What I Love about England.

Verdant evergreen plant growing wild (or half wild) literally everywhere.

Old darkened gates and porches – more often than not leading to private yards of the lucky upper-class people.

Funny street signs. Do you think that me laughing at this could even be categorized as the ‘famous British humour’?

Amazing old churches everywhere. So romantic, almost Gothic vibes that make you want to read ghost stories under the blanket with a warm cup of tea…

Another, really similar-looking church to the one above.

British song-making tactics and vibrant lyrics. Referring to a quite well-known case of Eleanor Rigby with the actual place which the song got its name pictured above.

Especially in Liverpool these places just exist all around. Am I the only millennial fangirl gasping when realizing that I’m actually walking on that Penny Lane!

The plant above, Lamprocapnos spectabilis, is called ‘broken heart’ (särkynytsydän) in Finnish. It’s probably one of the first cultured ones that I learned to know when I first became interested in botany as a child. I can still quite vividly remember looking up the plant from a huge gardening edition while visiting the local library as a 6-year-old or something.

Old railroads and stations almost straight out of Harry Potter! (Yes, you get all the clichés here…)

Yours,

Miah

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Wild Blackberry Hunt.

One of the first things that struck a scavenging nomadic soul like me was the rich prevalence of blackberries pretty much everywhere in Liverpool. Or at least the areas where I was flaneuring (obviously not in the city centre).

One of the best spots for getting a major catch was in one of the local parks with different sections representing gardening in different parts of the world.

We don’t really have that many blackberries in Finland so I kinda went crazy; jumping all over in the bushes after them…

Yep, that’s me – apparently looking like a ‘mountain goat’ in my wild blackberry chase!

Just look at how precious the are…

Another really good spot for getting a free, tasty snack while waiting for the next train was in one of the Merseyrail stops just outside the city centre.

More about the public transportation in Liverpool coming up soon!

Yours,

Miah

Marmalade Skies.

I happened to be wondering down Allerton Road (quite near to the famous Penny Lane actually) on a rainy Sunday when I spotted this promising-looking cute little cafe. Unfortunately it had already closed – so I decided to head back the next day when Marmalade Skies was opened again!

And oh boy – the independently owned cafe didn’t disappoint us!

Marmalade Skies offered a nice selection of breakfast and lunch options, sweet treats (vegan options included), teas and other beverages.

The cafe that labels itself ‘child-friendly’ was filled with families or mothers with kids having a nice brunch or a cuppa. Although I have to admit that this might not be the most suitable place for you if you simply can’t stand the occasional noise of kids playing and running around with plastic dinosaurs.

On the other hand, if you do have small kids, Marmalade Skies is just the place for you with its individual play rooms, child-proof wooden gates, changing table and, probably most importantly, friendly and patient staff.

I wasn’t feeling very hungry so I just had the absolutely lovely pink rose lemonade that I most definitely recommend to try. And a slice of this irresistible chocolate cake below!

Buahahahahahaha. It was all mine!

Upcoming content about my UK adventures coming soon – so stay tuned and let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Yours,

Miah