It was an absolute pinch me moment. I told Colin that I would love to start each week with a walk to the local market to pick up fresh flowers and baked goods. And to be living that dream right now, even if only temporarily, is pretty freaking incredible.

If you’re new around here, welcome to my dream life! I’m currently living in London with my husband, toddler and dog - the last stop on nine months of travel during our parental leave.

Columbia Road Flower Market is a hugely popular market here in London. I love that we’re living just a 15 minute walk away from the market, and that Baby C’s early morning wake-ups mean we can get there before the crowds.

But Columbia Road isn’t the only market we’re lucky to live near. This weekend we went to Backyard Market, a warehouse full of independent traders and makers, and Brick Lane Vintage Market, an absolute maze of vintage clothing and accessories.

I love browsing through markets! It feels like I’m cosplaying a more aspirational version of myself - someone who hunts through racks of vintage clothes and buys paintings from local artists…rather than my reality of a closet full of Old Navy and family photos in IKEA frames on the walls.

While I don’t have the patience, budget or luggage space to completely overhaul my wardrobe and buy all the homeware and decor pieces I want, Colin and I did buy a few little things at the markets here in Spitalfields.

We won’t be able to perfectly recreate our time abroad when we get home to Vancouver, but maybe it’s about making little tweaks that fit into our regular lives - a bouquet from the grocery store instead of a local flower market or a souvenir magnet we bought rather than a huge art print.

But until then, let me embrace another wonderful week in London!

⏱️ Playing tourist (with a 90-minute timer)

Besides markets, we also made time for some museums this week!

The British Museum has a permanent collection of eight million stolen works, making it the largest in the world. So giving ourselves 90 minutes to see it all probably wasn’t our best plan…

But hey, what can you do? Between nursing Baby C, getting to the museum, eating lunch and getting home in time for her next nap, we only had 90 minutes. Better than nothing!

Since we knew we’d barely be scratching the surface, we decided to focus on the British Museum’s greatest hits. Armed with the map, Colin led us on a tour past famous chess sets, Aztec serpents and Tang Dynasty figures.

My favourite section - and assumedly everyone else’s favourite too because it was packed - was the Egypt wing full of detailed sarcophagi, mummies and art. I also loved the giant Greek and Egyptian sculptures; the scale of some of these guys was mind-blowing!

A few days later, we found ourselves on the other side of London speeding through another museum. This time we were down at Canary Wharf, a very cool neighbourhood I’d never been to before.

After a delicious lunch at Market Halls and walk along the water, we went into the London Museum Docklands.

We were mostly there for their monthly Tots at the Docks, a free session for under 5’s where the museum basement transforms into three epic play rooms. We settled into a room for younger kids and let Baby C loose…by which I mean we watched as she crawled close-ish to other kids, determined to put every available toy in her mouth.

It’s always so fun for us (and Baby C!) to go to events like this. I love watching her take everything in, interact with kids her own age and get to play with new toys. One of the things I’m most excited for when we get back to Vancouver is finding some play programs she can attend consistently.

After spending lots of time in the playroom, we figured we should at least try to see the museum too. So once again, we went on a whistle-stop tour of the London Museum Docklands, learning all about the city’s maritime history.

I was expecting the museum to be dull, as “maritime history” isn’t a phrase that usually gets me excited, but I was pleasantly surprised. On the top floor there was a really comprehensive exhibit on the British slave trade. I’m used to learning about the slave trade from a North American perspective, so this was a new lens. They also did a great job at bringing in modern Black British voices, as well as creating areas for reflection.

Downstairs was another huge exhibit - so huge that someone actually asked us how to get out because the whole floor felt like a big maze - looking at the use of the docks over time. I really enjoyed Sailortown, a recreated street where you could walk into shops and even hear the sounds of waves crashing.

We didn’t do London Museum Docklands justice with our limited time, but I liked that it still gave us a little taste of London’s maritime history we wouldn’t have otherwise known about.

🥯 A very serious bagel investigation

Everywhere we’ve lived in the UK - Brixton, Brighton and now Spitalfields - has had incredible food right outside our front door. And my favourite way to explore our new neighbourhood is through my stomach, so that’s what we did this week!

This article said at Xian BiangBiang Noodles, “go for the belt noodles, I implore you.” Well, no need to implore me twice! We headed there for lunch this week, ordered the belt noodles and can now heartily agree with the author. They were delicious!

The restaurant was also super baby-friendly with high chairs, lots of space, and two other families with babies dining at the same time as us.

Every weekend, Roll Boys takes over a local sandwich shop on Commercial Street to serve up the most delicious cinnamon rolls. I joined the queue (how British am I saying queue!) to indulge in a classic cinnamon roll and one of their specialty flavours, blueberry muffin.

Both were so so good! I’m already making plans to go back next weekend. One of the awesome things about being in London for a whole month is getting to actually go back to places we love.

Speaking of going back….last week I told you about Upmarket, a food hall on Brick Lane. Well, we went back twice this week for more Chinese, Korean and Japanese food. One of the stall vendors even recognized us! Does that make us regulars?

We also returned to our old stand by, Dishoom. How could we not when we now live within walking distance of their Shoreditch location? We went for breakfast, ordering our favourite naan rolls and chocolate chai, and I’m already calculating how many more times we can go before we leave London.

Our last local food find of the week was Brick Lane’s famous bagels. There are two bagel shops on Brick Lane, both open 24/7 and both claiming to be the original bagel joint. We decided to put them to the test, buying a few bagels each from Beigel Bake and Beigel Shop to take home for breakfast.

So far, it’s hard to declare a winner. Both bagels are thick, chewy and perfect under a layer of cream cheese and smoked salmon. I guess we’ll just have to go back and buy more until we can decide which are better!

🤒 Plot twist: we’re sick again

Remember a few weeks ago when Baby C got sick, Colin got sick and I miraculously stayed healthy? Well, it appears my luck has run out - the cold got me!

But it’s Colin who is truly the unlucky one. He either never fully recovered from his last cough/cold or caught a new one a week later. He had a few very rough days this week and then, tragically, took me down by the end of the week.

Baby C has managed to not catch anything so keep your fingers crossed for her!

📚 One for the books

On the days when Colin wasn’t feeling well (and before I succumbed), I took Baby C out to our local library. For a small library, I was impressed that it had such a great space for kids. There was a huge area for her to crawl around, toys and activities, pillows and things to climb, and of course, tons of books.

We went twice this week and both times Baby C had a blast roaming around a new area and bringing me books from the shelves. She got to play with some other kids too, which was fun to see.

I love that having a month in London gives us a chance to visit world-famous markets and museums but also to slow down and do what any other London family might do on a Thursday morning - flipping through pages and doing puzzles at the local library.

What’s coming up next

Next week we have more museums and markets on the agenda, plus I’m finally making it back to my beloved West End! What show(s) am I seeing? Subscribe to find out!

If strolling through a market with a bouquet and bagels is your idea of a dream life too, then give this post a heart, leave a comment, restack or share it with a friend. The only thing better than flowers and carbs is online validation, so thank you for yours!

Until next Sunday, I hope you have enough time at any museums you visit, eat incredibly good cinnamon buns, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the library.

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Hungry for more? Catch up on last week’s arrival in London, eat more bagels on my DIY food tour of Montreal, or discover another great museum at Normandy’s Caen Memorial.

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

It was the wonderfully bustling and vibrant London I loved. And I was so excited to be back!

Back from where you ask? My husband, daughter, dog and I just wrapped up two months in Brighton and are spending our final month abroad in London before we conclude our Baby Trip and return home to Vancouver.

Getting to London was probably the easiest travel day we’ve had on this whole trip. The hardest part was pushing our bags up the hill from our apartment in Brighton to the train station, which was only a two-minute walk. After that, it was smooth sailing on a direct train and taxi ride to our new front door.

After hauling our bags up to our third floor apartment (more ranting about that to come), we quickly unpacked the basics so Baby C could have a nap and I could get excited about exploring our new neighbourhood.

We’re staying in a part of London I’ve not been to before, Spitalfields. Like all of my favourite bases on our Baby Trip, Spitalfields is incredibly walkable with so much great food and shopping around. There are beautiful historic buildings, colourful street art, and tons of transit connections to the rest of London.

We only have one month in London - the final month of our time abroad - and I’m determined to make the most of it. I want to soak up this city and savour every last museum, food hall, West End show, playground and coffee shop I can!

London at a one year old’s pace

Now that Baby C is one and on the move, we want to make sure the things we’re doing in London are things she wants to do too. And so we set out this week to take part in some baby-friendly activities. But quickly found out they’re fun for adults too!

On our first full day in London, we walked up to Spitalfields City Farm. I’ve never been to a city farm before (and can count the number of rural farms I’ve been to on one hand) but was totally blown away by our experience!

We walked around so Baby C (and her excited parents) could visit all of the animals. The little signs told us more about who we were seeing, like Jemima the duck who was born with one eye and Beatrix the sheep who came to Spitalfields after retiring from grassland conservation grazing.

There was also a Messy Play zone that Baby C was probably a bit too young for (most toys end up in her mouth, so playing with mud and sand is not ideal). But she still had a great time watching the other kids and crawling around.

We also returned to Unicorn Theatre this week, a children’s theatre we visited back in December. It was wild how much Baby C had changed from that show to this one. During the December show, she was happy to sit in our laps for most of it but this time, we had to hold onto her legs so she wouldn’t crawl away!

Luckily, the show was interactive, so Baby C was free to roam around the stage. We fought our inner helicopter parent instincts as Baby C bravely crawled all the way to the other side of the room, completely unbothered about leaving her parents behind. She was too busy studying the toys she had collected en route and watching the bigger kids play.

Obviously we sought out these activities for our daughter, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying them as well. Travelling with a baby is unlocking a completely different part of London for me. I never would’ve gone to a city farm or even known a children’s theatre existed before her.

Going to these places has helped us slow down. It’s so easy, especially in a big city like London, to just go-go-go and try to see it all. On previous trips to London I’d easily see two West End shows in one day with enough time for lunch, a museum and some shopping.

But I’ve already learned the hard way that a fast pace like that is not possible for us with a baby.

So rather than being disappointed about all of the things I can’t cram into the itinerary, I think the answer might be relishing in all of the new things I do get to enjoy. Because of Baby C, I’m getting a little taste of local London life. We’re meeting other families and I’m loving seeing my daughter light up with every new experience.

You probably don’t have petting goats or watching a kids’ show about a squirrel on your London bucket list. But hey, maybe you should!

🥡 Eating our way through Spitalfields

Living in Spitalfields means so much incredible dining right outside our front door. We’re just off the famous Brick Lane, known for Bangladeshi cuisine, and around the corner from Old Spitalfields Market, with its impressive international food hall.

We visited Old Spitalfields Market throughout the week tasting dumplings, burgers, Jamaican beef patties, bao buns, gnocchi and crumble dessert. I love being able to get so many different cuisines under one roof!

(It also means Colin and I never have to agree on what we want for lunch, since we can both get something different. Is this the key to a happy marriage?)

Speaking of food from everywhere in one place, we also went for lunch at Upmarket Food Hall. It’s only a couple of blocks away from Old Spitalfields Market but way less crowded, cheaper and (in my humble opinion) tastier.

We circled the stalls of Japanese, Indian, Mexican, and East African cuisine, overwhelmed with all of the delicious options, before eventually settling on a Korean bibimbap and Singaporean chicken rice.

The only downside to these food halls? No high chairs. Baby C has gotten used to eating in her stroller, but it’s always better when she can have her own chair at the table with us. High chairs also mean less messy hands being wiped all over her stroller seat!

🛥️ London by boat (finally)

Despite having visited London over a dozen times since 2012 - and even living here for five weeks at the end of 2025 - I still had never been on a boat on the River Thames until this week.

We were invited aboard the Tower of London River Tour (thank you!) for their 40 minute guided cruise on the UK’s first electric tour boat. We lucked out with a non-rainy day, affording us great views of Tower Bridge, the London Eye and Big Ben.

I was expecting to be handed crappy headphones for a boring pre-recorded audio tour but instead we had an actual tour guide providing live commentary of everything we were seeing. She kept us entertained with lots of fun stories about London’s landmarks and history, like the one about a guy who escaped from a London prison using orange juice!

Baby C was a big fan of the river tour too. Since it wasn’t busy, we gave her free reign to crawl around the boat (with parental supervision, of course). She took off for the back bar area (that’s my girl!) where she proceeded to enchant the crew with smiles and peekaboo games.

😩 Three flights of stairs and a lukewarm shower

While I really love living in Spitalfields, I can’t say the same for the actual apartment we’re staying in. It’s not all bad - the high ceilings, modern kitchen and big windows are great - but there are some drawbacks.

After being spoiled with a very comfy big bed in Brighton, squeezing into our tiny, oddly-bouncy bed here in London has not been fun. And I miss the shower we had in Brighton too, especially compared to the lukewarm dribble that comes out of our current shower head.

But the worst part is that this apartment is on the third floor. Moving in our four suitcases, stroller, crib, backpack, dog and baby was NOT fun.

Our dog, Ellie, is getting old and losing her vision, so we’ve started carrying her up and down the stairs for her 4x daily walks. And every time we come back to the apartment with Baby C, a diaper bag, a stroller and a few bags of groceries is a Herculean task!

Hopefully we’ll return from our Baby Trip with stronger calves and biceps from all of this hauling up and down the stairs. Or, at the very least, we’ll have a newfound appreciation for the elevator in our new place!

What’s coming up next

Next week we’re taking on more of London! I’ve got my eye on some weekend markets and museums I want to visit, plus you know we’ll be eating more delicious food in Spitalfields.

I really can’t believe we’re in the final month of our Baby Trip! If you’d like to follow along for our final weeks in London, plus the big transition home, make sure you’re subscribed. And if you enjoyed this post, I’d love if you left me a heart or comment. It tells the Substack gods more people should see my newsletter (and does wonders for my ego!).

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Until next time, I hope your week is full of easy travel days, delicious food from around the world, and strong showers.

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Want more? Catch up on our final week in Brighton, enjoy even more delicious food with this Nice, France foodie bucket list, or see the last time we were on a boat in my Niagara Falls itinerary.

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

For two months, we returned every day (except that week we were in Spain) to the bright yellow door on the alley covered in street art. We looked out the big bay window as North Laine woke up each morning, slowly filling with shopkeepers, university students, locals and day-trippers as the hours went by.

I’d thought I’d eventually get bored or stop noticing, but every time I walked out of our Brighton apartment, I was enchanted by something new. Whether it was a colourful home or more colourful piece of street art, a bustling cafe I wanted to try or an outfit hanging out a shop window that caught my eye, living in North Laine always felt like being in the heart of Brighton.

In case you’re wondering who this Brighton Superfan is, let me introduce myself. I’m Riana and together with my husband, baby daughter and dog, we’re spending nine months travelling through Canada and Europe on our parental leave.

This last week in Brighton was all about soaking up our neighbourhood. In between packing and Baby C’s final swim lesson, I made lots of time to stroll around North Laine.

I lingered a little longer in front of cool graffiti, paid a last visit to our favourite coffee shop (Coffee at 33, don’t miss it!), snuck into a couple of new eateries I’ve had my eye on, and finally bought something at Pretty Vacant, an adorable clothing and homeware store I’ve been obsessed with since week one.

Our last Saturday in Brighton was perfect. The sun was shining, we were halfway done packing, and there was nothing left on the agenda but to join the throngs of people shopping, eating and basking in a beautiful Brighton day.

We were so lucky to call Brighton home.

I figured I would like Brighton based on what I had read online before arriving, but I had no idea how much this city would capture my heart. I fell head over heels for Brighton - the food, the culture, the people, the beach - and for the little life we built here.

I can already picture us coming back one day. We’ll go to The Grand for afternoon tea with Baby C when she’s old enough to actually drink the tea and not need a high chair; stroll down Sydney Street and wander The Lanes to revisit our favourite shops and cafes; and marvel at how much the art has changed on Trafalgar Lane, the street we once called home.

📸 Documenting our Brighton (& Hove) era

Colin and I aren’t big photo shoot people, but I knew I wanted to do one at some point during our Baby Trip to get some nice photos of our time abroad. We did a photo shoot when we were living in Prague and they’re some of my favourite photos and memories from that time.

So this week, we met up with local photographer Alex Beaumont to take some photos around the streets of Brighton. As an experienced family photographer and mom of three, Alex was so great with Baby C. She had lots of suggestions for where to go and how to pose, but still gave us lots of time to just be ourselves.

Of course, Baby C was a natural. With all of the photos we’ve taken on this Baby Trip, she’s gotten pretty good at holding still and looking at the camera. She even persevered through the cold temperatures and harsh wind down by the beach. Her nose started to turn red and she got a little fussy but it was nothing a few Cheerios couldn’t fix.

Speaking of the beach, the last thing on my Brighton bucket list was a visit to Hove Beach. Hove is on the west side of Brighton and makes up the other part of the city, Brighton and Hove. Despite living here for two months, we hadn’t made it to Hove before this week.

We grabbed lunch at Topolino, an Italian place on the main drag in Hove, and then walked down to the beach. We got lucky with a sunny day and the wind at our backs as we walked along the boardwalk towards Brighton.

My favourite part was the Hove Beach Huts, a long line of tiny beach huts painted in bright colours. We learned that owners are only allowed to paint them in a specific style and colour scheme.

PS: They go for about £25,000 each, if you have some spare pocket change. But only Brighton and Hove residents are eligible to buy them, so you may need a bit more than pocket change to make the move.

We were happy to just take some photos in front of the beach huts and then make our way back to Brighton Beach along the boardwalk. We got great views of the i360, West Pier and Band Stand - all Brighton icons I wanted to revisit on our last week in the city.

🥪 If we’re leaving, we’re leaving well-fed

We’ve been in the UK since early November and I haven’t touched cash once. Everywhere we’ve been has accepted credit cards, so I’ve had no reason to take out any cash. That is until I ordered my lunch at Noodle Street this week, only to find out that they’re cash-only.

