Haute on the Hill

Saturday, May 30, 2015

England Part Two: Glastonbury, Stonehenge, & Oxford

Part Two in this England Travel Series is all about the road trip! We hit the (wrong side) of the road for a day filled with mystical sites steeped in history and intrigue. This day was one of my favorites from the trip!

Our first stop were the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, where in 1191 the monks dug to find the remains of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. It is incredibly surreal and hard to grasp that are you standing on a site that is truly magical.

Glastonbury Abbey

The Site of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere's Tombs

Glastonbury Abbey as seen from the neighboring grove

Glastonbury Abbey

One shot to give you a sense of scale, this structure was massive!

After the Abbey, we climbed The Tor for spectacular views of Somerset and Wales. Glastonbury Tor is filled with mystery and is one of the most spiritual sites in the country. Both Pagans and the Druids used this place for initiations and ceremonies. However, the only structure that remains is a tower from a 15th century church of St. Michael.

A top down view (not of my own taking) to give you a sense of scale for The Tor, photo credit: Knowledgepicture.com

Climbing to the top of The Tor, you can see a hint of the tower in the distance.

The only remaining structure at the top of The Tor

Panoramic View from the top of The Tor

Compass at the top of The Tor

Our next stop was Stonehenge. Circling the stones was truly a once in a lifetime experience. This is an absolute must when visiting England!

Stonehenge

We stopped off in Oxford for the night and rented a room at the University, Keble College to be exact. The room was really lovely with a king size bed, en suite bathroom, and nice linens with complimentary toiletries. Breakfast is included in your stay. While the food was less than exciting, it was pretty cool to eat with the students in a Hogwarts style dining room.

The Courtyard of our Dorm Room at Keble College, Oxford

The Dining Hall at Keble College

Where We Ate
Waitrose (grab and go for a picnic) - Abbey Street, Bath BA1 1LY, United Kingdom
King's Arms Oxford - 40 Holywell Street, Oxford OX1 3SP, United Kingdom
Keble College Dining Hall - Oxford OX1 3PG, United Kingdom

Where We Stayed
Keble College - Oxford OX1 3PG, United Kingdom

What We Did
Glastonbury Abbey - Magdalene Street, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9EL, United Kingdom
The Tor (10 minute walk from the Abbey) - Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6, United Kingdom
Stonehenge - Amesbury, Wiltshire SP4 7DE, United Kingdom

General Advice
Driving and seeing the English countryside was incredible. Driving on the wrong side of the car and wrong side of the road is actually easier than you think! Be bold and do it, it will be an unforgettable experience.
The drive from Bath to Glastonbury, and Glastonbury to Stonehenge were only an hour each, which made for a very easy driving day.
You can bring a picnic and eat on the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey. They have picnic tables if you don't have a blanket to sit on.
The Tor is a very steep climb and can be extremely windy. Do not try to drive to the Tor, parking is difficult. Leave your car parked at the Abbey and do the 10 minute walk over to the base of the hill.
Save yourself a lot of time and prebook your Stonehenge tickets. They give you a 30 minute window to arrive, grab the audio tour as well, it's worth it.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

England Part One: Bath

The Romans came to Bath around 50 AD, drawn to its natural hot springs. Upon the springs they built spectacular Roman Baths for wellness and healing. And in the late 1600's, Queen Mary came to Bath fighting infertility, and less than a year later gave birth to a son...and a revitalization of Bath itself.

This charming little town was the first stop on our England tour. Check out the photos below to get a sense for the beauty of Bath. Traveling tips and a list of hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions are listed at the end. Enjoy!

Roman Baths with Bath Abbey in the background

View of Bath from the top of the Abbey

Bath Abbey doors

Stunning Fan Vaulted Ceiling inside Bath Abbey

Breakfast at Patisserie Valerie

Spring Rolls at Thai Balcony

Entree at Thai Balcony

Delicious Fish Pie from The Garrick's Head

Public Gardens along the river

Roof Top Pool at Thermae Bath Spa (they don't allow photos inside but I snapped this from another rooftop)

Where We Ate
The Roman Bath Kitchen - Abbey Street, Bath BA1 1LY, United Kingdom
Patesserie Valerie - 20 High Street, City Centre, Bath BA1 5AJ, United Kingdom
The Garrick's Head - 7-8 Saint Johns Road, City Centre, Bath BA1 1ET, United Kingdom
Thai Balcony - 1 Seven Dials, Bath, Somerset BA1 1EN, United Kingdom
Turtle Bay - 11 Bridge Street, Bath, BA2 4AS, United Kingdom

Where We Stayed
Hilton - Walcot Street, Bath, Somerset, BA1 5BJ, United Kingdom

What We Did
Roman Baths - Stall St, Bath, BA1 1LZ, United Kingdom
Bath Abbey - Bath, BA1 1LT, United Kingdom
Thermae Bath Spa - Hot Bath Street, Bath, BA1 1SJ, United Kingdom

