Most Memorable Driving Moments

The family has made a number of trips in Europe, most of the time depending upon public transportation or a taxi to get us to our destination. However, we have rented a car for a few of our trips.
Below are my most memorable moments while driving in Europe
1. Trying to remember how to drive a manual on the side of a hill in Bergen Norway. The most frustrating part of the whole situation was the fact that I couldn’t read any of the road signs. That and rolling halfway down the hill when trying to take off in first gear.
2. Dodging sheep and lorries while trying not to drive into a loch. Most roads in Scotland were laid out in Victorian times, well before a car was invented. Hence, most two lane roads in the Highlands were meant for two carts to pass each other. Most definitely, the roads are not wide enough for a Range Rover and a lorry to pass.
3. Driving down Holland Park Avenue on the left side of the road while repeating to myself “Drive on the left side, drive on the left side”. That was after waiting a good five minutes for the GPS to pick up the satellite signal while I sat in the rental agency car park. I was frozen with fear from the idea that I had to figure out the roads to drive less than two miles from the agency to my house.
4. Receiving a parking ticket in Montalcino. Never mind that I could not read the road sign that said “One Hour Parking Only” in Italian. To top it all off, we found out when we returned the car that we had to pay the ticket in person in Montalcino. Needless to say, we are still waiting for the bill from Budget.
5. The parking attendant in Sienna. To find a parking spot at the fortezza, you tipped this guy and he would stand in your spot until you could reach it. When you handed him his tip, he gave you a packet of tissues as if you were paying him for the tissues. Compared to number 4, at least I did not get a ticket.

To GPS or not GPS?

For the fall mid-term break, we spent the week in Tuscany. Since Tuscany is an area with limited public transportation, we rented a car for a week rather than use public transportation. So far, when we travel places and rent a car, we also rent a GPS. But when we landed in Florence, I realized I had forgotten to book the GPS. When I asked if we could get one, the agent told me they had just rented out the last one. The comment struck fear in my heart—drive around in a foreign country without GPS? How could I? Never fear, the agent armed me with a map and directions to the A1. So we left Florence airport armed with only our internal compasses and a good old fashioned map.
The week started out fine. We made it to our house easily enough, using the map, the car rental agent’s directions and the directions from the house. Also, we were staying with another family who had brought their GPS. Each day, we agreed to visit a specific town and we’d follow the other family who were guided by their GPS. On the way home, we usually found our own way home, using the handy old map. We also saw our friends misguided sometimes by their GPS, taking wrong turns. I was getting a little arrogant, believing why would you need a GPS when you have a good map and some common sense. How did people get around prior to GPS guides? Maybe GPS is cheating and we should all have to make do with just maps.
My attitude changed the night we drove home from Montalcino. Our friends went a different way. Their GPS kept making them go the wrong way down narrow streets so we left in a different direction. We managed to make it out of town okay following some very self-explanatory arrows. However, it was dusk and we managed to miss the first turn on a round-about. No worries, we realized our mistake and turned around quickly. We started on the way back to the house and I lost track of time reading a book. However, when we made it back to the town we visited earlier the same day, we managed to make a big loop around town following the signs. When we made it back to the four-lane highway, we went the opposite direction of the house and had to go 5 km until we could turn around. Then, we got off the four-lane, heading to Castiglion Fiorentina, we couldn’t read the directional signs and managed to add at least 8 km on to our trip, heading back to Cortona. Two hours after leaving Montalcino, we made it home, at least half an hour after our friends who used their GPS. We were very happy to have made it back to the house.
After a week of driving around Tuscany, I believe that utilizing a GPS is not cheating. Sure, you can get around with an old-fashioned map but it’s a bit like refusing drugs when you’re delivering a baby—if God didn’t want us to use them, he wouldn’t have given us the ability to invent them. Maybe we will fish out our old GPS and upgrade it. We just have to figure out how to charge it without a car!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

One of our main goals while living in London was to travel throughout Europe. We knew that living in London would make a perfect base for seeing the many sights scattered through Europe and that the short distances would make that more do-able with small children. Now, eighteen months on, we can say that we have plenty more to see but certainly have managed to accomplish our goal so far.

Traveling, especially with kids, brings on its own set of difficulties. Costs, booking accommodations, making sure you pack the pacifier and stuffed animals for cuddles. But believe it or not, one of the most difficult parts about traveling for us when we first arrived was deciding where to go. Moving to London, we were overwhelmed by the choices. We couldn't even decide where to go for day trips outside of London.

