Proper British Halloween

Well, every year I say I'm going to escape dressing up for Halloween and every year I find myself in yet another costume! Even in the UK, where Halloween is more of an "American" thing, I managed to find a big Halloween party to go to. It was a party through the Guilty Pleasures club, which hosts a big party in London every month. Next month's theme is a slumber party.

Scary?

I decided to be a Japanese pop star. I even had fake silver lashes on.

Some fellow friends in costume
The entertainment at the club

The party was huge- the venue seemed like it was a theater and it had around 4-5 floors with balconies outside as well.

Right by the stage!

As you can see everyone was very happy and there was lots of dancing! I can't keep up with these British fools!

Breakfast Champions?

I'm finding breakfast here is quite difficult to master. They don't have frozen waffles, my staple back home. They don't have breakfast tacos- major fail. Basically, I've been eating a croissant every day...which is fabulous, buttery, and flaky but not nutritious or good for the waistline! I hear their hot porridge is really good, so I guess I'll have to try that next! Next on my list to try is English muffins, but the prospects aren't looking so good!

Granola bars are basically nonexistent here as well. Kashi doesn't exist here, and I've only seen one flavor of Nature Valley granola bars at the store, which were of course quite expensive! I had been buying this thing called a Love Bar at Pret a Manger, in a pumpkin vanilla flavour. It was fabulously delicious...but mainly because the main ingredient was butter followed by caramel followed by chocolate. There weren't calories listed on it but I'm assuming that's because it probably contains 500 calories!

Any suggestions on breakfast and snacks?!

Ice, Ice, Baby

Last night I went to Ice Bar in Mayfair, basically the poshest neighbourhood in London, and the entire bar was yes, made of ice!! You pay 13.5 GBP and get this thermal jacket to wear in the bar. The price of the ticket also comes with one drink served in an ice glass.

Here is the bar-
I wish I had taken more pics of the bar. They change the design every 6 months. There are seats made of ice, tables made of ice, tvs behind blocks of ice, everything!

Here is my drink in ice.

And here are the people I went with! Keep in mind I had just ran a mile because I was late and you only get 40 minutes to spend in the bar!

Real Life Harry Potter World

Today I went to Oxford for a little day trip with three other people here with my company- one from Chicago and two from Sweden. It’s a 20GBP train ride that takes about an hour each way. I don’t have too much time to write about it, but I thought I’d leave you some pics for eye candy in case you are having a boring Monday :) We had perfect weather for the trip!

Part of the River Thames

Bodleian Library - They used to give lectures and exams here in the Seventeenth Century. The walls are lined with windows so that they could have a source of light because candles were not allowed in the library, and exams were public so people could watch you take them!

Fear God. Love the Brotherhood. Honour the King.

This is the dining hall (students actually eat here) and it is also the dining hall from the Harry Potter film. There are also influences from Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland…but I didn’t quite catch it all. (sorry it’s a terrible photo, I’ll have to look for some better ones from someone else in the group)

Beautiful gardens outside Christ College….I could live here

View from the top of the University Cathedral
My fellow travelers in front of the copy of the Venice Bridge

Perfectly manicured lawns

Mind the Tube: Ode from the Girl Who Never Commutes

Commuting to work in London is far beyond anything that I would have imagined. People have been telling me to get to know the buses, but I brushed it off and figured that I could cross that bridge at a later time- at least a week after being here! Well, instead I was thrown right in to the thick of things on my very first day of work!

I am currently living only two Tube stops away from work, on the fastest Tube line. According to Transport for London, my journey whilst on the Tube should only take 4 minutes. So, I thought leaving for work 20 minutes before I needed to be there would be plenty of time. How naive....

First, I forgot that since this is the fastest Tube line, it's also the deepest one. It probably took 5-10 minutes just for me to get down to the platform among the massive escalators and hallways. I also did not expect there to be a massive queue for the Tube when I arrived at the station. Literally there were enough people in line to fill the whole train....and I was smart enough to realize at this point that since it's "rush hour" the trains were probably already filled to the brim.

This was true, trains would come by and barely anyone could get on the train. If you were lucky enough to get on the current train, then you were crammed in barely inches away from a ton of strangers.

However, nothing prepared me for the Tube completely shutting down! Yes, on my FIRST day of work in a new country, the Tube line I was on completley shut down. I found out later that this was even an unusual situation for the most seasoned Tube travelers. Apparently there was a huge power outage and 2,000 people were stuck underground for 3 hours...eventually having to CLIMB to safety in the dark Tube tunnels! I guess I should be thankful my situation wasn't that bad, but I'm still a little bitter heh.

