized this list of beautiful homes is in line with the theme here and worth a mention: Here are some of my favorites from this list of many:
I haven’t yet adventured to go on an actual road trip through Europe. I always feel train travel is sufficient in getting me to where I needed to go without the stress of driving while on vacation in a foreign country. Although, a friend of mine who lives in England took me on weekend road trips throughout the country last March and this past May and since then I’ve been thinking – is it something to experience at least once, with a loved one or even a friend to explore outside my comfort zone-driving on foreign soil. And just as I’ve been contemplating, this bit of article popped up on my screen. A road trip from Rome to Paris Now, I have been to all of these destinations, except Reims and Stresa and perhaps I can chart my own romantic or otherwise road trip to see destinations unreachable by RailEurope. But I will say, if you haven’t been to these amazing and beautiful places, and want a fairly simple and planned road trip, then reach …
Never would I have imagined the truly beautiful towns across America that made it on this list, until I had the chance to travel throughout coastal England and get a glimpse of why it is that some of these very towns in the U.S. were named after those in England. ]
As I have said before – here’s to a slow start to a Sunday morning and a few travel reads from yours truly to keep you entertained –
rawsilkandsaffron.com 