It’s
been a while since I last wrote and fall has come and gone in London. While
this typically means more rain (and then lots more for winter!), it was still wonderful
to see the fall colours around the city. Here are a few pictures of autumn:
What
have I been up to these past few months? Well, September was a busy month as my
friend Jen visited and we went out exploring quite a bit. First, we went for
fancy afternoon tea at Brown’s Hotel. It was very luxurious and everything
tasted amazing – definitely worth the expense.
Second,
we went on a day trip to Oxford, Stratford (where we visited the house Shakespeare grew up in) and Warwick Castle. It was great to
get out of London for a day and see the English countryside. I think living in
London has made me forget that there is so much to see and do outside the city.
Third,
we travelled to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. That was quite an adventure
and great fun. I definitely recommend everyone go at least once in their life.
It’s a rich cultural event and not only about the drinking (although the
delicious beer and food are a big part of it). We also had an opportunity to
visit the former Dachau Concentration Camp while we were there and that was a
very solemn and somewhat overwhelming experience. Again, this is something that
everyone should do. We all learn about war and other atrocities in school but
it’s quite a different thing to see it in person. It definitely made me realize
how lucky I am to have been born in Canada and made me appreciate even more the
rights and liberties that come along with it (I love you Charter of Rights and
Freedoms!). On a happier note, this was my first trip organized through
BritBound and I was very impressed. Everything was very well organized and we
had a blast. I will definitely be participating in future BritBound travels
(including the trip to Bruges in December!).
October
was a bit of an emotional month for me as there was a tragedy in Ottawa which
made international news; a soldier who was guarding the war memorial was shot
and killed and the gunman then terrorized the city for hours while he hid in
the Parliament. I was glued to the news for a couple of days as I watched the
events unfold and it was difficult to be far away from home when something like
that was happening only a couple of blocks away from where I used to live and
work. I’m happy and grateful my family and friends are all safe and hope that something
like this never happens again. I saw this the day after the shooting and just
have to share it because I think it’s simply amazing:
In
October I also moved into my new flat and I’m happy to say that it’s going
great. Here are a few pictures of my new neighbourhood: Finsbury Park. I
definitely find it more “British” than where I used to live. As a side note, it
is unbelievable the amount of stuff I have managed to gather (hoard?) in my
short time here. I’m also including a picture of Dan looking less than
impressed at all the stuff he has to help me move (this is only some of it!).
November
has really flown by. A quick yet quick visit from my friend Breanne
and I also had a chance to see the poppies at the Tower of London which was a great experience. This was in honour of the 100th anniversary of WWI.
and I also had a chance to see the poppies at the Tower of London which was a great experience. This was in honour of the 100th anniversary of WWI.
The fact
that winter is coming (insert corny Game of Thrones joke here) means that Christmas
isn’t far off either! I love Christmas and I am especially excited for
Christmas this year as it means that my mom, my brother and his girlfriend are visiting and we are going to Scotland. While snow isn’t very common in
London, there is a (small) chance that there will be snow in the Scottish
Highlands for Christmas. I have to say, I will be a little disappointed if
there is no snow on Christmas eve/Christmas morning. Speaking of snow, it
snowed for a whole 2 minutes this week. Like all of the other people on the
street, I snapped a picture as quick as I could (after I stopped squealing with
delight and running around like a person who’s never seen snow before). While
we got a few flurries here, people were quick to send me pictures of what it
looked like back home – I definitely don’t miss that!
My next
post will likely be after Christmas since I will have pictures of the Bruges
Christmas Markets and Scotland to share. London has already started to “Christmasize”
which is getting me really excited. The smell of hot cider and mulled wine is
in the air and there was even a real reindeer in Covent Garden the other day!
So, for
those of you reading this: Merry Christmas and thanks for reading along as I
wrap up a wonderful first year living in the UK. It has been an amazing year
and I look forward to another great year ahead. As always, here is a quote to
end the blog post:
Ho Ho Ho
Kris Kringle
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