British Snow...

Sorry for not writing in a few weeks.  Life has been pretty crazy, and I haven’t found the time until now.  For the record, I am writing this next blog entry while I am sitting in a taxi STUCK IN THE SNOW!...

The past few weeks have been quite eventful both in good ways and in bad ways as well.  I have spent most of the past few weeks commuting from clients in Bedford, Egham, and now Leicester (pronounced Lester).  I have had the chance to ride trains to and from work, which have been quite enjoyable.  Each morning I would walk to the tube, ride the tube to the train station, and then take a train for at least 40 minutes out to some small suburban town.  On the train, I got into the habit of having a nice cup of tea while looking outside and admiring the countryside.  To and from the train stations have been quite entertaining, including one taxi driver basically interviewing with one of my colleagues and another one that slurred his words so bad that I was gripping my seatbelt while we spun around turns.  The end of the week included a train ride and a bottle of wine… I don’t think I have ever been able to enjoy a commute home during rush-hour so much.

One of my really good friends visited me this past week, and we had quite a fantastic time.  We went to Les Miserable for £20 a ticket (granted we did have ‘limited views’).  We had a wonderful couple of days of shopping including around Oxford Circus and at the Stable Market.  Of course we did the standard: Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, London Eye tour, which I am proud to say that I will be a fantastic tour guide by the time I leave London.

Thanksgiving was a little rough this year considering that I had to work instead of run the Turkey Trot and eat yummy Cuban / Thanksgiving food.  Friday was our shopping day, so I did get to participate in this part of the holiday... minus the sales.  This past Saturday, my friend Athena made an AMAZING meal for Thanksgiving, including turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, bread, green beans, and two delicious pies.  It was around 11:30pm when we began to count the bottles of wine that we had ‘put-away’.  With 10 of us drinking, we managed to finish off 18 bottles of wine… yes, that works out to be almost two bottles of wine each.  The attendees were both American and British, which made the night quite amusing with good stories and good laughs.

Back to the present moment, it snowed for the first time while I have been in the UK.  On Sunday, in London, they had placed BEACHES of sand outside of the tubes… at the time I had laughed because I had only seen about 10 flakes of snow.  However, now that I am in Leicester Monday through Wednesday, it has picked up quite a bit.  I couldn’t help but smile because it reminded me so much of home.   The drivers seem to be quite terrified of the snow, and the ice has officially frozen.  I can’t help but think, “Ughh, I probably should have left earlier and remembered that the British may not be as used to driving in the snow as Coloradoans…”  The good news is that my hotel is the British version of the house in the Shining.  It is called Bosworth Hall Hotel, and it is beautifully decorated with Christmas Trees and garland.  It took me about 10 minutes to find my hotel room, because there are so many turns and stairs.  I had to help two little old English ladies find the reception desk because they were so turned around.

Well… I arrived back at the hotel, just in time for my computer to die.  Unfortunately, like all annoying situations, it got worse… My laptop needs to be switched out because the encryption software has an issue.  That means that every time I restart my computer, I have to call tech support to get me past the encryption screen.  Well, my laptop died right when I was about to plug it in… So, I had to run up to reception where I ironically had phone reception to talk to Tech support.  Then I ran back down and started my computer.  The blue screen of death greeted me and my computer shut itself down… again.  I made the 5 minute journey again back to reception to call tech support.  Because it is afterhours, I made friends with Herman who sits in the US tech support office.  Finally, I got through the encryption and my computer is working again.  Haha, wow… what a night!

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

The past couple of weeks have been astronomically busy, filled with my best friend visiting, a piro-holiday, and an unfortunate visit to Scotland Yard.

My best friend in the whole world, Jonny, arrived on Wednesday, November 3^rd.  Unfortunately, her timing was aweful, as yet another tube strike lingered on…  We met up with my flatmate, Gary, for a drink to wait out some of the ridiculous traffic, and then caught a taxi home.  While we were stuck dragging around a plethora of bags, I managed to leave my laptop bag in the taxi.  The next morning, I received a phone call from a bus driver saying that my pens and business cards were found in a grocery bag on the bus…  Jonnah was unfortunately asked to spend the morning in the nearby Scotland Yard police station with me on her first day in London.  The police were extremely nice and keen on helping.

The next day, Friday, the 5^th of November, was a holiday in London.  It was the day celebrating when Guy Fawkes and a group of hooligans tried to set fire to the House of Parliament and failed in 1604.  Like the Fourth of July, this holiday gives piro-maniacs to play with fire.  We attended the Battersea Park Firework Display, which happened to be the biggest and best in London.  We were running a little late, and when we arrived at the gates of the park, there was a massive crowd waiting just to get inside!  Luckily, some of those hooligans that I referred to earlier, began to push on one of the fences and create an opening.  Next thing we knew, our small group was caught up in the mob and herded through this tiny little opening.  While I was squeezing through one fence and jumping over another, I could hear the chuckles coming from the naughty little individuals around me.  When we entered the park, we went towards the largest bonfire that I have ever seen!  It was about 20 feet in diameter with firemen at the ready.  The main event finally started, and I must say… the show definitely rivals any that I have ever seen.  The fireworks were choreographed to music and lasted for well over the usual half hour.

