travel blog – Page 4

The Sites of London (Part 2)

Published on January 22, 2015January 22, 2015 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Another beautiful day was spent in London, England. Hope you don’t get too exhausted from our tour around the city on Day #2…the key is knowing your Underground route prior to leaving! Mind the Gap!!!

Big Ben + House of Parliament + The London Eye

“The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell.The Elizabeth Tower, which stands at the north end of the Houses of Parliament, was completed in 1859 and the Great Clock started on 31 May, with the Great Bell’s strikes heard for the first time on 11 July and the quarter bells first chimed on 7 September.”

“The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Commonly known as the Houses of Parliament after its tenants, the Palace lies on the Middlesex bank of the River Thames in the City of Westminster.”

“The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. The 32 air-conditioned capsules can each hold up to 25 people. The wheel rotates at 26 cm (10 in) per second (about 0.9 km/h or 0.6 mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes. It does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is slow enough to allow passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level.”

Westminister Abbey

KATE, KATE!!! We were a couple years late, but we made it to the Church that Kate Middleton became a Duchess and married her Prince Charming! The line was really long to get in and the tickets were about 18 pounds, so we opted to just walk around the grounds and visit the gift shop. Loved this Church and maybe next time we visit, we will be walking down that aisle…oh hey Harry!!!! haha!

Churchill War Rooms

This is an absolute MUST see and one of our favorite tourist sites we visited. It was interesting seeing the perspective of the British and how they made out during the way. We experienced the secret history underground that was lead by Churchill. Well worth the money and the best part….hardly any lines!!!

Covent Gardens

“Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin’s Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as “Covent Garden”. ” It was the perfect place to stop for lunch and walk around on our way to Notting Hill. Mind the Gap!

Underground Fun

Some favorite memories from the Underground…. “MIND THE GAP” + “This is the Piccadilly line to Cockfosters.”

Notting Hill

Confirmed…it’s like what you see in the movie, but BETTER! We had so much fun walking down the street and can’t wait to go back and visit some boutiques and cafes! Bumpkin maybe??

Kensington Palace

From Notting Hill we walked through the Kensington Palace Gates down the street that was home to many international embassies. We wouldn’t mind living on this block – oh hey Kate, can i borrow some sugar? We were able to walk the grounds of the Palace and feel like we were residence. No Kate or George sightings, but that didn’t ruin our visit. The garden behind the Palace reminded me of Central Park. It was a beautiful setting! We left the Palace and walked down Queen’s Gate back to South Kensington. Loved that street – it was more residential and didn’t have the hustle and bustle the city centre had – nice break!

TRAILER VIDEO HERE

Cheerio,

A London Inspired Outfit

Published on October 9, 2014October 8, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

T.W.O. is traveling to London in a couple months and we can’t wait to explore the city and taste the food. We are also looking forward to getting some new outfits for the trip. Check out what we have on our shopping list.

Hat // Sweater // Pants // Scarf // Booties

TCI Fish Fry + Meals in Paradise

Published on August 15, 2014August 21, 2014 by T.W.O.3 Comments

Every Thursday night, Provo is rocking from 5:30pm-9:30pm with food, music and entertainment in Bright (Children’s) Park. Local restaurants set up booths serving lobster, conch salad, crab ‘n rice, mac ‘n cheese and local island corn. Many locals attend this event every Thursday as well as tourists. Each week a new band takes the stage to get the party started. The week T.W.O. attended there was a DJ that played, mixing up some dance tunes for us to dance to…. “Slide to the Left, Slide to the Right, Criss Cross” We got down and boogied! (Our mom even got pulled on staged since she was celebrating a birthday!) Later in the night “Henry the Conch” made his appearance with the Island Band. It was one heck of a parade! T.W.O. highly recommends going to the Fish Fry – – It is well worth it! Don’t forget to grab your coconut water and rum drink! It’s delicious!!!

As you know, T.W.O. loves to cook and enjoy food. Needless to say we ate very well this trip…whether if it was homemade and on the beach or out to dinner. Check out all the fun we had with planning our meals! It wasn’t a complete day without going to the gourmet grocery store!!

