LUXOMME

When I first found out that we would be traveling to England on a ferry, I had this image of a tiny boat, like the ones you usually do river cruises on.

Instead, we were greeted by a massive ship, more like a cruiseship than a typical ferry. There was a long ramp for food-passengers to enter the ship, and on board, shops and restaurants and rooms for resting.



We eventually made it to Dover and jellyfish spotted on the way. It took us a while to find our luggage, but once we did, we made the drive over to Canterbury Cathedral which was absolutely magnificent.

















After snapping a few pictures and looking around, we headed over to the town center which was surprisingly more "big city" like than a reflection of city the size of Canterbury.

We grabbed lunch at EAT which quickly became my to-go place for a quick meal. 





At EAT, they have a selection of hot and cold foods available for purchase. Their sandwiches are absolutely amazing (esp the BLT), but their noodles and soups are equally wonderful. 

You pick up a bowl of noodles from their fridge and they had hot soup to it and heat it up. It doesn't sound very appetizing, but I assure you, it tastes much better than it looks or sounds.





Tummies filled, we headed off to London! Where more food awaits...

Because we had gotten into London quite late, most places we had wanted to go to had already closed. So, defeated, we headed over to Tonkotsu in SOHO for some much-craved ramen. 

Like literally, I had been looking forward to going since June.



On the table they provide you with some soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil (which is the absolute best), and my favorite, garlic which you can crush yourself.

I don't know what it is with me and garlic but everyone knows I add an unhealthy amount of it to anything I can. So, best part of the meal was being able to add and crush my own garlic. The only downside is that I usually can't stop myself and end up adding too much.




Those of you who live in an area where you can get your hands on some Ippudo ramen know how absolutely addicting that stuff is. My friend took my cousin and I to one in Hong Kong last Summer and it completely ruined me. Ever since then, I have not been able to find a single ramen place that satisfies my ramen craving. 

That's why one of the things I really wanted to do was go to a ramen place in London. After hearing so many rave reviews, we decided on Tonkotsu over Bone Daddies (which I wish I went to also) and it was every bit amazing as I imagined it would be.

Craving completely satisfied.




The pork bone soup base was absolutely to die for. My only qualm was that it wasn't hot enough, but that's a minor complaint.

If you are ever there, you NEED to check out the Eat the Bits Chili oil that is found on every table. It's probably more addicting than anything I've ever had and I'm pretty sure I ate the whole jar.. bits and oil included. 

They're available for purchase at the restaurant, or at Tsuru, the restaurant that actually makes them. I'm upset I didn't bring a few jars home, but my luggage was absolutely jammed already.





After a filling and very satisfying dinner, we headed over to Regent Street to do some light shopping and stroll around the neighborhood.

What I would give to actually live there.





naomi

We were greeted by a large bunker set within fields of tall grass. 



You walk into the bunker and it's a tight fitting space. It's cool, it's calm, but there's a sense of urgency and a feeling of uneasiness that is hard to shake off.

A center has since been set up by various donors to commemorate the occasion and location and although it's a stunningly calm place now, I can't even begin to imagine what it was like on the day it landed. I feel extremely privileged to be able to visit and thankful for the people who sacrificed so much and gained nothing in return.












It's difficult to think that many soldiers selflessly lost their lives here, all for the ambition of one man. It's simply not fair. Too much blood shed for nothing.





If you ever come to Normandy the D-Day beaches are a must. Different countries landed on different sections of the coast, we chose Juno because of it's Canadian background, but a closeby Omaha where the Americans landed is also a popular choice.



We came on a scorching hot day though, so by the time lunch rolled around, we leaped at the chance to sit down and enjoy some drinks.









We sat down with the intention of ordering mussels, but a massive platter of seafood was brought to a nearby table and it was too tempting to resist, so we.... copied them and ordered our own.



It didn't take us long to finish lunch though, so my cousins and I ran back to the pond. 

Living in Canada, we never find jellyfish, crabs or shrimps floating around in the water, so not going to lie, I was pretty excited.

Like a little kid in Disneyland with the biggest bag of candy.



We tried using a stick to "fish" out the jellyfish, but it really wasn't working, so plan B. I used to be a huge American Girl fan and I remembered that in one of the books, a girl made baskets by weaving together straw. I used the only thing I could find, grass.







I felt super proud of my heavily mangled and basically non-functional basket because it's probably the most creative and resourceful thing I've done in my entire life.

Clearly I haven't done much.





But while picking the grass we found some tiny little friends who had clung on! 





It took us a while to actually scoop the jellyfish out of the water, but we succeeded (using my mutated basket might I add).

I was expecting tentacles and all this crazy stuff a la Man O War.. and instead we got a blob of jelly, but it was still exciting nonetheless and also my first jellyfish caught. Definitely a momentous occasion.



No worries, we released it back into the pond quickly after and watched it swim away since it was time to move onto our next destination. 



After a fun-filled lunch it was onto something more solemn, the Canadian Cemetery. Rows and Rows of white. Some young, some old, some who left behind parents, others who left behind their children and wives. So many lives that were unnecessarily but so valiantly lost.



We were the only ones there at that time and it's hidden so far away in the countryside that if you stopped moving for a moment, you could hear the wind blowing through the flowers in between each gravestone. What was inscribed on each stone was even more heart-wrenching. People from all walks of life, with families they've left behind. There were soldiers from Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, all across the country that could have been our friends and neighbors if they had been given a chance.









It was getting hot though and we had a night tour booked at the Mont St. Michel, so it was time to say goodbye to the Cemetery and hello to the Monastery. 





The mount is set up so that a fully functioning village lies near the bottom and the monastery is at the top.We arrived just as the stores were closing so there wasn't much chance to visit them at the bottom of the mount, but the walk up was absolutely breathtaking. 






It takes about 20-30 minutes from the entrance of the mount to the actual monastery, but definitely worth every step.










They provide you with a guide sheet when you first enter the Monastery which makes it a million times easier to figure out which room you are actually in. It's all laid out very well and there is a definite path you follow which makes it much more organized.







One of the perks of the night tour is that in various rooms around the Monastery, various musicians are positioned where you can sit, enjoy and relax for a moment. The acoustics are out of the world.







Out of the different places I have ever been to, the view here definitely ranks high up there. You walk off of at the top of the Mount from the Cathedral and all you see are miles and miles of unending water.

 It really feels like you are at the top of the world and there is this sense of calm that completely washes over you as you look out. All you see are the ocean, the sky and the clouds.

It was definitely hard to leave.

















We watched the sun set from the top of the mount and it was nothing like I've ever felt before, but it was time to leave and we had already missed dinner so I grabbed a waffle slathered in Nutella in lieu of.

I should regret it but I really don't.









Definitely best day of the trip so far. It's one of those places that are harder to visit because it's so far away from the main hotspots like Paris and St. Tropez, but if you have the time and can find a way to get there, I know you won't be disappointed. 

naomi.