London recap: It's hard to believe...
We lived in another country, successfully for two years. It's hard to believe how fast the time went. Where did it go? Let's recap:
It started with a mess... Our place. Rolling Ridge Norwalk, CT c. late Feb 2006... MOVING
Leaving for London! Our introduction to British Airways at Kennedy Airport. A slight redistribution of the weight in our bags was in order.
Property Viewing: Check out this guy. In the States we have used car salesmen. In London they have Estate Agents. We called him Shhhwwwarmy. Beth did not look impressed with him or the flat.
IKEA = Assembly required... setting up our place in London. 69 Redcliffe Gardens SW10 9JJ
Quick trip to Barcelona, Spain
Then to Brussels, Belgium
Frolicking in one of the Royal Parks
Bus trip with my parents: England, Scotland, North Ireland, Ireland, and Wales... This was taken somewhere in North England.
Windsor Castle
Greenwich, London with a view of The Docklands in the distance
Brighton: England's answer to Coney Island
Punting in Cambridge
Feeling smart in Cambridge
London Eye
Amsterdam
Beth looking fab in Malta
And again up in Lake Windemere
Oxford... not like the shirt
In the back yard of Buckingham Palace
The staredown
Canterbury
Friends. This was actually taken at Tiger Tiger, the same place they tried to do a Jihad a few months later.
Richmond, London
My place of employment
Beth being giddy in Geneva, Switzerland
And more serious in Paris, France
Blown away in Lisbon, Portugal
Beautiful Bruges, Belgium
Winchester, England
Friends... we were lucky. Always surrounded by many great friends.
Positano, Italy
Bath, England 
Llama trekking in Surrey, England
Santorini, Greece
Majorca, Spain... We learned why they called this "Hot England"
On our street
Vienna, Austria
St. Petersburg, Russia. On the same cruise we also saw Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Estonia.
Can I fix you a cup 'a tea?
Prague, Czech Republic
The Footy... We kinda followed a local team, Fulham
Hard to get enough of this
Christmas in our flat
Enjoying brews in Munich, Germany
Brunch a la flat
Colchester, England (I think. They all seemed the same now)
Beth and Buda. Budapest, Hungary
Cape Town, South Africa
I guess that's where the time went.
Here are some facts:
- We took 6,533 pictures during our time in Europe
- We visited 20 countries (incase you were counting)
- We had roughly 12 different guests visit
- Our flat was about 550 square feet
- We flew home 7 times
- Our cat gained 3 pounds living in England
- The dollar weakened from 1.70 to 2.02 over the two years... lucky me!
- I got promoted to Sr Manager while in London
- Beth's business grew AMAZINGLY while we were in London
- Our blog started with roughly 30 unique visits per day. By June 2007 there were 70-80 visits per day. By the end of our trip there were 120-130 visits per day. Thanks for all of your support! The higher our counter went, the more we were inspired to do this. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed posting to it.
London is an AMAZING place. It will always deserve a special place in our hearts. All of the stereotypes of bad weather, poor food, and stiff lipped people are not true. London treated us well and we're greatful for it. We're also thankful for all of the amazing friends that we made, both expats and English. We'll see you all again soon.
Our last night in the UK... Cheerio Mate
Update and recap coming soon.... I promise!
We're back in the States!UK recap and update on the move coming soon!
South Africa...IS AMAZING. Pics and stuff to come very soon once we figure out how to connect our camera here...
Homeless.The professional deep cleaners came today. Although we're renting our flat through tomorrow, apparently, we're not allowed back in our flat after they clean. I understand some of the merits of that.... but come on, it's not like our place is a hotel. We're not that messy.Anyway, at 9:15 this morning we found our selves standing in front of our stoop, holding 4 bags and a cat, in the rain. Nice goodbye from London.Thank God for Base2Stay and the kennel's acceptance of Candy 1 day early.After a nap in the COMFORTABLE hotel bed and a last lunch at our favorite Hereford Arms, we were ready for my work leaving drinks at the Albannach. AND, we saw Mick Jagger leaving from a hotel across the street. Not a bad night.
Here we go again...Although the we cannot official pack our possessions (due to customs and insurance reasons), we've started to dismantle our flat in anticipation of the movers who show up on Tuesday.That creepy looking hand in the picture seems to be crying out from the mess... Next stop for these items: USA
I'll (actually) miss: my place of employment in London
Today was my last day of work at PwC in the UK. It ended a manic week of sorting out admin, passing files to people, completing tasks, etc... Sadly, I said goodbye to the many people that I have become close with over the last two years. It's weird to say that I'll miss work... but I think I really will; at least the people that is.
