Hi everyone, we hope you're all OK. What a strange, surreal world we all seem to be in right now. Scary headlines and constant access to social media makes a serious, worrying situation all the more anxiety triggering. So while you're social distancing and self isolating at home, we hope you enjoy these photos of some beautiful, calm, serene places we have been lucky enough to visit.
If it was possible for a geographical location to be your soulmate, Yosemite National Park would be ours. So beautiful that it makes our hearts ache to think about it, this incredible expanse of great outdoors is our favourite place on the planet.
You might not believe that busy Teamlab Borderless in Tokyo would be calming, but I promise you it was! Despite the crowds, the sensory experience left us feeling all gooey and zen, like someone had taken our brains out, massaged them and put them back in again. Mmmmm...
Imagine being surrounded by the calming scent of lavender and the low hum of bees, as rolling fields of purple stretch away ahead of you. This was our experience at Hitchin Lavender Farm , sooo theraputic! We have a blog about our visit here.
Iceland had so many extraordinary landscapes. Bleak and vast, we have never said "wow" as many times as we did during our 5 days in Iceland. This photo was taken at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, the most astonishingly serene place, where huge blue icebergs float in front of the massive glacier they have split from.
Hooray for hiking! Getting out in nature is our happy place. Nothing de-stresses us more than stretching our legs and breathing deep. This photo was taken whilst hiking the the Cleeve Hill Ring, a gorgeous circular route in the Cotswolds.
What is more calming than watching a beautiful sunset? Our favourite was way down in Key West, Florida. They even have a sunset celebration where everyone gathers in Mallory Square and cheers when the sun disappears into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Japanese have a culture of forest bathing, where just being out and absorbing the feeling of greenery and nature is believed to have many benefits for mental health and general well being. We would like to adopt a culture of forest hugging. Certainly works for us! Taken in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park.
A surprising number of our collection of calming images were taken in USA National Parks. Actually it's not surprising, North America is our favourite continen and getting outside in the USA's incredible wilderness makes us feel amazing! This photo of Em was taken at the summit of Angels Landing, Zion National Park. Now the hike itself was far from calming - terrifying at times!! - but the view from the top was awe inspiring.
Cheers all! This snap was taken in Bologna, Italy. We were sat in a beautiful traditional square in front of the basilica of Santo Stefano, with some delicious focaccia bread and of course, Italian wine. Italy is probably our favourite European country, and we have had some wonderful trips there. Once the world opens up again, if you would like a relaxing city break that combines incredible food with stunning old architecture, we would SO recommend Bologna!
How much would we love to teleport here right now!! You know those calendars you see with the unbelievable beach photos - the ones with the most perfect clear turquoise waters and white sand? They exist. We found one at Bahia Honda State Beach, Florida Keys.
We spent a week in January 2019 on a road trip around Florida, and relaxing on dreamy beaches like this were a perfect escape from the bleak British winter. Just thinking about the colour of the ocean lowers our blood pressure.
Where in the world makes you feel calmest? Let us know in the comments!