alvor beachWe’ve been in southern Portugal now for a few days and every minute has been perfection. We’ve been blessed to stay at Luke’s aunt and uncle’s astronomy B&B, a lovely place where every morning begins on the patio under the almond tree with freshly squeezed, home-grown orange juice, and most evenings end out in the astronomy dome observing stars, planets and galaxies. Each day offers some new adventure, like flying along the coast in a four passenger plane, exploring grottoes and rock pools on the beach, driving up Monchique mountain for fresh spring water and 360 views, and dinning on grilled sardines and Sangria.
Algarve Portugal IMG_3864We flew to Sagres, the most western tip of Portugal (and Europe!), where Henry the Navigator set up a navigation school. IMG_3870And saw the cliff-flanked beaches we would later explore on foot.IMG_3895The sunny patio at Luke’s aunt and uncle’s home, where we eat breakfast every morning. This time of year we munch on lemons, oranges and apricots from the garden, as well as olives and quince jam from last year’s haul. Later in the summer, they’ll be picking table grapes straight from the vine, which you can see in the top right corner of the photo.
IMG_3910 IMG_3912We spent one afternoon exploring the port city of Lagos, which is a happy maze of tiled streets flanked by colorful architecture. How gorgeous are those purple jacaranda trees?
IMG_3917We even spotted an indie bookstore.
IMG_3920 IMG_3923monchiqueWe drove to the top of Monchique and were rewarded with this view. We then went on a walk through the brush with the aim of getting a closer look of one of the Algarve’s many wind farms. Fun fact: 60% of Portugal’s energy is sustainable.

IMG_3978IMG_3927wild daisy portugalThe look and feel of Portugal is only surpassed by the smell. Luke always says he can smell Portugal as soon as they open the plane doors: A peppery, sweet, anis seed perfume that I’m told stems from the wild cistus and rock rose that grows rampantly across the Algarve.

 

IMG_3992Obviously, no day on the Iberian is complete without a jug of Sangria to cap it off (white is the speciality of the Algarve). Notice the jar of housemade, blow-your-mouth-off piri piri sauce just beside it? Lovely stuff!

And that’s it so far. Thanks for checking in. I hope you’re having a lovely June.

 

How were your twenties? If you’re still in them, how are they going? As I near my quarter century birthday, I must admit, I’m filled with equal parts inspiration and anxiety when I listen to Meg Jay’s TED talk. The premise of Jay’s message is that our twenties are “the defining decade of adulthood,” and not throwaway years as our culture tells us. She says: “Claiming your twenties are the most transformative thing you can do for work, for love, and for your happiness.”

Will you listen to it if you haven’t already? I’d love to hear what you think!

For myself, I feel like I need to be alert to the warning she gives about using our twenties as a time of exploration but not procrastination. Having said that, I think there’s a lot of good in taking risks while you aren’t tied down by career and family, and even activities that walk the line between exploration and procrastination teach us key life lessons. I’d add that in addition to going with “that cross country job, that internship or that start-up you want to try,” we should dare to explore what truly makes us happy and pursue it even if it’s not “an investment into our future career.”

As for the relationship part of her talk, all I can do is breath a sigh of relief. I often tell people who ask about Luke’s and my story that I am the last person they should ever come to for dating advice. Meeting my best friend at age 12, dating him at age 17, somehow managing to make that relationship work long distance, and then marrying him at age 22 — I got lucky, plain and simple. I wouldn’t know the first thing about dating if I had to do it now. So I tip my hat to all you dating twenty-somethings. I’m full of admiration for your resilience and perseverance.

So, I’d love to know. How were your twenties? If you’re in them, how are they going? Do you look back and regret anything or do you think you’ll look back with regret? Is Jay on target or totally off the mark?hikingpyreneesescargotweddingleavingAnd a couple highlights from my twenties so far: hiking in the French Pyrenees, eating escargot for the first time, and getting hitched.

ambleside view(My view in Ambleside, Lake District, from the top of a fell that we ran up on a whim)

We’re still coming down from the mountaintop (literally!) that was our relaxing holiday in Yorkshire and Cumbria this past weekend. Not only did it provide the requisite number of walks through hill and vale (and under waterfall), but the privacy of our cozy Airbnb attic apartment also enabled Luke to finish his thesis revisions in the evenings. It was a walking-working holiday of the best kind. He sent his revisions off on our final day in Cumbria and received the email the next day that they’d been accepted and his degree papers had officially been sent in to the graduation office. However official it was three weeks ago, it’s really official now. Hurrah! Now I’m convinced that our best hope of being productive workers in life is to live somewhere out in the countryside with internet on just one computer (I got so much writing done since I intentionally didn’t connect to our host’s wireless), and to maintain a balance of hours worked with hours hiked.

