Everybody, it’s official. I’m 30. I know a birthday isn’t a usual Tourist Tuesday post, but it’s my blog and I do what I want. Also, I went to some nice places in London and ate some delicious food so it is relevant people.

I started my birthday festivities the Wednesday before with a picnic in Hyde Park. Luckily the weather was glorious! Lots of friends came out and we watched the Science Museum’s softball team play, we ate loads of food, we popped the bubbly, and even did a round of tequila shots. I know that I have young friends because when we suggested opening the tequila everyone was down for it. I feel like my 30-year-old friends would have hemmed and hawed and been unsure about it since it was a work night and all. If it hadn’t been my birthday I totally would have been less game. But then, maybe it’s just that I’m not as cool as maybe I once was. But there was loads of food: sausage rolls, cake, peanut butter cookies shaped like Darth Vader, and chips. It was wonderful. 

Then Sunday was the big day! Ryan sang me happy birthday and we had cake for breakfast (which has always been my tradition). That cake was a classic vanilla cake from a box with store bought chocolate frosting. Ryan and I went and looked at a beautiful fancily designed chocolate cake, but I wanted the box. There’s something about the sweetness and simplicity of yellow cake with chocolate that just feels like a birthday cake to me.

After cake I opened presents. Ryan bought me all the flavors of Candy Kittens that Waitrose had in stock. I loooove Candy Kittens and can devour a whole bag so fast – so I’m trying to pace myself. We did break into the sour watermelon flavor, which I hadn’t eaten before and was of course fantastic. I also got a Lego Star Wars TIE Advanced Prototype that came with three little guys (picture below in a bit) and something for the blog which will be revealed eventually. From my friend Charlotte, the one I went to Duck & Waffle with, I got a book about Abraham Lincoln and food – my two great loves combined in one!

I also got a new DSLR camera from my parents!! It’s the one pictured above. It’s a Canon EOS 100D. The lens on the left came with the kit and the one on the right is a Canon EF 50 f/1.8 lens. Hopefully between all of this new gear I’ll get some great new shots. I’m really excited about the camera because I want to become familiar with manual settings. When I was in high school I had a manual camera for a photography class, but I don’t remember much from it. I also remember that developing the film (yes, film!) was my favorite part. So, I have a lot to learn but I’m so excited about it! I can’t wait to have more control, learn a new hobby, and I hope it will improve the quality of my food photos.

Thus far, I’m intimidated but eager. I like that I have a project ahead of me where there’s so much to learn and I know so little. I set up my little photo studio (a box and some white fabric) and set up my new birthday Legos for a photo shoot. I played around for awhile and took about 100 pictures trying out different settings for aperture (the f number), the shutter speed (the fraction number) and the ISO. I was systematic about it overall, but here on the blog I wanted to share three photos with wildly different settings.

See in the first one how practically everything is blurry except the one spot by the wing? But then in the middle photo it’s mostly clear? Then in the one on the right, it’s clear except the back is blurry. I love that with the same subject and lighting the camera can do so much! I also like that some of it is a matter of taste. Ryan like the middle photo best because it’s the most clear, but I like the photo on the right because I like the background a little blurry. Anyway, I find it all really thrilling and plan on doing more Lego photo shoots.

For birthday lunch, Ryan and I made pretzel dogs (above). If you’re not familiar, it’s a hot dog baked inside a soft pretzel. I’ve been missing going to baseball games, and in large part because of the food. So for a birthday treat we made fries, dogs, and a cheese dipping sauce. It was an epic undertaking and we dirtied all the dishes. I even spilled flour on my foot and when I took my foot away there was a clear footprint. I’ve made soft pretzels before, but this was a new recipe for me, and I found it so frustrating. I think I needed a whole cup of flour in addition to what the recipe called for. I also used tons of methods to finally get the dough to come together. There was also some pouting. Because of that, I don’t feel comfortable sharing the recipe here – but I’ll work on it on my own and share when I have something more straightforward.

