The Rest of London

Ok, yes. I know. I am a total jerk for taking so long to finish writing about London. So that I have plenty of time to hang my head in shame whilst standing in the corner, I will keep it to the basics.

EAT:

Besuba Eathai: Three words. Uh.May.Zing. Some of the best affordable Thai food I've ever had. Laura and I visited the Soho location for lunch. The ambiance is dark, modern, and soothing. Communal tables made of the same knobby wood lining the walls makes it feel so cozy. The portion sizes are modest - about the size they actually should be - which was lovely. And, to top it off, the prices were totally reasonable for London standards. When we passed by again around dinner time, a line was already forming out the door around 6pm. Highly recommended, especially if you want good food and don't want to break the bank.

Vitao: According to its website, all kinds of celebrities have dined at this vegan hole-in-the-wall. I was super excited to go as they boast raw foods galore, but when Laura and I got there for dinner, there were only a few unappetizing raw dishes on the buffet. It's a cozy little place (also in Soho) with great people watching out the panoramic windows. The set up is a buffet with set prices depending on the plate size you purchase at lunch. At dinner, there is one plate size and all you can eat for one hour. Let's just say, we were stuffed! I wasn't totally blown away, but for the price and the abundance of veggies (a rarity so far for me in Europe), it was a welcome, yummy meal.

The Hummingbird Bakery: I can easily say this was the best cupcake of my life. No question about it. And, they even carry very yummy gluten free cupcakes that were cheaper than their glutenous friends. You can read more about our experience here on Laura's blog. It's a good thing I don't live in London just because of this place. I don't think I could control myself.



TO DO:

Tate Modern: Definitely the coolest contemporary art museum I have seen. And, it's free - as are all museums in London! If you come to London and don't make it here, you will have missed out on one of the coolest experiences you could have had. It is absolutely mind-blowing.

Amazing exhibit entitled 'Sunflower Seeds' by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Containing millions of sunflower seeds hand crafted out of precious porcelain, this exhibit ' invites us to look more closely at the ‘Made in China’ phenomenon and the geo-politics of cultural and economic exchange today'. Read more about the exhibit and the recent incarceration of the artist here.
And, yes those are full sided humans in the back left of the photo. That's how massive this thing was.


The O2: The reason that I initially booked the trip to London is that my favorite band was playing a show at The O2 - the most massive live event arena I've ever seen. Within the compound there are about a kajillion restaurants and the arena itself boasts the best sound system ever. Total and complete aural bliss.

Yoga at The Life Centre: While the Notting Hill studio itself was small and rather dull, I took a class from a really great teacher named Lisa Sanfilippo. She is an American expat with oodles of knowledge in all things Anusara Yoga. Seriously impressive and a really soothing, yet energizing, class.

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace: Yeah. We did it. It just felt like the right thing to do. I didn't eat fish and chips. I didn't go to a pub. So, I figured I might as well do something touristy. But, as it turns out, unless you get there crazy early, there is nothing to see. The mobs of other tourists have taken over the streets and you mostly just see the backs of other people's heads. But, meh, if you have some extra time, go check it out. I'm all about supporting old school traditions, so I think it's really cool that they still do this after so many years.



This was definitely just my first visit. I will be back. Living in the middle of the German countryside as a lively city girl can get me down from time to time. Germans aren't really known for their outgoing, perky personalities, and I feel like quite an outsider most of the time. But, being in London, I felt at home. It was more than just the common language. I felt comfortable and more safe than I ever have in such a big city. Even after the show at The O2, I rode the Tube and walked home well after midnight, and I felt 100% safe. The people were insanely friendly, and I had so many incredible options at my disposal everyday.

In a perfect world, the pound to dollar conversion rate wouldn't have been almost 2:1, but with the free museums, parks, and great affordable food options, one can definitely do a great trip to London on a budget.

Guess who loves London? THIS gal!

