It's been a long few weeks in the Journey & Play world. From lots of work projects, hurt shoulders, and wrists, to the beginning of new jobs and all the anxiety that can bring. So from us (Kim & Kevin) enjoy your weekend and look for the fun, the lighthearted, the joyful. Start with this short film from Guy Trefler for a lighthearted and irreverent look at the City of Lights.
The landscape of Iceland is a surrealist dream, which is probably why so many films shoot there. In 10 Days, One Road, filmmakers Daniel Kemeys and Hana Noguchi take us along on their ten-day trip around Iceland's Ring Road. Using a Sony a7Rii (my preferred camera) and a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone, we're transported to waterfalls, rushing water, epic snow drifts and white-dusted timber.
The more I watch videos like this, the more I want to venture to Iceland. Maybe it's the hot Houston summer that feels like oppression some days. The humidity seems to just sink into your bones this time of year.
How do you like to escape the heat of summer?
Video: Daniel Kemeys & Hana Noguchi
Camera: Sony a7Rii
Drone: DJI Phantom 4 Pro
If you've seen any pictures of me, you'll immediately know that I'm a hat person. Not your standard American style ballcaps, but fedoras, flat caps and the like. British history is full of men and women wearing gorgous adorenemnts (Royal Wedding, hint, hint) and you can find the perfect chapeau to compliment your style in London. Whether you're looking to emulate Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders or Lord Grantham from Downton Abbey, London's hat shops have you covered (literally.)
You can't mention hat shops in London without talking about Lock & Co. The oldest hat shop in the world started in 1676 and is one of the oldest family-owned business still in existence. They outfitted Sir Winston Churchill with his trademark Homburg and Bambridge hats and even created the Coke Bowler for Edward Coke in 1849. Find the very best of British heritage hats at No. 6 St. James’s Street.
The shop is quaint and full of history, hats, and panache. If you're looking to delve into British hat history, or visit the Kingsman storefront next door, Lock & Co. is the place to go.
Boasting a beautiful shop on Jermyn St., Bates Gentlemen's Hatter is the logical next stop after Lock and Co., possibly because it's just around the corner. With a presence on Jermyn St. since 1898, Bates offers handmade Panama's, a large selection of caps, and a showcase of fedoras and trilbies. It would be almost impossible not to find a hat that fits your liking at Bates. They even have a store in Paris if you decide to take the Chunnel over for a short visit.
Tucked away in a small shop in Prince's Arcade off Jermyn Street, Christy's is a delight for the hat-wearing man. Started in 1773 by Miller Christy, this British heritage brand has outfitted the UK Police, Brad Pitt, and even Marlon Brando's Don Corleone character in The Godfather. Christy's boasts a rich heritage with prices a bit under some of the other shops listed here. I picked up a brand new flat cap (pictured above) and my very first packable fedora in delightful olive green. The helpful staff will get you kitted out with a perfect fitting hat for any occasion in no time.
Last on the list is a bit more fashion forward than some of the other shops. Stumper & Fielding in Notting Hill is a great shop to visit when you're perusing the Portobello Road Market. Featuring hats, men's and women's fashion, and an Instagram worthy store, S&F has a bit of something for everyone. If you're new to hats, this is a great place to start as it won't break the bank and you'll get a lot of ideas of how to wear your new headgear.
My first trip across the pond was in 2011. Before then, I'd only been to Central America and a handful of states in the U.S.
From the moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow Airport; I was hooked – the travel bug bit me hard! Since then, I’ve visited many more states and countries, and there isn’t a place that isn’t on my ‘To Visit’ list.
London, however, made an impression on me, and it calls me back again and again. Conveniently, my husband and co-adventurer feels the same way. In 2014, Kevin and I put together a trip for entering university freshman focusing on intentional travel and the history of the Anglican church, with plenty of fantastic food and experiences sprinkled in. It was our first time to travel internationally together, and little did I know Kevin had a big surprise up his sleeve, or rather, in his pocket.
We arrived in the city a couple of days before the students, to be able to reorient ourselves to the Underground and collect tickets to all the sites we were visiting. On July 26, we visited the Victoria & Albert Museum, walked along the Themes, looked at the Millennium Bridge, and attempted to visit the St. Paul’s Cathedral Gardens. I had no idea that all day long, Kevin had been waiting for the perfect moment to propose.
Since the gardens were closed, we walked around the back of the church and happened upon Festival Garden, which has a sculpture called The Young Lovers. It was at the foot of this statue with the cathedral bells tolling ten that Kevin asked me to be his wife. To commemorate this memorable location, I had the latitude and longitude of Festival Garden engraved on the inside of Kevin’s wedding band.
I am writing this just after our third wedding anniversary and am thinking back on all of the adventures we’ve had since that day and plan to have in the future. I am heading back to my favorite city this week, and Kevin will join me there for a bit a week later. This time, we have the opportunity to meet with friends and explore the city at our own pace, the only agenda being to fall in love with the city and all it has to offer all over again.
Check out Kevin’s London Musts list and stay tuned to learn more about what I’ll be up to while I’m there.
There are a few things that I have to do every time I visit a specific city. For London, that list happens to be pretty long.
My first trip to London was in 2007. I had just finished up a monthlong volunteer trip with a religious organization in Birmingham and had booked myself another month in the capital.
It was the middle of summer between my junior and senior year of college, and I did little to no research before my feet hit the ground. I stayed in a guesthouse for Christian workers in Islington, partly because my group stayed there and partially because it ended up being the cheapest option for accommodation after everyone left.
A Chihuly Chandelier at the V&A Museum
Every day I walked through Highbury Fields and watched people push buggies and play fetch with their dogs. Mornings were pretty sacred to me. Coffee, a wing of a museum and then a bookstore after lunch, depending on how late I stayed out the night before.
You can see a lot in London when you have a whole month, unfettered by a work routine. Depending on the museum I was visiting that day, I'd pick a Tube stop and explore the area. I started with Angel and worked my way down to Barbican, then over to Edgware Road and down to Fulham Broadway.
Each afternoon I'd take time to read a section from a Nick Hornby novel and pick out the roads in Islington that he mentioned. Along the way, I'd stop for sandwiches, snacks, the occasional tea and probably a Carlsberg at some point past 2 p.m.
One of my fave spots in London, Trafalgar Square.
The city was mine to explore, and frankly, I had no clue what I was doing. Over that first month, I made friends, viewed some of the most magnificent art in the world, got lost in areas I probably shouldn't have, and somehow ran into more Americans than I ever thought possible.
As I prepare for a whirlwind four day trip in my favorite city, that first experience in London is still in my mind. It was raining, of course, and we hailed a Black Cab to take us from Marylebone Station to our guesthouse. The weather was balmy, and people moved on as if nothing in the world would stop them from living life. Staring out the back of the cab, I still remember the faces, the fashion, and the determination of the everyday Londoner. It's why I keep returning, and always will.
Follow along with us on our trip to London and the UK on Instagram and Facebook. if you think I'm missing anything on my list, let me know in the comments below.
