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

Portals to the Past

This Saturday, we took advantage of £5 tickets on Chiltern Railways, and embarked on a day trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace and home of William Shakespeare. Graced with absolutely gorgeous January weather (albeit quite cold, but beautifully sunny), we bumbled along on a self-guided historical walking tour of the town, ate lunch at Vintner Cafe Wine Bar, housed in a building dating back to 1492, and visited three of the town's homes associated with the Shakespeare family, including Shakespeare's childhood home, parts of which still contain the original stone flooring! Settled on the River Avon, Stratford is about as charmingly historical as an old English town can be. The streets are lined with old-world facades, with architecture steeped in both documented tradition and historical speculation, several buildings claiming supposed ties to the life and family of the famous playwright. Modern businesses and cafes have nestled into buildings with original door frames and stone-laid floors, allowing visitors to very easily imagine life during the Elizabethan era in England. As evidenced by the majority of photos taken during our day, the town boasts many, many unique and enchanting portals to the past....


-B&B

"What's past is prologue." - William Shakespeare

A BBC Retraction

Hi all! It has come to our attention, by a very devoted reader, that the quote from our most recent "Holiday Happenings" blog is a repeat, from our New Years blog 2 years ago. We do apologise for this unfortunate oversight, and hope that we have not disappointed too many of you. :)

Thus, we would like to offer the following quote instead....

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot." - Michael Altshuler

-B&B

Holiday Happenings

Rounding out a very busy and festive December, we are finally getting around to a brief update about how we spent our last holiday season in London (well, at least the last holiday season for this chapter of the book...).

In celebration of our 5-year anniversary of dating, we decided to cross off an obligatory event from our London bucket list - the super posh, but lovely afternoon tea (something we absolutely would not indulge in outside of a very special event...). Dressed up for the occasion, we had high tea in the tea lounge at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair, said to be the oldest hotel in London where Alexander Bell made the first successful telephone call in the UK. With unlimited amounts of tea, mini sandwiches, homemade scones, and tasty desserts, accompanied by a fantastic pianist, a window-side table, and holiday decor, it was a perfectly British anniversary indeed. Tick that off the list!

About a week or so later, we embarked on our Christmas trip - Cologne, Germany and Luxembourg. Cologne offered everything we could have asked for in terms of enjoying the holiday season (except for snow) - we visited and fully experienced all 7 of the city's Christmas markets (mostly food, spiced wine, music, and crafts!), added our own love padlock to the Hohenzollern Bridge (aka the lock bridge), took a delicious and extremely fascinating tour through the Chocolate Museum (tracing chocolate from the cocoa bean, to the finished product, complete with a chocolate fountain for dipping), and enjoyed late-night dessert alongside a live street pianist performing in the rain, just outside of the city's main Cathedral entrance, a very romantic and a surreal moment for both of us. Following our very festive, relaxing, and indulgent few days in Cologne, we embarked on a 4-hour train ride through the countryside to Luxembourg, where we continued to enjoy the holiday markets, completed a self-guided walking tour through the old part of the city, and ventured via bus into the south of the country, known for its wine region along the Moselle river. With tiny residential villages literally surrounded by vineyards, we had the opportunity to taste some of the locally-made wines, and returned to London with a couple bottles in tow...including a mini bottle of Moselle Valley sparkling white wine for our wedding toast in August...assuming, of course, that the bottle makes it back over the pond unscathed :).

Cologne

Luxembourg

Upon our return home, we set out for a very busy week of fun activities, as Bryan continued to enjoy time off of work, including a double-feature Tuesday at our cheap cinema in Notting Hill, and a sushi making & scrabble night at our flat with Ruth. Having won a bottle of sushi rice vinegar a couple of months ago in a contest at a sushi-making course that we took in London, we decided to roll up all of our California favorites... spicy tuna with cream cheese, California rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, a rainbow roll, and even a dessert roll of tempura plantain (a bit like the Shauna roll at San Diego's sushi deli!).


And there it is, a lovely holiday season (albeit sadly, with no snow this time around). On to the new year - beginning to tackle the massive to-do list for 2012...including the rest of the London bucket list, a few more trips, and A LOT of planning for our late spring move back to the US of A!

Happy New Year everyone! Also, a massive congratulations to all our friends who have announced engagements in the past month or so! We are so excited for all of you, and can't wait to share this very exciting year ahead!

-B&B

"For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning." ~T.S. Eliot

Madrid Amigos

Madrid - the capital and largest city of Spain; home of Real Madrid, one of the best futbol teams in the world; known for the famous El Prado museum; but best known as the city Brandina studied abroad in during her Junior Year of college. Due to this fact, it wasn't really a city on our radar, however one of Bryan's best friends, Reid, and his girlfriend Danielle, were planning quite the Spanish tour, so we decided it was a perfect time for Brandina to walk down memory lane.

It was a quick, but fantastic weekend getaway in early November, led by a quasi-local in Brandina. I know...we're a bit spoiled to be able to take a quick jaunt to Madrid for the weekend, but I digress. We learned early on that we're not huge museum people when we travel. We love to soak in the city tastes, smells, and sights by just walking around and immersing ourselves in the culture, where we often stumble upon a local street market, peaceful park, or vibrant square. Reid and Danielle were on their last leg of literally seeing all corners of Spain, so they seemed to be quite happy to just follow us around the city (by us, I mean our local tour guide, Brandina), enjoying some of Spain's famous churros and hot chocolate at Brandina's old stomping ground, noshing on a few tapas, or watching the urban city go by.

Reid and I spent the entire weekend chatting it up - we tucked the ladies in after arriving to the hotel late on Friday night, and grabbed a pint at a dive bar a few blocks down, continued blabbering on the next morning in between exhibits while at the Prado Museum, kept rattling away as we waded through El Rastro, Spain's largest and oldest flea market, and joked as we watched street entertainers in the Plaza Mayor.

Danielle and Reid graciously planned a great night for us on Saturday, partly to celebrate our engagement, partly because they're awesome. We had some girlie (but still tasty) umbrella drinks at a fun bar, before an amazingly delicious dinner at a restaurant down the road. We had such a great time, we basically closed down the restaurant.

There's something about meeting up with friends in countries across the world that has a bit of a surreal feeling to it - embrace it, bask in it, enjoy it, and always keep up the chatter...

- B&B

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Bit of Home in London

Over Thanksgiving, we had the pleasure of hosting Rose, a good friend from San Diego, in our little flat for just over a week - and it was lovely! We explored our favorite spots in London, now properly decorated for the holidays (ticking a few things off our London bucket list), and even squeezed in a quick girls'-only trip to Paris. From the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, to afternoon tea at Harrods and shopping at Cath Kidston, the Churchill War Rooms, the National Gallery, and the musical Chicago (starring Ugly Betty's America Ferrera!)...to the tip top of the Eiffel Tower, an evening river cruise on the Seine, Christmas market desserts on the Champs-Elysees, the Orsay Museum, and plenty of art and souvenir shopping...to a small, organic Thanksgiving turkey that just barely fit in our London-sized oven, and the rest of the holiday meal fixings...we did it all :). Having a bit of home here for Thanksgiving was a true blessing indeed, and we can't thank Rose enough for having taken the time to visit us! A few pics from our adventures in both London and Paris....

Thanks again Rose! Love you!

-B&B

"Friends are people who go on conspiratorial shopping sprees together, diving in and out of shops totally beyond their price range, and end up eating oozing cream cakes with only just enough money to get home." -Charlotte Gray