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Journal, Monthly Recap

October 2018 Recap

Another busy month has come and gone! I’ve spent the entirety of October in the UK, but with lots of adventures on the side. I’m finally feeling like I’ve really settled in at work in my job, and that’s a great feeling. Here’s what I got up to this month!

Where I Went

York, London, Glossop, Bamford, Bleaklow, National Coal Mining Museum, Sheffield (United Kingdom)

Best Moments

Seeing my FRIENDS in London! I got to spend three wonderful days with my two of my best friends from home in London the first weekend of October. They studied abroad with me and we lived together in Nottingham. It was honestly just so much fun to catch up and see them! Missing people is one of the hardest things about living abroad. I’m constantly missing people. So it was so nice to see my friends in person, eat good food, and just hang out!

Looking for hostels? Book here!

Exploring London. London is my favorite city in the world. Every time I go to London, I tell myself that I have to do at least one new thing while I’m there. This time, I got to do so many new things! I (finally) saw a show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. We went to the V&A Museum, which I’d never been to, and hunted down some of the prettiest mews and streets in the city. We wandered through Notting Hill and then some of my older favorites like St. Dunstan-in-the-East and the Tower of London. I finally got to see the poppies at the Imperial War Museum! It was such a fun weekend!

Finally returning to the Peak District! I went to the Peak District several times in the first year that I moved to England. But I haven’t really been back there since those first few trips. So it was a lot of fun to go back for a weekend for Adam’s birthday, and explore this wonderful place! The Peak District is seriously underrated, with so much to see and do for all kinds of visitors. I loved walking up Mam Tor in torrential wind (more on that below), going back to Bamford and the Ladybower Reservoir, and driving Snake Pass.

The National Coal Mining Museum was fantastic. I’ve been wanting to get to some of the museums and historic sites around West and South Yorkshire for ages. I finally went to the National Coal Mining Museum and it was absolutely fantastic! The Underground tour takes you 140 meters below ground, and we had a hilarious guide named Ian who was a former miner himself. The exhibits are really well done, and there’s lots to learn about. This was seriously one of the best museums I’ve been to in Yorkshire! Best of all, it’s technically free—it costs £5 for an Underground tour (which you can request back at the end as it’s technically a donation), and parking is done on a donation basis as well.

Seeing Levison Wood in Sheffield! Levison Wood is an explorer and writer and all-around cool guy. For the launch of his latest book, he’s doing a speaking tour and we went to see him in Sheffield! It was really interesting to hear about his latest expedition (a circumnavigation of the Arabian peninsula), and the conflicts in the Middle East. It gave me a lot of food for thought. I also found out that street parking all-day on Sundays in city center Sheffield only costs £1!!!

My 2-years-living-in-England-a-versary. Last year was pretty hard for me. And when I had my first anniversary of moving to the UK, things were pretty dark. And my blog post reflected that. This time this October, it was much better. I’m a lot happier, a lot more stable, and a lot more prepared for the difficulties foreigners face in this country. I celebrated my day in the Peak District, and with a massive blog post on British culture. It was much more hopeful and positive than this day last year! And I’m very grateful for that.

I’ve really settled in at work now. It’s just a nice feeling—feeling like I know what I’m doing, and not stressing about being the new person. I hit a big target last month, and I feel like I’m really improving as time goes on. The stability of a normal paycheck and guaranteed hours is something I’ll never take for granted, and is such a blessing. I’m very grateful!

Worst Moments

Weather in the Peaks. Our trip to the Peak District was marred slightly by the horrific weather that meant it was basically impossible to do most of the things we wanted to do. We wanted to go for a big walk, but the dangerous winds (due to a big storm) meant that it just really wasn’t safe. The next day, it rained buckets and we got absolutely drenched. As in, every item of clothing we were wearing got wet, despite our waterproof outer layers. Luckily we have a car now, so we could change into dry clothes in the car!

This was probably the worst thing of the month of October for me. And for that I’m extremely grateful.

Posts Published

I published a lot of big posts this month! I’ve still got loads more coming, mainly from my summer trips. So stay tuned for more content!

Quintessential Yorkshire: The Best 4 Daytrips From York

What I’ve Learned About British Culture After 2 Years Living In England

17 Of The BEST Online Resources For Travelers

Scottish Highlands Road Trip: What To See In Glencoe

Interview: Everest Base Camp With Himalayan Wonders

A Daytrip To Kazbegi And The Russian Military Highway In Georgia

Instagram Top 3

London has taken the cake this October! Two of my most popular photos on Instagram were taken in London.

