England.

So... after reading one of my new favorite blogs I find myself harboring some deep nostalgia and homesickness for England. I don't think I'll be heading back across the pond until Christmas break, because I'm so busy and because it's cheaper for PB to fly here (don't ask). I just keep thinking that in less than a year... 10 months, to be exact... I will be a resident of England. I can't WAIT to go back and then to be there for good!

So what exactly am I missing?

• Watching the BBC morning news in bed...
• Picking up sausage rolls for breakfast...
• Walking along the Thames...
• Playing with dogs everywhere... even in Pubs...
• Riding bikes w/ PB in the New Forest...
• Window shopping at Harrod's...
• Fish & chips Friday's at The Packhouse...
• Sweet British cabbies and their huge cabs...
• Riding on the wrong side of the road...
• Getting cupcakes on Thursday at Peyton & Bryne at St. Pancreas... 
• Mochas from Paul's... 
• Pre-picking my seats at the cinema...
• Old British men in tweed and bowties...
• Salty & sweet popcorn options at the cinema...
• Wine, wine, wine, wine...
• Getting lost in Covent Garden...
• Having tea with PB...
• EAT soups...
• Picnic baskets from Fortnum & Mason's...
• Shopping at Joules...
• Scones with clotted cream and jam...
• Watching Outnumbered with PB...
• Reading the Sunday times together at Starbucks...
• "Mind the Gap... Please mind the gap!"
• Weekend road trips with PB...
• Visits to Buckingham Palace & Windsor...
• Trips to Oxford and shopping in my fav little boutique...
• Watching Yes, Minister in bed with my nighttime chocolate, cup of milk, and PB...

*sigh*

Ohhhhhhhh how I can't wait to get back to my new homeland and my SOON-TO-BE new HUSBAND!!

High Tea at The Connaught

As evidenced from my blogs and tweets, I'm a tea fanatic. PB and I spent the summer trying out quaint tea rooms all over southwest England. While we absolutely LOVE those, we also love going to a fancy high tea. According to the Tea Guild of England, Brown's Hotel and The Connaught vie for the title of Best Tea each year. If you recall PB and I tried out Brown's at Valentine's Day and were impressed with them. I couldn't leave England this time around without trying the rival to see which was better.

*We arrived early and got a drink at the Coburg bar... PB went with a gin & tonic*

(Also, not that I'm biased or anything... but isn't he like SOOOO handsome?! I still swoon.)

*I love the Coburg bar. I went last year with a friend who was in town when I was there, and it was ok, but nothing beats going with your special someone!*

*I went with a bellini! YUM.*

*PB was clearly excited about his G&T.*

*The sandwiches were AMAZING. They had ham & piccalilli, chicken salad, cream cheese and chive, and smoked salmon. My fav was the chicken salad & cream cheese and chive.*

*We splurged on champagne for my last weekend in England. SO worth it!*

*The scones were PERFECT. Warm, tasty and fresh. They gave us a bunch of jams to try. I really like the strawberry and the pineapple.*

*Some of the yummy treats. The red & pink think was the best out of all of them. It was strawberry mousse in a pastry*

*These were all to DIE for.*

*The clotted cream for the scones. They did NOT skimp. Even PB couldn't finish it off and we know how much he loves clotted cream*

*All the goodies put together... And my adorable PB.*

* Me and my tea... I wore my sparkly headband again. It's now a tradition that whenever we go into London for fancy tea, I wear my swarovski headband.*

*PB and I both went with the Connaught's special blend. It was delicious. We really loved it! I have to admit that I like this tea better than the tea I picked at Brown's. It was really good. Like a hyped up, more flavorful English breakfast.*

*Awwwwwww.*

*Like Brown's they gave us little sachets of tea to take with us.*

*I loved the hydrangeas in the entrance to the Tea so much that I asked the manager to snap our picture.*

All in all it was amazing and worth every pricey penny. If you are in London anytime soon I strongly encourage you to try ether Brown's Hotel for tea, or The Connaught's tea. You will NOT regret it!

White Cliffs of Dover

During our holiday we ventured over to the coast to see the White Cliffs of Dover. PB picked this trip and while I wasn't as excited as he was about it while we were en route, I quickly changed my tune when we arrived. It was simply gorgeous!

We first determined that lunch needed to be eaten before we ventured out to the cliffs. Dover itself looked like an absolute hovel so we drove to a cute beach town nearby ate and checked out the beach.

It had rocks. 

No sand.

(This is NOT a real beach in my book. PB and I have continual battles on this subject.)

The water was freezing... as usual. 

After we had eaten and frolicked we drove back to Dover. It was simply gorgeous!

We walked along the walks and sat on the cliffs itself, which is all chalk. 

