A London busker and random tears

On Monday I posted some photos from our most recent day strolling along South Bank.

 Here are just a few more.

This busker had such an amazing voice.

She sang with pure emotion and passion, she brought tears to my eyes.

And when lil' bit toddled up to show her appreciation and contribute a few coins,

my heart absolutely melted.

Look at that connection between the two.

Such a sweet moment.  I was thrilled to capture it.

Today my brother and dad are arriving and I am absolutely beside myself!

I started crying about two weeks ago at random moments and it's just escalated.

Today, I'll be a complete mess at Heathrow.

It's been two and a half years since I've seen them both.

We have a major road trip planned taking us through Wales,

Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England.

Oxford, Dublin, Belfast, Inverness, Edinburgh.

Giant's Causeway, Hadrian's Wall, Loch Ness and so much more.

I'm so stinking excited I can't even stand it!

I had big plans to pre-schedule some posts for while I'm away, but it's just not gonna happen.

So things will be quiet on the blog for the next week or so.

Feel free to follow along on Instagram as I take the trip of a lifetime

with the three smartest, funniest and most wonderful men I've ever known.
Such a lucky girl!

What made you cry tears of joy this week?

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#LDNBloggersTea at the Milestone Hotel

May 17th was our third quarterly London Blogger's Tea!

I love that the most amazing bloggers are joining the fun and making connections.

This time it was at the 5-Star Milestone Hotel.

If you read this post about my first experience at the Milestone 

you will know why I selected this beautiful hotel.

There were 23 bloggers in attendance from a wide variety of backgrounds.

We all gathered in a wood-paneled private room and started our tea with some bubbly.

I know it can be nerve-wracking walking into a room of strangers.

But, I'm always amazed at how quickly it just turns into a room of friends.

We share a common interest and read each others blogs.

It's the perfect set up for making connections.

I stood outside the room quietly at one point and listened to all of the chatter and laughter.

I'm certainly no event planner and this is out of my comfort zone.

But the connections that I see being made are so worth the effort.
Here are the lovely bloggers that were in attendance.
You definitely want to check out their blogs.

Sunny in London

Girl Meets Globe

Kiwi Footprints

Passport and Toothbrush

Chicadeedee

Earth to Jade

Ladies What…

The Experience Collection Project

Around the World in 80 Pairs of Shoes

The Secret Life of an Unknown Housewife

Two Feet, One World

Adventures of a London Kiwi

It's All Bee

More Than Just a Cupcake Lover

{Erin Out and About}

My Little Tale

Little Travel Bee

Random Acts of Drama

London Unattached

25 Before I'm 25

Quentessentially Me

Mayfair Office Girl

 

The company was fabulous.  The tea was nice.

After our last event, I think we are all completely spoiled

and this tea didn't quite get the rave reviews that the Royal Horseguards did.

The sandwiches were good and plentiful with traditional fillings

although I think they might have been sitting out a bit longer than they should
as the bread was a bit dry.

The scones were good and our request for "more cream" was quickly answered.

Our tea selection was limited to just English Breakfast and Earl Grey.

My first experience at the Milestone, I was able to select my tea and had my own pot.

We were just limited because of the size of our group, I would imagine,
but it's always nice to have more of a choice.

I was so full from the sandwiches and the scone that I couldn't fit more than one sweet treat.

But that red velvet cupcake was divine.

 Admittedly, there were a few problems with the special dietary requests and service.

I think most of us agree that it didn't deserve a perfect score.
Many of the bloggers have already posted their reviews with similar comments.

Personally, I will continue to recommend the Milestone

for afternoon tea because of my first experience.

I know what they normally provide to their customers and it's pretty special.

If you are interested in getting information about our next quartely #LDNBloggersTea
which will be in August at an as-yet-unnamed location,
please drop me an email at selena_jones@me.com.
We would love to have you!

Have you ever had tea at the Milestone Hotel?
What did you think?

