Usually when I’m writing my favorites I only struggle with the last one or two picks, but this month I was sorely tempted to add another line of photos altogether! Reason being is that I traveled to London for two weeks and I had so many favorite moments that it was hard just to pick the top six. I think that constraints can really push you to dig deep though, so I narrowed them down by choosing a top favorite for six different categories: place, hangout, food, souvenir, journaling, and make up.
#1. Brighton – To be honest, I didn’t expect Brighton to be my favorite place while traveling to London because I’ve been to various beaches in my life before. Originally I was going to catch another bus from Brighton to the Seven Sisters cliff area that is pretty much where all the Korean bloggers go and recommend. Only, because of the clear skies and hot sun I didn’t feel like hiking up rocky hills to get to the Seven Sisters and prior to my trip there had been warnings that parts of the cliffs were collapsing. In any case, I had packed a bikini and wanted to have some summer fun so I scratched Seven Sisters off the schedule altogether with no regrets whatsoever. Winnie had told me about an abandoned pier that was perfect for photos and I’m SO glad she did, because there was a mossy pier nearby that people were using as a diving board. Of course I had to try some cannon balls for myself and I can say with confidence that it was the most fun I’ve ever had at the beach!
#2. Tate Modern with Winnie – A huge shoutout to Winnie over at Diamond Canopy for showing me around Tate Modern! I was so excited to get to meet up with her as I’ve been following her blog for years now! It was such an amazing experience getting to see Tate Modern with someone who also enjoys and appreciates art, architecture, and edgy cafes because they’re just as excited and interest in the whole experience. It was also nice to be able to take photos for each other for blogging and Instagram because it’s hard to really do that with friends who just aren’t into taking photos or social media. Taking photos of Winnie at the Tate Modern was just a little dream because she was wearing a red skirt that really accentuated the photos, and the architecture at the Tate Modern made for some really amazing backdrops.
#3. Garlic Bread – Mother of all garlic breads, holy **** this garlic bread was AMAZING! I am still dreaming about having this garlic bread again, and it breaks my heart that I may never have it again. Or maybe it’s worth it to go on a pilgrimage to Brighton for the sake of garlic bread (of all things, I know). Only this garlic bread is no ordinary garlic bread. It’s chewy and so full of flavor and tastes nothing like the dry, over-buttered sad excuse for garlic bread that is served everywhere else in the world. Just as Giovanni once advised Elizabeth Gilbert regarding pizza in Naples, if you go to Nu Posto while in Brighton: Please, gentle reader, order the garlic bread. If you do not eat this garlic bread when you’re in Brighton, please, lie to me later, and tell me that you did.
#4. Toy Soldier & Potion Bottle – This adorable toy soldier I picked up at Hamley’s and the potion bottle I bought from a local artist in Brighton. The toy soldier had been on my wishlist before I even set foot in London because I had seen a photo of it online with Big Ben as a backdrop a couple years back. So in a sense I’ve stolen someone’s idea, but I’ve personalized it by adding the potion bottle. Potion bottles are a recent addition to my ever-growing list of things I collect, and this one is one of my favorites because of the unique beads inside!
#5. VVV Exhibit Card – There’s currently a Louis Vuitton travel exhibit going on at the DDP center in Seoul, and the exhibit was a lot more interesting than I had expected because they had travel luggage for everything you could think of: clothes, books, shoes, walking canes, hats (top hats, hats with plumage & netting, that sort of thing), gloves, etc. The only thing that soured my experience were the simply outrageous price tags in the gift shop. Who charges $70 for a box of stickers for crying out loud? Don’t even get me started on the $90 price tag for the cloth patch that costs less than a dollar to manufacture. The only way they redeemed themselves was by handing out a free emoticon voucher featuring the Kakao characters holding Louis Vuitton luggage. Ironically it was the card itself rather than the voucher code on the back that I was happy about because the emoticons have an expiration date of 30 days (why they hand them out to begin with is beyond me). I was happy to see that the card itself had the same design as the cloth patch I had wanted. So in the end, I got the perfect ephemera to add to my traveler’s notebook without having to pay a dime.
#6. YSL Air Cushion – In the past I have tried air cushions by Iope and Hera and hadn’t bothered experimenting with different brands because I sort of got past my try-all-the-makeup-phase. This saved me quite a bit of money as you can imagine, but alas my fatal Achilles heel appears to be beautiful, chic packaging. I saw a girl using it at school, and it turned out that she had seen my friend using it at school, and it’s not hard to see why anyone who’s actually seen this beauty can’t help but lust over this gorgeous compact. It’s infamous for its price and for not including a complementary re-fill as most air cushions do, so I waited until I was in Duty Free at the airport so that I could get it at a discounted price. The foundation itself actually exceeded my expectations, and the color match was perfect. I’m not liking the price of the refills though, so I may go the DIY route and create my own refill with a more affordable foundation. Because let’s all just be honest, half the reason anyone buys YSL cosmetics is because of the packaging.
Your Turn ♥ Do you have any travel plans for the summer? What’s on your travel wishlist?
