Category: travel

run away with me: beatrix potter’s hilltop cottage

August 1, 2015

beatrix potter fell in love with the lake district and in 1905 bought hill top, a 17th-century farmhouse. everything from the cottage itself to the garden, which is described as a “haphazard mix of flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables” sounds completely charming.

i’ve only been to the lake district once the first time i was in england but my silly 18 year old self was too cool for things like cottages… or maybe we just ran out of time. i don’t really remember but i would love to visit it the next time i’m in the great britain.

you can read more about hill top at the national trust.

images: levens garden, village england, make, do and push

maybe the best deal i’ve ever found

July 22, 2015

i’m super excited to post this even thought i just said how much i hate packing and moving i have been itching to get on a plane and go somewhere.

i just love chelsea’s blog and especially her travel posts. but this post (and a crummy morning at work) got me looking to see if i could find any great deals overseas. i have some friends in england, france, holland, prague and germany and since i didn’t have any set dates i needed to stick to i just looked and looked and looked using various sites and airlines and dates and i found an amazing deal.

i could fly from los angeles to norway in november for $344. round trip. after taxes. non stop! i can barely fly from salt lake city to santa barbara for that much. anyway then from norway i can take norwegian, or easy jet or bmi to connect within europe. i’m super excited!

i should say that that wonderfully inexpensive ticket doesn’t include any checked bags or meals, but still. i’m a pro at packing snacks and have a very large purse so i should be all set.

you should definitely check out all of chelsea’s tips for finding good deals on airfare. do you have any tips for finding great deals on flights? where are you dying to go? photos: thomas preyer

moving

July 20, 2015

so i just recently moved to la. and by recently i mean i got here last night. i hope i like it here because i never want to move again.

i’ve moved quite a bit in my life, both around the country and overseas, but i’ve always been able to stuff everything into a couple suitcases or into my car. i’m not sure how i accumulate so much stuff over the last 3 years that i’ve been in utah but there was barely room for harlow in the car on the drive out here.

last night, sleeping on the floor of my almost empty little house, i thought of some tips that will hopefully make moving a lot less painful for you.

1. start early. like the day you decide to move. packing and sorting and cleaning will take longer than you think.

2. ask for help. you might think, “well, i’m just one person living in a tiny house with a tiny dog and i don’t have that much stuff.” you have more than you think you do. you will need help or at the very least someone to keep you motivated.

3. accept offers for help. when people offer to help you move or clean LET THEM. see above.

4. stick to your plan. i flipped flopped from driving a uhaul, to renting a pod, to making multiple trips in my car (it’s a 10 hr drive one way. this was a stupid plan. also this was the option i chose.) but however you decide to move your stuff determines how you’ll need to pack so pick one and go with it.

5. bags over boxes. when trying to squish everything into one smallish car, trash bags are the way to go for soft things like bedding and clothing. sure, you won’t feel super fancy when you’re dragging garbage bags of your stuff into your new place but you’ll definitely be able to fit more into tight spots.
6. be crazy organized. i think this is more important based on how much you’re moving so make lists, label boxes, pack in some sort of logical order (whatever works for you.) there was a point last week (around 2 am) when i was tired, frazzled and had lost my sharpie and just started piling things in boxes. whatever fit went it. half of my boxes went into storage and i’m pretty sure thats where all of my socks are.

7. don’t get a storage unit. (unless you really, really need to) for me it was just to delay making decisions. and now i have a storage unit in another state that i will have to deal with at some point.

8. show your appreciation. say thank you! to everyone – the people that helped you move, clean, babysat your dog (or kids), let you crash at their place while you were bedless, loaded your car, brought you snacks for the drive… it all deserves a big, fat thank you.

basically i am the worst at moving but maybe you can learn from my mistakes?? do you have any moving tips? horror stories?

the roses of chanel no. 5

September 30, 2014
i read this beautiful article in lonny magazine and keep going back to it so i thought i’d share it here. 

joseph mul’s farm has been in his family for five generations. the farm located in the south of france, 4 miles from grasse  near the côte d’azur. this beautiful farm is where the may roses (rosa centifolia) that go into every bottle of chanel no. 5 are grown. each may, for approximately three weeks, the farm harvests approximately thirty-five to forty tons of may roses. each rose is processed within an hour and twenty minutes of being picked. isn’t that incredible?
each bottle of perfum has twelve may roses and one thousand jasmine flowers. legend has it the the perfume’s name comes from the fifth of six batches originally created for chanel. five was also her favorite number. if you head over to the original article on lonny there’s a beautiful video about the making of the perfume. according to the article a bottle of chanel no. 5 sells every thirty seconds. 
i’d love to visit this farm one day… and maybe leave with pockets full of roses.
original article for lonny magazine by irene edwards
photography by genevieve garruppo

run away with me / viana do castelo

September 22, 2014

when i came across these photos of viana do castelo, a city in the northern part of portugal, my heart skipped a beat. everything about it seemed to ooze charm.

this city reminds me a little bit of santa barbara with the mountains on one side and the sea on the other. after researching a bit more viana do castelo is definitely on my travel list. i’ll be dreaming of portugal when it starts snowing here.

what cities or countries are you dying to visit?

you can see more of this beautiful city over on a place for twiggs. all photos belong to claudia casal.