best links

We’re back, on the Friday before American election day (but who’s counting???) with another installment of the best links from around the web.

Today is a big day in the lives of Julie and Drew – our Balkans road trip officially ends. We are on a plane back to London where we will spend time with friends for the weekend, and then we fly to the States on Tuesday for the next phase of our sabbatical and end-of-year travels. We have a lot in the works, but before revealing everything, we need to send a few emails to friends and family to warn them that we’re coming to visit.

Manners. We’ve got ’em.

We’ll be back next week with more on Macedonia and our first look at Greece, plus a huge round up of our road trip, by the numbers. Did you know we’ve stayed in almost 25 different apartments and hotels over the past two months? That’s a lot of strange beds for a light sleeper like me to adjust to.


The best part about autumn.

In London we’ll have access to our friends’ large and well-stocked kitchen. Thinking of making this.

Or, for a more so-Indian-it’s-British flavor

Earlier this year we went to Sri Lanka to participate in a ‘social experiment’ about being unplugged on holiday. It became a global ad campaign. But, turns out they were onto something. Unplugged holidays are all the rage.

Tips for taking better portrait photos. Turns out, it’s all about a well-timed poop joke.

I love a good bucket list, especially those tied to a milestone birthday.

Instagram inspiration for the tiny house lover in all of us.

Are the days of working in coffee shops for the price of a latte over?

Inside the world of judging the Man Booker prize. No joke.

Tips from Ina: cooking a great date night meal.

What makes you happy? No, I mean specifically. For me, lingering at a restaurant with friends (don’t care what we’re eating or where it is…) is so happy-making. It’s the lingering part that I enjoy. Maybe that’s why brunch is so appealing to me. I also love travel (obviously) but I really, really like the anticipation of travel. So much that I know that a last minute getaway will never be as awesome as one planned a month in advance. I need to look forward to something for at least that long. More here.

On our big United States swing we are spending time in San Francisco (well, more specifically, Oakland) with my dear little sister. She has promised to show us a good time. We’re doing restaurant research now. Overwhelming would be an understatement.

And there you have it. Some of what is occupying us these days.

If you missed it, we’ve been writing about Sarajevo, Belgrade and Skopje, a few of Europe’s lesser known capital cities. We also answered a bunch of questions about our road trip.

Have a fantastic weekend! We’ll catch you next time when the best links of the Internet will be published from the floor heater in my parents’ house, the place I sit, covered by a blanket, trapping all the heat.

It’s been a tradition since I could walk.

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