Aimless on the Avon.

I had a few days off after a week of stressing myself out over a presentation (public speaking is not my thing), so I decided to take a day trip to somewhere new to unwind. Completely untrue to form, not only did I not decide where I was actually going until the morning of, I did zero research - not even a glance at Google maps to see the layout of the town! I normally have my days scheduled and mapped out to the point of insanity.

I took advantage of the sunny weather we have been graced with as of late and walked to Temple Meads, hopped on a train for 25 minutes and wound up in Bradford on Avon.

Luckily I arrived just as my stomach was beginning to rumble, making a perfect excuse for tea!

Belly full of scones and jam, I trotted along the streets and the river, with no real game plan. This meant I went in more circles than I care to share, but this way, there was a surprise around every corner. The town is small enough so you can conquer it in a day, and there was also a distinct lack of tourists. I seemed to be the only one wandering around, the silence was almost eerie at times. 

Tithe Barn, from the 14th century. This is surrounded by fields of greenery and nearby the canal, making it ideal for dog walks, jogging, and just a place to enjoy the nice weather.

St. Lawrence's Church, one of the few Saxon churches remaining without reconstruction from the medieval age. Historians say that it dates back to either 700 AD or the 10th century but haven't been able to confirm yet. Or as us non-historians like to say, "Dang this thing is old".

The only thing to make me frown in this quaint town : anti-homeless spikes outside of a church. Not sure if I've ever rolled my eyes so hard.

There are tons of narrow alleys and staircases dotted along the streets in Bradford on Avon. I followed a series of steps up and up until I arrived at a row of charming houses with a chapel at the end, overlooking the entire town with the countryside in the distance. I'd be okay with having my morning coffee in one of these front gardens...

In addition to the gorgeous view, I squealed with excitement when I spotted something off in the distance.

Can you see it? You may need to have eagle-eyes.

If you guessed one of the Wiltshire White Horses, ding ding ding - you are correct! I've only ever seen one from the window of a bus, so I was pretty pumped when I noticed it. The origins of these hillside horses are hotly debated, some saying they date back over 3,000 years, others say no more than 300. Either way, they're a special part of the English countryside.

Bradford on Avon was perfect for a carefree day out in the sunshine. I don't want to jinx anything quite yet, but I have been loving the weather here in England the past few weeks. I got off pretty lucky with a mild winter, but I'm ready for spring and summer to get here already! The sun hangs around until nearly 10pm in the summer which I am totally looking forward to - 3pm sunsets in the winter really got me down.

Come on Spring, you can do it!

TBTravel: Washington, DC.

To kick off my series of TBTravel posts and to start filling up the empty spaces of my places page, today I'm bringing y'all photos of my trip to DC. I have no idea why I started here other than I was prepping for this trip almost exactly a year ago on the dot.

I had been in and out of DC in less than 24 hours when I was younger thanks to a volleyball tournament. Meaning: I walked around the main monument area for a while, posed with my Hot Topic tee in front of the White House, and then hopped back in the car.

This time, I was staying with a friend who works in DC so I got a real feel for the city this go around. She had an intern ID at the time that got us into the employee tunnel of the Capitol and gave me a personal tour, i.e. we skipped the multiple hour group-led tour and she showed me the highlights.

Regardless if you're into politics or even American, DC is an awesome city to visit. There are tons of young professionals working there, making it a fun and hip place for a vacation with plenty of art and history thrown in there too.

No good vacation begins without brunch.

The reflection pool sans-pool.

She has the most amazing hair. Just don't ask if you can pet her or you'll lose a finger.

Georgetown was one of my favorite areas in the whole city, and the day we went was also when were were surprised with several inches of snow, making it even more beautiful! And free of tourists.

It was St. Patrick's Day, a celebratory cupcake was in order.

...Okay so TWO celebratory cupcakes were in order.

I'd watched the show DC Cupcakes on TLC that features this bakery and the owners a few times, thinking that it might be one of those uber-hyped up places that wasn't up to scratch.

I was wrong. These cupcakes ARE delicious.

FOOD

Firefly – Great for brunch. DC loves brunch, and so do I.
Georgetown Cupcakes – Surprisingly do live up to their hype. If the idea of waiting in line for a cupcake makes you roll your eyes (we lucked out with the icky weather and had the place nearly to ourselves), Sprinkles is just down the road.
Good Stuff Eatery – Went for the burger and fries, stayed for the milkshakes. And I have some serious standards when it comes to milkshakes. A+ all around.
Founding Farmers – A mere 10 minute walk from the White House, this place does a cracking breakfast and has a great atmosphere. They also serve lunch & dinner along with their full bar, but I who am I to turn down pancakes with whipped blueberry butter? They also take reservations via Open Table which makes life so much easier.

Recommendations by another friend who works in DC: We the Pizza & Ben's Chili Bowl (Obama's favorite chili)

GETTING AROUND

If you are without a car, Uber is your best friend in DC.
There is also an efficient metro, a rarity in the US in contrast to Europe.

WHAT TO DO

George Washington hired a French architect to design and plan DC, and upon closer inspection you can tell the influence Paris had on the layout. The National Mall is essentially a large park of sorts that has all the famous "DC" things to see. With all of these historical landmarks clustered together, you can spend a full day in this area weaving around the monuments and popping into museums, most of which are free.

Georgetown is an area that's worth a visit. It's a high-end area slash university campus that hosts streets of great shops, food, and picturesque homes.

National Archives –  Where you can peer at the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and Bill of Rights with your own eyes. Granted, they are underneath about an inch of glass and faded to smithereens, but very cool to see.
Holocaust Memorial Museum – Very moving and well-crafted.
Museum of American History – Boasts everything from Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, every First Lady's Inaugural Ball gown, and robes from the Harry Potter movies.
Newseum – A lovechild of history and media plus home to a balcony with prime views of the Capitol. You do have to pay an entry fee for this one.
Museum of Natural History – Everyone likes dinosaurs. We just do!

** Worth noting that there are enough museums in DC to entertain you for weeks covering just about any topic you could be interested in. Postal service museum? Sure! 

Have you been to DC? I was surprised at how much I really liked it!

Mini Blognouncement!

In case you haven't noticed yet, I have added a shiny new button to the top of my page called "Places". On this page are quick links designated by cities to destinations I have blogged thus far, making it easier to find exactly what you want to see.

What I'm currently trying to sort out is:

A) How far back in travel I actually want to go. My awkward stage was not cute, y'all.
B) Do I literally want to make a post about every city I've ever been to? I don't want to get too far off from current life/it could bore you to death. But at the same time, I have folders and folders of photos from Europe and all around the USA.
C) Some of these trips were before I had a decent camera and well, I'm a perfectionist.

I'm leaning towards doing a series of Throwback Travel (#TBTravel) posts once a week to help document these places that I think y'all would enjoy seeing. Some of these may be really in depth or need multiple posts (I could talk for days about Charleston) and some would be pure photos ("Here's what I got from the 2 hours I spent in Bruges").

Probably the MOST exciting bit of the page, to me at least, is the "Wizard World" section. These links are to any locations that have a direct link to the Harry Potter books or movies, so you never miss a good Hogwarts reference whilst traveling.

Yeah....enjoy this while you can because I'm never throwing it THIS far back, ever again.

Let me know what you think down below!