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
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