from lax to heathrow

Taking a 12-day Western European escapade felt incredibly indulgent. It probably was. But, my gosh, reason and guilt be damned.

It was amazing, and hard, and good, and so unbelievably clarity-inducing. And now, we shall re-live it in all its real life glory.

My flight was direct (and long) from Los Angeles to London. I must've been exhausted upon landing, and yet... I was far too concerned with reuniting with Rachael. The lovely lady was kind enough to meet me at the airport and lead me back to her flat for a much-needed shower. Then, we set out to check off the one thing on my touristy London to-do list: visit the Tate Modern.

Although I found half the galleries to be exceedingly broad in curation (the opinion of a total non-expert), I really, really enjoyed our visit. And not just because it was totally free. And not just because I was there with Rachael. And not just because we had to walk through certain parts of the collection twice in order to get a good look at them since we were appropriately too focused on catching up with each other on absolutely everything. That said, all those other parts were pretty damn wonderful, too.

We finished at the museum just as it was closing and set out to meet my sister for dinner. As I mentioned, Deanna is studying abroad. As I hadn't mentioned, she moved into her Notting Hill flat (with five roommates!) four days prior to my arrival--eek.

Thanks to Freya, I knew of a perfectly convenient spot for dining: The Churchill Arms, where Irish beer and Thai food are plentiful.

Once I'd devoured five spring rolls, a full plate of pad ped, and bites of everyone else's meals After eating, we stopped by my sister's cozy flat. I was thrilled at the chance to see where and with whom she'll be living for the next few months. Oh, to be 20 again!

From there, my heart and tummy full, I followed Rachael to two of her favorite haunts in Shoreditch: Callooh Calley and Happiness Forgets. How I managed to drink cocktails at each bar without passing out atop a bar, I may never know. Adrenaline is magic.

Fast forward to about midnight, however, and I was sound asleep in Rachael's flat with the help of a trusty sleeping pill. Touché, first day. Stay tuned for more on the joys of a 9-hour jet lag. I miss it already.

warming up again

Today I went to yoga for the first time in three weeks. My hips were tight from climbing the narrow staircases to the airbnb in Amsterdam. My right shoulder kept popping from having held my heavy purse so tightly through a rainy London. My hamstrings were exorbitantly tense from traversing across Paris, from one arrondissement to another, reconnecting with old friends and mentors.

I had originally booked the trip to Europe because I figured I'd earned the time off for friends, Paris, and my siblings who currently have the privilege of living/studying abroad. I hadn't known then how much I would need it now. It was hard, and long, and so freaking good. And one day after it ended, Leslie came to Los Angeles. What timing, eh? She reminded me (unknowingly, mind you) of all the reasons why I'm grateful to now call this city home. I'd really like to share my EuroTrip and her visit with you in these coming days, almost as if it hasn't been nearly a year since I did such things. Make believe with me--will you, please?

from the cutting room floor

{Echo Park Lake, pre-Lotus Festival}

Note to self: take more photos. Up next: Seattle (July 24-26); London, Amsterdam, Paris, and the Hague (August 23-September 3).