#27. sunday roast club, notting hill bakery, the sleeping beauty ballet, solo travel trending...
may 2023 edition.
solo travel trending + slow fashion movement + the sleeping beauty in covent garden + sunday roast club in tudor england soil + portobello road bakery + an app of food makers + spring in spain + togetherness + rewriting our travel list
“Not only children but adults as well want to counterbalance the freedom of individuality with the bonds of togetherness.”
This sentence in the pages of The Edgar Cayce Handbook was the spirit of April. Spring might still be shy in London, but metaphorically, the beginning of spring brought me the warmest feelings of friendship.
I can blame Venus (beauty, the good things in life) and the Moon (emotional wellness), both in my 11th House (that represents in astrology friendship, communities and groups) for a great part of the month, but thanks to the heavens, I was able to receive friends in London to spend the weekend, to catch up with the usual ones in our favourite local places and pubs, and also to enjoy the beginning of the season in southern Spain finally visiting Granada, and heading straight after to Toledo, near Madrid, to what I call a spiritual trip. So instead of spring in pain with this second winter weather, I added an extra “s” (maybe for salt, for sun?) and turned that gloomy feeling into a spring in Spain.
Most of the time, I spent drinking sangria and watching a traditional flamenco with friends, strolling around tapas bars and ancient streets. But I have to admit I always need time to recharge my batteries and have some me time. It’s the counterbalance mentioned above of the freedom of individuality.
On a similar note, I recently read in Conde Nasté that solo travel is trending in 2023. According to Google Trends data, demand for people wanting to travel on their own has risen by a massive 761.15% compared to the pre-pandemic period. The big motive behind the trend is the freedom (again) of choice, highly curated destinations and itineraries with a huge personal impact.
In my case, for example, choosing Toledo was very personal indeed. Being a mystical mind, I’ve recently discovered that the Toledano line of Kabbalah has its roots in the city, where Jews, Christians and Muslims met in a civilised cosmopolitan atmosphere to exchange ideas. Visiting the Jewish Quarter and exploring one of the most spiritual capitals of Europe in History means the world to me.
The same is true with my purpose of visiting Granada. Spending more time in the boho neighbourhood of Albaicín, the old Moorish quarter of the city located on a hill facing Alhambra, means that my visit is not purely touristic, but it’s a chance to encounter Andaluzian’s roots, the universal consciousness, connection with our ancestors and the appreciation of ancient knowledge.
This is why I also choose to visit some destinations on my own. I love to travel in companionship and consider myself lucky to collect and sum memories of places with friends and lovers, but as the name suggests, personal impact is personal, and for the harmony of togetherness, we must balance individuality.
I was thrilled to read this recent article written by The Telegraph, introducing the new travel bucket list for 2023, saying that “over-tourism, war and climate change are rewriting the Gen-Z wishlist, with the likes of Lyon and Calabria replacing Paris and Provence”.
Good-bye Amalfi, Hello Tropea. Even if Amalfi is in my heart with Positano, Tropea is another place of huge personal impact, for example. I was in this tiny and unknown city of Calabria some years ago, and the waters of the Coast of the Gods don’t lose in beauty and mystery from any angle. It was special because it was sacred in alignment with my personal purpose.
The newspaper also created a great list of in/outs, which I couldn’t agree more.
Out: Opera in Russia. In: Opera in Austria.
Out: Paris. In: Lyon.
Out: Provence. In Extremadura.
(….)
For some reason, I believe the “ins” - alone or not - should be a top priority when planning our next trip. When we remove the “outs”, we bring the magic back.
Maybe it was synchronicity that brought me this quote when reading a book last month:
“Enjoy spending time alone and experiencing it as indulgent, luxurious solitude rather than loneliness.”
Curiously, the same synchronicity - or how the universe interacts with us, you decide - brought me similar messages on two different occasions. Last month, I went to the Planetarium, and while the astronomer explained the different constellations near Greenwich, she joked about “not looking too much to the sun”. The day after, I had tickets for the David Hockney exhibition at the Lightroom in Kings Cross, also previously mentioned in this newsletter, and one of the light projections shows exactly this:
I’m still thinking about its meaning. Maybe the extremes of light and dark? Maybe we can’t have much of what we love otherwise, we lose its joy? Maybe. But the fact that I correlate both of them means I am aware and self-aware, and this is what matters, am I right?
Local Londoners are using Delli, an app on a mission to bring good food from anyone with a kitchen so everyone can buy from local, independent makers. So if you fancy a homemade kefir, you will find a nearby neighbour who does one and delivers it to your doorstep.
I am in love with the new silk tote bag from STRAW London, a charming vintage shop on Columbia Road, made in collaboration with Brigitte Tanaka, a Parisian-based French & Japanese duo who are well known for playing with the paradox of consumer society and creating ecological alternatives to commercial bags.
I’m obsessed with some independent British clothing brands that are part of the slow fashion movement. Freya Simonne is an example, exclusively using vintage textiles, protecting mother nature's finite resources whilst creating beautiful forever pieces and upcycled sustainable womenswear.
Located along Portobello Road, Layla Bakery is a neighbourhood artisan bakery and coffee shop specialising in sourdough and speciality coffee. One of the few reasons I headed West lately, it offers pastries with many layers and creative Instagrammable pies.
For one month only, the Royal Opera House brings the magic and fairytale characters of The Sleeping Beauty to life through ballet. It was the first performance given by the Company when the venue reopened at Covent Garden in 1946 after World War II. Be swept away by Tchaikovsky’s ravishing music and Oliver Messel’s sumptuous designs with this true gem from the classical ballet repertory.
Organic and biodynamic describe the Sunday Roast Club at Clapton Country Club, a place with unique interiors considered an urban retreat in the heart of East London. With live jazz and a great choice of roasts and vegan options, it’s a wonderful dog-friendly place to enjoy the most loved habits of British life.
I am intrigued and enthusiastic about Loré Pemberton’s prints. She is an artist living with her family in the northern woods of Vermont, creating picturesque drawings that translate life's simplest but most joyous things. My favourites are Stay Cosy, Under the Same Moon, With Coffee, Where The Light Falls, and Forget-Me-Not Spring. You can shop and subscribe to her work online.
Wishing you sunshine, a highly curated personal itinerary and good digestion! x, NB