Since we now have visited nine places in Europe and eight places in the United Kingdom, you can say we have overcome that obstacle. I think its interesting in how we have overcome that obstacle and decided where to go.

First, we bought a book "Frommer's Best Day Trips from London." It has twenty-five different day trips it recommends, each places that you can easily visit in one day. It neatly narrows down our local UK options to twenty-five and eliminates any of those dodgy day trips that "infrastructure" would make a day trip really difficult. We have now visited almost half of the places in the book.

Second, Bryan started looking at runnersworld.co.uk and related forums. He used the sites to find races in the UK and in Europe that were recommended. We would never have been to Deal or Lausanne if not for those sites. We have an upcoming trip to Nice for him to do the Nice-Cannes marathon and our trips to York and Winchester were for races.

Third, we also bought "1000 Places to See Before You Die." It is not a travel guide. It does, however, pick from the millions of things to see and helps you focus on the best things.

Finally, we had to adopt a just do-it attitude. We picked a place we wanted to see, booked tickets and went. Traveling is really about the journey. We had to learn things are never perfect and to learn from each trip. We go places, explore them and see where it takes us. Every trip is an exploration, all places with the possibility to return.

Do you remember where you were, five years ago today?

I remember standing in the Shell station at Carrolton and Earhart on Friday August 26th. In a remarkable moment of clarity, I told Bryan we should go to my parents’ house on Saturday, just in case. The storm was predicted to go over Florida but with my being on maternity leave, I did not think it would be a big deal to go spend the weekend with my parents.
I remember being in my parents’ living room, watching a black and white battery operated television, desperate for the helicopter camera to pan over Uptown. Christian was nine weeks old and very close by. He benefited from Katrina in that living with grandparents meant there were plenty of arms to hold and love him when I was tired.
I remember the phone ringing a lot with people calling, worried, and wondering if we were safe. We were fine, without power or air conditioning, but fine nonetheless. My sister had to stop my six year old nephew from watching the news; it was making him worried for his aunt.
I remember receiving pictures of friends’ devastated houses, viewing the pictures on my parents’ computer. Those pictures made it feel very real, very close and I wondered about our house.
I remember when we found out about our house. I was in my parents’ carport, washing my car, when Dad called to say he’d made it through the barricades. He reported that the water had been to our top step. Everything in the shed, the air conditioner and water heater were ruin but nothing in the house had been damaged.
I remember hearing Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends” every time I got in the car. The song described my wish to escape the sadness and wake up when it was over.
I remember sitting in the Sears parking lot, hearing Mayor Ray Nagin say come home. He would later rescind the offer due to Hurricane Rita. Even still, for the first time in three weeks, it felt like the nightmare would be over soon.
So, if you wonder do I remember where I was on August 29th, 2005, yes I do.

Lazy Summer Days

My last blog was after the end of our trip to Norway. Since our trip, we have not made any excursions outside of England. We have spent the month of August exploring different English sights.
First up, we went to York for an overnight stay where I registered to run the York 10K on August 1st. York is a medieval town with roots back to Romans and the Vikings. We saw York Minster, the largest Gothic structure in northern Europe, went through the Jorvik center, a Viking tourist attraction and stopped by the York Model Railway museum. The model railway museum had certainly seen better days but Christian and Jacob loved the rooms filled with model railroads and the special room dedicated to Thomas the tank engine. Christian's quote for the visit was "This is the coolest place ever." I finished the race in good time, even though it was nowhere near my personal best, but I was still happy that the course was flat.
Last weekend, we took the train to East Sussex and walked along the South Downs Way, one of the many walking trails in England. This part of the trail happened to be along the white chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters. We walked four miles along Mother Nature's version of a roller coaster, up and down rolling hills.
Finally, this weekend, we went to Richmond Park, one of the Royal parks in southwest London. Richmond is a town along the Thames and the park is the most massive park you could ever imagine with hills, forests, grassland, lakes, and so on. We even saw herds of deer. All that outdoor space only a tube and bus ride away for London. Jacob even managed to walk most of the time in the park. It was very nice to let them run on the path and only have to worry about deer.
Looking back, even though we did not venture too far in August, we still had plenty of adventures. The best part is getting to see all these great places but still make it home in time for bed!

