Pack Your Bags: {Classy} St. Andrews

If you've read this blog for a little while,

you might have learned that there are certain places

that I kinda get obsessed with after visiting.

And when that happens,

 I visit them again... and again... and again.

St. Andrews in Scotland is one of those special places.

This famous town was listed on the first itinerary I ever had,

so, site unseen, I showed up and spent the day exploring the tiny coastal town.

And ever since that random day,

 it's become one of my favorite spots in the UK.

Since I'm typically there with students, 

I experience the town through the eyes (& budget) of a student....

but last week, I went with my parents

and got to experience the town through their eyes.... and budget.

All of that lead up to say:

we stayed at the St Andrews Old Course Hotel

and it was freakin' awesome.

{Oh yeah, I'm classy and belong in luxury hotels, y'all.}

A few things to know about the famous hotel:

It's owned by Kohler.

Yeah, like the water faucets.

While this seems weird, it results in the hotel having 

amazing tubs and showers in every room

and one of the most amazing spas

I have ever been to in my life.

{Use of the thermal spa is free for hotel guests.}

I lierally sat in one of the whirlpools and thought:

I feel like a Roman at the baths.

And when we sat in the rooftop hot tub

as the sun set over the coast

drinking my chamomile,

I felt exceptionally fancy.

The breakfast served at the hotel is amazing.

Order some waffles

and tell me if you've ever had better.

You can't. 

It's impossible...

because they are actually, believe it or not, Belgian

and have the yummy sugar pearls in the batter.

Oh my.

Regardless of if you are staying in the hotel or not,

you can come eat at the resort's pub, The Jigger Inn.

It's the cute little white house tucked between the golf course & the hotel.

It's well-priced, 

the service is really great,

and the freshly caught haddock, for the fish & chips, is completely legit.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly,

free on-demand movies in your room.

I totally veg'ed out after dinner

watching movie after movie

in our enormous, American-sized bed

cradled by an obscene amount of fluffy pillows.

So this is my instagram-level tour

and review of our stay at The Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews.

Overall, it's a great hotel that would make the perfect setting

for a trip to St. Andrews... if you can make the splurge.

{It would be hard to imagine being disappointed if you did.}

Wait for tomorrow when I take you on a drool fest

throughout the rest of town and our stay

with the pictures I took on my "real" camera.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy.

**follow me on Instagram. Username: aspiringkennedy

Downton Abbey: Back in Britain

Some of my stateside friends

were bemoaning the airing 

of Downton Abbey's Season Three premier 

here in the UK last night.

Yeah, sucks to be you America.

I'm totally kidding,

 I love America...

but it is tragic that you won't have it

until several months down the line.

When I am into a series,

whether it is book or film,

I absolutely hate when people drop spoilers.

{Wouldn't that be soooo Edith of me?}

When someone is a step ahead of me in reading or watching 

and starts a sentence with the phrase,

"I'm not giving anything away, BUT.... "

it makes me fussy.

Because, as well all know, they actually DO give something away.

With that perspective in mind,

I'm going to do my very best to keep quiet 

on the weekly happenings of Downton

until my American friends can catch up.

So since I can't tell you any details,

I'll just tell you...

the awesomeness that you fell in love with

from Seasons 1 & 2,

well... it's still there.

My mom was here watching it with me 

and we were in the zone.

You have good things waiting for you.

While you're dreaming of Season 3,

here are some dreamy shots of my favorite, Lady Mary Crawley.

*images sourced via

Pack Your Bags: Edinburgh (Family Style)

My parents came to visit

and we decided to take them to see

a few places that they have never seen.

Ok, well one place really: Scotland,

with a lot of little stops along the way.

The first stop was Edinburgh for two nights

until Tyler could wrap up work and join us.

While I typically run around the town

with college students

or with our awesomely low-budget.

But this time around,

oh friends,

I came with mama & papa.

I may or may not have persuaded them into the ways of Barbour upon arrival in the rain.

And traveling with mama & papa

can always make things a bit more fun.

We had such a good time.

