Oh The Places You'll Go

When my parents came to visit me in London, we decided to take a trip to a small town in London called Hampstead. Our neighbor in Connecticut has a daughter that lives in this town, so we reached out to her and got lunch at this darling pub called The Holly Bush. The 18th Century designed pub creates rustic atmosphere on the inside. With ornate etched glass panels and authentic wooden floors, the interior design creates a traditional England experience. The real fire burning displays a local nostalgia for visitors. Hampstead is one of my favorite places in London to visit because it is a quiet, serene, and quintessential England town in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. This town was exactly what I imagined England to be like.

I wanted to quickly talk about The Holly Bush because it is one of the many things that my favorite blogger and I have in common. Whenever I look for inspiration, I look no further than one of my favorite London bloggers A Lady in London. Her story is very similar to the path I want to take in my life. She left the corporate finance world and decided to pursue what she was truly passionate about: travelling and writing. She is an expat who uses her blog to describe her transition from America to the UK. Everything about her blog reminds me of London. The way she designed her blog, the color scheme, and the way she writes each post illustrates what life in London is actually like. When I was reading her blog and saw her post about Hampstead, a smile radiated on my face. I was so excited to see that one of her posts was about this lovely England town.

Reading her post about Hampstead has opened my eyes to what this little village has to offer. I've only visited Hampstead a few times during my time in London and spent most of the day on High Street, window shopping and grabbing tea at local cafes. I didn't know that the true charm of Hampstead was off the beaten path. She wonderfully laid out all of the enchanting sites to see that a tourist wouldn't be looking for. For example, she writes in her blog post that there is a tiny museum called the Fenton House tucked away in around the corner from High Street. Like the rest of Hampstead, the vibrant colors of the house attracts guests to walk down the classic England location. This post alone has made me wonder about all the places I didn't see during my time in London.

Overall, I believe that her blog is a great representation of London and what the city means to an American. After her first year of blogging, she wrote a piece discussing how Thanksgiving is celebrated every Sunday in London. Sunday Roast was a tradition that she had to adapt to. In the blog, she posted pictures at The Holly Bush of the Sunday Roast that she ordered. Although her posts may be short, they have detail and personality. She knows how to captivate an audience through her blog. I haven't met her, but reading her posts allows me to see a glimpse of her expat life.