"The Chunnel Chat"

While "The Chunnel Chat" didn't quite make the cut as our blog name, it is fitting for tonight's new entry. Today, we stuck the first official pin in our European wall map (well, aside from the London pin of course)...PARIS! We just returned, via train (through the Chunnel) from a lovely, jam-packed, 3-day jaunt to the City of Lights.

First and foremost, THANK YOU CLAIRE for your wonderful suggestions. Brandina's friend, Claire, studied abroad in Paris for a year in college, and was kind enough to share some wonderful insider tips about the city. We are not exaggerating when we say that we literally carried around her email as our guidebook :). Who needs Rick Steves anyway!

A few of our highlights in photos:

At the base of Sacre Couer in Montmartre, with an expansive view of Paris behind us.


A street performer at Sacre Coeur - yes, that is a pencil in his mouth, and the soccer ball on top is spinning. And yes, he climbed that pole with the pencil and ball in action. Just one of his many, very impressive soccer tricks. Bryan was mesmerized :).


At the Louvre, to see the classics - Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Hammurabi's Code...our favorite exhibit was the Napoleon Apartments, where we each took several photos of regal chandeliers, tapestry, furniture, etc.


Fudge - and lots of it! On the 3-mile walk from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe (Claire's favorite walk in the city), along the Champs de Elysees, we encountered a fabulous holiday street market, with vendors selling everything imaginable - scarves, mulled wine, candy, jewelery, Santa hats, and of course...fudge :).

The Eiffel Tower at night.

View of the Seine River, from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower (we were not able to go to the top, as it was closed due to extreme wind conditions). Turns out the 2nd floor was plenty high for our liking anyway! Definitely the City of Lights.


Our favorite photo from the trip. Timeless and classy on the Eiffel Tower.


A Swiss dinner, at Le Brasier des Ternes, one of Claire's excellent recommendations. The meal consists of thinly sliced steak, ham slices, and cheese, which you cook over the tiny black grill, built into the table at the end. Dishes of basil and other seasonings are available as well, so each piece of meat can be seasoned to your own taste. The dish comes with a baked potato and fresh sliced bread, to make every combination you can imagine - mini cheese-steak sandwiches, baked potato with ham and cheese, bread slices with dripping hot cheese...etc. It was absolutely delicious, and satisfied Bryan's grilling withdrawals! Considering that we walked miles and miles each day, hearty and filling meals were key.

Outside Notre Dame.


Inside Notre Dame - a photographer's dream.


Pont Neuf, with a view of the Eiffel Tower in the background. Likely to become part of our "Bridge Series" of framed photography...someday. We are beginning to brainstorm all the series of photos we hope to have printed and framed in the future - bridges, cafes, meals, etc.

French pastries - EVERYWHERE! We did indulge in delicious Nutella-filled crepes.


A student protest, in the Latin Quarter. One of three student protests that we encountered in about two hours! We asked a nearby store owner what they were protesting about and he simply rolled his eyes and said, "ahh, manifestacion..."


Dinner in the Bastille area, with Bryan's college friend Mike, and his wife Morgan, who were visiting family in Paris for Thanksgiving. We had wine and cheese at their flat, took a long stroll throughout the city, and had a late Lebanese dinner. There is definitely something uniquely special about being with close friends in a new country. Mike & Morgan - thanks for inspiring our Paris jaunt!

-Brandina & Bryan

"An artist has no home in Europe except in Paris." - Friedrich Nietzsche

When Life Gives You Lemons...

A few weeks ago, while relaxing in our flat on a rainy day we heard a drip....then another one....then another one....then we saw it. Our ceiling had started leaking. The one drawback of being on the top floor, besides the 90 steps, which could be a good thing depending on how you look at it, but I digress. Unfortunately it was a Friday night, so we couldn't get a hold of our handyman until the next day. Saturday rolled around, and our handyman did his best to try and patch up the problem. Well, 2 weeks and 5 leaks later, we found ourselves on our first vacation; an all expenses paid trip to----a motel a few blocks from our flat. So we decided that when life gives you lemons, make some lemonade. Since the property management company was paying for our food on our "vacation," we decided to try a few of the restaurants on our list; Pizza Express, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, a few Gyro places, etc. The best one by far though wasn't even a restaurant at all; it was a street waffle stand that Brandina's family dog, Yoda, could probably smell from Kona (he waits in the kitchen for waffles every Sunday). Bryan opted for a waffle with strawberry sauce, while Brandina couldn't resist the waffle with chocolate sauce. Delicious!

Our little vacation also gave us some time to reflect on how much we enjoy our Notting Hill neighborhood---our close proximity to a tube station, two quaint movie theatres, grocery stores, farmers market, parks, cafes, pubs, restaurants. Our motel was closer to an area called Bayswater, which is nice, but a bit too touristy for us. Monday rolled around and our quasi-vacation was over. The roofers repaired the roof, re-painted our ceiling, and we happily moved back into our humble abode, which, for the record, actually looks better now than it did when we moved in!

Some quick hitters:

- We recently celebrated our 1-month anniversary....of being in London!

- A wine store called Nicolas held a wine festival a few weeks ago. It cost £15 for each of us, then we were able to taste wine from upwards of 50 different vineyards! Then they actually give you your £15 back to spend in their stores. It was a fun afternoon....

