The Beginning of the End...

Yup, that's right. This past weekend, we've entered what can only be described as the beginning of the end, the end of our chapter in London that is.

Perhaps a timeline of events would be most helpful here...

• February 25th-26th: moved out of our flat in Hammersmith, and moved in with Bryan's cousins for the month of March (so, so generous of them!)
  
• March: Live with Bryan's cousins (Lori, Marlin, and son Thomas), soak up our last month in London, including a 4-day trip to Dublin & Galway, a leaving dinner and drinks (or a 'Leave-Do' as they call it here) towards the end of the month, a weekend visit from some California friends (who've just moved to Germany), and squeezing in a few final tourist attractions
  
• April: Our grand finale, 3-week trip; Brandina to join her parents for 3 days at the beginning of their motor-home adventure in Germany, then off to meet Bryan in Greece, Istanbul, and Croatia
  
• April 29th-30th: Return to London for a final re-pack of our bags, and a few very sad & dreaded good-byes
  
• May 2nd: Board a plane, destination San Francisco, California....with one-way tickets.

So, just after New Years, in preparation for all of the above, we began the formation of two documents - "The Epic List" and "The Great Purge." The Epic List, as you might imagine, is everything that needs to be done between January - August 2012...and it's a long one, including everything that goes into leaving London, traveling, moving back to California, planning a wedding, and everything in between...3 pages, single-spaced, organized to the nines, and overwhelming as anything. It is truly massive, rather intimidating (haha, especially when it includes line-items like "find a place to live", as if that's a simple task!) and gets amended (both ticked off and added to, I'm afraid) on a regular basis.

The Great Purge, on the other hand, is a list of everything we've accumulated here in London that won't be making the trip back to California. From a television, to endless amounts of baskets, a granny shopping trolley, extension cords, a printer, a bed frame, and loads of other items. The process of selling and donating these items has been a month-long project, involving several exchanges of hand-me-down goods with our friends over lovely breakfast and dinner dates, as well as a few craigslist postings, and charity shop drops. It's been exhausting, to say the least, but successful nevertheless. We've given some our favorite things to wonderful homes, and continued the cycle of international hand-me-downs, oh so common in this city.

So, as you may remember, we arrived in London in October 2009, with 2 carry-on bags each, and 5 check-in bags total. Having just packed up all of our belongings over the past month, selling and donating loads of goods, and packing up all our clothes, souvenirs, art, books, and wedding crafts, it looks as if we will be leaving London with 2 carry-on bags each, and 9 check-in bags total. So, after two years, we've added 4 bags...for better or for worse :). At least, that's what we schlepped to Marlin & Lori's house on Sunday! It was a very, very surreal moment, pulling up to their house in a fully-packed car, just like we did when we first arrived from the airport in London, wide-eyed and inexperienced, but determined to have a go at this adventure, determined to give everything we had to make it work. So, 2 years and 4 months later, we've come full circle - all moved back in to their guest room, where we will spend the next month living partially out of suitcases, but in great company, and exceptionally grateful for their hospitality! In fact, just a few days ago, we realized that we will be spending the next 3 months living partially (at times fully) out of suitcases, until we've found a place to live in San Francisco, and settled in. All part of the transition process....think I might raise a glass of wine to this realization tonight!

Right then, so how are we feeling about having entered the beginning of the end? Bittersweet, most definitely. Bryan is a bit more ready to make the transition than I am, perhaps because I will be leaving some very, very close friends behind (I tear up just thinking about it actually, and I absolutely have not yet come to terms with it, if I'm completely honest). I vacillate regularly between excitedly looking ahead at our prospects in San Francisco, updating my resume, planning our upcoming wedding, preparing for friends' weddings this summer, seeing family, and imagining our lives Stateside again....to feeling completely distraught about leaving this city, saying goodbye to some very special people, people who have changed my life in so many ways, and accepting the fact that, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end sometime. I think I speak for us both when I say that living in London has far surpassed any expectations we had when we began to apply for our visas, but that being said, we have a very exciting chapter ahead, hence the sweet. We are so very excited to reconnect with friends and family that we've only seen on an annual basis at best, over the past few years, look forward to calling San Francisco home, and continue to excitedly plan our wedding, which is only 172 days away (!!!).

So, that's where we are at the moment, in the beginning of the end of this chapter. It's scary, sad, overwhelming, exciting, fun, and frustrating at different times...occasionally all at the same time. A special, huge thanks to everyone that has already been so helpful as we've begun this transition, and to everyone that's offered to help with various parts of The Epic List. We couldn't have done the past 2 years without your support...and certainly couldn't face the next 6 months without it either. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thanks ever so much.

-B&B

"Oh love, you're just going to be further away, not leaving for good. Plus, I get to see where you live...So I can imagine you there too. It's a new and exciting phase." - My dear friend Ruth

An Urban Art Hunt

Having recently read an article in the EasyJet inflight magazine about the city of Bristol, famed for its street art and recent completion of the See No Evil project on Nelson Street, we decided we couldn't pass up the opportunity for a short day-trip outside of London, all in the name of art. Unfortunately, Bryan had to work all weekend, so I hopped on the train to Bristol solo, and went on an urban art hunt (and for those of you who know me well, you know this is right up my alley, and an excursion I had no trouble enjoying on my own!)...

Despite being quite cold, the sun was shining bright, the skies were clear and blue, and the art and culture of Bristol did not disappoint. Nelson Street was absolutely brilliant, an entire street of building facades largely covered in quite impressive graffiti, as part of an internationally-acclaimed project that took place last summer in Bristol, involving street artists from all over the world, who met in Bristol to beautify an otherwise rather drab street. I just love the idea of giving street artists an opportunity to legally express their creativity and incredible talent, in a university town booming with culture and diversity, on a permanent project supported by the city (!!!), designed specifically for the beautification of a local street. It really just screams progression, passion, and appreciation of the arts. The photos below don't really do the project justice, given how difficult it is to capture the incredible size of this street art...but here are a few of my favorites:

Following my tour down Nelson Street, I browsed a small antiques market in the Old City, perused dozens of vintage fashion shops, street market tables, and pop-up art galleries (galleries literally thrown together in a vacant space, accepting cash only, and boasting the artistic and creative works of local residents and artists) in various pockets of the city, from the central high streets to the harborside. I meandered through the Arnolfini contemporary arts center, currently dedicated to the exploration of the importance of museums in modern society. Bristol is a fascinating mecca of young and old, clearly dedicated to all the things art, from theater, to graffiti, to handmade jewelery and baked goods, boasting buyers and sellers from many walks of life, meeting in a flourishing university town. It's both vintage and fresh, a tribute to young minds, individual expression, and local community, bolstered by an exceptional university, a grand cathedral, and a history shaped by its proximity to the sea. Very, very unique indeed. I finished the day with a short bus ride to Clifton Village, to hike up the hillside for a view of the city and the incredible Avon Gorge, connected by the vast Clifton Suspension Bridge, sparkling in the crisp February sun light.

Went on an art hunt, definitely caught a big one...around the streets, over the river, up the hill, through the old city, back on the train...aaaand home.

-B

“Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent, leave the house before you find something worth staying in for. ” — Banksy, Bristol-based street artist