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

Brandina's Golden Birthday

That's right...I turned 27 on the 27th---the Golden Birthday as they call it! Thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes. For my birthday, Bryan planned a surprise outing to Kew Gardens, about a 30-minute tube ride, outside of the city center. Kew Gardens is the largest collection of living plants in the world, with plants and trees from just about every climate zone. Bryan toted a surprise picnic, complete with wine, cheese, and grapes, which we enjoyed on a remote garden bench in the sunshine. Kew Gardens is absolutely breathtaking, and looks like autumn everywhere (something I have missed terribly since living in San Diego)! We even purchased a plant from the gift shop...our first plant for the flat :). Matches the orange couch blanket!

A few pics, to showcase our excursion at Kew Gardens:









(Just so happens that Kew Gardens is celebrating its birthday too!)




























































































Following our trip to the gardens, we had dinner at a wonderful restaurant near the London Bridge, overlooking the River Thames, and enjoying the city night lights! At dinner, Bryan gave me a gift certificate for an extensive spa pedicure at a salon near Picadilly Circus (suffice it to say I've made some comment about aching feet just about every night since we've arrived here. I just love all the walking!).

















To close out the birthday extravaganza, we saw the production of Dirty Dancing on the following night (gotta love the half price ticket booths around the city!) Although no one could top Patrick Swayze, the performance was fabulous...and the ending dance scene literally made me cry! I wish I could have replayed the show ending like I used to do with the movie :). I was humming the music all the way home....

















Thanks again for the birthday wishes! XOXOXOXO

-Brandina

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip." ~Author Unknown

A Yankee Visit

As planned, our friends Paul and Leigha arrived in London last week, and we spent 4 fabulous days with them! It was a wonderful break from the "getting settled" tasks, which have dominated our time since we arrived almost two weeks ago. Given that all of our preparations prior to arriving in London had been focused on everything we needed to accomplish to live here, we were relatively unprepared regarding tourist attractions! Fortunately, Paul and Leigha arrived VERY prepared, with a list of everything they wanted to see in London...and we were lucky enough to tag along with them, for a couple of action-packed, walk-until-you-have-blisters, wonderful days! Here are a few pictures from our adventures together...

In front of the Tower Bridge














St. James Park













Climbing the Lion statue at Trafalgar Square (note: following this episode, Paul suffered from a bruised knee, and Bryan from a strained quad!)



Paul and Leigha at Trafalgar Square - classy and candid











Cheers to Fish & Chips, and Cold Beer (thus far, warm beer has been simply a myth)









Brandina and Leigha bundled up at the Portobello Market











Outside Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster











On our way to see Wicked (which turned out to be Paul & Leigha's favorite London event)








In addition to the sights, we indulged in quite a few tastes during their visit - regal cupcakes from Harrod's Department store, delicious gelato, wine from our local wine shop (3 bottles for only 10 British pounds!), quite a few plates of fish and chips, new types of beer at each pub, and the ever famous...meat pies with mushy peas on the side (that's right, Leigha was a risk-taker!).

Paul and Leigha - we miss you already!!! Thanks for a wonderful visit!

Cheerio!

-Brandina & Bryan

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive." ~Anäis Nin

Our Biggest HANG Up.....

...was finding clothes hangers in this hustling and bustling city! But, we'll get back to that in a minute....

After a sleepless night with our fellow peasants in economy class, we finally arrived in London last week with all our documentation in hand and our 316 lbs of bags in tow, prepared for whatever customs wanted to throw at us---which ended up being....nothing. It turns out our visas are regarded highly, as we faced little trouble through customs, at the bank, or even when we rented our flat.

That's right, it's been a busy busy week, as we hit the ground running the next day by 9am, getting our new mobiles, Oyster Cards (tube passes), opening accounts at the bank (where they're doing YOU a favor by holding your money), and meeting with plenty of estate agents (property management companies) where we saw 7 flats before we found the magical place.

Attached is a video of our new classy, cozy abode in Notting Hill (yes the same Notting Hill with Julia Roberts). In the end we opted for the medium sized studio on the top floor with a great view, instead of the larger studio with the separate kitchen in the dark and musty basement..a wise man once said, "everyone's s#*t runs from the top down." It's furnished with modern furniture including a small couch, a bed on a track that raises up during the day (not a murphy bed), a mounted flat screen tv, a quaint but fully functional kitchen, and a bathroom with all of the bells and whistles (well as many as you can fit in that size of a space). As far as crashing on the couch goes...you really only have one of two sleeping options - upright, or in the fetal position. But hey, it's a couch right?

There were a few things we needed of course, so we took the tube all over town--hitting up all of the prime furnishing spots; Mark and Spencers - we're now regulars there, as we've been every day since we arrived (and embarrassingly enough, run into the same store clerk each time!); Argos - a store full of just catalogs, where you choose what you want then they bring it

from the back after you've paid; IKEA - a funny scene watching us get on and off the tube with all of our huge IKEA bags (nevermind that in order to get there, we took a tube, train, and shuttle); and Robert Dyas - a home and garden store, where plungers are the size of screwdrivers - see photo to the left (but, perhaps not surprising, having been raised in America where just about everything is supersized). During all of this shopping we were searching for hangers, since half of our clothes need to be hung. This has actually turned out to be the biggest hiccup thus far. Either (a) Londoners don't hang their clothes or (b) EVERYONE hangs their clothes. After contacting over 10 different stores, IKEA finally had hangers, which is why originally went there, but everyone knows you can't just leave IKEA with one item, thus the fun tube ride back.