Since the order had already been placed, I dashed across the street to an ATM. It took me a while - I used the wrong card, forgot my pin on the right card, then had to reset my pin - but I finally managed to take out the cash.

Luckily, the stir fried noodles with barbecue pork were worth it!

As this was our last week in Brighton, we wanted to revisit a few of our favourite restaurants. After Baby C’s final swim class (she even got a certificate saying she graduated from the penguin level), Colin and I went to grab what we’re calling the best sandwiches in Brighton.

• For him: A chicken and bacon toastie from Crunch & Co.

• For her: A mixed meat and kimchi banh mi from Earl’s (plus half of Baby C’s hoisin pork bao).

I’m not saying you should go all the way to Brighton just to get one of these banh mi sandwiches, but I don’t think you’d be disappointed if you did. My banh mi was ginormous and packed full with meat and toppings!

We also returned to The Eagle, a local pub in North Laine that serves the best Thai food. We went on a Sunday and were surprised to learn that they only serve Sunday roasts on Sunday, so no Khao Soi for me (devastating).

Luckily, they did offer a slight Thai twist on their Sunday roasts. Instead of traditional gravy, you could opt for a satay sauce. I did and it tasted just like the Khao Soi broth! It was so good that I actually just drenched my entire roast plate in the sauce and ate it like a curry.

“Hey, I’m walking here!”

Guess who took her first steps this week? That’s right, Baby C is officially walking!

For the last week or so, she’s been taking a single step before falling down. But one day when I was upstairs with her, she took three or four steps all by herself!

I was so excited that I rushed her downstairs to tell Colin. We put her on the floor to see if she’d do it again and she did, walking another few steps! I pulled out my phone to see if she’d do it once more for the camera and wouldn’t you know it? Our girl went for a record eight steps unassisted, all caught on video!

Colin and I were so excited, but also slightly terrified about how much more chaotic life was about to get with a walker. Though Baby C might be easing us into it, because since that day, she hasn’t seemed interested in taking any more steps. She’s back to crawling at super speed instead.

But I’m sure she’ll be running around before we know it. Watch out, world!

🤧 My close call with the Brighton cold

Last week Baby C caught a cold so we knew it was only a matter of time before she took us down too. As expected, Colin started sniffling, coughing and reaching for the throat lozenges early this week.

I waited for my turn, knowing there was no way I’d be spared, especially since Baby C loves to drink out of my water bottle. But by some miracle (knock wood), I haven’t gotten sick!

Luckily, both of my sick housemates appear to be on the mend. And I can only hope that my super immunity sticks around once Baby C is in school and starts bringing home all the germs!

✍️ New on Teaspoon of Adventure

How We Spent 2 Months Living in Brighton, England

I’m looking back at our whole two months in Brighton - everything we loved, the few things we hated, where we stayed, why we chose Brighton in the first place and my tips for anyone else considering a move or visit to Brighton. Check it all out in my latest post!

Read the post here

I was also invited to contribute to fellow Substacker ’s series of tiny stories. In her birthday edition, four other writers and I shared birthday stories in 100 words or less.

It was such a challenge to get my story under 100 words, but a really fun creative exercise too. Check out these short and sweet birthday stories and give Corinne a follow if you love engaging, humorous writing for a global audience.

What’s coming up next

We packed up four suitcases, two backpacks, a stroller and a dog carrier to take the train from Brighton…back to London!

If you caught my Italy vs London post, you’ll know we decided to spend the final month of our Baby Trip in London. And while I’m sad to leave Brighton, I’m so excited for all of the incredible London restaurants, markets, museums and shows to come.

Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss a minute of our London adventures. And let me know in the comments below if I’ve convinced you to put Brighton on your travel bucket list!

Until next Sunday, I hope your week is filled with colourful streets, photo-worthy moments, and very delicious sandwiches.

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Need a little more? Catch up on last week’s comedy show and beach views, find out exactly what we pack for travel with a baby, or throw it back to that time we lived in Prague.

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

Subscribe now

We had no idea what to expect when we rolled into the Komedia and parked our stroller amidst a sea of other strollers. Downstairs we were greeted by the cutest kind of chaos: babies crawling, crying and cooing everywhere you looked with a stage and mic stand ready to go!

Quick backstory if you’re new: I’m Riana and I’m on a 7-month long trip through Europe with my husband, daughter and dog. We’re currently based in Brighton, UK and have loved being temporary locals here.

The idea behind BYOB Comedy is that parents can enjoy a comedy routine with their kids, who are too young to understand the jokes, told by comedians who don’t mind if you need to change a diaper or breastfeed mid-show.

Everyone’s attention was split - us parents trying to watch the show and watch our children, the comedians trying to tell jokes without getting distracted by a very active audience, and babies just being babies. At one point, Baby C speed-crawled right down the centre aisle and almost onto the stage.

But we all had a great time! It was nice being in an environment where it was perfectly normal to crawl around with your kid, feed them snacks or let them wail, all without embarrassment.

I love attending these local events that are specifically designed for babies. While Baby C is welcome at everything we do, it’s even more fun when the event is intended for her.

Slowing down and enjoying these moments not only introduces Baby C to something new, but it also gives Colin and I a chance to immerse ourselves in local life. Not many tourists enrol in swim classes or seek out BYOB comedy shows!

So even though these baby-friendly things might not show up on any “top 10 must do in Brighton” lists, they truly have been some of my favourite memories from our time abroad.

🌊 Chasing Brighton’s best beach views

There were a few things I wanted to see before we left Brighton, and they just so happened to be at the beach, so that’s where we spent a lot of time this week!

The murmuration of starlings - a gathering of starlings (a small bird) that fly together in what looks like a shape-shifting pattern - is a famous phenomenon that happens in Brighton. The largest and most prominent murmurations take place in the winter around sunset.

So one late afternoon Colin, Baby C and I bundled up and headed down to the pier to finally see the murmuration with our own eyes. I’m so glad we did this; I only regret not bringing our parents down to see it when they were visiting us in Brighton.

At first, we were only catching glimpses of the birds but as the murmuration grew, it looked like huge black swarms dancing in the air. We walked farther along the pier to get a better look and were so close we could hear the flutter of wings with each turn.

Colin said it was probably the coolest natural phenomenon he’s ever seen and I might have to agree. Especially with it all happening against a backdrop of sunset on the beach - it’s hard to beat!

Later this week, we headed up the Brighton i360 for another unforgettable view from Brighton Beach. Only this time, we were seeing it from almost 500 feet up in the air!

The Brighton i360 is essentially a glass pod elevator that slowly (and incredibly smoothly) glides up in the air offering 360 degree views of Brighton, Hove and the English Channel.

We visited on a cloudy day - probably not the best for sightseeing - but still had an amazing view. A cloudy winter day also meant we only shared the ride with four other people; on busy days, the pod can hold up to 175 people!

While I loved being able to walk in a circle over the city, I’m not sure the experience is worth the £20/person price tag. It’s cool but Brighton isn’t exactly the most interesting city to see from above.

Still, I’m glad we did it. Baby C loved crawling around in a contained space and we enjoyed the views. But would I say it’s a mandatory thing to do in Brighton? Probably not.

The murmuration of starlings on the other hand? Totally mandatory. It’s free and magical to see!

🍴 The Brighton meals we just had to squeeze in

We saved the best for last, and by that I mean we finally made it to some of the best restaurants in Brighton during our second to last week in the city.

But did these restaurants live up to their “best in the city” claims? Let’s find out!

For the best seafood in Brighton, we went to Riddle & Finns in the Lanes. While the tempura tiger prawns and seafood risotto were good, the most memorable part was Baby C devouring her tiny cup of seafood chowder. It was served in an espresso cup, the perfect portion for a one-year-old!

We also decided to splurge on the Brighton scallops, since we’re in Brighton after all. They were good, but not £15-for-three-scallops good!

Making a reservation at Japanese tapas restaurant Bincho Yakitori was one of the first things I did when we got to Brighton back in December. And when we finally got to eat there this week, it absolutely lived up to the hype. The small restaurant was packed but the food was tasty and came out fast, which is important when your kid is hungry.

Baby C gobbled up the chicken karaage and I’m still dreaming about the pork belly skewers and prawns in seafood butter. If you’re coming to Brighton, I highly recommend trying to get a table!

Speaking of trying to get a table…last week we tried to go to The Geese for their award-winning Sunday roast. We got all the way up the hill only to find the pub was fully booked from lunch until dinner. But this week, we made a reservation ahead of time so our uphill trek wouldn’t be in vain.

While the meat was tender and the carrots were delicious, the overly-crunchy potatoes and limited roast vegetables were a bit disappointing. But even with that, it was still one of the best Sunday roasts I’ve had in Brighton (and we’ve had quite a few!).

📦 Watching our Vancouver moving day happen from the UK

While we were taking in views and eating well in Brighton, a lot was happening back home in Vancouver. Namely, we moved into a new apartment! Only, we weren’t there to do the actual moving.

As I shared in our apartment hunting from abroad journey, we signed a lease for a new apartment back in Vancouver with an occupancy date a month and a half before we’re actually returning home.

But since we’re already paying the rent, we figured it made sense to move our stuff in. That way, we can hit the ground running as soon as we get back and don’t have to continue paying to keep our stuff in storage.

But how could we move everything from a storage locker in Richmond to an apartment in Downtown Vancouver while living in the UK? Enter our super moms who totally saved the day!

Our wonderful mothers agreed to facilitate our moves in two parts. Colin’s mom met the movers at the storage locker, added a few things to the truck that she had brought home for us, and closed out our storage locker account.

My mom then met the movers at our new apartment, booking the elevator, showing them where to go and even vacuuming up after them!

It was surreal to be sitting on our couch in Brighton while our moving day was happening back in Canada without us. Truly, it was the easiest moving day we’ve ever had. I’d highly recommend it!

But seriously, a huge shout out to our moms for making this happen. THANK YOU!

🤧 A sniffly end to the week

Poor Baby C picked up a cold this week - I think it was from one of the other babies at BYOB Comedy and Colin thinks it was from when she (accidentally) licked the handle bars at the i360. Regardless of where she got it, she’s been full of coughs, congestion and dribbles all week.

She’s not enjoyed having her nose wiped and her naps have been more turbulent than usual, but for the most part, she’s still smiling and happy. Fingers crossed she gets over the cold soon!

✍️ New on Teaspoon of Adventure

A Complete Guide to the Caen Memorial Museum in Normandy

From one coast (England) to another (France), my latest post over on Teaspoon of Adventure takes you through the biggest and best WWII museum in Normandy. The Caen Memorial Museum is the perfect place to start your Normandy trip and get a great primer on D-Day before you go visit landing sites, cemeteries and bunkers.

Read the post

What’s coming up next

Next week is our last week in Brighton! It still hasn’t hit me yet that we won’t be coming back to this place that’s been our home for the last two months. I’m not looking forward to packing up but I am looking forward to our new home base.

Don’t remember where we’re off to? Then subscribe so you can find out in next week’s newsletter (you could also read about it here, but c’mon, subscribing is more fun!).

And let me know if I’ve convinced you to put Brighton on your bucket list! (Or if you want to hire our moms to facilitate your next move - their rates are reasonable, I swear.)

Until next Sunday, I’m wishing you a week of incredible meals out, beachside views, lots of laughs and absolutely no runny noses!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Looking for more to read? Catch up on last week’s journey to finding our new apartment, check out my favourite restaurants in London’s Brixton neighbourhood, or enjoy more water views in the best cities to visit on the French Riviera.

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

Colin and I looked at each other with wide eyes and slightly delirious grins. Had we really just done it? Had we found a new permanent home in Vancouver?

And more importantly, had we made the right choice? I was terrified that we had committed ourselves to a place sight unseen and way ahead of schedule, but thrilled that we could now jump into logistics, planning, and dreaming about furniture and layouts.

It was the biggest decision we had made since leaving Vancouver in June 2025 on our Baby Trip - the nine months my husband Colin, our daughter Baby C, our dog Ellie, and I have spent travelling during parental leave.

In that time, we’ve lived in my parents’ basement in Toronto, and apartments in France and the UK. We’ve stayed in each place for 4 to 10 weeks - enough time to get a taste of local life but never enough to feel permanently settled. We’ve always been a few weeks away from our next home.

While it’s difficult feeling unmoored, it’s also exciting knowing that we’ve always got a new home, new neighbourhood and new city to look forward to. I thrive on that kind of change and discovery.

It’s also made the downsides of these apartments - like being cramped in a one bedroom with no storage and a couch so uncomfortable it makes your bum numb - feel reassuringly temporary. “Sure, the couch sucks. But I only have to deal with it for a couple more weeks.”

The plan was always to find a permanent home base when we came back to Vancouver at the end of our Baby Trip. I was excited about the prospect of living somewhere new and setting up a space how we want it to be. I knew that excitement would help me feel better about our Baby Trip being over.

But how we were actually going to find that place was always a big question mark. We could sign a lease while we were still on our Baby Trip, committing to a place sight unseen from the other side of the world. Or we could wait to house hunt until we got back to Vancouver, scrambling to find a place before Colin had to go back to work, while dealing with jet lag and a toddler.

Both options had their drawbacks, but we preferred securing something ahead of time so we wouldn’t have to frantically search on a time crunch.

And so, in late autumn 2025, I started refreshing Craigslist each morning (most of Vancouver’s rental market exists on Craigslist), keeping an eye out for a place we could call home in March 2026.

Strike one: The rooftop that got away

In mid-November, an apartment popped up that caught my attention. It was in our ideal neighbourhood and had extras - like high ceilings and a rooftop deck - that would be hard to pass up. Best of all, they were advertising a March 1st move-in date!

After quickly consulting with Colin, I fired off an email to the rental agent to request a video viewing. We started to get excited. Colin and I looked through the photos of the apartment repeatedly and we even sent the listing to Colin’s mom, who agreed the location and rooftop were unbeatable.

When I didn’t hear back from the agent, I emailed again. The agent replied saying there had been a lot of interest in the property but ended with a hopeful, “Once I hear back from the current tenants, I’ll let you know about a viewing.”

I thanked the agent and then…crickets. We never heard back. Within a week, the listing had been taken off Craigslist and, I assume, rented out to someone else.

We were bummed to have missed out, especially when we didn’t even get a chance to view the place or submit an application. I felt silly for all of the time we had spent imagining where our furniture would go or talking about what colour we’d paint the walls.

But we chalked it up to fate. Clearly that wasn’t meant to be our new home and, since we hadn’t even gotten to apply, there was nothing we had done wrong except maybe email too late.

Luckily, we still had many months until we wanted to move in, so lots of time to keep searching.

Strike two: The viewing that disappeared

The next heartbreak happened two weeks later. Once again, I spotted a place that seemed (almost) perfect for us. It was a two-level townhome with an extra bathroom and bedroom, plus private outdoor space. While not exactly our dream neighbourhood, we really could picture ourselves living there long term.

I reached out and was told they would only be conducting in-person viewings. Luckily, Colin’s mom, Margie, was happy to step in and view the place on our behalf.

The agent told us he’d be showing the place the next day. Unfortunately, Margie wasn’t available then but she was free the whole week after. The agent booked her in for a viewing at the end of the week. I thought this was a bit odd: Wouldn’t he want to get the place viewed and leased as soon as possible?

But I let excitement edge out suspicion. We happily spent the rest of the week scrolling through the listing photos, studying the floor plan and looking up Google Maps directions to the closest grocery stores and cafes.

But the night before our scheduled viewing, we received an email letting us know a lease had been signed on the home. And obviously, not with us.

My guess is that the agent purposefully scheduled our viewing for late in the week because someone else had already applied for the home. We were the back up in case they fell through.

Once again, Colin and I were disappointed (though I will admit I was a tiny bit relieved because the location and price tag of this place were not ideal). But I was also starting to get worried. With both of these places, we hadn’t even been able to view them - let alone fill out an application - before they had been scooped up.

I knew we were already at a disadvantage house-hunting from abroad as we couldn’t make an impression in person or attend a last-minute viewing. But I figured we’d at least be able to apply to places before we lost out.

If we couldn’t even get our foot in the door (literally), how were we going to compete with applicants who could meet in person and didn’t have a giant gap in their tenancy history from travelling for the past nine months?

Despite what we were hearing about a softer rental market in Vancouver, it was clear that things were still very competitive and moving fast.

Third time’s the charm?

A week later, I sent another apartment inquiry email into the Craigslist void. To be honest, I wasn’t totally sure about this place.

The apartment itself seemed pretty great: amazing views, separate office space, large living area and a cool location. But the listing had some red flags: Almost half of the apartment photos were missing, the neighbourhood name was misspelled and, crucially, they hadn’t included a move-in date.

But the price was right and what we could see of the apartment was encouraging, so I sent off an email. I figured, “What’s the harm?”

Unlike the previous places, I got a response back right away. The agent wanted to set up a viewing. When I mentioned that we wouldn’t want to move in until March 1st, he told us that the apartment was available immediately and there was a lot of interest in it. I thought that meant we’d be out of the running but instead the agent simply said, “It’d be better if you moved in a month earlier.”

Now Colin and I had a decision to make. Would we be willing to sign a lease for February 1st? If so, would we head home early or continue with our plans to stay in the UK until mid-March? We had already moved up our return date (it was originally mid-April), so the thought of ending our trip even sooner was awful.

We decided just to take it one step at a time. Let’s do the video viewing and then see if we want to apply. If our application is accepted, then we can decide if we really want to sign a Feb 1 lease.

For the viewing, the agent took us around on a video call so we could see the apartment for ourselves. It looked exactly like we thought it would. And the video helped confirm that this was a real place being rented out by a real person - you never know these days on the internet!

Cue the internal debate

We got off the viewing call and looked at each other. Could this be it? Honestly, I was torn. The apartment was almost exactly what we were looking for. Sure, I would’ve loved some outdoor space and a more open kitchen. But it had great views, a separate office, a large dining space and the price was right.

This situation reminded me a lot of wedding dress shopping. You find a dress that appears to tick all the right boxes. You really like it! But is it the best dress out there? If you kept searching, could you find better? Or would you regret missing out on this dress?