Top 10 Reasons to Visit Norway

Given the conclusion of our trip to Norway, I thought I would enlighten everyone on the top ten reasons to visit Norway.
1. Spend your hard earned money. Okay, a dodgy reason but nonetheless, visiting Norway is expensive. Dinner at a so-so Mexican restaurant for four set us back $150, groceries for three days $120, ferry ride $20 each way. We were able to minimize our costs by only eating out once and using the kitchen at our accommodations. Norwegian currency is the krone and Norway is known for being the most expensive country in Europe to visit. Must be due to the thirteen months of mandatory maternity leave.
2. Visit Fjordside, a B&B we stayed at for our stay. It is located on Sorfjorden, about twenty minutes north of Bergen. We had an apartment with two beds, a kitchen, reception area and bath. Outside, there was a nice terraced garden, a deck overlooking the fjord, and paths to the beach and a boat dock. They also had five chickens that were kind enough to lay two eggs for one of our breakfasts.
3. Practice your manual transmission driving skills. Our rental car was a Hyundai i2 with a manual transmission. Most of the roads were narrow, winding mountain roads and in the more developed areas, we had to navigate the European favorite roundabouts. No need for cruise control—you would have to be a daredevil to maintain 80 km/h around those hairpin curves.
4. Learn the names of Norwegian crudes. Norway is the world’s third largest exporter of crude (the largest country that is not a dictatorship or monarchy) and they name all of their crudes after towns and things in Norway. Troll, Njord, Jotun, Oseberg, Ekofisk…not really the best way to relax from a person who deals with North Sea crudes everyday for my job.
5. Drive through lots of tunnels. Norway is certainly a country that has decided that the easiest way around a mountain is through it. While there are plenty of winding roads on the side of a fjord, there were plenty of tunnels including the world’s longest at 24 miles. Imagine, the Lake Pontchatrain Causeway, in the dark.
6. Long summer days. Norway is farther north than the United Kingdom and United States. Further north in Norway, they experience midnight sun, where the sun never sets for about two months in the summer. Where we stayed, the sun set 10:30 pm and sunrise before 5 am. It meant we could fill our days with as many activities as we could stand, not having to worry about making it home before sunset.
7. Visit another country and realize that they are bilingual like the rest of the world. Most Norwegians speak both Norwegian and English. They are very gracious and will speak to you in English. However, I always feel bad that I cannot reciprocate and speak in Norwegian. Interesting point, Handy Manny is dubbed over in Norwegian but when he usually interjects Spanish, in Norway, it is English.
8. See a real glacier. On our last full day, we saw the Bonnhusbreen glacier and associated glacial lake. A glacier is perhaps the most awesome and mighty thing I have ever seen. Keep in mind that the glacier we saw had carved out the majestic fjords millions of years ago.
9. See a waterfall. Big or small, your choice. On the drive home from Flam, we took the scenic route on the south side of Hordaland along the Hardangerfjorden. At Skjervefossen and Steinsdalsfossen are massive waterfalls including one you can walk behind.
10. See a fjord. They are everywhere you go, at least in western Norway. Outside of the tunnels, it was granite fjords plunging into clear green water with a few waterfalls and idyllic small towns with brightly painted houses thrown in. Everywhere. Breathtaking.

Run Naked

I ran naked. Okay so just without my headphones, I still wore running clothes. But without my headphones and iPhone, it felt like something was missing from my lunchtime run.
Yesterday, when dressing for my run, I realised I left my headphones at my desk and felt too lazy to go fetch them. I had recently read a Runners' World editorial about running without music and thought I should give it a go.
Heading out, I realised how distracting my iPhone can be, holding it the whole time, fussing with the playlist. Usually I flip through music when running, especially when my running playlist is getting old.
Besides not fiddling with music, I heard all the sounds that the music normally drowns out. I reached Westminster at noon and heard Big Ben chiming out twelve. I heard all the people talking to their companions, most often in a different language then English. As I came around St James Park, I could hear the band playing at the changing of the guard and then the insulated silence of trees in Green Park. I even heard my own footsteps!
As I ran, I thought of why I like to listen to music while running. It gives me a beat to follow and something to distract me during long runs. However, during that run, I remembered why running without music can be wonderful. I just might try it again. Just not during a long run.