London, Day One: Or, the Importance of Paying 100 Euros for a Good Pair of Shoes

Ernie and I keep each keep a notebook that we write in daily - to tell the other what we have experienced since we can't always talk. On my recent trip to London, I almost filled his notebook with every single ridiculous detail of my days. And, big oopsy on my part, I sent it to him before I wrote this post. So, everything is from memory on this one, Kids. If I forget to mention something that was particularly awesome, I will gather all of those bits in a later post. Anyhoo, without further ado, HERE is London, Day One!

To get to London is super cheap and easy from almost anywhere in Europe thanks to discount carriers like RyanAir. And, by cheap and easy, I mean my one hour flight was 35 Euro (about $50) round trip including taxes! From the airport, I took a bus to Victoria Station, right in the heart of London, for 14 pounds round trip. As I was trying to purchase a local map, I realized that one of the fun things about being an American living in Europe is that for most of the trip, I was juggling 3 different currencies. Ahhh, Globalization...



As fate would have it, another fellow Texan expat, yogi, food blogger, newlywed pal of mine recently moved from Austin to London and was gracious enough to let me stay with her. Laura and her husband were such sweet hosts, and she made sure that I had all the info I needed to have a really great London experience.

On the first day, a Sunday, I was on my own. And, it was ridiculous how much I did. London, being a humongous city, isn't completely closed for business on Sundays as most other European places are. I bought my Oyster Card, an absolute must if you are planning on visiting anything in the city, and jumped on the Tube headed for the Spitalfields Market area. I wandered about and fell in absolute love with the markets and shops in the area. If you are a shopper at all, go here!



While I was in the area, of course, I had to do at least one traditional British thing. I wound up eating a traditional Sunday Roast at The Water Poet on Folgate Street. The ambiance is incredible. The service, impeccable. It's part old school British pub, part jazzy lounge with 6 different spaces for hanging out, all with their own distinct vibe. I ordered a pot of tea while I waited for my food to come out. Honestly, and maybe it's just because I was in England, the tea tasted better than any tea I've had before. Or, maybe I'm just a really bad tea maker...



The food was also pretty dang good, especially for the price. I definitely put the salt to use, but my Lamb Roast with Veggies was cooked to perfection. It was served with what they called Mint Sauce, but it seemed like more of a mint paste to me. The flavor nearly knocked me over, in a good way, I think. I've just never had anything like it before. But, I couldn't stop eating it. So, yeah, I guess I really liked it. Yorkshire Pudding? I'd never had it until I ate it here, but if you ask me, it just seems like a piece of puffy bread. I don't know, you're talking to the gal who doesn't care much for pasta or grains, so maybe someone else would love it. It's just not really my bag...All in all, though, I would definitely go back here again.



After my Sunday Roast, I had to do some walking. I was stuffed. So, I walked south to the London Bridge, took the requisite picture...



...and headed to the tube station. I was going to hit the British Museum and got half way there before I realized I had been up since 2am, and I was exhausted. I jumped off the tube just in time to catch a little nap in Hyde Park. Spring had just hit, and everyone was in the park. Kids on bikes, dogs playing catch, teenagers playing football, elderly couples strolling hand in hand. It was straight out of a movie, I tell you. The park is massive and the lush green grass practically begs you to curl up in it's cool embrace.



Once I had rested, I was off again. This time, I thought I'd just walk home. You know, no big deal. But I had already walked, I don't know, a good 8 miles or so on 2 hours of sleep, and this turned out to be not an awesome choice. It was just a little further than I had hoped - another 45 minutes of walking. But, I saw Buckingham Palace on the way home and got lost in some neighborhoods I might not have otherwise seen. Bonus!



After stopping at the local market for dinner and breakfast for the next day, I stumbled home, showered, warmed up some curry, and ate it while I watched BBC News.

By 8pm, I was in bed.

Yeah, I like to party...

