Homeward Bound: The Final Edition

Following the conclusion of our final trip, we returned home to London for a whirlwind two days of saying our last good-byes to Ruth and Bryan's family, revisiting our favorite local spots (Indian food, Spanish tapas, Gelato Mio, and discount Tuesdays at Coronet Cinema), and doing the final pack and weigh of our 10 check-in bags, plus two carry-on bags each.  With the extensive help of my parents, we somehow managed to get all of our bags through the airport, and arrived absolutely exhausted into California on the evening of Wednesday, May 2, 2012, thus concluding perhaps the most phenomenal experience of both of our lives thus far.  It was a day that I had been dreading for about six months, and it came and went, albeit painfully long, but successfully in the end.  In the spirit of the Homeward Bound blog entries we've written in the past about our friends who've left London, we've decided to write one for ourselves...

A MINI PROFILE: Bryan & Brandina

• Hometown: Northern California, USA
• Time lived in London: 2 1/2 years; October 15, 2009 - May 2, 2012
• Something we've shared: An absolutely incredible 2 1/2 years of working, living, tasting, exploring, traveling, and loving the experience of temporarily settling abroad.  We've shared our London-based home and neighborhoods with a number of visitors, and shared experiences abroad with numerous friends and family.  Nothing quite compares to sharing in the experience of travel with others. 
• Something we've learned: After searching far and wide, in almost every country we visited, for the best kebab and the best scoop of gelato, we are humbled by the fact that in the end, the best is where it all began - the Notting Hill Kebab shop, just steps from the Notting Hill tube station, and London-based Gelato Mio.  And trust me, we've tried dozens and dozens of both on our travels, without complaint of course, all in the name of research.  Oh, and a few other lessons: 

1. Hire a tax guy when you live abroad; it will undoubtedly be worth it.
2. Stop taking cheap buses to the London airports; swallow your pride and take the more expensive trains - it really cuts down on the time and stress of it all.
3. Always be prepared for any type of weather; dress and carry all applicable accessories every day - don't be fooled by the weathermen, or the way it looks outside when you wake up.
4. Live and love fully every minute of sunshine in the public parks. Seriously.
5. Do your best to be a local, no matter where you live or where you travel; tourists only know the surface, locals know the secrets and the magic of their own cities.
6. Learn to love the little things - the best things don't always come in big packages; down-size where you can, and appreciate the wholesomeness of less-is-more (though, be wary of applying this directly to the size of your living space).
7. Research your travel options, your itineraries, the cheapest flights, the best places to stay...but in the wee hours of the night, when it literally starts to hurt, just make a decision and press "submit."  Of all the places we've stayed and the trips we've taken, we can only recall one bad hotel; those odds aren't too shabby I'd say.
8. Explore the big cities, but take the time to hop on a bus and see the countryside; whenever we did this, whether outside Munich, Prague, London, Vienna, or Luxembourg, we loved the diversity of the experience.
9. Don't be afraid to go back to the places you love.  Sure, make a list of places to go and get out there and do it, but don't be ashamed to admit that you really love one or two places the most, and be ok with going back.  Get the touristy things out of the way on the first go around, and relax a bit more the second time.  Trust me, you won't regret it.
10. Take lots and lots of photos.  It's a numbers game, and while it's a lot of work on the editing side of things (oh man, so much work!), the photos will last you forever.
11. Be prepared for people at home to say (quite openly) that you are living a fantasy life.  Just remember that while it does feel like a dream sometimes, you are working exceptionally hard to make it happen, every day, and that yes, you are lucky to be playing hard in a big European backyard.
12. Pass it all down - the stuff, the knowledge, the travel itineraries, the favorite spots, the local secrets - that way, it still lives on, and others can continue to enjoy in your memory.

• Our newly given hand-me-downs: Some of our prized-possession hand-me-downs included our granny grocery cart, my basket of art supplies, our treasured large umbrellas, and a whole host of other things that we just couldn't take home with us.  Luckily, everything went to wonderful homes - there's little bits of B&B in many places still around London. 
• Our next meeting place: We are lucky enough to be welcoming some of our overseas friends and family at our wedding...but beyond that, we are hoping for our next big trip to be Australia and New Zealand...and hopefully a return to London in the not-so-distant future.