We saw all the sites

like the Edinburgh Castle 

and the Queen's Edinburgh palace, Holyrood...

we ate tons of food

at cozy places like Under The Stairs

and lunch at the famous Elephant House,

ok, actually haven't eaten one yet... but will work up the nerve to soon.

& we slept like kings

while staying at The Balmoral.

Enormous rooms, cozy robes & REN bath products. Oh, yes.

Fun fact: JK Rowling finished Book 7 of HP in a suite at the Balmoral

as a way to enjoy her success as an author.

From her starting point over a single cup of coffee at The Elephant House

to a suite at Edinburgh's grandest hotel-

I like her style!

So do I recommend the splurge for a stay at The Balmoral?

If you can swing it, of course!

Or if you want to go for something more modern,

the Hotel Missoni draws me in big time!

Edinburgh + Missoni = Awesome doormen in kilts.

Though if you can't swing it,

which is the camp I most often fall into,

I also highly recommend an apartment through Advocate Apartments

or The Fraser Suites...

either will give you great rooms at a great price in fantastic locations.

More soon as our journey continues...

the next stop is one of my favorites: St. Andrews!

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy via my instagram. Username: aspiringkennedy

It's the Little Things: Kusmi Tea

I might have been born with a cheerful disposition, it's true.

My mom says that I was born sunny side-up...

though I think she's alluding more to the fact that I was, indeed, face up.

{Sorry, mom.}

I'm not sure that things don't bother me

like they seem to bother everyone else.

In fact, I can get really worked up 

over some really simple things.

{My good friends are nodding their heads and saying "Amen" right now.}

But maybe my reputation for always being cheerful 

comes from somewhere else....

I really enjoy small things!

Little aspects of a day can really captivate me.

It makes me feel great to stop and enjoy one small thing.

So today, I'm enjoying a little tea break while working from home.

All it takes is a few simple things 

to make my moment seem perfect.

My favorite glass, the Bodum Pavina.

A pretty tea strainer to do the magic.

Gorgeously fragrant kusmi tea that I brought back from Paris

The Prince Wladimir is orangey and floraly... 

and, well, I just love it.

It makes me feel like a lady.

I let it sit for a few minutes 

while I rummage through the cabinet for cookies wait.

Voila!

It's ready.

I can perch in my favorite new chair

and enjoy the sunshine.

{Editor's note: Yes, it is 3pm and I'm still in a robe. Busted.}

What's a small way that you enjoy the day?

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Been {to} Dover?

Ah... 

nothing like a 7th grade style joke

to kick off another travel post.

In fact, I think it's the best way.

One of the day trips I never get tired of taking

is to the coast of England to visit Dover.

You may know it for it's famous white cliffs...

but if you are looking for a good day out of London

you'll find that this little town has SO much more to offer 

than just gorgeous white cliffs.

When you come,

you can come via train from London.

It's about an hour and some change out there 

on the high speed train from St. Pancras

and about 2 if you leave from Victoria.

When you get to the station ("Dover Priory"),

I'd call for a taxi.

I mean, you can walk,

and I know some people do...

but the taxis are cheap.

{Editor's Note: I use Dover Taxi,  No. 898 222}

Last time it was around £6 for a car to take 4 of us

across town and up the cliff to the castle entrance. 

IMO, totally worth it.

So you get to Dover Castle,

you buy your tickets at the gate

and then you cruise on in.

The castle itself is VERY cool.

It's got a bunch of facilities 

and has been restored to feel like 

a working castle of the medieval era.

But beyond just the castle,

there is one of my favorite sites:

the war time tunnels.

As you may know, 

Dover is the closest part of England to France.

In fact, on a clear day you can see the coast...

which in England is super often.

{Editor's Note: I've probably been 5 times and seen it 1.5 times.}

So throughout France/England's history,

it's been a strategic point for the two countries.

During the Napoleonic war, 

they carved tunnels into the cliffs

to spy on France and observe the channel.

During WWI, they dug another layer and added more.

Than in WWII they added a third tunnel level

and it became a full working hospital & military office.

Today, they have restored the tunnels to replicate the hospital of WWII

and to show how the workings of Operation Dynamo 

rescuing 300,000 stranded troops from the Germans.

It's super cool.

