Monday 19 December 2011
More of London
Flat...
London Bridge
Sunday 18 December 2011
Interesting Chat
I had an interesting chat today.... and yes, I said chat! Marco and I stopped at our friendly 'hack' phone shop to get my US phone unlocked so I can get a UK number. Marco and I had stopped at this shop to get his phone unlocked so the owner recognized us. Today, I stepped up and said what I wanted done! The owner looked at me and smiled and said I spoke proper American English like Hillary Clinton. I was polite and said thank you. The owner then paused and asked if he could speak... we were people and could have a proper discussion. Marco and I both agreed. The owner started out that we were American, European, Indian, Pakistani.... He mentioned something about something Hillary Clinton had said on TV... not sure what but it appeared he wasn't pleased... (at that point I did not want to say I was not happy that he thought I sounded like Hillary....). He then went on to talk about his move to the UK with his family 10 years ago.... so on, so on.... (Marco couldn't decide if he moved here with his 11th wife or his wife of 11 years...). My point and the thing he said that stood out the most to me is.... We are all born as babies and all we want is the nutrition from our mothers... we are not born with knowledge of religion. I mentioned that I grew up in the Philippines and went to school with kids from all over the world and from all religions but at the end of the day, we were all kids who liked to play games and went to school together. The owner agreed that it is unfortunate that the things we learn in a negative sense are as adults. He then apologized for speaking out of turn and continued with business... I am glad he spoke out of turn...
Saturday 17 December 2011
Transpertaion via bus
The most economical way to get around London is by bus, The Underground, or above ground train... if you are close to the Thames River then there are ferries. There is no Underground in Hackney (which is the only London borough that does not have underground) which is fine by me because I can't do underground. I guess I could but I can't breath down there!
The key to taking the bus is not just taking the proper bus number but making sure you go the right direction. The buses are red and most are the typical double-decker. So far I've done okay with the buses! They are an adventure!! London is a very international city and you will find this out very quickly on the bus!! I can be on a bus for 20 minutes and hear every language BUT English!! I've hear Italian, French, German, Dutch, several Asian languages, several Eastern European, and several Middle Eastern languages.... It is not just listening but it is seeing people in their traditional dress (primarily the Middle Eastern or Islamic or Muslim and Orthodox). Once and awhile I do hear English but I can't say I really understand what they are saying...
I do enjoy the bus because I can sit and watch and listen to my heart's content!!
Pictures are coming soon so stay tuned!!!
The key to taking the bus is not just taking the proper bus number but making sure you go the right direction. The buses are red and most are the typical double-decker. So far I've done okay with the buses! They are an adventure!! London is a very international city and you will find this out very quickly on the bus!! I can be on a bus for 20 minutes and hear every language BUT English!! I've hear Italian, French, German, Dutch, several Asian languages, several Eastern European, and several Middle Eastern languages.... It is not just listening but it is seeing people in their traditional dress (primarily the Middle Eastern or Islamic or Muslim and Orthodox). Once and awhile I do hear English but I can't say I really understand what they are saying...
I do enjoy the bus because I can sit and watch and listen to my heart's content!!
Pictures are coming soon so stay tuned!!!
Thursday 15 December 2011
Last Night's Dinner
To prepare for last night's dinner it took 2 trips to the grocery store.... partly because I forgot a few things but also because I could only buy what I could carry home on the bus. The first grocery store visit was to Morrisons which is like a Publix or Kroger; your average grocery store. The second trip was to Iceland. Iceland was quite a bit smaller and I soon found out why it is called Iceland.... the majority of the food is prepared and frozen (not my style).
Last night I was going to fix Chicken Marsala which is one of Marco's favourites. I could not find flour at Iceland to bread the chicken so I had to improvise... I made my own bread crumbs! I breaded the chicken and I was quite please with the way it turned out. I had gotten mushrooms the other day at Morrisons and they were fantastic! The catch here... I had to slice them myself! (Oh, how we are spoiled!) I was unable to find Marsala so again, I had to improvise... Sherry! I was pleased with the way the mushrooms turned out so I sprinkled them over the chicken and added the cheese. I was happy so far and couldn't wait to surprise Marco! I put the chicken in the oven at 6:00 so dinner would be ready when Marco go home at 7:00. At 6:15 I decided I had better check the chicken just to be sure it was cooking... IT WAS DONE!! 5 more minutes and it would have been OVER done!!
I love the kitchen and I love cooking. I can usually improvise and substitute and feel ok about things... Here, I'm on a whole new playing field! I am going to have to learn from scratch! The oven did say to read the manual before using... I just rolled my eyes! Although I was a little suspicious when the temperature on the oven only went a couple degrees above 200.... LOL!!! It just dawned on me!! DUH... CELSIUS!!!
Don't worry... by the time we are ready for visitors, I will have this all figured out!!
Stay tuned... there is more adventure to come!
Last night I was going to fix Chicken Marsala which is one of Marco's favourites. I could not find flour at Iceland to bread the chicken so I had to improvise... I made my own bread crumbs! I breaded the chicken and I was quite please with the way it turned out. I had gotten mushrooms the other day at Morrisons and they were fantastic! The catch here... I had to slice them myself! (Oh, how we are spoiled!) I was unable to find Marsala so again, I had to improvise... Sherry! I was pleased with the way the mushrooms turned out so I sprinkled them over the chicken and added the cheese. I was happy so far and couldn't wait to surprise Marco! I put the chicken in the oven at 6:00 so dinner would be ready when Marco go home at 7:00. At 6:15 I decided I had better check the chicken just to be sure it was cooking... IT WAS DONE!! 5 more minutes and it would have been OVER done!!
