Good-bye London. See you soon!

Well. It is here. My last day in London. I have spent the past week valiantly trying to convince my loved ones to come here instead. Considering the amount of stuff I have acquired, I could easily set up at least part of flat here. And, I do really, really like it here. But, it appears I must go home tomorrow. And so, it is see you later to London.

It has been said by a very wise, unknown person that, "travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer." I could not agree more. Traveling makes you realize the size and scope of the world. And your place in it. Paris was the first place I have traveled to where I really and truly did not speak the language, and was not in a large group with someone who did speak the language.  And it was hard. It was sometimes a little scary. But it was also a good experience, and a reminder of the international language of smiling. London was a city where I immediately fit in. This blog has documented all that will come home with me from my time in London. And Dublin was a lovely, amazing trip that came at a perfect time. For even though I am in love with London, there is lots more exploring to do.

I tried new foods, I met new people, I kayaked down the Thames and had fish eat the dead skin off my toes. I even went up the Eiffel Tower and the London Eye, and down to the Catacombs in Paris. Everyday was an adventure, and different than the day before. I had no cell phone or internet at my disposal, and I managed just fine.

I have been lucky to have amazing classmates for this journey. Our flat was like a little home. My travel buddies were the best. I know I am not saying good-bye to them, because we are already planning for ALA in Vegas!!

And so, as I say good-bye to my little British Life, I leave you with some of my favorite pictures from the trip. See you on the other side of the pond.

Weekend update-Dublin edition

Ruh-roh. I may have cheated on London a little bit this weekend. Thanks to the advice of my neighbor, I took a short flight to Dublin for an overnight visit. I had heard that Dublin was quite charming and easy to manage in a short amount of time. Well, while it is true that Dublin was easy to manage in a short amount of time, I didn't expect to love it quite as much as I did.

Dublin is kinda like Oz. You can't believe that the people are that nice (and witty), that the city is that clean (they were street sweeping the sidewalks. On Saturday!!) or that it is that easy to manage. There is no worries about being obviously not from the area. The locals take great pleasure in pointing out the way, especially if it is right down the street. I should have known I was in for a good time when I saw the Irish passport stamp was huge and bright green. I am still recovering from the fact you can't really see my Paris stamp.

It took us a little longer to maneuver from the airport than it probably should have. I'll take a time-out here to talk a little bit about map scale. In Paris, I was under the impression that my hotel was right near Notre Dame (thanks to the hotel website.) In real life, I was probably closer to Germany. Dublin, I thought we were well out of the city limits (thanks to the map and the hotel website.) In real life we were 10 minutes away and well within taxi ability. But either way. We successfully navigated the public transportation (for those of you counting, I can now navigate three countries public transportation system better than New York City. And one of those is Paris, where I don't speak French.) And then found our way to the Guinness Factory, which is probably the one must-do I had in mind. It was so much fun!! There is a local brewery by our house on the Cape, and it was interesting to see that the beer is brewed the same way! Guinness does a great job of showing the process, and at the end you get a free pint! We chose to go to the Gravity Bar on the top level, with amazing views of Dublin. However, most of the other people on the tour also chose to go to the Gravity Bar, so it was a little crowded.

Saturday was spent wandering around the streets of Dublin, getting in some shopping, and having the most amazing lunch ever!! It included pickled bananas!! Who would have thunk it?!?! While it may not sound super glamorous, it was exactly what I wanted to happen in Dublin. It was great to wander without a schedule or any real expectations. While many of my trip companions were ready to move to Dublin, I am still holding out for living in London. But Dublin comes a close second.

 

                     

  

Getting my ducks in a row

You may remember my fascination with the rubber ducks around London. What are these ducks? Why are there themed ducks in every gift shop? I am sad to say I missed the Sherlock Holmes duck at the Sherlock Holmes museum, but my roomie assures me there is in fact a Sherlock duck. I did some research on the ducks, thinking there are too many of them for this to be a coincidence. And this is what I came up with. Apparently, in December, a giant rubber ducky floated up the Thames to encourage Britons to have more fun. You can click here  to see pictures of the duck under Tower Bridge. Now, I am not sure if that is what the connection is, but either way it got me thinking.

This has been a fantastic year for me. All of my ducks are in a row. I have a job which I love and allows me time to do things like spend three weeks in London, I have a fantastic, supportive family, a boyfriend who makes everything easier and better, and a great group of friends. Not only are my ducks in a row, I am one lucky duck.