Jonny and I did a few touristy things as well, including walking through Soho and Leicester Square.  We went out in Covent Garden and watched a live ‘cheesy’ cover band with a few English blokes.  We also went on a boat ride from Little Venice, through the London Zoo, and arriving at the Stables Market.  The market was huge within this old stable built in the 1600’s.  Later in the week, Jonny and I ended up going to the club in the market that was hidden by all of the shops during the day.

On Sunday, I helped Jonnah get to the airport and proceeded to sleep for the rest of the day.   These couple of weeks have been very eventful, and now I need to rest up for next weekend when my friend Lindsey arrives.

Fancy Dress Party = Fancy way of saying “Halloween Costume Party”

Birthdays are a funny thing…  When you are younger, you wish that your birthday would last forever, because it is your one day to be special.  As you get older, the birthday hype is more about the party.  And then you hit the age where you just don’t want to celebrate being another year older.  For me, I am glad to say that I am the second of the three.  My third and final birthday weekend was… AMAZING and not just because Halloween is my favourite holiday!

On Friday night, we celebrated one of my coworker’s birthdays in Picadilly Circus at a club called Jewel followed by a fancy club in the West End.  It was supposed to be a girl’s night out, which meant not so comfortable shoes.  Like true London style, everyone changed there high heels into the comfy flats for the treck to the second bar.  Then, the party bus arrived… by party bus, I mean the double decker London bus that you see in all of the movies.  Honestly, this might have been the funnest “party bus” I have ever been in.  In fact, we were all laughing so hard at one point, that we didn’t realize that we had come to the end of the line for our bus.  Luckily, it was exactly the bus stop that we needed to stop at.  The night at the club was also a good time with the “fancy dress party” celebration for Halloween.  However, I was unable to stay too late because I had to go prepare for my own “fancy dress” party.  Yes, “Fancy Dress” is what the English call costume parties, but Halloween is only about dressing up as something scary, bloody, creepy, or disturbing… I was to be a Pirate… I think that is a pretty good compromise =)

Saturday, was full of running errands and picking up various tid bits for the first party that I was to hostess at my flat.  Unfortunately, my flatmate was away for the weekend, but I like to think I did a decent job.  In mid afternoon, I had arts and crafts time and made some cute colored paper cutouts of a witch, ghost, bat, and vampire… I also carved a Jack’O Lantern!  Many an English person was impressed with my pumpkin including our Maid that practically wanted to take it home with her on Monday. 

Belton came over early and became the Super Chef in the kitchen while I was told to chop and cut.  He made a cheese ball that looked like a pumpkin and some amazing spinach dip!  The food was clutch and the party was thriving with the decorated food as the center piece.  I was expecting about 15 people or so, until I stopped to figure out that people who hadn’t RSVP’d were at the party.  Next thing I know, we were 30 deep in my tiny flat.  Thank goodness we had the garden area!  The garden area has a heating lamp that is red that ended up being perfect for a spooky Halloween night.

The party had two rules: 1) Bring something to drink that begins with your first or last name; and 2) You MUST come in costume!  People took these rules very seriously, and we had a beautifully stocked bar as well as some fantastic costumes.  We had Clark Kent / Superman, a Ghostbuster, a Couple of Zombies, Pirates, Black Cats, Toothpaste, and Fred Flinstone.  I have said it once, and I will say it again… I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!  The party died around 4am, at which point I started picking up a few things.  The party was great and the people were amazing.  I couldn’t have asked for my Birthday to end on a better note… Until next year! ; )

Madrid Birthday to London Birthday

The second week in Madrid went smoothly at work, and we ended up going out to dinner with the client on Wednesday night.  Our reservation was for 9:00pm at a Buey y Champagna place in a very nice area of Madrid.  It was an all you can eat meal with salad, onion rings, tomato bread with chorizo, champagne and Ox.  Yes, Buey = Ox!  It was so incredibly delicious, but somewhat strange since they had pictures of ox on the walls that happened to be staring toward the table.  It was a very delicious and ended up being my favourite meal in Spain. 