A little voice at the back of my mind pushed through my excitement and asked, “What if something better is listed tomorrow?” After all, it was only mid-December. We didn’t have to move in until mid-March. There was no reason to rush… except the very good reason that this apartment wouldn’t wait for us.

If we kept looking, we might’ve gotten lucky and stumbled upon a place that was even better than this one, in a better location for a cheaper price with the right move-in date. But there was no guarantee that would happen.

And even if we did find this mythical perfect place, who’s to say that we’d be chosen from the assumedly large pool of applicants? Based on how quickly the last few places we liked were taken off the market, we weren’t willing to take that chance.

If we passed on this apartment, the search would continue. I’d compare every new potential apartment to this one, kicking myself anytime a new apartment didn’t measure up. But if we said yes to this place, the search stopped. There would be no more unknowns or potentials.

In some ways, I loved the sound of that. We could stop living in uncertainty and start making actual plans. We could figure out what furniture we needed, how Colin would get to work and what we’d do for Baby C’s childcare. But I also hated closing the door on every other place that might’ve been. I’m very much a “no stone unturned” kinda gal.

In the end, the fear of giving up a great place outweighed the fear of settling. It was a great apartment. We didn’t need to roll the dice again.

And so, we said yes. We sent in our application and were quickly told that we’d be the perfect tenants (yay!). Paperwork was exchanged and just before Christmas, we were signing a lease and sending our deposit across the ocean.

As soon as we pressed send on our deposit, it all started to feel very real. We had a permanent address for the first time in six months. We had a plan for what would happen after our Baby Trip was over.

Of course, I was relieved to have found a place but also slightly panicked. We still hadn’t seen the place in person. There was (is!) still a chance we’ll walk through the doors in March and fully regret our decision.

But I knew that worrying wasn’t going to un-sign the lease or make March get here any sooner. And, in a remarkable show of self-control, I didn’t even go back onto Craigslist to see what we were missing out on! Once that lease was signed, I closed my Craigslist tab and haven’t opened it up since.

Measurements, mock-ups and moving in over FaceTime

Since we were still going to be in the UK in February, our wonderful mothers stepped up and handled our whole moving day. We booked the movers and they handled the rest, texting us updates and bringing us on another FaceTime tour of our apartment. (Thank you, moms!!)

The whole thing was so surreal. I’ve never moved into an apartment without actually being there in person. It was funny to look up at Colin across the couch from me and say, “Oh, I guess the movers will be arriving soon” and see photos of my own stuff piled into rooms I haven’t walked through yet.

After the move, Colin’s mom texted us saying, “Omg I LOVE your apartment! The neighbourhood is fabulous. I would love to live here.“ Now if that isn’t a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is!

It was such a good feeling to know that both of our moms loved our new place. Not only did that give us more confidence in our decision, but it also means we’ll have an easier time enticing them to come babysit once we’re home! (Though Baby C is a pretty big draw all on her own.)

Once all of our stuff was moved in, Colin and I started planning out everything we’d still need for the apartment.

With measurements and videos supplied by my mom, we opened up an IKEA tab and began debating dressers and toy storage bins. We laid out our office every possible way. And at least once a day one of us will turn to the other saying, “I was just thinking for our apartment we should…”

How I actually feel about going home

Looking ahead to our new apartment is both thrilling and terrifying. I’m super excited to finally see it in person. I can’t wait to unpack our boxes and remember all of the cool stuff we own. And I’m really looking forward to laying out our home in a way that works for us (rather than accepting what an Airbnb host has chosen).

After living in temporary homes since June 2025, it’s going to be so nice to settle into a place for the long term. We get to decide where the furniture should go and what decor goes on the wall. The kitchen will have all of the gadgets and dishware that we like to use. And I’ll finally be able to use a dryer again (this hanging laundry to dry thing is no joke!).

It’s also a bit scary. I’m nervous our new place isn’t going to be as nice as I think it is. Right now in our temporary homes, it’s easy to put up with something I don’t like for a couple weeks. But if I don’t like something in our Vancouver place, I potentially have to live with that for years.

I’m picturing some rough first days. As much as I love organizing and decorating a new space, I don’t relish living amongst boxes, fighting jet lag with a toddler, or being forced to assist Colin with building IKEA furniture.

(Thank god I married a man who actually enjoys this task so my participation requirements are low. In fact, we both prefer it when I don’t have to help.)

But overall, my excitement is definitely outweighing my anxiety. Even if there are some issues with the place, I’m sure we can find solutions for them. We’ll buy a new shower head if the water pressure sucks or drill in some shelves if we need more storage. And even if the first few days (or weeks) of jet lag and boxes suck, we will survive them.

There is so much more I’m looking forward to - the water and mountain views, Baby C having her own room, putting up all of the art prints we’ve been collecting - that will last way longer and impact me way more than a few new home hiccups in the early days.

At least, that’s what I’ll be telling myself as we prepare to board a 10 hour flight with a toddler (and a dog) and step into our new Vancouver apartment for the very first time!

Thanks for reading! Now, I’m curious: Would you have gone with the third place or held out in the hopes of something better? And if you have any words of wisdom for our big international move back home, I’d love to hear them.

Of course, this story isn’t over yet. We’ve still got to finish our time in Brighton, explore a new side of London, wrap up this Baby Trip and then settle into our new home in Vancouver. So come along and see how it all shakes out!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: If you missed it, you can catch up on last week’s visit with my dad in Brighton, relive our six weeks in Orleans, France and see how we spent five weeks living in London.

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Share

A flurry of flight bookings and travel documents later, we were flying back from Spain with one extra family member in our row.

If you’re new around here, you might be wondering who else was in that row. It was me and my husband (Colin) with our daughter (Baby C) on our laps. We’re on a seven month trip through Europe and just flew back to our base in Brighton after a week in Spain.

This week, we got to introduce my dad to some of our favourite parts of Brighton, like shopping and cafe hopping in North Laine, walking along the boardwalk and - what’s become a bit of a staple for us now - afternoon tea at The Grand. (We’ve now taken three grandparents to afternoon tea at The Grand and it’s always been a hit!)

The whole idea of this Baby Trip - living abroad during most of our daughter’s first year of life - was always an unconventional way to spend our parental leave. A lot of people thought we were nuts to do it (especially with a dog!) but also envious, proud and inspired by it.

I’ve never been one to shy away from an unconventional life but I don’t think I realized how important it was to have my parents validate what we’re doing. We’ve now gotten to host my mom, my mother-in-law and my dad in Brighton. Each one took a step into our life abroad, joining us for sightseeing adventures but also for the low-key, everyday moments at home.

And they all left grinning from ear to ear. Not only did they enjoy Brighton, which made us feel good about our pick of temporary home, but they loved the life we had built here. They fit seamlessly into our routine of big breakfasts, playtime, swim lessons and reading the same books over and over again.

Taking Baby C far away from her family was always the biggest downside of this time abroad. But being able to maintain those relationships and create memories with our parents in new places has been one of the best parts.

🏛️ Our Brighton crash course: museums, matches & a board game

After first seeing the building back in December and saying, “Oh yeah, we should go there,” this week we finally did it. We finally went to the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.

I had fairly low expectations, assuming it’d be a small regional museum and not nearly as impressive as the big name museums we’ve visited in London, but I was wrong. Well, I mean, it was a small regional museum…but it was also really excellent!

The museum started with an exhibit called Passion, Power and Protest. Each piece in the exhibit was accompanied by a plaque that didn’t just tell you the name of the artist, but invited you to question things like whose story was being told and who was allowed to make art.

I thought this was such a brilliant and engaging way to present a bunch of seemingly disconnected pieces. It’s probably the only time I’ve read every single plaque in a museum exhibit!

The museum continues on with a pretty eclectic group of exhibits - everything from Ancient Egypt and neolithic archeology to Brighton’s queer history, paintings of the Brighton seafront and a section on world sports.

As someone who can get museum-ed out after an hour, I loved that each exhibit was so different from the last as it really helped keep my attention. They were all a very manageable size, so I never got overwhelmed. And the local connections to Brighton throughout were amazing too (even the neolithic exhibit was displaying skeletons found near Brighton!).

Lest you think it was only Colin and I who were enjoying the museum, Baby C was a big fan too. Every exhibit had an interactive section for kids, like a faux fire pit and skeleton puzzle in the archeology exhibit or puppet theatre in the performing arts exhibit. So Baby C thoroughly enjoyed crawling around and putting the toys in her mouth!

On a rainy Friday night, Colin, my dad and I sat down to play BN1: A Board Game All About Brighton. Unlike most millennials, I’m actually not a big board game fan (don’t hate me!). I don’t mind party games or easy card games, but nothing makes my eyes glaze over faster than a 20-page rule book and hours of complicated strategy.

When Colin first cracked open the box of BN1, I felt my eyes start to fade, but I pushed through and I’m so glad I did. We had a great time playing and I picked up the rules quickly. Not only was the game itself fun, I also loved that we recognized a lot of the Brighton icons, plus learned about some new ones we want to visit.

We could’ve been playing board games back home in Canada, but there was something extra special about playing a board game in the UK with my dad.

On my dad’s final day with us, he and Colin went out to watch a Brighton & Hove Albion football (aka soccer) match. So they can officially tick seeing an English Premier League game off their bucket list!

It ended in a draw but Colin and my dad still had a great time at the game. They also cleaned out the merch store, coming home with three sweaters, a scarf, a magnet and a ball for Baby C!

🫖 The classic UK meals my dad got to try

After ordering Chinese takeaway the first night we got back from Malaga, we had to take my dad out for a proper British meal to start his time in Brighton on the right foot. (Though you could argue Chinese takeout is a British staple.)

We headed to The Walrus, a very cool pub down by Brighton Beach, for some UK classics - like fish and chips, bangers and mash, and sticky toffee pudding - and washed it all down with a few pints. While not the best food we’ve had in Brighton (though the batter on the fish was really good), it checked the box for a classic pub meal. And of course, the company was great.

We also wanted to take my dad to some of our favourite UK establishments which just so happened to be the same places we took my mom and my mother-in-law when they were visiting us in Brighton. What can I say? We’re loyal to our favourites!

We did afternoon tea at The Grand, something my dad had scoffed at as not being for him. But one look at those petit fours and fresh scones and he was converted! It turns out, everyone loves a tiny sandwich and fancy pot of tea.

We also had to take him to our beloved Dishoom. We ordered some old favourites and tried a few new dishes, like the spiced sweet potato and spinach chaat. I’ve now successfully converted Colin, Baby C, my mom, my MIL and my dad into Dishoom fans (not that it’s hard with food this good!).

It’s safe to say we sent my dad back to Toronto very full and with a completely new appreciation for British food!

Enjoying some everyday time with dad

With my dad living in Toronto, I don’t get to see him and that side of my family nearly as much as I’d like to. That’s why we chose to spend 10 weeks last summer in Toronto so we could really soak up family/friend time and so our loved ones could get to know Baby C.

So getting to do that again in Malaga and Brighton, especially since I wasn’t expecting to see my dad until Christmas 2026, was so special. He didn’t make it out to visit us when we first moved abroad to Prague, so I’m glad he got to be a part of our life abroad 2.0.

On one of his first mornings in Brighton, the two of us went out to a local cafe and just chatted. It was so nice to have that one on one time to catch up. And, of course, it’s always best to catch up over delicious pastries and warm beverages! On another day, my dad and I took Baby C out in her stroller for a walk around Brighton, enjoying the city and more of each other’s company.

When we get back to Vancouver, we’ll be seeing my mom and mother-in-law a lot more often, as they’re both based in the city. They’re even helping us out with Baby C childcare (thank you!). So while we’ve missed them during this time abroad and have been thrilled when they came out to visit us, it’s a different story with my dad.

Even when we get home, we won’t get to see my Toronto family as often. Canada is a big country and when I made the decision to go to university in Vancouver in 2010 and then stay out west, I knew that meant being a five-hour plane ride away from most of my loved ones.

Now that my dad is retired and Baby C is in the picture, I hope we get to see more of that side of my family. I hope they come out to Vancouver more often and we plan to go back to Toronto more regularly too. And of course, I’d be happy to meet up with them anywhere else in the world!

But because it won’t be a weekly thing like it will be with our moms, I was really trying to soak up this bonus time in Brighton with my dad. I loved integrating him into out regular routine and getting to enjoy this incredible city alongside him.

Watching Baby C hand her Pumpa yet another book or giggle when he made a funny face will go down as some of my favourite Baby Trip memories.

🫠 The tiny tumbles of toddler life

Now that she’s one, Baby C is more mobile than ever - scooting across the room, pulling up on chairs and taking assisted steps whenever she can. All of that moving also means a few more falls and fumbles.

This week, she fell onto her toy box. Luckily it just missed her eye, but she’s still nursing a pretty nasty red mark on her cheek. Poor thing!

What’s coming up next

We’ve only got two weeks left in Brighton but, I’ve actually got a little something different planned for next week’s newsletter. I’m bringing you behind the scenes to share what we have planned after this Baby Trip, including where we’ll live when we return to Vancouver. So subscribe and stay tuned!

Let me know if you’ve ever had a parent visit you abroad. Did they fit into your new international life? Was it fun to play host/tour guide or were you counting down the hours until they left?

Until next week, I’m wishing you lovely strolls and coffee dates, fantastic museum visits, and unexpectedly fun board game nights!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Want more? In honour of my dad’s visit to Brighton, check out the last time he and I travelled through Europe together or my itinerary for 3 days in our hometown, Toronto. Plus, catch up on last week’s post where we celebrated Baby C’s birthday in Malaga!

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

And we weren’t celebrating alone: Joining us in Malaga was my mom, Colin’s mom, two family friends and, in a total surprise, my dad! We didn’t think my dad was coming but my stepmom surprised him with airline tickets just a few days before the trip.

Sadly, due to some flight delays, he ended up missing Baby C’s actual birthday, but he did get to spend the rest of the week celebrating with us.

If you’re wondering how we got to Spain, let me catch you up. My family and I are slow travelling through Europe for seven months. We’re currently based in Brighton, England but decided to find some sun for our baby’s first birthday!

This was my first trip to Malaga and I think it’s the perfect winter destination, especially for a group of varying ages and interests. There was lots for all of us to do, plus some good downtime for Baby C to play with her grandparents and get her naps in.

We were specifically looking for a place that would offer a little relief from the UK/Canadian winters we were all coming from, that was budget-friendly, and that was lively in the off-season.

Malaga delivered all that and more! We had a blast soaking up the winter sun (Colin even wore shorts and a t-shirt one day), taking in the views from hilltops and beaches, reading books to Baby C at the apartment, and eating all of the delicious seafood and tapas!

🇪🇸 Slowing down and soaking up Malaga

The initial itinerary I had planned for Malaga included two full day trips and 3-4 sightseeing locations each day. But after learning what’s realistic with a baby during our week in Normandy, Colin and I decided to pivot.

We stuck with our usual routine of letting Baby C do her morning and afternoon naps back at the apartment, skipped the day trips and opted for just one big outing each day.

But even though we slowed things down, we still managed to do a lot!

On our first full day in Malaga, we joined a free walking tour in the pedestrianized old town, Centro Histórico. While a little light on the walking and too heavy on the history for my taste, it gave us a good introduction to the city.

The next day, we picked up fresh seafood from Mercado de Atarazanas (Malaga’s central food market) and caught a flamenco show. Colin and I had seen a flamenco show in Seville back in 2020, so were looking forward to another impressive performance.

We were blown away by the passionate dancing and fancy footwork. But you know who loved the show the most? Baby C! Her eyes were absolutely glued to the dancers, especially when one came into the audience playing the castanets.

The biggest thing on my Malaga bucket list was exploring the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle, a Moorish palace and castle ruins that sit high above the city.

While not as grand as some of the palaces we saw in Morocco, the Alcazaba was still worth visiting. It was smaller than I was expecting but the views were great.

Speaking of views, the best ones in Malaga would have to be from the top of Gibralfaro Castle. I joined three others from our group for the big climb up the hill mountain to check out the ruins and 360 degree views over the city.

It was quite the climb - I was very happy to see a vendor selling water bottles near the top - but we made it!

The last big thing we did in Malaga was head down to the beach. Colin, Baby C, my mom and I walked along the Palmeral de Las Sorpresas promenade over to La Malagueta beach.

It was so cool to be standing on a sandy beach with palm trees behind us in the middle of winter. This Canadian gal couldn’t believe it!

We also toured Malaga Cathedral, walked through Malaga Park, visited the Picasso Museum and picked up a few souvenirs during our week in Spain. Plus a few in our group went to a Malaga football match!

🦐 The Malaga meals I’m still dreaming about

One of the parts of Malaga I was most excited about was the food and it did not disappoint! I’m talking fresh seafood, Iberico ham, ice cream, sangria and more drool-worthy dishes.

On our first night, we headed to Er Pichi de Cai, which was empty because we were dining hours earlier than any respectable Spaniard would dare have dinner. We ordered a bunch of tapas-size dishes to share - something we’d do all week long - with the standouts being the grilled octopus and cooked tuna fillets.

My usual experience with tuna is either raw or tinned, so having it cooked like a steak was so different. But everyone in our group agreed, it was surprisingly tender and so tasty!

Before climbing up to the palace and castle, we fortified ourselves with tapas from Uvedoble Taberna. This was probably our most chaotic ordering experience. I actually missed out on eating the first few dishes because Baby C was demanding to be fed and we weren’t used to sharing family-style yet.

But when I did get a taste, the duck and caramelized onion flatbread in particular were worth the wait!

While paella is actually from Valencia, we still had to sample the famous dish while in Spain. We went to Santa Mónica Correo Viejo to try their seafood paella as well as paella’s cousin, fideua, which uses tiny noodles instead of rice. Baby C was a big fan of fideua, happily eating leftover noodles later that night.

We also had some delicious meals back at our apartment, like the eggs Colin or my dad cooked each morning for breakfast, my mom’s shrimp aglio e olio (garlic and oil) pasta, and a perfectly simple lunch of cured meats and cheeses on baguette.