Join the Moovement

Imagine my surprise this morning when I boarded the Northern line this
morning and saw a man wearing a cow costume. A few moments later, I
heard mooing further down the car and realized there were several
people wearing cow costumes. Some people smiled, some laughed, while
others could not be bothered. Some people even made eye contact with
fellow Tube riders (!!!).
When they hopped off a few stops later, they had managed to brighten
up a few people's days.

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoFjYLO-J3Y&feature=youtube_gdata

Prague Castle

Prague

So our weekend in Prague has come to a close. For the late May Bank
holiday, we decided to visit Prague, the capital of the Czech
Republic. Interesting fact, most of the geography we learned in junior
high became outdated by the time we graduated high school. Prior to
1992, Czech was combined with Slovakia and was known as
Czechoslovakia. Now it is its own country again and has another twenty
years of capitalism after its separation. Sitting on the Vvalta
River, Prague is a beautiful city and its easy to understand why it
has long been the capital.
We left London early Friday morning, checking into our apartment
before noon. We ate a late lunch, took a nap and then caught up with
our good friend from college, Kate. She was in Prague for work and
hung out with us this weekend, flying back to the US the same day we
returned to London. With plenty of sun in the evening we visited Old
Towne Square and saw the astronomical clock.
The next day we started bright and early with a trip to Prague
Castle. The castle is a complex of buildings, centered around St
Vitus Cathedral. The boys enjoyed the castle grounds where they were
free to roam in the pedestrian only area. At the end of the day we
even took a horse drawn carriage around Old Towne.
For our second day, we rode on the furnicular railway, went through
the mirror maze, ate lunch on an island in the river and visited the
Spanelska synagogue. The best part of the day was the synagogue where
they had a Jewish Museum and we learned about the history of Prague's
Jewish population. It reminded me how horrible the Holocaust was and
makes me wonder how people can hate others of different faiths.
While we there, we kept ourselves fueled up with Czech cuisine like
goulash, dumplings and of course beer. We shopped a little, hunting
for Czech made marionettes, beer steins and garnets. Overall we had a
brilliant time and will have fond memories of Prague.

How time flies

Wheww, when I finally got the chance to relax after the marathon, I
was able to reflect on how quickly the last year has passed, how
things have become usual and how other things just aren't. I feel
pretty confident with my job, enjoying the work and the people.
Weekends are time to hang out with the family and picnic at one of the
many local parks. I have not driven a car in four months and we have
our weekly grocery order delivered to the house. Jacob calls his
diapers "nappies" and Christian's household chore is to empty the
rubbish bins. Other things that still strike me as "different" are the
grocery stores ( we order ours just so I don't have to confront the
oddity"), being surrounded by lots of people who speak different
languages, and the light switches outside the bathroom, not inside.
Even with the differences, we are enjoying our time here. Cheers!

London Marathon

So I did it. I finished the London Marathon yesterday with a time of 4 hours, 30 minutes and two seconds. A personal best for me, I finished this marathon around eleven minutes faster than I finished the Walt Disney World Marathon in 2004. This PB is safe as I have no plans to ever do it again.

I started training for the marathon at the end of January. Bryan signed up to raise money for the YMCA but came to the realization that the nagging ache in his leg was a stress fracture and wasn't going to go away. I had been running a few times a week, four miles at a time, not really training for any races. He had already managed to raise half of his commitment and I did not want to disappoint those who had donated. So we contacted the YMCA and off I went.

Bryan put together a training plan for me building from a measly six miles all the way to a twenty mile run. In addition to a weekly Saturday morning long run, I fit in runs during my lunch time, before work, and even ran to work once a week. My running routes took me through Hyde Park, St James Park, Green Park, past Big Ben and Westminster, all the way to the Millenium Bridge. Even with our busy travel schedule, I still managed to run when we visited Venice (imagine running across all those bridges) and Barcelona.

After finishing my twenty mile run two weeks before, marathon morning dawned overcast and cool. I caught the tube to Charing Cross where I then caught a train to Greenwich. Along with a few thousand other runners, I walked up the hill in Greenwich Park and waited for an hour before getting into our corrals. Even with such a crowd, I was amazed at how patient and respectful everyone was. When we finally moved to the corrals, I was in the first corral based upon Bryan's predicted finish time of three hours (way too fast for me!).

