Virginia Beach Wish List

It's been a while since we've taken a vacation that has taken us to the beach, but this year we're including a side trip to Virginia Beach to our trip to Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg. I've visited Newport News, but never Virginia Beach, which may seem odd, but we didn't often get to the coast. We may only have four days there, but we're going to use it to relax, get some sun and eat some seafood. Of course, there are other things there we plan to "take in". 

This photo of Virginia Beach Boardwalk is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The Boardwalk

You can't go to a beachside city and never go to the boardwalk. Who doesn't love browsing shops, people watching and enjoying the view of the ocean? I'm packing my sunscreen already!

This photo of Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. Association for Research and Enlightenment is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. Association for Research and Enlightenment

This place has a stone labyrinth! Okay, that's not the only reason to go. Edgar Cayce was the father of holistic medicine and a psychic, which makes him totally fascinating. A.R.E. houses all of his work and daily free lectures are given. 

This photo of Old Cape Henry Lighthouse is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Old Cape Henry Lighthouse

Have you ever been to a lighthouse? After hiking up 488 steps to get to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, the 91 steps to the top of this thing should be a breeze and quicker to get to the view! This lighthouse was built in 1792 and was one of the first acts of the newly formed Federal government, authorized by George Washington. Cool, huh?

This photo of Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
Ooh...barracuda! They have those here and many other ocean critters. I love an aquarium and I'm not about to miss the chance to get hands-on with some fun marine life, have fun with interactive exhibits or try out their fabulous potato soup. Yeah, random, but visitors raved, so I figure I should try it!

This photo of Old Coast Guard Station is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Old Coast Guard Station
I don't know how much I really know about the Coast Guard, except they save lives and police the waters. This museum tells you all about them and has exhibits of their equipment and their history in the Virginia Beach area. Also, a $4 admission sounds like a bargain!

We may do more stuff while we're there, but this seems like a good selection of things that will take up some time, but still leave us enough free time to lay on the beach, jump in the ocean, eat delicious, delicious food and browse funky shops. 

Have you ever been to Virginia Beach?

Where is Your Favorite Book?

I love reading and some of my favorite books have fantastic backdrops, including the Harry Potter franchise. I've gotten to visit several of the locations on my trip London. Perhaps you have dreams of visiting where your favorite book(s) is set. Cheapflights took it upon them to round up some classic books and their settings so you can be inspired to travel through your love of reading. 

Where would you travel if you could? Which book inspired it?

Take the Underground to Notting Hill

When we travel we enjoy looking for food. Two ways we do that are by hitting up a grocery store when we first arrive to stock our fridge and then seeking out street markets. As you know, I love a good farmers' market, but I also love browsing markets that sell hand made goods and local foods. It's a great way to interact with people who live at the destination, buy souvenirs and try new foods. When in London, I wanted to hit up several markets, but with so many things going on and a limited time to do them, we only made our way to one - the most important on my list. Portobello Road Market. If you only get the chance to visit one market in London, and want to see a bit of everything, then this is the one to go to.

Portobello Road is the one stop shop for antiques, souvenirs, handmade clothing, crafts, accessories and foods of all kinds. Whether you want to purchase ingredients to make food back at your hotel/rental, get items for a picnic or sit down to a nice meal at a restaurant, it's all here. I really wanted to purchase many of the things I saw and I was a little sad that I had a shortage of both money and space, but I will plan accordingly on my next trip to London. Between shops, merchant stalls, farmers market goods - with amazingly good prices - restaurants and food carts, it's not hard to spend a lot of time (and money) there. 

Luckily, I was satisfied for the time being picking up a few items, a danish and a doughnut the size of my head. It may have helped that we had plans to go straight from Notting Hill to the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studios, so carrying too much was not something we were interested in doing. Check out some of the great things we saw on our visit to Portobello Road Market.

Though I plan to return to Portobello Road Market, I also hope to visit Borough Market (during the day when it's actually open), Brick Lane Market, Camden Lock Market and the market in Covent Garden. 

Have you been to any of the London markets or do you have a favorite market from your travels?