On Friday, my manager and I really wanted to try to get on an earlier flight than 6:40pm, so we went to the airport at 11:30am.  Once again, the US wins on customer service; because there was no way they were going to let us on an earlier flight for less than €380.  So, we ended up having a little bit of time before our flight…  We had started to get through security and get to the correct terminal, when we decided that we should stay in the main terminal and do some shopping.  Unfortunately, this decision happened after we went down an escalator that had no up escalator in site.  Because we were very motivated after standing in line for an hour to find out we couldn’t change our ticket, we decided it would be worth running up the wrong way on the elevator…  After eating it twice on the escalator and stubbing my toes multiple times since I was in flip flops, we made it to the top.  We decided to have a few glasses of wine after we had finished our shopping, and ended up watching the X-men dvd that my manager had brought.  Six hours later we saw that our flight was going to be delayed another hour…  At this point we had another couple of glasses of wine, and ended up having to run to the gate because we lost track of time… Good times…  We finally made it back to London and were relieved.  Unfortunately, the day was not over, because a Spanish woman was in a great hurry and ran over my toe with her wheely bag.  The lady didn’t stop and just kept going after looking over her shoulder at me.  Half of my toe nail was pulled off, but I guess it didn’t warrant an apology.  I was determined to make it through customs, so I kept walking.  I had to stop when my manager noticed that my toe was gushing really bad.  I then proceeded to get home and find a letter on the counter saying that the landlord was raising the rent by 15%...  What an incredibly annoying day!

Saturday was much better and included a great workout followed by Chipotle (the only one in Europe)!  My friends also took me out to some fantastic bars near my house.  Even my flatmate, Gary, who had had a pretty rough night the night before, made it out to the bars with us.  It was so fantastic to celebrate the big 2-7 with friends.  The party ended up back at my flat where my flatmate brought out his new toy, a huge table size cd deck turntable.  At 2am, we thought it would be a great idea to watch The X-Factor, which is a show similar to American Idol.  We all proceed to argue about who we thought was the best and the worst.  It was hilarious.  The night was super fun, filled with good people and fun places.  Altogether, I think it is a going to be a great 27^th year of life =)

La Vida Fortunada!

First of all, let me apologize for not writing last week.  Things were a little busy involving another tube strike… my buddy’s cousin’s birthday… a crazy b-day party for my friend / co-worker… and preparing for a trip to Espana.

I woke up last Sunday morning due to my Flatmate reminding me that I needed to pack and get on a plane.  The night before had been a party for one of my co-workers and upon returning home, ended up chatting with my flatmate until 8am…  Luckily, I made my flight (with an incredibly hecticly overpacked suitcase.  In Madrid, we were staying at a beautiful modern hotel that was about a 10 minute walk from the client.  Work has been very interesting speaking a mix of Spanish and English…  One woman was explaining one of the processes and ended up switching from English to Spanish.  Instead of interrupting her, I let her continue until one of her co-workers turned around and asked, “Sabes que estas hablando en Espanol?”  I immediately switched into Spanish too, and let her know that I understood everything that she had been saying.  During lunch, we developed the habit of visiting the fruit man at the near by Centro de Comerciales.  The fruit is amazingly delicious, and I have become very addicted to the plums and pears.  There was also a holiday on Tuesday, so we worked early and then around siesta time, we wondered to the Plaza del Sol.  We were in the search of food, when we stumbled upon a Cuban Restaurant.  It has been two months without Cuban food, so I was SOOO EXCITED.  After ropa vieja, arroz con frijoles negros, platanos maduros, and a pitcher of Sangria, I thought I would cry with happiness.

On Friday, my manager and I proceeded to walk to the nearest subway to get to our train to Valencia…  We did not know at the time that we would be lugging (in my case) huge suitcases uphill for 20 minutes…  We had been reassured that the subway was “muy cerca”  but I am inclined to say “MENTIROSO!”  After 3.5 hours a “documentario” that was called El Trabajo Embarazado with Lindsey Lohan… (yay… documentary??), we arrived in Valencia.   We went directly to our hotel, the Hotel Neptuno, which was located on the beach.  We wondered along the boardwalk to a bar, where the waiter couldn’t quite what language to speak with us.  In the end, the only thing I wanted him to know was that a Cuba Libre came with a lime and NOT a lemon.  The third time he FINALLY brought a lime and rum shots, and we all cheersed saying, “Salud a las limas!”

Saturday started out a little rough, mostly due to the “ron con coka light… Y LIMA!”  We purchased a day pass for a jump-on-jump-off bus tour which took us around Valencia.  We went to the Catedral en La Plaza de Reina first, searching for a place to have lunch.  The thing to remember about Spain, is that food is not served ANYWHERE between 11am and 1pm… because that is when they set up for lunch at 1pm.  We ended up in a Starbucks, because we were starving... I know… Americans…  Our day progressed at some of the most awe –inspiring sights.  We went to the Mercado, where people could get fresh fruits, vegetable, meat, and fish.  I literally had to run from the pungent fish booths, because rum and fish smell do not mix well. 

My manager (Katie) had told me earlier in the day that the last time she was in Spain, her friend had been pooped on by a pigeon and freaked out.  The Spanish woman that had also been with them had tried to make Katie’s friend feel better by saying, “ES FORTUNADA!” (It’s Good Fortune!)  All I have to say, is that God has a sense of humor.  While we are deciding our next plan I felt something hit my shoulder (bare shoulder), and we both had thought it was a bug or lizard… nope… apparently, I was FORTUNADA… to have a very healthy pigeon bless me while I was standing under his tree.  Needless to say, I will be laughing about that with my manager for years to come.

