Thursday While we were waiting for our rooms to get ready, we walked over to the Kensington Terrace Cafe for a leisurely breakfast. I got the avocado toast and a flat white, Dad got pancakes and...
Blog posts from London
UK Summer Trip 2026: London sites
On the morning of our arrival we needed to get outside and walk, so we headed to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. At the Serpentine Gallery we saw Jesús Rafael Soto's Pénétrable BBL Jaune, a cool...
UK Summer Trip 2026: Wimbledon
2026 Wimbledon was fairly similar to my 2025 experience, since we spent most of our time watching the matches on Centre Court. This year, my dad and I arrived around 10:15am and were through...
UK Summer Trip 2026: overview + where we stayed
In 2025, we finally realized our goal of seeing Wimbledon in person. My dad loves tennis, so for 2026, Leandra set up an account for my parents and watched the secondary market for tickets. After...
UK Summer Trip 2025: London sites
Thursday After taking the train from Bristol back into London we had half a day to explore. We decided to head east to the Hackney Wick area to explore street art, gardens, and the V&A East...
UK Summer Trip 2025: London museums
V&A East Storehouse Located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, this newly opened museum is fairly unique, as it acts as an active storehouse with some objects on rotating display. Inside we saw a...
UK Summer Trip 2025: London food & drink
A few days in London is always a joy for us because we get a chance to explore new places and, hopefully, revisit some favorites. Blackbird Located right around the corner from our hotel, this pub...
UK Summer Trip 2025: overview & where we stayed
Prior to this year we had visited 3 of the 4 tennis Grand slam events; missing from the list was Wimbledon. We've been trying to get tickets for a while, entering the Public Ballot 7 of the past 10...
UK Dec 2024: London food & drink
We split our time in London returning to old favorites and trying some new spots. Given how busy things were in 2022 we knew we should get reservations, and it definitely paid off as London felt...
UK Dec 2024: London sights
Friday Right after we dropped off our luggage, Leandra headed to Bank to exchange some old money for new bills since they were only open until 3pm. The process was easy, just had to show bills to be...
UK Dec 2024: introduction
In the summer we started planning an international group trip, our first since 2018. The UK ticked a lot of boxes - the direct flight from RDU to London was quite open, and London is always fun and...
Euro Fall 2024: a weekend in London
After our flight delay we had two full days left in London, and we spent virtually all of it with family. Saturday, Sept 21 We took it easy Saturday morning, making plans to check out a few...
Euro Fall 2024: intro & flights
Our main trip for Fall 2024 saw us working for the first 1.5 weeks and then take vacation for the next 1.5 weeks. The majority of our trip was spent in southern Italy, specifically Puglia, with a...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: London Christmas lights
London has many famous shopping districts, and each sets up unique light displays. On this trip we checked out quite a few in central London including the following. Regent Street Carnaby was great,...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: London food & drink
Wednesday At the suggestion of Leandra's cousin Courtney, we tried Coppa for dinner as it was an easy 15 minute walk from their flat. I ordered the bucatini carbonara while Leandra went for the...
UK January 2020: London
In mid-January I had a work trip to the UK which gave me some time to head into London. Leandra wasn't able to come on this trip, so I focused on theater shows and museums she was less likely to...
Euro summer trip 2018: overview, maps, and where we stayed
For summer 2018 a trip to the UK for work materialized, meaning a return to London and the Berkshire county area last visited in January. Since Leandra could travel with me we decided to tack on a...
UK July 2018: where we stayed
On the UK portion of our July trip we stayed in London and Wokingham. Ampersand Hotel - South Kensington Eric had stayed at the Ampersand once before and was happy to return for this trip. This...
Our Itinerary
2026 Trips
Parrish, FL (Jan)
Medellin, Colombia (Feb)
Wilmington, NC (Apr)
Madrid, Spain (May)
Asturias, Spain (May)
Galicia, Spain (June)
London/Cotswolds, UK (July)
Long Island, NY (July)
Ireland (Aug)
Vietnam (Nov)
Laos (Nov)
Cambodia (Dec)
Singapore (Dec)
2025 Trips
Tampa Bay, FL (Jan)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Villa la Angostura, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls (Feb)
Miami, FL (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Mar)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)
Doha, Qatar (May)
Bristol + London, UK (Jul)
Long Island, NY (Jul)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
day trips from Bologna (Oct)
Turin, Italy (Oct)
Greensboro, NC (Nov)