Of the moment // 11.23.18
We’ve spent this week in London and Tallinn, and it has been such a delight! Despite the very short days and cold temperatures, we’ve had a lovely time catching up with friends and indulging in so much delicious food. This is my sixth-ish trip to London, and I’ve especially enjoyed going back to so many of my favorite spots AND feeling very confident navigating the Underground. And Estonia has actually been on my list to visit for a while, and the cobblestone streets and colorful painted doors have totally lived up to my medieval fairy tale expectations.
And although it’s still Thanksgiving week, I’ve totally gotten into the Christmas spirit here: everything is so festive! I loved seeing the giant Christmas tree towering over the market of wool sweaters and mulled wine in the Tallinn town square, and I was dying over all of the insanely intricate decorations on the London shopfronts. A big task for my plane ride home on Sunday: get my Christmas shopping lists sorted in advance of Cyber Monday! On that note: don’t forget to take advantage of 25% off AND free shipping over at Union Wine Company through Monday with code CHRISTINEWINE25!
Reads
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is one of those books that I’ve seen around for the last couple of years, but I honestly kept getting it confused with Where’d You Go, Bernadette?. I finally realized that while I had read WYGB, I hadn’t actually read EOICF–and since my mom was about to read it for her newly-formed retirement book club, I decided to join in as well. It was not at all what I was expecting, but it was a really well-written and intriguing read! Perfect for holiday travel if you need something easy to pick up.
Podcasts
I’m listening to Slow Burn, season 2 right now and it’s incredibly interesting. The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal happened when I was in elementary school, so although it’s been constantly referenced throughout my life, I didn’t totally understand what was going on when it it took place. This has been such a deep and intriguing look into the politics at the time and the affair itself.
Words
“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.” -Love Actually
This weekend, we’re in London catching up with friends before flying back to San Diego! I can’t wait to be reunited with my pug and that So Cal sunshine!
