The feel of a place.

A walk in the hills, Brecon Beacons, Wales. October 2010.

I would never have described the UK as earthy and rugged had you asked me on my previous 3 trips there. I would have described it as similar to a typical North American city, just with more pubs, layered in history which was remembered and celebrated, but integrated into the modern pace of life.

The best pasta I have ever eaten in a restaurant. Carmarthen, Wales. October 2010.

On my most recent adventure there, exploring the Southern Welsh countryside and traveling all 'round southern England, to places I had never experienced, I had a whole new discovery.  It had the feel of a place where your word and a handshake were as binding as a written contract. Going for a walk means going for a hike in some of the most stunning landscape imaginable. Rugged stone buildings and landscapes lead you to believe that things haven't changed in thousands of years, and probably never will. Tea means your evening meal, but it also means a cup of tea with delicious, home-made Victoria Sponge Cake, sitting in a 19th-century farmhouse converted into living space/cottage.

The places we stopped in were warm, earthy, rugged, and timeless. They also capture you in a way that's hard to describe. All I know for certain, is I need to go back and explore some more.

Oxford, England. November 2010.

Warm hosts and awesome sponge cake. Welsh country-side. October, 2010.

Stonehenge, England. October 2010.