The rest of Baltimore

It has been a bit over a week since we got back to London and we are slightly getting over jet lag. I have to say, this time it has been particularly rough on us and even last night I was up late and struggled to fall asleep. As we are slowly getting back to routine, I flipped through the pictures I took during the trip and thought to share some more with you. We spent most of the week visiting friends and family, took lots of nature walks, blew lots of bubbles, chased rabbits and birds, anxiously awaited for the mailman to come, and relaxed at home as much as we could. Here is the rest of the trip in pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baltimore Unpacked

Today I am home with a bad cold and since my head is so heavy and my brain so slow that I cannot do anything challenging, I have decided to finally unpack the extra bag we had to check in containing all Emilia's gifts and the things I bought while on a shopping spree in Baltimore.

The trip was good on many levels. First of all, Emilia was an absolute angel. Rob and I complain about this poor child too much, I think, but I must admit, she was very very good throughout the trip. The seven hours on the plane went by faster than we anticipated and apart from some grumpiness at take off at Heathrow, she behaved herself. The flight back home was even better as she slept all the way. Too bad mummy and daddy couldn't close their eyes, but that is our problem. Surprisingly, Emilia didn't get jetlagged. I don't know how she does it but both ways she adjusted to the new time zone IMMEDIATELY. One day, she will have to share her secret with me. Also, we subjected her to so many new things, she met loads of new people, went on several car rides and even left her alone for one night (of course with her grandparents though, so she was in good hands!) and she didn't say a thing. No complaints. All in all, she was an absolute delight. 

Ten days went by pretty fast and we had a quite packed schedule. We introduced Emilia to the American side of family and friends, Rob and I spent one day in Washington DC, went out for dinner (compliments of Rob's parents - thank you!), and even attended a wedding. 

 

 

 

The trip to DC was supposed to last two days but we were forced to cut it short due to a snow storm that in the end never arrived. Nonetheless, it was good to be relaxing and wandering around the American capitol. While Rob was in the office, I took the chance to visit a couple of sights I hadn't seen before. First, I made my way to the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress occupies three buildings but I only toured the Thomas Jefferson one. The building is lovely and worth a visit. It is the centerpiece of the library and was opened in 1897. Its artistic decoration, relating to learning, literature, knowledge, creativity, and intellectual achievement, is quite impressive. I really enjoyed walking around the building, I only wished I could spend a couple of ours in the main reading room...next time I'll try to go with a letter from King's and pretend to be doing some research there. 

After visiting the Library of Congress I made my way to the Botanical Gardens. I loved to immerse myself into the diversity of plants and flora from all over the world, from jungle to desert to primeval paradise, the indoor gardens and gallery offered the perfect scenario for an indoor break. And then, I felt so re-energised  that I walked all the way to Georgetown, passing by all the museums forming the Smithsonian, the Monument, and the White House. Once in Georgetown I treated myself to a nice lunch at Dean and De Luca, cupcakes from Sprinkles, and of course some shopping. In fact, the word that summarises this trip the best is shopping. As I said at the beginning of this post we had to check in an extra bag, but it was worth it. Judge it for yourselves...

Emilia's shopping:

Vale's shopping:

USA trip

So, Rob and I have just got back from our annual trip to the States and as usual after a holiday, I am here to give you a report and offer some good tips!
Rob is originally from Baltimore, we therefore went there first and spent some good quality time with family and friends. We also had the opportunity to go to NYC for a couple of days and that was very nice.

I had been to New York before but I was really looking forward to this trip since Jen and Trent, two of Rob's best friends, were joining us for a double celebration of Rob and Jen's birthdays.
New York was really good, we did some shopping and ate at some very good resuarants. Among all, the one I was most impressed with is certainly The Spotted Pig, a little lovely place in the heart of Greenwich Village, definitely my cup of tea. The atmosphere there is simply beautiful and the food was really nice. I would recommend *Deviled Eggs*, they were mouth watering. We also tried the famous Del Frisco's, that didn't disappoint, The Coffe Shop and Megu. One interesting thing to tell you about Del Frisco's is that when we got back to our flat in London we found a little hand-written note from the waitress that served us there, thanking us for choosing them and hoping to see us soon. I thought that was super sweet and thoughtful! The waitresses at The Coffe Shop really were beautiful models and the presentation of the various dishes at Megu was superior.
Something else to mention about my culinary experience in NYC is definitely Magnolia bakery, the famous bakery from SATC and the Devil wears Prada. Rob and I bought two lovely cupcakes and slowly enjoyed them in the little park opposite the shop. It was a real treat!

Otherwise, we just walked around admiring the bustle and interesting architecture of the city.

Another highlight of this trip was a visit to St. Michael's, a little town on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Needless to say that I loved it: delicious seafood, small boutiques, cute cafe', fresh ice-cream shops, colourful wodden houses...what's not to like? Next time I want to go and spend at least a night in one of the fabulous inns for a total relax!

All in all it was a very nice trip. Now, it's just very difficult to go back to work...