🥳 Baby C turns one and a big birthday surprise

The biggest highlight of my week - and the whole purpose of our trip to Malaga - was to celebrate Baby C’s birthday. I can’t believe my baby is one! It feels like just yesterday she was swaddled up tight in her bassinet and now she’s cruising around the house.

We hung a birthday banner across the window at our Airbnb and put a little one sign on her high chair. Baby C got to open cards and gifts throughout the day. We hosted a pizza party and after singing “Happy Birthday,” we cut into a traditional Basque cheesecake for dessert.

Of course, being one, Baby C had absolutely no idea what was going on. But she seemed to enjoy all of the attention - and her first taste of cake!

I was a little disappointed that my dad hadn’t been able to call in for Baby C’s birthday song, as we had arranged a video call with my family in Toronto. But it turns out he had a very good reason for missing it: Instead of being at home in Toronto where we thought he was, he was actually stuck at an airport in Paris, on his way to see us in person.

It was the best surprise to have my dad join us in Malaga and reunite Baby C with her Pumpa. A huge shout out to my step mom, Ali, for making it happen!

😅 The fine art of travelling with eight

Of course, no trip is complete without a few bumps!

I was definitely feeling some travel FOMO. I was really looking forward to making day trips to the nearby towns of Cordoba and Granada, both of which we decided to cut in favour of a slower itinerary.

Even seeing some members of our group go out to tour the bull ring or get rooftop drinks by the beach while Colin and I stayed back for naps gave me little pangs of envy.

But I know the trade-offs - a less stressful schedule and more downtime at home for Baby C - are worth it. Plus, Colin and I have already agreed we’ll come back and do a proper Andalusia trip when Baby C is older and done with naps.

Travelling as a big group can be tough too, though I think we did a good job of it. I’m glad we all stayed in the same apartment, as it made it easier for us to plan our days and enjoy group meals. It also gave Baby C lots of time with her grandparents, which was the whole point of the trip.

Still, trying to satisfy everyone and coordinate schedules was tough. Sometimes it didn’t feel like we were all on the same page. And ordering family-style for eight people when the menu is a mile long and your baby is screaming is never fun!

But overall, we had a great time and it was a very memorable way for Baby C to turn one surrounded by some of her favourite people. I don’t know how we beat this for her 2nd birthday!

✍️ New on Teaspoon of Adventure

Which Loire Valley Châteaux Should You Visit?

Speaking of castles and palaces, in my latest blog post I’m sharing some of my favourite chateaux in France’s Loire Valley. When I was planning our time in the Loire Valley, I had such a hard time figuring out which castles to visit. So, I created this guide to help you narrow it down!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

Not only did my dad fly out to join us in Malaga for Baby C’s birthday, but he’s following us home to Brighton! So next week will be all about introducing my dad to our temporary UK home and more quality time for Baby C and Pumpa. We can’t wait!

If spending your next birthday in Malaga sounds like a good idea, give this post a heart, share it with a friend, leave me a comment, restack and subscribe for more adventures around Europe!

I’ll be writing some blog posts and guides about our time in Malaga soon, so feel free to get in touch with any questions, requests or recommendations from your own trip.

Until next time, I hope your week is as magical as tasting birthday cake for the very first time!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Looking for more? Catch up on last week’s Brighton adventures with my mother-in-law or read more about Spain in my 3 day itinerary for Madrid and love letter to Seville.

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

But one of the best parts is when those loved ones come and visit us abroad!

If you’re new around here, I’m Riana. These days I’m slow travelling through Europe with my husband (Colin), daughter (Baby C) and dog (Ellie). Right now we’re mid-way through our stay in Brighton, UK and about to welcome some love from home.

We were so excited to welcome my mother-in-law, Margie, to our city this week. We hadn’t seen her in person since August when she came to visit us in Toronto, so this was a long-awaited reunion.

It’s no secret that I’m in love with Brighton. Colin feels the same way - to the point that we were saying if we ever ended up living in the UK, Brighton would probably be our first choice - so we were really hoping his mom would love it too.

Despite some grey and rainy weather, Margie really enjoyed Brighton! She liked the street art, the independent shops, the beach and the food - all of the parts we like best too. And, of course, she loved getting lots of Grandma cuddles in with Baby C!

We only had a few short days with Margie in Brighton. But don’t worry, our next reunion is going to come very soon and be somewhere much warmer…

Showing grandma our favourite corners of Brighton

We took advantage of our one non-rainy day with Colin’s mom to show her some of our favourite parts of Brighton, plus eat at some of our favourite restaurants. I love that we’ve been here long enough to have favourites we frequent often!

Living in North Laine, we got to show off all of the incredible street art and colourful houses in our neighbourhood. These places still make me smile every time I take Ellie for a walk. Margie even got to watch a local artist paint a new mural just down the street from us.

We returned to The Grand where we had gone for afternoon tea when my mom was in Brighton with us. I guess it’s our thing to bring moms to tea at a fancy seafront hotel! Once again, the afternoon tea experience was so lovely and we had lots of leftover cakes and scones to bring home.

After tea, we took a nice walk along the beachfront. Colin, Baby C and I have been down there a few times but it really doesn’t get old. I love looking out over the crashing waves, admiring the art galleries tucked under the boardwalk, and walking along Palace Pier. I think this was Margie’s favourite part of Brighton!

For dinner, we had to bring my mother-in-law to one of our favourite places in Brighton (and London), Dishoom! Of course, it was another hit. We ordered a few new-to us dishes that we’ll definitely be getting again, like the Aloo Tikka Chaat (fried potatoes with lots of fun sauces on top) and Chicken Ruby (Dishoom’s version of butter chicken).

I shared a few sips of my mango lassi with Baby C but I think she happily would’ve polished off a whole glass by herself!

🍻 I’ve found my favourite pub food in Brighton

One of my favourite UK quirks is traditional English pubs that serve anything but traditional English food. While Margie was in town, we went for lunch at The Eagle, a Brighton pub that serves incredible Thai food!

Dare I say it was the best Thai food I’ve had outside of Thailand? I’m not sure if I’m ready to go that far, but it really was amazing! My Khao Soi (a Northern Thai curry with noodles and chicken) was so delicious. It took me right back to our days in Chiang Mai, ordering bowl after bowl of Khao Soi wherever we could get it.

Colin and I also took advantage of Grandma being in town to go out for a little date night. We headed to a local North Laine pub, The Lord Nelson Inn, and dreamt up designs for our new apartment in Vancouver over sticky toffee pudding and ice cream.

🐬 The cutest splash of the week

Obviously the real highlight of the week was having Margie visit us in Brighton. But since I’ve already spent most of this newsletter talking about that, I’m going to sneak one more high point of the week into this section.

It’s Baby C’s swim class! And I know as a loyal reader of my Substack newsletter, you’re probably thinking, “But Riana, you already told us how much you loved baby swim class in last week’s email!”

You’re right. So I won’t overdo it. All I’ll say is that this week I got to be in the water with Baby C, which was even more fun than watching from the sidelines. We both had a blast as she got water poured over her face, learned to grab onto the wall, smiled up at all of the other parents, and did her very first underwater dip!

🧳 Our packing marathon before take-off

After Margie left, we had a couple of days to pack up before we too had to leave Brighton (not for good!). I’m not sure how it happened, but we ended up spending almost an entire day packing for our upcoming trip!

We managed to pack two adults and a baby into two carry-on suitcases for a week-long trip, so we did very well! But it still took forever to figure out what we wanted to bring, pack it all, make our breakfasts and snacks for the next day, prep our house, etc.

Plus we had to get our dog ready to go stay with the sitter, which also meant packing all of her stuff up. So all of that packing, planning and prepping - plus doing it with a wiggling baby in between her naps and meals - took up our whole Sunday.

Gone are the days when I used to pack for a trip on the same day I was leaving and the whole process took less than 30 minutes!

🛠️ Behind the scenes at Teaspoon of Adventure

This is usually the part where I share my newest travel blog post with you but I actually don’t have a new post ready this week. Cue the internal panic every writer has when they fear the ink in their pen has dried up!

It’s not quite that dire. I’m just dragging my feet on finishing my latest post. For whatever reason, I’m just not feeling inspired to write a full length blog post at the moment.

But rather than give into the panic, I’m going to lean into my natural creative rhythm. This is not the first time I haven’t wanted to write on my blog and I’m sure it won’t be the last. So I’m keeping myself busy by updating old posts, editing photos and even doing podcast interviews (which I’m excited to tell you more about when I can!).

I have tons of ideas and outlines sitting in my drafts. So as soon as the spark returns, I’ll be right back at it with a fresh blog post to share with you. In the meantime, feel free to catch up on anything you might have missed!

What’s coming up next

Next week we’re leaving Brighton and heading off for a week of warmer weather to celebrate a very special birthday. If you follow me on the Substack app or other social media, you might already know where we’re off to. But for now I’ll just say, hasta luego!

Send us off on our trip in style by subscribing, leaving a comment, hearting this post, restacking it, sharing it on social media or sending it to a friend (whew! so many options). Honestly, it means the world to me whenever I get a new subscriber and I love to read and respond to your comments.

Until next week, I’m wishing you scenic walks on the beach, delicious Thai food and a sunny, seaside escape in your near future!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Looking for more to read? Catch up on our latest neighbourhood explorations in Brighton, check out the last time we travelled with our moms through Europe or discover how we stay in touch with loved ones while we’re abroad.

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

The only thing better than living somewhere awesome is getting to share that awesome place with friends.

This week, our friends Holly & Ollie drove over from Folkestone to spend the day with us in Brighton. They hadn’t visited Brighton in years and we are still new to the city, so we were all gushing about our surroundings.

We had an incredible time catching up over delicious Mexican food at La Choza (so good in fact that Colin and I went back to the same restaurant just a few days later). I loved my pork belly tacos with cranberry sauce and Baby C got to try her first burrito (she was a huge fan).

We shopped around North Laine, browsing in Bert’s, which is my favourite kind of store - filled with tons of practical, yet adorable, homeware items in bright colours at reasonable prices. We bought brownies, we got coffees and we waved our friends off to the beach while we returned to our apartment for Baby C’s nap.

After the beach, Holly and Ollie came over so we could have more chats over candy and tea. It was so nice to catch up with friends and actually have the opportunity to host, something we haven’t gotten to do much since leaving Vancouver in mid-June. (And clearly we’re out of practice, because all we had to offer our guests was a big box of candy - but no one complained!)

I already know that I’m in love with Brighton and I sing its praises anytime anyone asks about it. But getting to share the parts I love - like walking past street art and colourful homes, popping into independent shops, grabbing great food, and even chilling on the couch at home - with other people makes it all feel that much more magical.

The corners of Brighton we fell for this week

This week we went out and explored a few different neighbourhoods around Brighton, trying out a few new cafes and visiting a couple of museums/galleries along the way.

Up first, we went for a walk along London Road to see the Duke of York Theatre, one of the oldest cinemas still in operation (it’s first showing was in 1910). You may recognize it by the iconic legs in striped leggings that stick out from the roof!

Right next door is Curio Cafe, where we enjoyed a delicious slice of honey butter toast. We continued our walk up to Preston Park and picked up some yummy brownies from Cielo Cakery to take home.

On another day, we headed up the hill to the Seven Dials neighbourhood (named for an intersection with seven crossing streets). And boy was it up a hill! I’m very grateful that Colin was pushing the stroller for the majority of that climb.

We enjoyed a Thai lunch at the Red Snapper and then went on this self-guided walking tour to see the beautiful Victorian homes and sea views. The walk brought us by two very quirky art galleries: the Dog & Bone Gallery (housed in two phone booths) and Anna’s Museum (a storefront window filled with oddities).

To escape the rain later in the week, we decided to check out the Brighton Toy & Model Museum. This museum is just a few minutes away from us, so we were saving it for a rainy day when we were short on time.

The museum is small but packed with old school figurines, dolls, model trains, board games and more. It was cool to see such an extensive toy collection, but I’m not sure it’s quite worth the £8 entrance fee unless you’re really into vintage toys.

🍝 The best bites from our week

As I mentioned in a past newsletter, we’ve been eating out a lot in Brighton. I already snuck some restaurants and cafes into the first parts of this post but if you can believe it, we did eat out even more this week. There’s just so much good food around!

In an effort to not make you drool too much on your phone/laptop, I’ll just hit you with the highlights:

• Sunday roast at The Hop Poles: The first pub we tried to go to was full so we went around the corner and had a perfectly delicious roast at this local spot.

• Sweet treats from Coffee at 33: I’ve yet to try anything I don’t like from this North Laine coffee shop. The Basque cheesecake and GF brownie get my highest endorsement!

• Sushi bento boxes from Taro: I was craving a little taste from home, so we headed to Taro and ordered their bento box complete with nigiri, tempura, terriyaki and rolls. It was all so tasty!

• Cakes from Brass Monkey: It was a bit too cold to get a scoop of ice cream from this shop in The Lanes (though I did try a taste and it’s delicious), but it was the perfect temperature for a slice of their chocolate caramel cake and of their ginger rhubarb cake. Both were so good!

I’ll also give an honourable mention to the delicious curries we had at Bali and cakes we tried from Coffeetzar, both in the North Laine neighbourhood of Brighton. Macarons we ate from Julien Plumart on Queens Road were also delish!

🌊 The cutest thing we’ve done in Brighton

Since we knew we’d be in Brighton for two months, we decided to enrol Baby C in an infant swim class and she had her first lesson this week. It was so stinkin’ cute!

Baby C had a blast interacting with the other babies, smiling at the parents sitting on the sidelines and splashing around in the water. She was a champ getting water poured over her head, though wasn’t as big a fan of floating on her back.

I had the biggest grin on my face watching Baby C and Colin in the water (we’re taking turns going in with her, so Colin was in this week). She was having so much fun and it was just so sweet watching all of the little babies in the pool.

I love that we’re in Brighton long enough to do something like this. One of my favourite things about travelling slowly as a family is getting to have these local experiences. It makes us feel so much more integrated in our community and is just a really fun activity for both Baby C and her parents!

✍️ New on Teaspoon of Adventure

2025: A Year in Review

2025 was such an epic year that I needed the entire month of January to finish my wrap up post! But trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Check out everything we got up to in 2025 - as told through the pages of my Printique photo book - plus see how I did on my predictions from 2024 and what I’m planning for 2026!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

Next week, we’re welcoming my mother-in-law to Brighton! We haven’t seen her since August when she came out to visit us in Toronto, so it’s going to be so nice to reunite in person. Baby C is looking forward to all of the Grandma cuddles!

Help me prepare for my MIL’s visit by hearting this post, sharing it with a friend, subscribing and leaving a comment with your thoughts on living like a local in Brighton, baby swim lessons or just something tasty you ate this week.

Until we chat next Sunday, I hope you have a delicious and sunny week wherever you are in the world!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Need some more reading material? Go behind the scenes on our trip planning, find out what we pack for extended travel with a baby, and discover what there is to do in Orleans, France.

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

Heads up: Usually these newsletters capture a week in our life abroad, but for this edition, I’ve skipped the weekly update and instead am sharing a big travel decision we’ve made. I hope you enjoy reading about it! We’ll be back to weekly recaps from the UK next week.

After many iterations, our Baby Trip (what my husband, Colin, and I call this ten-ish month trip we’re currently on with our baby and dog during his parental leave) looked like this:

• Summer 2025 in Toronto with my family

• Fall 2025 in the Loire Valley and Normandy regions of France

• Winter 2025/2026 in London and Brighton, UK (where we are now!)

• Spring 2026 in Emilia Romagna, Italy

• Fly back home to Vancouver mid-April 2026

But we recently made a big decision that’s drastically changing the future of our Baby Trip.

We’re not going to Italy anymore. We’re staying in the UK. And we’re coming home one month early.

I can already hear people saying, “Why are you giving up on Italy? Who would choose expensive and cold England over Italy? And why are you voluntarily cutting your trip short and heading home early?”

In fact, I was one of those people. Another creator I follow talked about coming home early from a two-month trip to Seoul with her toddler. When I read that, I thought to myself, “Nope, would never be me. I’d want to travel as long as possible.”

And now here I am, moving up my own flight home by a month.

So why exactly are we skipping Italy and choosing to return to Vancouver before we have to? Do we hate gelato or something? (Of course not!)

Like most things, there are a few reasons behind our decision. But most of them boil down to making life a little bit easier for ourselves.

It turns out, this new parent thing, it’s hard! Who would’ve thought? And it’s even harder when you add in full time travel, navigating new countries/cultures/languages, bringing along a dog, working from home, sharing unfamiliar and small spaces, etc.

I loved our two months in France. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t let out a huge sigh of relief when we got to England.

It’s not home but it feels awfully familiar. It’s so nice to be able to read all of the street signs, converse with people when we go out, and know what’s what at the grocery store. Even being in a big city like London, with diverse food and convenient transportation, was very comforting.

By saying no to Italy, a part of me feels like we’re giving up. I pride myself on travelling to new places and not seeking out the exact same experience abroad as I could have at home. I almost never consider foreign language a problem when I travel, knowing I’ll be able to get through by learning a few words and using a translation app.

And we did get by in France. We used the French skills we had, learned new words and turned to Google translate. We could probably do the same thing in Italy.

But there’s a difference between travelling through a foreign country for a couple of days versus living there for weeks/months with a baby and a dog.

We’re already “travelling heavy” as one flight attendant called it when she saw us board the plane with our dog and baby, so adding a completely different language and culture on top of that is hard.

I’m not saying it’s impossible. I’m not even saying it isn’t worth it. I’m glad we had our time in France and wouldn’t have wanted to spend this entire trip in only English-speaking countries.

There’s a part of me that wishes we were still going to Italy or that we had spent more of this Baby Trip in a completely different culture, giving Baby C and ourselves a new experience. When I saw my mom’s recent photos through the winding lanes of a Portuguese seaside town, I was envious. I once even dreamt about doing this Baby Trip through Asia or South America.