On another note, the tube is fantastic! One of things we were looking forward to most was the public transportation, and it hasn't disappointed. It's so easy to use, I think that the baby from the Etrade commercials could probably do it. The only problem is, as my cousin here said, you kind of turn into a gopher, just popping up and down all the time. So we may try and learn the bus system to see more of London while we're moving from spot to spot, but either way, it's extremely easy and efficient to get around.

Finally, we bought some groceries the other day, another somewhat interesting experience; their mustard doesn't say spicy, so when we made a sandwich with it, we weren't expecting that tingly feeling in your brain that you get from wasabi sometimes, their OJ has "bits" in it, not pulp, deli turkey is a bit hard to find, but ham comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. That said, the food we've eaten has been great, amazing kebabs, good sandwiches, and new tasty flavors of apples. Ironically, contrary to Bryan's worries about a lack of Mexican food, we have seen a Tex Mex restaurant/pub in the area, though we haven't tried it yet.

For those of you possible skeptics...having spent four nights thus far in our cozy flat...we've come up with the following:

The Top 5 Reasons You Should Try Living in a Studio:

5. Only takes about 2.5 minutes to heat up the entire place.

4. You can see the gorgeous city view, from just one window, standing almost anywhere inside.

3. By the time you are finished cleaning the bedroom, the whole house is basically clean.

2. You can brush your teeth (and spit), wash your face, and almost turn on and warm up the shower, all while sitting on the toilet (not necessarily recommended practice, but nevertheless still possible).

1. And, our personal favorite - Not only can you eat breakfast in bed...but you can literally just about make breakfast from bed!

Well that brings us up-to-date. We do want to give a special thanks to Bryan's cousins; Lori, Marlin, Devon, and Thomas for graciously welcoming us in their beautiful home before we found our flat. Looking forward to watching some Rugby with the boys and some delicious home cooked meals by Lori.

We finally have access to internet, though its not always up to par, so keep the emails coming! Back to the all-important job hunt.....

Cheers!

P.S...Day 8, and it still hasn't rained here!

"The time to enjoy a European trip is about 3 weeks after unpacking."

-George Ade

Bon Voyage...

Hi all! Sorry it's been so long since our last post...rest assured that we have been EXTREMELY busy trying to wrap up work, pack up our apartment, move, learn British slang, and complete our going away tour, from San Diego, to Sacramento, and the Bay Area! A few pics to summarize our last couple of weeks in California....

OUR SAN DIEGO FAREWELL BBQ:

(Rose, eating the coveted last San Diego brownie!)

Thanks for hosting us Aaron!

WEDDING IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO:

MOVING:

Such a pain in the arse! But, special thanks to mom Elaine (the master packer), dad John (the master apartment wall hole filler-upper), and brother JB and dear friend Zach (brains and brawn when it came to moving and storing our 3-piece sectional couch), for all of your help getting us ready to leave San Diego! Couldn't have done it without you!

(Pretty much how we all felt about trying to fit everything into our two 5x8 storage Pods!)

SPENDING TIME IN SACRAMENTO:

(Bryan--being tugged by Buddy--and Mom Jana at Apple Hill!)

(Bryan's family dog, Buddy...trying his best to keep us from leaving Sacramento!)

CLOSING OUT THE FAREWELL TOUR IN THE BAY AREA:

(SCU girls)

(At the British Pub in Los Altos, with Grandma Sylvia and Grandpa Jerry)

Flying out in just a few days! Plan to hit the UK ground running....flat viewings, bank account appointments, cell phones, tube pass...we'll keep you posted! Paul and Leigha...we'll see you two on the 22nd! (thanks again for toting our extra bags!) :).

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller

Family means too much, friends are too valuable, and life is too short, to put-off sharing with people, how much they really mean to you, and pursuing whatever it is that makes you happy. - Anonymous

On The Hunt

Hello all! Sorry it's been so long since our last post...truth is, we haven't stopped for a second in the past month! Our typical evening, after a full work day, is centered around the Job Hunt. We've discovered a few things during this process...most importantly, that August seems to be the most popular month for the British to take their vacations, so many of the employers and contacts have been away from the office for the past few weeks (many of whom seem to be vacationing in the U.S.). Nevertheless, we've been applying to jobs basically non-stop, now making weekly phone calls to contacts in the UK. We've discovered that the typical British job description runs about 10 pages...and so does the typical application, which has contributed to many long, dry-eyed nights in front of the computer! But, to bring some light humor to The Hunt, here are a few of the rather comical comments we've received, or descriptions we've read along the way....

-"However, I must advise you that for UK Civil Service employment purposes you are classified as an Alien (which I appreciate is a rather unfortunate term)."

- "There will be a certain degree of autonomy in this role, so this person must be punchy enough to ask when they need support."

-"Minimum 27 days annual leave plus public holidays."

-"The average age of retirement is 65, so we hire up to age 64.5"

And, the #1 question from our seemingly perplexed potential employers, in its variety of forms:
- "Interesting - Tell me, why would anyone leave the semi paradise of La Jolla for wet and cold London?"
-"You're leaving sunny San Diego for rainy London??"

Regardless of how The Hunt plays out in the next month or so, one thing remains certain - we are definitely going! We booked our flights last weekend, and will be leaving San Francisco on October 14! After HOURS (spread out over weeks) of searching flight deals, we finally made a decision to commit to a departure date (and of course, end Brandina's minor phase of insanity, brought about by watching flight deals surface, disappear, increase in price, decrease in price...you know how it goes!).

Our other major accomplishment in recent weeks is a revised timeline, covering the next 6 weeks. Posted on our refrigerator, it serves as a constant reminder of the tasks yet to be accomplished, as well as the fun we have planned with our friends and family before we fly out!

"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play." ~Arnold Toynbee