When the race started, I got across the start line in less than a minute and took off fast. My first mile was a nine minute mile followed by another 9:30. I managed to keep the pace up and figured if I felt okay to keep on going. My pace gradually got slower after mile eight but I had banked so much time, my spirits didn't dampen. The entire route was packed both with runners and spectators. I think my second most favorite part was crossing Tower Bridge which was packed with people and is an amazing bridge. My favorite part was kissing my boys at mile 23.5. Okay, so that and crossing the finish line! Lon-DONE!

Barcelona Cathedral

Veneto

Travels to Veneto

So we are waiting in the airport, waiting for our plane back to
London. Per our usual, Bryan and I are exhausted. Not from seeing
every single square foot of Venice. No--it is because we have chased
two young boys over what felt like every single square foot.
We stayed in Venice for four days and three nights. When we arrived
in Venice we took the reasonably priced Allilaguna line from the
airport to San Marco. Its a 'bus' boat that traverses the lagoon to
the island of Venice and a few nearby places like Murano. After an
hour and a half ride, we disembarked at San Marco and then navigated
the tiny alleyways to get to our hotel.
For this trip we stayed in a one bedroom apartment near San Marco,
Corte Grimani. It was an excellent place to stay with a family sine we
prefer a fridge and a kettle and not a concierge or hotel restaurant.
Its front door was right next to a canal where you could watch the
gondoliers float by.
As far as sightseeing, we had absolutely no agenda. Our approach for
this trip as well as our other trips is to treat each trip as a chance
to see a place and scope it out for future travels. For Venice, we
spent most of the time wandering. Venice really is what you see in
pictures with labyrinth like alleyways, bridges over canals and
occasional campos or squares usually next to a church. Speaking of
churches, there seems to be more churches than Venetians. When we
weren't hunting for a mask shop or Venetian glass shop, we were
peaking in to see many of the cathedrals.
I also ran all three of the mornings we were in Venice. My routes had
to stick to mostly along the lagoon and I had to run over quite a few
steps. That kind of makes Venice like New Orleans since both are flat
and you have to consider overpasses for hillwork! The Accademia
Bridge across the Grand Canal will now be considered as part of my
London training.
As far as Venice being kid-friendly, I would have to say the people
are kid friendly but the locale is not. The stairs make a stroller
difficult (we brought the baby backpack) and the sights are not meant
for kids (though I bet going up in the various bell towers would be
fun). Kid friendly activities would be taking a vaporetto ride up the
Grand Canal, going up in the different bell towers, and eating gelato
or pizza in the neighborhood campos. All Christian could think of wad
riding in a gondola or getting a Ferrari. Jake just wanted out of the
backpack so he could stare at the window displays of Murano glass.
As far as being an American visiting Venice, I was overwhelmed by the
amount of history. Venice was established in 600-700 AD and was a
veritable marine super power. San Marco basilica had its start in the
11th century and San Giorgio in the 16th century. My goodness, my
ancestors were still back in Scotland or England at that time.
Language wise, I tried to speak Italian but most know English very
well. I felt the usual guilt of not knowing their language and tried
to make up for it by saying grazie and bonjourno. Venetians are very
patient with American tourists!
After four days of visiting Venice, its time to go home to London.
From the back of our €130 water taxi, we watched Venice disappear
into the watery horizon. It truly is a beautiful and magical place
with lots of history and charm to discover.