But in an effort to give myself grace and to continue embracing what I do get to experience on this trip rather than everything I don’t, I’m trying to let go of my lofty aspirations. It’s okay that we’re choosing to make our lives easier.

And Italy isn’t going anywhere! I know that we won’t always seek out English-speaking countries when we travel. It’ll be so much easier to go to Italy - or Portugal or Japan or Peru or wherever - when we don’t also have our dog and a crap ton of luggage with us.

Speaking of our dog…

The biggest factor in our decision to not go to Italy was transportation - namely, transporting our dog, Ellie.

We had to do A LOT of work to bring our dog from France to England. We first did hours of research back in Canada, multiple vet visits and export paperwork to get her to France.

Then from France to England, it was a week of driving, expensive taxis, more vet visits and train rides - all while carting our baggage, baby gear and selves through multiple Airbnbs, cities and stations.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Folkestone and Calais, I was really not looking forward to doing it all in reverse in order to get Ellie back to mainland Europe. And this time, it’d be an even longer trek because we’d be heading all the way down to Italy. Plus getting from Italy back to Paris to fly home!

When we learned that we can fly a dog in-cabin from the UK directly to Canada (you just can’t do it in reverse from Canada to the UK), we were pretty much sold on our new plan.

No expensive and tiring week-long, multi-country, train and taxi journey with four suitcases, two backpacks, a stroller, a car seat, a dog and a baby? We can just stay in the UK and fly home directly from here? Yes, please!

After cancelling our Airbnb in Italy, we started to search for a new place to spend the spring in the UK. Did we want to head up to Scotland? Maybe Wales? I’ve heard York is cool!

In the end, we decided to return to London. And again, I’m conflicted about this.

On paper, it sounds boring. We already lived in London for five weeks in Nov/Dec 2025 and I’ve been to the city 10+ times. Why aren’t we going farther and exploring somewhere new?

Partly because the whole point of staying in the UK instead of going to Italy is to make life easier for ourselves. We don’t want to board multiple trains or planes to get to our new home and do it all in reverse to fly out of London.

And partly because we’re not done with London yet. We really made the most of our initial five weeks in London, but there is so much left on my list of shows to see, museums to visit, restaurants to eat at, parks to explore and neighbourhoods to wander around.

While I loved living in Brixton, it meant we were a bit far from things north of the Thames, particularly on the east side of London. When it takes 45 minutes to get somewhere, your baby is only awake for 3-3.5 hours at a time, and you have to factor in time for lunch, snacks and breastfeeding, it makes outings tough.

So when I found a place for the spring in an East London neighbourhood that I had heard great things about - think street art, delicious food, weekly markets and good transit connections - it was hard to say no.

Our Airbnb search hadn’t yielded anything we were more excited about elsewhere in the UK, so we decided not to fight the weight of our own travel expectations and just book the London place.

As soon as we booked it, I got that giddy feeling I get whenever I confirm a new adventure. I couldn’t stop smiling and I immediately opened up about a dozen tabs on my laptop looking for the best restaurants and things to do in the area.

It felt good to be excited about our new plans, even if we weren’t going to a new city or new country.

So that’s how we said goodbye to Italy and hello to London (again). But why move up our departure date?

Honestly, the reason we’re cutting our trip short by a month is (mostly) due to money.

In case you didn’t know, the UK is expensive! Yes there are free museums and groceries can be reasonable but the cost of living is still very high. Especially when you remember that the British pound is worth almost twice as much as the Canadian dollar, a long stay in the UK starts to add up.

We’re paying quite a bit on accommodation in the UK - much more than we paid in France or would have paid in Italy. And because one of the things we love doing when we’re in these awesome UK neighbourhoods is eat out, we also end up spending a lot of money on restaurants and cafes.

This is a once in a lifetime trip for us, so it’s been worth it to splurge to stay in cool cities, find comfortable and well-located accommodation, eat out at tasty restaurants and cafes, try new activities, go on day trips, etc. We’re still budget-minded but we also want to enjoy ourselves.

If we never left our apartment and lived way out in the suburbs, we could’ve just stayed home.

To be perfectly honest, we would be able to afford to stay in the UK until mid-April, which was our original departure date. It would be expensive, but doable. But we like the idea of heading home with a larger nest egg, especially as we’ll have to partially furnish our new apartment when we get back.

Speaking of home, there are definitely some benefits to returning to Vancouver earlier than planned.

Of course, we’re excited to reunite with friends and family. Our moms, in particular, will be thrilled to see their granddaughter in person a month sooner, and not just over video calls.

We’ve also already signed a lease on a new apartment in Vancouver. We’re not cutting our trip short just because we have a place - in fact, not having a place would probably be a bigger reason to go home early so we’d be able to house hunt on the ground - but it is exciting to know we’ll have a home to move into right away.

We already talk a lot about plans to furnish and decorate our home, explore our new neighbourhood, and invite people over. So I think being able to do that all a month earlier than planned is an incentive.

Going home early will also give us more time to settle in and get ready to transition out of parental leave. Colin will be going back to work full time and I’ll essentially be a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom until we figure out a childcare plan. We’ll also be unpacking, dealing with jet lag and trying to furnish our home.

That’s going to be a rough transition, so I like the idea of having a few weeks to get through it, rather than only a few days.

Another bonus? If Colin goes back to work a bit earlier than planned, we gain back some of his paid vacation days. That means we can go on another trip in 2026!

It’s a lot easier for me to justify going home from this Baby Trip early if it means I get to travel more later in the year. Or even if we just use those days so Colin can have some shorter work weeks and more time at home with us, that’s worth it too.

All right, so now you’re all caught up! After a few more weeks in Brighton: Italy is out, London is back in and we should be landing back in Vancouver apx mid-March…

…that is unless our plans change again (which, knowing us, could definitely happen). Subscribe to stay tuned!

Subscribe now

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ My Guide to Royal Chateau de Blois

Come along as we discover this royal castle in the Loire Valley, once home to the kings and queens of France. Chateau Royal de Blois is known for its four distinct architectural styles, views over the old town and impressive art gallery.

Read the full post to decide whether this castle should make it onto your France bucket list!

Read the post

What’s coming up next

Thanks for taking the time to read this little life update! I’d love to know what you think about our travel plans. Share your takes or tips below!

I’d also love to know what you thought of this style of post compared to my weekly recap updates. Would you prefer more long form essays like this? Or should this be a one-and-done?

Comment below or reply to this email and let me know how you’re feeling about posts like this. Either way, I appreciate you being here and following along on my family’s adventures. You can send us all the love by hearting this post, sharing it with a friend and subscribing.

Next week, I’ll be back with our latest weekly Brighton recap featuring a reunion with good friends, Baby C’s first swim lesson and, of course, more delicious food!

Until then, I’m wishing you all the confidence you need to make decisions that fill your life and travels with ease, regardless of what anyone (including the critic in your head) thinks. In fact, I’m wishing this for me too!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Looking for more? Catch up on all the great food we ate in Brighton last week, read about our first Baby Trip base in Orleans, France and then our second base in London.

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

Brighton reminds me a lot of Vancouver, our home back in Canada.

Both cities are on the water with mild-ish climates. Both are secondary cities compared to the country’s heavy hitter (Toronto and London). Both are beautiful places to live, whether that’s thanks to Vancouver’s mountains or Brighton’s colourful street art.

And both are full of delicious food!

I’m embarrassed to admit how often we’re eating out while living in Brighton. There was one day where we ate out four separate times (morning coffee, lunch, afternoon coffee and late night dessert).

But at the same time, I’m really enjoying discovering Brighton through its food. Just like Vancouver, there’s not a ton to “do” in Brighton. Eating out really is the main thing on the itinerary. Unlike London, there aren’t a lot of museums, monuments or musicals to see.

(To be fair, I think there is a good live comedy/event scene in Brighton, but as parents of an almost-one year old, we’re not up late enough for any of that!)

Don’t get me wrong - Brighton isn’t dull - far from it! It’s a city that is best discovered on foot, exploring colourful alleyways, walking along the beach, popping into independent shops, and stopping for coffee or lunch at any of the delicious looking cafes and restaurants.

I feel the same way about Vancouver. Whenever people ask me what there is to do in my hometown, I draw a blank. We’re not really known for our museums, galleries or big attractions. In my opinion, the best things to do in Vancouver are walk along the Seawall, sit by the beach, shop on Granville Island, and eat all of the seafood you can find!

Maybe that’s why I feel so at home in Brighton. It’s similar to Vancouver in all the best ways, yet still has so many unique quirks. Each time I’m walking our dog or out on a stroll with the family, something new catches my eye - a store I want to check out, a cafe I want to try or a piece of street art I have to snap a photo of.

After experiencing so much FOMO during our five weeks in London (there was no way we’d be able to see and do everything I wanted without burning out and screwing up nap times), I’m feeling much more at peace in Brighton. With two months here, we are easily going to be able to go to every museum, gallery and neighbourhood of interest.

The only thing we’re not going to have time for is to eat at every great restaurant - but you better believe we’ll try our best!

What we did this week

This week’s explorations took us down to the waterfront. On one of our last days with my mom (who headed off for a solo trip to Portugal), we walked along Brighton Palace Pier.

Palace Pier is huge! Just on the pier itself there’s a giant arcade, casino, restaurant, amusement park, and tons of carnival games and food stalls. Despite it being January, I was surprised to see how busy the pier was. There were even people on the rides - wearing jackets, basking in the winter sun and shrieking as they went around the loop-de-loop.

On another day, we walked back down to the beach to head to Brighton Fishing Museum. This small museum is completely free and easy to visit even if you only have a few minutes. It’s just two rooms with some cool artifacts, an old ship and lots of info on Brighton’s waterfront history.

On the way there, we popped into some of the art studios and galleries that line the beach. I love that there are artists working just steps from the rolling waves. I can’t imagine a better place for creative inspiration!

We ended up buying a print from The Open Studios. We’re picking up a print in each place we call home during our Baby Trip so that we can hang them up when we return to Vancouver. Not only were we able to get a beautiful print of the Brighton seafront but the artist who painted it, Nate Cordery, was in the shop and posed for a photo!

What we ate this week

Friends of ours asked how we’re managing to balance eating out and cooking at home with all of the good food available in Brighton. Our answer? We’re not! We’ve been eating out a lot and, honestly, I’m not even that mad about it. It’s all been so delicious!

We were excited when we found out that Brighton has a Dishoom location and that we could bring my mom for her first Dishoom experience. We headed to Dishoom Permit Room for lunch - a first for Colin and me too as we’ve only ever been for breakfast - and were totally blown away.

Everything - from the chocolate chai and mango lassi to prawn curry and chicken cranberry biryani - was so yummy. I can’t wait to go back and try more! Baby C was also a big fan of everything she ate, especially the garlic naan.

Colin, Baby C and I also had a delicious lunch at The Pond, a pub near us that specializes in bao buns. Since Colin wanted a pub lunch and I was craving Asian food, it was the perfect compromise! We tried four different baos (the pork belly and fried chicken were my favourite), plus a cider they had on tap.

On one of my mom’s last days with us, we had lunch at Giggling Squid, part of a chain of Thai restaurants in the UK. The restaurant itself had such charming decor and the food was amazing. We loved the street food appetizer sampler and duck stir-fry noodles.

We also loved getting hot chocolates from Knoops. In case you’re unfamiliar with this UK cafe chain, Knoops allows you to choose from 20 different types of chocolate to create a hot, iced or mocha beverage. You can also pick different spices, mix-ins and toppings.

On the same day that we went to Knoops, Colin and I somehow found room for even more sugary goodness. We headed out to Heavenly Desserts for an after-dinner parent-only date night with my mom back at the apartment watching Baby C on the monitor while she slept.

I really enjoyed my cinnamon monkey bread with vanilla gelato and Colin did a cool make-your-own dessert with half baked cookie dough, raspberries, chocolate sauce and hazelnut gelato. It was also so nice for us to have a little date night - our first in a very long time!

Okay, last thing we ate (I promise!): We went to Brighton institution Bardsley's for their famous fish and chips this week. We shared a platter with both cod and halibut, plus chips, and it all tasted great. I thought the fish was nice, thick and perfectly battered.

Some say it’s the best fish and chips in Brighton, but right now it’s the only one I’ve tried, so I can’t say for sure. It was very good though!

Highlight of the week

(Okay, I lied. I’ve got to talk about one more meal.)

On my mom’s final day with us, she wanted to treat us to a nice lunch out and she couldn’t have picked a better place. We went to Tutto, a modern Italian restaurant that was the perfect balance of stylish, comfortable and service-oriented.

We shared the tasting menu which included a whole feast of small plates - buffalo mozzarella, tuna crudo, suppli, pizza, sausage pasta, chicken Milanese, broccolini and roasted potatoes. We also added on prawns and a crab and lemon spaghetti, plus ordered some fun drinks.

It was so much food and oh so delicious! The restaurant was full of other families and couples, all having a great time eating out on a sunny day in Brighton. The staff were very kind and made us feel so welcomed.

If you’re looking for a nice place in Brighton that isn’t too expensive or stuffy, I highly recommend Tutto!

Lowlight of the week

Despite it being past Christmas, we decided to make salt dough ornaments. The idea was to memorialize Baby C’s first Christmas by making ornaments of her handprints and footprints.

It started out well. We mixed the ingredients, rolled out the dough and then went to press Baby C’s hand into it. At which point, she loudly informed us she was not a fan!

Between protests, we managed to get a few decent hand and footprints. We placed them into the oven and…

…they did not turn out! The dough started to burn and puff, which it was not supposed to do. We ended up with distorted discs that barely resemble her hands and feet.

We thought about re-doing them but decided we didn’t want the hassle nor did we want to put Baby C through it again, since she obviously didn’t enjoy the experience.

And you know what? The misshapen ones are actually a funnier memory of our first Christmas with Baby C! So we’re keeping them, and they’ll be up on our tree every year with a good story behind them.

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ 23 Delicious Places to Eat in Brixton, London

After hearing about all of the great food we’re eating in Brighton in this post, simply switch the “gh” for an “x” and you can read about our favourite restaurants, cafes and pubs in Brixton, where we lived in London for five weeks. Get ready to drool!

Read the post here

⭐ Coffee Talk: From Suitcases to Strollers - A Chat with Riana About Slow Travel Through Europe

I was also featured on the incredible ’s Substack this week, taking part in her Coffee Talk interview series. It was such an honour to be included and so much fun to reflect on our Baby Trip.

You can read my interview with Anna below and be sure to subscribe to Anna’s Substack. She goes on the best adventures around London, the UK and abroad, sharing incredible travel tips, local history and beautiful shopping finds!

Leave It To Anna

Coffee Talk: From Suitcases to Strollers - A Chat with Riana About Slow Travel Through Europe

One of the best parts of writing Leave it to Anna is connecting with fellow Substack writers who are challenging the rhythm of how we travel and why. Today, I’m chatting with Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure, a travel blogger who’s currently in a middle of slow traveling through Europe with her husband, their baby daughter, and their dog…

Read more

3 months ago · 12 likes · 4 comments · Leave It To Anna and Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

What’s coming up next

Next week’s newsletter is actually going to be a little different. I’m postponing our weekly recap to instead let you in on a little behind-the-scenes travel planning, including a pretty huge decision we’ve made about the rest of our time abroad!

You won’t want to miss it. Tell your friends to subscribe, send the link to your mom, hire a blimp to spread the word and keep refreshing your inbox on Sunday morning!

Until then, I’m wishing you a very delicious week wherever you are in the world!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Want to read more? Catch up on our first week in Brighton, reminisce about the Christmas season in London, or check out all of the great food we ate when we were living in Orleans, France.

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

This week we arrived in our new home for the next two months: Brighton, England. I’ve never been to Brighton before but a week in, and I can already tell I’m going to love living here.

As the name implies, Brighton is very bright! We’ve been spoiled with lots of winter sun for our first week. The city itself is also covered in stunning street art and many of the doors and buildings are painted in vibrant colours.

We’re living in North Laine, which one of the books in our Airbnb describes as the “heart and soul of Brighton.” Our neighbourhood is full of delicious cafes and restaurants, vintage clothing stores, independent shops, and all of that street art and colour I love!

As a bonus, it’s only a few minutes’ walk from the train station, which made getting here from London pretty easy.

We spent our first few days unpacking and setting up our home, doing a big grocery haul, and wandering the streets of North Laine.

On our first full day here, we walked down a pedestrianized street busy with people shopping and sitting at outdoor tables in the sun. I was grinning the entire time and mentally noting about a dozen different stores I want to come back to. It was such a nice welcome to Brighton!

What we did this week

This week, we headed to Brighton’s Open Market, a covered outdoor market with food, clothing and goods for sale. We picked up delicious mini sausage rolls from Little Piggy, handmade cards from a local artist, plus new sweaters for Colin and I from a secondhand shop.

Right behind the market is The Level, a very cool park in the middle of the city. After watching people do tricks at the skate park, we headed over to the playground section. Baby C is still a bit young for most playground equipment, but it was fun to put her on swings and slides. She mostly loved watching the bigger kids play.

On another sunny day this week, Colin and I took Baby C and our dog, Ellie, down to Brighton Beach, which is only a 15 minute walk from our apartment.

Along the way, we got to see more North Laine shopping streets, plus walk through The Lanes, a series of twisty turn-y alleyways full of shops and restaurants that look like something out of Harry Potter. We’ll definitely have to return there for more exploring!

The beach itself was awesome. It was too cold for swimming (for us, at least; I did see some brave souls doing cold plunges) but the perfect temperature to walk along the boardwalk, take in the views, and enjoy a little al fresco snack on a seaside bench.

Oh and one more exciting thing we did this week: We signed a lease on a new apartment back home in Vancouver!

We’re not going back to Vancouver for a while, but it’s so nice to know we’ll have an awesome place to live when we arrive and won’t have to scramble to find housing. And now I want to buy a bunch of beautiful home decor from all of the Brighton shops even more than I already did!

