Monthly Recap: Most-of-May 2014

Now that I’m transitioning from SOTM Tour recaps to monthly recaps, this is the one monthly recap that will be a bit wonky — it’s just for three weeks, from May 10 to 31.

Destinations Visited

Daventry and London, England

Limerick, Ireland

Favorite Destination

Balham, London — I love this neighborhood. South London may not be as “sexy” as other parts of the city, but believe me, this is a NICE neighborhood. So many cool restaurants and cafes and a nice, young-but-not-too-young ambiance.

Highlights

Moving into our new place in Balham. It is SO NICE to relax in a place of our own after being on the road constantly for the past eleven months. And the place itself is a wonderful apartment, nicely sized and well-maintained and a four-minute walk from the tube.
We went a bit above our budget (and it’s WORTH IT because that extra 100 pounds per month makes a big difference in quality) but paradoxically, we’re actually paying less than we would have for a cheaper place in another neighborhood because Balham is part of Wandsworth, which has some of the cheapest council tax in all of London! (Council tax in the UK is like property taxes, only it’s paid monthly by both owners and renters.)
Balham is a great neighborhood and I’ll be writing about it once I get to know the local haunts a bit better. Pictured above is one of my favorite spots so far: Lavish Habit, a cafe/boutique/antique shop!
Meeting and reconnecting with London friends. I got to see several of my blogger friends at the monthly Travel Massive meet up, and I met up with a few other bloggers, readers, and London people I’ve known. It’s nice to be back in a place among friends.
Launching “Must Love Festivals” and enjoying culture in Limerick. I’m excited about the summer Must Love Festivals campaign, which will take me and several other bloggers to 40 festivals all over Europe this summer. I started off my share in the city of Limerick, Ireland’s 2014 City of Culture, filled with art events year-round, and saw so much art and performances and castles!

Challenges

No major challenges this almost-month, and for that I am grateful. Just know that moving is a miserable process, no matter how great the eventual outcome, and driving a big van through central London is not for the faint of heart. (Mario drove and did a great job; I navigated.)