Short Breaks - Part Two - London

I didn't realise how much I missed London until I was there. I forgot how fast paced it was especially when riding the tube and pacing the tunnels of the underground system from one tube line to another. I forgot how multicultural it was and how many different people from all around the world live there. It's such a melting pot. It is a place of comings and goings; where people are either transitting through or find themselves staying for an indefinite period of time. It's a place you can very easily get stuck to.

London is so green. Although a metropolis of people and buildings, there is a lot of green which was a beautiful sight as we flew in over Greater London.

You can get attached to London for many different reasons. I got attached because of its location, the sense of adventure it provided me and the fact I could go anywhere in Europe with such ease, and also because of its similarity to Australia. Being in London this time round not only reminded me of my life and the experiences I had there, but also bought back memories of my various trips to places like Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Italy and all the trips to Turkey I took to come and visit my sweetheart. Although I loved to leave to go on those trips, I always returned to London at the end of the trip feeling like I was coming home.

Being in London again filled me with excitement and bought back good memories. It was so refreshing to catch up with familiar faces - long time friends, and chat over endless coffees about our respective lives and what they were all up to in London; two of them are there for the short term before heading back to NY and then onto Hong Kong; two others have been there for the past five years, but will leave for Australia in the coming months; and one other is deciding whether to stay or go. All of them in transition and all of them contemplating their next move and destination.

I was fortunate to stay with friends in the most lovely little part of London, Notting Hill, off Kensington Park Road which was close to great shops, cafes and restaurants. With my New Yorker friends we had a great meal at the upstairs restaurant Bumpkin on Westbourne Park Road which styles itself as a country brasserie with traditional meals such as pies and fish and chips but also turns out sumptuous dishes of free range chicken, lamb, organic salmon and 28 day Yorkshire rib eye. We all ordered three courses and sides and got to taste each other dishes which were all very delicious. It was a nice change from the ever overcooked meat that is so commonly served in Turkey and a nice change to not have vegetables swimming in olive oil. But what was most delish, was the Banoffee pie, which I shamefully admit to never tasting before until now. If you have never experienced Banoffee pie, you must. It was the most moreish combination of caramel, cream, banana and crushed biscuits layered inside a tumbler glass. The most perfect combination of flavours with the crunch of the biscuit. I was truly in dessert heaven. Really. I was.

We also fulfilled my Thai cravings and had dinner at Market Thai restaurant in Notting Hill on Portobello Road, which is situated atop a pub and is family run and owned. The atmosphere is relaxed and quite laid back. It is reported to be one of the best cheap eats in town, but the food remained authentic with a good amount of spice and heat. I had really missed authentic Thai food, so it was a real treat to eat duck, green chicken curry, pad Thai, spring rolls and prawn toast and lots of peanut sauce.

I miss being able to easily find meals of pasta, Thai, Chinese, Lebanese or Greek, but simply I miss the huge variety of food that London has to offer. You can find a market or organic shop easily and buy fresh produce that differs so much and offers many speciality fruits and vegetables along with great cuts of organic meat, chicken and even more speciality meats like emu, roo or wagu. You can find whatever kind of restaurant food you want usually within walking distance of your home and if not, you can find the ingredients in the supermarket to cook it yourself.

I walked the streets of Notting Hill and cruised down Brompton Road from Knightsbridge to Gloucester Road and rode the tube to Oxford Street, Regent Street and High Street Kensington. I was coiffed and pampered in Kilburn and I ate on-the-go with a sandwich from Eat in one hand and a latte in the other. I didn't want to miss anything or waste any time so I ate on the go most days. I walked Portobello Road and devoured fresh pastries with butter and homemade jam. I stocked up on the essentials at Boots and stopped in at H&M for some sale shopping. I scanned the food isles of M&S for their tasty salads and gourmet sandwiches. It was a nice change to feel the fresh cool air on my face as I walked and not have to inhale a cloud of smoke from cars and trucks racing by as they honk their horns endlessly. It was peaceful and relaxing to walk the streets and and not be terrorised and barked at by street dogs. I felt recharged, refreshed and alive.

It was great to feel London again. To live it, if only for a few days. I love falling in line with the pace of a city and also being able to walk everywhere or use multiple modes of transport to get to your final destination. I can understand how some of my friends have found themselves there after so many years and wondering why they haven't left already. When you are there you find yourself perplexed by the cost of things, the weather and crowded transport, only to miss it like crazy once you've gone.

I don't know really what it is about London, it just seems to pull you in and doesn't let you go.

Short Breaks - Part One - Bolu & Abant

Snow capped mountains, Abant

Back at the start of May we took a shot trip to Ankara to visit my husband's family. On the way we stopped at Bolu and Abant, which are both such beautiful places. Bolu is a place we frequent on our trips to Ankara where we enjoy the lamb chop that the area is well known for as well as the fresh yoghurt and butter and honey. So, so tasty. We always make sure to stop on the way up to Bolu to buy a fresh loaf of hot Safranbolu bread, straight out of the oven. The trip came at a time when the weather had started to improve and the sun was shining, families were out walking around the lake in Abant and it was so nice to take in the sweet smelling fresh air along with the peace and quiet.

Abant Lake