Goodbye to Summer.

So long, Summer. Those 6 weeks of warm, perfect sunny days were bliss. Splash parks, pools, sandboxes, evening picnics in the park overlooking the city. We lived it up.

I had planned our beach trip for the warmest month - August - but sadly the wild British weather had other plans and a hurricane off the coast in mid-August sent us straight into Autumn. It was on average 60 degrees the whole weekend, the sun peaked out from time to time, but we still had a beautiful trip seeing the southwest coast of England, looking out into the ocean during the day and at night, and just slowing down for a few days.

On the way out to the coast, we made a sort of out of the way stopover through Cheddar Gorge to see these amazing cliffs and stop for lunch. Henry collected some rocks and loved watching the people climbing up the side of the cliffs.

A walk through the cool town of Penzance, and down to the harbor to see all the colorful boats.

Lands End - the most southerly point in the UK.

Looking for the moon and stars.

Kynance Cove was so gorgeous! Also, so cold! We walked down to the beach and joined the throngs of British people who had prepared for the weather with thermoses of hot tea, wooly jumpers, tents, umbrellas, and bikinis for the sunny weather.

Henry's beach VW van. He kept seeing VW vans driving around with boats and surfboards on top, so when he saw this little toy, he HAD to have it. ;)

St. Michaels Mount was beautiful (and closing up right when we got there so we didn't get to see the inside) and we enjoyed the walk out through the causeway during low tide.

On the way home, we were driving close to Stonehenge, so we decided to swing by and see it. It was so impressive, and the grey clouds and wind helped to set the mood.

Henry's face here says it all! He was pretty cold and over it at this point.

We had a great trip, as what was our last little weekender as a family of three!

Traveling The Algarve, Portugal

We've lived in London for nearly 10 months, and about 6 weeks ago, I finally heard about the Algarve. How had I missed out on this little piece of paradise my entire life? As an American, we mostly hear about European beaches on the Almafi coast and Greece and maybe some parts of southern France, but nobody really talks about this hidden little secret of the entire southern coast of Portugal. Due to my frantic attempt to travel as much as possible before baby #2 comes along, I booked us tickets lickety split and a few weeks later we were off! We 4 days in mid-June, which seemed to be the perfect time - weather wasn't too hot yet, and since school is in until July here, the beaches weren't crowded at all.

Below are some photos from my camera, and we have many more from our iPhones I'll try to post here soon.

The End of the World (Sagres, Portugal)

The drive into Salema, the little fishing village beach. We drove back twice just for the fish. :)

Hen had a lot of fun building sand castles and collecting rocks

The best fish we've ever had in our lives. Caught and served on the same day.

White sandy beaches, turquoise waters, and laid-back feeling that reminded me of the Caribbean or parts of Mexico, and the most beautiful cliff-lined beaches I've ever seen. We stayed in Lagos, which is known for the Ponte de Piedade (point of rocks) with beautiful rock formations of grottos, caves, and secret, sheltered beaches. We rented a car and drove to Sagres to see The End of the World and Salema, a sweet little fishing village with a beautiful beach and the best, freshest fish I've ever eaten anywhere. We only saw a small part of Portugal and I've always wanted to visit Lisbon and listen to some moody fado and eat more of the incredible Portuguese cuisine. With any luck, we'll return someday to this beautiful country.

Hawaii

Last month I had my first Hawaii experience. I had a meeting in Honolulu and extended my trip a few extra days to drive to Lanikai Beach and the North Shore. I had never been crazy about the thought of Hawaii, maybe because it's a 10 hour flight from DC and I consider myself more of a Europe lover than an island junky. I'm willing to admit I was wrong.
Here are the thoughts I can't get out of my head after the trip:
Why do live in DC when I could live in a beautiful place like this?
If I lived in Hawaii I would live an active lifestyle of surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and running. It's so beautiful, all the time, and everyone is always moving around and EVERYONE LOOKS AMAZING. It's inspiring.
Another thing - there is some really great food in Hawaii. It's easy to eat healthy - so many fresh fruits and veggies - but it's just as easy to eat shave-ice, pork, and gorge on traditional Hawaiian food. Also, macadamia nuts, the end.
Warm beaches, perfect water temperature, water clear enough to snorkle in and see the beautiful coral reef and tropical fish.
I love Hawaii. It's just like everyone said it would be, and now that I've dipped my toe in it, I'm going to work it into my life plan to live in Hawaii for some part of my life.

Now onto the good stuff...

The first couple days we spent in Honolulu. I didn't get much beach time, but we did stay at a cute little hotel right on Waikiki Beach. I woke up around 4:30am since I had crazy jetlag and would go for long runs on the beach. Super super my favorite thing ever.

 

 The trees were beautiful, too. I loved all the different varieties, especially these beautiful Banyan trees with their aerial roots that grow into the ground.

  

  

We had meetings at the Hawaiian Capitol building, which is awesomely shaped like a volcano. The very top of the building is the governor and Lt. Governors offices, and there are 360 degree views to see the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. I've never seen such a stunning Capitol building! 

  

We drove to Lanikai Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, where we relaxed, ate Macadamia Nut Pancakes at Kimo and Boots, kayaked to Flat Island, ate shave-ice at Hawaiian Snow and just reveled in our luck to be at this beautiful beach. 

 

 We stayed on the North Shore and visited Sunset Beach and Sharks Cove (for snorkeling). We airbnb'd a little studio apartment off someones huge beachside home, which had everything we needed, including snorkel gear, a gorgeous bathroom, 2 beds, and the Hawaiian grammys on TV. Perfect. :)

 This is Sunset Beach, at sunset. Cliched? Maybe. Perfect? Yes. We watched the surfers ride out the last of the waves at dusk. I wanted to die.

 

We visited Haleiwa for good food. We had breakfast at Cafe Haleiwa (huevos rancheros, but the pancakes looked amazing!), lunch at Ted's Bakery (chocolate pie and a malasada!), and dinner at Opal Thai Food, the most amazing thai food I've ever eaten. The owner comes to each table and asks you what flavors you like, your favorite thai dishes, then brings out several dishes for you to try. It was off the chain delicious.

 

The last day in Hawaii, we spent lounging on Sunset Beach before our 8:00PM flight home. It was the perfect wrap-up to a perfect trip! Hawaii, I hope to visit you again!

 

turks and caicos, the video.

i'm so glad it's been a beautiful week here in DC because otherwise my heartbreak of leaving turks and caicos would have been even deeper. i loved the beauty of the blue green water and white sand beaches, and it was so nice to spend the time with my love. and eat delicious food and drink pina coladas. and every morning we got to the beach, i'd start sifting sand through my hand and say "like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives" then launch into the song. who's with me? heath?

(ps - yes, we were the whitest people on the beach. so what, who cares?)

Untitled from julie rowlett on Vimeo.

turks and caicos.

we celebrated my 29th in the best of circumstances this year. TH totally spoiled me by taking me to the turks and caicos and i am ruined for all future birthdays from here on out. and just for the record, by "TH taking me to the turks and caicos" i mean i begged him nonstop for a trip and basically wore him down until he handed over the credit card. i negotiated by telling him about all the miles we'll earn on his United credit card. kind of worked.

but the bottom line is we had a completely relaxing vacation and i can't recommend this island enough. we stayed in a condo rental with a full kitchen, w/d and screened in porch. we just left our sliding glass doors open all day and let the ceiling fans keep it cool. the ocean was just a 30 second walk from our condo and we couldn't get enough of the stunning turquoise water.

i just about cried when we left and TH was kind enough to suggest that i just move there and visit him on the weekends. i am considering it.