Then go into the adorable town below,

grab lunch somewhere cozy... and probably some tea & cakes, too.

You should also probably head 

to the beach to stick your toes in the English Channel.

And then, hop the train back to London.

It's that easy!

Have you been to Dover?

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Tips, Please.

One time in high school,

my friends and I were bored on a Friday night.

We didn't really have anything better to do,

so I, the ever-ready opportunist, suggested an activity:

We could stand on the street corner with signs

and ask people for money.

Not that we really needed money, 

as our 16 year-old suburban needs were met

quite well by our parents.

But it was more of an experiment to see if we could get people to give us money.

So we held up signs and asked people 

to pay for our prom dresses.

Our friends came and sat on the grassy hill by the intersection

and watched the spectacle. 

It was a party.

We made over $100 in 45 minutes

until the police made us leave

because they didn't think it was safe.

{Editor's Note: My 28 year-old self would scoff at them and keep hustling.}

My friends' parents were appalled and made them donate their money to charity.

My parents had never been so proud of me.

Eh, to each their own.

Anyway, getting stuff for free is great.

I like getting it when I can.

I like giving it to others when I can.

This summer, I have been replying to travel emails

like it was my job.

Manhattan, NY

{The street corner gig paid better, btw.}

I really do love getting to help people plan their vacations

and maximize their special trip.

Civita Di Bagnoregio, Italy

But after everyone has come back home

and is reveling in the post-vacation glow,

I'm left to wonder:

Did you like any of my advice?

If you don't mind, I'd love to hear any travel tips

that you have used from my site

and hear what you thought.

Amsterdam

Was it as awesome as I promised?

What did you love that you wouldn't have tried otherwise?

London, UK

Or was there a problem that I should know?

Vernazza, Cinque Terre

I don't want to recommend bum advice,

so help a sister out!

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Di-Namic Duo: Naomi & Diana

So you remember my friend, Holly, that tried on jeans

next to Kate Middleton the other day?

Well, in my excitement over her GAP encounter,

I didn't even mention the fact that 

the night before she posted a picture

of the new Naomi Watts movie

being filmed outside her house.

Typically this would be top priority...

but the Duchess trumps film crews.

It's a fact.

Anyway, they were literally outside her window

shooting a scene for the new movie.

You know, the one where Naomi Watts 

is attempting to relive the tragic last two years

of Princess Diana's life.

Those are some dyed-satin pumps I would not want to try to fill.

But have you seen the pictures of Watts in character?

It's pretty amazing.

Hopefully, the directors and writers are paying as much attention to detail

as wardrobe is at accurately recreating Lady Di's last few years.

I can't wait.

And in the meantime,

since the movie won't be released until 2013 ,

I'll be stalking my friend Holly 

just in case she bumps into anymore amazing situations.

*images via

Flat Land

You might have seen from my instagrams 

that we moved into a new hood.

We are now living in Notting Hill...

but not only that,

we are living in, pretty much, the cutest place ever.

We have stumbled upon our own 900 square feet of heaven.

It's just what you'd expect a London flat to look like.

It's filled with light from big windows,

has pretty tan hardwoods,

little sprinklings of character like built-in bookshelves,

and the best part is:

it has a second bedroom.

Everything just feels so cozy, which I love.

In fact, as a kid

I used to try and convince my parents

that they should sell our house

and move all six of us into an apartment.

The idea of us all being smashed in there together

seemed really appealing...

plus, I was pretty sure that all apartments would give me

walking distance to 7-11 for unlimited after-school Slurpees.

I'm finally getting to live out those dreams...

except I have Ottolenghi at the end of our block

that I can walk to for snacks.

We feel so fortunate 

to have this little chunk of space

as our new permanent home.

{Especially after living out of suitcases & temporary housing for a year!}

I'll have some "real" pictures to show you of our house once it feels finished,

but until that time

here are some Pinterest finds that are keeping me moving...

apparently in the direction of crowded bookshelves & pops of yellow

and away from any chance of being called a minimalist.

Sue me.

What feels like home to you?

PS. I get internet installed Monday, 

so that means: I can get back to blogging like a real person!

*instagram name: aspiringkennedy
*images via