summer time and the living is easy.

i just have to say having 25 days paid holiday over in these parts isn't too shabby. i upgraded from 15 stateside and while with public holidays it works out to be a little closer to even, i have definitely being doling out my vacation days and expect to finish the year with them all burned.

it's been a pretty crazy summer, or at least once summer chose to arrive in about july. started off with berlin, then a few fun events here in london, followed with time on the coast of the uk in devon which apparently has a huge surf culture that made me feel at home, and most recently a long weekend to ibiza.

i'm going to do one massive post since all the trips were smallish and already did a berlin post.

first - let's talk london. it has been a great summer. the national past time here is complaining about the weather. when it's sunny, it's not hot enough. when it's hot, it's humid. when it's cold, we miss the sun. there is no pleasing people. though it does remind me of san francisco in that respect. in any case, i have been pleasantly surprised. there have been tons of warm, if not hot weekends. i have gotten just as much use of out of my dresses and shorts as i do at home, and overall i did have to find ways to beat the heat a few times, as in the end, there is no a/c here just like in sf.

i spent one day visiting the victoria and albert museum as there was a grace kelly exhibit on with all her outfits and costumes which were gorgeous. i do have to say that the V&A is probably one of my more favorite museums here in london - really gorgeous space and they always have cool interesting exhibits. i took this photo outside in the garden area they have - lovely. really a great way to spend an afternoon.

i also spent one weekend flying high on the trapeze. what a cool experience! i didn't make the catch like on sex and the city, but i did make it upside down which was actually much harder than it looked and they only give about a 30 second training intro. i did suffer from terribly sore abs, shoulders, and arms for a few days afterward, but well worth it.

climbing up.

getting ready to jump off.

away we go!

turning upside down.

tada!

my trip in august was a long four day weekend to the coast of england where there's a relatively californian feeling surf culture. we stayed in a gorgeous house overlooking the ocean and countryside in a town called croyde. there was a big group of us and we spent the days beaching and surfing (everyone was SHOCKED to hear the californian didn't surf as i did not step foot in the freezing water, nor do i surf anyway) and our nights playing cards and cooking dinner. it reminded me of weekends away in cabins in tahoe which was a nice feeling. some pictures at the beach.

and finally, for the last weekend in august, which is a long weekend here kind of like labor day in the us, i went away to ibiza with some friends i met through the cal alumni club. ibiza is a small island of the coast of spain known for it's party scene, but i think it should be known for it's clear water and beaches. some pictures below. i have never been to any other part of spain and this trip made me really excited to tackle barcelona and madrid in the future. the food is amazing and the people are so nice and it's cool to actually use my spanish.

you have to take these boat taxis to get to a lot of the remote beaches but it's well worth it. check out the color of that water. swoon.

my beach hat. :)

watching the sunset on our last night.

those are my summer trips/life updates. i can't believe it's september already.

i am off to ITALY for a week the beginning of next week. a friend is over from the us and i'm using the last little bit of my vacation days (barring the days i need for christmas - yes, i will be home) to soak up the sun on the italian coast in sorrento. we have plans to hike the almafi coast, hop around the island of capri, visit pompeii, and most importantly eats lots and lots of amazing food. i've never been to italy so i'm unbelievably excited.

weekend after that i'm in paris for a work conference (i know, my life is hard) so hopefully some good posts coming up.

headed off to enjoy the last bits of sunshine for the day. it's almost autumn - have to soak it up while i can.