What we ate this week

I was sad to leave behind such great food in our neighbourhood of Brixton in London but I cheered right up when I realized that Brighton is going to be just as delicious a place to live!

We’ve sampled a few cafes around North Laine so far: Coffee at 33, The Flour Pot and Pelicano. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but the pastries have been excellent. And we’ve tried some really unique ones, like orange polenta cake, caramel cinnamon brownies, and white chocolate, cranberry and rosemary cookies.

After having our first roast meal at a pub back in Brixton, I’ve now had two more roasts here in Brighton at The Basketmakers Arms and The Dorset. Controversially, I don’t love that the plates are drowning in gravy (I need to remember to ask for mine on the side). But I do love all of the veg and sides hidden underneath.

And, of course, you can’t be mad at a giant Yorkshire pudding!

But my favourite meal of the week would have to be our afternoon tea at The Grand. This was Baby C’s first afternoon tea experience and our first one of this trip to the UK. It was so well done!

We were sat in a beautiful terrace room with lush velvet chairs, sea views and lots of sunshine. Our tea package came with unlimited hot beverages, so we indulged in hot chocolates, mochas and three types of tea. The food was also incredible - mini sandwiches, quiches, sausage rolls, tarts, cakes, pies and, of course, very good scones with cream and jam!

For some non-British meals this week, we ate Korean/Japanese rice and noodle dishes from O’Shio (we wanted to try their sushi but it was so pricy, especially compared to the cheap and fresh sushi we get in Vancouver) and we ordered pizza from Fatto a Mano, which was delicious.

Highlight of the week

We visited Brighton’s Royal Pavilion this week and it totally blew me away. I had seen photos of the outside of the building but had no idea what would be waiting inside.

Walking into the dining room was an eyes-wide-jaw-dropped moment. The long table, the chandeliers, the ceiling, the curtains, the gold - it was all so stunning! I had a similar reaction when I walked into the ballroom, which was also ornately decorated and had lots of cool dragons in its design.

The pavilion was originally built as a seaside retreat for King George IV in the late 1700’s. Unique to most other castles/palaces we’ve seen in Europe so far, this one is built in the Indo-Saracenic style, which was popular in India in the 1800’s.

So throughout the pavilion, there are lots of Asian design elements (not what I was expecting from a royal home in England!). That meant a lot of dragons, which was especially cool for us as both my mom and Baby C are born in the year of the dragon.

We had an amazing time touring the pavilion and hanging out in the different play spaces for kids. Baby C was particularly enchanted by two little girls who were dressing up in period costume for a pretend tea party.

Lowlight of the week

Last week, I had a slight tickle in my throat and this week, the rest of the family came down with it. First my mom, then Colin and lastly (and most sadly) Baby C. Everyone got their own version of it (cold, cough, headache, etc) but suffice to say the kettle was always on with lots of honey, lemon and ginger at the ready!

Despite a stuffed nose, Baby C was her usual happy and smiley self. In fact, she was probably the least miserable out of all of us and such a trooper through our activities and meals out.

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ 5 Ways We Stay Connected to Friends & Family While Travelling Abroad

One of our biggest concerns about spending 10 months away from Vancouver with our baby was missing out on time with friends and family. Luckily, we’ve been able to stay connected with visits, modern tech and some old-school snail mail. Read all about it in my new post!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

Next week is our final week with my mom in Brighton before she’s off on her own European adventures. She’ll be travelling through Portugal’s Algarve and Spain’s Andalusia - so yes, I’m very jealous of the amount of warmth she’ll be getting compared to us in the UK!

But before she goes, we have lots of yummy Brighton restaurants we want to try. So stay tuned for some hopefully drool-worthy meals!

Until I’m next in your inbox, I hope you find some pockets of winter sunshine, art that makes you smile and lots of cozy moments with warm beverages.

Yours in adventure,
Riana

PS: Want to read more? Catch up on our final week in London here, read my full review of our five weeks living in London here or check out what we packed for 10 months of travel with a baby here!

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

I cannot believe how fast five weeks in London flew by! When I look back at the hundreds (possibly thousands) of photos I took and Substack posts I wrote, it’s clear we packed a lot into our five weeks. But it still feels like I blinked and now it’s time to go.

Living in London has been a dream for me since I first visited in 2012. I’ve been back many times since but never for a whole five weeks (and never with my husband, baby, dog and mom in tow!).

This was a wildly different London experience than I’ve ever had before. We weren’t pounding the pavement from dawn until dusk, trying to fit in every last tourist site before moving onto another city a few days later.

This time we had an apartment where we unpacked, cooked dinner, did laundry, read books and chased a baby around. We soaked up our local neighbourhood on dog walks, library visits, movie nights and so much eating out. We even frequented the same coffee shop often enough to fill an entire stamp card and get a free pastry!

This trip to London was longer but slower. We still did and saw a lot, but at a softer pace. Sometimes that frustrated me, particularly when I was scrolling through social media and finding so many new things we wouldn’t have time for.

And other times, I was grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to slow down, take a break and have a cozy day in when the weather was bad. Grateful for the chance to share this city I love with my daughter, even if that meant exploring it in smaller chunks. Grateful for every bit of London Christmas magic we got to soak up, rather than focusing on every market, storefront and light trail we missed.

So thank you, London, for giving me this little taste of local life. I woke up every day so exited to be in the city, no matter what was on our agenda. I absolutely loved living in London (and I know we’ll be back soon!).

What we did this week

On our final week in London, we visited two free museums that are a little lesser known. They aren’t exactly hidden gems, but they’re maybe not in the top 10 results when you Google “free London museums.”

First up was the Wallace Collection, a beautiful old house in Marylebone that holds a very impressive art collection. There were three floors of paintings, armour, swords, sculptures and more.

In the middle of the gallery was a beautiful restaurant in a covered courtyard. It looked like the perfect place for afternoon tea! And upstairs we passed an iPad drawing class they were offering for free.

We got to see the Caravaggio painting of cupid, which I’m sure someone more educated about art would tell you was a very big deal. But for me, the best part of the Wallace Collection was just walking around the stately home and seeing the decor, wallpaper and fireplaces.

We also visited the Grant Museum this week, a museum of zoology at University College London. It’s a small museum (just one big room) but has tons of interesting animal skeletons and specimens.

It’s definitely worth a walk around if you’re in the area. Pair it with lunch at Hong Ji Dim Sum Thai Restaurant, a delicious Chinese/Thai place nearby. We loved their dumplings and spicy Thai basil chicken dish.

What we ate this week

While Hong Ji was good, my favourite Asian meal of the week has to be at Banh Banh back in Brixton. We’d been wanting to try this Vietnamese place on our street for a while and I’m so sad we left it until our last week, because it meant we didn’t have time to go back!

We ordered a few different dishes but the stand outs were the caramel fish in a clay pot (so tender and flavourful!) and the garlic green beans. Even our 11 month old daughter was choosing the beans over everything else on her plate.

On the night my mom arrived in London, we welcomed her with a fancy dinner at The Laundry. I really loved the vibe of this place - moody lighting, dark wood, elevated pub atmosphere - but the food let me down a bit. Everything we ate was okay, but none of the flavours really wowed me. In my opinion, you can get better food for much cheaper in Brixton.

On the plus side, the staff were amazing! They were so sweet with Baby C, many of them coming by repeatedly to give her high fives or play peekaboo.

And for our final meal out in London, we returned to The Joint in Brixton Village. We couldn’t say no to their Wing Wednesday and lunch combo burger deals, plus enjoyed some French toast off their brunch menu. It was a very delicious end to our dining adventures around Brixton!

Highlight of the week

The best part of the week was going to a show at Unicorn Theatre with Baby C. The show we saw was designed for babies, so everyone in the audience was between 6 and 18 months old (besides us parents, of course).

All the parents, grandparents and babies settled onto benches and floor cushions as the performance began. I had no idea what Baby C was going to think of it. I assumed she would be distracted by the other kids or maybe get bored and want to crawl around.

But no, she was completely enthralled! Her eyes were glued to the performer the entire time. She was making little noises in response to the performer’s actions, laughing when something silly happened, and just so captivated by the experience.

Colin and I kept grinning at each other as we watched Baby C take it all in. As a big theatre fan myself, it felt so special to see my daughter enjoy live theatre. I can’t wait to take her to her first West End show!

After the performance, the babies were given toys and allowed to crawl around the space. Baby C went right up to another mom and baby, basically crawling into the mom’s lap and trying to touch the other baby’s face. I guess our girl isn’t shy!

Lowlight of the week

Of course the biggest lowlight of the week was having to leave London. Not only was it sad to be leaving my favourite city in the world, but the actual packing and moving process is never fun.

Having my mom around to help watch Baby C and carry bags - plus upgrading our suitcases and only having to travel a short distance - made this move less painful than the ones before, but it still wasn’t enjoyable.

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ What Living in London for 5 Weeks Was Really Like

In this blog post I’m breaking down our entire five week stay - what I loved about London, what I hated, how we got around, what we did, what we ate and my tips for someone else looking to do a short stay in London!

Read the post here

⭐ Our Essential Packing List for Travel with a Baby

After six months on the road with Baby C, I’ve put together our list of baby travel essentials - from the travel stroller and travel crib we swear by to travel-friendly toys, toiletries and sleep gear. Click below to read the full packing list and to get my code for 10% off LEVEL8 suitcases.

Read the post here

And as a subscriber, you can also download my baby packing list for free!

PS: I also got shouted out by two fellow Substackers in Jen’s Nov/Dec round up and Alex’s end of year round up. Check out their posts and give them a follow as I heartily recommend both of their Substacks too!

What’s coming up next

We headed out of our Brixton apartment with five suitcases, three backpacks, a stroller, a carseat, a dog and a baby onto a tube and a train to arrive in… BRIGHTON!

We’ll be spending the next two months on the south coast of England in Brighton, a city I’ve never been to and am very excited to explore.

I’ve got lots of cafes and independent shops saved on Google Maps, but am always looking for more: so if you have any Brighton recommendations, please leave them in the comments!

Now go ahead and give this post a heart if you love London like I do, share it on social media to spread the good word, and make sure you’re subscribed to follow along with our upcoming adventures in Brighton!

Until I’m next in your inbox, I hope your 2026 is off to a delicious and cozy start with lots of travel, good museums and live theatre planned for the year ahead!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

I always assumed that our baby’s first time meeting Santa would be similar to how many kids back in Canada do it. You go to your local mall, get in line and then snap a photo with the big man in red.

Instead, her first encounter with Saint Nick was at the London Transport Museum!

I had heard good things about the London Transport Museum from quite a few people, but wasn’t sure I wanted to pay the £25 ($46 CAD) entrance fee*, since London has so many amazing free museums.

*Technically it’s an annual pass you’re buying, not a single entrance. But the LTM isn’t a huge museum, so I’m not sure you’d need to visit more than once a year.

But after I read that the London Transport Museum would be all decked out for the holidays and that meeting Father Christmas was included in your admission, I was sold! We made our way to the Covent Garden museum with Baby C dressed in a reindeer jumper for the big event.

At just under a year, Baby C had zero concept of what was going on with the whole Santa thing. She was mostly interested in watching the other little kids run around.

But it was still a great time! We met Santa, took our family photos, and then headed off to explore the rest of the museum. As promised by everyone who raves about it, it was very cool to learn more about London’s transit system and to step onto lots of old-timey buses, trolleys, trains and trams.

We even picked up a London double decker bus ornament to mark the occasion!

What we did this week

The other big museum we visited this week was the Imperial War Museum. This free museum covers Britain’s war history, with huge exhibits dedicated to WWI, WWII and the Holocaust.

I was really blown away by how engaging this museum was and how well it was presented. The entire ground floor is a WWI exhibit and the way they designed it was so impressive. There was a trench you could walk through, old propaganda posters, lots of artifacts and vehicles, and even an army uniform you could try on.

The next floor told the story of WWII. While this exhibit didn’t look as creatively presented at first, I loved how much it focused on individual people. It was particularly cool to see how many women were highlighted!

Next was a floor dedicated to the Holocaust. There were a lot of photos, personal artifacts, heartbreaking stories and horrifying statistics. The gallery ends by showing video interviews with survivors, which was incredibly impactful.

Out on the terraces of each floor were large items - like torpedos, tanks, cars and aircrafts - which were very cool to see up close.

There was another floor with a temporary exhibit and photo gallery, but unfortunately we had to get back home to walk our dog, Ellie, so didn’t have time for it. We spent a few hours at the Imperial War Museum but you could easily spend a whole day there.

Following along with the war theme (but on a much less serious note), I went to see the musical Operation Mincemeat this week. I’ve heard great things about this show for years and after learning that a friend’s sister was in the band, I decided to enter the ticket lottery and luckily, I won!

The show was so good! It was hilarious and emotional with really great music and storytelling. I was so impressed by the cast - just five actors take on a ton of different roles, going in and out of each character seamlessly. I highly recommend seeing it if you’re in London or New York!

What we ate this week

It was another week of delicious eating all around Brixton! I’m so glad we chose to live in Brixton during our time in London because the food scene is unbeatable.

We started the week with Asian small plates at NOKO. The dan dan noodles with thick, chewy, hand-pulled noodles and the salt and pepper chicken skewers were my favourite.

On another day we decided to assemble our own international buffet by getting takeout from three different places in Brixton Village: we got chicken momos from House of Momo; BBQ pork on rice from Three Uncles; and fried plantain, cod fritters and chicken wings from Fish, Wings & Tings.

Everything was delicious and it was so fun to sample three different cuisines in one meal. The cod fritters were probably my favourite (the ginger and lime aioli they were served with was lick-the-plate good) and the BBQ pork plate gave me major nostalgia for growing up in Toronto’s Chinatown.

On the weekend, we went out for our first traditional Sunday roast at a pub - how very British of us! We met up with two of my husband’s gaming friends and all enjoyed our roast lunches. We even had the British classic of sticky toffee pudding for dessert (but unfortunately it was pretty dry, so I’ll have to order it again elsewhere).

Highlight of the week

We got to combine two of my favourite things in London - a free museum and Christmas decor - during an outing to the Saatchi Gallery this week.

On our way to this free art museum we walked through Sloane Square, where Ralph Lauren had a pop up Christmas market. We passed more Christmas trees, lights and backdrops at Duke of York Square and the Ever After Garden.

The Saatchi Gallery itself was excellent! It’s a smaller museum, with only the first floor available to view for free, but I really enjoyed it.

There were three main contemporary art exhibits on. The first was a series of funky sculptures created by female artists in response to traditional pieces that are housed at the V&A. The second was digital art on screens, some with audio and interactive elements.

The third exhibit was my favourite. It was by an artist named PRIEST and looked like children’s art brought to life. All of the pieces looked exactly like the type of colouring and crafts a kid would do, only on a life-size scale. It was so fun to admire the pieces and pick up the political messages hidden behind kids’ art.

The gift shop at the Saatchi Gallery was also a highlight. If only we had the space in our luggage (and bank accounts) for all of the books, vases and prints I wanted to buy!

Lowlight of the week

It was a pretty wonderful week here in London! The only small downside is that it appears Baby C is teething again, so we had some sad times when her mouth was in pain.

She’s still such a trooper, especially when we’re out and experiencing new things. Fingers crossed her new teeth break through soon!

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ Is Beaugency Worth Visiting? 6 Good Reasons to Go

We went on a day trip to Beaugency when we were living in Orleans, France and had a lovely time wandering the medieval streets, eating a great lunch and visiting the most unique castle in the Loire Valley. If you love a little “old meets new” then this town may be for you!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

Next week is a big one for us: My mom is coming to visit and it’s our final week in London! You’ll have to subscribe to see what adventures we get up to and where we’re heading next.

As this is my last newsletter for 2025, I wanted to thank you for being along for the ride. I’m so glad I made the switch to Substack in October and can’t wait to keep writing and engaging with this community in 2026. Thank you for being here.

Until I’m next in your inbox, I’m wishing you a wonderful end to 2025 and all of the delicious food, free museums, great music and holiday magic you deserve in 2026!

Now let’s end 2025 with a bang by commenting, liking, restacking and sharing this post far and wide!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

Do you know the show, “Somebody Feed Phil”?

It’s a Netflix show that follows Phil Rosenthal, the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, as he ventures around the world eating new foods. It’s incredibly wholesome (Phil has big dorky dad energy, in the best way) and just a huge love letter to good food, the people who make it and the people you get to eat it with.

Somebody Feed Phil is one of my comfort shows. I eagerly anticipate each new season, binge it as soon as its released, and then re-watch episodes when I’m travelling to the same destination that Phil is.

So of course, Colin and I had to re-watch Phil’s London episode since we’re spending five weeks in London! Phil’s first stop was Fortnum & Mason, a luxury department store that dates back to 1707. The episode opens with Phil running out of the store holding a box of cookies, declaring them the best store-bought cookies in the world.

Well, if Phil says so!

Off we went to Fortnum & Mason this week to try Phil’s legendary cookies (they’re the dark chocolate coated chocolate pearl ones, if you’re interested). We battled through the Christmas crowds to secure the cookies, plus a tin of tea, which Fortnum & Mason is also famous for.

While Fortnum & Mason is not a place you’ll find me doing my regular grocery shopping, I was so charmed by all of the fancy cookie boxes and tea tins. Everything looked beautiful! I think we’ll be heading back there to pick up some souvenirs for friends back home.

Oh and the cookies? They were delicious! Probably not my favourite store-bought cookies (that honour goes to President’s Choice Chocolate Chunk cookies), but definitely worth the trip.

Phil ends his London episode with a big group meal at Dishoom, which we were also inspired to recreate this week (more on that below).

What we did this week

This week we visited two free art museums, the Victoria & Albert (V&A) and Tate Britain. I know, we’re so cultured (she says extremely sarcastically).

The V&A was one of the first museums I visited in London back in 2012 and is still a favourite of mine. There is just so much to see - with art from all over the world across all eras and mediums. Unfortunately their fashion wing was closed, which I was really looking forward to.

