My London Life

As I'm sitting here in the warm California sunshine, I thought it was a good time for a reflection on my time in London so far.  So here are five things that I've done that are at least semi interesting.

1.  I got a job...and it’s teaching!
It was not easy, but I did it!  Starting this fall I will be teaching the UK equivalent of first grade in the East End of London.  I applied to job after job after job, even teaching assistant jobs.  The problem was that they didn't want to give me, an American, a chance.  And the one American school in the city had no openings.  And let me tell you the application process was no picnic.  I couldn't just email a cover letter and a resume and hope for an interview.  Each different school, and I think I ended up applying to 25 in all, had their own separate application form that were anywhere from 6 -12 pages long!  I was ready to take a teaching assistant position (along with a 50% pay cut) at an exclusive all girls academy when I got a call from Canary Wharf College.  As I've recently learned, for the first time in the UK they are opening up a new type of school.  There are already public schools, private schools, Catholic schools, academies, and international schools but new to 2011-2012 is Free Schools. I will be starting in a brand new school, where there will be only three grades: Reception (like our kindergarten but for age 4), Year 1 (5 year olds), and Year 2 (6 year olds).  With 20 kids in each class, so only 60 in the whole school!  I am so excited yet so overwhelmed at this opportunity.  I’ll keep you posted as I get more info, but I already know I need to start studying the metric system and British history this summer!

2. I Went to the NHS...and it was great
Dan and I needed to get multiple vaccinations for our upcoming trip to Kenya so we headed to the National Health Service.  We went in on a Tuesday morning with a our visas and proof of address.  We got an appointment for the next week!  When we met with the nurse she was courteous and informative.  Everything was free, expect for the Yellow Fever shot.  I was very pleased with my experience.  It felt so nice to just get the care that I needed with no big hassles.  Don’t get me wrong, I know there are problems in the NHS, but at least anyone who is sick can get the Chance to get better.  America needs to get it's act together!     

3. I fell in love... with a store
But it's not just any store...it's a store of the future.  Argos is this amazing chain that literally sells everything under the sun.  It employs a unique concept however.  You walk in and there are little computer terminals everywhere with catalogs attached.  What you do is you look through the catalog for what you may need. Each item has a code.  You then punch this code into the computer and it tells you if that particular item is in stock at that store.  If it is, you then go to a pay terminal where you punch in the code again and pay for it using a credit card.  When the transaction is complete, you get a receipt with  a number on it.  You then proceed to a withing area where someone calls your number and voila there is you product!  I’m not sure why I am so obsessed with this store.  Maybe it's because I can't believe they actually have all the stuff in the catalog in the back.  Maybe it’s just because I love shopping. Maybe it’s because I secretly think it’s little elves making all the stuff in the back.   Whatever the reason, I'm addicted.  Here's a sample of stuff I've already purchased from Argos: lamp, shower curtain, cat carrier, football, cutting board, toaster, TV stand, electric kettle.  And I already have a list for when I return to London, one of which is and aerobed (hint hint) (come visit!)

4. I went to an English wedding...that lasted 12 hours
Dan’s friend from Michigan Business school happens to live in London too.   So when she got engaged we were pleased to be invited to the big event.  And boy was it big!   It took place in a small English town about two hours out of London.  Called Wroxhall Abbey Estate, the chapel  dated from 1100 and was surrounded by stunning grounds and a charming hotel.  The ceremony itself was very traditional, very similar to the Royal Wedding.  It  lasted about an hour and included readings, hymns, vows, prayers, and my favorite a sing-a-long of Wonderwall at the end.  Next up was a two hour cocktail hour on the terrace at sunset.   After that was a three course meal, with the usual reception activities.  My favorite part came next when an Irish folk bad played for an hour and taught us all traditional Irish dances.  All that dancing made some people hungry again so there was a second buffet dinner!  Finally it was time for the after party which was held in a big tent with a DJ, smoke machine and light show, tables with bottle service, and glow sticks! The DJ shutdown the party at 2 am, 12 hours after the start of the ceremony!  Dan and I were done, but some people still stayed up and karaoked until god knows when.  It was an awesome experience, but tiring!

5. I went to pub after pub...and well you know
My favorite thing about London so far is all it’s pubs.  Pub culture is so different from going out in NYC and LA.  First of all, they close at 12.  So people come early to get there drink on.  But it’s not all about the fine cask ales,  they all serve great pub food from hamburgers to fish and chips to Shepard's pie.  And on Sunday’s they have traditional roasts where you can get a nice hearty meal of either roast beef, roast pork, or roast chicken with potatoes, vegetables, and Yorkshire pudding. It’s such a nice way to spend an evening.  We go 1-2 times a week and varying it between are favorites and venturing out to new ones.  Some favs so far (which we will take you to when you come visit!)
The Prince Regent, The Apollo, Angels and Field's, The Marylbone, Coco Momo, The Beehive, Tudor Rose,  The King of Diamonds, The Goldhawk, The Larrik, The Sir Christopher Hatton and the Volunteer. We’ve barley made a dent!  Please come help us explore more culture (pubs).

Loving London so far, can’t wait for more experiences.  Just wishing I had some friends to come and visit so I can play tour guide!

Raindrops on Clothing and Schnitzel with Spaetzle

I love traveling and want to see as many places as I can. But there have been only two destinations that were 'musts' before I die. One was to go to Tahiti for my honeymoon. And the other was to visit the city from the Sound of Music. Now that I have done both, I can die a happy lady! And I am happy to say that both exceeded my expectations. And for those of you who don't know, The Sound of Music is my all-time favorite movie.