We'll miss: The river and the bridges between our flat and Westminster
We took a long walk the other night from our flat to Westminster (Big Ben) via the River Thames... There's something magical about the bridges along the way.
Happy Easter from London
Beth is cookin' up something special
We'll miss: Pubs
You're probably thinking that we have a drinking problem... Reflecting on many of the blog postings we have done, many of the shots show us (really me) drinking beer. The reason for this is to tribute the local brew and commemorate our experience (actually, I've always taken pictures showing the label/brand - because I ALWAYS forget to remember it!).
There is something special about pubs in England. Unfortunately, due to the smoking ban and changes in consumer taste, traditional pubs are closing every week and being replaced by "gastropubs" which are upscale versions with fancier/pricier food.
As yesterday was Good Friday, we shared fish and chips at a pub in Notting Hill. Happy Easter everyone.
We'll miss: some of the signsThis sign was setup not far from my office this afternoon. My guess is it's in preparation for the long Easter weekend (which seems to be more about partying than faith). If someone is drunk enough to actually urinate in the street, do you think this sign will stop them?
Won't miss: The Post Office.
I remember my first experience at our local branch. All I wanted to do was mail a card, but I needed a stamp. After waiting in a loooooong line (of people doing non-post related things such as paying their TV bill), the following conversation ensued:
Me: Hiya (British greeting), I just need to post this and I have to buy a stamp.
Them: Right, that will be 34 Pence.
Me: Great. (Pays the fee)
Them: Here you are. (Hands stamped envelope back to me)
Me: Can you post it?
Them: No, we don't do that here
Me: ?!?!?!?!? (this is a POST OFFICE right?)
Them: There's a letter box outside the pub, you can post it there.
Paris c'est bonne
As mentioned, we took a weekend city hop to Paris with some Eurostar points. 2:15 hours from the new St. Pancreas station. We'll definitely miss its proximity (in the spirit with the, we'll miss, we won't miss list).
Pics below
We won't miss: Random weather - by the hour!You could wake up to a perfectly sunny day. If you forget your umbrella, or "Brolly" as they say here, you could be in a tough situation about an hour later.Take the weather yesterday, for example.
9 AM
10 AM
We'll miss: Random days around town... stumbling upon great exhibits, shops and restaurants. (And I'll certainly miss having a great bloggin' friend who can write all about it, so my lazy butt doesn't have to!)
Click here for Heather's post. We'll update on our weekend in Paris shortly.
We'll miss: Europe at our doorstepTomorrow AM we're off to Paris, for the weekend! In the States this would sound like fantasy or reality for only the wealthy. We'll miss being able to do these Europe City Hops so easily.Au revoir
We won't miss: lack of personal space on the tubeThis morning's ride in to work made me think of think of this one. The Piccadilly line was down, which meant that everyone took the District line from Earl's Court. Even on a normal day though, close bodily contact with total strangers is common.
We'll miss: Signs telling you which way to lookI fear that I've become so used to watching out for traffic from the right that I'll get it wrong when we move back to the US. White painted signs on most crossings in London tell you which way to look... Sounds trivial, but all you need is one mistake with a bus.
We'll miss: Free healthcare
We have about a month to go... the countdown is on.
With that said, I'm going to make an effort to list out the things that we will miss and not miss about the UK - I'm sure the miss list will be much longer!
To cap our 2 years here, we're going to South Africa in April. Beth and I went to our local NHS GP this morning to get all of the shots we'll need. Amazing... We got vaccinated for a host of things and did not pay one pound. I know feelings about free healthcare are controversial in the States... but it's quite nice to walk it, receive treatment, and leave without paying for anything.
One month to go...The sun is setting on our 2 years. Ok, that was cheesy.I will miss being able to just walk out of my office with an Americano (closest you can get to filter coffee), walk halfway across the Hungerford Bridge and see this.
Another weekend of walks...
This past weekend we took our trusty book along for another walk - this time the itinerary was The City. For those of you who don't know, The City of London is actually 1 square mile - less than 10,000 people live in The City - however 340,000 work in it... compare it to downtown NYC. The City itself is ancient and has many of the narrow roads and alleys that people associate with London.
Temple Church - As seen in The Da Vinci Code
Royal Courts of Justice - technically in Westminster
Statue at the Temple Church
Somewhere along the walk
Weekend walks
It's tough to complain about the weather in England when it's in the high 50's/low 60's (F) and clear in early Feb. This past weekend was just that. We spent both days taking a long walk in remote sections of London. With our trusty book in hand Walking London, we explored Dulwich (on Saturday) and Syon Park taking us through Richmond and Twickenham (on Sunday). The Sunday walk was 4.5 miles and took us along the Thames.