Travels to Veneto

So we are waiting in the airport, waiting for our plane back to
London. Per our usual, Bryan and I are exhausted. Not from seeing
every single square foot of Venice. No--it is because we have chased
two young boys over what felt like every single square foot.
We stayed in Venice for four days and three nights. When we arrived
in Venice we took the reasonably priced Allilaguna line from the
airport to San Marco. Its a 'bus' boat that traverses the lagoon to
the island of Venice and a few nearby places like Murano. After an
hour and a half ride, we disembarked at San Marco and then navigated
the tiny alleyways to get to our hotel.
For this trip we stayed in a one bedroom apartment near San Marco,
Corte Grimani. It was an excellent place to stay with a family sine we
prefer a fridge and a kettle and not a concierge or hotel restaurant.
Its front door was right next to a canal where you could watch the
gondoliers float by.
As far as sightseeing, we had absolutely no agenda. Our approach for
this trip as well as our other trips is to treat each trip as a chance
to see a place and scope it out for future travels. For Venice, we
spent most of the time wandering. Venice really is what you see in
pictures with labyrinth like alleyways, bridges over canals and
occasional campos or squares usually next to a church. Speaking of
churches, there seems to be more churches than Venetians. When we
weren't hunting for a mask shop or Venetian glass shop, we were
peaking in to see many of the cathedrals.
I also ran all three of the mornings we were in Venice. My routes had
to stick to mostly along the lagoon and I had to run over quite a few
steps. That kind of makes Venice like New Orleans since both are flat
and you have to consider overpasses for hillwork! The Accademia
Bridge across the Grand Canal will now be considered as part of my
London training.
As far as Venice being kid-friendly, I would have to say the people
are kid friendly but the locale is not. The stairs make a stroller
difficult (we brought the baby backpack) and the sights are not meant
for kids (though I bet going up in the various bell towers would be
fun). Kid friendly activities would be taking a vaporetto ride up the
Grand Canal, going up in the different bell towers, and eating gelato
or pizza in the neighborhood campos. All Christian could think of wad
riding in a gondola or getting a Ferrari. Jake just wanted out of the
backpack so he could stare at the window displays of Murano glass.
As far as being an American visiting Venice, I was overwhelmed by the
amount of history. Venice was established in 600-700 AD and was a
veritable marine super power. San Marco basilica had its start in the
11th century and San Giorgio in the 16th century. My goodness, my
ancestors were still back in Scotland or England at that time.
Language wise, I tried to speak Italian but most know English very
well. I felt the usual guilt of not knowing their language and tried
to make up for it by saying grazie and bonjourno. Venetians are very
patient with American tourists!
After four days of visiting Venice, its time to go home to London.
From the back of our €130 water taxi, we watched Venice disappear
into the watery horizon. It truly is a beautiful and magical place
with lots of history and charm to discover.

You had to expect one of my blog entries to be about the Tube,
officially known as the London Underground. It is pretty reliable but
provides lots of comic material.

First background on the tube. Its part of metropolitan London's
transportation, a lot like New York's subway or Chicago's L. I take
it every day to and from work. To travel roughly four miles, it takes
20 minutes. I have an iphone that I listen to every day during my
commute while either reading Kindle books or playing solitaire. I have
tried other games but I tend to do better at those when I can sit down.

Second, the rules. They are pretty simple but still some people refuse
to comply. First, when you are ready to board the train, let the
people getting off get off. When boarding "mind the gap". When you
finally make it on, there are a few more rules. Most importantly, you
must avoid eye contact. Second, to look like a true Londoner, you need
to bring along reading material. Only tourists actually look around
the car. The last rule is the most important--you should NEVER ever
talk to someone else. Unless you have kids and then its okay. The
strictness of the rules does vary depending upon day and time with
rush hour on weekdays being the strictest.

Finally the stories. Today I got on the Bakerloo line as normal.
However as we approached Oxford Circus where I switch to the Central
line, the driver announced that the Central line was shut down. Keep
in mind in the past ten months I have had to deal with similar things.
So thinking on my feet, i decided to go to Baker Street and switch to
the Circle line and head home. Problems arised when I hopped on the
wrong train at Baker Street and got on the Hammersmith and City line.
I did not realize my mistake until I heard the announcement as the
doors were closing. No problem, I thought I'd just switch at the next
station which looked possible from the map. I got off at Paddington
and learned that while I could switch, I had to walk about a half mile
across Paddington Train Station.

Thinking about it, most of my stories have to do with getting on and
off the train. One time I missed my stop (had to hop off at the next
stop and catch a train back the other way). Thankfully nobody
noticed. Another time I got off at the wrong stop completely engrossed
in my game of solitaire. Fortunately I realized it and got back on the
same train. Unfortunately somebody else noticed. He broke rule #3
above and laughed at me. One time I was coming down the stairs as a
train was getting ready to leave. I decided to hop on even though the
doors were closing. Ouch those doors hurt!

I do have to say that nine out of ten trips are completely uneventful.
I can even laugh after riding in one of those cars that people are
riding like sardines and we can all smell each others' deodorant. I
just try and remember that I will not be riding the tube to work
forever and will look back on my memories with fondness. And I will
always remember "Mind the Gap".

The Cutest Saint at Superbowl XLIV 2010 Drew Brees Son

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfrJh7h-27U&feature=youtube_gdata

It is 1 AM and I am sitting in my recliner, watching the Super Bowl
half time show. My heart is pounding and even though its far too late,
I can't sleep because of my excitement for the Saints. While I don't
get to see the commercials, the BBC is airing CBS commentary. Thank
goodness!