Today, May 30th, marks exactly four weeks since we returned home Stateside, and if I'm honest, this is the first time I've sat down to actually reflect on an experience that seems to have ended too quickly, thrust into the background by the myriad of tasks, to-dos, and stressors we've faced since trying to restart our lives in California over the past four weeks.  I can remember running through Hyde Park (the legendary day that I spotted the Queen, March 15th), thinking about what I would say when today, the day devoted to the final blog entry, would inevitably arrive.  And the truth is, I feel slightly lost for words, at least lost for words that can accurately describe this experience we've had; amazing, wonderful, incredible...they just don't seem to do it any justice.  How do you really describe something so life-changing?  What began as a pipe dream in our San Diego apartment in December 2008, became a reality 10 months later, through a lot, and I do mean a lot, of preparation and work.  And in reflection, I believe with all my heart that Bryan and I will never be the same - we will never be the same people we were before we started this adventure, and I am sure (at least I hope!) that in our years ahead, we will say the same thing about other phenomenal experiences that we share.  We are, forever changed.  Interestingly enough, I feel a sense of relief in the fact that certain things about London will never change.  London is this incredible city steeped in tradition - stubborn even at times in its will to preserve its royal history.  But with this stubbornness comes beauty, comes pride in things like red double-decker buses, exquisite afternoon high teas, and beautifully-groomed royal parks.  London will always be a city of steadfast tradition, remarkable sights, and lovely people.

Furthermore, London will always be the place we lived when we got engaged, forever documented by color-popping engagement pictures in some of our favorite spots around the city (like the one above, all snapped by our beautiful friend Ruth).  London will always be the one place (please, let it be the ONLY place!) that we shared the most ridiculously-tiny studio for 11 months, somehow existing together in one small room, at the top of 94 painful stairs.  London will always be the place where we worked at exceptionally challenging and stimulating jobs, the place where we learned to rely on and appreciate public transportation, and to never leave home without an umbrella.  London will always be the place where for 2 1/2 years, we went through the exceptionally tedious process of filing taxes in two countries, in essence, preparing tax returns every six months (like I said - hire a tax guy, it's well worth your while).  London will always be the place from which we were able to launch ourselves into various stunning corners of Europe, marked by an epic cross-country race during the Icelandic volcano eruption, multiple adventures with friends from both sides of the pond, and a collection of photos that will soon find their permanent way into our home, along with roughly 65 gold pins in our Europe map.  London will always be the place that we met some of the most incredible friends and family, people who will forever remind us of the experiences we shared, people who made our experiences what they were.

Most likely, we will eventually stop using our favorite British terms, and eventually stop writing with an "s" instead of "z."  I fear an almost inevitable loss of my slightly British accent and intonation, but will cling on as long as possible.  Somehow though, let there be solace in the fact that London will always be the place of many, many incredible things.  We couldn't be more thankful and appreciative of the many, many people, from home and abroad, who made the past 2 1/2 years not just possible, but absolutely unforgettable.

So, there it is.  The End, or as the British say, Full Stop.  On to starting the next chapter of our lives; one can only hope it is as remarkable, in its own way, as the last.

-B&B

"If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story."  - Orson Welles

Go Big...

From our friends who have departed London before us, one thing we learned was this - Go Big, before you go home....and that's exactly what we did.  After living with Bryan's cousins for the month of March, we set out on our longest trip to date, for most of the month of April.  I began the trip with my parents in Germany, in a cozy motorhome, making our way to Vienna for a few days, where we fulfilled my dad's dream of visiting the Spanish Riding School and watching the Lipizzan horses train, and spent a relaxing Easter weekend together, exploring the streets of Vienna.