I love the kitchen and I love cooking. I can usually improvise and substitute and feel ok about things... Here, I'm on a whole new playing field! I am going to have to learn from scratch! The oven did say to read the manual before using... I just rolled my eyes! Although I was a little suspicious when the temperature on the oven only went a couple degrees above 200.... LOL!!! It just dawned on me!! DUH... CELSIUS!!!
Don't worry... by the time we are ready for visitors, I will have this all figured out!!
Stay tuned... there is more adventure to come!
Wednesday 14 December 2011
First Couple Days
Today is Wednesday, 14 December. I got here on Saturday and every day has been an adventure! My flight was a whole hour early so I wasn't able to sleep on the plane like I had hoped. I'm still recovering from jet lag... The international calling was not working on my cell phone so I was not able to call Marco to let him know and I had no GBP (Great Britain Pounds) to buy a coffee. Marco arrived and the taxi took us to our temporary flat across town.
For those of you who have been to Italy, especially, Rome, you will get a kick out of this! Londoners drive like Romans but on the other side of the road! It was a willed ride! If you want an amusement park experience... ride in the front seat of a double-decker bus... upstairs!!
We are currently living in the London Borough of Hackney (north east of London central). Our flat is small but nice. I knew we would be downsizing but this is way more than I expected! The guestroom/office is the size of our old walk-in closet. There is room for 1 person at a time in the bathroom. The kitchen is small... no dishwasher, washing machine (no dryer) and fridge are both under the counter. The running water in the kitchen and the bathroom are separate hot & cold.
On Sunday, Marco and I took a bus around Central London. We started with lunch at Victoria Station. We got started later than planed so we did not see all we wanted to. It is dark at 4:20PM! We did get to see parts of Westminster including Big Ben (which really isn't that big), Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament, Downing Street, and drove near Buckingham Palace... saw Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus, and the famous Harrods lite up for Christmas. It was VERY crowded and touristy!
Monday, I went with Marco to Canary Wharf where his office is. It was an hour trip via 2 buses! Underneath the banks of the financial district is a huge (American like) mall with shops, restaurants, and plenty of coffee shops including a couple Starbucks! (Yes I got iced tea!!) While there I went and looked at a flat. It was a little bigger than where we are and it looks over the Thames River. A very different environment than Hackney!
Tuesday, I took a trip to town (solo) via bus. It took me a bit to find the grocery store but I found it! I bought a few things... enough to fit in a back pack and a reusable grocery bag. I found my way to the bus stop to go home! It was very cold and the bus was running late which I have been told is rare. On the way home I thought of several things I had forgotten.... So, guess what I did today? I went to town again. I tried out a new grocery store. It wasn't as big and the walk back to the bus was a little longer! I did find the Post Office though!! Tomorrow our air freight arrives so I will staying close to home... I may even try out the washing machine.
This may have seemed like rambling but I wanted to get caught up to present... There is a lot more to come!!!
Suzanne
For those of you who have been to Italy, especially, Rome, you will get a kick out of this! Londoners drive like Romans but on the other side of the road! It was a willed ride! If you want an amusement park experience... ride in the front seat of a double-decker bus... upstairs!!
We are currently living in the London Borough of Hackney (north east of London central). Our flat is small but nice. I knew we would be downsizing but this is way more than I expected! The guestroom/office is the size of our old walk-in closet. There is room for 1 person at a time in the bathroom. The kitchen is small... no dishwasher, washing machine (no dryer) and fridge are both under the counter. The running water in the kitchen and the bathroom are separate hot & cold.
On Sunday, Marco and I took a bus around Central London. We started with lunch at Victoria Station. We got started later than planed so we did not see all we wanted to. It is dark at 4:20PM! We did get to see parts of Westminster including Big Ben (which really isn't that big), Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament, Downing Street, and drove near Buckingham Palace... saw Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus, and the famous Harrods lite up for Christmas. It was VERY crowded and touristy!
Monday, I went with Marco to Canary Wharf where his office is. It was an hour trip via 2 buses! Underneath the banks of the financial district is a huge (American like) mall with shops, restaurants, and plenty of coffee shops including a couple Starbucks! (Yes I got iced tea!!) While there I went and looked at a flat. It was a little bigger than where we are and it looks over the Thames River. A very different environment than Hackney!
Tuesday, I took a trip to town (solo) via bus. It took me a bit to find the grocery store but I found it! I bought a few things... enough to fit in a back pack and a reusable grocery bag. I found my way to the bus stop to go home! It was very cold and the bus was running late which I have been told is rare. On the way home I thought of several things I had forgotten.... So, guess what I did today? I went to town again. I tried out a new grocery store. It wasn't as big and the walk back to the bus was a little longer! I did find the Post Office though!! Tomorrow our air freight arrives so I will staying close to home... I may even try out the washing machine.
This may have seemed like rambling but I wanted to get caught up to present... There is a lot more to come!!!
Suzanne
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