Now, I know that this may not always be the case. Situations can change, and quickly. However, for now, I am taking a moment to appreciate how my ducks are cooperating, and to remember that should my ducks stray from their row, it is still important to enjoy life and find fun and happiness where you can. And just in case I ever forget, this guy is coming home with me...

Embracing your inner tourist

I get the idea that when you travel, you are supposed to become a part of the culture. I do. And to a large part, that is exactly what has happened while I have been in London. Now, granted, I have spent three weeks here, so I had a lot of time to become familiar with my surroundings. And my routine here has been well documented. Today, we are going to talk about the other stuff. The stuff you have to do because you are someplace new and different. Someplace where no one knows you. And then, my friends, you need to embrace your inner tourist.

This means taking goofy pictures and having others take goofy pictures for you. This generally involves stopping in the middle of the street to get the PERFECT picture. Ignore the guy looking at you funny. He goes on vacation, too.

This also means trying new foods. I have loved being able to wander around and find new restaurants and food stalls and eating the way the locals do. The other night we couldn't find a place to eat that we all agreed on and so we meandered for 45 minutes before finding the most delicious Indian restaurant.

Embracing your inner tourist means trying things you would have never tried before, or at home. Before coming to London, I went to Chicago where my boyfriend convinced me to do a Segway tour of the city. I would have preferred the kayaking, but I did it! I have the goofy pictures to prove it. So far in London I have kayaked down the Thames, went on the London Eye, and had a fish pedicure in Camden Markets. All of these are out of my comfort zone and all of them have given me memories I will never forget.

And so my friends, I say to you, take funny pictures, eat yummy food, stay off Segways, oh, and buy that goofy souvenir.

We made a video!! And I didn't throw my computer out a window!!

Digital Story

Mom? Can I bring London home with me?

I know that I am not saying good-bye. I am saying see you later. I am already plotting, er planning,  for my next trip. London and I have a future together. However, it is hard not to be sad about the fact that I am leaving. To say that I have had a good time is an understatement. I have loved every second of my stay here. I have come a long way from accidentally setting sparks off in the flat my first day. I keep looking at my pile of stuff coming home with me and think it may actually be easier for my other life to come to me. But in this pile of stuff are mementos. And along with them are aspects of British life I will be taking home with me.

For example, the people here are simply lovely. They are warm and friendly. Some of them I see on a regular basis, like my friends at the coffee shop. They just opened their shop the week before I arrived in London, and have been a great way to start my day. Every morning when I walk in they ask where I am off to today and give suggestions when they hear of my itinerary. I will truly miss them. Some of the people I have met just briefly, like Harry, our kayak tour guide. Harry will live in infamy in my mind. You could not have asked for a better tour guide on the Thames. His sense of humor and wit made our three mile trek that much easier. Even briefer, I had a run in with the most lovely man at the shoe store. Despite not being their for very long, his enjoyment in his job has made me think of him fondly three weeks later. What do all these people have in common? A genuine kindness and happiness to them. And these are just examples. People here are lovely and amazing. They are happy with what they are doing. They do not rush. And way they say "cheers" or that something is "lovely" or "brilliant", you know that they mean it.

Which leads me to my next point. I am bringing home some British language. It will go lovely with my New York accent (do you see what I did there?) Thinking about this now, I am not sure if it is the kindness of the people (see above) that makes the language so enjoyable, but the dialect is just so much nicer than what I usually hear at home.

I have heard much of this language while touring around museums and other cultural landmarks. And here is what I have noticed about the British and their culture and history. They love it! And they are proud of it! And they know it! So, I asked myself how is this possible? And then I started to notice the way that museums and displays are organized. They are hands-on. Museums aimed at children provide lots of opportunities to touch and play. They are child-sized. Museums aimed at grown-ups have child-friendly aspects to them, a separate tour to follow, child-friendly plaques that make the information interesting and relevant to them. Even some of the grown up museums have hands-on elements to them. This concept is definitely coming home with me.

Also amazing about London? It's close proximity to other countries. I know this is true throughout Europe, but I have really taking advantage of this while I am here. For about the same amount of time it takes for me to get to Cape Cod from New York, I can go round-trip to Paris. The flight to Chicago takes a little longer than the flight to Dublin. And so, I am coming home with stamps in my passport and brief introductions to two additional cultures.

As I get ready to pack up (oh, sweet baby Tebow, let it all fit), and head home, I am excited to bring home some of London with me.  I know that the remnants of this trip will last for a lifetime. What else could I ask for?