Oh, how I love to plan. I’m not alone in this, I know. It’s part of the human condition; part of our propensity for imagining a future that’s brighter and shinier and lovelier than the one we’re in right now.
“Even in Kyoto, I long for Kyoto,” goes a poem by Basho (this astute reference brought to you by a Jack Kornfield dharma talk, not my own brain). The message here is that if we’re not careful, we’re far off in some fantasy of the future even when we’re smack dab in the most beautiful place we could dream of.
But here’s the thing: I think you can love planning and also remember to let it go when your plans are coming to fruition. It’s all about the awareness of what’s happening in your mind, isn’t it?
That’s how I’m feeling about this trip to London so far. We’ve been planning this trip for quite some time. Sofia doesn’t love to travel, so we’ve spent had fun getting her hyped up. We’ve reminded her of all the places I took her 9 years ago when we visited London twice in one year (Ottolenghi for meringues, Princess Diana Park, the Duck Pond, Fortnum & Mason for ice cream) and we’ve got some plans for this trip that involve seeing wild ponies.
Well, so far all of the planning is coming to fruition beautifully. This little post is our first day and a half and there was lots of reminiscing. It’s been just a dream to be back and we were very much in the moment all day today as we visited our old haunts.
But first: Sofia and I landed on Wednesday morning and Jason met us at the train. We went straight to Mission, the yoga studio in Shoreditch where Jason is teaching (and Yogaland is happening tomorrow 🎉).
This. Studio. Is. Breathtaking. Three floors of gorgeous washed brick, serene wooden archways and original parquet floors. A rooftop restaurant with a terrace with comfy outdoor sofas. Plus, the location right near Old Spitalfields Market feels so alive.
I love how you see everything with completely fresh eyes when you travel. Sofia and I were noticing that it happens the moment you step off the plane into the airport — you notice ads and billboards that you’d otherwise completely ignore.
The first evening there we made it to Ottolenghi and Sofia got to have her beloved gigantic berry meringue. For any gluten-frees out there, there are several fantastic options. Jason and I are going gf, too, and had a flourless chocolate cake that was 🤌🏽
We spent most of our next (jet-lagged) day trekking to and around Hyde Park in the spots where Sofia and I spent so much time.
We spotted a swan baby. It felt apropo.
Below is a photo of S turning around in embarrassment because I was taking yet another photo. All I could say was, “What, I miss soft leaves like I had growing up!”
There are so many soft leaves and canopies here. And grandma buckets. I’ll take some photos of those and show you next time.
Such a lovely post and beautiful pictures! I can relate to the feeling of traveling. I have traveled a lot in my life, sometimes unplanned (like last week, when I had to travel to France for a funeral) and most of the times, planned. Yes, that feeling of coming out of the plane, totally jet lagged and foggy brained and looking around at the most mundane things with new eyes. For me, London is also smells. Enjoy every moment. Sofia is a beautiful young woman. Your family is inspiring.
Hi Andrea, so happy to hear from you ... it’s wonderful to follow your adventures in London. Thank you for sharing !!! I really hear your heartfelt voice and personality come through to me. It helps me stay in the moment as I sit on my porch in Maine looking at the glorious garden, and listening to the birds singing. I just can’t wait to hear more.❤️