A Year Of Travel | 2014 In Review

How this year has gone by so quickly! The year has been a bit of a whirlwind with many ups and downs, but thankfully more ups than downs. We only have a few days left of the year, as we wave goodbye to 2014 and head into the new year with a brand new attitude, I thought I would review some of what I got up to this year. I am so excited for the new year, which always brings the usual excitements and new plans for you too I hope. This year also saw me collaborate with so many other bloggers, from meeting at blogger events to guest posts and features on other blogs to publishing my travel adventures on Travel Noire(global community for black travellers). I cant wait to share plans for the coming year. Without further ado...

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Christmas Festivities on London Southbank

Walks on London's Southbank are what grey Sundays in the city are all about. That and the thought of embarking on a mission to check out what this years Christmas markets have brought to me to the River banks on the Thames. The markets have stalls for mulled wine, choocolate kisses, mary-go-rounds, carol singers, dutch pancakes and of course the German sausages! 

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Italian Gardens | The Last Autumn Sun In Hyde Park

Right before I made an appears at the LDNBloggersTea session I stopped by Hyde Park for a Stroll as I still had some time to kill. The day was sunny but yet so deceiving. London has become so cold as we wait for winter to fully take hold of the city. In a bid to hold on to that cozy and warm feeling of autumn I made a dash to Hyde Park to take in a little sun and explore the beautiful Italian Gardens. 

This is a 150 year garden located across from Lancaster Gate and right at the end of the river that flows through Kensington Gardens before in becomes the Hyde Park's Serpentine. Believed to have been a gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria. Beautifully carved marble basins with stone statues. I love wondering by on Sundays as its less busy and not a lot of people flock to this part unless you are specifically coming for the gardens or are staying nearby. If you have watched Bridge Jones: The Edge of Reason and Wimbledon you may have spotted a scene where the gardens feature as well as many other films.

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LDNBloggersTea | Champagne Tea At The Lancaster

Although the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China, it has now become the quintessential of English traditions. In keeping with British traditions a Canadian and American expat have now taken on the tradition with both hands in organising meetup sessions for bloggers to network on not just a brew but rather fancy Champagne afternoon tea sessions. Selena at Oh the Places and Melanie from Sunny In London have been bringing together bloggers from across the city and outer counties to meet and mingle in some of the most prestigious of locations. You may have read about my previous session for the London Bloggers Tea at Milestone Hotel in Kensington.  

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Christmas Shopping With A Royal Twist

Do you know the where you can sample and buy the Queen's favourite chocolate? Who supplied the drinks on the Titanic? Or where London's oldest cheese shop is? Well neither did I until last weekend. Living in London you can sometimes take its history for granted as its always on your doorstep, so there is never any rush to really immerse yourself in it. Well a weekend ago Best LDN Walks got together a few bloggers for a reinvention of Christmas Shopping in the heart of the Westend. This was not like any Christmas Shopping experience. We were going to be sampling fine wines and liqueurs, cheese, visit one of the oldest hat shops in London all the while also learning about London's royal history. We browsed through shops where the royal family have some of the riding boats made, where some of their fragrances and groceries are made and bought. 

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Amsterdam's Best Food Experience You Must Try | High Wine At The Dylan

In my last post I shared with you pictures from the anniversary celebrations that involved touring Amsterdam while indulging in all the delightful foods the city has to offer while doing the Amsterdam Food Tour. Well, the anniversary weekend celebrations continued the theme around food as we ramped up the romance. This time were headed to The Dylan Hotel. They do a High Wine experience which as you may have guessed was born from its relationship to high tea experience. I have tried many an afternoon or high tea experiences, they don't know compare. This is on its own level. Dylan Hotel is housed in a townhouse with a rich history and located on one of the most famous areas of Amsterdam; Nine Streets. A fashionable and unique shopping district with a mix of designer boutiques, from vintage to modern fashion, chic little cafes and restaurants in what is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Quite befitting of a place to house a stylish and luxury hotel that is the Dylan. 

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Christmas Festivities | Harrods Windows

Every Christmas tourists(even locals) flock to the main department stores in London to see the beautiful Christmas displays. Harrods is among the popular department stores that always has captivating displays based around various themes. All the windows are covered up just before showdown and the unveiling is tried much like an event of the season, that must not be missed! Adults and kids alike gather around the store to take in the festivities as the curtains are dropped to reveal the year's display story. Usually I avoid such places like the plaque, but as I in the area I thought I would check out what this year's creativity brought to Harrods' Christmas window displays. 

This years theme transports you to The Land of Make Believe with beautiful creations of oversized vintage toys from some of the best designers around the world.

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How to Eat Your Way Through Amsterdam

My dreams of travel extend far into many corners of this big 'ol world. There is one particular place I have been dreaming about for the last two years. Suriname, a country that lies in the northern-eastern of the Atlantic coast of South America. My daydreams are filled with pictures of pristine sandy beaches, coconut drinks, drank straight from the coconut itself and food full of exotic flavours that send me into unbounded spiral of wanderlust. To my surprise I had no idea the trip to Amsterdam a few weeks ago to celebrate 2 years together with a cuddly ginger would have me sampling authentic Surinamese food in the heart of Amsterdam. Not so far out of the ordinary as the Dutch colonised Suriname and with many places they travelled they returned with food rich in flavour that even today will leave dinners speechless as they quietly devour each intoxicately good bite.

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B Street Deli - London Cafe Gems

I am sure you have heard that old saying that someone drinking so much that they could put a brewery out of business. Well, Alcohol is not really my thing even though I love a glass of wine occasionally. When it comes to tea, I could certainly put Twinnings out of business. That’s how much I love my tea. My kitchen features teas from around the world. I have fresh tea leaves from Egypt to Hong Kong, the USA and other corners of the world, from fruit infusions to the spicy and aromatics teas and from fragrant blends to light scented herbals. This also includes teas from the good old brews brought from my nearby supermarkets. I guess you can tell just how serious this is.

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