For my birthday dinner, we went to a great small Spanish restaurant where we had a bottle of wine, cheese, pimientos de padron, and paella.  We went out later to the party street and had a few drinks.  We made it back to the hotel “early” at 2am and fell asleep. 

Today (Yesterday) I had one of the most amazing birthdays!  I woke up and went to the beach and laid out.  I felt much like a solar panel, because I was storing up the sun for the next few months in London.  We had “brunch” on the beach including café con leche and a Tortilla Espaniola.  We then packed up everything to check out of the hotel before going to the Ciudad de Las Artes y Las Sciencias.  The area was very much like a city with beautiful modern architecture that housed the Natural History Museums and the aquarium… Oceanográfico!  I hadn’t been to a Zoo or Aquarium in years, so I felt like a kid who couldn’t take in enough sights of these amazing animals.  I saw pelicans, flamingos, sea lions, dolphins, beluga whales, sharks, sting rays, jelly fish, swordfish, and many other types of creatures.  The tanks were created with a hallway below so that one could look up and see the fish and mammals.  The shark exhibit was the best.  I mentioned to my manager that I really wanted one of the bigger ones to come over closer to the window, and the next thing I saw was two BIG sharks swimming towards me, which totally gave me the creeps.

My birthday ended with a train ride back to Madrid where my manager and I continued to celebrate with a few glasses of wine.  It has definitely been one of my most memorable birthdays, but I must say that I am looking forward to spending my 28^th with family and friends… that is… if life doesn’t surprise me and take me on another traveling adventure!

Sightseeing and Enjoying Freedom

The past week went be very quickly but happened to be the first week that I was able to do some site seeing…

On Tuesday evening, Belton and I went to the last of four musicals that we had signed up to see… Jersey Boys!  While our colleagues could not stop raving about the show, we found it a little boring.  The music was spectacular with songs that we knew like Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, Let’s Hang On, and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.  However, the story was one that has been told many times before about the rise and fall of a musical sensation.  We walked out and immediately agreed that Legally Blonde was by far the best musical so far.

Thursday evening we tried out a wine bar in the back alley of a street near our work.  At first, I thought it was a little dodgy, but it soon filled up with soooo many people!  The wine was quite delicious and the bar itself was packed with people all ordering bottles and bottles of wine.  However, I was good, because one of my coworkers was planning on taking me to the Supper Club on Friday night.  On Friday, we stopped by at a neighborhood pub before going to Supper Club, and ordered some fantastic cocktails.  In the States we refer to cocktails as anything that isn’t beer or wine… However, cocktails are very fruity and are more of a work of art here.  The bartenders were making complicated drinks using at least 5 ingredients in each.  They would even take a straw and dip it in the drink to make sure that it was made right or start all over.  No wonder the price is astronomical!  Supper Club was fun and posh, but what I wouldn’t have given to hear some good ‘ole fashion bar songs instead of the constant thumping of House / Techno.

Saturday was very laid back, but Sunday I was determined to be productive and do a little London siteseeing.  I first went to church at St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was absolutely beautiful!  There was even a choir made up of young boys from 6-10 years old, and then older men from 30 years old and above.  The young boys had voices of little angels that echoed in the glorious archways of the cathedral.  I then went to Buckingham Palace to do some sightseeing with Belton and his cousin.  At this point, Belton informed me that there was a US newsflash, warning all Americans traveling in Europe to avoid all tourist sites.  So as I am standing in front of Buckingham Palace, I am reading about the terrorist threat against Americans traveling in Europe… interesting… 

Sunday was the first day that I think I really understood the idea of ‘Terror’.   It is an interesting feeling when trying to decide whether to stay away from potential danger or to continue living your life as planned.  Even if you aren’t directly affected by some horrid attack, you still are affected just because it can cause you to live in fear and not enjoy your freedom.  Either way, terrorists win because your life is negatively affected by their actions or inactions.   For this reason, we continued our journey.  We kept ourselves on “orange” alert, and continued our sightseeing across London.  “As Canadians,” we then walked to Big Ben and Parliament, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, and the British National Gallery.  Needless to say, we returned home safely after enjoying a beautiful rainy day of sightseeing in London. 

Home to London

Home to London

Throughout the past month and a half while I have been writing this blog, I had chosen to leave out the instances where I felt a little homesick.  After living in Costa Rica and in New York for extended periods of time, I knew what was coming. .. Week 4 and 5 are usually the hardest, because it finally hits you that you are not on vacation…  Luckily, the trip to Athens helped me ease over this difficult time.  Athens was fantastic and beautiful, but when I jumped on the plane to end my holiday, I was going home… to London.  I arrived in London with a new sense of comfort, knowing that this is MY home (for the moment at least), MY flat, MY bed, and MY life.  I essentially made my peace with London as not only where I work but where I live as well.