This time, I was a big fan of The Cast Courts - 19th Century plaster copies of art from around the world that allowed Victorian age Londoners to enjoy global art when they couldn’t travel. I also loved Raphael’s Cartoons, which are actually large-scale painted tapestries, not comic strips.

If you’re visiting the V&A - and you should, because it’s awesome and free - don’t miss the cafe. The dining rooms are beautiful and worth a stop, even if you don’t sit down to eat. We had lunch in the cafe and while expensive, it was tasty and the scenery was great.

Tate Britain was a big surprise for me. Whereas the V&A had an overwhelming amount of art to see, Tate Britain was the perfect size.

We had a very enjoyable afternoon walking through the contemporary galleries and then through the more traditional galleries. I’m not a big art buff, so I love when a museum mixes it up with a bit of everything (so I don’t get bored).

There was also a play space for kids that we hung out in with Baby C. It was nice to give her a chance to crawl around and play with some new toys, plus a good break for us too.

Back in Brixton, we wandered through Brixton Village again, eating delicious food (more on that below), buying Christmas cards, and purchasing a print and tote bag to bring back home.

We’re collecting prints from everywhere we live during this time abroad that we’ll put up when we’re back in Vancouver. It’s still many months away, but I’m getting excited about decorating our new place with memories from our trip.

What we ate this week

Most of our eating this week focused on the delicious food available right here in our neighbourhood of Brixton. We enjoyed:

• Craft beer and cider from Brixton Brewery. We’ll probably go back to buy a souvenir since their merch was really cool too!

• Delicious ice cream from Jefferson’s. They had a flavour called Best Chocolate Ever and it lived up to the hype.

• Dumplings, salads and drawing on coasters at Ugly Dumpling. They had unique dumpling flavours, like curry goat and cheeseburger, plus gluten-free dumplings and dessert dumplings.

• Coffees, pastries and bread from F Mondays Coffee. Our go-to bakery, IRENE, was out of bread loaves, so I tried another local spot and it was great (though IRENE is still our favourite).

• Fast and affordable Korean food from Hancook. We got beef bibimbap, fried chicken and gyoza all for just £23. (Clearly I’ve been in London too long because I think that’s a cheap dinner… even though it’s like $40 CAD!)

• Cod and chips from our local fish and chip shop, Jimmy’s Plaice. The serving of fries was so big that we were still eating them three days later!

Highlight of the week

When I visited London in 2023, my friend Mireille took me to Dishoom for breakfast. And ever since then, I’ve been dreaming about Dishoom’s bacon and egg naan roll!

We hadn’t been able to make it to Dishoom for breakfast yet because their breakfast hours don’t work well with Baby C’s nap schedule. But when she slept in one day this week, I knew our time had finally come!

Colin and I both ordered the wrestler naan roll which is, “Smoked streaky bacon, peppery pork sausages and runny-yolked eggs served on a freshly baked naan with a little cream cheese, tomato-chilli jam and fresh coriander leaves.” Drooling yet?

It was just as good as I remembered it being! Both Colin and Baby C were also big fans. We’ve got plans to visit Dishoom again soon and maybe try their lunch/dinner menu!

Lowlight of the week

Because of Baby C’s early bedtime, we usually do our exploring in the afternoons. But we made an exception this week so we could see London all lit up with Christmas lights.

We checked the weather and saw that Friday wasn’t calling for rain. So surely it would be a good idea to head to Oxford and Regent Streets, London’s most popular Christmas light spots, on a non-rainy Friday around 5pm, right?

WRONG! Unlike my crowd-free Christmas light walk last Tuesday at 10pm, this time the streets were completely packed with people.

It was mayhem trying to walk, let alone see any of the window displays. We did get to appreciate the lights overhead, but it wasn’t fun trying to navigate the crowds of fellow light-lookers and photo-posers with a stroller.

The silver lining was dinner at Mercato Mayfair, a church that has been converted into a food court. It was really fun inside, we managed to snag a table, and the food (udon for me, venison burger for Colin) was great.

Even their pricy hot chocolate with the toasted meringue on top was delicious!

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ Is Chateau de Villandry Worth Visiting?

We stopped at Chateau de Villandry on our way from Orleans to Normandy all because I heard the gardens were incredible. But are pretty gardens enough to make this French castle worth visiting? Read my latest post to find out!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

Next week we’re visiting more free museums and galleries, meeting up with friends for our first traditional Sunday roast, and also seeing the big man in red!

There’s no better way to get in the holiday spirit than by liking, commenting, restacking and sharing this post. Like the Grinch, my heart grows three sizes anytime someone engages with one of my Substack posts or clicks a link to my blog. So c’mon, spread that holiday cheer!

Until I’m back in your inbox, I’m wishing you all things delicious, artsy and bright. Happy holidays and a very Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

Things are starting to feel downright festive in London!

Case in point: We passed our local butcher this morning and two guys were setting up these large snow globe/lamp post decorations out front of the shop. We walked by just as they were counting down so they could both press the button on their respective snow globe in unison, causing a Christmas carol to play.

And that was two middle-aged men at a butcher shop in south London on a Thursday morning! Just imagine what the Christmas markets in Central London on an evening or weekend must be like!

Well, you don’t have to imagine. Because in this newsletter, I’m going to give you a tour through all of the festive fun we got up to in London this week:

And for even more London Christmastime fun, click to read my blog post all about how to enjoy the holidays in London on a budget!

What we did this week

Before I dive into all things Christmas in London, I wanted to give a quick shout-out to the Hunterian Museum, which we also visited this week.

The Hunterian Museum is named after John Hunter, a surgeon and anatomist from the 18th C. This free museum traces the history of surgery and includes Hunter’s private collection of thousands of animal and human specimens.

Parts of this museum were a little (a lot) creepy and probably not for the squeamish (aka me), but it was also incredibly fascinating. As icky as some of the specimens were, it was so impressive to think that someone in the 1700’s was able to collect and preserve these things.

🎄 Okay, now onto Christmas! 🎄

Our festive frolic started at St. Martin in the Fields. We headed down into their crypt, enjoyed lunch in the Crypt Cafe, shopped in their gift shop, and wandered through the craft market they were hosting.

A fellow Substacker, , had recommended we visit St. Martin and I’m so glad she did. The gift shop and craft market were awesome!

Our next Christmas market was the Southbank Centre Christmas Market located under a bridge on the south bank of the River Thames.

To be honest, the actually Christmas market itself kinda sucked (crowded and the same mass-produced tat you see at every market), but that wasn’t the only reason we were there.

We went to another craft fair just next door to the Southbank Christmas Market at Between the Bridges. It was so much better than the Christmas market - local artists, unique pieces and slightly smaller crowds. We picked up a couple of little art prints and cards; I love being able to get a one-of-a-kind item and support a creator directly.

Then there was Southbank Centre itself. We loved the gift shop there (tons of Christmas goodies, games and art) and they had a free concert playing, featuring loud drums which Baby C was a big fan of!

Lastly, we walked along the Thames one day this week and enjoyed Winter by the River. It was fun to see the little Christmas market booths set up and take photos with the festive decor. There was also a glass bar on the river with curling rinks inside that we didn’t have time for, but looked really fun.

What we ate this week

It’s been another week of good eating here in London! If you’ll indulge me, I’ve decided to rank some of the places we ate:

Tier 3: Not bad

• Ben’s Traditional Fish & Chips: The fish was actually pretty good but the vibe of the place (overly pushy staff trying to get you to come inside and leave a 5-star review when you finished) put us off.

• Borough Market: This used to be one of my favourite places in London and it’s still worth a visit, but it’s so crowded and pricy now. Plus, I always end up ordering the wrong thing, like the overly salty bento box I got this time. On the plus side, Colin liked his sandwich from The Black Pig.

Tier 2: Pretty good

• Royal Festival Hall food market: This food market is just outside Southbank Centre and has so many delicious food options. Colin went for Latin Soul chicken and fries and I had Korean bibimbap - both were very tasty!

Tier 1: The best!

• IRENE: This is a bakery just around the corner from us in Brixton Village and we’ve quickly become big fans. We buy their sourdough loaves to have for breakfast in the morning and we’ve tried a few of their pastries too. The earl grey honey bun and cardamom chocolate bun are my faves.

• 14 Parish: This is a Jamaican take-out restaurant on our street that lured me in with a window full of beef (and other meats/veg) patties. And they did not disappoint! We’ve tried the chicken, jerk chicken and beef patties - all super flavourful and with an amazing flaky pastry.

Highlight of the week

On Tuesday, Colin was on bedtime duty while I went out to see my first West End show of the trip. I decided on Titanique because I could get there quickly from our place in Brixton and they had a Black Friday ticket sale for only £20.

Titanique is a parody musical of the Titanic story, told by Celine Dion and featuring her music. It was absolutely hilarious and all of the actors were so talented.

But what really made this night special was that before and after the show, I walked down some of London’s most famous Christmas light streets.

I saw the iconic angels of Regent Street, the window displays at Fortnum & Mason, brightly lit arcades, giant Christmas trees, plus lots more Christmas in London loveliness!

And the whole time, I just had the biggest grin on my face. Here I was in one of my favourite cities in the world on a rare night out solo, having just seen an incredible West End show, taking in all of the Christmas light magic.

Of course, it would’ve been lovely to share the moment with Colin and Baby C. But there was also something really special about having this night to myself, just unabashedly falling more in love with London.

Lowlight of the week

On Thursday, we headed out with plans to go for lunch and hit a museum. We had just gotten off our first tube, about to switch to another line when I realized… WE FORGOT THE DIAPER BAG!

Honestly, I’m surprised we’ve made it 10 months without forgetting the diaper bag yet.

Colin was ready to turn around, go home and try again tomorrow. But I convinced him we could hack it. After all, we needed to buy diapers anyway, so why not just buy them now and make a little impromptu diaper bag?

We headed to Boots (similar to Shoppers in Canada or Walgreens in the US) and picked up diapers, wipes and a bib. The problem was solved in about 5 minutes and we learned that maybe all of those other “essentials” we have in our diaper bag aren’t that important after all.

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ 28 Interesting Things to Do in Orléans, France

I’ve been working on this post for weeks and am so glad to finally have it out in the world! We lived in Orléans for six weeks and did just about everything you can do in the city - so this guide is extremely comprehensive and full of firsthand experience.

Check it out and let me know if Orléans is somewhere you’d want to visit (or maybe live).

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

Next week we’ve got more great restaurants, more museums and more Christmas festivities on the agenda. Another wonderful week in London awaits!

What’s on my Christmas list you ask? Only comments, hearts, shares and restacks of this post, of course!

But in all seriousness, I light up like a Christmas tree anytime someone engages with one of my posts. So thank you for taking the time to do so.

Until next week, I hope you feel festive, eat well and remember all of your important bags!

Yours in adventure,
Riana

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

When I was 22 years old, I studied abroad in Amsterdam. By that point, London was already my favourite city in the world, after two visits in the two years prior. Over the course of my semester in Amsterdam, I’d find my way to London three more times, falling deeper in love each time.

I even made a plan to move to London with Gabby, one of my roommates in Amsterdam. After graduation, she’d move from New Zealand and I’d move from Canada and we’d share a flat together anywhere on a convenient tube line.

It was all settled. But then, life happened!

Instead of moving to London, I got a job in Vancouver after graduation and started dating a local boy. We moved in together, adopted a dog and bought a condo in the suburbs. London was looking very far away.

When my now-husband and I did decide to move abroad for a year in 2019, we looked at London but settled on Prague, as it was cheaper, easier to get a visa and easier to bring our dog.

But now, over a decade after my semester in Amsterdam, I’m finally doing it. I’m living in London! (Albeit, only for five weeks, but that still counts, right?)

And so far, living in London is just as amazing as 22 year old me thought it would be.

The food, the accents, the museums, the parks, the history, the shows, the convenient transportation, the hustle and bustle of a big city - I’m loving it all!

What we did this week

After over-planning our road trip in Normandy, I’m taking a more relaxed approach to London. Since I’ve been to London 10+ times, Colin has been a handful of times and Baby C is too young to care, we’re not trying to tick every tourist thing off the list.

But still, we had to see a few of London’s icons, didn’t we?

I had read that Buckingham Palace was hosting a pop up Christmas shop in the Royal Mews (not the fake AI Christmas Market at the front of the palace), so we headed there. It was crowded and expensive (one of their fabric ornaments was £40!), but still fun to browse.

We then joined the hordes of tourists (who knew London would be so busy on a weekday in November?) at the front of Buckingham Palace to snap the required photos.

One of my first memories of London was visiting Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour in 2012, so being back in the same spot with my daughter 13 years later was surreal!

A few days later, we went to the Churchill War Rooms, one of London’s most famous museums and, oddly, one I hadn’t been to in over ten visits to the city.

While expensive (£33!), it was really cool to explore the underground network where Winston Churchill and his cabinet met to plan their strategy during WWII.

For our last activity of the week, we went to Covent Garden, a touristy but fun covered market in London with lots of restaurants and shops. It was all decked out for Christmas with giant bells and bows, a Christmas tree, and a Lego Santa and Rudolph!

What we ate this week

We have been eating so well in London! Seriously, most of our budget is going towards food and I don’t even feel bad about it.

We started by dining in Brixton Village (which I’m sure we’ll do a lot while living here) at Honest Burgers. And honestly? They were great!

Another local find was Mama Dough, a pizza joint specializing in sourdough pizza. They had just reopened with a new menu - plus were offering 50% off pizza on Mondays - so we had to take advantage. They made Baby C’s pizza in the shape of a bunny!

On another day out we went to Common Breads for Lebanese - a cuisine we don’t eat often - so were thrilled to discover how much we loved it. I got the lamb shawarma ka’ak (which looks like a purse-shaped sandwich) and Colin got the beef kafta manouche (a Lebanese flatbread).

While out looking at Christmas decor, we stopped for lunch at Seven Dials Market and I can’t believe it was my first time eating there after all my London visits.

It’s my favourite kind of food hall where you can get delicious food from all over the world all under one roof, served fast, with great music and table service for drinks. Colin went for fried chicken and I got Chinese bao buns.

Highlight of the week

Not only am I so happy to finally be living in London, but I also really love where we’re living: We’re spending five weeks in Brixton, a neighbourhood in south London.

Brixton is bustling! The high street and underground station are always busy with people. There are so many incredible restaurants and food stores with diverse cuisines (hence why we’re eating out so much!) and a cool live music scene.

There’s also amazing street art, a nice park nearby where we walk Ellie, a fun local theatre, and I took Baby C to the Brixton Library, which has a cute little area for kids.

Brixton isn’t posh or polished, but I kind of love that. It feels like a real neighbourhood run by locals to serve their community. It also has an awesome history of activism and underground queer bars. And as a bonus, it isn’t super overpriced!

Like any community, Brixton has its problems. I had a conversation with a man at the park who was telling me about how he grew up in Brixton and has watched it change over the years, not always for good.

Brixton is where many people of the Windrush Generation (Black people who emigrated from the Caribbean in 1948-1973) first arrived in London. We actually bought Baby C a book about this.

The Afro-Caribbean community is still a major part of Brixton today (which explains all the good food!), but the community has also been historically (and currently) racialized, oppressed, disenfranchised and underfunded.

I don’t want to pretend like I “get” Brixton, especially as a half-white person who is only here for five weeks. But from what I’ve experienced so far, I’m really enjoying this neighbourhood and would recommend more people visit during their stay in London.

Learn more about this cool area, check out the street art and eat at as many local restaurant as you can (I’m sure trying my best to eat at them all!).

Lowlight of the week

It’s hard to think of a lowlight because our first week in London really was amazing.

I guess the lowlight is just realizing that we won’t have the time or ability to do it all. I learned this lesson the hard way when we were in Normandy, but it’s still slowly sinking in.

There is so much in London I want to experience - so many incredible restaurants I want to eat at, West End shows I want to see, day trips I want to take, Christmas decor I want to admire, museums I want to spend all day in.

But with a baby and a dog, it’s just not possible. And even if it were, it would be exhausting (and expensive!). Still, I can’t help but be a little disappointed whenever we have to leave a place early, rushing back to make nap time or walk a dog.

I’m trying to slow down and enjoy what we do get to do, adding everything else to my list for future trips. Because you absolutely know I’ll be back in London soon!

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ London at Christmas: 18 Cheap & Cheerful Things to Do

Consider this a teaser for next week’s festive-themed newsletter: Head on over to my blog now for 18 ways to enjoy Christmas in London without breaking the bank. All of my ideas cost less than £20 (and most are free!).

Read the post here

⭐ Popsa Review: Is This the Quickest & Easiest Way to Make a Photo Book?

If you know me, you know I love making photo books from my trips. Check out my review of Popsa, a mobile app that lets you design a photo book on your phone in minutes!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

It’s beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS IN LONDON! Next week we have plans to hit up some of London’s Christmas markets and see some of the iconic Christmas lights and window displays (if the weather holds out).

Thank you for following along on our first week in London. I’m sure you can feel the excitement radiating off of me! To share in the excitement, go ahead and subscribe, heart this post, send it to a friend, restack it on the Substack app, and/or leave me a comment.

Truly, it means the world to me whenever someone reads and interacts with my posts - it also helps more people on Substack discover them!

Until next week, I’m wishing you warmth, delicious food and as much love for wherever you are in the world as I have for London.

Yours in adventure,
Riana

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

Back in our pre-baby, pre-dog travel days, Colin and I would’ve had no problem getting from France to the UK. We would’ve jumped on the Eurostar from Paris to London, or maybe taken a short flight, and been there in a couple of hours.

Now? It takes days. Actually, it took us all week!

After our Normandy road trip, we started making our way to Calais in the northeast of France. We stopped in Rouen for a couple of hours, which was actually where we were supposed to live for our first six weeks in France (before our Airbnb got cancelled on us last minute).

While I’m glad we ended up living in Orleans and loved our time there, I can’t lie: Rouen seemed pretty damn cool.

It was bustling with tons of restaurants, cute shops, and half-timbered buildings on every street. We probably won’t get to spend more time there on this trip, but it’s definitely on my radar for a future France base.