Joss Naylor book cover(one thing I thought I’d like to do in the Lake District was try a little fell running. I’d seen a documentary about the Greatest of Them All, Joss Naylor, whose now in his 80s and still running. However, one breathless attempt at one fell taught me I was no match for those hills. Instead, I contented myself with pouring over this fascinating book about the legend who ran 72 Lake District mountains in 24 hours (!!).)
bluebells(In the midlands, bluebells carpet the woodland floor this time of year…

wild garlic yorkshire…in contrast with Yorkshire, where it’s wild garlic as far as the eye can see and the nose can smell. If pictures had smells!)

hawes festival day

(all the villages in the Dales had these colorful banners strung between the buildings for upcoming festival days — I loved how storybook they looked.)

kit-calvert(the previous shot is from Hawes, home of the Wensleydale Creamery. Fans of Wallace & Gromitt will recognize Wallace’s favorite cheese, which we had the pleasure of tasting. The Kit Calvert was my favorite.)

blury selfie

(and finally, this picture, because although it was one of six pitiful attempts at a decent selfie, it captured one heck of a good moment.)

A few more things:

This letter from a former slave to his former master. What a statement!

Coal miners-turned-painters? It’s our evening’s entertainment tonight and it’s meant to be good.

Is it time author events at bookstores got a revamp? Matthew Dicks gives four things he would change.

Have a great weekend!

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I had no idea. Clearly he is a man of impeccable tastes. I’m obsessed with this fact almost as much as I’m obsessed with this tumblr, Letters of Note, on which I discovered a cute anecdote and hand-typed letter from the legend himself. The story goes that the folks over at the Nerdist Podcast wanted to secure Hanks as a guest on their show. Knowing he was an ardent typewriter collector, they sent him a 1934 Smith Corona along with their request. This was his response:TomHanksletterWhat a dude.

PS, More typewriter love from Kigali, Rwanda, Tattly the temporary tattoo company, and the perfect bookmobile.

library-bathroom-1 modern-bathroom-library old-rectory-bathroom-library bathroom_librarybathlibrary2

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Traveling is great and all, but when we’re staying in other peoples’ homes I feel a little shy about hogging their bathrooms for a long soak in the tub. Is that just me? I have managed to sneak in a few cheeky soaks, which has been wonderful (English tubs, on average, are longer than the tubs in the States — I’m sure of it), but I’m definitely missing my regular bathtub reading ritual.

Which is why these bathroom libraries are looking especially dreamy this morning.

Do you keep books in the bathroom? Also, my idea of the perfect night in.

(More bath time inspiration on Pinterest.)

Richmond CastleIt’s probably an American thing, but even after all these years of visiting (and living in) the UK, the history here still blows my mind.

Luke and I just got back from a long weekend in the Yorkshire Dales, which, happily, lived up to all the hype. (There has been a lot of hype on my end of things for the simple fact that I married into a family of Dalesmen who would say, with complete conviction, that Yorkshire is God’s country. Plain and simple.) I’m happy to report that the scenic countryside, the unpredictable weather, the friendliness of the people, and the history were all just as remarkable as I’d been told to expect.

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richmond castle

richmond castle garden

richmond castle garden 2

On our first (and sunniest!) day, we met up with Luke’s newlywed brother and sister-in-law in Richmond. After coffee and paninis, we explored what’s left of the 12th Century castle — surprisingly a lot considering it never saw battle in the 400 years that it was in use. I teased my Bradford-born husband that nobody wanted Yorkshire badly enough to invade. It’s a beautiful part of the world, but after getting soaked walking through fell and bog on one of our days, I can see why an competitor to the throne might decide to establish his empire on friendly terrain. We staged an embarrassing number of these goofy garden pictures, it must be admitted.easby abbey

(the 14th century abbey ruins)

easby abbey 2

easby abbey photos easby climbing Then there was Easby Abbey, a pleasant mile and a bit walk along the river from the castle. For climbing enthusiasts like Luke and his brother, Easby is the best expression of a dilapidated historical monument in England: no admissions fee, no unwelcoming gate or “Private property” signs, not even a single CAUTION sign to keep adventurous children (ahem, or adults) from climbing its crumbling walls. In short, a climber’s heaven.  Also, we decided, fresh as we were off of a wedding week, a romantic spot for taking engagement/wedding photos.
pendragon castleFinally, we did a walk to another 12th Century Norman castle in Cumbria, believed by some to be built on the same spot where King Arthur resided five centuries earlier, though sadly there is no evidence of a Saxon stronghold. In any case, Pendragon Castle’s most famous resident was Sir Hugh de Moreville, one of the four knights who murdered St. Thomas Beckett in 1170. Legend has it that Moreville was later haunted by Beckett’s image in the hills surrounding Pendragon.pendragon walk IMG_3462All this history has me wanting to read a good historical fiction set in medieval England. I used to be really into Sharon Kay Penman; loved her Justin de Quincy mysteries as much as her heftier novels based on the lives of Eleanor of Aquitane and Henry II, Llewelyn the Great of Wales, Richard the Lionheart, and the dastardly King John. It may be time for a revisit.

Do you have any recommendations? I’d love to hear!

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