Upon saying good-bye to my parents at the metro station in Vienna, I flew out to Athens, where I met Bryan at the airport, to embark upon our 10-day adventure through Athens, two Greek Islands, and on to Istanbul, with varying modes of boats and planes between each.  Greece was everything we had imagined it would be, as we've been dreaming about traveling to Greece ever since we moved to London.  Though Athens was a fairly unattractive city, showing the true signs of economic decline in Greece, the ruins of the Acropolis are still a sight to behold, and absolutely worth a stay in Athens.  Via ferry through the Aegean Sea, we visited the islands of Paros and Santorini, and they are every bit as picturesque as we had imagined, with pristine white homes, doors of every shade of green and blue you could imagine, and blue domed roofs, set with the sea in the background.  Following our relaxed week in Greece, we made our way to Istanbul, unsure really of what to expect, and found ourselves overwhelmingly impressed by the architecture dotting the skyline, and graciousness of the Turkish people we met.  Istanbul was phenomenal - modern yet antique, youthful yet traditional in so many ways, celebrating the endless tulips in full bloom and boasting an incredible array of handmade Turkish sweets.  We had the opportunity to take a boat up the Bosphorus, where we were able to look out on the Black Sea and step foot in Asia, thus marking the furthest east we traveled in the past 2 1/2 years!

Following Istanbul, we made our way to Dubrovnik, Croatia, where we reunited with my parents for a few days in Dubrovnik, and a week-long cruise through the southern Croatian islands on a small vintage fishing boat, weaving in and out of exceptionally quaint and still islands, docking in tiny harbors, and enjoying the quiet hum of the locals, beginning to slowly prepare for busier summer months.  Upon our return to Dubrovnik, we concluded our trip with a day's drive across the border into Montenegro, where we couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised by an absolutely idyllic coastline (even snapping a photo of a young couple on their wedding day, taking advantage of the scenery for their stunning photos).  We think the photos from this trip do more justice to the amazing places we visited, than we could possibly describe in words...

Vienna, Austria

Acropolis in Athens, Greece

Island of Paros, Greece

 

Small fishing village of Naoussa (Island of Paros), Greece

Perissa (Island of Santorini), Greece

Fira & Oia (Santorini), Greece

Istanbul, Turkey

Croatia

Montenegro

 A special thanks to my parents, who made for an excellent final adventure...the calm before the storm of moving home....

-B&B

"To travel is to live." - MC Anderson

From Royalty to Bananas

After being cooped up all morning working on my MFT continuing education units, in preparation for our return home, I decided to take advantage of the surprisingly glorious March sunshine and head for a run outside, to my absolute favorite part of this city, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. As I jogged through the wild flower walk, yet to be in bloom, I began to reminisce and ponder. I wonder if there are any parks in San Francisco as nice as this. Will I ever love a park as much as I love this place? As I hugged the pathway near the Serpentine, I thought of Jen and I completing the Royal Parks half marathon walk a couple of years ago, and one glistening sepia photo from that day came to mind. Yes, there it is:

Perhaps that photo will need to be displayed in our house one day. I noticed the sign for the Serpentine (art) Gallery, with free admission. Would they let me in at the end of my run, hot and sweaty in my running clothes? Hmm, probably not the best idea. The Brits don't do that. Besides, I might not come back this way anyhow. Oh well, another day. As I continued on, swerving around the strollers, dogs, and geese, I noticed that the paddle-boats are available again, and thought happily of the day Bryan and I went paddle-boating in the Serpentine last summer. Oh, and the Lido Cafe just beside the Serpentine - still haven't made it there. Shoot. Probably overpriced anyway. Mmm...but the food sure smells good. Before I knew it, I had reached the end of Hyde Park, and fondly remembered the Kings of Leon concert that we listened to on the grass one summer, passing by the field on which Bryan used to play American football ages ago.

As I curved around the edge of the park, I began to have a think about what I might write in our very last blog, in a couple months time. I'd better write some of these ideas down when I get home from this run, lest I forget. How would the blog end? How would we say goodbye? Yes, that's sounding good...With the last few sentences of our final blog set in my mind, I returned to the present moment, noticing the way the sunshine was creating a hazy backdrop to the trees, still in stark winter dress. Why don't I have my camera? I hate when I don't have my camera. Look at everyone else taking pictures. I'll have to take some photos of my close friends in the next few weeks, during our final coffee and dinner dates. Maybe some crazy, fun photos too! Ooh, a collage would be cool. Reaching the corner by Queensway station, I remembered the chap who used to be out there selling roasted chestnuts some time ago. Hmm, when was the last time I saw him? Must be at least a year or so now. Hanging a left to run along inside Kensington Gardens, I saw signs for the Orangery, and thought longingly that I must find time for one more afternoon tea there before we leave. I love that place. When would I be able to go? Has Ruth been there before? Maybe she'd like to join me. Maybe this Sunday - no, we already have plans Sunday. Huh, I'll have to figure that out.