So, imagine my heart sinking as I realize I have 7 minutes left to get to work and the Tube just stopped running! I attempt to walk (which is supposed to take 26 min), but of course get lost. Then I see a bus with the sign "London Bridge" on it- which is where I need to be. I think this is probably my best shot....I guess I had this crazy idea that maybe when the Tube shuts down they open Express buses that take you to the next station...not sure what I was thinking! Amongst my panicking I realize that the bus is not taking me directly to where I need to be...instead it takes 45 minutes to go up and down several streets (further confusing me) before it finally gets to the station I need it to.

When the bus stops, I run off in the direction I think I need to go in.....only to find that I've gotten turned around and lost again! I eventually make it to my destination....wrinkled clothes, hot mess, heart pumping and 1 hour 20 min from when I departed.....

What a London Lesson!

(update: Now I leave for work 45 minutes before my desired arrival time, which leaves me time to get a much needed coffee in the morning. I should probably just walk or take the bus, but I have this system down now. It takes about 2-3 trains to come before I can get on the Tube after waiting in line. Before departure, I refresh the Tube Service Updates on the Transport For London website right until the minute before I leave for work to make sure there are no severe delays. I also have looked up a better bus route as well as have directions on how to walk to my office written down in my planner.)

First Saturday In London

Happy Saturday from London! Today the weather was rainy, cold, and sunny. You always have to be on your toes here! I thought this picture was postcard worthy- definitely the best picture I've taken thus far I think!


Today I admit I got caught up British reality tv. I don’t even know what this show is called but it’s about teenager’s dramatic dating lives haha. It was a slow start to the day.

When I finally got out of the house, I journeyed down to my future neighbourhood, Chelsea. I got of Sloane Square Station and walked down King’s Road, which is a really hip and happening shopping area in Chelsea.

King's Road

I’m really glad I am living in this area, it has so many cute shops! I even found the one and only Anthropologie in London here!! Everything in Anthropologie is the same number amount...only it's all in pounds....so I probably won't be buying anything here!

I found an awesome chocolate shop.

I bought some chocolate champagne truffles with some kind of which chocolate power on the outside. The powder was amazing, but I forgot I don't really like to mix my alcohol with my desserts. I also bought cinnamon chocolate truffles. I have to say these were the most tasty chocolate I have ever had- it’s such a great combo. I’m definitely going to be treating myself to those a lot!

I also bought a British CD - Cheryl Cole! (P.S. they love hats here, and I have to say I could get on board with this...)

I have really been wanting this CD for several months, but found it impossible to buy in the states because of the licensing issues....I even tried to switch my Itunes account from US to a UK account. I have run into this problem a lot-now that I'm in the UK I can't watch US shows on Hulu, abc.com, or nbc.com because it knows I'm accessing the internet from the UK. Keeping my US Itunes account is my only hope at the moment! Anyway, Cheryl Cole's music is really good to work out to and will make you want to dance!

That's all for today, stay tuned for my post about washing clothes here....

Successful Week!

I had an extremely successful week! I’m so glad I had the vacation time and visa ahead of time to be able to come to London a week before I started work. I was able to take care of three necessities: cell phone, bank, and flat before I start work on Monday which is making me feel super relieved right now! I’m very ready to start work and am glad that I have these major things off my list of things to figure out!

Yesterday the realtor took me to 13 flats in Chelsea and South Kensington. She originally had 16 flats on the schedule but by the time I got there in the morning, 3 had already been taken off the market because they ended up getting rented out. Very quick moving here! It was quite a day, and out of those 13 I only found 3 that I liked (and I’m not even a picky person), and the one that I bid on yesterday (and got!) was a clear contender against the rest. It is a true gem to come by in Chelsea and an 8 min walk to the tube. The local area is really really great though- lots of cute restaurants and local butchers, etc.- including a restaurant that Prince William frequents- wahoo!

It was also amazing how different properties can be even when they are all within the same budget! It’s really really important in London to physically walk in and see these places in person because no two are alike and pictures really don’t tell you much. For example, the very first flat I walked in was in almost an alley and it had a terrible smell that I don’t think I could have lived with! I seriously can’t believe they market these things all at the same price!

Okay, so here’s my flat! It’s newly renovated, got fantastic space/storage options….great kitchen and bathroom….great closet space. It’s decorated very modern…the lights are blue and there is a bright red rug (not pictured). Honestly the decorations weren’t my taste at all, but overall it’s an amazing flat- the thing that sold me was the private porch that meets the community gardens!

The landlord seems really great- he was very nice and lives just across the hall. He’s really passionate about the technology and renovation of the flat and went into great detail about every aspect of his “project”.

