This Week in the World: Week 13

Hello! I’m back from a beautiful trip to Spain (pictured above!) and very excited about this week’s issue, largely because I've had my website redesigned! I'm also in the process of having an illustrator create a logo (coming soon!) and I switched to a new email provider as well. Things aren't complete just yet (this is phase 1 of the rollout) I'm still so excited to share it with you! Hope you love it as much as I do :)

This week also kicks off another season of Atlas Adventures trips! I'm heading to Paris on Friday with some friends to celebrate my birthday before the Paris crew arrives on Sunday to kick off another trip- can't wait to share along the way!

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 13.

TRAVEL NEWS + UPDATES

• U.S. Passports Are Getting a Whole New Look!

• Will the cost of airfare skyrocket this year?

• Italy Announces Plan to Eliminate COVID-19 Restrictions — Here's What's Changing

• If you’re not following TSA on Instagram…you’re missing out.

AROUND THE WORLD

• Will the war in Ukraine lead the world into food shortages?

• Spring time is upon us! If you’re looking for the perfect wines to drink this season, look to the Loire Valley.

• The weather in London this last week has been glorious! To celebrate patio season being upon us, here are 19 of the best terraces in London.

• Electric cars are becoming the way of the future. In fact, the UK government vows 10-fold increase in electric car chargers by 2030.

• ‘What are the UN and EU for if not to care for refugees?’ asks food NGO in Ukraine

WEEKLY FAVORITES

• I added to my art collection this week with a painting from Alan Halliday / Camburn Fine Art. Halliday is a British artist who is based in the Loire Valley whose paintings are in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum; the Theatre Museum, The Museum of London as well as Oxford University colleges and the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, USA. I love the lightness and colors of his work - they make me so happy!

• I loved this list of life-changing books (I’ve read several and loved them all… adding the others to my ‘must-read’ list!)

• I need to place an ABLE order stat because so many of their shoes right now are beautiful! This sage green pair with a subtle heel, this chic sneaker and this sandal (which quite literally has my name all over it) are all perfect options for spring.

• I have my eye on so many of these sustainable Parisian dresses (I’m going into the shop tomorrow to see which ones are my fav!)

• Here’s what we’re making for dinner tonight: Cauliflower Shawarma with Spicy Tahini.

• “So much happens in restaurants.” I loved this love-letter to dining out!

WANT ALL OF THIS DIRECTLY IN YOUR INBOX?

BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER!

That’s all for today. Happy reading and hope to see you back again next week!

xx

Whitney

This Week in the World: Week 18

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

• June 9th is the set date that Americans can start visiting France again.

• 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.

• Africa’s Elephants are in peril—but could travel help protect them?

• 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!

• Plastic gets to the oceans through over 1,000 rivers (way more than what we originally thought). Here’s what you can do to help.

• Can you have alcohol after the COVID vaccine? (The question all wine enthusiasts are asking right now).

• 6 documentaries on sustainability that will make you think twice about what you buy.

WANT ALL OF THIS DIRECTLY IN YOUR INBOX?

BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER!

That’s all for today. Happy reading and hope to see you back again next week!

xx

Whitney

This Week in the World: Week 15

It’s a very happy Sunday here in London, because it is finally our last day of lockdown! Tomorrow, restaurants can reopen for outdoor dining, shops are finally allowed to open their doors and so much I’ve missed about London will return at long last. My calendar is slowly filling up with dinner dates to see my friends, tennis lessons to sharpen my skills, my WSET certification courses and even a few trips scheduled for the weeks and months ahead! It feels so wonderful to have normalcy breathing into life again, even if it’s in small doses to start.

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 14.

TRAVEL NEWS, UPDATES + INSPIRATION

• 4 Things to Consider As You Start Traveling Again, According to Rick Steves

• Croatia Joins This List of Countries That You Can Visit Once Vaccinated

• Conde Nast Traveler: New York Debuts Nation's First Vaccine Passport

• I loved this inspiring read of “The women explorers who changed the travel world”

AROUND THE WORLD

• London shops and restaurants (outdoor dining) finally reopen tomorrow! Here’s where to eat outdoors in London (and where to eat outdoors when it’s raining).

• UK is in ‘national mourning’ for Prince Philip – what does that mean?

• Winemakers from Bordeaux to Burgundy have lit candles and even launched helicopters to help protect the young 2021 vintage from plunging temperatures, but there have been early reports of severe damage to some vineyards.

• Notre Dame’s Rector Says It Will Take “15 or 20 Years” to Restore Cathedral

• Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle to Reopen to Visitors This Summer (and visitors will also get to explore the garden at Buckingham Palace on a self-guided tour for the first time ever!)

WEEKLY FAVORITES:

• FAVORITE LISTEN: I really enjoyed this episode of Women Who Travel on “What we wish we had known before we moved abroad.”

• FAVORITE WINES: I started my WSET Level 2 Award in Wines certification this last week (which was so fun!) and tasted five different wines during class. There were two (very different but both delicious!) wines I loved that are worth searching for online to order yourself:

  • Domaine Bruno Sorg Gewürztraminer 2018 (Slightly sweet but such an incredible bouquet of melon, ripe peaches and indisputable notes of lychee that are absolutely outstanding).

  • Pio Cesare Barolo 2014 (A quintessential Barolo: pronounced oak, vanilla, blackcurrants and earthiness. High acid. High tannin. High alcohol… this clearly packs a punch! It has a long finish and would be great with a rich truffle pasta).

• FAVORITE EDUCATIONAL READ: I enjoyed this read from AP News that explores the U.S. Mexico border situation. Spin and semantics aside, migration to the U.S. from Mexico is increasing in a major way for the third time in seven years under Republican and Democratic presidents — and for similar reasons.

• FAVORITE INSPIRATIONAL READ: My neighbor is a big cyclist and yesterday got me excited about the idea of a group of us biking to Amsterdam for the weekend (it’s 136 kilometers from London to Harwich, where you then take an overnight ferry to The Hague, then bike another 64 kilometers). While that’s a journey I’ll likely spend some time working up to, it was fun to dream about. So when I stumbled upon this article titled “A cyclist on the English landscape”, a recap of travel photographer who spent the year pedaling the roads around the UK and snapping photos, it was a feast for the eyes and added to my inspiration for making that journey happen!

WANT ALL OF THIS DIRECTLY IN YOUR INBOX?

BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER!

That’s all for today. Happy reading and hope to see you back again next week!

xx

Whitney