My Top 5 Books of 2018

One of the problems with being a serial reader is that none of your friends and family understand when you lament that you 'only' read 111 books in a year. But compared to the 148 I read in 2017 and the 200 I read in 2016, it does sound like a lot less. I blame my incredibly busy year at work, and my hectic itinerary in Peru didn't give me much chance to catch up on my reading.

My Top 5 Movies of 2018

1. Lady Bird

2. Three Identical Strangers

3. Leave No Trace

4. The Shape of Water

5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

The complete list of films I watched this year is as follows (re-watches are in italics:

• Molly's Game
• The Social Network
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 
• The Shape of Water
• Darkest Hour
• The Post
• I, Tonya
• Get Out (free)
• Goodbye Christopher Robin (plane)
• Murder on the Orient Express (plane)
• Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (plane)
• Lady Bird
• Reasonable Doubt (Netflix)
• Me Before You (Netflix)
• Phantom Thread
• Snowden (Netflix)
• Notting Hill (Netflix)
• Julie & Julia (Netflix)
• Dazed and Confused (Netflix)
• Isle of Dogs
• A Quiet Place
• Ready Player One
• Roman J. Israel Esq. (plane)
• All the Money in the World (plane)
• Kramer vs Kramer (Netflix)
• Miss Sloane (Netflix)
• Vertigo
• Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
• The Children Act (free)
• Crazy Rich Asians
• American Animals (plane)
• Tully (plane)
• Game Night (plane)
• A Simple Favor
• Leave No Trace (plane)
• Ocean’s 8 (plane)
• First Man
• Widows
• Three Identical Strangers
• A Monster Calls (Netflix)

A Year in Leaps: 2018

It's been another busy year of travel for me, with 11 overseas trips to seven different countries, three of them for the first time (Poland, Hungary and Peru). I've been back to Toulouse, Amsterdam and Berlin, which have all been on my return-visit list for many years. I also visited Kraków; Austin, TX; and Budapest for the first time, completing the Inca Trail during my stay in the latter. And, of course, I managed a few visits to New York, Washington DC and Cannes.

Bex's Food and Drink Awards: 2018 Edition

It's that time again: time for my annual round-up of my coffee, food and cocktail favourites of the year. I've used the same categories as last year — coffee, brunch, street food, restaurant and cocktail. And as usual, I've included new-to-me picks from London and my travels around the world. This year, I visited seven different countries (France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Peru, Poland and the United States) and enjoyed some fantastic meals and cups of coffee.

A Specialty Coffee Tour of Kreuzberg and Neukölln, Berlin

For more Berlin specialty coffee recommendations, check out my coffee guide to Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg.

I last visited Berlin on a school history trip in 1998 and I've long been wanting to return. As my company has offices there, I've held out, hoping a work trip would materialise. Of course, when that finally happened, I had to fly out the day after returning from Amsterdam and only had one free day in the city. 

How To Spend A Weekend in Amsterdam

After a 19-year absence, 2018 was the year I finally returned to Amsterdam. As accommodation in the city is expensive, even when booking well in advance, I just stayed one night. I flew out early on Saturday morning, reaching central Amsterdam just after 10 am, and returning to London late on Sunday night. I saw quite a bit of the city in two full days, including six of its specialty coffee shops. Here's what else I got up to in my weekend in the Dutch capital.

Six Specialty Coffee Shops To Visit in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city so convenient to get to from London that it's rather embarrassing that my only previous visit was at the end of the last century. 2018 was the year I finally righted that wrong, and top of my to-do list was visiting some of the excellent specialty coffee shops and roasteries the city now boasts.