Wednesday night, I had a friend from college in town for work, so we went out to eat in Leicester Square.  I knew the tubes to take and the blocks to walk down, and was even able to make some suggestions about places to go.  I have officially become the London guide for my friends… So don’t forget to visit =)

Belton and I continued our theatre night on Thursday night with Legally Blonde.  I know that most of you must think, “Why would they want to spend time seeing a theatre show in London that is made from an American movie?”  Well, I was just as skeptical going into it as well.  The theatre was packed with women of all ages and the occasional gay man or tricked boyfriend.  OMIGOD! The show was AMAZING!  The songs were upbeat and happy, and the jokes were classic.  For instance, in the scene where she is tricked into dressing up as a sexy bunny for a party, they made a joke about “Going and going and going…”  Belton and I cracked up laughing, while the rest of the audience sat in silence… I guess it was an American joke.  The BEST part was the courtroom scene where Elle needed to prove the pool boy was gay and not having an affair with their client… (you would know if you saw the movie)  Well, the musical portion of this scene was by far my favorite.  One singing line was, “Look at what we’re seein’… Is he GAAAAAY?........ or EUROPEAN?”  My friends know that this has been my only complaint regarding the men in London…  I can’t tell whether they are gay or metro.  I literally had tears in my eyes laughing so hard, and it seemed like the “Europeans” in the audience thought it was pretty hilarious too.

After returning from Greece and eating delicious Greek food, I decided that it was time to start making the gym part of my routine rather than just a “spur of the moment, if I feel like it” deal.  I have now done a few classes including yoga, body pump, aerobics, and LBT.  LBT in true British fashion stands for Legs, Bums, and Tums J  In the US, instructors have to be careful to show the “lighter” version to make sure that no one feels uncomfortable or clueless.  In London, that is not the case, and it is more of a, “If you can’t keep up, you should be coming more often to practice!”  My favorite part of each class was the instructors, who reminded me of Billy Blank from the Tae Bow workout videos.  They were all very loud and VERY motivating, including staring at you and saying , “NO RESTING!”  I half expected them to yell, “NOW, DOUBLE TIME!”

Although I didn’t get a chance to go to Scotland this week, it has been very nice having the opportunity to rest.  We even have a cleaner now for the flat that comes once a week, so it always smells like my own mother’s hard core cleaning.  Next week, I look forward to Jersey Boys, more Billy Blank workouts, and perhaps doing some London site seeing next weekend!

ATH∑NS!

My week began very slow and ramped up as it went.  The beginning of the week involved work and then back to the flat which was quite uneventful.  The most entertaining aspect was learning that my friend BT had set up a London online dating site in my name.  Maybe I will try it out at some point… =)

On Thursday, BT continued our London theatre experience with Billy Elliot.  We ended up going the inexpensive route for a night out at the theatre, beginning with a £2 meal deal and a couple of drinks.  I loved the show but I must admit that I was a little surprised with the scene where little boys are dancing around in women’s dresses and putting on lipstick =)

Friday I also stayed in to pack for Greece.  My manager and I were flying out Saturday to have a couple of tourist days prior to starting our client work on Monday.  I was so excited for the trip that I couldn’t even sleep!  Saturday morning came quickly and we flew from London’s cold overcast skies to Athens 90 degrees blue skies.  We took a taxi from the airport to our hostel, which happened to be in the middle of some of the narrowest streets I have seen in my life, with small cars parked bumper to bumper.  The taxi driver missed our turn and instead of turning around to come back down a one way street, he decided to flip the taxi in reverse going ass-backwards up a oneway street where the mirrors practically touched the cars on either side.  Well done though, because we made it to our hostel without a scratch.  As we were checking in, I said to the receptionist guy that we need to divide the price by two, because my manager and I were splitting the room.  He grabbed his head on either side and said in the most anxious crazy voice, “I am an ART major not a MATH person!  I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT!”  We literally had to slowly calm him down and convince him that we would figure it out.  Didn’t the Greeks practically invent mathematics?  Wow, crazy!

We spent the rest of the day walking around the area, which was right next to the Acropolis and the Plaka.  We walked all around looking for the Plaka (an area filled with shops and restaurants), but couldn’t seem to find it.  We ended up walking in the opposite direction and came to find out that we had been walking around the Plaka outside of our Hostel and just didn’t know it.  Saturday night, we went on an expedition to find a bar that the bartender at our hostel recommended.  He warned us as we left, “Don’t show the taxi driver the paper that I wrote the name on, and only pay 5 to 10 euros!”  A great warning, because the taxi driver dropped us off at a random block after I mentioned that we were only going to pay what our “guide” had told us.  He probably would have driven us somewhere very far and left us after paying three times more.  In the end we found the bar by asking at the little street vendors who would try to give us directions in very poor English or just by pointing.  We danced the night away and returned home safely to wake up early and hike up the Acropolis.

The Acropolis was extremely impressive and had a spectacular view of all of Athens.  Apparently some of the columns had been reconstructed in the wrong place so now they are trying to rebuild parts based on historical information. .. ooops =)  We also went to the Acropolis Museum to see the current statues and other sculptures that had been recovered from the site.  The entire museum was built on ruins so clear flooring had been installed in some areas so you could see the remains of the columns that had been there hundreds of years ago.