Dulwich
Park in Dulwich
Dulwich College
The Conservatory in Syon Park - part of the Syon House
Syon
Budapest
Our European weekend getaways are winding down... One of the last cities on the list was Budapest. Despite the gloomy weather and the fact that we had to cut the trip a bit short due to the sad loss of a close family member back home, we still made the best of the weekend.
Castle Quarter
Chain Bridge
View near Matthias Church
View of Pest from Buda - Parliament in the distance
Advertising in the UKAfter almost 2 years here... I still don't understand the advertising concepts in the UK. Commercials, print ads, fliers, etc... They make no sense to me. In fact, I find them annoying. Take for example, the sight of this when I got off the tube the other morning:
It's an advertisement for Gym Box, a new high-end gym up on the Strand. The last thing that comes to mind when I see a guy dressed in a plastic gold suit (on stilts) is going to the gym. Once I see they are advertising for Gym Box (men handing out fliers are not in the picture), the only thing that comes to mind is that (a) the place must be a rip-off if they can afford to stick this guy out on a sidewalk, or (b) they spend all of their money on advertising concepts and nothing on equipment.I know you marketing buffs out there are likely to say "hey, but at least you remember it now... it stuck in your mind...." Right it did; I know never to go there on the basis of the picture above.
When we realized that our time in London was quickly whittling away, we also realized that we had a long list of things to see and do before we could go. So, our weekends are now spent running around London in an attempt to check things off said list.
This weekend: The newly opened London Transport Museum, fun and folly in Covent Gardens, birthday drinks with friends, dinner at Goucho, the National Portrait Gallery, and lunch at a "1950's American Diner," mmmm...
Here's me at the Transport Museum with Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Am I the only one who wishes she had lived during an age when horses were the main form of transportation? Yes? Really?
And Rino is very excited to sit in an old train car. Well, it was First Class.
Bus stop.
The National Portrait Gallery had a great exhibition on Pop Art.
Finally, we topped it all off with burgers and shakes at "Ed's Easy Diner." (My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard...ARRRG stupid song!)
Happy Birthday, Rino!
I just want to wish my lovely hubby a very happy 31st birthday today. And, while I'm at it, a happy birthday to Matt, Neil, and Terry as well!
The birthday boy. I baked Rino a cake for today, and was lucky enough to have brought some Betty Crocker cake mix back with us from the US! Mmm, a taste of home.
Rino also received a lovely new briefcase from Selfridges. And candy received a new bag. Everyone was happy. Though, I don't think Candy is showing proper respect to the Selfridges bag.
Chichester
We took a day trip to Chichester yesterday. Chichester is a small cathedral city located in West Sussex... It took about 90 minutes to get there by train. The town is dominated by the Chichester Cathedral, which was built in the 12th century.
Some pics below.
It started with a mess... Our place. Rolling Ridge Norwalk, CT c. late Feb 2006... MOVING
Leaving for London! Our introduction to British Airways at Kennedy Airport. A slight redistribution of the weight in our bags was in order.
Property Viewing: Check out this guy. In the States we have used car salesmen. In London they have Estate Agents. We called him Shhhwwwarmy. Beth did not look impressed with him or the flat.
IKEA = Assembly required... setting up our place in London. 69 Redcliffe Gardens SW10 9JJ
Quick trip to Barcelona, Spain
Then to Brussels, Belgium
Frolicking in one of the Royal Parks
Bus trip with my parents: England, Scotland, North Ireland, Ireland, and Wales... This was taken somewhere in North England.
Windsor Castle
Greenwich, London with a view of The Docklands in the distance
Brighton: England's answer to Coney Island
Punting in Cambridge
Feeling smart in Cambridge
London Eye
Amsterdam
And again up in Lake Windemere
In the back yard of Buckingham Palace
Canterbury
Richmond, London
My place of employment
Beth being giddy in Geneva, Switzerland
And more serious in Paris, France
Blown away in Lisbon, Portugal
Winchester, England
Friends... we were lucky. Always surrounded by many great friends.
Positano, Italy
Bath, England 
Llama trekking in Surrey, England
Santorini, Greece
Majorca, Spain... We learned why they called this "Hot England"
Vienna, Austria
St. Petersburg, Russia. On the same cruise we also saw Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Estonia.
Can I fix you a cup 'a tea?
Prague, Czech Republic
The Footy... We kinda followed a local team, Fulham
Christmas in our flat
Enjoying brews in Munich, Germany
Brunch a la flat
Colchester, England (I think. They all seemed the same now)
Beth and Buda. Budapest, Hungary
Cape Town, South Africa