Catamaran Rides + Da Conch Shack

Published on August 6, 2014August 5, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

What better way to see Turks & Caicos then from the water?! We hired SAIL PROVO to take us around Grand Turk and to a northern cay – Pine Cay – for full day of snorkeling, sailing and exploring. Oh and I can’t forget the delicious lunch and rum punch! We picked the catamaran up at Walkin Marina leeward and sailed out past Blue Haven Marina towards the open ocean. Once we were about a 1/2 mile off the coast, we stopped at a reef to snorkel. The water was warm and crystal clear so it made for a delightful snorkeling experience. We saw a ton of tropical fish, colorful coral and cool looking reefs. After about 45 minutes, we sailed towards Pine Cay to a private beach know as Sand Dollar beach. No need for an anchor, we literally beached the boat. As we walked on the fluffy white sand we spotted nothing but water, sea shells and a group of rain clouds in the distant. Since it was Sand Dollar beach, we grabbed our snorkels and started hunting. We learned that the brown sand dollars are alive – so we left those alone – the white ones were good to take! Unfortunately we were not that lucky – only one person snagged a sand dollar – and that one person was one of T.W.O.! After our treasure hunt we boarded the catamaran for a bbq lunch – chicken, sandwiches, fresh fruit and of course rum punch and Turks Head! It was the perfect atmosphere! Lunch ended, but not our day. We headed back towards the Marina and made a stop along the way to snorkel again. At this spot we found a 3 foot lobster. Biggest one we have ever seen! It was hidden in the reef and our Dad spotted it. That itself was worth the stop for sure! Once on board, T.W.O. sailed us back to the marina. Yes…you can call us Caribbean certified skippers that’s for sure! It was a lovely day and we had a great time with the Sail Provo crew. Thanks again for the memories and such a great experience. Can’t wait to come back!!

Da Conch Shack

Conch creole, conch salad, curried conch…..bring it on! At Da Conch Shack you will find a picturesque setting on the beach with your typical caribbean architecture. Pastel pink, Caribbean blues and light turquoise greens fill this open white shack restaurant. Conch shells line the walk ways, make walls and even used as light fixtures. I wonder where they get the name from?!?!? We enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and of course you can’t go without trying Jan’s Infamous Rum Punch. Save your server time and just order a pitcher!

Taylor Bay + Bugaloos

Published on July 31, 2014July 30, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Taylor Bay

We took an excursion to Chalk Sound for the day and visited Taylor Bay. It’s a secluded beach with white powdery sand and beautiful blue waters. You can walk about a quarter mile out with the water only going up to your knees. Definetly bring your snorkels, there are fish, coral and maybe even a turtle or two that you will find further out. We also, well mostly our brother, decided to make a spa day out of our visit too. Taylor bay has great “clay sand” to exfoliate your skin. The Caribbean version of the Dead Sea according to our brother! This beach is a little tricky to find and don’t expect a parking lot. After making a left on Ocean Point Drive, we turned into a residential area. Not seeing any signs we asked a local and he directed us to a path that looked like it didn’t go anywhere. Well it did – and once we walked down the path and turned the bend we were all in pure awe. Taylor Bay is a MUST when visiting Turks & Caicos.

Bugaloo’s

Located in Five Cays Settlement, this beach side restaurant was the perfect lunch spot! Great views, friendly people, fantastic food and drinks! It was the first place on our trip where we ordered conch. Conch Salad, Coconut Conch Fritters, Conch Sandwich – – – we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it! It wasn’t our last time ordering it, that’s for sure! The Provo Punch was a great drink for this hot and humid afternoon – it’s a blended drink with tropical fruit. If you really want to make it a good, good lunch – – ask for a topper!!! After lunch we headed down to the beach and picked up two conches to take back home. The conch diver showed us the art in catching conch and removing the mollusk out of the shell. It was amazing to see these beautiful shells just lying on the beach. Won’t find these in California, that’s for sure!!!

And we made a pit stop for ice cream at…..

Villa del Sol

Published on July 29, 2014July 29, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Villa del Sol was our home for the week when we visited Turks & Caicos. It was the perfect place to stay with our group of 6. The 3 bedroom and 3 bath villa was located on Grace Beach on Provo Island. The updated kitchen, open living spaces and large bedrooms were great amenities for us. The outdoor space had a lot of outdoor furniture, a hammock, beautiful pool and access to the beach. The beach was amazing – secluded, clean and big enough for our lounge chairs, paddle boards and fruit rum drinks. We can’t wait to go back and stay at Villa del Sol.