General Advice
The Roman Baths have excellent exhibits with free audio guides. Well worth the two + hours you might spend here.
Do NOT do the Bizarre Bath walk. Ignore Trip Advisor and Rick Steves. We left halfway thru, it was that bad.
Go to Turtle Bay for drinks. Two for One drinks after 10pm - crazy good deal and super fun bartenders.
Skip the 'Twilight Package' at Thermae Bath Spa and just show up on the day-of. You can get the same spa services for a better price just by skipping the mediocre meal. If you want to do anything other than the pools and steam rooms, such as a massage, book in advance. Those spots filled up quickly.
Pay to take the Tower Tour at Bath Abbey so you can climb to the top. Very cool, but quite the work out with very steep steps.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Upcoming Blog Travel Series: England

My husband and I recently took 10 glorious days off from normal life and traveled to England for vacation. We made it through a decent portion of the country by train, plane, and automobile.

I'll be sharing our trip in a series of upcoming blog posts, which will be broken down by each stop on our trip. We visited London of course, but some of my favorite memories were far from the popular tourist sites.

Keep a look out for the posts starting this week. They will be full of great photos, restaurant recommendations, and general tips on navigating your way through this beautiful country.

Cheers!

Love this London shot with a Telephone Booth & Big Ben

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Separates for a Spring Work Wardrobe

Let's talk spring work wardrobe this morning. I am loving how retailers are embracing separates these days, I picked up this graphic woven black & white ensemble from Banana Republic a few weeks back.

I love these two pieces together for the office, but they also look amazing on their own. I wear the crop top with black pants for dinner and drinks, it's a very early 60s vibe. I also pair the pencil skirt with a classic white button down or sleek black turtle neck on cooler days.

The accessories shown are two of my classic pieces, a Ralph Lauren Collection bag and my 1960s vintage Cartier Tank watch. While I am typically a girl on a budget, some accessories are worth investing in. Shop a similar look below.

Rugby Stripe Lace Shell & Pencil Skirt from Banana Republic

Friday, April 24, 2015

Local, Natural Skincare on the Hill

One thing I wish we had more of on the hill is local boutiques. We have restaurants and bars for days, but not nearly enough places to shop. I was thrilled to stumble upon Hunnybunny Boutique on 8th Street a few weekends ago.

Hunnybunny offers soaps, face masks, and other skincare items that are free of chemicals. The owner, Leigh Byers, makes everything from scratch using only natural ingredients. I purchased a bar of soap and the sea clay mud mask. I have been using both products for a few weeks now and absolutely love them. I have very oily skin, the sea clay mask helps keep the shine off my face better than any mask I have bought from a drug store. I would highly recommend it!

My purchase came complete with a hand written note from one of the owner's kids, which I thought was adorable. Let's support our local businesses and keep our dollars flowing in the community.

Hunnybunny Boutique

311 8th St NE (between C and D)

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Mixing Prints

Let me start this post off by saying, in general, I rarely do prints. So when I put this look together, I completely surprised myself!

Prints date quickly, in my opinion. You could buy a print this season and it could be out of style in six months. If I'm spending a small fortune on something for my wardrobe, I want it to last me for years to come. For that reason, if you opened by closet today, you would find it to be 80% black, 10% cream, 8% navy, and 2% prints. This look is all about the 2%.

On occasion I buy something fun and trendy in a bold pattern. This floral tee, for example, I bought on a snow day in March because I wanted it so desperately to be spring I thought "Floral print, why not?" Also, it was only $12. I could wear it a few times and then throw it in the give-away pile and not think twice.

Now that temperatures have warmed up and the sun is shining, I find myself throwing on not only one print, but two! I loved layering my classic Oxford shirt with the fun floral tee. My blush fringe shoulder bag from H&M is everything to me right now, I take it everywhere.

Last but not least, let me tell you about these shoes. I have received more compliments on these Coral Pumps than my Ferragamos, and drum roll please...the pumps are from Payless! Can you believe it? Super comfortable in a lower heel, these pumps are perfect for work to evening events, and this pop of color lights up any room. Cheers to style on a budget!

Blue & White Striped Oxford Shirt by Banana Republic
Floral Print Tee by Old Navy
Rock Crystal Necklace by H&M
Blush Fringe Shoulder Bag by H&M (now on sale!)
Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans by Old Navy
Coral Patent Leather Pumps by Payless

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Weekend Wandering at The Hirshhorn

I spent this Sunday afternoon doing two of my favorite things, wandering art galleries and eating Indian food so spicy it made my teeth sweat. Ah, glorious days.

Since our news feeds are inundated with cherry blossom photos, I thought I'd share shots from my time at The Hirsshorn today for a bit of variety. Let your eyes feast on the gorgeous installations currently on exhibit. Keep in mind photography really doesn't do these pieces justice, take some time and visit for yourself.