There's No Place Like Oz

Weekend trip to London: My packing list

Over the Easter holiday, I’m traveling across the pond and back for a 3 day trip to London! Two of my dear friends are getting married, and I’m so excited I get to celebrate with them and spend time with our great friends who I haven’t seen since my last visit nearly a year ago. […]

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What to do when an airline loses your bag: My 9-day experience with Air Canada

On Easter weekend in March, I’m flying to London for a wedding! I’ll arrive mid-morning on Friday and depart at noon on Monday. This will be my second “long weekend” flight across the pond. The first 3-day weekend trip to London was in 2008. Though you may not know it, I’ve been promising to tell […]

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Guest Post: Glimpsing the Past: A Guide to Historical Hotels in Paris

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Chelsea football game and Stamford Bridge Stadium Tour

I love sports. I’m not so good at playing them anymore, but I’ve enjoyed watching since I was old enough to hold a plastic bat and my dad started teaching me about different sports. I love American football and Aussie Rules football. But what the rest of the world calls “football”? Well, I’ve never been […]

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Busy summer in London: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics

This summer is going to be a particularly busy one in London! In addition to the typical tourist crowd during the summer holidays, the city just celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and soon thousands of people will fill the city streets for the summer Olympics. While it’s an exciting summer in London, I wonder how […]

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First time experiences in London: Hen night, afternoon tea, and football

Even though I have been to London seven times, it wasn’t until this last trip that I experienced three aspects of English culture for the first time — a hen night, afternoon tea, and supporting an English football club. Hen night A hen night (or “hen do” or perhaps a hen weekend) is similar to […]

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Walking and eating my way through Brighton

I’ve been to England seven times, but I had never left London until last week. Gav and I decided to leave the city for a 4-day holiday in Brighton. Amazingly enough, it was the first trip to Brighton for both of us! After two chilly, rainy weeks in London, the sun came out to play […]

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Month in England: Week 1 in photos

I’m spending the month of May in England and enjoying 30+ days of seeing Gavin, his family, and our friends. Though this is my 7th trip to England, I’ll be experiencing several cultural firsts over the course of the trip. I’ll be eating plenty of good food. And I’ll have loads of stories to share. […]

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The time I went to…Barcelona

This is a post in the series “the time I went to…” in which I highlight international travel destinations pre-Oz. Gav’s beloved Chelsea FC beat Barcelona this past week — and the two teams meet again this week in Barcelona for a rematch. Perfect timing for me to share about the two weeks I spent […]

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Ordering a special meal on a flight

As I try to eat as gluten and dairy free as possible, I always order a special meal on a flight. Hmm, now that I think about it, I’ve never seen the option to select both gluten AND dairy free — I wonder if a call to the airline is all it would take or […]

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