(And WILL turn your butt white if you sit on it. FYI, people FYI.)

We started our walk right on the edge where the ferries leave to go to Calais. I reallllllyyyy wanted to hop a ferry for the day, but alas... I was not allowed. 

This was our view on our initial walk. 

As you can imagine, a trek down to the beach was no joke. We started to head down but, being totally the practical, outdoorsy girl that I am... I slid halfway down the first leg. Why? Because I stupidly wore my rainbow flipflops. 

Um. 

Inappropriate footwear for hiking down this massive cliff. 

We made it down to the midway point. 

(And by made it down I mean I slid 90% of the way on my butt.)

Then we decided to keep going along somewhat off the beaten path. We were the only folks on this particular trail along the cliffs and we were surrounded by loads of blackberry bushes. (Which I may or may not have eaten continually as we walked. Shh. Tell no one.)

Then we had to actually get back UP to the normal path. Three words for this lil' hike.

BURN, baby, BURN! 

(That's what my thighs & lungs were saying midway up. But please note that I smoked both the hubs & stepdaughter. Tree trunk legs do come in handy sometimes!)

En route to the car we came across these weird little niches in the cliff walls. We have no idea why they are there but obviously I needed to get in one & take a picture.

Obviously. 

It was a fantastic day and we're planning on going back soon with appropriate footwear to make a really long day of hikes! There are miles upon miles of trails, many of which lead to pubs. We are planning on treking to the lighthouse next time.

If you come to England definitely plan a trip to Dover. It is WELL worth the drive! Also, if you're staying for a while and planning on seeing a bunch of historic properties you should look into a membership to the National Trust. We are members and going to only about three National Trust properties will pay for the membership for the year!

Sorry if I went a little picture crazy... You know how I do! 

Tea break in Oxford: The Old Parsonage Hotel

PB & I went to Oxford a couple of weekends ago. As you all know... we LOVE Oxford. In fact, I applied & was accepted into a summer law program at Magdalene College last year but I chose to intern in London instead. I wish I had done both! Anyway, every few weeks we just get a whim for Oxford an we just pop up for the day.

We always plan it to have lunch at Puccino's, which is our favorite (and a chain, but we only know about the Oxford locale.) Then we usually wander around. Inevitably we always end up going on a Sunday and most of the markety-stores are all closed. However, this time we went on a Saturday and explored ALL sorts of shops and areas. It was chock FULL of tourists too. After literally like 4 hours of non-stop walking/battling tourists we decided to needed a break to sit and refuel. We were meandering out of town when we came upon this hidden gem. PB spotted The Old Parsonage Hotel and immediately knew we had to stop. 

The patio was gorgeous and serene. All you could hear was birds chirping the the other diners quietly enjoying their tea. 

I wasn't hungry but PB was feeling "peckish" as the Brits say, so he ordered a cream tea, while I stuck with just a pot of tea. 

You know it's good tea when it's brewed with ACTUAL tea leaves.

And with real lumps of sugar... 

(I secretly love it when they don't have splenda!)

PB convinced me (twisted my arm) until I agreed to try half a scone with strawberry jam & clotted cream.

It was delicious!

It was SUCH a lovely break from a hectic, bustling city.

I can't wait to go back to this beautiful property soon! 

I want to try the full Afternoon Tea & maybe even convince PB to spend the night in the hotel.

So tell me... Are you a tea person or a coffee person?

Bicycles, ice cream and the biggest sandwiches ever made...

I have posted a few times when we've done cycle trips through the New Forest in England. We absolutely love it. It's so fun! We could barely sit down the next day, but we had a blast. Now that we have a house we can invest in some bikes and start trying for longer distances. We do a 15 mile ride through the forest and usually stop for lunch and ice cream.

We both really want to do a cycling vacation trip in the next year or two so we better get serious about it!

Here are some of the highlights of our last trip...

*Smiling before the pain*

*Adorable horses along the way... I tried to pet but no luck. The baby was scared of me!*

*Mini break to take pics of the scenery and animals*

*Our fav lunch joint*

*LOOK at the size of that BREAD!*

*Unsure if they gave me enough cheese...*

*Aw*

*PB tried to use his fleece as extra padding by pulling it under his butt. Those seats are HARD!*

*I fell off like twice trying to get started again. I was drinking water at lunch. I swear!*

*Cool tree in the Arboretum*

*Moi*

*Shetland pony!!*

*Ice creaaaammmm!*

It was SO much fun. I can't wait until we try it again! I've gotten better at hills and totally beat PB up the one huge hill! I didn't even slow down! WOOOO!

Have any of y'all done a cycling trip? If so what is the best way to train for it?