As I trotted along the wide center pathway, with the Round Pond up ahead on my left, and Kensington Palace up ahead on my right, I began to slow down, as police officers were guiding onlookers to one side of the path. I squinted my eyes in the sunlight. Why are all those guards standing outside the Palace? Wait, what day is it today? The new exhibition opens there on March 25. Is it the 25th already? No, not quite yet. Probably no big deal. This city is full of fancily-dressed guards standing at attention. What do they do anyway? Ok, there really are a lot of people standing here with cameras. What is everyone waiting to see? I came to a halt, found a slightly elevated patch of grass at the back of the crowd, shielded my eyes from the sun, and waited. I don't even know what I'm waiting to see. How long have all these people been standing here? Should I ask someone? No, I'll look like an idiot. I'll just wait. Suddenly, there was a loud round of applause that could be heard from just inside the palace doors, and a few people dressed in suits began to spill out. Are those reporters? Seriously, who are we waiting to see?! And then, out from the door on the left-hand side, emerged The Queen of England. Someone in the crowd shouted, "She's wearing purple!" There were a few cheers, and a lot of tourists trying to take long-distance photos with their cameras and phones. Damn it, why don't I have my camera?!?! I don't even have my bloody phone. Within seconds, her majesty had disappeared into a car, the third in a lineup just outside the palace. The police officers on motorcycles gave their bikes a good rev, and the cars jolted into motion. The crowd, with me at the back, began to wave simultaneously, aware that The Queen's car was just about to pass right in front of us, and a visual of the purple-clad lady in the back seat might be obtained. And then, just like in all the movies, she looked at the crowd, and waved, and the people around me erupted in laughter, cheers, and hasty photo-taking. Damn, I can't believe I don't have my camera. Unbelievable.

And just like that, it was over. The crowd dispersed, the police-led entourage of cars proceeded down the center pathway, and I started to jog in tow, heading home and in the same direction. I hope these standing police officers can tell I am obviously just on a jog, not trying to chase after the Queen. I wonder if I look threatening? What if I'm on the news, chasing down the Queen's car? I can't believe I saw the Queen, on a completely unplanned jog. What are the chances? And she waved! It's almost as if she was waving good-bye to me. Wait, she was, waving, good-bye, to me. In my final few weeks in London, I've seen the Queen, and she's waved good-bye. And as I approached the edge of Kensington Gardens, right around where I had started my jog about an hour prior, I was overcome with tears. Fully, within a matter of seconds, sobbing. It's really happening. We are leaving. Am I really crying about this now, in the park, on my jog? The Queen has just waved good-bye to me. What incredible timing. I stopped for a minute to collect myself, wiped my eyes, now burning with sunscreen, sweat, and tears, and looked back at the gardens, with rows and rows of daffodils in full bloom. Beautiful. Just beautiful.

I decided to walk the rest of the way home along High Street Kensington, contemplating my rather abrupt emotional outburst, seemingly brought on by a royal good-bye wave. I thought about the blog I would sit down to write tonight, so that I would never forget this moment. I know that a common byproduct of grief is fear. What if I forget all my memories from this chapter? Surely, someday, this 2 1/2 years will be a mere blip on the radar. I mustn't forget, but how can I make sure of it? Photos I guess. I'll always have Ruth. I won't forget, will I? I remember Jen saying that it was hard going home, lonely at times, isolated in her feelings. Bryan will understand, won't he? Look at all these people walking on the high street, having no idea that the Queen was just minutes away!

And just as I reached the grocery store, about a block away from home, I remembered that I needed to buy bananas. And yogurt. Funny life people lead in London, from royalty to bananas, just like that.

-B

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

What Rain?

Having lived in London for over 2 years now, putting pins in our map and planning our next adventure, we have continuously put off traveling to Ireland for one main reason - weather, and finding the best time of year to risk the Irish rain. Well, two weeks ago, we did it - we finally went to Ireland, on a 4-day trip, equipped with our big sturdy umbrellas, our raincoats, and our boots...and somehow (I still can't believe it!), experienced only about 30 minutes of rain during our entire long weekend! So, to set the stage...Ireland in early March - sunny with mostly blue skies, a chilly wind and an occasional quick shower - opened our large umbrellas once, for about five minutes. It was absolutely incredible...like I said, I still can't believe the luck we had!

