WOW! More fantastic KDHamptons Travel Diaries keep flying in from haute Hamptonites jet setting off on fantastic adventures around the globe. This week, I heard from our friend Georgina Comley [nickname George], the stunning store manager of Jack Wills in Southampton. George shares her “European Spring Fling” back home to London before diving into the busy Hamptons summer season.

 

George shares: I flew back to London, Heathrow where I was met by my wonderful mother, and my three-year-old Scottish terrier, Mungo. Hugs all round and we talk nonstop for the next five hours- catching up on recent shenanigans of mine since moving to the US…

 

 

 

 

First stop is mum’s local gastro pub on Southborough Common in Kent, called the Hand and Scepter~ I love the design details [above]. We indulge in wine and of course, fish and chips until our little companion demands a walk. This is when I feel at home. Rolling, luscious, green hills for miles. Wellington boots are a must-have [below], and your autumn coat is advisable.

 

 

 

 

Day two, my mum is off interviewing [she’s a writer]….and so I catch up with my friends in Tunbridge Wells. We visit our local dog friendly pub on the Pantiles, which is a gorgeous promenade downtown. The Ragged Trousers is a bar and dining room full of local musicians, artists and retired cool cats. A really awesome feel with gorgeous grub, local beers and a friendly vibe.

 

 

 

 

 

We finish the day with a walk in Dunorlan Park. My home version of Central Park! Not so big, but extremely beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My third day of home time, I had the pleasure of attending my friends Elizabeth and Bens wedding. Predictably, the weather isn’t as bright as we’d hoped, but Liz tied in a fur shawl and looked super classy. I wore my navy, vintage inspired Jack Wills dress and TopShop wedges, teamed with gold jewelry, my original plan was a yellow, fifties style dress, though the weather dampened my sunshine inspired look. We danced the night away to a modern jazz band at a country estate in Sussex. We all met to nurse our sore heads for lunch at Sankeys [my old local] in Tunbridge Wells.

 

 

 

 

Final London stop…I simply couldn’t make a visit home without seeing my London friends! We called a brunch in Hoxton Square at The Breakfast Club. I love seeing them, hearing about what they’re up to and what they’re wearing. An eclectic group of singers and actors. My old flat mate, Bryn is in America a lot at the moment as the group he sings with have been touring. I managed to catch Monsta play at Webster Hall just before Christmas actually! Maude is in a new TV show called Vikings and so is darting to LA for meetings often…tough to get us all in one place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I head back to London Bridge to hop on a train to the country side, I can’t resist a walk around Borough Market [above]. A sea of tradition. One of my top London spots on the weekend. Exquisite fresh foods from truffle mushrooms, to local meat and cheese. Wine, chocolate, coffee. I grabbed a glass of Prosecco to go before I made my way through the food market to get to my favorite coffee shop and meet my friend Harry. I finally make it to Monmouth and we caught up about his latest business ventures with the best cappuccino in the city stuck to my hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEXT STOP: Amsterdam!

A three day get away with my best friend, Kat. She runs her own dance school and so finding time to see each other is tough-we make the most of it! We fly to Amsterdam in what felt like the blink of an eye, I forget how accessible the rest of Europe is. We headed to our hotel to drop our bags before exploring this beautiful, historical city [below]. It is built around canals and all the houses were built with wooden stilts to hold them up. Needless to say, hundreds of years later, the buildings all look drunk. Some a tilting to the right, some leaning forward, very confusing to the eye!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You cycle everywhere [my cute bike above], but there are no rules, so do beware! We drank tea in squares, shopped around the area by the royal palace [which by the way has nothing on Buckingham palace], and ate in divine restaurants. One called Cau, where we had the best steak and delicious cocktails before heading to the Red Light District [below] for drinks, and take in the night life. Very odd feel, as laws are very different there [I’ll let you do your own research!].

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second day, we found a cute cafe for pastries and juice before heading to start our museum day. My favourite was the Ann Frank Museum. They have opened it to the public so you can explore where the Frank family hid through Hitlers regime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent our final evening checking out local street art before a canal cruise and our last supper. This was a fun Mexican restaurant over looking the water. We looked outside, it had started to rain..we were too busy chatting to the waiter and drinking cocktails to care.An awesome trip, seeing some of my favorite people in the world before heading back to my new home in Southampton….

**Visit Georgina at the Jack Wills Southampton store at: 50 Jobs Lane