Watching the game makes me realize how football season passed by this
year with barely a thought. We had perfect football weather but with a
five hour time difference from the East Coast, we barely saw any games
this year. I paid more attention to the X-Factor competition than
what teams were in what bowls.

Telly didn't mention it, all sports talk was about football (the one
with the round ball). It seems odd to be insulated from the US. Other
than Obama and the stars trekking from London to LA, generally we
don't hear much news from the US. It's like a huge layer of
insulation across the Atlantic.

Well, one piece of news I won't miss is how the Saints bounced back in
the 2nd quarter and how they played in the second half of Super Bowl
XLIV. Half time is over and I need to get my season's fill of football.

Who dat!

The Good and Bad of London Living

We returned a week ago from visiting the US for Christmas. Because it was our first trip back after living here for awhile, I saw the US from a new perspective and started thinking about the good and bad things about living here. In no particular order, below is a quick rundown of the best and worst of London.

The top ten things about London so far:
1. Public transportation - okay, so you do have to plan more since you don't have a car you can just hop into. That said, we don't pay a note, insurance, or fuel for a car. And the whole Tube experience can be humorous.
2. Chocolate - not just from England but from the EU. Its where it was invented and probably because of #8 on this list, its just better.
3. Espresso - Who drinks yucky drip coffee anymore? Go buy yourself a nice espresso machine, splurge on some Italian espresso coffee and get ready for the smoothest cup of coffee you'll ever have. I promise, an espresso addiction does not equate to sending your entire life savings to Starbucks.
4. Coca-Cola - No corn syrup here, just plain old sugar. Remember that stuff.
5. The parks - You might say, well I have my nice fenced in back yard. But, you can only afford so much and what you can afford, you have to take care of. The parks are great places to run, play on the playgrounds (the equipment isn't falling apart!), and just enjoy the sun on a nice day. Plus, you wouldn't get to watch the Royal Family's helicopter land in your backyard.
6. Top Gear --Top Gear is a BBC program but three men acting like teenage boys in cars is pretty darn funny. Plus, these guys are pretty funny without the cars. Picture playing football (soccer) with a giant ball and hatchbacks for the players.
7. Being able to buy an inexpensive bottle of good French wine
8. Dairy products - Over here, the mass production folks haven't started adding hormones and all that junk to their cows. Plus, as gross as it sounds, clotted cream is wonderful.
9. Getting your groceries delivered!
10. I love the electrical sockets here. Much safer than in the US, with each having its own switch and codes not allowing light switches and only shaver plugs in the bathroom.
10. Heating with radiators - not as drying as forced air.
10. My gas stove - okay, so I could have that in the US but don't. Its much better for cooking.
10. Free museums - A number of London's museums are free. I know that's it paid for with tax dollars but at least you get something for your tax dollars here.
10. No potholes - again, something for your tax dollars.
10. Last but not least...you can spend a couple hours on a train and be in Paris, Brussels, Scotland.

So I cheated a little on the top ten...here's my least favorite thing about London.

1. Diet Coke - the reverse of number 4 above. The sweetener they use just doesn't taste the same.
2. Dining out - There is a reason why a normal tip is 10%. The service is so-so and you can expect to take at least an hour to an hour and a half for a meal.
3. Having to make homemade macaroni and cheese - No Kraft mac and cheese here. We either have it sent to us or I make it from scratch. Really, I miss a number of foods from the US that you can't purchase here or you have to buy from an expensive American store.
4. BBC programming (excluding Top Gear) - There is nothing to watch. Period.
5. Finding a place for a good hair cut that doesn't cost as much as a car payment
6. The dubbing of characters'voices on American cartoons with a British speaker- Imagine Little Einsteins characters with British accents. Thankfully, Mickey still sounds like Mickey.
7. The super short days - When we first moved here, the days were extremely long, with sunrise at 5:30 am and sunset not until 10 pm, much different than anywhere in the continental US. The long days were fine but now that its winter, it is pitch black outside until 8 am and sun is long gone by 4 pm. I can now understand why people actually have sun lamps for light therapy. I need some sun.
8. Having no credit history - When we moved here, our credit history from the US means nothing. The only way we were able to open up a current account is through my employer. Even getting a new mobile phone usually requires a deposit equal to six months' of payments.
9. Nope nothing else.
10. Better stop, I keep thinking of more things for the top 10 list.