Today, work started at about 10am after the client picked us up at our hotel.  Traffic was extremely bad due to a truckers strike going on.  (What is it with Europeans liking to strike?)  Around lunch time, as we are discussing the current financial controls in place, there is a loud trucker horn that starts repeating in beats.  Interesting… Next thing we know, it sounded like every trucker in the city was laying on the horn.  It was an hard keeping a straight face at first because I thought it was so entertaining, but after about an hour, it started to get a little annoying.  =)  We ended our trip and evening at the top of the Hilton Athens at Galaxy Bar with a glass of a Greek dessert wine.  The view of Athens and the Acropolis was spectacular!

This has been a fantastic trip filled with AMAZING adventures and beautiful sites.  My manager informed me that I may need to go to Scotland next Monday, so I can’t help but think how much I LOVE MY JOB!

Getting to Know London

The past week has been spent getting to London, including the beautiful, fun, exciting parts as well as the nail biting, excruciating, annoying parts. Whether a tube strike or an amazing theatrical performance, London has definitely kept me entertained.

Monday at the office in Trafalgar square, my coworker asked me, “So how are you getting home today?” I must have had a confused look on my face, because I was quickly reminded that the tubes would not be running as of 4pm and all day Tuesday due to the TUBE STRIKE. I had never taken a bus home nor did I know which bus to take, so I proceeded to wonder around the office begging for help. After work, I finally found the correct bus stop and managed to get on the correct bus. Simple enough. I was even able to sit in the front row on the top portion of the double decker bus, which also provided an amazing view of the city and the many bikers and pedestrians the bus was barely missing. It provided a fantastic perspective of the city that I don’t actually see when I take the tube.

The next morning I knew the exact bus to take as well as the bus stop, so I walked to the stop and immediately saw the 50 other people waiting. Two buses passed because they were already crammed with people, so I decided that the only way for me to get to work would be to walk… How hard could it be? I knew from the map I had seen the day before that I needed to get to the opposite corner of Hyde Park, so I began walking toward the park. When I finally reached the park, I saw a sign saying, ‘Welcome to Kensington Gardens’. Right… I forgot that I needed to walk through Kensington Gardens to Hyde Park… It took me probably 40 minutes to walk the diagonal length of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, so I believe it was officially the largest park I have EVER walked through. Luckily it was a beautiful day, and I saw gorgeous fountains in the memorial to Diana as well as breathtaking views of ‘The Serpentine’ (aka lake / river through Hyde Park) with white and black swans. I finally reached the corner of the park and was not quite sure where to go from there, so I followed the men in suits thinking that they have to be heading to a corporate office area. Luckily, as I was stalking the London business men, I saw a sign for Buckingham Palace. I KNEW WHERE I WAS! I had run multiple times from the office around Green Park and Buckingham Palace… I couldn’t help being amused by the fact that Buckingham Palace was my point of reference to get to work… At the end of the day, the buses once again were packed, and I ended up returning home by foot. In all, I walked about 8 miles on Tuesday. When I was whining about my feet to my flatmate, he said, “’N hours’ walk isn’t bad. People usually walk at least that long to get to work.” I couldn’t help snidely thinking… ‘NOT where I am from!’

I spent Thursday evening at the National Theatre. My friend Belton and I took advantage of a GroupOn deal, £75 to see 5 London shows. Our first show was Oliver! Kids are cute in musicals, but now add the English accent, and they are ADORABLE!

The rest of the week involved the gym, returning to Kensington Gardens to soak up some sun by the fountains, shopping in Oxford Circus (for new comfortable shoes), and a date with my flatmate’s friend from Australia. A very busy week of getting to know London… I am now looking forward to next weekend when it takes me to Athens, Greece for work and for play!

Work Hard, Play Hard

This past week went by very quickly and somewhat slowly as well. Because of the Bank Holiday on Monday, it was a four day week for everyone in the UK; however, it felt more like a six day week for me. I spent the week both settling into my life in London, as well as traveling to two other countries…

Tuesday morning a taxi picked me up to arrive at the airport for a 6:55 am flight to Brussels for a client site visit. I didn’t have the chance to see much of Brussels, but as my friend Jonnah says, “I was able to breathe the air in Belgium.” At 4 pm (Brussels time), I jumped back in a taxi to return to the airport and back to London. A similar story occurred on Thursday; however, the flight left at 6:50 am and took me to Copenhagen, Denmark. Luckily, we were able to take a lunch break and go to a traditional Danish restaurant with the client. The client insisted on each of us having the medium lunch special, which included chicken salad, breaded halibut, liver pate, brie cheese, pickled heron, bread, butter, and a LARD spread. The client was amazed when I said that would try the lard spread, because “Americans never like to eat anything they are not used to because they don’t like to try new things.” So, I basically ate LARD to break an American stereotype… ironic since Americans are also known for their high obesity rate…

