Home… and Thoughts on Traveling Alone

This trip felt like it went by in about ten minutes… isn’t that always the way with vacations.

Last we chatted, I was heading to dinner with some friends who happened to be in London, and what a treat it was to have company for the evening! We met for drinks at One Aldwych and then walked to Hakkasan, which was was absolutely terrific. Tucked back in an alley and underground, all dim blue lighting and a sort of funky soft house music… I felt like I was entering the Matrix when we walked down the stairs. The kind of place that makes you wish you had packed something leather to wear.

We all shared plates – vegetable lettuce wraps (sounds totally boring I know, but they were absolutely delicious), steamed sea bass, and fried rice were favorites. I honestly didn’t think Chinese food could be so good. And all paired with a great rosé. Thanks, friends, for joining me! Traveling alone can get, well, lonely sometimes, and our dinner was such fun and felt like a big hug.

A note about that. There are a few things I’ve realized on my solo trips that are worth mentioning, for anyone who is considering it (and I absolutely think you should):

1. When you’re traveling alone, you end up moving at a faster pace without even realizing it, mostly because you’re not stopping to discuss or make decisions with anyone else. This means you will have walked 15 miles and be dead on your feet by 3:00 pm every day if you don’t take extra breaks. Yes, I know sitting and having a cup of coffee or tea or glass of wine alone feels awkward. Do it anyway. Or take a short 30 minute nap – I did that nearly every day on this trip. And had the coffee and glass of wine too 😊

2. Take every opportunity for connection with people that is presented to you. Go out of your way to visit or meet up with friends, sit at a bar instead of a table when you can, chat with the people sitting next to you. You’ll have plenty of alone time, don’t worry about that. You’re used to guarding your alone time in your life at home – you need to do the opposite on the road. Sometimes it takes me a day or two to remember to flip that switch.

3. Be prepared to change plans, skip things, add things in, and give yourself little creature comforts. Do not force march yourself through a guidebook. I always have a very detailed itinerary going into a trip, about half of which I will end up changing (either by choice or by screwup, haha).

About number 3. Yesterday is a great example. Having stayed out really late with my friends, I slept in a little, but still decided to go on my planned run through Green Park and Hyde Park. I’m so glad I did! I ran by Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, and I didn’t even realize there was a Christo installation in Hyde Park until I rounded a corner and saw it. I mean, wow:

It’s really hot in London right now, and I ran a little further than I meant to. I…. might have take a cab back to the hotel. Yep, that might have happened.

I was completely beat when I got back, but running is such a great way to see a city, I’m still glad I did it. I decided not to decide on the rest of the day until I could cool off and have lunch, so I showered and took myself to a little wine bar that Justin at Tavernetta in Denver recommended, Compagnie Des Vins Surnaturels:

It was so lovely – all pretty little French dishes in a gorgeous, hidden, sun-dappled little courtyard that I would have never found without the recommendation and a lot of walking in circles and peering into alleyways.

Well then, of course, I wanted to try Justin’s other recommendation, so my early afternoon turned into a wine bar tour of the West End. Noble Rot was just as much of a treat:

Thankfully I’ve done all the London must-dos before, so I didn’t feel badly about spending extra time resting my tired legs in the shade with some wine instead of walking back by the Tower of London and the bridge and all that. Plus, I have a feeling I’ll be back in London….

Dinner was another fabulous one, and actually at the hotel: Eneko, owned by the same chef who owns Azurmendi, my favorite restaurant in the Basque region of Spain. I LOVE Basque food and wine, and Eneko did not disappoint. Potato omelette, rice with clams, braised pork cheeks, and charred broccoli, all delicious, and I was so excited to eat that I didn’t take a photo of any of it 😂

I was lucky enough to get one ticket a few weeks ago to the play Kinky Boots, so that topped off my night. It’s a super cute and fun and happy play, definitely recommend it.

So now I’m home, and thinking about how nice it would be if I built some of that same flexibility into my “real” life. Not that I’ll be spending my afternoons in wine bars (much), but calling an audible here and there might do me good.

Wishing you a summer full of adventure and flexibility –

Until next time…

Cheers!

Traveling Girl