FAVORITES - BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND

Bournemouth is really beautiful. I'm hoping to make a trip back in the summer!

In the shopping arcade in Westbourne:

At a soft play cafe in Westbourne:

Beach houses along our Mudeford walk:

Along the main street:

Christchurch, England

Jen had told me what a nice town Christchurch was - we could see it across the way during the first portion of our Mudeford walk. It really is a cute town. We strolled through the bits shown below in photos... and then walked up the main street, window shopping. We ended our visit at a nice restaurant/cafe and had a couple treats before heading back home. It was a gorgeous day! (I was really lucky with weather the entire week for the most part - until the last day, it was "chucking it down" as Jen and Nick would say when it poured rain... of course, right when I was on my way to the train with my luggage.)

Jen and Freddie:

Jen called these snowdrops (finding them on Wikipedia, they are also called Galanthus):

Sidewalk patterns:

Mudeford Walk, Bournemouth

Bournemouth, England is a beautiful but very small place. The man at customs in the Heathrow airport was asking where I'm going, why, and for how long... when I said that I was going to visit friends in Bournemouth he said, "You know what they say about Bournemouth, right? ...It's the next step before Heaven's gate." Bahahahaha. I had heard that it's quite a retirement community but not put in those exact terms before. Bournemouth was gorgeous. 

Jen and Nick are both active and outdoorsy and this location, on the southern sea of England plays into that well. Soon before we all left Vietnam, Nick got a teaching position at a nice school in Bournemouth and a goal of theirs had been to be on the seaside. Nick went kite-surfing one day while I was there (Note: I was in a winter jacket and scarf all week!) and it was only in the 30's or 40's! Jen loves to walk and also runs and bikes pretty much daily with Freddie. We went on a 6-mile walk through nearby Mudeford one day and it was really peaceful and pretty... farmland, seaside, woodsy areas.   : )

Across the way here is Christchurch... we went there the next day!

"Hello Girls!" (Dad, I did say that as we walked past! Haha)

Beachfront cabins -- I want one!

Westbourne, Dorset visit

Jen, Freddie, and I went to Westbourne one morning for a walk, some shopping, and a 'soft play' cafe for Freddie. This town, not far from Bournemouth, is really cute. We parked by the sea and walked a mile or so to the center of Westbourne:

We found this great arcade of shops and cafes. Funny enough, I had been looking for a specific shop and it ended up being in this arcade that we walked down only because we thought it looked interesting!

After window shopping along the main street, we went to a soft play cafe. These soft play cafes are quite the thing! Each town seems to have at least one. It's basically what I would call a mini Discovery Zone from when I was a kid - or the McDonalds with the big playgournd section inside... the kids can climb and play... and the adults can sit and have a coffee and delicious treat. ...Ok!\

The goooorgeous window inside the soft play cafe! (I think it is an old church building.)

Freddie and I both enjoyed a snack (he, a banana... me, a latte) before he and Jen went off to play.

A nice reminder painted on the wall in the cafe:

good times with Freddie, Jen, and Nick!

I really, really loved my week with Freddie, Jen, and Nick in England. It was such a nice week of catching up, relaxing and spending time together, and just enjoying each day. Freddie is a great baby. He's easy going, happy, and funny!

college sweethearts   : )

My new buddy!! I've been waiting a full year to meet this little guy.

Lots of laughs.   : )   Thankful to having met this wonderful friend while in Vietnam.

Such nice times with good friends.

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND

We had a week off from school a couple weeks ago. The break is called White Week... we get a week off to go skiing. (I kid not.) !!

Instead of a trip to the mountains for skiing, I went on a trip to the seaside to visit friends.   : )   It was the perfect week.

Jen and Nick were two of my good friends while I lived in Vietnam. We were there for the same two years. Nick is a teacher and taught in a British international school. Jen was the librarian at the same school their first year in Vietnam and then began working in an art gallery the second year. Since moving back to England, they have had a baby! Freddie is SO cute. I've been waiting a while to meet him and the week with him, Jen, and Nick was awesome. They live in a beautiful little town called Bournemouth, which is on the southern coast of England.

Jen, standing in front of their gorgeous home! ...AND... gotta love the yellow camper van.

I remember emailing back and forth while they were looking for a house. Jen and Nick both really loved this one and I am so glad that it worked out. Jen even has a little detached art studio in the back!

 THE SEA!!

A 7-minute walk from their house brings you here. YES, PLEASE!

(The white spot on the land out a bit, towards the left side of the photo above, looks like a polar bear! Very cool to see in person.)

I want one of these as my reading nook! People can buy or rent these adorable little cabins on the seafront. They vary in size but most have a little kitchen area, seating area, and some have a bed up top. I love it!

The Boscombe Pier:

Mmmmhmmmmm. Delicious hot chocolate with marshmallows! I like it here.

We laughed over this photo for a while! (notice Freddie's head...??)

We walked through a bit of rain on the way back to their house... but it did clear up. The sunset and the double rainbow were goooorgeous!

The view ahead of us:

The view behind us: