this past long weekend i was up in edinburgh for one of my first uk pals' hen do. i headed up to scotland after work on thursday, and planned to go along with her to the cottages her bridesmaids had booked for us all on the friday through sunday, then do a bit of exploring on either side. that was the plan. in reality though, the weather turned nasty, my head turned achey, and - other than one day exploring a previously-unvisited part of the city (dean village), i did absolutely no sightseeing; instead choosing to spend time with kirsty and her fiance (and their cat), watching great british bake off, drinking coffee, and eating easter snacks. and want to know something? i feel very little remorse for that. why? because sometimes it pays to travel slow.
i was in berlin the weekend before, and that was a busy weekend. we did a lot of sightseeing, a lot of adventuring, and i explored my little heart out. i was shattered, and to back that up with another full weekend just would not have been the best thing for me. i was tired - exhausted, after a long weekend, the work week, and the travel up, and so when i stopped and listened to my body and what it needed, it needed me to take it easy. i've been to edinburgh many times before, and kirsty lives in leith - an area i am pretty familiar with anyway, so choosing to stay in instead of going out - while a difficult one to make, was the right one.
the best part of hanging out at kirsty's flat was literally hanging out in her flat. she and adam have only had their flat less than a year, but my god, if it's not the homiest, comfiest, and most pinterest-worthy flat i've ever seen. from the navy blue walls and giant bay windows, to the perfectly placed and super affordable art and prints on the bookshelves, every inch of their flat was welcoming and warm: everything that it was not outside of it. sitting there among their teraniums and framed prints and wicker baskets and perfectly decorative flowers, on their wholly spacious and comfy sofa, i realised that actually, i was having the best travel experience. it doesn't always have to be go-go-go, does it?
sometimes, it really pays to just have a break from the norm, to be inspired by new spaces, and to relax into your surroundings. i am currently eating golden eggs in a hotel room, curtains open and snow falling down outside, and i couldn't be happier; i would 100% suggest more slow travel going forward, because, it's genuinely the nicest way to be going back to work - much better than exhausted.
*written in collaboration with artupia, but all views are my own.