My Newest Travel Obsessions

Knowing that I finally have the chance to explore the world, I have begun to seriously indulge in all things travel related. I've signed up for newsletters, started reading travel memoirs, and been on the lookout for anything to make budget travel even better. Here are some of my latest finds that have me super excited:

1. Wanderfly: If you are anything like me, you may not have an exact idea of where you want to go, but you know what you are willing to spend and what you want to experience. Wanderfly helps you find the best locations based on your criteria. Simply enter your location, your budget, and what you are interested in (food, beach, history, art, etc.), and it hooks you up with a list of your ideal getaway spots, including airfare and hotel prices. With a list of approximately 1,200 cities worldwide, this site is going to be a huge help to me.


2. Travel Hacking Cartel: From the creator of The Art of Non-Conformity, this site offers ways to find free airfare and miles, as well as discount hotel rooms. For a nominal monthly fee, you are given the information to find ridiculous travel deals. The most comforting feature is that they offer a guarantee that you will earn at least 4 free flights a year! Sounds almost too good to be true. I haven't tried it yet, but it's from a very reputable source, so my hopes are high...


3. Scottevest Women's Trench: While reading one of my favorite military spouse blogs, I came across my newest travel clothing obsession.

I know it's almost spring, but if you are traveling anywhere north of Italy, you will still need at least a light jacket for quite a while. This coat offers 18 hidden pockets, two of which are designed to hold a water bottle and and iPad, completely undetected! Knowing how stingy some airlines are about how many bags you take on board (I'm looking at you, RyanAir...), this jacket could be a complete lifesaver. No need for a purse - this jacket has room for cameras, phones, books, magazines, maps, wallets, snacks, keys, water bottles, and lip gloss. Oh, and did I mention it's waterproof?!

4. Exofficio clothing and underwear: One of the hassles that I have met traveling around Europe so far has been the need for extremely compact, easily hand-washable clothing. Before we left Austin, we got Ernie a pair of the boxer briefs and not only do they line dry in a snap, he swears they are the most comfortable underoos of all time. The dresses are super cute, super multifunctional, affordable and wrinkle free.

Psst! And, they are having a HUGE sale right now...

If you have any other awesome travel finds, please feel free to share. Too much information is still never enough when it comes to travel.

Goals Throughout the Deployment

One of the things that I have heard constantly from so many military spouses is the importance of setting goals for oneself to help the time fly by faster during deployments. Every New Year's Day for the past five years, I have written down my life goals, reassessed ones that I have made in previous years, and checked off ones that I have accomplished. However, I almost never set a time limit; They are simply goals-to-achieve-before-I-die-type goals.

But, now, I have a time limit. Ernie will only be gone for a year, and we will only be living in Europe for another 2+ years. I've got some time on my hands, and I've got a lot of goals. Hopefully, these will keep me busy and worry-free - for the most part:

• Maintain a super strong marriage and send my husband letters & presents weekly.
• Do my best to ensure that Julian speaks English when Ernie comes home.
• Create an even stronger bond with both boys.
  
• Yoga every morning.
• Walk, hike, or run outside everyday.
  
• Go to at least 2 yoga intensives or workshops.
• Pay off our credit card.
• Become conversational in German.
• Hit every major city in Germany by train.
• Read 2 books a month.
  
• Take one trip to a different country every month.
• Work on farms in Germany and Spain through WWOOF. (Stay in Spain for a month)
• Plant an herb garden.
• Grow, pickle, and preserve a jar of Ernie's favorite peppers. (I have to win this bet!)
  
• Ride a bike through the tulips in Holland.
  
• Start college full time starting at the beginning of the summer session. Between Pell Grants and scholarships, no money should be paid out of pocket for this.
• Stage at an incredible restaurant, preferably with a Michelin star.
• Volunteer at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center with the Nutrition Care Center.
• Post 5 days a week (total) to this blog and The Friendly Kitchen

Alright, Kids. Here we go!