Even though the making of it was intense, the end product was delicious. Ryan said, “the best thing we ever made” and we both had big happy smiles on our faces. The cheese sauce was crazy good. Rich and smooth – we smothered it on everything. You can find the recipe here. The whole meal did taste just like being in the ballpark, which is something I love doing with Ryan. It was like being transported back to DC just for a meal, and I really liked that.

As if we hadn’t eaten enough the final birthday celebration was out to dinner at Ping Pong. Ryan and I went out with my friends Sarah, Abbie, and Charlotte and their boyfriends. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends to share my birthday with. They also gave me some great presents. Charlotte got me a 30 badge (shown at the top of the post) and it’s something I totally wanted. I love celebrating and showing off my birthday and it was perfect. Sarah gave me a pig card and a candle that smells like the sea (which she and I always sniff when we go to Waitrose). And the three girls are going to take me out for afternoon tea, which I can’t wait for! It’s the kind of thing I hoped would happen when I moved here – and now I’ll get to do it with my girls.

Overall it was a lovely evening and we ate a TON! Ping pong is a dim sum restaurant and you order a bunch of small plates to share. We ordered set menus and ended up with a ton of food. You can see the stacks of dishes above. I loved the circular table because it meant our big group could actually see each other and chat. The food was great and we tried something like nine dishes. The dumplings had fillings like beef, chicken, and vegetables. The wrappings were clear, thick, chewy, green. I had no idea there was so much variety! At the end of the meal it was hard for each of us to pick our favorite dish. Mine might have been the tofu and vegetable – which I wouldn’t have thought much of but turned out to be delicious.

Thirty has started off wonderfully. It was a milestone birthday, and I felt a little nervous about it, but I’m feeling good. It began with lovely generous friends and family, terrific food, and a few new things – all indicators that it will be a good year.

The post Tourist Tuesday: My 30th Birthday! appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Update 18 November 2015: In this post I originally wrote about a company called RelayRides. They have since rebranded and are now called Turo. All links below have been updated.

I woke up this morning and there was snow on the ground. Not much. Nothing compared to what my family in the US is dealing with. But it was there. And for me, that was it. I’m done with winter. I’m officially dreaming of warm weather and spring vacations to sunny climates. However, my next big trip isn’t a tropical escape, but I am really excited about it. In March I’m heading to Washington, DC (for the first time since moving to London) for my best friend Mala’s wedding! I absolutely can’t wait. I’ve been planning who I’m going to see and where I’m going to eat.

Then, I heard about the RelayRides travel-must haves challenge, and I thought, “yeah, maybe I should think about what to pack.” Because what you bring can help ease travel stress and help start the vacation off right. So I decided to participate in the challenge and make my own travel essential list. 

If you haven’t heard of RelayRides, they are a pretty cool company that I’m excited to check out further when I’m in DC. RelayRides is a peer-to-peer car rental company. So basically, you can rent cars directly from the car owner. No more being confused about fees and rules and gas (like I was when we rented a car over Christmas). This system seems so much easier. And as an owner, you can list your car, approve who uses it, and choose where and when you rent it.  There’s even airport rentals! It seems pretty cool and more accessible than regular car rental. Also, if you’re a city person who doesn’t use you car everyday (like I totally used to be), it seems like a genius idea to make a little money with a car that would otherwise just be sitting there.

But let’s get back to the list. The actual traveling part of traveling can be a challenge. I hope this list will help you get comfortable, combat travel funk, and help you stay relaxed. I haven’t included the obvious things like travel documents, your computer, your phone, or your phone charger. Those are beyond essential, they are common sense. Overall, I think this list can work for short weekend trips or long overseas adventures. Hope it helps and inspires you to take a trip soon too! Now without any further ado here’s my list in two parts. Part one is the basics, part two is what you pack in your carry on.

1. A Backpack with lots of pockets – I don’t like having everything dumped into one black pit of a bag. Lots of little pockets helps keeps me organized, which means I can find what I want and keep my travel stress to a minimum. Ryan and I have this North Face backpack, which works wells. It’s unisex design means on day trips we can share carrying it with no embarrassment. It’s also perfect for an airplane carry on.

