Happy Sunday, and Happy Greek Orthodox Easter to those who celebrate! My friend Victoria (who is half-Greek) is hosting a celebration in her garden later today for a few of us and I’m excited to embrace her culture while dining on some delicious Greek food! Being outdoors here in London is becoming nicer and nicer everyday, especially now that the beautiful wisteria is blooming!
If you’re new here, ‘This Week in the World’ is a weekly recap of content ranging from around the globe. My hope is that each week, no matter where you are in the world, you’ll be able to feel more connected to it: through news, travel, food & wine… really, anything that appeals to the culturally curious. Let’s dive into the content I sourced for week 18.
TRAVEL NEWS, UPDATES + INSPIRATION
Flights to Europe are more expensive than they used to be. Here are 13 affordable places to visit in Europe (both cities and countryside) to keep your trip within budget.
Another country to add to your list: Americans will now be able to travel to Spain starting in June.
Delta is back to selling 100% of the seats on their flights, which means gone are the days of always having an empty seat next to you (sigh).
AROUND THE WORLD
It is absolutely heartbreaking to see what is happening in India right now. Here are some ways to help and where you can donate to help those in crisis.
Scotland’s election is this week (6th of May) where Nicola Sturgeon is up for re-election. I enjoyed this podcast on how if she is re-elected, it would likely mean another referendum for Scottish independence.
The days are getting longer and warmer here in the UK (and American travelers will likely be able to visit without quarantine soon!) Here are 7 glorious outdoor spots to enjoy a cocktail and enjoy the sunshine here in London.
MISCELLANEOUS
It may sound silly, but I’m so excited I got a UK credit card this week! (Fellow expats will understand why this feels like quite an accomplishment!) Since I was already a US Amex cardholder, I had no issue opening the British Airways Amex here in the UK. If you spend £20,000 each year, you also receive a companion voucher (and if you apply using this link, you will receive 9,000 Avios points if you spend £1,000 in your first 3 months).
Are you keen to build your wine cellar but don’t know where to start? One of my favorite wine shops in London, Barry Brothers & Rudd has a great program where you can pay as little as £100 per month to have experts build and store your cellar. It’s a simple way to build a collection of wine perfectly tailored to your taste, and you can “cash out” to collect your wine at anytime. I think it’s such a smart idea and am considering starting one myself!
Can you have alcohol after the COVID vaccine? (The question all wine enthusiasts are asking right now).
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That’s all for today. Happy reading and hope to see you back again next week!
xx
Whitney
