Last updated on March 18, 2022
Today we made a decision. After our time in Ubud, we have two months until we need to be Barcelona where Steve will finish the very final stages of Continuum. The big question on our minds has been where to spend those two months. It has to be Europe so Steve can get to Barcelona if needs be, and we definitely want to be home for Christmas this year. We’ve ummed and ahhed over the options – go to Barcelona early and settle there for a few months, get a taste of Berlin, return to Lisbon, or snuggle up in the mountains? Nothing felt quite right, and then today we found our answer. We’re going to the UK!
This might sound surprising given the melancholic ramblings our last trip produced, but the visit itself wasn’t to blame – we had a beautiful time – it was my own mindset and self-doubt that had me spinning. Amid those ‘What am I doing with my life?’ moments, we spent precious time catching up with friends and family, eating our favourite foods, and feeling the novel comfort of familiarity.
Aside from those few weeks, we’ll have been away from home for 20 months come November, and we’ll likely be away for many more in 2014. We love to discover the new and our wanderlust isn’t waning, but there are definitely things we miss. So we’re homeward bound this Autumn. We don’t know where we’ll live yet, but time in Devon, Bristol and London are on the cards – as well at lots of baths, open fires and plenty of time with friends. To us, it sounds delicious.
Here are some of the photos we failed to share from our last trip – the things we missed and miss – and some of the reasons we’re excited to be heading back.
It begins with family…
…showing them what you’ve been up to,
…celebrating,
….and getting to know the new ones.
You catch up with friends,
…visit the local pub,
…get dressed up in clothes you forgot you had,
….and eat excellent home-cooked meals.
Some things stay the same. Pizza Express is still a winner,
…old favourites still exisit,
…and you eat the same potsu with the same colleagues you worked with two years before.
They say England has no traditional cuisine, but have you ever had a vegetarian full English,
..or crumpets,
…strawberries and cream,
…and the famous Sunday Roast?
When you go home, you’re in the land of the familiar. You return to a tiny restaurant in Camberwell where the staff still remember your name. You order the onion you’ve reminisced over for months before,
…and then you stuff yourself with cake.
You’re greeted like family at your local cafe, the one where you used to sit for ages, writing and daydreaming about lands afar. From those lands, you dreamt about their brownies.
Finally, you discover one of the cutest dogs you ever did see. Meet Mojo, our friend’s miniature beagle who we had the pleasure of living with for a few days.
Some travellers hate the places they’ve left behind, screaming good riddance from their flights and dreading every return. While we’re not ready, nor may we ever be ready, to re-make it our home, there’s a lot we love to head back for.
Hoping to get to run into you in Spain, or the UK, or Berlin. Will be around all those spots when you guys are back. Looks like Ayngelina and I are going to split and apartment in Girona for some of October, so perhaps right up the road from you guys.
Great! Will be lovely to see you and meet Ayngelina! 🙂
Yay, yay, yay! We can’t wait to see you! Beautiful writing, as always Victoria. Em x
Can’t wait to see you, Nick and Phoebe too. We’ll hopefully make it up to Edinburgh too 🙂
Congrats you guys. We’ve been home all summer and it has been very hard (we’re in suburban Ohio… you’ve probably never been, and there’s a reason for that) but we have loved and cherished this time with family. Really, you just can’t replace family time so we feel lucky. Enjoy yours.
Thanks Kim. We will. Luckily for us, the places we’re returning to (London, Bristol and Devon) also happen to be some of our favourite places in the world. If I was returning to my hometown of Redhill for two months, it’d be a different story.
Ace post! My mouth is drooling over all those foodie pics!
I’m just leaving from nearly three months at home. It’s amazing how quickly it went by and the odd-feeling mix of being ‘home’ but also on holiday… Enjoy!
Yes, it’s an odd feeling isn’t it? I’m looking forward to it.
would love to put you up in Leeds for a weekend while you’re back! either way, looking forward to seeing you xx
Thanks Rach. I’ll definitely try to make it up there. Miss you too.
Enjoy your time with the familiar. If you need to find places to stay try trustedhousesitters.com they always have tons of places in the UK.
Thanks Nat, but I think our family/friends might go crazy if we don’t stay with them!
Oh my GOD…those cupcakes look amazing!!! I almost wish I was coming back with you. Maybe next year…I am sure you and Steve will have a fantastic time back in Blighty. Please be sure to post lots of food pics to torment me with!
Of course! And yes, those cakes were amazing!
While I am so, so sad we aren’t crossing paths this fall, it sounds like you two are at peace with this plan and I am happy you will have a place to hunker down and call home for a bit.
As I keep saying, COME TO EUROPE!
I’m afraid I’ll instantly gain ten pounds going home for the holidays and getting my fill of the Tex-Mex I’ve missed so much! Enjoy home. No place like it, right? (Even if you don’t want to stay forever).
Exactly 🙂
We must admit, London has been amazing this summer (because we finally bloody had one!). It would be great to meet you guys for a pint when you get to London!
Yes! Would love to meet you too!
Where’s your photo of Juno!? I think she’s missed both of you.
Aw, we miss her too. We somehow failed to take a photo of her while we were there. In fact, we failed to take photos of lots of things we love. At least we’ll be back soon…
Beautiful post, Victoria. For so long I struggled with the thought of returning home, feeling like it must be like a bird returning to the roost only to have its wings clipped. The fear that going back would mean never moving forward again was truly terrifying to me, but now I have come to see that going home doesn’t have to be a sentence or a prison and there will be much to celebrate when the time comes for us to retread old ground. Seeing family and friends, eating much loved but much missed food, getting a chance to sleep deeply in the same bed for more than a handful of nights… these are all simple comforts, but who ever said that life had to be so complicated?
Thanks Steph. It’s true what you say – going home definitely doesn’t need to be seen/felt as a prison sentence. It’s all part of the journey, and although it may feel like going backwards, it’s always a type of progress.
Reading through your post makes me want to go back home and see friends and family 🙂 very touching!
Thank you. I’m really looking forward to seeing mine.
Sounds like you guys have a lot to look forward to! We are currently back home after being abroad for 2 years. It’s only for a couple of weeks so it is sure to be a whirlwind of family time but like you said there’s nothing quite like family 🙂 Hope you enjoy your time!
Thank you Dan. We’re really looking forward to some home comforts and time with loved ones. Hope you’re enjoying yours too.
Your food photos look great. I want to eat all of it!