 

 

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I finally got a chance to see the poppies! This wonderful and moving exhibit (“Weeping Widow”) first came to the Tower of London in 2014, representing the fallen soldiers and loss of life during World War I. It then traveled all over the country, and I never really got a chance to see it. This weekend in London, I finally saw it at the Imperial War Museum – the last stop to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the war next month. . If you’re in London in the next month, don’t miss this! The poppies (the “Wave” exhibit) are also at the Imperial War Museum North, in Manchester. It’s a very poignant and fitting tribute. ✨🇬🇧 . What do you think? Have you seen this exhibit before? . . . . #london #poppiestour #imperialwarmuseum #visitlondon #thisislondon #toplondonphoto #timeoutlondon #london_city_photo #lovelondon #prettylittlelondon #prettycitylondon #londoncalling #london4all #thelondonlifeinc #londonsbest #mydarlinglondon #instabritain #visitengland #photosofbritain #photosofengland #lovegreatbritain #ukpotd #gloriousbritain #mytinyatlas #flashesofdelight #darlingescapes #prettylittletrips #dametraveler #girlswhotravel #guardiantravelsnaps

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Just a few days until I’m back in one of my favorite cities in the world: London! 🇬🇧 . I’ve loved London ever since I first stepped foot in the city in July 2011. I’m glad I don’t live there (don’t know how anyone affords it tbh 😂), but I always love returning. I haven’t been for a proper London trip since last December, unless you count going through airports (and I don’t since London Luton could easily be mistaken for the inner cesspit of hell 🙃). . And I don’t actually go to London much these days, mainly because train tickets are so expensive from York, and it’s cheaper to fly to another country in Europe than shell out loads of money for a train that will probably be delayed or cancelled 🙄 I love exploring more of England (especially the North), but I do miss my visits to London. . But in just a few days I’ll be back in my favorite city, and seeing two of my best friends from home and I’m so excited! This photo always makes me think of fall – found these gorgeous houses on a stroll around Primrose Hill 😊 . Do you have a favorite city that you love and keep returning to?! 🏙️ . . . . . #london #chalcotsquare #visitlondon #thisislondon #toplondonphoto #london_city_photo #lovelondon #prettylittlelondon #londoncalling #london4all #thelondonlifeinc #wonderlustlondon #londonsbest #mydarlinglondon #instabritain #visitengland #photosofbritain #photosofengland #lovegreatbritain #ukpotd #gloriousbritain #mytinyatlas #flashesofdelight #darlingescapes #prettylittletrips #dametraveler #girlswhotravel #guardiantravelsnaps #passionpassport #beautifuldestinations

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A bit of a different post today – this is the view from Kala Patthar in Nepal, with Everest in the background! ⛰️ . Earlier this year, Adam (Mr. Away With Maja!) did the Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal with @himalayanwonders . I wanted to create a resource for people looking to do the trek – so I did a full interview with him on the blog! . If you’re wondering what it’s actually like to go trekking in Nepal and do the Everest Base Camp Trek, this is a great post to start with. I know there are a lot of mountain and outdoors people here, and this is definitely one for you! From accommodation to food to sharing trails with yaks, we included as much information as possible. It also has some of Adam’s best photos, like this one! 😍 . I’m so incredibly proud of him, and especially grateful to Himalayan Wonders to getting him back down in one piece! (Although I can’t say the same for his boots, which fell apart the day before base camp 😂) link is in my bio, so go and check it out! 😊 . . . . . #everest #mounteverest #everestbasecamp #everestbasecamptrek #ebctrek #himalaya #himalayas #himalayantrek #explorehimalayas #trekthehimalayas #kalapatthar #nepal #nepalisbeautiful #nepal_love #nepaltravel #nepalnow #nepaltrekking #liveauthentic #mytinyatlas #wheretofindme #flashesofdelight #darlingescapes #dametraveler #womenwhoexplore #lpfanphoto #natgeotravelpic #bbctravel #guardiantravelsnaps #beautifuldestinations #passionpassport

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Coming Up In November

I’ll be starting off this month with a trip to somewhere that’s been on my bucket list for years—Iceland!!! I’ve got a few days to explore this stunning country and I can’t wait to get on the road and enjoy it. The rest of the month will be pretty quiet, before a weekend trip to Nottingham. I’m off work the last week of November and so I’ll be in Gdansk for a few days! Despite two trips to Poland, I’ve never visited this region and I’m so excited. I can’t wait to throw the solo travel hat back on and see somewhere different!

What was your October like? What do you have going on for November?

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