We took a one and a half hour flight to Salzburg on Friday night. We were staying in the center of town which was only three miles from the airport so we decided to take the bus to our hotel. We were congratulating ourselves the bus ride over for being such great travelers, not needing to take taxis, but doing as locals would do. Of course our bragging lead to our downfall. We got off the bus at the train station which, according to the map, was right near our hotel. The problem was it was late. And it was pouring. And there were no street signs. Twenty five minutes later, after several wrong turns, we arrived at our destination, soaking wet and a little grumpy. Our moods soon changed however when we realized that there was an authentic Austrian restaurant right in our hotel. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner (schnitzel for me, goulash for Dan) and really good Stiegl beers with a tasty apple strudel for dessert.

The next morning, much to my dismay, it was still raining (the weather report said it was supposed to be a sunny 70 degree day). This couldn't be happening! We were to go on the official Sound of Music tour that morning, and it would be ruined in the rain, especially since I only packed open shoes and no umbrella (I found out later from our tour guide that Salzburg is the 8^th rainiest city in the world. I should have done more research). In the end though it was fine as the tour mostly involved driving to different places.

Honestly the tour was only OK. We did see a lot of cool places; the Palace they used for the back of the Von Trapp house, the gazebo where Lisel and Ralph danced, and the abbey where Maria was almost a nun. But you couldn't go in some of the places so that was a bit disappointing. I do still recommend the tour however, as it took you to the lakes and mountains region of Salzburg which was gorgeous. It was there where we stopped in this charming town called Mondsee. This is where the scene of Maria and the captain getting married was filmed. The tour ended at the entrance to Mirabell gardens. This was when the day got better. The sun came out and the gardens, one of the most recognizable sets from the movie, were spectacular. There numerous wedding photography sessions happening and I understand why. The gardens were beautifully manicured with stunning fountains and statues. It was the highlight of my trip to Salzburg.

After wandering around and taking a ton of pictures, we headed to the town center. We grabbed a sausage and a hot dog from a street vendor and walked all over admiring the beautiful architecture. We saw a few more places from the movie and hiked to the top of the fortress and were rewarded with a awesome view of the city and the Austrian Alps. Even if you've never seen the movie, I highly recommend going to Salzburg, it is such a gorgeous town.

It was time now to do something for Dan. I had done some research prior to leaving and found out about a beer hall a little off the beaten path. Augustiner Beer Hall did not disappoint. It had all these different food stalls, where you could get anything from sausages to roast chicken to creamed herring. The only beer they had however, was of course Augustiner, which luckily was pretty good. The place was huge, with three different rooms that had a capacity of over a hundred and a massive outdoor garden. We choose a specific room however because they were going to be showing the Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United. Now I really don't care for football, but it is fun to go out to a pub to watch it as people get so into it. Even though they weren't Austrian teams, everyone had a team they were rooting for and it got really loud. We stayed for the entire match eating, drinking, and cheering. In the end Barcelona won, as did I, as I had made a bet with Dan. I'll be collecting on my mani-pedi shortly (Full disclosure, I only like Barcelona because they don't have a paid sponsor on their jerseys. Instead they promote the charity UNICEF).

The next morning it was time to head to Vienna. We took a train and got there in about three hours. I wish I could say I enjoyed the beautiful Austrian countryside along the way. But the truth is I had one too many Augustiner's the night before and mostly slept. Oops. When we got there, it was a gorgeous day, 75 and sunny. Vienna was absolutely amazing. I had no expectations as I was mostly looking forward to Salzburg. But Vienna was equally stunning. It reminded me a lot of Paris, with gorgeous buildings everywhere you turned. Quickly I was sad we only had about 24 hours in the city. We wandered around and happened upon a festival where there was lots of food, activities for kids, and music. We enjoyed some more street food, spaetzle for me, and no surprise, more sausages for Dan, and delicious Viennese coffee. I'm not much of a coffer drinker, but I would be addicted if I moved to Vienna. The way they make cappuccinos is amazing, they are so rich and creamy, probably because they use whipped cream! We made our way to the Art History Museum which was really impressive, not only for the art work (from paintings by Rubens to Egyptian mummies to Roman jewelry) but for the building itself. It is a must see. We ended our day with another fine meal in a charming Austrian restaurant where I had spaetzle again, with cheese and fried onions, and Dan had the Viennese specialty of boiled beef.

The next morning we headed to the Hofburg Complex where we had only time to visit the Palace where the Hapsburgs once lived. This was a real treat as I love looking at fancy houses. I was not disappointed, but left wondering what did they really use all of those rooms for? We then headed to a cafe to sample some of the cakes that Vienna is famous for. I wanted to ordered everything on the menu. Instead I settled for a cappuccino, a sacher torte (chocolate cake with apricot filling), this strawberry mouse concoction in a cone I don't remember the name of, and a side of their famous Viennese beef soup. A weird combination I realize, but honestly one of the best meals I have had in my life. didn't come to Austria thinking I'd love the food, but everything I ate there was amazing. I'm already eager to find an Austrian restaurant here in London. We had only time to take a quick look at the Danube River before heading to the airport. I left Vienna eager to come back again soon. It was another amazing trip, I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to get to have all these wonderful experiences. And it's not over anytime soon, as we are going to Kenya in July and Copenhagen and Portugal in August. Stay tuned! 

Pics here:  Austria