a little visit to stowe | england.

I drove past Stowe House in Buckinghamshire not too long ago, and had to stop to have a look. We didn't visit the House, the school was in session and there were lots of children in school uniform (even though it was a Saturday, not sure I envy boarding school life). But we did visit the Grecian Valley designed by Capability Brown, and sat at the Temple of Concord and Victory to have a cup of coffee - served, in true National Trust style - in mismatched cups and saucers. I was tempted to buy one of the teaspoons but held back - I still regret it. Imagine being so rich you could just build a Temple instead of a garden shed?

a little visit to zante | greece.

When I was a little bit younger, I did a bit of Greek island hopping - starting in Athens before heading off to Crete, Santorini and Mykonos. The plan was to also make a stop in Zante, but the sea wasn't good enough to get across and we went to Kefalonia instead. Zante had been one of the islands I'd wanted to go to the most, so I was pretty gutted and vowed I'd make it across there one day. So when it came to booking a cheap summer holiday, Zante kept popping up and it didn't seem like worst choice. So, a cheesy 10 day all inclusive cheap getaway was booked, and I was off. 

In hindsight, I possibly could have done with doing a little bit more research about Zante. I was looking for the perfect combination of history, good beaches, good food, good and heat. We got two of those, but we were at a loss for the most part. Firstly, there were great beaches. We stayed right near Kalamaki, and every day there was a spot we could get and not be disturbed by anyone, the water was clear and we could also grab pedalos to search for turtles. The heat couldn't be beaten either - there were days when it reached well over 40 degrees. 

But, there was pretty much nothing pretty in Zante, anything worth looking at. There were no small villages to have a wonder around - everything had been destroyed in an earthquake in 1953 and everything that had been rebuilt since seemed to have only been half finished. There was no where to get proper Greek food, no where that you thought the locals might have gone for their night's out. Every place was just catered towards tourists, nothing felt very real. Also, I hadn't realised that you couldn't flush the loo paper...

Despite that, I had a brilliant holiday. I got a tan for one of the first times in my life, remembered what it was like to actually feel the sun on my face and spent most of my days sleeping, reading, drinking cocktails and not thinking about work. I finished off some books which I'd been meaning to read for absolutely ages. It's just a shame I could have been anywhere to do that.

a little visit to roupell street | london.

If I ever have an excuse to walk down Roupell Street near Waterloo station, I generally take it. It's a 1820s Georgian street, which has managed to survive developments, bombings and the expansion of the railways - walking down it is like walking back in time, or walking down a film set (which it usually is - you'll probably recognise it from Legend, The Boat That Rocked, Call the Midwife and oddly enough, the opening credits for Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway). I think places like this sum London up; pockets of history hidden away between big glass modern buildings, workers cottages built on marsh land which are now worth over £1m. Of course, in London there are places which are just as old, if not older which have survived - massive parts of Notting Hill and Holland Park for example, but they were built for the rich, whereas Roupell Street was built for people who needed a place to live - I often wonder what the people who lived there when they were new would think of what it's like now, and if they'd laugh? Either way, a roast at The Kings Arms is usually worth a shout (despite slightly odd gravy choices) and Konditor & Cook isn't a bad choice for a cake either. 

Let me know if you know any other little gems like this hidden away in London!

my first experience with airbnb.

I've been tempted by Airbnb before but I've never quite managed to make the jump into actually booking a place to go on there. I'm too much of a nervy bean - constantly worrying that they won't show up and I'll be stranded in a foreign country with no where to stay, having to fork out top prices for crap hotels in a rush to not sleep in a box on the side of the street. Luckily, when booking a trip with some friends last month, they were already seasoned Airbnbers and I didn't have to make the jump myself. 

Our trip involved booking two places - the first in Lisbon and the second near Peniche in Portugal. Admittedly, it didn't exactly start well. Two days before we were due to take off, and our Lisbon apartment cancelled, which automatically gave us $20 credit to help us in booking somewhere new. My worst fears recognised. Where do we then book somewhere new for five people in Lisbon two days beforehand, on not a very big budget? I tweeted Airbnb, pretty angry at how someone could be allowed to cancel two days before. And to be fair, they couldn't have been more helpful. They responded immediately, sorted out a bit more credit for us and helped book somewhere new. I was incredibly impressed. 

That aside, I couldn't have been happier with using Airbnb. When we arrived at our new apartment in Lisbon, our host Inês greeted us with pastéis de nata and a small glass of Port. I think my bad iPhone photos show exactly how gorgeous the apartment was, and Inês couldn't have tried harder in accommodating us. Our second host (another) Inês, was a little more hands-off but was still extremely helpful, fixing our router for us when it decided to die. 

The thing I can't get over is the cost. Our second Airbnb in Peniche overlooked the sea, had five bedrooms, a big patio and was a second away from the nearest bar and had we not gone through Airbnb, I know we wouldn't have been able to get something as good. There were obviously some downsides compared to going to a hotel, like having to make your own breakfast and make your own bed (shock, horror), but I don't think I would have changed it for the world. 

Now excuse me as I go off and spend a good few hours booking weekend trips on Airbnb to various European locations...