The Scottish Highlands

Hello my friends!!

Keaton and I ventured to the UK this May for our EIGHTH (!!!!) anniversary and we spent most of our time in Scotland. It was everything I hoped it would be. It was green, the weather was amazing, and the sheep had babies- so everything was perfect!

We ended up flying into Glasgow, renting a car (it's own adventure) and driving, straight to the Isle of Skye. Skye was absolute magic. Don't go to Scotland without seeing this incredible place.

While we spent most of our time on Skye, we also spent a little time in Inverness where we did do a little Nessy hunting... ;)

As always, I'll share some of my favorite spots at the end!

Joshua Tree

Our best friends, Justin and Rachel, are what I'd call "desert people", meaning they love the desert. I never really understood this because I'm more of a "water" person and the whole thing about the desert is that there isn't any water. Like, would you go the beach if there wasn't an ocean right there? No. But still they insisted that we needed to take a trip to the desert so I could experience it and then I'd get it.

Well I'm here to publicly announce that the desert is, in fact, quite magical and that I fell in love with the high desert of southern California. 

We stayed in Joshua Tree, just a little ways outside of the National Park. Every morning I would wake up early to watch the sun rise and every evening I watched it set and there was something therapeutic and circadian about that. You don't get that in the piedmont of the southeast, really. The desert sun is a thing all on its own, just like the prairie and the tropics have their own unique sun. I liked that. 

I always thought of the desert as desolate and therefore less interesting but I found that it's impossible not to be in awe of the organisms that have adapted to such a harsh environment. Desert species are resilient and bold. The ravens are charismatic and the cholla cactus leave behind woody skeletons that look like artwork. 

The desert biota have a deeper appreciation for water than I ever could and can thrive with even the smallest inputs. We were fortunate to arrive just after a meager snowfall, so the wildflowers were bursting from the ground and the Joshua Trees were filled with creamy white flowers (something that only occurs when water conditions are just right). Palm trees and song birds flourish in the small oases that are scattered sparsely across the landscape and you can actually trace the watershed through the unique patterns that have shaped the topography of the Mojave. 

I don't typically write this much but I was just really taken by this place. I'll include a list of my favorite spots at the end and if you haven't made your way to this corner of the globe yet, I hope you'll consider it!

Palm Springs

Hello beautiful friends!

Keaton, Justin, Rachel, and I have an unofficial annual tradition to take a trip together and this year we headed to Joshua Tree, CA. I'm going to share more about Joshua Tree soon BUT today I wanted to share a little from our days in Palm Springs.

Palm Springs is just...wow. We only got a taste and I'm already planning a trip to go back (later this year!!!) and really explore the city.

Pools, fruity drinks, midcentury modern everything- what's not to love!?

We pretty much followed all of the A Beautiful Mess recommendations since we had a limited amount of time and,  y'all, we were not disappointed. I could try to write my own Palm Springs travel guide but it'd really just be a poor version of theirs...lol so I'll spare you that!

We did end up getting into town at the end of Modernism Week so we made it to the yard sale, stopped by the West Elm house, and took advantage of the free museum admission

*thumbs up-high five*

Girona

I've actually been avoiding this post because I know I'm not articulate enough to describe how much I loved this city... but here we go!

Girona was sort of a random pick for us. We had already booked our trip to Barcelona but I wanted to explore a little more of Catalonia and Girona just looked like it was in a good spot to see other things. We ended up spending most of our time in the city instead of exploring elsewhere because it was seriously so cute!

This place has it all! You're near the mountains, you're near the coast, and the city itself is historic, colorful, and absolutely walkable!

If you're a big Game of Thrones nut you'll also dig this place because a lot of the show was filmed in Girona. It's got that awesome medieval "Westeros" vibe to it.

Honestly, no matter what you like I promise you'll love Girona.

Montserrat

As you may know,  we recently took a trip with our friends Justin and Rachel to Catalonia (see video here)! While I'm making my way through our Spain photos I figured I'd take a whole post to share one of my favorite spots from the trip, Montserrat!

Once we decided to visit Catalonia, Montserrat was the first big stop I added to my "must see" list and once you see it, you'll understand why. 

Montserrat roughly translates to "serrated mountains". The jagged sedimentary peaks draw your eye from the minute they enter into view. It's unlike any mountain range I've ever seen. The drive up the mountain is worth the trip, alone!

Nestled at the top of the mountain is the sweetest 10th century Benedictine Abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. You could hike all day and grab a bite at one of the local cafeterias or spend hours milling about the Abbey and museums. If you're planning a visit, the climbing is also supposed to be EPIC! 

It's a truly breathtaking place and I'm so thankful to have gotten to experience it!