- Christmas is more then a month away, but don't tell London that. They've had festivities going for a few weeks now. We went to one the other night called the Bond Street Christmas Festival. Bond Street is one of the areas with all of the upscale stores (Dulce Gabana, Burberry, Polo, Calvin Klein, etc). It was an interesting experience--there were reindeer, lights galore, christmas carolers, and even fake snow! I think they're still perfecting their fake snow though...it turned out to be some sort of soapy material. They also had real models in the windows, and each store was passing out free champagne, mince pies, and chocolate as you walked in. Cheers to Xmas! We'll see if they bring out the manischewitz when Hannuka rolls around....

The fake snow

Brandina's photo-art

- We're still on the job hunt and have decided to start volunteering in our particular fields (1) because we have the time (2) to network and make some connections and (3) to continue adding to our experience. Some of you may know that Bryan was getting very involved with food policy issues in San Diego before we left---improving access to healthy foods for example. He's found a few jobs that he would have loved out here, but was lacking the practical

gardening experience, so he's going to be volunteering on a local farm starting in December! Brandina is looking into volunteering with Kings College on some research projects.

- We have a handful of trips planned in the next few months, with our first one tomorrow---a quick jaunt to Paris for a few days!

Au revoir...

-B & B

"I've decided that the stuff falling through the cracks is confetti and I'm having a party!" ~Betsy Cañas Garmon

Big City, Gray Skies

Sitting with my breakfast cereal and yogurt this morning, with a London city map open in front of me, I plotted out my Sunday morning run. Rather than my usual relatively relaxing runs through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, I decided today to go for something a bit more stimulating and exciting, a run through the hustle and bustle of this wonderful city. Equipped with multiple layers and my music, I set out on what was to be one of the greatest runs I've ever had, truly exciting and stimulating indeed, perhaps second only to the Spanish coastal pathways of San Sebastian.....

.....Down Bayswater road, running alongside Kensington Gardens on my right. Sunday morning showcase of local artists' work, bright and vibrant paintings, canvases, jewelery, and photographs. Running through the center of an art show, with droplets of rain on my nose, pausing ever so slightly to appreciate the art, with beautiful, green Kensington Gardens as the back drop. My mind drifts - I wonder where one purchases art supplies in this city? Do you have to pay to hang your artwork here? I flirt, briefly, with the idea of becoming a starving artist. Where is the little elderly man who roasts chestnuts out here sometimes?.....

.....An accidental step in a large puddle, a reminder of this morning's rain and the crisp autumn air, filling my lungs and stinging a bit. Quick stop at the corner of Bayswater and Park Lane, beneath the Marble Arch, slowing down to watch a section of the horses and guards following this morning's Remembrance Sunday festivities led by the Queen, in honor of British soldiers who have fallen in battle, past and present. I pause to stretch my calves.....

.....Continuing on past Marble Arch, down busy Oxford street. Weaving in and out of the Sunday
Morning crowds, children and families, couples and locals displaying their red Poppy pins in support of British Soldiers. The smells are intoxicating - fresh wet pavement, wonderfully sweet waffle stands. The thousands of Christmas lights overhead, spanning one side of the street to the other, with holly and ornaments adorning the exterior walls of large department stores, in preparation for the holidays. We'll definitely have to come back here in the evening, to experience the lights more fully. Travelers are stopping to capture the display of lights with their pocket digital cameras.....

.....The Oxford Circus tube station up ahead, a landmark for my next fork in the road - a sharp right hand turn down Regent Street. Shops open and welcoming, many crowds passing by. I'm looking around, alert, planning my route through the crowds up ahead. I think to myself - this is perhaps not the run I would take after a long day of work, but perfect for this beautifully gray Sunday morning. I definitely do think gray skies are beautiful. I reach Piccadilly Circus. Ticket stalls and posters for the city's current theater shows, Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum up ahead. It's crowded indeed, but the energy of the crowds is invigorating - travelers with their maps, families deciding which show tickets to buy.....

.....Another right on Piccadilly Way. On my right, the Royal Academy of Arts. The upscale streets and store windows of exclusive Mayfair, tempting but intimidating at the same time. Something more familiar to my left - Green Park, and more local artists' work on display. A Londoner's rendition of the Mona Lisa, hanging proudly on the gate for all to see. I contemplate the £20 in my pocket, mesmerized by the local art. I keep running. Green Park Tube Station, a family popping out of the station stops to ask me for directions to Piccadilly Circus, with a thick accent. I'm sweating, breathing heavily, but smile and point back in the direction I've just come from.....

.....I've reached Hyde Park Corner, and I turn right, traveling up Park Lane. The park on my left, fellow runners littering the pathways within. I pass the Animals in War memorial tribute on my right, a stone wall commemorating the many animals who have died in battle, the elephants, horses, dogs, and the like. A sign that acknowledges these animals who have given their lives, without having a choice. Thoughtful indeed, though a bit peculiar, I think to myself. The open-top, city tour buses line the street, tour guides hailing anyone who might be interested. A starting point for the many bus tours I presume.....

.....I'm back at Marble Arch, having made a full circle, and I turn left to head home. I look at my watch, remembering the laundry that I'm supposed to switch back at home. I run a bit further, and then hop on the tube at Lancaster Gate. This, I think, is perhaps the most amazing facet of running in London. A fascinating, captivating long run, always with the option of a short tube ride home. Followed, of course, by the 90+ steps up to our 4th floor flat :).

-Brandina

" I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move. " ~Robert Louis Stevenson