2. Fuzzy socks – It’s awful to be stuck on a long ride and be cold. I always bring socks so I can feel cozy, which helps me sleep better if I’m on a long bus or plane ride. I pack socks in my bag even in the summer because you never know how high the AC will be.

3. Toothbrush and Toothpaste – This is so important when you’re taking long flights, trains, or bus rides. There is something about long bursts of travel that makes your mouth taste awful. Bring this little kit and you have everything you need to feel a little fresher. The small plastic pouch is also great because you can stick in a lip balm, some bobby pins, or a few other tiny things you may need. If you’re only doing a day trip, then substitute the toothbrush and paste for mints. You never regret having nice breath.

4. Comfortable underwear – You might think this is a ridiculous one, but I stand by it. There are so many ways that traveling can be uncomfortable. You don’t want your underwear falling down while lifting a heavy bag. And you don’t want it creeping up while you’re stuck in a tiny airplane seat. Wear comfy undies! I like Under Armour underwear the best for travel. They are soft, breathable, and stay in place.

5. Light layers – This particular jacket is on my wishlist, it’s the LL Bean Discovery Rain Jacket, which folds down into a tiny bag. Again, it can be cold or hot while in transit – and then when you get where you’re going you want to be ready for anything. A light jacket is perfect. I’m lusting after the LL Bean one largely because it’s waterproof and a space saver.

6. Headphones – This should be intuitive and go along with my phone and computer, but somehow I always forget headphones. For me they are a must so I can list to my podcasts, movies, and music while I’m waiting to board or riding the bus. I used to be against the kind that sticks in your ears like this, but now I like how they block out noise. My favorites are Skullcandy Headphones.

7. Lip balm – This is a hugely girl thing to say but  here it is: I get complainy when I have dry lips so lip balm is a must. My favorite right now is eos Blueberry Acai lip balm. It doesn’t really fit in a pocket, which means it has to live in the backpack, and that means I don’t forget it. Also in a real pinch, you can use a bit of lip balm to tame some frizz. It’s weird but true.

8. Baby wipes – This is the thing I never remember and always want. Perfect for removing travel stink after a long flight, and also good for cleaning your hands after you have a picnic of greasy street food.

9. Snacks – You never know when hungry is going to turn into hangry (hungry+angry). Always keep snacks! I like to keep something for both me and Ryan. I like something with a little protein, like the KIND Cranberry Almond Bars to keep us full. I also like something sweet, like Sour Patch Kids, to keep us happy.

10. Water Bottle – Cheaper and more earth friendly than buying water when you’re out in the world. This Vapur 0.5 Litres Anti-Bottle doesn’t hold a ton, but it folds down so it’s easy to carry and not heavy at all.

11. Inflatable Neck Pillow – I used to be anti-neck pillow, but now I love them. Keeps you from getting a cramp in your neck on a long flight. And, if you have the middle seat it keeps your head up so you don’t slump onto strangers. Inflatable is great too because it flattens down so it’s not in the way when you don’t need it.

12. Camera – I have a Nikon COOLPIX, it’s a fancy-ish point and shoot camera and I love it. For so long I was just using my camera phone thinking everything was ok, but it wasn’t. A real camera gives you better clarity, more zoom, and overall nicer photos. Yeah, the camera takes up a ton of space, but it’s worth it for capturing your memories.

Ok, that’s my must have of things. But, here’s a bonus, three tips for things to do before your trip so you can stay relaxed after. 

1. Take out the trash.
2. Clean out the fridge.
3.  Tidy up a bit. (As in empty the dishwasher, put away the laundry or scrub the toilet… whatever needs doing)

Do these three things and you won’t come home to smells, things growing, or chores. You will be so happy that past you was such a smartie! When you return home you’ll get to sit on the couch and simply bask in the glow of your holiday.

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