Living the Life

So, usually our life here in London is pretty 'normal'. For reals. Yes, its London, but our average week looks a lot like it did when we lived in middle Indiana. We clean, cook, go grocery shopping, have church friends over, get Chinese take-away and a film for a special date night-- yep, we're pretty crazy people.

Then there are those seasons when life is anything but 'normal', and I almost have to slap myself silly! The last two months have been one of those seasons. Its no indication of any great achievement on our part, nor is it full of the things really most important in life, but the last 6-8 weeks have brought a whirlwind of 'slap me silly' events.

1. I was able to go with two girlfriends for a 'day out' in Paris. A one night stay in an Airbnb flat, amazing French cuisine, pastries and tarts at Angeline, window shopping through Le Marais ... it was such a fun frivolous adventure- and I loved it! I only came back with a vintage 'granny' sweater, and some sweets for the hubs, but it was still just incredible!

2. Aaron and I were given tickets to see Ian McDianmid play Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. I really only knew him as the emperor (Senator Palpatine) in Star Wars, and am ashamed to admit in a handful of lines, that's all I saw, and expected him to finish his lines with "my young apprentice." But it was really amazing to be able to see it at The Almeida Theatre.

3. Stellen Skarsgard (Avengers, Mama Mia, Pirates of the Caribbean, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) filmed for several days just outside of our flat. Apparently (according to the notice we were given, explaining the hubbub and traffic disruptions), he'll play a conflicted detective in (yet another) crime drama miniseries called River. *Note: this is just the facts, not a public endorsement of any said dramas.*  (By the way, did you know that famous actors get their own 'coat valet', who stand just off camera with a parka in January, to cover him up in between takes?)

Like I said- nothing earth shaking, or of eternal consequence, but fun to think about in that silly, trivial sense. I look at where we are and think, "Really? That's happening, to me, right here?" It's so fun!

And then, to top it off, my hubby took me for a quick getaway/birthday gift/babymoon to Portugal! A friend's parents live in Cascais, about 40 min outside Lisbon, and were such amazing gracious hosts! A lovely couple who have lived in half a dozen countries over several decades, they were full of amazing stories and tales as they drove us around the countryside, sharing with us a peek of their life. It was amazing!

On the flight there, we flew over some amazing mountains! (Iberian, Pyrenees?)

Arriving in Lisbon, we landed in rain, but the clouds parted just in time for sunset! And we were able to spend another day just walking around, seeing a bit of the city. Lisbon is gorgeous-- reminding me so much of San Francisco. From it's bridge (looking just like the Golden Gate) to it's hilly streets lined with colourful homes... it was so charming and so fun to share with the hubs, who's never been to California!

We stopped in at the Livraria Bertrand.... arguably the oldest bookstore in the world!

We drove out to Cabo da Roca, the most western point in Continental Europe, which was really fun for the hubby, as he's been to the eastern edge of the continent in Romania and Moldova.

We saw the Boca da Inferno....

And we spent quite a bit of time just wandering the beaches and streets of Cascais. It's a tiny little town relying heavily on tourism, but it was just lovely and we enjoyed all of the time we could get there!

Friends recommended the Jeronimos Monastery... built right around 1500 AD. It was a lovely exhibit of Portuguese architecture.

We loved our time in Portugal, and hope we can return again someday. The people were charming, our hosts were wonderful, and we are longing for those sandy beaches already!

So I look at what 2015 has already held... art, theatre, culture, frivolity.... it's been an amazing couple months already. Maybe it's been especially fun as everyone keeps telling us "Enjoy it now, because once the baby comes, life will never be the same." And I think I get that. We are so blessed to be enjoying this phase of life, with its dull normal weeks, and it's weeks of crazy romantic travels and celebrity sightings. We are so blessed to be where we are today, and I don't want to miss a moment. 

But I am so looking forward to this summer, when we get to meet our little girl, to having family visit, and watching our parents turn into grandparents, to establishing new routines as a family, to growing with my husband as parents. Life's seasons are ever changing, and I'm loving the one we are in now, and excited about the next!

Thanks for joining us on our journey. I hope you're enjoying it as much as we are!

Feliz Aniversário, Isabela!

Last weekend we celebrated the birthday of our friend, Isabela! She's from Brazil, and as we wanted her to feel at home, we did our best to make it a "Brazilian" party. What's a Brazilian party, you might ask? She wondered too.

Well, in our small world, a Brazilian party is a place decorated with more colour than the British can stand in one place, with streamers, and banners, and samba music playing in the background. Each room was a 'place' in Brazil... Sao Paulo- where Bela lives near, Fortaleza- where her hubs, Rodrigo, is from, and the Amazon- because we needed another Brazilian place. :-) We had a matching game for Brazilian animals, some trivia questions, and signs posted randomly with funny facts about Brazil. The birthday girl was able to find a caterer in London who makes salgadinhos- traditional birthday finger food of fried dough with different meats inside. (Think something between a dumpling and a chicken nugget!) We made brigadieros and beijinos de coco (amazing candies made from condensed milk and chocolate or coconut)! And of course, we had plenty of acai juice and guarana on hand to wash it all down with!

It was a fun night, and they swore our Portuguese rendition of Happy Birthday was 'just right', though I think they're being VERY gracious! :-) You can judge for yourself at the end!