We then spent three days in Calais, all so that we could get prepped to take the Euro Tunnel/Le Shuttle across to the UK.

I’ll probably write a whole blog post about how we did this, but basically the train from Calais to Folkestone, UK is one of the only ways you can enter the UK from Europe with a dog if you don’t want to put them in the cargo hold of a plane and don’t want to spend multiple hours at sea.

There were so many hoops to jump through - paperwork, vet visits, expensive taxi rides - but we managed to do it all and made it to the UK with Ellie, our dog, in tow!

We finished out the week with three days in Folkestone, where the Euro Tunnel disembarks in England. Not only was this town extremely cute and convenient for taking the train from France, but it was also where good friends of ours live!

It was definitely a big week of travel for us - from Normandy, through Rouen, to Calais, across the English Channel, and finally landing in Folkestone - but we made it. And yes, we’re exhausted!

What we did

Our only plan in Calais was to go to the vet to get Ellie the tapeworm treatment the UK requires dogs receive within 1-5 days of arriving. But we just so happened to also be in town for a pretty huge event.

For reasons I didn’t bother to research, Calais has a giant dragon that lives on its shores. It’s a huge tourist attraction, and big enough that a group of people can go up onto the dragon and ride it down the beach.

But on the weekend we happened to be in Calais, the dragon was not alone.

According to lore (prepared by a marketing department who were very committed to the bit), the Dragon of Calais had sung its siren song and a creature from Australia had answered it. The creature was coming, but so was a villainous character who had also heard the song.

I can’t pretend that I followed along with the plot of what was bringing these creatures together, but it boiled down to this: three ginormous mythical creatures would be roaming around Calais all weekend and I wanted to see them.

I was worried we wouldn’t be able to, since our priority was getting Ellie to the vet. Also, there was no schedule saying where the creatures would be when, because the event organizers wanted people to just organically stumble upon them as their story was told on the streets of Calais (like I said, they were committed to the bit!).

But lucky for us, we got to see all three of the creatures during our weekend in Calais - most of them multiple times. It was so cool to see these beautiful works of art around the city, especially since we really did turn a corner and stumble upon them.

And it was even cooler to be in town for an event that everyone was so excited about. There were huge crowds of people in the streets, merch being sold, posters everywhere - we even got a discount on our lunch because of the dragon festival!

Over in the UK, we spent a very rainy day in the small town of Hythe catching up with our good friends, Holly and Ollie. We last saw them in Vancouver almost two years ago, so it was amazing to reconnect and introduce them to Baby C!

We had a lovely lunch at a little cafe, sitting there long enough to get dessert and for the rain to stop. Next we walked through some of the cute shops, along the canal and out to the ocean. We wrapped up our visit with a round of sodas at the pub.

While the weather sucked, it was nice to be with friends and exploring a cute little town. Besides my mom who visited us back in September, we haven’t met up with anyone we know on this trip, so this was such a treat.

What we drank

Usually this section is called “what we ate” but I decided to switch to beverages for this week, as I had some really good ones!

As soon as we got to the UK, I had to embrace my inner tea lover. Within an hour of arriving, I already had my first Earl Grey. And each morning at our Airbnb in Folkestone, I’d make myself a cuppa (am I using that word right?).

My friend, Holly, took me to her favourite coffee shop in Folkestone, Mugs. We got hot chocolates and the barista wrote sweet inspirational messages on our cups. Holly comes in every morning and always gets a message on her cup, so I was excited to get one of my own!

And then Colin, Baby C, Ellie and I went to Steep Street Cafe and I ordered a vanilla chai that was so delicious I’m still dreaming about it!

Highlight of the week

When we first arrived in Folkestone, it was a rare sunny day in the UK and the town was absolutely shining. There were so many cute shops, colourful buildings, yummy looking restaurants and tons of families out enjoying the nice weather.

Even when the weather turned, I still found myself falling in love with Folkestone. Colin, Baby C and I popped into a few shops on The Old High Street filled with beautiful local art and paper products. And we found an amazing bookstore with the best selection of progressive titles and a reading room.

But the best was having my very own Folkestone tour guide, my friend Holly, showing me around her town. We spent an awesome afternoon together walking all along the cute streets, down the Harbour Arm, across the beach, and past all sorts of cool art and scenic viewpoints.

While I’m super excited for our long-term bases in the UK, I’ll admit that I’m a bit sad Folkestone isn’t one of them. Maybe next time?

Lowlight of the week

We did a lot of moving around this week and spent most of it living out of suitcases and feeling pretty unsettled.

In my pre-baby days, I would happily go on trips where I’d switch accommodations every few nights, never fully unpacking. But now, I crave a slower pace and a chance to plant some roots.

I’m the kind of person where I can’t sit down until everything is put away in its place. I instantly feel calmer when a bed is made and clutter is gone. So spending a whole week with suitcases open and things splayed everywhere was tough for me.

Our moving week also meant making some concessions. We ate at road side stops and picked up pre-made grocery store meals because we didn’t have the time or space to cook. I worked at the kitchen table or the couch instead of at a desk, since we didn’t always have one.

And perhaps the biggest low? Booking an Airbnb that was up three flights of narrow, winding stairs because it was cheap, cute and “surely wouldn’t be a problem for only three nights.”

I guess I forgot that we’d have to lug two giant suitcases, a crib, a stroller, two backpacks, a baby, a dog and ourselves up and down those stairs multiple times!

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ Why You Need to Visit Chateau de Meung sur Loire

If you loved the mythical beasts I encountered in Calais, then you’re really going to like all of the dragons that live at Chateau de Meung sur Loire. Find out why this underrated castle should be on your next Loire Valley itinerary!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

From Folkestone, we’re taking the train to LONDON! I cannot believe we’re actually going to be living in London for the next five weeks. I’ve always dreamt of living in London and it’s blowing my mind that it’s really happening.

Get ready for all of the London Christmas festivities, museums, delicious food and (hopefully) West End shows!

Thank you so much for following along on our adventures! If cute British towns, giant dragons and delicious warm beverages make you as happy as they make me, subscribe, share this post on social media or give it a restack.

And if you have any London recommendations you want to share with me (especially ones that are baby-friendly), please drop a comment!

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

This week we packed up our suitcases, dog and baby from our home in Orléans and set off in an electric car heading north to Normandy!

Our original plan was to live in Northern France for the first six weeks of our time abroad, so I had been planning side trips to Normandy for months. I was super excited to finally get there and dive into our itinerary.

I thought I had planned a more relaxed pace for us - just a couple of things to see each day, driving for max 1-2 hours, a few stroller or car seat naps. But I was wrong.

The reality of travelling with a baby, a dog and an electric car hit us smack in the face. So much so that on one day when we had planned to drive over an hour to a D-Day beach and cemetery, we ended up just going to a nearby mall for lunch and groceries instead!

It was a challenging week. I really struggled with giving up things on the itinerary, feeling guilty that we were so close to these amazing sites and museums yet passing them up. But I also didn’t want to make things any more stressful for myself or my family.

I think this is all part of accepting the new phase of travel that we’re in. Travelling with a baby (and a dog, and a crappy electric car) means slowing down but it also means pivoting, throwing out the itinerary and not getting to experience everything exactly as you imagined.

This is hard for me as a planner. And hard for me as a travel blogger, since I want to be able to write in-depth and informative posts for my readers - not only getting half the story because I had to rush through a museum since my baby was crying.

But instead of focusing on all the things we missed and plans that had to change, I’m trying to focus on what we did get to do. Because even if we only hit a few things on my Normandy bucket list, we had some really great experiences.

There’s this thing in travel where you feel like you have to keep up with everyone - visit the most countries, see the most sites, tour every museum. It’s just not possible. There will always be more to see (especially if a baby is slowing you down!).

But maybe that’s the beauty of travel - the fact that there is always more to see. Maybe it’s about making the most of what you can experience - living in the moment, as it were - all the while knowing that no matter how little or how much you see, there’s always more world to experience.

What we did this week

Like I said, we did get to experience a few things in Normandy that were worth the trip.

As Canadians, it was important for us to visit Juno Beach, where the Canadians landed during D-Day. We explored the board walk with info signs and bunkers, and walked over the dune to the beach itself.

We also toured the Juno Beach Centre Museum, a museum dedicated to the Canadians of WWII, which was a great way to bring everything we learned in history class to life. Most D-Day stories are told from an American or British perspective, so it was cool to get insight into the Canadian story.

The next day we went to the Caen Memorial, a gigantic WWII museum that I would consider a must-visit for anyone coming to Normandy. This museum is so well done and so chock full of information, artifacts and exhibits but without being overwhelming.

We started with the expansive WWII exhibit which then led into a special section on D-Day. There were a few different movies showing, a Cold War exhibit, a temporary exhibit (that if I’m honest, we rushed through as it was getting late), a war bunker and memorial gardens.

Speaking of bunkers, we also visited Le Grand Bunker, a five-storey German war bunker near Sword Beach. This bunker has been staged to show you how it would’ve been used by German troops during the war (aka there were a lot of mannequins).

While definitely a smaller museum that could’ve used an audio guide or intro movie (I think we walked through the whole thing in under 30 mins), it was cool to see something different and be able to envision life in the bunker.

What we ate this week

After a couple of days of bad sandwiches from rest stops and cafes, we prioritized getting a real meal on one of our days out in Normandy. So we headed to Léon Seafood & Cocktails.

This place felt a bit like a Red Lobster (IYKYK) when we walked in, but we were pleased to discover the food was delicious!

We thought we ordered fish fritters as an appetizer, but it was actually fried anchovies. Luckily, they were tasty and we were all big fans. For mains, I got a seafood mix over potatoes and carrots and Colin got fish and chips. All in all, so yum!

We were also sat next to another family with a baby and our two little ones had a lot of fun watching each other during the meal. Though I’m pretty sure that family thought we were crazy when they saw us handing Baby C fried anchovies to eat!

Highlight of the week

It’s weird to call it a highlight, but my favourite part of our week in Normandy was visiting the Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. Like most WWII cemeteries, this place was in pristine condition and is obviously well taken care of.

We had perfect weather and only one other couple to share the space with, so took our time walking along the gravestones. It’s always heartbreaking to see the young ages of the boys buried there.

We actually found one soldier with the same last name as my dad’s side of the family and from a town close to where my dad grew up. I’m not sure if I’m related to him (my dad is checking with his aunt who has a better grasp on the family history) but I’m grateful to have been able to pay my respects to him, and all of the soldiers, either way.

Lowlight of the week

I complained about our electric car in last week’s newsletter, and unfortunately the saga continued. We ran into more issues of charging stations not working, costing too much money, taking too long, not accepting our credit cards, etc.

But another tough point this week happened while we were visiting Juno Beach. So far during our Baby Trip through Toronto and France, Baby C has taken a fair amount of naps in her stroller. We all prefer a crib nap (she sleeps longer and better) but will do a stroller nap if it helps us stay out a little longer.

So we weren’t anticipating any trouble as we put Baby C into her stroller and walked the board walk at Juno Beach. In fact, we thought the sea breeze and rumbles from the wooden walkway would help her fall asleep.

Absolutely not. This girl was not having it. She cried and screamed for a good 30 minutes as I made apologetic smiles at the people we passed. Once I finally got her to sleep, she only napped for about 20 minutes before waking up and screaming while Colin had his turn to try and coax her back down.

It all turned out fine in the end. Colin and I managed to go through the Juno Beach Centre Museum in shifts, albeit rushed as we knew the other person was dealing with a screaming baby outside.

And Baby C seemed unbothered by the whole event; she had a snack, took a 10 minute power nap on the way home and slept great that night!

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ Everything You Must See at Chateau de Chenonceau

Find out why Chateau de Chenonceau was my favourite castle that we visited in the Loire Valley in my latest blog post. This castle had it all and I highly recommend you put it on your France bucket list!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

After our week in Normandy, we’re getting back in the electric car to drive to Calais to then make our way to the UK! Because we have a dog, getting from France to the UK is extra complicated, but I’ll fill you in on all of the details next week.

Cross your fingers that we make it!

If you made it this far, merci beaucoup for reading. Help us get to the UK by liking, restacking or sharing this post with a travel-loving friend - seriously, it means so much to me and helps more people discover my Substack newsletter.

And if you’ve been to Normandy or would like to visit, drop me a comment and let’s chat!

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure

And just like that, our six week stay in Orléans, France has come to an end.

It’s bittersweet leaving our first of four long-term bases in Europe. I’ve had all kinds of mixed emotions this week.

I’m sad to leave this city and apartment that have been so great for us. We’ve loved living here and have gotten really comfortable in our new routine. I’m nervous things might not be as easy in our future homes.

I was dreading the actual packing and moving process. We spent a good month packing up our lives in Vancouver and many stressful hours packing and repacking in Toronto this summer. I was not looking forward to doing it all again in Orléans.

(Though, to be honest, packing was actually easier than I thought it would be. Maybe we’ve gotten better at it after all of these moves or maybe we just have less stuff. Or maybe it’s because we’re travelling by car (so no airplane weight limits!) and leaving an Airbnb (so no need to clean) which has made this move a lot simpler.)

But I’m also really excited for our next adventure. I can’t wait to explore a new place, try new restaurants, visit new museums and parks, go on day trips, etc. I think six weeks is just about the max I’d want to stay in Orléans; by the end, it kinda felt like we had run out of stuff to do.

So with all of that sadness, dread and excitement bouncing around inside me, we set out to make the most of our final week in Orléans, France!

What we did

We squeezed in one final day trip, this time visiting the medieval town of Beaugency, about 20 minutes on the train from Orléans.

The town itself was super cute! I loved walking the streets, checking out the churches and towers, and eating at Teo Jasmin, a popular lunch spot with fun French Bulldog decor.

Our main reason for going to Beaugency was to visit their castle (we’ve gotten real into French chateaux).

Unlike most of the Loire Valley castles we’ve visited that are restored to look like something out of the Renaissance, Chateau de Beaugency has been transformed into a contemporary digital art gallery.

This was cool, in that it was completely unique from anything we’ve seen in the Loire Valley. Some of the rooms and displays were awesome - like the giant ball pit, the light up floor and the strobe light show.

But if I’m honest, most modern art just goes over my head. I didn’t “get” many of the pieces and probably would’ve preferred to see some four poster beds and ornate Flemish tapestries.

Despite not being hugely into modern art, we visited another art gallery this week. Back in Orléans we went to the FRAC, a contemporary art gallery that was just a couple of minutes from our apartment.

We mostly went to the FRAC because it was close and because it was free, not out of any strong urge to see the art. But it was a nice way to spend an hour!

And besides that, we spent this week packing up and enjoying our final walks and meals in Orléans.

What we ate

For our final meal in Orléans, we went to Tante Jeanne, a French restaurant near us that we learned is very popular at lunch time.

We showed up at 11:45am, assuming we’d be ahead of the lunch crowd and have no problem finding a table. But the only table they could offer us was needed for a 12:30pm reso, so we had to hustle!

Despite the rush, we had an enjoyable lunch of chicken curry (me), beef skewer with potatoes and salad (Colin), and scraps from mom and dad’s plate plus lots of table bread (Baby C).

It wasn’t the best food we’ve ever had, but it was tasty enough and the decor and vibe were just right. All in all, a nice last meal out in Orléans!

Highlight of the week

It’s weird to call it a highlight, as it’s so bittersweet, but soaking up our last week in Orléans was really nice. I was extra aware of our surroundings whenever we left the house, wanting to remember all of the pretty buildings and fun street art.

I made the most of our last boulangerie visit (aka bought an extra croissant), took my time walking Ellie through the park, and waxed poetic about our beautiful apartment and how much I would miss it.

Sometimes it takes having a time limit on an experience to really make you cherish it.

Lowlight of the week

While we were planning our route from Orléans to our next long-term base, we came across a steal of a deal on a one-way car rental. The only catch? It was an electric car.

We thought, “No problem! We like the environment. We’ve never driven an electric car before but how hard can it be?”

It turns out in France: pretty damn hard.

We had planned to drive from Orléans to our next stop in two shifts over Baby C’s naps, doing 1.5-2 hours of driving in each shift. We had not factored in the electric car.

What was supposed to be one stop turned into two, the second one requiring over an hour at a rest stop so we could fully charge the car. Baby C was not thrilled about this and let us know by loudly crying for most of the final hour in the car.

All day we were constantly checking the battery percentage and scrolling through maps and apps to find charging stations. Would we make it to the charging station? Was it a fast charger? How much would it cost? Could we even use the charger?

Because to make this even more challenging, not all charging stations in France take international credit cards! Many charging stations only accept a special RFID tag that doesn’t appear to be available for rental car users.

All to say, this electric car has been pretty stressful for us. Maybe if we were only doing short drives around town, had a place to reliably charge each night and didn’t have a baby’s nap schedule to think about, it would’ve been a good call.

But for this trip, it was a mistake. Sorry environment, but I wish we could just fuel up on gas and call it a day!

New on Teaspoon of Adventure

⭐ Our Experience Living in Orléans, France for 6 Weeks

I wrapped up our time living in Orléans with a post sharing what we did, where we lived, my tips for visiting and whether or not I’d recommend Orléans as a place to live short-term.

If you’re curious about life abroad in France - especially with a dog and a baby - you’re going to want to read this post!

Read the post here

⭐ 17 Restaurants in Orléans, France I Recommend (+ 5 I Don’t!)

After six weeks of eating all over town, I’ve put together my list of favourite restaurants in Orléans, plus the ones I think you should skip. Find out what places made my top five in this new blog post!

Read the post here

What’s coming up next

We’ve left Orléans and are spending the next week in Normandy, France! Come along as we visit D-Day beaches and museums, turn up the pace on our slow travel, and try to keep our car charged enough to get from A to B.

Thank you so much for reading my weekly update. It means the world to me that you want to follow along on my family’s adventure.

You can help us give Orléans a proper “au revoir” by sharing this post or restacking it. And jump in the comments to let me know if you’d want to live abroad in France - or if you have any tips for our electric car!

Leave a comment

Share Riana | Teaspoon of Adventure