Here’s the living room/dining room/kitchen. You can see the porch through the windows and the large park :)

Here’s the amazing kitchen that Jessica will have to come over and cook me Thanksgiving dinner at :) (I will explain who Jessica is if you don’t know in another post soon but basically she’s one of my closest friends from Chicago who is ironically moving to London in a few weeks with her fiancé Joe and she’s much better at cooking/baking than me!) It’s even got a trash can built in the counter so that when you are peeling vegetables or fruit you can just dump it in. It’s got a big wine rack on the other end of the island, and the landlord has already bought some wine he’s going to give me…fabulous!

Here’s my bedroom. Um, they’re also providing the bedding which I find a little odd and guessing from the decorations it won’t be my style but oh well!

Here’s the other wall of my bedroom- all for closet space!! Woohoo!

Here’s my bathroom- it’s FABULOUS! Lots of storage space too!! I was worried because most places here have no counter space in the bathrooms.

And I also have a utility room!! Crazy! And it has a washer and dryer- which is really hard to find both in London.

I feel so fortunate because this kind of place is really hard to find here! All of the other places I had seen were over 100 years old! My place had only been on the market for a week and there was even another bidder this morning aaah! Here you put in offers to rent out flats similar to how you would buy a house in the US, so someone could outbid you. I really can’t believe how lucky I got.

From Work to Royalty

Today I met some of my coworkers and took a tour of the office! Here is the EY building at One More London Place right on the River Thames and across from the Tower Bridge. The entire building (9 floors) is EY, and I think there are like 4,000 people working here!

Immediately when I walked in a fellow started talking to me. He asked why I was here but upon hearing my American accent he wanted to tell me about how his family is from Tennessee and how much he loves it there. Apparently he's the security person! I'm pretty sure in the 10 min he was talking to me, several suspicious people could have passed by.

Here's the view from the other side of the office. This is the Tower Bridge and from our office you can see the Tower of London as well. See, the building on the right edge of the photo is the EY building. There are loads of quick restaurants around the office- so I can get a lot of sandwiches and salads. There's even this restaurant called Pod which has fresh seasonal food in recycled packaging. http://www.podfood.co.uk/

The office is weird, it's very open. Partners basically sit in stations with everyone else. They aren't even really cubes because you can see everything everyone else is doing. I think it will be very obvious there is a new girl in town!

Good news though is that Jessica's PWC office is right by mine :) We're going to get lunch all the time!! Yaaay!!

For the rest of the day I explored the city some more. I went back to the National Gallery and also walked to St. Paul's Cathedral where I saw ROYALTY!!! I'm pretty certain it was Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Laurence. There was so much commotion at the church and police everywhere. I was in the middle of the street when the police escorts and their car drove RIGHT next to me! I was literally a couple of feet from Princess Anne- I could see her in the car!! At the church there was the priest waiting for them at the steps and the church was playing beautiful music. I took a picture but it all happened so fast- I circled them in yellow below but you can hardly see it. I'm pretty sure it was them because it was Wednesday night service and St. Pauls is where the royals go! I'm not sure who else would have so much security around them for church!

Here is a picture of the National Gallery:

And here is a photo of Trafalgar Square taken from the steps of the National Gallery. You can see Big Ben way in the distance.

I also explored Covent Garden- an area I love as well. It's very trendy...think the West Village of London.

I also found some French places that I would like to try. Paul, which I see everywhere.

And also this super cute French bakery/cafe in Covent Garden. Ahem, who was saying London doesn't have good food??

I will say food can be very expensive here when you go out to eat. People were telling me last night that they easily spend $70-80 for just themselves when they eat out at a sit down restaurant. You definitely have to learn how to be crafty!

Last night I met up with two other girls in the Global Exchange Program at EY. We met at a French restaurant which had a wine and jazz bar upstairs. Apparently the night we were there was the night an opera singer was performing. She was really fantastic and we got a private opera performance because there were like only 5 other people there. However, it was pretty awkward meeting new people and trying to talk and get to know one another amidst and opera singer!! LOL. I think we might have come across as slightly rude because we had a lot to talk about and it was sort of hard to focus on the opera singer.

Tomorrow I go flat hunting. Wish me luck!!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

This morning the weather looked just as I would imagine London weather to look like- cold and dreary. I stopped to take some pictures again on my way to Westminster tube station.

Even when it's cloudy, it's still a fantastic city! Luckily, the weather got a lot sunnier during the day, and I found myself in Chelsea- the neighbourhood I'd like to find a flat in. I loved the area and had to take some photos to show you!

See the clear blue skies

There's lots of great shopping here!

Alright, there's really not much to report from today...it seems that it takes me an entire day to check one thing off the list. Yesterday was the cell phone, today was the bank. The bank was a lot more difficult for them to believe that I was a valid person to let open an account for. I was so grateful that I had grabbed some recent mail to sort through on the plane or else I wouldn't have enough to prove my existence (originals of bank statements, utility bills in the US). Some how in all of my hastiness of packing I forgot to pack more documents to prove my history. Slowly establishing myself here!