*The blue sign says "Fortalezan children don't fear the boogie man or monsters under the bed. Instead, they fear the hairy leg in the wardrobe!* (So says Rodrigo!)

Sheer Terror

Yesterday, I experienced my greatest London trauma to date.

I rode a bicycle on the streets of London.

Well, on some side streets in a residential borough of London. My hubby has been riding his bike for months now. Cyclists are everywhere. It can't be that hard, right?

Let me elaborate on my reality:

1. I borrowed a friends bike. (Not just any bike. An adorable vintage style bike that looks basically like this.)

I know, right? Seriously, how could this not turn out amazing? I imagined riding along in a cute sundress, with a basket of flowers, and my hair blowing in the wind. Then I remembered its November, so I re-imagined myself riding with a cute winter coat, skinny jeans, fingerless gloves, a hat, and my scarf flying in the wind. Still pretty exciting.

However... its heavier than most bikes, and the curved handlebars and basket make it a bit more wobbly. Also, said friend is a bit taller than I-- something I hadn't notice till repeatedly trying to get up on the (unpadded) seat. My bum is still complaining today.

2. Traffic is on the wrong side of the road. Ok, the left side of the road. This one I'd prepared for. I've worked hard to notice traffic patterns and intersections. However the idea of opposing traffic making right turns (ie: left turns in America) still frightened me.

3. I haven't ridden a bike in over a decade. Unfortunately, I didn't remember this till after my excursion. If I had, I might have taken some more time to practice. They say it all comes back to you.

They lie.

I survived, which is a sort of success. And I reminded myself (about every 100 feet) that everyone has to have a first time. And God was gracious enough to give light traffic most of the ride. But it was terrifying. Every stoplight meant having to reprocess traffic laws, remember which side of the road to turn onto, get back up on the (hard) seat, straighten out my front tires so as not to hit the parked cars in front, swerve violently to avoid the cars careening up behind me, and then remember to continue pedalling. It was exhausting. I also realised about halfway through my journey that the bike was in high gear, which probably contributed to the botched cross-traffic turn I couldn't get up to speed for, which resulted in my facing the lane of oncoming traffic till I frantically waved at the oncoming car and promptly took myself and my fancy bike to the sidewalk, where I walked it for the remainder of my journey.

I'm still trying to decide whether or not to try it again.

:-)

On a happier note, here are some pictures from the hubby's birthday week! Much fun was had by all!

A big shout out to Rodrigo and Isabella for a great lunch out! It made us laugh that 2 Brazilians and 2 Americans were being served by an Italian waitress at a Cuban restaurant in England. It sounds like a bad joke!

Then the birthday boy and I made potica- a traditional Slovenian Christmas sweet bread recipe passed down through families. Its a November tradition!

Love you, baby! So glad to celebrate another birthday with you!

Extra Credit Opportunity

So last night, we went up to check the progress on our soon-to-be flat (which, by the way, is looking fantastic and making me all excited and stuff!), and looked out the window to this sky.
Seriously gorgeous!

In other news, I saw this video last weekend. Its fast, so turn up your sound and hang on, but CGP Grey does an awesome job explaining the differences between the United Kington, Great Britain, England, and all the hullabaloo that confuses us Yanks.

And, if you're really going for the bonus extra credit, or just a geography nut, here's another of his videos on the difference between The Netherlands and Holland, which makes the UK drama look rather staid.

You're welcome. :-)

First Impressions

Sadly, I don't yet have pictures to load up for this first post- though I promise to supply many pictures in the future. I'm afraid I've spent the first couple days in London quite a bit more jet-lagged than I'd hoped. (My apologies to all those who had to interpret my incoherent sentences, already impaired with my American accent and worsened by my lack of sleep.) However, I've already managed to learn a few important things about English life that I thought I'd pass along.

1. Learning to drive on the other side of the road is hard... not that I've tried it yet, but I've started walking across the street, and that's already proving difficult. Look right first... no,left, no, right.... see what I mean?
2. Words are different... more than just 'lift' and 'loo'. LOTS of words, and phrases, and expressions. We've already found ourselves saying things considered, well, at least inappropriate, if not downright offensive. Thank goodness for kind hearts who know what we mean. Fortunately, the word I've had to adapt to the most is 'biscuit', or the American cookie... thankful to be getting lots of practice with that word.
3. Oh- and pronunciations make a difference. There are more dialects in London than in the whole of the US- seriously! Kind of like how in the south 'mirror' is only one syllable....
4. There is so much food here! Some people told us that English food could be bland, and perhaps the older country food was at some point, but here in London- it's amazing! Within a 10 minute walk we have Indian, Chinese, Thai, English, French, Italian, McDonalds, Vietnamese... it's pretty overwhelming to walk down the street when you're hungry! Which leads me to.....
5. You walk a TON! I haven't even toured London, and already I'm seeing a major lifestyle change. Just about everything you'd need is within a mile or two, but you walk to all of it! Yes- there is a great public transport system with tube stops every 1/2 mile, and bus stops on every corner. But seriously, if you can save two bucks, *excuse me*, two quid by just walking 10 minutes, its worth it. You get out, get exercise, get fresh air, see everything along the way, and people watch (my fave!). However, you also quickly realize that the shoes you wore in America all day at your desk and through Walmart don't stand up well to a couple miles of concrete and stone sidewalks . :-P Yep... definitely rethinking my shoe collection.

Much to learn in the next three years. Can't wait!