We arrived in Dublin on a Thursday evening, had a lovely dinner in the Temple Bar area of Dublin, and awoke Friday morning with very different plans for the day in Dublin...

Having coordinated with my former professor and boss at the University of San Diego (USD), I spent Friday with students and staff members from USD's Marital & Family Therapy Program (MFT) at a one-day conference at University College Dublin, where we collaborated with clinical psychology students from Dublin during three professional seminars about various topics related to the counseling/therapy profession. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet current students in the program at USD (making me quite nostalgic for the USD job I left behind when we moved to London!), and to reconnect professionally with topics relevant to my field. Following the conference, Bryan and I wandered around Dublin's city center, which is really a young, energetic, slightly off-beat and edgy university town, enjoyed a sunset over the Ha'Penny Bridge, and later joined up with the staff members from USD for dinner and drinks, which was a lovely, low-key catch-up and brilliant end to my day in Dublin! -B

At the Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin

After kissing my beautiful fiance goodbye for the day, I threw my backpack on and headed out to discover what Dublin had to offer, on a surprisingly beautiful day. My first stop was to the Guinness Brewery, which was quite impressive. It was a 5-story tour, including a great historical account of how Guinness was discovered, the brewing process explaining its rich color and unique taste (hint: roasted barley and lots of hops), the fact that they source all of their ingredients locally and employ a large percentage of Dublin, and then concluded not only with a complimentary tasting lesson of a quarter-pint, but a fresh full pint as well in their sky bar (taking the official 119 seconds to pour), with a 360 degree view of the entire city. While I enjoyed my pint, I made friends with a local Dubliner and his mate from Brazil, and we compared European beers to US beers - sidenote...while the famous US light beers were an afterthought, they did surprisingly think US microbrews beat many European beers.
I bid them farewell and headed to my next stop....the Jameson Distillery. However, I was starved since it was almost 2pm at this point...not realising I had spent almost 3 hours at the Brewery (well done Guinness marketing). The Distillery was by guided tour only, and I had about an hour until the next one, so I enjoyed a nice lunch in their cafe - irish soda bread topped with fresh crab and lox, accompanied by a glass of their house red wine...deeelish. I finished just in time for the tour to begin and was chosen as 1 of 8 people, out of about 30, to partake in the whiskey tasting at the end of the tour. To be honest, the tour was a bit disappointing. It was only about 30 mins long and not very informative, though I did learn that Jameson is distilled 3 times compared to twice for most Scotch, and just once for many Bourbons. The tasting made up for the poor tour however, where I was able to compare Jameson to Johnny Walker (much smokier) to Jack Daniels (much sweeter). Sure enough, I made some more friends, but this time they were from Northern California...small world. By then it was time to meet up with Brandina, so I bought her some Jameson-infused chocolate and headed back to our hotel. - B


After our day in Dublin, we set off (together!) on Saturday morning via coach for Galway, having been told by a number of people that a real trip to Ireland requires getting outside of Dublin, to experience the countryside and the sea. We spent the entire weekend in Galway, where we stumbled upon a fantastic seaside cafe, boasting only locally-grown and sustainable food (we enjoyed it so much we had both lunch and dinner there one day - and yes they did recognise us), enjoyed the medieval layout of the small town, perused the local markets, and listened to traditional Irish pub music in the evening. On Sunday, we joined a bus tour bound for the Cliffs of Moher, stopping along the way for a hike in the Burren mountains at a local Irish family farm, having lunch in a small fishing village, and again, literally enjoying the most amazing Irish landscapes with sun and blue skies. It really was phenomenal. Sensing a theme here? I know, like I said, I still can't get over the weather we had! Interestingly enough, we did experience about 10 minutes of a sleet/snow storm whilst on the bus to the Cliffs, but by the time we arrived, all signs of winter had passed.

On the farm, set in the Burren mountains

At the Cliffs of Moher

Heading home, via the coastal route

The bus tour finished with a coastal drive back to Galway, where we rounded out the weekend back at our lovely little B&B...on a street seemingly designed just for us :).

-B&B

"May you live all the days of your life". - Jonathan Swift, Irish satirist and poet