A LITTLE DETOUR.

We had dinner at the house of some new pals last night-- and it was GOOD food!  They made spanakopita and two yum salads.  My favorite was the watermelon, mint and feta salad-- what?!  I'm definitely filing away that recipe for future use...They were super sweet and funny and it was great to just hang out and chat/get to know some new folks.




 


On our bike ride to their place (the other side of town from where we're staying-- in a young and hip neighborhood that reminded me of Brooklyn) we took a slight detour to avoid a busy street.  We were treated to a slightly hidden and greenery covered path that we ventured down.  As it turns out, it led to a really old and beautiful cemetery/park.  A sprinkling of people were there: folks with their dogs, families walking, other commuters on their bikes enjoying a peaceful cut-through, even a woman picking from the plethora of blackberries that are growing there.  It is right in a busy part of the city, but it was so quiet.  Then, we noticed something amazing enough for us to pull over and spend 10 minutes cracking up and watching:

This little guy just doing his thing, yawning every once in a while, observing passerby, rubbing his head against the cross every so often.  Very funny and cute.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE.

Well, we are here!  We're in Cambridge, England until mid November, while Raf is doing an internship.  It wasn't necessarily smooth sailing: a bummer of a rental car issue, a cancelled flight and a night in New Jersey because of it, luggage delayed two days and a sweetie wearing the same (very casual) clothes he started the journey in for his first day of work!  The good news is:  it is incredibly pretty here, people are so, so friendly and being a vegetarian is easy as can be.  We also rented bikes (cruisers with baskets!) for the duration of our stay, we got a bank account, and cell phones.  We have a temporary place to stay (in a modest flat in one of the local colleges) until the end of September, and then we have to find another accommodation because students will be arriving and taking it over.  Finding a place here, time of year, as a couple, and for a short term is HARD!  We have been looking and looking but nothing at all yet. We are meeting people though, and I think that is probably half the battle.  Fingers crossed!  For now, I'm just spending my days walking around and marveling at the rich and beautiful history of this special, special city.

OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TRIP (COAST & REDWOODS).

The Oregon coast is breathtaking.  It is wild and rocky and unlike anything I have ever seen before.  We were lucky to have incredible weather for our entire trip.  The plan was to stay one night in Oregon, then drive down the coast and stay one night in Northern California.  We just drove down, without much of a plan, and stopped when the view was too good to pass by.  We ended up finding one gem in particular (thanks Raf!, see photo above), Sister Rock.  We only intended to get out of the car for a minute to take a picture or two, but ended up staying for a couple of hours--hiking up the rock formations and then down to an ocean carved cave and the powerful Pacific coast--smashing over and over again against the rocks and shore.  It was magic.

We then continued down the coast into California, stayed the night between Eureka and Arcata (Arcata is ADORABLE btw, and has a delicious vegetarian restaurant called Wildflower Cafe and Bakery) and then continued further south the next day--driving through and then stopping to hike through California's famous redwood forests.  I kept singing (in my head) "this land was made for you and me..."

 

 

 elk

It was the perfect end to our trip as we continued on to home, passing by the beauty of Mendocino county's wine country.  Le sigh...