While I was not off in another country, I was settling into my new area by joining the nearby gym. Wednesday was the first night I had been to the gym in weeks. I jumped on the treadmill ready to run my usual four miles, when the machine asked: Weight = ___ kilograms. So… I guessed. I started the machine at my usual speed, and it seemed like more of a fast walk. Ah yes, the speed was no longer in miles per hour but kilometers per hour. Throughout my run I was trying to do the calculation of 4 miles to kilometers, knowing that a 10K is about 6.2 miles (Thanks, Boulder Bolder!). I am sure that I must have looked very pensive and concerned during the first part of my run. After my run, I couldn’t help but feel that although it is the same distance, it is SO much easier to run 4 miles than 6.4 kilometers. I proceeded to go to the free weights, which were in a room known as the ‘guy area’. Well, I enjoy using free weights so the guys could bugger-off if having a girl in the room was going to be an issue. Unfortunately, after marching into this room, I was once again faced with the pound-to-kilogram issue. I guessed which weight I should use… I guessed wrong. The one girl in the room almost fell over when she tried to pick up a weight, which incited a couple of snickers from the nearby MeatHead. However, I finally found the weight I wanted and finished my workout with no further conversion issues.

My weekend started off somewhat calm with staying in on Friday and doing a little shopping on Saturday. Saturday night was an entirely different story… One of the managers had his 30th birthday at a posh bar near Oxford Circus. The party was basically made of employees from my company all getting ‘pissed’ on cocktails like the Porn Star Martini. At some point, I ended up having a 45 minute conversation with the HEAD of the London Office. I learned quite a bit about the difference between business in the UK versus the US. I also learned that the Boss and his wife can party better than anyone else. Literally, they were the last ones on the dance floor. Now that is leading by example! I ended up home around 4 am wondering if I was ever going to be able to keep up with the London lifestyle. One saying came to mind: “If at first you don’t succeed…”

Crazy London Living!

This week has been normal compared to last week. I finally finished moving all of my stuff out of suitcases into the make-shift wardrobe and the cloth drawers. I even bought the least expensive comforter that I could find, which may or may not be leopard print.

I spent Monday night giving the room a cleaning that my dear mother would be proud of, including using an insect killer / repellent. I was delighted to finally have a clean room…. And that was when I saw him… the biggest, longest-legged, Daddy-Long-Leg Spider! I freaked out and grabbed the nearest shoe I could find and started swatting it until it was dead (about 5 strong smacks). Later, my flatmate asked what all the pounding had been, and I simply replied, “spider”. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much that night with the idea of what other creepy crawlies might be running away from the bug spray straight into my bed… I sprayed again the next morning before I went to work while I was potentially still reeling from being in a closed room with cleaning and bug spray fumes.
Wednesday night, we went to a belly dancing Persian restaurant, which was incredibly entertaining with the worst service ever. I rode the tube home with three new female friends, and as we were chatting a drunk, old, fat, bald man (yes, I used that description again) started interrupting our conversation. We all shutted up and tried to ignore, so I decided the best way to ignore was going to be to keep our conversation going. The drunk moved away and we continued to chat. Well, he started back up again, so I looked at him and said, “Excuse me, so Dia, what were you saying?” As he was getting off at the next stop he said, “Yor booooring, so booooring, boring, boring …” Fay replied with her British accent (after the tube doors shut), “Not all of us can be as entertaining as a drunk, fat, old, bald man, now can we?” Haha, tube ride adventures…

My flatmate Gary is great. He is very laid back and fun, but it is hard getting used to living with a guy… Things like putting the toilette seat down, not being able to walk around freely in pjs, and getting startled awake because he decided to play a shooting video game... Haha, I think I am slowly getting used to it.

This weekend was the Notting Hill Carnival, which apparently is one of the hugest celebrations in all of London. Oh ya, and it was just right down the road from my new flat. This Caribbean Carnival had a parade of beautifully dressed dancers in African and Caribbean wear. I have never seen so many police at one event in my life! I guess they know that it gets extremely crazy… which it did. People were all over the place dancing and drinking in the streets. A couple of my friends and I ended back at my flat and were about to head out when my flat was overrun with my Flatmate, Gary and 15 of his friends. We ended up partying at the flat until 5 am! Oh, London!

This week I am off to Brussels on Tuesday and Denmark on Thursday, so I am sure there will be even more stories to share next week!

