![Afternoon tea at The Wolseley](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/dscf3803-470x140.jpg)
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” Henry James, The Portrait of a…
![One year on](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/302-470x140.jpg)
Exactly one year ago today I woke up in a hostel in Lima, Peru, on the very first day of my 30b430 trip. I described…
![Every end has a start](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/img_3898-470x140.jpg)
So it happened. I turned 30. The big 3-0 and to be honest, not that much has changed. Before the event a friend asked me…
![#30 Go to the London 2012 Olympics with my family](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf3263-470x140.jpg)
I actually can’t think of a better time to arrive home than during the 2012 Summer Olympics. Maybe it was the fact that my family…
![#29 Visit a place starting with each letter of the alphabet. X to Z.](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/426-470x140.jpg)
X is for Xindong Lu in Beijing I was on my way to see an Irish priest in Beijing (and no, this isn’t the prelude…
![T to W (continuing with the alphabet challenge)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf2639-470x140.jpg)
T is for Tai Kang Road in Shanghai’s French Concession Shanghai is definitely the city in China which most people instantly fall in love with….
![#28 Write yourself a postcard from every country you visit on your trip (suggestion from Ruth)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf3769-470x140.jpg)
I love this suggestion from my friend Ruth. When you’re on the road for a long time you have the tendency to forget about the…
![#27 Shop till you drop in Beijing, China](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/415-470x140.jpg)
Anyone who knows me knows that I love to shop. I’d been so good in the lead up to my trip, watching every penny I…
![Q to S (continuing with the alphabet challenge)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/dscf2420-470x140.jpg)
Q is for Qin Jade Pavilion Q is one of those awkward letters isn’t it? Even in the alphabet game it always catches you out….
![#26 Sample some of the more "unusual" cuisine in China (suggestion from Tony)](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_470,h_140/https://thegrown-upgapyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/082-470x140.jpg)
I think when you travel in a country where you don’t speak the language you kind of accept that you’re probably going to eat a…