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 The regular price for Afternoon Tea with Champagne atThe Milestone Hotel is £46.
We were offered a discounted rate of £30 per person for our tea.

SouthBank - Be a part of it!

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time

then you know that South Bank is one of our favorite ways to spend a day.

You can read about it here and here.  A few weeks ago, as the weather is turning nice,

we decided to head over that way and make a day of it.

There's an area of the Queen's Walk between the London Eye and Royal Festival Hall

that is full of buskers and street artists.  We see something new every time we go.

The bubble guy was surrounded by little ones chasing the bubbles and squealing with delight.

A split second after I took this picture this massive bubble flew right into my face and burst

leaving soapsuds all over me and my camera.  Then it was my turn to squeal and laugh.

Never too old to enjoy bubbles!

There's always a festival or special event going on along the banks.

This weekend there was a Spanish food and wine festival happening that brought out the crowds.

The Southbank Book Market under Waterloo Bridge is another favorite stop.

I noticed this time that there is a vendor selling maps from all over the world.

I might have to make a purchase there soon.  I love old maps.

And then there are the views.

When we were done we hopped on a Thames Clipper
and rode down the Thames towards home.

What's your favorite day out in London?

P.S.  Guess who's a finalist in the BrisMums Brilliance in Blogging Awards?!?

I'm a finalist in the Travel Category again this year.

I'm so proud and so appreciative of everyone who voted for me.

Thanks so much!  It means the world to me.  

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Three Museums in Dunkirk, France

We've covered the Beaches and Cuisine of the ABC's of Dunkirk.

Today it's time to cover the Art.  We visited three very different museums in Dunkirk.

Memorial du Souvenir - Dunkerque War Museum

Obviously after playing such an important role in WWII, there has to be a War Museum in Dunkirk.  It's a small museum but definitely worth a visit for just a few euros.  It focuses on the Battle of Dunkerque and Operation Dynamo.  It's run by very knowledgeable volunteers who are eager to tell the stories of the collection.  There is a film in both French and English that tells the story of the massive evacuation from the French perspective which was really interesting.

FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais

Dunkirk was once a busy shipbuilding port but until recently many of the docks and industrial buildings sat empty and derelict.  This massive structure built in the 1940's became known as "the cathedral" and was selected to become the new home of this contemporary art museum.  The cavernous building has been cleaned up but still sits open and empty.  Alongside of it they've built a new lightweight structure made of concrete, steel beams, corrugated sheeting and air filled layers of plastic that mirrors the old warehouse perfectly.  The contemporary art collection was interesting but the new building was truly amazing.  It's open and airy, massive and stark with wonderful views into the beautiful older structure that was its inspiration and the sea on the other side.

The Port Museum

This was my favorite.  It's one of the most well-presented museums I've visited.  It's located in a 19th century industrial building in the historic Citadel area and encompasses the extensive maritime history of Dunkirk. The museum is also home to three amazing ships that you can explore.  We went aboard the Duchesse Anne which was once a naval training vessel that was given to the French as part of the war reparations in 1946.  She's been entirely refurbished and is beautiful.   There were men climbing up the ropes to make some repairs.  I could just imagine the ship in her heyday with sailors clamoring about.  It's between 3 and 10 euros depending on what you visit.  We also had a few more Jean Bart sightings. Can you spot him?

Dunkirk is also home to the LAAC Contemporary Art Museum surrounding by a sculpture garden overlooking the beach and the MBA Museum of Fine Arts with an extensive and eclectic collection.  We didn't have time to visit during this trip but hope to get back soon.

We had a great evening and day exploring Dunkirk.

It was nice to experience more than just the war history of the area.

There is certainly more to offer.

On Sunday we were off to visit the neighboring town of Gravelines where we 

joined a Giant's Parade.   More on that to come.

What is your favorite type of museum?

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We were the guests of Dunkirk's Office of Tourism for our stay in Dunkirk.
  All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.