Adventures / Misadventures

The past week feels like it has been a month… So many things have happened that I can’t even contemplate that it has only been one full week. During the day, I continued to look for flats online and then visit them after work.
On Tuesday evening I did a round of “Speed Flatmating”, which entailed drinking with people and trying to decipher whether you would make good flatmates. I met a group of four people that had a flat nearby, and they were some characters! They consisted of three guys and one girl, who were chatting about movies and “takin’ a piss on” each other. (‘Takin’ a piss on’ someone means that you are teasing them in a friendly way.) Wednesday after work I went to see their flat along with one other. I cannot even describe how opposite the two flats were… The first flat with the three guys and girl was tiny and smokey, with the smallest little room. They were friendly and easy going but apparently not very tidy and clean. The second of the flats was actually a house. The woman was a 33-year old Brazilian woman that had a “wall of rules” hanging in the common area. The rules included never having more than two people over and any time someone had a “night guest” they had to pay her FOUR POUNDS! The questions is whether she knew that she made it sound like a brothel…
So after doing some very unsuccessful flat hunting, I met a friend out for a few drinks. Upon my return back to my hotel, I got a little lost and then finally found my way by the McDonalds. I was so angry that it took so long to get home, and I was starving! I got back to my hotel and woke up the next morning to my wallet being missing from my purse. I couldn’t find it anywhere and had used it last at the McDonald’s. Therefore, it must have been lifted from my purse… I spent most of the day Thursday canceling my credit cards and stressing over how someone had gotten my wallet. My company was nice enough to advance me some cash in a bank account that I couldn’t access until the following Monday. Belton once again came to my rescue and loaned me some ‘quid’ (aka cash / bucks) for the weekend.

Friday night I caught up with a girl I hadn’t seen in 14 years since 6th grade, Athena Simpson (who had been known as Ashley Simpson 14 years ago). She saw my facebook status and contacted me. We had a great time at a tapas bar and went to a really fun whole in the wall bar named Bradley’s with a jukebox. It truly is a small world after all!

Saturday, I finally found a flat! It was relatively cheap for London at £170 a week, but the room is extremely small… The taxi driver on the way to my new flat, said that I was a "Tastey Burd" and that my new flatmate "must be avin' fun wi that'".  (It was a nice compliment =/)  My new flatmate is Gary who is from northern England, 30, bald, and a Systems Analyst for MTV. The flat is located in Bayswater which boasts a fun mall and many restaurants and pubs. I moved in on Sunday and bought all new bedding (you do not want to know what the mattress looked like…). Sunday evening I received a call from the Citadines, my old hotel, because my wallet had been sitting at the front desk for a few days but no one had bothered to open to verify who it belonged to. Therefore, the one thing that made this week so awful was entirely not an issue.

Here I am on Sunday evening praying for an uneventful week, but I guess only time will tell =)!

First Weekend in London-Town

I arrived last Thursday Morning with four ridiculously heavy bags, including two checked bags that weighed about 48 pounds each (thanks, Mommy). I managed to get to my hotel in Trafalgar Square (which I was pronouncing incorrectly as TRA-falgar), and proceeded into my new office. Without sleeping for over 24 hours I can only imagine how “shattered”, aka extremely tired, I was.
The weekend began with a night out until 4am with my friend Belton who I had known previously in the states, while working in Seattle. We began at Canary Warf, which is the financial district of London. All I can say is… HAPPY HOUR! Londoners have a stronger love for happy hour than anyone I have ever seen in the States. By 5:30pm every Friday, the pubs are bustling with people! Saturday we went out to the Tate Modern and walked along the Thames. I also learned a very interesting fact! SKINNY JEANS HAVE A VERY USEFUL PURPOSE! It was pouring rain on Saturday, and I am pretty sure my “US style” jeans soaked up at least a gallon of water. By the way… I really should have bought an umbrella before arriving in London (I know… DUH!)
Sunday was wonderful and began with a run around Green Park. A normal Sunday morning running by Buckingham Palace =) The tourists started coming out towards the end of my run, and I started playing the “weave in and out of people and try not to piss anyone off” game… Good times! I also went shopping at Primark with Belton, which is apparently the Walmart version of Sears in the UK. I can’t think of a better way to describe it! Everything you need in 5 stories of one retail building for an amazing price! I then tagged along with Belton to meet his friend who ended up taking us to the SoHo club. I was unaware of exactly where I was, but apparently, the SoHo club is one of the ‘poshest’ places to go in London. Needless to say, we were asked to leave our Primark paper shopping bags in the closet by the door. (Those of you who know me are probably chuckling to yourself thinking, “oh, Leanne… some things never change, like you and your complete naiveté towards all things in style.”)
Today, however, was my first Monday, and unfortunately, I must report that Mondays are Mondays no matter what side of the pond you are on. I am now faced with the daunting task of trying to find a place to live in London when I am not even sure of the different areas. Apparently London is filled with Council Estates, which are clustered blocks offered for low income housing. These are the areas to avoid however they aren’t in just one easily avoidable part. So, here I am completely confused, totally excited, and unwaveringly curious about all the adventures that lie ahead.

INTRODUCTION TO CUBAN GAL IN LONDON

This blog is about me, Leanne, and the different adventures that I am having in London and all over Europe during my travels. I have come to London for at least 6 months to work, travel, and play. My dear friend, Belton, convinced me that this is easiest and most fun way to share my experience with friends, family, and other curious readers. So here I am… blogging for the first time, which I will try to update every Sunday at least.

Now, I invite you read along, share my experience, and hopefully entertain you with a story about the Cuban Gal in London…