Where My Heart Is Going

For the next few months I will be taking a break from my London life and therefore Where The Heart Is... only because of another exciting adventure - a 75 day trip through India and Nepal.

Given the opportunity to take three months off work, my boyfriend James and I are off to explore the hustle and bustle of Indian cities, explore the national forests in Nepal and eat endless curries and drink many cups of chai.

You can follow our adventures here:

Adventures in Bronniewood

Postcards from India


I will be back in late 2012 with some new London and Europe adventures!

Italian Weekend

It has been a few months since James and I had seen each other due to his adventure in Japan so when he said he was coming over for a visit at the end of April I was extremely excited. We planned a few days out in London as well as a trip to somewhere I have been wanting to go for ages - Cinque Terre. Five villages on the coast of Italy that are famous for the wine and pesto!

We had a great week in London, catching up with dinner and drinks with lots of friends, visiting Kensington Palace and walking around Hyde Park. We even ticked off something on our London bucket list and went to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant - Maze. A week in London isn't complete without a trip to the theater (something that James as a local Londoner NEVER does) so we went and saw Billy Elliot.

After a busy week we were excited to get away on our little Italian holiday. We flew out to Milan on the Thursday evening and booked into a hotel near the train station so we were ready to get the train to Monterosso where we were staying in Cinque Terre. We got up bright and early for the three hour train journey. We were excited to finally get there and see the beautiful seafront.

Friends of ours had recommended a great place to stay so we checked in and went for a wander around. First stop! Some proper Italian food! We wandered along until we found a little restaurant with some tables outdoors sitting on the cliff top. It was only right that we ordered a meal of pesto pasta and some local white wine. It was so delicious and the first of very many exquisite meals we ate. The second stop was to walk around the village and check out all the little bars, shops and restaurants around.

One of the main activities to do in Cinque Terre is to walk between the villages. Each village is located along different tracks that vary in length, difficulty and size. We walked from our home village of Monterosso to Vernazza and it took about an hour and 15 minutes. We made a rookie mistake of not taking any water, snacks or really preparing for the walk. It was quite a hike with a few steep stairs and hills along the way. It was worth it to make it to the other end though and check out the village of Vernazza.

When we arrived we had a quick wander around the village and learnt that this one has been quite badly damaged in a fairly recent landslide meaning many of the houses and restaurants needed some work. Thankfully there was a restaurant open down by the water and we ordered a water, a coke and a beer each since we were so thirsty from our trek! The waiter thought it was hilarious!

We took the lazy route home and decided to get the train home. The trains run between all five villages but on what can only be described as the most relaxed and inconsistent time table around. Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long and we headed back to our hotel. We grabbed a bottle of wine from the shop across the road (and made him open it for us since we had no bottle opener!) and sat on our balcony and drank delicious wine as the sun went down.

The friends who had recommended the hotel also recommended a local restaurant so we decided to make that our first stop. I had my first pizza of this Italy trip and the combination of pesto and salami was mouth watering. James had an even yummier calzone. Of course the meal was joined by a bottle of wine and it was the perfect evening to a great day.

The next day we did another walk but this time it was nice and easy. We caught the train Riomaggio one of the biggest villages and had a wander around before taking the 'lovers walk' to Manarola. The guide said it takes about 20 minutes and as it is mostly flat I can see how it can be that quick. Since there was so much to look at as it is common for lovers to write their names on the walls and leave initialed padlocks on the gates. Some of them were really sweet and others were really funny. We decided to add to it and leave a leather band with our names on it.

Manarola was the perfect village to sit and have a coffee and pastry as the weather had turned bad and we were fighting the rain and wind. There is nothing better than Italian food! We caught the train back to Monterosso and spent the afternoon wandering around the village treating ourselves to lemonchello, gelati, italian beer served with cheese and salami. We bought up some pesto and souveniers and basically just had an afternoon full of food and shopping. Heaven!

Our final day in Cinque Terre we caught the train to Corniglia which is the central village. We got there and made the massive walk up the big hill as Corniglia seemed to be on the highest cliffside. We spent the morning checking out the village before wandering down to the sea front to sit and while away the hours. Of course we stopped for lunch and I ordered a pesto lasagna. I'm not even exaggerating when I say it was the best meal I've ever eaten in Italy and probably one of the best ever!

Sadly we had to leave the Cinque Terre and head back to Milan for our flights out. We had one last Italian meal at a place near our Milan hotel before getting up bright and early for our flights. James was flying back to Tokyo straight from Milan so it was a bit sad to say goodbye at the airport. Thankfully he is back in the middle of the year so it won't be too long until our next adventure. Cinque Terre was amazing and definitely a highlight of my European travels. Totally recommend it to anyone!